This story was inspired by the Nunkies Anonymous homepage (If you look, know that you may ruin the story for yourself), and is dedicated to all those who have ever found it absolutely necessary to visit it. The Forever Knight characters aren't mine, even though I would never kill any of them and I promise to bring them home on time and make them wear their mittens. They belong to Sony/Tristar, even though I want them. Prologue "No! That's not right!" the young woman exclaimed to the man at her side. "It's a repeating pattern...of a sort. It's detectable; I can prove it!" The older man shook his head and smiled at Lily, his graduate research assistant. She was a persistent one, all right. She had harangued him about funding all through dinner at his favorite diner. They had talked and argued for hours, and it had gotten much later than he had thought it was. It was now completely dark and this wasn't the best part of Toronto. "Professor Miles, if I could just have three extra hours of mainframe time - what was that?" she asked as a metallic click snapped behind them. "Give me your money!" a harsh voice said. Professor Miles turned around, holding onto the Lily's arm to keep her behind him. Their assailant held a gun in a shaky hand and looked at them with desperate eyes. "I said give me your money! Do it or I'll shoot you!" "No," the professor said defiantly, "We won't give you anything. Leave us alone." The mugger only hesitated for a second before he pulled the trigger. Professor Miles felt the slug enter his heart with a piercing pain which turned his whole world red. He fell as he struggled to see, to push Lily away from the mugger. In slow motion, he saw her trip over his legs and fall to the ground beside him. The last sound he heard was her head cracking against the concrete. Nick Knight ducked under the police tape and scanned the crime scene for his partner. They had been on their separate dinner breaks when they'd gotten called in, and Tracy had been closer by a good fifteen minute drive. "Nick!" Tracy's voice called from beside an ambulance. "Over here!" He looked over the scene as he crossed to the ambulance. There was a man's body on the sidewalk; Natalie Lambert, the night shift's best coroner and his...friend, was leaning over the corpse, filling out a form on a clipboard. There was a separate pool of blood on the sidewalk beside him. When he reached Tracy and the ambulance, he saw why. A young woman sat on the bumper of the ambulance, holding a wad of sterile bandages to the side of her head. She was beautiful, with shoulder-length curly black hair and deep blue eyes, though it was difficult to see it with her eyes red and puffy and her pale skin blotchy from crying. She looked like a frightened Snow White. Natalie joined them just as the young woman lifted her eyes to his. "Nicola?!" she asked, her eyes going wide in shock. He felt Natalie stiffen beside him, but Nick managed to suppress his surprise and ask nonchalantly, "I'm sorry, do I know you?" "You're Nicholas de Brabant, aren't you?" she asked, very sure of herself. "I'm Detective Knight, Metro Homicide," he answered, not quite lying to her. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to lie to those blue eyes. How could she know his name? He'd never even seen her before, of that he was certain. And he hadn't used that name in decades. The young women peered intently at his face as if she would see his soul written there. She dropped her eyes after a few moments, then shook her head. She winced at the movement, and looked back up. "I'm sorry," she said. "The paramedic said I hit my head pretty hard." "Nick, this is Lily Delray; she's a victim and a witness," Tracy said, looking at her small black notebook. "Lily, why don't you tell Detective Knight what you told me." Nick nodded in approval at his partner. By getting the witness to repeat her story to someone else, they could compare it to what Tracy had already been told. Every night, she was getting better at being a detective. That wasn't a surprise: she was very intelligent, if a bit foolhardy at times. He had no doubt that Lily was a victim, with the amount of blood that he could smell seeping from the head wound, but it was their job to be thorough. "I can't really be much help, I'm afraid. Professor Miles and I were walking back to his car from that diner down the street there when a man came up behind us and pulled out a gun. Professor Miles refused to give up his money, and then...I really can't remember anything else. I've tried, but my head hurts so much." The last was said in a whisper as tears welled up in her eyes. Tracy put her hand on the young woman's shoulder and squeezed it gently. Lily looked up gratefully at the pretty blonde detective and tried to smile as she held back her tears. "Marcus!" Natalie called, as harshly as Nick had ever heard her, to the paramedic, who was joking with some of the uniformed police officers. "Ms. Delray's in a lot of pain; she needs to get to the hospital now, not when you're done with your story." Natalie helped Lily to stand as the paramedic jogged over. "Sorry, Dr. Lambert," he said as he hastily helped Lily into the ambulance. Nick grabbed one of the doors as Marcus began to close it. "We'll need you to look at some mug shots," he said to Lily. "But not until you're released." Lily nodded carefully and Nick released the door. Marcus closed it and disappeared around the side. There was something about that young woman that made Nick want to find this mugger-turned-murderer as soon as possible. No one should ever be allowed to hurt such a fairy tale beauty. "So," Natalie said as the ambulance pulled away, "do you want the news?" "Let's hear it," he said, turning to her. "There's not a lot. There's a gunshot directly to the heart, and it happened about three to four hours ago. Small caliber gun-a .22 by the size of the entrance wound. When I get him back to the shop, I'll dig it out and pass it along to Forensics." She shook her head. "Lily's lucky she has a tough skull. From the look of it, she tripped and fell right on her head. She even took a chunk out of the sidewalk." "When do you think she'll be able to go home?" Tracy asked. "They'll keep her at least until tomorrow night. Well, I'm off to the office! I'll have the report for you by tomorrow evening." Nick watched as his favorite medical examiner left to direct the bagging of the body. She pointed to the body and her technicians began to work. Before she left to precede the body to the morgue, she glanced back at Nick and smiled. Momentarily, he forgot that it was a crime scene as his whole world was filled with the light of her face. She was so beautiful. She turned away and the bustle of the crime scene reappeared around him. "We should get someone at the hospital with Lily," Nick said to his partner after a moment to collect his thoughts. "The perp probably has her name and address from what he stole." "It's already taken care of," Tracy said proudly. "I was busy before you got here. I even had someone call the university to get information on the victims. With any luck, it should be at the station tomorrow when we get there." "Well," Nick said, smiling, "I guess I can go home; you don't seem to need me here!" "Of course I need you. Who else is going to confuse the witnesses even more?!" The next night, Nick and Tracy were at the morgue as soon as their shift started. They had talked about it on the way over, and neither one of them liked the idea of anyone hurting Lily Delray. Tracy had said that she reminded her of a younger sorority sister who had been raped at a party. It was the eyes for Tracy, too. Nick had thought about those blue eyes rimmed with red all day. When he had finally fallen asleep, they had haunted him in his dreams, looking at him with an infinite sadness that was disturbingly familiar. "I'll be with you in a minute," Natalie said as she waved absently with a bloody, gloved hand. Tracy grimaced and stood with her back to whatever it was Nat was doing to the body on the table. She had gotten over a lot of her squeamishness during her forced internship on a previous case, but she still didn't enjoy looking at cut-up corpses. "Let's see what the university had to say," Nick said, opening the folder in his hand. "Carl David Miles, age 54, professor of physics. One of the top in his field. There's a long list of papers and grants. No police record, not even a parking ticket." He pulled out another sheet of paper with much less writing on it. "Lily Marie Delray, age 23. Graduate student perusing her Ph.D. in