These Three
by Kristen Fife

Well, here is my longest fic yet. Took me several
weeks, lots of hours, etc. I think it will fit nicely
into the request for a virtual 4th season that I just
saw :)

MANY MANY MANY Thanks to Maggie and Ang for beta
reading this. 

Usual disclaimers: I don't own the FK characters, they
belong to Sony/Tristar. Any new characters are my own
creation (I don't want to give you any spoilers, but
there is one very special new mortal and several
vampires.)

This story takes place mostly in Portland, OR. I lived
there, so I'm familiar with the area. The places are
real, with the exception of the Elysium and the house
on SW Timmons.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy!
====================================

So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the
greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Portland, OR

2003

She looked up from the electron microscope, and
realized it was time to go home. She put away the
research materials and packed up her laptop.  Grabbing
her raincoat, she headed out into the soft spring
rain. It was still light outside, one of the
advantages to having an early schedule. As she pulled
out of the parking garage and wound her way down the
hill leading away from the Oregon Health and Sciences
University research complex, she turned on the radio. 
The Dixie Chick's remake of "Landslide" came on. She
smiled fondly.

Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life

Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my
life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too

So many changes in the last ten years. So many
wonderful and terrible moments.

She pulled into the parking lot of the preschool,
parked her car and got out. As she was walking up to
the building, a small whirlwind raced out, pink rain
slicker shedding water, a long ponytail flying behind.
"Mama, Mama, Mama, I made a DINOSAUR today! Come SEE!"

She bent down just in time to avoid being bowled over
by her five year old daughter as Nancy, her pre-school
teacher, followed her, a smile on her face. "She
really did do a great job. She's been waiting all
afternoon just to show it to you."

Picking up her squirming daughter, she grinned. "Well,
I guess I'll just need to see this amazing dinosaur,
now won't I?" Big blue eyes looked back at her, and a
miniature version of her own face smiled and nodded
back at her.

Nancy, still smiling, turned and led the mother and
daughter into the school. "This way, Natalie. You'll
be quite impressed with Nikki's work." 

Toronto, Ontario
1996

She woke up slowly, the hum of machines and the swish
of rubber-soled shoes telling her she was in a
hospital. She tried to remember what had happened. 
Suddenly, it all came rushing back. She tried to sit
up.

"Nick..." her voice croaked out as a hoarse whisper.

Just then a nurse was wandering by, and saw her
struggling to sit up. "Whoa, stay still. Let me call
Dr. Anderson." She gently pushed Natalie back down
before walking back out the door.

Natalie looked around her, trying to determine what
had happened. Her last memory was hazy. She remembered
Nick's fangs piercing her flesh, and the feelings that
accompanied that action. Images had started flashing
into  her mind. Images of Nick's past--- his far past
and his recent experiences. Then, everything went dim.
She vaguely remembered someone else in the loft, then
she was picked up. And she remembered a terrible
fatigue. Finally, darkness.

At that moment, a tired-looking woman in a white lab
coat came in. She looked to be in about her
mid-forties, with short dark hair. She picked up
Natalie's chart from the end of the bed, flipped
through it, and then looked at Natalie.

"Well, Dr. Lambert, you are finally awake.  You were
in a coma for almost three days. We were very worried
about you. I'm Dr. Louise Anderson. How do you feel?"

Natalie sighed. "I'm tired, but other than that I seem
to be ok." Her voice came out rather hoarse but
intelligible.

Dr. Anderson smiled. "Well, the lassitude is to be
expected. You had severe blood loss. We had to give
you almost 2 liters. How's your neck, any pain?"

Natalie concentrated and realized there was a dull
throbbing in her throat, just under her right ear. "It
aches, but it's manageable. I didn't even feel it
until you said something."

Dr. Anderson nodded. "Good. You're healing. Now, can
you tell me what happened? The gentleman that brought
you in gave us your name, then disappeared. No one
remembers seeing him leave. He told us you had been
attacked in an alleyway."

Natalie frowned. "No, I really don't remember anything
other than leaving work. I was going to stop by a
friend's place to give him some news, and that's all I
remember."

"OK, don't worry about it for now. The police have
been here every day to check on you. I'll give Captain
Reese a call and let him know that you're awake, he's
been calling three times a day checking in on you. You
should probably sleep some more. You've got a lot of
resting up to do." Dr. Anderson turned to leave.

"Uh, Doctor Anderson, the gentleman that brought me
in, what did he look like? I'm wondering if my friend
started looking for me and found me..."

Dr. Anderson nodded. "Tall, blond hair, older
gentleman. Is that your friend?"

Natalie shook her head. "No, that wasn't him. It must
have been a good Samaritan. Thanks."

Dr. Anderson left and Natalie started thinking.
Obviously LaCroix had brought her to the Emergency
Room after Nick had drained her. But where was Nick?
Was he OK? What had happened after she blacked out? As
her mind started swirling, she
felt...something...flutter in the back of her mind.
She tried to isolate it, but it eluded her. She
started falling asleep, her small reserve of strength
deserting her.

Nick felt Natalie stir in the back of his mind through
their shared blood link. It took every ounce of will
power he had not to push into the link and send her
feelings of love and reassurance. He shut his eyes,
fighting the blood tears that welled up in his eyes.
His ever-present guilt was now an almost overwhelming
constant in his life. He was deeply ashamed of himself
for what had happened with Natalie. He had almost
killed the one person that meant more to him than
anyone in the world ever had.

He looked around the loft at the dust cloths covering
what few belongings still remained. He had already
turned in his resignation at the station, and was only
waiting to make sure that Natalie was going to recover
before he moved on.  Distance was the only thing that
could assuage the ravening urge for Natalie's blood
that now burned within him; and even distance would
never truly calm his hunger. As long as Natalie lived,
they would share a blood link and Nick would crave
completion of the deed he had started...to drain her
life and make her one with him.

He returned to composing the letter he intended to
leave for her. Even calling her on the phone would be
too dangerous. Once he had finished the letter, he put
it in an envelope with two other pieces of paper and
sealed it, then placed it on the mantel. The last
thing he would do before he left Toronto would be to
deliver it, along with two very important objects, to
her apartment.

Three days later, Grace arrived at the hospital to
take Natalie home. After Natalie's "attack", Grace had
gone to her apartment to collect Sydney and take the
feline home with her.  As they rode home, Grace
couldn't help but notice how quiet and withdrawn
Natalie seemed. She knew Natalie had found out from
Captain Reese that Nick had resigned, and that when
she tried calling his home phone number the line had
been disconnected. In her own mind, Grace cursed
former Detective Nick Knight up one side and down the
other. If she ever saw him again, she intended to give
him a piece of her mind. The man had vanished just
when Natalie needed him the most. After her friend's
suicide and Tracy's death, then being the victim of a
vicious attack, Grace was seriously worried about
Natalie.

Granted, Nick was probably extremely upset about his
partner's death, but one would think he would want the
comfort that Natalie would be able to share with him.
Those two were in love with each other, and no one who
had ever seen them together was likely to think
otherwise. 

As they pulled up to Natalie's apartment building,
Grace parked her car and turned off the motor.

"Nat honey, I'd feel a lot better if you would come
over to my house for a few days. Sydney is still
there, and you know you are welcome to stay as long as
you want."

Natalie didn't look at her. She just stared out the
window into the darkening sky. Finally, she turned her
head and smiled weakly.

"Grace, thanks for the offer, but I'll be OK. I'll
come get Syd tomorrow. I just need some time at home."
She opened the car door and got out. She closed the
door behind her and trudged up the sidewalk to her
front door. 

Grace watched her, a look of worry on her face. But
she didn't say anything.   She considered following
Natalie, but decided to give her some space and call
her later that evening.

For her own part, Natalie was barely functional. When
she had found out about Nick's resignation, she had
immediately called the loft, only to discover that his
phone had been disconnected. In her heart she knew
what it meant. Nick had left, or would soon be
leaving, Toronto.  She wasn't sure she would be able
to go on with her life. Everyone she cared about was
either dead or gone. She had contemplated ending her
own existence, but she just didn't have a suicidal
nature. Her mind argued that without Nick and the work
she had done for him, she had no real purpose to her
life.

As she trudged up the steps to her apartment, tears
threatened, yet again. She opened the door and walked
into an empty home. Devoid even of the loving presence
of Sydney, the walls started to close in on her. She
got the door shut, then collapsed. She slid down the
door to the floor, sobs starting to rip her heart and
soul apart.

       


These Three 2/15

At the Raven, Nick sat in LaCroix's study staring at
the flames in the fireplace. Loneliness and pain were
constants, when suddenly he felt the ripping tear of
Natalie's grief. He cried out loud in anguish, just as
LaCroix entered the room. The ancient vampire strode
quickly over to him.

"Nicholas...what is it?" Concern tinged his voice; he
felt the pain emanating from his son like a physical
presence.

Nick fell into LaCroix's arms, blood tears streaming
down his face. "Natalie..." he whispered in anguish.

"Is she in danger?" LaCroix tried to discern the
nature of the pain.

"No...she's in agony. And it's all my fault. Why? Why
Nat? She never hurt anyone?" The sheer emotion in both
Nick's voice and their shared bond spurred LaCroix to
action.

Catching Nick's eyes with his own and exerting his
powerful will, he locked on to Nick. "Nicholas, listen
to me. You are going to sleep. You will sleep deeply
and without dreams until I awaken you." He blanketed
Nick with his will, and slowly Nick fell forward into
a stupor in his arms. LaCroix picked him up gently and
laid him on the chaise next to the fireplace. He
tenderly covered Nick with a blanket.

"Oh mon fils, I know what you feel. I miss your sweet
sister even now." He leaned down and tenderly laid a
kiss on Nick's forehead before turning to go out the
door.  Although the sun had barely traveled below the
horizon, LaCroix took to the air.

He landed lightly on Natalie's balcony and peered in.
Natalie was still on the floor in front of the door,
sobbing. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, her
arms hugging them to her body. Her head rested on her
knees, and her auburn hair spilled over her legs.
LaCroix silently opened the French doors to the
balcony and entered. He looked at the mortal before
him, and felt sympathy, an emotion he never expected
to feel for her.  Through her actions, and Nicholas,
his son was returned to him, their old debt paid. He
thought he would feel triumph, but all he felt was
compassion for the two lovers.

"Doctor Lambert. Please, I need to speak with you."
His voice was not loud, but it carried and pierced her
misery.

Natalie looked up and saw him. All her previous fear
and hatred of LaCroix was gone, replaced by the
knowledge that he knew what had happened to Nick. 
She stood up on shaky legs and approached him, her
face stained with the tracks of her tears, her eyes
filled with a haunted sorrow. He noted her paleness
and the bandage on her neck.

"LaCroix, where is he? Is he all right? Please, I need
to see him. Please..." Her voice trailed off as she
begged the master vampire to take her to Nick.

He held his arms open and she moved into them, the
tears starting yet again. She sobbed, but her strength
was rapidly failing her. LaCroix picked her up and
carried her over to the sofa. She was as light as a
doll in his arms, and her sorrow was pounding against
his mind. The strength of her feelings shocked him.
Through their shared links with Nick, he was able to
feel her. If his son was feeling even a portion of
what HE was, it was no wonder Nicholas was crippled.

"Shhh. I know it hurts. Let it out." He crooned to her
as he stroked her hair. Finally, after almost an hour,
Natalie's physical strength spent itself. She was
incapable of any more weeping. She looked at him, and
her soulful blue eyes were mirrors to Nick's own.

"Natalie, my dear, he is physically fine, but his
sanity is slipping. He can feel you through your blood
link, and your pain is his but magnified tenfold. He
feels extreme guilt over what he did to you."

"But, it wasn't his fault. It was mine...I begged him
to..."

"I know that, but Nicholas will never accept that. Do
you understand what happened between you? What the two
of you have wrought?"

She started to speak, then stopped and shook her head.

"Let me tell you. By taking your blood, Nicholas has
reawakened his nature, and he hungers for you. The
vampire will not give him any peace until he has
drained all of you, all that you are, all that you
have ever been. Do you understand? He can barely
control the hunger right now. If he were to see you,
you WOULD die. At his hands. And THAT would be a death
sentence for him. I can feel it. And if you try, so
can you." He stopped and watched as she concentrated.

Natalie recognized a...presence...in the back of her
head. She gasped as she realized it was Nick. When she
probed the link, the overwhelming guilt overcame her,
coupled by an anguish that matched her own. "Oh
Nick..." she whispered.

LaCroix watched her carefully, as she tested the link
she had with Nick. He studied her face as she found
the overwhelming guilt and anguish that poured out of
Nick, even as he lay unconscious.

"Natalie, Nicholas must leave. If he stays, one or
both of you WILL die. I can help him with his
struggle, but YOU must let him go. You MUST control
your sorrow, for his sake. Can you do this?"

She looked at him, panic written clearly on her face.
"How can I live without him? How?" Her plaintive plea
touched the ancient's heart.

"If you DO want to live, and you want HIM to live, you
MUST be strong enough. There is no other way. He would
not even be able to control himself enough to bring
you across at this point, and he extracted my oath
that I would not do it, either at your request or
against your will. Do you understand? There IS no
other way. And, my dear, believe it or not, I AM
sorry." His ice blue eyes filled with a compassion
rarely ever present.

LaCroix realized than in her exhausted state, he would
be able to make her sleep, resistor or not. As he had
done with Nick, he captured her eyes with his own,
locked on to her heartbeat, and imposed his will upon
her to sleep. She fought him, but soon was
unconscious. As he had done with his son, he gently
covered Natalie with a blanket, kissed her brow, and
went back to comfort his son.

Natalie awoke the next morning, dazed and disoriented.
She was in her apartment, asleep on the sofa. Suddenly
the events of the previous evening came crashing back
and a tear coursed its way down her cheek. "Oh Nick,
what have we done?" Her whisper went unanswered in the
emptiness of her apartment.

She concentrated and felt Nick's presence in her mind,
apparently still asleep. She sent a pulse of love to
him, then decided that she needed something to eat and
drink. Her energy was amazingly low. She wearily
trudged into the kitchen and poured a glass of water.
She gulped it down, then followed it with a more
leisurely glass of orange juice. She sighed and went
into her bedroom, intending to take a shower and try
to get some more rest. 

As she walked into her bedroom, she noticed a box and
an envelope on her pillow. Puzzled, she walked over to
them. With a trembling hand, she opened the box. It
couldn't be...but it was. Joan's cross. And lying atop
it was a gold chain, with a sapphire and diamond ring
strung on it, next to a pendant of a sunburst. She
pulled the necklace out, and opened the catch. She
pulled the ring off and put the necklace on. She
slipped the ring onto her left ring finger, knowing it
would fit her exactly. The bright blue stone was the
exact color of her own eyes, a large pear-shaped stone
surrounded by scintillating diamonds. Fighting more
tears, she opened the envelope. There was a letter, a
document, and a business card. She put the document
and the card down and opened the letter.


My Dearest Natalie,
Words cannot express to you how difficult this is for
me. I need you to know that I am not leaving you
because I don't care for you; on the contrary, you
mean more to me than I ever thought possible for any
one person in my life. I have waited centuries to find
you, and now I must let you go.

Please know that I am doing this only to save your
life. After what happened between us, the vampire
inside of me has developed an insatiable craving for
you...and this is something I cannot control. I cannot
tell you how very sorry I am that I endangered you.

Natalie Lambert, I want you to know that I love you
with all that I am, all that I have. If you ever need
anything please call the number listed and I will get
the message. I am also leaving the deed to the loft
for you. You may keep it or sell it, as you see fit.
Nick Knight will soon no longer exist,	but Nicholas de
Brabant will always carry your face and every precious
memory we have made together in his heart and whatever
soul may still exist. I am leaving you the only symbol
of faith I have ever had until I met you. Keep it, and
remember me. Know, also, that I pledge my heart to you
now and forever.

This is not the ending I wanted for us, but I will not
endanger you any more.
 
All my love eternally,
Nick

The tears started afresh, but she struggled to keep
her grief contained, to erect a mental barrier against
the bond she could feel with Nick. She knew that for
both their sakes she needed to wait until he was far
enough away that she could no longer feel his presence
in her mind before she gave in to the breakdown she
could feel pending. 

Sniffling, she pulled out a phonebook and found the
number for the Raven. She dialed and heard it ring
several times until she got an answering machine
message. 

“Um, this message is for LaCroix. This is Natalie
Lambert. Please call me when you get a chance at
555-2410. Thanks.”

Sighing, she went to the kitchen and listlessly made
herself a sandwich. As she worked, her eye was drawn
to the ring on her finger. She wondered when Nick had
gotten it, and whether he had ever planned on giving
it to her. Regardless, she knew she would always wear
it as a symbol of their love. 

Finishing her lunch, she went to take a shower,
covering up the bandage on her neck. When she got out
of the shower, it was to the ringing of her phone.
Running to grab it, she answered.

“Hello, Natalie Lambert speaking.”

“Doctor Lambert, this is Lucien LaCroix. I was
returning your call.” The cool tones emitted made
Natalie wonder if she had imagined his compassion the
evening before.

“Thank you for calling me back. Can you please…please
tell Nick that I received his letter, and that I
understand? And will you somehow let me know when he
has left Toronto?” The last sentence caught in her
throat. She was still trying to block the presence of
Nick in the back of her mind.

“Yes, I will give him your message. And he will be
leaving Toronto tonight, as will I. Is there anything
else?” A hint of warmth crept into his voice.
“No. There isn’t anything more to say. Thank you for
everything.”

“You are very welcome. And for what it is worth, I am
sorry for the wasted time between us, and I do wish
you the very best. If you ever need anything you can
contact me. I will leave you a means to get hold of
me. Best of luck to you, my dear.  Goodbye.” With that
he hung up the phone, and Natalie realized that the
chapter of her life that included vampires ---and
Nick---was almost over.

“Goodbye my love…one day I have faith that we will
meet again.” She whispered as she gently set the phone
back in the cradle and went into her room to cry fresh
tears, knowing that the loneliness in her life was
only just beginning. 

    


These Three 3/15

Six months later

Natalie walked into her support group meeting.  She
was amazed at how much it helped her to talk to others
who had lost loved ones to an addiction. She had
realized shortly after she went back to work that she
needed therapy. She had gone to see a counselor and
had finally decided to talk about Nick as someone who
had died due to an addiction. It was the closest she
could come to talking to someone about her loss in
terms that were understandable to others. 

Surprisingly, her counselor Marcia Grinnell had
recommended a special support group for her, one that
dealt with the loss of loved ones due to addiction.
Many of the members were parents who had lost children
to drugs or alcohol, but there were a few adults that
had lost their spouse or partner.  

As she entered the library room where they had their
monthly meetings, she noticed someone new. He was
about 40, ruggedly handsome, and had a lost look about
him. She walked over to him and introduced herself.

“Hi, I’m Natalie. You have that look that says you’ve
never been here before.” He looked at her, and smiled
as he took her hand. 

“That obvious, huh? I’m Tony. This IS my first time.
My wife died in a car accident last month. She was an
alcoholic.” The last sentence rushed out of his mouth
accompanied by a look of intense pain.

“Welcome to the group, Tony. My fiancé was killed six
months ago. I never thought a support group would help
me deal with the devastation, but I’m slowly
rebuilding my life. Come on, let’s go sit down.”

They went to sit down, and soon the rest of the group
was gathered, and Marcia presided.  The session went
for about two hours, and Natalie felt better talking
to other people that had gone through the same
feelings she had. Their situations might have been
different, but each of them was dealing with the
anger, pain, and feelings of helplessness.  Tony
introduced himself, and told a little bit of his
story, but mostly listened. Natalie had done the same
thing the first few visits, until someone made an
observation that resonated within her. After that, it
got easier to share with the group.

As the meeting concluded, Natalie went to get her coat
and ran into to Tony. She looked up him and smiled.
 
“So, I hope we didn’t scare you. I know I was
uncomfortable my first few sessions, but it really
does get easier and it truly DOES help.” 

He looked at her and smiled faintly. “I can feel the
rapport, and I think this will help me in the end.
Thank you for helping me. May I walk you to your car?”
 
In the weeks that followed, they started spending some
time together. Tony was a professor at the University
of Toronto, teaching chemistry. They had a lot in
common, and although Natalie felt a physical
attraction to him, she knew neither one of them was
ready for an emotional relationship. But it was with
some surprise that she woke up one morning to find
herself at Tony’s house and in his bed, and remembered
that they had gone out for coffee late the night
before, and had ended up talking until dawn. The
coffee shop was close to Tony’s house, so when she had
looked exhausted enough to fall over, Tony had
insisted that she stay at his house. 

She didn’t quite remember how they had ended up in bed
together, but it was nice to have someone to hold her.
It had been so long since she had been with anyone.
Tony had been a considerate and caring lover, but both
of them knew it was just a mutual need born out of
loneliness and longing for comfort. Natalie was still
devoted to Nick, and Tony was still grieving for his
wife Kathy. 

She got up and got dressed, following the smell of
coffee down the hall to the kitchen. Tony was dressed
in a bathrobe, making toast and scrambled eggs. She
sat down, afraid that there would be some awkwardness
between them. He turned as she was sitting, and
wordlessly poured her a cup of coffee. She smiled as
she accepted it. He finished the eggs, and gave her a
plate with toast, and set the bowl of eggs in the
center of the table.

