Author: The Wanlorn
Title: A World in a Grain of Sand 5/?
Summary: This is a sequel to "Every New Beginning…"
Rating: PG13?
Spoilers: I honestly don't know, so beware.
Distribution: Ask, and ye shall receive. Take without permission, then screw the Law of Three, I will cures you with the nefarious curse of…da da dum…WRITER'S BLOCK!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
Disclaimer: Ay yi yi. Same as last time, I think. Yeah, the funky new people haven't shown up yet. Random cops might be mine, might not. Reese isn't. He belongs to…you know.
Chapter Five
(A/N: THEY'RE CANCELING FARSCAPE!!!!!!! THEY CAN'T DO THAT!!!! Okay, people, here's your job. Even if you hate the show, have never watched it, never heard of it, don't get it in your area, or anything, go to www.scifi.com, figure out where their little Farscape space is, figure out where to email them, and BEG them not to cancel it. I'm begging you all to do that! And then go watch a couple episodes, and you'll see why it shouldn't be cancelled. Hey, did anyone see 'The Others'? Wasn't that pathetically un-scary and predictable?? I think I had the entire thing figured out within ten minutes of the beginning. But, damn, that was a good movie. Anywho, I'm babbling again. R/R/E!)
Natalie woke, stifling a scream. She had always been susceptible to nightmares, not something she was proud to admit. It was only in her dreams that she allowed herself to worry about things, or let things that happened to her in her waking hours affect her. Well, there was no way in fucking *hell* she was going back to sleep now. Now would she wake Nick up, this early in the day.
It was one of those rare occasions when she wasn't in his arms, when his back was turned to her on the bed. Natalie quietly sat up and swung her feet over the edge of the bed. It was time to see how her knees *really* were. They were always her weak spots, so she very gingerly put weight on them and stood up.
That she could do. She might even be able to walk. But, not wanting to push her luck, she lowered herself into the wheelchair. Now that she was out of the bed, she paused to reconsider. Did she really want to leave the safety of Nick? For she already knew that she was planning on going downstairs. She had already begun to build up the wall that protected her from all bad experiences in her life.
Careful angling got her through the door. The damn chair was harder to get through small spaces than it looked. The stairs posed a problem. Chairs don't go down stairs, at least not with her in them. She could see Abel, lying flat on his stomach on the couch, peering at her over the arm.
She pushed herself up, and then used the chair and the railing to ease herself onto her butt on the top stair. Okay, that hurt. Maybe she wasn't as all right as she thought.
"Do you ever sleep?" she asked as she began to bump down the stairs. Screw the chair. She'd figure that out at the bottom.
"I'm a light sleeper," he said quietly. "Do…do you need some help?"
"Could you grab that damn hunk of metal?" she asked sweetly.
He eased past her on the stairs, like he was afraid she would bite, then waited until she was at the very bottom before folding it up and carrying it down for her.
"Thank you," she said as he reopened it at the bottom.
He backed away from her as she pushed herself up. "You're welcome."
"Sorry for waking you up," Natalie said as she wheeled herself into the kitchen for Advil and water. Her entire body was just one big ache.
"That's okay," Abel said quietly, standing uncomfortably with his hands in his pockets. His eyes shone with fear.
Natalie tossed back the Advil and downed the glass of water. "I don't bite, you know," she said as she smiled slightly.
His lips uplifted in a tremulous smile. Natalie wheeled herself to a spot a couple feet in front of him and cocked her head. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-one."
Her eyes widened slightly. He was *young*. And he made her feel old.
"I'm sorry," he said suddenly.
"For what?"
He began to wring his hands, twisting over and over. "I knew - I mean, I thought… well, I had a suspicion, of what… my brother was doing…"
Natalie stifled a well of anger. Showing anger to Abel, even though she didn't even know him, was as hard as being mad with Nick. They both had almost identical looks of a beaten puppy. The only difference was, Natalie would guess Abel really had been beaten.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing," Natalie said, and he shut up instantly. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"What if I was wrong?" His wringing hands increased their tempo. "He would've… You think what he did to you was bad?" He shuddered. "And even if I wasn't, he would have somehow figured out how to pin it on me. Everything else he's ever done… Have Detective Knight pull up my record. He did it all, and somehow managed to get me blamed and thrown in jail. Then he would bail me out, and… I'm sorry."
