Blood Bonds Part III
A Forever Knight story by Merrie Thomas
Disclaimer: All characters you're familiar with don't belong to me. Those
that you aren't, do.
Characters: Lacroix, Nick, Natalie, Tracy, Erin Gabriel OFC,
Summary: Someone or something is after Lacroix, and it is up to Nick and
Nat to find out who it is and how to stop them.
Author's Note: Be kind, this is only my second attempt at Forever Knight
fanfic. This takes place in the third season after Ashes to Ashes. Also,
'...' indicates the character is thinking to themself.
Rating: This story is rated PG-13
Tracy couldn't believe what was happening. She was so fixed on who was now stretched out on her living room couch that she barely noticed Natalie and another young woman she had never met before come in after Nick. The young woman glanced at her suspiciously and then turned and closed Tracy's front door. "How is he?" Natalie directed at Nick.
"Not good, Nat. He should be awake by now. Something else is wrong." Nick answered her with an unsure look on his face.
"Ok wait a moment! What the heck is going on here? Why is he of all people in my apartment?! Don't you people know what he is? And who the hell are you?" Tracy shouted, turning to Erin.
"Whoa, calm down Tracy. I said I'd explain everything when we got here, and I am going to keep this promise." She turned towards Erin. "This is Erin Gabriel. You might find a colleague in her, she doesn't know exactly what's going on right now either."
"You're damn right I don't! I thought we were going to a hospital! This sure doesn't seem like any hospital I've ever seen before! And you said you guys were cops, right? I have yet to have seen one single badge! Why don't I just call the police right now and find out who the hell you people are?!" In response, Tracy flipped open her badge and gave it to Erin to inspect.
"My name is Det. Tracy Vetter, and I can assure you, I am just as confused by all of this as you are."
"I sincerely doubt it, lady." Erin glanced over the badge. She seemed somewhat appeased. "What about kidnaper's over there? He said he was a cop too. Well, time to put your badge where your mouth is, mister." Nick sighed, giving Natalie a pleading look. Natalie in turn shrugged as if to say, 'it's not my fault. We just have to deal with it.' He then took out his badge and threw it to Erin who caught it one handed. She then opened it up and inspected it thoroughly. "All right, this seems to be real as well. So, if you people are who you say you are why did you kidnap Lucien and ride with him in the trunk?" At that, Tracy looked over a Nick with wide eyes.
"Nick? Tell me you're not..." She faded out, unable to finish the sentence.
"Yes, Tracy I am. I am sorry I have never told you before. I believe you know Lacroix is one as well. In fact, he's the one who brought me across." Tracy's jaw dropped.
"How? Why? You could have trusted me. I would have kept your secret, Nick. Why didn't you tell me sooner. I assume you knew about Vachon." Her eyes welled up a little at the mention of his name.
"Wait a damn minute here! What in God's name are you people talking about? You and Lucien are one of what? What do you mean, 'brought across?' What are you people talking about?"
Tracy looked at Nick and Natalie at the mention of Lacroix's first name with a bit of a raised eyebrow, but didn't answer Erin's question.
"Well, Erin I think you better sit down for this one." Natalie said slowly.
"Why? What's wrong?" Erin asked.
"Miss Gabriel is it?" At Erin's nod, Nick continued. "Miss Gabriel, Lacroix and I...we're vampires. In fact, we've been vampires for a very, very long time." At Tracy's astonished look, he added. "In fact, I am over eight hundred years old myself. As for Lacroix...well, he was a general." Nick said with a small grin.
"What do you mean a general? Like in the army? Which army?" Tracy asked, confused.
"Roman. But he lived in Pompeii actually. In fact, he witnessed first hand it's destruction when Mt. Vesuvius erupted."
"Roman...Pompeii...Vesuvius..." Tracy and Natalie mumbled at the same time, casting glances toward Lacroix. Nick watched them, amused. He hadn't told Natalie about that part of Lacroix's past either. There had seemed no point.
Erin scoffed however. "Vampires? Yeah right. I'm calling the police. You people are psycho!" She turned to be looking for a phone as quickly as she could. She wasn't quick enough.
"Erin!" Nick shouted, bearing his fangs and sporting a pair of glowing yellow eyes. The blood in her face drained out as she saw him for what he really was.
"You-you were telling the truth. You really are a vampire!" She sat down next to the couch, shaking.
