All the usual disclaimers apply.  This is just for fun.  I do not intend to 
offend anyone.  Remember today is April 1st.  I repeat; this is just for fun.  
It has not been beta-read so continue at your own risk.  Permission is given to 
archive this.  Please send any comments to ejdeal@sga.quik.com. 
A Straight Answer, Part 1 of 3
By  Elise

     Detective Nick Knight could not concentrate.  No matter how hard he tried 
to keep his mind on the case, his thoughts kept straying.  Dr. Natalie Lambert.  
Nat.  She was the reason he couldn't keep his mind on his work.
     He was in love with her.  It was a simple as that, and as complicated as 
that, too.  Never had he loved anyone like this.  Ever.  In eight hundred years, 
he'd had his share of love affairs.  A warm grin slowly spread across his face 
as he recalled his various loves.
     Most of them were sheer lust.  Bloodlust for a mortal's sweet nectar or 
pure physical lust for one of his own kind.  It was easy to dismiss those off 
hand.  They didn't count at all.  In fact, Nick had only been in love twice that 
he could count.
     Alissa was the first.  She was young and beautiful, and she worshipped him.  
He had married her and attempted to bring her across, but on their wedding 
night, he had killed her. With biter regret he remember that night vividly.  
Alissa was a virgin, young and innocent.  No doubt her mother had told her 
nothing of what to expect on her wedding night, and Nick had taken advantage of 
her naivet,.  He had told her they could be together for all eternity if she 
would only say yes - as if she had any other choice but to obey her lord, 
husband, and master.
     Through the years, Nick had replayed this horrid moment over and over in 
his mind.  Worse for him, though, was the realization that what he felt for her 
was not true love.  Alissa had loved him, adored him, waited on him hand and 
foot, worshipped him, and bowed to his every whim.  She was, after all, a well 
brought-up young lady.  It wasn't Alissa herself with whom he had fallen in love 
but the feelings she had invoked within him. What man - mortal or immortal - 
would be able to resist a woman who made him feel like a god?  Though the guilt 
of having killed her was never to be forgotten, the "love" he felt for her was.
     The second relationship, which he would dare term love, was the one he had 
shared with Janette for several centuries.  He would not consider what they now 
shared as 'love'. They met as old friends, who indulged in sexual pleasure with 
one another from time to time.  Their present relationship was merely 
comfortable. 
     Natalie.  Natalie. What he felt for her was so unlike any love he had ever 
known.  He wanted to bring her across, to make her his immortal bride, but he 
knew he could not do that.  So the question remained, what was he going to do?
     "Knight?  Knight?"  Captain Cohen was shaking him.
      Nick looked up dazed and confused for a moment until he realized where he 
was. Damn!  He had fallen asleep at his desk.
     Cohen looked supremely pissed off.  "Detective Knight, are we interfering 
with you beauty rest?"
     "No, Ma'am," Nick muttered.  He sat straight up at his desk, managing a 
submissive look.
     "Good.  Get to work."  Cohen moved on to her office, slamming the door 
behind her.
     Schanke, grinning like a fool because for once he wasn't on the receiving 
end of Cohen's temper, had to add his two cents' worth.  "You okay, partner?" he 
asked oh-so politely.  "And I'd like a straight answer."
*      *     *
     "He loves her, Janette, and I intended to have my revenge!"  LaCroix 
insisted.  He pounded his fist on her desk for emphasis.
     "Yes, LaCroix," Janette agreed.  Her voice was soft and soothing as she 
spoke.  "You are right.  Nicolas does love Natalie. But I don't see why must you 
take your revenge?"
     "You know why I must take my revenge!" he exclaimed.  "We have a bargain."
     "Yes, yes, you do," Janette assured him.  She poured him a generous glass 
of her finest vintage.  LaCroix tossed it back in one swift motion, and she was 
forced to refill it before sitting back down beside him.  "And you should 
certainly have your revenge." She favored him with her best seductive smile.  
"But, why must you take your revenge by killing the good doctor?  Surely, you 
can think of some other way."
     LaCroix stopped with his glass mid-way to his lips.  He'd never thought 
about it that way.  Revenge himself in some way other than by killing the girl?  
A most interesting idea.  "What do you mean?" he asked.
     "You know that if you kill Dr. Lambert, Nicolas will never forgive you, and 
he will be driven even farther away from us."
