Subject: Blood on Blood (1/5) Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 00:37:22 +0900 From: Raven Breena To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU Disclaimer: FK isn't mine (darn), and no copyright infringement is intended. Any similarity to any other story is purely coincidental. ========================== All my stories archived at http://www.naturesong.com/myfkfan.htm Permission to archive on fkfanfic.com and ftp site given. I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who responded to the first part of this story, "Bad Medicine". =) If it weren't for you guys who send feedback, I would have stopped writing a long time ago. Thanks. I would like to send special thanks to my beta reader, Stephanie. No cats were harmed in the making of this story. =) Blood on Blood -------------- By Cousin Raven (raven@naturesong.com) Sequel to "Bad Medicine" (Which you really ought to read first, it's archived at http://www.naturesong.com/myfkfan.htm) "Blood on blood, One on one We'd still be standing When all is said and done Blood on blood, One on one And I'll be here for you Till Kingdom come" - Bon Jovi, "Blood on Blood" Nat gratefully slipped her key into the lock and turned it. It had been such a long night, her first full night as a vampire. She'd had her first victim's autopsy to conduct, reports to fudge, and her dinner to procure. Thankfully, she'd had extra supplies on hand in the lab, although she'd always pictured Nick being the one using them. She sighed and dropped her keys on the table. In the center of a table was a large basket covered in red cellophane. She fingered it lightly, wondering where it had come from. The tag read: "Night and Day Supplies". She laughed...it couldn't be. Carefully, she undid the closure and opened the basket. It was. Within lay three green bottles with labels of various dates and vintages and three roses: two red and a white. She lifted the flowers from the basket and smelled them; it was purely out of habit, she had smelled them the instant the closure opened. Humming softly to herself, she put them in a small vase. A small white card was peeking from beneath the middle bottle, so she opened it. It read: "Forgive me? -Nick" and she smiled. Of course she forgave him. Everyone was entitled to make mistakes, even when they had eight centuries of experience. Vaguely, she realized that whomever had delivered it had broken into her apartment to do it, but there was nothing missing and nothing out of place. They'd even locked the door when they left. She smiled and realized they couldn't have just left it on the doorstep. She took a wineglass out and blew into it. Dust flew everywhere. She started to wash the glass and sighed. Eternity. The thought seemed to stretch farther than her imagination. Lives lived over and over under different names and different jobs expanded in her mind. She could do just about everything she'd ever dreamed now. She finished washing the glass and shook it out, covered it with a small dishrag and started to dry it. She'd always wanted to try psychology. Maybe get into some kind of hypnotherapy. She giggled to herself; that would probably be easy now. How long would they stay in Toronto? She wondered. Certainly no more than five or six years at most, sooner if something happened. She put the now dry glass on the counter and regarded the three bottles. Which one to choose? Not being a connoisseur, she chose the nearest one and started to look for a cork remover for the sealed bottle. Ten minutes of searching and still no cork remover. She sighed and determined there must be another way. Nick had always seemed to rip the cork out with his teeth, but this cork was just a little too far in to reach, despite her best attempts. Her eyes sparked gold for a minute, then she realized if she was gentle she might be able to get it to pop out on its own. She held the bottle in her hand and squeezed lightly. The cork popped and flew across the room. Nat smiled and poured the blood wine into her glass. It was dark and glorious. She retrieved the cork and despite the fact that she figured cold blood probably wouldn't taste good, she put the partially emptied bottle into the refrigerator. As she did she realized she had to clean it out, as soon as possible. Many items in it were definitely perishable and would soon start to smell. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of the food; it wasn't bad, she just couldn't take the smell anymore. She wondered how Nick dealt with seeing food everywhere. In her job food was rarely in the workplace...of course, corpses and their blood were, but she could deal with that. At least she didn't feel sick when smelling them. She sat down on the couch and took her shoes off. It still felt good to remove the trappings of the modern world, and that made her feel better. She sipped her wine and knew it was good. The phone rang then and she answered it. It was Nick. "Nat, I'm sorry I didn't get to come and see you yet." She looked at the window; the sky had already lightened with the dawn. She could see the tiny reflections of the sun on the tin foil cover that she'd fashioned earlier when she first got home, before she showered and called in the 'anonymous' tip about her victim's body. She didn't feel too bad about it, though, he was a cold-blooded killer and as far as she was concerned, he got what was coming to him. "Yeah, me too," she sighed. "Did you get the basket?" "Yes, it's wonderful." She sipped from her glass again. "I really am sorry, I didn't know what to think." "I know, Nick, I don't know what I would've thought either." She paused, "Are you mad?" "No." The response was immediate. "I'm only sorry I wasn't there." She felt thankfulness and love cover her like a warm blanket. "Thank, Nick." "Nat? I was thinking maybe we should go on a vacation or something. We could go wherever you want...Paris, London, New Orleans..." There was silence on the other end. "Nat?" Natalie's eyes had closed and exhaustion took her. Her body was still changing, adapting to the new substance within it. The phone slid slowly to the floor and Nick could hear soft snoring sounds. He chuckled softly to himself, "Sleep well, Nat," he said aloud and hung up. ---- LaCroix was aware of the good feelings coming from his link with his son and wondered what they entailed. Certainly, in their conversation earlier Nicholas had alluded that his dear Dr. Lambert had become one of the *permanent* night shift. The thought made him chuckle