Subject: Legacy of Evil: Inklings for posting @ ftp site and website Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 10:39:26 EST From: BDUNDEE@aol.com To: fkfic@fkvoyage.win.net Attached in a text file please find the story. Yours aye, Becky Chessman bdundee@aol.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- LEGACY OF EVIL: Inklings--An ADULT-- "Forever Knight" fan fiction story by Rebecca L. Chessman DISCLAIMERS: The characters from the television series "Forever Knight" belong to James Parriott and Barney Cohen. No infringement of their original copyright or ownership of the characters or series by Sony Television is intended. This is an exercise in admiration for TPTB who are the original creators of the characters and situations previously presented on television. Permission is granted to archive at fkfic-l's ftp site, fkfanfic.com, and jadfe website. All others please ask. I have created some new characters and taken liberties with the originals to continue from where the series left off at the end of season three. I am an unrepentant Nick and Nat Packer and a Dark Knightie. I believe they belong together, but I set myself the task of finding a way other than making Nat a vampire or letting Nick have his mortality. Either of those solutions seems to violate their essential integrity. I have tried to include real places and historic events and persons where they fit, but I did not use real modern people. This is my first attempt at fan fiction. I hope its readers enjoy the adventure. I enjoyed writing it. I have posted this on adult lists as I feel the sexual content and the level of violence might be offensive to some readers. If you do not enjoy consenting sex between adult M&F persons, or violence directed at or around children, please avoid this story. I have used Nicholas, Nick, and the French spelling, Nicolas, to refer to the character of Nick Knight. The spelling changes as each character uses the pronunciation most familiar to them. I owe a great deal of thanks to Judy Freudenthal for beta reading. Legacy of Evil : Inklings by Rebecca L. Chessman Chapter 1 LaCroix approached Nicholas' loft with trepidation, fearing that Nicholas would attempt Janette's 'cure' for his vampirism. It could not work for Nicholas as it had for Janette. Nicholas was weak from too many years of denying what he was. Nicholas' continuing insistence upon consuming only animal blood, living among mortals, and suffering guilt over his vampire existence eroded any constraint LaCroix had taught him. And his infatuation with Dr. Natalie Lambert wreaked havoc upon his equilibrium! Nicholas' weakness was so severe that he had actually been possessed by a demon! But there was hope; just last week, Divia, LaCroix's beautiful and deadly daughter, had destroyed two other vampires with her poison, attacked Nicholas, and even attacked LaCroix, himself. Nicholas not only survived, but prevented LaCroix's own death at Divia's hands. LaCroix was joyfully amazed. Her death, though he grieved for the loss of his daughter, brought himself and his favorite 'son' to a new understanding. When he had come to the loft tonight, LaCroix hoped Nicholas was ready to move on, to resume his proper place at LaCroix's side. But, Nicholas' desire for Natalie Lambert intervened, and preempting Nicholas' latest foolishness had proven impossible. Love. LaCroix sneered to himself. However foolish he found this emotion, Nicholas and his lovely doctor obviously did not. He'd found them together in the loft. He was too late. Nicholas had lost control. Dr. Lambert lay drained and dying on the floor. Not all the persuasive eloquence at LaCroix's command could convince Nicholas to bring her across. Now, her death was the only logical solution. And Nicholas impulsively insisted on joining his lover in death, and expected LaCroix to wield the instrument of his destruction! LaCroix poised the twisted wooden pike Nicholas had handed him, his body automatically balancing it carefully prior to launching it at its intended target. His mind was in turmoil. What good was 2000 years of experience when his only 'son' required him to perform a tragic folly committed on a Shakespearean scale? Why did LaCroix's favorite child have to be the only vampire he knew who despised his own existence? Could he actually do what Nicholas asked? Janette sped through the night sky above Toronto. It was early March. Sleet blew directly into her face as she flew, making it far too uncomfortable for flying under normal conditions, but tremendous emotional surges from Nicolas had been racking her system all evening long. She must reach him before he did something truly stupid. LaCroix was with him now. She could feel their connection, the distinctive tension of their differences. What were they doing to cause this horrendous upheaval of emotion? She'd been able to feel Nicolas' urges through their link with LaCroix in earlier years. They had been a closely knit trio, until she fell in love with Robert! Her resultant mortality broke her bond with them both. When Robert died, she hadn't cared if she continued to live. But Nicolas cared. He brought her back across into her former vampire state rather than let her die. Since he was now her nominal master, his mood swings were more perceptible to her. He seemed calmer lately, less eager to anguish over his vampire state. Indeed, she occasionally felt his satisfaction when his powers manifested. Then Nicolas confronted Divia, and his equilibrium evaporated. What a revelation the appearance of Divia had been! Nicolas' feelings toward his vampire master mellowed considerably. But, she knew Nicolas' continuing passion for Natalie was still something Janette's previous master could never easily accept. Could that be the root of this disturbance? She must calm him! He would drag them both down into a maelstrom of madness and mortality. She could not allow that to happen again. She was just getting used to her forcible reconversion. Nicolas was suffering the desolation she felt in that moment when she realized she could not revive her beloved Robert. She was nearly there! She could see the distinctive roof line of Nicolas' warehouse on the horizon, the outline of that water tank that incongruously reminded her of a ridiculous 'Humpty Dumpty' about to fall. An enormous, electrical surge of despair caught her mid-flight and nearly ripped her from the sky, but she pressed on through it and alit atop Nicolas' skylight. Looking down she saw <....mon dieu, what was LaCroix doing!> The tableau frozen beneath her feet horrified her. Natalie Lambert lay, seemingly lifeless, on the floor. Nicolas knelt above her, head bowed, his hands clasping Natalie's. A perfect cacophony of guilt, love, resignation, despair, hope stormed at Janette from his quiet figure. LaCroix loomed above them both, a huge, twisted stake in his hands, seemingly, poised to strike Nicolas through the heart. "Damn you, Nicholas!" she heard LaCroix exclaim as the stake descended. Janette plummeted through the skylight, raining broken glass and twisted metal everywhere, and confronted LaCroix. "What do you think you are doing?" Janette roared as she ripped the stake from LaCroix's hands, broke it into shards, and threw its remains into the fireplace. LaCroix staggered back from the violence of her advance. He shook himself, as if rousing from a nightmare, and faced her calmly. But he was anything but calm. He had nearly done what Nicholas had asked! The recollection of his own bout with barren hopelessness during the meteor crisis the previous year tempted him to be lenient with Nicholas' flirtation with human frailty, but his better sense suggested a more likely target for the stake. "He asked me to second him as his oldest friend," LaCroix stated. "And you agreed!?" Janette shouted. "Knowing what a state he's worked himself into!? And all for no good reason!" LaCroix thought to himself as he darted a look of pure hatred in Natalie Lambert's direction. The only thing that held him back from pushing that stake through her heart was his very thorough conviction that Nicholas would never survive her death. If Nicholas were to live, and LaCroix needed Nicholas to live, Dr. Lambert must. Nick, still on his knees, was completely unaware of Janette's entrance. He murmured despairingly to Natalie, "I can not condemn you to this darkness! But we will be together, forever." "You idiot! You completely deluded fool!" Janette shouted at Nick. "She isn't dead. You have plenty of blood in the refrigerator. You have her knowledge as a doctor working inside you at this very moment, and you didn't think to transfuse her!? You didn't think at all did you? How typical of you, Nicolas. You are such an emotional ninny. Get up off that floor and get that blood! You know damned well she doesn't want to die. Quit wallowing in that mire of guilt and save the woman's life!" Janette barked. Nick looked up at Janette dazedly. Then, with a suddenly brightening expression, he rose, a bit disjointedly, then whipped across the room to the refrigerator. He ripped several bags of blood out of the freezer, plugged the sink, ran hot water into it, and dumped the blood bags in to begin to thaw. Janette rummaged briskly through Natalie's medical bag, which still sat on the table, and found alcohol, cotton swabs, needles, tubing. Nick joined her at the table, and, looking through the bag, himself, he gasped. He looked up into Janette's face, and stammered, "You...you were right! She packed for just this emergency. She has everything in here to deal with blood-loss shock." And, Nick realized, Natalie had just replaced this blood supply, "For emergencies," she had said. The A negative blood could be used for either of them. He was A negative and she was AB negative, what had been called a universal receiver until the RH factor had been discovered. Their blood types were compatible enough to risk emergency transfusion without prior cross matching. "Well, then, get to it!" Janette exclaimed. LaCroix stood, seemingly bemused, in the center of the room where Janette had left him. He looked down at Natalie, then bent and lifted her onto the couch. He crossed to the coat rack near the lift door and, emptying it, he brought it to stand next to the couch. Then he disappeared into Nick's bedroom and reappeared bearing blankets and pillows. He placed the pillows under Natalie's feet and covered her with the blankets, leaving only the arm nearest the coat rack bare. Nick pulled one of the blood bags from the hot water in the sink, hung it from the coat rack, set up an I.V. line from the bag, and began transfusing Natalie. He instructed Janette to push the transfusion while he employed the drugs he had found in Natalie's bag to ameliorate the effects of shock. Then he set up a saline drip in her other arm to rehydrate her. It wasn't long before Natalie began showing signs of life. She returned to consciousness slowly, her eyes focusing on Nick's face as he hovered protectively above her. Janette was briskly clearing away the glass and metal shards she had scattered upon her entry into the loft. LaCroix was fidgeting restlessly, tapping his fingers against the surface of the lamp table next to the chair in which he sat. "Ni...Nick!" Natalie cried as she regained consciousness. "Shh, hush, love, I'm here, you're safe now," Nick murmured soothingly. "I...I remember...you wanted to die with me..." Natalie mumbled as she gazed lovingly at Nick. "You...your life...such suffering! How do you stand it?" she exclaimed as she reached up to gently stroke his cheek. Nick gathered her up in his arms, mindful of the I.V.'s still running from the bags suspended from the coat rack to the needles in her arms. He rocked her gently as he held her. "I'm so sorry, Nat. I couldn't stop. You are so beautiful, so delicious, I wanted all of you," Nick apologized. "I know, my love," breathed Natalie. "Truly, I know." She shivered as he held her. He tightened his grasp as she burrowed her face into his shoulder. She began to shudder violently as her body reacted to the revelation of his past conquests. The hideously compelling images he shared as he consumed her blood repeated themselves in her mind. It terrified her because she did not wish them to stop! His experiences as he had lived them were thrillingly intense. She relived his possession of herself and reveled in her ability to fulfill his desire so utterly. She wanted him again. God help her. He had nearly killed her, and she still wanted him so desperately! Her trembling slowly abated. She raised her head to look at him. Nick drew back, "Are you all right?" She nodded, but deep inside herself, she doubted her own sanity. He smiled at her, blinked suddenly, then stared at her neck strangely. He was about to speak when... "Well, now that that's over," LaCroix interrupted. "When are we leaving?" He pushed himself up from the chair abruptly and began to pace. "A bit impatient aren't we?" asked Janette archly. "It's just past sunrise. You can't travel until sunset." "Humph, well, I suppose I'll have to spend the day then--I'll take the bedroom. I'd like to be well rested for my journey," LaCroix remarked as he disappeared upstairs with a whoosh. Janette beamed at Nick and Natalie who still sat entwined in each other's arms, although Nick seemed to be a bit uneasy. Natalie clutched at him as if he were her anchor to reality. Janette mused. "He took that well, I thought. Wouldn't you two like something to eat? I should think that Natalie is probably starved." "What?" Nick asked distractedly. "I said, you're a terrible host. Why don't you get Natalie something to eat," Janette returned. "Oh, yeah, sure," Nick mumbled as he pried himself loose from Natalie's grasp, rose, and walked into the kitchen to stare into his refrigerator, and browse through his cupboards in search of something edible for Natalie. "What are you going to do now? Will you move on with LaCroix or stay here?" Janette asked Nick. "I won't leave Natalie," Nick replied forcefully. "Don't worry about me," Natalie rejoined," I'm going wherever you do. I packed before I came." she thought to herself. Then she thought ruefully, The phone interrupted shrilly. The answering machine clicked on, and when the message finished, Reese's voice boomed from the speaker. "Nick, this is Reese. We've got problems! I.A. wants to talk to you, your partner's body is missing, and her father is making my life miserable. All hell is breaking loose around here." Nick dived for the phone, punched the speaker button, then returned to his search for food. "Tracy's body is missing!?" "They'd taken her down to the morgue at the hospital. When the funeral home arrived for the pick up, she was gone. The uniforms are searching for her body now." "I'll get there as soon as I can, Captain, but my allergy will keep me in for several hours yet." "Yeah, yeah, I know all about that, but I don't need you here. You have to stay put. I.A. will be knockin' on your door within the hour. I just thought you ought to know before they get there. There's no need for you to come in. You'll be on suspension until I.A. finishes their investigation anyhow. Hey, what's this I hear about Dr. Lambert resigning? Did that suicide case finally chase our best medical examiner out of her job?" "No, Captain, it's my fault." Natalie and Janette gasped as they heard Nick's reply. "I asked her to marry me." Nick winked at Natalie as he said this. "And