Disclaimers: I don't own the rights to any of the
characters of Forever Knight. Just writing about them.

Permission given to archive at FTP site, JADFE,
FanFic/2, and either NNPack site.

This story has ADULT situations, N/N together.
(FINALLY :) This story was created for the DarkNN
Christmas contest.
==================================================

The Epiphany
12/2003 Kristen Fife

Chapter 1
Final Week of November
Natalie was sitting in the morgue filling out
paperwork on one of her latest cases when Detectives
Schanke and Knight ambled in. She looked up and
grinned. "Hi guys, what's up?" She noticed that Nick's
eyes, over Schanke's shoulder, were dancing with
suppressed mirth.

"Hi Natalie." Schanke's voice was cheerful. TOO
cheerful. Natalie immediately got suspicious.

"OK, Schank...out with it. I know that look," She
sternly said.

"Ah, Geez Nat. I just came by to say hi. And ask you a
teensy tiny little favor." His face took on a pleading
look. "It's for Jenny."

"Uh huh. What do you want?" Natalie was aware that Don
Schanke wasn't beyond using his sweet 10-year-old
daughter as an excuse to wheedle favors out of his
coworkers.

"Weeeeeelllll...Jenny's school is sponsoring a
Christmas play, and we need someone to play elves for
the younger kids after the show. We're having a Santa
and all, but we need adults the kids don't know.
Please please please say you'll do it. It's only for
an hour. I PROMISE I'll owe you big." His big brown
eyes had taken on a pathetic look. Natalie tried to
look stern but she burst out laughing.

"So, Nick, you playing Santa's helper?" She goaded,
arching one eyebrow at him.

"I told him I'd do it if you would", Nick replied with
a grin on his face. Natalie started laughing harder.

"OK, if HE can dress up like an overgrown leprechaun
so can I. But you owe me BIG for this one, Don!" As
she and Nick burst out laughing, Schanke's expression
turned to one of beatific gratitude.

"Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou! I promise, whatever you
want, you NAME it." Still laughing, Nick grabbed him
and dragged him out of the morgue while Natalie
returned to her boring paperwork.



Chapter 2
Two weeks later, Gilmore Elementary School

Nick walked out of the men's room into the dimly lit
corridor, drolly amused. He was wearing an improbable
costume with red and white striped leggings, a green
tunic with a red pointy collar, a white hat with
*bells* on it, and the piece de resistance, red shoes
with curled toes. Not just *small* curls on the toes,
but *spirals*. He shook his head, realizing that this
outfit was no more bizarre than some of the fashions
he had donned throughout the last 800 years. In fact,
this ensemble wasn't all that different from something
worn at the court of King Louis XI...

Just then he heard a hiss coming from the ladies room,
and turned to see Natalie's head sticking out.

"NICK! Get over here. I cannot BELIEVE this." Her eyes
were dancing with sparks of anger. He walked over to
her.

"What's wrong, Nat?" He asked, curiosity uppermost in
his mind.

"Either somebody is going to be REALLY embarrassed or
I'm going to KILL someone." She stepped out into the
corridor after making sure no one was around. Nick's
eyes widened and he could feel himself getting
aroused, which, in this case, meant his eyes started
changing color and his canines ached.

Natalie was not attired in a silly elf costume like he
was. Oh no...someone had either made a huge mistake or
decided to see how she looked in skimpy holiday
lingerie.

She was wearing white fishnet stockings and 4-inch
tall black thigh-high boots. She had on a *very* short
red skirt which barely covered her derriere, and a red
lace-up bustier that looked like it was at least a
size too small...her nipples *almost* showed over the
top of the garment; it had a slender black belt around
the waist. To top it off, she had a tiny Santa hat
perched on her mass of curls. If it weren't for the
fact that the entire ensemble was one of the sexiest
things he had ever seen, he would have laughed.

"Nick, stop staring! What am I going to do? The play
ends in about five minutes and this is all I have to
wear! I can't give gifts to kids wearing THIS! Their
parents would call the police!" Her tone had gone from
anger to despair.

Nick quickly dragged his eyes from her fully exposed
neck and the delicate pulse he could sense just below
the surface, back to her eyes. "Um, how about...you
put your black skirt and shoes back on and you can
borrow my shirt. If you button it up and just show a
little bit of the bustier, you should be ok. Leave on
the hat. I'll be right back." He walked back into the
men’s' room to retrieve his forest green silk shirt.
He silently thanked his lucky stars that he had
decided to wear something vaguely festive.

Nat had retreated back into the ladies' room and her
head poked out of the door when he knocked. She thrust
her hand out and grabbed the shirt then ducked back in
to put it on. She emerged about a minute later looking
much more respectable, if less appealing to his male
eye. She had buttoned the middle four buttons of his
shirt and tied the tails around her waist, and the red
of the bustier peeked through the front. He noticed,
with disappointment, that her nipples were completely
covered. Her short black skirt came just above her
knees, and the white fishnets still lent an air of
subdued sexiness to the ensemble. The Santa hat still
sat jauntily on her curls. He grinned when he saw it.

"Thanks Nick. Hopefully with you in THAT getup, no one
is going to notice me. But let me tell you, this
bustier is laced tight and I hope I don't have to bend
over or I may just spill out the top." She smiled, and
her voice was joking. She had no idea how much control
he had to exert over his vampire not to push her up
against the wall and rip her "street clothes" off of
her. He gulped, just as the sound of applause came
through the closed doorway.

"Showtime" he said with relief. They headed for the
small door at the end of the corridor that they had
been shown when they first arrived. The applause
subsided and Nick and Natalie heard the din of people
moving around. They entered into the small door and
were greeted by a short, middle-aged non-descript
woman.

"Oh goodness...dear, that isn't the outfit we
ordered!" She said as she took in Natalie's outfit.

"I think there was some sort of a mistake; most of the
outfit didn't fit. I thought I told them my size, but
I had to sort of wing it. Sorry." Natalie tried to
keep the amusement out of her voice as Nick coughed in
an effort not to laugh.

"Darn. Nothing to be done about it now. At least your
outfit is perfect!" and she beamed at Nick. Not
knowing quite what to say, he just smiled at her and
nodded.

"Now, the doors out to the back field are going to
open and then Santa is going to come in. He's making
QUITE an entrance this year! Anyway, when he gets in
here the two of you will walk up to the sleigh and
help him take the bags off of it. We have a chair set
up for him, so you can just stand behind it. The two
bags are color coded, red and green. Red is for little
girls, green is for boys. The gifts are small, generic
gender gifts. Just hand one to Santa based on the
gender of the child. Do you have any questions?" She
peered at them and both Nick and Natalie shook their
heads. "Good." She cocked her ear, and they all caught
the sound of bells jingling. "Here we go!" She took
them down a short corridor and through a small kitchen
into the gym proper.

There was a blast of cold air as the two large doors
at the end of the gym opened and the December wind
wafted through. Nick and Natalie headed over to the
closer door, just as a shaggy head, complete with
antlers, entered the doorway to the ooos and ahhs of
the waiting children and parents. A total of eight
reindeer entered with a jolly Santa in a red sleigh
going "HO HO HO, MERRY CHRISTMAS" and waving one
gloved hand around. Nick was impressed with the
reindeer touch. He and Natalie headed toward the
sleigh to start offloading the bags, just as Santa
tugged on the reins and the four pairs of animals
stopped.

As Nick took the bags over to the throne-like chair
set up in one corner, he glanced around and saw
Schanke with Jenny and Myra, pointing over his way. He
set the bags down and doffed his cap with a sweeping
bow and quick wave. He chuckled, then turned back see
what needed to be done next. There were children
clustered around the sleigh, hindering Santa's efforts
to disembark. Natalie tried to interpose her body
between the Santa personage and the crowd in an
attempt to give him a little space to climb down.
Suddenly, she started sneezing violently. Nick
frowned. He made his way over to her and noticed that
her eyes were red and swollen and getting worse by the
second.

"Nat, are you ok?" His concern increased as he noticed
that she seemed to be breaking out in splotches. "Nat?
NAT!" His tone became panicked as he heard her breath
starting to labor in her lungs and her heart starting
to pump harder, trying to get blood to her quickly
constricting lungs. "Someone call 911! NOW!" Nick
shouted just as he reached Natalie and she started to
fall, gasping like a fish. He didn't know what was
wrong. He picked her up and waded through the small
children and past the parents that were looking on in
astonishment. He could sense Schanke's approach as he
got Natalie beyond the crowd.

"Nick, it looks like she's having a severe allergic
reaction. Does she have any allergies that you know
of?" Schanke's voice sounded at his shoulder. He had
his cell phone out and was dialing 9-1-1. He started
talking to the operator and relaying as much
information as he had.

Nick looked back at Natalie. Her eyes were glazed over
and she was gasping and he could hear her breath and
heart together straining. His heart thudded twice in
his chest in panic. Suddenly he thought of something
and reached to unbutton his shirt on her and then
reached in to pull the lacing on the bustier,
loosening it. He remembered Nat telling him how tight
it was and hoped it might ease her breathing. Luckily
his body shielded her from the rest of the crowd, for
as he loosened the  constricting lacings, Natalie's
breasts spilled out of the garment and he stared at
her creamy fullness and the dark-tipped aureoles. The
sight entranced him, even as he knew he needed to
concentrate on trying to help her breathe. Finally, he
got the buttons re-fastened, leaving the collar open.
Just then he heard sirens as the EMT team arrived.