to himself - Nick's savior had become his progeny. He would have to keep an eye on them, this might prove interesting. ---- Neil Mathers owned a pawnshop on the south side of Toronto. Most nights he did good business, buying and selling various pieces of jewelry and musical equipment. He also had a small case of knives and small caliber guns on display, but they rarely moved in or out. The laws being as strict as they were, it usually required too much time for the paperwork and people usually lost interest or went to find someone who would sell them what they wanted sooner. Tonight, he had a problem. A man had been lurking around the glass case, refusing service, just staring at a particular knife. It was a strange knife with a dragon on the handle and a reversed serration on the blade, so that it was like a dozen small knives pointed in the same direction. The man seemed mesmerized by it. "Would you like to see it?" Neil said, again offering service. The man shook his head, his long dark brown hair moved and his ill-fitting orange baseball hat threatened to fall off, but it did not. He was dressed in denim jeans and worn brown cowboy boots, a black t-shirt proclaiming "Dangerous Toys" and a denim jacket that look like it had seen better days. The effect was creepy, like the guy had just stepped out of some gutter. "Sir," Neil continued, "If you aren't going to buy something, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." That caught the man's attention. "How much is that knife?" the man responded gruffly. Neil opened the case and found the price tag, "$150." When Neil looked up, he saw an amplifier coming down at him quickly. He tried to duck and it glanced off his head. A small patch of blood appeared from the torn skin and Neil lost consciousness. The man dropped the amplifier with disgust and reached into the case to remove the knife. He picked the price tag off and stuck it to Neil's nose. "Mine now," he said. As he walked out, something in the window caught his eye. He reached over and picked it up. A police scanner. Perfect. Casting one last glance at the unconcious owner, he took the scanner, turned and made his way to his car. (To see an image of this knife: http://www.naturesong.com/raven/theknife.jpg) ---- Natalie shifted in her sleep and her eyes rolled quickly beneath her eyelids. She struggled in her sleep, fighting the images in her dreams, violent images of death and blood. Loud meows and purring woke her. The phone was buzzing on the floor, and Sydney was nuzzling her face. She clawed at images from her dreams, so horrible, some fascinating, but all were confusing. Sleepily, she hung up the phone and tried to remember telling Nick 'goodbye'. Confusion lit her features and she realized she hadn't. She tried to struggle up and call Nick...or preferably get to bed, but the exhaustion was just too much. She sank down and slept deeply then, curled up near the phone. Sydney nuzzled her face again, but she did not respond. Several times in the day she was jolted awake from horrible, faceless and nameless creatures that inhabited her dreams. These weren't anything like she'd seen or even imagined before. They clawed at her and bit her, trying to drag her down into the very depths of hell. She fought them, though, at every turn and kept looking for a ray of light or some kind of hope, but the dreams continued. ---- The cat had not wanted to come with him but he'd finally gotten it shut into a cardboard box and made his way to the hotel room. Once there, he closed the door and let the cat out. It hissed and tried to clean itself up; apparently there had been something sticky in the box. He dropped the box and took the knife off the dresser; this was going to be fun. (End Part 1) Cousin Raven Breena raven@naturesong.com http://www.naturesong.com I tried to get organized and now I can't find anything. Subject: Blood on Blood (2/5) Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 00:37:47 +0900 From: Raven Breena To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU (Start Part 2) Disclaimers in Part 1 ---- The ringing phone jolted Nat to a sleepy wakefulness. She answered it wearily, imagining Nick on the other end. "Doctor Lambert?" It was Captain Cohen, Nat realized with mild horror. Taking Nat's wakefulness to be in invitation, Sydney jumped up on her lap. Nat jumped from the sudden pressure and tried to open her eyes. When that failed, she just tried to sound more alert. She doubted that worked either. "Yes...Captain, I'm here," she said sleepily. "Doctor, we have a problem. The day coroner is already at a case and since I've been asked to give a consult for an incident and I thought you might want to be here." "Yes," Nat said and tried to get up, brushing Sydney from her lap. Heaviness weighed in on her. It was then she realized it was still day out. "Um, Captain, what time is it?" Wearily, Nat didn't even have enough energy to look for a clock. "It's 3:35, Doctor, and I know it's early, but I figured you wouldn't mind...Is something wrong?" Now, aware of the bind she was now in, her eyes opened wide. Tiny reflections on her tin foil indicator showed what she feared most. It was bright day out and the captain wanted her to go to a crime scene. How to get out of this one? "Captain, can you get someone to cover for me until 7 or so? I really can't go right now." "Are you okay? Is something wrong?" Amanda's voice was full of concern. "I'll be all right, I just can't get out there just yet." "Well, Doctor, I can't just tell them you can't come out for no reason." Skepticism was evident in her voice. Nat struggled to remain awake and alert. Even through the phone she could hear Cohen's heartbeat and idly wondered if she could convince her another way. The pulse beat in Nat's ear and she decided to try. "Captain...listen to me..." Thump-thump, "I can't come in yet...you need to get someone else to cover for me until 7 tonight, and I'll be in then." She waited and listened to the silence on the other end. "Okay, then," The Captain sounded less worried then before, but lacked the 'zombie-like' state that she'd seen Nick put people in. "I'll get someone to cover for you until you can come in at 7. Feel better." Then the phone went dead. Nat hung it up and began to wonder. Had it worked? Had she managed to hypnotize someone over the phone, or had the Captain finally relented? These thoughts plagued her as she dropped back to the couch. Sydney jumped up on her again, refusing to be silent this time. He