I think she will. I'll be waiting for I.A." "Well, it's about time, Knight! Congratulations! And give my best wishes to Dr. Lambert," Captain Reese exclaimed. "Take good care of I.A. I don't think you'll have much trouble with them. I've seen the security camera tape. Commissioner Vetter won't be able to hold you responsible for Tracy's death for long." Nick hung up the phone, turned to Natalie, who was staring at him with her mouth open, and asked, "Well, will you?" She closed her mouth, took a huge breath and let it out before exclaiming, "You'd damn well better believe I will!" She held out her arms for Nick, and he gathered her up with alacrity. "But Nick, why now?" "I've found I can't live without you," he told her sincerely. "I don't know what kind of life we can have together, but I won't have one if I can't have you." Janette's face was a study in worry, relief, and satisfaction. "Well, it's about time you did something sensible," she told Nick as he nuzzled Natalie. "What are you going to do about him?" Janette gestured toward the bedroom. "He'll have to get used to it," was Nick's only comment as he released Natalie and returned, once again, to the cupboards. Natalie pulled the I.V. needle from her left arm and asked, "Would someone get me some band aids? I think I'm done with these for a while." She swung her legs off the couch, reaching for the other I.V., only to fall back abruptly as the color left her face. She had intended to clear away the I.V. setup, but found she could not. "I guess I'm not quite ready to get up yet," she asserted. Nick jumped for the band aids, and handed them to Natalie. Then he gently removed the second I.V. needle from her right arm. He opened the box of band aids Natalie held, selected two, and expertly applied one to each arm. Then he guided her back down into a recumbent position on the couch, this time with the pillows supporting her head and shoulders. He took the box of bindweeds and replaced them in Natalie's bag on the dining room table. Meanwhile, Janette cleared away the assemblage of bags and tubing from the coat rack. She rescued the coats, jackets, and Nick's shoulder holster from the pile on the floor where LaCroix had left them and replaced them and the rack in their original positions. "Janette's right," Nick said, "you need nourishment. I'll get this soup on, Nat." He quickly returned to the kitchen and emptied the contents of a can of chicken soup he had found in the back of one of his cupboards into a pan. "I think I left some bagels in your freezer last week," Natalie said from her relaxed position on the couch. "I can toast them," Janette said. When the food was ready, Nick rushed over to the couch to help Natalie to the table. "I'm perfectly able to stand and walk on my own," she fussed at him as she sat up and neatly stacked the pillows and blankets she had been using. But when she found she really was still quite wobbly, she allowed him to place an arm around her waist and help her to her chair. Soon Natalie was relaxing at the dining room table after having finished her soup and bagel, while Janette and Nick sipped from their wine glasses. "I still despise cow," Janette shivered. "It's drinkable," Nick asserted. "Only to a deluded...," Janette began. "Emotional ninny?" Nick finished for her. "Well, you can be so thick at times," she remarked. "I'll second that," Natalie agreed. Just then the door buzzer sounded, and Nick checked the door video. "It's I.A., are we tidy enough for them to surprise me in my den of iniquity?" Nick asked. "They're only going to grill you about what happened at the precinct," Natalie remarked. "You're not suspected of any corruption, are you?" "Not any more than usual. Unless you count my making you resign," Nick noted. "Well, I'll never tell them I did it so I could run off with a vampire who was getting ready to move on." "I'm going to go upstairs with LaCroix," Janette said. "I don't relish being grilled by anyone, especially about things of which I have no knowledge." She disappeared quietly upstairs carrying her wine glass and the bottle of blood with her. Just then the lift door opened, and two officers from I.A. entered the loft. "Detective Knight?" one of them approached Nick, offering his hand. Nick shook it and offered them a seat on the couch, which was now devoid of any evidence of the earlier emergency, except for the stack of neatly folded blankets and pillows at the far end of the couch. Nick and Natalie settled into the easy chairs. "Detective, we'd like to hear your version of what occurred in the precinct's locker room last night. You killed the prisoner who shot Detective Vetter. Commissioner Vetter has charged you with manslaughter for that death. Commissioner Vetter is also pressing negligence of duty charges against you for placing your partner in unnecessary danger. You could be charged with murder. You could be discharged from the force, permanently, if this investigation shows that you had any prior intent to kill the prisoner, or that you knowingly placed your partner in danger and thereby caused her death." Natalie snorted as she heard the allegations. "Sounds like the commissioner needs someone to pin this whole mess on, and you won the toss, Nick," she commented. "Who is this?" asked the second I.A. officer, eying Natalie, and then the folded stack of blankets and pillows. Knight was single, but was he as much of a gentleman as his reputation suggested? Which of them, he wondered, had spent the night on the couch? "Does she have anything to do with this investigation?" "This is Dr. Natalie Lambert. She's the chief medical examiner." "Oh, yes. Dr. Lambert, I heard you'd resigned last night. Does your resignation have anything to do with this case?" "No, it doesn't. I didn't do the work on this particular incident," Natalie replied. "My resignation is for personal reasons. Detective Knight and I are engaged." "I see," the officer replied. "In that case, you may stay as we question Knight, but you may not comment during the questioning. Now, Detective Knight, please begin with your version of the events of last night," he removed his notebook from his inside jacket pocket as his partner placed a voice-activated tape recorder on the table at Nick's elbow. Nick explained that he had received the call, while he had been at the morgue, about a prisoner grabbing a gun from an officer. "I arrested Dawkins during a case last year. Delbert Dawkins was a petty criminal. He was unstable, but not usually dangerous. The judge sentenced him to a mental hospital rather than send him to the regular lockup. He hadn't gotten along with his doctor and had been rearrested for assaulting him. He didn't want to return to the hospital," Nick paused and then continued. "I thought that since I knew Dawkins, I could calm him down enough to get the gun away from him without anyone being hurt. I found him in the locker room and was talking him down. The emergency lights were on dimly, and the lack of bright lights and the patter I was using seemed to be having a calming effect. He was just about to hand me the gun when, suddenly, the room lights came on, and he started shooting." Nick's hands twisted in his lap as he continued his story. "I tackled him, threw him against the wall. I heard Dawkins' head hit pretty hard. I grabbed the gun," Nick looked up at the I.A. officers with an agonized expression. "When I turned around to see what Dawkins had been shooting at, Tracy was sliding down the wall. She had been shot twice. I guess once she got into the locker room unseen, she planned to cover me, if it became necessary. Unfortunately, the lights coming on revealed her position, and she was shot." Nick looked down at his hands which continued to twist as he finished his story. "Thank you, Detective, that's pretty much the way it looks on the security camera. Except, it looked on the tape as if you were directly in the line of fire. Why weren't you shot?" "I have no idea how he missed me," Nick shook his head sadly. "It should have been me. Tracy never deserved this." "Detective, do you still have your gun? If so, we need to take it in for ballistic tests." "Of course," Nick went to the coat rack and withdrew his gun from his holster. The I.A. man examined Nick's gun. "This hasn't been fired recently," he commented. "We're going to take it anyway. You're on suspension until the investigation is completed." "Captain Reese called earlier. He said Tracy's body is missing. What's happening?" Nick asked. "We're wondering the same thing. Nearly everyone on the force has been called in for extra duty. Commissioner Vetter is really putting on the pressure." "Well, Detective," the second officer advised, "just relax and let the rest of the force do its job. We'll be back if we have any further questions, so don't go too far for a while." The I.A. officers rose from the couch, gathering up the notebook and recorder, and left. Nick looked at Natalie. She raised her eyebrows. "This is really weird," she remarked. "Could LaCroix have had anything to do with Tracy's disappearance?" Natalie mused. Nick started. "You think he brought her across? No, the timing's wrong. He was here with us when she disappeared." "Is there anyone else who'd do that for her?" Natalie asked. "Vachon, but he couldn't cope with Divia's poison. You saw how Urs didn't regenerate? He wasn't injured as badly, physically, but what happened to him was, actually, worse. He simply could not deal with Divia's evil. I'm not sure how I did when she attacked me." Nick shivered as he remembered Divia's relentless and frenzied attack and the vivid images of killing and feeding she had radiated. "Vachon had Tracy stake him. LaCroix said that perhaps my search for mortality is what saved me. I'm not completely a vampire. Do you suppose he's right?" "Oh my God, Nick. You didn't tell me that." Nick looked at Natalie thoughtfully. Natalie thought she saw a trace of revulsion flit across his face before he answered. She had a sudden foreboding in her gut. He hated himself. Would he come to hate her because she wanted him? "I don't know anyone else who would bring Tracy across." "Why would anyone want her body?" "I have absolutely no idea." "Weird," Natalie repeated. "If I weren't on suspension, I would go out and investigate. Maybe after the sun's down we could go look anyway. What do you think, Nat?" "You never told Janette what you were going to do next. It sounds like you've decided to stay here for a while. How does our 'engagement' fit into the picture? Or is it just a cover for I.A." "Nat, I meant what I said." He gathered her into his arms and hugged her tightly. His lips found hers, and he began to kiss her passionately. She responded, slipping her arms around his neck to hold him closely to her. LaCroix suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs. Janette was right behind him. "What is this I hear about marriage, Nicholas?" Nick refused to be interrupted and continued kissing Natalie. When he judged he had made his point, he looked up. "You heard correctly, LaCroix." "Another simple-minded mortal dalliance! Really, Nicholas, you won't always be so well-prepared every time you try to love her," sneered LaCroix. "She isn't entirely mortal any longer, LaCroix," Nick announced. "What!?" exclaimed Nat and LaCroix together. "Look at her neck. There's absolutely no evidence of what I did to her just a few hours ago. Her wounds are not only completely healed, there is no bruise and no scar," Nick asserted. Natalie gasped and reached up to touch her throat. Nick was right! There was no trace of his bite. "My throat doesn't even feel sore," Natalie mused. "As a matter of fact, I've seldom felt so well in my life," she asserted. "And that's really strange, especially if Nick drained me as much as he says he did." "It's Divia's influence, LaCroix," Nick said. "When I drank from Natalie, I couldn't stop. It wasn't just because I wanted her. I could feel something else. Something that's been with me, I think, since Divia attacked me. I can tell I've infected her with it, too. Why else would she be healing so rapidly? There was something very strange about Divia. It keeps haunting me. I'm not sure what it is, LaCroix, but we must find out. It may be that Natalie and I will become as dangerous to you and the rest of the Community as Divia was." "Nick!" Natalie pushed herself away from him. Nick reached out and pulled her back into his arms. "You can't hurt me Nat, but I'm not sure what we've been infected with. Meanwhile, we're safer together than anywhere else." "Yeah, but that's kind of a mixed blessing isn't it?" "Not really, I've always wanted to be stuck with you for the rest of my life," he murmured into her hair as he pulled her even closer. she wailed to herself. "We must find out if anyone else in the Community has had any contact with Divia," Janette said. "She attacked me also," LaCroix noted quietly. "Ah, LaCroix, I'd suspect you are 'far too old and powerful' for Divia to affect you," Nick quoted. "There are never any guarantees," LaCroix commented sourly. "She was my master." "We can't do anything until the sun sets," said Janette. Natalie suddenly sagged in Nick's arms. "Natalie needs rest," Nick said. "LaCroix, you won't be leaving immediately will you?" "No. I must make sure that Divia's legacy does no further harm. If I do not, the Enforcers may have to intervene. I would just as soon that did not become necessary." "LaCroix, may we have the bedroom now? Nat needs rest before we set out after dark. Would you and Janette put your heads together and see if you can come up with a list of anyone Divia might have had contact with? Remember she was hunting people you cared for." LaCroix nodded briefly, and he and Janette settled on the couch with a note pad and pencil. Nick lifted Natalie into his arms and carried her upstairs to the bedroom. He set her on the bedspread and reached down to pull the comforter over her, but she pulled him down next to her on the bed. "I don't want to rest. I want you to make love to me. The way you didn't when you bit me," Natalie informed him as she buried her fingers in his hair and nuzzled him. She wanted him, and she didn't want to think about the consequences just now. She needed his body next to hers. "Mmmm, I'd love to," Nick murmured in her ear, "but we have guests with very sharp ears, and other senses, and making love is something just between us. You need your rest. You're still weak from shock. You have been infected with something we know very little about. And, we have no clue as to how your system will react." "Well, then it's about time I started using some of my abilities, and we set up a lab to monitor us both." "After we have a nap," Nick nuzzled her ear and pulled her tightly against his body. She could feel that he was as interested as she in far more intimate relations. "I thought you said our guests had sharp ears, and that had to wait until later," Natalie whispered as she reveled in the feel, the scent of him. "They do, and it does. But we can still snuggle," Nick whispered back as he cuddled her closely. Natalie sighed and relaxed in his arms. she rejoiced to herself. She soon drifted into a light, healing sleep. Nick watched her sleep, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, her warmth, the rise and fall of her breath, the sound of her heartbeat, the scent of her, the taste of her. He had drunk deeply and nearly killed her. He