Blood Bonds Part IV
A Forever Knight story by Merrie Thomas
Disclaimer: If I did own these wonderful characters, the show would still be on, and Lacroix would be the main character. ;-)
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 Notes: 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. Please keep posting your kind reviews!! I need to know that someone out there is reading this before I post new chapters!! Thanks!!
Rating: This story is rated PG-13
Chapter Four
Erin stood a moment, trying to wrap her mind around the situation in front of her before going to what she assumed to be the kitchen to get some ice. Reaching the freezer, she paused a moment. "How am I going to keep him cool?" she mused to herself. The answer came to her almost immediately and she ran to find a bathroom. Coming upon a large bathroom with what she had been searching for she went to wake Lacroix. "Lucien?" She whispered, placing her hand on Lacroix's shoulder. "Can you hear me? I need you to wake up." Lacroix groaned, but opened his eyes and did as he was bid.
"What? Where is everyone? Where is Nicholas?" He asked, his voice worried.
"They're all gone, they had to go to work. In fact, they just left a few minutes ago."
"They left me alone with you, my dear? How lovely." Lacroix said with a weak grin.
Erin would have been embarrassed again if not for the fact that Lacroix began to gasp for breath soon after saying it. "Listen to me, Lucien. You have a very high fever and I need to get you to the bathtub so I can cool you down." She glanced over Lacroix's quite lengthy form with a frown. "And I don't think I can do it without your help."
Lacroix looked up at her and silently agreed. There was no way this 5'5'' mortal would be able to carry him. He groaned as he lifted himself into a seating position. "Alright," Erin said, "the bathroom's not very far. If you lean on me we can make it." She reached out a hand to help Lacroix off of the couch, pulling him to his feet. He wavered a bit, but was able to stand on his own. Slowly, they made their way to the bathroom, were they stopped in front of the tub. "Um..." Erin started after looking at Lacroix. "Clothes?" She asked with a blush.
Lacroix looked down at the tattered remains of his silk pajamas and robe. He nodded, and with her help he managed to shrug it off.
Erin couldn't help but gasp at what she saw before him. Even with the half-healed wound in his stomach, it was clear that he was in excellent condition. All she cold think about was running her hand over the tight muscles of his stomach and chest. She gave her head a quick shake to bring herself back to the situation in front of her. If Lacroix had noticed her reaction he made no sign. He simply slouched down to the ground, being able to stand no longer. "Rest here a moment, I'll start the tub and get some ice." Erin said, checking to make sure he was alright and then turning to fill the tub with cold water. After the tub was filled to her satisfaction, she helped him out of the remainder of his clothes and tried to put the thought of his naked body out of her mind with little success as she helped him into the tub. Lacroix gave a gasp at the already cold water, but Erin knew that it wouldn't be cold enough. She then ran to the kitchen to grab the bag of ice she had found in the freezer. Upon returning to the bathroom, she found Lacroix nearly unconscious again. Dropping the bag to the ground without a second thought, she ran to him and gently shook his shoulders. "Lucien, you must stay awake! I know you're tired, but you must not fall asleep." Erin gave a gasp relief as she saw him open his blue eyes wide and look up at her.
"I will stay awake, my dear, as long as you stay with me." Lacroix said, not quite admitting that he didn't want to be alone.
"Of course I will stay with you, don't worry." She turned to pick up the neglected bag of ice and opened it. After waiting for Lacroix's nod, she dumped the contents into the water.
Lacroix gave another gasp as the water became noticeably colder, then shivered.
"You shouldn't stay in too long, I wouldn't want you to get hypothermia."
"I can't get hypothermia. I'm a vampire." Lacroix said stubbornly.
"Oh, really? How do you explain the fact that you're sick, then?"
"I am not sick!"