Neither one spoke for a moment, when finally Tony
broke the silence. “Natalie, I want to thank you for
last night. I hope this won’t prove too awkward for
you. I…I know it’s probably the wrong thing to say,
but I’m afraid I might have made a terrible mistake
and I don’t want you to get the wrong impression…I
really like you, but…”

She leaned over and put her hand on his. “Hey, it’s
OK. It was a nice evening, and I really enjoyed
myself, but I know neither one of us is ready for a
relationship. Right?”

His face relaxed. “Thank you. It’s been a long time
since I’ve been with anyone other than Kathy. I didn’t
want you to think that you aren’t special, because you
are AMAZING. But, you’re right; we’re not ready. Can
we still be friends?” He looked at her, his green eyes
hopeful that they hadn’t ruined their friendship.

“Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now,
let’s eat. I’m starving and I know I probably have a
lot of work waiting for me at the morgue.”

Two weeks later, Natalie opened the door to her
apartment just as the phone started ringing. 

“Natalie Lambert speaking.” 

“Hi Nat, it’s Tony. I wanted you to be the first one I
told. Remember I told you I had applied for a teaching
position in England for a year? Well I got it! I
received a letter today telling me that the University
of Sheffield is inviting me to be a guest professor. I
leave in two weeks. Can you believe it?”

Natalie smiled. She hadn’t heard Tony happy or excited
about anything in the four months that she had known
him. “Oh, Tony, that is great news! I’m so happy for
you!” 

They talked some more, and she promised to help him
pack on her days off. He had a lot to get ready before
he left in just two short weeks. 

The time flew by, and as they were packing the last of
his belongings that were going into storage, they sat
eating Chinese take-out in his bare living room. A
young couple was going to rent his house while he was
away.

“Natalie, thank you for all your help these last few
weeks. I don’t know if I could have done this without
you. I have to tell you, the thought of getting away
from Toronto and all the memories here is really
appealing to me. Please say we’ll stay in touch?
You’ve really been a huge support during this time for
me.”

She patted his knee. “I’m glad you’re excited. A
change will do you good. And you’ve given me a lot of
support, too. You know my number, I’m only a five-hour
time zone phone call away.” She grinned. “Now, let’s
finish up the last of those textbooks. You have an
early flight to catch tomorrow.”  

Tony left the next morning, and Natalie never heard
from him again, although she thought of him fondly in
the months and years to come. Especially when she
discovered, three weeks later, that she was pregnant. 

She sat in her doctor’s office, stunned. “I’m WHAT?”
 
Doctor Jones looked at her. “I said, you’re pregnant.”
Natalie just stared at her.  “Are you SURE? Absolutely
positive?”

Doctor Jones just raised her eyebrow.

Natalie shook her head. “Wow.”
“Natalie, I assume you know who the father is?” The
question was said gently.

“Oh, yes, and I can tell you exactly what night I
conceived.” She picked up the desk calendar. “Five
weeks and three days ago. This is unbelievable.” She
set the calendar down. “Wow.” 

“Natalie, are you OK with this? Do you want to carry
this child to term?” Dr. Jones searched Natalie’s
face.

“It’s so much to take in. I really need to think about
this. But, yes, I’m going to have this baby. Thank you
so much. I’ll call my OB/GYN and set up an
appointment.” Natalie got up to leave, her mind racing
with the news.

As she got in her car, she started thinking of all the
differences having a baby would make in her life. She
thought about contacting Tony to tell him the news,
but she realized that she didn’t want Tony involved in
either her life or her child’s. With a jolt, she
decided that she wanted a fresh start. A new life with
her child, in a new place. 

Two months later, she accepted a position in the
States, on the other side of the continent, doing
genetic and forensic research in Oregon.  When she got
to the states she changed her name to Natalie Lambert
Knight, and when her daughter was born, she named her
Nicole Lucia Antoinette Knight.  




These Three 4/15

“Wow sweetheart, that is a GREAT dinosaur! I bet it’s
the BEST orange and pink polka dotted dinosaur ever!
Are you ready to go home and get some dinner?” Natalie
coaxed Nikki into the car with promises of a chocolate
chip cookie if she finished her dinner.

As they got onto the bridge, Natalie kept up a
conversation with Nikki who wanted to know how
butterflies tasted flowers. Luckily, Natalie was able
to answer that they tasted with their feet.

“Their FEET? Mama, that’s just gross!” The precocious
five year old answered, and Natalie chuckled at the
expression on Nikki’s face.

The sun had set and the evening was darkening when
Natalie pulled in to the driveway of her small house.
She got Nikki out of her car seat, took her hand, and
led her inside. She helped Nikki take off her coat,
put Beauty and the Beast in the DVD player for Nikki
to watch, then went back outside to her car to
retrieve her laptop and notes. As she came in she
smiled to hear Nikki singing along with the movie. She
shook her head and smiled. The fact that her
daughter's favorite movie was about a beautiful young
woman falling in love with a horrible monster with a
kind heart brought a short stab of pain as she thought
about Nick. At night she still sometimes cried herself

to sleep, missing him. Her fingers unconsciously
strayed to the sunburst necklace she never took off.

She started dinner for the two of them, put it in the
oven, then took her laptop and went into her office.
She connected the modem cable, then started 
researching on the Internet for some papers she had
been referred to by a recent medical journal. She was
researching blood-borne pathogens, and had recently
made some startling discoveries that she had hopes
might lead a greater understanding of one of the main
components of HIV, as well asprogress on a potential
cure for Nick some day. She became engrossed in her 
research, printing up articles and notating
bibliographies to research later. Finally, the timer
went off and she sighed as she put her research 
away. She got up and went to get Nikki and eat their
dinner.

Three hours later, Nikki was safely tucked in bed.
Natalie returned to her research. She was engrossed in
her work when she suddenly heard a -thud- coming from
right over her head in Nikki's room. She frowned, then
got up to go check on Nikki. She had had a couple of
episodes of sleepwalking in the last year, and had
fallen out of bed earlier in the month. As she climbed
the stairs, she felt a gust of cold air coming from
Nikki's room and ran up the steps and into her
daughter's room. She looked over to the empty bed and
noticed that the window was open. Nikki was nowhere to
be found. She raced across the hall to the bathroom.

"Nikki! Honey, where are you? Nikki!" Adrenaline was
pumping through her blood just as the phone rang. She
ran down the short hallway to her own room 
and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"If you aren't aware of it, Dr. Knight, we have your
daughter."

"Who are you? What do you want?" Tears formed in her
eyes.

"Let's just start by saying that first of all you'll
need to get $5 million, of course in unmarked bills.
You have 72 hours. We'll contact you to let you 
know the rest of our demands.  Needless to say, if the
police become involved, you'll never see your daughter
again. And that would be a pity, as she is just as
pretty as her mother." The line went dead.

"Hello? Hello! Oh my god." The phone dropped from her
fingers as she sank to 
the floor sobbing.

Two hours later, Natalie was in the police station.
The environment was familiar and oddly comforting. She
looked around, part of her expecting to see a certain
blond detective showing up at any time. She sighed and
sniffed again. She turned her attention back to the
two officers that she was talking to.

"Dr. Knight, can you think of any reason why these
kidnappers might target you? Anything to do with your
personal life, or any projects at work?" 
Lieutenant Nate Scott was in his fifties, kindly and
graying. His young partner, Jason Nguyen was just
returning with a cup of coffee for Natalie.

She frowned. "It COULD be related to some research I'm
doing, but there would be no way for them to know
about it. I haven't told anyone, not even my research
director."

"OK, let's assume that is what they are after, and
that the money is just a ruse. I'm assuming you aren't
a rich heiress hiding several million dollars 
in a Swiss bank account. What makes them think you
have access to that kind of money?"

Natalie pondered, then remembered a business card with
a number on it. A number she thought she would never
need to call. If these kidnappers knew anything about
her, her past, and Nick, they would know that she
would have no problem coming up with the money. She
also remembered her last conversations with LaCroix.
Was it possible that these criminals somehow 
knew about vampires?

"I'm not an heiress, but I do have a well to do family
member that would be able to raise the money. I
haven't spoken to that side of the family in 
several years, and there is a lot of...bad blood
between us. They don't even know about Nikki." She
snorted internally at her very bad pun.

Jason smiled at her. "Can you contact this family
member? Explain the situation to him or her, and see
if they are willing to help out?"

She nodded. "Yes. I have contact information at home."

"Dr. Knight, you might want to contact them from
somewhere you don't normally go. They may have somehow
tapped your phones and be monitoring your
communications."

She nodded. "I understand. What else should I do?"

The two officers looked at each other before Lt. Scott
spoke. "You should probably take some time off of
work, and make sure that all your documentation on
this research you mentioned is in your possession."

"No problem. I have to tell you, though, that I'm
scared. What if they hurt my little girl?" Tears
welled up in her eyes.

Jason reached across and patted her hand. "Don't
worry. We'll make sure there are plainclothes officers
watching your house, and we'll find her. Do 
you want us to take you  home?"

She nodded. "I'll go to a hotel after I get some
things together and I'll call my relative."

Their surprise was evident. "In the middle of the
night?" Lt. Scott's unvoiced opinion was clear.

"He's a night owl, and besides which, it's only a
message number that I have." She got up. "Thank you
for your help." Lt. Scott motioned for another 
officer to come over to escort her home.

"Everything will be fine, Dr. Knight. You did the
right thing coming to us."

"I used to work as the Medical Examiner for the city
of Toronto. I know how law enforcement works." She
smiled as their eyebrows both shot up into their 
hairlines.

Jason got a frown on his face. "Is it possible that
this isn't related to your work at all, but is someone
from your past, perhaps someone that you 
testified against?"

Natalie thought for a moment. "It's possible, but not
only do I have a different name now, that was in
Canada. I can contact the team I used to work with and
see if they have any ideas." She made a mental note to

call Joe Reese in the morning.  She shrugged into her
coat and went out into the wet night, memories of her
past crowding to the fore.

Three hours later, she checked into the Heathman Hotel
in downtown Portland. She went up to her room, set
down her small suitcase, laptop and work files, 
then went to the bed. With trembling hands, she pulled
an envelope out of her shoulder bag and opened it.
There were two pieces of paper inside. One was the
card she had gotten from Nick with his letter and the
deed to the loft. The other was a piece of paper with
a solicitor's name on it, and a phone number to call
in London. She debated which number to call. She knew 
that Nick would do anything in his power to help her,
but she also remembered LaCroix's warning and his
offer of help. Finally, she picked up the phone and
called the London solicitor, figuring that if LaCroix
was unable or unwilling to help her, she could call
Nick.

"Good afternoon, Smythe and Berwick Barristers." The
crisp British accent on the other line answered after
two rings.

"Hello, I was wondering if I could speak to Mr. Daniel
Smythe? I was given his number by a client to
contact."

"May I tell him the name of the client and your name,
please?"

"My name is Natalie...Lambert, and the client is
Lucien LaCroix."

"Thank you, please hold." Soothing music played in her
ear as her stomach did flip flops.

After only a few seconds, the line picked up and a
deep voice picked up. "Ms. Lambert? This is Daniel
Smythe. Mr. LaCroix told me that I might one 
day receive a call from you. How may I help you?"

"Hello. I need to get in contact with him, and it is
rather urgent. Do you know the best way to accomplish
that?"

"Yes, please tell me what number you can be reached
at, and I'll have him contact you within the next few
hours."

Natalie gave him the name and number for the hotel and
her room number. "Please tell him that I'm registered
under Natalie Knight. And, thank you for your help."

"My pleasure. Please let me know if you need anything
else." The line went dead, and Natalie placed the
phone back in the cradle, praying that she had 
made the right decision in contacting LaCroix.

She looked at the clock. It was 4:30 AM. As tears slid
down her cheeks, she realized she was exhausted and
laid down to sleep. "Oh baby, I love you" she 
whispered before sleep overtook her.




These Three 5/15

The shrill ringing of the phone woke her up. She
grabbed it.

"Hello?" Her heart in her mouth she answered.

"Dr. Lambert? It's Lucien LaCroix. I got a message
that you needed to reach me. What may I do for you?"
The aristocratic voice on the other end of the phone 
made Natalie both shiver and filled her with a sense
of reassurance.

"Thank you so much for calling me back. I don't know
where to begin. My five year old daughter was
kidnapped last night, and the kidnappers are demanding

five million dollars by Thursday. I didn't know where
else to turn...please, can you help me?" She started
crying again.

"Of course my dear. Where are you? Exactly?"

She told him the address of the hotel.

"Stay there, don't do anything. I'll be there by
tonight."

She whispered, "thank you, LaCroix." The phone went
dead.

She set the phone back down and tried to go back to
sleep. She tossed and turned and finally got back up
and ordered room service. She went into the 
bathroom and took a shower, then put on fresh clothes.
It was 8 AM. She picked up the phone and called her
office. She told her director that she was ill, and
that she wouldn't be in that day, but that she might
stop by to pick up some work later.

There was a knock at the door, and she opened the door
to find breakfast. She tipped the server, then sat
down to eat. She wasn't very hungry, but knew she
needed to keep up her energy. After she finished, she
took out her research and started to try and distract
herself. At about 6 PM, fatigue finally overcame her
and she crawled back into the bed, tears falling down 
her cheeks as she fell asleep and prayed for her
daughter's safety.

A knocking at the door woke her up. She looked at the
clock and saw that it was just after midnight. She
stumbled out of bed and went over to the door. 
She looked through the peephole and saw LaCroix
standing on the other side of the door. Relief swept
through her. She opened the door.

"LaCroix, it's really you. Please come in." He hadn't
changed, of course. He wore a black Armani suit and
carried a black trench coat over his right arm.

He looked at her, and marveled that Natalie Lambert
hadn't changed very much in the intervening years. Her
hair was shorter, but she still lacked the lines on
her face that would indicate her advancing years. He
did a mental calculation and realized that she was
about 43. She didn't look anywhere near that. He
narrowed his eyes. In fact, she didn't look even close
to 35. She still looked like a woman in her early
thirties. He entered the room and looked around.

She nervously went over to sit in one of the chairs
flanking the small table where her work was laid out.
LaCroix put his trench coat on the foot of the 
bed, then sat down in the other chair.

"You're looking quite well, my dear. The last few
years have been very good to you, it appears. So, tell
me about your daughter and this situation."

Natalie told him about Tony, finding out she was
pregnant, moving to Portland, changing her name, the
birth of her daughter, and the events of the last day.

"Her name is Nikki. Nicole Lucia Antoinette Knight.
She's amazing. Everyone says she looks like me, and
she is the most important thing in my world." 
She got up and went to her wallet, pulling out a
picture that had been taken at Christmas. The two of
them were wearing matching green velvet dresses, 
and Nikki was sitting on her lap next to a huge
Christmas tree. She handed the picture to LaCroix. He
wordlessly took it and noted that Nikki was a
miniature version of the woman in front of him, right
down to their smiles.

"She's lovely. She does look exactly like you. And I'm
honored that you named her after me." He inclined his
head at her, and smiled as he returned the photo to
her. "So, does her biological father know about this 
situation?"

Natalie shook her head. "No, he doesn't even know she
exists. Tony lost his wife a few months after Nick
left, and he moved to England for a teaching 
position. I considered telling him, and I know it's
probably selfish of me, but I wanted her to myself.
Tony is a wonderful man, but the relationship we 
had wasn't something I wanted to continue, and he
wasn't ready for a child." She sighed. "I've lost so
much in the last ten years, I didn't want to give 
up any part of Nikki. She's my world, LaCroix. She's
the only thing that keeps me going." She started
crying again.

LaCroix took a pristine white handkerchief out of his
pocket and silently handed it to her. She accepted it
and dried her eyes.

"Thank you. I'm sorry." She composed herself. Finally,
she steeled herself to ask the question that was
burning inside of her. "So, have you seen Nick? 
How is he?"

LaCroix studied her for a moment, weighing his
response. "Nicholas is...fine. I saw him last year. He
is here in the States, working as a private
investigator, of all things. He's out east." He didn't
elaborate where "out east".

"Natalie, I need to ask you. Why did you contact me
instead of Nicholas? I know he gave you a means to
contact him, as well. I believe you made the 
right decision, but what made YOU decide to call me?"

She looked at her hands, clasped in her lap. When she
looked up at him, there was anger blazing in her eyes.
"This isn't just about money, LaCroix. 
These people took my DAUGHTER. I want them to pay for
what they are putting us through. I don't want them to
be able to hurt anyone else, ever. And if anything
happens to Nikki, I want to be there to watch them
suffer. Do you understand?"

He smiled slightly and nodded. "Yes, I do understand.
You have grown very wise through the years, my dear.
Very well. They said they would contact you 
within 72 hours. That gives us two days left. I have a
few errands to run before dawn, and some arrangements
to make. But before we do that, shall we 
go to your place of employment and retrieve your
work?" He stood as Natalie nodded and reached for her
briefcase. She put her laptop in its case, 
gathered all her documentation, and got her coat on.
They left the hotel and headed for her laboratory.

LaCroix left Natalie at the hotel at 4 AM. She had
retrieved her files, both computer and paper, from her
lab, and she realized she was bone weary. She 
also knew she had another phone call to make. She
picked up the phone and dialed directory assistance in
Toronto. She called the old precinct, praying 
that Joe Reese was still around. She spoke to the
switchboard and sighed in relief when she heard the
operator say, "Hold just one minute while I 
connect you."

Soon a remembered voice, sounding tired, answered.
"Captain Reese."

She smiled. "Hi Joe, it's Natalie Lambert."

"Natalie?! Wow, it's great to hear from you. How have
you been? Where are you?"

She laughed. "I'm fine. I live in the States now, in
Portland, Oregon. But, I have to ask you a favor. Last
night my daughter was kidnapped, and the police here
thought it might have to do with a past case, maybe
someone I testified against and is out now? Is there
any way to check on that?'

"You got it. Give me the names and contact information
for the officers working on the case. I'll have recent
release records checked and send the information to
them."

"Thanks, Joe. Oh, and by the way, make sure you tell
them it is for Natalie Knight." She held her breath,
knowing that Joe would leap to the obvious 
conclusion.

"Knight? Natalie, please tell me that means that you
and Nick got together and have a family?"

"No Joe, sorry. I haven't seen Nick since he left
Toronto. I don't know where he is, other than that he
is out east somewhere. I wish that were the case. I
just wanted a fresh start when I moved, and I wanted
to honor Nick's memory. I'm sorry, but I really don't
want to talk about it, please?" She hoped he wouldn't
probe.

He sighed. "OK. It's none of my business. I'll get
that information to them. Is there a number I can
reach you at?"

She gave him her cell phone number and email address,
then hung up. Memories started surfacing, and she
realized how much she missed Nick. With Nikki gone,
she felt her loneliness even more strongly.  Tears of
loneliness and frustration, fear and helplessness
welled up in her eyes. She turned out the light and
curled up in bed hugging a pillow to her chest as she
finally succumbed to the weariness she was feeling.

LaCroix entered the small club off of Burnside just
inside the gates to Chinatown. He looked around,
noting that most of the patrons, both mortal 
and immortal, had left. Only a few hearty souls
remained, either brooding in one of the small booths
lining the wall, or else involved in an intense 
conversation in one of the three alcoves off toward
the back of the room. The DJ had already stopped
spinning dance music, and a lone young vampire 
sat on the stage playing an electronic mandolin. The
young one was quite good, LaCroix noted to himself.

He approached the bar and felt that the woman behind
the bar was a vampire, at least two hundred years old.
He sidled up to the bar and asked for the "house
special". She looked at him and caught the resonance
that accompanied his age and power. She poured some
bloodwine into a goblet and handed it to him.

"Tell me, young one, how do I contact your Community
Elder? I need to converse with him or her." His tone
wasn't friendly, but he wasn't threatening, either.

She held up a finger, asking him to wait. He inclined
his head. She disappeared into a door at the back of
the bar, and a few minutes later came back followed by
a beautiful woman dressed in a red velvet dress.
LaCroix's expression became one of shock.

"Janette? I can honestly say that THIS is one of the
biggest surprises I've had in many years."

A smile played at the edges of her sensuous mouth.
"Well, it's nice to be able to do something
unexpected. How are you, grand-pere?" She leaned over 
and kissed him on the cheek.

LaCroix growled deep in his chest. Grand-pere?
GRANDFATHER? How DARE she...

He calmed down and looked at his one-time daughter. He
mentally reached out to her and discovered that he
could still feel a link with her, albeit quite 
a faint one. He took her hand and brought it to her
lips. "You are more beautiful than ever, my child." He
released her hand, and she gestured for him to follow
her. They went through the door she had emerged from,
and he found himself in a well lit paneled corridor.
The hallway ran for several yards before dead-ending.
To the right was a stairway, to the left was a heavy 
wooden door marked "PRIVATE". Janette took him through
the door. They entered a spacious office. There were
no windows and there was a gas fireplace against one
wall, a small bar, and a large wooden table---which 
obviously served as her desk, dominating the long wall
of the room directly across from the door. She walked
in and proceeded to sit down behind the table.

"So LaCroix, what brings you to Portland? I would
think this town is a bit too small for you. Seattle,
perhaps." She picked up a glass that had obviously
been recently poured and took a sip, studying him.