was sated for now, but what of later when his desire for her arose again? He was far more worried about her than he had let her know. What had Divia done to him, and now, through him, to Natalie? She was healing with vampire speed. Would that effect last? There was no precedent for it. Not even one LaCroix had kept from him. LaCroix had been as amazed as the rest of them. Their lovemaking was supposed to make him more human. Instead he had lost control and nearly killed her. Now, whatever Divia had done to him was making Natalie more like a vampire. It wasn't at all what they had hoped. Since he had tasted Natalie's blood, he knew she had accepted him completely. She truly did not care if he were mortal or vampire. She loved him unconditionally. He still could not believe that, although he knew it was perfectly true. He kissed her gently in her sleep. She was so dear to him. He wasn't sure he could bear to see her become a vampire. That change might destroy the essence of the woman he loved. Worrying, he too, fell into a deep sleep. Nick and Natalie slept soundly, it was getting late, nearly five o'clock. [End Chapter 1 - Legacy of Evil: Inklings] Legacy of Evil: Inklings - Chapter 2 Just across town, Amanda pushed her cart down the alley, always keeping an eye open for anything usable. The cart in front of her was half-filled with the things she'd found that morning. She didn't live out of her cart like so many other street people. She had a real room. It wasn't the best, but it was warm and clean. Her retirement checks were too small for anything more than a residence hotel, so she padded her income with the bottles and cans she recycled and the other usable stuff she found in the trash bins. People paid well for things most thought were junk once they were cleaned up and displayed properly in a second-hand shop. Her friend, Irma, owned just such a shop. Amanda was one of Irma's best scouts. Amanda had good taste and a head for fashion. She just didn't have enough money to indulge it. So she catered to others' tastes instead. It wasn't a bad life, Amanda thought to herself. Sometimes she had to defend herself from the riffraff on the street, but she was still strong and had taken several self-defense classes at the Y. She knew enough not to carry any cash or to pick up anything that looked like anyone else would want it. It wasn't smart to keep working after dark, and it had been nearly half an hour since she'd last found anything. Amanda thought to herself < I should quit for the day, get a nice cup of hot tea!> Suddenly she saw something promising. Now there was a discarded coat! Just the kind of thing Irma would like to put in the kids' section of her store. It wasn't often that you found good quality kids' wear. People usually handed things like that down to relatives or friends. Amanda bent over the coat and lifted. It was heavy. Oh, God, no! The child was still in it. Blood had ruined the front of the coat. She could see that now, and, as she stared, the child's head rolled away from the torso. Amanda screamed. In their bed in Nick's loft, Natalie held Nick in her arms. His teeth were buried in her vein, his lips and tongue nursed at her throat. He pulled back and bared his neck, inviting her to drink from him. But when she bit into his throat, he suddenly shuddered and cried out, "No....no....never....not you, Natalie!" and pushed her away. She was devastated, bereft, how could he withdraw himself when she had given everything she was to him. She reached for him, fingers curved into tearing claws, and ripped his throat out. Natalie screamed and tried to sit up, fighting a cold weight that seemed to be pressing her down into eternal blackness. "Oh, Nick, oh God, what have I done!?" "Shh, shh, quiet love, you're all right, hush, Nat, hush now!" Natalie gradually realized the cold weight was simply Nick holding her, trying to comfort her. "Oh Nick, it was horrible. I...I killed you. It was so real!" "You haven't killed anyone, Nat. You're all right. Hush now." Nick was raining kisses over her face and rocking her gently. Natalie shivered violently. She raised her hand. Her fingertips traced his mouth. Their lips met. His tongue traced the outline of her mouth. Her lips parted, their tongues met. He was delicious, his lips soft and cool, his tongue, strong and supple. She could feel his body against hers. Hard, strong arms held her firmly but gently. Hands caressed her shoulders, her hips, pulled her hips into his. God, how she wanted him! Wanted those hands to caress her everywhere. She slid one hand down between his thighs and stroked him. He pulled back, sucking his breath in through his teeth. He captured her hand between his own and held it tightly. "Nat, lord, how you tempt me," he hissed. She smiled against his chest. "I know. I want you just as badly." She looked up at him between her lashes and pouted for his benefit. "I love being comforted like this. But I'd rather finish what I started." "You will, soon, I promise." He kissed her palm, and moving away from her, he rose from the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Where did I leave my comb?" he wondered aloud. "I need one too," Nat told him as she sat up. "Ah, here it is." He picked up a comb from the top of his dresser, ran it quickly through his hair, then sat back down on the bed behind Nat and began combing her hair. "I've always loved your hair. Always wanted to tangle my hands in it," Nick told her, dropping the comb and burying his hands and face in her hair. "Well, please just comb, it tangles far too easily as it is without your help!" Natalie exclaimed. She giggled as he started tickling her ribs. "Stop that, we don't have time for that. What time is it anyway? Janette and LaCroix will be wondering what we're up to." Nick craned his neck to see the bedside clock. "It's just 5:00. Not quite sunset, but quite near," Nick announced. " We have enough time to get cleaned up before we start our inquiries. Would you like to use the shower first, or shall I?" Nick asked. "Me first. Why don't you go downstairs and get my bag. I need to change. I feel truly grubby." Nick left her on the bed and went to retrieve her bag. Downstairs Janette and LaCroix were just finishing a bottle they had found in the depths of his refrigerator. "At least you did keep a decent vintage on hand for visitors," LaCroix commented. "We've had breakfast, shouldn't you do the same?" "I'll join you in a moment. I need to take Nat's bag up to her. If either of you would like to use the shower, we're taking it in shifts," Nick said. "How perfectly lovely. Me next," Janette said. "We have a list of possible contacts for you," LaCroix informed Nick. "Tracy's body being missing leads me to believe that someone has brought her across. But the vampires she knew of in the Community were killed by Divia. Could one of them have survived her attack?" Nick asked. "Vachon was older that the others," LaCroix said. "He could have survived." "I think we should check his church and the lair of his friend, the carouche. It's hard to say what we might find under the city," Nick suggested. Then he crossed the room and found Nat's two suitcases next to the piano. He carried them up to the bedroom. He could hear the shower and Nat's heartbeat as he entered. He was terribly tempted to join her, but he knew Janette would be up soon. "Nat, here are your things. Janette says she's next in the shower," he spoke through the door. Natalie suddenly appeared at the door to the shower, a towel around her hair, and another about her body. She reached up and gave him a moist and steamy kiss, "Sure, you don't want to join me," she tempted throatily. "You seductress," he murmured into her mouth. "I love you." "I'll bet you tell that to all the girls," Natalie replied. "No, only the ones I'm going to marry," Nick rejoined. Just then Janette appeared at the door. "Natalie, do you think you have anything in that bag I could wear?" she asked sweetly. Natalie blushed, "Go ahead and look. I'm not sure if our sizes are similar, and your sense of style is quite different from mine, but you're welcome to anything you care to wear." Nick backed away from Natalie and fled downstairs. Janette grinned. "Whatever happens now, I wish you both all the happiness you can find," she told Natalie. "Thank you, Janette. We tried what you and Robert did last night. We couldn't make it work." "I think the conditions were quite different, Natalie. Nicolas has been abstaining from human blood for so long, I think that may have been a factor in his inability to stop drinking from you. He thinks Divia has also had an effect. He may be right. But I believe that neither of you will be truly content with one another until he comes to terms with what he is." "You're right, Janette. He feels so guilty for things that aren't his fault. I've tried to talk to him. LaCroix tried to reach him last night. I could hear him. Nick has to forgive himself, or he isn't going to be able to live with himself or me." Natalie paused a moment and then asked, "Nick and LaCroix's relationship has changed, hasn't it?" "It was Divia," Janette told Natalie. "Her destruction has brought them together. They're very like father and son now." "LaCroix doesn't seem as anxious to destroy me as he was a year ago. He disapproves of our relationship. I can see why. Vampire and mortal--it does seem an insurmountable obstacle. We can't be together unless one of us changes. LaCroix doesn't want Nick to change. Nick wants very much to be mortal. I just want Nick. I don't care what he is. Since he drank from me, I understand how very hard he's worked at becoming mortal. He's invested his entire existence in that dream. I thought I could help him with a physical cure. Now I'm not so sure it's possible." Natalie sighed deeply and then continued, "I know he loves me, both for myself and for the fact that I'm mortal. If I change, I wonder if he will still care. I fear very much that he won't." "That is why we must help him to understand and accept himself," Janette asserted. "Why don't you go ahead and get dressed, and I'll take a turn in the shower." "Thank you, Janette. For everything. I wouldn't be here now if it hadn't been for you." "You are quite welcome. But I believe either LaCroix or Nicolas would have come to their senses eventually." "Yeah, but I think it might have been too late for me," Natalie said. Janette entered the shower. Natalie began to dress, and in a short while both women descended the stairs refreshed and suitably attired. The men were waiting impatiently. Having used the facilities in the downstairs bath, they were eager to set off. Before they could reach the lift, the phone began to ring, the message droned, then... "Knight, it's Reese. You've got to get into the precinct right away. Your suspension's lifted!" Nick hit the button on the speaker phone. "What is it, Captain?" "Nick, you aren't going to believe this one. We've got a dead kid in an alley," he paused and swallowed audibly, "without its head. Everybody else is still out looking for Vetter's body. We need you. You'll have to work by yourself for a while. I don't have anybody I can spare to pair you up with yet. Just get in here as fast as you can." "I'll be there right away." Nick hung up and looked at Natalie. "Stay with LaCroix and Janette. I have a very bad feeling about this." "Nicholas, we're going to the Raven. We'll start checking around the Community. This sounds very similar to something Urs told me before Divia killed her." LaCroix stated. "Where did you say Vachon lived?" Janette asked. "I think we had better check there, too." "It was an abandoned church. Never mind, I know where it is, I'll check it out," Nick answered. "Nick, just be careful," Natalie told him. "I want you back all in one piece." She reached up and kissed him, hard. Nick disappeared into the lift. LaCroix looked at Natalie and asked, "Would you mind flying, doctor? I think the urgency of the situation demands it." "Why no, I wouldn't," she replied. Nick checked in at the precinct. He was extremely relieved that he was not being assigned a new partner. He gathered the information on the body that had been found, and headed for the crime scene. When Nick arrived at the scene, he found the usual strobing blue, white, and red lights, the uniformed officers were cordoning off the area, and the M.E. on duty was rising from the body. It was Dr. Carver. Nick had worked with him before. He had retired the previous year. Apparently, Natalie's precipitous resignation had forced him back into service. Carver was a thoroughly experienced M.E., although he looked more like a sweet, kindly, country doctor than the hard headed, cynical, and extremely competent man he was. Nick was, therefore, shaken when Carver turned to him white-faced, with tears in his eyes. "T.O.D. about a hour ago. Cause of death, decapitation." As Nick approached the body, it was easy to see what had upset the doctor. And there was a faint odor, redolent of the maleficent wretchedness of the dungeon. The child's body lay on its back, clothed in a stylish light blue winter coat with brass buttons down the double-breasted front. Blood caked the front center of the garment. The head, raggedly severed from the torso, lay approximately three feet away face up, blue eyes wide open, staring at the night sky. The face was twisted into an expression of abject terror. It had been a little girl of about nine years of age. She appeared to have been well-dressed and well cared for. Her shoes were brightly shined, a matching blue hat still perched atop her blonde curls and blue mittens warmed hands that would never be warm again. Blood was sprayed in a distinctive pattern across the brick wall on one side of the alley. It looked as though her head had been torn off. What kind of animal could have done something so disgusting? Children, dead, tortured children, swinging from ropes--it was a sudden memory flash--something he hadn't thought of in centuries. he groaned inwardly. There were no other marks on the body, except for what looked like four bloody fingerprints across the child's forehead. Nick turned quickly back to the M.E. and asked. "Do you have any idea who or what could have done this?" "Not until I get her back to the lab and take some samples. I want to get close up photos of those finger marks. Maybe we can lift some prints. This had to be an awfully strong bugger. I've never seen anything quite like it, and I thought I'd seen everything. I'll give you a call when I find out more, Nick." He paused a moment then asked, "What's up with Natalie? I hear you're getting married. I didn't figure her to be the type to quit to raise a family." "So it's all over both departments already, eh? No, she's not quitting, she's going into research. A private lab offered her a job she couldn't refuse." "Ah, that's more reasonable. I didn't think even you could keep her away from her profession," Dr. Carver winked at Nick. "Well, I'll get back to you when I have more information." Nick walked with him out of the alley, and listened while Carver gave directions to the coroner's assistants on collecting the body. Forensics arrived and the doctor told them which pictures and samples he wanted first. "Detective Knight?" an elderly lady, who had been standing, talking to a uniformed officer, approached Nick. "I found the little girl. Who did this to her?" "We have no suspects yet. What is your