"Fine, have it your way." Erin said in frustration. Lacroix sulked. Neither one said a word as Lacroix sat in the tub shivering. After a few minutes, Erin made a move to place a hand to Lacroix's forehead. Seeing that he wouldn't stop her, she checked his temperature. A small smile of relief came to her face as she noticed that he felt much cooler than before. In fact, as she placed a hand to her own face to compare, she noticed something. She got up to search through the bathroom cabinets for a way to prove her theory. After finding a thermometer, she took off the cap, shook a couple of times, and with a little trouble, placed it in Lacroix's mouth under his tongue.
"What is this?" Lacroix mumbled around the thermometer.
"A thermometer." Erin replied matter-of-factly.
"I know what it is, why is in my mouth?" Lacroix mumbled in irritation.
"I want to take your temperature. Now shut up and keep that under your tongue. You didn't give Dr. Lambert this much trouble." she grumbled.
Irritated by her tone, her utter audacity to speak to him like that, Lacroix shot her a cold glare. He would obey however, for now.
After Erin judged a minute had gone by, she took the thermometer out of Lacroix's mouth and held it up to the light to inspect it.
"What does it say?" Lacroix asked, with another shiver.
"It says that you can get out of the tub now. Your temperature is back to normal."
"Normal?" Lacroix asked with a frown.
"Yeah, 98.6 degrees. Normal." Erin said, confused.
"That's not...that's not right...not normal..." Lacroix's eyes then rolled up into the back of his head as he fell once more into the abyss.
"Lucien! Lucien! Stay awake! Talk to me! What do you mean it's not normal? I don't know what to do, please wake up!" Erin shook Lacroix, hoping to rouse him, but it was no use.
'What do I do now?'
At the Coroner's Building, Natalie tried to work. She stared at the bodies in front of her, tried to do her job, but she just couldn't. She couldn't stop thinking about Lacroix. It unnerved her to no end to see the ancient immortal in such a state. 'If someone can inflict that much damage on someone like him, what does that mean for Nick?' She simply couldn't get thoughts of that nature out of her mind. She sat at her desk and pondered on whether or not to call over to Tracy's house and see how things were going. She was so deep in thought however, that she hadn't even noticed Nick's entrance until he was right up on top of her. "Nat?" He called over her shoulder. Natalie jumped.
"Nick! Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack! Not all of us can live forever, remember?" Natalie turned with a smile on her face, this being a common joke between the two of them. Her smile dropped however, as her eyes came to Nick's face. "Nick? What's the matter? Is it Lacroix?"
"Nat. I can't..." He paused a moment, collecting himself. "I can't feel him."
"What? What do you mean you can't feel him? I thought you could always feel him? I thought the only way you wouldn't be able to feel him is..." Her eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. "Oh God, Nick."
"He's gone, Nat." Nick whispered, his eyes filling with tears.
Tracy simply couldn't seem to focus today. She didn't really berate herself, she knew the reason wasn't her fault. She couldn't believe it. After all this time with Nick, she thought she would have noticed that there was something not quite right about him. Something otherworldly. She was still hurt over the fact that he hadn't trusted her with his secret before now. He must have known about her and Vachon. Did they sit around and laugh about her? About poor, ignorant Tracy. So dumb that she can't even notice that her own partner's a vampire? Tracy gave a quick shake of her head and pushed these thoughts aside. Whatever Nick was, whatever he had done in the past, (800 years? Holy shit!) he was a good man even if he technically wasn't one. A man, that is. 'I'm becoming a bit hysterical.' Tracy thought to herself with a smile. 'Well, who wouldn't under the circumstances? I've got a 2000 year old, sick master vampire at home on my couch, and a 800 year old vampire as a partner.' The first fact alone was enough to make anyone a little hysterical. Shaking her head to clear it a little, Tracy shuffled and stacked the papers on her impeccably neat desk, and looked at the wall clock in impatience. Before she could count her remaining time on shift however, Captain Reese let out a bellow. "Vetter! In my office, now!" Tracy glanced at her coworkers who looked upon her with pity. She sighed and made her way to Reese's office, wondering what else could happen in one night.
