Circles Unbroken (1/8)

I'm back!  HEY!  Get back here!  There's smut!  I thought that would get you to start reading again!  Real life kept me away from the keyboard, but at long last I'm back to writing.  I hope you enjoy this tale.  Please send chocolate and comments to:   Branwwolf@aol.com

There are lots of spoilers for third season in this one.  I have also chosen to ignore canon--then again, when don't I?  This story is post AtA and Human Factor but before Last Knight <that nightmare never happened, and you won't get me to think differently>.  The other thing I have 'fixed' is that Schanke is alive and well.  He's just too much fun to leave out of this romp.

Thanks to Leann Condren and Heather-Anne Gillis for their wonderful beta abilites.  Without you my plot wouldn't plot as well, and my commas would be spliced.  All mistakes are my own, probably because I didn't listen to them!

I don't own Nick and Co., though I wish I did.  No infringement is intended, and I'm certainly not earning anything from this.

AND - The header says ADULT for a reason.  There is some m/f sexual interaction, so you might want to vamoose if you were only hoping to find a string of curse words and not smut!

Permission to archive at Mel's fkfanfic site and the ftp-thingey and JADFE.  And of course at the DarkNN archives--when I finally get a chance to update them again.

For the DarkNNers out there-<eg>-thanks for being so sweet to me after my absence <not to mention patient!>

If you don't see 'end of part 1' you don't have it all....

Circles Unbroken (1/8)
Tyra 
1999

     She stood in the doorway of the bar, marveling at the man playing the piano.  She had tracked him for two days, her relentless curiosity not wanting to give up the chase.  Every year she had known him, he had disappeared for a few days in the spring.  When she probed him about it, he said it was some 'family' business, and quickly changed the subject.
     He tried the same subterfuge on her this time, but she only pretended to take the bait.  She followed him to the airport, and with Schanke's help and police ID badge, she had found out his flight was destined for arrival in New Orleans, Louisiana.
     It had taken her a day to find his hotel and to track him to the bar.  What she wasn't prepared for was seeing his picture in the display case on the street front.  "Nick Johnston returns for his once-a-year Jazz Fest performance!' the caption had said.  Natalie stared at the picture of Nick in amazement.  She knew it was him, but he looked older, much older, as if he were in his late 40s or early 50s.  His hair was gray, and there were wrinkles on the once-smooth brow she had kissed good-bye.
     Natalie circled the bar, staying out of Nick's vision, cloaking herself in the crowd.  She ordered a house special hurricane, perched on a bar stool, and listened.  She sat there drinking and listening for over an hour.  Men would come and try to flirt with her, but she would just gently blow them away.  Nick had entranced her, as he always did, with his music.
     Natalie took her pen from her purse and scribbled on a napkin.  She smiled at the bartender, gave him ten dollars, and asked him to deliver her request to the piano player.  Natalie watched as Nick read the message.  He didn't initially recognize her handwriting, but then a look of recognition swept over his face, and he started to look for her.

     Nick held the napkin in his hand and started to look around the bar.  He could swear that the handwriting was Natalie's.  And the song being requested was one of her favorites.  He had watched her on several occasions, from safely outside her window, as she listened to the song and held herself.  He left when the inevitable tears would start to fall from her eyes.
     As his fingers found the piano keys, he closed his eyes and searched for her heartbeat.  The opening bars of Bryan Adams' "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" filled the room.  Slowly, Nick opened his eyes.  He had heard the heartbeat he had been searching for growing stronger, closer to him.  When his eyes were fully open, there she was, standing right beside him.

     Natalie reached out and touched Nick's face gently with her hand.  She didn't think it was possible, but he looked better with the gray in his hair and the few 'added' pounds around the middle.  It made him seem more human, more real.
     Nick leaned into Natalie's touch.  He kept playing, softly singing the words to her.  When the song was finished, he announced his break, and took Natalie's hand.  He led her to a corner table and gazed over the candlelight into her eyes.
     "What are you doing here?"
     "Following you."
     "Following me?"
     "Yes, following you.  You know I'm the curious type."
     "So I see."
     A waiter approached their table and set a wine glass filled with what appeared to be bloodwine in front of Nick, and a hurricane in front of Natalie.
     "I took the liberty of bringing you a glass of your regular along with another order of what your lady was drinking."
     Before Nick could reply, the waiter had disappeared into the bar.
     "This bar is like the Raven?"
     "Yes."  Nick lifted his glass and took a sip, savoring the human blood that was contained in the glass.  "Actually, Janette originally opened this bar several decades ago, but quickly moved on.  It has changed hands several times, but is always owned by one of my kind.  It's one of several here in New Orleans."
     "Why am I not surprised?"  Natalie shook her head.  Nick was behaving differently.  More sure of himself, more in control.
     Nick took Natalie's hand in his and brought it to his lips.  "Have I told you how beautiful you are, and how much you mean to me?"
     "No--not recently, that is."
     "Well, you are.  I'm sorry I don't tell you more.  New Orleans and the music always seem to have this effect on me."
     Natalie closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of Nick playing with her fingers.  Then it dawned on her that here Nick was free--no one was watching him or following him.  He was free from his past.
     "I like you like this, Nick.  You seem at ease with yourself."
     "Well, back to the real world in a few days."  Nick put Natalie's hand back on the table and sipped from his glass.  "So, how long are you staying?"
     Natalie considered her answer carefully before she replied, "Well, that all depends on how long you want me stay."  As she said the words, she found herself unable to control her foot as it gently stroked Nick's leg.
     Nick choked on his bloodwine when he felt Natalie's foot on his leg, and he all but hovered off his chair.  "I think it's time for me to get back to playing.  I get off in about an hour.  Why don't we go for a walk then, and talk?"
     "Sounds great, Nick.  I haven't eaten yet, so maybe we could get me some dinner, as well.  In the meantime, I'll have another one of these hurricane things.  They don't seem very strong."
     Nick stopped dead in his tracks and bent down to Natalie's level.  "How many hurricanes have you had, Nat?"
     "Ummmm...I think this is my third."
     "Oh my."
     "Oh my what?"
     "This will be an interesting evening."
     Nick turned and headed for his piano, not exactly sure what he was going to do with his very toasted coroner.

     A little more than an hour later, Nick and Natalie were walking along the waterfront in New Orleans.  Actually, Nick was walking and Natalie was mostly swaying, staying upright with a great deal of help from Nick.  Nick had managed to get them reservations at NOLA, but they still had over an hour to kill.
     Natalie stopped swaying and pulled Nick toward her.  One hand went around him as the other started to play with his now grayish hair.  "Nick."
     "Yes, Natalie."
     "I've been wondering ever since we were at the bar..."
     "Yes..." Nick smiled at his inebriated companion.  He quickly tried to erase the thoughts that danced through his mind.  Thoughts of pulling Natalie into a dark alley and ravishing her...Nick shook his head and tried to focus on Natalie's face.
     "Well, I was wondering why you were drinking bloodwine.  I'm not mad at you for drinking it, because it seems to turn you into a much more light-hearted person, which is a good thing, but I was wondering--why?"  Natalie smiled impishly as she stroked the back of Nick's neck.
     "I brought some cow's blood with me, but not enough for all my needs.  The bar doesn't carry my particularly brand, shall we say, so I drink what they have.  I'm more light-hearted?"
     "I guess you're just more free, more relaxed."  Natalie pulled herself closer to Nick, rubbing her body against his.
     Nick closed his eyes and breathed in, trying to calm himself.  It was impossible.  The second he breathed deeply, his entire senses were flooded with her scent.  The scent that drove him crazy.  If she had only known that while she peacefully slept on his sofa after many of their marathon movie sessions, he would often wake in the middle of the day.  Her scent would drift up to him, and his powerful desire for her would awaken him.  He'd find himself standing in front of the sofa, watching her breathing, her breasts gently rising and falling, as his fangs descended.  Eventually he would tear himself away from her beauty, just before he lost control.
     Natalie cupped Nick's chin in her hand and brought his lips to hers.  She kissed him softly, lingering to enjoy the sensation.
     Nick pulled away from Natalie, taking her hand into his.  "I think we better keep walking."
     Natalie stopped, unwilling to move.  "I think maybe it was a mistake for me to follow you down here."
     "No, of course not.  I'm glad you're here."
     "Well, you obviously don't want me kissing you, and for some strange reason, this city makes me want to kiss you even more than normal."  Natalie heard herself speaking, but couldn't believe the things she was saying.  It was like the city had taken control of her hormones, and she had become a lunatic.  Maybe it was all the sexshops on Bourbon Street; then again, maybe it was those hurricanes.
     Nick looked into Natalie's hurt and confused eyes.  The sexual tension that had always existed between them seemed to be exponentially expanding.  "I love kissing you, Natalie.  I love it too much."
     "Too much?"
     "Too much.  I could hurt you if we went much further."
     "Maybe I would like it if you hurt me."  In her mind, Natalie saw Nick coming toward her, his fangs descended, pulling her into his grasp.  Natalie shook her head and pulled her hand free of Nick's.  "Good God, what has gotten into me?  I think this city has taken control of my brain.  Nick, I don't know what I'm saying."
     Nick wanted to take her into his arms and comfort her, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to resist the feel of her body, or the scent that was so distinctively his Natalie.
     "Let's get you something to eat.  I'll get us a cab, and we'll see if the restaurant has a table ready for us.  Ok?"
     Natalie nodded her head in agreement.

