Author: The Wanlorn
Title: A World in a Grain of Sand 12/?
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. Wait, no, I forgot in last time's, Janette isn't mine. Or have I already said that somewhere?
Chapter Twelve
Nick heard Natalie come out onto the catwalk just as he leaned forward and kissed Janette. It was pure habit that made him do it. He could not believe that Janette was back in Toronto. His sister/child was still furious with him, so he could only assume that she was here for closure.
He could hear Natalie's heart speeding up slightly and feel her jealously. Why did he *always* do that wrong thing? "Nat…"
Natalie could see the happiness in Nick's eyes. She had been dreading the day Janette showed up again, knowing it had to happen at some point. There was no way she could compete with Janette before, even less now. And given the history…she was going to lose Nick to her.
She went down the stairs to Nick's side. He silently apologized to her as he put his arm around her waist, hugging her to him. Happily, he nuzzled her cheek and kissed her.
"So, she finally knocked some sense into your thick skull, Nicolas," Janette said. She flipped her long, curly black hair over her shoulder. Sex appeal oozed from every pore on the vampire's body.
Nick shrugged. "Yeah, she did." He squeezed Natalie slightly, a one-armed hug.
"I need somewhere to stay for the day," Janette told him blatantly.
"Yeah, sure, you can sleep on the couch." He could not say no to her. The sun was already rising - she had probably *just* made it.
"We need to talk," she told him. She was completely exhausted, and was torn between making hi talk before she slept or after. But it had to be done before she could move on.
"I know," Nick said sadly. "Nat…"
She kissed his cheek and stepped away. "Have fun."
Nick watched as she went back upstairs. He knew that her one greatest fear was that Janette would come back to Toronto and he would go back to her. Of course, his actions had not helped.
"You are a fool, Nicolas. Do not mess up the first good thing to happen to you in centuries."
"Why did you come back, Janette?" After his last gross blunder, he thought he had seen the last of her for a *long* time.
"I'm moving back to Toronto," she said simply, as if that should be obvious.
"The Enforcers are allowing that?" Once a vampire moved on, the general rule was that they could not move back for at least a century.
"Mm hm. I misjudged the sunrise, and was closer to here than the Raven." She paused slightly. "What does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?"
Nick got out a wine goblet and filled it with bloodwine from the fridge. "Janette," he said as he handed her the glass, "I'm sorry. I-"
"Nicolas, Nicolas," she sighed. "One of the reasons I came back was to attempt to assuage the guilt you no doubt carry. Come, let us sit down." She led him familiarly to the couch.
"I-" he tried to start again, but Janette cut him off once more.
"No, Nicolas, you listen to me. I am tired-"
"This can wait until you've slept…"
"No, it can not. I want to get this over with, Nicolas. It takes too much energy to be bitter for a long time. Yes, you are a selfish bastard who only thinks of yourself, half the time." Nick's face fell as she said that, and started looking guiltier than ever. It was the boyish honesty of his face she fell in love with, trying to work its unknowing magic again.
"Janette, I shouldn't-"
"No, you should not have. But the fact of the matter is that you did. Against my wishes. Why, Nicolas? I need to know why.'
"Because I'm a selfish bastard," he repeated bitterly. "I only think of myself."
"That is not an answer." Janette caressed his cheek, trying to charm an answer out of him. Nick was forever the moody one, more apt to retreat inside his guilt than answer.
Nick was silent or a long moment, leaning into her caress. She looked so different from the last time he had seen her. No longer was she the mortal mother, but the beautiful seductress again. Her hair was once more long and curly, the way she liked it best. And, of course, she was dressed to the nines.
"I… well, you and LaCroix are the only family I have, as you are forever telling me. And…when Natalie dies I…"
"Oo," she hissed, "Nicolas, sometimes you are as bad as LaCroix." At the hurt look that flashed across his face, she sighed and explained. "What? You think LaCroix wants to travel alone though the centuries? You think he pursues you for pure amusement? Ah, Nicolas," she sighed again. "You are so *blind* sometimes. We, the two of us mon cherie, are his favorites. Vampires are social creatures as much as you hate to admit it. He is trying to do what *he* sees as being best for his two golden children.
"Uh," she sighed in disgust, "but that is not the point of this conversations. You will *never* understand *anything* about LaCroix."
Nick's face took on the look of a whipped puppy. "Janette, I'm sorry. I-"
"All you did as give me the choice. I could have chosen to die. I did not have to come back, but I did. You are not to blame, Nicolas. It took me a while to realize that, but it is true."
"A while?" Nick questioned her. "It hasn't even been a decade."
