Author: The Wanlorn
Title: A World in a Grain of Sand 15/?
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. Nire belongs to me. Jander belongs to WotC and Christie Golden. The first song Nire sings is "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain. The lyrics are scrambled a bit, to take only what I needed. I've always said life needs a soundtrack, and either Nire or I provide it. The second song is "Come Sail Away" by STYX. The Langoliers are the sole property of Stephen King.
Chapter Fifteen
"Oh my God, I can see bone!" Natalie exclaimed.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah,' said Nire impatiently. "I don't care. Just put on the frellin' latex gloves there and get the blood off and wrap it."
"This *needs* stitches," Natalie tried to reason with her. "It won't heal right without stitches, and it will most likely get infected."
Nire did her one-shouldered shrug again. "That's a risk I'm willing to take."
Natalie sighed and pulled on the gloves Nire had thoughtfully provided. The teen had that finality in her voice that said there was no reasoning with her. She ran the washcloth under the hot water that was still running in the tub, and began to gently wipe the blood off.
"You should at least go to a doctor and get these checked out."
"Yeah, and they'll start asking questions I don't have answers for. At least, not ones they'll believe."
Unfortunately, Natalie had no doubt that she was right. "Is it okay if I ask them?"
"Knock yourself- holy motherfucker of gods that hurt! -out. I'm not promising answers that you'll believe."
"Sorry, but it's going to," Natalie apologized as she dabbed around the freely bleeding gash. She was reluctant to actually clean the wound, due to the severity of it - Nire should really have at least some local anesthesia.
Almost as if reading her mind and sensing her reluctance, Nire said, "You better pour a shitload of peroxide on that. I have no idea what was on the blade that did it, and I'm sure as hell not going to deal with an infection because *you're* too squeamish to cause me pain."
Natalie tried not to take offense at the derogatory tone of Nire's voice. Had she been hurt that bad, she would be snappish, too. "This is going to hurt like hell."
"No shit, Sherlock. Bring it on." Her muscles tensed as she steeled herself for the pain.
"You're lucky this missed the muscles," Natalie said as she poured the biting fluid directly into the bloody wound. It immediately began hissing and bubbling. Nire let out a long hiss of air from between her teeth as Natalie poured a little more on. It really was remarkable that none of the muscle or tendons or anything important other than blood vessels had been cut. The fact that she could see bone should have meant that everything was relatively ripped up. But, no, everything that allowed Nire to move her arm was intact.
"This bites," Nire said through gritted teeth. "The best part about the fizzy stuff is watching it fizz." This teenager had more confidence than Natalie would ever have. Here she was, standing literally half naked in front of a complete stranger, her belly hanging over the waistband of her jeans, and she still had a sense of humor. "It was almost worth it to get half killed, just because I knew I would get to watch the peroxide bubble. Except I forgot that I didn't have eyes in the back of my frellin' head." A morbid sense of humor.
"This needs stitches," Natalie told the teen again, hoping reiterating it would convince her of the necessity.
"And I need a piccolo. But that's not happening anytime soon, either. Frell!" she swore again. "Okay, just wrap the thing up. I can't keep the pain from the babies much longer," she muttered on the end.
"Babies?" Natalie asked, totally sidetracked from her original aim in questioning.
"Mine by adoption - don't worry. We have a special bond where - ah, never mind, it's too complicated."
Natalie didn't press it - she had a headache and knew this would just make it worse. Instead, she quickly made a long pad of gauze and taped it over the injury. Then she wrapped gauze around Nire's body over and over again, until the bandage was totally covered. Nire grabbed a bra out of her pile of clothing and put her arm through the straps.
"Snap it on the second clasp, okay?"
"Are you *sure* you want this going across that?"
Nire snorted. "I'm too big not to wear one. I'll live, as usual."
Natalie snapped it, and Nire pulled on a T-shirt ('Don't talk to me while I'm talking to myself'). "Thank. I owe you."
"No, now we're even."
Nire grinned as Nick yelled, "Nat! The bag's almost empty!"
The teen started chewing on her lower lip again. "Frell. That should have emptied a lot quick, shouldn't it've?"
