From: Patty Costantino [psmoot43@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2001 1:45 PM
To: AKBlake@lock-net.com
Subject: re:Games Detectives Play

Hi Anita,

Here's my second installment of my Games Series to archive at your site, if 
that's okay.

Thanks,

Patty

Games Detectives Play
June 2001
By: Patty Costantino

Notes to reader: This story has been inspired by the characters from the 
Forever Knight T.V. series and it follows my previous story Games Coroners 
Play. I recommend that you read Games Coroners Play before this story to get 
the continuous storyline.

Disclaimer and Characters: Nick, Natalie, Lacroix and others don't belong to 
me. I am just borrowing them.

Dedication: I would like to thank my beta-reader, Phylis for spending all 
those late nights correcting my spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. 
Hugs and lots of virtual world chocolates to you for your tremendous help.

Adult Content Warning: Must be 18 or over. N/N explicit sexual situations.

Permission is granted to archive at FKfanfic.com, FK FTP archive and 
ravenawards site. This story has been archived at my site at 
http:/www.expage.com/patty43.

Games Detectives Play
by: Patty Costantino/psmoot43@hotmail.com
Chapter 1

Natalie opened the drawer to her bureau, retrieving tops, sweaters, pants 
and underwear, tossing them into a suitcase which lay on the bed. Rushing to 
the closet, she pulled out two suits as she examined them for wrinkles; then 
she wrapped them carefully in her garment bag. Next, she ran into the 
bathroom, grabbing some toiletries from the vanity draw and medicine 
cabinet; then racing to the bed, she threw everything into a cosmetic bag.

She stood there for a moment, inhaling deeply, allowing her breathing to 
settle. 'Calm down, Lambert, you'll only be away for a few days! You don't 
need to take everything!' she reminded herself.

All at once, she felt a furry sensation around her legs, a "moew" sound 
emanating from the ground. Natalie glanced down, smiling. "Sydney! There you 
are!" she exclaimed aloud, picking up her feline friend and cradling him to 
her. "Where have you been hiding?" she asked, rubbing his soft fur. "Did I 
scare you that much with the game?" She gave a chuckle as she looked over at 
the bedside table where a tiny object, resembling a CD player, rested.

The object in question was a virtual reality game.

Natalie smiled at the memories, produced by this game, while an exhilarating 
feeling flowed through her body. In three short days, this game had changed 
her life in so many ways, giving her such hope for a possible future with a 
certain blond detective; a particular angsy, vampire detective named Nick 
Knight! For five, lonely, frustrating years, Natalie had struggled with Nick 
to find a viable cure for his vampirism, to release him from his dark 
existence, but she'd come up empty, finding no possibilities. Not only were 
there no breakthroughs in sight, Nick had recently endured numerous 
setbacks, causing him to backslide into his old ways and to drink human 
blood in large quantities.

Just three nights ago, Natalie had felt a sense of gloom and fear paralyze 
her. At that time, Nick had taken one more step backwards with his own 
virtual reality game; a game where he was the vampire killing his victims. 
It was the ultimate setback to their years of progression with a cure for 
him. In addition to his backsliding, their relationship had been sliding so 
much into ruin; it was only a matter of time that Nick would move on, seeing 
the hope of any relationship with her being shattered like broken glass 
against a rough, hard surface.

The sky had then brightened the same evening when Natalie had received a 
gift, a possible answer to their many obstacles. Sam, the proprietor of 
Sam's Videos, had allowed her to borrow his own virtual reality game, but 
not just any ordinary game. This one was magical, enabling Natalie to go 
anywhere, anyplace with anyone.

She groaned aloud, reflecting on how she'd taken advantage of Sam's 
generosity, using the game over and over again with absolute wild abandon. 
Closing her eyes, images flashed before her, clear pictures of her and Nick 
in one passionate embrace after another, making love to each other with no 
inhibitions, no worries of the vampire surfacing and endangering her. For in 
this game, she and Nick could finally be together, unlocking their true 
feelings for one another. On top of that, the game had somehow connected 
them in an unexplained way, allowing him to have dreams of them together 
when she played the game. The dreams had also triggered a response from Nick 
about his true feelings for her, finally allowing him to admit his love.

Natalie smiled broadly, recalling the loving words Nick had conveyed to her 
earlier this evening in the morgue, words that she thought would never be 
said again in the real world. Maybe there was hope for them after all.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, shattering Natalie's musings. She placed Sydney 
down on the bed, glancing at her watch. '4:30 am...Must be Nick,' she 
surmised. She'd asked him to come by after work because she wanted to reveal 
her newfound toy to him; the game. She also wanted to talk more about their 
relationship. And thirdly, ...'I guess I need to tell him one more bit of 
news, too,' she admitted to herself sadly, studying the suitcase on the bed.

A sudden nervousness and anticipation swept over her as she peered into the 
mirror, running trembling hands through her tousled hair and smoothing the 
wrinkles out of her red blouse and black pants.

The ringing of the doorbell resounded through the apartment a second time. 
Disinclined to keep Nick waiting, she headed for the door, hesitating a 
moment, as she tried to calm her shakiness. Inhaling deeply, she opened the 
door and gasped at the sight before her. A dozen pink roses were fanned out 
in front of Nick's face, hiding his handsome features. Lowering the flowers 
to chest level, he gave her a broad smile. "Hi, Nat. I saw these roses in a 
flower shop just now and they spoke volumes to me, saying, 'Take us to that 
beautiful coroner who lives down the street,' so I had to buy them." He 
teased, handing the lovely bouquet to her.

Natalie was overcome with emotion as she gathered the roses to her chest. 
"What a lovely surprise!" she exclaimed. "I don't know what to say, except 
thank you, Nick," she said, her voice cracking. "This is too much!"

"Not too much for the woman I love," he said in a soft, affectionate tone as 
he leaned over to plant a gentle kiss on her cheek.

Her pulse quickened at his words, still unaccustomed to the utterance of his 
loving proclamations. "Come in, Nick," she offered. A radiant smile lit her 
face. "Sit down. Make yourself comfortable. I'll just be a moment with these 
flowers."

"Okay, Nat," he agreed, then sitting on the sofa, he regarded her with a 
loving stare, tinged with desire. "I'll be waiting with great anticipation 
for your return." A look of sheer passion overtook his expression.

Flustered by his ardent look and suggestive remark, she gave him a 
half-hearted grin. "I'll jus..st..put..these ...flo..wers ..in a vase. 
I'll..be right back," she stammered, hoping that her face wasn't as bloody 
red as it felt. She departed hastily for the kitchen.

Nick emitted a slight chuckle at her obvious discomfiture. A sudden tingle 
of pleasure flowed through him at the thought of being the cause of her 
disconcertion. In the past, Natalie had always been adept at hiding her 
feelings, at erecting that wall around her heart. Now, with their 
relationship possibly blooming, the wall seemed to be crumbling, unsettling 
her somewhat. This unsteadiness only enamored him to her even more.

Yes! Enamored! He had been in love with Natalie for so long; it seemed like 
an eternity, but the combination of LaCroix's possible threat of retribution 
for Fleur, and his recent bout of blacksliding had prevented any open 
relationship with her. In fact, three nights ago, with one more setback to 
add to the long list-the virtual reality game-his desire to taste her blood 
was becoming so strong. He'd feared for her life, distancing himself from 
her for her own protection. He could see the hurt reflected in her eyes as 
she'd picked up her coat to leave the loft. Nick had wanted to gather her up 
in a comforting embrace, but with as much willpower as he could muster, he'd 
refrained from touching her.

After her departure, a black cloud had darkened his loft as a gloom settled 
on his soul, the futility and hopelessness of their situation being more 
than he could endure.

When he'd retired to his bed that day; however, the ominous cloud lifted as 
an array of dreams descended on his mind, sweet, intoxicating dreams of him 
and Nat making mortal love on beaches, in fields, on boats. Oh! It was 
ecstasy! Especially the last dream! It had occurred at the precinct.

Nick sighed, closing his eyes at the sensational memory. Natalie had cuffed 
him to a table leg while providing him with a striptease show. Wearing his 
black, duster coat, she'd removed the garment from her body in slow, 
provocative movements while she'd unveiled a sensuous black lace teddy that 
seemed to accentuate her endowments nicely.

A moan escaped his lips as he recalled the silkiness of the material, 
rubbing up against him; the softness of her caress, sliding up his sides; 
the moistness of her luscious, red lips, showering him with wild kisses all 
over his body...so sensual..so erotic....

"Nick...oh NICK! Are you in there? Earth to Nick!" A voice called to him.

Coming out of his haze, he glanced up at Nat. She was standing in front of 
him, holding a tiny object in the palm of her hand. Looking around, he 
observed that the roses were resting in a vase on the coffee table, glasses 
of bloodwine and red wine were placed next to the arrangement. And, Natalie 
was saying something....

"What did you just say, Nat?" he queried, returning to reality.

"I said...Would you like to see something special, Nick?" she asked, a 
bright smile painting her face as she waved the object in front of him.

Still aroused by the visions of her beauty in that black teddy and his 
awareness of her close proximity produced a need in him, a need to have her 
as near to him as possible. "I would like to see something special, Nat 
and...do you know what that is?" Nick disclosed in a low, seductive voice.

Natalie inhaled sharply, gazing at his ardent look while she attempted to 
suppress her own intense needs and desires for him. "What, Nick?" she asked, 
feigning coolness, but feeling aroused herself.

He smiled wickedly at her, then he pulled her down. "You....in my lap," he 
said fervently as he cradled her to him, wrapping his warm arms around her 
in a tight embrace.

Warm arms? Maybe Nick was becoming mortal after all when she played this 
game. 'Another perplexing mystery about this wonderful game,' she thought as 
he gave her another desirable look.

Drawing her to him, he kissed her tenderly, parting her lips as his tongue 
delved into her moist core. The game was pushed up against them as their 
tongues danced together in a heated duel, and Nick pressed her down closer 
to him.

Natalie moaned, feeling the bulge in his pants while they continued to kiss, 
probing and exploring each others' secret crevices while Nick's hands dusted 
her back with light touches. She was becoming wet with desire as 
unbelievable sensations bombarded her. She'd only dreamed of being kissed 
this way by him. Now it was a reality. Finally, she broke it off, breathing 
erratically as she pressed her cheek against his. "Nick, I need to show you 
something."

Nick's soft kisses were blazing a trail to her earlobe while his tongue 
began to explore the inner core of her ear, sending electric sparks through 
her body. "Does it have to be now," he argued, as his tongue continued to 
play havoc on her earlobe, kissing, nibbling, sucking..

Natalie was having difficulty concentrating on the discussion as she pressed 
down on Nick's groin. "No...", she moaned, as she kissed his cheek. 
Suddenly, though, she remembered the game. "I mean...yes! It does!" she 
stated abruptly, drawing away from him, as she pressed her hand against his 
chest.

"All right. What is it?" he asked, disappointed by the sudden disruption. 
"Is it this thing you are holding in your hand?" he inquired, pointing to 
the game, still resting in her hand.

"Yes, but I need your undivided attention," she declared in a firm voice 
while she untangled herself from Nick's arms, moving to the far end of the 
sofa.

"Must you sit so far away for my undivided attention, Nat," he remarked in a 
sad voice, his eyes still betraying passion.

"Yes, Nick. You must concentrate on what I'm about to tell you. It's very 
important," she insisted, trying to calm her own beating heart and feverish 
state.