End of Part 1
 
 

Circles Unbroken (2/8)
Tyra Mitchell
1999

     Dinner passed without incident.  They each kept to their own side of the table, and the conversation was mostly about work.  Natalie had started to sober up as she ate.  She still didn't feel in control of herself, but she felt better.  Nick had asked her to share his suite with him at the hotel, and she had agreed.  After dinner, they checked her out of her room and moved her stuff into his.
     "Nick, are you sure you don't mind me staying here?"
     "Nat, I feel safer with you here with me.  I've got plenty of room." Nick spread his arms open, indicating the spacious suite he occupied.  It was comprised of two bedrooms, a main sitting area, and a lovely balcony that looked out on the street below.
     "Well, I guess I should be getting some sleep."
     "Me too.  I'm playing again tomorrow night at the club."
     "Good night, Nick."
     "Good night, Nat."  Nick kissed Natalie on the cheek and quickly retreated to his room.  Truth be told, neither of them was sleepy.

     Nick took a shower, trying desperately to focus on something other than Natalie.  He changed into his silk pajamas and tried to find sleep.  In a fit of exasperation, he threw the covers off his body and headed for the small refrigerator in the other room.
     Nick opened the door and found the bottle of bloodwine.  He poured himself a glass, and drank deeply.  He opened the French doors and walked out onto the balcony.  The sun still wouldn't be up for several hours, and he needed the night air to calm him.

     Natalie had changed clothes and tried to sleep.  When sleep hadn't come, she had read.  Unfortunately, the only book she had brought with her was one Grace had wanted her to read.  It was a romance novel set in the middle ages.  As she read about the 'knight' claiming his 'lady,' all she could picture in her mind was her and Nick.  The experience became so frustrating that she tossed the book across the room.  Quietly, so as to not disturb Nick, she left her room and went into the living area, hoping to find something else to read.

     They both noticed the other's presence at the same time.  Nick stared at Natalie as the light from her room showed through her thin nightgown.  He could see the outline of the curves of her body, and his desires grew.
     Natalie couldn't take her eyes off of him--his once-again blond hair, slightly tousled from trying to sleep, and his body wrapped in those damned silk pajamas.
     Nick breathed in deeply, trying to gain control of his raging emotions.  The smells that assaulted him were hers, but this time her scent had the  added hint of arousal.  He moaned as he forced himself not to move, to not take her into his embrace.
     Natalie moved toward him, her heart pounding in her chest.  She thought back to the words she had just read, and wanted so desperately herself to be claimed, to be loved.  As she reached out to touch Nick, she thought that a soul can only survive so long without feeling and experiencing love--souls of both the living and the undead.
     As Natalie's hand stroked Nick's face, he pulled her toward him, unable to resist her arousal and his own.  Caution was thrown to the wind, as the lovers embraced, lips finding lips, tongues seeking tongues, and bodies finding the heat they both badly needed.
     "I've wanted you for so long," Nick whispered as he trailed kisses down Natalie's neck to her breasts.
     Natalie gasped as she felt Nick rip her nightgown off her body, exposing her to the night air and to his touch.  "I love you, Nick, and not like a friend.  It's never been that..."  Natalie lost her ability to speak as Nick started to suckle on her breasts.  She leaned her head back against the cool wall of the building, amazed that she didn't care who saw her naked body.
     Nick dropped to his knees, kissing his way down Natalie's body.  He left a small trail of blood in his wake.  He had gently pierced her skin, making her moan and filling himself with her desire.  His kisses traveled further, until they found their destination.
     The scent of her arousal assaulted his senses as he gently licked at her folds.  He felt her hands entangling in his hair as he probed deeper and more insistently.
     Natalie felt her knees grow weak with Nick's ministrations.  As she finished her climb toward her orgasm, she felt his fangs enter her delicate flesh.  The pain only served to push her over the edge.
     Her blood filled his mouth as her body quivered with passion.  As gently as possible, he retracted his fangs and licked the puncture wounds.  She was a part of him now, and her love and need for him filled his body.  How they had waited this long, he would never know.
     Nick held Natalie to his body, her kisses softly falling on his neck.  "You are so beautiful, my love.  I've always wanted you, Natalie, always. Everyone, everything was just a distraction.  I'm sorry I tried to deny it."
     Natalie's lips found Nick's as her hand found his hardened manhood.  Nick moaned in delight.  Their kisses were deeper and slower this time, both of them relaxing into their passion for the other.  Their desperation ebbed as they both gave in to their desires.
     Natalie slowly unbuttoned Nick's pajama top, then slid it down his arms.  She enjoyed the feeling of his soft skin and the hardness of his defined muscles.  She licked her lips slightly at the sight.  Nick smiled,  pleased that Nat wanted him as much as he wanted her.
     The whistles from the street drifted up to them, breaking the mood.
     "Wow, take her, man!"
     "Yeah!  Now!"
      Nick and Natalie were startled by what they heard.  They each had forgotten they were loving on a balcony in plain sight of whomever walked by.  Nick pulled Natalie protectively into his arms and carried her back into their suite.  He laid her on the sofa and went to close the patio doors and draw the curtains.
     A smile spread over his face as he walked back toward Natalie.  "Now, where were we?"

     As the two lovers receded from view, the man let the curtains fall back together.  Why had he followed them down here? he thought.  What good was it bringing him?
     His hand had found his own arousal as he watched the lovers, and now his need for release had only grown.  It was too near sunset for him to go hunt a willing lover.
     His movements quickened as he leaned against the window.  His mind filled with thoughts of the lovers he had just watched.  Thoughts of the man plunging deeply into the willing flesh of the woman, her body arching up to meet his.  He raised his own wrist to his mouth and sunk his fangs into it, drinking deeply.  He growled as he found release but not satisfaction.

     Natalie's sleepy eyes stared up at Nick.  She had tracked him for two days, stealing just a few hours of sleep on the plane and in the hotel before she went searching for him earlier.
     "You're tired," Nick whispered as he moved to the sofa and gathered Natalie into his arms, and softly kissed her lips.
     "Yes. Strange enough, I wasn't tired when I first came out to the balcony."
     "I think you just needed to be relieved of some stress."
     Natalie blushed at Nick's words and hid her face from his view.  If he only knew how stressed she had been in the last few months.  The fleeting kisses they shared when he lost his memory only served to increase her desire for him.  She had cried countless times over her decision not to sleep with him that night, but she knew she would be taking advantage of him.  She wanted him to make-love to her not because of the wisps of a forgotten feeling, but because she was Natalie, his best friend and companion.
     Nick cupped Natalie's chin in his hand and turned her face upward toward his view.  "Did I please you, Natalie?"
     Natalie smiled and nodded.
     It was Nick this time who blushed.  He had so much he needed to say to her, things that had been building up inside of him for years.  Getting away from everything and everybody had cleared his mind, and he knew what he wanted.  He wanted Natalie.  It was that simple, and he knew the ramifications of his desire were immense.
     Finally, after several minutes of silence, Nick hugged Natalie to him, her head resting on his chest.  He whispered, "I love you, Natalie, and I want to..."  Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  "I want to make love to you."
     Natalie's eyes popped open at Nick's words, and silently, the tears started to fall.  She couldn't speak, for it was like the breath had been taken out of her and she was no longer able to mutter sound.  Her heart was bursting with joy as she hugged Nick to her.  Her lips, being unable to speak, simply found his in reply.  Her tongue insistently pushed its way between his lips, and she kissed him deeply.
     As their kiss ended, Nick whispered, "So, does this mean you want me too?"
     "Yes, I want you, Nick.  I want you to make love to me, and I want to make love to you."
     "There are things we need to talk about, ramifications."
     "Tonight I don't care.  Tomorrow we can talk.  Tonight just hold me."
     Nick gathered Natalie into his arms and carried her into his bedroom.  He laid her down and crawled into bed behind her, spooning her into his arms.