astrophysics. She got her B.S. at age 20 and she just finished her M.S., both at MIT." "What's she doing at the University of Toronto? It's a good university, but if she started at MIT, why not finish there?" Natalie asked as she pulled off her gloves and tossed them into the biohazard container. "It doesn't say. She's a Canadian citizen, though. Maybe she has family here." "That's awfully young for a Ph.D. When did she start university?" Tracy asked, peering over the top of the file. "At 16? Wow." "She has a police record: she was arrested and charged with tresspassing two years ago while protesting against the draining of wetlands by an oil company." "Not really a hardened criminal," Tracy observed. "Well, she'll be at the station soon. Someone's bringing her over directly from the hospital; she insisted on it." "Well, I hope she can help you, because I can't," Natalie said disgustedly. "It was a .22; I was right. He died from massive internal injuries when it bounced around his ribcage; his organs looked like Swiss cheese. That's all I've got. No fibers, no fingerprints, nothing. Forensics sent the bullet back-no matches." "Any nut can go across the border and get a .22," Tracy pointed out. "Well, let's get back to the station and see if Lily recognizes him," Nick said, taking the papers Natalie held out. "Let's not give up yet." Lily put her head down on the table. Tracy patted her shoulder and got up to get her a glass of water from the recalcitrant water cooler. "I'm sorry I can't recognize him, Nic-Detective Knight," she mumbled into the table. "I still can't remember everything." "You've been at this for three hours, Lily. It's after midnight. We can try again tomorrow." She nodded without lifting her head and sighed deeply. She had held up very well, considering that she had a mild concussion and fifteen stitches in her head. The stitches were invisible under the mass of black curls that covered her face, arms, and part of the table. She had called him Nicola several times through the night, causing Tracy to raise her eyebrows in amusement. He really could not remember having seen her before, despite the way Lily seemed so comfortable with him. Only his family had ever called him Nicola: first his mothers and sisters, then Janette. Janette was the only one who used the name de Brabant with any regularity. Perhaps Lily knew Janette, knew where she was. He would have to find a subtle way of asking. Tracy came back in with a glass of water and Lily lifted her head and rested her chin on her crossed arms. Tracy put the glass down on the table, but Lily made no move to drink any of it. "Thanks. Not to sound ungrateful, but when can I go home? I'm exhausted. If I promise to come back later, will you please take me home?" "I'll take you," Nick said, standing up. "It's dinnertime anyway. I can drop you off on my way home." "Are you sure, Nick?" Tracy asked. "I can do it." He and Tracy had spent the night trying to outdo each other with niceness. No wonder Lily wanted to go home; she was probably tired of being fawned over. Most of the men in the station had found a reason to talk to Lily. Two of the less astute uniforms had even asked her out on dates, which she had firmly, though politely refused. Almost anyone would be willing to take her home, but he wasn't going to miss his chance to be alone with her and ask about Janette. "No, it's no problem. I'll see you in an hour." Lily sighed and pushed herself up from her chair. The top of her head barely reached his shoulder when she finally stood up straight. She was a tiny young woman. It was difficult for him to imagine her as an aspiring astrophysicist, but she was; and a good one, too, according to her university transcripts. "OK, I'm ready to go, copper," she said, smiling tiredly at him. Nick smiled back and pointed out the door. It was all he could do to resist pulling her to his chest and telling her that everything was going to be all right. He didn't do it, less because it was against regulations and more because he didn't know if it was true. ******************************************************************** Incarnate 2/7 Nick's plan was to slip a reference to Janette into their conversation, but that was proving difficult: they weren't having a conversation. They had driven in silence, listening to the police radio, for five minutes before Lily turned to look at him. "What? Do I have something on my face?" Nick asked as Lily continued to stare at him. She sighed and looked out the window again. "No. I'm sorry about the name thing. I was just so sure that was your name." "It's OK." "But I still feel sure! I know that's your name, even though you've told me it isn't. I feel like I'm going nuts." "It's probably just from hitting your head. I'm sure it'll go away." She didn't respond, but stared silently out of the window into the dark. He tried to think of something to bring Janette in, but couldn't. He flipped on the radio to drown out the silence. "-the fool was unsure that she followed and turned to see his love. As he did, she turned to mist and drifted away, reaching for him as she dissipated. He had lost her forever. After that, he turned mysoginstic and was torn limb from limb by the female worshipers of Dionysis. Not a bad way to go: ripped to shreds by lust-crazed women-" Nick snorted in disgust and turned the radio back off. His master, in his guise as the Nightcrawler, was again toying with the minds of mortals for his own amusement. "Wait!" Lily exclaimed. "I know that voice!" "Well, he's on every night," he pointed out. "You've probably heard him before." "No, I know him like I know you." She looked suspiciously at him. "You know him." "Do you know _his_ name?" Lily wrinkled her forehead in concentration. If she knew both him and LaCroix, then this could be serious. Few mortals in Toronto knew of any connection between them. "I don't know," Lily said, giving up, "but I - Oh! There's my building!" Nick pulled the car over to the curb in front of the old brownstone she had pointed out. The brick was crumbling at the corners and loud music came from an open window on the second floor. Spray paint covered the side that was on an alley. Nick jumped out to help Lily out of the Cadillac, but she had already opened the door and climbed out. "It's not much, just a studio, but it's cheap," she said, indicating the building. "Would you mind coming in with me? That creep may have gotten my extra set of keys; I'm not sure if I had them in my backpack or not...If you don't mind giving up a bit more of your dinnertime." "It's no problem." They walked toward the building across a lawn choked with weeds and broken bottles. "You should have your landlord change the locks, just in case." "Yeah, I know, but he'll charge me for it." Lily pulled open the front door and led the way down the dark hallway. She stopped in front of the last door, right next to a back door that led into the alley. As she touched the lock with her keys, the door slowly swung open. Nick pulled her back from the door and drew his gun. He pushed open the door with his foot, and listened inside for any mortal heartbeats, any sound of movement. He heard none, but he still kept his gun drawn as he stepped cautiously inside. The room was a shambles. There were papers everywhere and furniture shoved at odd angles. The mattress was halfway off the bad and slashed open. Nick checked the bathroom, then holstered his gun. "Come on in!" he called out, and Lily stepped into the doorway. "Oh my god," she said slowly. She bent down to pick up a piece of paper that was nearly torn in two. Then began to frantically pick up the rest. "Lily?" "This is my work! Without it - My laptop!" She whirled and ran to a desk against one wall. She pushed all the papers off of it, then slammed her hands down. "It had all my data! For three years I've been collecting data and now I have to start all over!" She pulled out a drawer and looked down in despair. "My disks are gone, too. They took everything. Now I'll never get out of here. That research was my ticket back to MIT." Nick put his hand on her arm and pulled her into a chair that he righted. She sat staring at the destruction of her apartment, not saying a word. "I'll call this in, and we'll find you a place to stay," Nick said gently, pulling out his cellular phone. "They even took my cactus," she whispered. "Is she all right?" Tracy asked, looking through the glass into Captain Reese's office. After giving her second statement of the night, Lily had finally lain down, at Nick's insistence. She was sleeping now, but every time there