"Oh, all right. It took a very smart mortal boy to point it out to me."
"Patrick?" Nick questioned. "I thought you left him with his aunt."
"Car crash," she said simply, her voice devoid of all emotion.
"Janette, do you think-"
"What was I supposed to do, Nicolas? Leave him with some other foolish mortal who would end up dying on him?" Her eyes flashed angrily at him.
"I'm just-"
"Oh, you're just, you're just, you're always just *something*." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm tired, Nicolas."
He nodded and kissed her on the cheek. He should not have brought her across, but if she was not mad at him, that was enough on that point. "Eternal friends?"
"Eternal friends, eternal siblings. Bonne nuit, mon ami."
"Bonne nuit, Janette."
The vampire seductress swirled the bloodwine in her glass as she watched the blonde knight retreat up the stairs.
~~~~{@
After Natalie was effectively dismissed from downstairs, she went up to her and Nick's bedroom and threw herself down onto their bed. This was completely unfair. She finally had her life the way she wanted it, finally had somewhere that she felt safe. And it was all about to be torn away.
She had been dreading this day with every fiber of her being. Nothing - no matter how many times Nick said he loved her, no matter how much he promised he would love her forever - nothing would let her escape the very real threat Janette posed.
Natalie was not one to give up easily. But on this… Oh, God. It was almost beyond hopeless. She was *not* the type Nick usually went after. Women from his past tended to be tall, dark, and sultry. Like Janette. *Not* like her - short, brunette, and frumpy. And now that she was battered, bruised, and scarred…
It wasn't fair!
She forced down the sobs that threatened to burst from her throat. Jumping to conclusions - that was all she was doing. How many fights had she had with Nick because one of them was jumping to conclusions?
Besides. There were two vampires downstairs who would undoubtedly be able to hear her.
She could scream, she could cry, she could throw something. But she wouldn't. Always-in-control Lambert, that's who she was. So what that her life was about to crumble down around her because of the return of Nick's former lover? That was of no importance.
She got up and grabbed her pajamas, quickly stripping and putting them on. Under the covers she got, even though she was not tired. The smell of Nick's cologne on the sheets comforted her slightly as she closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep anyway.
Why didn't anything ever go right for her?
~~~~{@
Nick paused at the doorway to watch Natalie. She was curled on her side on the bed, not quite awake and not quite asleep. The sounds of Janette in the downstairs bathroom could be heard by his ears, but all of his attention was focused on the brunette beauty in his - not, *their* bed.
How did he ever get so lucky? He had fallen in love with Natalie from the inside out. And now, he was completely hooked. What would he do if he brought her across and she left him… like Janette did?
He sighed and put on his black silk pajamas. Worry lines were etched into Natalie's face tonight, lines that usually disappeared when she slept. As he climbed under the covers, he gently smoothed back her hair. Blearily, her eyes opened.
Nick kissed her gently. "I love you, Nat."
"Love you too," she murmured.
"Promise you'll never leave me?" he asked her, knowing she was half asleep and probably wouldn't remember this.
"I promise." She rolled over and snuggled up against him.
Nick pulled her even closer, tucking her close up against him. If only he could be sure she would keep that promise.
~~~~{@
Natalie woke up with a stifled gasp. That was one mother of a nightmare. She glanced at Nick, who was still sound asleep with one arm draped lightly across her. Why didn't he wake up anymore? When she first moved in, if she woke up, so did he. And she missed that.
She needed a glass of milk, or wine, or something. Carefully, ever so carefully, she eased out from under Nick's arm. If he weren't going to wake up with her, it would be easier to let him sleep. Her bathrobe was hanging on the back of the bathroom door, so she grabbed that before going downstairs.
Janette was on the phone. Natalie only paid passing attention as she headed for the sink.
"Yes, Patrick, I promise. I'll be there tonight. As soon as the sun sets. Yes, I promise. Well, I had some things to discuss with Uncle Nick. Yes, I know. Patrick! Yes, I'll see you tonight. Goodbye, mon fils."
Natalie gulped down a glass of water and a handful of Advil. She alternated Advil with pain meds when she woke up in the middle of the nights. It might be psychological, but it seemed to help her fall asleep again.
Janette stood and put a robe over her lacy nightgown. A talk needed to be had with Natalie, that much Janette knew. And, she could now find out just what had happened to the coroner. She could see the fading bruises and the slightly off way a shirt hung down her back. Nick, for all his caring, was a man and could not understand some things the way another women could.
"Natalie…"
"What?" she snapped, turning around and setting her glass down.
"I just wanted to know what happened to you." Janette traced an arc around her face, not quite touching.