"I'm sorry to have to show you like that, but it was the only way to get you to believe me. Now that you believe me, believe me when I tell you that Lacroix here needs our help."
"Why did you bring him here-" "What's wrong with him?" Tracy and Erin asked at the same time. They looked at one another.
"To answer both of your questions, he was attacked sometime today, we found him nearly staked to death in his own home." At Erin's shocked look he clarified. "Staking is one of the few methods to kill us. We can also be killed by fire, decapitation, and sunlight. We can't stand religious symbols such as crosses."
"I've seen the movies, I know the drill. But if someone staked Lucien, why isn't he dead?"
"I'm afraid I don't know that, Erin. As for Tracy's question, you are the only person we could turn to. Lacroix was attacked in his own home. I don't trust anywhere else, even my loft. Also, all of the vampires we knew were killed by Lacroix's immortal daughter, Divia." Nick caught himself as he realized what he had just revealed.
"That's-that's what happened to Vachon, isn't it? He didn't leave did he? I know that he would never do that to me. He wouldn't just leave. I knew it. And he," she gestured to LaCroix, "tried to make me forget. He would have succeeded if you hadn't said anything. Alright, now I know why you came here, but what do you expect me to do about it? We can't all just camp out at my place, can we? What about him?" She asked, once again gesturing to Lacroix.
As if on cue, Lacroix issued a slow groan from his place on the couch. Nick, Natalie, Erin and Tracy immediately rushed to his side, Nick being the first, Erin not far behind. "Lacroix? Speak to me. Are you alright? Who did this to you?"
"What is he saying?" Natalie asked, hearing Lacroix's mumbled response before he fell back into the abyss.
"It's, I'm not sure exactly, Nat. It seemed to be in Latin, but not the church Latin I learned in school. I can only assume it was his original language. I have never heard him speak it before." He put a hand to Lacroix's forehead. He drew it back with a bit of a gasp. "Nat? He's...he's warm."
"What do you mean, he's warm?" Natalie asked, placing her own hand on LaCroix's face. She found it a bit intimidating to be so close to the one person she had truly feared. He didn't seem so fearful now, though. He almost seemed...human. "Oh my God, you're right. He is warm. You don't think there's another fever, do you Nick? I mean, it's happened once before, who's to say that it can't happen again?"
"You were infected by the fever, weren't you Nick? I remember that was one of the only times I had ever seen you look sick before. I never did find out how that was cured. I take it Natalie had something to do with it?"
"Actually, Lacroix discovered the cure unknowingly, Natalie saw it for what it was."
"Wait a minute here, it's all well and good that you seem to be getting over the initial shock of real vampirism, Detective Vetter, you've obviously had some experience with them, but I'm new in town and I don't know what the hell you're talking about."
"I'm sorry, Erin. A fever nearly destroyed the entire vampire population a while back. It was the first known illness in history to affect vampires."
"And you think Lucien might have it again?"
"No, not necessarily, but a vampire isn't supposed to have any body heat, feel Nick's hands sometime if you don't believe me, but Lacroix's does. That's why we believe he may have contracted a new form of the fever."
"I notice you keep using Mr. Lacroix's first name, Erin. Have you known him long? I don't know anyone who uses his first name." Tracy stated.
Erin blushed. "I uh...actually I don't really know him at all, except as the Nightcrawler. I was supposed to meet him in person tonight at the club. I call him Lucien because it's a habit of mine. I usually use a person's first and full name rather than nicknames or last names. In a little while you'll find me calling all of you by your first names without ever asking me to. It's a habit, but that's just the way I am."
"You mean to tell me that you've never met him before tonight? Then why did you make such a fuss when we tried to take him from the club?" Nick asked.
"Oh come on! Just because you haven't met someone doesn't mean that you are simply going to let someone else you've never met seem to kidnap them, now are you? I thought you were supposed to be a police officer."
"I've been a lot of things, but right now I am simply worried about Lacroix. Nat? Is there anyway of knowing exactly what's wrong with him?"
"Not here, there isn't. I would have to take some blood tests back to the lab. In the mean time, let's try and wake him up. It would help if he could tell us just what happened. Maybe he knows what is happening to him."
"You're right, Nat. We need to know if whoever did this to him is still after him." He turned to Lacroix and gently laid a hand on his master's shoulder. "Lacroix? Come back to us. You need to wake up. Lacroix?" At the mention of his name, he groaned again and began mumbling in his ancient first language once more. His voice reached a climax and began to fade out again as he began to lose consciousness. Nick saw this and began to shake him. "Lacroix! Don't fade out on us now!" Lacroix opened his ice-blue eyes wide and focused on Nick. Nick smiled as he saw a hint of recognition in them.