The uniformed team entered and headed over to them.
The EMT looked at him and he started to explain what
had happened. They pulled out a syringe and gave Nat a
large dose of hydrocortisone and epinephrine, then set
up an IV drip for her with an antihistamine in it and
gave her oxygen from a mask. Nat slowly started
breathing more normally and Nick sighed in relief.
Obviously she had had some sort of an allergic
reaction. He glanced around. He didn't know of any
allergies that she had.

The EMT team loaded her on a stretcher and got ready
to load her into the ambulance. Nick started to walk
after them when Schanke stopped him. "Nick, what about
the presents for the kids?"


Chapter 3
Nick turned to his partner in disbelief. He swept the
hat with bells off his head and thrust it at Schanke.
"I'm going to the hospital with Natalie." He stalked
off to the men's room to change. Belatedly he realized
that Natalie was wearing his shirt. Luckily he had a
cotton undershirt to wear. He dressed quickly and
exited the school and took the Caddy to St. Jude's
hospital. When he got there, the nurse admitted him as
Natalie had been asking for him. She was awake and
looking much better, although she seemed groggy. The
nurse approached him. "Mr. Knight, the emergency room
physician will be right in. Can I get you anything to
drink?"

"No, thanks, I'm fine. I'll just sit here with her. Is
she all right? She seems really groggy." Nick turned
his concerned eyes on the nurse.

She smiled. "That happens with the antihistamines.
She'll be fine in a few hours." She bustled out.

Nick walked over to Natalie's bed and took her head.
She recognized that he was there. "Nick? What
happened?" Her speech was slurred and she tried to
look at him but her eyes wouldn't focus. At that
moment, a physician entered. Nick turned to look at
her. She appeared to be in her early thirties, dressed
in the familiar green scrubs. Her short dark hair
framed dark eyes that showed signs of weariness, but
she managed to smile and hold her hand out for Nick to
shake.

"Mr. Knight, I’m Dr. Chavez. Doctor Lambert was asking
for you earlier. Well, it looks like she had a severe
allergic reaction. She managed to give a list of the
possible culprits in the auditorium, and she said that
the only thing there that she hadn't been exposed to
before was the reindeer. It seems a plausible
conclusion. So, I'd say she should stay away from
reindeer from now on." Her smile widened a bit. "She
also needs a lot of rest for the next 48 hours and
shouldn't be alone. She should drink plenty of fluids,
and I've got a prescription for antihistamines for her
to take every 4-6 hours. They're going to knock her
out, so she'll be sleeping a lot. But, if she feels
better in two days, she can go back to work. I'd
suggest half days for the rest of the week, then back
to normal next week. Any questions?"

"Any dietary restrictions?" Nick asked in concern.

"No, but I'd go light the first couple of days. She
probably won't be very hungry, but she will be
thirsty. Her system was severely stressed out. It's a
good thing you got the EMT's there. She has a very
severe allergy and she was starting to go into
anaphylactic shock. This could have been fatal, which
is why I'm giving you heavy-duty antihistamines. Also,
she should probably see her personal physician in the
next few weeks and have a full allergy workup, and
probably carry an epi-pen in the future. It's
especially important for someone that has no known
allergies. I'll write all this up in the discharge
instructions." She pulled a card out of her pocket.
"You can call me at any time with any questions. My
pager number is at the bottom." She stood to leave.
"We should have her ready to leave in about 10
minutes." She turned around and went out the door.

Nick looked back to Natalie, now sleeping peacefully.
He hadn’t realized how serious the allergy was until
the doctor had told him about it. He started thinking
of some of the things that had happened to Natalie
over the years; physical ailments, injuries, general
aches and pains.  He realized that despite his
abhorrence of killing, the majority of the “benefits”
of his immortality he took for granted and enjoyed.
Enhanced senses, perfect health, increased strength,
the ability to fly. And, of course, everlasting youth.
As he looked at Natalie, he thought back to the first
time they had met, three and a half years ago. He
noticed that she had changed slightly in the last two
years as she entered her 30’s. She was still
beautiful, but was starting to gain the grace and
composure that came from wisdom and self-knowledge. He
also looked at her beautiful chestnut curls, which he
longed to have spread on his pillow every night for
the rest of eternity. He saw one white strand
threading through the mass and frowned.  It was the
first time he had been confronted forcefully by
Natalie’s mortality. The thought of watching her grow
old and wither made him frown and his mouth went dry.
He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead.
“Love, we have much to talk about.” He picked up her
hand as he waited for the discharge orders.



Chapter 4
Two hours later, Nick helped a very groggy Natalie out
of the lift. She was still so groggy she could barely
walk. Finally he swung her up into his arms and
carried her up to his bedroom. He gently laid her on
his bed and took off her shoes, then decided she would
probably be more comfortable in a pair of his pajamas.
He would go to her apartment later and pick up an
overnight bag for her, and feed Sidney. He turned
toward his bureau and pulled out a pair of green
paisley silk pajamas. He walked over to Nat where she
laid on the bed. She seemed asleep. He gently reached
down to begin unbuttoning the green silk shirt. As he
gently pulled the two sides apart, he realized that
she still had on the red Santa bustier, still unlaced
but loosely binding her torso. Her breasts were still
spilling over the tops and he nipples were slightly
hardened, probably by the silk of his shirt on her
bare skin. His mouth started watering as he looked at
the creamy pale skin and the enticing brown nipples.
He swallowed and tried to ignore the vampire rousing
deep within him. 

He gently unlaced the bustier all the way, and put his
arm behind Nat to lift her torso up so that he could
take the shirt and bustier off of her.  As he lifted
her up, Nat came to just a bit. “Nick, what?…” Her
eyes were glassy but she was aware of the fact that
her clothing was being removed and some part of her
was determined NOT to miss the opportunity, even in
her stupor. 

“Nat, I’m just trying to get you into some of my
pajamas, then you can go back to sleep.” Nick kissed
her forehead, cuddled against his shoulder. Natalie
smiled then lifted her head to his with her mouth
slightly open, inviting him to explore it. He moaned
low in his throat then bent down to gently taste her
sweet lips. He let his cool tongue explore her hot
mouth,  then pulled his mouth back reluctantly.
Natalie sighed, pressed even more trustingly against
him, then fell back into her drug-induced slumber.
Nick chuckled, then completed getting her clothing off
her torso. He slid the pajama top on her and chastely
buttoned it so that she was fully covered. He gently
laid her back on the bed and then turned to her skirt.

Luckily her skirt buttoned on the side, and it was the
side nearest him. He unfastened the button and
unzipped it, then walked to the foot of the bed and
gently tugged the skirt past her hips. And nearly lost
control over his beast when he realized that Natalie
had on the fishnet stockings with a red garter
belt…and nothing else. He growled and closed his eyes,
once more tightly reining in his vampire and shutting
out the vision of Natalie’s curly pubic mound. He
pushed back thoughts of tasting her moist folds,
reminding himself that Natalie was virtually
unconscious. Finally when he told himself it would be
* rape*  to take advantage of her, he managed to quell
his burgeoning desires as a man, although the vampire
stirred at the thought of TAKING and POSSESSING her
finally. He finished pulling the skirt off of her,
then steeled himself to remove the garter and
stockings. He did so brusquely, and slid a pair of his
pajama bottoms over her quickly. He was shaking by the
time he finished. 

He took her clothing and put it on top of his bureau,
then pulled the covers over her. Natalie stirred in
her sleep, moving toward him instinctively. He gently
stroked her curls away from her face, then kissed her
tenderly on the cheek before going downstairs. He went
directly to the refrigerator and pulled out the
familiar green bottle. He took a swig from it then
almost spit it out in disgust. He knew he needed to
exercise more control if he was going to have Natalie
in his bed, unconscious and enticing for two days. He
walked over to the phone and dialed the Raven. 

Miklos answered. “Raven Night Club.” 

“Miklos, it’s Nick Knight. I need to talk to Janette.”
Nick knew that even though the sounds of the club were
loud in the background, the burly vampire would hear
him. There was a click as he was put on hold, then he
heard Janette’s sultry voice.

“Mon cher? Where are you?” Her purring voice evoked
complex emotions in him.

“Hello Janette. Would it be possible to have three
cases of your reserve delivered to my loft?” He tried
to sound nonchalant.

“Nicholas, bien sur, but you MUST tell me why the
healthy change of diet!” Her voice took on a smiling
tone.

“Nothing grand, Janette. I have a sick mortal friend
over here and I won’t be able to leave for several
days and I want something a little more satisfying.
Please, just have it sent over.”

Janette sighed. “Oh Nickie, you and  your mortals.
Fine. I’ll have it there before dawn.” She hung up.

Nick sighed in relief. Having human blood would make
his control that much easier to exert. Unbidden,
images of Natalie’s smooth body invaded his mind. He
grabbed the bottle of steer blood off the counter and
downed it in one long gulp. It tasted horrid but would
help keep the vampire in control for now. 

He looked at his watch and realized it was still
before midnight. He decided to make a few calls. First
off he called the precinct to apprise them of what had
happened and that he would be staying home the next
two nights to take care of Natalie. He then called the
morgue and talked to Grace, giving her the same
information. Grace was very worried about Natalie, but
Nick reassured her. Finally, he called Schanke to
bring him up to date on Natalie’s condition. 

