ACT 11
"Listen Knight, I'm sorry I have to put you with another female partner so soon after Vetter." Nick was watching Reese unsuccessfully search for a paper cup. Deciding it was futile he stood up. "I have no choice here, Nick. After IA cleared you, the commissioner figured you were the perfect cop to match with this officer trade thing. It shouldn't be that bad. I hear she's a good cop. Been in homicide five years or so."
"Four," Nick interjected as he handed Reese a mug with "JOE" on it.
"Huh? Yeah, whatever. Can't remember where she's from? Buffalo, I think. Anyway, this is a good will thing, so go easy on her. OK?" Reese paused to drink from the mug now filled with water. A look of concern covered his face. "How are you doing, Knight? We missed you at the funeral."
Nick looked embarrassed. "I'm ok. With IA on my back and her father at the funeral, I just couldn't bring myself to be there. I suppose it will haunt me later, but," Nick shrugged, "that's the way it was."
Reese nodded with understanding as Katherine passed through the glass doors to the division room. Dressed in a navy blue suit, modest heels and her light brown hair pulled back in a clip, she very much looked the part of the experienced detective. Reese and Nick watched her wind her way through the maze of desks and people on her way to them.
She smiled at Reese. "Hi Captain."
"Collins, have you two met yet?" Reese asked.
"Yes, Captain. She caught up with me last night." Nick returned Katherine's smile. "Ready for a night on the town?"
"As ready as I'll ever be. Captain, did those papers you were looking for get to you? I talked with my people at the station and they said they would fax them this morning."
"On my desk. Everything's in order, thanks." He looked from her to Nick. "The first thing you two need to do is tie up the loose ends on that case you and Vetter were working on before. Sorry, this isn't easy for me either." He gave Nick a look of apology. "Hell, I know this isn't easy for any of us. Let's try to make the best of it, ok?"
Nick and Katherine exchanged glances. "It'll work out, Cap'n," Nick tried to reassure him. Reese turned and headed toward his office to answer the phone.
Nick looked at Katherine, "Let's go over some of the paperwork first, then I'll drive you around."
As he led Katherine over to their desks, it occurred to him that Tracy's desk would now be Katherine's. *One more desk to clean out,* he thought with a twinge of guilt.
Katherine picked up on his thought immediately. "I took the liberty of cleaning out your partner's desk this morning. I took her things over to her father's office. I hope you don't mind. I thought it would be easier."
For a moment, Nick didn't know what to say. All he could do was mumble, "Thanks."
"I read your notes on the murders in the park from last week. It was the latest case in your files. Is that the current one?" She was typing something on the computer's keyboard as she spoke.
Nick watched over her shoulder as the information she requested appeared on the terminal before them. "Yes, that's it." He said. "We closed the case just before?" Nick stopped. He would always remember the look on Tracy's face as she spoke her last words to him; "You could have trusted me." He heard Katherine clear her throat.
"Sorry. Neither one of us liked doing the paperwork. Finishing the file was the last thing to do on this case, I guess."
He straightened up. "Look, this can wait. Why don't I show you around the streets, and we can get to know each other." He stepped back as she pushed her chair out from under her desk.
Katherine stood and put on her winter trench coat. "Ok, that's a good idea. Let's go."
"This is your car?" Katherine was a bit surprised by the caddy. "A convertible in Canada? This is a good one, year round air conditioning!"
Nick laughed. "I've never heard that one before! Get in. I'll show you the hot spots and we'll talk." Nick opened the door for her.
"About what?" She asked him as he settled in the driver's seat. *Jeez this is cold!*
"Oh, you, me. Things." Nick said casually as he backed the mint green Cadillac out of its spot with ease. "Let's start with you."
"What about me? I told you last night, I'm from Buffalo on a...?
"Yeah, yeah, cop transfer," Nick interrupted. He was trying to be friendly, but she was starting to make things difficult. "You know a little bit more than you're letting on about the last two nights."
Katherine began to protest, but Nick continued, "Your little story about your partner and his after-death experience was more than just talk." He glanced at her. She was staring straight ahead. "It was a little too accurate for my taste."
"I have no idea what you are talking about." She tried to plead innocent one last time as she weighed her options.
"Oh, but Detective Collins, you do. You know what I'm referring to and more. And just between you and me, you ARE going to tell me what it is you know. Especially because it concerns me and Natalie." He stopped for a red light.
Knowing he would badger her all night, Katherine sighed in surrender. "All right. Here it is. What happened between you and Natalie the other night set the Old Ones' heads spinning. You acted on faith, something you are not supposed to have, you know. No one expected that you or Natalie would go that far. It was quite a surprise."