"Nicholas?" Lacroix whispered.
"Yes, it's me Lacroix. Are you alright? Who did this to you?"
"I-I don't think so, Nicholas. Something..something is wrong. I feel wrong. Something has happened to me."
"Well you were nearly staked to death, and your face..." Nick gestured to the remaining cuts on his master's face with a frown. They should have been gone by now. Lacroix put a hand to his face where the cuts were and gasped as a wave of pain assaulted him.
Natalie couldn't help but grimace as she saw Lacroix writhe on Tracy's couch in pain. She then focused her attention to Nick, who seemed to be feeling almost as much pain as Lacroix seemed to be. 'Interesting,' she thought as she rushed to Nick's side. 'He seems to be feeling what Lacroix is feeling. I need to find out more about this later. If we have a later.'
"Lacroix!" Nick roared, startling everyone into the room. He placed his hands on Lacroix's face in an effort to calm him.
"Nicholas." Lacroix gasped, his voiced laced with pain. "What is happening to me?"
"I-I don't know, Lacroix. Natalie?" He looked to Natalie with hope that she might be able to answer his question.
"I'm not sure yet, Nick. Beyond the fever, I've not really had that much experience with vampire illnesses."
"I am not ill!" Lacroix grunted through clenched teeth.
"Then how do you describe what is happening to you?" Natalie asked, a bit pleased with herself when she saw that she had caught him. She'd never expected that she would be the one to take the indomitable Lucien Lacroix down a notch.
"Are you sure he's sick?" Erin asked from where she had taken a place in the corner of the room. All eyes turned toward her. She blushed under the attention.
"And just who are you, my dear?" Lacroix asked her, the pain he was feeling finally beginning to subside for the moment.
"My name is Erin Gabriel. I was on my way to meet you when I met Detective Knight here."
"Ah yes. I was looking forward to meeting you in person. And may I say that you are more stunning than I had ever imagined."
Tracy looked to the vampire on her couch with shock, Natalie's eyes bulged, and Nick simply gave a shake of his head at Lacroix's comment. They looked as if they didn't believe what they were hearing. Natalie recovered a bit and glanced over at Erin who she noticed, at least had the good graces to blush.
"Thank-thank you." Erin stammered a little, her face becoming even more flushed.
"Ok, all flattering aside, we need to know what happened to you Lacroix. Now do you want our help or not? Because I certainly have other things I could be doing than to watch over an injured vampire that I don't necessarily care for." Natalie stated, exasperated with the situation.
Lacroix put on a hurt face. "It pains me that you show dislike to me, doctor. After all we've been through." Lacroix put up a hand to still her outburst, his silver pinky ring glinting in the light. "All right, I know the only reason you are here is because of Nicholas, so I will cooperate for now." Lacroix leaned back onto the couch, exhausted, but he would never let this crowd know that.
"Who did this to you Lacroix?" Nick asked.
"I am not sure, Nicholas. I am afraid I didn't see their face. I was concerned with other matters at the moment. As for what is happening to me, you cannot imagine what it is like."
"Try and explain. If there really is something wrong with you, then all vampires could be affected." Natalie said with a worried glance toward Nick.
"I feel...weak. And hot." Lacroix admitted with a grimace. "They are quite annoying feelings doctor, but I do not know what is causing them. I can only assume they have something to do with these." He gestured to the cut marks on his face who had yet to heal. "Because I've had, shall I say experience in stakings, and there was nothing different about this time, except for the damned garlic that is."
"What do you mean, you feel hot and weak? We did notice that you felt warmer than normal, so there's a slight worry there, but what is making you feel weak? Is it the blood loss? We brought some if you think that will help." Natalie said with a gesture at the cooler she had brought in.
Lacroix shook his head. "That's something else that troubles me, Doctor. I have no desire for blood at all. In fact..." Lacroix lowered his voice, and something like real fear came into his blue eyes. "the merest thought of it sickens me." He lowered his yet again, and Natalie strained to catch what he was saying, "and that frightens me."
Nick looked at his master in shock. Surely it couldn't be true. Lacroix, his Lacroix, sick at the thought of human blood? The world would end before that ever happened. And yet, why would Lacroix admit to it if it wasn't true? What exactly was happening?
