Author: The Wanlorn

Title: A World in a Grain of Sand 7/?

Summary: This is a sequel to "Every New Beginning…"

Rating: PG13 for language

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: Same as all of the last times, so far.

Chapter Seven

Natalie swore viciously at the base of the stairs, seeing Abel cringe out of the corner of her eye. She was at the bottom of the stairs, in the blasted wheelchair, and everything she needed was upstairs. It was three days after her little meltdown. She had been fine, since then, pushing everything in the back of her mind. She *still* couldn't walk, and her bad knee was now acting up because of the stress put on it. Seeing as how it was the first of December, she had decided it was time to 'put up Christmas'. And, all of *her* Christmas supplies were upstairs, in storage.

Nick was immediately by her side. "What?" He turned his head slightly and rolled his eyes at Abel, who was trembling slightly. But, even in his fear, his lips twitched slightly in a half-smile.

Natalie glared at Nick. "Don't you *dare* roll your eyes at him. If you're sick of me, then I'll leave."

"No, no," Nick quickly assured her. "What's the matter, besides the fact that you obviously need to go upstairs?"

"I *hate* this stupid wheelchair. I hate these friggin' treacherous legs. And my stupid *knees*. It's almost worth being-" She stopped abruptly, glancing slightly at Abel. Nick could see that she had been just about to say 'brought across to get rid of the pain'.

He scooped her up, unresisting, in his arms, and folded up the wheelchair and stuck it under his other arm. "Come on, let's go get everything you need. And you can scream and swear at me all you want upstairs."

She made a grumpy noise as he headed up the stairs. All of her stuff was in a storage room next to the room that was being turned into a guest room. Natalie had no idea where Nick found guys who were willing to work nights, but they were in there now, working away.

Nick put her down at the top of the stairs, and she doggedly started pushing her way to the storage room. Her arms and shoulders *killed*. But she would never admit that to Nick. It was bad enough that he had to carry her up and down flights of stairs. She had started increasing her dosage of painkillers. But yesterday, when she realized that this was how addictions started, she went back down to the prescribed dosage. It was wreaking havoc on her knees.

Nick grabbed the handles on the back, stopping her in her tracks. "What?" she snapped irritably.

Nick began pushing her to the bedroom. She folded her hands in her lap, not quite willing to protest the free ride. "We're going to the bedroom," Nick informed her. "I want to talk to you in private."

Once inside the bedroom, Nick transferred Natalie to their bed. He sat next to her, and cuddled her in his arms, smoothing back her hair.

"How badly do your knees hurt?" he asked. "And don't lie to me. I'm not going to try and make you go to a doctor."

"Oh, really?" She didn't believe him, and that was evident in her voice.

"I promise." He lightly kissed the side of her head. "You can stake me if I'm lying."

She sighed, snuggling closer to Nick. "Yes, they hurt. They hurt a lot, and the pain medication isn't really working. My bad one's acting up again. I don't care *what* they said. There is definitely destroyed cartilage in both of them. But what can I do about it?"

Nick stroked her hair silently for a long moment. Natalie could tell he was thinking, weighing something in his head. She was patient as patient could be, enjoying being held in his arms while she could. His body may have been cold, but it still gave her warmth.

Nick finally spoke quietly. "Nat, I know you won't go see a doctor, and maybe get an operation to fix your knees. Which is why I'm suggesting this." He paused, rethinking the whole thing once more.

Natalie waited for a little bit, snuggling into his arms. She knew he was going to suggest something that had to do with his vampirism. She didn't care, as long as she could walk again. "Nick, please. This is driving me insane. I have to depend on you for everything. It's driving me crazy."

"Okay, well, if…if I give you a mouthful of my blood, it will probably speed up your metabolism just enough, for just long enough, that your body would heal." He looked at her with worried eyes, to see her reaction.

She raised an eyebrow. "Probably?" she questioned. "You don't sound all that sure of yourself."

"Well, I've never actually done it, only heard that it could be done."

"So, basically, you have no idea what you're doing." She smiled at him to take the sting out of her matter-of-fact words.

"No, not that," he quickly assure her. "I know what I'm doing. I just don't know if it will work. Or if it will begin to bring you across."

"Would that really matter? I mean, you know that, if I can't cure you in my lifetime, I want to be brought across. And if it's sooner rather than later, what does it matter? Please, Nick, I seriously can't take this anymore. I'm just a weak mortal…"

"Mortal, yes, but weak, never. You're the strongest person I know." He allowed his fangs to descend and bit open his wrist, sucking a little to bring the red fluid up to the surface. His slow-pumping blood would not well up on its own. "Here." He put his wrist in front of her face. "Just a mouthful," he warned as she took it hesitantly, bringing it up to her mouth.

