Disclaimer: The characters of BtVS, Angel, and Forever Knight do not belong to me. (However, I wouldn't if they would come and visit.)
Summary: Nick and Angel lose their murder victim, thanks to Buffy. Angel gets a surprise visit from someone in his past.
Author's Note: I'd like to thank all those that have encouraged me with this story. I owe you a lot. After receiving a rather nasty "flame," I had decided to stop this story. I had thought that maybe the flamer had made some good points. However, I have received so many requests for more updates to this story and so many nice comments about the story that I am continuing. Three cheers for my cheerleaders! Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray!
Chapter 3 – You Can Never Hide From Your Sire
Nick was leaning casually against one of the walls in Nat's office, waiting for his new partner to return. Angel was escorting his wife out of the building. She had been talking about finding some "nest" that had to be "dusted." He shuddered. He knew full well what she was going to do, and even if he'd probably attack any vampire that he knew had killed a mortal, still it was a disturbing thought. Slayers. Not something he'd ever thought he'd face. And live. And Angelus. He has a relationship with one.
"Penny for your thoughts, Nick?" Nat interrupted his reverie.
"I was wondering if I'll survive being in the same city as the Slayer." Nick said pensively, he looked up and gave her a nervous smile.
"Well, she was remarkable. But, if push came to shove, I'd bet on you."
"I wouldn't." Angel remarked as he came into the room. "Nobody beats Buffy. Nobody."
Natalie forced her heart to slow down. The man was even quieter than Nick. When he walks into a room, it's like watching a panther on the hunt. Everything about this man screams predator. "But, she's so small."
Angel chuckled. "Yes. But there's a lot of power in a small package. Well, Nick?"
"Yes, we need to get back to work. And I need to warn Janette and LaCroix about your... wife."
Nat jumped as a low and menacing growl filled the room. She looked at Angel in shock. He was growling, no doubt about it.
"What do you mean, warn?" Angel demanded as he moved threateningly towards Nick. Nick stood his ground. Like Angel, he was a predator with centuries of instinct, he wasn't backing down. "If any harm comes to her..."
Now it was Nick's turn to chuckle. "I thought you said no one beat Buffy."
Angel grabbed Nick by his collar and shoved him against a wall, once more growling with menace. Natalie grabbed at Angel and tried pulling him off of Nick, but it was no good. He was a solid mass of steel and blood. "Angel! Angel It wasn't her I was worried about, it's them. I just want them to know... Angel, they're my family."
Angel stepped back and released Nick. He smiled sheepishly and looked down at his feet. Looking up, he stretched out his hand. "I'm sorry, Nick. I just love her so much, I get a little crazy when I think of anyone hurting her. Family, huh? Your Childer?"
Nick clasped Angel's hand in a warm manner and chuckled. "No, I never really raised the vampires I made. And there weren't that many of them. LaCroix is my Sire and Jannette, well, Jannette's is also LaCroix's. He turned her 128 years before he met me. We've been together for centuries. We may leave each other temporarily but we always seem to drift back together again. Even if I wanted to, I can never hide from my Sire."
Angel smiled at this. He remembered his own family. He and Darla, Spike, and his dear Drusilla were inseparable at one time. Deadly, too. But then came the Curse and everything changed. Sometimes he missed it. He missed them, well, maybe not Spike. But, his little girl, her he would always miss. Angel looked back into Nick's eyes. "I understand, Nick. Truly I do. I had a family like yours once. We can talk to Buffy, but she has a duty. If she catches them feeding, she'll have no choice. Do you understand? Maybe we should start to work, though, I wouldn't want to get fired on my first day."
Nick chuckled and they turned to Nat. She smiled and started shifting back and forth on her feet, nervously. "Well, guys. We have a problem with your case."
Nick face turned serious. Great, he thought, what now? Angel, however, was still smiling. "Let me guess, Doctor. My wife has dusted our murder victim."
Natalie's face broke into a wide smile. Oh, my, this man could make your hair curl. It should be a crime to be that sexy. "Exactly, Detective. Dust in the wind, so to speak. We'll have to talk fast to do something about this."
Angel made an audible sigh that Nat could feel to her toes. "If we were in Sunnydale, we could always blame it on biker gangs on PCP."
"I'm not going to ask." Nick laughed. "I'm just not going to ask. We'd better go as long as we don't have a case. Perhaps we can think of a report over a drink or something."
"Great. Goodbye, Dr. Lambert." Angel turned and smiled at the medical examiner.
Back in his car, Nick thought of his first day with his new partner. It was turning out very interesting indeed. They should work out fine. They had a lot in common but were also quite different. They may both be vampires, but both Angel and Nick knew that's where the similarities ended. There were several distinct types of vampires in the world with a great deal of variation. Angel's type was of the most deadly, vicious, and evil. Nick knew this. But, oddly enough he wasn't threatened by Angel. It was actually quite comforting to find another vampire who was sickened by what he'd done.
"Stop the car!" Angel demanded.
As Nick eased the car to the side of the road, Angel vaulted out of the car and headed down an alley. Nick followed cautiously. He hadn't sensed anything. There was no telling what Angel had picked up. Their senses worked on the same basic system, but Angel's could've been more precise. Nick really didn't know a great deal about this type of vampire, and Angel, in particular. Rounding the corner, he walked into the alley. There in the middle of the alley were Angel and a young woman talking with animation. The woman was very beautiful. She was tall with long dark ebony hair and skin like a porcelain doll. He could hear that she was speaking with a Cockney accent. Angel was markedly agitated to see her. And, as he got closer, he saw why. She was a vampire, and judging by the scent he was picking up, she belonged to Angel. He was her Sire.
