Author: The Wanlorn
Title: A World in a Grain of Sand 26/27
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: Same as all of the last times, so far.
Thank Yous: Thanks to Carla, my beta. Thanks to Mike and April, who are the only people giving me good reviews.
Author's Note: "Cellophane, Mr. Cellophane. That should be my name, Mr. Cellophane. You can look right through me, walk right by me. And never know I'm there." Yeah. I know how Amos felt.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Natalie sat at the kitchen table, angrily sipping a cup of lukewarm coffee. It was probably something unwise to do when she was hopefully going to be going to bed soon. Nick had tried to convince her to go sooner, but she flatly refused. And when she snapped at him, he had retreated upstairs, wounded. She would have gone to join him, had Nire and Abel decided to return at a reasonable hour.
But now it was dawn and they were still gone. When they returned, they were certainly going to receive a tongue-lashing. *Anything* could have happened to them by now. While Toronto was a relatively safe city, she knew the dark side of it. She had seen the death that being on the wrong street at the wrong time of the night could cause.
Jander had tried to say something reassuring, to put her maternal instincts to rest, but the furious glare she shot him had quickly silenced his silver voice. The thing that galled her was that they had left no note, no nothing. Jander had just told her that they would be back around dawn. Right. When she had kids of her own…
When the sound of the lift started, she jumped. Her nerves were frayed, too. Nick had been gone for a *long* time early that night, leaving her (relatively) alone in the loft the night after… To say that made her more nervous would be redundant. She fixed her gaze on the rolling door, waiting.
Nire stepped out first, grinning happily. Abel was behind her, a hint of a smile on his face, his eyes almost worshipful of Nire. More cautiously worshipful, but hero worship was there, all the same. As Nire noticed the look in Natalie's eyes, her grin faded, and she stepped slightly more in front of Abel, the gesture obviously protective.
"Where have you been?" Natalie asked, refusing to let any anger seep into her voice.
"Out wandering around the city. Why?" A look of honest confusion passed over the girl's face.
"Do your parents allow you out late at night, without telling anyone where you're going or leaving a note?"
Nire blinked, her eyes widening slightly as though she couldn't believe that was what Natalie was mad about. "Well, my mum and da live in a piss-ass little town where you can leave your doors unlocked whether you're home or not. An' Khel 'n' Laer just expect me to tell someone. An' I told Jander. I'm sorry."
"Where did you go?"
That question made Nire evasive. "Out and around. We stayed on well-lit streets and didn't talk to any strangers." She smiled cautiously, trying to get the humor to go over well.
Natalie couldn't help but smile at the attempt to make peace. But she still asked, "What could you two have been doing out until dawn?" Her foot tapped impatiently.
"Um… stuff."
That answer was not good enough. "What kind of 'stuff'?"
Abel was standing behind Nire, more like *hiding* behind her. He looked absolutely miserable and frightened. Seeing that, Natalie was directing her questions and her anger at Nire. When she asked that question, he made a tiny, frightened noise.
"Just stuff," Nire said, her eyes pleading for Natalie to drop it. "Cross my hear, it wasn't illegal, we didn't kill anyone, we didn't destroy anything, we didn't steal anything. We were just doing stuff."
Deciding it wasn't worth it, Natalie let that go. Looking at Abel, cowering behind Nire, she couldn't stay angry. "If you decide to disappear again, tell either Nick or I, and come back at a reasonable hour."
"Yes ma'am," Nire said cockily, nodding. "But, seriously, I'm really sorry. I didn't think it would matter how late we were out. Sorry.'
"I'm sorry," Abel whimpered.
Natalie sighed. "It's all right," she said, directing it more towards Abel. "Just don't stay out so late next time, okay?"
After they both nodded, she let it go. And now she could go to bed. "Good night, guys."
"G'night," Nire said.
As Natalie was heading up the stairs, she could hear Nire muttering, "Jesus Christ, she's going to be a good mother some day."
A small smile spread across her face as she reached the top of the stairs.
~~~~{@
Natalie's sleep that day was more fitful than it had been in a while. Nightmares haunted her dreams, and not even Nick's comforting embrace could cause them to dissipate. She woke up just as tired as she had gone to bed the morning before. Nor was she in a pleasant mood. She did not want to deal with the abrasiveness of Nire today. In fact, she wanted her home to be *hers* again, with just she and Nick inhabiting its spacious walls.
God must have been listening to her prayers, because when she came downstairs to start making breakfast, Nire and Jander were packing up their things. Nick leaned against the counter, sipping a mug of bloodwine and watching what they were doing with lazy interest.