"I am here on personal business, at the request of a
friend. What inspired YOU to choose this quaint little
burg, Janette?" He suspected he knew the reason, but
wanted to hear it.

Her expression remained inscrutable, but finally she
seemed to make a decision. "I am here on Nicholas'
behalf, although he does not know where I am. When he
left Toronto, he called me and begged me to watch over
Natalie for him. He told me what had happened. He knew
I would understand the loss he was experiencing, but
he also knew that he must not know where she is, 
lest he become obsessed with her. Our Natalie has
proven to be quite...resilient. She is here, in
Portland, and she has a child. Nicholas does not know
about the girl. I have made sure that the local
community knows that she is under my protection."

LaCroix decided to put his cards on the table. "I am
here because Natalie asked me to come. Her daughter
was kidnapped last night and the kidnappers have
demanded a five million dollar ransom."

Janette immediately reacted. Her eyes flashed golden
and she stood, leaning her hands on the desk. "WHAT?!
Someone has STOLEN her daughter and DARES to make
demands? Who is it... tell me LaCroix, who has DONE
this thing?"

He regarded her with intense satisfaction. "We do not
know as yet. Nikki was taken right from her bedroom.
Natalie does not even know why she was targeted. She
has contacted the local authorities, and has gathered
all her work project notes together. She even called
Toronto to see if it could possibly be related to a
case from her past. But I will tell you this, 
Janette. She wants revenge. 'Sweet Natalie' is out for
blood...literally and figuratively. Which is why she
called ME instead of Nicholas."

Janette sat slowly back down, still seething with
rage. Although Natalie was not aware of her presence
in Portland, she had kept very close tabs on Natalie
and Nikki, for Nicholas' sake. She had told him when
Natalie had left Toronto, and pledged to follow her.
Once a year she sent him a letter detailing Natalie's
work and that she seemed to be happy. She had thought 
long and hard about telling him that Natalie had not
only had a daughter and named her Nicole Knight, but
that she had been unable to determine who the 
father of the child was. There was no man in Natalie's
life, and Janette had seen the ring she wore on her
ring finger, suspecting it was from Nicholas. 
Reluctantly she had concluded that if he knew Natalie
was a single mother raising a daughter, with no
partner, that he would risk both their lives to 
be with her. She knew that someday, somehow, they
would come together. But not yet.

"All right, LaCroix, since she seems to trust you,
perhaps we should work together, hmmm? I did not know
that you had 'mended your fences' with her, 
so to speak. How did this happen?"

Patiently LaCroix told her about the last few days in
Toronto with Nicholas, and how he had gone to Natalie
to explain to her what had happened and the 
consequences of their fated encounter. He admitted
that he had misjudged Natalie, and that he had given
her his contact information should the need 
ever arise. He also told her about Nikki's father,
relaying the story he had heard just hours ago from
Natalie.

Janette sat silently through his recital. Finally,
when he had completed his narrative, she spoke. "So,
THAT is the story of little Nicole. Tell me LaCroix,
does Nicholas know of your relationship with Natalie?"

"No. He does not know of my change of heart, as it
were. I deemed it wiser if he still feared for her
life on my account, as a further buffer to 
keeping him away from her.  The good doctor has
continued to surprise me. Pleasantly, I might add. Did
you know her daughter's full name?" Janette shook her
head. "Nicole Lucia Antoinette Knight. Supposedly
after Nicholas, myself, and a passing acknowledgment
to her biological father. I must say I was touched. I
feel almost like the child is a...goddaughter of
sorts."

"Well, LaCroix, what are we going to do? By the way,
it is almost dawn. Do you have accommodations?"

He shook his head. "We wait until the kidnappers call
back. And no to your other question. I went straight
to Natalie's hotel when I arrived. Are you offering?"
He tilted his head to one side and contemplated her.

She laughed. "Yes, I suppose I am. My suite is
upstairs, as I'm sure you have surmised by now." She
rose and offered her hand to the ancient being. 
He took her hand and raised it to his lips. A frisson
of pleasure shivered up her spine. It had been many
centuries since she and LaCroix had been...intimate.
She found the thought of it quite pleasant and 
anticipatory. She led him up the steps across the
hallway from her office, and neither of them spent the
day alone.



        
These Three 6/15

Natalie woke slowly, just as the sun was sinking. She
looked around her, disoriented at her surroundings.
Then it all came back to her in a rush. She groaned
slowly, remembering Nikki's kidnapping, as well as
LaCroix's visit. She rolled over on her back. She
hadn't felt this helpless in over seven years. Why was
this happening to her? Why did she always lose
everyone that mattered to her? Self pity overwhelmed
her for a short time, but anger soon replaced it. She
got up, showered, and changed.

LaCroix had told her he would come to the hotel around
8 PM, and it was 6:30. She called room service,
ordered a light dinner, and sat down to check 
her email. She hooked her laptop into the data port,
and spent the next 30 minutes reviewing both her
personal email and her work mail. Both were light, and
she didn't reply to anything other than an email from
her sister-in-law, letting her know that her niece Amy
was graduating from high school in June, and would she
be interested in coming to Vancouver for the 
celebration? Natalie sat, stunned. Amy was 18? She
shook her head and hit the reply button, telling Sarah
that yes, she would plan on coming up to Vancouver.
She asked for the date and details. She didn't mention
Nikki's 
kidnapping.

Her dinner arrived just as she was shutting down her
laptop. She turned on the television, not even tasting
the food as she watched reruns of "Friends" and
"Dharma and Greg". Finally, at 8, she turned off the
TV and got up. She started pacing restlessly. At 8:10
there was a knock on the door. She opened 
and saw LaCroix standing in the hall...with Janette.

Natalie's jaw dropped. She had believed Janette dead
for the last seven years. "Janette?
How...where...when?"

Janette pushed LaCroix into Natalie's room, following
him. She turned and looked at Natalie as LaCroix
walked over to look out the window.

"Hello Natalie. Before you ask, yes, I'm a vampire
again. As to the specifics, it was Nicholas who
brought me back across, in Toronto. I did not 
know he had not told you. I am sorry to shock you."

Natalie sat down on the bed, her head reeling with the
implications. She looked at LaCroix, but he was still
peering out the window into the rain-drenched
darkness. Turning back to Janette, she composed
herself.

"Well. How did you get here so quickly? LaCroix only
showed up last night."

Janette and LaCroix had already discussed how much
information to share with Natalie. Given the
situation, and the fact that she already knew about
them and the existence of their kind, they had decided
to be honest with her.

"I did not have to 'get here'. I live here. I'm the
local Elder. I've lived here for over five years. And
to answer your questions, yes, I have known 
the entire time you have been here. I came here to
keep watch over you, for Nicholas. He does not know
where we are, nor does he know about your 
daughter. But I have kept watch over the two of you
since you moved here. You are under my personal
protection with the local Community, and you have 
whatever resources we can muster to resolve
this...situation."

Natalie stared at her, stunned. As Janette's words
sank in, LaCroix turned around.

"It appears that you have been followed, and I'm not
referring to the ineffectual mortals in law
enforcement. The van across the street has been 
there since I arrived last night. Luckily, I checked
this establishment for electronic infiltration devices
last night, and I had one of my people come 
in last night while we were gone. There were a few
listening devices planted in this room, but I had them
moved to another occupied room. Natalie, I suggest
that we adjourn to your home, if you are willing?” 

Natalie nodded, still stunned.  She mechanically got
up, packed her belongings and got ready to check out.
The two vampires followed her to the lobby. She went
to the desk to check out. The stunned night clerk
tried to argue with her that she would have to pay for
another night, regardless of whether she stayed or
not. Finally, LaCroix stepped up to the desk.

“She understands that she will incur charges. She does
not CARE. Just check her out.” He handed the boy a
platinum American Express. Natalie started to protest,
but one look from him quelled her. The clerk rang up
the bill, LaCroix signed it, and the three proceeded
to the garage.

“LaCroix, why don’t you drive with Natalie. I’ll
follow. Natalie, what is your address? 

“2320 SW Timmons. My cell is 555-1322.” She started to
offer to write it down, then remembered that vampires
had perfect, photographic memories. She smiled
sheepishly to herself.  As she and LaCroix proceeded
to her car, she tried not to think of Nikki, alone
with strangers. Hopefully she was safe and cared for.
As they approached the car, Natalie’s cell phone rang.
She reached inside her outer purse pocket to grab it,
juggling her car keys and laptop.

“Hello, this is Natalie.” 

“Natalie? Joe Reese. I have some bad news for you. Do
you remember Sergei Andropov? Well, he’s out. He
actually escaped when his escort on the way to an
appeals hearing was attacked two months ago. Rumor has
it that he’s in the States. It’s a good bet that he’s
the one responsible for this. And if he’s after you,
he’ll probably be going after Nick, too. I’ve already
called the Portland PD and given all the information
we have on the guy to them, and also the FBI. We got
the RCMP to cooperate on this since it looks to have
gone international.” 

Natalie dropped her keys, stunned. “Thanks Joe. I
really appreciate your help.”

“Natalie, this guy is dangerous, you know that. You
and Nick put him away for 55 years, and he is known to
exact revenge on his enemies. Be very careful of this
scumbag.”

Natalie glanced at LaCroix, knowing he could hear
every word. “Don’t worry Joe. I’ve called in some
heavy duty back up. If it IS Andropov, you can feel a
bit sorry for him. Thanks again. I’ll be in touch.
Bye.” She hit the disconnect switch and went to grab
her keys, but LaCroix had already picked them up with
vampiric speed. He handed them to her. She smiled her
thanks.

“So, I assume you are going to tell me about this Mr.
Andropov?” 

“Let’s get in the car. Did your people check it for
bugs?”

He smiled ferally at her. “Of course. They found
three, which are now attached to the bottom of a pizza
delivery driver’s car.”  She chuckled in appreciation.

She hit the electric lock and the door opened. LaCroix
crossed over to her side, opened the door for her, and
handed her in. She slung her laptop and briefcase into
the back as he opened the passenger door and got in. 

They pulled out of the hotel’s garage, and sat in
silence until they were on SW Salmon. Finally, Natalie
started speaking. “In 1994 we had a series of murdered
prostitutes, most of them under the age of sixteen.
They were all illegal immigrants, all of them from
Russia. It took us almost six months to determine that
the prostitution ring was being run by Sergei
Andropov, the head of the Russian mob in Eastern
Canada. We were never able to pin the murders on him,
but we WERE able to prove that all the hookers that
had been killed had been brought to Toronto by him,
and that he was their employer, as it were. It took
the Vice department almost another four months to nail
him. They were able to arrest him on charges of
prostitution, harboring illegal aliens, racketeering,
tax evasion, and a number of other crimes. But it was
when Nick discovered that his first three wives had
all died under similar circumstances, and confronted
wife number four, that we got a break. I was able to
present forensic evidence that he had been at the
various prostitutes’ homes, and his wife finally
realized that her life was in danger. She testified
against him, then promptly disappeared, in one of the
witness protection programs. At the trial, both Nick
and I testified against him, and he swore he would
come after us. Neither of us thought he would ever get
out of prison. Nick figured he would have already
moved on by then, and I figured, well, I don’t know
what. Obviously both of us were wrong.” She stopped
speaking.

LaCroix finally spoke up. “Do you think he will use
your daughter to try and get to Nicholas?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it. LaCroix, if he has Nikki,
there’s no telling what he would do to her. Those
teenage hookers weren’t just killed. They were raped,
beaten, and then they were…flayed alive. It was
horrible.” She flinched at the memory of the
autopsies. There had been eleven young girls and women
in all, possibly even more.

“Don’t worry, Natalie, we WILL find your daughter. And
then I promise you, this animal will pay for
everything that he has done. I have a feeling that
Janette will be particularly interested in your story.
I don’t know if you know anything about her past, but
she has a weakness for young women and girls forced
into sexual slavery. It has to do with her own
experiences as a mortal. She doesn’t like to talk
about it, but trust me when I tell you that she is a
force to be reckoned with when she hears about
situations like this.” 

They were pulling off the main streets into the
Raleigh Hills district where Natalie had her house.
They pulled up, and Janette was waiting for them in
the driveway. There was an unmarked car down the
street from them, and Natalie recognized the officers
from the station. As she pulled in to the garage, she
felt a sense of nervousness descend on her. Nikki had
been taken from her home. She hadn’t even been able to
protect her daughter.

Janette came into the garage before Natalie closed the
garage door. She looked around at the signs of
domesticity. Nikki’s bicycle, the lawnmower and
gardening implements on the wall. All the trappings of
a normal, suburban household. With two very old, very
powerful vampires standing in the garage. Natalie
shook her head.

“Is something wrong, Natalie?” Janette had seen the
shake of Natalie’s head. 

“I was just reflecting on the fact that my life has
just re-entered the Twilight Zone again in the last
24-hours.” Both Janette and LaCroix chuckled as
Natalie led them into the house. 

They went into the living room, and both vampires
looked around, taking in the simple yet tasteful
décor. Janette wandered over to the fireplace and
noted the pictures, mostly of Nikki, but she saw one
in the back that caught her eye. She pulled it toward
her. It was a picture of Nicholas and Natalie at some
police function or other. Nicholas had his arms around
Natalie, and she was leaning against him. Both of them
were smiling, and their obvious affection for one
another brought a stab of sympathy to her. She had
only one picture of Robert, and she cherished it. She
carefully placed the picture back in its place and
went to sit down.

“I’m sorry I don’t have anything to offer either of
you. Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting company,
especially not with your dietary needs.” 

LaCroix spoke up. “We’re fine. We both fed before we
came to your hotel, but thank you for the thought. I
think you should repeat your story of Mr. Andropov for
Janette’s benefit.”

So Natalie relayed her story again. When she described
the murdered prostitutes, Janette’s eyes began to glow
golden and she hissed in rage.  LaCroix watched
sardonically, having predicted her reaction. After
their intimacy of the previous day, they had
re-established a strong blood link, and her fury was
vibrating along it. 

“This animal DARES to treat young women like this? Not
only will he pay for what he has done to you and
yours, he will answer to ME for his depravities. He is
 MINE. I stake my claim. Do you both hear me?” Janette
turned her feral eyes first to Natalie, then LaCroix,
daring either one of them to contradict her.

Natalie stared at her, while LaCroix just stood
watching her, a bemused look on his face.  “Janette my
dear, I think you will be…amused…at what Natalie told
her former police captain. She told him that he should
probably feel sorry for Mr. Andropov.” 

Janette’s eyes were returning to their normal blue.
She looked at Natalie, and the evil smile that crossed
her beautiful features sent a shiver down Natalie’s
back. She silently thanked the universe and any
watching deities that these powerful creatures were on
HER side. 

LaCroix cleared his throat. “Natalie, Janette and I
have discussed some of the options open to us. I would
like to offer to stay here with you if you can
accommodate my requirements during the daylight hours.
Janette can supply my dietary needs. The decision is
yours, but you know that until this fiend is taken
care of, you are in danger. And, quite honestly, I
doubt the abilities of those ‘officers’ outside.” He
watched her face.

Relief swept through her. If her choice was between a
friendly vampire and being alone, waiting for the
phone to ring, there was no choice. “Thank you
LaCroix. That goes a long way to easing my mind. I
happen to have a finished basement with no windows.
There’s a spare bed down there. It isn’t the Hilton,
but it should work.” 

LaCroix inclined his head. Janette stood up.
“LaCroix’s belongings are in my car, along with
several bottles of bloodwine. I’ll be right back.” She
went out the front door to her car. Natalie looked
over at LaCroix, and her she marveled at how different
her life had become in the space of 24 short hours. 

“LaCroix, I need to ask you a question. Do you think
there is any chance of the Enforcers getting wind of
this? If we nail Andropov, I don’t want to spend the
rest of my life, and Nikki’s, looking over my
shoulder. It was one thing in Toronto when I only had
myself to worry about. But now…” her voice trailed
off. 

He crossed over to her, and took her hand in both of
his own. “No. There will be no reprisals. One of the
things that happened in the community after we left
was that a Tribunal of Ancients was called. Nicholas
and I both attended. We were required to testify about
the plague. When your name was brought up, both
Nicholas and I told the Tribunal about your part in
it, and the fact that when we left Toronto you made no
move to seek out others in the Toronto community. When
you left Toronto and in essence disappeared and
returned to a normal mortal existence, the Tribunal
issued a decree that you were under a protected
status. In essence, it grants any vampire the right to
interact with you without censure. In addition,
Nicholas claimed you as a family member. He stated
that he had marked you by your blood link. The
Tribunal agreed, although they did not understand why
you were set free. It is an unusual situation, but
hardly unique in the history of our culture.” 

“That’s a relief. What does it mean that I’m ‘marked’
by my blood link with Nick?” Natalie’s expression was
one of confusion. 

LaCroix sighed. “When a vampire takes blood from a
mortal, but doesn’t kill them or bring them across, it
leaves a…psychic resonance, if you will. To any
vampire that meets you, you have a distinct aura. That
aura would immediately be discernible as belonging to
Nicholas if the vampire had ever met him. Considering
Nicholas’ power and age, it is a formidable asset to
you when dealing with anyone in the community.” 





These Three 7/15

Natalie’s mouth had formed an O of astonishment as the
meaning of Nick’s claim sank in. “LaCroix, is it
possible that Nikki has, oh I don’t know, inherited
some of this aura?”

LaCroix frowned in surprise. “I don’t know. I’ve never
heard of a mortal bearing a child while being under
the mark of a vampire. It’s entirely possible. What
makes you ask?”

Natalie got up and paced, her arms folded across her
chest. “Sometimes, especially since Nikki started to
talk, I can almost feel her in the back of my head. It
sort of reminded me of the feelings I had with Nick
before you took him away from Toronto. It’s much
fainter, but it is very real. I can always tell when
Nikki is hurt, or upset. It never crossed my mind that
it could be related to Nick in any way.” 

LaCroix stood up and walked over to her, putting his
hands on her elbows. “Natalie, if that is the case, we
may have the means to trace your daughter. The blood
link is not only emotional, it is spatial. Even now, I
can tell you that Janette is walking back toward the
house.  If you can concentrate and reach out to Nikki,
we may be able to find her before her captor calls
again.” 

Just then Janette opened the front door, and carried
in a suit bag over one shoulder, a large carry case,
and wheeled a small suitcase after her. She put the
two bags down, being careful with the large carry
case. She propped the rolling suitcase against the
wall, then hefted the large carry case and looked
around until she saw the short hallway to the kitchen.
She looked in at Natalie and LaCroix, then headed
toward the kitchen. 

Curious, Natalie headed after her. She saw Janette
open the valise and pull out several wine bottles and
put them in the refrigerator. She glanced up when
Natalie stopped inside the doorway. “Don’t worry, it’s
all donated. I am the local supplier, so I know
exactly where every bottle originates.” Natalie was
strangely comforted by the fact that Janette took the
time to explain the origin of the blood to her. She
smiled faintly. She looked up at the clock above the
stove, and was shocked to see that it was already
after midnight.

Rather than close the valise, as Natalie expected her
to, she turned back to it and took out several large
black bulging plastic pouches. She began stacking them
on the counter. Natalie looked on in confusion,
wondering what was in the pouches. There were almost a
dozen of them.

“Janette, what is in those pouches?” 

Janette looked up at her. “Money. Didn’t LaCroix say
the ransom demand was five million dollars in unmarked
bills?” 

Natalie’s eyes bulged. “You brought it HERE? But, I,
what…” she floundered, the shock of having five
million dollars sitting on her kitchen counter leaving
her almost speechless. 

LaCroix came up behind her silently. “Natalie, you DID
call me and ask me to provide the ransom. That is the
primary reason I am here, after all.” 

Natalie turned to stare at him, her mouth still
hanging open. Finally, she managed to close her mouth.
Her eyes shut for a moment, and a tear slipped down
her cheek as she whispered, “thank you.” 

Janette crossed over to her and wrapped her in an
embrace. “Shhh. It’s just money. If I had known that
you needed it, I would have gotten it for you.”  She
pulled back. “Now, we don’t know for certain that this
kidnapper is MISTER Andropov. It seems likely, but in
case the motive for all this is NOT revenge, but truly
is money, we need to make sure that your little girl
is safe. Don’t worry, we will find her.” She leaned
forward and planted a cool kiss on Natalie’s forehead.


LaCroix watched Janette’s affectionate display, and
felt her protectiveness toward Natalie surge across
their link. His own face wore a small smirk. Janette
pulled back and put her arm around Natalie’s shoulder.


“Come, you should sit down.” She led Natalie back
toward the living room, LaCroix following. 

When they were all seated again, LaCroix told Janette
of the theory that Natalie might have a tenuous link
with Nikki. Janette frowned in concentration. 

“Hmmm. It IS an intriguing thought.” She turned to
Natalie. “My dear, have you tried contracting little
Nicole through this link?” Natalie shook her head.
“Perhaps now might be the time to do so.” 

Natalie was dubious about the process, but she nodded
in agreement that it was worth a try. She shut her
eyes and concentrated on the link with Nikki. She
felt, as always, the very faint presence of Nick. It
was tenuous, but it was there. She probed the other
sense of “connectedness” in her mind, and was shocked
to discover not one, but three. Her eyes flew open as
she looked at the two vampires, realizing that through
her link to Nick, she was also connected to Janette
and LaCroix. They both smiled and nodded
acknowledgement of her discovery. Both of them had
felt her very faint reaching out to them.