was a loud noise, she twitched. Nick wished that he could tell everyone to be quiet, but it was a police station: noise was part of the job. "As much as she can be," the Captain said. "We now have to assume that she's a target, and you know what that means." "Babysitting," Nick said, not as unhappily as he normally would. "It's got to be either just Tracy or both of you. I want both of you on this," the Captain said sternly. "The regulations say that there has to be a female police officer involved if at all possible, and it's possible. So work it out between the two of you, and let me know where you'll be. Just get this woman off my couch so I can get some work done!" Nick knew that the Captain wasn't really as annoyed as he pretended to be. He had been the one to offer his couch in the first place, and he had even managed to find a blanket to use as a pillow. Lily seemed to charm everyone she met without even trying. Even tired, scared, and upset, she was still kind to everyone. She didn't complain, even when she was kept up until four in the morning. She had even stood amongst the ruin of her apartment and asked Tracy if she had had a good dinner and apologized for the mess. Nick shook his head in amazement. He wouldn't be holding up nearly so well, and he had centuries of experience on her. "My place is awfully small for three people to hole up in," Tracy said as the Captain walked away. "What about yours? We could have a slumber party: do each other's hair, order pizza, watch horror movies and screech at all the scary parts..." "Very funny, Trace," he said sarcastically. "My place is fine. I've got good security. We'll have to stop at the grocery store, though. I don't have any food." "Ah, the bachelor life!" Nick pulled open the elevator door and shooed Tracy and Lily into his loft. Letting the door slam behind him, he quickly walked to the refrigerator and unloaded the groceries, pushing his bottles of blood to the back. Tracy had insisted on getting anything Lily wanted until she found out that Lily was a vegetarian and very health-conscious. He grinned as he put the soymilk into the door. From the look on Tracy's face when Lily had put it in the basket, it was the mortal equivalent of drinking cow's blood. He had seen that same look on LaCroix and Janette's face often enough to recognize it. He tossed the bags onto the counter and put Tracy's purchase - Twinkies(tm) - on the table. "This is a really nice place, Detective Knight," Lily called from across the room. "You have some beautiful things." "Yeah, Nick, this home theatre system's amazing!" Tracy exclaimed as she examined the television and stereo. "How can you afford all this on a cop's salary?" "I save," he said lightly. "Lily, we're probably going to be here together for a while; you can call me Nick - or Nicola, since it seems to come so easily to you." "And you can call me Tracy," his partner added, grinning at him. Nick threw the box of Twinkies(tm) at her, aiming for her head. Unfortunately, she caught the box before it hit its intended target. Lily still wandered around the loft looking at things. She had stopped by the bookcase under the stairs, behind the painting he was currently working on. "This is a lovely box, Nicola," she called. Nick froze. On the shelf in front of her was a box that Janette had given him for his birthday three hundred years ago. It was made of mahogany and had his name-his true name-carved on the lid. Inside were all the mementos of his life that were truly important to him. This was the only thing that really mattered when it came time to move on; anything else could be left behind. Lily turned to look at him with an inscrutable expression, but said nothing more. She skirted his painting and sat on the couch with Tracy. She didn't seem to want to bring up the subject right now, which was fine with him. He didn't need to try to explain this to both his partner and Lily. "I'm ready for bed," Lily announced, and reached down to untie her military-style black boots. "Take my bed upstairs," Nick offered. He didn't relish the idea of sleeping only half a room away from Tracy's mortal heartbeat, but it was the gentlemanly thing to do. He only hoped that he wouldn't get too hungry and have his fangs in his partner's neck before he woke. "Don't be silly," Lily said. "I'm small enough to be comfortable on the couch; you're not. Tracy can stay on the other couch down here with me and I'll feel safe." "And you'll _be_ safe, not just feel it," Tracy said, smiling at the young woman. "Make yourself useful, Nick: get us some blankets." ********************************************************************** Incarnate 3/7 Nick tiptoed down the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. He could hear the two women's heartbeats thundering loudly in his ears, taunting him with their nearness. It would be so easy to take them as they slept; they wouldn't even awake. He had done it hundreds of times: women, men, even children. Their blood would spurt against the back of his throat, filling his mind and body with their very beings. Nick moved quickly to the refrigerator and pulled a bottle of cow's blood from the back. He pulled the cork out, then drained half of it in one long gulp. As his mind calmed, he sensed that one of the mortal heartbeats was not on a couch as it was supposed to be. He turned to the kitchen table to see Lily sitting perfectly still, her eyes locked onto his. Her heartbeat was as slow as if in sleep, but she was wide awake. His hunger had blinded him to her presence. He was being careless. "I won't tell that you drink in the middle of the day, Nicola, don't worry," she whispered. "I couldn't sleep; I kept having bad dreams." Nick picked up a wineglass and moved to the table. As he sat down across from her, he saw his box from the shelf on the middle of the table. She traced the carved letters of his name but said nothing. Nick fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, the familiar spectre of guilt hovering about him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth," he whispered after they sat in silence for a full minute. "I haven't used that name for a long time. No one here knows me by it, and I don't want them to." He knew that his explanation would only make her more curious, and he struggled to come up with a better one. He was adopted? In the witness protection program? A criminal gone good? A vampire? "I haven't opened it," she finally said softly. "I wanted to, but I didn't...Why am I so sure about your name? I've never met you before. And that man from the radio. I know that you know him. Who is he?" "Do _you_ know?" Lily again wrinkled her brow and thought. Suddenly, her heart jumped with a loud thump and her eyes flew open in shock. "Lucien!" she exclaimed, struggling to keep her voice down. "Tall, short white-blonde hair, blue eyes. I know I'm right! I must see him!" "How do you know all of this? Do you know Janette?" Nick asked accusingly. "Janette? No, but the name is familiar. I don't know _how_ I know. I seem to know more and more every second I'm with you. Things keep jogging my memory. They're like memories, but of things that have never happened to me." Nick didn't know what to think. Lily had described LaCroix accurately, and almost no one called him Lucien. Maybe she was another vampire reincarnation, as Francesca had been. If that were true, then he hoped that it was someone better disposed toward him than she had been. The box in front of them might hold some clue to who she was, if she had known him before. "Open the box and look through it." Lily carefully lifted the lid and began to look through the objects inside. As she put them on the table, Nick remembered the reason he kept each one: a lock of hair, a broach, a crumbling theatre programme, a toy train, a gravestone rubbing, a doll. There were many more, and all of them reminded him of someone that he never wanted to forget. She had nearly emptied the box when she stopped suddenly. Her eyes locked onto his as she reached in and pulled out the last item: a silver ring, tarnished with the passage of time. Its design was almost completely obscured by the tarnish and wear. "This is...mine," she whispered in wonder. "I've kept that for a very long time," Nick said faintly. "I've never seen this, but I know it's mine!" Lily said, forgetting to lower her voice. "How hard did I hit my head?! What's wrong with me?!" Lily's heart was racing and Nick could see the panic rising in her eyes. Tracy was waking up as well. "Calm down, don't worry," he said gently, if somewhat