     "I love you, too, Nick," Natalie whispered as she was overcome by her exhaustion.
     "And I, you, my love."  Nick kissed Natalie's neck, lingering just a moment to enjoy the smell of her essence, her blood, before he drifted into his first peaceful sleep in months.

     Schanke still didn't understand completely why he was on a plane headed for New Orleans.  Something just didn't feel right, he kept telling himself.  When he saw LaCroix, now the owner of his once-favorite bar, the Raven, inquiring about Nick's flight plans, the hair on the back of his neck had stood up.  He knew there was something between LaCroix and Nick - bad blood, as they would say in the movies.  He was aware that the two men knew each other and often talked, but their relationship was adversarial at times.
     The hairs on the back of his neck had won out, and he had bought himself a plane ticket to New Orleans.  He had to change planes three times to get there, but he was finally going to arrive.  Both Nick's and LaCroix's trail would be cold by now, but maybe he could track Natalie down.  He rolled his eyes at his own craziness and ordered another Bloody Mary to calm his nerves for the landing.

     LaCroix tossed and turned in bed, not certain about what he was doing in the city of sin.  He hadn't meant to follow his son; there had been an understanding between them for years that Jazz Fest was Nicholas' time to be nostalgic and to let loose.  It was only on a few rare occasions when Nick had invited him that he had reveled with his son during this time.  But something felt different in Nicholas when he had dropped by the Raven to say good-bye before he left.  Something that disturbed LaCroix.  LaCroix shook his head.  He swore the older he got, the more like a mother hen he became.  He reached for the light and his book.  It was going to be a long day.

     Schanke had managed to track down Natalie's location with the help of the local police department.  Myra's sister-in-law's cousin worked for the New Orleans' PD, and had run a check on Natalie's credit cards.  She was staying at the Courtyard Suites and had bought dinner or drinks at the Night Rose Bar the evening before.  Schanke called the hotel, but was informed that Natalie had already checked out.  He smiled to himself.  "She must have found Nicky-boy," he thought.  Schanke left the precinct and checked into the hotel where Natalie had been staying.  He needed to get a few hours of sleep.

End of Part 2
 
 

Circles Unbroken (3/8)
Tyra Mitchell
1999

     Nick woke with Natalie lying on his chest, sound asleep.  He breathed in heavily, enjoying her scent.  His tongue absently stroked his descending fangs as he closed his eyes and recalled the way her body had responded to his advances the night before.
     One of his hands played with her hair as the other started to caress her breast.  He could feel her nipple harden under his touch, and his fangs ached for relief.  Natalie moaned in his arms, shifting her body so that every time she moved, her leg rubbed up against his manhood.
     Nick felt the vampire taking over and his hunger starting to rise.  When he felt Natalie's hand caressing his hardness, he pulled her head back with her hair and devoured her mouth with his.  His kisses were hard and insistent as he moved his body on top of hers.
     He grabbed Natalie's hand and pulled it away from him, pinning both of her hands above her head.  He broke their kiss to look at her, his eyes golden with their hunger.  A part of him marveled that Natalie didn't flinch when confronted with the beast.  She raised her head and kissed him.  Her tongue danced with his until she found his fangs and started to caress them. She intentionally ran her tongue along the sharp tip, filling Nick's mouth with her blood.
     Nick flew off her and into the den.  He found what he needed in the small refrigerator.  He quickly downed the contents of the bottle.
     Natalie followed Nick into the living room and put her arms around him from behind.  Nick drained half a second bottle before he stopped, the hunger again under control.
     "I've come to a conclusion, Dr. Lambert."
     "And what would that be, Detective Knight?"
     Nick turned around in Nat's arms to face her.  "That the reason I have been unable to make more progress in controlling my hunger these last few years is entirely your fault."
     Natalie's mouth fell open.  "My fault!"
     "Yes.  If you weren't so damn sexy and beautiful, I wouldn't get these urges to be primal with you so often."
     Natalie giggled at Nick's reasoning.  "Well, if you weren't so damn handsome, I might have been able to concentrate better on my work."
     "I guess we will just have to learn to live with what we have right now.  We can't live for tomorrow."
     "No, we can't, and it's time we stopped."
     "Why don't you order yourself some dinner, and then come hop in the shower with me?  We could talk about 'today' while you eat."
     "Sounds perfect."

     Schanke was glad that he had gone home to pack a bag before he followed Nick and company to New Orleans.  His nap had been a good one, and now he was up changing his clothes to go scope out the bar that Nat had visited.  Somehow, he told himself, he would figure out how everything fit together.
     As he passed through the lobby, smells from the dining room drifted toward him.  He suddenly realized it had been hours since he had last eaten.  He picked up a restaurant guide at the front desk and went out searching for satisfying food.

     LaCroix had finished his book and finally found sleep.  When the sun set, he rose and peered through the curtains across to his son's balcony.  When he saw the lovers sitting outside, he pulled a chair closer to the window.

     Natalie cut into her steak, savoring every bite.  She and Nick had chatted about everyday things since their shower, but she knew where the conversation was headed--to her changing her diet.  And if she was going to do that, she was going to enjoy her lasts morsels of solid food to the fullest.
     "How's your dinner?"
     "Wonderful, though I can't wait to sink my teeth into the chocolate cheesecake I ordered for dessert."
     "And here I thought you were looking at me with those wanton eyes!"
     "Well, I do, but a girl has got to have her priorities, and if I'm going to be looking at you that way, I better have my chocolate fix first."
     "Nat, I've always wondered--what is it with you and chocolate?"
     "It's a one-sided love affair.  I've always loved the taste, but since I met you, my addiction has only gotten worse.  I think it has something to do with the chemical reactions in the brain that occur when you eat it."
     "And that would be..."
     "Well--chocolate releases endorphins in your brain.  The same ones that are released when you--you..."
     "Yes, Nat?"
     "Have sex."
     "Oh."  Nick sat there staring at Natalie, recalling all the times in the past when he had seen her on chocolate binges.  "The same ones as sex?  And your chocolate habit has only gotten worse since you met me?"
     "Well, a girl can only take care of her own needs so much, then she has to start relying on other sources.  My other source is chocolate.  Would you have preferred if it were Mark, the new homicide detective?"
     "Absolutely not!  I'll make sure you have a constant supply of chocolate."
     "I would prefer a constant supply of endorphins from another source."
     Nick smiled at Natalie.  "If you get them from another source, you might not be able to enjoy chocolate anymore."
     "I'm hoping I won't need it."  Natalie put her fork down and grasped Nick's hand.  "I know I might not be ordering off a menu again."
     "Nat, there are just so many things you need to know about before we--I just want you to know everything, so you can make the decision with your eyes open."
     "What don't I know, Nick?  I won't be able to eat food, I will have to consume a blood product of some sort--"
     "A human blood product.  I wouldn't want you to drink cow, not any time soon.  It takes control, which as a fledgling you wouldn't have."
     "Ok, so I'll have to drink human blood, will feel the urge not only to kill Schanke when he starts driving me nuts, but also the urge to have him for a snack.  I know I will have to move often, hopefully with you, leaving my friends behind.  I know I will see the people I love grow old and die. You know what, Nick?  It isn't much different from mortal life, except for the blood.  In my life, I have changed where I live twice, have buried my brother, my god-daughter, and countless others whom I knew.  Life is about surviving the pain, learning from it, and growing.  I just don't see immortality as any different."
     Nick stared at Natalie in awe.  She was right, and he knew it.  In her short time on this Earth she had started to unravel the mysteries and the pain that he had been carrying around with him for centuries.
     "I love you."
     "You better.  I'm going to give up chocolate for you."
     Nick stroked Natalie's face with his fingers.  "It's settled.  We'll make love."
     "And you'll either be able to stop, or you will bring me over.  Those are your only two choices, Nick.  I'm not ready to die, well--not permanently, that is."
     "I promise, one of the two.  But I can only give you the choice.  You have to walk through the door."
     "As long as you are there, I will."
     Nick kissed Natalie and then smiled at her.  "I'm going to start my transformation while you finish eating."