     That was certainly true.  LaCroix nodded absently as he sipped his 
bloodwine, digesting that fact. 
     "And if you were to kill her, Nicolas might even walk into the morning sun 
following her in death.  He loves her that much, oui?"   
     "I would not allow that," LaCroix insisted.  He squared his shoulders and 
narrowed his eyes in anger at the very thought.  Then he sighed deeply, 
releasing his anger.  No doubt Janette was right.  The silly, little fool would 
indeed follow the good doctor in death.  "What do you suggest?" he asked after a 
moment.
     Janette refilled his glass.  "Make him bring her across," she said simply.  
     "Elucidate."
     "Tell Nicolas that he must either bring Natalie across or you will kill 
her.  Tell him that your revenge for Fleur will be that Natalie will lose either 
her life or her mortality.  Tell him it will be his decision."  Gracefully, 
Janette shrugged.  
     LaCroix frowned.  "What good would that do?  He would be able to keep his 
one true love while I was force to lose mine."
     Janette sighed.  Really, sometimes the man simply had no imagination. "If 
Natalie were brought across, it would bind Nicolas to our family again.  He 
would have to rejoin us in order to raise his beloved fledgling properly, to see 
that she was not corrupted by the likes of us," she paused to chuckle slightly, 
"that she became a `moral' vampire like himself."
     "I see," the General drawled.  He was beginning to like this idea.  "Yes, 
that would certainly force Nicholas to return, but how would that sate my need 
for revenge?"
     "It is really very simple," she chided him.  "Once you have Nicolas back 
firmly within the family, you simply take Natalie away from him by making her 
fall in love with you."
     Lucien LaCroix narrowed his eyes.  Had his daughter learned to delve into 
his consciousness?  The intense hate he proclaimed to feel for the doctor was 
merely a mask to cover his desire for her.  He was sure he had hidden that fact 
well.  How did Janette suddenly seem to know so much?  "And why should I wish to 
do that?" he asked lightly.
     "The doctor would make an admirable consort for you, much better, in my 
opinion than Fleur ever would have."  Quickly, she held out her hands.  "No, do 
not protest.  Listen.  Natalie is beautiful, is she not?"
     "Yes."
     "And she is very intelligent, non?  You would not have a foolish woman."
     LaCroix inclined his head.  "Continue."
     "She is mature, experienced.  She is acquainted with our kind and not 
squeamish.  She is strong and brave."
     "She is that," LaCroix admitted softly.  Few vampires had ever had the 
courage to stand up to Lucien LaCroix, but Natalie Lambert, a mere mortal woman, 
had done so.  He smiled as he recalled how her heart had pounded with fear.  Yet 
she had stood her ground. Oh, yes, she would make a fine consort.   
     The dreamy look in his eyes and the sensuous grin that slithered across his 
face was not unnoticed by Janette.  She pressed her suit.  "What is more, as a 
doctor, Natalie knows Latin.  When was the last time you met anyone capable of 
conversing with you in your native tongue?"
     LaCroix decided in that instant to immediately put Janette's plan into 
effect. "And what, my devious daughter, do you hope to gain from this little 
arrangement?"
     Janette's eyes met his, and a tiny frown creased her brow.  Of course, she 
would want something from this arrangement.  What did he think?  That she had 
planned all of this out of the sheer goodness of her heart?  "No more than what 
is rightly mine."
     "Ah." LaCroix tilted back his head to swallow the last of his drink.  "I 
see.  When I take Natalie as my consort, you will conveniently be there to 
comfort Nicholas."
     "And he will be mine again!" she exclaimed.  "But, LaCroix, before we 
begin, I must ask you.  Do you think you can pull this off? I want a straight 
answer."
*     *     *
     Janette and LaCroix arrived at Nick's loft just as the detective had come 
home from work.  "What do you two want?" he growled.  Nick was in a very bad 
mood, having just been humiliated at work.  Now his unwanted master and 
unwelcome sibling were here.
     "How rude of you, Nicholas," LaCroix replied.  "We came here to bury the 
hatchet, as they say in the vernacular."
     Nick slammed the Caddy's door shut and headed for the lift.  "The problem 
with that, LaCroix," he replied, "is that you usually bury it in my skull."  He 
heaved a sigh and held the door open for Janette.  
     His sister stepped through with her usual slinky grace.  "Nicolas," she 
spoke gently, "LaCroix is not accustomed to apologizing.  Won't you even allow 
him the chance to do so in his own way?"
