Act 9
Something told her to head in the direction of the Raven. It was 2:30 a.m. and she had plenty of time to sleep before heading back to work tomorrow. The thought of spending more time than necessary in her hotel room depressed her. She needed company and she knew she would find it there.
>From the recesses of the darkened room he watched her enter the establishment. Funny how out of place, yet not, she looked. He continued his monologue to his faceless listeners and then broke for a rather long commercial. *What's she doing here?* he said to himself, uneasily.
Since figuring out what she was, he was not at all anxious to have any contact with her. In fact, he'd prefer Nick stayed away from her too, but his son was not the kind to be told what to do, so that was a non-issue. The commercial was ending, Lacroix cleared his throat and began the final five minutes of his airtime, all the while watching her across from him sitting at the bar.
Katherine took a seat at the far end of the counter. She was at the short end near the wall and had a view of the entire bar. She watched the mortals and non-mortals mingle. Each had their own agenda. Most were oblivious to the tension in the air. The blood thirst. The smell of it was almost overpowering. It was a wonder there weren't open attacks right there on the floor. But that wouldn't happen, she decided, not in Lacroix's place. His guests would be discreet.
"Can I get something for you?" the bartender brought her out of her thoughts.
"Seltzer on ice." She smiled at his reaction. He had been reaching for the house usual. She looked the type. "No, that's okay, keep the good stuff for the rest, all right?"
"Thank-you for your kind consideration." Lacroix's low whispered voice came from behind her left shoulder. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" He was irritated she was there, but he was determined not to show it.
"You don't like me, do you, Lucien Lacroix?" she answered over the rim of her glass.
His eyebrow went up in surprise and anger briefly scanned his pale face. "I know who you are, and what you are, and I don't care for your kind in the Raven." Lacroix chose his words carefully, with tones that would create fear in the usual human, but she sat there without emotion, staring at him.
She laughed at him, a reaction he did not expect or appreciate. "Lacroix, I'd say you are afraid of me."
Anger rose from deep within. He did not want a scene in front of everyone. The crowd was just returning after the Divia thing and he did not wish to scare them off. "I think it would be best if we discussed this privately."
He took her arm and escorted her to his office. Once inside, he shut the door and trying very hard to control his anger, he asked her, "What is it that you want, my dear Katherine? Who is it that did send you here?" *And how much longer will you be staying?*
She knew he was accustomed to be the imposing figure, the lord and master of his environment, and that right now he did not feel that control. What he needed to know was that she was not a threat to him. What she needed was an ally in case things got complicated.
"My dear Lucien," she emulated his tone, " I cannot reveal to you the source of my existence, the reason for my being here, but I can assure you that, although you are a part of the picture, you are not involved in that reason. We might call you an innocent bystander." The last was delivered with as much irony she could muster in her voice and she stopped, watching his reaction.
He stared at her, giving no clue as to what he was thinking. "Go on."
"Whatever you think I am, I'm afraid you're wrong. Since few know about me, my kind, you truly have no idea of who you are dealing with. I can assure you, you and your little community will be safe." She glanced around the room as she said her last words.
"Little lady, no one is safe when your kind is around. Witches and vampires don't mix. They are like oil and water. The sooner you are out of this town, the better it will be for all of us."
"Is that what you think I am, Lacroix. A witch?" She laughed once more, this time with a tinge of irony. "No, no, I am certainly not a witch." All at once, she became dead serious, for a moment, her face changed. Did he detect her eyes turning golden? Did he feel the electricity in the air? It happened all too quickly, even for his senses to absorb.
Seriousness faded into sadness and for a minute she looked as if she would cry, and just as quickly she regained her presence, her confidence. "No, Lacroix. I am not a threat to you or your friends. I want you to believe that. You are not my reason for being here."
"Nicholas," he breathed. "It's Nicholas, isn't it? His and Dr. Lambert's miraculous recovery, that's your doing, is it not?" He looked like he had just solved a big secret. "You brought him back."
"No, I did not bring him back, but I am here to see no further harm comes to him or Natalie. There are those who have been watching him, and to a certain extent, you; those who would rather see him destroyed. You are in their good graces, for now, since it is known you were willing to take his life. It was yours to take, I suppose, since you had given it to him, but it was not the proper time. Now Nick needs protection. He and Natalie need to be shielded from those who wish to see them dead. Real dead."
"The Enforcers." She nodded. "And you came here tonight for?" He eyed her suspiciously.