Closing her eyes again, Natalie found the trickle of
emotion that signified her daughter. She pushed into
the link, trying to determine what Nikki’s emotional
state was. She was asleep, and seemed confused,
unhappy and scared, but the fear wasn’t overwhelming.
She seemed to be as well as could be expected, and
didn’t seem to be in pain. Natalie breathed a sigh of
relief. Carefully standing up, she slowly turned her
body, trying to use the link with Nikki as a compass
point for her to lock onto.  Suddenly she got a
“tugging” from her daughter. She opened her eyes and
noted that she was pointed vaguely to the southeast.

She looked at the two vampires. “When I turned, I
suddenly felt like I had a string that pulled at me.
Is that what it feels like?”

LaCroix and Janette exchanged looks, then Janette
nodded at Natalie. “Yes. It is a bit different for us,
but essentially the same.  What do you say we take a
little drive, the three of us?” Natalie didn’t say
anything but went to retrieve her coat and purse. 
They went out to Janette’s Lexus, and Natalie got in
the front seat, LaCroix in the back. As she
concentrated on finding her daughter via their link, 
She also probed around the links she had to the
vampires sitting with her. The link to Nick was also
present, although much fainter. She remembered him
telling her that physical proximity strengthened the
links. With LaCroix and Janette sitting close to her,
she was able to discern that their presences in her
mind were both linked very closely to the fainter
entity of Nick. It was interesting that she could tell
which link belonged to which vampire; each one had a
distinctive “flavor”, just as the connection to her
daughter was very clear to her as “Nikki”.

As they started driving on the Beaverton Hillsdale
Highway heading toward the city, Natalie concentrated
on the connection to Nikki. She felt a steady tugging,
and once it “moved” to her left, and she directed
Janette. As they got closer to the river, she felt a
sharp tug to the west. They entered the city proper,
and headed toward Janette’s haunts, over by the
Burnside Bridge. As the started driving toward the
Pearl District, Natalie felt the tugging growing
stronger. She realized they were heading out past the
city proper, toward what passed as an industrial area,
with large warehouses.

Suddenly, she lost the connection. She cried out, and
Janette pulled over.

“Natalie, what is wrong?” 

“It’s gone…I can’t find the direction any more.” She
still felt the emotional bond with her daughter, but
she couldn’t discern her direction anymore. Tears
welled up in her eyes. “What happened? Where did it
go?”

Janette started cursing in French. LaCroix frowned.
“But you can still feel her in general, yes?” Natalie
nodded her head. “She is probably in transit then, or
has been taken underground. This is not an exact
science, and since your bond is very faint, we cannot
become disheartened.”

They agreed to head back to Natalie’s house. She cried
silently the entire time, but sent feelings of love
and reassurance along the emotional link connecting
her to Nikki. As she became more aware of the other
presences within her mind, she realized that she was
feeling something very faint buzzing along her link to
Nick. She quickly tried to damp down her own emotions,
knowing that if he felt them it would only serve to
make him curious and restless. 

They arrived back at her house around 3:30 AM. Natalie
was amazed at how easily she had reverted to a
nighttime lifestyle. Janette dropped them off, and
left to return to her club. Natalie pulled a wineglass
out of the cupboard and offered it to LaCroix along
with a bottle opener. He silently inclined his head,
then proceeded to open one of the bottles Janette had
brought.

Natalie took the pouches with the money and put them
in a trunk in the closet; she still wasn’t comfortable
with the idea of five million dollars lying around her
house. Even with LaCroix there, she was still nervous.
LaCroix didn’t say anything, just watched her with
that smug smile that in past times had infuriated her.


Finally, she showed him to the basement.  He looked
around in appraisal.

“This will do quite nicely, thank you.” Natalie left
him to settle into the room, and went upstairs. She
gathered her mail and sifted through all the bills,
credit card offers, and other pieces. 

LaCroix came back upstairs about twenty minutes later.
He looked at Natalie going about her life tasks and
finally went to her bookcase and chose a book to read.
He sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs and began
reading.

Finally, Natalie got up and nervously started pacing.
LaCroix ignored her until she walked over and sat down
facing him. He looked up, to see her nervously biting
her lower lip.

“Is there something you wanted?” 

“Since we seem to be in a lull, and all we can do now
is wait, I was wondering if you can tell me how Nick
is really doing. When you left Toronto you told me
that you could help him control his…cravings, I guess.
Please, I just need to know that he is OK.” She looked
at him, her blue eyes filled with such longing that it
touched his heart.

“Very well. The first thing that I did when we left
Toronto was to get Nicholas to stop drinking that
swill he had been digesting.  One of the reasons he
had difficulty controlling himself with you is that he
had been half starving himself for decades. By denying
himself human blood, he had set himself up to fail at
any exercise of control. Add to that the fact that
Nicholas was also drawn to you emotionally, it was no
wonder that the beast inside of him almost killed you.
He had lost the skills and finesse needed to control
his primal desires, and like an alcoholic that has
abstained for many years, allowing himself to feed on
you awakened all his urges with a vengeance.”

Natalie sat listening, trying to be detached and
unemotional, but his explanation of the disastrous
ending to her relationship with Nick brought those
last few moments together crashing into the forefront
of her memories.  Tears started slipping down her
cheeks.

“Are you sure you want to hear this, my dear?” LaCroix
asked.

She nodded.  “Yes, I need to know what happened.” 

LaCroix inclined his head. “After we left Toronto, we
went to Paris for a year, and Nicholas and I worked on
his control. The City of Lights always has had a
calming effect on Nicholas, and this was no different.
We joined the local community there, and Nicholas
rejoined his kind. He is still a troubled individual,
but he now has the support of his own kind. He still
interacts with the mortal world, but he keeps himself
aloof. It still troubles me that he still keeps
himself apart from his own kind as well, but
eventually Nicholas WILL come to terms with himself.
He has a strong sense of survival, regardless of his
lingering humanity and this pointless guilt which
follows him. I know you may not be happy with the fact
that Nicholas has turned back to embracing his nature,
but it truly is for the best.” LaCroix watched
Natalie, trying to determine what she was thinking.

“Thank you LaCroix. I’ve done a lot of thinking over
the years, and I honestly believe that part of Nick’s
problem, his depression, was his constant battle with
himself. He was a man divided. I’m not saying that
becoming mortal wasn’t a very real objective for him,
but I truly believe that he came to be too dependent
on the dream, the possibility of becoming mortal
again, so much so that he refused to live in the
present. I won’t lie to you and say that I would be
happy if Nick became mortal and we were able to live a
full and happy life, but I’m not even sure if
attaining mortality would make him happy. Part of me
thinks that it is HAVING a dream, something to strive
for, that is what he needs. I just don’t know. And now
I never will.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I love
him, and will until my dying day. There IS no one else
for me, there never could be.” 

LaCroix looked at her speculatively and asked the
question he had toyed with for many years. “I must ask
you. Now that you have had several years living a
normal mortal existence, how would YOU feel about
coming across if you were offered the choice, and have
had time to weigh the differences? And I mean for
yourself, not for Nicholas. If it was your choice,
freely made?” 

Natalie looked down at her hands in her lap. She
finally started speaking, picking her words very
carefully. “I always thought that the worst thing
about being a vampire would be moving on, making a new
life for myself every seven to ten years, leaving
everything and everyone that I had grown to care for.
In the last ten years, I HAVE lost everyone and
everything that has mattered to me. And now with this
situation with Nikki, I realize that it doesn’t matter
whether I’m a mortal or a vampire, there will always
be loss. I’ve started over in my life three times, and
each time I’ve lost or said goodbye to my old life. I
think with that realization, I have a better idea of
what it is to move on. And, truth be told, I HAVE
thought about the wonder of living through changing
times, to see history and science advance. My only
hesitation with becoming a vampire is the blood lust,
the urge to kill.” She looked up at him, a steely
determination in her eyes. “I’m a doctor, LaCroix,
pledged to save life, not take it. I don’t know that I
could survive the self-hatred of killing another
sentient being. THAT is what drives Nick. He regrets
the lives he has taken and destroyed, all the pain he
has caused. And in that respect, I support him one
hundred per cent. I know that in this modern age a
vampire doesn’t NEED to kill, but from the
conversations Nick and I have had, the vampire ENJOYS
killing, the hunt. And that is the part of being a
vampire that I don’t know that I could handle. I
cannot make a decision like that, not in theory.
Maybe, if I was faced with the decision due to a
life-threatening situation, I’d be able to say finally
‘yes, bring me across’, but I cannot say that for
sure, right now, that that is what is what I want.
But, if I was dying and the possibility existed that I
COULD make that choice, I guess I would have to say
that yes, I would want to be given that option. From
what Nick has told me, the final decision of whether
to come back, is mine and mine alone.”

LaCroix nodded. “Yes, that is true.  It is the choice
of the individual. Thank you for your honesty, my
dear. After we left Toronto, Nicholas spent many
months trying to decide whether or not he should have
attempted to bring you across as you lay dying. I
think he believed that it is not a choice you ever
wanted, that you only wanted him if he was to become
mortal.”

Natalie stared at him. “How could he believe that?
Doesn’t he know that I love ALL of him? I love the
person he IS, not what he MIGHT be. Yes, the chance to
have a family and grow old together was what we both
longed for, but we both knew that that possibility
might not exist.  I TOLD him that night that if he had
to make the decision to bring me across that he should
do it so that we could be together.” She shook her
head at the sadness of the situation. 

LaCroix leaned over and put his hand on hers. “My
son’s greatest failing when it comes to his heart is
that he always tries to make decisions based on HIS
beliefs. He doesn’t always honestly listen to the
wishes of others. His hubris in life is that he thinks
he knows what is best for anyone who knows him. And we
both know that is not always the case.” 

Natalie nodded, remembering all the times that Nick
had tried to shield her from things, to “protect” her,
and that he never listened to her when she told him
that he didn’t have the right to make decisions FOR
her.  Oh, Nick, she thought.

LaCroix leaned back. “It is nearing dawn, and I am
going to retire for the day. Tomorrow we should find
out what the kidnapper wants us to do. I know it will
be difficult, my dear, but you should try and get some
rest.” He stood up. “Good day, I shall see you this
afternoon or evening.” He leaned down, took her hand,
and placed a cool kiss on the back of it before
leaving to go to the basement.




These Three 8/15

Natalie sat in the living room for a while longer.
Finally she got up and wandered over to the mantel,
and pulled out two pictures from the myriad scattered
there. One was the photo that Janette had looked at
earlier, with Natalie and Nick sitting on a picnic
table together, his arms wrapped around her shoulders
and her leaning back into him, both of them smiling.
It had been an unusually light moment for Nick. She
smiled fondly. The other picture was of Nikki dressed
up for Halloween the previous October. She had been
dressed as an angel, with large wings and a long white
gown, her smile large and impish at the same time.
Tears formed in the corners of Nat’s eyes as she gazed
at both pictures. The two people she loved most in the
world, both of who were lost to her.  She closed her
eyes and willed herself not to weep. She had shed so
many tears in the last two days that she wondered that
she was still able to cry. Finally, a slow-burning
anger replaced her anguish and helplessness. She
slowly started burning with a rage against the person
who had stolen her daughter from her. He would pay,
she would see to it. In one respect, she knew exactly
why she had called LaCroix; he would understand her
need for revenge and would be willing to act on her
behalf to make sure that the monster that was doing
this to her was unable to ever hurt anyone else again.
She sighed to herself, wondering why she felt so
driven by to punish the scumbag that had stolen her
daughter, rather than be content to let the law take
care of it. She wondered what Nick would say if he
knew that she was being so base and petty. Oh well. He
wasn’t here, and LaCroix was.  Weariness finally
caught up to her as she put her photos back and
trudged to her own room to get some sleep. 

Natalie’s alarm woke her up at 4:00 PM. She got out of
bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. She
was tense and hadn’t slept well, knowing that today
was the day she would hear from the kidnappers and
hopefully get Nikki back. While she was in the shower,
she reached out with her mind along the link she
shared with Nikki. She felt fear emanating from her
daughter, and sent back feelings of reassurance and
love, masking her growing fear. She hurriedly finished
her shower and if up in a robe. She went down to the
kitchen, not sure LaCroix would be awake. 

She didn’t see the ancient master vampire anywhere,
but she noted that although it was raining, there was
still some weak light coming through the open windows
and French doors leading from living room into the
back yard. She went over to the windows and closed the
blinds and curtains, cutting out even the pale, watery
daylight. It would soon be dark. She turned on lamps
around the house so she could see. After finishing
that task, she went to start a pot of coffee for
herself, feeling the need for caffeine to help her
face the evening’s ordeals. 

Suddenly she felt a prickling on the back of her neck
and turned to see LaCroix standing in the doorway to
the kitchen, dressed in his habitual black Armani
suit. He had approached silently. She realized that
her knowledge that he was there was very much part of
her attenuated blood link with him, through Nick. 

“Nikki is frightened. I picked up her feelings about
20 minutes ago.” 

“We shouldn’t have much of a wait to hear from the
kidnapper.” LaCroix walked to the refrigerator and
opened it, pulling out a bottle of bloodwine, which he
opened and poured into one of the wine glasses Natalie
had shown him the previous evening. 

Natalie watched him, feeling strangely calm with the
tall vampire filling up the space in her modest
kitchen.  She decided that she needed the reassurance
of mundane chores to help her keep herself calm. “I’m
going to get dressed, then make something to eat. Do
you need anything?”

“Thank you, no. I shall remain here.” He inclined his
head as he headed into the living room, sat down in
one of the chairs, and picked up the book he had been
reading the previous evening. 

Natalie went back up to her bedroom and closed the
door. She reached out with her senses to Nikki again,
but all she got was the same feeling of fear. A tear
slipped down her cheek. “It’s OK baby, I’m here.” She
tried to send reassurance again along the link,
frustrated by her inability to do anything more.
Finally sighing, she went to her bureau and pulled out
a pair of jeans and a light sweater. If she had to go
somewhere suddenly to meet with the kidnappers, she
wanted to be comfortable and in versatile clothing.
She looked at her watch and saw that it was just after
five p.m. 

When she entered the kitchen, she made herself a
sandwich and poured some coffee. The stress of the
situation was beginning to wear her down, and knowing
that Nikki was afraid only set her nerves more on end.
 Finally deciding to try and do some research, she
finished her lunch and announced she was going to try
and get some work done, then went into her office.
LaCroix raised his eyebrow, but said nothing. After
2000 years, he had patience to a fine art.

As Natalie opened her laptop and started delving into
her work, she managed to distract herself enough that
she lost track of the passage of time. Suddenly the
doorbell rang, and she bolted upright, trying to
figure out who it could be. The kidnappers had
indicated that they would contact her via telephone,
but she still had no idea what time to expect the
call. She left her office to answer the front door and
found Janette standing there. It was full dark, and
after eight p.m. Without saying anything, Natalie
ushered Janette in.  The beautiful vampire went to the
kitchen, opened the door and pulled out the opened
bottle of blood wine. Natalie produced a glass for her
just as LaCroix walked into the kitchen. He walked
over to Janette and kissed her on the cheek. Natalie
noticed the easiness between the two vampires and
wondered about their relationship. LaCroix refilled
his own glass and the three of them went into the
living room.  Finally Janette broke the silence.

“It might be prudent if we have some sort of a plan,
no?” Gracefully, she sat down on the sofa, her casual
slacks and sweater reminding Natalie of a 1950’s
starlet. 

LaCroix returned to the chair he had been occupying.
“Yes, I have been considering some of our options.
Much will be dependent on whether or not this affair
truly is the work of Mr. Andropov.” He looked to
Natalie. “I am assuming that of primary importance is
getting Nicole safely back into your custody, then
secondarily…eliminating…this trash. Is that your view,
Natalie?” 

Natalie nodded. “I don’t care what happens to the
kidnapper once I have Nikki back. That is ALL I care
about right now. If he disappears off the planet, I
won’t lose any sleep over it.”

Both LaCroix and Janette got a predatory look on their
faces and Natalie shivered at the twin expressions on
their faces. 

Janette took a sip of her blood wine, then looked at
Natalie calculatingly. “I think it is safe to say that
this particular individual, whomever he may be, will
never bother you or anyone else after this is
resolved.”

LaCroix merely nodded and started outlining his
thoughts. “I suggest, Natalie, that you explain to the
kidnapper that I am providing you with the money and
that I am insistent upon accompanying you, assuming he
gives the standard ‘you will come alone’ speech. And,
of course, you should insist on speaking to little
Nicole. He does not know of your blood link to your
daughter, and will expect you to demand proof of her
continued well-being.”  Natalie nodded miserably.

“It also a somewhat logical assumption that he will
either choose to have you go on a scavenger hunt or
else he will try and choose a relatively remote
location and give you a very tight schedule. Now, my
one question is: do we fly or drive?”

Natalie blinked at him. The thought of flying had
never occurred to her. She had completely forgotten
the vampiric ability which could be highly
advantageous in the current situation. Janette got a
speculative look on her face.

“LaCroix, I would like to make a suggestion. Perhaps
it would be wise to take a two-pronged approach to
this. You and Natalie take her car, and I will take to
the air. I am guessing that this person will somehow
be following Natalie’s actions. If I leave here soon,
he will have no reason to suspect that I am part of
whatever rendezvous he has planned. You can alert me
to the plans via our blood link, and I can precede you
to the meeting point, and then we will have an
advantage they could not possibly know about.”

LaCroix nodded. “An excellent plan, my dear. Natalie,
do you agree to this?” 

Natalie nodded. 

“Excellent. So Janette, you should be off before they
call.” 

Janette stood, as did Natalie. She walked over to hug
the shorter woman. “Do not worry, Cherie. We will get
your little one back, and make sure that this animal
never troubles you or anyone else again.” She kissed
Natalie on one cheek then walked out of the house.
They heard her car start and pull out of the driveway,
and knew that she would only drive a few blocks away
before taking to the air and finding a waiting place
that would allow her to take off as soon as possible. 
“Natalie, I think it would be prudent to have
everything in readiness. You should get the money out,
and put it in a satchel so that when the call comes we
are ready to go.” 

Natalie nodded, then went to the closet where she had
hidden the money, and pulled it out as well as a
nondescript gym bag. She started stuffing the money in
the gym bag, but then pulled it out. She pulled the
pouches open and started emptying the cash directly
into the gym bag.  When she had finished the task, she
closed the zipper and took the parcel into the living
room.  She pulled out a jacket, her cell phone, and a
medical bag to be ready to leave on an instant’s
notice. She glanced at LaCroix, then went into the
kitchen and pulled three bottles of blood wine out of
the refrigerator and put them into the valise that 
Janette had originally transported them in. She took
the valise into the living room and put it next to the
medical bag and the gym bag. LaCroix looked askance at
her.

“If you or Janette should for some reason become hurt,
you’ll need blood. I don’t have any whole blood here,
so I want to make sure we have something on hand for
you.” 

”Excellent thinking. I think this person has vastly
underestimated you. Not only your own resourcefulness,
but also your intelligence. A pity for him, but he
will soon learn the error of his oversight.” 

They sat looking at one another. Natalie glanced at
her watch. It had been just after nine when Nikki had
disappeared, and it was eight fifty-five. There was a
palpable tension in the air. Natalie got up and
started pacing, looking at the phone. LaCroix merely
watched her, his expression unreadable. Suddenly the
phone rang, shattering the silent tension. Natalie
rushed to the cordless and hit the speakerphone.

“Hello?”

“Speakerphone, Dr. Knight? That doesn’t bode well for
this conversation.” 

Natalie recognized the voice from the night Nikki was
kidnapped.

“I have someone here who has a vested interest in this
conversation; he is the one who is providing your
ransom money. He is an old family friend.” 

“Hmmmm. I suppose that’s acceptable, assuming he isn’t
a law enforcement professional. Speak up, family
friend. What is your name?”

“My name is Lucien LaCroix. I am most definitely NOT
in law enforcement. There is no love lost between the
authorities and myself.” LaCroix’s cold, aristocratic
tones sent shivers down Natalie’s spine.

The disembodied voice chuckled. “Well. That’s
refreshing. So. Do you have ALL the money, in cash,
unmarked bills as I specified?”

“Of course. We expect some indication that Dr.
Knight’s daughter is still alive and well. You will
put her on the phone. Now.”

“I don’t think that you are in any position to
dictate, Mr. LaCroix.” The voice had become menacing.

“Let us just consider this a business transaction, and
as such agree that I am paying you top dollar for
merchandise, which I expect to be in mint condition
for the money I am providing.” LaCroix’s eyes were
starting to glow golden; Natalie was very glad that
the caller couldn’t see the dangerous gleam in his
eyes.

“Well, I think I can agree to that. Very well. One
second.” There was a muffle on the receiver, and a few
sounds that could be made out in the background.
Natalie’s heart was racing and adrenaline was pumping
into her system.

There was a sound on the phone and a whispered command
“Say hello to your mommy.” 

“Mama? Are you there?” Natalie’s heart broke to hear
Nikki’s voice.

“Nikki, are you ok? It’s me. I love you, Baby.” 

“Mama, when am I coming home? I miss you.” There were
tears in her voice, and Natalie could feel the fear
from her daughter in the back of her mind.