desperately. "What's wrong?" Tracy called groggily from the far couch. "Lily? Nick?" "I won't calm down! Something's wrong with me! I'm going crazy!" Lily yelled, throwing down the ring. "Lily, don't panic!" "I'm not panicking! Give me a few minutes, then I'll be panicking!" she shouted. "Lily! I have a friend who's a doctor. If I have her come over and see you, will you feel better?" Nick asked frantically, not knowing what else to do. He couldn't hypnotize her with Tracy watching as closely as she was. If Lily suddenly turned into a zombie, his partner, with her familiarity with vampires, would realize what he had done. He had to hope that Natalie would actually be willing to come over if he called. "Fine, but she'd better be a psychiatrist!" Natalie closed up her black bag and looked at the tired, frightened young woman sitting on the couch in front of her. There were dark circles under both of her eyes which were beginning to look bloodshot. Her curly hair was tangled and wild, making her look like an exhausted pixie. "Lily, as far as I can tell, you're fine physically. The hospital said that your CAT scan was fine yesterday, so I don't see any reason for you to have another right now. You're under a great deal of stress; I think that when things calm down and you can get some sleep, these feelings will go away. That shot I gave you will help you to sleep. You should be feeling sleepy already." "I am," Lily replied through a yawn. "To bed then," Tracy said and got up from the couch where she had sat next to Lily during the examination. Lily lay down, her eyes already closing. Tracy pulled the blanket over her and pulled Natalie over to the kitchen where Nick was waiting. "How is she, really?" Tracy asked in a whisper. "She's fine. She needs to sleep, and so do you. Go to bed." Tracy scowled, but did what she was told. Natalie motioned for Nick to follow her to the elevator door. "What's going on, Nick? Is this another like Francesca?" she asked in a whisper. "I don't know. But she knows me and she recognized LaCroix's voice on the radio and described him to me." "She could have listened to his show and found out who he was," Natalie pointed out. "I know, but there's more." Nick pulled the ring out of his pocket. It was shining brightly now; he had rubbed off almost all of the tarnish while Natalie had been with Lily. "She says that this is hers." "It's beautiful," Natalie said softly. The design was a simple one of intertwining flowers, but the craftsmanship was excellent. "And old." "Nat, it belonged to my younger sister, Fleur. I gave it to her on the day I left for battle the first time. I took it off her hand before she was buried. Lily is _positive_ that it's hers." "Did you tell her whose it was?" "No. I would have to explain to much." Nick shook his head in an attempt to clear the confusion, but it didn't help. "If it's her...I don't know what to think...She does remind me of her." Nick smiled at the thought. "Fleur was the sweetest little girl, but she had an amazing fire within her. I was taken prisoner in the Crusades, and thoughts of her kept me sane in that horrible place. I would think of her playing in the garden, or teaching her to read, or walking through the fields with her..." "But that's not her, Nick. It's a confused young woman who hit her head very hard." Natalie pulled open the elevator door and stepped inside. "Now, you go to sleep, too." Nick shut the door softly after Natalie so it didn't clang. He flipped off the light switch, then walked into the kitchen to put away the bottle of blood he had left out. He corked the bottle, then put it back into the fridge, hiding it behind Lily's soymilk. Lily whimpered softly from the couch, but she was quiet again when he had crossed the room. Watching her, he wasn't sure if he wanted to see Fleur or Lily there. He missed his sister every day, along with so many others. Though if it were her, and she still possessed the same stubbornness, then she wouldn't rest until she found the truth. That truth could destroy her if she found herself in LaCroix's presence. He remembered giving the ring to her... "Fleur!" he called out, walking into the dim light of the stables. "Fleur! I know you're in here!" This was where she always came to hide, whether it be from Father, her nurse, confession, or even him. He, however, was the only one who knew where to find her. He climbed to the far end of the building and opened the great doors of the room that held the piled straw. His seven year old sister sat at the bottom of the pile in her favorite blue dress, staring at the closed book she held in her hands. "Fleur, I've come to say goodbye," he said, kneeling down in front of her. "I'm mad at you," she declared, not looking at him. "I don't want to talk to you." "I have to go," he said, cupping her chin with his hand and raising it up. "I can't stay here any longer, you know that." Her lip quivered, and tears filled her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to cry. Nicholas released her chin and she stared defiantly into his eyes. "Who will help me to read, if you go?" she asked accusingly. "You'll have to help yourself, now. You are a very intelligent girl, you can do it. Remember not to let Father find out; I wasn't supposed to teach you. I'm not even supposed to be as learned as I am." He reached into his pocket. "I have something for you." He put the silver ring into her small hand. "I want to make sure that you don't forget me." "I would never forget you, Nicola!" she cried and threw her arms around his neck. "How will you remember me?" "You are in my heart, where you always have been." He pulled her tight against him, then held her away and took her hand. "I know the ring is too big now, but you'll grow into it. Can you read what's written inside?" Fleur pulled the ring close to her face and peered at the Latin inscription inside. She spelled out the word silently, as he had taught her, then said in a small voice: "Sister." Nick put Fleur's ring on the table behind the couch and turned away. He would understand no more of it today. Maybe he should do what Nat had prescribed for them all: sleep. *********************************************************************** Incarnate 4/7 Lily combed her wet hair as she wandered around the loft. Nicola still wasn't awake, and Tracy had claimed the shower immediately after Lily had finished. Her head didn't hurt as badly today, but she had to be careful with the comb so she didn't yank out the stitches. She popped one of her painkillers in her mouth as she drifted through the kitchen and swallowed it without water. She continued to wander, looking at the precious objects that littered the room. Nicola had filled his loft with beautiful things, including a painting she could have sworn was a DiVinci, but, in spite of it all, it seemed barren: more of a waystation than a home. It felt like a hotel that one became accustomed to during a long stay in an unfamiliar city. Lily shook her head at her strange thoughts and spied the silver ring on the table. She picked it up and looked carefully at it. Nicola had never gotten around to telling her whose it had been. As she looked at it, she felt flickers of loss and hurt. She concentrated on the emotions, trying to draw them out, but they disappeared as quickly as they had come. Maybe Dr. Lambert and everyone else was right: it was all just from hitting her head. She angrily shoved the ring in her pocket and flopped down on the couch in front of the home theatre Picking up the remote control, she randomly pressed a button. "-Amateur Night again at the Raven," the familiar voice - Lucien's - said joyfully. "Join us and reveal yourself for the most admiring of audiences -" Lily turned off the radio and stood. The Raven? She remembered one of her fellow students mentioning it: a wild nightclub. If she was to find out what was going on, she knew that she had to speak with this Lucien. That idea made her strangely happy. When she thought of Lucien, her heart ached and filled with an incredible longing. If to find him she must go to the Raven, then that's what she would do. Lily cocked her head and listened. There was no sound from Nicola's bedroom, and the shower was still running. If she was to leave, it had to be now. She reached over the back of the couch for the phone. Nick stood in the kitchen, again drinking straight from the bottle. He had to be quick, while his partner and their charge weren't in the room. If he didn't have enough blood, then he might have a difficult time passing the night with two mortals. He finished the