"The Old Ones?" Nick asked as the light turned green and he continued down the street.
"Surely you've heard about them somewhere along the line."
Nick shook his head though somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered Lacroix mentioning them a long time ago.
"The Old Ones know about everything, everyone. They keep track of who is supposed to do what and when. They are the guardians of time, if you will."
It sounded familiar to him, but he didn't understand why. "Who are they? Where did they come from?"
"I am not quite sure of those answers. I do know they have a long history, almost extending back to the beginning of time itself. They are made up of all races, all kinds of people." She stopped and turned to look directly at Nick. "Some of them were your kind once."
Nick swerved to miss the car in front of them. He ignored the honking and shouting directed at them. "My kind?" he asked cautiously. He had a death grip on the steering wheel.
"Let's not pretend here any longer, Nick. Obviously, I know what you are, just by virtue of knowing what happened two nights ago. Your secret is safe with me. I'm here to help you and Natalie."
"OK." he relaxed a little. She made it so easy to accept her words. "So what do THEY have to do with Natalie and me?"
"By trying to bring Natalie across, you were changing the timeline in a major way. The Old Ones couldn't allow that to happen. So they stepped in and you met Jasper."
"The figure in white?"
"Uh huh." She paused, trying to decide how much to tell him without getting herself in to a lot of trouble. "He's the gatekeeper, if you will."
"You mean Saint Peter?"
"Well, sort of, in a way I guess. I never looked at it that way. He's been doing this as long as I can remember. He doesn't decide if someone should come in or go the other way, if that's what you're thinking."
"He told us it wasn't our time. That there were things we had to do. He spoke of family," Nick's voice trailed off.
Katherine nodded. Her mind was whirling as she tried to keep the streets in order and make some sense out of where they were. Finally, she realized they were going in circles! *He just wanted me in the car to pump me for information!* "Do you intend to drive in circles all night or are we going to do something to earn our keep?"
Nick chuckled to himself. "I wanted to see if you could walk and chew gum at the same time." He stole a look at her at another red light. He could tell she wasn't happy.
"Look, if I promise to tell you what I know, will you quit these games and orient me, here? I might need to know this layout someday and I'd rather not be reading a map while I'm running with lights and sirens. Unlike you, I can't fly."
Her last statement caught Nick's attention. "That brings me to another question."
"I know, I know." Katherine held her hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I promised, ok? You keep your end of the bargain and I'll tell you what I know later."
"OK." Nick was still chuckling with amusement at her indignation. He reached for the mike of the police radio. With Reese's permission, they spent most of the shift off the radio as he drove around the precinct, pointing out landmarks, street names, and things to know in a hurry. Later, he let Katherine take the wheel and locate some of the "lowlights" of the city he had shown her.
She was a quick study, and he was impressed with how much she remembered.
They returned to the station with an hour left in the shift during which they reviewed forms, forms and more forms.
"By the time you'll have learned all the paperwork, we're going to be on line with the central computer," Nick told her.
Her face painted with fatigue, Katherine leaned back in her chair and shook her head ruefully. "Murphy's Law, right?"
"Sort of." Nick shrugged. The shift was nearly over and he was anxious to resume their earlier conversation. He idly rearranged some papers then looked across his desk at Katherine. "I kept my part of the bargain. Now it's your turn."
Glancing up at him, Katherine closed the top drawer of her desk and reached over to the computer to shut it down. "You're right. I've learned a lot tonight. Thanks." She looked around the office. "Where do you want to do this?"
"How's my place?" Nick asked as he rose from his chair.
"Sounds as good as any. Better than my dreary hotel room anyway." She fumbled with the last button on her wool coat. "I'll follow you in my car, though. It's got a heater." She flashed a smile at him.
Nick laughed. Schanke had complained all the time about the lack of a heater.
ACT 12
It took just a few minutes to drive the empty streets to Nick's building.
In that short space of time, Katherine thought about what she was going to say to him. The Old Ones had given her permission to tell him as much as she thought necessary, but they cautioned her not to reveal too much. She wasn't sure exactly how much was too much.
Nick punched in the security code to summon the elevator, then watched Katherine exit her car and cross over to the old factory building he'd turned into his home. She was nearly running in his direction.
"I didn't think it could get much colder than Buffalo," she commented as she passed through the opening door. Clouds of vapor billowed upward from her mouth as she spoke. Rubbing her gloved hands together as she bounced up and down to keep warm, she glanced around the little box taking them to Nick's apartment and asked, "This thing isn't heated, either?"
"I never saw the need to. Is it that cold?" He smiled sympathetically. No billows of vapor were seen as he spoke in the cold night air.