Nick closed his eyes and sighed as he felt her sucking on his wrist. It felt so good. It had been a long time since he had allowed someone to take *his* blood. The erotic sensations it produced were not forgotten, and he longed for them. All too soon, Natalie pulled away, licking her lips.

She lay back against him, sighing happily. Had she been aroused, and not tired and pissed, that would have been an intensely erotic experience. She wasn't quite sure what made it so different from him taking her blood, but it was. And she could taste how much he wished he could experience her taking his blood more often, but knew the danger was far, far too great. She had gotten his feelings and emotions, and more scenes of his past. But, somehow, it was more intense than when he took her blood. Even though there had been no physical sex involved, the rush of emotion had left her feeling the way she did after a powerful orgasm.

Nick kissed the tip of her nose. "Stay here and rest, Nat. You need to give my blood time to got through your system and heal you. Okay?"

"Rest? It's not even midnight, Nick," she protested. "How am I supposed to rest when I'm still wide awake?"

Nick laughed at that statement. "Rest, not sleep. Read your book for a little while, or something. I'll bring all of your Christmas supplies downstairs, and then come get you, okay?"

She sighed, allowing him to get up. "Fine. Don't forget about me in your zeal for carrying heavy boxes."

Nick laughed even more as he left the room. He saw her picking up the book she was reading from its spot on the nightstand. He prayed this would work, and not start the cycle of bringing her across.

The boxes that had her decorations in them were right in the front of the storage room. He spared a peek in on the guys in the soon-to-be guest room. It was coming along nicely, and really would be ready in about four days.

Of course, that brought his ever-wandering thoughts to Abel. He was surprised to find that having the young man living at the loft was not such a bad thing. He actually seemed to have a sort of calming effect on Natalie. So far, he hadn't questioned why Nick didn't eat and why he was forever drinking wine. Abel, too, was a night person. He went to work every night, and didn't return until almost dawn. Tonight was his night off. When he was at the loft, he was quiet as a mouse, unless directly spoken to. He acted as though he were afraid this sudden good turn was going to end any minute, and he was trying to forestall it by being on his best behavior and not giving them a reason to think of him. He bought his own newspaper and poured over the Classified Ads every night, along with any house magazines he could find. But there was nothing that was in his price range. Truthfully, Nick would not mind him staying for a while, at least for the holidays.

Nick finally carried the last box down, putting it with the rest in the middle of the floor. For someone who lived in an apartment, she had a *lot* of Christmas decorations. Then he began bringing down *his* boxes. At least, the modern ones. Once everything was in a pile, he stood staring at it. He turned his head to look at Abel, who was sitting in a corner of the couch. No matter where he sat, he always seemed scrunched up, like he was trying to take up the least space and make himself unnoticeable. It was easy to see that his entire life was based on making himself invisible to others.

"What do you think?" Nick asked, making Abel jump. "Should I go get her? Or leave her up there for a little bit and give us both a break from having to listen to her?"

Abel smiled slightly, unsure of how to respond. He was saved from having to come up with something, because Natalie yelled from the bedroom.

"I heard that, Nicholas B. Knight! Get that cute butt up here right now! Or else, I swear, I'm coming down those stairs!"

Nick grinned. "It's almost worth it just to see that!" he said as he went up the stairs.

Natalie was grinning when he entered the room. "Didn't want to risk me actually doing it?"

He laughed and kissed her, gentle and sweet. "I'll come back for you," he said as he folded up the wheelchair. He deposited that by the bottom of the stairs, and then got her.

"Did it work?" he whispered into her ear.

"I think so," she replied just as quietly. "But it will look suspicious if, all of a sudden, I can walk."

"Tell me if you start feeling funny in the next couple days," he murmured as he set her in the wheelchair.

"Will do, Captain Obvious," she said sarcastically. "Hey! That's more boxes than I had."

Nick smiled slightly, his gaze far away. "I have some stuff, I just never put them out before."

She grinned and moved over to the pile of boxes. "Anything marked 'Ornaments' can be moved out of the way right now," she said, "hint, hint."

Nick laughed. "Is that 'hint, hint, move them now' or 'hint, hint, go buy a tree tomorrow'?"

Natalie grinned. "That means move them, please, and you better be taking me to pick out a tree tomorrow."

"As milady commands," he said with a smile as he began moving the ornament boxes.

Natalie could see Abel watching them furtively from the corner of the couch. He was the most timid person she had ever seen. He never joined anything unless asked, and was *always* on time for everything. If he was asked to do something, he did it immediately. She had learned quickly to phrase any question in such a way that he could not take it as a command. She could see a particular longing in his eyes as he quickly turned away and fixed his eyes on the book in his hands.

"Do you want to come help?" she asked.

