The Last knight and Beyond

by Olivia Jean Ecklund
Chapter 9

Reese arrived about fifteen minutes later, busting into the loft, with a loud, "What happened?" He stopped short, seeing Nick on the floor and the dark blood all over. Nick was half covered by it.

"Pop, please! I'll explain, but first help me get him cleaned up and into bed," she urged the startled man.

"Sure, Natalie...but is he hurt? Did LaCroix come back?" He was so confused. Blood was everywhere and Natalie looked so happy. Had she lost it.

They got Nick up the stairs and laid him beside the bed. Natalie got some warm wet cloths, and as they cleaned him, Reese realized that the blood was not from injuries.

"Tell me what's going on," he urged her. "What happened...?"

"Nick accepted the Lord tonight. Oh, Pop! You should have seen it. The light was so amazing! So pure! I couldn't even keep looking..."

Reese looked at her closely. There was a small steak of white in her hair. His mouth hung open. "Nat, some of your hair is white."

"Really?" She raised a hand and fingered the spot, somehow knowing. She told Joe about what had happened while they washed and redressed Nick in clean pajamas. Natalie checked all of Nick's vital signs. All were normal for a human male. Finally they picked him up and put him in the bed.

Joe signaled Natalie to follow him downstairs. There he wrapped her in his huge arms and held her against his big chest. She was shaking from the emotional shock of the ordeal and with hope for their future.

She cried for a long time, letting all the tension drain from her body. Joe caressed her hair, comforting her.

Natalie wondered if his daughters would someday realize how much they were missing. She couldn't remember her father much. This big man, with his beautiful smile and kind face was so precious to her. In a very short time, Joe had become a father to both of them. She knew the department's tongues wagged about it being strange, but those who really knew and loved the three of them, knew how much they all needed each other.

Reese soothed her, "There now, what are all these tears? You should be happy."

Natalie pulled her head away from his chest and looked into his eyes, "Oh, Pop, I am happy! It's such an overwhelming relief. This means a normal life for Nick and I. A life in the sun... maybe even babies. We'll be able to go to church together. It's almost too much to take in." She leaned heavily on him. He was going to guide her to the couch when he remembered the mess.

He took her to the kitchen instead, and made her drink a can of Boost, then said, "Go up to bed and sleep with your human husband, Natalie. I'll clean up the mess in the other room." He smiled, "Now I can think of grandbabies!"

Natalie stretched up on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for coming, Pop." She turned to go, then turned back, "Oh, the stuff to get blood out is under the kitchen sink. Maybe I won't have to use it ever again."

Natalie found that Nick was still sleeping. She took a quick shower and crawled into bed. Nick instinctively moved closer, wrapping his arms around him. She drifted off to sleep.

After she was gone, Joe grabbed rags and the cleaning solution. First he sprayed the rug really well and took it into his shower to rinse most of the blood away, then he doused it good with wine to put a wine stain on it. After that, he rolled up the rug and would take it to the cleansers. Just as he finished cleaning up the floor where the rug had been, he heard a pitiful meow. He looked around for Sidney. "Here kitty..." he called. There was another pitiful meow. It came from overhead. He looked up and saw Sidney peeking over a high ledge that ran around the upper part of the room.

"How'd you get up there, you rascal?" he said. "More to the point, how am I going to get you down?" His eyes surveyed the room. Sidney must have been frightened by what happened and had run up the furniture, nearly flying to the ledge above. "Boy, I would have loved to have seen you scatter," he laughed at the cat.

"I bet you're pretty hungry." He set out bowls of milk and cat food. Pretty soon, Sidney started along the ledge, jumped from the ledge to the stereo speaker mounted near it, then to the TV, and on down to the floor.

The cat started to chow down. Joe reached down to scratch his head. "I envy you, Sid. I wish I could have been watching on that ledge." He turned off the lights and went back to work, trying to figure out what he was going to tell everyone.

Natalie woke with a start. The windows were open, and for a moment, the bright sunshine frightened her. Then she remembered, and turned to see Nick holding his fingers up into the rays of light. He had a childish grin on his face as he watched the light dance through them. The golden rays of the sun flickered over his features and turned his hair into a golden halo. Natalie realized Nick had graying hair on his temples, and reached up to touch the white streak in her hair, remembering the perfect light.

