ADULT: Needs M/F explicit sex Nick/Nat by StormyNite Written in October of 1998 Something was happening. He just didn't feel right. Nick stepped out of the caddy at the scene. The dreams were becoming overpowering. He was going to have to do something about it. Deep down inside he knew what the problem was. He just couldn't hurt her again. He didn't want to see the pain in her blue eyes when she found out, but he was losing control and it was getting worse each day. Natalie knelt on the ground beside the body carefully picking fibers out from under the woman's nails and placed them in an evidence bag. The blood was everywhere. She struggled and fought, but in the end she lost the fight. The body had been beaten, then sliced with a large blade of some sort. Nat shook her head in dismay. What kind of animal would do such a thing to a beautiful woman? Some of the blood had gotten on her pants and jacket. It was inevitable with this much at the scene, then her thoughts turned to Nick. He'd been stressed lately and wouldn't talk about it. He'd cancelled their movie night, avoided the morgue and kept her at arm's length at the scenes. He was backing away, maybe preparing himself to leave. The thought made her gasp and her heart ached. Could she survive it when he left? Tears began to form behind her eyes and she fought for control. Finally, she turned to see him standing 15 feet away. When her eyes met his, she could almost feel the struggle within him and the pain it was causing him. She stood and walked toward him and gold flecked his eyes without warning. "Nick?" She barely whispered as she watched him try to force the beast back into submission, but it wasn't working. He turned and fled the scene. When he reached the caddy, he kept on walking. Natalie stared after him until he disappeared behind the trees and she knew he was gone. What was happening? She turned to look at the scene one more time and the smell of the blood assailed her to the point she almost gagged. She gulped for air and headed for her car. She picked up the cell phone and called Jerry at South. He would just have to stomach it this time. Nick needed her. ------------------ Nick flew up the stairs instead of using the lift. Instead of pulling out his usual from the fridge, he went to the freezer and pulled out the frozen reserve he kept for emergencies. He tossed both bags into the microwave and downed a bottle of cow while the human plasma thawed. A minute later, he sank his fangs into the bag and drained it completely. The human blood was like an exlir to his soul. It caressed his mouth and excited the back of his throat like a lover. Without hesitation, he grabbed the second bag and drained it as well. He gave into the emotions and feelings of the human who'd donated the blood and let himself float on the fringe of awareness as he slid to the floor in the kitchen with the bag still in his hand. It had been so long since he'd given into his needs. The need for a connection to a living person, the passion and contentment human blood gave his very soul surrounded him like a cloud. He could deny it for just so long until the beast finally would have its due. When he closed his eyes, the dreams he'd been experiencing for nights on end danced in his mind. Natalie stood before him. Her blue eyes filled with a beckoning light that drew him to her like a magnet. She wore her top-coat as he approached, then she slowly removed it. Her eyes refused to leave his. She stood before him totally nude, but there was more. Her scent overwhelmed him and he noticed the small cuts she placed all over her body. The blood pooled in some of the wounds while other droplets of blood slid sensually down her breast and thighs. She stepped forward, raised her hand to her neck and pressed hard on the wound near her throat causing it to bleed freely. With her left hand she did the same to the cut on her groin. Nick's eyes flared golden and a low growl emanated from his chest. Slowly, she took the free flowing blood and smeared it over her body as she walked. Her left hand spread the blood over her breast until it was no longer pink but red while her right hand massaged the blood into her mound and below. With each step she forced more of the blood onto her body and she caressed herself openly and waited for his response. She stopped a foot from him and let the smell of what she was overwhelm him. Unable to stop himself, he pulled her to him. Her blood called to him like no other and he couldn't refuse the beast. His lips found hers and his tongue slid deep within the wet chamber. He plundered her mouth with his tongue while his hands played in the blood flowing freely from her cuts. He released her lips and licked the blood slowly from her neck, savoring every taste, every inch of her body. His hands were all over her body, working a magic spell that would lead to only one thing. She arched into him and he sucked gently at the open wound on her neck. Each taste was like heaven, each swallow made him want to possess her fully, until his fangs dropped and he was lost. She pulled his head away from her throat, then ground her body into his and sought his lips. Pulling her hard against him, he cupped her tight ass in his palm and ground her pelvis into his hard cock through his jeans. The friction from the cloth excited him more, along with the moan from her lips. He sucked on her lips, then nicked them with his fangs and she went wild in his arms. Wrapping both hands around his head, she pulled his mouth to hers and plunged her tongue into its cool chamber. He gasped when she slid her tongue over his fangs, so she decided to be more brave. With each stroke of his fang, he grew harder inside his jeans so she increased the motion and force in which she rubbed against him. In frustration, he pulled her tighter against him and pierced her tongue with his fangs. Her blood flowed freely into his mouth and he bathed in the passion and need from the woman in his arms. She needed more. She wanted him, all of him and he would deny her nothing. Nick shook his head to clear the images from his mind and came back to reality. He stared at the empty bag in his hand while he sat with his back against the cabinet on the floor. He tossed it away angrily, because it hadn't been her. The blood he craved was Natalie's. No one else would stop this incessant longingly in his body. He had to leave before he killed her, even if it meant hurting her in the process. He looked up to find her standing across the room. Part 2 "Nick?" His name was like a melody on her lips and his dream danced behind his mind's eye once more. His eyes turned golden