Natalie nodded once. "That's still bleeding, so it's probably going to go through your shirt."
"I know. Why do you think I'm wearing black? Besides the fact that it's practically the only color I own, it's the second best for hiding bloodstains."
"Second best?" Natalie went out to put one more bag of plasma up, with Nire following.
"Yep. Second best. The common myth of it being the best is not true at all. The blood dries with a red tinge. But, eh, I'm babbling. What time is it?"
The abrupt subject change was not lost on Nick, who had been eavesdropping, and was glad they had finally come out of the bathroom so it was no longer eavesdropping. He knew from experience what was going through the girl's mind. Babbling could get one killed around the wrong people, and everything about the girl said that she was around the wrong people more often than not.
"About midnight," he answered her.
"The Langoliers are coming," she muttered, her fingers tracing a light path down Jander's sleeve. "Gods-be-damned, if you die on me you stupid elf, I'll kill you." She returned her attention to Nick and Natalie. "Be right back. I gotta get my stuff."
She disappeared into the bathroom. Nick listened closely to her heart beat, but it didn't alter once. He did hear clanking metal and rustling cloth, and guessed that she was hiding weapons on her body again. Talking, having an actual conversation with this girl was going to be interesting. Natalie was watching him closely, silently.
"What?" he asked quietly.
"Nothing," she said quickly. "Why?"
"No reason." Nick went over and hugged her in his arms. She was worried about something, and needed comforting. That, he could see. But, as usual, what it was, she had hidden from him.
Natalie nestled in his arms, happily feeling the warm glow of his love fill her. She had always been reluctant to enter into any long-term relationships because, as a coroner, she knew how fleeting life truly was. Nick was the perfect solution to that because he was relatively invincible. But it truly wasn't until now that she realized that vampires were all but invincible - especially from other vampires. And they were a hundred times more dangerous to each other than a mortal to another mortal.
Nire came back, relatively ignoring them, and eased herself down back in the same spot she had vacated before. She was softly humming, not a happy tune. A pile of clothes was set next to her, and she laid a sword and scabbard on top of the small pile. Nick could see one at her waist, positioned for easy accessibility by her right hand.
She began to sing quietly, under her breath. Nick couldn't help but pay attention to the lyrics as he held Natalie's warm body close to him.
"Rain falls angry on the tin roof/ As we lie awake in my bed/ You're my survival, you're my living proof/ My love is alive and not dead/ Tell me that we belong together/ Dress it up with the trappings of love. I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips/ Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above/ I've dropped out, burned up, fought my way back from the dead/ Tuned out, turned on, remembered the things you said/ I'll be your cryin' shoulder/ I'll be love suicide."
She suddenly stopped singing, and raised her voice to reach Natalie. "Do you have any painkillers? Or at least Advil?"
Natalie sighed and backed away from Nick. She grabbed the pill bottle that held the painkillers she had prescribed herself, checking the label to make sure there weren't any special warnings. Then she filled a glass of water and brought both over to Nire.
"Here you go."
Nire laughed evilly, tossing back a little pill. "Oo, drugs. *Real* drugs. Thankee sai." She handed everything back and closed her eyes.
Obviously, she wanted to be left alone, so Nick and Natalie obliged, going and sitting at the table. Nick covered Natalie's hands with his own, rubbing his thumbs over the tops.
"What's wrong, mon ange?" he asked quietly.
"I… just a reminder that vampires aren't invincible." She sighed and brought his hands up to her forehead. "Nothing important.'
"It's important to me. Anything that worries you is important to me." He caressed her face until she met his eyes. Never would he understand why something like that would make her ashamed of herself, but it did.
Natalie leaned into his caress, meeting Nick's sympathetic eyes. How could he be so understanding? "Nick…"
"I do my best not to anger people more powerful than me, Nat. I'm not dying any time soon."
Natalie quickly changed the subject. Life was fleeting, even for vampires. What about Urs, Screed, and Divia? "On to more important things. Where are we going to put them to sleep?"