He went back upstairs to check on Natalie, who was
curled on her side still slumbering peacefully. Nick
didn’t go in, just looked at her and listened to her
heart from the doorway. He turned back around and went
down the steps deep in thought. This latest example of
Natalie’s frail human condition reminded him of his
dreams lately of the two of them together, traveling
around the world in the night. As vampires. Since he
had met Natalie, he had learned to control his
vampiric nature much more, and he realized that his
quest for mortality was not as appealing as it had
been. When he honestly analyzed his feelings, he
realized that his quest for mortality wasn’t about
being MORTAL again. It was about not being lonely.
Since he realized how much he detested the killer in
him, he had become distant from his own kind. He was
drawn to humanity for the chance to develop ties, and
he realized that it was the chance to be himself that
he was lacking in his life.

When he had met Natalie, he had once again felt the
loneliness receding. The nights he spent with her,
either working or just socializing, reminded him of
how much he needed the contact of other people.
Vampires developed strong ties of  family, but rarely
did they associate outside of their own kin circles.
Once Nick had tried to break free of LaCroix, he had
become shunned by the local Community, with the
exception of Janette. SHE wanted to possess him as a
sexual distraction, and he knew the lure of her siren
call. 

But Natalie…she loved him for who and what he was. All
of him. She was attracted to his dark nature, but she
wanted the man in him just as much. Just as he was
attracted to her light and life, he also sensed the
passions in her and knew that she had dark fantasies,
just as everyone did. But her fantasies were sensual
and self-involved, not violently acted out against
other people. He smiled to himself. There were a few
nights when Natalie had had more to drink than was
good for her and she had told him about some of her
sexual fantasies and experiences when she was younger.
He had a first been shocked, but later interested in
her flirtations with bondage and domination. She even
showed him a picture of her dressed up for a costume
party as a dominatrix. It had aroused him more than he
had admitted to her. Luckily, she didn’t remember that
particular conversation the next day in the wake of
her prodigious hangover. 

Nick continued to muse on the idea of Nat as a
vampire. And how he would ask her. While he was at it,
he thought about one of his greatest dreams, marrying
Natalie. As those two thoughts danced in his head, he
suddenly broke out of his reverie to the sound of the
buzzer for the door. He rushed over to make sure it
didn’t buzz again. “Knight here.” He looked into the
camera and saw Miklos. He pressed the release code for
the bartender to enter. Soon he heard the sound of the
elevator gears and he slid open the door to allow
Miklos to come in. He had one case in his arms and
another two were still on the lift, jamming the door
open. Nick grabbed the crate from him and brought it
into the living room so that Miklos would have room
for the others. Soon they all rested in the loft.
Miklos silently handed him a sealed envelope and then
left without a word.

The familiar scent of Janette’s perfume, musky and
dark, assaulted his nose. He smiled, knowing that her
curiosity was aroused.

N-
I have been thinking on our earlier conversation, and
have included some of my finest vintages, in case you
have any hungry guests in the next few days. Perhaps I
will have a new niece or nephew to meet?
				Toujours, 
					J

He grinned. Her mind had ever been sharp and
calculating. She had deduced his thoughts before he
had, once again. 

He set about stowing the bottles away, keeping two out
for himself. He stopped for a minute, listening to
Natalie’s slow and steady heartbeat. He quietly flew
up to the landing and looked in on her once more. She
was still sleeping deeply, curled up on her side. Nick
smiled gently then decided he would risk leaving her
alone for half an hour.

He went back downstairs and put on his duster before
going down to the Caddy. He pulled out of the garage
and headed for the corner all-night grocery to pick up
some basics for Natalie. He had the list the doctor
from the ER had given him and he strode up and down
the aisles looking for the appropriate items,
bewildered by the sheer volume of CHOICES. Finally
feeling that he had all the necessary items, he
checked out and paid for the supplies and headed back
to the loft. 

As he walked into the loft, he immediately heard
stirring from his room and realized that Nat was
finally awake. He left the bag of groceries on the
counter then went up to check on her. She was just
waking up, still groggy but definitely in much better
shape. She looked at him, her eyes trying to focus.
“Nick?”

He quickly strode over to her side. He had left one
light softly burning so that she would be able to see
if she woke up. He sat down on the bed and gathered
her in his arms. “Shhh. I’m here. How are you
feeling?” His voice was soft and melodic.

“Ugh. I’m thirsty and I really need to use the
bathroom. Can you help me up?” She clung to him as she
got unsteadily to her feet. He walked her over to the
bathroom. When she seemed able to make it unassisted,
he shut the door and rushed downstairs to pour her
some apple juice and to fill a pitcher with water. He
took the glass with juice, an empty glass and the
pitcher upstairs and set them on the bedside stand. He
waited until he heard the toilet flush and the sink
running before he walked back over to the door and
knocked softly. Natalie opened it and stumbled out,
into his arms. 

“Nick I’m really thirsty. Can I have a glass of
water?” She asked plaintively. He helped her the few
feet back to the bed and then handed her the glass of
fruit juice.

“The doctor told me you’d be thirsty and suggested
fruit juice, then there’s a pitcher of water here for
you.” He held her up while she chugged down the glass
of fruit juice and then two glasses of water. 

Finally sated, she relaxed against him. “Wow, I’ve
been out of it. Thanks for taking care of me.” She
snuggled against him contentedly. 

He kissed her on her hair. “My pleasure. Now, much as
you are going to hate this, you need to take some more
of the antihistamines. The doctor said you have to
take them for at least 48 hours. And you’re going to
be getting LOTS of sleep.” He chuckled when she
groaned and made a face at his statement. He reached
beside him and pulled out the bottle of prescription
medication with Natalie’s name on it. He shook two out
into his palm and handed them to her followed by a
glass of water. 

She grimaced but took the proffered pills. She knew it
would take about half an hour for the effects to kick
in. She remained snuggled against Nick. “Nick?”

“Hmmm?” His hands were busy stroking her curls.

“Will you stay with me today? Sleep next to me? I
could tell when you were gone. I was having the most
bizarre dreams.” Her voice was soft. 

“Of course I will. I just need to finish putting some
things away downstairs. By the way, I called into work
and we’re both off for the next couple of days. Do you
want to go to the bathroom while I finish up
downstairs?” His words were gentle and solicitous.

“Um, yeah, probably a good idea after four glasses of
liquid.” She stirred and Nick got up to repeat the
exercise of helping her back to the bathroom.

“If you want it, your toothbrush is in the top drawer
on the right.” Nick suggested as he helped her in.

“Are you trying to tell me something?” Natalie joked
with him.

“No, just the doctor said your mouth might taste sour
from the medications.” 

“Thanks for reminding me.” Her voice was sarcastic,
and Nick chuckled.

“I’ll be back up in a few minutes. WAIT for me.” His
admonishment was greeted with a grin and he knew he
had hit his mark. He shut the door and went back
downstairs to finish putting away the groceries and to
pour himself some bloodwine. Thinking back to his
reactions earlier, he decided to bring the entire
bottle upstairs. He put the glass and bottle on the
floor next to the bed on the far side away from
Natalie. He also decided that if he was going to be
spending the remainder of the night and day in bed he
was going to be comfortable, and changed into some of
his black silk pajamas.  Then he walked over to the
bathroom door and knocked gently. It opened and
Natalie stood there waiting for him. He put an arm
around her and guided her back to the bed. She got
under the sheets and eyed him appreciatively in the
black silk.

“If I weren’t so tired and weak, those pajamas
wouldn’t be staying on you very long, Nick” she joked
with him.

“Yes, well, then it’s probably a good thing you ARE
tired and weak.” He slid into the other side of the
bed and positioned himself so that he could put her
head on his shoulder. She snuggled instantly against
him, her warmth heating up the blankets. He glanced at
the clock and saw that it was just after 3:30 in the
morning. He kissed her hair and gasped as he felt her
warm hand slide under his pajama top.

“I’m not all * that * tired just yet” She purred in
his ear. And she started to nibble his earlobe.

Nick could feel his eyes glowing and his fangs
starting to descend. He moaned low in his chest. “Nat,
this is NOT a good idea right now. Please, stop.” He
pleaded with her.

Natalie stopped her nibbling and pulled her head back
and saw his gold eyes. She immediately slid her hand
out from under his top, contrite.

“Nick, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tease you. I just
cannot help myself whenever you’re close to me.” She
lowered her eyes. Her sheepish grin and blush were
endearing. 

He got his vampire under control and tilted her chin
up to look at his now blue eyes. “It’s ok. You should
have seen me earlier when you were unconscious and I
was changing you into pajamas. Believe me, the feeling
is 100% mutual.” He kissed her on the nose, praying
that the latest dosage would kick in before one of
them lost control. 
 
As if on cue, Natalie let loose a huge yawn. She
didn’t say anything else but snuggled back against his
shoulder, one hand curled in a fist on his chest. He
could hear her pulse and breathing slowing down as,
once again, she fell asleep. He willed himself into a
deep meditative state, knowing it would deepen to true
sleep as the sun rose. 