as the lust he'd felt moments before returned full force. She stepped closer unafraid of him and he marveled at how much she trusted him. Foolish, she was foolish to trust him. "NO!" Nick pushed himself back against the cabinet and closed his eyes. "You have to go, Natalie! Please go!" His words were filled with anguish as he fought the increasing need and desire building inside his body. He wanted her, beyond all rational thought. It was becoming almost a primal need for survival and his breath caught in his throat as he struggled. She had to leave. It wasn't safe for her here...not now, not ever. Anger and disgust overwhelmed the human side of his soul, but he knew how strong the vampire was. Nat refused to listen and knelt down in front of him. "No." The simple word echoed through his mind and her heart ached to watch him in such pain. She reached to touch him and he grasped her hands in mid- air. Red eyes filled with lust and a power beyond this world greeted her. "Is this what you want?" He growled, then pulled her into his arms. "You want the beast to consume you, devour the warmth within you, until all that is left is a black hole that was once your soul." His fangs dropped and he brought his lips close to hers but did not let them touch. "This is what I am, Natalie...and I have needs. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for them, for this incessant desire to consume your very life? To make you a part of me for all eternity in the darkness." Nick let the evil within him radiate outward in an attempt to scare her. "You don't frighten me, Nick Knight. The man within you controls the beast, and I know that even if you don't." She leaned into his lips, then kissed him softly. The cool feel of his skin on her hot lips made her flush with desire. Tentatively she pushed her tongue into his mouth and deepened the kiss, feeling his fangs for the first time. A groan of despair escaped his throat, and he plunged his tongue back into her mouth pulling her hard against him at the same time. Their tongues dueled in a fight for supremacy until she wrapped her tongue around his fangs. Slowly she sliced the delicate tissue of her tongue and let him taste her. Immense pleasure surrounded her when he sucked the first drop of her blood into his mouth. Desire, lust, warmth, love, anger, fear, need overwhelmed her at once and she gasped at the intensity. Such warmth and love engulfed him with the sweet taste of her blood. Passion laced with lust and need raged within her and something more, then she pulled away. The beast wanted more, but the man felt her uncertainty and fear. He released her abruptly and pushed her away fighting for control. When her eyes met his they were filled with pain. Tears pooled behind her eyes and she fought to keep them from destroying what pride she had left. She'd been a fool. Why did she think Nick would want her after tasting her blood. She wasn't beautiful or sexy, she was just his doctor...his friend. Once again she'd read more into the relationship because she'd wanted it so badly. She pushed herself away and fought the tears threatening to spill down her cheek. She wouldn't do this. She had some pride left. She turned and ran to the stairwell. He caught her before she pulled it open. "Natalie, it's not what you think!" He tried to make her face him, but she fought. "Stop, Nick. Just let me go!" She sobbed when he forced her to face him. "Let me go. Go to Janette and let her take care of your needs like she always does." She turned back to the door and fled down the steps. He caught her at the car. "Natalie, stop this." He was torn between his love for her and his own desires. If he loved her, he should let her go, but not like this...Not with so much pain. He touched the blood on his hand from her lips and let her memories become his. Always the good student, always the one people came to for help, but always second to the pretty girls. Never once had a man loved her for who she was instead of what she could give them and he was no different. She felt foolish, abandoned, betrayed by her own body's needs to be loved by the man she loved. "Natalie, don't do this. What I feel for you is...." "Just stop, Nick. I know we are JUST FRIENDS! This is my fault. I read more into it than what was there. I was a fool to try and make it something else." She jerked the car door open as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She couldn't look at him. Pain and loneliness overwhelmed her and she gasped for breath as she fought the fear inside her. Nick grabbed the door. "No, Nat! I know what you think and you're wrong. I..." Her tear filled eyes met his with acceptance in them. "You are my friend, Nick. Nothing will change that." She pulled the car door shut and turned on the engine. He grabbed for the door handle put she pulled away out into the night. "Natalie! Don't do this!" He screamed as she drove off. He could follow her but it would only make things worse. He pushed into the emotions and memories of her blood and let himself drift until he finally understood. It wasn't fear of him that made her pull away, but fear of rejection. Nick growled in frustration. She thought he didn't love her. She wasn't pretty enough, she wasn't sexy enough for him to love. She compared herself to Janette and with the knowledge that Nick had loved her and lived as man and wife with Janette for almost 100 years made Natalie feel inadequate. She felt foolish, lonely and her need to be with him was almost as out of control as Nick's was for her. Tears spilled down his cheeks and he finally dropped to his knees and wept for them both. What had he done? ----------------- LaCroix had sensed the building need within his son over the past several months. Usually Nick was smart enough to overcome it and give into his baser needs, but not this time. He'd refused Janette's offer of blood and sex, he turned Urs away without a thought and actually threatened Alma if she came onto him again. It was the good doctor. The man and the beast both craved only one thing. The tension and pain within Nicholas tonight was almost unbearable between their link, and he had tolerated it long enough. He landed softly below the good doctor's window just after she'd parked her car and fled up the stairs to the quiet confines of her lonely apartment. Nat tossed the keys on the counter and scooped Sydney into her arms and still the tears would not stop. "Mommy's a fool again, Syd." She buried her face into his shiny soft coat and gave into the despair that overwhelmed her. "How touching, Doctor." LaCroix's lilting, yet sarcastic voice oozed across the room. Not even