The phone was muffled again, then the kidnapper came
back on. “There, as you can hear, she is fine, for
now. I think this conversation has gone on long
enough. Dr. Knight, I suggest you get in your car and
head toward the city. I’ll call you on your cell phone
once you are en route with further directions.” The
line cut out.

Natalie was already moving, putting on her coat and
grabbing her purse, keys, medical bag and the duffel
bag. LaCroix reached over for the valise of blood wine
and went to the door into the garage, holding it open
as Natalie walked out. 

They went to her car and got in, opening the garage
door. Natalie took her cell phone out of her purse and
handed it to LaCroix. She backed out and headed back
toward the Beaverton Hillsdale Highway, fighting the
tears that were threatening to spill. 

As they got onto the road, LaCroix closed his eyes and
pushed into his link with Janette, letting her know
that they were heading toward the city. He received a
flash of confirmation from her, and an indication that
she would fly toward the city and wait for more
information from him. They drove in silence. LaCroix
had an air of threat about him, and his demeanor
reminded Natalie of the years when they were
adversaries. She was amazed at how things had changed
so much over the intervening years.




These Three 9/15

As they sped toward the city, her cell phone rang.
LaCroix answered.

“This is LaCroix.”

“Well, I think I will enjoy doing business with you,
Mr. LaCroix. Tell Dr. Knight to take the Hawthorne
Street Bridge to Mt. Tabor Park off of SE 60th.” The
line went dead. LaCroix repeated the instructions, and
then sent a mental message to Janette, and received a
flash of triumph and predatory glee in return.

“So, Natalie, what is this Mt. Tabor Park?”

“It’s a hill, with trees and a reservoir on it. Did he
say where we are supposed to go? It’s a fairly large
area.”

”No, but I have no doubt that he will contact us
again. Janette is already on the way and should be
there shortly.”

Natalie shot a glance at him. “How are you able to
communicate with her so easily? I thought Nick was her
master now.”

”That is true, but Janette and I have recently
established a vampiric blood link by sharing our blood
with one another. My link to her, while not as strong
as her link with Nicholas, is still quite effective.
Especially since Nicholas is not here.”

They drove for another 15 minutes, crossing over the
bridge and then driving up Hawthorne, then approaching
the park. Natalie’s phone rang again. LaCroix,
answered.

“LaCroix here. Where do you want us to go?”

There was a chuckle. “Tell Dr. Knight to park her car
next to the reservoir and to go into the building
there. It will be open. And for her daughter’s sake, I
hope that the two of you are alone.” Silence.

“We are to go to the reservoir and enter a building
there, he said it would be open. Do you know where it
is?”

Natalie frowned. “I think so.” They pulled into the
driveway leading into the park and took a right turn
and LaCroix could see the reservoir. He could feel
Janette’s presence in the immediate vicinity. Natalie
pulled up into the service driveway. There were no
other cars, but there was a dim light inside the
building. She parked the car, turned off the motor and
reached into the back for the duffel bag. LaCroix
caught her hand.

“Natalie, remember, if anything starts happening, you
will need to grab Nicole and then GET DOWN. Bullets
obviously won’t hurt Janette, or myself but you and
little Nicole are very vulnerable.

Natalie nodded and the got out of the car. Natalie
nodded; they got out of the car, closed the doors, and
walked over towards the high fence that surrounded the
reservoir.  They noticed a gate left wide open;
LaCroix went through it first, his senses extended and
alert. He sensed one heartbeat inside, and two others
within several yards of the building. He felt Janette
on top of the building, lying flush against the roof.
He sent her a silent warning to wait and she
impatiently agreed.

They walked into the building. Natalie could barely
see in the dim light, but LaCroix saw the machinery
lining the walls and the body heat of a man standing
behind one of the large pumps.

“That’s far enough. Put the money on the floor and
kick the bag toward me. And I have a gun, so don’t try
anything.” The voice was the same one from the phone.
Natalie dropped the gym bag to the floor and then gave
it a quick kick toward the voice. A dark figure walked
forward and Natalie could see light gleaming off the
barrel of a gun. LaCroix had made no move, but stood
in front of her, watching. The figure bent down, never
letting the muzzle of the gun waver. 

LaCroix could see the man perfectly clearly with his
enhanced vision. The man had on a hat and was keeping
to the shadows in the dim light cast by a lantern. But
his face was that of a man in his mid forties, with
the build of someone used to hard physical exercise.
Powerful and confident in his own strength. The man
opened the bag enough to see the money in it, then
slung the bag over his shoulder.

“Very good, Dr. Knight, Mr. LaCroix. I’ll assume that
the correct amount is there.” 

“Where’s Nikki? Your money is all THERE.” Natalie
finally demanded.

The man chuckled. “Well, you see Dr. Knight, I’ve
grown rather fond of your daughter, and I think I
would like to keep her company for just one more day.
But we have an old friend in common that I haven’t
seen in so long, and I think that he should join us,
and we can have a reunion. Then perhaps your daughter
can go home to her mommy.”

Natalie was angry. “Who the hell are you talking
about? What do you want?”

The figure chuckled. “Why don’t you have Detective
Nick Knight come join us for a visit? I really would
like to see him again. Now, you have 24 hours to get
him to Portland. I’ll call you at midnight tomorrow
night and we can arrange a little family reunion.”

Natalie started to walk forward, but LaCroix put his
hand out in front of her. She stopped, but he could
feel rage seething along even their very weak link. 

“What do you want with Nick? And WHERE IS MY
DAUGHTER?”

“Temper, temper, Dr. Knight. As I said, I just want a
little get together. I’ll call you with instructions
tomorrow night, at midnight.” He shot the gun on the
floor at their feet, then backed through a second
door. “Oh, and I wouldn’t recommend that you follow
me. That would be bad for your daughter’s health.”
With that he backed out the door and sprinted across
the grass toward a waiting car. 

LaCroix could feel Janette ready to spring after him,
and he sent her a sharp command to stay where she was
until they were sure that the kidnapper was well away.
When he could sense that the three heartbeats had left
the vicinity, he called Janette to join them. She did
so, her eyes golden with rage.

“Why didn’t you let me follow that scum, LaCroix?” she
hissed.

“Because he did not have little Nicole with him, and
until we have her safely within reach we will need to
act cautiously.” He turned to Natalie who was crying
silent tears of rage and frustration.

“Natalie, let us go back to your house. I think it is
time that we contact Nicholas.” 

She looked up at him, her blue eyes sparkling with the
emotions blazing inside of her. 

“Fine. Let’s GO.” She stalked out of the small
building. The two vampires looked at one another, then
followed after the irate woman.

An hour later, they were at Natalie’s house. She was
still enraged as well as frightened. She had pushed
into her link with Nikki and it appeared that she was
asleep. She was pacing in front of the fireplace. Both
Janette and LaCroix were seated, glasses of blood wine
in their hands.

Finally Natalie stopped pacing and whirled to face the
two vampires.

“Well, let’s do it. You said you wanted to contact
Nick. Let’s call him.” Her blazing eyes challenged
both of them.

Janette put her glass of blood wine down on the coffee
table and gracefully walked over to the phone sitting
on its credenza. She hit the speakerphone and dialed a
number.

The phone rang three times until it connected and the
familiar voice picked up.

“Nick Lambert here.”  A sad smile crossed Natalie’s
face as she realized that he had taken HER name for
his new identity, as she had taken his.

“Bon nuit, Nicholas. It’s Janette.” 

“Janette? Why are you on a speakerphone? Where are
you?”

“I am in Portland, Oregon. I’m here with Natalie and
LaCroix, we need to talk to you.”

There was a pause and then an almost reverent whisper.
“Natalie?” 

Tears filling her eyes, Natalie spoke. “Hi Nick. I’m
here.”  Even across the 3,000 miles separating them,
Natalie could feel a spark along the blood link they
shared.

“LaCroix is there with you? What’s going on? Are you
ok?”

LaCroix sighed. “Oh Nicholas, please cut the
melodrama. Yes, I’m here, and it is at Natalie’s
request.”

Stunned silence greeted them. “Nat? Why is LaCroix
there?”

“I asked him to help me, Nick. Three days ago my
daughter was kidnapped and I needed to come up with
the ransom. And before you tell me I should have
called you, I had my reasons for contacting LaCroix.
It doesn’t matter now. It looks as if the kidnapper is
Sergei Andropov. I talked to Joe Reese and Andropov
escaped a few months ago. We delivered the money
tonight, but he didn’t have Nikki with him, and he
gave us until midnight tomorrow to get you to Portland
before he releases her. He wants us both there.
Please, will you come?” 

“Oh Nat…of course I’ll come. I’ll leave on the next
flight I can get out of Logan.”

Janette spoke up. “Nicholas, contact me on my cell
with all your flight information and I will make sure
you are picked up at the airport. My number is
503-555-1002.” 

“Thank you Janette. LaCroix, can you please pick up
the phone so I can talk to you?” 

LaCroix stood up and walked over to the phone to pick
it up. Janette and Natalie exited the room. Obviously
Nick wanted to talk to LaCroix alone. 

“Natalie, come. You should eat and I would like to
refresh my glass.” Janette held her hand out to
Natalie. Both women suspected Nick’s desire to speak
privately with LaCroix had to do with how Nick would
handle seeing Natalie and how they could accomplish it
safely without endangering her.

As they walked into the kitchen, Natalie could feel
Nick more strongly through their blood link. Janette
could also feel Nick and was carefully watching
Natalie. Janette went to the refrigerator and pulled
out a bottle of blood wine, and Natalie pulled out a
wine glass for herself and pulled a bottle of red wine
out of a cabinet. Janette raised one eyebrow. Natalie
looked at her and smiled as she opened the bottle.

“After all the stress tonight, I need to unwind just a
bit, and I can feel my link to Nick fairly vibrating.
Hopefully the wine will blunt it just a bit.”

Janette smiled back and nodded. “Oui, it may help at
that.” She carefully considered her next words to
Natalie.  “Natalie, you must realize that when
Nicholas gets here your life will be in danger. As
soon as the two of you are in the same place together,
his vampire will surface. I know that LaCroix spent a
year working with him on his control, but there are no
guarantees when the two of you see one another.
Between us, LaCroix and I * might * be able to exert
enough control over him, but Nicholas is very strong
when his full vampire is unleashed. Have you thought
about this?”

Natalie sipped her wine and nodded. “Yes, it was the
first thing I thought about when Andropov pulled his
little stunt. The only thing I can think of is to see
if Nick and I can stay separate during this whole
thing. The most important thing in this is Nikki.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. “Janette, if anything
happens to me and Nikki manages to come through this,
will you make sure she is cared for? I only have my
sister-in-law in Vancouver as family, and she is
remarried with three kids. I know she’d take Nikki in
a heartbeat, but I want to know that Nikki is
protected. If…if possible, would you ask Nick to raise
her? I know she isn’t his daughter, but she knows who
he is to me. I think she imagines him as her father in
some respects. If he cannot or will not, I guess the
next thing is to call Sarah.” The tears spilled down
her cheeks. 

Janette walked over to Natalie and pulled the mortal
into an embrace. “Shh. Of course I will make sure your
Nikki is cared for. And, if for some reason you are
not able to care for her, I promise I will make sure
that Nicholas knows your wishes. I cannot imagine he
would say no to you or your daughter.” 

All the fear, anger, and frustration Natalie had been
experiencing finally burst the tight emotional control
she had been leashing on it. She started sobbing into
Janette’s embrace, knowing that Nick would probably
feel it along their link, but knowing that he would
understand. Her slender body shook with the intensity
of her sobs. Janette stroked her hair and crooned
wordlessly to her while her emotions spent themselves.
After a few minutes, Natalie raised her head,
sniffled, and tried to pull herself together.

“I’m sorry Janette. It’s just all the stress of this
whole situa---“

“Hush. There is no need to apologize. You have been
dealing with a terrible situation and sometimes tears
are a needed release. You should finish your wine,
yes? I believe LaCroix has finished his conversation
with Nicholas. Let us see what he has to say.” Natalie
nodded, got her glass of wine, and the two women
walked back to the living room just as LaCroix was
putting the phone down. He looked at both women
speculatively.

“Nicholas thinks he can be here before sunset. He is
going to order the jet from the de Brabant Foundation
to meet him in Boston and then bring him directly
here.” His look softened. “Natalie, we need to plan
for his arrival. I’m sure you are aware of the fact
that this situation is going to put you in danger.”

She nodded. “Janette and I were just talking about
it.”

“Excellent. The first thing we can try is to see if
there is a way to keep this…meeting…with Mr.
Andropov…between only the two of them. If he insists
on the two of you meeting him, the best that we can do
is try and set up a buffer between the two of you.” He
turned to Janette. “Janette, how many members of the
community are there here? And, do you have any
fledglings of your own here? It * might * be possible
to control Nicholas if there are enough of us within
the family here.”

Janette nodded. “There are about 100 vampires in
Portland. There is a fairly large population in
Seattle, and if I make some calls we can have
reinforcements here by sunup. It is only about an hour
flight here from there. I have two fledglings here in
Portland, and I believe Landon is still in Seattle. I
shall call him.” She pulled out her cell and started
making calls. 




These Three 10/15

Natalie turned to LaCroix. “How would having Janette’s
fledglings with us help control Nick?” Her curiosity
was piqued.

“The ties between a master and fledgling are the
strongest known among vampires. Just as I can control
Nicholas to a degree, and he in turn can impose his
will upon Janette if he so chooses, any others of our
direct lineage can help impose a measure of control
because of our shared blood.  If Janette’s fledglings
are with us, they can help bolster her strength
against Nicholas. Perhaps enough so that SHE can
control him. If her fledglings get here soon enough, I
can share blood with them and reinforce the familial
blood links. As I’m sure you are aware, the older a
vampire is, the stronger their power. As I am one of
the oldest, I can magnify and help amplify the power
of my children and grandchildren. I believe Landon,
her fledgling in Seattle, was created about one
hundred years ago. If that is the case, he is close to
me, as she was MY child when Landon was created. Hmmm.
This could be very interesting.” 

“How so?”

“No vampire has ever become mortal, then been brought
back across. Janette has a different master now. Her
situation is unique among all vampire lore.  I have
not asked her how her ties to her older fledglings
were affected by her recent transformations. I don’t
know if she even retained or reestablished her links
with them after she was brought back across.” 

 Natalie pondered all this information about vampires.
Nick was always guarded with what information he
passed on to her when they had been working on a cure
for him, and although she had known some of the
information about a master and fledgling, she had
learned more in the last five minutes about vampire
“family” relationships than in her six years working
with Nick on his vampirism.

Janette returned. “Landon will be here in two hours,
and he will bring his daughter Jillian with him. He is
going to try and see if he can get any of the Elders
from Seattle to join him. I have called a conclave at
the club in three hours to see how many local
community members we can get together. Both Arthur and
Cecile will meet me there.” She tilted her head at
LaCroix. “Lucien, do you want to join our gathering?
Should Natalie come as well?” 

LaCroix weighed their options. “Yes, I will come. And
I believe that Natalie should join us. The edict from
the Tribunal has made the rounds in the last few
years, so there should be no problems. Nicholas’ mark
on her will be apparent to all who meet her, and you
said you have already claimed her as under your
protection. I shall add my support to that
proclamation, and let all know that she and her
daughter are part of OUR family.” He smiled grimly. “I
doubt anyone will be willing to incur MY wrath.” 

Natalie listened to the interplay between the two
vampires, and realized that the vampire subculture
spanned the globe and existed within all mortal
civilizations. It was truly amazing to realize the
existence and organization of it. She glanced at her
watch, shocked to see that it was only just after
midnight. She felt as if it should be much later. The
meeting at Janette’s club was slated for around 3 AM.
Still the middle of the vampire’s “day”, but after
most bars closed their doors for the night. 

She was tired. Not only physically, but emotionally
and mentally as well. The last few days had been so
draining. And the knowledge that she would probably
soon see Nick and that it could be the end of her life
warred with worry over Nikki. She was walking a fine
line, and it was taking its toll on her energy.  She
sat down on the sofa and cupped her head in her hand,
feeling weary beyond belief.  Eventually she drifted
off to sleep while the two vampires discussed their
strategy for combining the strengths of the various
community members from Portland and Seattle, and
reviewing practical and theoretical ways to control
Nick if he and Natalie were put in a position that
would unleash his bloodlust.  

Suddenly Natalie jolted awake. Janette was leaning
over her. “It is time. Do you have the energy for
this? It has been long since you were among the
immortals of the night.”

Natalie smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’m coming. I need to
know what we are going to do. “ She glanced around
Janette to LaCroix slyly. “I’m not as much of a
control freak as some people, but I do like to know
what is going on.” She held her breath to see what his
reaction would be.

He stared at her intently for two seconds, then became
very interested in his shoulder, dusting an imaginary
piece of lint of his immaculate black suit. He ignored
her jibe and she chuckled, and Janette also smiled. 

She stood up, stretched, and they headed to the door.
Natalie grabbed her coat and purse as they went out to
her car. She handed the keys to Janette without a word
and got in the back seat. Her subtly passive behavior
was not lost on the vampires. As the local Elder,
Janette had precedence in the city, and LaCroix’s
position as an Ancient and of her bloodline was a
subtle reinforcement of her importance in the vampiric
hierarchy. 

As they drove in silence toward downtown Portland,
Natalie reached out along her link with Nikki. She was
asleep. Tentatively, she also reached along her link
to Nick and was shocked to feel the reverberation of
his consciousness along it. She sent a very small
pulse of love along it, and was instantly rewarded
with a flash of love returned followed quickly by a
surge of what could only be described as
possessiveness. She quickly shut down the link and set
a mental block up.  She started worrying that perhaps
she had aggravated the situation. But the thought of
seeing Nick, even if it meant the end of her life, was
a bittersweet ache. 

She had lived the last seven years missing him so
much. His friendship, support, and love. She had gone
on a few dates, but it was pointless when her heart
belonged to Nick and she knew it always would. So many
times she had thought about picking up the phone to
call the number he had given her, just to hear his
voice and know that he was dealing with their
separation, regaining control of the vampire, hoping
that somehow there would be a way for them to be
together.  The feeling she had just gotten from him
seemed to indicate that he was still trying to control
the vampire, and that knowledge saddened her. 

The car stopped and lurched her out of her thoughts.
She looked around and saw that they were in Chinatown,
just off of Burnside. She had been here several times,
but never at night, and never on the small side street
where the car was now parked. Janette and LaCroix were
opening their doors, and Natalie scrambled out of her
seat. The cool, moisture-laden air felt clammy even
through her clothing. She pulled her coat tighter
around her and shivered. The damp air didn’t affect
the vampires, of course, but she was getting chilled.
She glanced at her watch and saw that it was 2:15. 

They walked around the corner and stopped in front of
a doorway in an old brick-façade building. An elegant
wooden door with a brass handle and a stained-glass
window with a red rose, a single drop of red blood
below it, proclaimed the establishment as the Elysium
in elegant amethyst colored glass. Janette opened the
door and gestured for Natalie to follow her, with
LaCroix bringing up the rear. 

As they entered, Natalie’s hair began standing on end.
There was an energy in the club that was subtle but
very powerful. She realized that it was the resonance
of vampires. Many of them. They walked down a
dark-paneled hallway and into a large, long room. The
two-storied ceiling rose above them, painted a dark
maroon. To their left was a long room with a stage at
the far end, and a DJ booth in one corner. There was
currently no music. Looking back, she saw that along
the last quarter of the room was a long bar,
reminiscent of the Raven. It was made of carved, dark
wood and there was a long mirror backing it, showing
off the many bottles of alcohol lining the glass
shelves. Glasses hung from a suspended rack,
reminiscent of the Raven. She looked at the bartender,
and felt a flash of familiarity, and the name “Alma”
popped into her mind. There were booths against the
far wall, and as they passed through the long
passageway toward the bar, she turned and saw that
there were tables on the other side of the wall of the
corridor they had just come through. There seemed to
be at least fifty people in the club.

Janette steered them through the archway leading onto
the dance floor. They headed toward the first booth on
the left. As Natalie and LaCroix sat down, Janette
left to get drinks for all of them.  When she
returned, drinks in hand, she was towed by four other
vampires. Natalie’s brow wrinkled. As the other
vampires approached, she could detect distinct
emanations from them. LaCroix was looking at her. 

“You can sense them. They are family.” His softly
spoken comment sank in and made sense to her.

Janette approached the table and set down the drinks
for Natalie and LaCroix. Natalie picked up the white
wine and took a sip, hoping to calm her nerves a bit.
Janette turned around and pulled forward an exquisite
petite redheaded woman. Natalie knew that her skin had
been pale even as a mortal. Her large green eyes were
opened in surprise as Janette introduced her to
LaCroix.

“LaCroix, this is Jillian, Landon’s latest fledgling.
Jillian, this is LaCroix. I know you’ve heard quite a
bit about him.” A smile tugged at the corner of
Janette’s mouth. 

LaCroix reached forward and pulled Jillian’s hand to
his lips. “Enchanté, my dear.” 

Jillian was trembling as the master vampire kissed her
hand, and she seemed overcome as he dropped her hand
and chuckled. Finally, she shook her head and looked
at the floor, embarrassed by her display of awe. A
vampire of medium height, with brown hair and eyes,
stepped forward and extended his hand to LaCroix.