"None of your business." Her tone was clearly hostile.
"I have absolutely no interest in taking your Nicolas from you, Natalie. His love is like a suffocating blanket. Ugh," she shuddered. "You may like that, but I can not handle it. And he has absolutely no intention of leaving you."
Natalie studied her face as she talked. Something - women's intuition, maybe - told her that Janette was telling the truth. She could not believe her completely, but it was enough.
"We - you, me, and LaCroix - are Nicolas' family. He does not do well when his family is constantly at each other's throats."
Natalie could see the truth of that. Nick had enough trouble with his 'family' without having her and Janette constantly squabbling. And if Janette was moving back to Toronto… She ran a hand through her hair, the action pulling up her sleeve to reveal a line of stitches, and sighed.
"That looks like it hurt," Janette said.
"Like hell," Natalie responded evenly. "Have you seen the stuff in the news about the serial rapist/murderer?"
Light dawned in Janette's eyes. "Oh, you were the last victim."
"The only one they got back alive," Natalie confirmed. "I have no idea how they've managed to keep my name from the papers for so long, but…" She shrugged, leaning back carefully against the counter.
"Did he…"
Natalie shuddered. "No, thank God. Nick got to me before he got that far."
"Natalie…" Janette paused to pull out a kitchen chair and sit down. "Has Nicolas ever told you why LaCroix brought me across?"
Natalie shook her head warily. No, of course he hadn't. Why would he? She had no wish to hear anything about it, but knew there must be a point. Janette was… changed. She would have jibed Natalie before, bestowing scathing remarks rather than actually listening. But now… Robert had done well.
"I was married. Then, it was very important that a wife give her husband a child. When I could not conceive, I was nothing but a hindrance to him, because he could not get another wife with me around." Her voice was matter-of-fact and emotionless, but Natalie started to listen closely. Just because she disliked the vampire because they were rivals for Nick did not mean that she did not respect her, or think that they might be friends under different circumstances.
"So, he sold me out for prostitution. It was not like it is today. Today, the girls have at least a tiny amount of control over who their clients are. I had none, no choice, no matter how unwilling I was.
"LaCroix utterly despises, can not stomach, only two things on this earth. Don't tell him I told you this," she said suddenly.
Natalie cocked an eyebrow, smiling slightly. "Nick or LaCroix?" Janette really was not all that bad. And it had been so long since Natalie had another woman to talk to who *knew* Nick - not since ever.
A surprised burst of laughter came from Janette's lips. "I was speaking of LaCroix, but both, I suppose. Nicolas would not approve, and LaCroix prides himself on his reputation as a heartless pragmatist. Two things - rape and what was done to you."
Natalie had to interrupt at that. "Wait, wait, wait. What about Nick?"
"As much as Nicolas sees differently, it is a parent disciplining a child. Non, I meant unconsenting and for no apparent reason. Torture for information or punishment, S&M sex, or disciplining a child does not bother him.
"LaCroix told me that he could make it so no man would be able to touch me without my permission. And he did."
"I see you point. Believe me, I do." Natalie rolled her eyes. "And if I thought I could bring up the subject with Nick without him freaking out, I would."
"Oh, of course. He can not 'bring you into his darkness'." She rolled her eyes and shook her head in disgust. "Nicolas thinks people *change* when they are brought across, loose all of their good qualities."
"Do they?" Natalie asked curiously.
"No, of course not," Janette scoffed. "He is the same as he was before. Nicolas is a fool."
"No argument there."
"Natalie, if you ever do bring up the subject with him and he refuses… If it is what you *really* want, come talk to LaCroix or me. We will either talk some sense into him, or do it ourselves."
"Oh, I'll be talking to him, all right. He promised me 'someday'." She smiled slightly. "Thank God I've got allies in this."
A small smile graced Janette's perfect lips. She had broken the ice. This mortal had earned her admiration and respect. She took a moment to look over Natalie.
"You look tired, mon ami," she said after a moment.
Natalie pulled out a chair and sank down I it, scrubbing her hands across her face. "Yes, I suppose I am. But…" She paused for a long time. "Do you ever have nightmares?"
Janette glanced up the stairs, probing to see if Nick was awake at all. No matter the answer, she did not wish Nick to be eavesdropping on the conversation anymore.
"Oh, he's *sound* asleep," Natalie told her bitterly, noticing the glance. "I doubt a herd of elephants would wake him up."
Janette laughed a little. "Ah, Nicolas never has had a clue about women. He trusts you enough now not to walk out on him in the middle of the day, and to wake him if you need him. He's not that bright, in that respect. He would know if you left, or were taken." Natalie looked unconvinced, so Janette stood up and said, "Come, I will show you."