startled, Natalie raised her head from Sydney and stared into LaCroix's cold heartless eyes. She was no longer afraid of dying. It was living without Nick that terrified her. "Go away, LaCroix. Unless you've come to kill me and relieve me of this misery...get out!" Anger laced her voice as she stood and walked over to him. She released Sydney and stood silently hoping he'd take all her decisions away. "Interesting proposition, Doctor. I find it amusing that my son has decided to give up something so rare and beautiful. Usually he doesn't have that kind of control, so I think that makes you even more valuable, more desirable. He once took what was mine, so now I claim his in return." He moved behind her in the time it takes to breathe and she didn't move. He grasped her from behind and plunged his fangs deep within her neck. The first taste of her blood was ambrosia filled with love and warmth. The goodness within her danced and surrounded him with immense pleasure and he drank deeper. She never struggled but completely surrendered to him. Passion and lust laced with something so overwhelming he almost gasped with the intensity of it. Her love for Nicholas crashed through him like a tidal wave engulfing the shoreline. Her memories, desires and need for his son made him jealous. He would claim it all for himself and force his cold, lifeless existence back upon her, then he felt the resolve. She was becoming weaker, fading off into oblivion toward the light and he knew she would not return for him. He released her neck and she collapsed in his arms. He slashed his wrist knowing full well she would not return into the darkness to be a part of him. She had chosen death as an escape from the pain in her heart. He pressed his wrist to her lips but she refused to drink. "Drink, Doctor! Drink or you shall never see Nicholas again. Is that what you want?" He growled into her ear, but still she refused to take anything from him. Her heart was slowing. It would be over soon. LaCroix screamed in frustration, knowing full well if she died, Nicholas would walk into the sun. He picked her limp body up and flew straight through the window. Part 3 ----------- "Nick! It's Reese. I just got a call from the hospital. They have Natalie in intensive care. I think you should get over there." Nick stared at the receiver in his hand like it was an alien object. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Captain." Nick slammed the receiver down and looked at the closed electronic shutters. It was past dawn. Finally he picked up the receiver and dialed for a taxi. Five minutes later, the taxi pulled into his garage as directed and Nick closed the door. The driver stepped out of the car. "Look, mister. I ain't got much cash on me and I'm not into that kinky stuff." Fear laced his voice. Nick walked to him and locked onto his heartbeat. "You will let me ride in your trunk to the hospital. When you get there you will pull into the underground garage and release the trunk. You won't think it's odd and you will be thrilled with the $50 tip I give you. Do you understand?" The cab driver repeated it to him until Nick was satisfied and he hopped into the trunk. He wrapped a heavy blanket around him in case any light seeped through the cracks in the trunk and they were off. ------------- Nick raced down the hall to intensive care. "Where is Doctor Natalie Lambert?" He questioned the nurse at the desk. "I'm sorry, Sir, but no one is allowed to see Doctor Lambert except immediate family." Sad eyes met his. "Look, Nurse Allen." Nick read her nametag. "I'm as close as Natalie gets to family. She doesn't have any relatives except a 10 year old niece. I'm also a police officer." Nick flashed her his badge. The nurse looked at the pain and need in Nick's eyes and relinquished. "She's in ICU 4. I'll show you the way. They don't know how she's alive at this point, nor whether there will be any brain damage." She opened the door and Nick stopped and took a deep breath at the sight of her. The nurse watched his reaction and felt the pain within him. "I'll tell the doctor you're here. He can explain everything to you. Maybe you can help make some decisions." She turned and walked out leaving Nick standing alone and helpless in front of the one he loved. Slowly he walked to her side watching the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest being forced by life support. The machines and monitors forced blood and oxygen into her weakened body. Nick had seen enough medical equipment to know that Nat's vital signs were barely there, even with the help of the machinery attached to her. "Oh, Nat, what have I done to you?" He picked up her hand feeling the slight warmth to the skin and collapsed to his knees at her bedside. He held onto her hand and laid his head on it gently and wept until there were no more tears, only despair and loneliness. Strong arms surrounded him from the back and helped him to his feet, but Nick refused to take his eyes off of her limp form in the dimly lit room glowing from the iridescent green lights on the monitors. The doctor remained behind him perfectly satisfied not to confront the man face to face. He could feel the grief and pain from the door when he entered, and he really didn't look forward to causing the man more. "I'm sorry, Detective, but you have to know the facts." The doctor took a deep breath before he continued, knowing full well it was not what the young man needed to hear right now. He obviously had deep feelings for the young woman on the bed. "I'm afraid Doctor Lambert has suffered a severe blood loss. When she arrived at the hospital her heart was barely beating and her vital signs were almost non-existent. We have done everything we can for her and we are maintaining her on full life support until we can get her blood pressure back to an acceptable level. If she survives, and I do mean if, there may be brain damage. We have no idea how long she was at this state before she arrived here. Apparently someone tried to slice her neck open and she managed to escape. A tall, older gentlemen brought her in and then disappeared. I wish I had better news for you, but all we can do now is wait and see if she can pull through. You being here will probably help. May I suggest you talk to her and let her know you are here. They say people in comas can sometimes hear their loved ones." The doctor stepped around Nick and headed for the door. When he reached the door, he turned once more. "I'm sorry, Detective. It's obvious you and the Doctor were close. I wish there was more we could do." He stepped into the hall and closed the door. ------------------ Nick pulled up a chair and sat down to wait. Sometime late in the afternoon he drifted off to sleep with his cheek resting on her hand and his hand resting lightly on her shoulder. It had been LaCroix collecting his debt, that much he knew. Nick pushed the anger aside to concentrate on Natalie. He'd told he loved her a dozen times, and began reading 'Great Expectations.' His voice seemed to comfort her and that was enough right now. He would deal with LaCroix later. Natalie needed him. It was almost dusk when the doctor returned. He pushed open the door to find Nick asleep at his patient's side. Surprise registered on his face as her vital signs had stabilized. He turned off the life support machine and Nick was instantly awake. "What is it?" Nick voice cracked with the fear he'd been fighting all day. "Take it easy, Detective." The doctor motioned toward the monitors. "Her vital signs have stabilized, and I want to see if she can handle it on her own now." Both men stared at the monitors and Nick heard Nat take her first breath without assistance. He brought his attention back to her and listened to her heart. It was beating on its own, both strong and regular. The doctor leaned over with his stethoscope and listened intently to both her lungs and heart, then smiled. "It sounds good." He turned optimistic eyes toward Nick. "I think she's out of the woods now, but there's still the chance of brain damage. We will move her to a private room and wait until she awakens. That may be days yet, or never, Detective. You should go home and get some rest. We'll call you if there's any change." "Thank you, doctor." Nick reached over and clasped his hand tightly. "But if it's alright, I'd like to stay a little longer...." His eyes drifted back to Nat's small form now breathing on her own. "Just in case she comes around. I'd like to be here." The doctor smiled and nodded his approval. "I'm sure that would be comforting to her. You seem to have done her good so far." He smiled then returned to work. ----------------- Nick breathed a sigh of relief and clasped her hand once more in his and sat back down to wait and pray for another miracle. Moments later the air stirred slightly and Nick became instantly enraged. When he looked up his eyes glowed and his fangs descended. "How touching, Nicholas. Pity you weren't this attentive in the first place, maybe the situation would have turned out differently." LaCroix's smug smile only served to add fuel to the already burning fire. Nick attacked without so much of a stirring of wind. He slammed LaCroix hard up against the wall. "How dare you show up here." Nick growled at his sire as he tightened his hold on LaCroix's throat. "I will kill you for this, but not here." Nick stepped back, released him and let the rage he felt pour over his sire. "Get used the to feel of it, LaCroix. That's all you will receive from me until I kill you. If she dies or is harmed in any way, you are a dead man within the hour." Nick let his hatred pour through there link as well as the determination within him. LaCroix straightened, regained his composure, then suddenly poured his ancient energy and power over his son. He would not tolerate his insolence any longer. Electricity flooded their link causing intense pain within Nick, but he refused to back down...not this time. This time his own anger was greater than anything LaCroix could dish out. This time, he would stand the fires of hell to protect Natalie and take revenge upon the evil that darkened the light within her. "Your anger is so hypocritical, Nicholas, since it was you who caused her state in the first place." Nick was on him in seconds slamming him back up against the wall. "You, Son of a Bitch! It was you who drained her in an effort to control me ." He slammed LaCroix's head against the wall. "It's your fault she's lying near death and may never be the same, all because you couldn't have me to yourself. It wasn't even out of revenge for Fleur. It was strictly because you wanted me all to yourself! You want to possess me, hurt me in anyway you can because it gives you some sick sense of power. If you can't control it, then destroy it. That's always been your motto." LaCroix grabbed both Nick's hands on his collar and forced him to his knees in front of him. "No, Nicholas it was YOU who did this." He let his eyes drift to Natalie's still form. "It was you who let her fall in love with you, yet you didn't love her enough to bring her across. It was you who broke her heart to the point she preferred to die instead of live. I only tried to correct your mistake, but she refused to come back from the light for me, so if she dies it's YOUR fault NOT mine." He released Nick's wrists and watched the pain etch itself into his son's face. He felt only a slight tinge of regret. "You should have left a long time ago, Nicholas but you couldn't anymore than I could with Fleur. Now maybe you will know what true Hell feels like." LaCroix watched Nick fight with his emotions and relived the memories from Natalie's blood. He only prayed that Fleur had felt the same about him all those centuries ago. If she had maybe he could finally go on. "I suggest you get used to that feeling, Nicholas. It doesn't go away." LaCroix turned, then disappeared as he came. --------------- It was the third day and Nick hadn't left Natalie's side. His body was beyond the stage of need now. He was slowing starving himself in penance for his crimes. Her body was in a state of stasis and they monitored her regularly in her now private room. All her bodily functions were working normally but her mind had not returned. The doctor was not hopeful. He suspected the lack of blood to the brain had destroyed most of her cognitive functions and she would never recover. Nick laid down on the bed beside her and held her in his arms and cried bitter tears of regret. LaCroix had been right. This was all his fault. If he'd left when he knew she was becoming attached to him, this would have never happened. If he'd just told her how much he loved her maybe this wouldn't have happened either. He caressed her silken skin, then ran his fingers through her auburn tresses spread out on the pillow underneath her like a fan. "I should have told you, Nat. I should have told you how much I loved you but I wanted to protect you, but instead I did this to you. All this time I used the excuse that if we got too close I'd lose control, when all along it was because I felt I wasn't good enough for you to love. How could you love me after all the things I've done. I was scared to let you see it...feel it. I was scared you'd run like hell, and I didn't