Nick turned and noticed that she was watching him. "Nat, it's been so long since I've seen the sun... felt its warmth on my fingers without it burning them. I have such a feeling of peace inside. With the Lidobuterin B, I felt crazy, anxious...not in control. Now I'm filled with peace and a feeling of fulfillment. I can't even express it properly."

He reached over and touched her auburn hair, watching the highlights of gold and red shimmer as he ran his fingers through it. "Natalie, you are so beautiful." He leaned to kiss her. "I always wondered what I might do on my first morning as a mortal."

She smiled, "Yeah!" accepting a more passionate kiss.

Nick suddenly bounced out of the bed and said, "Let's go for a walk."

"You are recently married. You have a gorgeous woman in your bed. You're human, and you want to go for a walk?" she teased.

For a moment Nick took her seriously. "Oh, Nat... I didn't mean...you know I want you..." he let his voice trail off lamely, looking stricken.

She bounded out of the bed, laughing, "Nick, I'm teasing! I'd love nothing more than to take a walk on this beautiful morning with you." She kissed him.

He laughed against her lips, "I love you," he held her close a moment.

They then went into the bathroom, took fast showers, then dressed in sweat suits. The mornings were always cool. They fed Sidney, who found it curious that they were going out during the day.

Nick drove the Caddie to a nearby park. They stepped onto the grass and started toward the little manmade lake in the center. Natalie made sure he had his sunglasses on. He wanted to jog like some of the other people in the park.

Nat smiled indulgently at him and off they went. Pretty soon Nick stopped gasping for breath. She laughed at him, "Well, I guess we'll have to take it easy on you, old man."

Nick smiled, but didn't comment. It was the truth. He was old, but he felt as new as when the world was new... a little out of breath, but new. "Hey, why don't we use today as my birthday...it would seem fitting."

Natalie threw her arms around his neck and kissed him sensuously, "That's a wonderful idea, Nick! Happy Birthday! I have a present for you when we get home," she teased.

He nipped playfully at her lower lip. ''I'll be sure to collect it, my love."

They walked around the park, and Nick looked at, and touched, everything. "The colors... Nat... I'd forgotten how beautiful nature is. At night it's all darks and grays. Only at a crime scene could I see any colors, and the lights were almost painful, but I still took some pleasure in seeing color as it was. The grass... the trees...you have no idea how colorless the world of the un-dead can be!"

Natalie drew him close, pressing her cheek against his. "Why didn't you tell me about this, Nick?"

He held her close and said, "I didn't want to make you sad or put more on you than you already had to bear at those scenes." Then he asked a totally unexpected question. "Do you still love your work?" They continued their walk. Natalie thought about it as they walked, and Nick waited patiently for her answer.

She finally said, "Honestly, Nick, I'm tired of looking at death... smelling it... touching it...I stayed this long because I was able to help you there. I was able to help the community. Would you mind if I did something else?"

'What do you think you'd like to do?" he asked, lacing his finger with hers. He brought her hand up and kissed the back of it.

"Maybe a free lance researcher... or a pediatrician. It depends on where life leads us and how soon we start our family. I only know I have no need to look on death anymore. I don't need to love death."

Nick had real salt tears running down his face. He kissed her with a smile, shining through the wetness.

Natalie took one tear on her finger and showed it to him.

He touched it, amazed. "It's pure and clean, Nat." He leaned to kiss her, "It's so wonderful to be alive, Natalie!" He threw his arms up into the air and turned in a circle taking in the trees and the sky in a whirl.

"Just this day, to stand here and see the sun on your face, is worth all we've been through." They started to walk again.

Nick made an observation, "Grace will miss you."

"She deserves a promotion, and I will try to see she gets it. She's very good, Nick, and she enjoys the challenge like I did when I came there."

"Mmmm...smell that?" they quickened their pace. Rounding a bend in the path, they caught sight of a coffee stand. "Come on, Nick. Let's get something for breakfast. You're probably hungry." They chose two cream and sugar coffee's, and poppy seed muffins. The happy couple sat on the grass cross legged, and Natalie watched as Nick took a sip of the coffee. Rapture spread over his face. "Oh, Nat.. it's sooo good. I understand how you feel about it now." He drank some more, letting it warm him inside. He took a bite of the muffin, and found he couldn't chew it.

"Nat!" he said, "What's wrong with this thing? I can't chew it. He spat out what he had in his mouth.

Natalie, laughing at him, took the muffin. "You have to peel this paper off." She showed him how, and then fed him a piece. Bliss spread across his face.

