ARCHIVIST'S NOTE:  This story contains material of an adult 
nature.

From:         Darkangel  
 
        this is the fifth installment of the series which started with 
"blood and fire." 
  
        warning:  if the following concepts bother you, don't read 
this -bisexuality, polyamoury, bdsm (whips and chains and 
domination, oh my!), occasional non-explicit sex scenes, and an 
author changing the gravitational constants of the fk universe. 
  
        thanks to cousin james and jennifer lackey for help, 
support, and criticism. 
  
copyright s. osborne 1995 
  
                                OUTCAST 
                             by darkangel 
  
        The rain was everywhere, water flowing into gutters and 
onto the street from rooftops.  Somehow the moon was still 
visible through the torrent, and a thoroughly soaked Nick 
Knight looked up at the shining orb, not noticing the rivules of 
water which ran through his hair onto the shoulders of his 
trenchcoat.  He sighed, thinking how this night reflected his 
feelings - dark, barren, cold, with the moon the only light.  He 
flew slowly upwards to perch on the edge of a large, brick 
apartment house, wrapping his arms around his knees as he 
watched the dark, quiet city below him.  He laid his head on his 
knees, and thought.  
        The Raven was empty in the hours just before dawn, and 
Nick made his was quietly to the bedroom, where he peeled off 
his damp clothes and changed into slacks and a black turtleneck.  
He ran a brush through his sopping hair, and went looking for 
his lovers. 
        "Checkmate."  Natalie Lambert spoke softly as she sat back 
in her chair. 
        "No!  How?"  Janette sounded livid. 
        Nick knocked on the door to Janette's office before opening 
the door.  Janette's black hair was in her eyes, and was sulking.  
Natalie sat across the desk from her, sipping a steaming mug 
and smiling calmly. 
        "See, look.  If you move there, my knight can take you.  If 
you move left, my queen has you.  And if you stay where you 
are--" 
        "I get the point."  Janette sniffed and stood.  "I don't know 
why I bother.  Chess is such a stupid game." 
        Nat laughed.  "That's not what you said when you won the 
last game." 
        Janette has the grace to blush momentarily, and turned her 
attention to Nick.  "Where have you been?  You were supposed 
to have gotten off work hours ago." 
        "I just went for a walk."  He kissed her cheek and looked at 
the desk.  "You two having fun?" 
        "No." 
        "Yes." 
        The two women's voices clashed. 
        "Well, we were having fun until I stopped letting Janette 
win," Natalie grinned. 
        Janette cursed in French for a full minute before pausing.  "I 
need a drink."  She flounced out of the room. 
        "You know, Nick, I didn't realize that PMS continued after 
being brought over." 
        Nick laughed.  "Janette just hates to lose." 
        "No, really?"  Nat stood and put her arms around Nick.  He 
hugged her tightly, and heard her gasp.  He let go suddenly. 
        "What's wrong, Nat?" 
        She blushed.  "My back...  hasn't quite healed yet."  She 
knew by the set of his jaw that he was angry. 
        "Been to see LaCroix again?" 
        "Actually, no.  This was Janette's doing."  She smiled, 
embarrassed.  "We were, ah, experimenting." 
        He visibly relaxed.  "I see."  He began to pace.  "I'm sorry I'm 
not happy about you and LaCroix.  It's just that... well, I can't be.  
He's caused me too much pain, and I'm afraid that you'll be 
hurt, too." 
        "I know, Nick.  But you need to trust that I know what I'm 
doing."  Natalie pulled him close.  "I love you, Nick.  But my 
feelings for LaCroix are not going to disappear overnight.  And 
if I ever want them to, I promise that you'll be the first to know.  
Okay?" 
        "Okay."  Nick's voice was reluctant.  "I do love you, Natalie." 
        "I know."  She grinned.  "C'mon, let's go find Janette before 
she sulks herself to death." 
  