Nire piped up from her spot by the couch. "If you can leave him here, I'll just sleep on the floor right here. All I need is a blanket and a pillow."
"The floor?" Natalie asked dubiously. That sounded uncomfortable to her.
Nire heaved herself up and came around to the other side of the couch, shrugging. "I've always preferred sleeping on the ground to a mattress. It's no biggie."
Nick noticed the fingers on her right hand furiously working. "What are you doing?" he asked her.
Nire glanced down at her hand, and her fingers stopped moving. "Air piano. I'm either singing or playing an instrument every waking hour, so… this is less annoying than actually making noise."
"You can play the real piano," Nick offered.
Nire glanced at the gorgeous instrument. "No way. Really?"
Nick squelched his misgivings. She was obviously mature for her age. She wouldn't break it. "Sure. Go ahead."
Natalie grinned. Nick must really like the girl if he was allowing her to touch his precious piano. Nick could see by the reverent way Nire touched the antique that he hadn't made a mistake. She expertly ran a few scales and arpeggios to get herself acquainted with the sound, and then launched into 'Speak Softly, Love'. Nick was suitably impressed - for a mortal she had *talent*.
"Nick! Snap out of it!" He grinned sheepishly, turning to Natalie. "I said, is she any good?" she murmured.
"*Very*," Nick replied as Nire stopped in the middle of the song and switched to Billy Joel's 'Pianoman'. "Listen to her. She knows what she's doing; there are few mistakes, and if she had the music in front of her, there would probably be none. And, of course, the most important thing - she puts feeling into the pieces." Nire changed songs in the middle again, now playing 'Let it Be'. "Oh yeah, she's good."
He fell silent, making Natalie's grin widen. He could tell that much after hearing her for such a short time? A look of pure rapture filled his face, and Nire's. Music had always easily distracted Nick, even when he was mortal. And he had always said that he was a sucker for a live performance by a talented pianist. Nire switched to 'Yesterday' before finishing the previous piece, then to a mournful tune Natalie didn't recognize. She refrained from speaking to Nick, respecting his obvious wish to listen. The irony of the situation suddenly struck her - she was second fiddle to a piano.
Nire continued playing, but never once did she finish a piece. It was beginning to get on Natalie's nerves. She found that the longer she stayed at home, the shorter her fuse was. And the fact that she doubted Nick would hear her if she spoke didn't help.
"Do you know *any* full songs by heart?" she finally interrupted.
Nire continued playing ('Annie Laurie'), but answered. "No- Yes. This'un and 'Marche Slav'. I just have this thing against playing a song all the way through."
She returned her attention to playing. Nick smiled slightly as her fingers stumbled slightly. He knew she had been about to begin another song, but stopped in deference to Natalie's implied request. Then she launched directly into another one which, since she played it all the way though, Natalie assumed was 'Marche Slav'.
"What about something happy?" Natalie requested.
"It's still sound like a dirge. I can't okay happy stuff when I'm feeling anything but." She launched 'Moonlight Sonata' as she spoke.
"Do you want the music?" Nick immediately asked. Natalie rolled her eyes.
"I still can't play it through, but sure," Nire acquiesced.
Nick got up and placed the sheets before her. He didn't need them anymore, but still kept them around. They were originals, after all. Nire sighed, playing mournfully and slow.
"*Why* hasn't he woken up yet?" she muttered to herself. "Bastard. If he gives up on me, I'll kill him. Vampires *aren't supposed to die*."
Natalie nodded slightly to that. They weren't supposed to, but all too often, they did. Nick had almost been killed multiple times. She did not have to worry about him being shot because he was a cop, but she did have to worry about him being staked by other vampires. It was not a fair tradeoff.
As the mournful notes flowed throughout the room, a discordant chord jangled out as Nire's fingers tripped over the ivory and ebony. She corrected the passage, then laughed joyfully.
"Oh that little shithead!" she exclaimed happily, a new lilt in her music.
"What?" Nick asked, noticing the happy tone. She played what she felt, much as he did.
"He's going to be fine." Nire tapped the side of her head. "He was just making fun of me 'cause I always screw up that part."