bottle and hid it under the sink. This bovine diet wasn't thrilling, but it sustained him. He got very tired, however, of thoughts of chewing grass. Perhaps what he missed most of all was variety in his diet. He was almost tempted to try rats; Screed had liked them. They _had_ to have more interesting mental lives than cows. "Nick! You have great water pressure!" Tracy exclaimed as she came into the room. "Well, it's one of the reasons I live here," he said, wiping his mouth to be sure none of his breakfast had dripped. His partner was slipping on her holster as he turned. "I don't really think that you're really going to need that," he said in amusement. "We're just going to sit here all night watching television while someone else tries to track down the bad guys." "You never know," she said archly. She looked around. "Where's Lily?" "I thought you were both in the bathroom," Nick said as he concentrated on finding her heartbeat. "She's not here. Damn it! Check outside; I'll call the station." Tracy ran to the elevator and the door slammed shut behind her. Nick picked up the telephone and was about to dial the precinct when he stopped. How would she have gotten anywhere? The keys to his Caddy were still on the table by the door. He hesitated, then stabbed redial. It rang six times, with an interminable wait between each, before it was answered. "Zippy's Taxi. Where to?" a bored voice answered. "This is Detective Knight from Metro Homicide. We have a murder suspect that has escaped in one of your cabs." Nick cringed as he lied. "She was picked up at 101 Gateway; where did she want to go?" "Murder suspect? The driver said she looked like Snow White. I guess you never can tell," the dispatcher rambled as he flipped papers in the background. "Here it is: the Raven. You know, that crazy place -" Nick slammed down the phone and swore under his breath. He should have known: LaCroix. Lily must have found out from where the Nightcrawler broadcast and gone to find the answers that Nick couldn't - wouldn't - provide. She was in danger, and she didn't even know it. Nick grabbed his gun and ran to catch up with his partner. Lily entered the Raven and almost instantly regretted it. The flashing lights made her dizzy and the patrons were loudly cheering the young woman peeling off her clothes on the stage. She also stood out like a clown at a funeral. With her blue jeans and white, oversized men's button-down shirt, she was very likely the only person in the room not wearing black. No-her boots were black, so was her hair. OK, she was the only one who wasn't a fashion victim - or plate, depending on your opinion. But she still stuck out. She threaded her way to the bar, only having to stomp on a few toes to get there. She stood at the bar, waiting impatiently for the liberally be-ringed bartender to notice her. "What can I get for you?" he asked when he finally deigned to attend to her. "I'm looking for Lucien," she yelled to be heard over the music. The bartender stared blankly at her, so she elaborated. "Tall, beautiful blue eyes." He still only looked at her, but with slightly more interest: as if she might be a tasty snack. She wrinkled her brow and concentrated. "LaCroix!" she declared triumphantly. "I know he's here, damn it!" The bartender seemed to suddenly lose interest in tormenting her and pointed to the opposite end of the bar. She leaned over it and could see the back of a head with spiky white-blonde hair. Her heart jumped in recognition and she began to work her way down to him. As she slowly pushed her way through the crowd, Lily caught glimpses of Lucien. He was tall and handsome, as she had known he would be. His blue eyes captured the attention of several scantily-clad young women, holding them in his powerful gaze. As she neared him, her heart pounded, and her stomach fluttered. She felt fear, excitement, and, strangely, love, all at the same time. She was incredibly nervous; it made her want to throw up. She finally stood in front of him, and took a deep breath in hopes of calming her stomach. He looked at her and she found herself snared in the depths of his eyes. "Have you come to dance for us?" he asked, frankly appraising her body. "Going for the naughty schoolgirl look?" As the women around him laughed at her and he smiled indulgently at them, Lily's nervousness evaporated. It was replaced by annoyance. "No, Lucien, I didn't," she declared. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" he asked, unknowingly echoing Nicola's question. "I was hoping you might, because I remember you. Or I thought I did. I don't think that you were as irritating then." The young women edged away as Lucien stared at her. She was unable to decipher the look on his face, but it seemed composed of amusement, irritation, and interest. He glanced at the young women and they quickly melted into the crowd. "Even with that...intriguing...comment, I'm afraid I don't remember you," he said, smiling at her. "Perhaps we could renew our acquaintance with a drink, however." "No, thank you, I'm not allowed to drink right now," Lily replied, thinking of the interaction warnings on her prescription bottle. "Well, I may have one anyway." Lucien took her arm and led her to a door beside the bar. He opened it and she entered, somewhat hesitantly. This wasn't the Lucien she felt she knew. She had expected someone less...abrasive. The room appeared to be a soundbooth. From the window she could see the clubs patrons gyrating to music she couldn't hear. The walls must be soundproof...but they would have to be, if this was from where the Nightcrawler broadcast. "What can I do for you, Miss...?" Lucien asked as he sat down in the chair behind the table. "Delray. Lily Delray." She looked for another chair, but there was only the one. He hadn't even offered it to her. Jerk. "You don't recognize me?" "No." "Nicola didn't either, but I know both of you." Lily pulled out the ring from her pocket and tossed it to him. "Do you recognize this? Nicola had it, but I'm convinced it's mine." He looked briefly at the ring then tossed it dismissively onto the table. "No, I've never seen it before." His eyes suddenly narrowed. "Did Nicholas send you here?" "No. Actually, I suppose I've escaped police custody." Oops. She hadn't really thought of it that way. "Police custody? My, my. You _are_ interesting. And quite beautiful. Come closer, little one." He held out his hand and Lily found herself stepping towards him in spite of her increasing discomfort in his presence. She took hold of his hand and he drew her down onto his lap. He slowly ran his hand up her back and under her hair, stroking her neck gently with the tips of his fingers. She closed her eyes as she felt his lips touch her throat softly. He pulled her closer as his teeth scraped lightly across her neck. She shivered in pleasure as he continued to kiss her throat, only his hand holding her head up. Her awareness narrowed until all she felt was the spot where his lips touched her skin. She would be willing to stay there forever, as long as he didn't stop. She whimpered as he pulled back his head back slightly. "LaCroix!" Lily's eyes flew open and, suddenly realizing that she was on the lap of a man she didn't know, thrust herself away. Nicola stood in the doorway, anger clouding his features. His eyes seemed to glow gold in the flashing lights of the club. He grabbed her hand, and she didn't resist as he pulled her to his side. "Ah, Nicholas, I seem to have found your runaway," Lucien said calmly. "I'm afraid I don't know her as she expected me to. We were about to become much better acquainted when you interrupted us." "She's under police protection, LaCroix-_my_ protection," Nicola said, the tone of his voice implying something that Lily felt she should understand. "Come on, Tracy's in the crowd looking for you." Lily let herself be pulled out of the soundbooth. She looked over her shoulder to see the man she had thought she knew looking intently at the ring she had left behind. He raised his piercing eyes to hers just as her view was cut off by the writhing crowd. ************************************************************************** Incarnate 5/7 "Well, I'm glad you found her," the Captain's voice sounded sarcastically over the speakerphone. "I just finished reading the report on her apartment. Like the murder, there was nothing. No fingerprints, nothing. The neighbors, of course, saw nothing." Tracy looked despairingly at Nick, then asked, "Do you think it was the mugger, just out for a quick buck? It sounds like a professional job." "The mugger