*Damn you, Nick! I was just getting comfortable with you, forgetting about what you are and now you have to go and remind me!* She blew into her hands once more as she gave him an irritated look. *Someone, tell me again why I'm doing this?*
Nick slid the heavy metal door to the side as soon as the elevator stopped. Stepping in first, he headed for the fireplace. "Let me start a fire for you," he offered and set about lighting the logs already in the fireplace. "You can warm up here."
She stepped out into the great room and took a long look. She had not been able to the other night. A baby grand piano stood regally in the corner to her right. A silver candelabrum, which appeared priceless, took its place on the piano next to the music stand. A Harley was parked in the back corner.
A beautifully crafted wooden armoire took its position in the corner to the right of the fireplace. Its fine workmanship dated the piece at least several hundred years. She wondered what secrets it guarded.
Two huge windows flanked the fireplace, revealing the city's skyline silhouetted by the night lights against the midnight blue sky. Heavy window coverings hung to the sides, ready to darken the room at the beginning of the new day.
To her left, Katherine saw a brown leather sofa set facing a large screen TV and the latest in audio equipment. An antique wooden box dressed with gold filigree rested on the table behind the couch. A staircase just beyond the TV floated to the loft above the room.
Behind her and to the left was the dining area and kitchenette. A microwave that looked brand new sat on the counter. There was a coffee mug that had been left to dry in the stainless steel sink.
Nick's apartment was a study in contrasts, a mixture of the old with the new.
The fire was now blazing in spectacular yellows and oranges as Nick got up from his task. "Here you go," he told her. "This should warm you."
"Thanks." She gave him a grateful look as she held her hands to the raging fire. "Quite an interesting place you've got."
"Thanks, I like it." Nick watched her as she stood in front of the fire.
She seemed mesmerized by the flames, almost as if she were communicating with them. "Natalie found the coffee pot," he told her. " I could try to make you some if you'd like."
The thought of Nick Knight, vampire of 800 or so years, trying to make coffee made her giggle. She slipped off her coat and draped it over the chair. "I can't imagine you ever making coffee, Nick, but if you point me in the right direction, I'll do it myself."
"That's probably a good idea, if you don't mind," he agreed and headed toward the kitchen. "I did try to make some once and I caught Natalie trying to hide the fact she poured it down the sink." They both laughed at the thought.
Before long, the coffee was made and they were sitting on the sofa making small talk. They chatted about Toronto and Buffalo, the hotel she was staying in. Unimportant things, especially to Nick.
Sensing his impatience, Katherine leaned over to set her cup down on the saucer resting on the coffee table before her. "Ok, my turn, right?"
Nick nodded his head with relief and leaned back into the sofa.
"Where did I leave off?" She thought quickly. "Oh, yes, Jasper. He's the gatekeeper. He keeps track of who should really be dead and who shouldn't. If someone dies before their time, it really throws wrinkles in the timeline and prevents them from being let in."
"You're talking about heaven, aren't you?"
"That could be one interpretation. When mortals die, their souls go to a central receiving place-to Jasper, if you will. If those souls still had work to do, they're recycled in an attempt to finish what they were trying to accomplish. Sometimes, it takes a lot of recycling before that soul is retired. Sometimes, the original plan just doesn't work out because of the amount of time that's passed or other circumstances. Then that soul is pulled out of the cycle either temporarily or permanently. The souls that are retired have been evaluated on the work they've done here, the good weighed with the bad. The positive ones go into door #1, and the not so positive go to door #2."
He looked at her quizzically.
"Ok, it's not "Let's Make a Deal", but it's the best explanation I can give you."
"You said something about it being their time or not. Jasper said it wasn't our time, so what happened?"
"If Jasper is quick enough, and he usually is, he can evaluate and turn them around in a hurry. He usually can get them back to their real time, right on the second, if not pretty close to it. Often, the person will talk about a bright light or some calming affect. Usually, they don't meet up with Jasper, much less remember him. I suppose you spent more time with him than most."
Nick nodded as he listened, remembering his and Natalie's experience the other night. It had been peaceful. He also recalled stories he had heard through the years of near death experiences.
"You vampires tend to throw wrenches into the clockworks. You guys have this annoying tendency to interrupt lifelines before the work is done. The souls get confused and lost. That's something Jasper can't fix."
Nick nearly jumped off the sofa when she said "THE word". She had made some reference earlier about knowing what he was, but it hadn't really clicked. Did she really know? Did she really understand? She was so natural sitting there talking with him, like Natalie would but somehow, she was different. *Who are you, Katherine Collins?*
"Are you listening?" Katherine was asking, bringing him out of his fog.