Suddenly, she felt a hand slide up her leg, massaging gently along her inner 
thigh. "I could concentrate on other things at the moment, Nat. I'm a very 
fast learner," he admitted, pressing his hand against the soft, silky fabric 
of her pants, her warmness seeping through the cloth.

Natalie sighed. Every nerve in her body was electrified, ready to spark, by 
his gentle touches. She needed to stop his overtures now or conversation 
would become impossible. "Stop that," she scolded, swatting his hand away.

Nick had slid over next to her on the couch during this latest tryst. After 
she removed his hand, Nick held it in his lap, feigning pain. "Ouch, why did 
you do that, Nat? he asked, glancing at her with an amused expression.

"I'm sorry, but we *need* to talk, Nick," she said, gently, but her voice 
carried a firm tone. "What's gotten into you anyway!" she exclaimed, 
surprised at his persistence while she added, "It's either feast or famine 
with you! One minute you're distancing me, the next, you can't keep you 
hands off me."

"I'm sorry, Nat," he said ruefully and smiled. "I know that I've been 
inattentive lately," he confessed in a regretful way. "Until three days ago, 
I thought that our situation looked hopeless. Then the unexplained dreams 
emerged." He closed his eyes again at the memories. "As I told you, my 
vampiric urges have diminished. I'm even back on cow, Nat," he volunteered. 
The only thing I seem to crave...," he said as his hand seemed to have a 
will of its own, moving back to Natalie's thigh. "...Is *you*!" he declared, 
pouncing again on her skin.

"Quit it!" she cried out, slapping his hand again. "You need to move over 
there, Nick. Now!" she stated with vehemence, pointing with her finger to 
the opposite end of the sofa. "Honestly, I feel like a teacher ordering a 
student to sit in the corner!" she said, shaking her head. While Nick obeyed 
and slid down to the other end, Natalie continued with her discussion, her 
scientific nature kicking in as she asked, "Are you mortal in these dreams, 
Nick?"

"Yes."

"Okay...so your mortality in the dreams seems to be replicating itself into 
the real world...." she concluded, reverting to her scientific mode. "Mmmm 
interesting!" she observed, regarding the game, still nestled in her palm, 
then she watched Nick for a long moment before proceeding.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at him, feeling suddenly uneasy and 
reticent about his possible reaction to the game. "aah Nick, I think it's 
time I told you about my little gift," she confessed, in a unsteady, shy 
voice while she passed the game to him.

Nick examined the small object; then he gave Natalie a curious look. "What 
is this, Nat?"

"It's a virtual reality game," she disclosed, blushing slightly.

"Really!" he remarked, startled as he smiled. "Where did you get it?"

"From Sam..you know Sam...at Sam's Video. .." she explained, then 
elaborating further, she told him everything; how Sam had shown her the 
game, how it worked, how she'd played it the last three days, how they could 
finally be together in this game. Everything! She left nothing out. In 
closing, she added, "... and he said that the person, who plays the game, 
will find peace and wholeness of mind and spirit. I also think that when 
I've played the game, you have been connected to me each time. I don't know 
how, but you have, becoming more mortal in the real world each time I play 
it." She surmised, her face reflecting happiness at the possibility of 
Nick's mortality.

Nick had been listening carefully to her story, examining the game from time 
to time during her tale. Now, he smiled at her with a gleam in his eye. "How 
many times have you played the game, Nat?" he asked, curious.

Aware of his eyes upon her, she cast hers down, picking up a rubber band off 
the coffee table, as she fiddled with the object. She couldn't bring herself 
to look at him.

"Nat.. Come on... out with it. You can tell me," he encouraged, his eyes 
sparkling with merriment.

"Ummmm...I've kinda gotten carried away with the game," she began, while she 
continued to twist the rubber band into a knot, her cheeks flushing bright 
red.

"Tell me how many times," he smiled, enjoying her disconfiture.

Natalie looked up at him, giving him a slight, uncomfortable grin, then she 
blurted out, "Last count, it was....25 times." Mortified at her blatant 
confession, she averted her eyes from his own, her blush complete, as it ran 
all the way to her scalp.

"25 times! Nat, I'm speechless!" he exclaimed, astonished and impressed at 
her stamina.

"Well....I couldn't resist your ardent overtures!" she cried out without 
thinking, fixing his astounded stare with her own honest one, then shrugging 
her shoulders, she smiled and commented in a small voice, "Call it a 
weakness."

"But, Nat.. 25 times!" he repeated as he stared at her in disbelief.

"We had a lot of catching up to do!" she stated, frankly, still feeling the 
heat on her face from her flush.

"But weren't you exhausted?" he persisted, still amazed.

"No! That's just it! I wasn't!" she exclaimed, the sudden embarrassment gone 
as excitement climbed in her voice. "I felt fantastic! As if a warmth had 
cradled me like the golden sun," she said, her face taking on a dreamy look, 
then gazing lovingly at him, she explained, "That's why I want to share this 
game with you. I want you to experience everything that I have."

"But why?" Nick questioned, his eyebrows arching in surprise. "As I recall, 
the other night you seemed hostile about virtual reality games, throwing 
mine in the fire," he said with a touch of amusement. "Now I find you 
playing with one of these games," he remarked, his eyes teasing. "I'm 
shocked! Shocked, you here! What would your mother say, Nat?" he asked.

"My mother would be the first to approve if she were alive!" she admitted, 
looking him straight in the eye with no regrets and smiling. "Anyway, Nick. 
I know that I was disapproving of your game because of what it was doing to 
you; you were killing again. I saw only more potential for you to backslide 
if you continued to play it. On the other hand, mine is beneficial. It 
provides the person with a sense of peace. Look what it's done for you 
already. You seem to be becoming mortal."

"The game does appear to be helping me. It also seems to have a radiant 
effect on you," he observed, smiling again with a twinkle in his eye. "You 
could continue to play it yourself and we could see what happens. Why bother 
to give it to me?" he asked.

"Because I want to, Nick. I know you've experienced dreams through the game 
as I will inevitably when you play it. But I want you to experience it 
totally...the euphoria, the joy, the total and complete peace and 
tranquility," she explained with a breathlessness as her face became 
wistful.

Suddenly, in her mind, she saw other images of the game; the passion, the 
eroticism while Nick's hands caressed and touched her all over her aching 
body. She started to sigh, closing her eyes to the sensual pictures of their 
entwined bodies as they made love on the beach, in the water, in a soft, 
golden field. The images were overwhelming her, igniting a burning fire in 
her, arousing her.... "Oh God!" she exclaimed aloud, opening her eyes.

"What's wrong, Nat!" Nick probed, worried.

"I jus ...st ..need.. to open.. a window. Need.. fresh .. air!" she 
stammered as she rose from the sofa, running over to open a window.

Nick was beside her immediately, concern written on his face, as he grabbed 
her hand. "Are you okay?"

Natalie started inhaling the fresh, cool, night air, taking deep breaths. 
'Ok Lambert, just calm down. Think about that cadavre you dissected earlier 
this evening and not Nick's nearness to you, the heavenly scent of his 
aftershave,' she told herself while her aroused state subsided. After a 
moment, she said, "Yes... much better!" as she released his hand, distancing 
herself from him.

Nick chuckled to himself. Her wonderful, sweet scent of arousal and 
increased heartrate had given her away. She was thinking of them together in 
the game. With her back turned away from him, he approached her again, 
touching her shoulder tentatively. "I'm so relieved," he stated, feigning 
ignorance.

Natalie felt the touch of his hand burning through her blouse to her skin. 
Trying to regain her composure, she turned around to meet his deep blue eyes 
while she continued the interrupted conversation. "Where was I? Oh, yeah.. 
the game. As I was saying before my interruption, I want you to experience 
it like I did, Nick," she said with an edge of shyness to her voice, then 
gazing at him with total devotion, she declared, "I want to give you the 
game as a token of my love for you."

He was deeply moved and touched by her loving, unselfish words. "Aaaaw Nat. 
That's so sweet!" he said, his voice filled with emotion, as he scooped her 
up in his arms, brushing a tender kiss across her lips. "I love you so 
much!" he exclaimed, as a small lump formed in his throat and blood tears 
brimmed in his eyes.

"I love you, too." she said ardently, pressing him closer to her while she 
caressed his cheek, wiping some of the tears away. They stood there with 
their bodies molded together in a loving embrace for a long moment, kissing 
and touching in a tender way. After a while, Natalie broke the spell, 
drawing away slightly from him, as she felt compelled to tell him more about 
the game.

"aaah Nick..." she said, softly.

"What Nat," he asked, touching her chin.

"I need to mention some things about the game," she stated.

"What do you need to tell me?" he asked.

"For starters, you can go anywhere with anyone in the game."

"The 'anyone' part is simple, Nat. I wouldn't hesitate to have you in my 
virtual reality world." He smiled.

"And that... was the correct response, Detective Knight." She grinned. 
"Secondly, I'm not certain about your physiological makeup in the game," she 
warned.

"What do you mean Nat?"

"Everytime I played the game, you were mortal. When *you* play the game, I'm 
not sure whether you will be a vampire or remain mortal," she said, 
shrugging her shoulders.

"I'll just have to wait and see, won't I?" he remarked, touching the tip of 
her nose with his finger.

"Yeah, I guess so..," she replied. Her eyes became distant. Would Nick 
remain mortal in this game or could he revert back to being a vampire when 
he played the game?

Looking up at him, she gave him a endearing smile as she returned from her 
musings and added, "Also, I need the game back by Saturday. Sam only gave me 
one week to play it."

"Okay, Nat, anything else?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid that I have some bad news," she replied, with regret. "I 
have to leave town for three days for a Pathologist's Conference in 
Montreal. It seems that Holmes, who was suppose to go this year...his wife 
went into labor earlier this evening, so he is indisposed. Kerry asked me to 
go in his place."

"You have to go, Nat?" he said, clear disappointment in his voice.

"Yeah, I have to. Duty calls," she responded glumly.

"Okay... well, it's only for a few days," he said, trying to sound 
optimistic as he squeezed her waist, then lowering his voice, he confessed, 
"I'll miss you terribly."

"Nick, you won't really miss me. I'll be in the game, remember." Natalie 
gave him a broad smile. "Believe me! You'll feel that I never left your 
side." She laughed, as a blush crept up her face.

"Is that a promise, Dr. Lambert?" he said, a sparkle in his eye.

"You better believe it!" she said, emphatically.

Thinking this moment was also a good opportunity to discuss their *real 
life* relationship, Natalie continued. "Aaah..Nick. One other thing..." she 
paused. "I'm hoping this game has already allowed us to be more open with 
one another; that we have no more secrets. A relationship can't survive if 
two people can't communicate." She looked at him in a stern way, then 
sighing, she added honestly, "I've been at fault just as much as you have in 
this regard. So...starting, now, I hope to improve in this area. What do ya 
say, Nick? Can we try to talk more to one another?" She regarded him 
closely, looking for signs of acceptance.

"Yeah," he agreed, grinning as he kissed the tip of her nose. From now on, 
Nat, I'll be a wealth of information. No more secrets!" he said with 
vehemence.

She sighed with relief. "Okay," then prying herself out of Nick's embrace, 
she stated, "I guess I better go finish packing. I need to hit the road in 
an hour and you need to get home for a very important date with a special 
game," she acknowledged, ribbing him playfully in the side.