Natalie refrained from commenting on the impossibility of that. Vampires were impossible, as was the existence of elves. And yet they were both here in the room with her. Meeting Nick had rocked her purely scientific world. Although she minded at first, now she couldn't be more glad.
When Nire stood up and pulled the cover of the keyboard down, Natalie realized she had to have been using her left arm. "Your arm…"
"Painkillers are a miracle cure," Nire joked as she went back over to the couch and sat against its front again. " 'Sides, if I keep my upper arm tight against my side, I only have to move the lower half." She demonstrated quickly while Natalie could still see her, waving it back and forth, but rotating it at the elbow.
Nick brought Natalie's fingers to his mouth, giving them feather-kisses. He realized that the music had drawn his attention from Natalie, almost in the middle of a conversation. And, he knew that he had an unfortunate habit of doing that. Natalie smiled gently, knowing that it was an apology. He looked at her sheepishly above her fingertips with his boyish eyes. How could she resist that charm?
"Nick…" she whispered, reaching up to touch his face.
"What?" he asked after a moment, leaning in to her caress.
Natalie sighed. "Nothing. Never mind."
"I don't mean to interrupt," Nire interrupted, "but can I take the needle out? Number one, he's not from Earth, so it'd freak him out. Second of all, the last needle stuck in him filled him with extract of garlic. You can see my point."
Natalie pushed herself away from the table and stood up. "I'll do it."
Nire stroked the vampire-elf's jaw line, whispering lovingly to him. "Everything's going to be all right, mon ange. We pulled through, as usual. You're going to wake up, and we'll all be okay."
"Of course it will," Natalie muttered. "He was talking to you." She didn't think the teen would be able to hear her.
"He's dreaming. He wasn't consciously talking *to* me, I just picked it up from his mind. Haven't you ever had the sound of your alarm clock enter into your dream as a part of it? But if he's dreaming, he'll wake soon." Nire smiled smugly. "See? He's even twitching a little." What do you need me to do? This?
Natalie's head jerked around, looking for the source of the voice before realizing it truly was in her head. "How did you do that?"
"Practice and talent." Nire closed her eyes again. "There are things in these worlds you could never understand scientifically, so don't try. But telepathy works 'cause of an enlarged something-or-other lobe in the brain. The bigger the lobe, the more powerful a telepath. All humans have the potential - it's one of the repressed talents of our species. It used to be the work of the devil, according to the Church. Now, everyone thinks it's impossible, therefore it is. It's all psychological. Go figure."
Nick came and stood next to Natalie, putting a hand on her back. She was in a bad mood, and he didn't know why. Well, no. He knew it was probably something he did, and there were a list of things she could be angry about. He just wasn't sure which action it was. He would have some major apologizing to do, once he found out why she was suddenly in such foul humor. Letting his love flow through their bloodlink, he hoped it would begin to make amends.
Natalie fought back a roll of her eyes. Typical Nick - he assumed her bad mood was somehow his fault. Of course, it usually was. This time, however, it was cabin fever, and the feeling that her home was becoming a hotel. Plus, the attitude of Nire was suddenly rubbing her the wrong way and she was PMSing. Not a good combination.
Her eyes still closed, Nire asked, "Are you just going to stand there and stare at us? 'Cause, let me tell you, that makes me *really* nervous."
"Sorry," Nick apologized once more. "It's just that…"
"Just that the two of us are actually sitting in your living room?" Nire finished for him. Nick nodded at her assessment. "Good gods, man! It's not like we saved your life like we did for Vachon! Get a grip!"
Natalie was surprised to find that she agreed with Nire on that point. All the girl had done was point out something that really had been obvious. At least Nick had the good sense to look sheepish and turn away with her. As he took her back to the kitchen, to cuddle with her for a bit, Nire began to sing again, so softly that only his ears could pick it up.