could have sold the keys and address," Nick agreed. "If it was that clean, then I doubt it was someone who needed to resort to mugging." "That's what I'm thinking. Well, we'll keep our eyes out for anything of hers to turn up, but I think that's all there is." The Captain sighed. "The locks have been changed on the doors, and I think I even convinced the landlord not to charge her for it." "So we're just taking her home?" Tracy asked, not looking too pleased. "There's really nothing else we can do. I'll have the regular patrols make some extra stops in the neighborhood. I don't like it either, but we can't afford to have you two hiding away forever. Take her home then come on in and have a look at the report. Maybe you can see something I missed." The Captain hung up. He'd sounded as frustrated as Nick felt. Tracy sat back from the table and looked defeated. Nick didn't want to let Lily out of his sight, but he knew that Captain Reese was right. "Trace, why don't you head down to the station and start in on the report. You've gotten much better and finding the important details in those things." He was telling the truth; Tracy could follow a paper trail and find the connections that no one else could see. "I'll take Lily back to her place and make sure it's safe." "All right," his partner said and stood up. "I'll see you, Lily. I promise to let you know if we find anything." "Bye," Lily replied, peering over the back of the couch. When the door had clanged shut behind his partner, Nick stood and walked to where Lily still peeked over the couch. "When you saw LaCroix, did he have your answers?" "No...He wasn't how I thought he'd be," she said, her blue eyes sparking with annoyance. "Whose ring was it, Nicola?" She turned and slid back down to sit on the couch. Nick walked around and sat beside her. He wanted so much to be honest with her, but he couldn't think of a way to tell even part of the truth without compromising too many secrets. "Yes, Nicholas, whose was it?" Lily jumped, but Nick was unsurprised. Once he had realized that Lily had shown him the ring, Nick knew that LaCroix would appear. He had only hoped to have Lily home before this confrontation. Nick said nothing as his master moved to stand in front of the couch. "I can read, Nicholas...Answer me!" Nick raised his head to meet the angry gaze that was focused upon him. Lily moved as if to stand, but he put his hand on her arm to keep her still. He wanted LaCroix to focus his anger on him, not her. LaCroix held the ring out toward him, and Nick could read the inscription carved on the inside. _Soror_. Sister. "Would you believe me if I said that it was another sister's?" Nick asked half-heartedly. "No." "Fine. It was hers. It was Fleur's." "Your sister?" Lily asked in amazement. "But how...?" "I don't know," Nick replied honestly. "Is there anything else you remember? Anything at all?" "I don't know...I had a dream today that seems connected, but I can't remember how." She looked at Nick for encouragement and he nodded at her to continue. "I was sitting in a garden at night; it was summer and the roses were blooming. The air was full of their almost overpowering fragrance. I had a book in my lap, but I wasn't reading it. I had only brought it out for show. What I wanted to do was stare at the stars and wait. I didn't know for whom I was waiting, but I desperately wanted him to be there. It was as if the name and face had been taken from me, and all I could remember was the longing..." She looked up at LaCroix. "It was how I felt when I heard your voice on the radio tonight. That's why I went to the club; I couldn't _not_ go. I had to find you..." Her voice trailed off in an almost piteous plea for understanding, but LaCroix stared at her with cold eyes. He suddenly turned to Nick, his face a terrifying mask of fury. "I will not believe this!" he roared. "Nicholas, you will stop this cruel charade at once!" "I have nothing to do with this!" Nick yelled back. "Do you really think that I would remind you of her? You are the one who is cruel and heartless. How can you _not_ believe her?!" Lily stood suddenly and Nick lost his grip on her arm. She took a step toward LaCroix and put a hand on his chest. She looked like a child standing up to a giant. "Lucien, please don't be angry!" she said, her tone somewhere between anger and pleading. "I'm not making this up. I don't understand what's going on." She turned to Nick and stood directly between the two, to shield whom, he didn't know. "Nicola, please don't fight with him." LaCroix suddenly pushed Lily away and she fell to the floor. She sat up and he stood over her, the gold glints of his anger beginning to show in his eyes. Nick was afraid to move, knowing that if he judged incorrectly, Lily's life would be forfeit. Lily stood up, only inches from LaCroix and stared him straight in the eye. Her body shook, but not from fear. Her eyes were nearly black and her face grew even more beautiful as her color rose. When she spoke, her voice was that of a cold, controlled fury that easily matched that of his master. "I will not be bullied by any man. Disbelieve anything else I say, but believe that. I am telling the truth, Lucien. About everything. I don't want to feel this way, but I do. I am in love with you and I don't even know you." LaCroix stepped back a step at this revelation, but Lily stepped forward. "You are a rude, obnoxious man, but I still feel that way." LaCroix again stepped back, and Lily followed. "It feels that my whole life led up to that moment I stood in front of you for the first time. And what do you do? You make some vulgar comment. All I want is to be with you, even though the very sight of you irritates me! Do you think that I would make this up? Don't you think that this bothers me?" LaCroix tried again to escape, but found himself backed against the armchair. Lily pushed against his chest and he fell into it. She stood over him, seeming huge in her wrath. "I've only met you, but I know that you're mine in a way I can't even begin to comprehend." She turned suddenly to Nick. "And you! I remember more of you every moment. I know that you talk in your sleep. I know that you hate spicy sausage. I know that you're arrogant about your education, but you had to hide your books from Father!" She stopped momentarily at this, but then continued, even angrier. "And you used to make me eat that damned spicy sausage when Mother wasn't looking! As a matter of fact, I can't tolerate the sight of either of you!" With that scathing condemnation, she whirled on her heel and stormed up the stairs into the bedroom and slammed the door after her. The sound reverberated in the silence of the loft as Nick sat perfectly still, stunned by the ferocity of her outburst. He had no doubts now. "Spicy sausage?" LaCroix asked quietly. "I hated it. It was the only mean thing I ever did to Fleur." "Except take away her memories." Nick shook his head in exasperation. After hundreds of years, doing the right thing could still be held against him. He wished that he were brave enough to face LaCroix the way Lily had. "I had to, and you know it. For how long must I hear you on this?" "Maybe not for much longer. I may have found your redemption," he replied, staring at the closed bedroom door. "If Fleur is there, even in part...I do not say that I believe, but there are ways to find out." LaCroix stood and was suddenly gone from the loft. Nick sighed and flopped back against the couch. Now he had to take Lily home. That would undoubtedly be a silent ride. Lily stood in the ruin of her apartment. It was nearly dark and she had just woken up. She had computer time scheduled for tonight that she may as well use, even though the results would be almost meaningless without the rest of the supporting data. But it would help to take her mind off things. She had begun to unearth the kettle from the mess of her kitchen when there was a knock at the door. She almost didn't answer it, but she was never one to not open a closed door. In light of her recent experiences, however, she stood on tiptoe to peer through the peephole. A man in a uniform was holding a long silver box, looking bored. She kept the chain on and opened the door. "Lily Delray?" he asked, not sounding terribly interested in the answer. "Yes." He merely held out the box, which she grabbed and pulled through the narrow opening in the door. He still stood there expectantly. "What?" she asked irritably. "It's customary to give a tip," he said icily. "Yeah? OK: don't wear plaid and stripes," she snapped and slammed the door. Shaking