     Nick shot a suspicious glance at LaCroix.  Apologize?  LaCroix?  Never!  
Opening the lift door, Nick ushered his uninvited guests in and offered them 
refreshments.
     Having refused the bovine offering, LaCroix cleared his throat as if he 
were beginning an oration.  "Nicholas, I want you back in the family, and I am.
     "Well, I'm not coming back!" Nick shouted.  "Why can't you just accept that 
fact?  I am not like you.  I cannot kill or hurt others just because I can."  In 
his fury, he flung the bottle of cow's blood across the room where it shattered 
against the bricks and splattered back on him.  Blood, sticky and red, dripped 
slowly down the wall.
     LaCroix's face darkened to an ashy gray. "You interrupted me," he said 
angrily.  "Do not do so again!"
     "Nicolas, even your mortal father would have taught you better manners than 
that," Janette added.
     Nick's face twitched as he swallowed his anger.  "You are right," he 
admitted grudgingly.  "There is no excuse for bad manners.  Forgive me, LaCroix.  
What were you saying?"  He sat down and folded his hands on the table before 
him, prepared to listen.
     LaCroix released a sigh of anger and sat opposite his unruly son. "I want 
you back with us, and to achieve this goal, I am willing to concede certain 
rights to you.  I will allow you to live by your own moral code.  I will require 
no more killing from you, and if you prefer to drink that hideous quadruped 
swill, then I will allow you to do that as well.  As you are not a fledgling, I 
can not imagine the stuff would harm more than your breath."
     Nick's mouth dropped open.  He couldn't believe what he was hearing.  "You 
mean, if I agree to return to you, you will not force me to kill or to harm 
others?  You will allow me to live my life as I see fit?"
     "Yes."
     "What's the catch?" Nick asked, suddenly suspicious.
     LaCroix smiled.  "There is no catch, Nicholas.  If accepting your 
eccentricities is what I must do, then I will simply have to grit my teeth and 
accept them.  Although, I am sure that like most adolescents, you will one day 
outgrow your juvenile behavior."  He bowed his head briefly at his wayward son.
     "LaCroix is still in denial over your choice, Nicolas," Janette explained.  
"It is very like an episode of The Jerry Show that I saw just the other day.  A 
young man tried to tell his father that he was gay, and although his father, 
refused to accept the idea that his only son was homosexual, he agreed to accept 
the fact that his son thought he was."
     Both Nick and LaCroix eyed Janette as if he face had suddenly gone green.  
What is she talking about? Nick thought with confusion.  LaCroix, however, 
laughed aloud.  She had suddenly given him a wonderfully wicked idea.
     "All right, LaCroix," Nick agreed.  He extended his arm across the table to 
shake hands with his sire.  "I'll agree to return under those conditions."
     Grasping his son's hand with gusto, LaCroix added one more condition.  
"Now, we must decide what to do with your dear doctor.  I will give you two 
choices, Nicholas.  You must kill her or bring her across.  Now, which do you 
choose, and you must give me a straight answer."
End of Part 1

All the usual disclaimers apply.  This is just for fun.  I do not intend to 
offend anyone.  Remember today is April 1st.  I repeat; this is just for fun.  
It has not been beta-read so continue at your own risk.  Permission is given to 
archive this.  Please send any comments to ejdeal@sga.quik.com. 
A Straight Answer, Part 2 of 3
By  Elise

     Nick was still in shock over yesterday's events.  LaCroix had agreed to let 
him live his own life if Nick would return to the family.  He had readily agreed 
once he determined that LaCroix was on the level. That was what Nick wanted all 
along - to be a part of his family yet acknowledged as adult enough to live his 
life by the requirements of his own conscience.
     The only damper on the day was when LaCroix had brought up the issue of 
their bargain over Fleur.  His master had still insisted that Nick lose his one 
true love, Natalie.  At the time he had mentioned her name, it had scared Nick 
speechless.  Despite arguments from Janette, LaCroix had insisted that Nick 
still must lose Natalie, and he had given Nick a choice of how this loss was to 
be achieved.
     Nick could kill Natalie, or he could bring her over.  Kill Natalie?  That 
had never even been a possibility.  So he had told LaCroix he would bring her 
over in three day's time at the full of the moon.  That comment had sparked 
Janette's romantic side, and from there the rest of the day was spent planning 
Nick's and Natalie's wedding.
