This is my entry in the renewed Memory Challenge.
What would happen if Nick became mortal but remembered absolutely nothing of waht happened after 1228?
Disclaimer: The characters of FK are property of TPTB and no copyright
infringement is intended.
Awakening
by Luc , May 2003
Prologue
He braced himself for the pain.
When it finally came, it was excruciating, blinding.
He screamed, gasped for air, felt the floor rush up to meet his teary
cheeks in a cool caress.
Darkness.
***
"Mmm."
The nurse turned and took a closer look at the patient. Again he seemed to
mumble something. Could it be that after all this time he was finally
coming out of the coma?
The blond head moved on the pillow and again a soft sound escaped the lips.
The nurse put down the IV solution she had been preparing and decided to
get the doctor.
***
He was feeling awful. His head was killing him.
He remembered drinking with his comrades. They had been celebrating their
return from the Holy Land. There had been a lot of ale and wine, … and
whores.
One of them had stood out from the crowd. She had been exceptional, a jewel
among rhinestones. She had beckoned to him and he had been drawn to her
like a moth to the flame.
Her beautiful face appeared in his mind and he felt himself smile.
He didn't want to open his eyes. He wanted to lie here a little while
longer and bask in the blurred memory of passionate love-making.
But something irritated him. Strange sounds hit his ears. And funny smells.
He expected the snoring of his comrades, the snorting of horses or maybe
even the sensual voice of Janette whispering French endearments. He
couldn't recall were he had spend the night after his amorous interlude
with the beautiful girl.
A strange image crept up from the back of his mind: a man with unusual
white hair, green (???)glowing eyes and long teeth. He shuddered. The face
of a demon. He definitely had had too much to drink.
The demonic image was dispelled by another strange sound. A long shrill
tone like some exotic bird. It was close to his right ear. And there was
something else, something was stuck up his nose and there was a dull ache
in his chest.
He sighed and tried to turn over. A hand was restraining him and a voice
spoke close to his ears.
"Detective, can you hear me?"
His eyes shot open and he was blinded by the glare of lights brighter than
anything he had ever seen. He tried to cover his eyes with his hands but he
couldn't move.
"Detective, it's alright. You're in hospital."
His eyes adjusted to the glare and he could make out the face of a man
leaning over him. The face looked friendly but the man was strangely
dressed. All in white. Like some of the monks he knew or an angel. He was
holding something in his hand that looked like a stick only that a small
flame must have been attached to its end because light was pouring out from
it.
The man brought the thing close to his face and he flinched back. The
stranger wanted to burn him with the flame.
"Detective, please calm down. I just want to check your reflexes."
What strange sounds this creature, for it surely must be a demon, was
making. The voice sounded soothing but he couldn't understand a thing.
Suddenly a dreadful thought entered his head.
He was back in Damiette. Back in the dungeons of the Saracens about to be
tortured and blinded. All his memories of Jerusalem and the return to Paris
must have been dreams conjured up by his feverish mind. That's what the
ache in his chest must be: the wound that he had received in the battle for
the doomed fortress.
He tried to get his hands free but they were tied down at his side. So he
followed his reflexes and caught the infidel's hand with his teeth and bit
down. The other screamed and the flaming stick fell to the floor with a
loud clank.
He spit. He must have drawn blood with his bite and its coppery taste
revolted him.
Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his arm. Everything became hazy and he
drifted off into unconsciousness.
***
A cool hand on his forehead. It was smoothing his hair back and it felt
good. Surely the Saracens had killed him and now he was in Heaven. He
opened his eyes and gazed deeply into two warm hazel eyes, a face that
looked down on him with sincere concern and a sad smile.
It was a face he could trust, he knew that instinctively.
"Nick, how are you feeling?"
His heart sank. She was speaking the same demonic gibberish as the others.
But he detected a sound that bore resemblance to his name. Could it be that
she knew who he was?
"Who are you and where am I?"
A puzzled look appeared on the angelic face. She obviously didn't
understand his native tongue. Maybe she understood French or … even Latin.
He tried French first.
The woman listened intently and now seemed to understand what he was
saying. Thank God he didn't have to resort to Latin. Père Jacques had
always said that even the kitchen scullions back in Brabant spoke better
Latin than he.
"You were gravely injured and have been asleep for quite some time. This is
a hospital."
Her French was strangely accented and she pronounced the words much more
softly than he was used to.
He wondered where this hospital was.
Her fingers were still stroking over his face. He wanted to touch her hand
but his own were still restrained. He cast her a pleading look.
"If this is a hospital, why am I bound?"
"You were very sick and they thought you might hurt yourself. And…," A
sweet smile lit up her features, "You bit the doctor, remember?"
He nodded.
The woman loosened the restraints on his wrists. As she was leaning over
him, her long hair fell across his face and a peculiar scent hit his
nostrils. It was a mixture of flowers and something he couldn't place, but
he noticed the whole room was smelling similar.
He tangled his free hand into her hair and made her look at him.
"Who are you?"
Natalie sighed. She was just having the worst déjà vu she could remember.
Nick had definitely lost his memory again. Just like when he had been shot
in the head. But then he had been a vampire, regaining his memories had
just been a matter of time. This time it was different. Nick was mortal.
"I am Natalie. We have been friends for a very long time. I'm a doctor
too."
What a strange place this must be, where women could be doctors. At home
women knew about midwifery or herbs, but medicine had been done by monks
only.
He looked at her again. Somehow he got the feeling that she was not just a
friend. So why couldn't he remember her?
"How long have I known you, Natalie?"
"Six years."
"Six years?!" He tried to sit up in bed but winced and sank back into the
sheets.
"How long have I been asleep?"
"Three months."
He didn't answer this time. He had to think about what she was telling him.
Six years without a trace in his mind. How could that be?
"Was I wounded in battle?"
Natalie looked down on him again. The fact that he was talking French and
talked about battle made her uncomfortable.