"Sorry." A boyish grin of apology quickly spread over his face and just as quickly disappeared, replaced by a menacing look. He had not fed since last night and suddenly became hungry. Her nonchalance about what he was must have triggered the hunger.
"You know what I am," he said without emotion.
Her expression became almost sad. "Yes, Nick, I know." She searched for the right words. "I'm sorry. I know it's not what you want to be."
Nick was surprised. "You know that?" Quickly, he put two and two together. "You mean to tell me they KNEW that I don't want to be this? this thing and they still returned me like THIS?"
He got up and paced the room with agitation. Katherine was reminded of a caged animal.
"Nick, look?" she began.
He interrupted her as he realized what she had been telling him. Stopping his pacing directly in front of her, he glared down at her. "You mean that I was supposed to be a vampire all these years? Take all those lives, interrupt all those precious souls you so calmly talk about? Is that it?"
He suppressed the urge to reach down, grab her by the neck and shake her.
Instead, he walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a green bottle, popped the cork and took a long drink. *You speak so matter of factly of vampires, dear Katherine, maybe you should see how they really live.* He drank again.
Katherine sat calmly on the sofa and rode out the storm. She had seen this reaction before, the vampire trying to shock her with his true nature. Usually, she didn't react to the show. It was easy for her to do. She knew she wasn't in any danger.
"Yes, I know there are such things as vampires and worse. You weren't preordained to be a vampire. 800 years later, I don't believe anyone remembers what you were slated to do. Lacroix changed all that. In doing so, while he thought he was giving you the gift of immortality, he made a mistake and left your soul. He left it buried deep inside your subconscious, never realizing it still remained, until one day, it dug itself out. And now, you find yourself in this current predicament."
She paused as he took one more drink. The blood substitute was easing the anger. Somehow, she was making sense.
"They know, Nick. They've been watching you for a long time. The years you've spent searching for a cure haven't been in vain. Jasper just couldn't return you as a mortal. You had to come back as you left. I'm sorry."
"Why didn't they intercede in the beginning? Why did they let it all happen?"
"There are some things beyond the control of even the Old Ones, natural disasters, wars, vampires. When Lacroix brought you across, you became answerable to him. The Old Ones backed off. They could not interfere. It just can't be done."
Anguish painted his face. Images of those he had brought across, those he killed in moments of jealousy, lust, anger, and hunger rose before him in defiance. He closed his eyes tight to try to keep them out. Katherine's voice floated back to him.
"While you have interrupted a number of lifelines, Nick, the Old Ones have noticed that in your desire to become mortal again, you have interceded on the behalf of a great number of people and saved some of them. You haven't taken many lives in a long time with the same purpose and need as you did when you first were brought across. They have kept this in mind." Katherine hoped her words gave him some comfort.
"So, I've been forgiven?" Nick's tone dripped with sarcasm.
*Ok, this is it,* Katherine thought as she stared at the handsome blond vampire clutching a green bottle to his chest the way a child would a teddy bear. *Here's the line, do I cross it?* She thought about the files she had read, noting the countless lives he had spared over the years. She knew that his actions the other night were based on faith that he would be with Natalie in the end. Vampires weren't supposed to have that kind of faith. Or any kind for that matter.
She took a deep breath as she stood to look directly into his denim blue eyes. "In a way, yes." She held up her hands to silence him. "Natalie has been on the right track toward a cure. It will take a little while, though, before it all becomes clear to her. There are cures out there, Nick. You've actually come close once or twice, but the Enforcers have stepped in to block it." She gave him a look of conviction and promise. "This time is different, Nick. You've got to believe me."
"Why? Why is it different?"
"Because of your expression of faith to Natalie the other night. Although, it would have been the vampire in you that would have killed her, she believed in you enough to take that chance to be with you forever. She knew there was a faith buried deep inside you, yet close enough to the surface to let her risk everything to be with you. And you, you believed in her enough to let your faith rise to the surface and risk losing everything too. Even Natalie."
She watched him relive that night, almost seeing his vision herself.
"Vampires aren't supposed to have faith, Nick. It was something you should have abandoned a long time ago."
He laughed ruefully at her words that mirrored Lacroix's that night. "So there is a cure," he said quietly.
Katherine had joined him in the kitchen. "Yes, Nick, someday, you will be cured. For now, you must be patient."
It was his turn to stare at her. In a few short minutes he had gone from anger to despair to hope. He was definitely encouraged. "Natalie and I?..." he started.
"Should be together. The bond you two have created will make you both strong. You will need each other's strength and love to see this through. It isn't going to be easy, Nick." She smiled at him. " Don't worry, you'll have some help along the way."
Still clutching the near-empty bottle, he looked at Katherine as if seeing her for the first time. "How do you figure in all this?"