     Parking his car and heading into the station, Nick laughed.  He was 
actually happy about having to bring Nat over.  Secretly, he'd wanted to do so 
for a long time, but he considered that a selfish option, and hurting her was 
something he could never do.  Unwittingly, his master had given him a non-guilt-
filled excuse to bring Nat across.  Of course, he'd howled with rage; he'd 
stormed; he'd begged.  Nick had to make LaCroix think he was winning, but it was 
Nick who was really winning.  
     Nat.  Nick sighed and plopped down at his desk as the thought of her.  He'd 
propose tomorrow night and bring her over the next. Tonight he'd spend 
finalizing plans.  He'd have to buy himself a wedding ring from Nat.  She didn't 
exactly have the funds to get a really nice ring.  She was to get his mother's 
emerald ring.  LaCroix had promised to get it from Nick's safety deposit box.
     "So, Partner," Don Schanke smirked, "did you hear about the new office 
pool?  Seems some of the guys are betting on whether or not Cohen will catch you 
drifting off to la-la land again."  Schanke set his coffee and donut on the desk 
and settled himself in.
     Nick was in too happy a mood to take the bait.  "And how much did you bet?" 
Nick asked as he picked up the phone and dialed.
     "Me?  Bet that my partner would get in trouble?"  Schanke managed to put a 
hurt tone in his voice.  Then he laughed.  "Only half of what I put in the pool 
on when you were going to get married?  And to who."
     "Whom, Schanke."  Nick grinned back.  "Hello?  This is Detective Nicholas 
B. Knight of Toronto metro homicide," he said into the phone.  "I want to speak 
to someone about borrowing a horse.  Yes, I'll hold."
     "A horse?" Schanke exclaimed.
     "Yeah, a horse," Nick laughed back.  "Yes, sir," he answered the phone.  
"I'd like to borrow a stallion, white."  A pause.  "Night after tomorrow."  
Another pause.  "Private reasons.  Okay, I'll be over later to pick one out.  
Thanks."  Nick hung up.
     "What are you up to?" Schanke burst out.  
     "Let's just say," Nick whispered with a sneaky grin, "that your first pool 
is about to come to an end."
      "Is it Nat?"  Schanke's voice was strained with excitement as he 
whispered.  "C'mon, Partner, give me a straight answer."
*     *     *
     "Are you sure, Don?"  Detective Murphy of vice whispered.  "He bought a 
man's ring?"
     Casting a weather eye on his partner who sat at his desk finishing up some 
paperwork, Don Schanke lowered his voice to answer.  "Yeah, Murph, I'm sure.  
First, Nick tells me that our pool on when he's getting married is about to pay 
off, then I go with him to the jewelers, and he buys a man's ring."  He shook 
his head again.  "I just don't get it."
     Murphy snorted into his coffee. "Gee, Don, how did you ever pass your 
detective exam?"  Slowly, Murphy explained.  "Have you ever considered the 
possibility that Knight is gay?"
     "What?" Schanke shouted.  "Uh, uh, no way!  The guy's my partner.  I ride 
with him every night."
     Murphy only raised his eyebrow.  Without single word, he took another sip 
of his coffee.
     "Didn't you say the guy asked to borrow a horse tomorrow night, too?" Mike 
Green, Murphy's partner put in.
     "Day after tomorrow," Schanke corrected.
     Mike replied with a vicious laugh, "I don't even want to speculate on what 
he wants the horse for."  Mike Green hated Knight.  He'd been making pretty good 
progress with getting a certain lady medical examiner in the sack until the old 
Ice Prince showed up.
     Schanke made a disgusted gagging sound.  "Oh, you guys are sick!"   
     Murphy and Green followed Schanke as he walked back to his desk.  If there 
was a scoop to be had, they wanted in on it.
     Don Schanke wet his lips nervously.  "Nick," he asked, "could we ask you 
something personal?"
      Nick opened his mouth to answer but stopped when he noticed the tall, 
sinuous form of his father carrying a paper bag.  Dressed impeccably as usual, 
LaCroix cut a dashing figure as he crossed the room.  His usual black Armani 
ensemble was enlivened tonight by a rosy pink tie.  Nick blinked and smiled. 
Only his master could carry off such an getup without looking ridiculous.
     Murphy and Green noted the wide smile on Knight's face, the pink tie, and 
exchanged knowing grins.  Green poked Don in the back.