"I'm sailing away/ Set an open course/ For the virgin sea/ I've got to be free/ Free to face the life/ That's ahead of me/ On board I'm the captain/ So climb aboard/ We'll search for tomorrow/ On every shore/ And I'll try/ Oh Lord I'll try/ To carry on/ I look to the sea/ Reflections in the waves/ Spark my memory/ Some happy some sad/ I think of childhood friends/ And the dreams we had/ We live happily forever/ So the story goes/ But somehow we missed out/ On that pot of gold/ But we'll try the bet that we can/ To carry on…"
Nick was keeping Natalie close to him, holding her tight. She happily melted into his body; perhaps this was all she needed. Everything always seemed to happen at once for her. There would be a clump of lost of action, then there would be a period where nothing interesting happened, then there would be a clump of action again. That was how her life had always gone. It had gotten to her before; it would get to her again.
"Why am I in the doghouse this time?" he asked. Last time, she felt like he was using her. Was he doing it again? But they had pretty much stopped trying to treat him, since nothing they were doing was working.
"Nothing," Natalie replied, kissing him lightly. "Cabin fever, nothing more. It's nothing personal."
Nick could feel the truth of her statement. Greatly relieved, he nuzzled her neck happily. Had his arms not been holding her close, he could have been fingering the small lump in his pocket, pondering it speculatively.
A small commotion of noise came from over on the couch. Nick broke away slightly from Natalie to see what it was. Jander tossed and turned, making small whimpering noises, while Nire haled his hand, muttering soothingly.
"Nightmare," she informed them. "He's gonna wake up soon. Got any straight blood I can keep right here for when he does?"
"Sure." Nick got her some quickly, wanting to go back to Natalie's warm body. "Ah, you might not want to be around when he wakes up. In fact, Nat…"
She just gave him a look that said 'Don't even think about it'. As usually, he did not try to argue. It was, after all, pointless. When had he ever won? Still, he went back to the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her from the back, resting his chin on her shoulder. At least he could keep her in the kitchen. Nick knew what it was like the wake up after being severely injured ("What are you?" "I'm dead"). Jander was going to be starving, and with a warm source of blood so close to him, that was what he would go for. There would be nothing controlled about it. It had taken Nick every ounce of willpower he had not to go after Natalie that first night, and go for the blood units in the refrigerator.
But he wasn't going to argue. He didn't know why, he didn't know how, but somehow he knew hat nothing he said would change Nire's mind. She was a smart girl - she had a blood bottle right next to her. He would guess that she really did know what she was doing - it looked as though both had experience with this ("If you die on me again…").
Jander's tossing and mumblings were growing more jerky, more frightened. Real Latin phrases began appearing in the midst of incoherent mumblings. "//No… leave… don't follow… you promised… alone…\\"
Nick could hear Nire's mutterings more clearly as they grew more reassuring. "//It's okay, mon ange. It's just a nightmare, like usual. I made it out - I made it out with you. Wake up, baby, mon ange. Wake up and see for yourself. It's just a nightmare like we have every night. We're both okay. \\"
Natalie glanced at him, mouthing, "What are they saying?"
Nick shrugged, touching his forehead to hers. "Doesn't matter - it's not meant to be understood by us."
Jander got louder, more violent on the couch. "//No… let her go… leave her alone… not part of… deal… don't… don't touch her… no… \\" His voice rose in a strangled scream of anguish as he flew into an upright position. "Nire!" Silver eyes searched the room frantically, not registering anything.
"Hey, hey." Gentle hands turned his face so he could see Nire. Relief immediately washed over his face. "I'm right here, mon ange. I'm okay."
A thin-boned bronze hand reached out, hovering near her face. The disbelief was evident in every piece of his body. Suddenly, he tense, the set of his lithe frame filled with panic. A strangled command came forth from his throat.
"Get away, M'ija…"
Natalie watched in horror as his eyes flamed saffron and he grabbed her throat, biting down and sucking at the sweet nectar within. One hand held her head and hair to the side; the other clamped her left arm down like a vise. Immediately, the two lovers moved to help.
Before they could even get a step, a voice thundered through their conscious. No!! Stay away!!
They both immediately froze. A look of complete ecstasy had filled Nire's face. Natalie grinned - she couldn't help it. She knew how the girl felt - and she was obviously in love with the vampire. If Jander didn't stop soon, Nick was going to intervene. He didn't want the girl to get hurt if he could help it. But he knew that live blood would be more healing than the bottled stuff. And Nire obviously didn't mind.