Chapter 5
Three nights later

Nick entered the morgue on his lunch break to pick
Natalie up and take her back to the loft. They had
quarreled about her work schedule, even after Nick had
called Dr. Chavez to reiterate that Natalie should
only work half-day shifts for a week. Finally, after
talking on the phone with the ER physician, she had
grudgingly relented. Luckily, things seemed to be slow
at the ME office and he had conspired with Grace to
keep Nat doing mostly paperwork for a few nights. As
he opened the door he listened for Natalie’s heartbeat
and heard it, coming from the direction of her office.
He silently walked down the hall and peered inside to
see her sitting at her desk, filling out forms. He
quietly opened the door and walked in. 
Without looking up, Natalie said, “I’ll be ready in 5
minutes, Nick.”

He grinned, strangely pleased that she had been able
to sense him even though he didn’t make any noise. He
waited patiently while she finished up her workload
for the night. Finally, she looked up from her desk,
turned her computer and light off and got up to grab
her coat. They walked down the hall and Natalie signed
out with the security guard at the front desk. 

“Can we run by my place? I need to check on Sidney,”
Natalie said as they pulled out of the parking lot.

“Sure. Do you need anything in the way of food while
we’re out?” Nick replied, knowing she was getting
cabin fever at his place. “Better yet, would you like
to bring Sidney over to the loft?” 

“Seriously? You wouldn’t mind?” Natalie looked at him,
surprised. Nick and Sidney were not always on the *
best * of terms. Both were territorial about their
rights to her, and her feline recognized Nick as a
predator. He had come to grudgingly accept Nick when
he came to her apartment.

“Sure. Since you still have a week of half-days left,
you’d probably appreciate some company.” Nick smiled
at her and reached over to stroke her cheek.

Natalie scowled. “You’re going to MAKE me take them
too, aren’t you?” Under her breath she muttered “we’ll
see.”

Nick chuckled. “Uh, Nat, I heard that. Yes, you ARE
going to follow instructions. The old saying, that
doctors make the worst patients, must have been
written with you in mind.”

Neither said anything else for the next ten minutes as
they drove to her apartment. Nick illegally parked his
car right in front of the building, then they went
inside. As they approached her door and Natalie took
her keys out they could hear a frantic “MEOW!
MROOOOOOOWWWWW!” on the other side of the door.  She
opened the door and almost tripped over Sidney who was
ecstatic to see his mistress. Nick followed after
Natalie had bent down to pick up Sidney.

“What’s the matter sweetie? Have you been lonely? I’m
sorry, momma has been ill. How would you like to go on
vacation for a week with me? Hmmm?” She cooed at her
cat. Nick just chuckled and went into the kitchen to
start getting some food out for the cat.
He could hear Sidney’s purr from the other side of the
room as Natalie stroked and continued to talk to him.
He found Sidney’s food, dished out a half a can, and
set it on the floor, then he heard a thump and the cat
came trotting up to his food dish and started inhaling
his dinner.

Natalie went into the bedroom. “I’m just going to pack
some more clothes. Be right out.” 

Nick strolled around her apartment and picked up
several CD’s she had, including some Christmas music,
and put them by her briefcase. He went back into the
kitchen and grabbed several cans of cat food, and then
thought about getting some cat litter, but decided
that it made sense to just buy a new litter box and
litter to keep at his loft. 

“Nat, why don’t we just stop on the way to the loft
and pick up a new litter box and litter?” He asked her
loudly enough to be heard in the bedroom.

“Sounds good. There’s an all-night drugstore a few
blocks from here.” She didn’t bother raising her
voice, knowing Nick would be able to hear her normal
speaking voice.

Natalie came back carrying a small suitcase and a pet
carrier, which she set on the counter. Sidney was
still eating so he didn’t see the carrier. Natalie
went over to her pile of mail and picked up several
bills and magazines and put them in her briefcase.
Nick raised an eyebrow.

“I might as well catch up on my reading and pay my
bills since I’m going to have extra time on my hands
this week. What’s with the CD’s?”

“I thought you might like to have some holiday music,
and I thought tomorrow before work we could put up
some decorations, if that’s ok with you.” Nick smiled
his little boy smile that melted her heart.

Natalie walked over to him and put her arms around his
neck and pulled him down to kiss his cheek. “That
would be wonderful. Thank you.” 

At that moment, Sidney came sauntering into the living
room. Natalie casually strolled over to the big gray
and white cat, and picked him up. He relaxed into her
arms as she stroked him. 

“Nick, can you open the carrier, please?” she asked
quietly, knowing that the battle to get Sidney into
the carrier was at hand.

Nick quietly went over to the carrier and opened it,
shielding his actions with his body. He moved to one
side, and Natalie backed toward the counter so that
Sidney couldn’t see what was waiting for him. She
turned, and quickly shoved Sidney into the carrier
before he knew what had happened and closed the door.
Immediately, he began yowling as if his heart was
breaking. 

“Oh Sid…you’re fine. The good news is, we aren’t going
to the vet!” Natalie tried to soothe the stricken
feline. She looked at Nick. “We should get out of here
before he wakes up the neighbors and they call the
super.” She rolled her eyes at her cat’s theatrics.

Nick picked up her briefcase and suitcase while she
carried the aggrieved Sidney.  

Half an hour later as they were laughing at Sidney’s
antics as they entered the loft. Natalie had Sidney in
one hand, and a bag containing litter and a new litter
box in the other. She put the carrier down and bent to
open the door. Sidney darted out, low to the ground,
frantically trying to find a place to hide. Finally,
he ran into the corner behind Nick’s motorcycle.
Natalie chuckled as she walked over to where he was
hiding. He looked up at her and gave out a plaintive
“MEOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!”

Nick looked at his watch. “Will you be OK? I really
need to get back.” As if on cue his cell phone rang.
“Nick Knight,” he answered. “Yeah Schank, I had to
drop Natalie off at my place. I’m on my way. Oh. The
Pier? OK, I’ll be there in 10 minutes.” He hung up the
phone as Natalie looked at him intently. 

“Don’t even think about it.” He looked at her
severely. 

Her expression was so crestfallen that he laughed. He
walked over to her and took her in his arms. “It’s ok,
I’ll keep you filled in. Promise.” He leaned down and
kissed her tenderly on the lips. “Will you be awake
when I get home? I want to talk to you about something
important.” He gazed into her eyes and saw her brow
wrinkle in curiosity.

“OK. If I fall asleep, just wake me up. I can always
take more of those pills to put me to sleep if I need
it.” He laughed outright at her comic expression.
Kissing her once more on the forehead, he left to go
to the crime scene.

Five hours later, Nick wearily parked the Caddy and
walked into the lift. As he approached the second
floor, he smiled as he heard the strains of “Grandma
Got Run Over By A Reindeer.” He walked through the
doorway to hear Natalie singing, vastly off key, “Now
you may say there’s no such thing as Santa, but as for
me and Grandpa, we believe.” Nat was sitting at the
dining table, a mug of hot chocolate in hand, poring
over Christmas catalogues. She had put on a pair of
his silk pajamas and a pair of white sweat socks. The
sight of her lifted his spirits. As he shut the door
with a loud bang, Natalie looked up in surprise,
obviously not hearing him walk in.
  
As “Grandma Got Run Over” finished, silence ensued
momentarily before “Santa Baby” came on. Natalie got
up and came over to him, and started singing to him
and pantomiming the words to the song. He started
laughing. She was in much better spirits than when he
had dropped her off. He was very glad, and his fatigue
left him, seeing  her having fun. Finally, as the song
was ending, Natalie led him to the couch, pushed him
down, and then plopped on his lap as the last strains
of the song finished, and apparently the CD. Silence
filled the loft and she put her arms around him and
kissed him with a resounding SMACK on the lips, then
cuddled into his arms. He held her, and said softly,
“honey, I’m home.”

“Mmmmm, that sounds SO nice, and I could get used to
this.” Natalie purred against his shoulder. 

He kissed her forehead, then lifted her chin with his
finger. “I’m glad you feel that way. I want to talk to
you about something. I’ve been doing a lot of
thinking, and I’ve really been enjoying having you
here the last few days. Sleeping next to you and
waking up with you is something I have really grown to
cherish.”

He took a deep breath before continuing. “Nat, I’ve
given this a lot of thought on and off over the years,
and a lot more over the last few days. I want YOU to
give it some serious thought as well, and take time
giving me an answer. I’d like to offer to bring you
across and have you come to live with me. When the
doctor in the emergency told me that you almost died,
I was so scared. I cannot begin to tell you what it
was like. I know that if anything happened to you I
wouldn’t live to see the next day.”

“Natalie Lambert, I love you and want to keep you with
me…forever. You are my heart and soul. Until I met you
I didn’t know what life was for. You have given me so
much joy. You have made me want to get out of bed each
evening and see what the world will hold for us. I
wait every night to hear your voice. Your heartbeat is
the most incredible music to me. Seeing you smile or
laugh lightens the room around you.” He finally ran
out of words and ducked his head as a blood tear
started to roll down his cheek from sheer emotion.

“Oh Nick. I have waited so long to hear you say that.
I hope you know that I love you with all my heart and
soul, too. And, I have thought about joining you. I
just didn’t know you actually would agree to it. You
have always seemed to hate your existence. I already
know my answer, but I will think on it a few days to
make sure. It is a big change.” She reached up and
gently wiped the tear away, then pulled his lips to
hers for a sweet and lingering kiss. They didn’t say
anything else, but went upstairs to fall asleep in one
another’s arms for another day.