She took his hand and looked at him. He looked like the same old Nick she
had loved before the night when he had bitten her. But he obviously wasn't
that man anymore.
"Nicholas, what year are we in?"
"Well, actually I can't tell you. All I remember is that I returned from
the Holy Land in the year of the Lord 1228."
Natalie tried to hide her shock. Her worst fear had come true. Nick had not
only forgotten what had happened after he had arrived in Toronto. He had
also forgotten his eight-hundred-year existence as a vampire. And
apparently all the things he had learned during that time, including modern
English.
She patted his hand reassuringly. What was she supposed to do now? She
couldn't just tell him that he had spent more than seven centuries as a
creature that his medieval mind would classify as hellish. It could drive
him insane. But then, just knowing that it was the year 1996 could do this.
She got up and kissed his forehead. She needed to get some 'professional'
help for this.
***
Nick lay back and watched the sun rise through the window. Somehow the
sight of the giant orange ball rising into the sky exhilarated him. Hadn't
he seen this numberless times before?
He noticed the strange shapes outside the window. They looked like the tops
of the pyramids he had seen in Egypt. Only they seemed to be black and not
made of stone.
Slowly he rose from the bed. He felt weak and shaky. Something that looked
like hardened water was dangling from his arm. It was attached with some
sticky things and liquid was dripping into it. He supposed it was medicine
and didn't try to rip it from his arm. The 'doctors' would probably get
angry if he tried.
He went over to the window and looked outside.
He instantly backed away from the window. My God, where was he? These
buildings were huge. They were larger than all the cathedrals he had seen
in his life. And he was high up. The world started to turn around him and
he fainted and collapsed onto the floor.
***
When he opened his eyes, his room was again dark. He could only dimly make
out two shapes at the far end that were whispering with each other.
"Natalie, is that you."
Faster than his eyes could see, the two were by his side. He smiled at
Natalie, then turned to look at the other. He gaped. Her clothes and hair
were different but he recognized her immediately: Janette.
"Nicolas, mon amour, how are you?"
"Janette, what are you doing in this place? How did I get here?"
Janette put here gloved finger to his lips. "Ssh, Nicolas, tais toi. You
will calm down now and we will take you home."
Her voice had become deep and its sound lulled him in.
Seeing Nick's eyes glaze over, Natalie giggled. Janette shot her a
questioning glance. "I just couldn't believe that Nick was never a
resistor."
"Well, ma chère, you see that he isn't. Now help me get him dressed. We
have to get him out of here before the doctors come back."
Together they managed to dress Nick in jeans and T-Shirt. It was not as
difficult as if he had been asleep but it was not an easy task either.
Finally, Nat put his long coat around his shoulders.
Standing up, Nick looked much thinner than she remembered.
"Those nutritional supplements can't take care of everything." She sighed.
"Ok, Janette, you go up front. Make sure no one's coming."
With Janette covering, Nat managed to guide Nick through the corridors and
the stairwell and out a back door. His Caddy was waiting there for them.
"Put him in the back seat, Natalie. I'll drive."
Nat got in next to Nick who sat upright and unaware of what was going on
around him. She took his hand and squeezed it firmly as Janette pulled the
Caddy out of the back alley and steered it towards Nick's loft.
How warm Nick's hands were. His heat seemed to penetrate her skin and reach
into her very being. She had to swallow back the tears that were starting
to rise to her eyes.
When they arrived at the warehouse, Nat led Nick up the stairs. She didn't
want to use the elevator although she knew Nick was not aware of his
surroundings at all, it was like he was sleepwalking.
When she had him seated safely on the sofa, Janette came over and brought
Nick back to reality.
He looked around in amazement. This place was strange. So dark and gloomy,
and full of things he had never seen before. He wondered who lived here.
He looked at Natalie questioningly.
"What kind of place is this, Natalie?"
His eyes looked like those of a child at the circus for the first time. She
couldn't imagine what it must feel like to be thrown into a world so
completely different from what you had known all your life. No wonder he
had fainted at the sight of the Toronto skyline.
"It's our home, Nick. Mine and … for a little while now, Janette's too."
She thought it better not to tell him it was his.
She went up the stairs and retrieved a longish parcel from the closet.
After she had carried it downstairs she placed it on the coffee table.
"Open it."
Nick unwrapped the parcel and it contained an old, rusty sword. The once
beautifully polished steel was battered and dull.
"It's my sword, but…." He looked at her uncomprehendingly.
"Nick, remember that I asked you if you knew the year?"
"Yes, and you didn't answer me."
"This," Nat pointed at the sword, "has been in your possession for a very
long time … a 'very' long time."
Nick gulped. Something dreadful was going to happen, he just knew.
"Nick, you must believe me that I won't ever hurt you. Do you trust me?"
He nodded.
"Promise me you won't do something stupid if I tell you the whole truth?"
Again he nodded. Words just didn't want to come right now.
"Nicolas, as you might have gathered, you are no longer in 1228."
Natalie was thankful for Janette's help. She would understand Nick's, no
Nicolas', feelings much better than she herself would ever be able to.
Nick nodded once more and a trace of fear crept into his features.
"You have lived a very long time. It's 1996 now."
The sword slipped from Nick's fingers and hit the floor. "But this is
impossible. No living soul can last that long. Not unless … it's either an
angel or a demon."
Nat took Nick's hand and she noticed he was getting feverish. "Remember I …
we will never do you any harm." She had poured all her love for this man
into her voice and she felt him calm down. She exchanged a quick glance
with Janette, who nodded and let her change come over her. When she looked
up with glowing green eyes and extended fangs, Nick gasped and wanted to
jump up from the couch. Nat held him down.
"Heavenly Father, protect me! You are a creature from hell, a vampire!"
"Yes, she is. And you have been one too, for almost eight centuries."
"No! That's not true, you're lying!"
He tried to shake Nat's hand off but her grip was like steel.
"Nick, look at me!"
He turned his head and stared into another pair of golden eyes.