"Okay. I suppose I should follow the advise of my doctor," he remarked, 
facetiously, walking back towards the couch.

Bending over, he picked up the game off the sofa, tucking it in his coat 
pocket while Natalie stopped in front of the coffee table, admiring the 
lovely flower arrangement. Looking at him fondly, she declared, "Oh, Nick, 
these roses are so beautiful! You were sweet to give them to me."

His eyes shone with love. "You mean so much to me. I knew you would love 
them."

While Nick spoke, she leaned over the arrangement, running her hand over one 
stem while pulling the rose towards her to inhale the heavenly aroma. 
Suddenly, her thumb scraped against a thorn, cutting into the soft flesh. 
"Ouch!" she cried out. "Oh..damn! I pricked myself," she acknowledged, 
irritated.

Nick's eyes flashed a golden hue as the spicy scent of her blood hit his 
nostrils. The memory of their recent embraces on the sofa and at the window, 
the smell of fresh blood, and the erotic memory of Nat in that black teddy 
pushed him over the edge. He had to taste her! "Let me look at it," he said 
calmly, picking up her hand and cradling it in his palm. A red spot had 
bubbled to the surface. 'Just one taste wouldn't hurt,' he told himself.

Nick regarded her with tenderness. "Do you trust me Nat?" he asked, his 
voice slightly raspy, but gentle.

"Always!" she said, without hesitation. A sudden wave of excitement rushed 
through her body while she waited breathlessly for his next move.

For a moment, his golden eyes gazed at her with total love and wonder, then 
he pulled her hand up to his lips, running his tongue languidly over the 
wound. At the first taste of her blood, his senses were overwhelmed with the 
beauty, the courage, the intense feelings of Natalie and most of all, the 
depth of her love for him. He groaned as the cinnamon taste of her warm 
blood slid deliciously down his throat while he sucked at her thumb.

"What are you doing to me, Nick....oh God.." Natalie gasped as he continued 
to suck at her warm flesh. Beautiful images assaulted her mind as she saw 
Nick in the sun before he became a vampire, his desire for mortality, his 
feelings, his emotions and his undying love for her. Suddenly the pictures 
started to fade as he licked and kissed her wound closed. She pressed her 
thumb against his lips, not wanting him to stop. He continued to caress her 
soft skin, brushing his lips against the cut. "That felt sooo good!" She 
sighed.

He regarded her with his boyish smile. "Sorry, Nat...I don't know what came 
over me," he said, entwining her hand in his while he kissed each fingertip 
delicately.

"Wow! What did you do to me." She looked at him in amazement, trembling as 
she pressed her other hand to her chest. "I could feel everything; your 
thoughts, your emotions, everything...the images were unbelievable," she 
exclaimed, still breathless from the experience.

"I guess this is a good time to let you in on a secret about vampires," he 
said, slightly embarrassed.

"What is it Nick?" she queried, curious.

"The blood exchange...I never told you," he confessed, then taking her other 
hand in his, softly rubbing his thumbs over her palms, Nick proceeded to 
explain it all to her: about knowing someone's soul, thoughts, feelings, 
everything about the person.

"Wow, so a mortal can experience all that as well?" she concluded. It was so 
intoxicating, so erotic..and it had only been a few drops of blood. Imagine 
if it had been more. A sudden river of desire flowed through her body at the 
thought of him taking more of her blood.

"Yes...but it won't happen again. I can't allow it to...I might be unable to 
control myself the next time," he said, sternly, releasing her hands.

"Sure...Nick. I understand," she agreed. But in the back of her mind, she 
was thinking that she wouldn't mind a repeat performance.

Nick made his way to the door, turning towards her. As he faced her, she 
tilted her head up to peck him on the cheek. But he had other ideas as he 
gathered her up into a searing kiss, deep and probing. Drawing back, Nick 
cupped her face in his hand. "I'll miss you, Nat. Hurry back, " he said with 
intensity, releasing her.

Swaying slightly, and dazed by the passionate kiss, Natalie tried to steady 
herself as he opened the door. "I'll miss you, too. Bye, Nick. Pleasant 
dreams," she said, in a trembling voice, still disconcerted.

"Pleasant dreams to you, too. Have a good trip!" he smiled with a devilish 
gleam in his eye as he closed the door behind him.

Games Detectives Play
by: Patty Costantino/psmoot43@hotmail.com
Chapter 2

Nick had just arrived at the loft, thrown his coat over the sofa, placed the 
game on the coffee table and retrieved a bottle of bovine from the 
refrigerator when LaCroix showed up, flying through the open skylight and 
making himself comfortable in one of Nick's black, leather armchairs.

"LaCroix, what brings you here this evening?" he asked with disdain, unhappy 
at the possibility of a ruined evening with his master. On the way home from 
Nat's, he'd anxiously been anticipating this game, and now, who could say 
what would happen during LaCroix's visit.

"Nicholas, is that any way to greet me!....and especially after extending my 
generosity the other evening with that earthy, robust human stock which I 
provided to you," he exclaimed, in an amused tone. "By the way, did the 
vintage finish quite well for you?" he inquired, his eyes sprinkled with 
merriment.

Nick frowned, while reflecting back to his backsliding a few days ago with 
LaCroix's human stock. When he'd first brought the red, enticing liquid to 
his lips and sipped, it had indeed glided smoothly down his throat as he'd 
savored every drop, delighting in the youthfulness of the donated person's 
blood. But now, with an opportunity to move on in a positive direction with 
Natalie in this game and in real life, perhaps finding mortality along the 
way, he would not allow LaCroix to interfere.

Answering warily, Nick said with an air of indifference, "I don't know. I 
suppose it finished well, but I was concentrating on more important things 
like solving a crime."

Lacroix's lips curled into a smirk. "Aaah..yes! I seem to recall that 
through the quaint virtual reality game you were attempting to catch a 
criminal, weren't you? Did you manage to bring the culprit to justice 
through that impressive game?"

"Yes, it helped. Tracy and I were able to wrap up the case the other night."

"Aaah...Thank goodness!. We can all rest well in our beds, reassured that 
fair and noble justice has been served on the undesirable underworld of 
petty thieves and criminals again," he voiced in a sarcastic manner, then 
pointing to the object on the coffee table, he added, "So! I surmise that 
you will not require the services of this game any longer, Nicholas."

"No...but I might as well tell to you that this one isn't the same virtual 
reality game as the one I used on the case," he admitted, still cautious.

Lacroix peered at him for a moment. "I'm delighted at your forthrightness 
Nicholas as I surmised otherwise, too."

Nick raised his eyes in surprise. "Really! How LaCroix?"

He laughed. "Oh Nicholas! How? Must I explain!" LaCroix said, shaking his 
head, in surprise as he expounded further, "The other evening when I'd 
arrived at your loft, I'd found you to my delight in a rather feral state, 
obviously relishing in the numerous killings in that other game. You could 
imagine my gladness over the rekindled stirrings that I'd felt from you! I'd 
hoped that you were gradually wandering back into the fold."

Lacroix sighed in disappointment. "But now, in a matter of only a few, short 
days, I almost hesitate to ask what has happened to change you again."

"What do you mean? Nothing has happened to me!" Nick protested, averting his 
eyes from LaCroix's unfaltering stare.

"Oh....but I beg to differ, Nicholas," Lacroix disagreed. "There has been a 
definite change in you. I can sense it! It's almost like a veil of calm has 
descended on you. You can imagine that it has been very unsettling to me."

"Why shouldn't I feel calm every once in a while? There's no crime in 
feeling that way, LaCroix," Nick countered.

"No, but it's been centuries since I've felt these type of rousings from you 
Nicholas. Since the Renaissance, you have been moody, brooding, 
guilt-ridden, depressed, sullen.... shall I continue?" he commented, a touch 
of smuggness to his voice. "So you can see why I might be surprised at this 
*new mood* that you are obviously in. As an afterthought, he pointed out 
facetiously, "Serenity isn't exactly in your vocabulary, Nicholas!"

Nick continued to protest. "Perhaps it's a figment of your imagination 
LaCroix."

"I doubt that very much Nicholas! But... " he paused, looking at the game on 
the table, then he suggested, "I might possibly account your new mood swings 
to this other interesting mortal folly you have here," as he gestured to the 
small object.

"Don't be absurd! I haven't even played this game," Nick retorted.

"Oh...I see. Are you certain about that Nicholas?" he asked. A complacent 
sneer overtook his expression.

"Of course I'm sure! I would know if I'd played the game or not, wouldn't 
I?"

LaCroix gave him a penetrating stare for a long moment, constructing a 
little steeple with his fingers and resting them against his lips. 
"Perhaps...." he reflected, pausing for effect, then adding, "But, I feel 
that you haven't told me everything."

"There's nothing to tell, LaCroix," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Ah! But there is, Nicholas! I must *warn* you that if you are hiding 
something from me, I will always find out what it is," he announced, in a 
threatening fashion. "You were never very good at concealing your feelings 
from me, now were you!" LaCroix noted, then looking up at the skylight, he 
flew off, leaving a surprised, and disconcerted detective behind.....

*************************************

After LaCroix's unwelcomed visit, Nick grabbed several bottles of steer 
blood from the refrigerator and climbed the stairs to his bedroom, clutching 
the game to his chest as if fearful of LaCroix's return to dispose of what 
he would have fondly called 'the infernal object'. He set the bottles and 
game down on a table next to his bed. Shedding his clothes, he strode into 
the bathroom, turning on the shower. As he stepped into the warm, misty 
spray and lathered himself up with soap, he considered his discussion with 
LaCroix. It was unsettling to say the least. If LaCroix could easily see 
through his serene state of mind while Natalie played this game, what would 
it be like when *he* entered the virtual world? Would the vibrations become 
stronger, flowing between them like sand through an hourglass? In addition 
to his calm stirrings, would LaCroix feel sensations of a different nature 
emanating from Nick, amorous feelings for one particular coroner? He 
wondered.

Worry shrouded Nick's face while he stood under the showerhead, allowing the 
hot, soothing water to cascade down his firm, muscular body. Another thought 
occurred to him as the water continued to run off his skin. Perhaps, LaCroix 
had already sensed his continuing desires and feelings for Natalie, not 
being fooled by Nick's pretense at hypocrisy last Valentine's Day.

Yes...the more he'd thought about it the more he'd suspected that LaCroix 
knew, never being deceived by his false declaration at L'Azure, 
understanding and aware of Nick's love for her. That, at the time, Lacroix 
had other ideas for revenge, to allow him to pine away for her. He'd known 
that Nick would never bring her across or risk endangering her life; that, 
in time, he would be forced to move on, watching Natalie fall in love with 
another. LaCroix's retribution for Nick's insistence on leaving his sister 
Fleur behind would be complete, forcing him to endure the same torment.

Therefore, if LaCroix's ultimate goal was to see him move on in the real 
world, leaving Natalie behind-'heaven forbid!', he thought-what would be the 
harm in loving her in a virtual reality game?

Nick's brow unfurrowed at this logical consideration as he turned off the 
water and reached for a towel. While he dried himself, a broad smile of 
relief brushed his lips. Exiting the shower, he walked back to his bedroom, 
opening a draw to retrieve some fresh pajamas. After he dressed, he moved to 
the bedside table. His eyes rested for a moment on the bottle of bovine as 
he contemplated a drink; next they wandered to the tiny object, lying on the 
hard, wood surface. His mind drifted from LaCroix to Natalie as he picked up 
the game, studying the equipment nestled in his hand.