Chapter 6 ADULT CONTENT
Ten Days Later, the week before Christmas
Nick pulled the Caddy over to the curb in front of an
elegantly appointed shop on Bellair in the Yorktown
district. He got from his car and walked to the door.
Although the sign on the door said "closed", Nick knew
that Gregory would be waiting for him. He walked up to
the door and pressed the buzzer. A moment later, a
dark haired man, dressed impeccably in a tailored
suit, opened the door.

"Nicholas, I'm so glad to hear from you. It has been
some time, yes?" The man smiled and his saturnine face
transformed.

"Yes, it has. I apologize. But I hope the project I
have for you makes up for it. Were you able to locate
the stone we talked about?" Nick's charm turned on.

"Yes, although it took some doing. I had to contact
several of my African suppliers for the exact shape
and color you specified. However, I have a stunning
loose stone I think you will truly admire. This way."
He led Nick to one of the brightly lit counters. He
went through a doorway into the back of the shop and
came back with a clear plastic box. Nick sat down in
front of the display of engagement rings, ignoring the
bright diamonds visible in the case. Gregory sat on
the other side of the counter and pulled a bright
light over, and presented a loupe to Nick. He brought
out a pristine white cloth and set it on the counter,
then opened the plastic box and, using jeweler forceps
to pull the large stone from the box placed it on the
white cloth.

Nick took the forceps in his right hand and the loupe
in his left and picked up the stone. He turned toward
the light to inspect the stone in his hand. It was a
2.5-carat garnet, a perfect deep red, cut and faceted
as a teardrop. As he turned it in the light, he found
no flaws and the light refracted through the deep
heart of the stone and caught it, illuminating it's
blood red interior. It was perfect. He placed it back
on the cloth.

"Yes, this is perfect. Do you have a pair of matched
half-carat round diamonds to flank it? I have a design
in mind. This ring needs to be very special. It is
going to be an engagement ring." He quietly stated his
intentions.

Gregory's face lit up. "Nicholas, that is wonderful!
Is this ring for the lovely Janette?" His tone was
enthusiastic.

Nick smiled. "No, Janette is truly just a close
friend. The lady I intend to ask to marry me is named
Natalie."

Gregory lifted one eyebrow. All the jewelry he had
made for Nick for a woman had been for Janette. "Well,
congratulations. How did you meet your lady?"

"We work together. Don't worry, you'll meet her when
we bring the ring in to be sized, or to get the
wedding bands." He smiled again, not put off in the
least by the assumption regarding Janette.

Gregory smiled and nodded, then brought out the two
diamonds that Nick had also requested. Nick told him
about the setting he wanted, and Gregory promised to
have a wax cast for his approval within the next few
days. Nick smiled and left the shop, his mind
reviewing the romantic setting he wanted in which to
ask Natalie to be his wife and eternal love. 

Natalie sat in her office, staring at the hardbound
journal in front of her. It represented several years
of her life, her research. And, she had to admit,
medical technology just wasn’t at a place where she
could honestly tell Nick, or herself, that a “cure”
was going to materialize any time soon. If she were to
join Nick, they could continue the search for
mortality together, as science progressed. 

She thought about the possibility of becoming a
vampire. It was something she had often fantasized
about in the past. She would be a fool if she didn’t
admit honestly to herself that the dark side of Nick
fascinated her. The fact that he was a “redeemed”
killer made him even more attractive to her. He was a
man who had a firm control on his darker appetites,
and was also the most caring and tender person she had
ever met. Her only reservation about crossing over
into the world of the vampire was the fact that she
didn’t want to ever kill. She didn’t know if she would
be able to cultivate the control that Nick had; it had
taken him six centuries to do so. But, at the same
time, modern technology made it possible that she
didn’t NEED to kill. Even if she chose to drink human
blood, she could assure that it was all 100% donated,
especially in her line of work.  It was the side of
Nick she had seen a very few times, the killer
instinct unleashed, that gave her any pause. Nick had
answered all of her questions openly and honestly the
last week and a half, for the first time she had known
him. He had given her no evasions, no sugar coated
euphemisms. The vampire in him was a predator. The
personality of the individual was the deciding factor
over the amount of control exerted. He assured her
that her strength of character was in her favor, that
she had an excellent chance of controlling her darker
side easily over time. 

She decided that there was one other thing she wanted
to do before she gave him a definitive answer. He
wasn’t going to like it, but she didn’t think he would
deny her.
She made up her mind to ask him about it when they got
back to the loft that night. She put the journal in
her briefcase and finished her paperwork for the
night, anxiously waiting for Nick’s arrival.

Three hours later, when they got to the loft, Natalie
went over to the corner to turn on the lights on the
tree they had put up. It was an 8-foot tall Douglas
Fir, and had been decorated in silver and blue. She
looked up at the angel topping the tree and smiled.
Nick watched her looking at the tree. He knew
something was on her mind from her actions. He waited
for her to talk to him. He had been trying to give her
space to make her decision, knowing that it was not
something to rush into. 

Natalie turned toward the mantel, and “turned on” the
gas fireplace. After she had done that, she went and
lit the candles in the candelabra on the piano.
Finally, she walked over to Nick and took his hand,
leading him to the leather sofa. They sank down into
it, and both of them leaned into one another.

“Nick, I have a question for you. Didn’t you tell me
that when a vampire drinks someone’s blood, they see
everything in that person’s memory, and that the
mortal also receives images of the vampire’s past?”
She spoke softly, staring into the flames.

“Yes. The vampire gets stronger images, and can
control the images that flood the mortal’s mind to a
degree. There aren’t just images, though. It is all
the sensory and emotional experiences tied with the
memory. Why?” He turned his head toward her to kiss
her crown. She turned her face up to him and he gently
lowered his mouth to hers for a tender kiss.

“I had an idea and I don’t think you are going to like
it, but I think it will be the final piece I need to
make up my mind.” She paused and looked into his eyes
for a moment. “I think it would be really important
for me if you were to bite me and share some of your
memories with me. Good and bad, the things that you
love and hate about the experience. Before you say no,
please think about it.” She continued to look at him,
to scan his face for any flicker of emotion. 

He didn’t say anything for several moments, and he had
his unreadable façade in place. Finally, he kissed her
gently again. “You may be right. If I had had that
choice before I came across, I might not be sitting
here today. OK, but it’s going to take some
preparation on both our parts. Let’s see. We’re both
off the next two nights. How about tomorrow night?
That will give us time to prepare, and you a day to
deal with whatever you see.”

Natalie was surprised by his willingness to acquiesce
to her request, but she knew in her heart that it was
the only thing that they could do that would prepare
her fully. They snuggled some more on the sofa for
another hour before, talking about their family
holiday traditions, before heading to bed. That night,
as Natalie laid next to Nick, twined in his arms, she
knew that if she decided to become a vampire, she
would never lack a friend, partner and lover again.
She fell asleep feeling his cool cheek against her
forehead.

The following afternoon, when Natalie awoke, Nick was
gone from the bed. She got up and looked for him,
finding him sitting at the kitchen table drinking from
a bottle with a label on it. She went down the stairs
and approached him curiously. She picked up the bottle
and saw that it had the Raven’s label on it, which
meant it was human blood. She didn’t say anything but
looked askance at Nick.

“If I’m going to be able to control myself tonight, I
need to be completely sated on human blood before we
start. And, you need to eat and drink a lot,
preferably now, so that your system is as full as
possible. I’d like you to drink at least 8 glasses of
water or juice before we start.” He got a gleam in his
eye and a smile on his face. “And, I thought maybe
tonight we could try a little more intimacy. We may as
well make this as enjoyable for both of us as
possible.”

Natalie took a sharp breath. “Really? Do you think it
will be safe?”

He put his arms around her waist. “As safe as it CAN
be for us. I intend to drink several bottles of the
Raven reserve before tonight. This needs to be
special, and the sensuality and sexuality of the
vampire would be a part of your heritage as well.” He
buried his face in her cleavage, just showing through
the silk pajama top that she wore. He inhaled the
scent of her blood, and could discern the faint musk
of her burgeoning arousal. He smiled into her soft
skin.

Natalie looked at the clock, her heart racing a bit
from the feel of Nick against the valley between her
breasts. It was just after 3:30, which meant that it
would be dark within an hour. She tangled her fingers
in Nick’s soft hair, caressing the silky strands. She
stood like that for several minutes before she finally
sighed and gently pulled away. 

“If you want me to eat a big breakfast, I should
probably get dressed and go to the Pancake House on
Yonge. It should be dark in an hour, did you want to
come with me?” She wasn’t sure if Nick was up to the
scents of pancake restaurant.

“Sure. Let me finish this bottle and see if I can get
another one at least half finished by then. Why don’t
you take a shower?” He leered at her. “I’ll imagine
you while you’re doing it.”

She laughed and shook her head, then leaned down and
planted a kiss on his golden head. She left to go take
the aforementioned shower. Nick continued sipping the
bloodwine and thinking on their upcoming activities.

Ninety minutes later, they walked into the Pancake
House. Natalie inhaled the smells of food. She
realized that giving up solid food was something she
was sorely going to miss, assuming she joined Nick in
his immortal night. She was pretty sure she was going
to say “yes” to him, but she knew that what she
learned from him tonight was going to be the deciding
factor. 

As they sat down at a booth near the back, Natalie
opened a menu. “So, carbs or protein?” She glanced at
Nick. 

“Protein, but plenty of carbs. Lots of fluids, easy on
the caffeine.” He grinned. “Although I know better
than to stand between you and your coffee first thing
in the ‘morning’.” 