her head, she opened the box to find it stuffed full of pink roses, at least two dozen. She dropped the box on the kitchen counter and dug out the card. It was bound to be from one of her two new-found annoyances. "...but the rain Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh Upon the glass and listen for reply..." I apologize for my earlier behavior. I would speak with you. I will come, should you wish it. Lucien A phone number followed. Despite herself, Lily was moved by the brief note. The poetry was Edna St. Vincent Millay, and she had no doubt that that it had been carefully chosen. Perhaps she should reply with one of her own: "I find this frenzy insufficient reason/ For conversation when we meet again." But she really didn't feel that way. She wanted to see him more than anything else right now. She might kill him at their next meeting, but she still wanted to see him. She unearthed the phone from the mass of papers still strewn about the floor and dialed the number on the card. "Hello?" his deep, sleepy voice answered. "Lucien, you may come," she said, and hung up. ************************************************************************ Incarnate 6/7 Lucien had not appeared by the time she was ready to leave. This irked her incredibly. She stalked down the street, her posture enough to discourage the local ruffians from even making their usual catcalls. As she approached the building that housed the physics lab, she heard a branch crack behind her. She spun around to find a man in the shadows by the trees. She prepared to run, but he stepped partway into the light, revealing himself. "Lucien," she stated coldly. She wanted to run to him, bury herself in his arms, but she stood still. She wished that she had had the foresight to steal Nicola's gun. She wanted to shoot this man. It was a very confusing mix of emotions; she wasn't even sure that the most loving ones were hers. "Lily...I'm sorry." She could tell that those weren't words he said very often. She assumed that he meant them, but it didn't make her any less angry with him. "Why are you such an ass?" she asked calmly. She was truly interested in the answer. She wasn't being facetious at all, though she knew it probably sounded that way. She really wanted to know how he could be this way now, when she remembered him as being so different. He stood silently for a moment, then answered. "When I lost Fleur, I lost every part of me that was good. She was pure and innocent and I wanted to take that into me and destroy it for my own selfish reasons. I gave her up, but in the process, I became the evil that Nicholas believed me to be. I never again thought to see love; I never cared to, except in memory." Lily stepped closer to the shadows. Oh, how she wanted to comfort him, to assure him that he had found his love again. She ached to be in his arms, to feel his lips on her as she felt last night, but she held herself firm. She refused to give in to these emotions that seemed so alien, so unlike herself. She had never felt emotion this strong, neither love nor hate. The feelings overwhelmed her, making her heart pound and her throat close up. "Please come with me," he said, holding out his hand. "I've missed you..." "I'm not her," she choked out. "I can't be who you want me to be. I'm Lily Delray, not Fleur de Brabant. I'm not innocent and pure like her." Her voice cracked with suppressed emotion. "I want you, Lucien, but I can't...I'm not her!" "Stop, Lily," he said softly. "Come and see me tonight. That's all I ask, nothing more." "It will be late. I have work to do." "I'll wait. Come to the Raven when you're finished. Even if we're closed, you'll be allowed entry...Please." She couldn't resist the appeal that came from those lips. She nodded mutely and ran into the building. She would be there tonight, even if it meant her soul. The front door of the Raven was locked when the taxi let her out. It was nearly three in the morning; she really hadn't expected it to still be open. Since it was so late, she had decided to go home and change. What did it matter if it was 2:30 or 3:00? She put on her favorite dress, a tight gray lace snippet, and even put on a little make-up. She took Lucien at his word and knocked on the door. It was opened by the bartender from the night before. He was much more courteous tonight, by comparison. He stretched his hand out in invitation, though he didn't speak. She resisted the urge to say something shocking to him just to see his reaction, and entered the club. There were still patrons at the bar, and their eyes followed her closely as she walked down the stairs. The bartender stepped beside her and pointed to a door behind the bar. She figured that this was where Lucien was and walked across the empty dance floor and down the unlit hallway. The door at the end opened to reveal an apartment decorated in the modern style. The couch was big and comfortable and all the surfaces were of smoked glass. Though it didn't look at all like it, it reminded her of Nicola's loft. Lucien stood in front of the fireplace with a glass of red wine, his back to the door. "I wasn't sure you would come," he said as the door shut behind her. "I couldn't stay away." He turned toward her with an inscrutable expression. He motioned to the couch and she sat down. After a moment's hesitation, he joined her. "Oh, Lucien, I haven't laughed so much in ages!" Lily exclaimed. "Neither have I," he said, smiling. It was nearly 7:00 now, and they had been talking for hours. Lily had told him everything about herself, trying to make him see Lily, and not Fleur. She had her shoes off and her legs stretched across the couch and Lucien's legs. His hand had rested on her bare ankle for the last fifteen minutes, and she hadn't heard a word he'd said since he put it there. She could tell what response to his story was expected of her by the look on his face, but all she cared about was his hand on her body. She had tried mentally willing him to do more, but that didn't seem to be working. It was time for another tack. "Lucien," she said, interrupting the beginning of another of his stories. "Yes?" "Be quiet and come here," she said, leaning toward him. He hesitated, and Lily moved closer. He _still_ didn't move, so she trailed her fingers along his cheekbone and down his neck. His eyes closed and Lily moved within millimeters of his lips. "Lily..." he said thickly, his eyes still closed. "You should go." "No, I want to stay," she answered, brushing her lips against his as she spoke. "Don't send me away." "I can't..." he began and trailed off as she slid her tongue along his lips. "You have to..." "I have to _stay_," she whispered. With a sudden movement, he pulled her against him and opened his mouth to hers. She reveled in the sweet taste of him, his soft lips and sharp teeth. He desperately kissed her, as if she might disappear in a moment. He pressed her against the cushions as his kisses trailed from her lips to her neck. His lips pressed hard against her throat, cutting off her breath and making her dizzy. "Lucien," she gasped, "I know what you are..." It took him a few seconds, but the words filtered through to his brain. He lifted his head and looked at her with eyes of beautiful golden fire. "Are you not afraid?" he asked in amazement. "No...I cannot fear you, Lucien." She put her hand to his cheek and ran her thumb across his lips. "I remembered as you spoke. I remembered why you left. Why you and Nicola fought." His lips finally opened at her caress and she slipped her thumb into his mouth. He enveloped it in slippery wetness and flicked his tongue over the tip of it. When she felt one of his extended canines, she pressed against it until she felt the tooth pierce her skin. She gasped at he sudden sharp pain, then it suddenly disappeared. Lucien sucked at her thumb, making it numb with the sudden loss of blood. She could feel what he felt, his blood mingling with hers. She could see herself through his eyes, even closed as they were. She felt her own love for him, magnified a hundredfold in each drop of blood. She could feel his wonder and pleasure at the honey sweetness of her trust in him. The euphoria began to overwhelm her, until, without warning, he pulled her hand away and pushed her off the couch. "Get out!" he roared. "Lucien, no! Don't make me leave!" Lily struggled up from the floor only to discover him gone from the couch and across the room. "Leave! Now!" She could feel his desperation and anger in her mind through the blood that they had shared. He growled wordlessly at her and she ran for the