“It’s been a long time, Lucien. It is good to see
you.” His eyes sparkled with mirth and Natalie felt an
instant liking for the vampire.

LaCroix took his hand, and smiled. “Hello Landon. Yes,
it is good to see you. How long has it been…sixty,
sixty-five years?”

Landon laughed. “More like eighty.” After LaCroix
dropped his hand, he stepped back and Janette came
forward again, her arms looped around the shoulders of
a tall blond man and a willowy brunette woman with
flashing dark eyes. She pulled them forward.

“And these are the latest additions to the family,
LaCroix. This is Arthur and Cecile.  Arthur, Cecile,
this is Nicholas’ creator, LaCroix. You’ve heard me
speak of him.” 

Arthur extended his hand and bent his head. LaCroix
chuckled and took it, shaking it. 

He dropped Arthur’s hand and turned to Cecile. Her
body language radiated challenge and defiance. She
didn’t extend her hand, and LaCroix’s smile grew
larger. He slid out of the booth, and stood before
her. He reached down to take her hand in his, and as
he did so, he dropped his shields just enough to let
her experience some of his ancient power. She gasped
and dropped her eyes in submittal.

“Well, I see that Janette has brought another spirited
woman to the family. How refreshing.” He sat back
down, then nodded once at Janette. She slid into the
booth next to Natalie and gestured for the family to
gather chairs or join them in the booth. Landon slid
in next to LaCroix, leaving the younger vampires to
find chairs from nearby tables. 

When everyone was seated, Janette began to speak. “All
of you know the story of my relationship and past with
LaCroix and Nicholas. Landon, I’m sure you heard the
edict from the Council about the mortal from Toronto
who had been granted immunity after saving the
community there from the plague several years ago?” He
nodded. “Well, that mortal is Natalie.” She put her
arm around Natalie. 

The eyes of the younger vampires all turned toward
Natalie. She smiled and knew they could all hear her
heartbeat speeding up.  A stray thought entered her
mind about being a lobster on display at a seafood
restaurant. She smiled at the analogy and for some
reason it put her at ease. 

Janette continued. “Cecile and Arthur are aware of
Natalie’s presence in Portland. Landon and Jillian,
I’m sure you can sense Nicholas’ resonance around
Natalie.” They both nodded.  “Both LaCroix and I
consider Natalie a member of this family.
Unfortunately, her blood link with Nicholas, while
strong, almost resulted in her demise. Nicholas barely
stopped himself from draining her. Nicholas loves this
woman more than any other woman I have ever known him
to care for. Myself included.” She paused, letting the
information sink in. All of the vampires were aware of
her history with Nicholas.

Janette continued, amber sparks appearing in her blue
eyes as she spoke. “Natalie has a mortal daughter, and
her child has been taken from her. The man who has her
also knows Nicholas, and has demanded that Natalie and
Nicholas meet with him tomorrow night. Nicholas is on
his way here, but his link to Natalie will be
overpowering when they are in close proximity.” She
glanced at LaCroix and nodded to him. He continued the
narrative.

“As you know, the links between master and fledgling
are the strongest known to our kind. Janette and I
have devised a plan which, we hope, will impose
additional external control over him. While I have
considerable control over Nicholas, it would be
optimal if we were able to include Janette in my
attempts to restrain him. To that end, we have
gathered you here in an effort to bolster her
strength. If you are willing, I will share blood with
each of you. This should strengthen my bonds to each
of you AND Janette, and allow us to form a circle that
will be much stronger than any of us alone.” 

He looked around the table, noting the expressions on
each face. Landon was nodding, Jillian had a slight
frown on her face, Arthur had ducked his head, and
Cecile had a calculating look on her face. 

“Have any of you ever shared blood with another
vampire other than your conversion?” Landon and
Jillian nodded their heads, Cecile and Arthur shook
theirs.

“LaCroix, I’ll be happy to help any way I can.”
Landon’s quiet comment dropped into the silence.

“Me too.” Jillian’s soft voice piped in.
Janette looked at Arthur and Cecile. “I’m asking you
to do this, not demanding; it is your own choice.” 

“I’ll do it.” Cecile spoke, and her declaration was
almost a challenge, causing LaCroix to chuckle in
amusement. 

Arthur gulped, but didn’t say anything.  Cecile turned
to him. “Why don’t I go, and you can link to me after
I’m done and decide then.” He smiled then nodded.




These Three 11/15

Landon looked at LaCroix, who nodded. They both slid
out of the booth and proceeded to walk over to the
door behind the bar marked “private.”  Jillian and
Cecile got up to go get drinks at the bar, and Janette
slid out of the booth to circulate among the patrons,
greeting several of the vampires that had traveled
from Seattle, as Landon and Jillian had.

With just the two of them in the booth, Arthur moved
to face Natalie. She decided to try and break the
silence and put the nervous vampire at ease.

“So, how long have you been a vampire, Arthur?” 

He smiled at her. “A little over three years. Janette
brought me across after she had known me for almost
two years. You see, I was diagnosed HIV positive after
my partner Jeremy died of AIDS.” A painful expression
crossed his face. “I wandered in here one night after
his death, and Janette recognized the grief I was
going through. She came over to me and we started
talking, and eventually we became friends. She told me
about Robert, and that she had moved to Portland to
start a new life.  One night, she asked me what I
would do if I was cured of the disease and had a
chance to start over, without the fear of ever
contracting HIV or AIDS again. I thought she was
speaking hypothetically, of course.” He grinned a
crooked smile. “I thought about it and told her that I
would try to work to educate more people on the
realities and facts of the disease. There are so many
misconceptions about it. I was a TA at Portland State
when we had this conversation. I was getting my Ph.D.
in microbiology and was planning on going into
research. Anyway, for several weeks we talked about
what I would do, what agencies I would work with, as
well as the types of programs I thought I could help
devise.” 

”Then, one night, she invited me back to her office. I
was stunned and a bit nervous. She obviously knew I
was gay, and I hoped she wasn’t going to hit on me.
She is a beautiful woman, but I wasn’t interested in
her that way.” He laughed to himself. “When we got up
to her office, she told me that one of the biggest
myths of world culture was actually a reality. She
told me that vampires are real. Of course I laughed at
her. Then she changed. Her eyes began to glow and her
fangs extended. She hissed at me, ‘oh yes, we are
quite real.’ I almost had a heart attack from fright.
She changed back and told me her story, from her first
conversion, her relationship with Nicholas and
everything up to her coming to Portland. Needless to
say, I was stunned. Finally, she asked if I would
consider becoming a vampire. She told me the pros and
cons, and advised me to consider it. She also warned
me not to tell anyone about this or that the Enforcers
would find out and kill me. She gave me three days to
think about her offer, and told me to come back at the
end of that, and if I had decided against it that she
would erase my memories and I would go on with my life
as before. She also warned me that if I didn’t return,
she would find me and erase them forcefully.”

At that point, both Jillian and Cecile returned and
sat down, and Cecile put a glass of blood wine in
front of Arthur. He smiled at her before continuing
his story.

“The next three days were the hardest of my life up
until that point, except for losing Jeremy. The
thoughts of living forever, never having to worry
about becoming ill or going through the horror of AIDS
were balanced by the realities of drinking human
blood. Janette had told me that vampires don’t need to
kill in this day and age for their food, but she had
painted a very vivid picture of a vampire’s bloodlust,
and told me that there might come a day when I would
kill, even if it was against my will. I was torn by
indecision. Then, the day I was supposed to come back
here with my decision, I got a call from a friend in
Seattle. He and his partner had both been diagnosed
with HIV, and he was in tears. He knew I was already
HIV positive, and he was trying to ask for some
support. After I got off the phone with him, I made my
decision. I called the University and withdrew from
the Ph.D. program, then came over here. Janette
brought me across that night.”

Natalie nodded when he finished his story. “Did
Janette tell you that when I first met Nick he was
trying to become mortal and that I had agreed to try
and help him?” Arthur nodded. “Well, after we were
forced to part, I continued one avenue of my research
and started looking at the possible effects of the
vampire virus on HIV-infected blood. I’ve made some
interesting discoveries. After this is all over, and
assuming I survive, I’d be happy to share them with
you.” 

“Wow, that would be great. I’d be very interested. I
haven’t been doing much research. I’ve been working
with several agencies to try and promote AIDS
awareness among homeless teens.”

At that moment, Landon returned. He walked up behind
Jillian and put a kiss on the top of her head. “Your
turn, Sweetie.” She turned and smiled up at him, and
Natalie wondered about their relationship. Jillian got
up and left the table, obviously familiar with the
layout of the building. She disappeared through the
doorway behind the bar just as Janette returned to the
table. 

“Natalie, two of the Elders from Seattle would like to
speak with you. Are you up for it?” Natalie nodded,
then slid out of the booth and followed Janette.

Landon took the seat that Jillian had just vacated and
leaned forward to grab the glass of bloodwine she had
left. He brought it to his lips and took several
swallows, before realizing that both Arthur and Cecile
were studying him. He put the goblet down and raised
an eyebrow at the fledglings.

“Is something wrong? Have I suddenly grown two heads?”
His teasing tone caused Arthur to look away,
embarrassed. Cecile, on the other hand, boldly stared
at him.

“Well? What was it like? Sharing blood with LaCroix?” 

Landon chuckled. “Like nothing you’ve ever
experienced, youngling. You’ll have your turn in just
a bit. It is a highly…sensual experience. I do believe
you will like it.” He smiled then got up to get
another glass of blood wine from the bar. 

Cecile fumed after Landon. Her mercurial temper amused
the older vampires, but it galled her to be treated as
a child. She turned back to Arthur, who was studying
his drink. He could feel her seething through their
link. 

“Arthur. Look at me.” Cecile demanded of her sibling.
He looked up. “Do you know why it is so important for
us to share blood with LaCroix?” He shook his head.
She sighed in exasperation and reached for her own
glass of blood wine in an effort to calm herself down.
She downed it in two swallows, and then got up to get
a refill. She noticed that the club was filling up;
there seemed to be almost double the number of
vampires that had been there just half an hour
previously. She saw Janette and Natalie talking to a
man and a woman who were nodding. She scowled at her
master and turned to go back to their table. 

Ten minutes later, Jillian reappeared and walked over
to Janette. Both of them turned to look at Cecile,
then Janette nodded and excused herself. She walked
toward Cecile, and beckoned her to follow when she
knew Cecile’s attention was on her. Cecile got up and
walked toward her.

“Ma petite, you must be careful of how you interact
with LaCroix. So far, he has been amused by your
spirit.  But make no mistake, he angers easily. Keep
your temper under control, hmmm?” They walked through
the doorway behind the bar and down the corridor to
Janette’s office. Janette opened the door without
knocking. LaCroix stood at the fireplace, his
immaculate black shirt unbuttoned at the neck. Never
having met him, Cecile had no idea how unusual the
sight was. Janette gave her a gentle push into the
office, and then closed the door behind her. The
ancient vampire watched the fledgling come toward him,
noticing her defiance along with her pride. He hoped
he would not have to break that spirit.

She stopped a few paces away from him. “So, tell me
what I will get out of this sharing of our blood.” 

LaCroix arched an eyebrow. “Hmmm. You are a little
mercenary. I see that Janette chose another fiery
temper for our family. Come here.” He crooked a finger
at her. She held her ground a moment longer, then
reluctantly walked toward him. “You ask what you will
get out of our sharing of blood? A deeper control over
your own blood lust. Increased perceptions of the
world around you, and a small increase in your
tolerance to sunlight. And, of course, there is the
sheer pleasure of sharing blood with another vampire.
It is the closest intimacy imaginable. “ He dropped
his shield again, more fully than before, and allowed
his power to wash over her more forcefully.

Cecile felt the power, as well as something
familiar…the desire for blood. She took another
involuntary step toward him. She shook her head, then
frowned.

“Fine. Should I take my clothes off for this? I
haven’t had sex since before I was brought across last
year.”

LaCroix laughed. “While the offer is intriguing, since
we are under time constraints all you need to do
is…bite me.” He reached out and drew her to him. The
feel of her sparkled along his senses, igniting a
passionate response. He growled deep in his throat and
watched as she changed, her eyes becoming amber, her
fangs extending. He leaned down, baring his neck to
her as his own features changed.

Cecile could feel the lure of the ancient’s blood. It
called to her. His unique scent, like leather and
tobacco with an overlay of cloves, intoxicated her.
She leaned forward, intent on his pale neck, and slid
her extended fangs into his cold flesh. As his blood
began to flood her mouth, she was assaulted with scene
after scene of his very long life, and passion of a
sort she had never experienced. She never even felt
his fangs piercing her own neck. As she was assaulted
by images and sensory perceptions, Cecile felt a power
begin to suffuse her being. She felt nuances and
subtleties tied to the nature of the vampire that she
had never even dreamed of. LaCroix imparted some of
his own strength to her, his abilities, and even
wisdom. She felt her body begin to tingle with
pleasure and realized that she was having a massive
orgasmic reaction to the richness of his blood. She
growled low in her throat and pulled his blood into
her mouth with more urgency. 

LaCroix finally pulled away from her, well pleased
with her reaction to his blood. Oh, how sweet her
young blood. The hot passion that mounted within them
both was something he had not felt in many years. She
looked up at him with an intense satisfaction on her
face.

“Wow, that was incredible.” She smiled and her face
transformed to one of beauty and sweetness. LaCroix
traced a finger along her cheekbone.

“My, you are full of surprises. I see Janette has
chosen well in you.”

To his surprise, Cecile pulled him down to her for a
long, passionate kiss full of desire. She pulled back
from his mouth and leaned to whisper in his ear, “When
we have more time, we shall continue this…with fewer
articles of clothing.” She released him and stepped
back, a smug look on her face.

LaCroix looked at her, a smile playing around his
lips. “I may extend my stay in Portland after this
family ordeal is finished.” He grabbed her hand and
brought it to his lips. “Now, perhaps you should get
your brother.”

Cecile frowned. “I don’t think he is going to be able
to go through with the blood link.”

LaCroix scowled. “Why ever not?”

“Arthur has issues with…intimacy. I’m not sure why,
but when he came across, he was uncomfortable with
Janette’s link, and he hasn’t taken well to the blood
link we share, even though it is weak and neither one
of us really pursues it. Janette may have some more
insight into it. He enjoys donated blood, but Janette
has said she wonders if he will even be able to handle
the closeness of a live meal.” She tossed her hair and
sniffed. Through their newly formed link, LaCroix
could feel her disdain for her brother.

“Well, be that as it may, I should talk to him and at
least get this fear of his confronted. Thank you, my
dear. I will talk to him at a later time, stressing
that even if he chooses not to share our blood, we
should get to know one another.” She nodded and
slipped out the door.

LaCroix sent a request for Janette’s presence along
their own link, and momentarily she opened the office
door and walked in.

“Oui, LaCroix?” She held a full goblet of blood wine
her hand, a bottle in the other. She offered him the
glass, which he accepted.

“Tell me about Arthur. Cecile seems to believe he has
intimacy issues and that sharing blood would upset
him.” He sipped from the goblet. Although he had fed
on vampire blood, he had lost as much or more of what
he had ingested, and needed to replenish his internal
reserves.

Janette frowned. “As a mortal, Arthur had a homosexual
orientation. When I brought him across, I learned that
while he was growing up, his stepfather sodomized him
regularly. His mother died when he was fairly young.
Although he had a long-term stable relationship until
a few years ago, his experiences with intimacy were
tinged with fear. Even the experience of converting
was difficult for him. I think the only reason he
crossed over successfully was because I had built a
non-threatening friendship with him for quite a while
before he joined us. I daresay you would remind him
quite a bit of his stepfather, just by your very
nature.” She hesitated, then went on, “LaCroix, please
don’t antagonize him. Although he may sound weak, he
is not. I am very attached to him. I have been
teaching him and he is coming along, if slowly.”

LaCroix rolled his eyes, poured another glass of blood
wine and considered Janette before he spoke again.
“Very well. We shall have to try our plan without
him.” 

He got up and both of them went through the door and
back down to the bar. It was almost 3:00, and Janette
wanted to introduce Natalie to the vampires that had
answered her call. She walked over to the table where
Natalie and the other family members were seated, and
leaned over the back of the booth so that Natalie
would hear her.

“Natalie, are you ready? It is almost time.” Natalie
nodded and Janette could hear her heart rate increase.
She slid out of the booth and followed Janette to the
dais at the front of the room. 

As Janette stepped up, the entire venue quieted.
Although there was no microphone, since the only
mortal in the room was Natalie all other occupants
would hear her perfectly well.

“Thank you all for coming, including our friends from
Seattle.  I’m sure most of you have heard the edict
from the Council of Elders stating that a mortal under
my family’s protection has been given full support due
to her help a few years ago in saving the Toronto
Community from a deadly plague against our kind. Her
name is Natalie Lambert Knight, and she is here with
us tonight asking my family to honor our pledge of
protection” She turned and gestured to Natalie
standing beside her. “Natalie’s mortal daughter has
been taken from her by a Russian crime lord.  He asked
for money, which he received, for the return of the
little girl. He then insisted that Natalie bring my
master, Nicholas de Brabant, to his presence, before
he will release her.” Janette’s eyes had started
turning amber as she spoke, and all the vampires in
the room could feel her anger, so powerful was it. She
was not shielding at all. 

“This behavior is unacceptable. Lucien LaCroix, one of
our most powerful elders and the master of Nicholas,
is here to honor our family pledge. Until this mortal
piece of OFFAL demanded the presence of Nicholas, this
was to be handled as a family affair. With the demand
of Nicholas’ presence, both LaCroix and I feel that it
is time to alert the Community to this threat and to
eradicate it and all others associated with it. I am
asking for the support of the Community. This mortal,
Sergei Andropov, is not a citizen of Portland. He
recently escaped from a prison in Canada, and the
American government does not officially acknowledge
his presence, so his demise will go unnoticed. If you
are willing to help with this endeavor, please come
speak to us. If you are unable or unwilling, my thanks
for your time.” 

Janette and Natalie stepped off of the dais. There was
the sound of angry murmuring all around them, and
Natalie could feel the vast reserves of power swirling
in the room. The two women walked back to the table
where LaCroix and his family sat, and were soon
bombarded with questions. LaCroix stood to help field
the traffic and answer inquiries.

After more than an hour, Janette had a large
contingent of vampires, including the two elders from
Seattle, ready to implement a plan as soon as the
logistics regarding the meeting were known. LaCroix
had already taken the two elders to Janette’s office
to ask them for ideas on controlling Nicholas,
explaining the situation between Nick and Natalie to
them, and his own measures with his blood kin to
impose external control on Nick. 

Natalie had answered questions from almost every
vampire that had volunteered to help.  She was
exhausted and her nerves were frazzled when suddenly
Janette appeared at her side.

“Natalie, come. Let me take you home. It will be dawn
in less than an hour.” 




These Three 12/15

Natalie nodded and they headed out into the wet spring
night. Janette still had her keys, and Natalie
gratefully slid into the passenger side.  She leaned
her head back on the headrest, and realized that there
was a definite tingle coming from the back of her
head, from her link to Nick. She sighed.

“What is it, Natalie?” 

Janette knew the mortal was exhausted, not only from
the ordeal with Andropov but also from the adrenaline
that had been coursing through her in the club. Even
though she was under a protected status, Janette was
aware that being around so many vampires had put
Natalie on edge. 

“My link to Nick is starting to…vibrate? I guess
that’s as good a word as any. It’s getting stronger,
and it’s distracting.”

Janette nodded. “Hmmm. Once we get to your house let
me see if I can impose some dampers on you, at least
until tomorrow night. You need to get some rest.” 

“That would be very helpful. Thank you.” 

Janette heard Natalie’s heart slow down and her
breathing deepened as she drifted into a light doze.
She let the mortal woman sleep until they reached her
home in the suburbs. Janette stopped the car, leaned
over and shook Natalie gently.

“Natalie, wake up. We are here.”
Natalie woke up, shook her head and looked around. She
smiled and got out of the car. Janette followed her,
handing the keys back to Natalie as they reached the
front stoop. Once the door opened, both women walked
in and Natalie went straight to the refrigerator for
some juice and the fixings for a sandwich. Janette sat
at the small dinette in the kitchen nook and just
observed.

After a few minutes, Natalie brought her sandwich and
juice over and sat down. She hadn’t realized how tired
she really was, as well as famished. The loss of sleep
was affecting her energy level and her body was
demanding food to replenish her dwindling reserves. 

Finishing, Natalie turned to Janette. “So, what did
you have in mind for helping get this under control?
What do I need to do?”

“I know you are a resistor, so I will not be able to
hypnotize you as I normally would. And, given the
situation it is probably better that I teach you how
to impose your own internal controls. Close your
eyes.” She paused while Natalie complied. “Now, can
you sense your link to Nicholas as separate from your
other connections?” Natalie nodded. “Very well. What I
would like you to do is isolate your connection to
Nicholas, and in your mind imagine it as a bright
ribbon or beam of light leading from you to him. Nod
when you have achieved it.” 

The clock ticked on the wall for almost two minutes
before Natalie finally nodded.

“Good. Now, I want you to narrow, or ‘tie a knot’ in
that connection. Basically I want you to allow less of
the energy between you to flow into you.” Again, she
waited. Suddenly Natalie gasped and her eyes flew
open.