"I sure hope you don't like everything, Nick. I'll have to put you on a diet before long. I remember Schanke said you ate your way across town the last time you were in the sun."

Nick's face took on the memory. He smiled sadly, "I sure miss Schank."

Natalie nodded. "I do too, Nick. He was a good partner and a good friend. I thought you were going to quit when you first found out you were going to work with him though." She laughed, "He was so obnoxious back then, but you brought out the best in each other."

"Yes, we did." Nick said, warmed by the memory of his last partner and friend.

Natalie asked, "How will we tell Tracy? Vachon will know the minute we see him..."

"We'll take it one step at a time." He looked around at the kids playing with kites. "Hey, I've always wanted to get a big red kite and fly it in the sun."

Natalie jumped to her feet, "Come on! That sounds like fun! Let's go get one from the shopping center across the street." She thought about the last time she had been in the park, flying a kite. That horrible Roger Jameson. "I could use a new kite flying memory." She dusted crumbs off her hands and they tossed their trash in the can close by and headed for the mall.

They purchased the biggest, reddest kite they could find. It had a huge yellow sun on it. It was perfect. They picked up some picnic supplies. Natalie got the strongest sun screen and lavished it all over Nick's, already too pink, skin. Nick mumbled and groaned. Never before having the need for skin protection, it felt a lot like the paint he'd used when he'd been an actor. He'd always hated it.

Nick spent some time trying to put the kite together. He fumbled with it so much that Natalie was in tears from laughing at him. Finally, an eight year old boy had pity on them and had it fixed in no time. With his parents permission, they treated him to ice cream.

They ran back and fourth, finally getting it into the air. Natalie watched Nick's face more than the kite, enjoying the childish wonder emanating from it. She also loved watching the sunlight dance across his face as they ran through the trees.

Nick watched the kite play tag with the sun, bobbing here and there through the sky like a tiny ship in a storm. They finally collapsed under the shade of a tree where they had laid out the blanket. Natalie sat and let Nick lay his head in her lap. They talked and fed each other fruit and cheese, and drank Gatorade from the bottle. Nick tasted everything, marveling at the differences in texture, color, and smell. Some things such as the grapes and cheese brought back memories of his childhood. In the late afternoon, Natalie spied an ice cream cart across the way. She ran and bought two chocolate Sundae cups. She sat on the blanket with Nick cross-legged before her, and scooped out a glop of fudge and vanilla ice cream on the little wooden spoon. "Close your eyes," she bid him.

Nick closed his eyes and opened his mouth. This was something he had longed to experience.

Natalie spooned it in to his waiting mouth.

The coldness felt heavenly on his warm, overheated tongue. The rich, exquisite taste of chocolate and the smooth, creamy ice cream, melted and ran down his throat. He moaned with pleasure. It was all Natalie had told him it was.

"Oh, that's wonderful, Nat!" He took a glob and fed it to her, leaving some of it on her lips. He learned forward to reclaim it, tasting it and her. "This it what I taste when I taste you, My Love!" he said, a bit surprised. "Chocolate, cream and something else." He thought a moment. "The scent of yellow roses," he added, pleased that he'd figured out what it was.

Natalie was touched. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, claiming his lips for a longer kiss.

Chapter 10

A shadow fell over them. "Hey, there!" a deep voice said, "No public displays of affection allowed..."

Nick and Natalie shaded their eyes from the glaring sun. There stood Capt. Reese, with a big smile covering his face.

"Pop!" they shouted with happiness, dragging him down to the blanket with them. "What are you doing here?"

He explained, "Burns came running into the Bullpen swearing he saw Officer Knight and Dr. Lambert flying a kite in the park. Since this was such an unusual occurrence," he said, with a twinkle in his eye. "I had to come see for myself... Sorry I missed it," he added, nodding at the great kite laying on the grass.

Natalie was curious. "Joe, what did you tell them in the bullpen, about last night?"

Reese laughed, "I told them you had given Nick a potion to get rid of the allergy he has for the sun, and it made him get sick so he passed out. You just freaked out, being a newlywed and all. They had a good laugh. Tracy seemed more subdued."

Natalie looked embarrassed, "I guess that's as good a reason as any. I'm sure I'll get teased about poisoning my husband on our honeymoon. At least now they'll think it worked."

Joe commented, "Well, I could have said Nick got drunk and passed out, but I didn't want to have that rumor started. This was closer to the truth."

Nick replied, "I'm glad you came to help. Natalie told me all about it. Joe, you have no idea how wonderful this gift of life is."