"You as well?" His voice was full of horror.
"Yes, and by your doing."
"By my… but how …?"
Janette had sat down next to Nick, running her fingers through his hair in
a soothing gesture.
"What can you remember from the night we met in Paris, Nicolas?"
"You came to the tavern where we were drinking. We talked and then went to
your rooms to …," he blushed.
"Do you remember anything after that, Nicolas?"
"It's all just a haze. I dreamt of a demon, one like you." His voice had
gone cold with the last words.
"It was not a dream. This man exists and that night he turned you into one
of us."
"Where is he now?"
"He's no longer here. He left this city after he thought he had killed
you."
"Killed me? " Nick's hand automatically went to his chest. Natalie only
nodded. "You asked him to."
"I don't know what to think of all that you are telling me. It sounds so…"
His voice trailed off and he got up, pacing the loft and running his hands
through his hair. A gesture so like the Nick she had known.
"I know, Nick. But if you give us the chance, we will tell you everything
and try to explain what has happened to you and me."
Nick looked into Natalie's pleading eyes, now once again their soft hazel.
"Go on."
***
It had taken them all night and most of the ensuing day to bring Nick up to
date with his life as a twentieth century cop in Toronto (A new continent,
unbelievable!). He had asked a thousand questions and Janette had patiently
answered them all. Natalie had only related their special relationship to
him. His quest for mortality, their friendship.
She had to get herself some blood from the stock of bottles in the fridge
when Nick's closeness stirred the vampire in her. She was only three months
old and his mortal blood sang in her ears. Never before had she understood
better how hard it had been for him all these years.
"I brought you back over, even though you asked me not to?"
Janette nodded and Nick stared at the floor. "I am so sorry, Janette."
"Don't be, Nicolas."
"Natalie?" She looked up at the sound of her name being spoken in that old
familiar way. It send shivers down her spine.
"What happened that night you were made. You said it was me?"
"Yes."
"But I am no longer a vampire, how is this possible?"
"Janette, would you mind giving us some minutes alone, please?"
Janette smiled and nodded, then she went up to the bedroom and closed the
door. She would be able to hear everything, but she knew the whole story
anyway.
Natalie told Nick about the night Tracy was shot and how they ended up
here.
"I forced you to make a decision. I begged you to make love to me and when
you bit me, you couldn't stop. You thought I was dead. And I … nearly was.
And you becoming mortal … maybe it was the shock of seeing me there, maybe
it was my blood. You had taken almost all of it, maybe that was why it
worked so fast, I don't know. I guess it is a mixture of that and the
trauma of having Lacroix stake you. Just like the memory loss."
"I don't believe it is important how it happened. But … how did you
become a vampire?"
"When you collapsed after the staking, you fell across my body and your
blood spilled over my face. I must have licked it off my lips. So you could
say, I was an accident." She gave a bitter laugh.
"Your blood still contained enough of the vampire element to bring me
across. Luckily Janette was there. She had felt what was going on. She has
helped me ever since."
"Why didn't you just bring me back across? Or this Lacroix?"
"I think Lacroix finally understood that you needed to be free. Before he
vanished he said that it was your decision if you wanted to die or become a
vampire again. He helped Janette take you to hospital but he refused to
bring you back over. We haven't heard from him since."
Nick walked over to where Nat was standing by the window and put his arms
around her from behind. She leaned back and enjoyed the feel of his body.
"Is there anything we can do, Natalie?"
She turned and looked at him. "That depends on you, Nick."
"Why on me?"
"It is your decision. You have wanted to become mortal for so long and now
you have achieved that goal. Don't give it up because of me. You have to
make your own decision, just for yourself."
"I don't know what to think, Natalie. I don't even remember that I loved
you. I feel like a complete stranger in this world."
We could give you your memories back, Janette and I, Nat thought, if we
brought you back across. And we could finally be together.
A growling sound made her look up. She couldn't help but laugh at Nick's
embarrassed face.
"Jesus, Nick. You must be starved. Now, this is a bit of a problem, your
stomach is only used to liquids. Modern food could be a problem. I think
it's best if we start with something simple like a milkshake."
"A milkshake?"
"Yes, you mix milk with fruit or chocolate or things like that. It tastes
good. Before I became a vampire I loved milkshakes."
"I see, I don't know what this chocolate is but I think I'll try one."
"Oh, chocolate. It's sweet and spicy and … you'll find out yourself."
Nat went to the fridge that had been stocked with food for Nick. She took
out a carton of milk and a bottle of chocolate syrup. Nick had followed her
and was watching her every move with curiosity.
He took the bottle of syrup and looked at it with awe. "It looks like glass
but it is so much lighter. And …," He squeezed and some syrup squirted out
over his fingers. He tentatively brought them to his lips and licked at the
brown liquid. After a few moments he smiled. "Mmm, good." "Chocolate bars
are even better, believe me."
He moved closer and with a serious expression asked, "But you can't eat all
this anymore, can you?"
She shook her head. She hadn't really thought that much about what she
couldn't do since she had come across. Her entire free time had been
occupied with worrying about Nick and getting her urges under control so
she could go back to working the nightshift at the morgue.
But as she stood there preparing his first mortal meal in ages it hit her
full force.
Tears sprung to her eyes and she shook with sobs. Nick was by her side in a
second. He embraced her and pressed her close.
"Shh. What is it, ma belle Natalie?"
She didn't want to look at him, didn't want him to see her blood-stained
face. So she mumbled into his shoulder.
"It's just that we waited so long for you to become mortal and now that it
has finally happened, I can't share it with you."
Nick didn't know what to say so he kept stroking her hair. He was beginning
to understand how much this woman, this stranger, loved him and that it was
breaking her heart.
Natalie got her feelings back under control and wiped the blood from her
face with the sleeve of her blouse. Then she presented Nick with his first
chocolate milkshake. Her smile came a little forced though.
"Oh, I see that Nicolas is about to get his first taste of Hershey's."
