Date: Fri, 13 Sep 1996 22:22:26 EDT 
From: Jan B Wiles  
Subject: "Pool Party: Off-Camera" 

Dear Readers: 
 
OK, that wasn't very nice of me to end the story that way 
(although I do have precedent in MBIAV!).  So, by popular demand, 
here is the answer to your question - WHAT DID HE SAY? 
 
This story recounts all the events in the first story, not just 
the ones that happened on-camera.  I hope the repetition won't 
bother folks. 
 
Many thanks to: Amy, Linda Rose, Judy, Maddog, Beth, Sandra, 
Ruth, Julie, Lynn, Regina, and Ann for their praise and kind 
words of encouragement.  I really appreciate it, people. 
 
Special thanks to Rebecca McKenna, whose thoughtful and detailed 
critique of my story is one of the highest compliments a newbie 
writer can receive. 
 
On with the show... 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------- 
Pool Party: Off-Camera 
by Jan Wiles 
 
"Well, it wasn't just one thing, it was the whole sequence of 
events," Natalie managed to say between giggles. 
 
"I await your story with bated breath, my dear," Lacroix replied 
with a smile. 
 
"Tell me, first, why you are being so nice to me," asked Natalie, 
looking puzzled, and for the first time rather nervous.  "I 
hadn't exactly thought of us as being best buddies...". 
Abruptly, he was embracing her from behind, his lips close to her 
ear. 
 
"Because, my dear Natalie, you show such *promise* in the art of 
tormenting Nicholas!"  He placed a light kiss on the side of her 
neck, then moved away. 
 
Repressing shudders, Natalie did her best not to scream, or jump 
away.  //God, I don't like having a vampire that close to my 
neck, especially not THIS vampire!//, she thought.  "Well, have a 
seat, and I'll tell you all about it," she answered, as she 
scooped up Sidney and moved to a chair.  //He'll probably go and 
pester Nick to death if I don't...// 
 
**** 
 
The party had gotten into full swing, and was spread out amongst 
several rooms near the pool.  The group Natalie was in was 
concentrating on one of the guys from Vice, Steve Lystrom, who 
was getting married in a couple of weeks.  Poor Steve was getting 
heckled from all sides. 
 
"Aw, Steve, I feel so *sorry* for you!  Think what you're giving 
up!" teased Paul Harmon, a single man. 
 
One of the dispatchers, Cyndi Dressler, who happened to be 
married, chimed in with, "You'll never know what true happiness 
is until you get married, Steve.  And then it'll be too late!" 
She, of course, promptly got tickled by her husband. 
 
Natalie of course had to be medical. "Look at the bright side - 
being married lowers your chance of heart attack!  Of course, it 
also lowers the chance of *anything* exciting..."  Mass boos and 
chuckles were the result of this. 
 
"Exciting?  Of course it's exciting!  Marriage is the most 
advanced form of warfare in the modern world!"  Tracy said, 
getting into the spirit of things. 
 
Nick couldn't resist jumping in (unfortunately). "Ah, the 
delights of marriage!  The home-cooked meals, the well-cleaned 
house, the laundry!  But, Steve, don't you think marriage is a 
high price to pay for all that?" 
 
Steve, who was beginning to look irritated, seemed to think that 
was going a little far. "What, you think a wife is only a cook 
and a cleaning woman?" 
 
Nick (predictably) just had to stuff his other foot in his mouth. 
"Well, there's one other thing, but it'd be rude to mention 
that..."  he answered, with an insinuating smirk. 
 
There was a hiss from the listeners at that remark, and then 
Natalie turned on him.  "Is that what you think of women, Nick? 
Of me, perhaps?" she snarled.  "How flattering."  Sarcasm dripped 
from every word. 
 
"Well...I...uh..." Nick looked frantically around for support and 
failed to find it.  He was cut short as Natalie threw her cup of 
sherbet punch in his face. 
 
"I think you need to rethink your basic assumptions, mister, and 
I can't think of a better way to clear your head than a nice, 
cold bath.  Come on, ladies, to the pool with him!"  Natalie 
gestured to the female contingent of the precinct, who promptly 
converged on him and hoisted him high.  Natalie then led the way 
towards the pool, undeterred by the protests she heard from 
behind her. 
 