think I could survive it. So I just kept you at arm's length." He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. "I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I only wanted to love you but...no, that's not true either." He laid his cheek next to hers. "I just wanted you to love the man underneath the vampire and I was terrified you couldn't. I am so scared that I'm not stronger than the vampire." Nick wrapped his arms around her tiny form and pulled her close. Cradling her there, he rocked gently as he confessed it all. "The past few months my need for you was getting out of control. I knew the vampire would kill you, but I still couldn't leave because the man needed you too. So instead of doing the right thing and leaving, I told myself that staying away from you just a bit would protect you." Nick continued to rock her in his arms and the tears flowed freely down his cheeks. "I can't live without you, Nat. I don't want to live without you." He kissed the top of her head. "I think you're with God now in the light and I won't be seeing you there. I know that, but I can't stay here and watch your body wither and die. I'm a coward...forgive me." Nick let his fangs drop and he sliced one of her wrists, then his own. "I should have let you see all that I was, feel all that I felt for you. Maybe it's too late, but I want you to know what's in my heart and maybe God will let you feel this." He wrapped his wrist around hers and let their blood mingle for the first time. "Forgive me, God, for being so weak and causing her to give up. Just let her feel how much I truly loved her. Let her know that she was the most beautiful thing in my life and I treasured ever minute we spent together. I know it's not a good thing in your eyes, but I will love her forever and when I'm in Hades paying for all the wrongs I've done, I'll treasure every minute I had with her." Nick let go of his emotions and let them pass freely in his blood into her frail body as she lay limply in his arms. Her love and warmth for him surrounded him in a feeling of euphoria and he finally knew what true regret was. The sun was starting to rise over the building across from them and Nick made no move to close the shades. As the first rays of the sun kissed his skin and the pain began, he removed his wrist from hers and laid her gently back on the bed, then covered her up. His skin began to smoke and the pain intensified, yet he still did not move out of the light. He kissed her one last time and stepped toward the open window. The morning sun crested the building and burned into the window and the fire within him erupted into flames of torture, but still he refused to move. "Nick, please don't go." Her words were but a whisper and he turned as the sun continued to blister his skin. "I love you too, Nick, and I can't live without you either. Love me enough to stay with me and find a way for us to be together." Her blue eyes begged his and she reached out to him. He took her hand and stepped out of the window. Part 4 ------------ "Close the shades, Nick...Stay with me. Love me the way I love you and we'll find a way to be together." She could feel the sun still burning into him as his hand held hers in the sunlight. Nick stared in amazement at the feel of her warmth and love that passed between the tiny link between them and he fell to his knees at her side. "Please, Nick, close the shades. If you love me, stay with me." A single tear of doubt slid silently down her cheek and Nick reached into the pain of the sun and closed the shade. His face and hands were blistered but the fire within was now out. He sat down on the bed, then pulled her into his arms and wept. "I love you, Natalie. Forgive me for being so stupid. This is all my fault..." She kissed his neck and wrapped tired arms around him. "No, Nick. This is both our faults and we've been given a second chance. We both have been alone so long, we forgot the other has needs. Needs that only each other can fulfill. Let me be a part of you. Let the love you have for me heal my heart and let mine for you make you whole. I know what the vampire's capable of, but I want the love of the man and I think he's stronger." Her eyes filled with tears as she met his. "Let me feel you again, let me feel the love and beauty within you. I need it as sure as I need air to breathe and only you can save me." "I don't know what it will do to you, Natalie." Fear laced his voice and etched his eyes. "It doesn't matter as long as you love me, Nick." She ran her fingertips down his face and rested them on his lips. "I will live in the darkness with you or in the light, as long as we are together." She offered him her wrist and once more he sliced it with his fangs and then his own. All uncertainty gone now, he placed their wrists together, clasped her hand in his and found her lips. Warmth, peace and love bound them together, and healed them both. Exhaustion finally claimed their battered bodies and they slept. ----------- The doctor opened the door to find them sleeping in each others arms. The nurses had checked them earlier and refused to bother them. They had become personally involved with the couple and prayed for her recovery every day. True love was rare anywhere and even in the middle of chaos and death it was recognizable and enviable. The doctor himself only hoped his wife loved him half as much as the young detective loved the woman on the bed. Nick opened his eyes when the doctor's heartbeat pounded furiously in his brain and he was immediately awake. The vampire was ravenous, but the man was in control. Nat believed that and so would he. He sat up, then rose off the bed. "I see you've made some sleeping arrangements, Detective." The doctor smiled then noticed Natalie's bright blue eyes shining at him and he gasped. Immediately, he pulled out his stethoscope and started to listen. Natalie placed her hand over his as he held it to her heart. "Trust me when I tell you I feel fine." The doctor stared into her clear eyes and listened to her heart beat strong and hard, then he noticed the wound on her neck was almost completely healed. He pulled the bandage away for a closer inspection and stared in disbelief. Natalie sat up in the bed. "Miracles do happen, doctor. I think I'm ready to go home now." She stared at the doctor who stood completely baffled. "I don't understand any of this and I don't think I even want to try, but you seem fine. If you can tell me what country you are in and what year it is, I'll release you." Nat smiled and patted his hand. "I'm in Toronto, Canada and it's 1995. I'm a medical examiner for the city and I've known