He smiled and closed his eyes while visions of Natalie's volumptious body 
surfaced, warm and feverish against his own body. Icy-hot sensations flowed 
from his groin to his stomach and radiated to his arms and legs at the idea 
of making mortal love to her in this game with no inhibitions, no fears of 
endangering her life.

Nick came out of his brief, erotic musings and sat on the bed while another 
feeling, very fleeting, but there, underneath the surface, stirred his mind, 
his heart and his soul: hunger. Not just any hunger either. But an aching 
need. A need to taste her blood again. He moaned and closed his eyes as he 
recalled the tantalizing spicy scent of Natalie's blood, the rich, fiery, 
succulent nectar flowing down his throat just a few short hours ago, so 
fresh and exquisite. Not only had he relished in the enjoyable, cinnamon 
taste of her, more importantly, he'd been so warmed by her soul, by her very 
heart. It had only been a few drops, but it was enough to see, feel and 
touch a part of Natalie's essence; enough to see that he wanted and needed 
more, to draw her inside of him and to know her in every way possible.

Although the need to make mortal love to her still seemed greater, he wanted 
both; he desired and craved them! He wanted to be as close to her as 
possible, to feel her physically, spiritually and mentally. The man and the 
vampire were demanding it.

Nick rested his head against the headboard while an idea suddenly occurred 
to him. What would be the harm in sipping from her in this game? After all, 
it was only a fantasy game; it wasn't real life. How could it hurt her? The 
idea sent shivers of delight running through his body. Smiling, he studied 
the game in his hand, his fingers running unconsciously over the keyboard, 
as he made his decision. 'I'll do it! Natalie and I will have the best of 
both worlds; we'll know one another completely and thoroughly by the end of 
this game,' he told himself, his eyes flashing amber at the anticipation.

Examining the keyboard more closely and recalling Natalie's instructions, he 
made his choice, running his fingers deftly over the keys. When he plugged 
in the place for this adventure, a warm smile spread across his face. There 
was only one special spot to take Natalie, one perfect place in the whole 
world for lovers.

After Nick checked to ensure everything was properly entered, he reached for 
the bottle on the table. Releasing the cork, he gulped down the cold, 
unsatisfying cow to take the edge off, grimacing at the distasteful flavor 
when he'd finished. 'It didn't hold a candle to Natalie's blood,' he 
thought. 'Nor did anyone else's compare to hers, for that matter,' he 
decided upon consideration.

After consuming the steer, Nick wrapped a sensor around each finger, placed 
the visor around his eyes and, taking a deep breath, he pushed the red 
button...

Games Detectives Play
by: Patty Costantino/psmoot43@hotmail.com
Chapter 3

A blinding, almost painful, light struck his vampiric, sensative eyes, 
then.....poof! The bright aura started to dissipate, like hot sunlight 
dissolving an early morning mist, while his surroundings took shape. The 
image began to clear while his vampiric senses detected distant, cheerful 
murmurs of humanity. As the picture sharpened even more, Nick realized where 
he was: La Tour D'Argent in Paris.

He glanced around in a breathless, excited way, a broad smile lighting his 
face while the elegant dining room materialized completely. Waiters in fine 
tuxedos were bustling around to their various, assigned tables, catering to 
the demanding crowd while a delicious aroma of duck and pheasant permeated 
the air. An enormous assortment of fine wines were being poured by wine 
stewards into long-stem crystal glasses, resting on crisp, white, linen 
tablecloths on each of the numerous tables which graced the spacious dining 
area. Candles from each table cast their warm, burning glow off the 
glassed-in windows of the restaurant, giving the appearance of a multitude 
of lights reflecting off a dark, turbulent sea.

As Nick looked around the room in amazement, a voice, close by, seemed to be 
calling to him, trying to get his attention. "Nick...oh....NICK! Can you 
hear me?"

Finally becoming acquainted with his surroundings, Nick turned around in his 
seat to face the table, focusing on the person, who was addressing him. He 
froze, his breath catching in his throat. Across from him, Natalie sat in 
all of her splendor, decked out in a simple, but elegant black, sleeveless 
cocktail dress with a slightly scooped neckline. A string of pearls hung 
from her soft, creamy neck down to her swelling bosom. Her auburn hair 
cascaded down around her animated face in long, thick ribbons while the 
light from the candle pooled beautifully in her large, expressive, blue eyes 
and shone on her peaches and cream complexion.

Nick came to his senses as he continued to stare at Natalie's loveliness. 
"Yes, Nat. I'm still here ....my mind drifted somewhere else for a moment," 
he explained, trying to conceal his brief distraction. 'Remind myself not to 
start a virtual reality in the middle of a conversation,' he told himself, 
chuckling.

"Oh..Nick! Don't tell me you were zoning out into the past, again...and 
right when you were explaining to me about Notre Dame's construction," she 
said, pointing to the majestic cathedral, visible from their seat in the 
restaurant.

Nick shifted in his chair, peering out the window at the magnificant 
building to his left. Sure enough, surrounded by the Seine River, Notre Dame 
loomed above the place du Parvis on the Ile de la Cite. Their restaurant, La 
Tour D'Argent was situated directly across the river from the cathedral on 
the left bank. The restaurant was famous for offering a scintillating view 
of the flowing Seine River, and the beauty and strength of the cathedral, 
especially at night, when the most enduring symbol of Paris was surrounded 
by a warm illumination of lights.

Nick turned back to Natalie. His distant look completely vanished. "What was 
I saying Nat before I was temporarily distracted," he asked, cagily.

Natalie's lips curled into a wide smile. "You were explaining to me that the 
Cathedral's construction was built in different phases over a 175 year 
period."

"Ah yes.." he stated, as if he recalled the conversation. "The construction 
began in ll63 and was completed in 1345...." then, warming to a topic he 
knew so well, Nick continued. He explained to her about the architecture. 
The west front of the cathedral had three richly carved doorways, the north 
and south transept fronts were each decorated with a rose window, and 
another rose window, at the west front of the building, was considered a 
masterpiece of Gothic engineering for its large surface area, which was 
supported by a delicate web of carved stone tracery. Nick added that during 
the French Revolution, the cathedral was vandalized and then restored during 
the 19th century by a French Architect Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. He 
also remarked about the 387-step climb to the top of the towers which housed 
the famous bell tolled by Victor Hugo's fictional hunchback, Quasimodo.

Natalie listened with relish to Nick's historical account of this 
architectural wonder, sipping at her glass of water. When he mentioned the 
stairs to the bell tower, she interrupted, commenting in a humorous manner, 
"Wew! Makes the stairmaster look like a picnic compared to a trek up all 
those steps!"

He laughed, then leaning over the table, he whispered to her as he winked, 
"I could always fly you up those stairs to save you an exhausting trip."

"I might hold you to it Nick." Her eyes danced with amusement.

All of a sudden, the wine steward appeared, handing Nick a wine list-and 
*not* just any wine list either! The thickness of the book was quite 
daunting, resembling a Bible.

Natalie's mouth dropped in astonishment. "What is that! The unabridged 
edition of War and Peace!"

Nick grinned while his eyes poured over the book. "No, Nat. It's the wine 
list! This restaurant offers 1500 or so wines. You should see the wine 
cellar; it's quite spectacular.

"Perhaps, Mademoiselle would like a tour of the cellar after dinner, n'est 
pas?" The wine steward offered.

"You can do that?" she asked, surprised.

"Bien sur!" he gushed.

"Then, I would love one. Thank you!" she said, gratefully.

Having made his decision while Natalie and the waiter were conversing, Nick 
turned to him and ordered a Rothschild Cabernet Sauvignon 1990; the 
significance of the year was not lost on either of them, the year of their 
inevitable meeting, as their eyes met in a knowing gaze.

After the steward departed, Nick reached over to grab Natalie's warm hand in 
his cool one. "I'm so glad you decided to come with me to Paris. I've always 
had a deep desire to show you the 'city of lights'. It's the one city that 
looks spectacular at night."

"You know that I would go anywhere with you Nick," she said, her voice 
filled with emotion.

"I know you would. I'd go anywhere with you, too. But, Paris is especially 
meaningful because it's a place for lovers," Nick said, his look unfaltering 
and passionate as he pulled her hand up to his lips. Alternating between 
dusting kisses and sucking on each of her fingers, he added, "I want this 
trip to be memorable and *very* special for you."

The erotic feelings of Nick's lips caressing and licking her fingers, the 
soft, seductive tone of his voice and intimate words were igniting a burning 
flame inside of Natalie as the heat spread all over her body. Suddenly 
overcome with shyness, she removed her trembling hand from his mouth, laying 
it in her lap. "I'm su..re we'll ha..ve a gre..at time!" she stuttered, 
feeling the flush surge through her face as she reached for her water glass. 
She took a sip, hoping the cool liquid would simmer her heat-filled body.

"I especially want to take a look at that Van Gogh exhibition at the 
Louvre." she commented, trying to steer the conversation in another 
direction, as she took another swallow from her glass.

Leaning forward again with an ardent expression on his face, Nick said with 
intensity, "I was thinking more along the lines of a *private* exhibition 
where only two people are allowed in for the viewing."

His implications were obvious as every bone in her body suddenly melted like 
lava running down a mountainside. Pulling herself together, she met his 
passionate gaze with her own level one as she smiled. "That *private* 
exhibition may be closed due to unforeseen problems of a supernatural 
capacity."

"I hope that the closing is very *temporary* as the supernatural problem may 
be under *control*." He grinned, again, reaching for her hand in a 
reassuring squeeze.

"Oh really!... Well, in that case, maybe the *private* viewing may be 
opening up again *sooner* than we thought!" she corrected. Her eyes flashed 
with mischievousness, tinged with desire, while she squeezed his hand in 
acceptance.

At that moment, the wine steward appeared at their table, interrupting their 
stimulating conversation as he proceeded to allow Nick to test the wine, 
then pouring it into their glasses, he departed. Nick glanced around quickly 
to ensure no one was looking while he removed a flask from the inside pocket 
of his black dinner jacket.

As he poured the special red liquid into his wine glass, Natalie couldn't 
resist a humorous remark. "I guess that the brocade flavor of the Rothschild 
vintage didn't quite meet Detective Knight's approval. It required something 
with a bit more *bite* to it." She smiled, taking a sip of her own wine.

Nick laughed at her wit while he drank from his own glass. "Very cute, 
Natalie!"

Just then, the waiter approached their table, taking their order. Natalie 
allowed Nick to make the selections for them. To her surprise and pleasure, 
he ordered a rare steak for himself. For her, he selected the restaurant's 
notable dish: pressed duck or caneton as it was known in French along with 
an appetizer called pike dumplings or quenelles.

When the waiter departed with their order, Nick explained to her about La 
Tour D'Argent's famous reputation with the duck. The restaurant was known to 
prepare each serving of duck with great ceremony in the dining room. Each 
customer, who ordered one of these fine birds, received a numbered card, 
showing what position they were in the count. He expounded further by saying 
that the restaurant started counting in 1919 and was approaching its 
millionth mallard.

Once the dinner came, he revealed a surprise to Natalie: A boat excursion 
down the Seine to capture Paris in its illuminated glory. Nick went on to 
explain. "A friend of mine, Jacques Verraud, owns a boat on which he has 
graciously invited us. So I thought that after dinner we could take the 
cruise."

"Oh Nick! How wonderful! I would love to!" she uttered, smiling exuberantly, 
as she reached over the table to grasp his hand in hers.