Natalie stood up and followed her. They went over to the back door that led out to the fire escape. Janette stopped there, but motioned Natalie to go outside, and be quiet. As soon as she stepped outside, she heard Nick opening the bedroom door and come downstairs. There was fear in his footsteps.
"Nat?" he called, his voice nervous.
Natalie came back inside - it was *cold* at night. She and Janette shared a Look at his tone of voice, and Janette smiled slightly.
"What?" she asked Nick innocently.
"*Jesus* Nat," he said, crossing the room and hugging her tightly. "Don't *do* that to me." He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply the calming scent of her cinnamon and jasmine blood.
Natalie relaxed in his arms, laying her head on his chest. Janette was right. This could be an *excellent* asset. She could explain a lot about Nick and his little quirks.
Nick finally let her go. "That wasn't funny."
"Oo, Nicolas. You just have no sense of humor. Go back to bed."
Nick nuzzled Natalie's cheek and glared at Janette. "Are you coming?"
"Soon," she said. "Soon."
Nick stepped away and kissed Janette on the cheek, then gave Natalie a gentle kiss on the lips. "Thank God the two most important women in my life are getting along."
Natalie and Janette sat back at the table, silent until they were sure Nick had fallen asleep again. Natalie could not control the twinge of jealously as Nick kissed his sister; even though that was all it was - a brotherly peek on the cheek.
"Yes, I used to," Janette replied to her earlier inquiry. "But they faded eventually."
"It was bad enough having to live it once," Natalie muttered. "But it really bites having to live it over and over again."
Janette sent a mental jab at Nick, waking him up. He needed to hear whatever she would say. "And Nick does not provide enough comfort?"
Natalie shrugged. "I don't wake him, usually."
Janette felt Nick's shock that Natalie was having nightmares. Utter disgust at his cluelessness filled her. Go back to sleep, Nicolas. I just wanted you to hear that.
"Trust me, Natalie. They eventually go away. And you have to wake Nick up. As I said before, he doesn't always have a clue when it comes to women."
"*Anyway*," Natalie said. "You were talking to Patrick?"
Janette nodded, sighing. "After Robert died, I left him with his aunt. And the fool got herself killed in a car crash. So I took him back. He's sleeping over a friend's house while I get this issue with Nicolas over with."
"Does he know that you're a vampire?"
"Of course. I had to assure him somehow that I wasn't going to up and die on him like everyone else has. The Enforcers bend the rules a little for certain circumstances. My turn for a question. Who is the mortal upstairs?"
"I did not know we were taking turns." Natalie grinned. "Abel. He's the brother of the man who did this to me. The poor kid's as much a victim as I. He's living here for a while."
Janette raised an eyebrow. Natalie was stronger than she thought. It was amazing that the 'good doctor', as LaCroix called her, could put everything behind her to allow a relative of Mr. Belasarius to live with her. "I can smell him all around here. He does not smell right."
"Really?" Natalie asked, glancing up the stairs. "Nick's never said anything."
"Ugh. Nicolas can barely smell the blood running through your veins. Not every vampire has the acute sense of smell that others do."
"Interesting," Natalie mused. She filed that away to remember to write down later.
Janette watched as Natalie fought t keep her eyes open. "Natalie, you look exhausted. Go back upstairs to bed."
"I suppose you're right," Natalie said, standing up. Although the conversation was interesting, and she was glad she and Janette were finally getting along, she really was falling asleep as she talked. "G'night."
"Bonne nuit, Natalie." Janette smiled slightly. "If I am gone before Nicolas wakes up, tell him I said goodbye. And goodbye to you, too. I'm glad we made some sort of peace. In another situation, I think we would be friends." Although the sentence was typically used as meaningless filler between enemies, Janette honestly meant it.
Natalie laughed slightly. Janette was not the kind of person who would have given her a second look. In another situation, they would not have known each other. "There's still a chance, I guess. Goodbye, Janette."
Natalie went back upstairs and crawled into bed with Nick. He was asleep when she entered the room, but as she hung up her robe and got under the covers, he woke up. So that he could see her, he leaned up on one elbow and began playing with her hair
"You okay, love?" He leaned over her and kissed the tip of her nose as one finger twirled a lock of her hair.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she murmured sleepily. A beautiful smile filled her face as he continued to play with her hair.
He collapsed on his back and pulled her closer to him. She happily moved where he wanted and rested her head on his chest. He continued to stroke and play with her hair until her deep, steady breathing told him she was sound asleep. Then he allowed himself to drift off.