     "Nicholas, I am so pleased to see you," LaCroix lisped.  Pinky finger 
extended, he set the paper bag down on the desk then returned his pale, smooth 
hand to his hip.  "Do you remember when you spilled that dreadful concoction on 
your shirt yesterday?"  The lisp was becoming more pronounced.  "Well, I just 
know how much you simply hate doing the wash, so I took your clothes home with 
me when I left tonight and had them laundered."
     A momentary blur of confusion crossed Nick's face.  What was wrong with 
LaCroix's mouth?  LaCroix didn't have a lisp, except - like all vampires - when 
his fangs were down.  Was his master having trouble with his fangs?  "Are you 
all right?" Nick asked with concern.  He stood and placed his hand on his 
father's shoulder.
     LaCroix cocked his head to the side.  "Isn't Nickie just the sweetest 
thing?" he asked the other detectives.  "Oh, I'm fine, you big silly," he 
insisted.  He grabbed Nick's hand and held it tightly.  "Oh, and looky here what 
I have."  The master vampire's eyes sparkled and his voice became a singsong.  
Reaching into his pocket, LaCroix pulled out a small black box.  He opened it, 
revealing a huge three carat emerald, which he ceremoniously placed on Nick's 
finger.  "This is what you wanted, isn't it?"
     Nick grinned down at his mother's ring.  "Oh, yeah," he replied.  "Thank 
you."
     LaCroix smiled at Nick and batted his eyelids at the other three 
detectives.  "Well, I simply must be on my way.  I have plans to make!  Ta Ta!"  
     And with that LaCroix swished out of the room.  Silence echoed throughout 
the station in LaCroix's wake.  Until it was broken by Detective Mike Green.
     With a cocked eyebrow, he grinned at Schanke.  "See?"  
     Schanke dropped like a rock into his seat and stared at Nick.  
     "What was it you wanted to know?" Nick asked the three men.
     Murphy spoke up, "Are you homosexual?  And we want a straight answer."
*     *     *
     Ring!  Natalie's phone caught her by surprise.  Putting down the latest 
report she was working on, she picked up the telephone.  "Lambert here."  
     "Dr. Lambert?  Dr. Davis here.  Listen, Lambert, uh, I have a, uh, serious 
question to ask you."
     "Of course, Dr. Davis, what is it?"  Natalie switched the phone to her 
right ear.  If the boss was calling with a serious question, she'd better listen 
up.
     "Would you have a problem working with someone who is gay?"  Davis' voice 
was shaky.
     Nat frowned.  It wasn't like Davis to act so nervous.  She didn't think the 
man was a homophobe, but something definitely had him rattled.  "No, sir," she 
replied honestly.  "Why do you ask?"
     "I've just learned that one of the detectives at homicide is homosexual.  A 
fellow you work closely with," he hinted.  "I just didn't want you to, you know, 
find out the hard way."
     Now she was totally confused.  "That won't be a problem for me, sir," she 
answered.
     "Good girl, Lambert," he sighed.  "If you do find that you can no longer 
work with this man, you let me know, and I'll move you to day shift in a 
heartbeat."
     "Thank you, sir," Nat replied.  "Goodbye."  Gee, but that was weird.  
     Natalie had barely replace the receiver in its cradle when the phone rang 
again.  "Lambert," she answered.
     "Dr. Lambert, this is Amanda Cohen.  I felt I had to call you.  I know what 
you must be going through.  In college I dated a man for a whole year before I 
found out."
     Natalie's brow was furrowed with perplexity.  "Excuse me, Captain, I don't 
want to be disrespectful here, but what are you talking about?"  There was only 
silence from the other end of the phone.  After several long minutes, Natalie 
feared the woman may have hung up.  "Captain?" Natalie asked.
     A soft "damn" slipped through, and then Natalie heard Cohen clear her 
throat.  "No one has told you then?"
     "Told me what?  Ma'am, what is going on?"
     "I'm afraid I'll have to play chicken on this one, Doctor.  But when you 
find out if you need to talk, you can call me."  Then she hung up.
     Natalie replace the phone and stared at it.  She hoped someone would be 
giving her a straight answer soon.
*     *     *
     Nick was positively furious.  He'd spent the better part of an hour trying 
to convince Schanke, Murphy, and Green that he was not gay.  As if what they 
thought mattered anyway.  He was about to propose to Natalie.  That should 
convince them that he was straight.