“It worked! Wow. It’s still there, but now it is
almost as faint as my connection to you and LaCroix.
Thank you so much!” She smiled at Janette, then
glanced at the clock. “Shouldn’t you get going? It’ll
be dawn in a just over twenty minutes.”

Janette shook her head. “No, LaCroix and I both agree
that one of us should be here with you at all times,
especially with Nicholas approaching. Since LaCroix
will be able to exert much more control over Nicholas
than I will, he will meet Nicholas at the airport
tonight.” 

A tautness in Natalie relaxed, something she hadn’t
even been aware of. “Thank you Janette. I really
appreciate it.”

Janette inclined her head, then stood up. “I think
both of us should retire. We will have a long night
ahead of us. Will you be able to sleep?” Natalie
nodded. “Bien. I shall see you after the sun sets.
LaCroix will call me when Nicholas has arrived.” She
left to go to the basement.  Natalie stayed at the
table a bit longer, and reached out with her link to
Nikki, who was still asleep. Smiling, she got up and
sought her own bed.

Natalie woke up as the last rays of the sun were
painting an ochre glow on her bedroom walls. She
sighed, and realized that her head was tingling,
again. Repeating the exercise Janette had taught her
the night before, she managed to dim it a bit. But she
knew that Nick was very close.  Feelings of both dread
and anticipation warred within her. It had been so
long since she had seen him, yet doing so might leave
Nikki without a mother, assuming they both survived
this nightmare.

Swinging her legs out of the bed, Natalie got up and
went to take a shower. When she got downstairs,
Janette was sitting in the darkened kitchen, a glass
of blood wine in front of her. She was wearing a man’s
dressing robe, and Natalie smiled, realizing it must
belong to LaCroix.

“Good evening, Janette. Would you like to take a
shower?” 

“Yes, please. LaCroix called me about ten minutes ago;
Nicholas is at the club.” 

Natalie’s knees started shaking and she closed her
eyes as she grabbed the back of a chair. She fumbled
her way into the seat.

“Natalie, are you all right?” 

“I’ll be fine. I guess I’m just realizing this is
really happening.”

Janette reached a hand across to squeeze one of
Natalie’s. “We will keep you safe. Remember that
although he craves your blood, Nicholas loves you more
than his own life. Never make the mistake of
underestimating love.” 

A tear leaked down Natalie’s cheek as she nodded and
tried to smile. Not trusting herself to say anything,
she wiped the tear and beckoned for Janette to follow
her to the bathroom. She left the beautiful vampire to
go make some breakfast for herself and decide the best
way to face the coming ordeal. 

An hour later both Natalie and Janette were showered
and dressed, waiting for LaCroix to call. Suddenly,
the front doorbell rang. Startled, Natalie looked up.
Who could it be? Janette was already on her feet,
putting a finger to her lips to make sure Natalie
didn’t say anything. She walked to the door and opened
it, already knowing who was on the other side. Arthur
stood there, looking uncomfortable.  Janette quirked
an eyebrow at him and gestured for him to come in.

“So, Arthur, I will assume that LaCroix asked you to
come here?” Janette broke the silence.

“Yes. Nicholas arrived, and LaCroix felt that since I
wouldn’t be much help in the control efforts, that I
should at least make myself useful here.” He looked at
Natalie. “I’m very sorry I’m not comfortable taking
part in the blood circle.”

”That’s quite all right, I understand. I appreciate
any help you are willing and able to give me. Did you
meet Nick?” He nodded. “How did he…seem?”

“A bit tired, but he was very courteous. I think he
was surprised to find out about Cecile and me.” He
cast an amused glance at Janette. “He and LaCroix
sequestered themselves in Janette’s office for about
an hour, then Nick went to get some sleep in one of
the spare rooms. LaCroix, Cecile, Landon and Jillian
are keeping a watch over him. Janette, they asked you
to come as soon as you could to see if the blood
augmentation is effective. The Seattle Elders should
be by the club around ten tonight.” 

Janette stood. “Bien. I shall go right now. Natalie,
if you should hear from Andropov before midnight, call
me immediately with the location. Arthur, please make
sure that Natalie is well guarded.” With those parting
words, she exited through a pair of sliding glass
doors leading to the patio, then took to the air.

Natalie turned back to Arthur, at a loss for small
talk subject matter; it seemed the younger vampire was
experiencing the same dilemma. 

“So, Arthur, would you like some blood wine?” 

He shook his head. “No thanks, I had plenty over at
the club. Um, why don’t you tell me about how you met
my family, and I’d like to see pictures of your
daughter.”

Natalie, more than happy to comply, started relating
her side of the meeting with Nick and his family,
their relationship in Toronto, his moving on, meeting
Tony, Nikki, and her move to Portland. Arthur proved
to be a good audience, and was enthusiastic about
anything to do not only with Janette and Nick, but
also with Nikki. The time passed quickly for them, and
Natalie felt completely at ease with the young
vampire, more so than with any other of the immortals
except Nick.  

Finally glancing up at the clock, Natalie was
surprised to find that it was almost ten. She recalled
that the Seattle elders were going to stop by the
Elysium around that time. And only two hours until
Andropov called, and not long until she saw Nick.
Nervousness and anticipation warred with her. 

Suddenly feeling a tickle at the back of her head, she
realized that Nick must be awake. She practiced the
exercise Janette had suggested, and it worked to dull
the awareness of Nick, but not as much as it had the
previous night. She got up and started to pace, trying
to think of something to do that would distract her
from the buzzing in her head. 

Arthur was just watching her, familiar with the
sensation of an active blood link. It was one of the
effects of coming across that Janette had tried to
explain, but for which he had been wholly unprepared.
It still unnerved him anytime he felt Janette or
Cecile in the back of his head. His link to Landon was
much weaker, and he wondered if it was because of the
duality of Janette’s masters. 

“Natalie, try putting on some music, something with a
strong beat. Rock, industrial, electronica, synth,
something with a really heavy bass or percussion. That
sometimes seems to help me tune out the emanations
from other people.”

She turned to look at him. “Really? Huh. OK.” She
wandered over to her stereo and looked through her
CD’s. She decided on some REO Speedwagon, holding up
the CD for Arthur to look at. He shrugged, so she put
the CD in the carousel and turned it on. Soon the
rhythmic drums, bass and lyrics started filling the
room, and Natalie found that the percussive beat
against her breastbone DID help dull the buzzing in
the back of her head. She smiled in thanks.

Janette entered the club moments before the Seattle
Elders Gwyn and Vassili did.  She turned to greet
them, motioning them to follow her up to her office.
As she expected, LaCroix was in the office, a glass of
bloodwine in one hand, reading from one of the books
she had loaned him. He looked up when the other three
vampires entered, stood and bowed.

Janette went to sit behind her desk, the other
vampires finding seats for themselves in the elegantly
appointed room. When all were seated, LaCroix began to
speak.

“Nicholas has arrived and is currently sleeping, and
Janette’s fledglings are upstairs waiting for us.  I
have discussed our theory with Nicholas and he is
quite amenable to trying it.  He asked us to give him
until eleven to get some rest, then wake him.” 

The Seattle vampires nodded, then Gwyn spoke up.
“Lucien, do you want us to link with you or Janette
and her children?”

“I have been pondering that thought, and I was hoping
that you would link to Janette and that Vassili would
lend me his strength.” Vassili nodded in acquiescence,
his dark eyes solemn. 

“Yes, I can see the advantages. I believe you and 
Gwyn already share a link, Lucien?” Both Gwyn and
LaCroix nodded. “Very well, that is one more tie to
add to the net. So, Lucien, it appears you and I
should form our own link?” A wolfish grin crossed the
ancient Greek face. 

LaCroix laughed.  “Indeed. Ladies, will you excuse
us?”

Gwyn and Janette got up and left the room, opting to
go upstairs to Janette’s spacious apartment. When they
entered her living room, Cecile and Landon looked up
from a game of chess. Jillian was in a corner
listening to music with headphones on. She took them
off when the two women entered and stood up. 

“Cecile, this is Gwyneth from Seattle. She is going to
help us in our experiment.” Landon and Jillian already
knew the acting Seattle council leader and they nodded
a greeting.

"Have all of you linked before, either with others or
with each other?" Gwyneth asked.  Cecile shook her
head, while Landon, Jillian and Janette nodded.  Gwyn
turned to Janette.  "Janette, could you initiate a
link with Cecile, then bring Landon and Jillian in?  I
will monitor from outside the link, then we will
observe where I would be able to fit into the mesh."

Janette nodded then went to sit beside Cecile, taking
her hand. Soon both women’s eyes had turned amber and
their fangs extended. Janette looked to Landon and
Jillian in turn and linked to each of them to complete
the circle.

Gwyn nodded in satisfaction. “Very good. Your circle
is very strong. I think I shall slide in…here.” That
said she sent a tenuous mental link to Jillian and
another to Janette, and all five vampires could feel
the surge of power the Ancient brought to the circle. 

Cecile gasped at the amount of psychic energy that was
humming in the room. Since sharing blood with LaCroix,
her perceptions of the metaphysical aspects of
vampirism had deepened. In her altered state she could
actually see a huge cone of energy that flowed between
the five of them. It scintillated with various colors,
almost sparkling. She could feel the immense power
that the Ancient added. It almost doubled the strength
of the blood-linked family. 

Gwyn smiled, then withdrew from the link, motioning
for the rest of the vampires to do the same.

“Excellent. Janette, you try and direct the energy
into your link with Nicholas when we are together. If
that proves unworkable, transfer the control to me and
I’ll impose it externally. With controls applied from
both sides, we should be able to control his hunger
and direct it toward the kidnapper instead of at
Natalie.” She stood up. “I suggest we all adjourn
downstairs and have some of your finest reserve,
Janette. All of us will be expending a tremendous
amount of energy tonight.” 

The vampires went back to the bar, and shortly LaCroix
and Vassili joined them. Gwyn relayed the success of
their experiment and LaCroix smiled in satisfaction.
After Janette had procured two bottles of Reserve and
enough glasses for the contingent of vampires, they
gathered at one of the larger tables in the back of
the club. Janette poured and all the vampires consumed
the blood, enjoying the sensations of the professional
athlete that had donated it. LaCroix glanced at his
watch and saw that it was approaching eleven. He left
the table to go upstairs and wake up Nicholas. 





These Three 13/15

As he walked up to the door to the bedroom his son had
occupied for the last several hours, LaCroix sent out
a delicate tendril of awareness to see if Nicholas was
awake. 

“I’m awake, LaCroix. Come on in.”  

Opening the door, he saw Nicholas in one of the two
easy chairs in the room, gazing out the window into
the darkness. Light from the dim bedside lamp turned
his golden hair a burnished gold, the waves brushing
against the back of his collar. He had changed his
clothing and was dressed in black jeans and a blue
silk shirt. LaCroix frowned at the casual attire. 
Nick turned to look at him, a sad smile on his face.

“Natalie always liked this outfit on me. The least I
can do is make an effort to make her comfortable.” He
stood up and approached his master. “Is everything
ready?” 

LaCroix nodded. “Yes, Gwyn feels confident that
Janette’s enhanced circle, joined with Vassili and
myself, will be enough to contain you and hopefully
redirect your energies. Are YOU ready for this?”

Nick sighed. “As ready as I can be. I can feel her in
the back of my head, and taste memories of her…part of
me wants nothing more than to hold her, and of course
the vampire wants to rip her throat out.” He laughed
bitterly and motioned for LaCroix to precede him out
the door.

LaCroix led the way back toward the club, and Nick
could feel his link with Janette thrumming with
emotions. As they walked down the hall he realized
that there were other resonances layered around
Janette, and he mulled the ramifications.  Soon they
were entering the bar, and Nick stopped, looking
unerringly at Janette and her family; his family, he
realized with a start. Well, at least he wasn’t alone.

Janette rose gracefully from her chair and walked over
to him, enfolding him in a warm hug. 

“Oh, mon cher. I cannot say it is not good to see you,
I just wish it could be under different circumstances.
You are well?” She looked into his deep blue eyes,
concern mirrored on her face. 

Nick took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Hello,
Janette. I’m fine, and it IS good to see you,
regardless of the circumstances. You always bring me
joy.” 

She laughed at his attentions, then laced her arm
through his to lead him to the table to meet Cecile
and Jillian.  As they approached, Landon stood and
offered his hand to Nick, who took it and shook it.

“Landon, it’s good to see you. It’s been quite a
while.” 

Landon smiled, then pulled Jillian to stand beside
him. “Nick, this is Jillian. She’s been with me for
about, oh sixty years now.” 

The diminutive redhead smiled shyly at Nick. “Hello.
I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m glad to finally meet
you.”

Nick smiled back, and Jillian’s smile warmed. His
handsome face was opening and welcoming. He held out
his hand, took the one she offered, and brought it to
his lips. “Welcome to the family. A bit belated, but
heartfelt.” 

Janette went to stand behind Cecile, who had been
watching the exchange between Nick and Jillian with a
keen interest. She understood what Janette had seen in
the handsome man so long ago. She stood of her own
volition as Janette chuckled. 

“Nicholas, this is the latest addition to our little
family, Cecile. She has been with us just over a year.
Watch yourself with this one, Cheri. She is a little
vixen.” 

Nick smiled, remembering his early years with Janette.
He extended his hand to Cecile. She took it and walked
over to him, placing a cool kiss on his cheek.

“Hello. Should I call you ‘Grandpa?’” she whispered in
his ear.

Nick burst out laughing and looked into her dark eyes.
“I think Nick is fine. I can see that you ARE a little
spitfire.” He leaned forward and kissed her on the
cheek then stepped back, gently letting her know that
he didn’t return her attentions. She smiled and went
back to her chair.

Nick greeted Gwyn and Vassili, both of whom he had met
once or twice over the centuries. Janette left the
table to go to the bar, returning with a glass of cow
blood for him. He smelled it and smiled at her in
thanks.

LaCroix cleared his throat. “Much as I hate to throw a
damper on this family reunion, I am going to go attend
to Natalie. Mr. Andropov indicated he would be
contacting her at midnight. Janette, I will call you
on your cell phone as soon as we hear from him. I
shall see you all shortly, I daresay. Let the games
begin, as they say.” He left the room, walked out a
back door into an alley and took to the air. 

Natalie glanced at the clock, it was 11:45. “Where IS
LaCroix?” 

Her question was answered with a knock on the door.
She ran to answer it and breathed a sigh of relief to
see the ancient standing at the door. She stood aside
for him to enter, and he silently entered the foyer. 
Natalie could tell that all of his senses were on full
alert, and she took nervous comfort in that fact. 

As they entered the living room Arthur stood up.
LaCroix motioned him to sit down, then did so himself.
Natalie was too tightly strung to sit, so she went
into the kitchen to grab herself a cup of coffee. When
she got back, LaCroix was telling Arthur the results
of the blood link augmentations. Arthur was fascinated
and still felt guilty about not joining in the link.
LaCroix felt his hesitation wavering.

“Arthur, it is not too late. We can exchange blood and
still bring you into the link. But we must do it
quickly.”

Arthur thought about it, briefly, then looked up at
the master vampire and nodded his head before he
changed his mind.

LaCroix stood up and went over to the young fledgling.
He unbuttoned his cuff and rolled it back, exposing
his wrist and offering it to Arthur, who frowned.

“I thought this needed to be done on the neck?” 

“Sharing blood that way brings certain pleasurable
aspects, but the wrist is just as effective, probably
more so in this case.” 

Arthur sighed and rolled up his own sleeve. He
tentatively took LaCroix’s wrist and let his fangs
extend. He bit into the master vampire and started
drinking. LaCroix reached for his exposed wrist and
brought it to his own lips to mirror the action.
Natalie watched, entranced. After just a few moments,
LaCroix pulled his lips away from Arthur, licked his
lips and gently pulled his arm out of Arthur’s grip.
Arthur made a grab for the retreating wrist; LaCroix
gently and easily swatted him away.

“Enough, youngster. How do you feel?”

His eyes returned to normal and his fangs retracted,
Arthur grinned. “That was actually quite amazing.
Thank you.”  The look of concentration on his face
caused LaCroix to smile.

“Excellent, the link is strong. I think it will be
easier if you join me for the link, and if a shift in
the power balance is needed I can transfer my link
with you to Janette.”

The phone rang and Natalie started.

“Arthur, take my phone into the other room and dial
Janette, quickly, then come back so that she can hear
the speakerphone.” LaCroix handed his cell phone to
Arthur as the phone rang a second time. Arthur left
the room just as Natalie hit the speakerphone.

“Natalie Knight.”

“Ah, Dr. Knight, I hope you are having a pleasant
evening. Your daughter and I have had a fine day.” The
voice was the same voice that had been haunting her
dreams.
 
“Cut the crap. Where do you want us to meet you?”

“Oh, Dr. Knight I’m hurt. Is your charming benefactor
there?”

”Yes, I’m here.”

Arthur came silently back into the room and approached
the phone with the cell held out.

“Excellent. You know Dr. Knight, you’ve been very
busy. Lots of visitors. Luckily for you and little
Nicole none of them seem to be in law enforcement.
That was wise of you. Now, is Detective Knight with
you?”

LaCroix spoke up. “Detective Knight is in town in a
protected location. He will meet us when we have the
specifics. After our last meeting, let us just say
that we have lost faith in your word. I did NOT
receive the merchandise that I paid you for, and I am
SURE you have counted the money and found that it was
all there.” 

There was a chuckle. “You truly are an excellent
businessman, Mr. LaCroix. Very well, since little
Nicole’s life is dependent on Detective Knight’s
presence I will assume that he is handy. Down to
specifics. At exactly one AM, I want the good Knights
to meet me at Washington Park in the Japanese garden.
The front gate will be open, and they should meet me
in the large meeting structure. I will have little
Nicole with me and we can have a family reunion.” The
line went dead.

Natalie hung up the speakerphone as LaCroix took the
cell phone from Arthur.

“Janette, do you know where this is?” He listened.
“Excellent. Oh, and let Vassili know that Arthur and I
exchanged blood and that he will be joining our link.”
He hung up the phone, put it in his pocket and turned
to Natalie.

“Well Natalie, are you ready, you know where this
structure is?” 

She nodded her head, anger blazing in her eyes. “Let’s
get this scumbag. I want him DEAD, LaCroix.”

LaCroix chuckled. “I believe that is Janette’s intent,
my dear.”

Arthur looked startled. “Janette?”

LaCroix looked over at him, a droll smile on his face.
“Yes, Janette has claimed Mr. Andropov for herself,
for past…transgressions of his that she feels very
strongly about. I am inclined to indulge her. Now,
Arthur, you should fly to this rendezvous locale and
find a place to conceal yourself until we get there.
You will need to be close enough to the structure to
link, within several hundred feet. Vassili will join
with me first, then I will bring you into the link.”
Arthur nodded, then left by the glass patio door.

Natalie had put on her coat and grabbed her keys. She
and LaCroix left through the garage door and drove out
into the foggy night.

Janette pulled up in front of the rustic gate leading
into the garden. Nick could feel Natalie getting
closer, and his beast was stirring, but still under
control. Janette turned to him.

“Cheri, go up that path, then into the garden. The
meeting structure is toward the east side of the
garden. You won’t be able to fly but you should be
able to pick up heartbeats. I am going to go take the
car and park it, then join the others. Oh, and these
are for you.” She reached into her purse and brought
out a pair of dark sunglasses and handed them to Nick.

“Janette, what are these for?”

“When you see Natalie, you should wear these so that
Mr. Andropov doesn’t see your eyes. They will
undoubtedly change, and we don’t want to alert him
until it is time, and you don’t want to alarm
Natalie.” 

Nick leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, you
think of everything.”

He started to get out of the car, but Janette put a
hand on his arm.

“Nicholas, I have claimed Mr. Andropov for myself.
Natalie told me what he did to those girls in Canada.
LaCroix has given me his support in this.”

Nick looked at her.  “He’s yours. AFTER we make sure
Nicole is safe.”

She nodded. “Oui.” 

He continued to exit Janette’s car and walked slowly
up the path. The gate was partially open. He knew
Natalie was still outside of the gate, but went in. He
could hear three human heartbeats among the foliage
just inside the wall. It seemed Andropov had tried to
make sure that he had lots of backup. Nick grinned to
himself. Andropov would be very unpleasantly surprised
to find thirty angry vampires joining the party.

He wound his way through the peaceful foliage, 
hearing occasional human heartbeats. Finally finding
the building he was searching for, he put on the
sunglasses that he had gotten from Janette, and sensed
her presence nearby. She sent him a surge of support.
He could tell that she was linked to several others,
but not who or how many. 

The building looked like a large Japanese house. It
was one floor, dark wood, and had rice paper windows
behind the glass. It was about 500 feet long. He
walked around to the back of the building, hearing
several human heartbeats in that direction. As he came
around the back of the building, he noticed a
flagstone courtyard, and a stunning view of the city
over to the left. He ignored the panorama in favor of
the door to his right. He walked over to it and saw
that it was open. Straining his ears, he finally heard
what he had been searching for, the beat of a child’s
heart. Smiling to himself, he concentrated and heard
three other adults near the child. She seemed to be
asleep. Good. Stepping through the door, he entered a
wide open space. The light was very dim, cast by a few
Coleman lanterns scattered about the large room. There
were several doorways along the walls, and he could
sense humans behind all of them. The child was behind
a door on the far wall. 