"Yeah, Cap?" she said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"What's up with that partner tonight?"
"What do you mean, Captain?" Tracy asked, trying to put a confused look on her face.
"What I mean, is that he booked off not ten minutes ago. Said he had to go visit a sick relative. Do you know anything about that?"
Tracy tried not to fume as she processed what Reese was telling her. Why should he get to book off when Lacroix is in my house? Sure, they're related and all, but still. "I don't think so Captain. At least, he didn't mention anything to me about it."
"Of course he wouldn't. He's only your partner." Reese said with a glare to what Tracy assumed to be Nick's desk.
"Would you like for me to call him, Cap?"
Reese considered a moment. "No, don't bother. Let him have his time off. I don't even want to know how much time we owe him in sick days. I swear I don't know how he stays so healthy all the time. You can go. But be careful tonight since you are without your partner. Call for backup if needed. That's what we're here for."
Tracy had to fight down a grin as she now knew the real reason Nick was never sick. "Alright Cap, I'll be careful."
Tracy made her way out of Reese's office back to her desk where she grabbed her coat, making sure her car keys and badge were in their proper places. She then made her way out to her car, fully intending to stop off at the Corner's Building and her home to see what was happening there.
As she drove, her radio station tuned to CERK through association rather than preference, she was bothered by the fact that the Nightcrawler's show wasn't on. Not that she would ever fully admit that she listened to it, of course, but Tracy found herself missing Lacroix's soothing voice. She hoped that he would be alright, and that her life would get back to normal or at least some semblance of normal soon. Tracy knew however, that with Nick's confession about what he really was, her life would be somewhere beyond normal for at least a little while. This disconcerted her. 'How long does a vampire stick around in one place, anyway?' she thought with a frown. 'What's going to happen to me when Nick leaves?' Shaking her head, Tracy put such thoughts in the back of her mind, not to be forgotten, but not to be dwelt upon in the present either.
Before long, she found herself in front of the now-familiar ME's office, and parked next to Nick's Caddy. Tracy smiled, not surprised to find him there. 'When are he and Nat finally going to realize that they are meant for each other?' She sighed and made her way to the building, not noticing that Nick and Natalie were coming out her way.
"Tracy, hi. What are you doing here?" Natalie said with a touch of sadness in her voice. Not much, it took a detective to notice it.
"What's wrong, Natalie? Nick?" Tracy asked, glancing over at her partner with a frown. She gave a small gasp as she took in the depth of Nick's depression in his countenance. "Did something happen to Lacroix?"
At the mention of Lacroix's name, Nick looked to the ground and Tracy knew her assumption to be correct. "How do you know? I mean, how can you possibly know?"
"I know Tracy, I knew immediately that something had happened to Lacroix. He is my master." Nick offered in explanation.
"Oh." Tracy didn't know what else to say. How can you comfort a vampire who has lost his master?
"We're on our way to your apartment, Tracy. Would you like to join us?" Natalie asked, trying to change the subject.
"Uh, yeah Natalie. I'll come. It's been a slow night anyway." Tracy said, casting a glance at Nick for his approval. When Nick didn't make a move, Tracy and Natalie looked at each other and made their way to the Caddy. Upon reaching it, Tracy realized just how affected Nick was by losing Lacroix when he made no objections after Tracy placed herself in the driver's seat of his Caddy. Natalie looked at her worriedly and pushed the passenger seat forward so she could sit in the back. "Um, Nick? I'm going to need your keys if we are driving to my place. I hope that Erin lady hasn't screwed anything up. Wait a minute, Erin! You gave her your cell number, right? Why hasn't she called? Didn't she say that she would call if something happened? Maybe Lacroix's alright."
"Maybe she couldn't call, Tracy." Natalie whispered.
"Or wouldn't." Nick added quietly as he handed Tracy his keys.