Janette had reappeared from the bedroom and was coming down the stairs.
She went over to Nat and whispered, "Do you think you'll need me here?
Sun's going down and I have to get back to the Raven."
"No, I think I'll manage. Thank you so much, Janette."
"You don't have to thank me, little sister."
Janette floated out of the loft and Nat caught Nick staring after her. At
the sight of her his body was definitely reacting in a very healthy way.
She felt that old pang of jealousy but she couldn't blame him. After all,
about the last thing he remembered was making love to Janette and not to
her.
She poured herself a glass of blood and joined Nick at the kitchen table.
He looked at the glass with the red liquid for a short moment but went on
sipping his shake. She was astonished, thinking back to when she had
watched him drink blood; it had revolted her.
Instead he just looked at her intently. "Is that human?"
She nodded. "But it was not taken by force. It is donated. Tell me, Nick,
how can you watch me drink blood and sip your food just like this?"
"Oh, I've seen a lot worse in my time, Natalie. And I know what blood
tastes like."
"What?"
"When we were trapped in the desert, we had to drink our horses' blood, we
didn't have any water."
"Oh."
Nick put down his empty glass and got up. "I need to get some sleep,
Natalie."
She took him upstairs and gave him a short tour of his closet and the
bathroom. He marveled at indoor plumbing, artificial lights and the soft
fabric of the satin sheets.
"Only kings and emperors had bedspreads like these. I can't believe that I
own this place."
"Oh, Nick, I think that your home in Brabant was a lot larger than the
loft."
"But it wasn't a luxurious home and it wasn't mine, it belonged to my
brothers."
"But this belongs to you. Nick, you are a very rich man."
"Just two days ago – I know, Natalie, but for me it is just two days – I
was a poor knight-errand, now I am a rich man who used to be a vampire. It
is all a bit much."
Nat nodded and kissed him on the cheek. "Sleep now."
She closed the door behind her.
He went back to the bathroom and undressed. For a long time he looked at
himself in the looking-glass - one such as this would have been weighed in
with gold in the markets of Paris.
He looked so different from when he last had a look at himself – in his
memory that had been his reflection in a tub of water.
His hair was cut short but in a neat way and he looked thin. There was an
ugly, round pinkish scar in his chest and when he turned and craned his
neck he could see that there was a similar one on his back. Natalie had
told him that it had healed fine but that he would feel it for a long time
to come. The blow had just missed his heart.
He stepped into the shower cabin and after some trying managed to work it
fine. What a luxury, warm water in abundance without the need to carry it
from the well in buckets and heat it over the fire.
He toweled off and slipped beneath the silken sheets not bothering with the
pajamas Natalie had laid out on the bed for him. He felt utterly exhausted
and soon drifted off to sleep.
He didn't notice the shadowy figure that sat down next to him and started
to stroke his hair and face. And he never noticed how Nat's eyes glowed
golden and she fled the room in panic.
***
He went through his clothes in the closet. All this affluence! What should
he choose? He was used to having just a couple of items and now he could
clothe a small village with all the garments he found here. And, he noticed
with an amused grin, most of his clothes seemed to be black.
He picked a pair of coarse blue pants (What had Natalie called them? –
Jeans?)and a black silk shirt. He managed to button the front(Whatever
happened to lacings?)and Natalie had shown him how zippers worked but he
couldn't close the cuffs. He finally rolled the sleeves up and slipped on a
pair of boots.
He went downstairs into the dark living room. He noticed there were metal
shutters in front of the windows and he didn't know how to open them. He
made his way across the room to where that large cupboard was that kept
food cold. He opened the door and had a look at its contents.
There were a lot of green bottles and he assumed they contained the blood
Natalie needed. Funny, but suddenly the idea of vampires didn't frighten
him anymore.
He couldn't decide what to pick from the refrigerator. All the things in
there looked so different from what he remembered. He finally took out a
hunk of cheese, an apple and some grapes and went over to the couch. He
chewed absentmindedly and had a closer look at 'his' loft.
The mantelpiece struck some familiar chord in his mind. That intricate
dragon didn't look much different from the gargoyles on the churches at
home. For a moment he thought about how he, his sister and his mother had
gone to church every Sunday. He had always felt so small in the cathedrals,
even as an adult. His family was gone now, they had turned to dust long
ago.
He was sad for a moment but the feeling didn't overwhelm him, he had said
goodbye to them when he had parted for the crusades. But it would be nice
to know what had become of them.
There was one thing that had intrigued him right from the start, but he
hadn't had time to take a closer look at it before.
It was big, black and shiny and one could obviously sit down before it as
there was a bench placed there. He ran his hand over the polished surface
of the wood and wondered what the black and white things at the front were
for. He sat down and started to press one of the keys. A soft sound came
from the thing, clear like a tiny bell. He tried a little more and found
that one could make music with it.
Self-absorbed he played around with the keys, never amounting to a real
melody but it fascinated him.
Nat woke from the sound of the piano being played. Well, 'played' was
actually not the right word, more like 'tested'. She rose and went out to
the landing. Nick was sitting there at the piano, just as he used to do so
often when she had come over to see him.
"You were a master at playing it. Some of the most famous composers used to
be your friends."
Nick looked up and smiled at her.
"Was that so?"
He got up and came over to where she stood at the foot of the stairs. He
took her hands in his. "There are so many things that I don't know, that I
can't remember. Do you think I will regain my memories?"
"Nick, I honestly don't know. But I think you ought to know that there is a
way to get them back. If Janette brought you across, her blood would
restore your memories. You must consider this before you make a decision."
Nick turned towards the window. "All of my memories?"
"Yes, Nick. The good ones and the guilt, too."
"But also my memories of you, of us?"
Nat swallowed. "Yes."
He turned back to her and said, "I can't give you an answer right now,
Natalie. Are you willing to wait?"
Natalie smiled at him. She would wait. After all, didn't she now have all
the time in the world?