"I-um...don't know about that. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything." Natalie stuttered, looking to Nick for answers she knew he didn't have. "Ok, let's deal with the obvious here. You say you feel hot?" She reached into her medical bag and took out a thermometer. "Now, this is a thermometer. It's used to take your temperature." Lacroix glared at her. "Hey, don't glare at me, how am I supposed to know if you know what a thermometer is? They certainly didn't have them when you might have used one, now did they? Anyway, I want you to stick this under your tongue." Lacroix glared again, but did as the doctor ordered. Natalie looked to her watched and then waited in silence as a minute passed by. "Alright, time's up. Let's try and find out what's going on." Natalie took the thermometer and glanced at it in the light. She then gave a small gasp and looked back up at Lacroix, not saying a word.
"Well? What is it? Is he ok? Does he have a fever or not?" Erin asked, not liking the silence.
"Um...you do indeed have a fever, Lacroix. In fact, I'm surprised you're still conscious considering how much higher it is than normal for you."
"And how high would that be, doctor?" Lacroix asked, his voice fading a bit.
"Oh, about 100." Natalie said shaking out the thermometer, her voice quivering a bit.
"What?! That's not possible! I didn't even have a temperature of human normal when I had the fever, Natalie! How can he had a temperature of above human normal?"
"I-I don't know, Nick. But we're going to find out." She looked to LaCroix to gauge his reaction, but unnoticed by the group over the shock of her news, he had once again fallen unconscious. She glanced up at Nick, worry on her face.
The silence was broken by a shout from Tracy. "Oh crap! Nick do you have any idea what time it is? We're late for work!"
Nick closed his eyes and groaned, having completely forgotten about the real world in light of the events around him. He looked up at Nat for a solution.
"We can't just leave him here!" Nick exclaimed as Tracy strapped on her gun and put her badge in her inner jacket pocket.
"I'll stay with him." Erin said quietly from the corner. "I'm here on vacation so I don't have a job here to go to."
"I don't think that's a good idea." Nick told her.
"Why not? Because you think he's going to do something to me? Look at him. He's unconscious. And unless you guys get to work on finding out what's wrong with him, it seems to me that he might be worse than that soon. So go. I can take care of myself. Trust me."
The three looked at each other, knowing they had no other choice.
"All right," Nick grudgingly agreed. "I'll give you my cell number. Call me immediately if something happens." He took out a card and wrote the number down on the back of it. "Natalie? Take a blood sample before we go. That way you can analyze it while you're at the lab. And Tracy, I don't know how to thank you for this. I don't think I can."
"I wouldn't thank her quite yet, Nick. We may have to hold out here a little longer." Natalie said with a grim face. Tracy groaned.
"You know, you guys are pretty damn lucky that I didn't have a social life. Anyway, I'm going to work, and I suggest you two do so as well. Besides, if we're too late, Reese might not be as willing to give time off to deal with this situation." Tracy said with a gesture toward LaCroix. "And you," Tracy turned to Erin. "I intend to find everything in this apartment exactly the same as when I left. Understand?" With Erin's nod, Tracy turned and walked toward the door.
"Are you sure you're going to be alright, Erin?" Natalie asked, laying a hand on her shoulder. "This is doing a lot for complete strangers."
"You're damn right about that." Erin gasped out. "But I think I'll be fine. And I promise I'll call if anything changes."
"Alright. Now you must listen to me very carefully." Natalie stressed as she pulled out a syringe to take a blood sample from Lacroix. "This high fever could kill him. You must cool him down. Use as much ice as possible." She turned to look at Nick, holding out her free hand. "Also, I will leave you some bandages. After cooling him down, clean his wounds and cover them. Do you know how to do that?"
"Yes, I have had a little medical training." Erin answered with a nod.
"Good. You can use Nick's credit card to buy as much ice as you need, but I mean what I say when I tell you that this fever could be killing him. I will be back as soon as I can, hopefully with an idea on how to cure him." With that, Natalie capped the full syringe and placed Nick's credit card in her hand and turned and walked out the door. Pausing as if she forgot something, Natalie turned back and pulled a Q-Tip out of her bag, dabbing at one of the cuts on Lacroix's face, she placed the bloody sample in a small glass tube made especially for that very purpose. After she was satisfied that she had remembered everything, she turned and headed out the door.
Erin sighed, glancing up at who was left. Detective Nick Knight. He had a look of concern and distrust on his face.