The three of them spent the rest of the ride to Tracy's apartment in silence, each of them left to their own thoughts and fears.
Unbeknownst to the trio, a pair of brightly shining eyes followed their every move, coldly calculating, waiting patiently for an opportunity to strike. 'He will pay for what he has done. They all will.' It whispered through clenched teeth. On closer inspection, the figure didn't have teeth at all, rather a full set of sharp fangs, gleaming in the moonlight.
Nick took no time in rushing to Tracy's front door, nearly breaking it down before Natalie intervened with a hand on his shoulder with a whisper of his name. Tracy then took the lead and knocked loudly on her front door. Inside, the three of them heard a loud bang and a lot of cursing as Erin rushed to answer it.
"Hello? Who is it?" Erin asked at them, the door open, but the deadbolt in place. "Oh!" she cried, recognizing them and unlocking the door. "Thank God you're here! Something has happened to Lucien! I can't get him to wake-" She was interrupted as Nick rushed past her in a blur to the bathroom where Lacroix was still in the tub. "What?" Erin asked, getting turned around in Nick's wake. "I don't think there's any need for concern, I'm sure he'll wake up when he wants to." Erin said, a bit annoyed.
"What do you mean 'wake up?' He's dead Erin." Natalie stated, a confused look on her face. Erin blanched.
"No...he..he wasn't dead. I checked on him right before you got here. He was alive I swear it!" She then turned and rushed to the bathroom as well. Tracy and Natalie looked at each other briefly before closing the front door and making their way to where the excitement was. They weren't prepared for what they found, however. There, kneeling beside the tub, two blood-red tear tracks marring his face, was Nick.
"What is it, Nick? Is he...?"
"No." Nick said.
"No?" Tracy asked. "But I thought you said..."
"I was wrong. He's alive, Nat. Really alive." He said with conviction.
Natalie gasped. "You mean?" she found she couldn't get the words out.
"He's human."
A/N: Oh how I love the smell of cliffhangers in the morning. :-) Seriously, folks. The new chapter will be up quicker than ye blink.
Disclaimer: If I did own these wonderful characters, the show would still be on, and Lacroix would be the main character. ;-)
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 Notes: 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. Please keep posting your kind reviews!! I need to know that someone out there is reading this before I post new chapters!! Thanks!!
Rating: This story is rated PG-13
Chapter Four
Erin stood a moment, trying to wrap her mind around the situation in front of her before going to what she assumed to be the kitchen to get some ice. Reaching the freezer, she paused a moment. "How am I going to keep him cool?" she mused to herself. The answer came to her almost immediately and she ran to find a bathroom. Coming upon a large bathroom with what she had been searching for she went to wake Lacroix. "Lucien?" She whispered, placing her hand on Lacroix's shoulder. "Can you hear me? I need you to wake up." Lacroix groaned, but opened his eyes and did as he was bid.
"What? Where is everyone? Where is Nicholas?" He asked, his voice worried.
"They're all gone, they had to go to work. In fact, they just left a few minutes ago."
"They left me alone with you, my dear? How lovely." Lacroix said with a weak grin.
Erin would have been embarrassed again if not for the fact that Lacroix began to gasp for breath soon after saying it. "Listen to me, Lucien. You have a very high fever and I need to get you to the bathtub so I can cool you down." She glanced over Lacroix's quite lengthy form with a frown. "And I don't think I can do it without your help."
Lacroix looked up at her and silently agreed. There was no way this 5'5'' mortal would be able to carry him. He groaned as he lifted himself into a seating position. "Alright," Erin said, "the bathroom's not very far. If you lean on me we can make it." She reached out a hand to help Lacroix off of the couch, pulling him to his feet. He wavered a bit, but was able to stand on his own. Slowly, they made their way to the bathroom, were they stopped in front of the tub. "Um..." Erin started after looking at Lacroix. "Clothes?" She asked with a blush.
Lacroix looked down at the tattered remains of his silk pajamas and robe. He nodded, and with her help he managed to shrug it off.
