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"The Universe Down the Hall and to the Right"
A Forever Knight:  Universe Next Door challenge
by Cagey
January 1996


Legalese:  FK characters do not belong to me, but no copyright 
infringement is intended.  I've scrambled with their brains (or 
lack thereof) a bit, however.  The story and situations are mine, 
so please do not repost or reprint without permission.


"The Universe Down the Hall and to the Right"

Schanke looked at the pile of paperwork on the dingy precinct 
desk and sighed.  Paperwork was such a bore.

"Schanke," spoke the blonde man at the next desk as he stood 
and grabbed  his jacket, "while you're finishing up that--" he 
indicated to the loathsome mass of papers, "I'm going to see 
Nat."

"Nat?  Is there a new case?"  Schanke's voice grew louder and 
slightly shrill.  "You aren't holding out on me just because I'm 
the commissioner's wife, are you?  I'm not a secretary, Bourbon!  
I'm your partner."  Myra Schanke gave the man a glare, but he 
responded only with a tolerant smile.

"Come on, Schanke.  There's nothing new brewing.  I just need 
to talk to Nat about some stuff.  I'll be back later."  Bourbon 
swallowed slightly, then made the ultimate peace offering.  
"Would you like me to pick you up something to eat while I'm 
out?  Some souvlaki?"

Myra relaxed back into her chair, giving her partner a sheepish 
grin.  "Yeah, that'd be great.  Thanks Bourbon."

Bourbon left the precinct quickly, a slight smile on his face as he 
thought about his impetuous partner.  Myra was canny--he'd 
had to be careful to conceal his vampire nature from her since 
they had been paired together.  Things were working out okay, 
though.

The smile faded, however, as he neared the coroner's office.  He 
did not relish seeing Nat, but neither could he stay away.  He 
heard her heartbeat long before he entered the room--it's 
distinctive echo as alluring to him as her beloved face.

"Nat," he said softly as he pushed silently through the door.  She 
looked up from her desk, her face lit like an angel's by the small 
lamp.  With a sinking heart, he saw her expression brighten, 
then fade.

"Bourbon," she sighed.  "I wish you would stop coming here.  
You are just making this harder than it already is."

He was silent for a moment, then moved to kneel beside her.  
"Come on," he said finally, shifting his head slightly to expose an 
expanse of bare neck.  "Doesn't that look appealing?  Just a 
nibble?"

She sighed again, this time in exasperation, and gave him a 
stinging cuff.  "You are such a pest!" she exclaimed.  "How many 
times do I have to tell you, I'm not a vampire anymore!  I've got 
my tofu shakes, my vegetarian Lean Cuisines, my self-hypnosis-
-I don't *need* blood."

"Oh, please Nat.  I miss you so much."  Bourbon's expression 
turned plaintive, but she only grew more annoyed.

"Just cut it out.  Our Master never should have brought you 
across.  I didn't realize what a pain it would be having my little 
brother tagging along behind me for five hundred years."

Bourbon pouted slightly.  "You're the one who asked him to do 
it."

She gave a disgusted snort.  "I was young and idealistic.  Some 
Master he turned out to be--where's a Master with guidance and 
wisdom when you need one?"  Natalie gave him a slight shove.  
"Get out of here.  I have...an appointment."

Just then, Natalie's assistant stuck his head through the 
connecting door.  "Nat, I'll be there in just a...."  Lucien LaCroix's 
voice trailed off when he saw Bourbon kneeling beside her.  He 
cleared his throat, and said, "Sorry Dr. Lambert--I didn't realize 
you were busy."

"That's okay.  I'll meet you in a second."  She looked at her 
brother as the man slipped out of the room, and raised her 
eyebrows suggestively.  "On the other hand, that *does* look 
appealing."  She pushed past Bourbon.  "Go play cops and 
robbers somewhere else."

"But Nat..." he whined in that annoying tone he found himself 
adopting whenever he was around his sister.  

She merely sketched a wave goodbye as she steered into the 
next room calling, "Oh Lucky, I'm ready to do that *exam* now."