"Everything will be ok, Detective. I promise."
"You'd better hope so." He replied tersely as he made his way out as well. "I'll be back soon." With that, the apartment was silent except for the slightly ragged breathing emanating from the couch beside her.
A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews! The next part should be up soon!!
Tracy couldn't believe what was happening. She was so fixed on who was now stretched out on her living room couch that she barely noticed Natalie and another young woman she had never met before come in after Nick. The young woman glanced at her suspiciously and then turned and closed Tracy's front door. "How is he?" Natalie directed at Nick.
"Not good, Nat. He should be awake by now. Something else is wrong." Nick answered her with an unsure look on his face.
"Ok wait a moment! What the heck is going on here? Why is he of all people in my apartment?! Don't you people know what he is? And who the hell are you?" Tracy shouted, turning to Erin.
"Whoa, calm down Tracy. I said I'd explain everything when we got here, and I am going to keep this promise." She turned towards Erin. "This is Erin Gabriel. You might find a colleague in her, she doesn't know exactly what's going on right now either."
"You're damn right I don't! I thought we were going to a hospital! This sure doesn't seem like any hospital I've ever seen before! And you said you guys were cops, right? I have yet to have seen one single badge! Why don't I just call the police right now and find out who the hell you people are?!" In response, Tracy flipped open her badge and gave it to Erin to inspect.
"My name is Det. Tracy Vetter, and I can assure you, I am just as confused by all of this as you are."
"I sincerely doubt it, lady." Erin glanced over the badge. She seemed somewhat appeased. "What about kidnaper's over there? He said he was a cop too. Well, time to put your badge where your mouth is, mister." Nick sighed, giving Natalie a pleading look. Natalie in turn shrugged as if to say, 'it's not my fault. We just have to deal with it.' He then took out his badge and threw it to Erin who caught it one handed. She then opened it up and inspected it thoroughly. "All right, this seems to be real as well. So, if you people are who you say you are why did you kidnap Lucien and ride with him in the trunk?" At that, Tracy looked over a Nick with wide eyes.
"Nick? Tell me you're not..." She faded out, unable to finish the sentence.
"Yes, Tracy I am. I am sorry I have never told you before. I believe you know Lacroix is one as well. In fact, he's the one who brought me across." Tracy's jaw dropped.
"How? Why? You could have trusted me. I would have kept your secret, Nick. Why didn't you tell me sooner. I assume you knew about Vachon." Her eyes welled up a little at the mention of his name.
"Wait a damn minute here! What in God's name are you people talking about? You and Lucien are one of what? What do you mean, 'brought across?' What are you people talking about?"
Tracy looked at Nick and Natalie at the mention of Lacroix's first name with a bit of a raised eyebrow, but didn't answer Erin's question.
"Well, Erin I think you better sit down for this one." Natalie said slowly.
"Why? What's wrong?" Erin asked.
"Miss Gabriel is it?" At Erin's nod, Nick continued. "Miss Gabriel, Lacroix and I...we're vampires. In fact, we've been vampires for a very, very long time." At Tracy's astonished look, he added. "In fact, I am over eight hundred years old myself. As for Lacroix...well, he was a general." Nick said with a small grin.
"What do you mean a general? Like in the army? Which army?" Tracy asked, confused.
"Roman. But he lived in Pompeii actually. In fact, he witnessed first hand it's destruction when Mt. Vesuvius erupted."
"Roman...Pompeii...Vesuvius..." Tracy and Natalie mumbled at the same time, casting glances toward Lacroix. Nick watched them, amused. He hadn't told Natalie about that part of Lacroix's past either. There had seemed no point.
Erin scoffed however. "Vampires? Yeah right. I'm calling the police. You people are psycho!" She turned to be looking for a phone as quickly as she could. She wasn't quick enough.
"Erin!" Nick shouted, bearing his fangs and sporting a pair of glowing yellow eyes. The blood in her face drained out as she saw him for what he really was.
"You-you were telling the truth. You really are a vampire!" She sat down next to the couch, shaking.
"I'm sorry to have to show you like that, but it was the only way to get you to believe me. Now that you believe me, believe me when I tell you that Lacroix here needs our help."
"Why did you bring him here-" "What's wrong with him?" Tracy and Erin asked at the same time. They looked at one another.