Nire looked up from where she was closing her backpack. "Thank you a million times over for letting us stay here. I know we've vastly overstayed our welcome. Many thanks for not throwing us out. Feel free to cheer now that we're leaving - we're used to it." She smiled, slightly sardonically.
Natalie had to seriously quell the urge to do just that. Even though she really wanted them gone immediately, she forced herself to be polite and offered, "Do you want something to eat before you go?"
Nire shook her head. "No thanks. If there's ever anyway at all that we can repay you…"
"We were glad to let you stay," Nick said. Natalie glanced at him oddly because his voice held no hint of a lie. What had happened between last night and this night? Then again, Nick had always been good at dissembling, a necessary skill for a vampire.
Nire snorted. "Right. Sure. Anyways, we can't thank you enough. Seriously. I am so not kidding that we are forever indebted to you." Her foot tapped impatiently as she glanced up towards the catwalk, muttering, "Where the hell is that boy? I wanna *go*. I miss my babies."
Natalie's forehead crinkled slightly as she went over to stand by Nick, ignoring the mug of blood in his hand. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, muttering into her ear, "Don't argue. I'll explain later."
She turned to look up at him, the question in her eyes. Instead of telling her what he was talking about, he shook his head slightly. The answer was given, however, when Abel came down the stairs, carrying his backpack. He looked nervous, and Natalie immediately felt guilty for chastising him and Nire last night. She should have known that it would scare him away, even if it wasn't directed at him. She glanced up at Nick again, her eyes narrowed. How could he expect her not to protest?
"Please, Nat," he begged her, barely audible.
No. She would not acquiesce to this. The trust levels that Nire and Jander evoked in her was only a little bit above nil. There was no way she trusted that their intentions toward Abel were good. At least when they were here, she knew that the young man was relatively safe. She was *not* going to let this go without at least a bit of argument.
"Thank you for letting me stay here," Abel said quietly, rubbing his hands together in a nervous manner.
About to argue, Natalie opened her mouth, but Nick beat her to it as the group of three began to walk toward the lift, Abel between the other two.
"We were glad to let you stay. You're welcome back any time. Will you come back for Christmas?"
Abel paused at the lift's door, glancing questioningly at Nire. The girl spoke before Natalie could get a word in. "It's past Christmas already where we're going, kitten."
He turned to Nick. "Can I?"
With a gently simile, Nick responded, "Of course you can. Is that a yes, then?" Abel nodded. "Well, come back and visit often, okay?"
Abel nodded again, and Jander and Nire chorused a, "Good bye! And thanks again!" Then the door to the lift closed and it began it's decent. Nick had effectively blocked Natalie from getting a single word out.
Furious, she whirled on him, her eyes flashing with anger. "Don't you *ever* do that to me again," she hissed.
Nick cowered away from her anger. "Please don't be mad at me, Nat. Let me explain first."
"No. I don't care if he was really the one who kidnapped me and tortured me. Do not ever do that. Ever."
He reached out to pacify her, but she stepped back, out of reach. That hurt. "Nat, would you *please* listen to me? I was talking to Nire before you and Abel woke up. She was explaining to me why she had offered to let Abel live with her, and why she really hoped we wouldn't argue."
Although she was pissed at him, she was listening. "Okay, okay. Fine. Just what did she tell you."
"How much are you willing to believe?" he asked her. "Can you take the next step from vampires to… wereanimals?" Although she was looking at him skeptically, he could see that she was weighing the idea in her mind. "Well, Abel was a wereleopard. And Nire does for wereanimals what Janette does for vampires."
"And you believed her?"
"My sense of smell may not be up to par with other vampires," Nick said indignantly, "but I can certainly tell when someone is lying to me. And she wasn't. They'll take care of him, Nat. And he *really* wanted to go with her. She'll know if he wants to come back, and she'll bring him back. But if you had started arguing with them…" He drifted off. "Please understand, Nat? Please?"
She sighed, more a growl. She hated it when he was right. But that didn't stop her from being extremely angry with him. And she could tell by the look on his face that he knew that. "Fine, Nick, fine. Whatever you say."
His face fell from its hopeful look, turning miserable. Still, she glared at him angrily. There was no way she would forgive him that easily. He sighed unhappily, looking away with guilt in his eyes. Luckily for him, he was saved from the further wrath of her tongue by a quick buzz of the doorbell and the sound of the lift starting up.
"It's Janette," Nick said, his voice slightly puzzled. What in the world did she want?
Natalie raised her eyebrows at him, but said nothing. Fine - if he didn't want her to talk, then she wouldn't talk. Childish, yes. But she didn't care. When the door to the lift opened, Janette stepped out, but stopped there.
"Good evening Nicolas, Natalie." She paused, her face slightly crinkling. "What is that awful smell? Who have you been letting in here, Nicolas?"