meowed in her face and she suddenly realized she'd forgotten to feed him. She struggled up and got a can of cat food from the cupboard. She put it in the automatic can opener and it started to whirr around. Sydney jumped up on the counter, making Nat jump. The cat laid its ears back and hissed. Nat's eyes goldened and she hissed back, showing her fangs. Sydney growled low in his throat and his eyes widened. Nat closed her eyes and regained her control. After a short time, she opened them. Sydney was still looking at her like she had two heads, but her vision was clear and not amber, so she was okay. "Get down," Nat said sternly. Without further ado, Sydney jumped down. She emptied the now open can into Sydney's bowl and put it on the floor. Sydney, who was sitting near the sink, refused to come near her. "Come and get it, Sydney...Sydney?" The cat was staring at her, as if she'd committed a grievous action, assaulting him in his own domain. She sighed and the tiredness swept over her again. "You eat when you're ready, then," Nat said and struggled back to the couch. Just as she closed her eyes the nightmares began again. ---- In his sleep, Nick trembled. Vague, half formed images appeared at the edge of his consciousness. He shifted in his bed and grabbed his pillow. Then, the image of Natalie, in a beautiful white dress. She smiled at him, then she was gone. He sighed and relaxed, allowing himself to sleep again. ---- Nat opened her eyes, suddenly aware. The nightmares faded from her mind slowly, giving rise to fear. Why was she suddenly having nightmares? Was every night as a vampire going to be like this for eternity? An endless parade of nightmarish visions? She got up from the couch and thought of Sydney. His bowl was empty now, so apparently he'd eaten. "Sydney?" She called him but the only response she got was a deep throated growl. "Okay, then, little man, but we're going to talk when I get home today." She took the open bottle out of the refrigerator, removed the now loose cork and started to drink it straight from the bottle. The phone rang and Nat put the now empty bottle on the counter. "Hello?" Nat said. "Hey, Nat." It was Nick. "Hey, Nick, I was just about to get ready to head to the scene." "Don't bother, we've finished our preliminaries with Dr. Simpson and we've established that it wasn't a human homicide..." "Oh, good..." Nat noticed a ghostly tail slip under the couch. Even thought she knew it couldn't be Sydney, she started to look anyway. "Nat, is something wrong?" "Yeah, Sydney's acting kind of strange..." "...Sydney?" Nick started to get flashbacks of the scene in the hotel room. "Yeah, Nick, Sydney, my cat." "Oh..." Nick started to think of all the reasons Sydney should find a new home, not because of the crime, but because of his owner's new condition, but decided not to voice them. Nat lifted the flap at the bottom of the couch expecting to see Sydney or perhaps another feline, but there was nothing there. Just then, she saw a flick of a tail and he was there, rubbing her legs and purring. Her analytical mind determined from the angle that he'd arrived that there was no way she could have seen him go under the couch. That was odd. Was she hallucinating too? Oh dear, things were not going well. First nightmares, now hallucinations. Sighing, she pet Sydney and he didn't seem to have a grudge. "Okay, Nick I found him. I'll be leaving in a few minutes." "Okay, Nat. Be careful." "Yeah, always," Nat responded reflexively. She straightened to hang the phone up and was startled by a new arrival. A man dressed in black with short, military hair was in front of her. Somehow, he seemed familiar. "Uh, can I help you?" she asked. He smiled. "Lucien LaCroix," he introduced himself and offered his hand. Out of sudden unease, Nat stepped back. She'd heard enough from Nick to know this guy was seriously dangerous. LaCroix, undaunted by her reaction, withdrew his hand and continued to speak. "I was aware of a new addition to my family, but I had no idea just how beautiful you had become." Nat felt a blush, but it was purely mental. "Thank you." She wasn't sure how else she should respond. Just what was the proper etiquette in these matters? She would have to ask Nick. LaCroix's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong, he could feel it. "If you would permit me to ask...How did you arrive at this state?" Nat took a deep breath to relax. She already knew that was mental, since she no longer needed to breathe. "A lab accident," Nat elaborated. LaCroix listened to the feelings in his link. Yes, that's what was wrong. There was a crack in the link, a missing piece. Nat's fear faded as she realized if he'd wanted to do her harm he would have already. She approached him and touched his cheek, gaining his undivided attention. Her eyes goldened and she smiled revealing her new survival tools. LaCroix stiffened. This wasn't the right way, this wasn't the way it was supposed to be, and Nick would definitely not like this. He stepped back, out of her grasp and was gone. Nat looked around the room hopefully, but he was truly gone. She sighed and the vampire's features faded from her own face. It was time to go to work. ---- An old battered Pinto, covered with partial red paint, but mostly rust, turned the corner. The man in the orange cap sat behind the wheel, he whooped as he drove along the highway, his adrenaline running high. Killing that cat had been so easy, ripping him apart and spraying the blood around the hotel room had just released a tension that he hadn't known he'd had. He was Roy Farmer, derelict, drug addict and part time psychopath. His parents had died when he was young and he was shuffled from foster home to foster home, picking up bad habits on the way. The highway seemed to last forever, stretching to eternity. He gunned the motor and drove wildly now, scanning the horizon for hitchhikers...or at least someone who would put up more of a fight than the cat. --- Nat stared at the necropsy paperwork that had been left for her. Apparently, an animal, probably a cat, had been disemboweled and bled around a downtown hotel room. There was no current suspect, but the police had been informed, due to the violent and psychotic nature of the deed. It would have sickened her had she still been mortal. As it was, she merely put it in the "out" box for Grace to file and continued with her day. In the lab, she had a body waiting for her, a probable suicide, but they weren't sure. He was found dead in his