-The End- (or maybe a beginning, who knows)
What would happen if Nick became mortal but remembered absolutely nothing of waht happened after 1228?
Disclaimer: The characters of FK are property of TPTB and no copyright
infringement is intended.
Awakening
by Luc , May 2003
Prologue
He braced himself for the pain.
When it finally came, it was excruciating, blinding.
He screamed, gasped for air, felt the floor rush up to meet his teary
cheeks in a cool caress.
Darkness.
***
"Mmm."
The nurse turned and took a closer look at the patient. Again he seemed to
mumble something. Could it be that after all this time he was finally
coming out of the coma?
The blond head moved on the pillow and again a soft sound escaped the lips.
The nurse put down the IV solution she had been preparing and decided to
get the doctor.
***
He was feeling awful. His head was killing him.
He remembered drinking with his comrades. They had been celebrating their
return from the Holy Land. There had been a lot of ale and wine, … and
whores.
One of them had stood out from the crowd. She had been exceptional, a jewel
among rhinestones. She had beckoned to him and he had been drawn to her
like a moth to the flame.
Her beautiful face appeared in his mind and he felt himself smile.
He didn't want to open his eyes. He wanted to lie here a little while
longer and bask in the blurred memory of passionate love-making.
But something irritated him. Strange sounds hit his ears. And funny smells.
He expected the snoring of his comrades, the snorting of horses or maybe
even the sensual voice of Janette whispering French endearments. He
couldn't recall were he had spend the night after his amorous interlude
with the beautiful girl.
A strange image crept up from the back of his mind: a man with unusual
white hair, green (???)glowing eyes and long teeth. He shuddered. The face
of a demon. He definitely had had too much to drink.
The demonic image was dispelled by another strange sound. A long shrill
tone like some exotic bird. It was close to his right ear. And there was
something else, something was stuck up his nose and there was a dull ache
in his chest.
He sighed and tried to turn over. A hand was restraining him and a voice
spoke close to his ears.
"Detective, can you hear me?"
His eyes shot open and he was blinded by the glare of lights brighter than
anything he had ever seen. He tried to cover his eyes with his hands but he
couldn't move.
"Detective, it's alright. You're in hospital."
His eyes adjusted to the glare and he could make out the face of a man
leaning over him. The face looked friendly but the man was strangely
dressed. All in white. Like some of the monks he knew or an angel. He was
holding something in his hand that looked like a stick only that a small
flame must have been attached to its end because light was pouring out from
it.
The man brought the thing close to his face and he flinched back. The
stranger wanted to burn him with the flame.
"Detective, please calm down. I just want to check your reflexes."
What strange sounds this creature, for it surely must be a demon, was
making. The voice sounded soothing but he couldn't understand a thing.
Suddenly a dreadful thought entered his head.
He was back in Damiette. Back in the dungeons of the Saracens about to be
tortured and blinded. All his memories of Jerusalem and the return to Paris
must have been dreams conjured up by his feverish mind. That's what the
ache in his chest must be: the wound that he had received in the battle for
the doomed fortress.
He tried to get his hands free but they were tied down at his side. So he
followed his reflexes and caught the infidel's hand with his teeth and bit
down. The other screamed and the flaming stick fell to the floor with a
loud clank.
He spit. He must have drawn blood with his bite and its coppery taste
revolted him.
Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his arm. Everything became hazy and he
drifted off into unconsciousness.
***
A cool hand on his forehead. It was smoothing his hair back and it felt
good. Surely the Saracens had killed him and now he was in Heaven. He
opened his eyes and gazed deeply into two warm hazel eyes, a face that
looked down on him with sincere concern and a sad smile.
It was a face he could trust, he knew that instinctively.
"Nick, how are you feeling?"
His heart sank. She was speaking the same demonic gibberish as the others.
But he detected a sound that bore resemblance to his name. Could it be that
she knew who he was?
"Who are you and where am I?"
A puzzled look appeared on the angelic face. She obviously didn't
understand his native tongue. Maybe she understood French or … even Latin.
He tried French first.
The woman listened intently and now seemed to understand what he was
saying. Thank God he didn't have to resort to Latin. Père Jacques had
always said that even the kitchen scullions back in Brabant spoke better
Latin than he.
"You were gravely injured and have been asleep for quite some time. This is
a hospital."
Her French was strangely accented and she pronounced the words much more
softly than he was used to.
He wondered where this hospital was.
Her fingers were still stroking over his face. He wanted to touch her hand
but his own were still restrained. He cast her a pleading look.
"If this is a hospital, why am I bound?"
"You were very sick and they thought you might hurt yourself. And…," A
sweet smile lit up her features, "You bit the doctor, remember?"
He nodded.
The woman loosened the restraints on his wrists. As she was leaning over
him, her long hair fell across his face and a peculiar scent hit his
nostrils. It was a mixture of flowers and something he couldn't place, but
he noticed the whole room was smelling similar.
He tangled his free hand into her hair and made her look at him.
"Who are you?"
Natalie sighed. She was just having the worst déjà vu she could remember.
Nick had definitely lost his memory again. Just like when he had been shot
in the head. But then he had been a vampire, regaining his memories had
just been a matter of time. This time it was different. Nick was mortal.
"I am Natalie. We have been friends for a very long time. I'm a doctor
too."
What a strange place this must be, where women could be doctors. At home
women knew about midwifery or herbs, but medicine had been done by monks
only.
He looked at her again. Somehow he got the feeling that she was not just a
friend. So why couldn't he remember her?
"How long have I known you, Natalie?"
"Six years."
"Six years?!" He tried to sit up in bed but winced and sank back into the
sheets.
"How long have I been asleep?"
"Three months."
He didn't answer this time. He had to think about what she was telling him.
Six years without a trace in his mind. How could that be?
"Was I wounded in battle?"
Natalie looked down on him again. The fact that he was talking French and
talked about battle made her uncomfortable.