She stuck her tongue out at him and smiled as she went
back to perusing the menu. A young girl, about 16,
came over to take their order. She looked at Natalie.

“I’ll have a short stack of blueberry pancakes, a side
of scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, and two sausage
patties. Coffee, a large orange juice, and also a
glass of water.” She looked at Nick. “Don’t you think
you should get some water too?” She looked
significantly at him.

“Uh, yeah, a large water and a small orange juice.
That’s all for me.” The waitress looked at him then
back at Natalie before she shrugged and left to place
their order.

“I assume the OJ is for me?” Nat asked him softly.
They were almost alone in the restaurant.

“Well, I’m certainly not going to drink it.” He teased
her.

As they sat and talked while Natalie ate, she could
feel the sexual tension growing between them.  She
didn’t know what Nick intended for this evening, but
the anticipation alone tingled along her skin and in
her groin. Finally, Natalie finished as much of her
food as she was able, drank several glasses of water,
juice, and two cups of coffee. As they stood up to
leave, Nick put his arm around her shoulder and she
leaned in to him. They paid and went out to the Caddy,
and then Nick turned her toward him and kissed her
deeply and passionately. Her head started spinning and
she could feel the clenching in her uterus and her
vaginal walls starting to react with an increased flow
of blood and dampness between her legs. Not to mention
the butterflies in her stomach. Finally, she pulled
away from Nick and took a deep breath. “Wow.” 

Nick smiled tenderly at her. “I have an idea. Let’s go
shopping.”

Nonplussed, she echoed his words. “Shopping? Now?”

“Wouldn’t you like something sexy for tonight?
Something I can rip off of you before I start kissing
every inch of you?” His whispered words started her
heart racing.

She broke into a huge grin. “Let’s head to Victoria’s
Secret.”

Three hours later, they returned to the loft carrying
several large shopping bags. They were grinning,
laughing, and Natalie couldn’t remember a time when
she had been so turned on from being teased for hours
on end. The sexual tension was thick and primal, but
there was also an element of light-hearted play and
flirtation between them. Being with Nick was
everything she had ever imagined or believed love
should be. The thought of finally being able to see
him nude, and touch him, thrilled her in ways she had
not fathomed. 

Nick put his bags on the floor then turned towards her
just as she was beginning to do the same. As she stood
up from dropping the last of her packages, he walked
up behind her and helped her off with her coat, which
he tossed over the back of one of the dining chairs.
She started to turn around but he stopped her by
putting his arms around her waist. He took the hem of
her crewneck sweater and pulled it over her head, then
dropped it to the floor. His arms went back around her
torso, and he started to untuck her blouse, as well as
breathing in her ear and nibbling on her earlobe,
interspersed with delicately running his tongue around
the outer curve of her ear. She leaned into him,
relaxing into his embrace as his hands started to
slowly unbutton her blouse from the bottom up. 

In a husky whisper, he breathed in her ear “I have
been waiting to start taking your clothing off since
you tried on that purple teddy.” He slowly unbuttoned
another button, letting his cool hands brush against
her stomach. She lifted her arms behind her head and
held his head against her skin as he started to kiss
down her throat.

“And do you know what it did to me to see you in that
red velvet push-up bra? I wanted to take you on the
dressing room floor, onlookers be damned.” He reached
the fourth button from the bottom of her shirt, and he
slid his hands under her shirt to start fondling her
breasts through the lace of her bra. His hands reached
toward each other and discovered that her bra had a
front hook, and he slowly unhooked it, the cold skin
languidly pulling the cups back over her breasts until
they were free, but he still didn’t touch them. She
arched her back, trying to get his hands to finally
cup her breasts. 

Her breathing had increased, and she knew he could
hear her increased heart rate. She wondered if he
could smell the wetness she could feel staining her
underwear, the swelling of her labia and the tightness
caused by the thong underwear she had on under her
jeans. She was starting to pant as he began licking a
trail from the juncture of her shoulder and neck back
up to her ears. She moaned, still trying to get his
roaming hands to touch her breasts, to finally feel
his icy flesh on her hardened nipples, to have his
strong fingers play with the nubs. 

Suddenly, Nick moved his left hand down and rubbed
between her legs, the rough fabric of her jeans
stimulating her swollen sex. She moaned in arousal. 

“Nick, oh my GOD…” She started grinding against his
hand at the same time pulling her arms down to try and
move his right hand to her breasts.

“I don’t think so, my love. Not just yet. I think you
need to feel as frustrated as I have for the last few
hours,” he growled in her ear, then pulled himself
back. He put his hands on her waist, kissed her cheek
and turned her around. 

She immediately threw her arms around his neck, molded
herself to him and began kissing him desperately,
everywhere she could reach. Nick chuckled and gently
disengaged himself and stepped back. A cry of longing
escaped her lips.

He had a sensual smile on his lips. “I think you
should go take a long hot soak, and use some the
bubble bath we bought. Then, choose something that you
want to have taken OFF. I need to feed some more, but
I promise I’ll come up and wash your back.”  

Natalie pouted, but she pulled back. She cupped her
hand to his cheek and he turned his face in her hand
to kiss her palm. She smiled back at him, but didn’t
say anything. She picked up the bags and headed up the
steps, tossing one last smoldering look over her
shoulder as she disappeared into the bedroom, gently
closing the door behind her. 

Nick followed her with his eyes, the smile remaining
on his lips, then he chuckled as the door shut. He had
had a terribly uncomfortable erection the entire time
they had been shopping, but the vampire had stayed
quiescent. Perhaps it was the proximity of other
shoppers, maybe it was the fact that he had finished
off two bottles of blood before they left. Or, he
admitted to himself, it might be that the vampire knew
that soon enough he would slake some of the burning
thirst for Natalie’s sweet blood.

He walked over to the refrigerator and took out
another bottle of the Raven’s Reserve, then opened it
and poured it into a crystal goblet. He went over to
the entertainment center and put several CD’s into the
revolving carousel. He selected deep, throbbing music,
appropriate to set the scene for a sensual seduction.
He started placing candles around the loft, intent on
creating a magical setting for them. All the while
sipping from his glass, refilling it often, opening a
second bottle when the first was consumed. When he had
finished the second bottle, he listened for sounds
from upstairs. He faintly discerned the swish of water
and smiled. He picked up several of the large taper
candles and proceeded up the stairs. He put the large
tapers down in the bedroom, pulled out more candles
and placed them around the room, lighting the room in
a warm glow. Then he finally shed his clothing and
slipped into his silk lounging robe and a pair of silk
pajama bottoms. He walked over to the bathroom door
and gently knocked. 

Natalie walked into the bedroom and turned on the
light, carrying several items from their shopping trip
with her.  Proceeding to the bathroom, she lit all the
candles she could find and started the bath water. She
pulled out a bottle of foaming bath beads, and tipped
a good amount into the tub. The sensual scents of
sandalwood, jasmine and a hint of patchouli started
inhabiting the steamy air. She stripped out of her
jeans, soaked underwear, and finished unbuttoning her
blouse and dropped it and her loose bra off her
shoulders.  After pulling her hair into a ponytail on
top of her head, she stepped into the hot water,
feeling the softened caress of it against her bare
skin. Her nerves will still ultra-sensitive from her
foreplay with Nick in the living room. She smiled at
the memory of his hands on her. She felt her nipples,
just above the waterline, harden all over again. She
lazily put one wet hand on them and began tugging on
them, exciting herself again. The sensation was
amazingly sensual in the hot water, and she slid her
right hand between her legs to gently massage her
clit. Nick didn’t know it, but that afternoon she had
shaved her pubic area almost completely, until only
the thatch above her mound was intact. The skin was
smooth and even more sensitive than usual. She lazily
explored the skin, and vaguely heard music start
downstairs. She smiled to herself and realized Nick
was setting the mood.

Several minutes later, there was a knock on the door,
and she grinned at the thought of having her back
rubbed. “Come on in!” She said, looking over her
shoulder as Nick entered, clad in his black silk robe
and pants. He walked up behind her, his nose inhaling
the scents from the bath. As he got closer, Natalie
heard a quick intake of breath as he saw her nude
form, one hand casually moving gently between her legs
beneath the water. He walked up and leaned down over
the side of the tub, his hands reaching over her
shoulders to caress her hardened nipples. 

He whispered in her ear, “you didn’t want to wait for
me?”

Her back was arched against the back of the tub, her
head thrown back, eyes closed. “I got lonely…”

Nick chuckled and sucked gently on her earlobe. She
hissed. He pulled his hands back and leaned her
forward. “I promised I’d wash your back.” He picked up
a pair of rough gloves that Nat hadn’t notices and
soaped up a generous lather, then started to gently
rub her back in lazy circles. The roughness of the
gloves was a distinct difference from the silkiness of
the water and the gentle caressing of her own hands.
She relished the firm scrubbing as Nick exfoliated her
skin. He started at her shoulder blades, the proceeded
down her back to her hips, finally stopping just at
her hips where she was sitting. He took a cup and
rinsed her.

Natalie realized then that the water was getting cold
and reached forward to pull the plug. As the water
drained, she felt as if she started weighing more. The
receding buoyancy of the water made her feel heavier.
She grasped the sides of the tub and reluctantly stood
up, and turned to face Nick, nude and glistening. His
eyes traveled up and down her body, his mouth slightly
open and his pupils dilated. The vampire still wasn’t
making an appearance. He reached out a finger and ran
it from the hollow of her throat, between her breasts,
down her stomach, and finally with a feather light
touch inserted it between her legs. He fleetingly
massaged her clitoris, then pulled his hand away. 