Suddenly he felt his link with Natalie begin to
vibrate. She was getting closer. He kept a tight rein
on the vampire, but he knew that as soon as she was
within sight and smell he would lose his control. He
reached out to Janette, and found his link to her
strong and intact. Suddenly he also felt a psychic
wall around him. He pushed against it but could find
no chinks in it. He sighed in relief. As long as that
wall was around him, if his hunger arose, Janette
should be able to control him. And, if not, he knew
that LaCroix would also be ready to step in and impose
his link as master on Nick. He quickly moved over to
the far side of the room as he felt not only Natalie
but also LaCroix approaching. They came around to the
back of the structure, as he had. He heard their
footsteps on the concrete, then the door opened.

LaCroix entered first, followed by Natalie. His heart
constricted and beat twice at the sight of her. She
was still as beautiful as ever. Her hair was shorter
than it had been in Toronto, nestling around her face
like a halo. She had barely aged, even though she was
now in her forties. She was wearing a pair of jeans
and a blue fleece pullover. He could make out the
twinkle of gold at her throat, and he saw a flash on
her left hand. She was wearing his gifts, and a sad
smile came to his lips.

As soon as they entered, Natalie turned unerringly
toward Nick. She felt the link they shared thrumming
in the back of her head. She started walking toward
him, drawn by not only their link but her heart as
well.  He had on dark glasses, but she could tell that
his fangs were extended.

“Nick…”

LaCroix put one hand on her arm. She turned to look at
him, anger and irritation on her face.

“Natalie, stay here.”

A rustle of air and fabric sounded and suddenly the
two vampires and the mortal woman looked over at one
of the doorways. The same figure that Natalie and
LaCroix had seen in the reservoir was standing across
the space from them, about 300 feet away. 





These Three 14/15

Nick growled, his eyes already amber behind the dark
glasses. “Andropov.” 

The figure at the end of the room chuckled. “Detective
Knight, I’m flattered. You remember me. It has been SO
long, and I’ve been waiting to see you again for
several years.” He looked at Natalie and LaCroix, and
started walking forward. Natalie could see a gun in
his hand, pointed at Nick. “Good evening Doctor
Knight, or should I say Doctor LAMBERT. I must say,
you did give me a bit of a time trying to find you.  I
assume congratulations on your nuptials are in order?”
He tilted his head. “But apparently you have had a bit
of a lover’s quarrel, since the good detective
obviously does not reside here. How sad. How long has
it been since he’s seen his lovely daughter? And she
is quite the image of the good doctor. I must say, my
dear wife Irina was not pleased with her situation
when I finally found her a few months ago. But, she no
longer cares about anything.” 

“Cut the crap Andropov. We’re here. WHERE IS MY
DAUGHTER?” Natalie’s anger flared at the baiting.

Andropov immediately tensed. “Your daughter is here.
She is fine, and asleep.” He pointed at Nick with the
gun and gestured toward Natalie and LaCroix.
“Detective, move closer to the doctor and her friend.”


Nick started moving slowly toward them, each step
loosing the vampire just a bit more. He felt the cone
of energy imposed upon him by Janette start to
tighten. The beast snarled inside of him to get to his
prey. Natalie’s heart beat in his ears, he could smell
the sweetness of her blood, and her memories sang
inside of him.  LaCroix stepped to the side closest to
him, and he could feel the link he shared with his
master start to pulse with the power of the ancient,
augmented by Vassili and Arthur. Both vampires were
concentrating on keeping Nick in control, although
Andropov could not see the struggle going on inside of
Nick. The vampire inside of Nick was beating at the
mental bars caging it. Nick was barely even able to
control his movements, so intent was he on reaching
Natalie.  The bloodlust was upon him, and only the
lines of control imposed externally kept him leashed. 

Soon he was only a few feet from LaCroix and Natalie.
She didn’t even look at him, so intent was she on
Andropov.  He could feel the vampire trying to lure
her to him by their blood link, but his efforts were
thwarted by all the other energies ensnaring him. 

Andropov was watching the three in front of him,
vastly enjoying the control he was exerting. He had
dreamed of his revenge for eight long years.

Suddenly one of the doors behind Andropov swung open,
one of his hired thugs entered. He half turned his 
head at the sound.

“Mr. Andropov, something’s happened to Andrew. He’s
not answering his phone and he’s gone from his post.”

Andropov scowled and returned his attention to the
group in front of him. LaCroix had all his energy
focused on Nick, who was looking at Natalie. 

“So, Doctor Knight, you called in the authorities
after all. Too bad, so sad. I wonder if I should kill
your daughter as well as her parents. Or, maybe I’ll
raise her as my own. She is young enough that she
might be malleable. In a few years, after she has
grown a bit, maybe I’ll have some fun with her and
imagine it is her mother underneath me. I’ll train her
and then she can earn her keep.”

Natalie was growing angrier by the minute.  Although
she felt the tug at the back of her mind to go to
Nick, her anger and fear for her daughter suppressed
the tether of the blood link between them. She swore
under her breath and suddenly she shouted and threw
herself toward Andropov. 

Time seemed to slow down for Nick. His eyes were on
Natalie the entire time. He had barely heard
Andropov’s threats. He watched as Natalie started
running toward Andropov, and he snarled in rage as his
quarry moved away. Andropov tensed, hearing first a
yell from Natalie, then an animalistic snarl from
Nick. The gun in his hand swung from Nick, to Natalie,
back to Nick. Then there was a gunshot and Natalie
screamed in pain and fell to the ground. 

LaCroix turned from Nick to Natalie, his own eyes
blazing gold. Andropov had started toward Nick, but
when faced with visage of the master vampire, he
stopped in his tracks, terrified.

“What the hell ARE you?” Andropov started firing shots
at LaCroix.

“Your worst nightmare and more.” LaCroix started
toward him, gunshots not even bothering him. 

With LaCroix’s attention refocused, Nick managed to
break the control of the other vampires holding him
and he stalked toward Natalie. He could hear her heart
beating frantically, and a pool of blood was spreading
from under her still form. The call of her blood was
stronger than anything he had ever experienced. He
sank down beside the dying woman just as shots were
heard outside the building and the snarls of multiple
vampires in feeding mode seeped into the building.

Janette entered the room, dropping the body of one of
the guards as she walked toward Andropov. 

“LaCroix, this one is MINE. Go to Nicholas. Hurry!”
Her red eyes turned toward Andropov, who had started
backing up in terror.

LaCroix turned to see Nick reaching toward Natalie. He
could also see that Natalie had been shot, and he
could sense that she was dying.

Imposing his will, augmented still by Vassili and
Arthur, on Nick, he flew to them.

“Nicholas, NO! She is already dying. You must either
bring her across or let her die. You will NOT feed
from her.” 

Nick had pulled the sunglasses off and his own eyes
were blazing red, blood tears of frustration and
helplessness streaming from them. “LaCroix, help me. I
cannot let her die. Please, she’s losing so much
blood.”

“Nicholas, her heart is faltering. You don’t NEED to
feed from her to bring her across. Quickly.” LaCroix
knelt next to his son and tore the sleeve from Nick
and raised Nick’s wrist to his own mouth and slashed
it open with his fangs. He quickly put the bleeding
wrist to Natalie’s mouth. 

The two vampires waited for several seconds, when Nick
finally felt Natalie fasten on to his wrist and start
to drink. He could feel her hunger and sense the
changes starting in her body. As she started to feed
from him, he realized that the blood lust was gone; it
was being replaced by the master-fledgling bond. He
sighed in relief. 





These Three 15/15

Soon Natalie was sated, and she opened her eyes to
look at both Nick and LaCroix. The gaping wound in her
stomach was already starting to heal with the influx
of vampire blood. Nick pulled her to him and cuddled
her against his chest, kissing her hair. She nestled
there, trying to assimilate all the changes to her
body.

Suddenly she pulled away from him. “Nikki!” She
started to get up.

Nick grabbed her. “Nat, no. You cannot go near her.
We’ll get her. You’re going to be feeling First Hunger
soon and you could kill her.” 

Nat turned amber-flecked blue eyes toward him. “Nick,
please, get her out of here. I can feel her, she’s
over there” she pointed toward a wall a few hundred
feet from them. “She’s waking up. I don’t want her to
see all this.” 

Nick looked up to find LaCroix already striding toward
the door. Natalie also saw the ancient vampire and
relaxed back into Nick’s embrace. He kissed her hair,
then stood up, still cuddling her and holding her
against his body.

“Come on, we need to get you out of here.” He carried
her to the door and stepped out into the night air,
taking to the sky.  He took her to the Elysium,
landing in the alley behind the club. He set her on
her feet, knowing he had only a short time before
First Hunger set in. He opened the door and grabbed
her hand, pulling her after him. They were almost at
the top of the steps leading to Janette’s apartment
when suddenly Natalie doubled over in pain.

“Nick!” She cried out. He grabbed her, picked her up
and sped through the doorway to the kitchen. He put
her down and she curled up on the floor moaning. He
opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of blood,
ripped the cork off and thrust it into her hands.

“Nat, drink!” She grabbed it and started guzzling the
contents of the bottle. Soon she was finished and he
thrust another in her hand. 

After five bottles, Natalie was finally sated and
groggy. She looked up at Nick.

“Nick, thank you.” He picked her up and carried her
into the room he had been using. He gently set her on
the bed, the soft light from the bedside lamp casting
a warm glow on her pale face. He closed the door, then
went to draw the blinds. Natalie would sleep the rest
of the night and day away.  He sat on the bed next to
her, and she rolled over and snuggled against him, a
drowsy smile on her face. He started stroking her
hair, then realized she was still wearing her blood
stained clothing. 

“Nat, wake up.” She slowly opened her eyes, a smile of
contentment still playing on her mouth.

“Hmmm?” 

“You should get out of those clothes. They’re covered
in blood.” 

She pouted, then sat up and started taking off her
pullover and t-shirt. She dropped them over the side
of the bed, then stood up and peeled off her jeans.
Nick watched, desire beginning to blossom along his
nerves as he watched her shed her clothing piece by
piece. Finally, when she was wearing nothing but her
bra and panties, he shook his head and got up. He went
to his suitcase and pulled out a black silk nightshirt
for her. He turned around to give it to her, just as
he felt her arms snake around his neck, and her cool
lips started nuzzling his neck.  He dropped the
nightshirt and wrapped his arms around her, pulling
her face to his and dropping his lips hungrily to
hers. They kissed passionately for several minutes,
then he pulled back to look at her, his eyes amber
with his arousal.

“Natalie Lambert Knight, I am NEVER leaving you again.
You are MINE.” He picked her up and carried her back
to the bed, letting the pent up passion of ten years
finally express itself.  

Several miles away, in a small house in Raleigh Hills,
LaCroix tucked a small form in her bed. Nikki had
awakened, and he had gently hypnotized her back to
sleep. He was just getting ready to close the door
when a voice piped up.

“Who are you, and where’s Momma?”

He turned back to the child looking at him in the dim
light from the nightlight. 

“Well, your Mother was not feeling well, and she had
to go someplace so that she could feel better. She
will be back soon. And, I should introduce myself. I
am your Grandfather.”

She sat up in bed. “You’re my Grandpa? Mommy told me
that my Grandpa was in heaven.”

LaCroix strode back to the bed and knelt next to her.
“You know who Nick is, don’t you?” 

Nikki nodded. “Nick is Mommy’s true love, like the
Beast and Beauty. But he was put under an evil spell
and couldn’t be with us.” 

“Well, tonight that evil spell was lifted.  Your
mother is with him right now. And I am HIS father,
which makes me your grandfather. I believe that he is
going to be staying with you from now on, and be your
daddy.”

Nikki’s eyes lit up, and her smile almost cracked her
small face in half. “You’re my Lucius aren’t you?” 

LaCroix started at hearing that name. “How did you
know that, little one?”

“Mommy told me that you’re part of me, my name is
Nicole Lucia Antoinette Knight.  She said I was named
for Lucius. That’s you, right?”

A smile tugged at the general’s mouth. “Yes, that’s
right.”

Nikki flung her arms around the bemused vampire. “MY
Lucius. MY grandpa.”

Nikki finally let go and laid back in bed. “Grandpa,
will you tell me a story?” 

The ancient vampire started telling the girl a story
about a brave knight in shining armor and his
beautiful lady. Nikki fell asleep quickly, her small
body snuggled against LaCroix. It had been a long time
since any child had warmed his heart, and this little
one was so much like her mother. He gently tucked her
in, knowing she would sleep through the day. He had
gently reinforced his hypnotic suggestion, and she
truly needed sleep. As did he.

Natalie slowly regained consciousness, a feeling of
disorientation assaulting her. She opened her eyes and
looked around. She felt arms tightening around her,
and turned over to see Nick looking at her, his blue
eyes filled with love.

“Good morning, my love. How do you feel?” His voice
was like music to her battered heart.

“Nick? Is this all real? You’re here, and I’m a
vampire?” She reached out to trace her finger along
his cheek. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his
mouth and began to kiss her fingers.

“Mmmhmmm.  And I’m never leaving you again. I love
you, forever.” He pulled her back into his embrace.
“Do you think Nikki will like me?” He asked as he
nuzzled her neck.

Natalie laughed. “That tickles! And yes, she’ll love
you. She already thinks of you as her daddy.” 

Nick stopped and sat up. “Nat, we have a lot to talk
about. But I want you to know, that I will love her as
my own child.”

“I know that Nick. Even though she isn’t biologically
yours, she is a lot like you. It’s uncanny. Although,
she looks like me.” 

He gently captured her left hand and the ring that was
there. “Natalie, I know I didn’t do this in the proper
order, but will you marry me?” He kissed the ring on
her finger.

“Oh Nick. Of course I will!” Blood tears of joy welled
up in Natalie’s eyes. She laid back down and they held
each other and talked until hunger drove Natalie to
finally get up. She looked around and found Nick’s
robe and slid it on. She was amazed at the sensual
feeling of the silk against her skin. All of her
senses were so much more acute than she had ever
imagined.

Nick just watched her from the bed, propped up on one
elbow. A smile lit his face as he watched her. She
smiled at him.

“Are you hungry? I’m going to go get something for
breakfast. Or dinner, or whatever it is.” 

Nick got out of bed and began pulling on his discarded
pajamas. “I’ll come with you.” Taking her hand, they
opened the door. 

When they got to the kitchen, there was a note taped
to the door.

My dearest Nicholas and Natalie,
First, welcome to the family, Natalie. There are
several bottles especially for you on the second
shelf. Nicholas, yours is on the top shelf, the three
bottles farthest to the left. However, you are of
course welcome to anything that suits you.

LaCroix called, he is staying with little Nicole. She
seems to have taken quite a liking to her “Grandpa
Lucius”, but she wants to talk to Natalie. I will be
in my office if you should need anything.

-Janette

Nick read the note, a frown on his face. “Grandpa
Lucius?” He turned to Natalie, a look of puzzlement on
her face.

She grinned. “Well, I told Nikki a lot about you. Her
full name is Nicole Lucia Antoinette Knight, and I
told her that Lucia was after a great hero names
Lucius, and that someday he might come and protect us
from an evil spell that was enchanting you.” Her eyes
sparkled. “He has been so wonderful these last few
days, Nick. Did he tell you about what happened in
Toronto?” He nodded. “Well, when Andropov kidnapped
Nikki, I was so angry I just wanted nothing but
revenge. And I knew that LaCroix would make sure that
monster never hurt anyone again. Please don’t be too
disappointed in me.” She bit her lower lip and gazed
at the floor.

Nick swept her into his arms. “Natalie, I could never
be disappointed in you. I understand, and to be
honest, I don’t think I would have felt any
differently.” He kissed her forehead. “Come on, it’s
about eight, you should call Nikki after we see
Janette.” 

They poured their meals, then went down to Janette’s
office. Nick knocked and let a tendril of awareness
snake out to let Janette know he was there.

“Oui, entrez-vous.”  

Nick and Natalie walked into the office and Janette
was already walking toward them.

She hugged Natalie first. “Welcome to our little
family, Natalie. I’m sorry that the circumstances were
so unfortunate, but we are glad to have you with us.”

She turned to Nick. “Nicholas, it is good to finally
see you happy.” She placed a kiss on his cheek, her
eyes sparkling with merriment. She motioned them to
chairs, teasing them on their attire.

“Janette, what happened after we left?” Nick started
the conversation right off.

“Well, let us just say that Mr. Andropov and his
associates will never bother anyone again.” She turned
to Natalie. “And I thought I should tell you, there
were MANY more young girls and women in Mr. Andropov’s
past than you found, and he WAS the one to torture and
kill those poor souls that you autopsied. So, perhaps
it will ease your mind to know that justice truly has
been served.” She turned back to Nick. “There will be
no trace of the occurrences of last night at the park,
we saw to that. All the remains are now lying at the
bottom of the river. Alors. It is done.”

She pulled her cell phone out and handed it to
Natalie. “LaCroix is expecting your call. He has been
amusing little Nicole, but I think your little one is
running him ragged.” She smiled.

“Thank you Janette. I truly appreciate all that you
and everyone else has done for us.” Natalie smiled at
Janette, anticipating a long and happy relationship
with the beautiful woman.

She dialed her home number, amazed at all the small
sounds she could now hear with her enhanced hearing.

“Hello, Knight residence.” LaCroix’s cool voice came
on the line.

“It’s Natalie. How are you and my little imp faring,
LaCroix?”

“Oh, admirably well. She is quite imaginative. I
assume you would like to speak to her?” Without
waiting for an answer, Natalie heard the phone being
covered.

“Momma? Are you and Daddy Nick coming home soon?” 
Nikki’s voice rang in her ears.

A smile formed on her face and tears came to her eyes.
“Yes, baby. Mommy hasn’t been feeling too well, but
I’m doing much better. Are you being good for your
Grandfather?”

“Oh yes, Mommy. Grandpa Lucius tells GREAT stories!
Wait ‘til you hear about the evil king who stole the
fairy princess!” She giggled. “I love you Momma. Can I
say hi to Daddy Nick?” Surprised, Natalie handed the
phone to a stunned Nick.

“Hello?”

“Hi Daddy Nick! Are you going to come live with us?
Grandpa Lucius has been telling me stories ‘bout you.”
 

Not quite sure what to say, but a smile tugging at his
mouth, Nick looked up at Natalie and saw her smile.
“Yes, I’ll be living with you. Your Mom and I are
going to get married, if that’s OK with you?”

He had to hold the phone away from his ear when Nikki
started squealing in delight. “Grandpa Lucius, Daddy
Nick and Mommy are getting MARRIED, just like the
Prince and Princess!!!” She came back to the phone.
“Can I wear a yellow dress just like Belle’s?” Nick
glanced at Natalie in confusion. She mouthed “Beauty
and the Beast” to him and he grinned. 

“Yes, I think we can do that. I can’t wait to meet you
soon. Be good for your Grandfather. Here’s your Mom.
Bye Nikki.” He handed the phone back to Natalie.

“Hi Honey. Why don’t you ask your Grandfather to bring
you to meet your Aunt Janette. Can I please speak to
him? I love you Sweetie!”

“Bye Momma, love you too.” She passed the phone to
LaCroix.

“Do you think you could bring Nikki by the Elysium
tomorrow night? Nick and Janette think I should be OK
seeing her for a short while as long as all of you are
around.”

“Of course. We’ll be there as soon as the sun sets. My
regards to Janette and Nicholas. Good night.” He hung
up the phone.

Nick had a small smile on his face. “Well, she
certainly has taken all this in stride.”

Natalie grabbed his hand. “She’s been hearing about
you and LaCroix all her life. To her, you’re like
long-lost relatives. Although, I must say, I’m quite
pleasantly surprised that LaCroix seems to be dealing
with her so well.”  She grinned.

Janette got up. “I’m sure the two of you can find
*something* to do to occupy yourselves. I have a club
to run. Now, shoo!” 

Nick and Natalie got up, laughing, and headed back to
their room to talk, make love, and plan for the new
lives they were embarking upon surrounded by their
family and friends. 

Finis
===============
OK, here you go. Before anyone asks, yes, there is a
sequel in the works. 

A few notes. I used to live in Portland OR, and with
the exception of the Elysium and Nat's house
(fictitious street/address), all other locations and
references are accurate. (I used to live across the
street from Mt. Tabor park, and I frequently visit the
Japanese Garden.) If you ever get the chance, Portland
is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever had the
pleasure to inhabit or visit.

The character of Nikki is somewhat based on my
interactions with my friend's daughter Katy. She has
her father and stepfather and she calls them "Daddy
Mike and Daddy Rob". And, for those of you questioning
my use of Lucius instead of Lucien, please note that
his Latin (Roman) name was Lucius, and for a five year
old, I felt that Lucius was closer to Lucia than
Lucien. And, I deliberately wanted to make the
connection between the General as opposed to the
sophisticated 20/21st century modern individual.

Questions, remarks, etc. can be sent to me at
fenix23fyre@yahoo.com. Most of my stories are at the
FTP site (I'm working on getting a website up, but
it's still "in production")

http://www.fkvoyage.com/fkfanfic/fife_kristen/

Tremendous thanks to Ang and Maggie for beta reading
this story, as well as a huge thanks to Cheri, who has
supported my writing endeavors the last year.