She took his hand and looked at him. He looked like the same old Nick she
had loved before the night when he had bitten her. But he obviously wasn't
that man anymore.
"Nicholas, what year are we in?"
"Well, actually I can't tell you. All I remember is that I returned from
the Holy Land in the year of the Lord 1228."
Natalie tried to hide her shock. Her worst fear had come true. Nick had not
only forgotten what had happened after he had arrived in Toronto. He had
also forgotten his eight-hundred-year existence as a vampire. And
apparently all the things he had learned during that time, including modern
English.
She patted his hand reassuringly. What was she supposed to do now? She
couldn't just tell him that he had spent more than seven centuries as a
creature that his medieval mind would classify as hellish. It could drive
him insane. But then, just knowing that it was the year 1996 could do this.
She got up and kissed his forehead. She needed to get some 'professional'
help for this.
***
Nick lay back and watched the sun rise through the window. Somehow the
sight of the giant orange ball rising into the sky exhilarated him. Hadn't
he seen this numberless times before?
He noticed the strange shapes outside the window. They looked like the tops
of the pyramids he had seen in Egypt. Only they seemed to be black and not
made of stone.
Slowly he rose from the bed. He felt weak and shaky. Something that looked
like hardened water was dangling from his arm. It was attached with some
sticky things and liquid was dripping into it. He supposed it was medicine
and didn't try to rip it from his arm. The 'doctors' would probably get
angry if he tried.
He went over to the window and looked outside.
He instantly backed away from the window. My God, where was he? These
buildings were huge. They were larger than all the cathedrals he had seen
in his life. And he was high up. The world started to turn around him and
he fainted and collapsed onto the floor.
***
When he opened his eyes, his room was again dark. He could only dimly make
out two shapes at the far end that were whispering with each other.
"Natalie, is that you."
Faster than his eyes could see, the two were by his side. He smiled at
Natalie, then turned to look at the other. He gaped. Her clothes and hair
were different but he recognized her immediately: Janette.
"Nicolas, mon amour, how are you?"
"Janette, what are you doing in this place? How did I get here?"
Janette put here gloved finger to his lips. "Ssh, Nicolas, tais toi. You
will calm down now and we will take you home."
Her voice had become deep and its sound lulled him in.
Seeing Nick's eyes glaze over, Natalie giggled. Janette shot her a
questioning glance. "I just couldn't believe that Nick was never a
resistor."
"Well, ma chère, you see that he isn't. Now help me get him dressed. We
have to get him out of here before the doctors come back."
Together they managed to dress Nick in jeans and T-Shirt. It was not as
difficult as if he had been asleep but it was not an easy task either.
Finally, Nat put his long coat around his shoulders.
Standing up, Nick looked much thinner than she remembered.
"Those nutritional supplements can't take care of everything." She sighed.
"Ok, Janette, you go up front. Make sure no one's coming."
With Janette covering, Nat managed to guide Nick through the corridors and
the stairwell and out a back door. His Caddy was waiting there for them.
"Put him in the back seat, Natalie. I'll drive."
Nat got in next to Nick who sat upright and unaware of what was going on
around him. She took his hand and squeezed it firmly as Janette pulled the
Caddy out of the back alley and steered it towards Nick's loft.
How warm Nick's hands were. His heat seemed to penetrate her skin and reach
into her very being. She had to swallow back the tears that were starting
to rise to her eyes.
When they arrived at the warehouse, Nat led Nick up the stairs. She didn't
want to use the elevator although she knew Nick was not aware of his
surroundings at all, it was like he was sleepwalking.
When she had him seated safely on the sofa, Janette came over and brought
Nick back to reality.
He looked around in amazement. This place was strange. So dark and gloomy,
and full of things he had never seen before. He wondered who lived here.
He looked at Natalie questioningly.
"What kind of place is this, Natalie?"
His eyes looked like those of a child at the circus for the first time. She
couldn't imagine what it must feel like to be thrown into a world so
completely different from what you had known all your life. No wonder he
had fainted at the sight of the Toronto skyline.
"It's our home, Nick. Mine and … for a little while now, Janette's too."
She thought it better not to tell him it was his.
She went up the stairs and retrieved a longish parcel from the closet.
After she had carried it downstairs she placed it on the coffee table.
"Open it."
Nick unwrapped the parcel and it contained an old, rusty sword. The once
beautifully polished steel was battered and dull.
"It's my sword, but…." He looked at her uncomprehendingly.
"Nick, remember that I asked you if you knew the year?"
"Yes, and you didn't answer me."
"This," Nat pointed at the sword, "has been in your possession for a very
long time … a 'very' long time."
Nick gulped. Something dreadful was going to happen, he just knew.
"Nick, you must believe me that I won't ever hurt you. Do you trust me?"
He nodded.
"Promise me you won't do something stupid if I tell you the whole truth?"
Again he nodded. Words just didn't want to come right now.
"Nicolas, as you might have gathered, you are no longer in 1228."
Natalie was thankful for Janette's help. She would understand Nick's, no
Nicolas', feelings much better than she herself would ever be able to.
Nick nodded once more and a trace of fear crept into his features.
"You have lived a very long time. It's 1996 now."
The sword slipped from Nick's fingers and hit the floor. "But this is
impossible. No living soul can last that long. Not unless … it's either an
angel or a demon."
Nat took Nick's hand and she noticed he was getting feverish. "Remember I …
we will never do you any harm." She had poured all her love for this man
into her voice and she felt him calm down. She exchanged a quick glance
with Janette, who nodded and let her change come over her. When she looked
up with glowing green eyes and extended fangs, Nick gasped and wanted to
jump up from the couch. Nat held him down.
"Heavenly Father, protect me! You are a creature from hell, a vampire!"
"Yes, she is. And you have been one too, for almost eight centuries."
"No! That's not true, you're lying!"
He tried to shake Nat's hand off but her grip was like steel.
"Nick, look at me!"
He turned his head and stared into another pair of golden eyes.
"You as well?" His voice was full of horror.