bed only this afternoon and time of death was only a few hours earlier. She sighed and pulled the sheet back. The man lying on it was young, perhaps twenty-five, and looked in the prime of health. She drew blood and fluids for the toxicology report and sent it to the lab, and then prepared her tools for the autopsy. She donned her scrubs and gloves and picked up the scalpel. She looked at his face again, at the curve of his neck. She began to see images in her mind, images from her dreams: killing and drinking blood. She imagined sinking her fangs into his body when he was living, the images forcefully real. Her eyes goldened and her fangs descended; the scalpel clattered to the floor. She backed up until she hit the wall and then slid down slowly holding her knees. She closed her eyes and rocked slowly to herself as the bloodlust slowly paralyzed her. --- Nick was sitting at his desk when he felt the tug of a familiar vampire. Casually, he looked up from his paperwork and around the bullpen. Leaning against the wall just outside the bullpen, LaCroix was glaring at him with an intensity that he hadn't seen in decades. Nick went over to him with a questioning look. Without a word, LaCroix took Nick's arm none too gently and led him away from the throng of police to a quieter corner. "Your progeny is lacking," LaCroix hissed. Confusion lit Nick's features. "What do you mean?" "Your progeny...you do remember her?" Acid dripped from his comments. Nick only glared in response. "Nicholas, you've been trying for 800 years, and you still can't get it right." Nick's eyes flashed yellow at the mention of his previous failures, and he forced himself to calm down. "Your child, Nicholas, has not bonded to you properly. She will descend into madness if she does not bond." Nick was silent for a moment. LaCroix continued, "I assure you, I will not allow that to happen." Suddenly alarmed, Nick glared at LaCroix, "You won't allow it?" "She can bond with any vampire to save herself from madness, subconsciously, she knows this." Nick grabbed LaCroix's lapel, "You leave her alone!" LaCroix stared at Nick's hands for a second. Nick let go and LaCroix continued, "I warn you, Nicholas, I will not refuse her a second time," and then he was gone. "Nick!" Schanke appeared behind Nick's internally raging form, "You've got a call, it's Grace." (End Part 2) Cousin Raven Breena raven@naturesong.com http://www.naturesong.com I tried to get organized and now I can't find anything. Subject: Blood on Blood (3/5) Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 00:37:52 +0900 From: Raven Breena To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU (Start Part 3) Disclaimers in part 1 --- Roy swung the car around in a figure eight for the fourth time. He was having a blast tonight, the doctors were wrong. On the dashboard the police scanner squawked. He monitored the activity, wondering if they would send the doctors after him again. Never could be too careful, after all he was crazy, not stupid. He jammed on the brakes and the battered vehicle screeched to a stop. In the back seat, objects clattered to the car's floor. The dirty pillow he slept on during the day hit the back of his seat and slid down causing him to curse a few times. The drugs the doctors had given him had messed with his mind, weakened him. Now he was at his full strength, fully alert, unlike when they gave him the drugs to shut him up. "Psychopathic" they'd called him and he had raged at that. How dare they presume to pass judgment. He gunned the motor again and the car shot forward. It was time to have some more fun. --- "Detective Knight?" Grace Balthasar asked tentatively. "Yes, this is Knight, what's wrong Grace?" "Have...have you noticed Doctor Lambert acting strangely lately?" Nick was about to say 'No' then thought better of it, "Yes, a little, why? What's wrong?" An edge of panic filled his voice. Natalie was so precious to him, he didn't want to lose her. "Um, you'd better come down here." "On my way," Nick said and was out the door before the phone came to rest on it's cradle. --- LaCroix felt the darkness close in on him as Natalie's anguish echoed through their family link. He stopped in mid-stride and listened for a minute, feeling the pain pour through him. Soon she would crack and then it would be too late. He could not allow that. Silently, he cursed Nicholas' inefficiency and took flight to the Coroner's building. --- "Grace?" Nick's voice, full of concern, echoed through the lab, scaring the bejeebers out of her. "Jeez, what'd you do, fly here?" Grace thought about it for a minute, then said, "Never mind..." "Where is she?" "Over here, she was here when I came in. I don't know how long she's been here, she came on shift three hours ago. I couldn't get a reaction from her at all." She motioned to a still figure curled up on the floor with her eyes closed. She was whispering to herself too softly for mortals to hear. Nick bent down and looked at her. Natalie cracked her eyes open a bit and they sparkled yellow at Nick. Behind him, Grace gasped. Pain lit Nat's features and she closed her eyes again, renewing her whispering. "Grace," he said softly, "Please leave." "Okay," she said, a little too quickly, and shuffled out of the room, closing the door behind her. "Nat? Are you okay?" He could hear her whispering something, "Hail Mary, full of grace..." He realized she was praying. Well, he knew from experience that that didn't help the bloodlust. He opened the fridge and found one of the blood donor bags. He opened a corner of it and waved it under her nose. She ripped it out of his hand before he could blink and drank it down. She continued to pray and rock back and forth. Nick realized then that LaCroix was probably right, she would sink into madness if she wasn't bonded. He sighed and gathered her in his arms. She seemed to collapse then, blood tears began to run down her cheeks. "Nick, what's happening?" she managed to ask through sobs. "I can't think of anything but blood and killing...my dreams are filled with demons and pain...help me, please." Nick touched his finger to her lip, his eyes now gold and his fangs visible. "Shhh...we'll make it better." He kissed her then, tasting the blood from her recent feeding, feeling her anguish. He touched his face to hers, exposing his neck to her. He kissed her neck, feeling her relax in his arms, then, feeling the time was right, he sunk his fangs into her. She gasped and her eyes opened wide in surprise. Her view was