        "I was thinking of stopping by the Raven after close 
tomorrow night."  LaCroix' voice was casual as he watched 
Natalie dress.  He leaned back against the wall, and Nat couldn't 
help but notice how sexy he looked in the black silk pajama 
bottoms he wore.  She finished buttoning her shirt. 
        "Oh? What for?"  She kept her voice equally casual. 
        "Must I have a reason?"  He glided over to an endtable to 
finger the black rose he'd laid there earlier.  "I would simply like 
some company, that's all." 
        Nat shrugged.  "It will just be me and Janette.  Nick's 
working late tomorrow." 
        LaCroix idly plucked the petals from the flower as he 
spoke.  "That's fine."  He turned to look at her.  "See you 
tomorrow, then."  His attention remained on the flower as 
Natalie closed the door behind her. 
  
        Nick could feel LaCroix' presence as he opened the door to 
the Raven.  Laughter filled the club, and Nick turned to see his 
master sitting at a table with Janette and Natalie.  Playing cards 
were everywhere. 
        "Nicholas!"  Janette looked up from the cards in her hand. 
"We're teaching Natalie to play poker."  She blatantly looked at 
Nat's hand, then at LaCroix'.  "I bet three."  She dropped the 
chips into the center of the table. 
        LaCroix eyed the cards his opponents held. 
        "You can't do that!"  Janette pressed her cards to her breast. 
        "Janette, you know you're not allowed to cheat unless we 
can too."  He pried the hand away from her and looked at it.  
"I'll see your three, and raise you four." 
        "But you only have a pair of eights, and I have a small 
straight!" 
        "So?  I feel lucky."  He tossed the chips into the pot. 
        And with that the players began laughing again.  Nick felt 
appropriately lost, and quite fascinated at the show of 
camraderie. 
        "Can I have another card?"  Natalie reached for the deck. 
        "Sure."  LaCroix smiled benevolently. 
        "I thought we were playing five card draw!"  Janette 
sniffed. 
        "But Natalie's been a good girl, so she can have six this 
time." 
        Nick wandered back to the bedroom, not sure what to 
make of the game going on in the front room.  Was this another 
of LaCroix' plots, or was he simply having one of his rare good 
days?  Nick kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the bed.  It 
had been a very long night at work, and he was not in the mood 
to deal with his master, regardless of what mood the elder 
vampire was in.  He picked up the novel he'd been reading from 
the nightstand, and began to read. 
        An hour later, Janette and Natalie came giggling into the 
room.  Nick put his book down on his chest.  "Did you two have 
fun?" 
        "Yes, actually."  Janette sounded faintly surprised.  "We did." 
        Natalie took her T-shirt off over her head.  "He's coming 
over again tomorrow to play Scrabble."  She looked at Janette 
thoughtfully.  "I know I'm going to lose - while I had to learn 
Latin in medical school, I don't know nearly as much as you two 
do." 
        "You'll do fine, cherie."  Janette peeled out of her black 
jeans, which she'd taken to wearing quite often.  "The game will 
wind up like tonight's - we'll start off serious, than cheat like 
hell.  You might want to pick up a dictionary on the way home 
from work, though." 
        LaCroix?  And Scrabble?  Nick was speechless. 
        "Want to join us, Nick?  You might enjoy yourself." 
        "Ah, no thanks.  My case load is enormous right now, and 
I've got to finish them up as soon as I can." 
        Nat took the book from him, marking the page before 
setting it on the nightstand.  "In that case, I suggest we get some 
sleep." 
        Janette turned out the light, and the women crawled onto 
either side of Nick.  The room was quiet for several minutes, 
save for the rustling of silk sheets, before Nat spoke again, her 
voice barely coherent through her moans.  "I suppose we could 
always sleep later..." 
  