Joe said, "Son, it's wonderful to see you in the light."

The newlyweds got up, and Nick said, "Come on, Nat, lets see if we can get this kite up once more for Pop."

With a bit of effort they got the kite into the air and laughed as Reese struggled to keep it there. Natalie noticed that the people in the park had stopped what they were doing and were all looking toward the street pointing. She looked in that direction and discovered that the whole street was lined with police cars, and the officers were standing, laughing and pointing toward the three kite flyers.

"Pop, Nick, look!" she called out.

Reese came to a dead stop and stared at men from his precinct and some other local precincts. All of a sudden, there was string looping and cascading all around him, and he was nearly knocked over as the kite crashed into him. There he stood with the giant red kite pinning his arms to his sides, part of the red paper hanging over his eyes.

Nick was stunned, and Natalie's body was shaking with silent laughter. Reese shouted, "What are you men and women doing here! Get back to work!"

There was a scramble for the cars as officers bumped into each other. Within moments, the cars all sped away leaving two of the three in the park screaming with laughter. Nick went to Joe and tried to lift the kite up and over his head, but he was shaking with laughter so much he couldn't free it so Natalie came to help him.

Joe was practically blowing steam from his ears. Then his face crumbled and he started to laugh. They all fell in a heap on the grass holding their sides. The people in the park were still staring, but when the kids started to laugh, the rest soon joined in.

Joe gasped for breath, "I will never live this down. They probably think We've all gone mad." Nick noticed that a familiar car was still there and a young blond woman was heading their way...Tracy.

He stood and headed for her. She was looking at him with wonder and confusion. "Nick, what's going on? How is this possible?"

Nick grabbed her up and swung her around. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Police scanner at home," she stated, staring at him. She reached out to touch his sweating brow.

"I'm cured, Trace! I'm human," he whispered into her ear.

"What!" She said, fear touching her eyes. "But the community? Nick, this is dangerous."

Nick pulled her down to sit on the grass with him. He noted, with relief, that the people in the park were going about their own business now and Natalie was keeping Joe away so that he could talk to her alone.

"I was cured through Natalie's love. Love that cleansed her blood... love she has from the Lord our God." Emotion was thick in his voice. "I can walk in the sun again."

"Nick, you gave up what you were and all that power to walk in the sun?" she asked, floored.

Nick realized she was serious. "Trace?" He saw disappointment in her eyes. "This is what I've always wanted, Trace... to be able to love Natalie without endangering her... to have babies... to have a soul... to serve the Lord."

She had tears in her eyes now. "But you could fly! You could hypnotize! You could bend people to your will! You would have lived forever, never aging... bullets didn't hurt you. It was what made you a hero... a great cop, Nick." She pulled away from him, got up and ran back toward her waiting partner and the car.

Nick stared after her and then felt Natalie grab his arm. "Let her go. She needs time to think this through."

"Yeah, Nick," Joe said, "She's going to have to accept it. I think maybe your partner was a bit enamored by what you were. She probably has romanticized it so much because of her love for Vachone. We will have to pray for her."

Nick suddenly realized that there were shadows lengthening all around them. "Natalie, let's go home." He grabbed up their things and headed toward the car.

Natalie looked at Reese and shrugged. "I'll call you. It was fun, Pop," she called as she ran to catch up with Nick. The two headed back to his car. They got into the loft just as the sun went down.

Natalie could see that Nick had a fine sheen of sweat on his brow. She put her hand against his chest and found that his heart was beating rapidly. "What1s wrong, Nick?" she queried.

He wiped the sweat off with his hand and peered at it to make sure it was colorless. "I'm sorry," he said. "I just found myself getting scared to death, wondering if we would meet any vampires I knew."

Natalie reached out and wrapped her arms around him. She felt his body tremble against her. "Nick, let's leave here. There should be some mountain cabin we could buy that would give us distance from here, and some peace. You could have a trainer come to teach you the art of combat and self defense, and hone the abilities your human body is capable of. I know you feel a loss of your powers. With survival and other training you can be master of yourself again... get your confidence back. You're a good cop, and if you want to come back later, I would support you, but please, not yet."

"You can afford it. We could call it an extended honeymoon." She held herself, lovingly, against him. Nick had opened his mouth to reply to her ideas when a coldness enveloped him and he turned to see a figure sitting in the living room.

Nick knew instantly who it was. His blood ran cold, and he moved quickly, thrusting Natalie behind him.