"Yes, and by your doing."
"By my… but how …?"
Janette had sat down next to Nick, running her fingers through his hair in
a soothing gesture.
"What can you remember from the night we met in Paris, Nicolas?"
"You came to the tavern where we were drinking. We talked and then went to
your rooms to …," he blushed.
"Do you remember anything after that, Nicolas?"
"It's all just a haze. I dreamt of a demon, one like you." His voice had
gone cold with the last words.
"It was not a dream. This man exists and that night he turned you into one
of us."
"Where is he now?"
"He's no longer here. He left this city after he thought he had killed
you."
"Killed me? " Nick's hand automatically went to his chest. Natalie only
nodded. "You asked him to."
"I don't know what to think of all that you are telling me. It sounds so…"
His voice trailed off and he got up, pacing the loft and running his hands
through his hair. A gesture so like the Nick she had known.
"I know, Nick. But if you give us the chance, we will tell you everything
and try to explain what has happened to you and me."
Nick looked into Natalie's pleading eyes, now once again their soft hazel.
"Go on."
***
It had taken them all night and most of the ensuing day to bring Nick up to
date with his life as a twentieth century cop in Toronto (A new continent,
unbelievable!). He had asked a thousand questions and Janette had patiently
answered them all. Natalie had only related their special relationship to
him. His quest for mortality, their friendship.
She had to get herself some blood from the stock of bottles in the fridge
when Nick's closeness stirred the vampire in her. She was only three months
old and his mortal blood sang in her ears. Never before had she understood
better how hard it had been for him all these years.
"I brought you back over, even though you asked me not to?"
Janette nodded and Nick stared at the floor. "I am so sorry, Janette."
"Don't be, Nicolas."
"Natalie?" She looked up at the sound of her name being spoken in that old
familiar way. It send shivers down her spine.
"What happened that night you were made. You said it was me?"
"Yes."
"But I am no longer a vampire, how is this possible?"
"Janette, would you mind giving us some minutes alone, please?"
Janette smiled and nodded, then she went up to the bedroom and closed the
door. She would be able to hear everything, but she knew the whole story
anyway.
Natalie told Nick about the night Tracy was shot and how they ended up
here.
"I forced you to make a decision. I begged you to make love to me and when
you bit me, you couldn't stop. You thought I was dead. And I … nearly was.
And you becoming mortal … maybe it was the shock of seeing me there, maybe
it was my blood. You had taken almost all of it, maybe that was why it
worked so fast, I don't know. I guess it is a mixture of that and the
trauma of having Lacroix stake you. Just like the memory loss."
"I don't believe it is important how it happened. But … how did you
become a vampire?"
"When you collapsed after the staking, you fell across my body and your
blood spilled over my face. I must have licked it off my lips. So you could
say, I was an accident." She gave a bitter laugh.
"Your blood still contained enough of the vampire element to bring me
across. Luckily Janette was there. She had felt what was going on. She has
helped me ever since."
"Why didn't you just bring me back across? Or this Lacroix?"
"I think Lacroix finally understood that you needed to be free. Before he
vanished he said that it was your decision if you wanted to die or become a
vampire again. He helped Janette take you to hospital but he refused to
bring you back over. We haven't heard from him since."
Nick walked over to where Nat was standing by the window and put his arms
around her from behind. She leaned back and enjoyed the feel of his body.
"Is there anything we can do, Natalie?"
She turned and looked at him. "That depends on you, Nick."
"Why on me?"
"It is your decision. You have wanted to become mortal for so long and now
you have achieved that goal. Don't give it up because of me. You have to
make your own decision, just for yourself."
"I don't know what to think, Natalie. I don't even remember that I loved
you. I feel like a complete stranger in this world."
We could give you your memories back, Janette and I, Nat thought, if we
brought you back across. And we could finally be together.
A growling sound made her look up. She couldn't help but laugh at Nick's
embarrassed face.
"Jesus, Nick. You must be starved. Now, this is a bit of a problem, your
stomach is only used to liquids. Modern food could be a problem. I think
it's best if we start with something simple like a milkshake."
"A milkshake?"
"Yes, you mix milk with fruit or chocolate or things like that. It tastes
good. Before I became a vampire I loved milkshakes."
"I see, I don't know what this chocolate is but I think I'll try one."
"Oh, chocolate. It's sweet and spicy and … you'll find out yourself."
Nat went to the fridge that had been stocked with food for Nick. She took
out a carton of milk and a bottle of chocolate syrup. Nick had followed her
and was watching her every move with curiosity.
He took the bottle of syrup and looked at it with awe. "It looks like glass
but it is so much lighter. And …," He squeezed and some syrup squirted out
over his fingers. He tentatively brought them to his lips and licked at the
brown liquid. After a few moments he smiled. "Mmm, good." "Chocolate bars
are even better, believe me."
He moved closer and with a serious expression asked, "But you can't eat all
this anymore, can you?"
She shook her head. She hadn't really thought that much about what she
couldn't do since she had come across. Her entire free time had been
occupied with worrying about Nick and getting her urges under control so
she could go back to working the nightshift at the morgue.
But as she stood there preparing his first mortal meal in ages it hit her
full force.
Tears sprung to her eyes and she shook with sobs. Nick was by her side in a
second. He embraced her and pressed her close.
"Shh. What is it, ma belle Natalie?"
She didn't want to look at him, didn't want him to see her blood-stained
face. So she mumbled into his shoulder.
"It's just that we waited so long for you to become mortal and now that it
has finally happened, I can't share it with you."
Nick didn't know what to say so he kept stroking her hair. He was beginning
to understand how much this woman, this stranger, loved him and that it was
breaking her heart.
Natalie got her feelings back under control and wiped the blood from her
face with the sleeve of her blouse. Then she presented Nick with his first
chocolate milkshake. Her smile came a little forced though.
"Oh, I see that Nicolas is about to get his first taste of Hershey's."
