Another Reality

by Olivia Jean Ecklund
Chapter 3

Eight days later he was summoned to the precinct to give Captain Stonetree a report. He entered the busy building and nearly collided with the Desk Sergeant, Reese.

"Nick, watch where you are going," the man said, a big smile lit his face.

Nick flashed him a smile back. "Sorry, my mind was somewhere else." He'd been thinking about a beautiful Vampire again.

"Perhaps a young lady?" he asked with hope in his eyes. This young man was a lonely man, but never seemed to be interested in anyone his friends tried to set him up with. He noted the red that appeared on the boy's ears and smiled. Perhaps there was hope for this one yet.

"Have you seen Grace today?" the large ebony man asked.

"Yeah, this morning. She brought in an accident victim. You're a lucky man, Joe."

Joe Reese smiled, "Man don't I know it. If you ever find someone half as good as Grace you'll be happier than you ever imagined."

Nick thought, "Maybe I have."

Reese threw a thumb back over his shoulder, "You'd best get in there, the Captain's waiting."

Nick smiled and headed for Captain Stonetree's office. He liked the big Indian Captain. Stonetree was a slow, soft spoken man, yet Nick knew him to have a sharp mind and a quick temper on occasion. He knocked on the door and opened it. He was holding his report in the other hand. He stepped into the office.

Stonetree was not alone. Nick caught the sent of jasmine and rose. His heartbeat escalated. Before him sitting before the desk was a woman with thick dark wavy hair. She turned toward him and smiled. Stonetree stood. "Nick, this is Natalie Knight. She's a new detective here on our beat. She'll be on the night shift. I want you to coordinate some of your difficult cases with her. She has an amazing record for solving unsolvable cases."

He turned to Natasha. "This is Dr. Nick Lambert."

Nick stood staring at Natasha, Natalie he corrected himself. He opened his mouth but nothing came out. She stood now, smiling. She took a step forward and held out her hand.

"It's Nice to meet you Dr. Lambert." Her voice seemed to envelope him with its music.

He took her cool hand, "Ms. Knight," he managed to say with out stuttering.

"Natalie," she said.

"Natalie," he repeated with a nod. "I guess we'll be working closely together."

She ran her tongue over her lips. Stonetree was behind her and didn't see her tease Nick. She smiled and flashed him a bit of fang. Nick's knees became weak and he blushed. She laughed musically and turned back to see Stonetree looking curiously at her.

"Have you met before?" he asked, noticing Nick's red ears.

Natalie took her seat. "Briefly, a few nights ago." She said, "Mr. Lambert was walking his dog in the park."

Stonetree studied them carefully, noting Nick's obvious blush and Natalie's gaze. He hoped he didn't regret this pairing. He wasn't quite sure this woman could handle the job. Yet somehow she'd convinced him she was the only one who could work with Lambert. "Well, why don't you go talk and get to know each other a bit. I've got a headache and think I'll book off for the night. Nick take the report with you and go over the case with Detective Knight."

Nick nodded, "All right, Captain, hope you feel better." Nick had his suspicions as to where the headache had come from. Natalie stood and walked past him. He pressed a hand to the small of her back and guided her from the room and down the hall to an interrogation room.

"What are you doing here!" he demanded, as he shoved her a little none to gently into the room and shoved the door shut.

She smiled, "I thought it best that we work together if you are going to help me." She raised a finger and caressed his cheek.

He drew away, "Stop that! I can't think when you touch me."

She smiled and let a bit of amber flash in her blue eyes. He sighed exasperated. How would he ever think around her. She seemed to strip his mind of all coherent thought. He could think of nothing but her hands on his body and her lips caressing his when she was around. He could feel that tingle at the base of his mind.

"If you want to work with me you have to stop whatever it is you are doing to my mind. I have to be able to think."

She sighed now and pouted a bit. He felt the tingle vanish. He shook his head and his thoughts became clear. He sighed in relief.

"All right," she said, "but it is such fun. I've never met anyone so easily stimulated."

He turned away embarrassed. She was right, just the sight of her excited him. He would have to work harder to control himself.

"Dr. Lambert..." she started.

"Nick, call me Nick." he interjected.

"Nick." She smiled. "I'd like that. I can help you. My kind have many powers and senses. I can use them in my work."

"I thought you said you didn't want to be what you are?" he said.

"Yes, I did, didn't I. Maybe it is the long years of loneliness. If I found a companion worthy of joining me, I might find joy in this existence." She was looking deeply into his eyes.

Nick stared back into her blue fathomless eyes. What was she saying? Could she be offering him the chance to join her?

"Well, perhaps we should concentrate on the case," she said. "We have an eternity to decide where this life might take us."