He looked around, obviously sniffing the air. "What smell?"
"Ugh. You can't smell that? It's like… the stench that comes off a church, or that cross you own…"
Nick shrugged. He couldn't smell it. "Whatever you say. What are you doing here?"
The look she shot him was not friendly by any means. "Natalie, I was wondering if you would like to come with me for some, ah, girl talk. Where Nicolas cannot hear us."
"Sure." Natalie's agreement was quick, getting it in before Nick could say anything.
The two women were already on their way out before Nick could get his bearings enough to protest. This was not the best time for Janette to just randomly want to speak to Natalie. How did he manage to make every woman in his life angry with him at the same time? Thus was his luck.
"Don't worry, Nicolas," Janette said flippantly. "I promise to bring her back in one piece."
As the lift growled down to street level, Nick couldn't quell the tight knot of anxiety that had formed in his stomach.
~~~~{@
Natalie sipped slowly at the glass of wine Janette had given her as they settled in the private apartments at the back of the Raven. Janette was sipping a glass of slightly thicker, though of similar color, fluid.
"You finally convinced Nicolas to commit," the raven-haired vampire said approvingly. "Congratulations."
"Thank you." Natalie's suspicions were slowly creeping up. She was beginning to regret leaving the safety of the loft.
Janette shifted slightly in her chair, swirling the bloodwine. "And you are going to ask him to bring you across, are you not?" she asked quietly.
Nodding silently, Natalie was relieved by the turn the conversation was taking. Safer grounds, as ironic as it was.
Janette sighed. "Then you need to know some things that Nicolas will not tell you."
Natalie's only response was to raise an eyebrow slightly.
"You are aware that he does not have the best… track record with fledglings? Especially those he has intense feelings for?"
"Well, yes,' Natalie admitted. "But, he's taken my blood before…" The ease with which she could say that was astounding.
"It's different. How much has Nick told you?"
"Not a lot." Her voice held disgust for Nick's closed-mouth tendencies.
Janette made a commiserating noise before continuing. "He will have to drain you to the *very brink* of death. Had he brought you across when he had the chance, everything would have been fine. That was one of the few times he stopped at the right moment."
"So you're telling me that he doesn't know when to stop drinking, and that I should be aware of that," Natalie repeated, just to make sure.
Janette's nod confirmed it. "It might be a good idea to… have someone there, just in case."
That did sound like a good idea. As much as she loved Nick, after what happened last time… She didn't trust him with her life in that respect. But the real question was, why? She would have thought hat both Janette and LaCroix would be overjoyed to see her dead. So why warn her of this?
And because it truly did bug her and she wanted to know what plot they had, she asked. "Why? Why are you telling me all of this?"
Janette didn't seem surprised by the question, having expected it, and even wondered about it herself. But there was an answer. "Nicolas' grasp on sanity when he met you was tenuous, and growing more unsteady all the time. Since he met you, you have become his… grounding base. And I dread to think what will happen when you die. As much as he refuses to admit it, LaCroix knows this, too. So I am warning you of the dangers, for my own best interests."
Natalie smiled slightly. At least she wasn't lying to make herself look more virtuous. And she could handle that sort of reasoning. She could feel Nick crossing the connection between them and gently touching her mind, making sure she was still okay. His worry was *very* apparent. She caressed his mind a little to reassure him, feeling him withdraw after a moment.
"All right," she said to Janette. "You look like there's more."
Janette sighed. This was going into the failings of LaCroix, which she usually tried to stay away from. "When Nicolas was a fledgling, LaCroix left out some important lessons in his training. When you are brought across, as much as this will irritate Nicolas, it would be best if someone else trained you."
Once more, Natalie raised an eyebrow. She had to say, she agreed with Janette. Regardless, she had been wary of being taught by Nick. Odds were, he would try to protect her too much for lessons to really be of any value.
"Like who?"
"Preferably someone who is in the Family." Janette paused before continuing. "And LaCroix is the best instructor around here…"
Natalie had to pause and consider that. While, since having dealt more with the ancient vampire, she held an enormous amount of respect for him, she wasn't sure if she really believed that he wouldn't attempt to kill her at the first chance he had. Would he really be wiling to instruct her in her new abilities? She had no doubt that he was an excellent tutor, and that she could learn much from him, not only about vampires. Of course, if he treated her the same way he had treated Nick…
"It depends."
Janette nodded, expecting that. "Think about it. If you are not constantly warring with him, he's actually quite pleasant to be around." It was the truth, slightly edited, but still the truth.
That, Natalie believed. Nick certainly did seem to have a very biased view of the elder vampire. But she would seriously have to think the whole thing over a lot, and come to some decisions.