"To answer both of your questions, he was attacked sometime today, we found him nearly staked to death in his own home." At Erin's shocked look he clarified. "Staking is one of the few methods to kill us. We can also be killed by fire, decapitation, and sunlight. We can't stand religious symbols such as crosses."
"I've seen the movies, I know the drill. But if someone staked Lucien, why isn't he dead?"
"I'm afraid I don't know that, Erin. As for Tracy's question, you are the only person we could turn to. Lacroix was attacked in his own home. I don't trust anywhere else, even my loft. Also, all of the vampires we knew were killed by Lacroix's immortal daughter, Divia." Nick caught himself as he realized what he had just revealed.
"That's-that's what happened to Vachon, isn't it? He didn't leave did he? I know that he would never do that to me. He wouldn't just leave. I knew it. And he," she gestured to LaCroix, "tried to make me forget. He would have succeeded if you hadn't said anything. Alright, now I know why you came here, but what do you expect me to do about it? We can't all just camp out at my place, can we? What about him?" She asked, once again gesturing to Lacroix.
As if on cue, Lacroix issued a slow groan from his place on the couch. Nick, Natalie, Erin and Tracy immediately rushed to his side, Nick being the first, Erin not far behind. "Lacroix? Speak to me. Are you alright? Who did this to you?"
"What is he saying?" Natalie asked, hearing Lacroix's mumbled response before he fell back into the abyss.
"It's, I'm not sure exactly, Nat. It seemed to be in Latin, but not the church Latin I learned in school. I can only assume it was his original language. I have never heard him speak it before." He put a hand to Lacroix's forehead. He drew it back with a bit of a gasp. "Nat? He's...he's warm."
"What do you mean, he's warm?" Natalie asked, placing her own hand on LaCroix's face. She found it a bit intimidating to be so close to the one person she had truly feared. He didn't seem so fearful now, though. He almost seemed...human. "Oh my God, you're right. He is warm. You don't think there's another fever, do you Nick? I mean, it's happened once before, who's to say that it can't happen again?"
"You were infected by the fever, weren't you Nick? I remember that was one of the only times I had ever seen you look sick before. I never did find out how that was cured. I take it Natalie had something to do with it?"
"Actually, Lacroix discovered the cure unknowingly, Natalie saw it for what it was."
"Wait a minute here, it's all well and good that you seem to be getting over the initial shock of real vampirism, Detective Vetter, you've obviously had some experience with them, but I'm new in town and I don't know what the hell you're talking about."
"I'm sorry, Erin. A fever nearly destroyed the entire vampire population a while back. It was the first known illness in history to affect vampires."
"And you think Lucien might have it again?"
"No, not necessarily, but a vampire isn't supposed to have any body heat, feel Nick's hands sometime if you don't believe me, but Lacroix's does. That's why we believe he may have contracted a new form of the fever."
"I notice you keep using Mr. Lacroix's first name, Erin. Have you known him long? I don't know anyone who uses his first name." Tracy stated.
Erin blushed. "I uh...actually I don't really know him at all, except as the Nightcrawler. I was supposed to meet him in person tonight at the club. I call him Lucien because it's a habit of mine. I usually use a person's first and full name rather than nicknames or last names. In a little while you'll find me calling all of you by your first names without ever asking me to. It's a habit, but that's just the way I am."
"You mean to tell me that you've never met him before tonight? Then why did you make such a fuss when we tried to take him from the club?" Nick asked.
"Oh come on! Just because you haven't met someone doesn't mean that you are simply going to let someone else you've never met seem to kidnap them, now are you? I thought you were supposed to be a police officer."
"I've been a lot of things, but right now I am simply worried about Lacroix. Nat? Is there anyway of knowing exactly what's wrong with him?"
"Not here, there isn't. I would have to take some blood tests back to the lab. In the mean time, let's try and wake him up. It would help if he could tell us just what happened. Maybe he knows what is happening to him."
"You're right, Nat. We need to know if whoever did this to him is still after him." He turned to Lacroix and gently laid a hand on his master's shoulder. "Lacroix? Come back to us. You need to wake up. Lacroix?" At the mention of his name, he groaned again and began mumbling in his ancient first language once more. His voice reached a climax and began to fade out again as he began to lose consciousness. Nick saw this and began to shake him. "Lacroix! Don't fade out on us now!" Lacroix opened his ice-blue eyes wide and focused on Nick. Nick smiled as he saw a hint of recognition in them.
"Nicholas?" Lacroix whispered.