"Nat, I'm sorry!  Really I am!  I didn't mean it THAT way!!!" 
Nick wailed. 
 
"Forget it, buster!  If you're gonna act like a male chauvinist 
pig, you're gonna get what's coming to you!!"  Natalie responded, 
not slowing her pace one iota.  She reached the door to the pool, 
and held it open as the mob carried Nick in, headed for the side 
of the pool.  At that point, Natalie grabbed one wrist, and Tracy 
the other.  Grace and a woman named Tina got his ankles; and they 
began to swing him back and forth. 
 
"OK, ladies, all together now!  ONE...TWO...THREE!"  They let go, 
and Nick sailed out over the water for a considerable distance. 
Poor Nick could not help but scream as he was thrown to his doom. 
 
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"  
 
Everyone cheered and clapped, then left the pool area wearing 
vicious grins and moved back to the party room.  Natalie's grin 
was the biggest.  "That'll teach him to talk that way..." she 
said. 
 
"Yeah," responded Tracy.  "You'd swear he's from the Middle Ages 
sometimes, the way he talks!" 
 
Natalie flashed her a nervous glance, then laughed.  "Maybe he'll 
think twice about doing it again...". 
 
"I'm not sure about that," Tracy laughed.  "I think he needs a 
bit more of a reminder.  Hmmm...he'll have to shower, with all 
that sticky drink all over him; I don't think the pool alone will 
get THAT off.  Yo, Paul," she gestured to Harmon, "could you do 
me a favor?  Once he's gone into the locker room, wait a few 
minutes, then go in there and bring all his stuff here.  Better 
leave him a towel, though, or we'll have to arrest him for 
indecent exposure!" 
 
Everyone laughed wickedly, then Paul asked, "Should I hide it?" 
 
"No," said Natalie.  "I think that'll be enough of a lesson.  Any 
more, and it stops being fun and starts being torture.  We'll let 
him have it back if he asks ." 
 
Paul sauntered casually towards the men's locker room, then 
entered and emerged with a gym bag and a bundle of wet clothes. 
He returned bearing his prizes, and Natalie gestured at the table 
next to her.  "Put them here, and we can all keep them safe for 
him." she said, her tone a mix of tease and sarcasm.  "Now we 
wait." 
 
The men's locker room door eventually opened.  Nick slunk across 
the room, clad only in a towel. 
 
"They stole my clothes," he feebly complained to the people in 
the other room.  He got no sympathy, only a wave of laughter. 
He hesitated at the doorway to the other room, then seemed to 
gather his courage. 
 
He marched straight up to Natalie and said, "Nat, I apologize 
with all my heart for such a terrible insult.  I didn't mean it, 
I am the scum of the earth for saying it, and I'll never say it 
again.  I won't even THINK it."  He paused for a moment and then 
begged, "Can I please have my clothes back?" 
 
"After a lovely apology like that, how can I deny you anything, 
Nick?  Of course you can," and with that, she picked up the stuff 
from the table and handed it to him.  He beat a hasty retreat, 
and his appreciative audience barely waited for the locker room 
door to close behind him before they erupted in cheers and 
applause. 
 
**** 
 
Lacroix frowned.  "I am disappointed in you, my dear.  As you 
yourself pointed out, there was far more you could have done to 
make his evening miserable.  Why did you stop?  You had him at 
your mercy!" 
 
//Because, unlike you, I don't enjoy being a bully!// Natalie 
thought, but dared not say.  Instead, she replied, "Hey, if I did 
too much all at once, he'd run away and then I wouldn't have any 
more fun!  This leaves lots of opportunity for the future!" 
 
"Perhaps you are right," he conceded.  "At some point, though, I 
may undertake to teach you the high points of psychological 
torture.  Nicholas is such a fun toy to play with..."  He gave 
her a suggestive smile, then was abruptly gone. 
 
//Oh, great.// she moaned inwardly, and hugged Sidney tight. 
//JUST what I needed...// 
 
------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
Jan Wiles 
janwiles@juno.com 
 
Whadja think?
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