His eyes were wet, and he cringed when she spoke. "And what if you had?" Her common sense prevailed against her emotions. "He was good. *Very* good. The police had no evidence. They wouldn't have been able to hold him for long."
"R-really?"
Natalie smiled warmly. "Really really. Are you going to stand there forever? I'm getting a crick in my neck."
He immediately sat down on the couch. "Sorry."
"You needn't apologize for everything. Neither Nick nor I, will lay a finger on you."
Abel's lips quirked in a half-smile. Natalie saw his eyes flick up to the stairwell, which he could see from the angle he was sitting at, and grow slightly wider.
"Nice try Nick," she said, winking at Abel as she spun around to see him on the top step.
He slowly walked the rest of the way down the stairs. "Good afternoon, Nat." He stooped to kiss the top of her head. "How'd you get down here?"
She grinned. "Ever seen kids ride down the stairs in the park on their bikes?"
"I would have heard that." His mouth smiled, but his eyes were uncertain.
"Sometimes, you sleep like the dead, love."
He paused. "You wouldn't really have done that, would you? She didn't, did she?"
Natalie turned her head away from Nick and shook her eyes 'no' at Abel. As his eyes flicked back and forth between Nick and Natalie, he got a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face. Natalie finally laughed.
"No, of course I didn't. Not that doing that doesn't sound like fun - maybe when I feel less like I've been run over by a cement truck. Our talking didn't wake you, did it?"
"No." He crouched down and nuzzled her cheek. "The lack of a certain body next to me did." He had woken up in a panic, before hearing her heartbeat, and then had listened to their conversation from the beginning. But he waited until he thought it was a good time to convince her to come back to bed, before he interrupted.
"Is that a hint?"
"Maybe."
Natalie laughed and kissed his cheek. "Then whisk me away to my chambers, O knight of mine."
"Anything milady commands." Nick picked her up, nuzzling her cheek.
"Good night, Abel." Natalie's eyes sparkled from her perch in Nick's arms.
" 'Night."
"Think you can get the damn chair in one go, too?" She lightly clasped her arms around Nick's neck, beginning to yawn.
"Maybe." Of course, he managed to tuck it under his arm, folded up. "Good afternoon, Abel."
"G'afternoon," Abel squeaked.
Nick carried Natalie up the stairs, wishing Abel were gone so he could just fly up. He set Natalie on the bed and unfolded the chair as she lay back. He got in on his side of the bed and curled around her again, stroking the ringlets of her hair.
"I don't want to go back to sleep," she whispered.
"Look on the bright side, Nat. At least they're *only* nightmares."
"Since when have you become an optimist?" she groaned.
"Since I met you. Go to sleep, Nat, so you can heal."
He continued to stroke her hair, humming a soft melody. One thing he had learned was that Natalie was a susceptible to lullabies as a baby. Within minutes, she was sound asleep.
~~~~{@
Natalie swallowed her last spoonful of cereal, then looked at Nick. "Don't I have to make a statement? Which I technically should have done yesterday?"
Nick nodded from where he was leaning against the counter. "I figured I could drop Abel back at his house, then come back and pick you up and take you to the precinct."
Abel's head snapped up from concentrating on his bowl of cereal at the mention of his name. His eyes flicked back and forth from Nick to Natalie as they continued the conversation.
"Or, you could take me with you from the beginning and save a trip."
"That I could do. Would you want to?"
"Yes. I'm ready when you are." She was already showered and dressed, and raring to do something. They both should have been at work, but Nick was on suspension and she was on sick leave (*again*).
"If… if he gets out on bail…" Abel broke in timidly.
"Then someone will come get you and you'll be in protective custody again," Natalie assured him.
He did not look convinced, but fell silent again, finishing his cereal. Eventually, they rode the lift down to the garage. Out on the open road, it was relatively silent in the Caddy. Nick could see that Natalie was lost in her own thoughts, so he didn't talk. And, of course, Abel just plain didn't speak.