Nick tore his eyes off hers and turned his attention to the file before him. He willed himself to relax and he opened the file. He enjoyed his job and he felt excited about having someone to share his work with him. "This body was found four days ago..."

The nights came and went. Nick saw Natalie often at crime scenes. She was confident in her job using her abilities to help them solve crimes. She often came to the morgue after work to visit. She didn't socialize with others much because of a fear of being questioned about her eating and drinking habits. Nick knew she came because with him she didn't have to pretend to be something she was not. She would tell him stories about the past and occasionally she would mention her part in the past, but for the most part she seemed to want to keep her past to herself. She seldom mentioned others of her kind as well.

Nick had seen her temper on several occasions and not wanting to provoke her, he seldom pushed. She'd changed his life. Having someone to interact with made him so much happier. He hadn't realized how lonely he had been. Occasionally she would join him when he walked Beast at night. On those nights they seldom talked and if they did it was just her sharing things about the darkness, the beauty of it and the mysteries in it. Nick always felt content in her company.

After the first few nights she seemed to turn off the emotional seductivness. During the last few weeks she'd seldom touched him. They had been developing their friendship and he was grateful for this time to just get to know her. Occasionally he would see her looking at him with such desire, or hunger... he wasn't sure which. He wanted there to be more between them. Chapter 4

It was still night and Natalie couldn't sleep. She knew Nick had been called into work on his night off and she was bored.

She dressed in black and put on a wool cap, then blacked her face and flew up through the skylight. She flew over the city and finally lighted on the roof of the coroner's building.

She looked out over the edge of the roof at the parking lot and noticed that only Nick's car was there. It was Sunday and there was seldom a Sunday staff. He was alone. She smiled wickedly. How would the coroner respond to a bit a teasing.

She went to the door of the roof and tried to open it. It was locked of course. She used her vampiric strength to force the lock open. She slipped into the darkened stair well and silently closed the door behind her. The corridor at the bottom of the stairs was dark and silent.

She walked the halls in silence. As she neared the door to Nick's lab, she could see the dim light through the frosted window. She could also hear his voice as he made notes on the audio recorder.

She opened the door with an audible click and then floated up to the high ceiling of the corridor and let the shadows engulf her.

She heard Nick take a deep breath and his instruments quieted. "Anyone there? Schanke, if that's you sneaking up on me I'm going to slice you open." There was only silence as Nick came forward and peeked out the door into the dark corridor. He stepped out into the corridor and stood for a moment right below Natalie. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing at him. She could smell his fear.

He moved away and down the corridor to the front of the building to check the lock on the front door.

Natalie floated down and ducked through the door into the lab. She noted that Nick had a body uncovered on the table and another body filled a body bag on a gurney across the room. An idea quickly took hold. She grabbed the occupied gurney and pushed it down the hall out of sight. Then she grabbed an empty one and a body bag and with vampiric speed laid it out and climbed into the bag and zipped it closed, snuggling down inside to wait for Nick to return.

A couple minutes later she heard him come back, "That's strange?" he said to himself. "I know I heard someone." He picked up a scalpel and made a cut into the body that had been brought in only an hour before.

Natalie, who was smiling inside the bag ready to spring out and surprise him suddenly got hit by the smell of nearly fresh blood. She felt the vampire inside her stir. She felt panic. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. She hadn't even feed well before going out. An involuntary low moan escaped her throat.

"What the..." Nick gasped, his hands freezing above the corpse. The sound had come from the body bag across the room. He knew that person was dead. He'd just finished the autopsy on the woman. Yet now there was movement and the zipper started to descend very slowly.

"All right. Who's playing a trick on me!" he demanded, getting angry. He started to move toward the body bag. Suddenly the body sat up and turned toward him. All he saw were blazing red eyes and white fangs. The entire figure was covered in black. This couldn't be human. A low deep growl came from the creature. There was a movement.

Suddenly Nick found himself lying on the floor and the creature was holding him down with its body. Was this LaCroix? It was certainly a vampire. He pushed with all his strength against its shoulders, trying to keep its viscous fangs away from his neck.

There was a struggle and the body twisted away. Nick grabbed at it trying to get a hold again and his fingers snagged the wool cap and it pulled free. Rich brown hair tumbled into his face. He smelled Jasmine and Rose.

"Natalie!?" he shouted, recognizing her scent. "Is that you?"

Having lost all rationality, she fought on.

Nick felt her cold breath against his neck and her fangs scrapped at his skin before he was able to force her back. Adrenaline coursed through his veins.

Then an idea occurred to him and he stopped struggling. "Natasha," he whispered, "If this is what you want then so be it." He relaxed under her and caressed her hair. He turned his face toward her and kissed her deeply, his tongue teasing her fangs.

She suddenly froze. "Nick?"