*******

Bourbon sighed as he pushed his way through the crowded 
dance floor of the Raven, towards the bar.  He sat down limply 
on a barstool and sighed again.  Since Nat had fallen for this 
mortal and decided to quit being a vampire, things had been 
going downhill.  It had been hard enough when both of them 
had full-time jobs to convince their Master to stay in Toronto--
now that Nat no longer wanted to be one of them, it was next to 
impossible.  Not that he could really blame his sister--their 
Master was just so...wishy-washy sometimes!  Nat was always 
bugging him to make decisions, take charge of his life, make a 
positive change.  It had finally been too much, and she had 
simply quit.  Bourbon admitted that he too was tired of moving 
every time something went wrong for Him.  Five hundred 
forty-two cities in the last 300 years alone--all this moving was 
cutting into his savings!

He sighed yet again, then steeled himself to face Him.  He 
moved to the broadcasting room and stepped through the door 
quietly.  "Master, can we talk?

Vachon swiveled in his chair and blinked at him.  Then he 
winced slightly and said, "Would you stop calling me that?"

Bourbon ignored the older vampire's protests and moved 
toward him, beseeching, "Master, you've got  to talk to Nat.  
Reason with her.  Please!"

Vachon stared at him dully, then shook his head.  "It's her 
decision.  Let her do what she wants."  He looked back at the 
control board, noticing that he had been broadcasting nothing 
but silence for three minutes.  "Oh.  I guess I better get back to 
this."  With a flick of the switch on the microphone, he returned 
to his audience.  "This is the Nightcrawler, your companion in 
the dark.  For as long as you feel comfortable with it, of course.  
Just tune out if you're bored, I mean..."

Bourbon gave a sad sigh, and left the room quietly.  He slid 
down onto a barstool, and wondered what to do.

"You look like you need a drink," said the bartender, setting 
down a glass of the house "wine".  Bourbon looked up, 
surprised, then gave a smile of greeting to the man.  "Nick!  
What are you doing back in town?"

Nick Knight gave a half shrug and a sad ghost of a smile.  "Oh, 
you know.  I couldn't stay away from Nat forever.  You know 
how much I love her, but as long as she was a vampire I just 
couldn't be with her.  I couldn't live with the guilt she would 
bear if she accidentally brought me over."  

Bourbon looked at him dubiously.  After the mortal had left 
Toronto, Nat had confided that she was about to dump him 
anyway.  Something about Nick reminding her of Vachon....  

With a start, he realized what had been nagging him about 
Nick.  He was looking paler than usual.  And then there was the 
fact that Bourbon had not heard his heartbeat...

"You're one of us!"

Nick nodded and said, almost giddily, "Now we can be together 
forever!  I've just been waiting for the right moment to tell her."

Bourbon scratched his chin thoughtfully.  Should he, or 
shouldn't he?  "Um, Nick.  Nat's not a vampire anymore."

"What?!"

Bourbon nodded firmly.  "She fell in love with some guy at the 
coroner's office, and she just...gave up being a vampire to be 
with him."

Nick's eyes glowed dangerously, and he growled deep in his 
throat.  "She just *quit*?  Just like that?"

Bourbon nodded again.  "Yeah.  What a rotten thing for her to 
do, huh?  I think you should go have it out with her."

Nick bared his fangs and made for the exit muttering, "I'll just 
do that."

Bourbon watched his retreating figure with satisfaction.  Maybe 
it wasn't such a lousy day after all.

"That wasn't a very nice thing to do," a silky voice purred in his 
ear.  Startled, he turned to face a beautiful young woman.  
Though her blond hair gave her an angelic appearance, her eyes 
were dark and filled with power.

He felt helpless, and could only stammer.  "W-Who are you?"  

The woman gestured to the room around them.  "I'm the owner 
of all this."

"What do you mean?" he demanded.  "Vachon owns the Raven."

"Ah," she said, running a cold finger down the side of his cheek.  
"But I own Vachon.  I'm *his* master.  What is his, is mine."  She 
gave him a tight-lipped smile.  "I guess that makes you mine as 
well, doesn't it?"

Bourbon stared at her in awe.  He knew that Vachon's master 
was incredibly old, and very powerful.  He had never thought 
to meet her face to face.

"And that still wasn't a very nice thing to do," she continued.  
"You areall such a morbid lot.  I had plans for Nick's dear 
Natalie and her friend."  

He looked at her, surprised, and she smiled again.  "I'm the one 
that brought Nick across.  I had intended to bring your sister 
back later.  Now I'll have to move up my plans."  Tracy Vetter, 
the most powerful vampire that Bourbon had ever met, moved 
forward and whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, my sweet.  
We'll have the whole family back together again soon.  And 
together we'll be happy.  Exciting."  She gave him an evil grin.  
"Perky."
  
A shiver ran down his spine.


*end*