Soon, Nick pulled up in front go the little white house. "There you go," he said as Abel got out. "Thanks for your help."
"You're welcome."
Nick didn't wait to see if he even got up the walk before pulling away. He drove for quite a few minutes in silence. Finally, he reached over and took one of Natalie's hands in his own.
"Are you okay?" he asked her quietly, his voice filled with concern.
She turned her head and smiled at him. "Of course I am. I was just thinking. Nothing important." That was sort of true. She had really been trying to figure out how to do this without braking down in tears. She did not mind Nick seeing the weak side of her (as long as he didn't see it often), but others…
At the precinct, almost everyone wanted to wish her well. The wheelchair really threw them all for a loop. It took them almost fifteen minutes, just to make it to the Captain's office. The door was open and he was watching it expectantly.
"Come on in," Reese said as they came in sight, "and shut the door."
Nick did as he said, and stood behind Natalie and her wheelchair, resting his hands on her shoulders.
"First of all, let me say I'm glad that you're all right, Natalie." Reese got up and gave her a hug. In the line of coroners he had seen, Natalie was his favorite. She was such a sweet little thing!
"Thanks, Captain."
"Natalie, you're here to make your statement?" She nodded, and he continued. "Nick, neither you nor Tracy can take it."
"What? Why not?" he cried, shocked. He had assumed it would be either Tracy or himself. *They* would know when to stop. *They* would only ask the questions that needed to be asked.
"I don't want this guy to get out on some technicality. We're doing this *entire thing* by the book. You would be considered too close to her to be objective. Tracy's your partner, thus you could influence her. *I* on the other hand, have no connection. No technicalities."
"Let's just get this over with," Natalie said.
They moved to the conference room. Nick had to stay behind the one-way glass. Even though she couldn't see him, Natalie's eyes kept flickering to meet his, no matter where he stood. Everything they said, he could hear. Natalie was doing good. But, her lack of emotion, seeming to have already gotten over it, scared him a little. It wasn't humanly possible to get over something that bad, that quick.
Tracy came up behind him when they were about halfway done. She listened quietly for a while, before beginning to talk quietly to him in a worried voice.
"It seems like she's already gotten over it and put everything behind her, Nick."
"I know," he murmured.
"Can you get over something that horrible that fast?"
"I don't know."
"Has she talked to anyone?"
"No."
"Is she *going* to?"
"Knowing Nat? No."
"Are you going to try and make her?"
"Yes."
"Are-"
"Enough Trace! Jesus!"
"Sorry, Nick."
They stood silently. Nick concentrated on his link with Natalie. After… after he had almost killed her, they had, had a link. But he figured that was because of the amount of blood he had taken. There was *so much* Lacroix had never told him. Her head suddenly snapped up and she met his eyes, even though she didn't realize it. Or maybe she did. But he felt her sense of wonderment and gratefulness for his support.
As soon as Natalie came out of the door to the conference room, she wheeled herself over to Nick. He bent down and hugged her tightly.
"Thank you," she whispered. "How'd you do that?"
"I'll tell you later," he murmured into her ear.
"Thank you, Natalie," Reese said as he walked by. "There's no way he can skate out of this one."
She smiled until he was gone. Then she and Nick began to walk out of the precinct.
"Knight!" Reese's voice thundered out from his office just as Nick's hand touched the door handle. "Get back in here!"
"Do you want to wait in the car?" Nick murmured into Natalie's ear.
Her hand tightened on his, and her heart began to race. "I want to be with you," she whispered.
So she wasn't completely inhuman. She was still suffering. Nick felt bad for feeling glad of that. He squeezed her hand. "Okay. Come on, then."
Back inside the Captain's office, they were once more directed to close the door and (in Nick's case) sit down. Reese was looking particularly serious, and pissed.
"I just got a call from Kane Belasarius' lawyer. Kane owns the house that he and his brother live in. And, he can order Abel out at any time. Which, he just did. Abel's got one hour to clear out. It's fallen to me to call and tell him. From what Tracy said, he's not going to have anywhere to go…"
Natalie glanced at Nick as he said, "You want to know if we can take him in, since that's where he stayed before."
"Yes." Reese picked up his phone, ready to dial.