With a strangled scream of derision, Jander tore his head back and thrust Nire away from him. She flew backwards with an audible pop and a shriek of pain. As Natalie rushed over to check on her, Jander curled himself into a tight, shaking ball.
"Oh my gods, oh my gods ohmygods. Mystra Mielikki Ao, tell me one of you can fix it." Nire was hyperventilating, her left arm clearly popped out of its socket, but not crying.
"Nick," said Natalie. She knew how to pop the shoulder back in, but she wasn't strong enough.
Nick hesitated slightly. "Don't even start," Nire gasped out. "Just fix it. Fix it fix it fix it." Tears of pain had sprung into her eyes, even though she did not let them spill over.
Nick hesitantly gripped her arm and her collarbone. "Do it," she growled suddenly. With a quick twist and tug, her dislocated shoulder popped back in. Nire groaned in pain, then rotated her shoulder a couple times. It hurt, as did the slash on her back, but it'd do.
"I'm gonna frelling kill him," Nire muttered, stalking (as best she could with her limp) angrily back to the couch.
"It's not his fault," Nick tried to reason. He understood what the vampire must have felt like, and could sympathize with the reaction.
"Bull frelling dren," she responded, then turned her attention to the vampire elf on the couch. He was still huddled in a shaking ball, his face buried in his knees. Nick could smell fresh blood; blood that smelled different from the French vanilla and almonds of Nire, and assumed it was bloodtears.
"Cry all you want, you fucking bastard," Nire swore at the poor vampire. "Go ahead - feel sorry for yourself. What's the rule? What's the *fucking* rule? Do whatever you want to my right side. That side means dren to me - it never gets hurt. But *don't' touch the left side*! You know, feed from me all you want. I don't care. Just *don't dislocate* the shoulder!" Nire paused in her rage-filled yelling, regarding Jander silently.
"Nire…" Natalie tried quietly.
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, mon ange. Come on." Suddenly, her voice was cajoling and gently. She bent down and picked up the green wine bottle of blood that sat on the floor. "Drink this, baby, okay? Please? I'm sorry - I had no right to yell at you. Please drink it?"
Jander merely clung tighter to himself. Nire's light fingers tripped gently down his wiry frame, stroking and petting. "Please, Jander. I'm begging you. Drink and get better. Please." Her fingers played through his wheat-gold locks.
It was to no avail. It almost seemed as though waves of self-revulsion were rolling off the elven vampire to affect everyone near him. After a few moments, Nire sighed and motioned Nick over. He came and stood next to her, waiting to find out what she wanted him to do.
Nire sniffed the open neck of the bottle appreciatively. "Mm, this smells *so* good. It's making my stomach growl. Wow. Doesn't it smell good, Nick?"
Nick smiled slightly, understanding his role. "It smells delicious. Yum. I wish I could have some."
Nire handed him the bottle. "Take a sip," she muttered.
Nick took half a mouthful, then licked his lips appreciatively. "Mm. Nice and fresh - one of the better vintages."
Nire grinned at him and took the bottle back, wafting the smell over to Jander. "It's a shame that it's all going to go to waste. Too bad…" She waved the bottle back and forth in front of the ball of undead flesh.
Nick could visible see the other vampire's control weakening. A fine-boned bronze hand shot out and roughly grabbed the bottle from Nire's fingers. He sat up, chugging it down, his bronze face stained with red tear tracks. As he finished, his flaming saffron eyes alighted on Natalie, and he attempted to lunge up. Before Nick could react, Nire slammed him back with her right arm across his chest and shoved the second bottle into his hand. Nick had a third waiting as Jander drained that one dry. Nire quickly took it and shoved it into his hand. He was looking better already.
Under her breath, Nire muttered, "Good gods, mon ange, you're as bad as Amariyah when she doesn't want to eat but one of us makes her."