      LaCroix had set him up with style this time.  He had to give his father 
credit for that.  Nick chuckled to himself as he recalled how LaCroix had lisped 
his way around the station house.  The old man had really put on a show.  
     Nick's mood was slowly easing into something less vicious.  "It was a 
pretty funny joke," Nick told Schanke.
     Schanke stared out through the windshield.  "I don't think so.  I mean, if 
my -who did you say he was? Your uncle?"
     Nick turned the corner into the princt parking lot with practiced ease.  
"Yeah, he's only seven years older than I am."  He mentally crossed his fingers 
at that lie.  "He was nineteen when my parents died.  I was twelve so he's 
practically raised me."
     Schanke nodded with understanding.  "So, what do you plan to do to get him 
back?  I know some great tricks," he told his partner as they stepped out of the 
car.
     "I told you, Schanke," Nick sighed.  "Nothing."  One just didn't get 
revenge on LaCroix.  Still, it would be nice to try.  Now that LaCroix had 
mellowed out a bit, maybe Nick could play a practical joke of his own.  He 
stopped Schanke at the door.  "Like what?" he asked. 
     Grinning like a fool, Don Schanke answered with glee.  "Well, that all 
depends on how badly you want to get him back."  He rubbed his hand together, 
imitating a mad scientist.  "So, how much misery do you want to put him through?  
Give me a straight answer."
*     *     *
      "Nick's what?" Natalie exclaimed.
     Grace, holding her hands out in front of her like a shield, shook her head 
and answered.  "I'm just telling you what I heard."
     "Nick's what?" Natalie asked again incredulously.
     "Honey, I know how you feel about the guy.  That's why I'm trying to tell 
you.  Nick is gay."
     "That's impossible," Natalie scoffed.  Quickly, she moved to her desk and 
sat down.  Her knees felt shaky, but she was trying to play this off as 
nonchalantly as possible.  Her heart was pounding wildly.  Could there be any 
possible truth to this rumor? 
     "No, honey, it's not impossible.  It happens all the time."
     "Not Nick," Natalie insisted.   
     "Well, they say a tall, good looking man came into the station tonight 
returning some clothes Nick had left over at his house."
      "That doesn't prove a thing," Natalie scoffed. 
     Grace tilted her head to the side.  "Nick told Schanke that the office pool 
on when he was going to get married was about to pay off.  Then, he went out and 
bought a man's wedding ring."
     Doubt began to creep in.  Was this what everyone had been trying to tell 
her all night?  
     "And the tall guy gave Nick a nearly three carat emerald ring."
     "No, Grace, I just can't believe it," Natalie returned.  The tall man had 
to be LaCroix, and there was no telling what LaCroix was up to.
     "Well, answer me this, then.  Has he ever made a move on you?  Ever gotten 
touchy-feelly?  And give me a straight answer."
End of Part 2


All the usual disclaimers apply.  This is just for fun.  I do not intend to 
offend anyone.  Remember today is April 1st.  I repeat; this is just for fun.  
It has not been beta-read so continue at your own risk.  Permission is given to 
archive this.  Please send any comments to ejdeal@sga.quik.com. 
A Straight Answer, Part 3 of 3
By  Elise

     Natalie had arrived at the loft as soon as her shift was over.  It was 
their usual Thursday date.  Nick would buy her dinner, and they snuggle on the 
couch and watch videos all morning.
     "Hi, Nat," Nick said.  A beatific smile on his face.  He wrapped his arms 
around her for a hug and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead before releasing 
her again.  "I'm glad you came."
     Natalie smiled back.  She couldn't help but smile when Nick was around.
     He gave her an enigmatic smile.  "Nat, I am about to make some rather 
drastic changes in my life," he confided.  Nick poured Natalie a glass of wine 
and himself a glass of bloodwine.
     "This wouldn't have anything to do with LaCroix would it?"  Her voice was 
cold and tight.
     Nick cocked his head, giving her an odd look.  "Yes," he answered slowly.  
"Nat, I'm going to rejoin the family."
     "You what!" she shouted.  "After all the hard work we've gone through 
searching for a cure to make you mortal?  You're just giving up and going back 
to Janette's eager arms?"  How she hoped it was Janette's.
     "Oh, no, Nat!" Nick cried.   "I'm not going back to Janette."  He laughed 
at the absurdity of that thought.  "What Janette and I had was well over more 
than three hundred years before you were even born."  He hurried to reassure 
her.  