     LaCroix groaned at the sugary-sweet conversation between his son and his lover.  He couldn't believe the serious conversation concerning changing the course of Dr. Lambert's entire life had revolved around her addiction to chocolate.
     He sighed and walked away from the window.  Nicholas and he had grown closer in the last few weeks.  Divia's appearance had made sure of that.  He wrestled in his mind between taking revenge for his sweet Fleur and helping Nicholas with his endeavor.
     LaCroix opened a bottle of bloodwine and poured himself a glass.  He retired to a soothing bath of sandalwood to consider his options.  His son had not hesitated to save his life, and it weighed heavily on his mind. Nicholas, Divia--they all had been showing him that there were varying shades of good and bad in his kind.  Where did he fall on that scale?  Some would say at the very evil end, but in his cold heart he knew that wasn't true.  The things Divia had done and suggested were beyond even his comprehension.  And he always tried to take care of his children.  If he was considered
evil, it would be in his relationship to humanity, he thought.
     Humanity.  Maybe he was jealous of their ignorance, their naivete.  He had killed so much throughout the years, taking pleasure from the blood of his victims.  Yet, on the other hand, he reveled in their creations--their art, music and literature.  Without humanity, not only would his body starve, but so would his mind and soul.  His soul.  What an interesting concept. Nicholas, he mused, was always worried about the final resting place of his soul.
     It wasn't something that LaCroix had wasted much time considering.  The Gods of his day were very different from the one his son worshipped.  He remembered vaguely the old saying that what you send comes back three-fold. Blood tears started to form in his eyes as he recalled his beautiful Fleur and her love for him.  He knew Nicholas had been right about her, he had always known.
     LaCroix finished his glass of bloodwine and let the water drain from the bath tub.  There was much to do tonight, and it was time he stopped watching and started doing.  The general was, in the end, a man of action.

     Schanke had found his way down to Bourbon Street.  He had never been in a place like this before in his life.  If he had, he might have taken up residence and stayed.  His tongue almost hit the pavement when he saw a woman, her hair in long ponytails, dressed in a plaid mini-skirt and white, knee-high socks, dancing in a store window.  He just stood there transfixed as she danced, licking a large round lollipop and smiling at him.  He looked at the store sign and realized it was a strip club.  He stepped inside, but decided to leave when he saw the guy getting ready to take his g-string off. Obviously, he thought, this was a bit different strip club than he originally thought.
     Further down the street, Schanke saw signs for live sex shows, bondage accessories, and various other adult toys.  He couldn't get over how everything was so out in the open.  One woman even pinched his rear as she walked by, saying something about his 'cute buns.'  And the music--he couldn't get over the music!  Music was coming from everywhere, mingling in the street into a cacophony of sounds that entranced him.  He found himself strutting down the street, head held high, and his spirits lifted.
     His hunger got the best of him, and Schanke slipped into what looked like a quiet restaurant and bar to sample the local cuisine.  Nick would only be just getting up, Schank thought.  He might as well get a good meal before he had to start his search for his partner.

End of Part 3
 

Circles Unbroken (4/8)
Tyra Mitchell
1999

     Schanke stared at the display case in front of the bar for a good five minutes before he was able to think straight again.  It was Nick.  He looked older than his ever-youthful partner, but it was Nick.  Or a brother or uncle he had never been told about.  "Nick Johnston, I wonder if you are registered at the hotel," Schanke muttered to himself, as he reached into his pocket, searching for some change.
     Schanke dialed the hotel, but wasn't surprised at what he learned.  There was a Nick Johnston staying at the hotel.  He'd wait to speak to Nick until he could dig up some more information.  He hung up the phone and went inside the bar.
     No one in the bar would give Schanke the time of day.  He talked to the bartenders, the servers, and most of the customers.  Several people backed away from him quickly and left the bar altogether.  After almost an hour he was exhausted and ready to throw in the towel and call 'Nick Johnston' at the hotel.  He sat down at the bar and ordered one of the house special hurricanes.
     "Is it that obvious that I'm a cop?" Schanke whispered to himself.
     "Yes, it is."
     The voice had made Schanke jump.  He looked up into the eyes of a woman he thought he would never see again--Janette.  "Janette, " he whispered.
     "So, you still remember me, mon ami?"
     "How could I forget a gorgeous dame--I mean, lady like you?"  Schanke smiled at Janette.  It had been over a year since he had seen her.  She had left the Raven suddenly, and he had always regretted not telling her how much he enjoyed their conversations.
     Janette sat down on the barstool next to Schanke and smiled.  For some reason, he annoyed her but at the same time made her smile.  It was a quality that on most nights she found endearing.
     "Can I buy you a drink?"  Schanke motioned for the bartender.  "Another one of what the lady is having."  Schanke turned back to Janette.  "I still can't believe you are here."
     "You can't imagine how shocked I am by your presence."
     "I'm down here looking for Nick.  That's not exactly right.  See, Nick leaves town about the same time every year--this time of year, actually--and Natalie, you know the coroner he has a thing for--oh, maybe you don't know..."
     "I know of Natalie.  A lovely young lady."
     "Yeah, she is.  I wish Nick would clue in to how bad up she is for him."
     "Indeed."
      "You got that right!  Anyways, I helped Natalie track Nick to New Orleans.  On my way out of the airport, I caught sight of that LaCroix fellow.  You know, the one who does the 'Nightcrawler' radio shows that bought your Raven?  And let me tell you, it is has become soooo trashy--and not in a good way--since you left!  Now, where was I?
     "LaCroix, the airport..."
     "Oh, yeah.  I saw him at the airport, so I thought I better check up on what he was doing, since he and Nick don't have the best of relationships, shall we say--bad blood definitely is the way to put it."
     "Something like that, I'm sure.  Continue..."  Janette smiled at Schanke, She had missed the way he would come into the Raven and ramble on and on about Nick driving him mad.  It's funny, she thought, how it is the little things that you end up missing about a place--about a life.
     "Well, he inquired about Nick's travel plans, so I thought I better follow him down here.  So, here I am.  Got the local PD to run a check on Nat's credit cards, and that led me here."
     "And I'm so very happy it did.  Would you like another drink, Detective Schanke?"
     "Don't mind if I do.  Do you know who this Nick Johnston person is?"
     "He's Nick, of course."
     "No!"
     "Yes.  He is in disguise, mon ami.  He enjoys coming down here to play, but he doesn't want to be recognized."
     "Why the hell not?"
     "He likes his privacy, as I'm sure you know."
     "You're telling me!  He and Nat won't even admit to me that they are more than friends."
     "I don't believe that they are 'more than friends,' as you put it."
     "Well, all I know is she was staying at the same hotel as our Nick Johnston, but she has checked out.  Two to one, she is staying with Nick."
     Janette looked over Schanke's shoulder to LaCroix who was standing in the shadows behind the detective.  He simply nodded his head and disappeared into the crowd.
     "It seems you may be right, detective."
     "We'll find out soon enough.  'Nick Johnston' is scheduled to go in about an hour, and I'll just bet you that Nat is with him."  Schanke paused and took a long sip of his drink.  "So, why did you leave Toronto so quickly?"
     "It was time to move on."
     "Yeah, ok, but what to?  If you don't mind me asking."
     Janette turned away from Schanke, trying to hide the tears that were starting to form in her eyes.  Robert, her beautiful Robert and their love--gone, like the petals from a wilting rose.
     Schanke could see that Janette was upset.  He moved closer to her, putting his arm around her and drawing her head to his shoulder.  "Hey," he whispered, "whatever it is, it will get better."  Janette sat up and tried to dry her tears before Schanke could see their color.
     "Thank you."
     "What was his name?"
     Janette looked at him with surprise in her eyes.
     "It is a he, isn't it?  I didn't think you were the sort that liked girls, but then again..."
     "No, it was a 'he'--this time."  Janette smiled wickedly at Schanke and they both shared a laugh.
     "Tell me about him."
     Janette paused; she hadn't considered spilling her heart out to Schanke, but maybe that was what she needed to do.  "Come, there is a table on the other side of the room.  We will have more privacy."
     Schanke picked up their drinks and followed Janette to the empty table.  He held her hand as she fought back her tears and told him about Robert and their love.