only of his neck and she was overcome by bloodlust. She bit him then, and his blood flowed into her, soothing her, calming her. Nick released her neck and licked the wounds as they closed. He felt her becoming stronger with his blood, bonding them, making them both whole again. In the doorway, LaCroix watched silently. --- Roy, drug addict and part-time psychopath, drove his battered and rusted Pinto into the parking lot of a nearby diner. The darkness seemed to close in on him, but he pushed it away. He switched the police scanner off and tucked his bloodied knife into his jacket pocket. With anticipation he made his way into the diner. --- LaCroix stared at the entwined couple in relief. He had intended to be available in case Nicholas did not arrive in time. He could feel Grace's eyes boring into him from behind. She was not at all pleased at the current turn of events, and she appeared to realize that something not quite normal was happening within. He closed the door quietly so as not to disturb the occupants and turned to Grace. He heard her heart beating fast and strong, and he whispered to her, "Everything is normal...why don't you take a break and get a cup of coffee?" Grace visibly relaxed as she assimilated his hypnotic suggestions. "Well," she said, "Everything's okay here, I'm going to go get some coffee, want some?" Amused, LaCroix shook his head 'no' and she happily left the room. --- Peggy Reynolds looked around in the diner and sighed. It was such a slow night, there were now no customers at all and she'd never have enough in tips to even afford the gas home today. A total waste of a day, just another day in the life of a waitress in a back street diner. She shifted in her chair and looked out the window hopefully. Perhaps the night would bring some luck. --- Natalie felt Nick's blood rush through her like none she'd ever had. It seemed to fill a need that ached within her. It surged through her body, the tips of her toes tingled and she could feel her hair as if it were a living part of her, each follicle felt the tingle as it moved through her. Her body seemed alive for the first time, wonderful and whole. Beside her, she felt Nick go limp. She let go in alarm. He'd slumped down and looked worse than some of the people who had landed on her table. The fang marks she'd left slowly healed, but Nick still didn't wake up. "Nick?" she said fearfully. He shook away, seemingly startled, then smiled dreamily. "Nat, are you okay now?" She looked down at herself, seeing her skin even paler than before and her hair an even brighter shade, the highlights seemingly alive themselves. She ran her tongue along her teeth and was surprised to find her fangs had retracted. Her vision was normal, she felt great. She smiled, "Yes, Nick, I'm okay." "Good," he said and slumped down again. --- The diner was empty at this time of night, not surprisingly. With a sigh of anticipation, he opened the door and entered the diner. He made his way to a booth in the far corner and picked up the menu. In the kitchen a cook sat reading a newspaper and near the cash register a waitress sat, patiently waiting for customers. She came alert when he walked in, hastily grabbing her notepad and a pen. He gazed at the menu a few minutes and decided what he would do. He looked at her and she approached the table. Her name tag read, "Peggy," so he addressed her as such. "I'll have a steak and some coffee," he said and she wrote it down and nodded. "Anything else, Sugar?" He smiled evilly. "Maybe a little later." She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Suit yourself." Within himself, Roy felt the excitement build. This was perfect, he'd have the cook busy cooking steak for at least ten or fifteen minutes, more than enough time to take care of the waitress. And after that, he'd take care of the cook. He hefted the knife under the table and waited. --- Nick entered the bullpen and made his way slowly to his desk. When he tried to go too fast, the room started to spin and he wasn't ready to feel that again. His stomach cramped several times, causing him to stop walking until it passed. Eventually he found his chair successfully and sat down slowly. Across his desk, Schanke watched. "Jeez, man, you look like death warmed over. Did she wear you out that bad?" Schanke asked. Nick leaned back in his chair slowly and nodded, "You have no idea..." "Well, it's about time, I always thought you two should get together," he glanced down at his paperwork then back up at Nick. "Really, Nick, are you okay?" Nick nodded slowly, "Yah." In truth, he felt like a truck had run him over several times, then someone beat him with a baseball bat for good measure. His nerves seemed to be on fire and his stomach wouldn't stop cramping, despite the half-dozen pints of donor blood that Natalie had forced him to consume. They had eased his pain, but not his worry. He'd never felt anything like this before and it troubled him. Carefully, he started to look over the paperwork on his desk, grateful that at least Nat was better. She'd been almost hyper when he left her, his blood had revitalized her, given her the missing part she needed and permanently forging their bond together. Then, she'd acted almost motherly to him, feeding him the blood, scolding him for letting her take so much. He'd just smiled weakly, in truth he was willing to give himself up just to save her, and he very nearly did. --- Cohen sighed. It had been a long night and she was sure this call was going to make it even longer. She looked out into the bullpen, Schanke and Knight were the only two in the bullpen, the rest of the crew being busy booking and questioning, she hoped. With a sigh, she opened her office door and said," Knight, Schanke, we got an anonymous call, something about a diner on the west side, Baker Street, I want you to check it out A.S.A.P." She watched as Nick got up slowly. Certainly unusual for him, he appeared sick or hurt. "Are you okay, Detective Knight?" she asked. He tried to regain a bit of strength, even if it was just for show, "Yes, Captain, I'm okay." She looked at Schanke who looked back with a helpless expression. "Is he okay?" Cohen asked Schanke. "Hey, don't look at me, I think he spent a little too much time with a certain coroner, but who am I to judge." He looked at Nick again, "Hey, partner, I'll drive." As they left the bullpen, Schanke whispered, "Hey, man, you really do look pretty bad, what did she do to you?" Cohen regarded them and remembered old