name, and when did you find her?" Nick asked. "Amanda Collier. Just about 5:00 p.m. I was looking for stuff to take to my friend at the second hand store. I thought it was a discarded coat, until I turned it over." She shivered. "The little girl was on her face when you found her?" Nick asked. "Yes, when I pulled up on the coat, her head rolled." Amanda shuddered once more. "I've never seen anything like that before. I've been hunting things in these alleys for a long time now, and I've seen strange things. But never anything like this! Is it safe to be out here?" "I'm not sure anyone is safe right now. You should go home. Do you have a friend you can stay with or someone you can talk to?" Nick asked. "Yes, my friend Irma will come visit for a while. I found some other things earlier today she might want to buy." "Did you see anyone or anything else near here that looked suspicious today?" "No, no I didn't. Even the little girl's body didn't look strange at first. It was almost as if it were just a rag lying there." Amanda shivered a third time and said, "I'm going home, this has been too much for me!" "If you think of anything else, call me anytime." Nick handed her his card. "Anything might be helpful in finding who did this. May I give you a ride?" Nick asked. "Yes, please. My other stuff, it's in that cart." Nick showed Amanda to his car, loaded her possessions in the trunk, and drove her to her hotel. Nick made sure Amanda and her possessions got to her room safely. Thoughtfully, he returned to the caddy, but instead of returning immediately to the precinct, he sat quietly in the front seat and remembered. Why was it, Nick wondered that beauty had always been pursued by tragedy in his lifetime. It had been the death of a beautiful woman that had sent him to the crusades. Gwyneth, the lovely harpist, had merely been a political inconvenience to Nick's sponsor, Hugh DelaBarre, the papal legate to Carrig, Wales. It was only after centuries of uncertainty that Nick had finally realized Hugh had been responsible for both Gwyneth's murder and his own banishment to the crusades. He had survived, Nick reflected, but at a cost to his soul that could never be redeemed. During the course of seven years of service in the crusades he had lost his idealism and his innocence. He and his comrades in arms, Jules deVilliers and Yves Chambourg, had been the only survivors of their original unit. They had all been badly injured in the final defense of their camp against the Saracen. The Hospitallers had taken them in and nursed their wounds. When they recovered, they planned to travel home together. In September of 1227 they were ready to return home, but Nick's unhappy fate, predicted by Gwyneth, herself, had hounded them. The Pope, DelaBarre's sponsor, had suddenly decided that Nick's little troupe were just the people he needed to join his new crusade against the heretical Luciferans in Germany. Word came to them at the Hospitallers that they would join Conrad of Marburg, spiritual director to St. Elizabeth of Thuringia. Together with a sizable contingent of priests, they would save the souls of the self-confessed heretics and win more glory for Christ. They were told it would be light duty. They would still be serving Holy Mother Church. What no one in their little group knew when they set out was that Conrad of Marburg was far more interested in his own enrichment than in anyone's soul. The crusaders took up residence in the local count's castle. They ate well and slept warmly. The accused were kept in the dungeons. For the first time in his life, Nick heard the surreal accounts of the Black Mass the Luciferans practiced. As part of their ritual they had tossed sacred hosts into the cesspit and kissed the backsides of cats. It was bizarre and silly, but treated by the church as anathema. The sinners were told that in exchange for their confession and true repentance they would be forgiven and welcomed back into the bosom of Mother Church. Every day Nick, Jules, and Yves would drag out one of the accused, tie him into whatever position Marburg had decided was most efficacious that day, wait until the prisoner was whipped properly into submission by the priests, then return him to his cell. Nick was required to record the confessions, when one of the clerics could not be spared from the 'holy' service of chastisement. It was light, but ignoble, duty. The disillusioned crusaders had now become mere jailers. The sordid exercise went on for several, miserable weeks, for an entire monastery had been infected with the taint of this heresy. Nick sometimes found himself wondering if the sheer boredom of monastic life in winter had bred their monstrous beliefs. It was the middle of the winter, nearly the new year, when a family, two young parents and their children, came to the castle. They sought shelter from the terrible winter while traveling between settlements. Nick and his comrades had been in the hall the evening the porter had let them in. The parents were pleasant company, and the children were perfectly charming. Nick and his friends had spent a rare, cheerful evening in their company. None of the crusaders believed it when they heard the family were accused of the heresy of the Luciferans! Nick resolved to confront Marburg. He'd had enough of this 'crusade.' He could not bear to see a young, innocent family subjected to the same treatment that had been given to the self-confessed heretics! To compound Nick's confusion and dismay, he knew, from the confessions he had himself recorded, this sect of heretics did not believe in having children, nor in sexual intercourse. But Conrad of Marburg had the family arrested anyway. He had glowed with religious fervor as he had them taken to the dungeon. When Nick protested, Marburg gave him audience in the great hall. "Your Grace, I have served you well in these past weeks. I have gladly helped to chastise the heretics who infest this country. But I ask you to excuse me from this duty in regard to the family you have just arrested. I understand that the parents must be punished if they have participated in such sinful rituals. But I can not understand how innocent children can be held accountable for the actions of their parents." "These 'children' are nothing of the kind!" Marburg exclaimed. "These are devils in disguise, a mere deception. You shall see as we proceed what kind of demons these heretics spawn. Only the elect among the Luciferans abstain from intercourse. The ordinary members of the congregation indulge in all sorts of depravity. These children are the product of intercourse with Satan. This is a true challenge of our faith! If we fail in this, we should all suffer the same fate. For then we should be guilty of aiding those who defy the will of God." It was then that Nick realized that if he refused this work, he would be branded heretic and sentenced to the same punishment, or worse. Marburg promised the family their lives in exchange for confession of sins. But the parents professed a pure faith in God and refused to admit to any heresy. They insisted upon their innocence. They said they could not lie, therefore, they would not confess to something they had not done. Marburg resorted to torture to obtain his truth, not only of the parents, who seemed able to resist anything done to them, but of the children. Nick was pressed into service as recorder. Jules and Yves were required to restrain the parents while the priests suspended the children from the roof of the dungeon and subjected them to the whip, 'for the good of their souls.' When their parents refused to confess, the priests resorted to more painful methods. Finally, the children had died. The torture of their parents had resumed. The father was reduced to madness, utter and irrevocable. The mother died blessing her children and calling on God to accept them into heaven. Marburg, positively bloated with religious zeal and self-righteousness, declared over the bodies, "I saved their souls, they are now with God." The father was dropped into the oubliette beneath the dungeon, with only a piece of salt pork for food and no water, to rot until he died, unshriven. Nick, Jules, and Yves were ashamed, appalled, and afraid. If they objected, they, also, would be accused of the heresy. They had entered the service of the church proudly as knights. They had survived the brutal horrors of war in the Holy Land, and had begun to feel that their crusade was far less than the holy mission the church insisted it was. Now they had been forced, by that same church, to serve as jailers and torturers, a position far beneath their status as noblemen and soldiers of the faith. This church, this God, was not worthy of their service! Their own shameful, although forced, participation in the deaths of the family was too painful to discuss. The friends began avoiding one another. They, who had been comrades in arms, became enemies. And yet they must continue the crusade against the Luciferans. Marburg sent Nick's faithful account of the trials of the family to the Pope. Some weeks later Marburg called everyone in the castle together to hear the Pope's compliments on their handling of the chastisement of the heretics. The Pope, in a letter full of effusive praise, awarded Marburg the estate of the tortured family for his efforts. Only the three crusaders did not seem properly receptive to the Pope's praise in Marburg's eyes. But he ignored their lack of enthusiasm, so long as they continued to follow his orders. When Marburg finally ran out of Luciferans, the crusaders and the priests were released from service. Each had gone his separate way. An embittered, disillusioned, and cynical Nick had made his way to Paris to meet his destiny. "81 Kilo, respond." The radio woke him from his reverie. "81 Kilo here," Nick responded. "81 Kilo, Detective Knight, you're wanted back at the precinct. "81 Kilo, Roger that. ETA approximately 20 minutes." Nick returned to the precinct. Reese wanted his report A.S.A.P., and there was a message from Natalie, "Call me." Natalie was thoroughly enjoying her first flight while Nick was busy investigating the murder of the child. She was glad Janette had consented to carry her to the Raven. She still did not relish being close to LaCroix. His disapproval of her relationship to Nick was all too evident. She did not trust him. But she and Janette were fast becoming friends. Natalie thought to herself that women who loved the same man often became friends. She knew that Janette and Nick had been lovers, but they had never had the kind of relationship Natalie hoped she and Nick were building. Janette had always controlled Nick, now their relationship was reversed. How would Janette's and Nick's relationship evolve, Natalie wondered? Janette and LaCroix touched down in the alley behind the Raven and entered through the back door. Natalie was surprised to find the Raven fully lit and catering to customers. "I thought you were moving on, LaCroix," Natalie commented. "I am, but another has purchased the Raven, and he will keep the clientele happy." "The decor has suffered since I left, and the quality of your entertainment has declined considerably ," Janette sniffed. "Ah, but the customers like it, and it attracts the kind of crowd I prefer," noted LaCroix. "We'll speak to Jean-Claude before we move on." LaCroix approached the bartender and conferred with him for a moment then turned to Janette and Natalie and gestured to an empty table on the far wall. "Let's have a drink while we wait." Soon the waiter brought over a bottle and three glasses. Two of the glasses were empty. The third contained a white wine. LaCroix filled the two empty glasses from the bottle. "I hope white wine is to your liking, doctor?" he inquired politely. "Yes, thank you, LaCroix." When Natalie sipped it, she found it was an exquisite Chardonnay. "Jean-Claude has purchased this place from me. He should know what is going on in the Community. Hopefully, he will be able to enlighten us about anyone who might be nursing new recruits." "Janette, how long will you be staying in town?" Natalie asked. "Only so long as Nicolas needs me. Then I will return home," Janette replied. A tall, regal looking man with a small moustache approached the table. "Jean-Claude how nice to see you. I believe you know Janette. May I present Dr. Natalie Lambert, a friend of Nicholas', with whom I believe you are also acquainted." "Good evening, LaCroix, Janette. Yes, I do know Nicholas, and I have heard of you, too, doctor. Thank you for your assistance at the time of the fever. I too suffered its unpleasant effects. What can I do for you LaCroix? Have your plans changed, will you be staying here much longer?" "I hope I will not have to stay very much longer, but I am afraid my problems with my daughter are not yet over. Do you remember Vachon and his group? Divia cut quite a swath through them, and it appears that one of them may have survived her attacks. A young police woman's body has disappeared from a local hospital under very suspicious circumstances. If one of us is responsible, it will open up the Community to undue scrutiny. We'd like to contain things if we can. Have you heard of any new converts?" "You don't mean to say that someone would try to bring across a mortal who occupied so public a position!?" demanded Jean-Claude. "Not only might they have done so, but they may also be responsible for the murder of a child. Knowing Divia's tendencies so intimately, it is just the sort of taste she would indulge. Of course, it could be mere coincidence." "We can only hope!"exclaimed Jean-Claude. "Let me think, I had heard something odd just this morning before closing. Just a moment." Jean-Claude rose and crossed the room to confer with the bartender, then disappeared into the back room of the club. He returned in very short order with a scruffy little person in tow. "LaCroix, this is Melvin. He told me earlier today that he'd seen something unusual. Mel, tell LaCroix what you saw." "Well, sir," Mel fidgeted with his hat in his hands. "Last night there was some guy who brought this lady into the underground near where I live. She wasn't moving much, and she only had on this hospital gown and a blanket wrapped around her. He went out and brought her some clothes, but she didn't look too good. She was real pale, and groaned a lot. I don't know where they went after that. He took off real fast when I asked could I help any." "And where exactly is this place where you live, Mel?" LaCroix asked pleasantly. "Oh, it's just a couple blocks down, near the docks. I'd be glad to take you there," Mel volunteered. "Maybe you could find the lady. She looked like she needed help. That guy, he didn't look like he really knew what to do for her." "And what did this 'guy' look like, Mel?" "Well, he was kind of dark, had a lot of hair, not like me. He was young, maybe six feet, maybe a little more, but slender-like, you know." "Thank you, Mel. I believe we will allow you to escort us to your place. Perhaps we can find some indication of where this young man has taken the young lady." They finished what was left in their glasses, and leaving the waitress to bus the table, they took their leave of Jean-Claude and followed Mel out of the Raven. It only took about ten minutes to walk to Mel's place. He had created a haven for himself in the access tunnels beneath the streets. It reminded Natalie forcibly of the 'home' Screed