His head snapped around so he could meet her eyes. The slightly confused look in his eyes - which appeared there a lot, whenever she asked a question like that - clearly said that he had no idea how to answer that. She could almost see his mind racing, trying to decide if it was a trick question or not.

"It's a yes or no question," she said, her smile growing. "Either you want to help, or you could care less and that book is a hundred times more interesting."

He hesitantly put down his book. "I…I want to help, if that's okay."

"Of course it's okay," she said as Nick deposited the last ornament box in the corner. "We need to go through all of these boxes and see if there's anything we actually *want* to put out."

"You say that like we're going to end up putting most everything back in the boxes and back upstairs," Nick joked.

"Well, gee, Nick," she said with a grin. "Most of these boxes are yours. And you are a guy. And men, traditionally, have really bad taste."

"And have I ever exhibited anything but impeccable taste?" he returned.

"Which leaves me questioning your masculinity," she shot back, before beginning to laugh. Abel was just staring at them. "I give. We have to go through everything and see if there's anything we want to put back in a box. Happy?"

"Very," said Nick. Then he turned to Abel. "Pick a box."

Abel walked in that little, almost unnoticeable arc, and hesitantly dragged a box a few inches away, kneeling by it and looking up at them. He flinched slightly as Nick bent down to grab a box. Once he saw Natalie and Nick opening their boxes and beginning to take things out, he cautiously did the same.

Natalie had transferred herself to the floor, glad that her knees no longer hurt. The rest of her body ached less, too. Soon, she had a small pile of decorations around her. Nick wasn't doing too bad, himself. But Abel was going slowly, keeping a wary eye on the couple. He stopped to admire almost every knickknack he took out, looking it over closely and smiling slightly.

"I can put things on the piano, right Nick?" Natalie asked as she got back into the wheelchair and piled little boxes filled with decorations into her lap.

"As long as they're not going to leave a mark," he replied absently. Natalie could tell he was lost in thought as he turned a snowman over in his hands.

"Okay, then I'm going to put this Christmas mug there," she said to see if he was paying attention.

"Sure, as long as it's- No you don't! Not unless it's on a coaster!"

She grinned and detected a slight twitch of Abel's lips. "Just seeing if you were paying attention." She began setting things on the flat surfaces of his piano. A porcelain reindeer went on either side of the music stand. There was just enough room on the edge of the open top for her to put two nutcrackers. That was all she was able to carry on her lap. She sat regarding the piano silently for a long moment, trying to decide if there was any way to put a garland along it without using tape or staples.

She decided there was no way she could get away with that, so she turned and went back to the pile. The next box she opened was wreaths and garlands. That one got pushed off to the side - Nick could put them up where she directed when Abel was gone, so he could fly them up.

She opened another box to find a tangled mass of wires and bulbs. "Nick, there's a *reason* why people put lights away carefully."

"Because they are obsessive-compulsive?" he asked innocently.

"Sure, Nick, sure," she said sarcastically. "Fine, but I'm holding *my* tree lights hostage until *you* untangle yours."

"You can't," he said as he put a Santa snow globe on a bookshelf. "I already know which box they're in, and I already hid them."

"Liar," she said as she laughed. "But if we get a giant tree, we're going to need both sets. I don't want to use my fake tree this year. You don't get the same smell…" She smiled faintly, remembering the evergreen scent of her childhood. "What do you usually do for Christmas?" she asked Abel. As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted her tactlessness.

Abel didn't show any reaction to her question, answering quietly, "We never did anything. At least, not since I can remember." He shrugged.

Natalie could see that he was leaving much out, but she kept quiet. She and Nick chatted as they set out everything. They tried to include Abel in their conversation, but he stuck to relatively monosyllabic answers. They didn't give up, though.

Around two in the morning, Natalie pronounced the loft sufficiently decorated. Nick looked around and had to agree that they had stopped at the right point - there were just enough knickknacks and holiday paraphernalia, but not too much. Natalie seemed to have a knack for knowing where to put everything. Abel looked around with a slight smile on his face, admiring what they had done. Natalie had Nick wrap green and red garland around the railing going up the stairs and along the catwalk. Later, they would probably hang some from any doorways, and put out a Nativity.

Natalie stretched. "I vote we get something delivered, instead of making something." Nick nodded, even though his vote shouldn't really count, and Natalie looked at Abel. "What do you want?"

His mouth gaped for a moment. Natalie and Nick had both become used to this over the past three days. They would ask an opinion of him, and he would gape for a couple seconds, with panicked eyes, before answering.

"Ch-Chinese?" he stuttered, flinching back slightly as he said it.

"Ah ha!" Natalie exclaimed. "A man after my own heart!" She grabbed the menu from its place by the phone and held it out to him, waiting patiently until he got the courage to take it. "That's where we usually order from. What do you want?"