Erin couldn't help but gasp at what she saw before him. Even with the half-healed wound in his stomach, it was clear that he was in excellent condition. All she cold think about was running her hand over the tight muscles of his stomach and chest. She gave her head a quick shake to bring herself back to the situation in front of her. If Lacroix had noticed her reaction he made no sign. He simply slouched down to the ground, being able to stand no longer. "Rest here a moment, I'll start the tub and get some ice." Erin said, checking to make sure he was alright and then turning to fill the tub with cold water. After the tub was filled to her satisfaction, she helped him out of the remainder of his clothes and tried to put the thought of his naked body out of her mind with little success as she helped him into the tub. Lacroix gave a gasp at the already cold water, but Erin knew that it wouldn't be cold enough. She then ran to the kitchen to grab the bag of ice she had found in the freezer. Upon returning to the bathroom, she found Lacroix nearly unconscious again. Dropping the bag to the ground without a second thought, she ran to him and gently shook his shoulders. "Lucien, you must stay awake! I know you're tired, but you must not fall asleep." Erin gave a gasp relief as she saw him open his blue eyes wide and look up at her.
"I will stay awake, my dear, as long as you stay with me." Lacroix said, not quite admitting that he didn't want to be alone.
"Of course I will stay with you, don't worry." She turned to pick up the neglected bag of ice and opened it. After waiting for Lacroix's nod, she dumped the contents into the water.
Lacroix gave another gasp as the water became noticeably colder, then shivered.
"You shouldn't stay in too long, I wouldn't want you to get hypothermia."
"I can't get hypothermia. I'm a vampire." Lacroix said stubbornly.
"Oh, really? How do you explain the fact that you're sick, then?"
"I am not sick!"
"Fine, have it your way." Erin said in frustration. Lacroix sulked. Neither one said a word as Lacroix sat in the tub shivering. After a few minutes, Erin made a move to place a hand to Lacroix's forehead. Seeing that he wouldn't stop her, she checked his temperature. A small smile of relief came to her face as she noticed that he felt much cooler than before. In fact, as she placed a hand to her own face to compare, she noticed something. She got up to search through the bathroom cabinets for a way to prove her theory. After finding a thermometer, she took off the cap, shook a couple of times, and with a little trouble, placed it in Lacroix's mouth under his tongue.
"What is this?" Lacroix mumbled around the thermometer.
"A thermometer." Erin replied matter-of-factly.
"I know what it is, why is in my mouth?" Lacroix mumbled in irritation.
"I want to take your temperature. Now shut up and keep that under your tongue. You didn't give Dr. Lambert this much trouble." she grumbled.
Irritated by her tone, her utter audacity to speak to him like that, Lacroix shot her a cold glare. He would obey however, for now.
After Erin judged a minute had gone by, she took the thermometer out of Lacroix's mouth and held it up to the light to inspect it.
"What does it say?" Lacroix asked, with another shiver.
"It says that you can get out of the tub now. Your temperature is back to normal."
"Normal?" Lacroix asked with a frown.
"Yeah, 98.6 degrees. Normal." Erin said, confused.
"That's not...that's not right...not normal..." Lacroix's eyes then rolled up into the back of his head as he fell once more into the abyss.
"Lucien! Lucien! Stay awake! Talk to me! What do you mean it's not normal? I don't know what to do, please wake up!" Erin shook Lacroix, hoping to rouse him, but it was no use.
'What do I do now?'
At the Coroner's Building, Natalie tried to work. She stared at the bodies in front of her, tried to do her job, but she just couldn't. She couldn't stop thinking about Lacroix. It unnerved her to no end to see the ancient immortal in such a state. 'If someone can inflict that much damage on someone like him, what does that mean for Nick?' She simply couldn't get thoughts of that nature out of her mind. She sat at her desk and pondered on whether or not to call over to Tracy's house and see how things were going. She was so deep in thought however, that she hadn't even noticed Nick's entrance until he was right up on top of her. "Nat?" He called over her shoulder. Natalie jumped.