He pulled her hand up to his mouth, brushing his lips across her palm. 
"Great! I can't wait!"

The words were innocently spoken. But, somehow the excitement in his voice 
and the longing gaze in his deep blue eyes made her think otherwise, causing 
her heart to flutter at the anticipation of this late night cruise.....

****************************************

After a filling dinner and an educational tour of the wine cellar by Jean 
Patrick, their waiter, they decided to take a stroll down the quai de la 
Tournelle which meandered along the river in front of La Tour D'Argent and 
would eventually lead them to where the boat was docked. Walking side by 
side, their arms hanging loosely at their sides, they both feasted their 
eyes one last time on the beauty and harmonious presence of Notre Dame, 
towering above them across the river. From their position, just south and 
upstream, with the illumination dancing off the stone facade of the 
magnificant building, Natalie thought the cathedral resembled a seagoing 
vessel; the cross on its steeple, like a flag on a tall mast and the 
gargoyles, like a ship's maidenhead.

"You know, Nick, from this angle, the cathedral looks like a proud, graceful 
ship against the blackness of the sky," she offered.

"I believe you're right..I've probably seen Notre Dame a thousand times in 
my long life and I've never thought of it in that light until now. Very 
perceptive of you," he commented, admiration reflected in his eyes.

"Well....I did take some architectural and art history classes at the 
University before I went to Med School, so I'm not a complete dolt when it 
comes to the wonders of the world," she admitted, proudly.

"I would never think of you as being much of a dolt on any subject," Nick 
teased as he scooped up her hand in his own.

Natalie laughed. "Oh..I can think of some subjects or things I'm not so good 
at." To herself, she thought, 'Well ..I might improve in those areas, 
tonight,' as she tightened her grip on his hand.

After that open-ended comment, they continued down the quai in silence, 
enjoying the night air until they arrived at a stone bridge called the Pont 
de la Tournelle. There, a luxurious barge floated on the Seine, lights 
glowing from within the large vessel. The name, La Vie en Rose was engraved 
on the side of the boat in large, neat letters.

Approaching the boat from a short gangplank, they walked onto the vessel, 
looking around for its occupant.

"Jacques, are you there?" Nick called out.

A second later, from the depths of the barge, a young man emerged, no older 
than thirty with mid-length wavy brown hair and eyes, wearing blue jeans and 
a plaid flannel shirt. Natalie's sharp eyes could detect instantly that he 
was a vampire, his light pallor giving him away.

Jacques smiled broadly at Nick, patting him on the back. "Hey, 
Nicholas..long time no see."

Nick grasped his friend's hand in a hardy handshake. "Hey, Jacques. It has 
been..what 60 years?"

"At least...what was it? World War II and the French Resistance," he asked.

"Yeah, I believe so. Time sure flies!" Nick commented, then grabbing 
Natalie's hand and pulling her close to him, he said, "Jacques, I would like 
you to meet someone very special...Natalie Lambert. This is Jacques 
Verraud."

Natalie extended her hand to Jacques. "Nice to meet you."

Jacques took her offered hand, moving it up to his lips as he brushed a 
light kiss across her flesh. "Charmed, mademoiselle," he said, regarding her 
with admiration. "Nick told me that you were beautiful. I can see that he 
wasn't off the mark. You are ravishing, my dear."

Uncomfortable with the flattering remarks, she removed her hand gently from 
his grasp. "Thank you," she said, a weak smile brushing her face, then 
guiding the conversation in another direction, she asked, "How long have you 
owned this boat, Jacques?"

"About five years. It was originally a cargo craft which I converted into a 
dwelling of distinction," he explained as he swept his arm outward over the 
scope of the deck. The barge was quite long and narrow in size, with a 
glassed-in house resting on the wide, wooden planks of the vessel. A rooftop 
deck lay above the rectangular shaped four-sided building, offering the 
visitor a glorious, illuminated view of the city of Paris.

"It's a wonderful way to take a short cruise down the river and see the 
sights," Natalie observed.

"The barge also offers one fortunate couple the luxury of an overnight stay 
on board," Jacques volunteered, looking initially at Nick, then Natalie.

Nick averted his eyes away from Natalie while he studied the wooden planks 
on the boat's deck, not uttering a word.

She turned to Jacques. "Oh...really! I didn't know that! How interesting!" 
she declared, giving Nick a sidelong glance. "Where are the chambers?"

"Chamber," Jacques corrected her. "There's just one. It's directly below 
us."

"Oh! I see...," she said, looking directly at Nick while he continued to 
avoid her stare.

Nick finally found his voice and suggested, "Jacques, why don't you show us 
the rooftop patio?"

"Okay,...right this way," he said, chuckling to himself over Nick's omission 
to her about the sleeping arrangements on the barge. He led them up a ladder 
to a deck with sweeping views up and down the Seine River of both banks of 
the city. Champagne was chilling in a silver ice bucket on a table; lounge 
chairs sprinkled around the patio.

Natalie walked over to the railing. "Breathtaking!" she exclaimed.

"Paris is definitely the city to see at night," he stated, then turning to 
leave, he addressed them both. "Excuse me, now. I need to get down below to 
the pilot's room and start the engines."

"Oh...where are we going?" Natalie asked, curiously.

"To Rouen, outside of Paris. There's a majestic cathedral there that you 
must see, Natalie," Jacques explained as he started to descend the ladder. 
"I'll return in a little while," he added, giving Nick a knowing look, then 
he disappeared.

After he left, a silence descended on the deck as Natalie turned back to the 
railing and peered at the bridge. After a few moments, she swung around to 
face Nick and asked softly, "Why didn't you tell me about the arrangements?"

Nick moved swiftly to her, close enough to touch her, but hesitant to do so. 
"I was going to tell you once we boarded," he explained, then lowering his 
voice, he asked, tentatively, "Do you mind, Nat?"

What seemed like an eternity passed before Natalie turned to him. Her face 
was unreadable, not revealing anything to him. He held his breath, waiting 
for her answer.

Suddenly, a broad smile lit her lovely face. "Of course, I don't mind, 
Nick," she said emphatically.

Before she could continue, Nick swept her up in a tight embrace, smothering 
her with tender kisses. "Oh! Thank goodness! For a moment there, I thought 
you were going to lead me to the guillotine."

She laughed and pulled back from him. "I don't think the guillotine would do 
much good, if you know what I mean. Besides I'm not mad at you. I'm just 
surprised. I didn't expect you to be so ready, willing and under *control*.

Nick cupped her chin in his hand. "Control? Oh...I think that I have 
restrained myself long enough, Nat," he said, his voice and expression 
betraying longing and desire.

"But...you do have some restraint, don't you Nick?" She teased, in an loving 
tone as she leaned forward to brush kisses over his face.

"Yes...enough..," he agreed, rubbing his cheek against hers, then pressing 
her body to him, he captured her mouth in a slow, languid kiss that left her 
dizzy and ready for more. Releasing her mouth, Nick caressed her cheek with 
his thumb as he suggested in a hoarse voice, "Why don't we skip the 
Champagne and move to a more bubbly, effervescent experience."

Natalie smiled at him, her eyes glistening with desire as she said, "Thought 
you'd never ask...."

Games Detectives Play
by: Patty Costantino/psmoot43@hotmail.com
Chapter 4

Nick sat at the piano in the sitting room of their cabin, wearing his black 
silk pajamas, while he waited with great anticipation for Natalie's 
appearance. After Jacques had shown them their suite and departed, Nick had 
presented Natalie with a large box, suggesting that she open it and try it 
on in the bedroom. That was thirty minutes ago.

'I wonder what is keeping her?' he thought, then recalling her crimson face 
when she'd removed the gift from the confines of the box, he figured the 
answer was obvious. Bashfulness? Trepidation?

"Nat, are you ever coming out of there!" he called out, in a slightly 
impatient tone.

"I'll be right out, Nick." A weak voice called from behind the door.

Nick chuckled to himself at her disconcertion while he resumed playing the 
piano, with only the soft candlelight to lighten the room. Pausing in the 
middle of playing Cole Porter's Night and Day, he glanced up from the keys 
to survey the cabin, smiling at the memory of Natalie's glee over the suite. 
She'd practically flown from room to room, looking in awe at everything-from 
the bathroom, a confection of marble and mirror, stocked with a generous 
supply of the finest soaps and bath products to the bedroom with an enormous 
king-size bed piled high with down comforters and pillows to the sitting 
room, filled with freshly cut flowers and more chilled Champagne. There were 
also some 18th century antiques intermixed with contemporary furnishings in 
the two rooms, giving the cabin a rustic touch.

Looking back at the piano, Nick resumed playing the rest of the Cole Porter 
classic, his fingers gliding gracefully over the ivories.

All of a sudden, with his keen sense of hearing, he heard the door open, his 
ears picking up a faint, rustling noise. Glancing up from the keys, he saw 
her and his breath caught in his throat. His hands stopped too, still spread 
above the keyboard. The piano notes carried for only a moment, then a sudden 
quiet descended on the room as they both heard him take his next breath.

Nick's initial thought was to run to her, gathering her up into an 
all-consuming, frenzied embrace, but something held him back: a desire to 
savor the moment, to impress this bewitching vision of her upon his mind 
forever. For she was something to behold! She stood in the middle of the 
room, wearing a long, red silk Dior nightgown, but it wasn't just any 
nightgown. Oh no! It was cut narrowly, but deeply decollete in the front, 
exposing the rounded fullness of her breasts, and was bare in the back, 
accentuating the contours of her buttocks. A wisp of silken material held up 
the garment around her neck. Moonlight from the portal cast soft light 
directly on her deep neckline, and her coral and cream skin, revealing to 
Nick the quick rise and fall of her ample white bosom and the lovely curve 
of her back. The lower half of the gown clung beautifully to the sensual 
curves of her hips, trailing downward to a frontal slit which ran all the 
way up to the top of her thighs, exposing her shapely legs underneath.

Nick let his eyes take in all of her. Like a slow motion camera, his gaze 
traveled from her lovely face down her gorgeous body and back to her face, 
tracing every alluring curve, every nuance that was Natalie.

She finally broke the silence, shifting uncomfortably under his penetrating 
stare. "Well...Nick...does this *private* exhibition meet with your 
approval?" she asked, a hesitant smile gracing her face.

In answer to her question, Nick came swiftly from his chair to her. He could 
practically feel the heat and feverish excitement radiating from her body as 
he stood within inches of her. "I think that this *private* viewing has 
reached beyond the approval stage into the adoration stage," he said, his 
voice edged with huskiness, his eyes denoting love, then reaching up to 
cradle her cheek while his thumb rubbed across her soft skin, he added, "If 
I saw you everyday forever, Nat, I'd remember this time."

Bending over, he then brushed his lips across hers ever so gently as if to 
reinforce his cherishing words with his actions. Drawing away, Nick's hands 
traced a gentle pattern from her cheekbone, to her neck and finally down to 
her shoulder where his palms rested on the soft silk material of her gown. 
His blue eyes held her whole.

Natalie gasped at the intense love pooled in those eyes as she reached up to 
sweep the back of her hand along his forehead, brow, cheeks and finally his 
chin, caressing and kneading the fine, smooth skin like a sculptor with a 
work of art.