"Yes, it's me Lacroix. Are you alright? Who did this to you?"
"I-I don't think so, Nicholas. Something..something is wrong. I feel wrong. Something has happened to me."
"Well you were nearly staked to death, and your face..." Nick gestured to the remaining cuts on his master's face with a frown. They should have been gone by now. Lacroix put a hand to his face where the cuts were and gasped as a wave of pain assaulted him.
Natalie couldn't help but grimace as she saw Lacroix writhe on Tracy's couch in pain. She then focused her attention to Nick, who seemed to be feeling almost as much pain as Lacroix seemed to be. 'Interesting,' she thought as she rushed to Nick's side. 'He seems to be feeling what Lacroix is feeling. I need to find out more about this later. If we have a later.'
"Lacroix!" Nick roared, startling everyone into the room. He placed his hands on Lacroix's face in an effort to calm him.
"Nicholas." Lacroix gasped, his voiced laced with pain. "What is happening to me?"
"I-I don't know, Lacroix. Natalie?" He looked to Natalie with hope that she might be able to answer his question.
"I'm not sure yet, Nick. Beyond the fever, I've not really had that much experience with vampire illnesses."
"I am not ill!" Lacroix grunted through clenched teeth.
"Then how do you describe what is happening to you?" Natalie asked, a bit pleased with herself when she saw that she had caught him. She'd never expected that she would be the one to take the indomitable Lucien Lacroix down a notch.
"Are you sure he's sick?" Erin asked from where she had taken a place in the corner of the room. All eyes turned toward her. She blushed under the attention.
"And just who are you, my dear?" Lacroix asked her, the pain he was feeling finally beginning to subside for the moment.
"My name is Erin Gabriel. I was on my way to meet you when I met Detective Knight here."
"Ah yes. I was looking forward to meeting you in person. And may I say that you are more stunning than I had ever imagined."
Tracy looked to the vampire on her couch with shock, Natalie's eyes bulged, and Nick simply gave a shake of his head at Lacroix's comment. They looked as if they didn't believe what they were hearing. Natalie recovered a bit and glanced over at Erin who she noticed, at least had the good graces to blush.
"Thank-thank you." Erin stammered a little, her face becoming even more flushed.
"Ok, all flattering aside, we need to know what happened to you Lacroix. Now do you want our help or not? Because I certainly have other things I could be doing than to watch over an injured vampire that I don't necessarily care for." Natalie stated, exasperated with the situation.
Lacroix put on a hurt face. "It pains me that you show dislike to me, doctor. After all we've been through." Lacroix put up a hand to still her outburst, his silver pinky ring glinting in the light. "All right, I know the only reason you are here is because of Nicholas, so I will cooperate for now." Lacroix leaned back onto the couch, exhausted, but he would never let this crowd know that.
"Who did this to you Lacroix?" Nick asked.
"I am not sure, Nicholas. I am afraid I didn't see their face. I was concerned with other matters at the moment. As for what is happening to me, you cannot imagine what it is like."
"Try and explain. If there really is something wrong with you, then all vampires could be affected." Natalie said with a worried glance toward Nick.
"I feel...weak. And hot." Lacroix admitted with a grimace. "They are quite annoying feelings doctor, but I do not know what is causing them. I can only assume they have something to do with these." He gestured to the cut marks on his face who had yet to heal. "Because I've had, shall I say experience in stakings, and there was nothing different about this time, except for the damned garlic that is."
"What do you mean, you feel hot and weak? We did notice that you felt warmer than normal, so there's a slight worry there, but what is making you feel weak? Is it the blood loss? We brought some if you think that will help." Natalie said with a gesture at the cooler she had brought in.
Lacroix shook his head. "That's something else that troubles me, Doctor. I have no desire for blood at all. In fact..." Lacroix lowered his voice, and something like real fear came into his blue eyes. "the merest thought of it sickens me." He lowered his yet again, and Natalie strained to catch what he was saying, "and that frightens me."
Nick looked at his master in shock. Surely it couldn't be true. Lacroix, his Lacroix, sick at the thought of human blood? The world would end before that ever happened. And yet, why would Lacroix admit to it if it wasn't true? What exactly was happening?