had maintained, although, thankfully, without the rat decor. Mel showed them where he had seen the man and woman. Natalie discovered the discarded gown and blanket tucked behind some pipes on the wall of the tunnel. They were marked with the name of the hospital where Tracy had been taken. "Do you suppose Vachon revived?" she asked LaCroix. "Nick told me that he had asked Tracy to stake him. Nick thought he was dead." "It's quite possible, if the stake were removed. I wouldn't rely too heavily on Nicholas' perceptions. His senses are not as strong as they should be, if he fed himself properly," LaCroix replied. Nat thought to herself. "Maybe we should call Nick and see if we can get the address of that church where Vachon was staying," Natalie suggested. "A very good idea, doctor. I don't think we will learn any more here. We may as well return to the loft and be comfortable. But first, let's stop at the Raven and pick up some decent food," LaCroix replied. When they returned to the loft, Natalie put in a call to Nick at the precinct while LaCroix filled Nick's refrigerator with several bottles of what Janette lovingly referred to as her 'best vintage.' "One thing about LaCroix," Janette confided to Natalie," he always travels first class." About an hour later, Nick called the loft. He had gotten Natalie's message at the precinct. "Nick, it sounds like Tracy may be with Vachon. We found a little guy who had seen a young woman in a hospital gown with a young man who matches Vachon's description. The gown and blanket she was wrapped in are marked with the hospital's name," Natalie told him. "He must have survived somehow. He must have brought her across." "Nick what was the address of that church Vachon lived in? We could meet you there and see if that's where they've holed up." Nick gave Natalie the address and told her he'd meet them as soon as he could. Traveling through the air once again, Natalie began to think there were some things she might enjoy about living the life of a vampire. They reached the church at the same time Nick did. He'd chosen to travel the same way. He had told the captain he was following a lead and wouldn't be back for the rest of the night. Nick led the way as they entered the old church. The three vampires had no trouble finding their way in the near dark, but Natalie stumbled at every step. Finally, she noticed it was growing lighter. The light flickered, and she realized the place was lit by candles in sconces and candelabrum set all around the room they had entered. On a bed, set on the dais to one side of the room, they found Tracy, seemingly sleeping quietly. In a chair beside her, holding her hand, was Vachon, also asleep. Nick walked quietly up to Vachon and placed a hand gently upon his shoulder. Vachon started and rose from the chair, but Nick eased him back into it. "Vachon, did you bring her across?" Nick asked in a low tone. "She saved me, I had to save her." "They're searching for her body high and low," Nick told him. "You're going to have to keep her under wraps until we can smuggle you both out of town. Otherwise we'll all be in trouble, and not just from the cops." "The Enforcers?" asked Vachon. "They'll know someone has been brought across. You're responsible for her. You can't walk off and leave her. And she was a very public figure, her father's the Police Commissioner. He's already causing a really big stink." "I was hoping she would have converted by now." "She was badly injured. It takes time to repair damaged tissue. Do you have a big enough supply on hand for the first hunger?" Nick asked. "Yeah, I'm well stocked," Vachon replied. "How are you? We thought Divia had finished you." "When Tracy buried me next to Screed, she removed the stake. She also poured all of the blood she could find over my grave, partly in commemoration, but mostly to hide it from anyone who might come looking. The confinement of the grave kept me safe from the sun, and the blood seems to have repaired the physical damage. But I keep seeing Divia's kills, the torture she put them through. It's like complete sensory overload. I'm starting to cope, but it's been really rough." "We have a killer loose in the city, decapitating children," Nick told him grimly. "That sure sounds like Divia," Vachon stated. "Is she still around?" "No, Nicholas and I made sure of that," LaCroix said. "Then who's doing the killing?" "That we don't know," Nick told him. "We thought perhaps Tracy's disappearance and the death of the child were somehow related, but apparently they are not." "Well, I'm not responsible, and Tracy's in no condition to do anything to anyone at the moment. Did you really suspect us?" "Yes, Nick thinks Divia has poisoned the people she has attacked," Natalie told Vachon. "He thinks there may be an infection she passed on through her bite." "I sure hope you're wrong, Nick. Tracy will be enough to handle as a new vampire without her having any taint from Divia," Vachon asserted. At that moment Tracy began to stir. Vachon rushed to her side with a bottle in hand. "Why don't you guys get out of here and let me take care of her?" Natalie and the three vampires left Vachon and reconvened on the roof of the building. "Well, what now?" Natalie asked. "Nick, is there any indication that that child was killed by vampires?" "No, absolutely none," he replied. "Then I think you may be wrong about Divia's effect. Let me get out my previous lab work and compare it to your blood and mine now. Later, we'll get samples from Vachon and Tracy. That should tell us more than running all over town. Then you can concentrate on your case, and we can decide what we'll do when that's finished." "That sounds reasonable. What do you think, LaCroix?" "I think the doctor is correct. Aristotle knows where I am going, Nicholas. Please contact me when you decide to move on. I do not wish to be in Jean-Claude's way any longer than I must. I will tell him what we have found, then no one will set the Enforcers on our trail. Janette, would you care to travel with me?" "Yes, LaCroix, I believe I would enjoy that. Goodbye, Natalie. Take good care of Nicolas." The two vampires leapt into the sky, leaving Nick and Natalie behind on the roof. "I see you've been traveling by air," Nick commented. "Yes, and I enjoyed it. Is that how we get back to your car?" "And then to the loft. I think we need to make some plans." "Do you think Tracy and Vachon will be all right?" "As all right as we will be, don't you think?" Natalie assented, and they returned to the loft just as the sunrise lightened the sky. [End Chapter 2 - Legacy of Evil: Inklings] Legacy of Evil: Inklings - Chapter 3 Natalie opened the refrigerator when they arrived at the loft. "It looks as if I'm going to have to go shopping. LaCroix restocked for you. He said you needed more nutritious meals. Janette believes that your hunger would not have overwhelmed you when you bit me, if you had been drinking human blood. Everything in here now is human." Natalie wasn't sure how he was going to take that. His tremendous desire for mortality would be compromised in his eyes if he drank human blood. But he had drunk from her. He was so confusingly complex. "I'll just have to make do," Nick replied mildly. "When I asked you to make love to me, I told you I wanted to be with you forever. I know you wanted our lovemaking to lead to your mortality. Everything we do now seems to be moving farther away from that. I seem to be moving farther away from my own mortality." Natalie paused. She was afraid of the answer to her next question. "Nick, can you still care for me,.... if I'm not mortal?" She continued staring into the refrigerator. She was afraid to look at him, afraid of what she would see in his eyes. "I'd do anything to keep us together, Natalie," Nick murmured in her ear as he hugged her from behind. "So would I, Nick, but that's not really the question, is it?" "Nat, I love you, and I want you, no matter what happens to either of us." "Are you sure?" she turned in his arms and stared into his eyes. The deep love and longing she saw there reassured her. She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him thoroughly. "Shouldn't you have something to drink?" she asked as she released him. "Maybe there is something in what Janette says. Let's see what LaCroix has left. Do you have anything to eat?" Natalie poked around in his cupboards, discovered a can of stew and rescued another bagel from the freezer. Nick also found that LaCroix had not only restocked blood for him, but had placed several bottles of fine wine in the refrigerator. They settled down for dinner, toasting each other as they dined. They cleaned up the dishes and settled down on the couch to plan their next move. "I think I need to continue my research, but there's so much equipment I need. I've resigned from the one place where I could do any work. Where am I going to get everything, and when? These hours we keep are a bit strange. At the morgue, I had day shift to keep me in supplies." "I was thinking about putting together a suite of labs and offices for you on the other side of the building." "Good grief, Nick, we haven't talked about what we're going to do next, or whether we're even going to stay here. Don't start any major building until we've had a chance to catch our breath." "We could put in a temporary facility at the end of the loft next to the downstairs bath. Add some new plumbing, electrical outlets, counters, storage. How about it? I have some contacts. Let me make a few phone calls and I'll have you all set up. " "O.K. Nick, that sounds more reasonable. How long do you think it will take?" "I don't know let me do the calling while you shop." "The first thing I need is samples. Damn, I didn't take any yesterday! I should have. Sometimes the first few hours in an infection makes a lot of difference." Natalie jumped up, got her bag, took blood samples from both of them and stored them in the refrigerator. "There, now I can at least compare what I find with your past history. I think I'll hit the grocery store now. I'll be back in about an hour." The shopping took longer than Natalie expected. She'd also checked her old apartment to be sure she had everything she needed. She found several things that were lacking at the loft. When she finally arrived at the loft, it looked as if neither of them would get any sleep that day. Workmen filled the downstairs, busily adding new plumbing off the downstairs bath. New counter space, electrical outlets, and cupboards were being installed on the wall between the bath and the windows. The skylight was being repaired. Nick's multi-media center had been relocated. Luckily for Natalie, the kitchen was one of the few places where no work was going on, so she was able to put away her purchases, and the things she had brought from her apartment, with a minimum of interruptions. A constant flow of deliveries kept the lift moving up and down for at least two hours after she got home. When the workmen finally finished, it was well past noon. Nick heaved a sigh of relief, and Natalie sent him upstairs to get some sleep. Natalie was too excited about her new lab to try to sleep. She went to the refrigerator, collected her samples, and transferred them to the new fridge on her lab counter. Opening each cupboard to see what Nick had included in her lab, she was amazed at the variety, quality, and currency of the equipment she found. He had included absolutely everything she might need, even her own computer setup with an Internet connection and an impressive array of security software. The only other equipment she might need, she could borrow time on at the university where she taught an occasional night class. Once she had satisfied herself of the adequacy of her new domain, she sat down and reviewed the history of his previous samples. She had noted a variety of changes resulting from each procedure she had tried. Most of the notes were negative. The major changes she had obtained to date had been when she had tried the Lytoveuterine B. That had been a major catastrophe. She'd turned him into a kind of addict, and he'd nearly died. There were also minor fluctuations in some readings when he had stuck to his liquid protein diet and vitamin pills for any length of time. She wondered if she would find any changes since his bout with Divia. Would there be evidence of his having drunk her blood? What would her blood show? Why had she healed so quickly? Was it really Divia's influence, or was she simply becoming a vampire slowly, acquiring his virus through close and prolonged personal contact? She prepared several specimens to examine with her own equipment and called the university for an appointment for the more delicate tests. Soon she began yawning and decided she could use some sleep, herself. She dragged herself upstairs and collapsed on the bed next to Nick. Nick awoke and looked at the bedside clock. 5:00 p.m. It was time to get ready to go into the precinct. He stretched, and jumped. Someone was in bed with him! Then he remembered....Natalie! Rolling toward her, he reached out and pulled her close. She was so warm, soft, enticing. He nuzzled her hair. She was lying on her right side with one hand curled under her pillow. The other was folded into her chest. He lifted her left hand and placed a gentle kiss in the center of her palm. He stroked the back of her hand, up her arm, across her shoulder. He pulled her long, curly auburn hair away from her face and traced the outline of her jaw and chin. Her eyelids fluttered, and she looked up at him. "Hello, love," she greeted him. He leaned down and kissed her lips lightly, carefully, once, twice. Then again more deeply. She sighed and turned toward him. Her lips opened. He covered them with his own, sliding his tongue between her teeth to explore her more thoroughly. He felt her tongue begin to discover him. She was delectable! He pulled back so he could fill his eyes with her face. She reached up and gently let her fingers caress his cheek, glide to his ear, trace its outline, and pull his earlobe, gently. His mouth came down hard on hers. He devoured her, pulling her against himself urgently. His hands pulling her hips into his. Suddenly he released her, panting hard. He rose and rushed downstairs. Natalie thought. Abruptly Nick reappeared with three bottles in his hands, two were full, but the other he had half-emptied. "Well, at least you won't leave crumbs in bed," Natalie commented as he set them on the bedside table. Nick choked, bent double, and nearly knocked the bottles off the table as he began to laugh uproariously. Natalie just reached up, pulled him down onto the bed next to her and began kissing him as she unbuttoned his pajama top. Nick trapped her hands in one of his and began unbuttoning her blouse as he returned her kisses. She wriggled so much, he finally let her hands go, but not before he'd gotten most of her clothing opened and could reach whatever curves he wished. "Unfortunately, I have to be at work very soon," he whispered in her ear after a short wrestle on the bed, during which time they had exchanged more kisses, caresses, and giggles. "I know, and I know you're really hungry," she sighed. "I need to get to work on those samples, too. Thank you for the wonderful lab." "You're more than welcome," he kissed her on the nose. "Do you think you might know something by the time I get home this morning?" "Yes, I think so. That