Suddenly the coolness of his hands, pressing down on her shoulder, the 
intensity of his eyes, gazing on her, and the closeness of him inflamed her 
very soul, escalating her into a hot, burning state as a raging hunger 
consumed her. She had to have him at all costs, to feel him pressed up 
against her body, to feel his soft kisses and caresses blazing across her 
flesh. She needed and wanted it! Swiftly she encircled her arms around his 
neck, entwining her fingers through his hair as she pulled him down into a 
searing, frantic kiss, a kiss that was raw and demanding in its intensity.

Up to this point, Nick had resisted gathering her up in his arms and taking 
her in a frantic coupling on the floor, trying to relish the breathless 
moment before that wild descent into bliss, into that realm of exquisite 
pleasure and sheer ecstasy, into the point of no return. However, once 
Natalie captured his mouth in that passionate, explosive kiss, all thought 
of reason and restraint was lost as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, 
pressing her hard against him. Nick's hands drifted up and down the curve of 
her back in delicate, feather-like strokes, finally resting on the soft 
roundness of her buttocks, as he hugged her more closely to his body while 
his tongue explored her velvety, moist cavern, tasting and sucking every 
possible spot in that warm, alluring mouth.

A river of honey coursed through Natalie as she molded her silk and flesh to 
Nick's, feeling the erotic sensations of his arousal pushed up against her 
body through his pajamas. The marvelous discovery that he wasn't wearing 
anything underneath also added to her heat-filled state. She yearned to feel 
him inside her, to feel his cool member enveloped around her warm moistness. 
Tremors of delight rushed through her at the thought as she tangled her 
fingers in his hair and grinded her hips against him so hard and so close; 
their bones seemed to mold together in a hot, liquid mixture.

Finally coming up for air, he released Natalie from the eternal kiss, 
spinning her around, and snaking his arms around her waist, as he pulled her 
body hard against him and he buried his face in her apricot scented hair, 
lavishing in the soft texture of her curls, like satin ribbons against his 
smooth cheek. After a moment, his lips moved from her sweet smelling hair 
down to her neck, kissing and licking her creamy flesh, then finding her 
earlobe, his tongue began swirling around the outer reaches of this 
sensative spot in wet, slow motions. At the same time, his fingers drifted 
up and down the center of her nightgown, caressing the exposed swell of her 
breasts along the way, while his other hand traveled down to part the 
opening of her gown, widening the entranceway of the silky material, as his 
fingers reached in to stroke along her soft, inner thigh.

Natalie uttered a soft whimper at the sheer pleasure of Nick's deliberate 
touches as his hands dusted over her chest and thighs, and his tongue 
explored and licked her earlobe. Reaching up, she locked her arms around his 
neck, running her hands through his unruly curls and pressing him closer to 
her, rubbing herself in sensual motions around his arousal.

Nick shuddered at the exquisite feel of her lower back and buttocks, dancing 
around his swollen manhood as he continued to tickle her earlobe with his 
tongue, tasting the sweet flesh while his hand slipped under the silk 
material of her gown to cup her breast and press his palm against her taut 
nipples, sending an electric current through Natalie's body. Freeing her 
breast gently from the confines of the nightgown, he ran his thumb around 
the peaked nub, tracing circles around the sharp point, then he cradled the 
swelled flesh in a reverent hold, worshiping the soft feel of her aroused 
breast under his hand. Simultaneously, parting the slit of her gown further, 
Nick's other hand wandered up her inner thigh, and, to his delight, found no 
silky wisps of material to impede his progress as his fingers brushed over 
the wiry curls of her mound. Drawing away from her earlobe, his head turned 
to watch her quiver with delight under his gentle touches as his fingers 
moved lower to explore her sensative core, then finding her center of 
desire, he rubbed, caressed and massaged her moist cavern, all the while, 
squeezing and kneading her breast.

Arching her back, her head resting on his shoulder, she moaned deeply and 
clutched at his head as she was carried away by a tital wave of bliss. Nick 
felt her tremble against him, arousing him even more while one of his 
fingers penetrated her sleek moistness. Upon penetration, a soft gasp 
escaped from Natalie's lips, her satisfied response practically sending Nick 
over the edge as a wave of pleasure enveloped him; a delight in the 
knowledge of being the cause of her aroused state, of his gentle and tender 
caresses inflaming her body, and of his loving touches sending her to the 
brink and beyond. He suddenly felt empowered by it all.

Abruptly, he stilled his loving attentions upon her sweat-laden body, his 
immobile hand covering her breast as if he were cradling a ripe, succulent 
peach and his cool, unmoving finger remaining tight and snug inside her 
warm, moist chamber. He was soon rewarded with his desired purpose, as her 
lush juices began to pour free, flowing with wild abandon over his searching 
finger.

Inhaling deeply, a contented sigh escaped his lips as her, sweet, musky 
scent hit his flared nostrils. Pressing his lips against her ear, he 
whispered, his breath cool against her heat-filled flesh, "Ooooh, Nat. You 
feel and smell so wonderful, warm and sweet like nectar."

Natalie's satisfied moans soon turned to groans of frustration and 
disappointment at his unmoving hands. "Oh...ple..ease Nick! Don't torment me 
like this. I need you to finish...I need..," she said, panting softly, as 
she opened her legs wider and pushed her hips down over his probing finger, 
trying, in vain, to entice him to move.

"ssshh Nat...I won't torture you any longer...," he soothed against her ear, 
then raining kisses down her neck to her shoulder, he began to move his 
finger inside her wet chamber, with slow deliberation as if he had all the 
time in the world. With his other hand, covering her breast, he began to 
tease and trace circles around her nipple as he rested his head on her 
shoulder, watching her begin to climb that wave to the next plateau. 
Intensifying the pressure, he started to ease his finger in and out of her, 
faster and faster, all the while, swirling his palm around her peaked nipple 
as he sent her body to that next crest of delight.

Shifting his movements slightly, he began to rub and touch her sensative 
clit with another finger, simultaneously, plunging the other one into her 
hot, burning chamber while he felt and saw her writhing under his sensual 
touches. Nick looked on in fascination at the ripples cresting on Natalie's 
nightgown as her hips pushed up to meet his blazing touches. 'The same 
ripples which must be coursing through her body now.' he reasoned, as 
another thrill passed through him at the thought.

Feeling her grow tense under his ministrations and sensing her approaching 
orgasm, his hand drifted up from her breast and cupped her chin, drawing her 
breathless lips towards his demanding mouth. Suddenly, Natalie reached that 
final crest, crashing over into spasms of ecstasy. Never before had she felt 
such unbelievable sensations as her body was wracked with tremors of 
rapturous delight and utter bliss.

She tried to cry out her wondrous joy when suddenly, she felt lips 
descending on hers in raw explosiveness as Nick plundered his tongue inside 
her warm mouth, sending her into another spasm. His mouth continued to 
devour her, swallowing her up as if by taking her inside of him, he could 
experience her sensational climax, too.

After a while, as she drifted back down to reality, the kiss became less 
demanding, their tongues dancing together in a more languorous and deep 
motion, as Nick turned her around and scooped her up in his arms. The kiss 
went on for a moment longer, affording the opportunity to taste, smell and 
feel, to settle by layers into volumptuous ease.

When he finally released her from the neverending kiss, and Natalie opened 
her heavy-lidded eyes again, a surprised expression graced her face. She was 
lying on top of the down comforter on the bed with Nick's semi-cool body 
pressed up against hers. How they got there, she would never know, nor did 
she care as she cradled his face in her hands, bringing him down into 
another long kiss while they began discarding their clothes, shedding them 
to the wind. Now, completely naked, their lips and hands hungerly explored 
every part, every crevice, every fold of each other's erogoneous zones of 
desire.

During another long, deep kiss, Natalie encouraged Nick to roll on his back, 
so her body could rest on top of his. Sliding partly off his body, she began 
to spread her warm hand across his broad chest, brushing the blond hairs 
with light touches; then down to his firm stomach, tickling the short hairs 
around his navel; still further to his inner thighs, caressing the firm skin 
with spider-like strokes. In this last area of exploration, Natalie heard a 
deep-throated moan escape from his lips. She smiled, pleased at the ability 
to generate such a satisfied response from him. Raising herself up to a 
kneeling position beside him, she continued to torment him with her spider 
caresses, running her fingers and nails the length of his inner legs, each 
time advancing enticingly closer to his, now very much aroused member, only 
to stop within a hair's breath of touching him to wander down his leg again.

Suddenly, another deep groan, almost bordering on a growl, erupted from his 
throat as his hips jerked independently upward, being totally helpless to 
Natalie's teasing strokes.

"Nat, how long must you torture me?" he implored, in a hoarse, painful 
voice.

Looking up, she was met with pleading, amber eyes as she smiled 
mischievously. "Oh ..I don't know. How about ...until....NOW!"

On the last word spoken, Natalie encircled her hand around his throbbing 
member, squeezing gently before making a slow descent to the base, then an 
ascent to the tip. Leaning over, she ran her tongue in a slow, circular 
motion over the tip of his penis, then downward along the underside while 
her hand continued to stroke him up and down in slow movements.

She could hear his growls as her hand and tongue began to stroke and lick 
against him faster and faster while her hair cascaded around him, tickling 
his slightly heated skin. Moving forward even more, she started pumping his 
swollen penis vigorously in her fist while her tongue darted out to touch 
the tip as deep growls emerged from Nick's throat and chest.

With a sudden abruptness, though, Natalie found herself no longer leaning 
over Nick's throbbing penis, but under it as she gazed up into 
reddish-golden eyes. Unable to contain the fierce need to be inside her any 
longer, with lightening speed, Nick had rolled her onto her back, pressing 
himself against her tantalizing body. Before she could catch her breath, he 
descended on her mouth with such ferociousness that she lost all awareness 
of anything, but his relentless lips pressing so tightly against hers, his 
demanding tongue plundering into her moist depths, his lukewarm skin and 
firmness molding to her heat-filled flesh. It was beyond anything she'd ever 
imagined in her wildest dreams as ripples of intoxicating excitement flowed 
through her.

Moaning under his feverish kiss, she ran her tongue seductively over his 
teeth, feeling his sharp, elongated fangs. A low growl erupted from his 
chest at the erotic sensations produced by her probing tongue as she 
continued to travel over them, then suddenly impaling herself on a canine, 
droplets of blood cascaded down on his tongue. Unbelievable pictures formed 
in their minds as Nick allowed the spicy liquid to flow down his throat; 
their thoughts, feelings, emotions mixed together in that one breathless 
moment.

Drawing away from her inviting lips and enticing blood, he felt another more 
desirable, all-consuming need; to feel her warmness and closeness enveloped 
around him, to take her and know her in every possible way. Without another 
moment's hesitation, he positioned himself over her, spreading her legs wide 
as he plunged so deeply into her that her back arched so high and her head 
pushed up with such force, practically sending her against the headboard. 
Natalie had barely time to recover, wrapping her arms and legs around him in 
a warm embrace, as he began to move inside her, withdrawing completely, then 
plunging deeply back into her moist chamber. The quickness and passionate 
intensity of his actions took her breath away while an incredible 
exhilaration consumed her very being, spiraling her into the clouds.

Pushing her hips up to meet his thrusts, she ran her nails up and down his 
back as they rocked together in a fast, continuous rhythm while Nick 
continued to withdraw, then push into her with such fierceness that it sent 
her reeling into the next hemisphere.

Although as quickly as Nick had started this frenzied joining, he abruptly 
stopped it, realizing who the person was lying beneath him, the jewel he 
held in his arms, the treasure whose loving, trusting arms and legs were 
around him. She was not someone to take in some mindless, savage coupling.