door. As she opened it, she slammed into someone, but didn't wait to see who. She ran for the front door and didn't stop until she stood in the first ray of dawn. Nick was not surprised to be woken up by the echoes of LaCroix feeding. He had felt him do so already early in the evening with a viciousness unusual even for him. This, however, was different. Interlaced with the bloodlust was a love and a struggle for control that Nick had never before felt, except in himself. When he held Natalie in his arms, he felt the same keen pain, the same desire to have just a taste, and the knowledge that he must not. LaCroix's emotional backlash terrified him so much that he braved the nearing of the dawn to find out what was wrong. When Lily plowed into him sweet with the scent of fresh blood, he understood. He slipped into the room and shut the door behind him as LaCroix raged. He picked up a glass end table and hurtled it across the room, growling as it shattered. It was quickly followed by a chair and the desk. "I wanted her," his master hissed at him. "I brought her here to bring her across. To destroy this jest you would have with me." He threw a leaded glass decanter and it exploded against the wall near Nick's head. "But she is telling the truth!" "Then why are you so angry?" "I should be happy?" he asked bitterly. "I should rejoice for another time to destroy my only joy? I should be happy to touch a love that I can never have? I should be happy to want to destroy that trust? I lost her once; I do not believe that I have the strength to do it again." LaCroix turned on him with a rage that he had never before seen. Nick backed out of the room, knowing that his life was worth nothing to his master right now. He pulled the door shut behind him as another decanter shattered against it. He would have to wait out the day here with the insane beast that was LaCroix. Lily awoke from a nightmare of white-hot fury and blinding pain to the cool dimness of her apartment and the shrill ring of her telephone. She clambered across the bed and pulled open the drawer into which she had shoved the phone when she had stumbled in this morning. She knew who it was as she answered it. "Lucien," she said sleepily smiling. "_Ma cheri_, I must speak with you," the silken voice said. She could feel his agitation in her blood like a slap. "I'll be right there," she said, reaching for her abandoned clothes. "No." The agitation disappeared to be replaced by a mixture of love and fear. "I will come for you when it's dark. Wait for me." The phone went dead in her hand, but Lily could feel his love like a caress against her skin. In a daze, she put the receiver back into the cradle and walked to the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror, staring into her own eyes, knowing that Lucien thought only of her at this moment. She closed her eyes and ran her hand across her bare skin. She gasped with pleasure as she felt the sensation reflected back at her, multiplied by an animal lust that both excited and frightened her. When the sensation finally faded and she was able to breathe once again, she opened her eyes and, with trembling hands, got a glass of water from the tap. Her ears were ringing; she must have truly forgotten to breathe. She stepped out of the bathroom, smiling, and was suddenly slammed against the wall. She tried to struggle but there was more than one who held her. A hand pressed itself over her nose and mouth so she couldn't even scream. All she could do was hang limp as she suffocated, screaming his name in her mind. *********************************************************************** Incarnate 7/7 At dusk, Nick got the phone call he knew would be coming. LaCroix had told him that something was wrong, but he couldn't clarify it enough to give him something to call in to the station. LaCroix had paced for the two hours before sunset, his emotions tightly under control until the cellular phone had buzzed. "Right," Nick said and flipped shut his phone. "There was another break-in at Lily's. This time, one of the neighbors noticed the open door and called it in...She's gone." "Where?" LaCroix asked in a dangerous voice. "They don't know; they haven't even been over the entire scene yet," Nick pulled on his jacket and ran out the front door. "I'll find her. Stay here!" Nick was at the crime scene in less than a minute. The apartment looked pretty much the same, except the bed was made up. Tracy was bent over a spot on the floor and jumped as he touched her on the shoulder. "Jeez, Nick! You scared me!" Tracy exclaimed, then pointed at the floor. "Mud and sand -" "It hasn't rained in over a week -" "The harbor." They both said at the same time. Nick felt a rush of air and whirled around. No one was there, but he had a bad feeling that someone had been. Tracy slammed on the anti-lock brakes as Nick yelled. "Here, let me out! You take the other end." Nick jumped out of his partner's sensible car and sprinted for the nearest warehouse before an argument could start. He had felt a burst of fury and known that he was in the right spot. He could only hope that Tracy would get as far away as possible before LaCroix saw her. If Lily were dead, LaCroix might be uncontrollable. Nick pulled open the door to see LaCroix holding a man off the ground by the throat. Another lay dead on the ground in a crumpled heap. LaCroix was about to sink his teeth into the throat of one in his hands when Nick fired his gun into the air. LaCroix dropped his quarry in surprise and Nick rushed to stand inbetween them. He had no particular desire to see this thug live, but he was a police officer, and he couldn't just ignore that. LaCroix hissed at him and moved to throw him out of the way when there was a soft whimper from the corner. LaCroix was there in a moment. Lily was tied to a rusty bedframe, her clothes in tatters and her body covered with a fine network of cuts. A razor blade lay gleaming in the pool of blood that had dripped from her abused body. His master carefully untied her hands and feet, being as gentle as he possibly could. In spite of his care, however, Lily still cried out as he brushed some of the cuts. He began to lift her into his arms, but stopped when she again cried out. Her back, as well as her front, had been sliced open. Her face alone was been untouched, and LaCroix rested his hand on her cheek. "Oh, Lucien, I hurt," she whimpered. He felt the rage in LaCroix break at that moment. He felt him reach out to Lily's heartbeat and capture it. "Lily, listen to me," he began. Lily weakly pressed her bloody fingers to his lips and begged, "No, Lucien, please. _Don't leave me_." LaCroix gently pulled her hand away, leaving bloody smears on his lips, and continued: "Listen to me. You will not remember me or Nicholas. You will not remember Fleur." He raised his head to look around the warehouse, then back at her. "You will not remember tonight." He lowered his voice to so low a whisper, Nick almost couldn't hear it. "You _will_ remember that you are loved. Do you understand?" "Yes," Lily replied dully. "Close your eyes and sleep." Lily did as she was told as LaCroix sat there and simply watched her. Nick tried to speak, but found that he couldn't. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I'll go get my partner. It'll take me a few minutes, but you should be gone when we get back." His master didn't move, but he knew that he had been heard. Nick left the building, and when he returned with Tracy, LaCroix was gone. Epilogue Nick watched Natalie as she watched the video. He had finally convinced her to take a night off with him, and spend it only with him. She was curled on the other end of the couch, her eyes closing for longer each time she blinked. She was nearly asleep. He marveled that she trusted him enough to be completely defenseless. She rarely even thought about the fact that he once preyed on mortals, that he could kill her in only seconds. As he watched her sleep in the flickering light of the television, he wondered if he would be able to do as LaCroix had done. Would he be able to refuse Natalie if she asked-begged-him to bring her across? Could he look into her eyes full of pain and refuse her? Could he do it, not just once, but twice? He hoped that he never had to answer that question. He turned off the television and switched on the radio. LaCroix's voice filled the room: "I only know that summer sang in me A little while, that sings in me no more." Wagner's _Tristan und Isolde_ began to pour forth from the speakers. Nick turned off the radio and sat in empty, dark silence.