     The bartender had done the right thing calling Janette, and she, in turn, calling him, LaCroix thought.  Janette could entertain the nosy detective while he went and chatted with his son about the increasingly complicated situation.

     LaCroix paused outside the door to Nick's room.  He could hear his son and his lover giggling inside.  He smiled to himself and knocked on the door.

     Nick was tickling Natalie when someone knocked on the door.  He stopped and looked at her, fangs fully descended.  "You better get it."  He giggled as he tried to gain control over himself.
     Natalie laughed her way to the door and opened it without thinking to ask who the person was on the other side.  She let out a small scream when she saw LaCroix standing on the other side.
     "I don't think screaming is in order, child."  LaCroix gently pushed Natalie back and closed the door.
     Nick looked in surprise at his father.  "LaCroix.  What are you doing here?"
     "I was asking myself the same question just this sunset, but alas, now I know."
     "And that would be?"  Nick moved toward Natalie and drew her protectively into his embrace.
     "To save your hide."
     Nick looked at his father in confusion.
     "Your intrepid partner has followed the three of us down here and has managed to discover 'Nick Johnston's' photo display."
     "Oh, my..."
     "Janette is at the bar entertaining him as we speak.  She told him it was indeed you, and that you are in disguise because you like your privacy."
     "That is the best lie you could come up with?"  Natalie glared at LaCroix.
     "Dear Doctor, it was on rather short notice."
     "Sorry, I just expected--I don't know what I expected..."
     Nick kissed Nat on the temple in hopes of hushing her.  "I didn't know Janette was in town."
     "She did not want you to."
     "All the same, you think I would've..."
     "Felt her?  No, she has stayed on the outskirts since she knew you would be here."
     "How exactly is she entertaining Schanke?"  Natalie asked quietly.
     "She is letting him ramble, but I cannot say for how long her nerves will let him continue before she might decide to...well, you know."
     "I know.  Come on, Nat, we better get down there."
     "Nicholas."
     Nick and Natalie turned toward LaCroix's voice.  "Yes?"
     "There is still a matter I wish to speak to you about, but it can wait until the 'Schanke situation' is appropriately dealt with."  LaCroix looked meaningfully at Natalie and then smiled at his son.
     "I won't let you hur..."
     "I don't intend on hurting her."
     "Then what?"
     "I want to make sure that you don't."  LaCroix walked passed his stunned son and his companion.
     They were all silent on the elevator ride down to the lobby.  LaCroix chose not to ride with them in the cab.  Instead, he took to the sky, using his favorite method of transportation.

     Natalie and Nick sat in the cab in stunned silence for a few minutes.
     "Well, I wasn't expecting that."
     "What?  Schanke following you down or LaCroix arriving?"
     "And let's not forget Janette."
     "No, I don't think that would be wise."
     "What are you going to tell Schanke?"
     "The truth--well, as close to it as possible."  Nick paused to take Natalie's hand in his.  "I'll tell him that I do come down here every year to play, and that I do sometimes come in disguise.  That I don't think the department would be too thrilled knowing I was a Bourbon Street piano player one week a year."
     "Think he'll buy it?"
     "Well, it is either that or let Janette have her way with him, or LaCroix could whammy him again."
     "Nick!"  Natalie playfully slapped Nick's shoulder, and he pulled her into his embrace.
     "It'll be ok, Nat, I promise."

     LaCroix was waiting for them when they arrived at the club.
     "You will never believe...Well, look for yourselves."
     Nick and Natalie entered the club, scanning the room for Schanke and Janette.  What they saw stopped them in their tracks.

End of Part 4
 

Circles Unbroken (5/8)
Tyra Mitchell
1999

     Janette had found herself moving closer and closer to Schanke as she told him her story about Robert.  Schanke held her hand at first, then put his arm around her shoulders.  The waiter had continued to bring them drinks, and they had both consumed large quantities of their favorite beverages.
     "Janette, I don't know what to say."  Schanke kissed the top of her head as he polished off his fourth drink of the evening.  "I know nothing that I say will bring him back, but--well, I know he would want you to get on with your life.  Now you have to live for both of you."
     Janette smiled as her head sank further into Schanke's shoulder.  The bloodwine was making her tipsy.  The bartender mixed the blood with stronger alcohol here, and it was affecting her.  "Do you know I have always liked the way you smelled?"
     "Yeah?"  Schanke smiled.  "You smell wonderful.  Like roses after a gentle rain."
     "Roses?"  Janette raised her head to look Schanke in the eyes.
     "Beautiful, delicate roses..."  Schanke looked into Janette's eyes and slowly his lips found hers.

     Nick, Natalie and LaCroix stood by the bar in shock.  Schanke and Janette were kissing.  Passionately, Nick thought.
     "I think perhaps we should stop them before this goes much further," LaCroix whispered.
     "Definitely."
     Nick walked up beside the table and cleared his throat.  Then he did it again, to no avail.
     "My dear Janette, how pleasant it is to see you,"  LaCroix said, a bit too loudly.
     Janette and Schanke broke their kiss and stared at their laps for a moment.  Schanke took Janette's hand in his before he met Nick's questioning gaze.
     "So, I see it is you, partner.  Hi, Nat."  He turned toward Janette.  "See, I told you they would come here together."
     "You did indeed."  Janette finally turned, looking her new and old fathers in the eye.  "Greetings, ma famille."
     They waited in silence, as they all exchanged questioning glances.  It was Janette who finally had enough.
     "Don, now that you know that your partner and Natalie are quite safe, would you be so kind as to see me home?"
     "Yeah.  Nick, glad to see you.  At least now I know what you will look like if you ever stop doing your Dick Clark impersonation.  Natalie, don't do anything I wouldn't do."  Schanke rose, kissed Natalie on the cheek, then helped Janette from her chair.
     "Schank, why don't you stay and hear me play?"
     "Another night, partner, another night."
     "I think Myra would love it if you stayed," Natalie whispered.
     "I can see Janette home, detective," LaCroix said in his authoritative voice.
     "No, I am quite capable, thank you."
     "Maybe it would be best,"  Janette whispered.
     "No.  I'm going to see you home.  I know what I'm doing, Janette."  Schanke took Nick's hand in his and shook it.  "Nick, I won't do anything you wouldn't approve of, ok?"
     Nick smiled and stepped out of the couple's way.  He grabbed Janette gently by the arm and whispered into her ear, "Don't kill my partner."
     "Did you honor my request, Nicholas?"  Janette paused, her eyes boring hot holes into Nick's.  "I will not harm him, but not because of you, but because of who he is--to me."  Janette turned and followed Schanke out.
     Natalie plopped down into the nearest chair.  "I need a drink."
     "You aren't the only one," Nick said as he sat down beside her.
     "I must say that I myself am a little surprised at our Janette's behavior."  LaCroix pulled a chair up next to Natalie's and sat down.  He signalled for the bartender to bring them a round of drinks.

     Schanke took Janette back to his hotel room.  They talked for the rest of the night, sharing a few sweet kisses, and lingering touches.  But nothing more transpired between them.  Schanke loved his wife, and Janette would not entertain the thought of Schanke forsaking that vow.  But what they found together was unique and incredible.
     Janette left before dawn, kissing Schanke one last time, and promising to come visit him and his family in Toronto.  When he closed the door, he smiled.  She had restored his faith in himself.  To be desired by a woman like Janette was enough for his ego to run on for years to come.
     Janette flew quickly to her home.  She shed her clothes and climbed into bed, but tonight it was a little less lonely.  Tonight she had found some solace and lessened her burden.  She had found some peace with her memories of Robert.

     Nick exchanged glances with LaCroix as he stood to go play his set.
     "She'll be here when you return, Nicholas.  And, yes, in the same condition."
     Nick bent down and kissed Natalie on the lips.  She nodded reassuringly to him as she stroked his cheek.