She was wet not only from the bath, but from both his
presence and her own ministrations. He could smell her
arousal quickly reasserting its musky scent. He knew
her lovely sex would be red and swollen. He could hear
the pulse of her blood racing through her body and
engorging her labia. The barest glimmer of gold showed
in his eyes.

For her own part, Natalie was aware of every nerve
ending in her body on fire. As the water slid down her
body and Nick’s finger traced its cool path down her
torso, she started quivering with desire. She felt a
clenching in her stomach, and her own body’s juiced
joining the warm water from her bath. Finally, Nick
stood as well, and handed her out of the tub. He
turned to grab a towel to wrap around her. Enfolded in
the plush velvet of the bath sheet, she leaned against
him.

“I don’t think I really want to BOTHER with putting
anything on. I just want to get you OUT of that damn
black silk and feel your skin next to me. Maybe you
can cool me down, I feel like I’m on fire.” He husky
voice resonated through Nick. She reached her hand
down and gently massaged the bulge pressing between
them. He moaned and picked her up. He carried her
through the doorway into the much cooler bedroom, and
laid her down on the bed. He unwrapped the towel and
his eyes feasted on her alabaster skin, gently gilded
in the candlelight. Her proud nipples were erect,
their rosy brown tips puckered. Her skin started to
dimple with goose bumps. 

Nick untied the belt on his robe and slid it to the
floor. He started to put his hands in the elastic
waistband of his pajama bottoms, which were noticeably
tented out, when Natalie sat up and put her own hands
over his. “Let me do it, please?” Her soft plea caused
him to smile and he removed his hands. She began
pulling the silk down and over his stiffened penis. As
she did so, she leaned forward and enclosed it in her
mouth. He gasped at the feeling of her hot, wet mouth
around him. His eyes changed immediately to gold and
his fangs dropped. His control was still firm, but the
vampire had emerged. He allowed her to suck and nibble
on him for another few moments before finally twining
his fingers in her hair and dragging her mouth and
head away from him as he loosened her hair to fall
around her face. 

“You ARE playing with fire and ice tonight, aren’t
you?”, he hissed around his fangs. Natalie looked up
into his glowing eyes and smiled seductively but said
nothing. She pulled her head out of his hands and lay
back on the bed, spreading her legs slightly as she
did so. He looked at her beautiful body and the silent
challenge she posed to him. 
He leaned over her, took his hands and spread her legs
further. He dropped to his knees, his pajama pants
still tangled around his ankles. He pulled her to the
edge of the bed and placed her knees over his
shoulders. He moved his face toward her sex and
started to gently lick her inner thighs, moving slowly
up toward her hot, swollen lips.

When Natalie felt Nick’s cold face between her legs,
she shut her eyes and gave herself into the ecstasy of
his tongue. Her hands gripped the bedding as she
started moaning.  She could feel her vagina dripping
and the nerves responding as Nick alternated kissing
and licking her right and left thighs, a little closer
to her hot core with every touch. Finally, after a
short pause, Nick’s tongue darted into her vagina and
she yelped. He darted his tongue in, out and around
her opening. Then, his tongue moved up to her pulsing
clitoris. She started to scream, then felt two cold
fingers enter her hot opening. Her uterus started
pulsing, her vaginal walls started contracting around
his fingers, and she rose on a spiral of passion
unlike anything she had ever known. As her orgasm
swept over her, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her
right thigh. 

As Nick proceeded to lick and kiss Natalie, his left
hand went to his own throbbing member and he started
to stroke himself in quick, deft motions. The
combination of Nat’s juices and pleasure and his own
efforts quickly brought his dark companion, his
vampire self forward. The dark beast was not ravenous,
having been sated throughout the day. However, the
blood his senses were filled with was the temptation
of HIS NATALIE. She whose taste and lifeblood had been
denied for years.

Nick felt Natalie start to quiver, heard her scream,
and his own release peaked. His eyes blazed a raging
red, and he plunged his fangs into the femoral artery
in her right thigh. He felt the establishment of the
empathic link between them with the first rush of her
hot blood in his mouth. As the rich liquid flowed down
his throat, he managed to send her the images he had
prepared in his mind. He received the whole of her
life in the next few seconds. He learned her doubts
about joining him, tempered by her incandescent love
for him. He felt an intense tingling along all the
nerves of his body and knew that he had indeed met the
other half of his soul. He climaxed violently and
roared in ecstasy.

Natalie felt a presence in her mind just after the
sharp twin jabs in her leg. A part of her knew that
the vampire had claimed its due, but the next few
seconds she was flooded with sensations. Images,
sounds, tastes, tactile impressions and above all
overwhelming emotions. Rage, hunger, joy, ecstasy,
overriding guilt tempered with compassion and beyond
everything else, intense love and joy that echoed
throughout her mind with the name NATALIE woven
throughout. The onslaught of sensations filled her as
her orgasm ripped through her. With a final cry,
Natalie lost consciousness. 



Chapter 7
Kristen Fife, 12/2003

Natalie slowly swam out of the darkness. She felt at
complete peace, although there was a strange tingling
at the base of her skull. As she opened her eyes, she
immediately knew exactly where Nick was, about a meter
away from her. She could * feel * excitement,
happiness and contentment. It was bizarre, but
comforting at the same time. As she started stirring,
she realized that she had a lot of memories floating
around in her mind. She spent the next hour or so
assimilating them. 

Nick knew the instant she awoke, but also knew that
she needed time to process all the information he had
imparted to her. He could feel her contentment and
curiosity through their link, which was exceptionally
strong. He wondered how intense it would be when he
brought her across. He could feel the determination in
her to follow through with the transition, and he
smiled. 

He continued to complete the preparations he had
started while she was in the bath. He had champagne
chilling for her, and there were four-dozen red roses
scattered in vases around the room. He had added
votives in colored glass holders to the tapers, with
the effect of glowing jewels dotting the room in a
gentle light. After she had passed out, he had
gathered her in his arms and brought her down to the
main living area where he had created a sensuous nest
out of pillows, silk sheets and a satin comforter. He
had placed her in the middle of the nest and spread a
“picnic” on the floor. There were fruits and crackers
along with the champagne and a bottle of bloodwine in
front of the dancing fireplace. He had put on a fresh
set of pajamas after jumping into the shower briefly.
In the pocket of his robe was a black velvet jewelry
box containing the ring he had designed.

Finally Natalie noticed her surroundings, the memories
now a part of her own personality. She looked up and
saw Nick standing next to the fireplace, pouring a
glass of champagne for her. He walked over to her and
she sat up. She looked down and realized she had on
the short blue silk nightgown they had bought on their
extravagant shopping spree. Nick had turned the heat
up, so she was quite comfortable. As she looked around
and took in the flowers and glowing colors, a smile
lit her face. It looked like an enchanted bower from
an Arabian Nights tale. Nick gracefully sat down and
handed her the glass of champagne, then deftly reached
behind him and brought a plate with crackers and fruit
on it. She felt love and security radiating from him.
As their hands touched on the stem of the champagne
flute, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her
lips. Passion briefly flared, but it was a warm
smoldering ember and she smiled. They settled into the
nest of pillows, and Nick reclined on his side next to
her, holding a glass of bloodwine while she drank her
champagne and sampled the snacks. She was surprised to
find that she was a bit hungry, even after her heavy
meal several hours earlier. Nick just watched her. The
dim light cast flickering shadows on her face, and the
air of peace about her soothed him. She was beautiful,
and he knew that he would never be able to live his
life without her. 

Finally satisfied, Natalie pushed the half-empty
platter away and joined Nick by laying down facing
him. She smiled at him. Neither of them had said
anything.  There seemed to be so much between them
that words were something that would interfere with
the aura around them. As they looked in each other’s
eyes and felt the ebb and flow of emotions between
them, both were aware of the fact that Natalie had
made her decision to cross over and become a vampire. 

However, Nick had one final surprise for her. He
reached a hand out and cupped her face, finally
speaking softly. “I love you, and you know I want to
spend the rest of my life with you.” He sat up and
took her hand in his. He brought it to his lips, then
reached into his pocket with the other hand and
brought out the jewelry box. “Natalie Anne Lambert,
will you marry me?” He opened the box and nestled on
the white velvet inside was a ring that made Nat catch
her breath. The teardrop shaped garnet was set in
platinum, flanked by two half-carat round diamonds.
The band was a delicate filigree design of interwoven
crescent moons and six-rayed stars, with small pave
diamonds twinkling among the shapes and interstices of
the filigree. With a shaking hand she reached in and
touched the band. Nick grinned as he took it out of
the box, and slid it onto her left ring finger. She
raised her face to his, her eyes shimmering with
unshed tears.

“Oh, Nick, of course! This is one of the most
beautiful things I have ever seen!” She threw her arms
around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder,
tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. Nick simply
held her.  He could feel her joy and surprise as well
as relief flowing between them. A silly grin was
plastered on his face. Finally Natalie raised her face
to his, and her smile was brighter than all the flames
in the room combined. 