"Nick! Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack! Not all of us can live forever, remember?" Natalie turned with a smile on her face, this being a common joke between the two of them. Her smile dropped however, as her eyes came to Nick's face. "Nick? What's the matter? Is it Lacroix?"
"Nat. I can't..." He paused a moment, collecting himself. "I can't feel him."
"What? What do you mean you can't feel him? I thought you could always feel him? I thought the only way you wouldn't be able to feel him is..." Her eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. "Oh God, Nick."
"He's gone, Nat." Nick whispered, his eyes filling with tears.
Tracy simply couldn't seem to focus today. She didn't really berate herself, she knew the reason wasn't her fault. She couldn't believe it. After all this time with Nick, she thought she would have noticed that there was something not quite right about him. Something otherworldly. She was still hurt over the fact that he hadn't trusted her with his secret before now. He must have known about her and Vachon. Did they sit around and laugh about her? About poor, ignorant Tracy. So dumb that she can't even notice that her own partner's a vampire? Tracy gave a quick shake of her head and pushed these thoughts aside. Whatever Nick was, whatever he had done in the past, (800 years? Holy shit!) he was a good man even if he technically wasn't one. A man, that is. 'I'm becoming a bit hysterical.' Tracy thought to herself with a smile. 'Well, who wouldn't under the circumstances? I've got a 2000 year old, sick master vampire at home on my couch, and a 800 year old vampire as a partner.' The first fact alone was enough to make anyone a little hysterical. Shaking her head to clear it a little, Tracy shuffled and stacked the papers on her impeccably neat desk, and looked at the wall clock in impatience. Before she could count her remaining time on shift however, Captain Reese let out a bellow. "Vetter! In my office, now!" Tracy glanced at her coworkers who looked upon her with pity. She sighed and made her way to Reese's office, wondering what else could happen in one night.
"Yeah, Cap?" she said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"What's up with that partner tonight?"
"What do you mean, Captain?" Tracy asked, trying to put a confused look on her face.
"What I mean, is that he booked off not ten minutes ago. Said he had to go visit a sick relative. Do you know anything about that?"
Tracy tried not to fume as she processed what Reese was telling her. Why should he get to book off when Lacroix is in my house? Sure, they're related and all, but still. "I don't think so Captain. At least, he didn't mention anything to me about it."
"Of course he wouldn't. He's only your partner." Reese said with a glare to what Tracy assumed to be Nick's desk.
"Would you like for me to call him, Cap?"
Reese considered a moment. "No, don't bother. Let him have his time off. I don't even want to know how much time we owe him in sick days. I swear I don't know how he stays so healthy all the time. You can go. But be careful tonight since you are without your partner. Call for backup if needed. That's what we're here for."
Tracy had to fight down a grin as she now knew the real reason Nick was never sick. "Alright Cap, I'll be careful."
Tracy made her way out of Reese's office back to her desk where she grabbed her coat, making sure her car keys and badge were in their proper places. She then made her way out to her car, fully intending to stop off at the Corner's Building and her home to see what was happening there.
As she drove, her radio station tuned to CERK through association rather than preference, she was bothered by the fact that the Nightcrawler's show wasn't on. Not that she would ever fully admit that she listened to it, of course, but Tracy found herself missing Lacroix's soothing voice. She hoped that he would be alright, and that her life would get back to normal or at least some semblance of normal soon. Tracy knew however, that with Nick's confession about what he really was, her life would be somewhere beyond normal for at least a little while. This disconcerted her. 'How long does a vampire stick around in one place, anyway?' she thought with a frown. 'What's going to happen to me when Nick leaves?' Shaking her head, Tracy put such thoughts in the back of her mind, not to be forgotten, but not to be dwelt upon in the present either.