     As Nick played, LaCroix moved to sit across from Natalie.  "You and my son have decided to make love."
     "Yes, we have."
     "It wasn't a question.  I already know of your endeavors, not to mention your tryst on the balcony."
     Natalie turned bright red.  "You...you...watched us?" Natalie indignantly whispered.
     LaCroix leered at her and leaned across the table.  "Yes.  And I must say you are quite lovely when you climax, Dr. Lambert."
     Natalie resisted the urge to run screaming from the bar and held her ground.  "Did you find some sick pleasure in watching us?"
     "Sick?  No.  Pleasure?  Most certainly.  You made me want for a woman again, Natalie."  LaCroix reached out and stroked Natalie's cheek with his cold hands.  He heard his son miss a beat in his playing and withdrew to his side of the table.
     "Did Nicholas ever tell you of his mortal sister, Fleur, and me?"
     "No," Natalie whispered, wondering where LaCroix was headed with the discussion.
     "What about my mortal daughter, Divia?"
     "You had a mortal daughter?"
     "Yes.  I think it is time I shared with you a little bit of our family history.  You see, it is because of these two women that I plan to help you and Nicholas with your endeavor."
     "Help?"  Natalie looked at LaCroix, confusion riddling her face.
     "Yes, help.  But let's start at the beginning..."
     Over the next two hours, LaCroix told Natalie the stories of his re-birth, Divia's death, his love for Fleur, and Divia's resurrection.  Nick filled in parts of the stories when he was on break, but basically let his father tell the tale in his own way.  Nick marveled at his candour with Natalie.  He had never seen his father be this honest.  Divia's reappearance had changed him in ways Nick never anticipated.

     "That is why I am willing to help you.  You make Nicholas happy, and in the end, that is what I want.  Though, I will be honest with you, if you are one of our kind, Nicholas is more likely to finally accept himself."
     "I still will work on a cure, but for both of us."
     "We will see if you still say that after you have exchanged blood in your love-making."
     "Is it all that different?"
     "My child," LaCroix reached over and took Natalie's hand, "you have no idea how different."  LaCroix brought Natalie's hand up to his lips and kissed it.  He took her index finger into his mouth and gently let his fang pierce the skin.  He sucked the small amount of blood that rose to the surface.  He released Natalie's hand and closed his eyes, savoring her blood.
     Natalie didn't flinch or move away from LaCroix; something inside of her told her he wasn't going to harm her.
     "So, did I pass?"
     LaCroix opened his eyes and smiled.  "Yes, you passed, as you put it.  You love my son, and that is enough for me."
     "Through all the hell you have put him through, you do love him, don't you?"
     "Yes.  He is my son.  My favorite son."
     "And he was there for you when you needed him."
     "Yes."
     "Without question."
     "Yes.  And I will be there for the two of you."
     "Thank you, LaCroix."
     "My name is Lucien."
     "Thank you, Lucien."  Natalie leaned across the table and kissed LaCroix on the cheek.  "Would you care to dance with me?"
     "I haven't dan...Hmmm...I would be delighted."  LaCroix rose from his chair and offered Natalie his hand.  Together they moved across the dance floor.
     Nick sat the piano in stunned silence as he continued to play The Beatles' "Yesterday."

End of Part 5
 
 

Circles Unbroken (6/8)
Tyra Mitchell
1999

     Nick took Natalie to the Cheesecake Factory for dessert after his last set.  LaCroix had left their company, saying that he had 'things' to get into order.  When Natalie and Nick returned to their hotel room, they were stunned.
     Candles covered every available surface, and incense wafted from burners placed in four locations in the main room.  In the center where the sofa had originally been, there was a pile of pillows and blankets.  Roses of every color were in vases throughout the room.  Their sweet smell mixed with the amber and sandalwood of the incense, creating an atmosphere that was breath-taking.
     "Who did..."  Natalie started as she reached for a note that had been propped on one of the pillows.  "Lucien."  She handed the note to Nick.
     "I do believe that if you are to do something, you should do it correctly.  I'll be close by if you should need me.  Lucien."  Nick stared at the note, then looked around at the room.  "I think this is how he would've liked to bring Fleur across."
     "I'm--I'm--stunned, Nick.  I didn't know he had this side."
     "He rarely shows it, but my sister brought it out in him.  I think that is why he is so reticent to share it.  The memories are just too painful to him."
     "He truly loved--loves her."
     "Yes, I know.  We both did, in different ways.  She would've been destroyed by this kind of life."  Nick took Natalie in his arms and kissed her.  "Thank you for accepting me."
     "I have my eyes wide open, Nick, I know what I'm getting myself into."  Natalie let her hand trail up Nick's chest and started to unbutton his shirt.

     LaCroix finished the hotel room, pleased with his workmanship.  Yes, he thought, Natalie will appreciate this.  He wanted her to enjoy her transformation.  She was going to be a part of his family, and his son already loved her.  Acceptance was not something he was very good at, but contrary to popular belief, you can teach an old vampire new tricks.
     The fact that she would help bring Nicholas back into the fold made it easier to accept.  What was it? he thought.  It was in the book he had finished earlier.  Yes...you can either bend like the reed in the wind or the wind will break you.  This time he would bend, and hopefully it would not only restore his family but also some measure of his control over Nicholas.
     He found his way into a bar on the waterfront that was run by an old acquaintance of his.  He nodded his head in greeting to his old friend and took a seat at a corner table.
     He sipped on his bloodwine, knowing that he would need to return shortly to watch over Nicholas.  He wouldn't let his son fail, not this time.  He owed him that, and he always repaid his debts.
     His eyes drifted toward the doorway and stopped.  Standing there, with hair of pale gold and eyes of soft blue, was a dream.  She was transfixed by him, as well.  The seconds passed as they each tried to move.  Finally, not believing his eyes, he rose and moved quickly across the room.
     "I am Lucien LaCroix, and you remind me of someone I once knew."
     Her eyes filled with tears; never did she imagine that he was one and the same like her.  "Perhaps I am reality and not a memory."  She reached out and touched his face with her fingertips, enjoying the smoothness.  His piercing blue eyes drew her in, as they had centuries ago.
     "Mon Dieu..."
     The tears rolled from their eyes as he pulled her toward him, crushing her lips to his.  So many words, so many questions...they faded into the wind.  One kiss, one touch...the circle was finally complete.

     Nick hit the remote button, and soft music that LaCroix had picked out for the occasion started to play.  "He did think of everything."
     "He does seem to be quite efficient."
     Nick smiled at Natalie and started to dance with her.  His kisses were gentle as he worked his way around her face and neck.  He left Natalie breathless, her fingernails digging slightly into his skin.  He unbuttoned her top and eased it off her shoulders, then unclasped her bra.  Their bare chests pressed together as they both moaned at the sensation of hot against cold.
     As he captured her lips with his, he gently pushed her down on top of the pillows, his body coming to rest beside hers.  "I love you, Natalie."
     "I love you, too," Natalie whispered before she started to nibble on Nick's neck.  "And I want you.  Now."
     "Now..."  Nick's hands found Natalie's breasts, and he teased her nipples.  His kisses soon followed his hands, and then his fangs.  Natalie gasped at the sharp pain, but relaxed as she felt Nick suckling her blood.
     He licked at her wounds and whispered, "I'm sorry, I didn't..."
     "Nick, it's ok...I like it."  She smiled down at him, her face flushed with excitement.  She took his hand and led it to the top of her jeans. "Check for yourself."  Natalie smiled mischievously at Nick, as her own hand came to rest on his hardening manhood.

     The lovers broke their kiss, and stared in wonderment into each other's eyes.  "There is so much to say, Lucien."
     "Yes, but no time.  Your brother, my son, I have to be there for him--we have to be there for him."
     "Nicholas is a...I should've known."
     Fleur followed LaCroix outside and into a dark alley.  He kissed her again as they took to the night sky.
     Seconds later, they landed on the balcony outside of Nick and Natalie's hotel room.  They both smiled at what they saw inside.
     "Does she love him?" Fleur whispered as she leaned her head onto LaCroix's chest.
     "Yes, and he loves her."  LaCroix kissed the top of Fleur's head as he wrapped his arms around her.
     "Yes, but does she know what life she will lead?"
     "Completely."  LaCroix turned Fleur around in his arms and kissed her.  "My heart has never known as much joy as it does right now."
     "Mine did, once, centuries ago, when I was younger, and first looked into your eyes.  I have aged--I'm not the girl you..."
     "You were made only more beautiful with the passing of time."  He kissed her eyelids, her cheeks, and finally her mouth.
     "Do you have anyone..."
     "No, not since you.  You?"
     "No."
     LaCroix whispered, "My sweet Fleur, I love you still."
     "And I..."  Fleur's words were cut off as LaCroix covered her mouth with his.  His tongue easily gained entrance and met hers as his hands pulled her tighter into his embrace.