“I’m so surprised. I guess I figured with me coming
across there wouldn’t be any sort of formal
commitment. I thought you told me once that vampire
couples don’t bother with mortal conventions such as
legal ceremonies.” Natalie’s voice held a note of
question.

“Normally that’s true, but I want the entire world,
both mortal and vampire, to know that I intend to keep
you with me through eternity. And, if you agree, I
thought we’d have the ceremony while you are still a
mortal, and then bring you across on our wedding
night.” Nick’s quiet reply allayed any doubts she
might have had. He now knew her long-cherished secret
dream of a formal wedding, and wanted it to be her
last mortal life experience.

“Nick, you are wonderful. I cannot begin to tell you
how much all this means to me.”
 She looked down, blushing and at a loss for words.

Nick tilted her head up to meet his eyes. “You don’t
need to tell me with words. I can feel it, just as you
can sense what I feel.” He smiled at her and she
realized it was true.

Natalie looked down at the ring on her finger in awe.
The design was delicate yet solid. She had never seen
anything like it before. It winked coolly in the
light, and the garnet seemed to pulse with an internal
fire. 

Nick watched her studying the shape of the ring and
started to explain the symbolism he had chosen. “I
decided I wanted to give you a garnet to represent the
decision and change you were accepting. The teardrop
reminded me of a drop of blood. The diamonds are the
moon and stars in the night sky, along with the
filigree design. Platinum for the silver shadows of
the night. I must say, my jeweler did a spectacular
job.” Natalie smiled as she listened to his
explanation.

“Nick, it’s phenomenal. The fact that you had it
designed just for me is so incredibly precious to me.
I love you so much.” She looked up at him and then
leaned in to kiss him slow and lingeringly. 

Suddenly she pulled back laughing. “I wonder who’s
going to win the pool at the station on us.” 

Nick started laughing with her, and they decided to
tell everyone in two days at the annual precinct
Christmas party.



Chapter 8 
27th Precinct Annual Christmas Party, Friday night


Don and Myra Schanke entered the banquet hall
together, looking around at the festive decorations.
Swags of evergreen decorated the walls and the
refreshment table, a large decorated tree sat
twinkling in one corner, and they saw a few couples
strolling around between the tables, occasionally
stopping under the strategically hung mistletoe to
smooch. The DJ was finishing up setting up and the
dance floor was as yet empty. 

“Gee honey, looks like everyone went all out this
year!” Myra exclaimed to her husband. They were both
dressed in red in green; she in a short red cocktail
dress with a green belt, he in a dark forest green
suit and a red tie. 

“Yeah, and it looks like we’re pretty early. Hey,
there’s Marty Thorne. I’m going to go catch up with
him, do you mind?” Don looked at his pretty wife.

“No, go ahead. I’ll just mingle.” She headed over to
the refreshment table.

As more people started walking in and mingling, the DJ
started playing music, both popular and traditional
holiday favorites. Captain Amanda Cohen and her
husband had just come in, and were making the rounds
of the tables, chatting with all the officers, staff,
and their guests. She was standing talking with Don
and Myra Schanke when Nick Knight and Natalie Lambert
walked in, and headed over to their table. 

Several heads turned to watch the attractive couple as
they walked across the room. Nick was wearing a
pinstriped gray suit, a white shirt and a deep maroon
tie. Natalie was wearing a dark red velvet cocktail
dress. The deep V of the neckline showed off the
sparkling garnet and diamond necklace she was wearing,
and the rest of the dress hugged her slim figure, the
hemline stopping just above her knee.  The sleeveless
dress was accented by a pewter-colored satin wrap that
nestled in the corners of her elbows. They looked
quite striking. Amanda Cohen noted their coordinated
ensembles as they approached, as well as the fact that
Nick had a possessive hand on the small of Natalie’s
back.  She wondered if they had finally made the
decision to acknowledge what everyone else in the
precinct already knew about the truth of their
feelings for one another.

Natalie hugged Myra and Nick shook hands with Schanke.
As Don turned to hug Natalie, he noticed her hands on
Myra’s back. Specifically, her left hand, sporting a
very large ring. His eyes went wide. “Natalie! Do you
have something you want to share with us?”

Natalie laughed as Myra pulled away from her warm hug.
“Yes, but you’ll have to wait just a few minutes.
Nick, didn’t you want to talk to the DJ?” Her eyes
were glinting with mischief as Nick grinned and
excused himself to walk across the dance floor.

“Well Dr. Lambert, I have a feeling that this year’s
holiday party is about to get quite interesting,”
Amanda Cohen said to Natalie in a low tone.

Natalie just smiled and nodded. She looked over at her
shoulder to see her assistant Grace approaching, a
huge grin on her face. She walked up to Natalie and
swept her into a bear hug. “Nat, you look fabulous!
Turn around, let me look at that outfit!” Natalie
obligingly did a twirl, just as the music stopped and
Nick came back toward them. He quickly pecked Grace on
the cheek, before putting his hand under Natalie’s
elbow.

“Excuse me. I need to borrow Nat for just a minute.”
He smiled and led Natalie away just as the DJ started
speaking.

“Ladies and Gentleman, I’ve been asked to make an
announcement.” All eyes turned toward the front of the
room, and no one noticed Nick and Natalie casually
strolling over to the archway at the other end of the
hall, to stop under the mistletoe.

“Detective Nick Knight and Doctor Natalie Lambert
would like to announce their engagement to be married,
and that they will be tying the knot on Valentine’s
Day. Please congratulate the happy couple.” The DJ
pointed to the other end of the room where Nick and
Natalie were locked in a passionate kiss under the
mistletoe as whoops and hollers joined applause at the
news. As they continued to kiss, the applause turned
to laughter. Finally breaking apart, they grinned at
each other and turned to face their peers. Both bowed
and walked back to the table where their close friends
were standing.

Bodies pressed around them as people tried to ask them
questions. Finally, Nick held up his hand and
whistled. Everyone stopped milling, and he stood up on
a chair. 

“OK, this happened two days ago, yes we’re having a
large ceremony, you’ll all get your invitations after
New Year’s. We’ll be living at my place, and yes we’re
both going to continue working after a long honeymoon,
and no, we don’t have any plans to start a family
immediately.” He stepped off the chair as applause
once again broke out and people started drifting away,
most of them jovially approving his tactic for
disseminating all the pertinent information. 

Surrounded once again by close friends, Nick and
Natalie answered the detailed questions, and everyone
admired Natalie’s ring and congratulated them.
Finally, after half an hour of questions, Natalie
grabbed Grace and pulled her toward the refreshment
table. They both got finger food and a mug of hot
chocolate each, a festive candy cane hooked on the rim
of each mug, which sported a holly and mistletoe motif
around the outside. Natalie led Grace to a small
lounge off to the side.

“Finally! I had no idea so many people would be THAT
interested in my love life!” Natalie plopped down in a
chair, and Grace settled on the sofa across from her.
Her exasperated tone brought a giggle from her friend.


“Honey, don’t you know there’s a $1000 pool riding on
you two?” Grace’s announcement caused Nat’s jaw to
drop.

“A THOUSAND DOLLARS?” Her shock caused Grace to laugh
outright.

“Yup. It’s been going on ever since Nick started and
you two worked on the Mahoney case together. Most
everyone ups their contribution every time Knight and
Schanke solve a case.” Her grin caused her face to
split her face almost in two.

Natalie just shook her head, and both of them put
their cups down. Nat looked at Grace.

“Well, now that we’ve set a date and announced it to
the entire Toronto police force, we have some details
we need to take care of. So, Grace, will you be my
maid of honor?” Natalie asked her dearest friend.

Grace jumped up to hug Natalie across the table. “Of
COURSE!” They both laughed and cried a little as they
sat back down. Grace started asking Natalie for the
details of Nick’s proposal and finally asked to see
Natalie’s ring in detail. Natalie held out her hand,
but Grace had forgotten her glasses and started to
lean down to look at it. Natalie pulled her hand back
and slipped her ring off her finger to hand it to
Grace to look at. As Grace reached for it, she missed
it and the ring dropped…right into a mug of hot
chocolate. 

Mortified, Grace started apologizing profusely, while
Natalie laughed.

“Grace, it’s fine. It’s just hot chocolate.” She
picked up the full mug, and then realized her ring was
at the * bottom * of the cup. She frowned momentarily,
the smiled triumphantly and said “AHA!”

She grabbed the candy cane off the side of the cup,
and fished her ring out of the drink with it. The two
women got up to go rinse her ring in the ladies’ room
sink.

On the other side of the hall, Nick pulled his partner
away from the group of people. 

“Schanke, um, I was wondering…would you be my best
man?” Nick nervously asked his closest mortal
companion other than Natalie.

Don Schanke looked at his partner in delight. “Man oh
man, Nick! It’d be my pleasure.” He beamed as he
patted Nick on the back. They went back to the cluster
of people waiting at their table.

Soon after, Natalie and Grace rejoined the group, and
a slow waltz started. Nick and Natalie looked at each
other and stepped out on the dance floor. In deference
to their announcement, the floor cleared to allow them
to dance, the warmth and good cheer of the holiday
season surrounding them as the rest of the world
ceased to exist for a brief moment as they enjoyed
themselves surrounded by the heartfelt love and
friendship of those around them. It was the first
dance of the journey toward eternity for the
soulmates. 

The End (?)
=====================
Comments, candy canes, 13th Century Knights in the
present, etc to fenix23fyre@yahoo.com