"I am here for you, Natasha," he said softly. She pulled away and stumbled back against the refrigerated body units. "Oh God, Nick!"

She turned away and went to where she knew he kept the units of blood. She grabbed one from a frig and gulped its contents down and grabbed another one, gulping in long shuddering gulps.

Nick struggled to his feet. "Nat, what the hell's wrong with you. Why are you doing here dressed like that?"

She continued to gulp, pacifying the out of control vampire. Finally it retreated and she slid to the floor against the fridge and pulled her knees up to her chin, resting her forehead against her knees.

Nick stayed where he was just staring at her, totally confused and dumbfounded.

She finally looked at him and climbed to her feet. "I need you to hold me so badly, Nick."

He reached out and she came to him. He wrapped his arms around her tightly. He pressed a light kiss to her lips. "I'm here for you, Nat."

She closed her eyes feeling his gentleness. Her sated vampire retreated further giving back her tenuous control. She let him hold her. Finally she whispered, "I'm sorry, Nick. You know I wouldn't hurt you for the world. But IT might."

Nick nodded. "I know, Nat." He stroked her dark hair gently.

"I was trying to play a joke on you," she finally admitted.

Nick pushed her back so he could look into her eyes. The whole situation finally struck him as funny. Probably because he was exhausted and coming off a huge adrenaline rush. He laughed and finally stuttered, "I guess the joke's on you."

She looked at him like he was crazy. "I lost it when you cut into the body. I hadn't fed. I know it was stupid to come here like this. The vampire escaped my control. I'm sorry, Nick"

Nick, still laughing, hugged her to him. "Next time call before you drop in. Come on, I'll drop you off at home."

A figure stood on the roof of the precinct and watched as Natalie and Nick came from the building. He got into his car with Natasha and drove away. The figure rose into the air and followed the Ford Escort.

Natalie punched the code into the door outside her warehouse apartment, then waved goodbye to Nick. She entered the lift and rode it up two stories. It opened to reveal a large room sparsely decorated. Overstuffed soft furniture made the room comfortable and rather human normal. Tables showing different works of art depicting the human condition were placed here and there. There was a part of the room devoted to a studio of sculpture.

Natalie shrugged out of her coat and went up the stairs. She changed into a sweat suit, then headed downstairs to the fridge for a bottle of bloodwine. She poured a generous goblet of the wine and drank it down. It was donated from a young mother.

Natalie felt her joy in the pleasure of the woman's emotions regarding the caring and loving of her baby. A pain of sorrow coursed through her at the thought of never having a child of her own. Only through blood like this could she share the joys of motherhood. She shook the pain away and went toward the large lump of clay sitting on the work table. Her fingers dug into the lump and with Vampire speed she soon formed a bust of a certain young blond coroner. Once the basic form was finished, she slowed her work so she could enjoy creating the face with perfect memory recall. His features were gentle and kind. She ran her hands over the cheeks, gently shaping them to the memory of her touch.

"How touching," came a sarcastic voice. "Natasha, do you never tire of dipping into this human world. They all leave sooner or later and you are left with nothing but these cold hard sculptures."

She turned to face the intruder, "Do you never knock?" she said sarcastically.

There was a whoosh of air and the intruder stood close his hand gripping her arm like a vice grip. "Do you never tire of your human pets? That new one is weak and too emotional. He could destroy us with the knowledge you have given him."

"He won't tell. You have promised to stay out of my personal affairs, LaCroix. When I let you drain my sister Urs in payment for my eternal life we agreed that you would be my master in name only that we would be equals."

LaCroix pulled her into his arms and crushed her lips with his. His blue eyes flashed with amber. Natalie struggled against his grip. His fangs nicked at her lips and he tasted her blood. She pushed with all her strength and broke his hold, pushing him back.

He stumbled back and laughed. "One day you will realize, Natasha, that we belong together. For now I chose to hold to my word. But I warn you, I will not allow you to cross back over. You are mine; you always will be. Have your toys for now..." He flew up and out of the open skylight.

Natalie sagged back against the table. She wiped her hand acrossed her lips with disgust. He'd tracked her down again. Just when she thought she might have come to the end of her search. Nick could be the one she had searched for for centuries. She would have to be very careful. LaCroix could not know her plans, or the legend.

She had once found her master attractive and had let herself be wooed by him and his power. As time went by she'd gotten tired of her life with him, of his control and his desire for her, desire she no longer shared. He had abused her too many times. Her feelings had turned to dust. She'd watched him destroy countless lovers of hers and laughed at her tears.

Nick's love could free her from his hold... free her from this life of darkness.

She turned back to the sculpture. "I will have him..." she thought, caressing the full lips. End Chapter 4


By Jeannie Ecklund Gersknightlady@cs.com





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