End of Part 6
 
 

Circles Unbroken (7/8)
Tyra Mitchell
1999

     The lovers inside were lying naked on the floor, each one's hands exploring the other's body.  Their kisses were soft and slow.  Time had begun to stand still.  Nick's fingertips traced down Natalie's arm, and she shivered.  Nick closed his eyes and moaned as he felt Natalie's fingernails along the top of his leg.
     As he opened his eyes, he knew the beast was starting to control him, and his hands became more insistent on Natalie's flesh.  He kneaded her rear, pulling her closer to him, rubbing his hardness up against her stomach.  Her hand found its way in between them, and she lightly brushed him with her fingers before taking hold of him.
     Nick closed his eyes again, as his lips found Natalie's neck.  He lingered over the vein into which he so desperately wanted to plunge his fangs.  He remembered the way Natalie had tasted and the love and desire that were in her blood, but he resisted its call.  Tonight was for her, and it would be perfect.  It had to be.
     Natalie took Nick's face in her hands and kissed him.  Nick rolled onto his back, pulling Natalie on top of him.  Her legs fell on either side of him, and she could feel him pressed up inside her folds.  She moved her hips so that he could gain entrance, and with one swift movement, Nick was inside of her.
     The shock showed in Nick's eyes as Natalie looked down on him.  She sat up and started to move her hips in a circular motion.  Nick closed his eyes and tried desperately to recite Shakespeare's Henry V to himself.

     Fleur insistently kissed her way down LaCroix's neck as she tore his shirt open.  LaCroix glanced inside at Nick and saw Natalie riding him. Pleasure rushed through his body at not only his son's control, but also at Fleur's hands and mouth caressing him.
     He unbuttoned Fleur's shirt and felt her hardened nipples through the lace of her bra.  His mouth traveled down her neck toward them, as his hands eased her bra off and onto the floor.  He captured first one, then the other, in his mouth, teasing them with his tongue.  Fleur moaned deeply in her throat as her fangs nipped at LaCroix's neck and shoulders.  She shuddered when she felt his fangs enter the sensitive area around her breasts.
     LaCroix closed his eyes and savored his first taste of Fleur's blood.  Her story was there along with her love for him, her undying love for him.  He smiled as he brought his lips back to hers.

     Nick tried in vain to concentrate on anything other than what Natalie was doing to him.  He wanted the experience to go on and on, but he knew that was no longer possible.  Henry V and Shakespeare had failed him.  His hands found Natalie's breasts, and he pinched the nipples between his fingers.  Natalie threw her head back as a scream of ecstasy escaped her lips.  Nick pulled Natalie toward him, kissed her, and rolled her onto her back.
     He smoothed her hair down with one hand, as he teased one of her nipples with the other.  He slowly started to move in and out of her, his hips rotating in small circles at the same time.  He reached down between them and stroked her hardened nub.  Natalie screamed as her orgasm washed over her.  Nick's movements quickened as he felt his own climax approaching.

     LaCroix and Fleur broke from their kissing when they heard the scream from inside.  LaCroix quickly moved beside the patio door, knowing that his son would not be able to resist much longer.
     "I promised that she..."  LaCroix stopped when he felt Fleur's fangs briefly enter his arm.  Now, there was no need for words.
     "I understand, Lucien...He's my brother, I want what is best for him, too."
     Fleur buried her head into LaCroix's chest, unable to watch her brother's movements as he made love to his lady.  LaCroix held her to him, wrapping his arms protectively around her.  He reached for the handle of the door.

     Nick looked into Natalie's eyes a second before he could no longer wait.   She moved her head to the side, and his fangs found entrance into her delicate neck.
     Her blood poured into his mouth, and he drank deeply.  Her love intoxicated him like no drug he had ever known, and her sorrows ripped at his heart as no wooden stake ever could.  Her beauty danced before him, as he drank deeper from the well that was his life.

     She was stunned by the images she saw.  Nick's life passed before her eyes, his anger and hatred, his love and compassion.  His love of life and his desperate need to end his pain.  Then, there it was, like a rainbow after a storm--his love for her.  Quiet and simmering all these years until it bubbled out all over her, caressing her with its warmth.  She felt herself fading.

     LaCroix put his hand gently on Nick's shoulder.  "Enough, Nicholas, or you will not be able to bring her across."
     But still, Nick continued to drink the drug that was Natalie's blood.
     Fleur put her hand on top of LaCroix's and said, "My brother, do not kill my new sister before I am allowed to meet her."
     Her voice broke his revelry, and he retracted his fangs.  When Nick turned, he stared into the eyes of one he once thought long dead and gone. "How..."  Nick stammered, as Fleur gently kissed his cheek.
     "It does not matter right now, my brother, what matters is your..."
     "Natalie.  I believe you promised her a choice, Nicholas, and I am here to make sure that you do so," LaCroix said as he took Fleur's hand in his.
     With disbelief in his eyes, Nick ripped open his wrist and held it to Natalie's lips.  Fleur finished buttoning her blouse, as she placed Natalie's head in her lap and stroked her hair.  LaCroix reached for a blanket and covered Natalie's naked body.
     "Talk to her, Nicholas.  Tell her how much you love her."  He sat down across from his son, focusing all his will on this one moment.
     "Natalie, I love you more than I ever thought I could love."
     "Ask her to come back to you."
     "I can't..." Nick looked up at his father as he started to draw his wrist away from Natalie's parted lips.
     "It is what you want, and more importantly, it is what SHE wants.  ASK HER!"  LaCroix and Fleur reached for Nick's wrist at the same time and pulled it back to Natalie's waiting mouth.
     Nick's blood tears fell onto Natalie's cheeks as he bent and whispered in her ear, "Please come back to me, Natalie, please.  I do want you here with me.  Please."  He kissed her ear, then her cheeks.

     Natalie felt the darkness surround her, and then the light came.  Her brother and god-daughter beckoned to her.  They smiled as they welcomed her into the Summerland, into the afterlife.  Natalie hugged Richard to her, tousling his hair.  They shared a laugh, but then Natalie grew silent, as her eyes grew wide in amazement.
     "You're here, Richard, you're here."
     "Yes, things are not exactly as we thought on the other side."
     Natalie kissed Richard's cheek again, then hugged her god-daughter tightly to her.  A smile came to her face as she heard his call.  She looked back to where she had come from, and there was nothing but darkness.
     "Know that I love both of you, and that one day--one day, maybe years, centuries, millennia from now--I will be back."
     Richard smiled knowingly.  "You are going back to him?"
     "Yes."  Natalie held Richard's hand in hers, then turned and walked back into the darkness, back into Nick's arms.
     Richard watched as Natalie faded from his view.  He whispered, "I am glad, I am so very glad."  Joy filled his heart.

     Nick looked into his father's eyes and pleaded.  His love was dying in his arms.  LaCroix tore his wrist open, as did Fleur, but there was no need.  Natalie's eyes were wide open, and she was at long last feeding on her lover's blood.
     Tears flowed freely from Nick's eyes as he pulled Natalie into his arms, allowing her to suckle from his wrist.  LaCroix comforted Fleur with kisses and his embrace.  Nick pulled his wrist from Natalie's mouth and reached for a bottle of bloodwine.  Natalie drank it quickly.  Nick handed her bottle after bottle until her hunger was satiated.
     Natalie looked at Nick's smiling face and kissed him.  Her eyes then fell on LaCroix and Fleur.  The lovers were entangled in each other's arms, their hands tearing clothes from the other's body.
     "I think I missed something," Natalie whispered.
     "You are not the only one."  Nick nuzzled Natalie's neck.
     "I think they want some privacy," Natalie whispered as LaCroix pulled Fleur free of the last of her clothing.
     "After almost 800 years, I guess they deserve it."  Nick gathered Natalie into his arms and carried her into his bedroom.  Tomorrow his sister could explain to him how she was still alive.  Tonight she belonged to his father, and Natalie belonged to him.