reminds me, I have an appointment at the university the day after tomorrow. And I think I'm hungry, too." "Nat," Nick grabbed her hand as she began to get up, "This weekend, we'll make time just for us." He kissed her palm and let her go. Nick drove into the precinct. He couldn't remember ever being so happy. Waking up with Natalie was agreeing with him, he thought. But he still had a niggling feeling in the back of his head that something wasn't quite right. Maybe it was just because he was so happy. When would the other shoe fall, he wondered? Then he walked into the precinct. "Nobody has the right to be that happy, Knight," bellowed Captain Reese as he walked over to his desk. "Captain?" "I've never seen you glow before, Nick. Being engaged seems to agree with you. So, how are we doing on that murder case?" "I've started a preliminary report on the scene. I was just about to go over to the morgue to see if Dr. Carver had anything new for us. I interviewed the woman who found the body. She didn't have anything more to offer. No other witnesses I could locate. Did anything else come in during day shift?" "No, dammit, you'd think we could get a break on this one. It really makes me mad not to have any leads." "Did anyone find out anything more about the disappearance of Tracy's body?" "Naw, everybody's come up empty on that one, too. I.A. has cleared you of any intent. But they're still calling it excessive force. Apparently, Dawkins hit the wall just the wrong way. His neck snapped. You'll pull some leave without pay for a while, as soon as the child murder case is filed. Might be a good time for a honeymoon," the captain mused. Nick decided he would visit the morgue, find out what Carver had, then go over to the church and check on Vachon and Tracy. A few hours later he returned to his desk with very little more information than when he had left. There were fingerprints that had been lifted from the child's forehead, but no match had been found in the computers as yet. And there was another odd thing, the child's clothing had shown traces of chalk and salt. Tracy and Vachon were doing as well as could be expected. Tracy was through the first hunger. Vachon was trying to teach Tracy the ropes and keep her fed so she wouldn't crave live prey. Nick had told them to give Nat blood samples as soon as they could. The phone on his desk rang insistently, "Detective Knight, 94th precinct," he answered. "There's another body in that alley," a female voice breathed into the phone, then he heard the click of the disconnect. "Captain, an anonymous tip. There's another body in the alley!" he called to Reese. The captain started shouting orders, and Nick and several others rushed for the door. It was a gruesome repeat of the night before, only this time the body was male and slightly older than the girl had been, and there seemed even less to go on. There were no witnesses at all. Nick noticed the same desolate odor, so evocative of Divia and the dungeon, emanating from the body. Nick thought as he watched the morgue attendants load the body into the hearse for its trip downtown. Nick barely made it home before sunrise. What had started out as a quiet night, had turned into a media event. News crews were besieging the precinct. Nick was glad Natalie was not involved in this case. "How's the case coming? How are Vachon and Tracy?" Natalie asked him when the lift doors opened. "The case isn't coming. We have no leads, and now we have two dead children." "Oh, Nick, no!" "Oh, yes! Tracy and Vachon are fine." Nick stretched an arm around Natalie, and they settled onto the couch. " I wonder why anyone would need to kill children and leave them in the same position each time. It's like a ritual. And the crime scene, that blood spatter on the wall...that's it...those bodies...they couldn't have been killed where they were found! There wasn't enough blood!" "Didn't the M.E. tell you that?" Natalie asked. "We never discussed it. I was so busy enjoying being with you, building your lab, and worrying about Vachon and Tracy that I never thought to ask if the bodies had been moved." "My gracious, I never realized I could be that distracting!" "I'm glad you are," he told her as he wrapped both arms around her and pulled her into an embrace. They fell asleep on the couch in each other's arms, exhausted from their lack of sleep the day before. Nick awoke, tangled in Natalie, to the drone of the message on the answering machine. "Nick, it's happened again, another body, same location, meet me at the alley," Captain Reese's voice went silent. "We have to get up," Nick told Natalie, half-sitting. Her head lifted from his chest, and she pulled his down for a kiss before letting him up. "God, Nick, I sure hope you get this case solved soon. Where could they be getting these children? It's not that easy to corral kids. Where were they killed? And where would they keep them until they could be dumped? This is a real nightmare of a case, isn't it?" "It reminds me of the Sedrick case, the guy who was collecting the trophies, the parts of the women he admired. We looked for a large, isolated house with lots of property. Sounds like I need to do that again," he told her as he headed upstairs to shower and change. A half hour later when he arrived at the crime scene, Nick went directly to where Dr. Carver was kneeling next to the third victim. "Doc, do you think the bodies have been moved?" "I'm sure of it, Nick, not enough blood at the scene." "And," he told Nick, "I found traces of chalk and salt on the second victim, and from the looks of this one, I'll find it here too." Nick bounced some of the ideas he and Natalie had discussed off Dr. Carver. Carver agreed with their theories. Nick decided to do some research on recently acquired property that might furnish the kind of facilities this killer would need, plenty of land, large house, soundproof walls. Nick called on some of the real estate agents he had worked with on the 'trophy' case and developed a list of places that seemed like good bets for investigation. Then he developed a list of private child care agencies that might have older, adoptable children. No one had come forward to claim any of the children, and none had yet been identified. He reasoned that children with surviving parents, or who were wards of the state, would most likely have either been reported missing or been fingerprinted. Someone should have claimed at least one of the bodies by this time. Again, it was nearly dawn before he finished his shift and headed for the loft. He wondered what he would find this time, when the lift doors opened. "Sorry to run just as you walk in the door, Nick, but we need to get home before it gets light out," Tracy greeted him. " See you later Nick, Nat," Vachon said as he left with Tracy. "They brought me new blood samples," Nat noted. "Good, any results on the ones you have already?" Nick asked. "Some." Natalie took a big breath, "Nick, it looks like my blood has changed. But I can't tell the extent of the change yet. It has some vampire factors, but it isn't quite the same. I need the university's research equipment to see what's happening." Nick's face clouded, "How do you feel?" "I'm fine. I don't feel any differently. We haven't really tried making love again, so I don't know how quickly I'm healing. One of the tests I did this morning indicates I should heal as quickly as you do. Nick, I don't want you to worry until we know more about this." Natalie punched him gently in the shoulder when she saw his gloomy expression deepening. "Hey, silly, at least I don't have the urge to bite anyone. And sunlight is still no problem for me. Come on, perk up. Don't cry until you're cut." Natalie tickled him until she saw a smile start to appear. "Now, how's the case going?" "You were right about the bodies being moved. Carver picked up on it. I have lists of properties and private child care facilities to check out tonight. I just hope the killer will let us have a day off. This whole thing is just too sick. I've seen a lot of death and murder in my life, but killing children this way reeks of madness and fanaticism." "Well, let me take your mind off of it for a while then," Natalie purred as she proceeded to distract him thoroughly. "Natalie you are shameless!" He pulled her close and kissed her gently. When he felt her lips part, he let his tongue explore her mouth. Their kiss deepened, both gasped for breath when they finally parted. "Are you sure about this, Natalie? I don't want to have to transfuse you again." "You've fed well the last few days. I trust you. I love you." "That's what you said the last time. I betrayed your trust." "You did not. You were just hungry. I'm healing quickly now, I'll be fine." "You're really sure?" She nodded and smiled. "Then, let's go upstairs," he whispered in her ear. He stopped at the refrigerator and picked up a couple of bottles, lifted her into his arms and flew her up to the bedroom. He paused at the door to let her down. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. He pulled her into the bedroom, shut the door firmly, and set the bottles down on the bedside table. He slipped his hands under her blouse. She unbuttoned his shirt and slid her hands over his chest and shoulders to stroke his back as she pulled his shirt off of him. Her bra was suddenly released and disappeared with her blouse over her head. She reached for his belt buckle as he unbuttoned her trousers. They shed their outer clothing and tumbled onto the bed. They began caressing each other, their fingers tracing every feature, their lips following. His mouth closed over hers, their tongues twined and explored. He traced lazy circles around her breasts with the fingertips of both hands. His lips trailed kisses down her neck, paused at the pulse behind her ear, sucked gently at her throat, then continued down to nibble at one breast. One hand that had so gently caressed her chest traveled over her belly and slid between her thighs. There it lightly traced the crease between her legs, teasing her gently. She reached for the hardness she could feel pressing against her hip. She gently stroked him with one hand while the other traced the outline of his ear. Every line of him was precious to her. She wanted to love every inch of him. She heard his breath begin to come faster. She slid both hands into his briefs and held his manhood between them. One hand slid up his shaft, the other caressed his scrotum. He hissed as her hands touched him, and she felt his fingers slide into the leg of her panties, over her clitoris, and reach inside her. Her moisture covered his hand. He let go of her breast and slid her panties down over her hips and legs and threw them onto the floor. He felt her divest him of his briefs. He reached down, spread her legs wide, and tasted her deeply. She shivered and caught her breath as his tongue visited her tender core. She had lost her hold on his shaft when his tongue entered her, but she hardly cared. The sensations he was generating with his cool, supple, clever tongue overwhelmed any thinking process she might have had. She just felt him loving her. Then she felt a slight nick and knew he had found a vein. His lips and tongue began to,...oh gods, she'd never felt anything like this before. She felt herself pulsing over and over again as he suckled her. Then, suddenly, he stopped. She felt him move up her body, leaving trails of kisses. His hands took over from his mouth, and then she felt his shaft enter her, filling her completely. She wrapped her legs around him. His body rocked gently against her as he thrust slowly in and pulled out of her. She could feel the hairs on his chest tickling her breasts. His mouth sought her throat, a prick, and he was drinking slowly, deeply. Then she felt his tongue close the wound, and his mouth covered hers, his tongue moved in rhythm with their lower bodies. He rocked her harder, faster, toward yet another climax. She felt him push into her even more deeply than before, exploding, pulsing, pushing them both into ecstasy. He shuddered and collapsed onto and into her. Her legs still wrapped him tightly about the waist. She could feel her muscles still contracting around him deep inside her. He began to relax. She could feel him slowly begin to shrink inside her. She rolled them over and lay on top of him. "I want to keep you inside me as long as I can," she murmured in his ear. He smiled up at her. "I love the way you feel on me," he said. She squeezed him again. He grinned and said, "I told you you were a seductress." She kissed him and snuggled into the space beneath his chin. He pulled the coverlet over them both and held her while his hands stroked her back. They lay together, fulfilled, warm, comfortable. Then she felt his mouth against her throat, kissing and tasting her skin. Once again he devoured her mouth. Between kisses she murmured in his ear, "Mmm, seems like you haven't had enough yet," she murmured in his ear. Then she felt him twitch inside her. "You try abstinence for a hundred years and see how you feel," he teased. He twitched again. "Ah, my love, you haven't been completely abstinent." "Damn, that's the problem with being a vampire, the women always know what you've done." "Well, at least I also know you haven't loved anyone the way you love me for at least that long." "Natalie, I've never loved anyone the way I love you," he said soberly. "I know, beloved, I know," she murmured. "If I had known making love to a vampire would be this wonderful, I'd have made you do it a lot sooner. We've wasted a lot of time." "How's your neck?" "My neck, you're worried about my neck!? Nick, you didn't tell me all the other erotic things you could do with those teeth. I've never felt anything like that in my whole life." "You liked that?" "I adored it. You can do that to me anytime." "Then I think I will." Suddenly he was on top of her and finding all sorts of new ways to please her. Being married to a vampire was going to be a wonderful adventure! They awoke much later. Natalie had turned onto her right side in her sleep. She awoke with Nick's arms around her waist. She could feel his erection pressing into her back. "You have a lot of staying power , love." Natalie remarked. "It's just waking up next to you," Nick commented as he hugged her then jumped up to head into the bathroom. "It's late, I have to be at the precinct in an hour," he called out to her from the shower. Natalie got out of bed, found her bathrobe, wrapped it around herself, and wandered into the bathroom. She ran her hand over her throat. There didn't seem to be any permanent marks. She opened the top of her robe, walked over to the mirror and examined the skin around her collar bones carefully. Nick had done plenty of nibbling during their lovemaking. There didn't seem to be marks anywhere. "Admiring my handiwork?" Nick asked as he stepped out of the shower and grabbed up a towel. "Can't find any signs of it," Natalie replied. "Guess I'll have to try harder, " he said as he gathered her in his arms, bit her on the shoulder, sucked gently, then released her. "Look at that!" Natalie exclaimed. Two small round holes had appeared, red in the centers, with some minor flushing around them, then they had turned white and disappeared without a trace within a matter of seconds. "I've never seen anything like that, except in vampires," Nick noted. "Does it bother you when I bite you?" "Never, I love the