times. Sometimes she envied them, other times she wondered just what was in their heads. She closed the door to her office and sat down to her paperwork. --- Schanke and Nick were walking through the building, heading for the car when Nick heard his name whispered, quite distinctly to him, but probably inaudible to human ears. He glanced at Schanke, who was oblivious, then looked around. There, he heard it again, "Nicholas." He knew that voice...it was LaCroix, and it was coming from the men's restroom. He sighed to himself. Might as well face the hangman. "Schank, I'll be right back," he said and Schanke nodded, saying, "Yeah, okay," then he leaned against the wall to wait. Nick entered the restroom and saw LaCroix standing to the side of a sink. In the mirror behind him and over the sinks, only Nick cast a reflection, and it was haggard and almost dead. He felt just as bad inside as he looked outside. LaCroix looked at him with pity, "You never could get it right," he shook his head grimly. "Too little, too much, too late..." He sighed. Nick looked him in the eye. "What do you want from me? I did what you wanted." "What *I* wanted? Nicholas, it was what *you* wanted, I told you I would not refuse her and I meant it." He paused and said in a softer tone, "It would have given me great pleasure to bond with her, Nicholas." Full of a sudden rage, Nick grabbed LaCroix's wrists, "Don't you touch her..." He doubled over then, cramps suddenly burning into him, and he let go, instead grabbing the sink for support. LaCroix's face softened, "Poor Nicholas," he said softly, and with emotion. He thought for a moment, then sighed and pushed his sleeve up above his elbow. He offered the exposed wrist to Nick, whispering his name again. Leaning over the sink, he felt the cramps bite into him again, the blood lost had apparently been too much to replace. He so badly wanted to tell LaCroix to go to hell, or just get away, but the pain was becoming unbearable. His eyes goldened and his fangs erupted. He took LaCroix's offered wrist and sank his teeth into it. The blood flowed into him, soothing the burning pain, strengthening him. --- Schanke looked at the men's room door and willed his partner to come out. It didn't work. He tried again. Still no dice. He sighed. He didn't much like interrupting anyone in the restroom, he knew how important privacy was when he had to do his thing, but this was ridiculous. They had a crime scene to get to. With resignation, he walked to the restroom door and walked in. Nick was leaning over the sink, washing his face. "You about ready?" Schanke asked. "Yeah, Schank, just give me a minute." He sounded stronger. "Sure, partner," Schanke said and left the restroom. Nick turned the water off, grabbed a few paper towels and dried his face off. He straightened and stared at the mirror. Within the mirror, no one stared back. --- (End Part 3) Cousin Raven Breena raven@naturesong.com http://www.naturesong.com I tried to get organized and now I can't find anything. Subject: Blood on Blood (4/5) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 06:07:25 +0900 From: Raven Breena To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU (Start Part 4) Disclaimers in part 1 As soon as they pulled up to the diner, Nick knew that something was wrong. He'd allowed Schanke to drive the caddy, since he 'wasn't feeling well', but, in actuality it gave him a chance to think about things without risking a head-on collision. He'd always seen Nat as his path to redemption, his shining angel of mortality. Guilt nagged at him, even though it was not his fault, and in fact, if it weren't for him and their experiments, Nat would have likely ended up another murder statistic. The shock of discovering how she'd made it out, the unique circumstances, had weighed heavy on him since he discovered it. He knew it wouldn't be the same, he thought it would protect her from his 'demon' self, but in fact it was the vampire within him that she'd needed to make herself whole. He'd seen the visions and dreams that had plagued her in her blood, formless, clawing images that tried to drag her down into madness. The blood he'd given her had destroyed the phantoms, and he, not knowing exactly how much she would need, gave her all she could take. He sighed and realized he'd come close to nearly dying of the blood loss. If LaCroix had not been there to help, it was likely he would have become comatose or worse. Even knowing that, he wouldn't have changed anything. The trip to the diner had been surprising quiet, Schanke was driving in his own little world, his memories surrounding him, worry about his partner, whom he had never seen sick, and his wonderful wife. Beside him, Nick felt his strength return fully as his body absorbed the ancient blood into itself and smiled. Sometimes it was good to have LaCroix in his life after all. The diner's windows were fogged with steam and Nick and Schanke approached warily. Several uniforms were cordoning off the scene and one stood guard at the diner's door. His name was Sgt. Billy Johnson, and the two had worked with him before. A good cop, a hard worker and completely by the book. The perfect choice to guard a crime scene. He nodded as Schanke and Nick approached. "Photographer's already come by, got all the pictures he could without disturbing the crime scene," Sgt. Johnson stated, regarding the two detectives. "You've probably seen this all before, but you might want to prepare yourselves anyway. They've already dusted for prints and managed to lift a few bloodied ones." Nick nodded and said, "Has the coroner been by yet?" Schanke smiled knowingly, but Sgt. Johnson shook his head and said, "Dr. Lambert should be here soon to look over the crime scene and bodies...you might want to prepare yourselves, it's rather messy in there." Schanke took a deep breath and opened the door and Nick felt his eyes turn amber as the smell wafted out of the scene. Blood. Everywhere. He closed his eyes and tried to force himself back to a more mortal look. Amazingly, it worked. Must be the recent gift from LaCroix, he mused. He moved in and Schanke followed. Blood spattered everywhere, walls, floor, tables, even the counters and seats. Nick looked up at the ceiling and found it was spattered with blood too. There wasn't a meter of space anywhere that wasn't spotted in blood. Carefully, they made their way though the scene to the diner's kitchen. The spatter was still everywhere, occasionally broken up by wide pools of blood that