End of Part 7
 
 

Circles Unbroken (8/8)
Tyra Mitchell
1999

     Laughter woke Nick and Natalie from their deep sleep.  Nick pulled on a pair of his pajama bottoms, and Natalie helped herself to his top.  They sleepily walked out into the main room where they were greeted to a naked LaCroix and Fleur having a tickle fight.  Feathers from the pillows were spread throughout the room, and LaCroix was trying to capture Fleur with the remains of his shirt.
     "I think I could've waited my entire life before seeing this," Natalie whispered to Nick, as she watched LaCroix capture Fleur and smother her with kisses.  "This is definitely a different side of him."
     Nick cleared his throat.
     LaCroix kissed Fleur's neck and spun her in the air.  "I know you are there, Nicholas.  Go back to bed, make love again."
     "And again and again," laughed Fleur, as her arms wrapped around LaCroix's neck.
     Natalie shook her head and opened the refrigerator door and reached for a bottle of bloodwine.  Nick quickly stopped her.  "Not that one, that's from my stock.  You need to drink bloodwine, not cowstuff."
     Fleur stopped laughing and looked at her brother in confusion.  "Cowstuff?"
     "Your brother has insisted on starving himself on cow's blood for years now."
     "Well, that is just silly."
     "I agree, but he doesn't listen to me."
     "I remember that now.  You thought I would change if Lucien brought me across, and that he would no longer love me."  Fleur reached for two blankets, gave one to LaCroix, and wrapped herself in the other.
     "I did change for a while, but as the times changed, so did I.  I think the hardest part was leaving my son, Andre, and trying desperately to forget about Lucien for all these centuries.  If I had only remembered..."  Her voice trailed off as she looked into LaCroix's eyes.
     LaCroix crossed the room and reached for four wine goblets.  He took the bottle of bloodwine from Natalie and filled the glasses.  He handed out the goblets, then raised his in the air.  "To love, which I have discovered does indeed conquer all."
     The foursome clinked glasses and sipped bloodwine.  "I believe a leave of absence is in order for you and Nicholas, Natalie.  He will need to train you, and that will be more easily accomplished down here, away from prying eyes."
     "Lucien and I will send you your clothing, and I hear that you have a feline, whom I will promise to take very good care of during your absence."
     "Fleur and I will be leaving right after sunset.  I'll contact you when we get home, Nicholas."  LaCroix drained his glass and took Natalie's hand.   "Welcome to the family, Natalie.  If you need anything, you know how to find us."  He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
    Fleur kissed Nick on the cheek, then took LaCroix's hand as they walked toward the balcony as the sun faded from the sky.
     "Wait!"  Nick shouted.
     The lovers turned around and looked at him.  "Yes?"  LaCroix answered.
     "How--when--why..."
     Fleur giggled at her brother's confusion.  She walked back toward him, took his hand and led him to the sofa.  "I had grown very ill and was on my death bed.  My priest was called to give me absolution and the last rites. He did do those things, but he also gave me eternal life.  He died shortly thereafter in the witch burnings.  He was like a father to me, a real father, and I was lost without him.  I wandered the globe for years, ending up in the Orient.  There I found a Buddhist teacher, and she taught me to be serene inside, to take only what I needed, and to control my hunger.  It is because of her that I was able to find peace inside myself.  I can tell that you still lack that peace.  I will give you some of her books to read.  Maybe you and Natalie can go visit her.  She is still at the same temple, honoring the Buddha with her eternal life."
     "I..." Nick stuttered.  "A PRIEST!  And--and--she lives in a temple!"
     "I've come to understand, Nicholas, that some things aren't as we were taught," LaCroix whispered from across the room.
     "A PRIEST!"  Nick shook his head again, still not understanding.
     A look of dawning swept over Natalie's face as she remembered seeing her brother in the afterlife.  "Of course!  Richard said things weren't as we thought!"
     "Richard?"  Fleur looked inquisitively at Natalie.
     "Yes, my brother.  He was waiting for me in the light--he was brought across by Nick.  He said things were not as we thought they were."
     Fleur smiled.  "He is very correct.  We are not damned creatures, Nicholas.  I know that is what you have believed for all these centuries, as it was what Lucien thought to be true as well.  We have the most incredible minds, my brother, and because of that, we fall prey to our own suggestions.  My priest, my second father, knew this--as did his father before him--and he passed it on to me.  It is your fear that burns you, it is your mind playing tricks on you--it is not some piece of wood or metal--it is all in your
head, my dear brother."
     Nick looked into his sister's wide eyes and saw the same joy of life he had seen all those centuries ago.  She had not changed as he thought she would had.  She had only grown wiser.  He turned to LaCroix, sad that he had denied them their joy for apparently no reason.
     "No, Nicholas, she didn't changed as you feared, but I still believe she would have if I had been her master.  800 years is not too long to wait for the other half of your soul in the grand scheme of eternity."
     "Fleur..."  Nick held his sister's hand in his.
     "I'm ok, Nick.  Especially now that I have found Lucien.   I'll explain more when you and Natalie return to Toronto.  Here's my address in New Orleans.  Please have my things packed and sent to the Raven.  Now that I have found him again, I'm not letting him go."
     "And I'm afraid, my dear, I have no intention of letting you get away." LaCroix put his hand on Fleur's shoulder.
     "He can be possessive, can't he?"
     "You have no idea..."
     Natalie and Nick waved at the other couple as they parted company. Nick's head spun with how much his life had changed in the last twelve hours.  He kissed Natalie, seeking comfort and grounding in her arms.
     As they started to make their way back to the bedroom, the phone rang.  Nick growled as he reached for the receiver.
     "Knight."
     "Don't you mean Johnston, partner?"
     "Hi, Schanke.  What can I do for you?"
     "Hi, Schank!"  Natalie said into the phone.
     "I thought she would be there with you.  You know you two do make a cute couple."
     "That we do, Schank."
     "About time you admitted it.  Look, Nick, I've got to get out of here and back home.  Things are just a bit too hot for me down here, if you know what I mean."
     "I know."
     "I'll see you and Nat back in Toronto in a few days.  Have a good..."
     "Schank, wait a minute.  Natalie and I are going to be staying in New Orleans for awhile."
     "What!?!"
     "It won't be for long, promise.  We just need some time together, without all the prying eyes."
     "Well, I can understand that, Nick, believe me, but if you and Natalie run off and elope, I will NEVER hear the end of it from Myra."
     Natalie giggled.  "I promise, Schank, we won't elope," Natalie said.
     Nick looked at Natalie and whispered,  "How do you know we won't?"
     "Your sister would never forgive us."
     "SISTER!?!  Nick, how much more about your life haven't you told me?  We are supposed to be partners, man, and I thought that meant we shared."
     "Care to share with me about what happened between you and Janette last night, partner?"
     "Make sure you give me a call and let me know where I can reach you down here, and for heaven's sake don't stay forever.  Gotta run!  Bye!"
     Schanke hung up the phone before Nick could say another word.  He gathered his luggage and the dozen roses he had bought for Janette into his arms and headed for the door.  He wanted to stop by her house and thank her, and maybe, just maybe, kiss her one last time.

     Nick hung up the phone and looked at Natalie.  His beautiful Natalie, his companion through eternity now.
     "I love you, Nat."
     "You better.  I gave up an afterlife with my brother and god-daughter to come back and be with you."
     Nick's eyes became saddened with Natalie's words.  He had damned her and for that he could..."Your brother?"  Nick's eyes grew wide with amazement.
     "My brother, Nick.  Things just aren't as we thought on the other side."
     "Your brother!?!"
     "Life is what you make it, Nick.  All of your life.  I think it's time you and I started living life again."
     Nick took Natalie's hand in his and led her out onto the balcony.  He gently pushed her up against the wall, and captured her lips with his.  Quickly, their kisses traveled down each other's neck as they found the life force of the other that had been calling them nearer.  Their fangs each pierced skin, blood filling their mouths and souls, as one more circle was completed.

The End
<well, maybe...I do have this idea for...>

I would like to thank S. Clark for originally putting the Schanke and Janette idea in my head last year with one of my favs from her collection of stories, "Encouters."

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