way it makes me pucker up inside." "Absolutely no one has ever described it that way to me before," Nick howled with laughter. "Well, it does!" Nick grabbed Natalie and spun her around until she was giddy, kissed her long and thoroughly, then released her to go and dress. Nat dropped her robe and stepped breathlessly into the shower. He was a sheer joy to be around when he was in a good mood. She didn't understand why his bites healed so quickly, but so long as there weren't any other side effects, she wasn't complaining. Whatever it was, it was certainly a handy feature when making love to a vampire. And, she found, she wanted him more profoundly than ever. She was becoming addicted to his feeding from her. The sense of giving so completely of herself and knowing him so intimately was a heady potion. He revealed more of himself each time he took her blood. That first, harrowing, experience when he had drained her, had let her see what he had never wanted her to know. He had gloried in his powers as a vampire. He had enjoyed each and every kill. That was the basis for his profound guilt. Each victim had been savored to the fullest, their life experience added to the sum of his own understanding of the human condition. And the sexual thrill of total possession was overwhelming. Truly, being a vampire was far more addictive on a spiritual and psychological level that the act of drinking the blood itself could ever be. He hadn't seemed to need so much of her blood, nor had he been drinking as much blood from the bottles as he had appeared to need when he was drinking the cow's blood. The diet LaCroix and Janette had recommended certainly was helping. Maybe she should start worrying if he were getting enough food. Or worrying if there might come a time when he did not need to drink from her. Oh, what a perverse thing she was becoming! When she finished dressing, she joined Nick downstairs. "Tomorrow afternoon is my appointment with the equipment at the university," she told him. "Tonight I'm going to prepare Tracy's and Vachon's samples and compare them with ours. Tomorrow I'll have four sets of data to run through the university's equipment." "While you do that, I'm going to check on those locations tonight, hopefully I can find this guy before he kills again." Nick kissed her goodbye and headed for the first address on his list. He called in each location to the precinct as he drove. Three hours later Nick paused outside a house on the edge of the city. All the other properties had come up empty. But this one had an aura of evil about it. It seemed to remind him of someplace he had been before. He froze. Standing next to the car, he remembered. Nick stood outside Marburg's manor house in Germany. It was a warm midnight in May 1232, perfect for his planned revenge. He had plotted each move painstakingly. He had fasted for a time so that he would be truly ravenous when he confronted his enemy. LaCroix had taught him much in four years, but Nick had found it increasingly difficult to take those whom LaCroix and Janette saw as their rightful prey. Nick had decided on a new course of action. He would kill those he had judged guilty of crimes. The first who would feel his wrath this very night was a truly heinous man. Conrad of Marburg richly deserved to die, and Nick would make sure he knew why he was being killed. Nick had discovered that Marburg was still living in the home of the family he had butchered. He was rich and powerful. He was a man of the cloth. He could not have a legitimate wife. But such considerations did not bother the clergy of the church Nick had grown to despise. Marburg lived with his concubine and their children. Nick intended to destroy Marburg, and his family, as thoroughly as Marburg had destroyed those he had wrongfully branded 'heretic.' Nick entered the house silently and found Marburg in bed in the arms of his whore. Nick bound them both to chairs. He found their children sleeping in their beds. He brought each child, one at a time, before Marburg and the woman. As Nick drained each child and snapped its neck, he reminded Marburg of each member of the family he had so ruthlessly murdered in order to obtain their manor. Then Nick tore out the woman's throat, turned to the horrified priest, and drained him. Nick forced him to drink from his wrist. He told Marburg what he would become. Told him what would kill him. Then he had left Marburg, bound in his chair, in the middle of the green behind his manor with his dead family around him. When the sun rose, the killer of 'heretics' died as a vampire in the full sun. Nick sighed regretfully as he remembered. He had not enjoyed his revenge. He had thought it would satisfy him to destroy the man who had destroyed his faith. But the execution had only exacerbated his guilt. He had merely copied the one who had wronged him and become what LaCroix had trained, a brutally, efficient torturer, and, a murderer of children. When would he ever be free of this interminable guilt? How could he possibly atone for the deaths of those children? Only Natalie had lightened the weight of his guilt. Her unconditional love for him was healing his heart. When he thought he'd killed her, his heart had broken. He'd thought then that bringing her across would destroy him utterly, body and soul. Now, he wondered what she would become as she changed. Had he still condemned her to a life of darkness? Was his love a gift or a taint? And if she knew what he had done, would she still love him with that unconditional love she bore him now? How had he ever allowed himself to descend to Marburg's level? He was truly a monster! Natalie had said to him on occasion that he could use his vampire nature to do good. She insisted that he had repaid his sins, even more than made up for them. She had told him repeatedly that he had to forgive himself. She truly believed what she told him. ....She loved him. He had tasted her blood. ....She loved him. Her love, her faith and trust in him, made him feel changed. Could she forgive him if she knew? Could they now truly marry? Would she continue to heal as she had this morning if he bit her again? Was she coming across on her own? Could he deal with that? He didn't know. All he knew was that he could not live without her. He shook himself out of his reverie. He had to check out this house thoroughly. It was the last location on his list. This had to be the place where the children had been killed. He began to search the grounds. He tuned his senses to listen carefully for any sounds, feel any presence. There,....there was an outbuilding. From that building the reek of evil emanated. The miasma of dungeon and Divia wafted toward him as if it were a palpable mist. Nick moved closer to the building. Now he could hear the beating of human hearts. Several people were inside the building. He prowled closer, found a vulnerable window, and slipped inside. It was a barn like structure. There was a trap door in the center of the floor. Through cracks around the edges of the door, light issued. Nick listened carefully, he could hear chanting. It sounded like only one voice. He could hear nothing else, but the beating of several hearts. He lifted the trap door and found a stairway that led down into a room below the floor of the barn. The hallway he found himself in was lined with stable-like enclosures. These were the source of most of the heartbeats. He peered over the edge of one door and found a child, chained to the wall, curled into a fetal position, and sleeping soundly. He moved quickly to the end of the hall and found a locked door. This was definitely the chamber from which the chanting and the odor of evil arose. Now he could hear clearly the ceremony being conducted. His breath caught in his throat, and his hair rose on his scalp. He recognized the rite. He had never heard one actually performed, but he had read descriptions of them. The person in the next room was attempting to call a demon. And he was using the formula which required a human sacrifice. That meant Nick had time. Before the sacrifice could be offered, the terror of the victim had to be at its peak. Just like Divia. When Divia had attacked him, he had relived all of her kills. For twenty years she had indulged in far more than the mere satisfaction of her vampire thirst. Her overwhelming need to cause pain and terror in her victims before she fed, so that she could taste those emotions in the blood, was horrifying. She had particularly enjoyed indulging her desire for killing children. Their suffering seemed especially delectable to her. She had specialized in decapitation, so it was ironically appropriate that LaCroix should have picked up a sickle and reaped her life. Nick had never been able to appreciate LaCroix's continual zest for killing. Unlike Divia, LaCroix's methods were seldom brutal although, usually cruel. LaCroix specialized in subtle psychological terror and the promotion of self doubt. Nick supposed LaCroix, too, sought some change in the taste of the blood. But he was more inclined to believe that LaCroix merely enjoyed the spectacle of someone bowing to his own, stronger, will. Divia had been less complex, more like the demon who had possessed him, like the one which was being called here, a pure spirit of evil, simply existing for its own aggrandizement. Nick knew that there were still devotees who practiced ritual magic, but he had never expected to encounter one. Perhaps this ceremony, gone awry, was what had called up the demon who had possessed him. He could not let this continue. But if he were not very careful, he could release the demon or become repossessed. And, unfortunately for him, the protections available to the ritual magician, might be anathema to vampires. He needed back up, several different kinds of back up. But first he had to save the children. Too many had already died. Moving silently, Nick released each of the five children he found sleeping in the pens. There were nine spaces. Three of the children the police had already found. That meant the magician had one other child in the room where the ritual was being conducted, the sacrifice for the night. Working quickly, Nick conveyed each child, wrapped securely in the blankets he found in the stalls, to the porch in front of the main house. It was a warm night, and the children seemed to have been drugged. They should sleep soundly until help could arrive. Next Nick pulled out his cell phone and called the priest who had exorcised him. "Dr. VanderWaal, this is Detective Nick Knight with the 94th precinct. I've been investigating the murders of the children who were found decapitated. And I think I've found something of interest to you." He described the ritual he had overheard, and the excommunicated priest agreed to come immediately. VanderWaal arrived within twenty minutes. "Dr., I'm so glad you could come," Nick greeted him. "I believe you may be able to help me save the life of a child. Let me call the precinct for back up, and I'll explain what I need you to do." "Captain Reese, please," Nick said into his phone. "Captain, I need you to bring a unit of officers and someone from Child Protective Services to 1798 Lakeview Drive. Tell them to approach without lights or sirens. I've found several more kidnapped children, and the perpetrator is about to dispatch another....." Nick had described to Reese what was needed at the scene, then he conducted the defrocked priest to the locked door in the basement of the barn. They had decided on a course of action they hoped would stop the ceremony safely and save the life of the remaining child. Nick would try to rescue the child while the priest attempted to lay the demon. As they approached the door, they could hear the voice rising and falling in a rhythmical chant. The magician was completing the first phase of the ceremony, the first exhortation for the demon to appear. Usually three repetitions were required for summoning, especially if the demon were considered a powerful spirit. Nick reached for the doorknob and turned it in such a way that the lock broke. He motioned for VanderWaal to precede him with his cross and holy water. The practitioner had drawn two circles in chalk on the ritual room's floor. At the center of the larger circle, protected by arcane symbols, candles, and salt, lay the altar upon which the child was bound. It was another small girl. She was conscious and terrified. The magician stood next to the altar facing away from the door toward his intended sacrifice. A second, smaller circle, near the far wall, was where the manifestation of the demon was supposed to appear. Unfortunately, demons were reputed to be exceptionally elusive and duplicitous. There was always the possibility that the one called upon had already arrived in some other part of the room, outside the containment of both circles. The job of the magician, and of the exorcist, was to control the demon and force it to manifest inside the circle created for it. Opening either circle would allow the demon to enter or leave. It would no longer be controlled and could take anyone left unprotected. Nick did not know if he could enter the protective circle. He knew the exorcist must create a third circle for his own protection. As soon as VanderWaal entered the room, he poured holy water in a circle around himself, placed four circular wafers blessed for the sacrament of communion at the four quarters of the circle, and set the cross at the center. Then, in a powerful voice, he began the incantation to compel the demon to retire. At the sound of VanderWaal's voice, the magician faltered in his chant and whirled to face them. He had not heard them enter. The exorcist concentrated on his own ritual and ignored the demonologist. Nick approached the magician with his gun drawn. He held up his badge and recited his own formula. "Detective Nick Knight, Metro Police, you are under arrest on suspicion of murder and kidnapping. Anything you say may be held against you in a court of law. Stop your ceremony, and come with me now." "Detective you do not know the powers you are dealing with," the magician said in a quiet voice. "I shall complete my ceremony, and you will be dragged to the nether regions of Hell by my servants!" he shouted. Then he turned and began his incantation anew. Nick holstered his weapon. The magician was obviously depending on a spiritual assault. Nick continued to move toward the suspect. He found as he approached the circle that his progress was impeded slightly by waves of a repellent pressure. It was quite unlike the discomfort he felt emanating from VanderWaal's holy symbols. It was more like pushing through a suffocating pall of sulfurous mist. The reek of decay and despair he had sensed outside was intensifying. He paced the perimeter of the circle, edging to the right, toward the altar. Nick made sure the suspect was between himself and VanderWaal, then he leapt into the circle to face the magician in full vamp, eyes glowing and fangs descended. He growled menacingly. Horrified at what he supposed was the demon materialized inside his protective circle, the magician fled. The moment his foot stepped outside the perimeter, he began to scream. Nick thought he saw the flicker of a manifestation in the demon's circle out of the corner of his eye. But he concentrated on controlling his own beast while attempting to calm the wild-eyed child who was beginning to struggle frantically