Detective Knight her for almost 7 years. Can I go home now?" She waited and Nick grabbed her hand for support. "I'll agree but only if he stays with you for a couple of days. I don't want you alone in case you fall or something. Understood?" Relief shown in his eyes as he spoke. He just loved a happy ending. ------------ After grabbing a taxi, they stopped at Nat's apartment for clothes, Sydney and her car. Finally after a quick trip to the grocery mart, they pulled into Nick's garage. Sydney had been delighted to see his Mother although Jill had been great about feeding and changing his litter pan while Nat was in the hospital. Nick carried the groceries and Nat's bag as Natalie clutched the purring furball in her arms. The rode the lift up in comfortable silence as Nat caressed Sydney. Nick watched her closely looking for any signs of change from his blood, but aside from her wound healing quickly and her stamina returning full strength, she was unchanged. She turned to find him staring and smiled. Without a second thought, she leaned over and kissed him softly. "I feel fine, Nick, and I'm still here." He sat her bag on the floor with one hand and pulled her into his embrace while he held the groceries with the other. He kissed the top of her head, then her nose and finally her lips. He'd stopped at the blood bank and hypnotized the lab tech into letting him have several units of blood while Natalie got through the release papers. It was a start for his starved body but he would need to drink a lot more if he were going to share his loft with Nat without draining her. The feel of her lips on his coupled with the steady beating of her heart both thrilled the man and enticed the vampire, but he refused to pull away. He had to make a stand if they were going to defeat the monster within him. She sensed it immediately and broke the kiss. "That was a step in the right direction. You didn't give into it that time." She smiled knowingly then frowned and stared at Nick in awe. "I could actually feel you, Nick. I mean, it was like I could feel the vampire rise within you and you pushed it back." She stared at him in amazement. "Is that what it's like when you share blood with another vampire? You feel everything they feel? How long does it last?" Her analytical mind and her curiosity were peeked once again. "Nick traced her face with his finger lightly and smiled. "No, Natalie, it's not like that with every vampire you share blood with. This is different. You can feel me, and I you even when we aren't blood connected. When vampires share blood during sex, they can feel and relive what's in the others blood while the act is committed, but when the blood flow between them ceases so does the connection. The only time a vampire can feel another is through a blood bond caused by bringing them across, like LaCroix and Janette. I could feel the connection between them because of their combined efforts to bring me across, but you are still mortal. Your heart beats and you are filled with the warmth of life in the sun. This is new. I don't know what to tell you. You shouldn't be able to feel me and I should only be able to be connected to you for a short period of time until your blood disappears from my system." The lift stopped and she leaned into him and kissed him soundly. "Good! At least I'm different than all the rest. That makes me feel a bit better, considering how many women you've had in 800 years." She rolled her eyes in mocked disgust and stepped out of the lift into the loft. "Nat?" He pulled her bag in and sat the groceries on the table before he followed her into the room. She'd placed Syd on the floor and he was off in a flash to discover his temporary home. She turned concerned blue eyes to Nick's when she heard the tension in his voice. "Does it bother you the number of woman I've shared blood with over the centuries? I mean I thought you wanted to know it all." He actually held his breath afraid of the answer. He couldn't lose her now. She walked backed to the table and stood only inches from him before she spoke. "I'd be lying, Nick to say I wasn't jealous of them and you'd know it...but they are in your past, not now...not our future. I just needed to know I was different. I just needed to know that what you feel for me is different than a one night stand or momentary bloodlust. I've never been very good at relationships because they always wanted me to be something I wasn't. I need to know that you love me for what and who I am, not because of what I can give you. I guess it's those old insecurities coming out. I for the life of me can't understand why you would pick me over Janette or a half dozen other woman who've thrown themselves at you since we've met. I guess I'm..." He silenced her with a kiss. Finally letting her come up for air, he broke it off. "You are the kindest, most truly beautiful person I have ever known. You are not only pretty but you don't even know it. You've spent your entire life trying to help people at great personal cost to yourself not seeking any reward. The love within you surrounds anyone who is willing to accept it, yet you can't see how sexy that makes you. What I feel for you is beyond anything I've ever experienced in my life...and it scares the hell out of me. I love you but even more than that, I respect you just as you are. You are everything I ever wanted to be in my lifetime. I can't believe how lucky I am to have you here in my house, in my arms, and that you love me in spite of my little problem. Sometimes it makes me doubt my sanity or at least yours." He chuckled as he watched her smile. "Well then maybe we both have some adjustments to go through and maybe I need to learn to see me through your eyes and you through mine. Maybe that's where we start." She looked hopefully into his eyes. "But first, I'm going to take a hot shower and you need to eat something." She kissed him softly once more. "I don't want you snacking on me unless I get equal treatment." Mischief filled her eyes and he loved it. "Okay, you get the shower first but don't use all the hot water. I'm sure I'm getting pretty rank by now." He swatted her on the rear and she bolted up the steps laughing. Nick headed straight for the refrigerator. After the second bottle of LaCroix's special reserve that he'd had sent over while they checked out of the hospital, he finally took Nat's bag upstairs. He drained the 3rd bottle on the way back down and picked up the fourth. The warmth and sensual feel that human blood always gave him let him heal his starved body. By the time the fourth bottle was empty, he'd unloaded all the groceries and was fixing Nat