With an enormous effort of will, he leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on her 
lips, brushing his hand across her cheek as a well of tenderness rose up 
inside of him.

Disappointed in Nick's sudden stillness after such a mindblowing, intense 
union, Natalie started to push up her hips in vain, trying to encourage him 
to move.

Nick gazed down on her with such love, it made her gasp. "Nat, wait a 
moment. Let's do this right," he whispered against her ear.

Seconds passed, his red eyes beginning to flash amber while the red, hot 
passion slowly diminished. After another moment, his mouth captured hers in 
a hot, slow kiss, as his hips began to move with the same slow deliberation. 
With this sudden change in tempo, Natalie felt like a bird, soaring in the 
sky in all its winged glory. As Nick continued to ease in and out of her 
with slow, sensual movements, their tongues dancing languidly around each 
other, Natalie's hands wandered down his back to his buttocks, pressing him 
closer to her, allowing him to penetrate further. The erotic friction caused 
by this deep penetration sent them into a different realm, as exquisite 
pleasure consumed them both.

Finally, breaking apart, he smiled down at her passion-filled eyes, as he 
raised her hips higher, burying himself deeper within her hot, wet chamber, 
then with measured deliberation, he withdrew completely, only to plunge in 
seconds later, thrusting hard and fast.

Natalie locked her arms around his neck, running her hands through his hair 
as he thrusted deep and hard into her, sailing them into the clouds. The 
incredible sensations of her sleek, damp skin pressed up against him, the 
feel of her smooth legs and arms wrapped around his hips like twine, the 
dazed expression of passion painted on her face, and the inbelievable feel 
of her moist, heat-filled chamber were sending tremors of ecstasy through 
him while they continued to move in a fluid rhythm. Increasing the speed of 
his thrusts even more, he started to shower Natalie with kisses and caresses 
everywhere, worshiping every part of her body.

Natalie kept pushing her hips up higher to meet his demanding thrusts as he 
continued to pump in and out, faster and faster, all the while, raining 
kisses all over her sweat-laden body and whispering endearments into her 
ear. Rocking together to a continuous, fluid beat, Natalie finally cried out 
for him to finish it; her arms about him so strongly she could feel the 
contours of his very bones.

Nick could feel her tensing underneath him; her climax fast approaching. His 
hips thrusted once more, plunging deeply into her, as he reached the summit, 
too, while another fierce need called to him. Blazing a trail of kisses up 
to her neck, with his hand, he turned her head to the side, inhaling the 
succulent fruit flowing rich and free under her skin. His lips kissed and 
licked around her soft flesh, his nostrils breathing in the spicy scent of 
her intoxicating blood, while he found the pulsating vein in her neck. As 
gently as he could, his fangs penetrated the soft, pliable skin. With the 
first taste of her blood rushing down his throat, he climaxed in one 
shuddering wave after another. He drank deeply, as her nectar continued to 
glide down his throat, evoking such intense images of her love, faith and 
trust in him; it sent him into such a state of fulfillment that he was 
reeling from the experience.

When Nick thrusted one last time into her, Natalie was catapulted over into 
neverending bliss as wave upon wave of orgasms blasted her into the 
universe. After a second, though, the rapture was replaced by a fleeting 
pain at her neck, then suddenly indescribable sensations bombarded her 
senses as her mind, thoughts, feelings, emotions merged completely with his, 
producing a helpless response so acute, she felt faint, thought she was 
falling. And she was ...falling, right back into the soft pillow and 
mattress as Nick, drawing away from drinking her boiling, spicy blood, 
captured her in his arms while his body collapsed on hers.

After a while, still panting slightly, Nick raised his head from her 
shoulder, giving her a warm, contented smile. "Have I told you recently how 
much I love you, Nat?" he said, leaning into plant a tender kiss on her 
lips.

"No, but you can tell me now, if you want to." She grinned, pulling him down 
into a more passionate kiss.

After a few moments, as he released her, Nick continued, his expression and 
voice denoting total seriousness. "You are everything to me Nat. I love you 
so much," he said, as he cupped his hands around her face.

"I love you too, Nick," she repeated, hugging him to her in a tight embrace.

Breaking the hug, Nick rolled her on top of him, as he wrapped his arms 
around her. Running his fingertips up and down her spinal column, he 
captured her lips in another deep kiss. As he released her, he smiled and 
asked, "Well, are you sorry that you missed the Van Gogh exhibition?"

"No....I think that this *private* exhibition exceeded my wildest dreams," 
she commented, laughing and caressing his cheek. "The viewing was especially 
enjoyable and the supernatural element was beyond anything I could ever 
imagine," she added.

"I'm happy that I could oblige," he laughed, then cradling her head against 
his shoulder, they closed their eyes and went to sleep.....

Games Detectives Play
by: Patty Costantino/psmoot43@hotmail.com
Chapter 5

With tremendous effort, Nick removed the visor from his face, sighing 
deeply, his eyes still closed to the beautiful, vivid images floating around 
in his mind. It was unbelievable! The world had appeared so real to him, 
made him feel so alive. Never in his entire 800 year existence had he felt 
such euphoria, such fulfillment, such joy as he did now.

Opening his blue eyes, he studied the precious object in his hand while his 
thoughts continued to wander back to the place he'd left, the wonderful 
haven where he could spend unlimited time with Natalie, not only 
consummating everything with her in every conceivable way, but to talk 
freely and openly to her, to share her thoughts, feelings, ideas, everything 
without reservations, without fear of the enforcers, LaCroix or anyone else 
in the vampire community interfering with his life... their lives.... his 
and Natalie's.

Unwilling to waste another fabulous moment not playing this game, Nick 
reached over and picked up the phone, dialing the precinct. There were 
several rings before a connection was made, then Joe Reese's voice boomed 
across the telephone line. "Hello... 96th precinct. Joe Reese, speaking."

"Hi, Captain, Nick here!" he announced, in a weak sounding voice.

"Hey Nick. What's up?"

"Well....Cap. It's like this. You know that flu bug that's going around. I 
think I'm suddenly coming down with it, too," he explained, groaning into 
the phone for effect.

"Nick....are you sure? Since I've known you, you've never been ill," Joe 
commented, surprised.

"There's always a first time, Cap. See ya in a couple days?" Nick asked, 
trying to end the conversation quickly before Joe Reese's suspicions were 
aroused.

"Okay, Nick. Take it easy....see ya in a day or so, " he confirmed, hanging 
up the phone.

After Nick placed the phone back on the bedside table, he rested his head 
against the headboard, his lower lip curled into a satisfied grin. 'Now that 
I have two days in which to explore this game with more enthusiasm, where 
should I venture forth next? Which delightful place should Natalie and I go 
to now?' he mused, running his hands lightly across the keyboard as he 
explored the wonderful, enticing posssibilities.....

********************************

Natalie sat at a large, round dining room table in the spacious conference 
room at the Marriott Hotel in Montreal, listening to the current speaker, a 
pathologist from Vancouver, discuss the advantageous uses of a brand new 
autopsy saw. While she glanced around the room at the hundred or so other 
coroners, sipping their coffee, being attentive to the present speaker at 
the podium, she yawned for about the hundredth time within the last hour, 
not out of boredom, but fatigue. She couldn't understand why she should be 
so tired. Last night, after an early dinner with Andrea Moss, a friend from 
Med School, she'd called it a night, retiring very early to bed. After she'd 
slept almost ten hours with delightful, wondrous dreams of her and Nick 
floating around in her mind, she'd risen, showered, dressed and barely made 
it in time for breakfast, arriving ten minutes before the dining room 
closed.

Now, sitting with Andrea at the table with eight other coroners, Natalie 
drank from her fifth cup of coffee. Yes, five cups! After this much caffeine 
in less than two hours, she'd normally have been bouncing off the walls.

'What is the matter with me,?' she wondered. Perhaps, it was the lack of 
sleep she'd foregone to play that virtual reality game. After three glorious 
days of enjoying that exhilarating world, she'd hardly gotten any rest. At 
the time, it didn't seem to matter. She'd been so euphoric over her and 
Nick's ability to be together in the game, the sleep deprivation hadn't even 
crossed her mind.

Her face broadened suddenly into a wide grin, thinking of one particular 
detective, who, at this moment, was suffering from the same lack of sleep. 
The frequency of the dreams had been an obvious giveaway; he'd been using 
the game quite often, in fact, probably more times than she'd used it. She'd 
also tried to call him several times, only getting the answering machine, so 
she'd surmised that he was preoccupied with virtual reality.

Natalie took another sip of coffee, glancing over at Andrea, as her thoughts 
drifted to her friend. They'd decided to drive to the conference together 
since Andrea lived near Natalie with her husband, Gerald and their two sons, 
Michael and John. When she'd initally arrived in Toronto two years ago, 
they'd gotten together after work on a regular basis, but recently, more 
family obligations and a dayshift changeover where Andrea worked in the 
County Coroner's Office had ended their get togethers. When Natalie 
suggested the carpool to Montreal, Andrea had agreed wholeheartedly since 
they had so much catching up to do.

Andrea was also very eager to delve into Natalie's personal life. Yesterday, 
during the drive, she'd been relentless about prying into her lovelife. 
Natalie had kept her guessing until last evening. Finally, without revealing 
Nick's identity, she'd explained about a possible relationship with a 
detective, who worked at the same precinct. Andrea had attempted to gather 
more information about this 'guy' in her life, but Natalie wouldn't allow 
it, changing the subject quickly.

'Now, I only have to ward her off for two more days,' Natalie mused, smiling 
at her friend. She hoped that she could find enough other subjects to talk 
about with her, to prevent her from gaining more information about a certain 
blond haired detective. Andrea could be so unheeding in her quest for any 
gossip. And Natalie still wanted to keep the relationship under wraps until 
she and Nick made decisions together about where to go from here after 
playing the game. Was there a possibility for a future together after they 
returned the game to Sam? Could they venture forth to attempt any kind of 
true relationship in the real world? In her opinion, all these questions and 
much more needed to be worked out between them before anyone else knew about 
their relationship.

All of a sudden, Natalie's daydreams were shattered by the sound of applause 
around her. Coming out of her reverie, she started to clap for the last 
speaker. The President of the Pathologist's Association then stood up at the 
podium to announce a brief, fifteen minute break, before the continuation of 
the program. Everyone was exiting quickly from the room to take advantage of 
the delicious snacks and coffee, being served in the adjacent room.

Natalie started to stand up to leave with everyone at her table, when a wave 
of dizziness swept over her. Pressing her hands down on the table to steady 
herself, she waited for the whirling sensations to subside. After a moment, 
her vision began to clear as the room slowly came back into focus. Thinking 
she was okay, Natalie started to walk away from the table. As she headed for 
the exit, the room began to spin around her again and an unbelievable 
dizziness overpowered her. She could feel herself falling, as if in slow 
motion, her legs becoming wobbily and unsteady, her arms going limp at her 
sides, while she tried to grab a chair to break the fall. Then there was 
total blackness....

*****************************

Tracy was working diligently on her and Nick's mounting paperwork while she 
contemplated for the hundredth time how she was going to get even with a 
particular detective when he returned from his so-called sick leave. Yes! 
This so-called sickness! 'Funny, how this sudden 'flu' had only infected two 
people so far: one medical examiner and one detective,' she surmised, as she 
flung another report into her outbox.