     "Oh, so it's true then?" she asked.  Slow, cold pain wafted through her 
body like a blue-gray curl of smoke.
     "Is what true?"  Nick asked in momentary confusion.  Then, it hit him.  The 
only thing that moves faster than the speed of light is gossip.  Someone 
somewhere had told Natalie the current so-called news about him.
     Natalie crossed her arms over her chest.  "I was told that you spent the 
day with a tall, handsome man."  She unfolded her arms and began to tick items 
off on her fingers.  "That he returned your clothes, freshly laundered.  That 
you told Schanke your were going to get married soon.  That you had bought a 
man's wedding ring."  She eyed him skeptically.  "And, now, you tell me you're 
rejoining your vampire family."
     "Nat, it's not like that at all!" Nick shouted.  Damn those gossiping 
busybodies!  "Yes, I spent the day with LaCroix but Janette was here too," he 
began.
     "Oh, that makes me feel so much better," she muttered sarcastically.  "Did 
the three of you sleep together?"
     Drawing in a deep breath, Nick tried to control his temper.  "It's not that 
way at all!  LaCroix is my father!"
      "Well, Janette is your sister, and that didn't stop to two of you from .."
     "Nat! Don't say it!" he warned.  Then, he stopped and stared at her.  This 
wasn't going right at all.  He loved her and was going to propose in two night's 
time.  "Natalie," he said softly, "do you trust me?" 
     Unable to say a word, Natalie nodded.
     Nick breathed a big sigh of relief.  "Then, you'll just have to trust me."
     "Okay," she whispered.  The tears were close now.  "But, Nick, I have to 
know one thing. Are you gay?  And please give me a straight answer."
*     *     *
     As soon as Nick entered the station, Schanke called out.  "Hey, Nick, 
buddy!"  He made a show of throwing his arm across his partner's shoulder.  
Schanke cast a defiant glare across the room at Murphy.  "So, why you so late 
tonight?"  He hurried Nick across the room to their desks.
     Nick looked about with some concern.  Snickers and grins were assailing him 
from all quarters tonight.  If he were capable of blushing, he would have done 
so.  "I had to stop by the Mounties station and check on a horse."  He lowered 
his voice to a whisper.  "I guess you're catching the fall-out from the latest 
gossip, huh?"
     "Man-o-man, is that ever the case," Schanke whispered back.  "I've been 
defending you all morning."
     "Well, hi, there, handsome," Murphy said with a lisp.  He wiggled his 
fingers at Nick.
     "Back off, Murph," Schanke told him.  
     Nick ground his teeth in anger.  He would get LaCroix back, and he knew 
just the way to do it.  That long talk with Schanke the other night had sparked 
a truly wicked idea.
     "Oh, I'm not trying to horn in on your `partnership'," Murphy explained.  
The wicked grin belied the innocent look on his face.  "I'm just delivering a 
package and a message to Nickie there." He handed Nick a bulky suit bag.
     "Thank you," Nick muttered coldly.
     "Oh, the delivery boy from Creative Costumes said to tell you that there 
will be a fifteen dollar charge for the extra pair of hose."  He grinned at 
Schanke.  "And, in light of that fact, my partner asked me to deliver a much 
more personal message."
     "And what is that?"  Nick asked in his best Lord-of-the-Manor voice.
     Murphy smiled.  He looked like the Grinch.  "Mike said to tell you he 
wished you and Mr. Pink-Tie the best, and that you shouldn't worry your pretty, 
little head over Natalie.  You have his special assurances that she will be in 
good hands - his."
     Detective Jacob Murphy never finished his sentence.  Nick cold-cocked him.
     "Nick, where are you going?" Schanke yelled.  
      His partner was storming out the door of the station house carry a large 
and bulky suit bag.  As he strode along, the flying bag created chaos behind it.  
Stack of files, cups of coffee and donuts, even innocent bystanders were knocked 
to the ground.  Sounds of curses and grunts of pain trailed in his wake, but 
Nick never even slowed down.
      Captain Amanda Cohen bolted out of office nearly as fast as Nick had left 
the room.  "What the hell is going on here?" she sputtered.  "Schanke, I want 
some straight answers now!"