a sandwich. He could feel her heartbeat increase when she turned at the top of the landing. She watched him intently from the top of the stairs while she stood motionless under his gaze. Her hair was brushed wild around her face and she wore her tan topcoat. He eyed her closely as she started down the stairs and noted she wore black high heels and no nylons. She stopped two steps from the bottom and let the trench coat open, revealing nothing but bare skin beneath. Two more steps and she dropped the coat on the floor revealing a long cut from her neck to her breast and a matching one near her groin. Nick gasped in recognition. She stood before him just as he'd seen her in his dreams, and the vampire reacted immediately. His fangs dropped and a low growl emanated from deep within him, but the man lusted after more. His eyes devoured her from a distance and she slowly massaged the wound above her breast making it bleed freely. The sweet intoxicating scent flooded the room and the vampire was lost to it. Slowly she rubbed the blood over her breast, then down to her groin where she made the cut there bleed freely. Each step was an enticement and her eyes beckoned to him for something more. She smeared the blood over her mound with such slow rhythmical motion causing herself to moan deep within her throat from the pleasure of it. He was by her side instantly. He placed his hands over hers and let gold eyes stare into blue. "Tell me, Natalie, you know what you're doing!" The blood on her hands was sticky and wet and called to the vampire, but the soft warmth of the woman beckoned the man to take control. "I have needs too, Nick." She pushed his hand over mound wanting him to feel more than the blood. "Feed the vampire, Nick, but let the man love me." He slipped two fingers inside her wet core and crushed his lips to hers. She surrendered to the feel of him and opened herself up to the raw need within them both. He massaged her clit with his fingers, then pushed deep within her. His fingers retreated and plunged back into her while his tongue raked havoc inside her mouth. His fangs nicked her lip and he sucked her sweet life force within him...He wanted more. The motion of his hand created such pleasure within her groin she moaned his name inside his mouth. Each drop of her blood created a burning need within him for more. He thought he would die from the sheer pleasure of it. She sliced her tongue on his fangs and let him suck the nectar into his mouth as his hand drove her onward to a peak of pure carnal lust. She wanted him deep within her. She wanted the man and the vampire to love her totally, completely, without hesitation. She ran her hands down his hard stomach over his groin and felt his turgid cock growing with each stroke of his fingers within her. In panting breaths she broke away from his lips. "Live your dream, Nick. Set us both free from our needs." She stared into his eyes while she unzipped his jeans, then freed his manhood. The warmth of her fingers on his cold shaft sent shivers through him, then he locked eyes with hers. "I need all of you, Natalie. You have to understand that." "Do you love me, Nick?" Her hands stopped the motion on his shaft long enough for him to answer. "I will love you for all eternity, Nat. Whether in darkness or light, I can't live without you. Let me show you how much I love you." His golden eyes begged for her consent. "Then feed the vampire, Nick, and let the man make love to me. Tonight I won't settle for less." She pulled his mouth down to her blood- smeared breast and pressed it into his willing lips. He picked them up and flew upstairs. He laid her down on the black silk sheet and removed his own clothes. He gave into the vampire and licked the blood trailing down her leg from the wound above her groin. Light caresses from his fingers kneaded the wound making it bleed freely, then he licked it greedily. Each stroke of his tongue caused more pleasure than the one before and she urged him on. She buried her hands in his silky blond hair when his mouth found her clit. He spread her labia with his fingertips finding the nub of sheer pleasure and sucked gently. She gasped from his attention and pushed herself harder into his eager mouth With a slow swirling motion of his tongue, he caressed the nub until she ached with need, then he sucked harder. He nicked it with his fangs and she screamed his name in ecstasy. Her juices flowed freely and he lapped them greedily. He alternated between sucking her blood from the wound on her clit and plunging his tongue into the wet chamber. She rose on the bed to give him better access riding the wave of pleasure he created. She groaned in frustration and still he tortured her. "Please, Nick. Please help me!" She panted now as his fingers worked their way to her breast, but his mouth continued to drive her upward. The wound over he neck and breast bled openly now covering her upper torso in blood. Nick rubbed it over her hardened nubs, then sucked her into a frenzy of need. The vampire wanted the fresh blood but the man wanted to taste her enjoyment. The man won out until she screamed his name in release and she plunged over the wall of sheer pleasure. Her juices flowed into his mouth and he couldn't get enough. The more he tasted the more he wanted. She contracted around his tongue and finally he released her. Slowly he licked his way toward her breast, tasting each droplet of blood, savoring the warmth and love she felt for him. Yes, she loved the vampire as well as the man and they both craved her beyond rational thought. He racked his finger along her sides causing her to bleed openly and he licked them until they healed while his hard manhood rubbed against her inner thigh teasing her. She arched into him and tried to guide him into her wet core, but he clasped her hands in his. "No, Natalie! Let me love you. Let me feel all of you, taste you, please you, until you can't stand it anymore." He licked her breast, then blew on it creating such a tight feeling in her gut that she ached for fulfillment. He sucked on the nipple until it hardened in his mouth while he massaged the other with light caresses. She gasped when he nicked her now hard breast, and she moaned again when he sucked her precious life fluid into his very soul. "Oh, Nick please! Please don't torture me." The pleasure running through her body was almost painful but she wanted more. He raised above her and positioned his hard shaft between her thighs. With one lunge, he buried himself deep within her. "Nick!!!!!!!!" She screamed his name, then he began to move within her. Each stroke causing such delicious