Before long, she found herself in front of the now-familiar ME's office, and parked next to Nick's Caddy. Tracy smiled, not surprised to find him there. 'When are he and Nat finally going to realize that they are meant for each other?' She sighed and made her way to the building, not noticing that Nick and Natalie were coming out her way.
"Tracy, hi. What are you doing here?" Natalie said with a touch of sadness in her voice. Not much, it took a detective to notice it.
"What's wrong, Natalie? Nick?" Tracy asked, glancing over at her partner with a frown. She gave a small gasp as she took in the depth of Nick's depression in his countenance. "Did something happen to Lacroix?"
At the mention of Lacroix's name, Nick looked to the ground and Tracy knew her assumption to be correct. "How do you know? I mean, how can you possibly know?"
"I know Tracy, I knew immediately that something had happened to Lacroix. He is my master." Nick offered in explanation.
"Oh." Tracy didn't know what else to say. How can you comfort a vampire who has lost his master?
"We're on our way to your apartment, Tracy. Would you like to join us?" Natalie asked, trying to change the subject.
"Uh, yeah Natalie. I'll come. It's been a slow night anyway." Tracy said, casting a glance at Nick for his approval. When Nick didn't make a move, Tracy and Natalie looked at each other and made their way to the Caddy. Upon reaching it, Tracy realized just how affected Nick was by losing Lacroix when he made no objections after Tracy placed herself in the driver's seat of his Caddy. Natalie looked at her worriedly and pushed the passenger seat forward so she could sit in the back. "Um, Nick? I'm going to need your keys if we are driving to my place. I hope that Erin lady hasn't screwed anything up. Wait a minute, Erin! You gave her your cell number, right? Why hasn't she called? Didn't she say that she would call if something happened? Maybe Lacroix's alright."
"Maybe she couldn't call, Tracy." Natalie whispered.
"Or wouldn't." Nick added quietly as he handed Tracy his keys.
The three of them spent the rest of the ride to Tracy's apartment in silence, each of them left to their own thoughts and fears.
Unbeknownst to the trio, a pair of brightly shining eyes followed their every move, coldly calculating, waiting patiently for an opportunity to strike. 'He will pay for what he has done. They all will.' It whispered through clenched teeth. On closer inspection, the figure didn't have teeth at all, rather a full set of sharp fangs, gleaming in the moonlight.
Nick took no time in rushing to Tracy's front door, nearly breaking it down before Natalie intervened with a hand on his shoulder with a whisper of his name. Tracy then took the lead and knocked loudly on her front door. Inside, the three of them heard a loud bang and a lot of cursing as Erin rushed to answer it.
"Hello? Who is it?" Erin asked at them, the door open, but the deadbolt in place. "Oh!" she cried, recognizing them and unlocking the door. "Thank God you're here! Something has happened to Lucien! I can't get him to wake-" She was interrupted as Nick rushed past her in a blur to the bathroom where Lacroix was still in the tub. "What?" Erin asked, getting turned around in Nick's wake. "I don't think there's any need for concern, I'm sure he'll wake up when he wants to." Erin said, a bit annoyed.
"What do you mean 'wake up?' He's dead Erin." Natalie stated, a confused look on her face. Erin blanched.
"No...he..he wasn't dead. I checked on him right before you got here. He was alive I swear it!" She then turned and rushed to the bathroom as well. Tracy and Natalie looked at each other briefly before closing the front door and making their way to where the excitement was. They weren't prepared for what they found, however. There, kneeling beside the tub, two blood-red tear tracks marring his face, was Nick.
"What is it, Nick? Is he...?"
"No." Nick said.
"No?" Tracy asked. "But I thought you said..."
"I was wrong. He's alive, Nat. Really alive." He said with conviction.
Natalie gasped. "You mean?" she found she couldn't get the words out.
"He's human."
A/N: Oh how I love the smell of cliffhangers in the morning. :-) Seriously, folks. The new chapter will be up quicker than ye blink.