"I-um...don't know about that. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything." Natalie stuttered, looking to Nick for answers she knew he didn't have. "Ok, let's deal with the obvious here. You say you feel hot?" She reached into her medical bag and took out a thermometer. "Now, this is a thermometer. It's used to take your temperature." Lacroix glared at her. "Hey, don't glare at me, how am I supposed to know if you know what a thermometer is? They certainly didn't have them when you might have used one, now did they? Anyway, I want you to stick this under your tongue." Lacroix glared again, but did as the doctor ordered. Natalie looked to her watched and then waited in silence as a minute passed by. "Alright, time's up. Let's try and find out what's going on." Natalie took the thermometer and glanced at it in the light. She then gave a small gasp and looked back up at Lacroix, not saying a word.
"Well? What is it? Is he ok? Does he have a fever or not?" Erin asked, not liking the silence.
"Um...you do indeed have a fever, Lacroix. In fact, I'm surprised you're still conscious considering how much higher it is than normal for you."
"And how high would that be, doctor?" Lacroix asked, his voice fading a bit.
"Oh, about 100." Natalie said shaking out the thermometer, her voice quivering a bit.
"What?! That's not possible! I didn't even have a temperature of human normal when I had the fever, Natalie! How can he had a temperature of above human normal?"
"I-I don't know, Nick. But we're going to find out." She looked to LaCroix to gauge his reaction, but unnoticed by the group over the shock of her news, he had once again fallen unconscious. She glanced up at Nick, worry on her face.
The silence was broken by a shout from Tracy. "Oh crap! Nick do you have any idea what time it is? We're late for work!"
Nick closed his eyes and groaned, having completely forgotten about the real world in light of the events around him. He looked up at Nat for a solution.
"We can't just leave him here!" Nick exclaimed as Tracy strapped on her gun and put her badge in her inner jacket pocket.
"I'll stay with him." Erin said quietly from the corner. "I'm here on vacation so I don't have a job here to go to."
"I don't think that's a good idea." Nick told her.
"Why not? Because you think he's going to do something to me? Look at him. He's unconscious. And unless you guys get to work on finding out what's wrong with him, it seems to me that he might be worse than that soon. So go. I can take care of myself. Trust me."
The three looked at each other, knowing they had no other choice.
"All right," Nick grudgingly agreed. "I'll give you my cell number. Call me immediately if something happens." He took out a card and wrote the number down on the back of it. "Natalie? Take a blood sample before we go. That way you can analyze it while you're at the lab. And Tracy, I don't know how to thank you for this. I don't think I can."
"I wouldn't thank her quite yet, Nick. We may have to hold out here a little longer." Natalie said with a grim face. Tracy groaned.
"You know, you guys are pretty damn lucky that I didn't have a social life. Anyway, I'm going to work, and I suggest you two do so as well. Besides, if we're too late, Reese might not be as willing to give time off to deal with this situation." Tracy said with a gesture toward LaCroix. "And you," Tracy turned to Erin. "I intend to find everything in this apartment exactly the same as when I left. Understand?" With Erin's nod, Tracy turned and walked toward the door.
"Are you sure you're going to be alright, Erin?" Natalie asked, laying a hand on her shoulder. "This is doing a lot for complete strangers."
"You're damn right about that." Erin gasped out. "But I think I'll be fine. And I promise I'll call if anything changes."
"Alright. Now you must listen to me very carefully." Natalie stressed as she pulled out a syringe to take a blood sample from Lacroix. "This high fever could kill him. You must cool him down. Use as much ice as possible." She turned to look at Nick, holding out her free hand. "Also, I will leave you some bandages. After cooling him down, clean his wounds and cover them. Do you know how to do that?"
"Yes, I have had a little medical training." Erin answered with a nod.
"Good. You can use Nick's credit card to buy as much ice as you need, but I mean what I say when I tell you that this fever could be killing him. I will be back as soon as I can, hopefully with an idea on how to cure him." With that, Natalie capped the full syringe and placed Nick's credit card in her hand and turned and walked out the door. Pausing as if she forgot something, Natalie turned back and pulled a Q-Tip out of her bag, dabbing at one of the cuts on Lacroix's face, she placed the bloody sample in a small glass tube made especially for that very purpose. After she was satisfied that she had remembered everything, she turned and headed out the door.
Erin sighed, glancing up at who was left. Detective Nick Knight. He had a look of concern and distrust on his face.
"Everything will be ok, Detective. I promise."
"You'd better hope so." He replied tersely as he made his way out as well. "I'll be back soon." With that, the apartment was silent except for the slightly ragged breathing emanating from the couch beside her.
A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews! The next part should be up soon!!