 
        A week later, Nick opened the Raven's door to find the 
club's lights out, and tiers of candles everywhere.  On the dance 
floor, LaCroix, striking in his tuxedo, held an equally-elegant 
Natalie in his arms as they waltzed to the violin music coming 
from the club's speakers.  He wasn't sure if the sudden rage 
which welled within him stemmed from his hatred of LaCroix, 
or from his shock of how beautiful they looked together, 
dancing with the grace of immortality.  He realized with a start 
that he was jealous.  After all, wasn't it he who had held Natalie 
close all the nights that she had nightmares of the monster who 
held her so lovingly now?  Didn't he deserve her more than 
LaCroix ever would? 
        Janette's hand on Nick's shoulder startled him. "Nicholas, 
don't ruin this.  We've had a lovely evening, and I'd hate to see it 
spoiled.  Please?" 
        His lover's words only fueled his anger.  "I don't believe 
you, Janette!  You know what he is, and yet you've made him 
part of your life again.  All he had to do was show up every 
evening and amuse the two of you while I was away!  I'm going 
to put a stop to this - now." 
        As he finished speaking, the music ended, and LaCroix and 
Natalie stopped, immobile as statues as they looked at each 
other, their beauty such that Nick's heart swelled.  Then Nat 
turned to look at him.  "Nick?"  She moved away from the elder 
vampire, the green of the formal gown she wore making her 
skin look even softer than usual.  She smiled at him.  "LaCroix's 
been teaching me how to dance."  She curtsied teasingly.  "May I 
show you?"  He removed his coat as LaCroix left the dance floor 
and poured himself a glass from the bottle on the bar.  The 
music started, and Nick could feel his master's eyes on them as 
they began the waltz.  Instinctively, he pulled her closer, the 
scent of her overwhelming him -the clean, sweet smell of her 
skin and hair, almost hiding the scent of the blood in her veins.  
He let himself enjoy the temptation of her, and the timelessness 
of the dance.  All too soon, the music faded, and he nuzzled her 
neck in search of the maddening smell of her blood.  She pulled 
him close, her arms around his neck, and his teeth opened her as 
gently as he could manage.  He could feel her melting in his 
arms, felt her muscles relax as she let him hold her up.  Then 
LaCroix was behind her, and he too was drinking from her, his 
mouth on the other side of her neck, and Natalie's moans filled 
his ears.  They somehow made him remember where he was, 
and what was happening, and he pulled away from the 
embrace, the rage strong as before.  "What do you think you're 
doing?"  He snarled in French at his master, who stopped 
drinking from Natalie to bare his fangs at Nick in return.  "She is 
mine.  Can you not leave her alone?" 
        Janette stepped out of the shadows, handing her glass to 
the drained coroner as she looked at Nick.  "She is not property, 
Nicholas.  And even if she was, what would make her only 
yours?"  She turned away from him to look at Natalie.  "I made 
her, and I don't seek to possess her as you do." 
        "I didn't mean it like that--" 
        "Than what did you mean?"  LaCroix looked at his protege, 
curious to see how Nick talked his way out of this. 
        "I meant that she's not yours."  Nick's eyes were filled with 
hate as he faced his master.  "Can't you leave us alone?" 
        "Will someone please tell me what's going on?"  Natalie was 
frustrated, angry that they were purposefully leaving her out of 
the conversation as if she was nothing but a mortal bystander. 
        "Nicholas is claiming his property rights."  Janette spoke, 
the words tasting bad in her mouth.  "And, according to him, 
you're the property." 
        Natalie looked at Nick, who was still watching LaCroix 
with hate in his eyes.  "I'm not anyone's, Nick."  She looked at 
him, anger filling her.  "And why should LaCroix leave me 
alone, when lately he treats me better than you do?"  She 
glanced at the ancient vampire.  "At least he treats me as an 
equal!  And Janette has never treated me as anything but that." 
        Nick was speechless.  She preferred that monster to him? 
        Janette's voice was low.  "Nick, I suggest you stay at your 
loft for a while, until you can rid yourself of this stupid idea." 
        "What!?"  He looked at the two women, stunned. 
        "Just go, Nick."  Nat's voice was tired.  "Please." 
        Nick's heart was cold with dread as he closed the door of 
the Raven behind him. 
  
        LaCroix chuckled to himself as he stepped under the stream 
of water, and tilted the shower head upwards.  He hummed 
tunelessly, smiling as the hot water warmed his flesh.  Things 
were going beautifully.  Nicholas had been exiled from the 
Raven indefinitely, and LaCroix himself had been asked to take 
his protege's place in Janette and Natalie's enormous canopy 
bed.  All it had taken was a little acting on his part.  As he spent 
more time with the two women, he actually found himself 
enjoying their nights together.  He had forgotten what pleasure 
companions could bring him.  That didn't surprise him, 
considering that Nicholas preferred to anger him instead of 
enjoying his company. 
        He turned the water off, and wrapped a towel around his 
hips, still smiling.  Natalie and Janette were waiting for him in 
their room, he knew, and he could sense their impatience and 
lust.
        As he exited the bathroom, his eyes were gold with desire. 
  

END
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