Janette shifted in the chair, leaning forward slightly, clearly moving into gossip mode. "On to happier topics. Have you two set a date for the wedding, yet?"
~~~~{@
Nick sighed as he looked around the loft, aimlessly wandering. It felt so empty right now, with everyone gone and Natalie off doing whatever with Janette. He reached across their bloodlink once more, not going far enough so she was aware of the contact. Just enough to make sure she was still okay. It would be interesting to find out what the two women were talking about, if Natalie would be willing to tell him.
He wandered up to the storage rooms, absently peering into open boxes, but not really seeing what was there. Without a doubt, he was nervous about the prospect of Natalie becoming a vampire. God knew he was terrified that she would end up hating him for it. But he didn't know if he was even *capable* of doing it. Mentally or physically. If he did the same thing that he had last time… Few enough people had survived him to become his fledgling. Never would he forget Alyssa…
Perhaps he should ask Janette, or even LaCroix, to be there when the time came. Just in case. If anything went wrong, he would never forgive himself.
Walking out onto the catwalk, he surveyed the grand space of the living floor of the loft. The tree lights were on, casting a multi-colored glow on the black gloss if the piano. Christmas was coming soon. He had already bought gifts for Natalie, which was *much* harder than it should have been. He just didn't know what to get her. Like a child, he had been searching through the loft every chance he had for what she might have gotten him. Although he didn't know when she could have gone out to shop, he assumed that she must have somehow figured out a way. After all, his fiancé was extremely creative. Since she was kidnapped, he couldn't recall a single time that she had been out anywhere without him firmly plastered to her side. Needless to say, he had yet to find anything.
He wandered down to the piano and sat on the bench, lifting the cover of the keys. He began to play, picking out a melody that was running through his head and adding harmony to it. As the dreamy tones floated through the still air, Sydney ambled over and jumped up on the piano bench to sit beside him. While Nick had always been a dog lover, he found that he didn't particularly mind the fat gray tabby. He was actually relatively pleasant to have around. It was really too bad that bringing animals across rarely worked.
His mind drifted languidly, sailing through purple skies and candy clouds. He wanted Natalie back at the loft now, back to where he knew she was safe. But there was nothing he could do about that without further angering her, so his mind ventured on. Eventually, it settled into the unforgiving sea of reality. His fingers faltered on the ivory, and the piano fell silent. Sydney's loud purring became more obtrusive in the sudden lack of noise.
Nick's mind kept replaying the moment he had told Janette and LaCroix that he and Natalie were engaged. Over and over, his pristine memory flashed back to that one moment when the words had left his mouth. Seemingly of its own volition, his mind would zoom in on LaCroix's face, on the emotions lying there, quickly thrown behind a diffident mask.
Over and over he heard himself say how he asked Natalie to marry him. A quick look of hurt and betrayal flashed across LaCroix's face before an indifferent look fell in place. Then, when he said that she had said yes… he couldn't even begin to describe the look that had appeared briefly on his father's face. Anger warring with deep sadness, loneliness at an intensity that Nick didn't want to think about, worry, and more betrayal. Then LaCroix had walked away.
That made no sense, though. None of those looks. Well, anger, yes. He could certainly understand how marriage would make LaCroix angry. If it actually went through without a hitch, it was quite possible that it would loosen his hold on Nick. And LaCroix could not stand to have his toy occupied elsewhere. Well, Nick was beyond being sick of his twisted mental games. If he had an issue with the whole thing, if he was going to be a danger to Natalie, then Nick had to know that now.
He would go speak with the old Roman. Perhaps, it would come to the matter of death for one of them, once more. LaCroix never seemed to stay dead for long, though.
~~~~{@
LaCroix wandered into his bedchamber, a few bottles of bloodwine cradled in one hand, an opened letter in the other. He usually treasured the night such mail made its way to him. But not tonight. Tonight, he planned to get as drunk as he could. Maybe read the letter, maybe save it for the proverbial rainy day.
Sitting down at his desk, he took out a simple wooden box before he noticed a folded sheet of plain white paper in the middle of the flat surface of his desk. Only marginally curious, he picked it up and turned it over, looking for a name. Who would have been able to get into his room? Perhaps whoever it was had left it with Janette, with instructions to give it to him. Seeing nothing, he opened it.
*Just how would you prepare a woman from the 13th century for life in the 20th? If you don't have an answer, forget about it. *
As soon as he read it, he tore it to shreds angrily, then cradled his head in his hands miserably. He had no idea. It wasn't possible, any of it. Why had he gotten his hopes up in the first place? It was just a bored child trying to mess with his mind. The galling part was that she had succeeded. As the years wore on, he was becoming a gullible old fool.
He stood up again. He needed more bottles of bloodwine.