friction that she thought she'd died in his arms. He pulled out periodically to let the tip of his cock rub her clit, only to plunge back hard inside her. His lips dropped to the bleeding wound over her neck and breast and he licked and sucked her very soul into his. She pulled his head to her neck giving him full access while he continued to plunge deep within her. His body was reacting to hers with each stroke. Pleasure surrounded him as he buried himself inside her. The feel of the heat within her body and the love in her blood made him hurt to be a part of her. He'd forgotten what true lust had felt like and marveled at the need she had created within him. He grew harder with each stroke and he wanted nothing more than to make her pregnant with his child. The biological need of the man had overcome the needs of the vampire while his body sought its own release. She pulled her neck to his lips, taking all of his length deep inside her. They rode the wave of pleasure together until he touched her very core. A scream tore from her lips when her body began to contract around him. "Come with me, Nick! Please let me feel you." He pushed deeper within her and exploded. She pulled his head to her throat and he plunged his fangs deep into her willing neck. The first wave of her orgasm washed over him through her blood causing him to come again inside her, then he gave into the love within his heart. He let the love flow into her through his sperm and his blood, and for the first time in his life, he was content. Nothing had prepared him for this kind of emotion and he was both frightened and excited. He released her neck completely filled with her love and warmth. She had been right all along, his love for her was stronger than the vampire. She reached up to caress his face basking in the knowledge that she alone had created the serenity and spent passion in his eyes. How she wished to feel it again, be a part of it. Nick could feel the need within her as surely as his own. "Share it with me, Natalie...Share it all." He reached to his throat and sliced a thin line letting it bleed, then drew her lips to it. The first taste of his blood was sweet and warm and a bit salty. She licked his neck savoring the taste that was only Nick. Each drop beckoned to her like her addiction to chocolate, only this was different. It was the life force of the man she loved and she wanted to take it completely inside her. She sucked gently drawing his blood into her mouth and swallowed. A tingling sensation shot through her, then warmth and passion strong enough to take her breath away. Finally, she realized...it was what Nick felt. She wanted to feel more of it, so she sucked harder making him gasp for breath and pull her tighter against his neck. Pleasure shot through her more intense than anything she'd ever felt or dreamt of in her life. She realized it was Nick's love for her. Shocked, she broke away, then stared into his eyes. "How could you ever give that up, Nick? I have never felt anything so wonderful, so fulfilling, so erotic. It makes me want to suck you dry to possess it. I can't imagine what it must be like for you when the vampire takes control." She laid her forehead against his. "I thought I understood, but I didn't." She looked back into his eyes. "Forgive me and promise me that you will slap me if I push you too hard again." She continued to hold his face between her hands. "I don't know what will happen between us, Nick, but I want you to know that no one has ever made me happier. I love you!" Nick smiled, then wrapped his hands around hers. "There is nothing to forgive, Natalie. You were right. The man is stronger than the vampire if he wants to be. As far as what you felt, if it felt like this all the time I would never be able to give it up...but it doesn't. What I feel from you and you from me is unique. You not only satisfy the need in me, but you make me whole...and I will NEVER give you up. So be prepared to keep me." He smiled sheepishly. "My pleasure, Nick Knight. As long as I get repeat performances like that one, I might never let you out of this loft. How do you feel about taking a leave of absence for about a year? If you make love to me say 4 or 5 times a day, I might be able to be sane again by then." Love shown in her eyes and he found her lips once more. "I love that idea myself." He said as his hands began to caress her inner thigh and he began to harden deep within her. She moaned in appreciation when he began to move, and they started to ride the wave of desire once more. --------- Natalie awoke to an empty bed. It was sometime in the early afternoon. Strange how she could tell, but after so many years at night shift her internal clock was usually pretty accurate. They'd made love all night and into the early hours of morning, each taking and giving in return. Her body was sore but well loved and she enjoyed the feel of it. The peace in her heart made her sigh in contentment. She slipped Nick's silk pajama top on and headed out the bedroom door. She stood at the top of the steps and stared at the man she loved below. Miraculously, he stood in the open window bathed in the late afternoon rays of the sun. The sunlight made his hair glisten and shine like a living, breathing thing and her breath caught. "Nick?" She whispered and he turned filled with awe. "I don't understand, Nat. I can feel the vampire within me, but the sun...it doesn't burn." He pushed his arms out for her to see. "Something's different...I feel really strange." Natalie bounded down the stairs and flung herself into his arms. She laid her head on his chest and felt his heart beat once, twice, three times before it skipped a beat and started over. His skin was warm to the touch and oxygen flowed evenly through his lungs. "You're mortal, Nick!" She looked into his disbelieving eyes. "But I can still feel the vampire...I still want to drink your blood...I...." "Nick, the vampire is the evil within us all. Don't you understand? When the man loved the woman more than the vampire, you pushed the evil back where it belonged. Loving and being loved was the answer all along. You are mortal, my love, and I'm going to love you enough that the vampire shall never have control again." She pulled his lips to hers and he gave into the love in her heart. The End. All comments to: StormyNite**nitewind@www.plantnet.com** **NN Packer to the End ** Hopelessly Hopeful Romantic** **Light Cousin***MadNatter*** X-File DieHard***Xenite**GWDFC** ******Only Love is Forever and Death Shall Have No Dominion******* >http://ns.plantnet.com/~nitewind/Main.html >http://ns.plantnet.com/~nitewind/Fiction2.html