was just starting to congeal. One of the pools near the middle of the room had a blood smear and they followed it to the cooler. Knowing what they would probably see, they opened the door and stepped back. The smell of death surrounded Nick and he peered into the darkness. Schanke flipped the light switch and started to gag. Two bodies hung from hooks above, gutted and vile. He turned and made a break for outside. He came out the door like a bullet, startling Sgt. Johnson, finally heaving in the parking lot. Nick came out a few seconds later and met the sergeant's questioning look. "We found the bodies." --- Natalie stared at the finished report in her hand. She'd finished the autopsies in record time, the blood samples from the bodies and the scene were down at the lab, and she had determined what the murder weapon was. Fingerprints were down at the lab being analyzed and should have results in the morning. All in all, she felt pretty good now. She glanced at the clock, it was time to go home. She felt Nick moving through the building coming to the lab to bring her home, and she smiled. This felt good, being able to finally feel Nick instead of the vague notions that she'd had before. Contentedly, she gathered her things and waved to Grace as she made her way to the hallway to meet Nick. Grace had waved back, contentedly sipping coffee. Strange, Nat had never seen her drink coffee before. Nick smiled as he saw Nat, even more ravishing now than before. He wanted to scoop her up and bury her in kisses, but the sun was coming up soon. He settled for a swift peck on the cheek and then ushered her out to the caddy. As they started to drive, he thought about his future with her. "You know, you can stay the day at the loft," he said and she smiled. "Sorry, Nick, I've got to feed Sydney. He was pretty mad at me last night." Nick smiled, "I can just imagine." --- Natalie sighed as she put her purse and keys on the table. Nick sure had looked better just now than when he'd left the lab earlier. Vaguely, she wondered just what had happened to him to make him better. Her first crime scene since the change had almost been her last. She'd arrived at the scene and the smell of blood had assaulted her, preying on her newly awakened instincts. Luckily, Nick had escorted her into the scene, without Schanke, who was still being sick outside. He'd talked her through it, telling her what to expect, reminding her that she could control it if she tried. Through much effort, she'd gotten through the initial exam, though her vision had become tinged with amber. At that point she was truly glad to be alone with Nick. Idly, she wondered just what might happen next time, but Nick had promised that she would get better with practice. She dropped her purse on the table and looked at the window. Soft light edged the tin foil covers, but did not spill into the room. She'd have to get something better soon, but for now it worked just fine. A loud meow broke her reverie as Sydney approached slowly. A few feet from her he stopped, cocked his head and looked at her questioningly. "Meow?" She smiled at him, "You hungry?" His eyes widened and she went to the kitchen to get him some more cat food. Amazingly, he didn't beat her there as he used to, but walked behind her respectfully. When she opened the can he look up hopefully, but did not jump on top of the counter. Natalie smiled to herself, "I guess we're going to get along after all," she said to him and filled his bowl. --- Janette sighed when she saw LaCroix return. She knew he'd helped Nichola recover after yet another blunder and she *was* glad that he was now okay but part of her was angry. Nichola was hers from the beginning, her lover, her brother, HERS. She clutched a small silver ring, one he had given her long ago, with the words "Vous et Nul Autre" (You and no other) inscribed on it. Pain flashed in her eyes as she looked at it. It had been so different when that doctor of his had been mortal, so easy to dismiss, but now such was not the case. He had bonded with her now and she was strong, no longer a weak mortal. She fixed LaCroix in a stare and waited for him to acknowledge her. He stepped past her, then turned and kissed her softly on the cheek. "I know you're not pleased about all of this," he said. She made a dismissive gesture, which LaCroix saw right through. "Nichola is incorrigible. I should have known this would happen." "All things change," he answered and she gave him an angry look. "This is not your *radio show*, this is my life..." Tears filled her eyes and she looked away. "Perhaps you should consider other options," he said and she looked at him questioningly. He raised his eyebrows and the smallest smile touched his lips. --- Nick sat at his piano and stared into space. A single candle burned atop the piano and he watched it flicker. What would make a person kill like that, to just rip them apart with a knife and leave them there with blood spattered all around. Certainly, this person had some deep seeded emotional problems. He plunked the keys absently. And Nat, how was he going to get her to move over here, where it was safe, where he could help protect her from others in the community? He sighed. LaCroix, the ever-present father had come to his rescue yet again, and despite his resentment of LaCroix's presence, he was glad he'd lived anyway. The words from Nat's autopsy report filtered through his mind: "...a reverse serrated blade struck with a huge amount of force, multiple times..." He shifted in his stool and remembered a time when he had used force to settle his conflicts...many, many times actually. They'd need to find out who was selling such an unusual item, and who might have bought one lately. He decided they should also do a search on any recently released mentally institutionalized patients, or even perhaps escapees. They'd need to see if the victims had any connection to anyone else who might have a grudge against them so bad as to warrant this kind of treatment. Sighing, he blew out the candle. So much to do, so little time. End Part 4 Cousin Raven Breena raven@naturesong.com http://www.naturesong.com I tried to get organized and now I can't find anything. Subject: Blood on Blood (5/5) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 06:07:28 +0900 From: Raven Breena To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU Start Part 5 --- "Non," Janette said softly. "Our time is past, both yours and mine, *and* Nichola and mine. The time has come for me