*      *     *   
      Janette pressed her hand over her mouth to cover a yawn.  She had been up 
most of the day with Nicolas.  Her yawn quickly turned into a frown.  She didn't 
mind staying up all day with Nicolas.  In the past they had often done so.  Of 
course, those times were spent in much more pleasurable pursuits.  Yesterday, 
she had been forced to hear him whine about that mortal woman.
       Natalie this.  Natalie that.  Oh, how he loved her. It had been a most 
nauseating morning, actually, and it had deteriorated.  Next, Nicolas had 
complained about LaCroix and the silly little prank their father was playing. If 
Nicolas were not so handsome or so good in bed, she would have been done with 
him long ago.
      Janette huffed aloud as she walked around behind the bar.  The Raven was 
not yet open, but it would be within the hour.  She had poured herself a shot of 
pure blood when the doors to the vampires' private apartments burst open.  The 
explosion and subsequent roar startled Janette, causing her to spill the 
contents of her glass all over her new dress.
     Drawing in a hissing breath in anticipation of causing someone real pain 
for the red stain growing on her dress front, Janette flew across the bar.  What 
met her on the other side caused her to stop cold.
      LaCroix ranting and roaring stood red-eyed and glaring around the room.  
Now, there was nothing unusual in that fact alone, but this time a white foam 
drooled out of the master vampire's mouth.  It covered his fangs and the lower 
half of his face, making him look quite rabid.  His raging screams only added to 
that impression.
     "LaCroix," Janette called out tentatively.
     "Wargah eesh eehe?" her father growled.  His words, although voiced very 
strongly, were difficult to understand.  It was almost as if his tongue were 
numb and unable to form the words properly.
      Because his thickened speech and the foam, Janette had to guess what was 
troubling him.  There was no doubt LaCroix was asking about Nicolas.  Few things 
rarely set off his temper to this extreme, but her brother was definitely one of 
those few.  "LaCroix, I can barely understand you. What has happened?"
     "The boy," - he spoke slowly this time and carefully enunciated each word- 
"has mixed Orajel in my toothpaste."  The veins on the sides of his neck were 
highly visible.  If he had been mortal, the General would have had a stroke.  
"Now, where IS he?  And I want a straight answer!"
*     *     *
     "No, Mike, I've told you before.  I'm flattered but not interested," 
Natalie told Detective Mike Green for the hundredth time.
     "Aw, come on, Nattie," Mike urged.  He grabbed her arms and held her fast.  
"I promise we'll have a good time."
      "The lady said no," Schanke said.  His voice was low and dangerous.  He'd 
noticed Natalie entering the station with several files, and he'd also noticed 
Green detaining her.  "Now, you can let her go, or I can punch your lights out.  
Then you and your partner," -he pointed to Detective Murphy, who had a large 
bandage across his nose and blackened eyes- "can match."
     "Oh, really?" Green asked.  He reluctantly released Natalie and stepped 
forward until they were nose to nose.  The entire room became deathly silent as 
everyone waited to see what would happen now.
     "You are not going to fight," Natalie insisted.  She pulled on both men in 
a failing attempt to separate them.
      "Cut the crap, now!" shouted Cohen.  The unusual silence had caught her 
attention.
      Slowly, the two would-be combatants moved apart.  
     "I have had just about enough," Cohen continued.  She was warming up for a 
major tirade.  "I ought to suspend the lot of you.  And I would, too, but we 
have far too much work to do.  But I am going to place all four of you, not you 
Doctor, on disciplinary warning." She stopped in mid-outburst.  "What the hell 
is that noise?"
      Taking advantage of the silence, an odd clop-clop noise could now be heard 
echoing throughout the building.  Accompanying it was a very strong, odd odor.  
Detective Green began a sneezing fit only moments before someone in medieval 
armor rode a white stallion into the room.
     Jaws dropped and mouths hung slack.  The rider maneuvered the beast forward 
and dismounted in front of Captain Cohen.  The armor, shining like a mirror, 
clanked with every movement as the figure handed Cohen the reins.   When the 
hood of the armor was pushed back, it revealed Detective Nick Knight.
     "Knight?"
     "Oh, I get it!"
     "What are you doing?"
     "Nick?     
     "Get that horse out of here!  Achoo!"  
     Nick ignored them all as he knelt in front of Natalie.  Taking her hand 
between his own, he solemnly placed the huge emerald ring on her hand.  "Natalie 
Lambert, would you marry me?" he asked in ringing somber tones.  "And I want a 
straight answer."
The end