Halfway through that third bottle of blood, Jander began to slow down, and he set it on the floor with an inch left at the bottom. As soon as he did that, he covered his face with his hands, his elbows on his knees, sobs wracking his body. Nire turned and sat next to him, putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him to lean on her. At first, he resisted, but soon, he was sobbing on her shoulder.
Nick glanced at Natalie. Due to the fact that this floor of the loft was one big room, there was nowhere that they could go to give the two refugees some privacy. There might be the semblance of it if they retired to the kitchen, but Nick wasn't to keen on the idea of leaving Nire 'alone' with the recently starved vampire. Still, they drew back slightly to behind the couch.
Nire caressed Jander's body as best she could, ignoring the pain in her left shoulder, attempting to comfort his sobs. He was gibbering in Latin, clinging tightly to the girl.
"//I almost killed you. I could have killed you. I almost got you killed. I almost got everyone killed. Oh my gods, how can you stand to be near me? It's my fault that you're hurt. Oh my gods, I fed off you. I am evil incarnate, I am lower than the worms. I should just leave, should stake myself. \\"
Nire was having a bit of difficulty deciphering the words between the sobs, but she caught that last one right away. "//Don't you *dare* leave. Don't you *dare* abandon us again. And if you kill yourself… You're father in all but blood to some of those kids. How am I supposed to explain to them that they've lost *another* parent? Stop being so frelling selfish."
Nire allowed him to sob unchecked for a few minutes. Finally, after tilting her head back and glancing at Nick and Natalie, she pried Jander's head away from her shoulder so he was looking at her. "As much as I would love to hold you as you cry, mon ange, you're wasting precious blood." She quickly kissed off his tears and kissed his eyelids. "For my sake? So I don't sit here and worry?"
Jander nodded, his silver eyes fixed on the floor, his head hanging in shame. Natalie felt like a voyeur, watching the two. But she couldn't turn away. Nire gently kissed Jander's cheek, stroking his fine hair.
"Mon ange, //you need to sleep and get better, okay? You're still weak. Lie down again, baby. \\"
Natalie wished she could understand the girl. By the look on Nick's face, he could. Jander lay back down as Nire stood up.
His voice was filled with panic as he begged. "//Don't leave me. Please don't leave me. \\"
Nire laughed, speaking in English again. "I'm not. Don't worry, I'm just sitting down on the floor." She took his golden hand in hers, smiling as it immediately locked around hers.
Natalie nudged Nick and made him follow her to the kitchen. He happily followed her, leaning against the counter as she began going through the refrigerator for lunch. This was going to be fun if Nire and Jander stayed much longer.
"Do you want any lunch?" Natalie asked Nire softly.
"Nah, I'm good," she responded tiredly. After a few minutes, she carefully separated her hand from Jander's and limped to join them in the kitchen. "Can I have a glass of water or something?"
"Sure." Nick got a glass down from the cabinet above him and filled it in the sink, handing it to her.
Nire stared at it for a moment, as if she suddenly regretted asking for it. "Please don't be chlorine water," she muttered before greedily downing the glass.
"Chlorine water?" Natalie questioned for lack of anything better to say.
"Yeah. My town's got normal water, but places like Whitinsville and Worcester," which she pronounced 'Woosta', "the water there tastes like they added lots of chlorine to it."
There was an uncomfortable silence for a while. Finally, in an amused tone of voice, Nire said, "Ah yes, the silence of a group of people thrown together for no reason. To save us all the discomfort and embarrassment, can I watch TV or something?"
Natalie nodded, relieved. Nire had already sighted the remote on the back of the couch and made a bobbing beeline for it. As she started flipping through channels, Natalie and Nick sat down at the kitchen table. Sound carried well in the loft, so Nire could be heard humming softly from her spot on the floor as she watched - and Natalie had to grin slightly at this - 'Ren and Stimpy'.
Her grin quickly faded, however, as she muttered, "Jesus, I feel like this place is turning into a hotel."
"Well I hope, when you start kicking people out, I'm allowed to stay," Nick said, trying to lighten the mood.
Natalie laughed slightly - how could she not, looking at him. He was so sweet. "Maybe we could as Abel to sleep on the couch again for a few nights," she mused softly.