against her bonds. Nick released the girl, whispering soothingly to her, and carried her quickly from the room. VanderWaal's prayers and the magician's screaming continued behind him. Nick raced outside and placed the child with the others. The police were just coming up the drive. "Quickly, come with me!" Nick shouted at the first officers to arrive. When Nick and the other officers arrived at the underground stables, VanderWaal was reciting a benediction and sprinkling holy water over the magician who was now thrashing about on the floor. The priest announced that the demon had departed. It took four officers to control the raving magician and take him into custody. Returning to the station, Nick made sure the suspect was booked and that his fingerprints were dispatched to Dr. Carver before he headed for home. It was getting close to sunrise. The wrap up on the case would have to be finished tomorrow. He was looking forward to seeing Natalie. [End Chapter 3 - Legacy of Evil: Inklings] Legacy of Evil: Inklings - Chapter 4 Natalie had spent a productive evening in her lab. She had finished preparing her samples for tomorrow's chromosomal tests and then had sat over her microscope doing blood cell counts. She'd also run all the routine blood tests on each of the samples. That way she would have a baseline record of each patient. Her blood was not like that of the vampires. They showed a slightly slower clotting time than she did, their acid-base balance was different, and their liver and kidney functions betrayed extremely aggressive reactions to any chemical or bacterial invasions. These differences were to be expected with their slower metabolism and their faster healing time. Her plasma showed she was deficient in some electrolytes, which would be normal, considering she'd been 'donating' blood lately. She'd expected that and had purchased a good multi-vitamin and some other nutritional supplements when she had shopped. And what she had suspected was true. Her own liver and kidney function tests showed aggressive reactions similar to those of the vampires. That was part of what was making her heal quickly. But there was something she had never expected to find. It had made her rush out and purchase an extra test packet at the medical supply store. She had hurried back to the loft and administered the test. It was positive! She was shocked! What would Nick do when he found out about this? Knowing that she would have to be at the university the next afternoon, and realizing that she needed some extra sleep, she decided her best recourse was a long nap. She'd just have to worry about Nick when he got home. Several hours later Nick burst into the loft. "Honey, I'm home!" Nick shouted joyfully as the lift opened. It was just sunrise. Natalie had awakened from her nap thirsty and was standing next to the refrigerator drinking a glass of orange juice. Nick pounced on her and pulled her into a furious hug, splattering the floor with the juice still in her glass. "I loved saying that," he rumbled in her ear. "Do you have to be so overly enthusiastic about everything!" Natalie exclaimed. She pushed him away and started cleaning up the spilled orange juice. "Nat? What's wrong?" "I think you'd better sit down." Nick's heart sank. "Oh, Nat. What did you find?" He took the rag and glass out of her hands, set them on the counter, then picked her up and carried her to the couch. "You might not want me after you hear what I have to tell you." Nick settled her in his lap, held her hands between his, and said, "Natalie I'd want you no matter what." "I couldn't think how to tell you, so I just will. Nick, I'm pregnant. I think it happened that night you lost your memory." When his face lit up, she stopped him before he could explode again, "No, that's not all. I think the baby is going to be a vampire." Nick's jaw dropped open in shock. "But Nat, I can't have children. And that is not how vampires are made!" "Normally, no, you can't. Your body temperature is too low for the sperm to be motile. But that night your body was running in high gear. It was repairing all those damaged cells. You even showed up on the hospital monitors at human levels. When we made love, you were so warm. I didn't tell you then, but I didn't go up to the bedroom with you that night because I could feel your skin growing colder. I guess I knew you were reverting, but I didn't want to believe it. Loving you had been so wonderful, so right!" "Nat, why do you think this child will be a vampire?" "Why else would I be healing so quickly. The baby is protecting itself. My blood isn't vampire blood. It doesn't boil in the sun. It does have some vampire factors, but it's still essentially human. The child must be the reason for these changes. It has inherited genes from both of us." "Natalie, do you know this for sure?" "Not until I run the tests at the university tomorrow," she admitted slowly. "Then, let's wait and see what the tests show. Maybe I should call LaCroix or Janette. Maybe this has happened before. The child can't be a vampire. It wouldn't grow or change. Natalie, whatever happens, I love you. Nothing can change that. I won't leave you, and I won't let you leave me. I couldn't survive without you." Nick cuddled her close on his lap and stroked her back. Natalie hugged him, snuggled under his chin and sighed. "For a vampire who always thought he was a terrible monster and that only horrible things should happen to him, you've certainly turned into a cock-eyed optimist." "I have you now, and we have a child on the way. Something I've wanted for such a long time. Who wouldn't feel optimistic?" "I don't. I'm scared, Nick." "Nat, anything that happens we can deal with together. Even this. Natalie, I love you." He kissed her so deeply and thoroughly, she thought she'd never breathe again. He was determined to prove to her how very much he loved her. Suddenly, she was lifted through the air. He lay her gently on the bed and pulled off their clothing, throwing it onto the floor. She felt his cool body against the full length of hers as he lay next to her. Then he began tenderly stroking, caressing, kissing her face then extending his loving touch to every inch of her. He calmed her, soothed her. Where his lips touched her, she felt warm, cherished. His lovemaking was slow, deliberate, thorough. When he entered her at last, they lay quietly, savoring their togetherness, before he began a gentle rhythm that brought them both pleasure and fulfillment. "Thank you, love," Natalie whispered in his ear when their passion was spent. "Thank you, my love," he murmured. Hours later they awoke to the ringing phone. "Let the machine get it," Nick said. His arms tightened around her waist as she moved to get up. He was determined to ignore everything but Natalie. "You forget, I have an appointment at the university. What time is it anyway? I hope I'm not late." Nick looked at the bedside clock. "It's only 1:00. What time is your appointment?" "At 3:00. Who could be on the phone?" "We won't know until I play back the message, so I guess I'd better," Nick grumbled as he got up, grabbed his robe, and headed downstairs. Natalie hit the shower and dressed before joining him. He had already poured out a glass of orange juice, popped some bread into the toaster, and was stirring something on the stove when she entered the kitchen. "Thank you, Nick, how thoughtful!" she exclaimed. "I have to keep the mother of my child well nourished. That reminds me, when would you like to get married?" Natalie threw her arms around him and held him close. "Anytime you say." Natalie kissed him, then went to rescue her toast from the toaster. "Who was on the phone?" "Dr. VanderWaal." "The exorcist!? Why was he calling you? He doesn't remember that night does he?" "No. LaCroix made sure of that.....I forgot! I didn't tell you what happened last night. We caught the murderer. He was a ritual magician trying to call up a demon. He had kidnapped nine children for his sacrifices." "My God, Nick, how horrible. What did VanderWaal have to do with it?" "I needed someone to get rid of the demon, if there was one. The magician was getting ready to sacrifice another child. I had to stop him." "Oh, Nick, after what you went through earlier this year, that was an awful risk. So, why did VanderWaal call?" "He thought he'd identified the demon the magician was trying to call. It was an Egyptian spirit, Ka-Ha. That's one of the names Divia's master used." "So," Natalie set her soup down on the table and nibbled at her toast. "Divia did have something to do with this after all." "Maybe, in a roundabout way. But the fault for the murders is the perpetrator's. We can't very well try a demon. I'll have to go in later and tie up the loose ends of this case. Then, Reese tells me, I'll be on suspension for a while. He suggested it might be a good time for a honeymoon. What do you say?" "Oh, sweetheart," Nat batted her eyes at him exaggeratedly, "this is so sudden!" Nick grabbed her around the middle as she sat in the chair and began to tickle her. "You are a tease and a minx, Natalie Lambert! What am I going to do with you?" "Marry me as soon as possible, I guess," she replied laughing. "I'm going to make some phone calls this afternoon while you're at the university. Then I need to go into the precinct to finish up the paperwork and find out how long they're suspending me. How about the day after tomorrow here at the loft for the wedding?" "Fine with me. Now, I'm going to pack up my specimens and go to the university." "It's a bit early yet, isn't it?" he asked suggestively as he hugged her again and nibbled on the top of her ear. "Well, I think I'll do a little research at the library first. I'll see you when you get home from work," she turned her face up for another kiss. Then she jumped up, retrieved the prepared samples from her lab fridge, tucked them in her bag, grabbed her jacket off the coat rack and stepped into the lift. As the lift door closed, she blew him another kiss. Nick sighed and went upstairs to shower and dress. When Natalie arrived at the university, she made a beeline for the clinic. She had made an appointment with her gynecologist yesterday as soon as she had found out about her pregnancy. She was going to ask for genetic testing, and she was going to insist on running the samples herself. She wasn't sure if she could get away with it. But it was worth a try. She'd told her doctor that Nick's family had a genetic defect. Nick spent the afternoon on the phone, setting up a small civil ceremony with a friendly judge presiding. Natalie hadn't returned by the time he needed to leave for the precinct, so he left her a note with the details of the arrangements he'd been able to make. When he got to the precinct, Reese called him into his office. "Well, done, Nick. The kids all checked out O.K., and the psychologist says they seem to be responding well to ice cream and love. They're still not sure where that guy got the kids. They're still working at identifying them." "That's great, Captain. I'll get my paperwork finished. Has anyone found out anything about Tracy?" Nick asked. "Naw, they haven't found a thing. Personally, I think they just misplaced her in some drawer down in that hospital morgue. Sure is strange, though." "Captain, would you be able to attend Natalie's and my wedding? It's the day after tomorrow, at my loft, 8:00 p.m." "I'd be honored, Nick. By the way, I.A. has decided your suspension is for a month without pay, starting tomorrow. Sorry you have to start your marriage a little short on cash." "That's O.K., Captain, I have some put away for emergencies," Nick told him. "The prisoner, by the way, has been identified as a Harris Lash. He's undergoing psychological evaluation. They don't think he'll be able to stand trial. He'll probably spend the rest of his life on the funny farm." "I'm not surprised," Nick said. "Anyone who messes around with the supernatural, and especially demonology, is playing with fire." "Say, that was a good idea you had to bring in Dr. VanderWaal from that case we had a few weeks ago. He sure knew how to handle that nut case. It was a lot easier handling Lash with VanderWaal around." "I'm glad it worked out well. I'll go write up that report." Nick finished his report, and headed home early. When he arrived at the loft, he found a small delegation awaiting him. "LaCroix, Janette? What's wrong? Where's Natalie?" "We have no idea where she is, but we heard the murderer had been arrested. Who was it, Nicolas?" Janette asked. "It was a ritual magician trying to raise a demon and using child sacrifice to sweeten the pot." "Ah, so that is why you called on VanderWaal," LaCroix mused. "Yes, did you think I'd lost my mind and intended to give away all our secrets?" Nick asked with his eyebrows raised. "Your recent actions have been far too human. I was concerned." LaCroix murmured threateningly. Nick shivered, "There was something I think you will find fascinating. VanderWaal informs me that Harris Lash was attempting to raise a demon known as Ka-Ha." LaCroix's look of surprise was brief, but telling. "The same name as Divia's maker," he mused. "How very odd." "Indeed," Nick agreed. "I hope it's mere coincidence, but the smell of the place reminded me strongly of what I sensed when Divia attacked me. Natalie is still trying to track down any evidence she can find of Divia's influence through our blood samples. But it struck me that she does not have a sample from a vampire not attacked by Divia. Janette, would you mind providing her with a blood sample?" "I don't mind. If it will help." "Thank you.....I'm very glad to see you both, I wanted to ask if you would attend our wedding. LaCroix, I had hoped you might stand with me this time." "Wouldn't your bride find that a bit tasteless?" LaCroix asked. "No, I don't think she would," Nick assured him. "I think she's beginning to understand us just a little." "Then, I would be honored." "We'll both be here," Janette told him. LaCroix and Janette took their leave. Nick opened a bottle, poured himself a glass and sat down to wait for Natalie. He was beginning to worry. She had been gone for several hours. He knew that it took time to run the delicate tests she was working on. She could not entrust the work to anyone else. Then he heard her car drive up and her distinctive heartbeat as she ascended in the lift. The door opened and a very tired Natalie dropped her bag on the table, hung her jacket on the coat rack and flopped on the couch next to Nick. "Well," he asked excitedly. "What did you find out?" "I'm pregnant, all right. And I'm exhausted!" Nick set down his glass and began massaging her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Nat, I should at least have let you catch your breath before I started asking questions. Why don't I order in a nice dinner for you, and you can relax." "Actually, that sounds like a great idea. And you can continue with that massage. I keep forgetting how tired my shoulders get when I'm fine-tuning that equipment." "Nat, I made arrangements for our marriage. Judge Cameron said he would do it for us. I hope you don't mind, I invited Captain Reese, LaCroix, and Janette. I hoped you'd invite anyone you wanted to have here." "That's fine, Nick. I think I'll call Grace tomorrow and see if she'll be my maid of honor. I have a few friends from the university I'd like to invite, too, if you don't mind." "Anyone you'd