Chapter Four

          "Nat?"

          "Mm?" was the sleepy reply.

          "Did you sell the loft?"

          "Nope."

          "Okay.  In that case, I'm going there for a shower and stuff."

          "M'kay."

          Nick was glad she hadn't woken all the way up.  He had a feeling that she was still pissed at him, and that would have pissed her off even more.

          He parked his Caddy outside, and rode the growling lift up to the loft.  He opened the door and…

          …everything was exactly as he'd left it, albeit covered by layers of dust.  He used his phone to make a quick phone call, arranging to have the things he'd brought with him delivered back to the loft the next night.  Everything - water, electricity, phones - still worked because he had the bills automatically paid from his account.  He took the drop cloths off of everything and threw them in the washer, shucking off his clothes and throwing them in, too.  Then he started the washing machine and got into the shower.  It wasn't until he got out of the shower that he realized that, although he did have a towel, he had no clothes.  Period.

~~~~@

          Natalie didn't want to wake up.  She was having the most wonderful dream.  Nick had come back and…wait a minute!  Maybe that wasn't a dream.  She sat up in her bed, calling out, "Nick?"  No answer.  Then she dimly recalled him telling her he was going to the loft.  A huge grin plastered itself across her face.  He was back.

          Nat took a quick shower, then drove over to the loft.  "Nick?"  she called, knocking on the door, suddenly fearful that he wouldn't be there.

          There was no answer, so she opened the door and stepped in.  "Nick?"  She didn't think that he would pull the same stunt twice…would he?

          This time, he replied.  "Nat?  Is that you?"

          "Yeah.  Where are you?"

          "Stay in the kitchen!"  He paused.  "I, um, well, I put the clothes I was wearing in the wash, and…well, I just realized that I don't have anything else to wear…"

          Natalie started to laugh.  "Only you.  Only you."

          "It's not funny, Nat!  I know this is a lot to ask, and I know it's been a year, but do you still have any of my stuff at your place?"  He had stayed over there often enough for her to keep some outfits for him.

          "Well, I do, but…"

          "Nat!  Come on!  Not funny!  Will you please go get something?"

          "Think of this as payback."

          "Nat!"  Now he was whining.  He hated hearing himself whining.

          "Do you at least have a towel?"

          "Yes," he said grudgingly.

          "Well, then, it's not like you're completely naked, then."

          "Please Nat?"

          She smirked and laughed again.  "I'll be right back."

~~~~@

          Now that Nick was dressed and fed (Natalie had stopped at the morgue and gotten him some blood packs), he set about cleaning, with Nat helping.

          "I don't suppose you have any idea how I can get my job back?" he asked her at one point.

          "Actually, I do.  Mid-life crisis."

          "What?"

          "Claim you went through a midlife crisis.  Captain Cohen will understand."

          "So you say," Nick muttered, flicking a dust rag at her and making her sneeze.  He rolled out his vacuum cleaner, plugging it in.

          "Give me that," Natalie said.  "Men don't know how to vacuum."

          Nick was quite happy to hand over the onerous task to Natalie.  "I'm going to call Schanke, then."

          "Whatever floats your boat."

          Nick took the phone into another room, dialing Schanke's home number.  Myra answered.  Nick got the number to Schanke's car phone from her without divulging who he was.  When he dialed, a woman picked up.

          "Detective Vetter."

          "Hi.  Can I talk to Schanke?"

          Schanke came on the line.  "Hello."

          "Hey, Schank."

          "Who- Nick!  Is that you?!"

          "None other."

          "Where you been, buddy!?"

          In the background, he heard, "Who is it?" to which Schanke replied, "Nick Knight."

          "Am I interrupting something, Schank?"

          "No, no," Schanke laughed.  "That's my new partner since you ran out."

          Once more, he heard the woman's voice in the background.  "As in the Knightmare?  I thought he disappeared."  "He did."

          "Where've you been, Nick?" Schanke asked again.  "Are you okay?"

          "Yeah, I'm fine, Schank.  Call it a mid-life crisis."

          "One that was so much of a crisis that you couldn't say goodbye to your partner, or Nat?  You know, she was really broken up when you did that."

          "I know.  She was not to happy with me.  She's here, helping me clean out the loft."

          "Which reminds me.  How come I didn't get the loft?  That hurt, man, that really did."

          In the background, Nick heard, "Well, what happened to him?  Why'd he disappear?  Where'd he go?"  "Will you wait a minute, Trace!"

          "Are you going to rejoin the force, Nick?"

          "I'm going to try."  Nick heard Natalie calling him.  "I have to go, Schank.  Nat's calling me."

          "I need to talk to you alone, buddy."

          "Then stop by later.  Bye."

          "Over and out."

          Before Nick hung up, he heard, "Well?  Come on, I want to be the second in the precinct to know!"

          "What, Nat?" He yelled back to her.

          "I'm not cleaning this whole place by myself, you know!"

          Nick grinned, and went to help.  Apparently, he was completely forgiven.

(In my particular universe, third season never happened.  I think.  That is so sad, I don't even know what happened in my own universe.  I guess I'll have to come up with another way that Tracy met Vachon…)