Followup to my story "Afterglow". 
Standard disclaimers: I don't own Nick, Nat, or
Janette. 

Permission to archive at: FTP site, fkfanfic.com,
fkfanfic2.com given.
====================================
Promise of a Dream

Ambling toward the desk with a cup of bloodwine in his
hand, Nick ran a hand through his wavy hair. The cool
misty Paris air caressed him through the window open
to the night. He stopped next to the window and saw
the lights on the Eiffel Tower shining over the water.
The lights had always seemed to signal hope in
centuries past; now they were cold reminders of a life
he didn't want but couldn't seem to end. Technology in
the early twentieth century was electricity; at least
in the twenty-first century technology was yielding
him some answers to his questions and he was closer to
his humanity. Sighing, he turned, sat down at the desk
and opened up his laptop. He sipped the despised blood
as his computer booted up. He logged on at the prompt
and opened his Outlook. 

His eyebrows shot up and his heart beat in his chest
twice when he saw his first email. It was from
Natalie. He smiled, then opened the short message. 

"I heard this and thought of you. I'm happy with my
family, but a piece of me is always with you. Take
care, all my love."

He saw there was an mp3 file attached and he listened
to the sweet and tender lyrics of the song, titled
Afterglow.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he replayed the song
several times through, then saved it to his hard
drive. He got up and walked back to the open window,
staring out into the night. He heard laughter and the
lilt of evening strollers overlaying the ever-present
beat of humanity's heart. He looked at the clock and
saw that it was still early, barely seven. 

He had promised Natalie that he would keep working
toward a cure, and he had kept that promise. Some of
the avenues science had opened up were promising, but
the one thing that he had been exploring the most
heavily was something that he should have told Natalie
over a decade ago. Indirectly, the line of research
had almost cost her her life, and it had caused him to
leave behind the happiest time in his life in several
hundred years. 

Closing his eyes he cast his senses out to see if he
could sense Janette. A faint presence at the back of
his mind quivered, but she was not near enough to get
more than a slight impression of her. He sighed and
went back to the desk, pulling the phone toward him.
He dialed a number in California, knowing that the day
was just beginning there. 

"De Brabant Life Sciences, how may I direct your
call?" 

Nick smiled faintly. "Hello, Doctor Fitzgerald please.
This is Nick Trent." 

"Thank you Mr. Trent, please hold." Muzak came on the
phone, a pallid version of "Jamie's Got a Gun". Nick
snorted, making a mental to note to suggest to the
director that they update their musical choices. 

"Mr. Trent, I'm happy to hear from you. I was going to
contact you next week. I've made an interesting
breakthrough I think you will find most satisfactory."
The excitement in the researcher's voice was
unmistakable. 

Nick perked up at the news. "Really? What sort of a
breakthrough?"

"I've isolated a unique enzyme from the host sample. I
think it may be what we have been looking for." 

Nick gripped the phone tighter. "Doctor Fitzgerald,
I'll be there tomorrow evening. Please don't share
this information with anyone." 

"Excellent. I look forward to hearing from you."

Nick hung up the phone and turned back to his
computer, booking a flight from Paris to Santa Barbara
leaving at midnight. He checked his watch. He would
just have enough time to pack and get to the airport
for the international flight. He closed the laptop,
packing it up. He hurried to the bedroom and master
bath in order to shower and get ready for his flight.
It was ironic that the blood of his immortal love
might be the answer to attaining his mortal soulmate.
================================
Yeah, yeah, I won't keep you hanging *too* long, I
promise :)

Kristen Fife 4/21/2006 all rights reserved. 

"The price for this gift is the darkness of the night,
and the blood of humanity to sustain you."
 -THICKER THAN WATER, Kristen Fife in progress
See my blog at http://spaces.msn.com/members/landinn/