Natalie also recognized him. "Nick," she cried in fear. "LaCroix!"

LaCroix stood, "Nicholas!" His eyes were amber, his fangs exposed. "I see you have achieved your goal. I did not believe it was possible."

Nick accused him, 'You never left did you?"

LaCroix came closer. "On the contrary, Nicholas. I only arrived from Rome an hour ago. I felt your pain last night... horrible pain. I thought perhaps you were injured or even dead. I came to take revenge, but now I see that I will have the pleasure of bring you back across" He breathed into Nick's face, chilling the young man.

"Back off, LaCroix," Nick warned. "I will never be yours again. Never! I have another father now."

"Your Captain Reese cannot save you now. He can not possibly parent you the way I can... forever!" "I'm not talking, about Joe. I speak of my Lord, Jesus Christ."

A cry of anguish, turned anger, ripped from the vampire. "No!" he backed away. "Nicholas... do not speak those words! You know how much I love you. You are my life!"

"Life?" Nick spat at him. "You doled out affection, in selfish tiny drops. You beat me and abused me in every possible way for centuries. You have been my hell for 800 years. I thought I loved you, but I have only been like your pup. One that always came back to lick the hand of the master who beat it. I know that you have been the only reason I have survived in the community so long, but I do not need you anymore."

LaCroix lunged at him. Natalie was knocked away and collided with the wall. She cried out, "Jesus, protect us from this evil!"

LaCroix grabbed Nick by the arm and punched him in the face. Nick felt LaCroix1s hand close around his throat. He was sure he was going to die, and he prayed for Natalie1s safety.

LaCroix suddenly roared in pain. He jerked his hand back. It was blistered and nearly blazing. He stared at his injuries with confusion and amazement.

Natalie struggled to her feet. She blinked. There, in front of Nick, stood the large black woman she knew to be her Angel. There was a golden glow around her.

"You must go lest you be consumed," the Angel warned LaCroix.

Both Nick and LaCroix looked at her, stunned. Then Nick's face changed to awe, while LaCroix's went from rage to fear.

The Angel continued, "This one will never belong to you again. The Father will not allow you to touch either of them or harm them physically. You must go, or you will be consumed by fire."

LaCroix looked at Nick. He snarled, "You have won."

"You may never see me again, but perhaps your children will..." he threatened, with an ugly sneer.

The Angel warned, "If you want what Nick has, send an ambassador to talk with Nick... otherwise DO NOT approach this family again. You will not survive. The God of all, makes this promise."

LaCroix turned his eyes to Nick again. "Nicholas!" he cried, in anguish. These were not the amber or red eyes of the vampire, but the eyes of LaCroix, pleading with him.

The light around the angel brightened. The old vampire threw his hands up over his eyes. His skin began to smoke. He rose, with a roar of defeat, and flew toward the open skylight.

Nick called after him, "Believe, LaCroix. You, too, can be saved!"

Nick turned and gathered Natalie in his arms and they both cried. Their bodies shook. Warm, gentle hands took them by the arms and lead them to the couch. Nick and Natalie looked into wise, ageless eyes. "Who are you?" Nick asked, already knowing what she was.

"I am called Tess." she replied, simply. "That monster is gone for good, if that is what you wish. Live your life...have your babies. Love the Lord with all your heart. That's all He asks. Nick, He waited 800 years for you to come back." She touched his face tenderly.

A peace flowed over Nick.

Natalie stammered, "B...b...babies?"

Tess took her by the chin. "Yes, babies, Baby. The Lord knows how much you want children. Nick, He's well pleased with you. You've carried Him in a corner of your heart all these years. He's always been with you, child. You were just hiding your face from Him."

Natalie noticed the blood running down his face from were LaCroix had punched him. She pulled the scarf from her neck and dabbed at it.

Tess reached out a finger, ran it over the injury and it vanished. Then she rubbed Natalie's shoulder, and the pain disappeared. "That evil being can never again harm your family physically. You are wise to consider leaving here. Take Joe, and find a place, at least for a season, to rest, regroup and allow yourselves to heal. Allow yourselves to live, love and raise that family. Take the Lord with you, and nothing un-human will ever harm you again."

Nick and Natalie looked at each other, renewed hope and amazement shining in their eyes. They turned, as one, to say, "Thank y..." and realized she was gone.

End Chapter 10


By Jeannie Ecklund Gersknightlady@cs.com





The Last knight and Beyond 11
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