"Nat," Nick grinned and covered her hands with his. Never would he get enough of her skin on his. "Stop thinking about it. If she says she wants to sleep on the floor, then she does. That's not the type of person who would say something and not mean it."
"How do you know?" she asked skeptically.
A confused look passed over Nick's face. "I… I don't know. I just do… But it would be easier just to leave Jander there, anyway. He's not going to be able to walk far for a while."
"You sound as though you talk from experience," Natalie said curiously, hoping he would share.
"Yeah… Just let it go, Nat."
Natalie sighed. She didn't care anymore. She wanted to back to *work* so she wasn't bored anymore. She wanted the trial to have begun and be done and over with so she didn't have this constant sense of dread hanging over her. No, better yet, she wanted to go back in time and prevent everything from happening.
Nick patiently waited for the myriad of emotions to stop flowing through Natalie's features. He could sympathize with her obvious thoughts. She had it easy with the whole ordeal so far - everyone had managed to keep her name from the papers, and the head ME had been 'sent' to a conference in the states. But this could not last much longer.
It was as if his thoughts, her thoughts, were a trigger. 'Ren and Stimpy' ended, and Nire changed the channel to some news station. Speak of the Devil, and he will appear.
"In a recent development on the serial rapist-murderer case, and undisclosed source revealed the name of the only surviving victim. Natalie Lambert, head medical examiner for the Toronto police department, was rescued a little more than two weeks ago from the clutched of the killer. The youngest women ever to be appointed-"
The channel was changed with an excited squeal of "Pinky 'n' th' Brain!" from Nire.
Natalie dropped her head into her hands. "Wonderful. Just wonderful. Can my life *get* any better?"
"Oh Nat," Nick murmured, scooting around to another chair so he was closer to her.
"When's the trial?" she muttered. "When is this all going to be over with?"
"I don't know," he said sadly. In two weeks, I think."
She grumbled to herself unhappily. Finally muttering coherently, "Chocolate. I need chocolate."
Nick grinned and kissed her, getting up. He opened the cupboard under the sink and reached way to the back, behind the cleaners Natalie had put under there. She looked at him dubiously - hadn't she broken him of the habit of putting things under there? But she had to laugh as he grinned triumphantly and pulled a bag of Hershey's Kisses from the murky depths.
"I knew you wouldn't find them under there," he said proudly, handing them to her. "Chocolate."
His face was so earnest, so eager to please, that she didn't have the heart to tell him that she was thinking more along the lines of a double mocha latte than chocolate candy. After all, what could be better than chocolate and coffee together? But it was the thought that counted.
"I love you Nick," she told him as she opened the bag, taking out the first foil-covered candy.
~~~~{@
Abel quaked in his car in the garage. He had been able to feel it almost all night. Even Jack had mention how jumpy he seemed. But what else could he do? How else was he supposed to react? The power rolling off the city…
The power rolled off the city, in a new way. It wasn't the usual power that should be felt, oh no. This was different, stronger. It tugged at him, tried to draw him to the center of the outpouring. The incessant pull gnawed at his belly and tingled down his limbs. However, just as he knew everyone else was doing, he nervously ignored it. Unlike them, he had a higher stake in ignoring the call.
Five days. He only had five days. It was like a countdown to his death. In fact, it quite possibly was. Maybe if he found the source of this sudden upwelling of power…
When Jack came to relive him promptly at half past one, Abel was no closer to a decision. All he could do was pray that whatever was at the nexus of the swell would still be there tomorrow. He didn't want to wait, but he was afraid to go right then.
As he drove back to the loft, his problem was solved. The feeling grew strong and stronger as he neared his temporary home. And his nervousness grew proportionally. He now sat in his parked car, quivering with fear. The source of the power was at the loft. Whatever it was, it was there. Was it waiting for him?
Tingles of power ran through his body and buzzed through his head. He was trying to work up the nerve to go upstairs. There was no way he could go up there this frightened. So what that whatever the source of this power was could be just like the rest of them? Who cared if it almost definitely was?
Abel took a deep breath and slumped back into his seat. He was screwed.