to find another..." At first, LaCroix did not move, he just stood there, the barest touch of a smile faded from his face and it sagged. He appeared crestfallen. "Very well," he said and turned to walk away from her, away from what was, what might have been again, but never will be. He stopped and straightened, regaining his composure. "As you wish," he said and walked slowly out of the room, half hoping she would stop him, but she did not. --- Natalie sighed in pleasure as she woke from her sleep. It had been the most restful sleep she'd had in recent memory, no dreams, no nightmares, just dark glorious sleep. The sound of Sydney's heart echoed in her ears as he jumped up on the bed and nuzzled her hand. She smiled and pet him softly. He started to purr loudly. "Good morning, little man," she said and he looked at her with his deep golden cat eyes. He nuzzeled her hand again and she smiled, "Okay, okay, I'm getting up." As she did she was surprised that she didn't feel groggy at all. Even when she was mortal she'd woken at least a little groggy, and those few days before she'd bonded with Nick had been horrible. Today, though, she felt more alert than ever before. She smiled again and said, "C'mon Sydney, let's get us some breakfast." --- Nick opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. Good feelings came from his link with Nat and he was glad. Things seemed to be going good. He came down the stairs after his shower and hit the "play" button on the answering maching. Schanke's voice erupted on the line, "Hey Nick, we got a line on those fingerprints, Cohen wants us to track the guy down today, seems he disappeared from Toronto's Asylum for the Criminally Insane about a week ago. You'll never guess why he was there in the first place. I'll be over there right after I eat some of Myra's beef stew...Yum." Nick sighed and poured himself a glass of blood wine. As promised, the buzzer rang 15 minutes later and Schanke was on the monitor clutching a tupperware container that had to contain some of Myra's famous stew. Cringing, Nick buzzed him in. --- Janette stared into her glass and sighed. Lonely again. She chided herself, not lonely, just alone. She looked across the dance floor at the few mortals starting to dance despite the early hour. Despite her lonliness she couldn't imagine being with any of them. They were too young, too...she thought for a minute...too mortal. That was it. She'd have to look elsewhere for companionship. --- Nick drove the caddy in silence. Schanke sat beside him, a pained look on his face. "You could have tried the stew," Schanke sighed. "I ate already," Nick answered then sighed, "Look, I promise I'll try some later and tell you how it was, okay?" Still in a huff, Schanke nodded once. "Now, where is this asylum?" --- Roy gunned the motor of his car as he drove down the street. This was so much fun, much better than being locked up in that crummy institution. As he rejoiced in his freedom the scanner came active, "81 Kilo, 81 Kilo" The radio crackled back and one of the detectives answered back, "81 Kilo here," "We've got a make and model on your suspect's car, I've got an APB out on it now." "Gotcha, dispatch," Schanke's voice echoed through Roy's car. "Looks like a rusted orange Pinto '81 model, license plate FX-2115..." The dispatcher's voice trailed off in Roy's head. It was his car, they'd found him. Panicked, he drove to a nearby parking lot and got out, abandoning it to be found by the cops, hopefully, when he was well away from it. He took the scanner out and made his way from the parking lot to a nearby street. With sudden dred, he started down it. --- Janette was disgusted. All of these mortals writhing together on the dance floor just reminded her how alone she was. Fed up, she left the bar and made for the back alley. Perhaps some hunting would clear her mind. As she opened the door, cool wind breezed in, rustling her hair. She closed the door and looked around. As she was about to take flight, she heard it. A heartbeat beating fast with fear. She focused on it and found a man in a dirty jean jacket staring at her, knife in hand. "I'll kill you, I swear," he said. Janette smiled, revealing her lethal fangs, "Really?" A range of emotions echoed through his face, finally settling with determination. "Yeah," he said and jabbed upward. Janette moved and the knife hit empty air. She grabbed the man by the throat and jacked him up against the alley's wall. She yelled in rage, her eyes goldening. This was the man they were hunting, his face had been in the newspaper and the search for him had preoccupied Nichola. What to do? The back door opened and Miklos appeared. "Call Nichola," she said, "We found the body of his killer." Miklos nodded as the realization of her words penetrated Roy's mind. *Body of...* He tried to struggle, but Janette held him and squeezed his throat. His larynx became crushed and she jerked her hand sideways to destroy the air passage. Silently, he tried to gasp for air. She dropped him with disgust and watched him crumple. As the sounds of police sirens got louder, he turned purple, then blue. Finally, she heard his heart stop and watched his eyes became dead, like the rest of him. --- "Janette?" Nick's questioning tone caught her attention. "Yes, Nichola, I came outside to get some fresh air and it was here." Nick looked at her dubiously, but Schanke wrote it down. "Anything else?" Schanke said. "What else is there, Detective?" Beyond them, Natalie examined the body, thankful for the lack of blood. She could smell Janette's perfume on the neck of the body and she knew she'd killed him. It was so strange, identifying a killer from the smell. Now she knew why Nick claimed to 'just know' some things about killers. When Schanke finally left her and Nick alone, Janette glared at him. She took the ring off of her finger and shoved it at him. "Here, lie to someone else," she said and went back into the club. Nick stared at it for a minute, remembering the times they'd had, the wonderful pleasures they had experienced. "Ready?" Nat asked. He slipped the ring into his pocket and smiled at her, "For you? I'm ready for anything." ============================================ Okay, who put the warm fuzzies in my cereal? I swear they weren't there when I poured the milk in. *g* Comments? Cousin Raven raven@naturesong.com (end Part 5 "Blood on Blood") Cousin Raven Breena raven@naturesong.com http://www.naturesong.com I tried to get organized and now I can't find anything.