Janette had reappeared from the bedroom and was coming down the stairs.
She went over to Nat and whispered, "Do you think you'll need me here?
Sun's going down and I have to get back to the Raven."
"No, I think I'll manage. Thank you so much, Janette."
"You don't have to thank me, little sister."
Janette floated out of the loft and Nat caught Nick staring after her. At
the sight of her his body was definitely reacting in a very healthy way.
She felt that old pang of jealousy but she couldn't blame him. After all,
about the last thing he remembered was making love to Janette and not to
her.
She poured herself a glass of blood and joined Nick at the kitchen table.
He looked at the glass with the red liquid for a short moment but went on
sipping his shake. She was astonished, thinking back to when she had
watched him drink blood; it had revolted her.
Instead he just looked at her intently. "Is that human?"
She nodded. "But it was not taken by force. It is donated. Tell me, Nick,
how can you watch me drink blood and sip your food just like this?"
"Oh, I've seen a lot worse in my time, Natalie. And I know what blood
tastes like."
"What?"
"When we were trapped in the desert, we had to drink our horses' blood, we
didn't have any water."
"Oh."
Nick put down his empty glass and got up. "I need to get some sleep,
Natalie."
She took him upstairs and gave him a short tour of his closet and the
bathroom. He marveled at indoor plumbing, artificial lights and the soft
fabric of the satin sheets.
"Only kings and emperors had bedspreads like these. I can't believe that I
own this place."
"Oh, Nick, I think that your home in Brabant was a lot larger than the
loft."
"But it wasn't a luxurious home and it wasn't mine, it belonged to my
brothers."
"But this belongs to you. Nick, you are a very rich man."
"Just two days ago – I know, Natalie, but for me it is just two days – I
was a poor knight-errand, now I am a rich man who used to be a vampire. It
is all a bit much."
Nat nodded and kissed him on the cheek. "Sleep now."
She closed the door behind her.
He went back to the bathroom and undressed. For a long time he looked at
himself in the looking-glass - one such as this would have been weighed in
with gold in the markets of Paris.
He looked so different from when he last had a look at himself – in his
memory that had been his reflection in a tub of water.
His hair was cut short but in a neat way and he looked thin. There was an
ugly, round pinkish scar in his chest and when he turned and craned his
neck he could see that there was a similar one on his back. Natalie had
told him that it had healed fine but that he would feel it for a long time
to come. The blow had just missed his heart.
He stepped into the shower cabin and after some trying managed to work it
fine. What a luxury, warm water in abundance without the need to carry it
from the well in buckets and heat it over the fire.
He toweled off and slipped beneath the silken sheets not bothering with the
pajamas Natalie had laid out on the bed for him. He felt utterly exhausted
and soon drifted off to sleep.
He didn't notice the shadowy figure that sat down next to him and started
to stroke his hair and face. And he never noticed how Nat's eyes glowed
golden and she fled the room in panic.
***
He went through his clothes in the closet. All this affluence! What should
he choose? He was used to having just a couple of items and now he could
clothe a small village with all the garments he found here. And, he noticed
with an amused grin, most of his clothes seemed to be black.
He picked a pair of coarse blue pants (What had Natalie called them? –
Jeans?)and a black silk shirt. He managed to button the front(Whatever
happened to lacings?)and Natalie had shown him how zippers worked but he
couldn't close the cuffs. He finally rolled the sleeves up and slipped on a
pair of boots.
He went downstairs into the dark living room. He noticed there were metal
shutters in front of the windows and he didn't know how to open them. He
made his way across the room to where that large cupboard was that kept
food cold. He opened the door and had a look at its contents.
There were a lot of green bottles and he assumed they contained the blood
Natalie needed. Funny, but suddenly the idea of vampires didn't frighten
him anymore.
He couldn't decide what to pick from the refrigerator. All the things in
there looked so different from what he remembered. He finally took out a
hunk of cheese, an apple and some grapes and went over to the couch. He
chewed absentmindedly and had a closer look at 'his' loft.
The mantelpiece struck some familiar chord in his mind. That intricate
dragon didn't look much different from the gargoyles on the churches at
home. For a moment he thought about how he, his sister and his mother had
gone to church every Sunday. He had always felt so small in the cathedrals,
even as an adult. His family was gone now, they had turned to dust long
ago.
He was sad for a moment but the feeling didn't overwhelm him, he had said
goodbye to them when he had parted for the crusades. But it would be nice
to know what had become of them.
There was one thing that had intrigued him right from the start, but he
hadn't had time to take a closer look at it before.
It was big, black and shiny and one could obviously sit down before it as
there was a bench placed there. He ran his hand over the polished surface
of the wood and wondered what the black and white things at the front were
for. He sat down and started to press one of the keys. A soft sound came
from the thing, clear like a tiny bell. He tried a little more and found
that one could make music with it.
Self-absorbed he played around with the keys, never amounting to a real
melody but it fascinated him.
Nat woke from the sound of the piano being played. Well, 'played' was
actually not the right word, more like 'tested'. She rose and went out to
the landing. Nick was sitting there at the piano, just as he used to do so
often when she had come over to see him.
"You were a master at playing it. Some of the most famous composers used to
be your friends."
Nick looked up and smiled at her.
"Was that so?"
He got up and came over to where she stood at the foot of the stairs. He
took her hands in his. "There are so many things that I don't know, that I
can't remember. Do you think I will regain my memories?"
"Nick, I honestly don't know. But I think you ought to know that there is a
way to get them back. If Janette brought you across, her blood would
restore your memories. You must consider this before you make a decision."
Nick turned towards the window. "All of my memories?"
"Yes, Nick. The good ones and the guilt, too."
"But also my memories of you, of us?"
Nat swallowed. "Yes."
He turned back to her and said, "I can't give you an answer right now,
Natalie. Are you willing to wait?"
Natalie smiled at him. She would wait. After all, didn't she now have all
the time in the world?
-The End- (or maybe a beginning, who knows)