"I need your help. I need to know there will be no interference from you when I do what I must to protect them. I know that what you did the other night was out of love for your son. I also know that you lost a daughter you long thought dead, and that killing Nick took a lot from you. You lost all your children. But he's back now and I need to know you will be there when the time comes to keep him from harm. He deserves no punishment for what he put you through. He will never be the child you remember, but he will be around for quite some time. Before this is over, he will be confused and in need of a friend. He will need you, Lacroix. Just like the other night. Only this time, you will protect him *and* Natalie."
"You really think you can take on the Enforcers alone? There's only one of you, and they are very dangerous."
"I can handle myself. But any extra assistance when the time comes would be greatly appreciated. Can I count on you, Lacroix?"
Visions of that awful night when Nicholas told him he was his closest friend became clear his brain. He closed his eyes to keep the memory of plunging the stake into his son from taking hold, without success. He could not lose him again. "Yes," he said softly to her. "Yes, I will help you. But on one condition."
She sighed. She knew what was coming. "What?"
"Explain to me why you deny what you are. I saw your eyes begin to turn, to become one of us. Tell me how you do it." He watched her listen to his words and at that instant he realized she did not know what she had done. She was oblivious to the transformation she had stopped. *How could that happen? She doesn't know she is one of us.*
"I have no idea what you are talking about. My eyes did not turn into anything. I am not a witch, and I am not one of your kind. You are greatly mistaken, Lacroix. I must go. Can I count on your cooperation?"
Lacroix gave her his most engaging smile. "Yes, you will have my cooperation. When the time comes."
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Another pair of eyes watched her from the depths of the Raven. The music droned on in no particular beat as he sat in the corner, watching the two disappear into Lacroix's office. She did not look disturbed by the fact he was ushering her into his room. So he sat and waited.
Fifteen minutes ticked by and the office door opened and Katherine stepped out, apparently no worse for the wear. She went back to the bar, finished her drink and paid her tab. Then she turned to leave. He saw an emerging look of recognition, but it faded just as quickly. Did she feel his presence? He'd never know, for at that moment, Lacroix located him in that dark corner.
"Your expression betrays you, my young friend," he whispered into Vachon's ear. "She interests you, does she not?"
Embarrassed over being discovered, Vachon fumbled for a denial, but it didn't come. Instead, he stuttered like a schoolboy. Lacroix was visibly amused. "Come, now we all make mistakes. We need to talk." He turned and once again headed to his office.
Vachon sheepishly followed. When one such as Lacroix demands your presence, you obey. Master or not. "Have a seat, my boy."
*I wish he'd stop calling me that.* "I prefer to stand" Javier leaned against the wall at the door and waited.
"As you are well aware, Katherine Collins joined me in some interesting conversation. She also revealed a part of her she doesn't acknowledge exists. I know you've been spending some time with this woman" Vachon winced. He'd hoped to keep that private. "What has she told you about herself?"
Holding Lacroix's gaze, Vachon replied casually, "Not a whole lot. She's from the states on an interdepartmental transfer. She's Knight's new partner."
"Come now, you can do better than that. She knows about us, Nicholas, the community. She tells me she's here on a mission of sorts. Has she mentioned anything to you?"
Vachon shook his head in denial. Whatever Lacroix was looking for, he wasn't going to help him. "You told me last night you thought she was a witch. You warned me to stay away from her. Has she changed your mind?"
Lacroix leaned both elbows on the chair he was sitting in and rested his chin on his hands. "Yes, things have changed to convince me to, shall we say, tolerate her presence amongst us. Have you sensed anything about her to indicate she might be one of us?"
Vachon was not prepared for that question and the look of surprise was the answer Lacroix needed. "She's not one of us. I never felt anything, saw anything. Besides, she goes out in the daylight. We saw that the first day she was here. What are you saying, Lacroix?"
"I'm not sure myself. But I'll swear she started to change into a vampire. I saw her eyes start to glow. Yet, she denies it ever happened. She denies being a witch, too, and I believe her. I think she is one of us and doesn't realize it."
"That's impossible, isn't it? I mean how can one repress being one of us?"
"I don't know, Vachon." It was one of the few times he could recall Lacroix ever using his name.
"I think you are the most likely to find out. She's not a witch but she still could be a threat to us if the wrong things happen."