He scanned through quickly. "Ma Fa Ho Ming," he said quietly, holding the paper back out to her. She could see it shaking slightly.

After taking it back, she called in their order. Nick set out plates and silverware, so they would not have to do it later, when the food came. Natalie rolled out into the middle of the floor and turned in a slow circle, grinning.

"Do we know how to decorate a place, or what?"

"We're good," said Nick, smiling too. Her smile, her laugh was infectious to him. "I forgot how much fun decorating for holidays could be."

Natalie caught Abel mouthing something out of the corner of her eyes. "What'd you say?" she asked, her eyes still sparkling happily. Christmastime was always a happy time during her childhood, a time when she rarely had to go stay with her Nana.

"Christmas music," he said quietly, his eyes cast down.

"I knew we forgot something!" Natalie exclaimed, glancing at Nick with a slight smile.

She put in a CD from her collection, seeing as how Nick barely had any. She would have preferred that Nick play something for them, but knew that the odds of him acquiescing were slim. So, she didn't bother asking. Maybe she could convince him later.

They listened quietly until the buzzer for the door rang. Natalie and Abel both jumped at mile at the sound. Nick glanced at the monitor and saw that it was the delivery guy. He pressed the intercom button and told him to take the lift to the second floor. Within a few minutes, a very nervous delivery guy appeared, Chinese food in hand. Nick paid him and set the food on the counter.

"What do you want to drink?" he asked Abel. Natalie had started tea for herself while they were waiting for their food to arrive.

"Water please," was the quiet reply.

Nick set a glass down in front of him, and poured himself a mug of bloodwine. Although Natalie claimed that it didn't really bother her anymore, he still tried to keep the red liquid out of sight. And now that Abel was staying with them, although the blood looked like a fine red wine, he was still careful to only drink from mugs.

Natalie chowed down on her pork rice with chopsticks. She kept half an eye on Abel, seeing that he handled chopsticks with some skill. Nick leaned against the counter, watching them eat. Abel's eyes kept flicking from his plate to Nick and back down to his plate. He did not make eye contact - he never made eye contact - but his eyes would glance up to about Nick's shoulder and go back down.

"Nick," Natalie finally said, "sit down. You're making me nervous."

"Sorry." Nick said, sitting down. But his eyes glanced at Abel, knowing Natalie had said it for the young man's benefit. Nick was struck by the difference between Abel at his house, and Abel sitting here with them. He had been friendly and relatively outgoing when Nick and Tracy had been there to question Kane, but it had seemed forced. In retrospect, it was almost as though that was how he had been told to act if anyone came knocking. As soon as Kane had come home, his mood changed. Now, he was timid as timid could be, unsure of everything. Rarely did his icy blue eyes sparkle, if ever. It was almost like two different people.

They ate the meal with the silence filled with meaningless chitchat between Nick and Natalie. As usual, Abel refused to be included in the conversation. Instead, he shoveled food into his mouth, eating quickly. Natalie could see in his eyes, the few times they chanced to meet hers by accident, that he was afraid they were going to take it away from him.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw him pause in eating and reach to pick up his glass of water. She would guess there was enough left for a single sip. He misjudged his reach, and his fingers brushed the front, causing the glass to tip over. Able froze, a panicked look suffusing his face. Tears sparkled in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he immediately said, his voice filled with fear. "I didn't mean to. I'll clean it up."

He stood up and flinched as Nick reached across the table. But Nick merely dropped a napkin on the small spill and pressed it down for a moment, soaking up the water.

"It's only water," he said gently. "I think the table will live."

After standing uncertainly for a few seconds, Abel gingerly sat back down. Nick could hear his heart racing, and he was shaking. But relief - mixed with distrust - shown in his eyes. Natalie smiled reassuringly at him as she chewed on some rice. She could not imagine being scared of a bit of spilled water. It was so easy to clean up, and didn't leave a stain. What was so bad about it? But, looking at Abel, who was staring at his plate with his hands in his lap, she could only imagine.

She and Nick shared a Look. They had talked last night about broaching the subject of therapy for Abel. They knew he needed it, and that no one else would think about it. But they weren't quite sure how to do it. Natalie could hear the hinting in Nick's voice that perhaps it would be good for her, too, but she ignored it. She was fine. Abel, which was made quite obvious right now, was not. Nick shrugged slightly, meaning that he had no clue how to start the conversation. They knew that they had to be careful what they said to Abel and how they said it. This was a conversation best left for later.

(A/N: I'm thinking of trying to do a short chapter from Abel's perspective. Yes? No? Maybe so? Save Farscape!!!!!!! *runs away shouting wildly*)