"Let me talk to Nat outside."
Reese nodded. The two walked out, and Nick led her to a back hallway. He could still hear Reese dialing the number.
"Let him come, Nick."
That surprised Nick, but that wasn't the only problem. "It's not as simple as that, Nat."
"With anyone else, no. But with Abel? He'll do *anything* you say and not question it. He'll be too scared that we'll kick him out, or beat him, or something, to question why you don't eat or anything. You know that he'll follow any rules set in place to the letter. If I could sense that, you could. You can always whammy him, if anything happens…"
"You don't mind?" Those were convincing arguments on her part.
Natalie shook her head. "No, I don't. Crazy as it seems, I kind of like the kid."
Nick looked down at her, sitting in her wheelchair and smiling pretty at him. Against his better judgment, he nodded his head. "All right." He could hear Abel, on the phone, beginning to get hysterical. "Come on. Abel's getting upset."
Natalie wheeled her chair back into the office first. "Let me talk to him, Captain."
A grateful look spread across the Captain's face as he handed her phone to her. Nick could hear both sides of the conversation, and understood why Reese had that look on his face. Abel really was freaking out.
"Abel, Abel, stop for a minute and take a deep breath," Natalie interrupted him in mid-sentence.
Nick heard him do that. Then he said, "What am I supposed to do? Can he even do that? I don't have anywhere to go. How can he do that?"
"Keep taking deep breaths," Natalie said. "Yes, he can do that. Everything is signed in his name. Unfortunately, on this, the law is on his side. Now, do you have any relatives you can go to?"
"No. Well, not that I know of. I mean, I've never met any of them." Natalie and Nick could hear him beginning to cry. "I don't even have any money. All the bank accounts are in his name. All of the bank accounts are in his name. All of my paychecks get wired straight to there. What am I going to do?"
"You can come and stay at the loft with me and Nick for a while, if you want."
"Really?"
"Yep. We'd be happy to have you."
He sniffled. "How long could I stay?"
"As long as you need to." Natalie had a feeling he wouldn't know what to do if he had to live alone.
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
"No problem. Hold on a sec." Natalie covered the mouthpiece and turned to Reese. "Did they say what he could take out of the house?"
"Anything in his room, and anything he bought specifically with his own money. They guy hinted that it wouldn't be much. But no furniture. Not even from his room."
She nodded as she uncovered the mouthpiece. "Okay. You can take anything in your room, except the furniture, and anything you bought with your own money. Do you think you can get that packed in an hour?"
"Yes."
"Do you have a car that's registered in your name?"
"Yes. I can take that, can't I? Otherwise I can't get to work."
"If it's in your name, yes. Can everything fit into it, and do you know how to get to the loft?"
"Yes and no."
"All right." Natalie gave him directions, then said goodbye and hung up.
"That is one messed up man," Reese said as soon as the receiver was in the cradle.
"Yeah," Natalie agreed, "but he's sweet."
"Well, you two can leave now," Reese said, dismissing them. "I'm glad you're okay, Natalie."
Once in the car, Natalie turned to Nick. "Okay. How'd you do that? While I was in the conference room?" As usual, his timing had been impeccable, giving her the strength she needed to continue.
"Remember the link we had right after… and it faded? I thought that it was just because of the…amount I took. What Lacroix never told me was that if a vampire continuously takes a small amount of blood from a mortal, over a long period of time, they form a bond, too. That's how I found you - Vachon told me of it. I… you don't mind, do you?"
Natalie smiled at his worry, reaching a hand across and running it through his silky hair. "Of course not. Why would I?"
Nick smiled and leaned into her caress as he drove them home.
(A/N: Oo, I just got home from seeing LotR:tTT. That was an *awesome* movie!!! I can't wait for the last one… The only thing that sucked about this one was that, in the books, Arwen did not go away. She stayed with Aragorn. And the scene that she saw in her head, where he was dead and she went into the forest, really happened. She died, too, of a broken heart. Oh well. Maybe Peter Jackson never read the Appendixes, like I did. But, oo, that made me so mad!!!! Thanks for ready, I hope you enjoyed, and please review. Remember, no review is a review in and of itself.)