"I don't like being in the middle here." *There's something else you're not telling me, Lacroix, don't think I don't know it. But, I have my secrets too.*
"All I'm saying is to be alert. She's more than she let's on and I don't want any surprises." Lacroix stood up as if to dismiss Vachon. He took the hint and left, gladly.
Act 10
The radio played softly in the background as Natalie took off her gloves and scrubbed her hands. She glanced at the clock ticking away in the wee hours of the morning. Damn! I'm tired! Shutting the faucets with her elbows, a long remembered habit from back in med school, she dried her hands and sat down behind her desk. Then she reached for the tape recorder, spoke into it and in five minutes her report on the deceased was complete. She yawned for what seemed like the millionth time that night, shut the computer down, turned off the lights, and locked the door behind her.
There was no one on the street, save for the snow plow already at work clearing the light powdering they had received during the night. Soon the streets would be full of people going to work and she would be safely, warmly tucked in her bed. Or Nick's. Which one? *How did this turn out to be so complicated? It was supposed to be so easy, a little faith, a little at a time.* She had never thought the next steps through. *What happens next?* She pulled into the parking space, turned her engine off and looked up at the loft where somehow she knew he would be. "What's next, Nick?" she asked the cold early morning.
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He heard her heartbeat as she rounded the corner. From his window, he watched her park the car and cross over to the elevator door. On the security screen he saw her punch in the code and enter the lift. *She looks tired. Oh, Natalie, what are we going to do?*
She stepped out of the elevator to find him staring at the door. She knew then he'd been watching for her, listening to her. In a moment, they were in each other's arms. "Oh Nick," was all she could say. She felt safe in his embrace. The world was blocked out, he was the world she wanted. To stay with him forever. She had said it that night and meant it, she meant it now.
"You're off early," they said in unison, and laughed at each other.
Natalie draped her coat over the kitchen chair and stood before the fire to get rid of the winter chill. "Things got slow, and I was finished. I've pulled enough overtime that they won't miss me the rest of the night. You?"
"We got to a stalemate on the Givens case. Couldn't go calling on people in the middle of the night, so we're going in early tomorrow. By the way, we stopped in and saw little Tommy tonight. He's at his grandparents. What a difference in people. They really love the little kid. Too bad his mom can't muster some of it up. She doesn't see what she's missing."
"You're sounding a bit paternal, aren't you?"
Nick looked at her, yet through her, seeing scores of little children that had crossed his path over the last 800 years, including his nephew. "Yes, I guess I am. He just got to me, Nat. That's all."
"Well, not to change the subject, but Nick, what are we doing here? I mean, what's next? It's been playing on my mind for a couple of days now." Her expression told him she was hoping he'd have the answers. The glow from the fire framed her face. Barely breathing, she waited for his answer.
*I wish I knew, Nat, I wish I knew.* He cleared his throat. After all these years of being in control, this woman threw him off all semblance of balance. This woman he loved more than she could ever realize. He had given his life for her. He would do it again. No, he knew what was next. He knew what to do. With of voice full of emotion, soft and low, he held her in his arms, "Stay Natalie. Stay here with me today, tomorrow, always. I haven't been able to say this to you, for many reasons, but I love you, Natalie Lambert. I love you more that you'll ever know."
The moment he said those words, she knew they were what she had wanted to hear. "Are you sure Nick?" He had always kept her at arm length from that subject. He was protecting her she would tell herself. But he crossed that line now and there was no turning back.
"More sure than I've been about anything in a long time. You've been spending the last few days here anyway." He grinned boyishly at her, "I think I like it."
"I like it too. Well, that's it then, I'm staying. What about my place? I hate to give it up. And remember Sidney, he's part of the package too."
Nick rolled his eyes "I don't think Sidney likes me much."
"Aw, come on Nick, you'll get used to each other." She hugged him tighter. "This is where I want to be." She said contentedly. "Right here in your arms forever."
Nick returned the hug. He couldn't stop smiling. The world had stopped for the two of them. This was safe, right. Oh, so right. A thought came to him. "What about Katherine?"
"What?" Natalie looked up at him as if he lost his mind. "What does she have to do with us?"
"Your place. She's looking for somewhere to live, your place is available, rent it to her. At least you know she won't trash it."
"That's a good idea. I'll give her a call." Nat walked over to the phone.
For the first time in centuries, Nicholas Knight felt content. He watched the snow fall gently to the ground in the pale grey early morning light. This was his place to be, his moment in time. He smiled to himself and wondered how long it would last. *Forever, Nick, forever.*