She glanced down at the next report with a sigh, while she allowed her mind 
to wander. What was up with Nick and Natalie anyway? There was definitely 
something going on with those two. Her suspicions had been aroused the other 
evening in the morgue, when they'd seemed to glow and radiate with happiness 
for the first time in months. Yes! Something was definitely happening in 
their relationship. Maybe they were finally admitting their true feelings 
for one another, realizing that they belonged together.

All of a sudden, Tracy's thoughts were broken by a whistling sound coming 
from the hallway. 'Must be Grimes,' she thought. He was always singing and 
whistling a happy tune no matter how grim a case could get. The sound was 
fast approaching the bullpen, as the person got closer.

When the noise was practically upon her, Tracy peered up from her paperwork 
to eye the culprit. Her eyes widened in shock. There, standing at his desk 
across from her, was Nick. And not just any Nick, but evidently, an 
extremely happy-go-lucky Nick.

He came around his desk to pat Tracy on the back, a huge smile plastered to 
his face. "How's my favorite partner doing this evening, Trace?" he said 
jubilantly, then seating himself at his desk, he began to whistle again.

She continued to stare at him with an dumbfounded expression on her face.

"Nick, are you okay?" she finally managed to ask.

"Sure, never been better. Why do you ask?" he queried, the lop-sided grin 
still glued to his face.

"Oh...I don't know, Nick. Maybe because you usually aren't so buoyant when 
you come into the station in the evenings," she said with sarcasm, then as 
an afterthought, she added, "Oh....I get it. The real Nick must have been 
kidnaped by some aliens and you are a twin."

"Very funny, Trace. But I'm still the real Nick. It's just that I decided I 
should kinda change my image around here and try to be less of a knightmare 
and more of a Mid-Summer's Knight Dream," he said, laughing.

She chuckled. "Whatever! I guess you're entitled to be in a good mood every 
once in a while," she acknowledged, as she resumed her work.

At that moment, the phone on Tracy's desk rang. Cradling the receiver to her 
ear, she said, in a business-like voice "...96th precinct..Tracy Vetter, 
speaking." After a moment, she continued, "Oh! Hi Grace. What can I do for 
you?"

There was a long pause as Tracy listened with attentiveness to her, shaking 
her head from time to time. Nick had looked up, curious as to what Grace was 
calling about.

Tracy finally replied to Grace, "Yes...I'll tell him. Thank you for letting 
us know. Bye."

Hanging up the phone, she met Nick's bewildered look.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Don't get excited, Nick...it's probably nothing," she started, calmly, but 
her eyes betrayed concern.

"What shouldn't I get upset about, Trace?" he questioned, becoming anxious, 
as a lump formed in his throat.

Taking a deep breath, she explained, "Natalie had to go to the hospital for 
some tests. It seems that she returned early from Montreal with her friend 
Andrea because she was experiencing fainting spells and so..."

Tracy didn't get to complete her sentence as Nick grabbed his coat and raced 
out of the precinct....

****************************

Nick rushed down the Emergency room corridor, searching frantically for 
Natalie. At the nurses station, they'd told him that she was located in one 
of the last rooms at the end of the hallway. As he approached the last few 
doors, he began to call out her name.

All of a sudden, a woman appeared at the doorway of the last room, examining 
him closely. "Are you Detective Knight?" she inquired.

"Yes, I am," he affirmed, striding over to her quickly.

She smiled, extending her hand to him. "Hi...I'm Andrea Moss, Natalie's old 
chum from Med. School. She's right in here and I'm sure she will be happy to 
see you; it's Nick, right?

"Yes..that's right." He shook her hand, attempting a smile, but worry lines 
creased his brow as they entered the room.

When he walked into the small, enclosed space, he stopped abruptly in front 
of Natalie's bed, drawing in a sharp breath as his astonished eyes took in 
her appearance. The color of her skin was extremely pale; her closed eyes 
lined with dark circles, making her look so small and vulnerable while she 
lay there sleeping in the bed. The sight of her fragileness tore at his 
heart; he wanted desperately to gather her up in his strong arms and console 
her, but was afraid to, afraid that she might break.

Finally, tearing his eyes from Natalie, he met Andrea's concerned face. 
"What have the doctors said about her condition?" he asked, trying to steady 
his voice.

"They ran all sorts of tests and found nothing wrong with her," she 
explained, shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head in a perplexed way.

"Maybe that's a good sign," he said, trying to sound optimistic.

Suddenly, there was a stirring from the bed as Natalie opened her eyes. She 
seemed disoriented for a moment as she attempted to focus on her 
surroundings. As her vision cleared, she saw Nick, giving him a wan smile. 
"Hi, stranger..How are you doing?"

The sound of her voice was music to his ears as he ran over to the bed, 
kneeling down next to her and scooping her hand up in his own. "Natalie, you 
had me so worried," he admitted, anxiously, pressing his lips to her palm.

"Nick, I'm sure that I'll be all right. It's probably because I've worn 
myself down between work and .....everything else." Her smile widened 
slightly at the last comment.

Pulling a chair up next to her bed, he sat down, grasping her hand again, a 
concerned look evident on his face. "You're probably right. You just need to 
rest..." he started to agree, then his eyes became distant while another 
idea formulated in his mind, a thought quite horrifying. As he came out of 
his reflections, he forced a weak smile at Natalie, then leaning forward, he 
kissed her brow and rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand.

Smiling to herself, Andrea watched this tender moment between them, 
pondering the fact her friend had omitted much about her and Nick's 
relationship. Any outsider could see the apparent love between them.

Approaching the foot of the bed, she spoke up, sternly, "Yes, I agree Nick. 
I've always told, Nat, that she needs to slow down; she drives herself too 
hard."

"Well, in our profession Andrea, we can't exactly slow down or else the 
patients will pile up quickly," Natalie chuckled, squeezing Nick's hand.

"And catching up on the paperwork would be a bear, too," she noted, smiling 
as she walked over to the other side of the bed, retrieving her purse from a 
chair. Turning around, she leaned over to give Natalie a peck on the cheek 
as she added, "Since you seem to be in good hands," looking at Nick, "I 
think I'll go home and see whether the house is still standing after being 
away from my husband and two boys for a couple days. No telling what kind of 
mischief they got into while I was gone."

Andrea said her goodbyes to them as she departed, promising to call Natalie 
later to see how she was doing.

After she'd left, Nick turned back to Natalie, averting his eyes from her 
while he rubbed his thumb across her hand, suddenly uncomfortable about 
broaching the subject of his newfound worries.

Natalie broke the silence between them as she cupped her hand under his 
chin, forcing him to look at her. "Okay, Nick....out with it! What's wrong?"

"Why do you think there's anything wrong?" he asked, innocently.

"Oh! Maybe because you've got that faraway look you sometimes get when you 
are thinking about your past or something that makes you feel guilty."

Nick sighed. "I was considering that there might be another reason for your 
condition Nat; something that the doctors wouldn't be able to discover 
because it can't be explained scientifically."

Natalie's ears perked up with interest. "Oh! What would that be?"

"Before I say anything, tell me more about your symptoms?"

"Well, I've fainted about 10 times, felt weak and thirsty, and wanted to 
sleep about 24 hours a day," she explained, then upon reflection, she added, 
in a low, reticent voice, "Nick, you also know that I've had numerous, 
splendid dreams about us."

"Yes, you can blame me for those dreams. I confess that I've played the game 
often; it was quite addictive." He smiled, sheepishly.

"Believe me, I understand completely." Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment 
at the confession, then she admitted, "I also feel linked to you differently 
now, than before, when I was playing the game. Somehow, I can sense you when 
you're nearby, like when you were *down* the hall just now, I knew it was 
you. I can only assume that the game must be producing a stronger bond 
between us each time one of us plays it."

"That's what I was afraid of Nat."

"Afraid of what?" she asked, perplexed.

"Afraid that I have been the cause of your condition," he explained, his 
voice and expression betraying shame.

"I don't understand. How could you possibly be the cause of my condition, 
whatever it is?" she queried, still baffled.

His intense stare bore into her confused look as he took a deep breath and 
confessed, "When I've been playing the game, Nat..... sometimes, not always, 
I've been a vampire again," He paused, searching her eyes for any reaction.

Her face was immobile, so he continued, "I've also been sipping on you 
during the game." There, he'd finally admitted it as he waited with uneasy 
anticipation for her response.

He didn't have long to wait. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she removed her 
hand from his grasp. "I don't believe it! You've been sipping on me during 
the game by your own volition, Nick?" Her tone carried disbelief.

"Yes," he admitted in a strained voice, gazing down at his hands.

"So! By sipping on me, you've reverted back to your old ways again, Nick, 
blowing a chance at mortality," she vocalized, with such frankness it made 
him cringe. "I should have known something was wrong when your hand felt 
cold again; I chalked it up to being outside in the freezing cold weather. I 
also suspected something was amiss when I was dreaming. At first, I thought 
you were biting me sometimes in the game, but my dreams never came in very 
clearly like the vivid images one would encounter when actually playing the 
game, so I figured it might be my imagination. I guess I was correct with my 
original suspicions." Her eyes brimmed with tears, and unable to look at him 
any longer, she studied her hands, folded in her lap.

Nick tried to reach for her hand, but she pulled away. "Let me explain, 
Nat," he implored, attempting to bring her face around to meet his sad 
expression.

She turned her head away from his sullen look. "I think that you'd better go 
Nick. You've already explained enough to me for one evening. I'm feeling 
awfully tired and I need my rest," she stated in a shaky voice, not meeting 
his eyes.

"Nat...please, just listen," he pleaded once more.

"No, not now! I can't deal with it!" she voiced, clearly angered, then in a 
softer tone, she continued, "Please just leave me alone for now, Nick. 
Perhaps we'll talk in a few days, but I need time to sort this out." She 
raised her eyes to his sorrowful ones. A hurtful expression graced her face.

"Okay..Nat. I'll do as you wish. But we need to talk...," he emphasized. 
Standing up to leave, he tried to kiss her cheek, but she turned away coldly 
from him. Sighing with remorse, he strode to the door, looking back once at 
her fragile state, then he departed.

As soon as he left, the tears started to fall unheedingly down her face, her 
chest heaving in anguish. Falling over in a crumbled mass, she cried 
bitterly into the pillow.....

*******************************

At the end of the hall, in a dark, shadowed corner, a tall, mysterious 
figure stood, listening intently to the conversation drifting from the room, 
a hundred yards away. Minutes later, he observed a blond-haired man emerge 
from the room, a disheartened expression upon his face as he departed 
quickly down the hall and out the door. The lone stranger remained in the 
shadows of the hallway, a moment longer, a complacent smirk on his face, as 
he listened to the desolate cries, emanating from the room. Then, satisfied 
with the situation, he exited the hospital, too.

The End

Will Natalie ever forgive Nick for sipping on her in the game? If she 
forgives him, will they be able to continue a relationship in the real 
world? And...Who is the mysterious stranger? :)) What dastardly plots does 
he have planned? Stay tuned for the continuing saga in Games Detectives and 
Coroners Play.

Note to reader: La Vie en Rose is an actual barge/boat which is situated 
near Notre Dame in Paris. For more information, you can visit the site at: 
http://www.la-vie-en-rose.com/body.frame.htm to get an idea of what the boat 
actually looks like. They do provide a chamber for one couple to stay on the 
barge. (In case, you are looking for some romantic getaway!) :))


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp