Two and Two
Fort Merion Police station, 32nd Precinct. Sian sat at her desk and
tidied away all of the odds and ends from the desk to the drawer so
that no one could 'borrow' them while she was on leave. She almost
forgot once or twice that her right hand was in bandages, and let
forth a string of curses when she did. She locked the drawer and put
the key in her wallet. A young patrolman walked over to her and she
stood up to meet him. He didn't look her in the eyes, no one in the
station ever did. In fact it was hard to considering she never removed
her sunglasses for fear of frightening people with her abnormal eye
color. She smiled pleasantly at the officer and he blushed slightly,
betraying the obvious fact that he fancied her. 'What can I do for you Jonathan? Sorry, Officer Lewis.' 'There's a man at the front desk, he wants to see you, he asked for you by name. He looks a bit of a mess, but he won't go to the medics until he's spoken to you.' 'Who is he?' 'He wouldn't say.' 'Lead the way.'
Sian followed Jonathan out into the bullpen and almost stopped dead
when she saw the figure sitting in the visitor's chairs. His face was
covered in blood but all too familiar. She walked over to him and put
a hand on his shoulder. 'Nick?'
As soon as she said it she regretted it. He looked up at her and
frowned. 'Why does everyone around here keep calling me that? Are you Sian?'
His accent had a distinctly French flavor to it, nothing at all like Nick's. 'Yes I am, and I apologize for my impertinence. You are?' 'Michael. Michael De Brabant. I was told that you could explain what's going on around here, why people are trying to kill me, and why everyone thinks my name is Nick.' 'Well Michael, firstly I should get you cleaned up, then I'll give explaining a go.'
She smiled politely, easing the tension. Michael stood up and Sian led
him into the first aid room. She closed the door behind them and set
about tending to Michael's head wound, a trial in itself with one hand
bandaged. 'It's a small cut, nothing major, but I'll cover it up anyway, you never know who's around. You're not hurt anywhere else are you?' 'No, the rest are just bruises.'
Sian poured a little water in a bowl and carefully cleaned the cut
with damp cotton buds. 'Do you know this Nick person everyone thinks I am?' 'Yes I do, he's a close personal friend of mine. That's why it's easy to believe you're not him.' 'No one else does.' 'Well Nick wouldn't come into my precinct before sunset and bleed all over the place. It's usually the other way around.'
That made Michael smile, and Sian liked it. 'And everyone knows him because he's a cop. Homicide Detective actually, among other things.' 'He works here?' 'No, the other side of the city, he's just well known.'
She covered up the wound with a large plaster then walked over to the
sink and filled it with warm water. 'Here, rinse yourself off. You can't walk around this city covered in blood, you'd just be asking for trouble.' 'If you say so.'
He stepped over to the sink and wiped his face gingerly with a wet cloth. 'I guess Nick has a lot of enemies around here. The one who did this to me didn't seem very pleased to see me.' 'You have no idea.'
He looked over at her and Sian could almost believe he was Nick
playing a prank, except for the plaster that made the difference. 'Do I look okay?' 'You look alive.'
Sian started at her own lapse of memory, though Michael didn't seem to notice. 'I'll take that as a yes.'
Sian could only smile and nod her head. 'You're lucky you caught me here actually. I'm officially off duty.'
She raised her bandage as proof. 'I only came in to tidy my desk, remove the bloodstains from the keyboard and all that. Desk work isn't all it's cracked up to be these days.'
Michael smiled. 'I see what you mean.' 'Where are you staying? It's only proper that I provide you with a personal police escort as recompense.' 'Well I was staying at a hotel, but I was attacked leaving the place, so I don't want to go back there. And it's not the first time either. I got the feeling I'm being followed.' 'I can put you up in my apartment, if you don't mind the company.' 'I didn't know that was common practice?' 'It's not, I'm just making a concession.' 'But you don't even know me, I could be an ax murder for all you know. I'm not Nick.' 'I know that, and I've dealt with worse. Besides, I'm not exactly a pushover myself. And you'll want to meet Nick sometime; I'm one of only two people who knows where he is half the time.' 'Yeah, I want to meet the man who's got my face.' 'Oh, one last thing. There's a bar in town called the Raven, it is a no go area. Nick is, well let's say, well known there.' 'Well with you as my guide I'm sure I'll have no problems.'
This time it was Sian's turn to smile. She opened the door and led
Michael back out into the bullpen. 'Michael, do you have any sunglasses?' 'No. Why?' 'Glasses are as good a disguise as anything; Nick doesn't generally wear them. Here, you can borrow mine. They're not dark, just mirrored.'
She took off her glasses and handed them to Michael. He put them on
then looked at Sian. Mild shock showed on his face. 'The person who attacked me had the same color eyes as you.'
Sian cursed under her breath. 'Unfortunately it's not that uncommon around here. Do you have a car by any chance?' 'Yes, a '62 Cadillac, a classic.' 'It's not green is it?' 'No, it's blue, why?' 'Doesn't matter. It just means we won't have to walk. I haven't been able to use my car because of my injury, too much of a road hazard. And as it's dark we wouldn't want to be on foot without the sun at our backs.' 'Then we'd better get moving then.'
Sian nodded and followed Michael out of the precinct.
When they arrived at her apartment Sian flicked on the lights and
waved an arm at the interior. 'It's not much, but we have running water, telephone, TV and personal chef. And, of course, a constant police presence.' 'Are you sure I'll be safe here?' 'Totally. The people who attacked you won't come near here. I'm known among them.' 'You're friendly with a bunch of thugs?' 'No. They want my head on a silver platter, but they won't try for it. And while you're with me they'll leave yours where it is.' 'I'm glad I didn't miss you.' 'Me too.'
Michael and Sian met eyes for a second until Sian turned away. 'Your room is the one with the blue door, the other one's the bathroom. I'm okay in here.' 'I don't want to throw you out of your bed.' 'You're not. I don't sleep very much anymore.'
Michael looked around the apartment, noting the religious
accouterments on the windowsills. 'Are you religious by any chance?' 'Not really. They were here when I got the apartment. I just leave them where they are. They look quite decorative.'
She hoped her lie was convincing enough, since she'd really put them
there herself to keep unwanted undead visitors out. 'What about you?' 'My family are Catholic. I wear the cross of my faith as proof of my belief.'
He untucked a silver cross from under his shirt. 'I can't afford to believe in anything but what I can see.' 'What do you mean?' 'Hopefully you'll never need to find out.'
Sensing the conversation was going downhill, Michael opened the door
to the bedroom, walked in and sat on the bed. He noticed the bedroom
was sparse but livable. 'I'm going to make something to eat. You hungry?' 'Not really, just tired. Getting beaten senseless does take the energy from you.' 'Tell me about it. I'll give you a knock in the morning, see how you are.' 'Okay. If you're sure.' 'I'm sure.'
He slumped back on the bed and Sian closed the door.
Sian made herself a sandwich and ate it quietly, listening intently to
Michael's breathing until it became shallow and slow; a sign that he
was asleep. Silently she picked up her own car keys and sneaked out of
the apartment, being careful to attach a large wooden cross to the
front of the door.
The drive was difficult, making Sian wish she'd bought an automatic
instead of a gearshift, but she arrived at her destination without
incident. The lift ride up to Nick's apartment was swift, though she
didn't expect Nick to open the door and walk into her. She knocked her
arm against the wall, but managed to stay upright. 'Thanks Nick. Hi to you too (!)' 'Sian. What are you doing here?'
Nick turned around and helped Sian into the apartment. 'Apart from getting knocked around, I actually came to ask for your assistance.' 'You know you'll always get it. Assistance with what?'
She sat on the sofa and Nick sat with her. 'I've met a man at the precinct, he'd been beaten about by a Vampire, though he doesn't know that's what it was. He kind of blames you for it.' 'Me? Why? Do I know him?'
Sian resisted the urge to smile, and shook her head. 'No. His name's Michael. He's staying in my apartment.'
Nick looked pointedly at Sian. 'You met this guy this afternoon and already you've invited him into your apartment?'
Sian ignored the obvious accusation. 'He's scared. And the fact that I've got the same color eyes as his assailant doesn't help matters. I'm hoping you could give me a hand.' 'What do you want me to do?' 'Meet him, hear him out.' 'And then what? It's not as if I can exactly go out and hunt another Vampire down, even with good intentions.' 'Well I didn't want to throw him on the street then meet him again in a body bag. Just think of all the extra paperwork and internal investigations....' 'Okay, okay, I'll meet him. Where?' 'Here, just after sundown.' 'Why here?' 'You'll know when you meet him. Deal?'
Nick sighed and looked at Sian intently before replying. 'Deal. There's something you're not telling me isn't there?' 'Nothing important. Trust me. Natalie should be here too, I don't want anyone feeling a gooseberry.' 'Maybe you want me to redecorate too (?)' 'Nice thought, but I like this place as it is, very you. You were just leaving, so I should too. I don't want my guest to wake to an empty house. I would invite you round sometime, but you'd have a bit of trouble entering if you get my meaning.'
Nick knew what she meant, as she'd gained enemies in the Vampire
Community after killing an Enforcer almost three months ago. 'It's like that is it?' 'For now.'
She got up from the sofa, cradling her injury. Nick couldn't help but notice. 'Are you going to be alright driving with that?' 'As long as I don't want to go faster than first gear.'
Sian smiled. 'I'll cope. I got here didn't I?' 'I'll drive you home. I'm going that way anyway.'
They both knew he wasn't heading in her direction, since Shaw St. was
quite a distance from the precinct, but Sian wasn't going to pass up a
lift home. 'Well if you're going that way.'
They entered the lift, without problems this time, and down into the
street. Sian's battered Dodge was parked up in the dark, out of sight.
They climbed into Nick's Cadillac and pulled away. Sian clicked on the
radio in time to hear LaCroix opening his radio show. 'Welcome to the night once again my children. Tonight we talk about the truth. What is the truth? Except a fools need for an answer. Knowing the truth does nothing but open the door to our fears. Like so much in life, the hunt for the truth is often more appealing than the truth itself. For what is the truth? Nothing but twisted lies.'
Nick turned off the radio, much to Sian's surprise. 'He gets on my nerves from time to time too you know.' 'And sometimes he makes as much sense as an ashtray on a motorbike.' 'When you've known him for as long as I have everything makes sense.' 'Did you know he threw me out of the Raven twice for disturbing the peace.' 'Twice? You mean you managed to get back in after the first time?' 'The bouncers didn't know which way to turn. I think it got around that I killed an Enforcer. As much as they want me dead, they don't want to upset me.' 'You are unbelievable.' 'Thank you Sir.'
They pulled up outside the apartment block and Sian was glad to see
the light was out. She leaned over and gave Nick a peck on the cheek. 'See you tomorrow.'
She got out of the car and closed the door before Nick could reply. He
sat back in his seat for a second before getting in gear and pulling
away.
He arrived at the precinct in plenty of time for his shift. Tracey was
already at her desk sipping a cup of coffee, the smell of which
surprisingly made Nick glad he was on a restricted diet. 'Couldn't sleep?'
Tracey turned around at his voice and stifled a yawn. 'Not really. They're doing roadwork outside my apartment. I think the jackhammer's still here.'
Nick sat at his desk opposite. 'That machine was hammering all day, non-stop. Do you know what that does to your nerves?'
Nick nodded, remembering trying to sleep during the Blitz of 1943, and
how crabby it had made him. 'Nick, you alive in there?' 'Once.' 'What does that mean?' 'Nothing, just thinking.' 'Captain wants to see you when you're not busy.' 'What for?' 'Something about your expense forms. He thinks there's a few mistakes on the last few.' 'Never like being overcharged for anything do they? Into the lions den as they say.'
Nick stood up and walked over to Reese's office. The door was already
open and Reese signaled for him to enter. He fiddled through the small
stack of papers on his desk, removing one and waving it in Nick's
direction. 'Close the door Nick.'
He closed the door and sat down. 'What's the problem Cap'n?' 'I just got your expense accounts back from head office. They're worried that you're being too dependent on your partner.' 'Dependent? In what way?' 'Well your expenses are so low they think you're not doing your share of the work. Now I know you're a hard worker, so that's not the case. So where's the extra money coming from?' 'I have some money put by, but I just simply make do with what I have.' 'But your expenses would just about cover my cars gas consumption for this month! Nick, all I'm asking you to do is at least make it look as though you need the money, you're making me look bad.' 'I'll try better.' 'Good. Now, apart from that I know you're doing good. The commission wants my recommendations for promotion and, considering your record, I'm thinking of putting your name down. Better hours, better pay. In the end it's up to you.' 'I'll think about it.' 'You do that.'
The desk phone rang and Reese hesitated to pick it up. 'Go.'
Nick got up and walked out, leaving Reese to answer the phone. He
walked over to his desk and sat down. The smirk on his face gave
Tracey enough curiosity to put down her coffee. 'What did he say?' 'Well I'm not claiming enough expenses for one.' 'Not enough? That's a new one. They normally complain if you claim too much, he does to me anyway. And the other thing?' 'He wants to put me forward for promotion.' 'Congratulations!'
She saw his expression and leaned forwards. 'You don't want promotion?' 'Promotion equals a desk job. I enjoy working in the field, and a day job just isn't my cup of tea.' 'You're weird. Most people would do anything to get away from dead bodies once in a while.' 'Do I detect a hint of envy here?' 'No, I'm just curious. I understand about you keeping the night shift, obviously, but you've been doing this job for the last five years. Don't you ever feel like a change?' 'Not yet. But when I do you'll be the first to know.'
Nick got up from his seat and wandered over to the window, for no
other reason than because he couldn't think of another subject to talk
about, and the sickly smell of coffee was getting more than a little
annoying. The skies were clear enough to see the moon, which
distracted Nick enough not to sense Natalie sneaking up behind him. 'Penny for your thoughts.'
Nick turned round and smiled, feeling a little Mortal for being surprised. 'Hi Nat.' 'Well this is a first, I never thought there'd come a time where I could actually surprise a professional.' 'I was just thinking.'
Natalie handed him a slim folder. 'Well here's something more to think about. I got back the ballistics report for the John Doe you sent down earlier. The bullet matches the one taken from two other John Does brought in a week ago. Same style, same weapon, probably a .32. But it's not the gun found at the scene. And all three unknowns were drug users as well as dealers.' 'Professional hits. At least he's making our job easier.' 'That's alright for some, I still have to deal with the bodies he's supplying me with, whether it benefits the Human race or not.' 'You're beginning to sound like me.'
Natalie swatted Nick on the chest. 'When a pathologist starts sounding like a Detective then it's time for me to switch jobs.' 'I wasn't talking about being a Detective.' 'Come on Nick, don't do that fade to black stuff on me.' 'Don't worry, I'm not going to fade out just yet. Are you doing anything tomorrow evening, early?' 'I'm not sure unless there's a sudden rush on bodies. Why?' 'Well Sian has invited us to meet the new man in her life.' 'She didn't take that long. So who is he?' 'A mystery man. We just have to wait and see for ourselves who he is. She's actually got me a little worried.' 'Well that sounds like her.' 'At least she's kept her job this time.' 'Talking of jobs I heard you've got promotion coming. Inter-office gossip, can't help it.' 'It's coming but not to me. I can't work at a desk, you know that, I'd rot.' 'Well it wouldn't be the first time you'd come to me in pieces.'
Nick rolled his eyes.
Tracey stood up from her desk and called to Nick. 'Nick, we've got another one.' 'Where now?' 'On York, some old man found the body in the trash.'
Nick stuck his tongue out in mock disgust, picked his jacket up and
followed Tracey and Natalie out of the building.
The first officers on the scene had already cordoned off the area,
giving Natalie space to do her job, which she did very quickly. Nick
walked over to the closest officer who was shivering in the cold,
though he himself didn't show any effects of the winter air. 'Officer, did you find any witnesses?' 'No, and no one heard anything either. But considering the area I wouldn't be surprised.'
Natalie stood up from her initial check and sighed. 'Nick, would you be surprised if I said single shot to the head, small caliber at close range.' 'Recent?' 'I can't say for sure until I get the body to the morgue to run some tests, but I'd say he died around mid afternoon. Whoever did this must be pretty confident to try this in broad daylight.'
She stepped away to inform the newly arrived coroner. Tracey picked up
an object from the ground and brought it over to Nick. 'Nick, what do you make of this? I found it over by the trash.'
She handed Nick a gold ring with a picture embossed in the top. 'There's a name around the side, I can't make it out. It might be the victims.'
Nick cleaned the dirt from the lettering and read the inscription. A
small shiver ran up his spine. 'It says De Brabant. It's a Belgian family name. This is their family crest.' 'Well the guy doesn't look Belgian, more Hispanic. We'll have to wait for an ID on the body before we're sure.' 'You don't have to look far.'
Natalie stepped over and handed them a battered wallet. 'His name's Franco De Marco. And from the tracks on his arms I'd say he was a heavy user, cocaine or heroin maybe.' 'Probably got busted over a sale. What is this place coming to?' 'I don't know. At least we got something to go on this time.'
Tracey showed Natalie the ring, and the look on her face told Nick
exactly what she was thinking. She handed it to Nick. 'It might be a lead, or maybe he stole it and dropped it, either way it's a start.' 'Well, good luck.'
Nick pocketed the ring, not quite prepared to give it back. He slinked
off to his car. 'Where are you off to?' 'I'm going to try to find the owner of this ring, maybe he'd know what happened.' 'There must be hundreds of people with that name.' 'Very few actually, shouldn't be hard to find. You should notify the victim's family.'
On that he got into the car and pulled away. Tracey looked at Natalie. 'What was that about?' 'You don't want to know.'
Early next evening Natalie and Nick were sitting in Nick's apartment
sharing a private moment before Sian arrived. 'So, Nick, did you actually find the owner of the ring?'
Nick looked at the ring now on his finger. 'No. But it just seems strange. I had a ring like this once.' 'Once.' 'Back when the name meant something.' 'Want to share that moment?' 'Maybe later.'
The lift clattered into action. Nick got up from his seat and took his
glass over to the sink. He was hesitant about pouring it away, so
quickly drank it, listening as the lift opened, not ready to turn
around.
Sian stepped out of the lift with Michael and Natalie's jaw dropped.
Sian had removed the plaster from Michael's wound and covered it up
with make-up so that it didn't seem to exist. Nick cleaned out his
glass and put it aside to drain. 'Nick, come here.'
Nick walked over and stood face to face with Michael. They looked
identical. They both stood in silence just looking each other up and
down. Sian decided to break the silence, which, to her, was
unbearable. 'Michael De Brabant, meet...' 'Nicolas De Brabant.'
The words came out before he could stop himself, surprising all but
Michael who was none the wiser. 'Bonsoir Nicola', I meet you finally.'
Nick noticed the French accent, momentarily hearing his own French
accent from 800 years past. 'Sian never told me who you were. I didn't expect this.'
Natalie looked between the two. They looked like twins, and she had
trouble remembering that Nick was almost 800 years Michael's senior.
Sian tugged Natalie's sleeve. 'Let's leave these two to get acquainted.' 'Yeah, you're right.'
Natalie led Sian up the stairs to Nick's room, out of sight. Once they
were out of regular earshot Natalie sat Sian on the bed. 'Where did you find him?' 'He found me, he was a bit battered, it took a little effort to get him to look halfway normal. I didn't tell him Nick was a De Brabant. In fact I didn't expect Nick to either.' 'Well if you'd told him the truth in the first place it could have been avoided.' 'It would have spoilt the surprise. Besides, Nick is old enough to know better.'
They listened carefully to the conversation downstairs. To their mild
surprise they noticed that both men were talking in French, Nick's
accent now exactly the same as his doppelganger. Since neither woman
would pass as translator, they turned back to their own conversation. 'Do you know what this discovery could mean?' 'That we have to get one of them to dye his hair? What?' 'Well if Michael is genetically the same as Nick, from the same family, we could use that to make Nick human at the genetic level, it's a chance we can't pass up.' 'Hold on, I may not be a scientist, so you can tell me to shut up, but even I know that genetics is a dangerous game to play. Especially with Nick's more unusual DNA. You can't be sure what you'll end up with can you?' 'No, but it's worth a try don't you think?' 'Yes, but that's not the only problem, you'd have to get Michael to consent. And, from what little I know of him, I doubt he'd want to go through tests without knowing why. And there's also the problem that Nick wouldn't want Michael to be put at risk just for him. I know he can be callous sometimes, but I doubt he'd go that far. I think you'll have to come up with another plan I'm afraid.'
They went silent as they heard the conversation downstairs become
heated and switched back to English. 'Are you calling me a murderer now?' 'No, it was just a question, I didn't mean you to take offense.'
Natalie and Sian made their way downstairs, just in case the two men
needed separating. Michael was sitting on Nick's desk table and Nick
was leaning on the back of the sofa, both trying to compose themselves
in front of the approaching women. 'Mes amis, is everything alright here?'
Michael stood up and looked at Nick. 'Everything's fine. Except Nicola' is holding something back from me.' 'I'm not keeping anything important from you. It's just extremely complicated. I want to help you, especially since whoever it is has a beef against me, but there are a few things that I have to do to accomplish that that I can't let you in on.'
Sian put her hand on Michael's sleeve as a gentle restraint to stop
him from storming away, which she could almost sense he wanted to do. 'Michael, listen to him. S'il vous plait? You trust me don't you?' 'You've kept your word so far.' 'Well I trust Nick, with my life surprisingly enough. If you trust me then you should offer him the same courtesy. Croyez-moi, nous ne sont pas votre ennemi.'
Both Nick and Natalie were surprised at Sian's effort at French,
considering they knew her language skills were mainly limited to
insults. Michael managed to look her in the eyes for a short time
before sighing and throwing his arms in the air in a sign of
surrender. 'Je me radoucis. I'll go along with you. But I'm not going to sit around all night while you're out doing your job. I don't want to be alone while the person is still out there.' 'You can join me at the station, both of you.'
He looked pointedly at Sian, knowing that she would probably turn
vigilante if he let her out of his sight. Even though she was now an
officer of the law she was still prone to thinking on her feet. 'Cool. Natalie, maybe now you can show me around the morgue, I've always wanted to see the inside of a body bag (!)'
Nick grabbed Sian playfully by the neck and she took an equally
playful nip at his hand. He let go, ignoring the smile playing on
Natalie's lips. He smiled at Sian and rubbed the already fading mark. 'If you're not careful you'll find out what a body bag looks like from the inside (!)'
They arrived at the station in three separate cars, Natalie's Honda
following behind both Cadillacs, fighting mild double vision in the
darkness as both cars and drivers were exactly the same. It didn't
help matters that Sian was laying across the back seat of Michael's
Caddy out of sight, she being the only thing that would distinguish
the two cars from each other.
Once in the station Natalie headed for the morgue and Nick wandered in
to speak to Reese, leaving Sian and Michael alone in the bullpen.
Michael sat in Nick's seat while Sian perched herself on the corner of
the desk. She'd just made herself comfortable when an approaching
figure caught her eye. 'Uh oh.'
Michael looked at Sian, worriedly. 'What uh oh?'
Sian pointed towards Tracey. 'Tracey Vetter, Nick's partner against crime (!)'
Sian got off the desk to greet Tracey while Michael set to doodling on
Nick's desk notepad, looking as if he was actually working there. 'Evening Tracey.' 'Sian, you're a long way from Fort Merion.' 'Time off, can't work all the time.' 'Nick, any luck with the case yet?'
Michael glanced up with a puzzled scowl and rubbed absentmindedly at
his head wound. At the same moment Nick stepped back into the bullpen
behind Tracey and tapped her on the shoulder. 'Hi Trace.'
Tracey jumped and did a double take, looking at both men with obvious
confusion. 'What's going on here? Which one of you is Nick?'
Nick and Michael both smiled evenly. Nick took his badge from his
pocket and showed it to Tracey. 'I'm me.'
He put the badge back in his pocket and walked over behind Michael. 'So who's he?' 'Tracey, I'd like you to meet my ... cousin. Michael.'
Michael stood up and shook hands with Tracey. 'Bonsoir Madame.' 'Bonsoir? A French cousin?' 'Oui. The family is quite widespread.'
Tracey noticed, strangely, that Michael's hands were considerably
warmer than Nicks ever were. Michael let go and sat back down, wincing
as he realized another bruise on his aching body. Sian noticed his
discomfort, dug into one of her many pockets, took out a packet of
Asprin and handed them to him, which surprised Nick, as he'd never
known her to bother with painkillers. 'Thanks.' 'Do you want some water with those?' 'Yes, please.'
Sian wandered over to the water cooler to get the water. Nick sat on
the desk corner that Sian had just vacated. Tracey shook her head. 'Nick I have to say this, but I always knew there was something weird about your family, now I know what it is. Matching cousins and spooky stepfathers.'
Nick started at the mention of a stepfather, but it was Michael who
questioned it. 'Stepfather?'
By the looks she was getting she knew she had put herself in a spot. 'Well, he said he was. He was a barman at one of the clubs in town, you know what they're like.'
Nick knew which one she was talking about, but didn't let on.
Unfortunately it made Michael curious. 'Which club is that? I'd like to meet some more of our family.'
Sian gave Michael the water and shook her head at him. 'It's not a good idea Michael, you should steer clear for now, like I asked you to.'
She looked at him and he realized which bar they were on about; a fact
that made him even more curious. He turned from Sian's gold gaze as it
was starting to make him nervous. 'I will do you the courtesy of obeying your order mes ami, you know what's best.'
Nick was brooding to himself over why LaCroix mentioned his family
ties to Tracey of all people, wondering if it was one of the games he
liked to play with him on occasion.
Tracey leaned over and whispered in Nick's ear. 'She's got him well trained (!)'
Nick couldn't help but give a wry smile in reply, though Sian's
expression told him that she didn't appreciate the comment. Michael
downed the Asprin with a grimace. 'In answer to your question about work, no, we have nothing to go on yet again. I think it's going to be one of those cases.' 'Any leads on the ring? Did you find any of the De Brabant family or was that a dead end too?'
Michael looked up at Nick to answer, but Nick just looked at him and
shook his head. 'No, not really. It's going to take records some time to find them all, they're widely spread about.'
Michael knew he was missing something, but stayed quiet. Sensing his
annoyance, Sian whispered in Michael's ear. 'I'll explain later.'
At his pained expression Sian instinctively ran a hand through
Michael's hair, ruffling it slightly. 'Come on, I'll give you a tour around the station, leave the good Detectives to their work.' 'You don't have to be so sarcastic Sian.' 'Moi?'
Michael got up from the seat and allowed himself to be led out of the
bullpen. Once they were out of earshot, Sian took hold of Michael's
hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. 'I'm sorry I couldn't say anything back there, but there are a few things you just don't say in front of Tracey.' 'Like the fact that I am a De Brabant?' 'And Nick. As far as everyone is concerned he is Nicholas Knight, as in Chevalier.' 'Why?' 'Because. It's easier to say for one. Probably something to do with his ancestry, I'm not really sure, and I'm not going to ask him either.' 'What about his step father?' 'What about him? You should avoid him like the plague. They don't really get along together.' 'Can't they settle their differences?'
Sian stopped and looked Michael in the eyes. 'Nick has spent many years trying. It's better all round if we avoid getting in the way. I know you have good intentions, but you don't know what you'd be getting yourself into, and I'm not exactly in the best of positions to say why.' 'But you've met him.' 'I wouldn't say well met (!)' 'What?' 'Sorry, it's an old joke. I have met him, but only fleetingly, just before he threw me out the club and threatened me with my life if I ever returned.' 'So you haven't been back since?' 'Of course I have, but I can take care of myself. You on the other hand would have a problem. To everyone in the bar you would be Nick, no matter how much you try to convince them otherwise. If any of Nick's enemies find out who you're not, or indeed any of his friends, you wouldn't last five minutes.' 'I am a grown man, you don't have to treat me like a child.' 'I don't. Okay, time for an example. Hit me.' 'Why?' 'Just hit me.' 'No.' 'I'm going to prove a point, now take your best shot, I won't be offended.'
After a second of hesitation, Michael stepped back a little and swung
a fist at Sian. Almost instantly she gently batted his arm away, took
hold of him by the throat and slid him up the wall, holding him a
couple of inches above the ground. She held him like that for a couple
of seconds then gently lowered him back to ground level. He rubbed at
his throat, but Sian had held him gently enough so not to leave any
marks. They got some funny looks from passing officers, but a quick
glance at Sian's eyes put them off staring. 'How did you do that?' 'It's not the how that should worry you, it's that I managed to do it at all. Imagine what I could have done if I meant it?'
Michael looked down at the floor defeated. 'So what is your point?' 'My point is this. I was only playing, people like the one who trashed you aren't. Do you really think you'd have any chance? Think about it.'
Michael rubbed his neck again and Sian began to wonder whether she had
hurt him. 'You made your point mes ami, just don't do that again, please, my nerves are cracked already.' 'As long as you listen to me and trust me I won't have to do it again.'
Sian leaned to one side of Michael, and he made as if to move away.
Sian stood back up holding a donut she'd taken from the snack table
around the corner from where they were standing. 'You hungry? I didn't have time for breakfast.'
Michael shook his head and looked up as Nick walked over. Nick looked
at the pair of them, Michael rubbing his neck and Sian sucking the jam
out of a donut, and had a sudden bad thought, which he quickly shook
away. He handed Sian a piece of paper. She dusted a hand on her
trousers before taking it from him. 'What's this? Two weeks notice?' 'A message from your precinct. They somehow got wind that you were here. Inter-office gossip I suppose.' 'Probably.' 'What does it say?' 'You didn't read it?' 'I'm not in the habit of reading other peoples mail.' 'Why not, everyone else does. Well, it says that I'm to get paid time off due to injury, blah, blah, ooh, a commendation. Just shows how much I value my work doesn't it? The rest is not important, I'll read through it all later. I just hope they haven't decided to clear out my desk before I return.'
She folded up the note and put it in her back pocket. 'Desk? I thought you were on patrol?' 'Was. I'm a desk Sergeant. They took my past record into consideration when dealing out promotions. They were probably worried I'd scare the wrong people.' 'Why didn't you say anything?' 'You didn't ask Mon pére.' 'Natalie wants me down in the morgue, do you want to stay here or come along, your choice.' 'If it's all the same to you Nicola', I'll come with you. I may end up having to do your work if I don't.'
Nick had considered that prospect and let the smile play on his lips. 'Sian?' 'Count me in.' 'Okay, let's get going.'
They arrived at the morgue in good time, and Natalie almost did a
double take when Nick and Michael walked in side by side. It was only
the fact that she remembered that Nick was wearing a black shirt and
Michael the blue that stopped her from talking to the wrong person.
Sian followed behind with Tracey. 'Nick, do you want the good news or the bad news?' 'I'll make do with the Readers Digest version.' 'Well all I can say is the MO. is the same as the others, single shot, 32 caliber, close range, and the killer was right handed. As far as I can tell there was no struggle either as I found absolutely no unusual skin cells or fibers under his fingernails, or anywhere for that matter.' 'A clean kill.'
She moved to uncover the body but took a quick glance at Sian and Michael. 'Are you both okay with bodies?' 'I'm fine, I've seen a few in my time. Michael?' 'I think I can cope.'
Natalie uncovered the body and Sian leaned forward for a closer look. 'It whiffs a bit.' 'Well so would you if you'd been laying dead in the trash for eight hours.' 'Yuck. There's nothing worse than the smell of manky spuds.' 'You could say that.'
Natalie handed them a pot of Wintergreen. 'Here, put some of this under your nose.' 'Thanks. Maybe he needed some of this while he was alive, you never know.'
Michael tugged Sian back out of Natalie's way. Tracey scowled a little. 'You should be a bit more considerate around the dead.'
Sian shrugged and linked her arm in Michael's, staying silent as
Natalie showed Nick the wounds on the body. 'You can see where the round went in. I don't think it was professional, more like a lucky shot. The others were killed by a single shot to the head. The starburst pattern indicates that the gun was discharged a lot closer than before.' 'Getting desperate?' 'Or simply more confident in his technique. Death was instantaneous, a reason for a lack of blood at the scene. Apart from that there's not much else I can tell you.' 'So we're still in the dark about the whole thing.' 'Pretty much. I'm sorry I couldn't find anything new, but I am not a miracle worker.' 'It's not your fault.' 'i morti non sono più soli.'
Natalie looked at Sian who seemed to have surprised herself with that
outburst. Nick translated it for the others. 'The dead are no longer alone.'
Nick looked to Sian for a reason for the phrase but she simply shook her head. 'Don't ask.'
Sian sat on the sofa in Nick's apartment and propped her feet up on
the table, Nick swatted them off as he passed, not wanting her
slightly grotty DM's making scuff marks across the polished surface.
Michael sat in the chair to her right, looking a little awkward. 'You're welcome to stay here for the day, the both of you. I know you don't value your chances as a driver Sian.' 'Don't knock me mon ami, but I'll take up your offer, thank you.' 'Are you sure you have enough sleeping room here Nicola'?'
Sian looked around at the cavernous room and couldn't help but smirk. 'Plenty. I don't have any food stocked so you'll have to order something for yourselves.' 'Don't you eat with us?'
He looked at Sian who raised her eyebrows, wondering what he'd say if
he'd seen Nick 'eat'. 'I ate earlier.' 'They should do take-out this time in the morning, be thankful for 24 hour eateries.' 'How do you both manage on such an unusual schedule? I have trouble keeping to a normal day.' 'Well Nick has to, and I want to. The night is more comfortable for both of us, for different reasons, huh Nick?' 'You could say that.'
As they talked they noticed the sun rising through the window. Nick
waited until the light was almost at his feet before remotely closing
the blinds and switching on the lights. He would normally test his sun
tolerance at the sunrise, even while Sian was there, but was wary to
risk it near Michael. Sian flicked open the phone directory, straight
onto the take-away pages; a trick learned over countless uses of those
particular numbers. She put the directory in front of Michael. 'Michael, you phone for food, I need to talk to Nick. The address for this place is on the phone.' 'Oui. Anything in particular you want to eat?' 'Anything but curry, you choose.'
Sian walked Nick over to the kitchenette and poured him a drink,
knowing that Michael would be too distracted to notice. She ran
herself a glass of tap water. Out of curiosity she picked up Nick's
glass and took a sip of the contents, much to Nick's surprise. She
grimaced slightly then downed the water in one. At his amused glance
she pulled a cheeky smirk and flicked her eyebrows. 'Different, but not wholly unpleasant.'
Nick picked up the glass and took a sip himself. 'I know what you're thinking Nick.' 'If you keep it up you'll have Uri Geller on your tail (!)' 'Call it women's intuition. And it has nothing to do with the drink. I knew you'd care about Michael ever since you two met, but only now do I know just how much.' 'I'm worried the Community will mistake him for me.' 'No, you're worried LaCroix will mistake him for you. You know you can't lie to me, especially when it's written all over your face.' 'Okay, so I'm worried that LaCroix will mistake him for me, but it's not just that.' 'You're feeling sorry for yourself. You want to be Michael, the version of you who can get a tan without imploding, order food and be able to eat it and be everything you wish you were. I can sympathize, but brooding will get us nowhere.' 'I didn't realize you could be so cold.' 'I may not have your years, but I do have experience. You looked like you needed to be jolted back into this century.' 'And you look like you need to be kicked right into the next one.' 'Is that a threat or a promise?'
Nicks sudden gold stare and half smile said all she needed to know.
Sian led Michael out of the apartment and into the morning sunrise.
They walked towards one of the local café's for a drink before
bedtime. Sian had been mildly surprised that Nick had run out of
coffee considering that Natalie was the only person who ever drunk any
of it. Michael grabbed Sian's arm and she turned to face him. He
looked slightly upset. 'What's up?' 'Nicola', he's ... well, unusual.' 'In what way?' 'Do you know what he has in his fridge?'
She paused and decided to play it straight, wondering how she'd managed to miss his trip to the kitchen. 'I'm sure you want to tell me.' 'Bottles of ... I don't even want to say it.' 'You don't have to. I know what he keeps in the fridge.' 'But why?' 'Art; thickens the paint. He eats take-aways, just like I do.'
Out of the corner of her eye Sian could see Tracey lingering in the
doorway to the coffee shop. But the look in Michael's eyes gave her
the hint that he wasn't going to stop until all his questions were
answered. 'And what about the pizza I ordered?' 'What about it? I thought it was rather tasty, apart from the crust being a bit hard.' 'No, I mean Nick wouldn't come within ten feet of us while we ate. You can't tell me he just didn't like pepperoni.' 'He's allergic to garlic, of which there was plenty on the pizza. Why do you think I chewed gum for hours after?' 'He's allergic to a lot of things isn't he? Daylight, garlic...' 'You could say that.'
Sian dared a glance back at Tracey who was statue still in the
doorway, quite obviously hearing every word. 'Look, Michael, if you want to know anything about Nick you should ask him yourself. If I say anymore I'd be saying too much. Now, do you want a coffee?'
Tracey ducked into the café as they passed, turning away long enough
not to see Sian's venomous glare.
As the sun set gently behind the curtains, Michael watched it and
thought carefully over the bizarreness of the last few evenings. He
glanced over at Sian who was laid out on the sofa, fully clothed. He'd
come to the conclusion that Nick was weird beyond anything he'd ever
seen before. And Sian, although she was helping him to the best of her
abilities, knew what made Nick so odd. And although he hadn't been
around that long, he was family, and they should have let him in on
the secret. The answer to everything, he surmised, was at the Raven,
the place he'd been warned away from enough times to make him curious,
and now it had got the better of him. He picked up the phone directory
from its place on the floor and looked up the Raven. Once he found it
he took down the address on a scrap of newspaper. Before leaving he
bent down and kissed Sian on the forehead. 'Au revoir mon amour.'
With the address in hand he quietly left the apartment.
Michael stepped into the Raven warily; taking in the dim lighting and
eerie atmosphere that seemed to fill the place. The clientele also
seemed a little strange, none more so than the barman who seemed to be
watching him with slightly concealed puzzlement. Michael walked up to
the bar and sat down. LaCroix composed himself enough to speak to his
all too human 'son'. 'So, what can I do for you this evening Nicholas?'
Michael realized by the tone that the barman was the 'stepfather'
Tracey was talking about. 'I'll have a beer please.'
LaCroix's puzzlement turned to surprise at his choice and became a
little suspicious that 'Nick' didn't seem to recognize him. LaCroix
poured the beer and handed it to Michael, before walking around the
other side of the bar to join him. Before he could say anything there
was a shout at the entrance followed by the body of the doorman
sailing through the air and coming to an unflattering stop against an
interior wall; this was duly followed by Sian, strolling in as if
nothing had happened. Another bouncer grabbed her arm, but Sian
quickly made him airborne with almost no effort on her part. She
walked over to the bar and took hold of Michael's arm. He tensed as if
expecting her to throw him too. She looked up at LaCroix fleetingly. 'Hello Lucien, nice to see you again.'
LaCroix sneered. There were only a couple of people who could call him
by his birth name, and Sian wasn't one of them. She gently pulled
Michael away from the bar. 'I told you not to come in here, for good reason, and you ignored me.' 'How did you find out?' 'You left the directory on the floor. I thought we were friends.' 'We are friends, but you're not my mother.' 'That's as maybe, but you don't want to upset me. Does he Lucien?'
LaCroix's eyes flashed yellow to match Sian's for an instant before
returning to his icy blue. He could cope with her abusing his name
once, but not twice. And the fact that she was but a mere mortal made
it even more irritating. He spoke through gritted teeth. 'You're trying my patience now Sian.' 'Bite me (!)'
They both knew that was a risky thing to say considering the
situation, but Sian was in a harsh enough mood to mean it. She turned
back to Michael who had given up struggling to remove himself from her
grip. 'Michael, if you don't come willingly I'll have to carry you out under arrest, and it would be most undignified.'
LaCroix raised an eyebrow at the name Sian had called the visitor,
quickly understanding why he wasn't recognized. 'Arrest for what?' 'Breaking police protection for a start.' 'What is it with this place that makes you so jumpy?'
She shot a glance at LaCroix whose steely gaze met hers as if in a
challenge, one she would have gladly taken up in private if she didn't
have to guard Michael from the hungry looking crowd that had stopped
to watch the spectacle. 'That's my problem, this is yours. Let's go.'
Before she could leave, Sian and LaCroix were both momentarily
distracted by a figure moving towards them, LaCroix having sensed him,
and Sian having heard. Nicholas approached the uneasy trio and was met
with a mixture of glares. LaCroix's being one of mild amusement. 'So Nicholas, when were you going to spring this little surprise on me? I must admit, they have been quite entertaining. And your young ... 'twin' here appears to be as much as a handful as you.'
Nick looked at LaCroix but didn't waste his breath in a reply. Instead
he signaled for Sian and Michael to leave.
Sian turned to lead Michael away, and in the instant her back was
turned Michael drew a knife and plunged it into her side. Reflexively
she knocked him backward into LaCroix's grip before, herself, falling
into Nick's stunned arms. The knife went flying behind the bar, out of
the way. She looked down at her wound and cursed in different
languages as she tried to cover it with her bandaged hand. She could
see the shine in the eyes of the Vampires as the smell of her blood
reached them. She could also see the same shine in Nick's eyes. She
stepped away from Nick and, finding that walking wasn't a problem,
made her way out of the club. Nick turned to follow, but she gave him
a warning glance, speaking through gritted teeth. 'Deal with Michael, I can deal with this.'
Nick knew what she meant, so he nodded to her then took Michael away
from LaCroix. Michael looked panicked at the change in the people
around him, especially Nick, who was fighting to stop the gold from
rising in his eyes. LaCroix seemed slightly amused at the whole
incident. 'It seems foolhardiness runs in your family Nicholas.'
Nick ignored the comment, as usual. 'Come on Michael, you have a lot of explaining to do.' 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry.'
As he walked Michael across the dance floor he felt him tense up as he
sighted a figure walking in the other direction. 'Mon dieu! Nicola', it's him, the one who attacked me.'
Nick looked up at the figure he was pointing at, and was surprised to
see the familiar face of Vachon, who turned and ducked out of sight
near one of the exits. 'Are you sure?' 'Oui, how could I forget.'
Nick led Michael out of the club and into the car lot. He noticed that
Michael's blue Cadillac was missing, probably taken by Sian. 'Get in the car.'
With a glance at Nick's slightly feral appearance, Michael climbed
into the passenger seat without question, and sat rubbing the blood
from his hands. Nick climbed in beside him. 'Do you normally attack people like that?' 'I didn't mean to hurt her, I panicked, please let her be alive, pour l'amour d'un dieu, please let her be alive.'
Nick didn't say anything, but just put the car into gear and pulled away.
They pulled up outside Sian's apartment, much to Michael's surprise,
and parked next to Michael's Cadillac which was parked with abandon on
the pavement. The light was on in Sian's apartment and Nick could hear
movement inside, a good sign. 'What are we doing here?' 'Praying that she's alive, for your sake.'
They got out of the car and quickly climbed the stairs to the
apartment. On the door of the apartment, Nick noticed, were the
remnants of a wooden cross, the rest of which was scattered down the
hall; Sian's way of clearing the way for him. They stepped inside and
saw Sian perched on the arm of the sofa with a needle and thread and a
small stack of gauze pads. She didn't look up, but it was obvious she
knew they were there. 'Are either of you men any good at sewing, because I can't stitch myself up.'
Only now did she look up, and they could see the tracks of tears on
her cheeks. Her eyes were red with crying, which made her gold pupils
look even more fearsome. 'Why didn't you go to the hospital?' 'They would ask too many questions, many of which I would be under oath to answer, and I just can't. Now, are there any takers or do I have to give this a go myself?'
Michael shook his head. Sian looked up at Nick. Despite their matching
appearance Sian seemed able to tell the difference between them. 'Nick, you'll have to do it.' 'I can't.' 'I trust you not to do anything stupid. Please? Or I'll bleed to death.'
Nick knelt next to her and Michael sat on the armchair, too upset to
move further. Sian removed her shirt and dabbed at the wound with a
piece of gauze. She didn't seem very bothered about her near nakedness
considering her company. Nick picked up the needle and thread and
hesitantly set about sewing up the wound. Sian hissed with pain as
Nick started the stitching, but gritted her teeth and bared it. Being
close to the wound hungered Nick, and Sian knew it. Nick also knew
that she would probably have let him feed from the wound if they
weren't in company, as trusting as their friendship was. Nick managed
to get through the procedure without trying for it, but he was sorely
tempted. He covered up the stitching with gauze and tape. 'You're done.'
Sian could hear the hunger in Nick's voice, and when he looked up at
her she could see it in his eyes; and so, unfortunately, could
Michael. 'Oh my god.'
Michael stared at Nick's gold eyes, then his fangs, and knew it would
be pointless trying to leave. 'What are you?'
Sian got up carefully and stepped into the kitchenette. She opened the
fridge, took out a bottle and handed it to Nick. 'I was saving this for my real flat-warming, but I think you need it.'
Nick opened the bottle and took a mouthful of the contents. He closed
his eyes, and when he opened them they were once again blue. Nick re-
corked the bottle. Michael looked worried and flinched when Sian
walked over and touched his arm. 'You have nothing to fear from either of us. Although you deserve to be thrown through the window for stabbing me, I'm not going to give in to impulse.' 'What about Nicola'. What is he?' 'He's harmless.' 'What about the man in the club? The biker?'
Sian looked over at Nick for clarification. 'Vachon.' 'What about him?' 'He's the one who's been following me.' 'Vachon doesn't just follow people around without a reason.' 'You know him?' 'Only too well. He hunts criminals.' 'Hunts?' 'Have you got a confession to make Michael?' 'I haven't done anything wrong. I'm the victim here.' 'Really? You'd better tell me the truth Michael, because you're in way over your head now. What did you do to catch Vachon's attention? Theft? Rape? Murder?'
Michael looked away from Sian, and Nick realized what Michael was
hiding. Nick took off the ring and handed it to Michael. 'I think this belongs to you.'
Michael looked at the ring, then at Nick, then pushed it away. 'Keep it.' 'So you're the one behind the murders.' 'It wasn't murder, it was justice.' 'Justice?'
Michael sighed, knowing he had to explain himself if he was ever going
to leave the room. 'A dealer murdered my son. It was his first time over here. Andre was only 18. The police didn't seem interested. I couldn't stand waiting. You understand? No, you don't, you've never had children have you?' 'No, but I've had family. And what's worse is I've had to sit by and watch them die, but I haven't killed simply because I've outlived them, no matter how much I wanted to.'
Sian raised an eyebrow at Nick's speech, knowing full well that he had
twisted the truth by a long way. 'I regret what I did, but it won't help me now will it?' 'You don't have to sound so happy about it.' 'I'm not. I'm just resigning to the fact that I'm going to jail and there's nothing I can do about it. And I've got the feeling that if I did I wouldn't live long enough to tell about it.'
He looked at Nick pointedly as if he truly understood what Nick was
capable of. Sian walked back to the kitchen, un-wrapped her bloodied
hand bandage and threw it away. Her grim expression and glazed eyes
indicated she was deep in thought about something. She looked at her
injured hand and flexed her fingers. 'Do you know how I did this?'
She kept her eyes on her hand but her question was aimed at her
company. She turned her palm outwards to show two puncture words and a
badly bruised palm. 'Someone tried to get rid of me. I fought back and got bitten for my troubles; threw a few crushed bones into the bargain.'
She looked up at Nick who was eyeing the wound with disdain. 'I made him disappear. Forever. Just an unknown statistic. As if he never existed.'
Nick grasped the meaning of what Sian was on about, and realized that
she had grown up a lot over the last three months. She walked back to
the sofa and, shakily, taped a piece of gauze over the bite marks. 'So, what? You want me to make Michael disappear?' 'Only on paper. It can be done.' 'But it's illegal, you know that.' 'You've done it enough times.' 'That's different.' 'I won't tell if you won't.' 'But he's a murderer.' 'So are you. And so am I.'
Michael felt out of the loop in their unusual verbal tennis, and was a
little unnerved by Sian's confession to murder. 'Excuse moi, but what are you saying? You're going to kill me?'
Sian held his hand and smiled, though the smile twisted, betraying the
pain she was still in. 'That's the last thing I'd want to do. Considering.'
She ruffled his hair. 'Nick, what could be a good name for him?' 'You're going to do it? Despite all that's happened?' 'It'd be worth it.' 'So how are you going to achieve this great feat? Even you're not trained for it.' 'Don't worry, I have help.'
Her cryptic answer didn't give Nick any cause for comfort.
Next evening Nick turned up at the station a little tired and
distracted after the events of the previous night.
Nick had taken Michael to his loft apartment while Sian vanished out
to do 'business'. She had returned well after sunrise with a wry smile
and a box of black hair dye. Nick had the job of dying Michael's hair
as the strain on the stitches had been too much for Sian who fell
asleep curled up under the desk with the local phone directory as a
pillow. She and Michael had left before he woke, leaving a note baring
three cryptic words. 'Light is helpful'.
Nick sat at his desk and tried to stifle a yawn, unsuccessfully. 'Didn't sleep?'
Tracey echoed the comment he made to her the night before. 'A little.' 'And you are Nick, not the twin...?' 'Cousin. No. He's...'
Nick looked up at movement in the bullpen to see Sian and Michael walk
in arm in arm. 'He's here.'
Michael ran a hand through his newly dyed hair. It suited him. Nick
thought about trying it himself sometime. Sian was wearing her shades
and, despite being among friends, was unwilling to remove them. She
stepped up to Nick and, holding her wound, rose on her toes and kissed
him on both cheeks. 'Bonsoir mon ange. Çe'st vá?' 'Tres bien, merci. Now are you going to tell me what that note of yours was meant to tell me?'
Sian looked at Michael who sat quietly at Nick's desk while she led
Nick into the doorway of one of the interrogation rooms. Michael and
Tracey started their own conversation quietly behind them. ' 'Light is helpful'? You couldn't have been more cryptic.' 'Yes I could, but I won't. I got Michael's new identity sorted out. He's now officially Michael Chevalier from Leon. You'll get a report through soon saying that Monsieur De Brabant was found dead with a full confession in his suicide note.' 'How did you manage that?' 'Light is helpful. Unless your language skills have faltered even you should know that the Latin for light is Lucien.' 'LaCroix?'
Nick was genuinely surprised. 'He can be a nice bar steward when he feels like it.' 'I thought he hated you?' 'It's a love hate thing.' 'So he sorted everything out without complaint?' 'I didn't say that. I think he did it just to get rid of me. In the nicest way of course.' 'Wonders never cease.' 'Here's one more for you.'
Sian removed her shades and looked up at Nick. Her once yellow eyes
were now a definitive shade of blue. Her long lost Cyan. 'Contact lenses?' 'A gift from Lucien. He said my actions yesterday were causing the Community some concern. I've caused a rift actually, which I found quite amusing. So it was either kill me or change me. He chose the safe option.' 'So he's looking after you?' 'Well I have nothing to fear from the Community anymore. In fact after my display they find me quite intriguing; Apparently. I'm almost like an honorary Vampire.' 'Just promise you won't sign up.'
She took his hands in hers and kissed his knuckles. 'You have my solemn vow. As my dear friend, tu nos debes pertenezca al sol, pero solamente a la luna y mi corazon.' (You do not serve the sun, but only the moon and my heart.) 'Y mio.'
Nick was more surprised that she'd managed to learn that little bit of
Spanish than the French from earlier, he wondered how much more she
kept hidden. 'Well I guess we should make a move. I promised to show Michael a little more of the nightlife that doesn't involve Vampires.'
Nick noticed Tracey glance over at their conversation. Sian looked
over and shrugged nonchalantly at her. 'She knows.' 'About Vampires? Yes, I know.' 'No, I mean about you. Well a little bit.'
Nick's panicked glare struck Sian as amusing, but she tried her best
to keep a straight face. 'How?' 'She heard Michael and me talking and seemed to put two and two together. We were arguing actually. The contents of your fridge and your extreme dislike of the pizza we had for lunch cropped up, what could I do? We were outside, Tracey overheard. She's nosy. I spoke to her, but it's up to her what she does.' 'When were you going to tell me all this?' 'I wasn't. She knows the risks, so I don't think she'd say anything. You can always ask her.' 'I will.' 'Ah, male pride.'
He gave her a sharp look and she flicked her eyebrows coquettishly in
reply, a sign of sheer bravado that Nick would have taken offensively
if it had been any other person but Sian or, indeed, Natalie. 'I came to say au revoir and said rather more. So I should go before I open mouth and insert foot.' 'I think you've already done that.' 'Yeah, but I'll stop before I do it to death.' 'Where are you going to now?' 'Nowhere. Michael is going to stay with me at my apartment until we get one of his own sorted out, and by that time I should be going back to work.' 'So you're not going to vanish off into the wild blue yonder?' 'Ye of oh so little faith. I spent a lot of effort getting my working feet back on the ground again, I'm not going to throw it all away for something as trivial a charge as falsifying official documents and harboring a murderer.' 'You've grown up a lot, you know that?' 'I've got a good teacher, Sir.'
She bowed her head and walked back over to Michael. Nick watched from
the doorway as Sian walked over to Tracey and whispered a few words to
her, making her glance up at Nick. Michael stood up from the desk and,
linking arms with Sian, walked out of the bullpen. Nick was unable to
translate the meaning of the smile she gave him as she left, but he
wasn't exactly going to run after her and ask. Tracey watched them go
then turned to look at Nick, and he could see the questions in her
eyes, questions he didn't want to answer. Reluctantly he walked back
to his desk and Tracey's immutable stare. 'What?'
That caught Tracey a little unexpectedly, as she'd expected him to go
into one of his little tirades, or at least imitate the Spanish
Inquisition. 'Nothing, really. It's just...' 'I know.' 'Sian?' 'She never could keep anything important to herself for very long.'
There was an uneasy silence as Tracey tried to think of something to say. 'Don't hurt her.' 'I couldn't even if I wanted to. She's like extended family.' 'She... I really didn't know. Are you really allergic to garlic?' 'Yes, unfortunately.' 'Then you don't like Italian.' 'Not generally.'
Nick was confused at her line of questioning. 'What's your point?' 'Sian told me what she said and I should apologize.' 'For what?' 'Jumping to the wrong conclusion.' 'I have no idea what you're talking about.' 'She didn't tell you?' 'There's a lot of things she didn't tell me.' 'Well then, there's nothing I need to worry about then is there.' 'Tracey, what is going on here?' 'I just heard a few things and jumped to the wrong conclusion. Your cousin helped straighten a few things out too. Ask Sian, she'll tell you. I've got an errand to run.'
Tracey made a quick exit before digging herself any deeper into
problems. Nick sat on his desk and mused over the conversation, trying
to make sense of it, and failing miserably. He thought about Sian's
smile and only now realized what it meant. 'Children(!)'
THE END
Fort Merion Police station, 32nd Precinct. Sian sat at her desk and
tidied away all of the odds and ends from the desk to the drawer so
that no one could 'borrow' them while she was on leave. She almost
forgot once or twice that her right hand was in bandages, and let
forth a string of curses when she did. She locked the drawer and put
the key in her wallet. A young patrolman walked over to her and she
stood up to meet him. He didn't look her in the eyes, no one in the
station ever did. In fact it was hard to considering she never removed
her sunglasses for fear of frightening people with her abnormal eye
color. She smiled pleasantly at the officer and he blushed slightly,
betraying the obvious fact that he fancied her. 'What can I do for you Jonathan? Sorry, Officer Lewis.' 'There's a man at the front desk, he wants to see you, he asked for you by name. He looks a bit of a mess, but he won't go to the medics until he's spoken to you.' 'Who is he?' 'He wouldn't say.' 'Lead the way.'
Sian followed Jonathan out into the bullpen and almost stopped dead
when she saw the figure sitting in the visitor's chairs. His face was
covered in blood but all too familiar. She walked over to him and put
a hand on his shoulder. 'Nick?'
As soon as she said it she regretted it. He looked up at her and
frowned. 'Why does everyone around here keep calling me that? Are you Sian?'
His accent had a distinctly French flavor to it, nothing at all like Nick's. 'Yes I am, and I apologize for my impertinence. You are?' 'Michael. Michael De Brabant. I was told that you could explain what's going on around here, why people are trying to kill me, and why everyone thinks my name is Nick.' 'Well Michael, firstly I should get you cleaned up, then I'll give explaining a go.'
She smiled politely, easing the tension. Michael stood up and Sian led
him into the first aid room. She closed the door behind them and set
about tending to Michael's head wound, a trial in itself with one hand
bandaged. 'It's a small cut, nothing major, but I'll cover it up anyway, you never know who's around. You're not hurt anywhere else are you?' 'No, the rest are just bruises.'
Sian poured a little water in a bowl and carefully cleaned the cut
with damp cotton buds. 'Do you know this Nick person everyone thinks I am?' 'Yes I do, he's a close personal friend of mine. That's why it's easy to believe you're not him.' 'No one else does.' 'Well Nick wouldn't come into my precinct before sunset and bleed all over the place. It's usually the other way around.'
That made Michael smile, and Sian liked it. 'And everyone knows him because he's a cop. Homicide Detective actually, among other things.' 'He works here?' 'No, the other side of the city, he's just well known.'
She covered up the wound with a large plaster then walked over to the
sink and filled it with warm water. 'Here, rinse yourself off. You can't walk around this city covered in blood, you'd just be asking for trouble.' 'If you say so.'
He stepped over to the sink and wiped his face gingerly with a wet cloth. 'I guess Nick has a lot of enemies around here. The one who did this to me didn't seem very pleased to see me.' 'You have no idea.'
He looked over at her and Sian could almost believe he was Nick
playing a prank, except for the plaster that made the difference. 'Do I look okay?' 'You look alive.'
Sian started at her own lapse of memory, though Michael didn't seem to notice. 'I'll take that as a yes.'
Sian could only smile and nod her head. 'You're lucky you caught me here actually. I'm officially off duty.'
She raised her bandage as proof. 'I only came in to tidy my desk, remove the bloodstains from the keyboard and all that. Desk work isn't all it's cracked up to be these days.'
Michael smiled. 'I see what you mean.' 'Where are you staying? It's only proper that I provide you with a personal police escort as recompense.' 'Well I was staying at a hotel, but I was attacked leaving the place, so I don't want to go back there. And it's not the first time either. I got the feeling I'm being followed.' 'I can put you up in my apartment, if you don't mind the company.' 'I didn't know that was common practice?' 'It's not, I'm just making a concession.' 'But you don't even know me, I could be an ax murder for all you know. I'm not Nick.' 'I know that, and I've dealt with worse. Besides, I'm not exactly a pushover myself. And you'll want to meet Nick sometime; I'm one of only two people who knows where he is half the time.' 'Yeah, I want to meet the man who's got my face.' 'Oh, one last thing. There's a bar in town called the Raven, it is a no go area. Nick is, well let's say, well known there.' 'Well with you as my guide I'm sure I'll have no problems.'
This time it was Sian's turn to smile. She opened the door and led
Michael back out into the bullpen. 'Michael, do you have any sunglasses?' 'No. Why?' 'Glasses are as good a disguise as anything; Nick doesn't generally wear them. Here, you can borrow mine. They're not dark, just mirrored.'
She took off her glasses and handed them to Michael. He put them on
then looked at Sian. Mild shock showed on his face. 'The person who attacked me had the same color eyes as you.'
Sian cursed under her breath. 'Unfortunately it's not that uncommon around here. Do you have a car by any chance?' 'Yes, a '62 Cadillac, a classic.' 'It's not green is it?' 'No, it's blue, why?' 'Doesn't matter. It just means we won't have to walk. I haven't been able to use my car because of my injury, too much of a road hazard. And as it's dark we wouldn't want to be on foot without the sun at our backs.' 'Then we'd better get moving then.'
Sian nodded and followed Michael out of the precinct.
When they arrived at her apartment Sian flicked on the lights and
waved an arm at the interior. 'It's not much, but we have running water, telephone, TV and personal chef. And, of course, a constant police presence.' 'Are you sure I'll be safe here?' 'Totally. The people who attacked you won't come near here. I'm known among them.' 'You're friendly with a bunch of thugs?' 'No. They want my head on a silver platter, but they won't try for it. And while you're with me they'll leave yours where it is.' 'I'm glad I didn't miss you.' 'Me too.'
Michael and Sian met eyes for a second until Sian turned away. 'Your room is the one with the blue door, the other one's the bathroom. I'm okay in here.' 'I don't want to throw you out of your bed.' 'You're not. I don't sleep very much anymore.'
Michael looked around the apartment, noting the religious
accouterments on the windowsills. 'Are you religious by any chance?' 'Not really. They were here when I got the apartment. I just leave them where they are. They look quite decorative.'
She hoped her lie was convincing enough, since she'd really put them
there herself to keep unwanted undead visitors out. 'What about you?' 'My family are Catholic. I wear the cross of my faith as proof of my belief.'
He untucked a silver cross from under his shirt. 'I can't afford to believe in anything but what I can see.' 'What do you mean?' 'Hopefully you'll never need to find out.'
Sensing the conversation was going downhill, Michael opened the door
to the bedroom, walked in and sat on the bed. He noticed the bedroom
was sparse but livable. 'I'm going to make something to eat. You hungry?' 'Not really, just tired. Getting beaten senseless does take the energy from you.' 'Tell me about it. I'll give you a knock in the morning, see how you are.' 'Okay. If you're sure.' 'I'm sure.'
He slumped back on the bed and Sian closed the door.
Sian made herself a sandwich and ate it quietly, listening intently to
Michael's breathing until it became shallow and slow; a sign that he
was asleep. Silently she picked up her own car keys and sneaked out of
the apartment, being careful to attach a large wooden cross to the
front of the door.
The drive was difficult, making Sian wish she'd bought an automatic
instead of a gearshift, but she arrived at her destination without
incident. The lift ride up to Nick's apartment was swift, though she
didn't expect Nick to open the door and walk into her. She knocked her
arm against the wall, but managed to stay upright. 'Thanks Nick. Hi to you too (!)' 'Sian. What are you doing here?'
Nick turned around and helped Sian into the apartment. 'Apart from getting knocked around, I actually came to ask for your assistance.' 'You know you'll always get it. Assistance with what?'
She sat on the sofa and Nick sat with her. 'I've met a man at the precinct, he'd been beaten about by a Vampire, though he doesn't know that's what it was. He kind of blames you for it.' 'Me? Why? Do I know him?'
Sian resisted the urge to smile, and shook her head. 'No. His name's Michael. He's staying in my apartment.'
Nick looked pointedly at Sian. 'You met this guy this afternoon and already you've invited him into your apartment?'
Sian ignored the obvious accusation. 'He's scared. And the fact that I've got the same color eyes as his assailant doesn't help matters. I'm hoping you could give me a hand.' 'What do you want me to do?' 'Meet him, hear him out.' 'And then what? It's not as if I can exactly go out and hunt another Vampire down, even with good intentions.' 'Well I didn't want to throw him on the street then meet him again in a body bag. Just think of all the extra paperwork and internal investigations....' 'Okay, okay, I'll meet him. Where?' 'Here, just after sundown.' 'Why here?' 'You'll know when you meet him. Deal?'
Nick sighed and looked at Sian intently before replying. 'Deal. There's something you're not telling me isn't there?' 'Nothing important. Trust me. Natalie should be here too, I don't want anyone feeling a gooseberry.' 'Maybe you want me to redecorate too (?)' 'Nice thought, but I like this place as it is, very you. You were just leaving, so I should too. I don't want my guest to wake to an empty house. I would invite you round sometime, but you'd have a bit of trouble entering if you get my meaning.'
Nick knew what she meant, as she'd gained enemies in the Vampire
Community after killing an Enforcer almost three months ago. 'It's like that is it?' 'For now.'
She got up from the sofa, cradling her injury. Nick couldn't help but notice. 'Are you going to be alright driving with that?' 'As long as I don't want to go faster than first gear.'
Sian smiled. 'I'll cope. I got here didn't I?' 'I'll drive you home. I'm going that way anyway.'
They both knew he wasn't heading in her direction, since Shaw St. was
quite a distance from the precinct, but Sian wasn't going to pass up a
lift home. 'Well if you're going that way.'
They entered the lift, without problems this time, and down into the
street. Sian's battered Dodge was parked up in the dark, out of sight.
They climbed into Nick's Cadillac and pulled away. Sian clicked on the
radio in time to hear LaCroix opening his radio show. 'Welcome to the night once again my children. Tonight we talk about the truth. What is the truth? Except a fools need for an answer. Knowing the truth does nothing but open the door to our fears. Like so much in life, the hunt for the truth is often more appealing than the truth itself. For what is the truth? Nothing but twisted lies.'
Nick turned off the radio, much to Sian's surprise. 'He gets on my nerves from time to time too you know.' 'And sometimes he makes as much sense as an ashtray on a motorbike.' 'When you've known him for as long as I have everything makes sense.' 'Did you know he threw me out of the Raven twice for disturbing the peace.' 'Twice? You mean you managed to get back in after the first time?' 'The bouncers didn't know which way to turn. I think it got around that I killed an Enforcer. As much as they want me dead, they don't want to upset me.' 'You are unbelievable.' 'Thank you Sir.'
They pulled up outside the apartment block and Sian was glad to see
the light was out. She leaned over and gave Nick a peck on the cheek. 'See you tomorrow.'
She got out of the car and closed the door before Nick could reply. He
sat back in his seat for a second before getting in gear and pulling
away.
He arrived at the precinct in plenty of time for his shift. Tracey was
already at her desk sipping a cup of coffee, the smell of which
surprisingly made Nick glad he was on a restricted diet. 'Couldn't sleep?'
Tracey turned around at his voice and stifled a yawn. 'Not really. They're doing roadwork outside my apartment. I think the jackhammer's still here.'
Nick sat at his desk opposite. 'That machine was hammering all day, non-stop. Do you know what that does to your nerves?'
Nick nodded, remembering trying to sleep during the Blitz of 1943, and
how crabby it had made him. 'Nick, you alive in there?' 'Once.' 'What does that mean?' 'Nothing, just thinking.' 'Captain wants to see you when you're not busy.' 'What for?' 'Something about your expense forms. He thinks there's a few mistakes on the last few.' 'Never like being overcharged for anything do they? Into the lions den as they say.'
Nick stood up and walked over to Reese's office. The door was already
open and Reese signaled for him to enter. He fiddled through the small
stack of papers on his desk, removing one and waving it in Nick's
direction. 'Close the door Nick.'
He closed the door and sat down. 'What's the problem Cap'n?' 'I just got your expense accounts back from head office. They're worried that you're being too dependent on your partner.' 'Dependent? In what way?' 'Well your expenses are so low they think you're not doing your share of the work. Now I know you're a hard worker, so that's not the case. So where's the extra money coming from?' 'I have some money put by, but I just simply make do with what I have.' 'But your expenses would just about cover my cars gas consumption for this month! Nick, all I'm asking you to do is at least make it look as though you need the money, you're making me look bad.' 'I'll try better.' 'Good. Now, apart from that I know you're doing good. The commission wants my recommendations for promotion and, considering your record, I'm thinking of putting your name down. Better hours, better pay. In the end it's up to you.' 'I'll think about it.' 'You do that.'
The desk phone rang and Reese hesitated to pick it up. 'Go.'
Nick got up and walked out, leaving Reese to answer the phone. He
walked over to his desk and sat down. The smirk on his face gave
Tracey enough curiosity to put down her coffee. 'What did he say?' 'Well I'm not claiming enough expenses for one.' 'Not enough? That's a new one. They normally complain if you claim too much, he does to me anyway. And the other thing?' 'He wants to put me forward for promotion.' 'Congratulations!'
She saw his expression and leaned forwards. 'You don't want promotion?' 'Promotion equals a desk job. I enjoy working in the field, and a day job just isn't my cup of tea.' 'You're weird. Most people would do anything to get away from dead bodies once in a while.' 'Do I detect a hint of envy here?' 'No, I'm just curious. I understand about you keeping the night shift, obviously, but you've been doing this job for the last five years. Don't you ever feel like a change?' 'Not yet. But when I do you'll be the first to know.'
Nick got up from his seat and wandered over to the window, for no
other reason than because he couldn't think of another subject to talk
about, and the sickly smell of coffee was getting more than a little
annoying. The skies were clear enough to see the moon, which
distracted Nick enough not to sense Natalie sneaking up behind him. 'Penny for your thoughts.'
Nick turned round and smiled, feeling a little Mortal for being surprised. 'Hi Nat.' 'Well this is a first, I never thought there'd come a time where I could actually surprise a professional.' 'I was just thinking.'
Natalie handed him a slim folder. 'Well here's something more to think about. I got back the ballistics report for the John Doe you sent down earlier. The bullet matches the one taken from two other John Does brought in a week ago. Same style, same weapon, probably a .32. But it's not the gun found at the scene. And all three unknowns were drug users as well as dealers.' 'Professional hits. At least he's making our job easier.' 'That's alright for some, I still have to deal with the bodies he's supplying me with, whether it benefits the Human race or not.' 'You're beginning to sound like me.'
Natalie swatted Nick on the chest. 'When a pathologist starts sounding like a Detective then it's time for me to switch jobs.' 'I wasn't talking about being a Detective.' 'Come on Nick, don't do that fade to black stuff on me.' 'Don't worry, I'm not going to fade out just yet. Are you doing anything tomorrow evening, early?' 'I'm not sure unless there's a sudden rush on bodies. Why?' 'Well Sian has invited us to meet the new man in her life.' 'She didn't take that long. So who is he?' 'A mystery man. We just have to wait and see for ourselves who he is. She's actually got me a little worried.' 'Well that sounds like her.' 'At least she's kept her job this time.' 'Talking of jobs I heard you've got promotion coming. Inter-office gossip, can't help it.' 'It's coming but not to me. I can't work at a desk, you know that, I'd rot.' 'Well it wouldn't be the first time you'd come to me in pieces.'
Nick rolled his eyes.
Tracey stood up from her desk and called to Nick. 'Nick, we've got another one.' 'Where now?' 'On York, some old man found the body in the trash.'
Nick stuck his tongue out in mock disgust, picked his jacket up and
followed Tracey and Natalie out of the building.
The first officers on the scene had already cordoned off the area,
giving Natalie space to do her job, which she did very quickly. Nick
walked over to the closest officer who was shivering in the cold,
though he himself didn't show any effects of the winter air. 'Officer, did you find any witnesses?' 'No, and no one heard anything either. But considering the area I wouldn't be surprised.'
Natalie stood up from her initial check and sighed. 'Nick, would you be surprised if I said single shot to the head, small caliber at close range.' 'Recent?' 'I can't say for sure until I get the body to the morgue to run some tests, but I'd say he died around mid afternoon. Whoever did this must be pretty confident to try this in broad daylight.'
She stepped away to inform the newly arrived coroner. Tracey picked up
an object from the ground and brought it over to Nick. 'Nick, what do you make of this? I found it over by the trash.'
She handed Nick a gold ring with a picture embossed in the top. 'There's a name around the side, I can't make it out. It might be the victims.'
Nick cleaned the dirt from the lettering and read the inscription. A
small shiver ran up his spine. 'It says De Brabant. It's a Belgian family name. This is their family crest.' 'Well the guy doesn't look Belgian, more Hispanic. We'll have to wait for an ID on the body before we're sure.' 'You don't have to look far.'
Natalie stepped over and handed them a battered wallet. 'His name's Franco De Marco. And from the tracks on his arms I'd say he was a heavy user, cocaine or heroin maybe.' 'Probably got busted over a sale. What is this place coming to?' 'I don't know. At least we got something to go on this time.'
Tracey showed Natalie the ring, and the look on her face told Nick
exactly what she was thinking. She handed it to Nick. 'It might be a lead, or maybe he stole it and dropped it, either way it's a start.' 'Well, good luck.'
Nick pocketed the ring, not quite prepared to give it back. He slinked
off to his car. 'Where are you off to?' 'I'm going to try to find the owner of this ring, maybe he'd know what happened.' 'There must be hundreds of people with that name.' 'Very few actually, shouldn't be hard to find. You should notify the victim's family.'
On that he got into the car and pulled away. Tracey looked at Natalie. 'What was that about?' 'You don't want to know.'
Early next evening Natalie and Nick were sitting in Nick's apartment
sharing a private moment before Sian arrived. 'So, Nick, did you actually find the owner of the ring?'
Nick looked at the ring now on his finger. 'No. But it just seems strange. I had a ring like this once.' 'Once.' 'Back when the name meant something.' 'Want to share that moment?' 'Maybe later.'
The lift clattered into action. Nick got up from his seat and took his
glass over to the sink. He was hesitant about pouring it away, so
quickly drank it, listening as the lift opened, not ready to turn
around.
Sian stepped out of the lift with Michael and Natalie's jaw dropped.
Sian had removed the plaster from Michael's wound and covered it up
with make-up so that it didn't seem to exist. Nick cleaned out his
glass and put it aside to drain. 'Nick, come here.'
Nick walked over and stood face to face with Michael. They looked
identical. They both stood in silence just looking each other up and
down. Sian decided to break the silence, which, to her, was
unbearable. 'Michael De Brabant, meet...' 'Nicolas De Brabant.'
The words came out before he could stop himself, surprising all but
Michael who was none the wiser. 'Bonsoir Nicola', I meet you finally.'
Nick noticed the French accent, momentarily hearing his own French
accent from 800 years past. 'Sian never told me who you were. I didn't expect this.'
Natalie looked between the two. They looked like twins, and she had
trouble remembering that Nick was almost 800 years Michael's senior.
Sian tugged Natalie's sleeve. 'Let's leave these two to get acquainted.' 'Yeah, you're right.'
Natalie led Sian up the stairs to Nick's room, out of sight. Once they
were out of regular earshot Natalie sat Sian on the bed. 'Where did you find him?' 'He found me, he was a bit battered, it took a little effort to get him to look halfway normal. I didn't tell him Nick was a De Brabant. In fact I didn't expect Nick to either.' 'Well if you'd told him the truth in the first place it could have been avoided.' 'It would have spoilt the surprise. Besides, Nick is old enough to know better.'
They listened carefully to the conversation downstairs. To their mild
surprise they noticed that both men were talking in French, Nick's
accent now exactly the same as his doppelganger. Since neither woman
would pass as translator, they turned back to their own conversation. 'Do you know what this discovery could mean?' 'That we have to get one of them to dye his hair? What?' 'Well if Michael is genetically the same as Nick, from the same family, we could use that to make Nick human at the genetic level, it's a chance we can't pass up.' 'Hold on, I may not be a scientist, so you can tell me to shut up, but even I know that genetics is a dangerous game to play. Especially with Nick's more unusual DNA. You can't be sure what you'll end up with can you?' 'No, but it's worth a try don't you think?' 'Yes, but that's not the only problem, you'd have to get Michael to consent. And, from what little I know of him, I doubt he'd want to go through tests without knowing why. And there's also the problem that Nick wouldn't want Michael to be put at risk just for him. I know he can be callous sometimes, but I doubt he'd go that far. I think you'll have to come up with another plan I'm afraid.'
They went silent as they heard the conversation downstairs become
heated and switched back to English. 'Are you calling me a murderer now?' 'No, it was just a question, I didn't mean you to take offense.'
Natalie and Sian made their way downstairs, just in case the two men
needed separating. Michael was sitting on Nick's desk table and Nick
was leaning on the back of the sofa, both trying to compose themselves
in front of the approaching women. 'Mes amis, is everything alright here?'
Michael stood up and looked at Nick. 'Everything's fine. Except Nicola' is holding something back from me.' 'I'm not keeping anything important from you. It's just extremely complicated. I want to help you, especially since whoever it is has a beef against me, but there are a few things that I have to do to accomplish that that I can't let you in on.'
Sian put her hand on Michael's sleeve as a gentle restraint to stop
him from storming away, which she could almost sense he wanted to do. 'Michael, listen to him. S'il vous plait? You trust me don't you?' 'You've kept your word so far.' 'Well I trust Nick, with my life surprisingly enough. If you trust me then you should offer him the same courtesy. Croyez-moi, nous ne sont pas votre ennemi.'
Both Nick and Natalie were surprised at Sian's effort at French,
considering they knew her language skills were mainly limited to
insults. Michael managed to look her in the eyes for a short time
before sighing and throwing his arms in the air in a sign of
surrender. 'Je me radoucis. I'll go along with you. But I'm not going to sit around all night while you're out doing your job. I don't want to be alone while the person is still out there.' 'You can join me at the station, both of you.'
He looked pointedly at Sian, knowing that she would probably turn
vigilante if he let her out of his sight. Even though she was now an
officer of the law she was still prone to thinking on her feet. 'Cool. Natalie, maybe now you can show me around the morgue, I've always wanted to see the inside of a body bag (!)'
Nick grabbed Sian playfully by the neck and she took an equally
playful nip at his hand. He let go, ignoring the smile playing on
Natalie's lips. He smiled at Sian and rubbed the already fading mark. 'If you're not careful you'll find out what a body bag looks like from the inside (!)'
They arrived at the station in three separate cars, Natalie's Honda
following behind both Cadillacs, fighting mild double vision in the
darkness as both cars and drivers were exactly the same. It didn't
help matters that Sian was laying across the back seat of Michael's
Caddy out of sight, she being the only thing that would distinguish
the two cars from each other.
Once in the station Natalie headed for the morgue and Nick wandered in
to speak to Reese, leaving Sian and Michael alone in the bullpen.
Michael sat in Nick's seat while Sian perched herself on the corner of
the desk. She'd just made herself comfortable when an approaching
figure caught her eye. 'Uh oh.'
Michael looked at Sian, worriedly. 'What uh oh?'
Sian pointed towards Tracey. 'Tracey Vetter, Nick's partner against crime (!)'
Sian got off the desk to greet Tracey while Michael set to doodling on
Nick's desk notepad, looking as if he was actually working there. 'Evening Tracey.' 'Sian, you're a long way from Fort Merion.' 'Time off, can't work all the time.' 'Nick, any luck with the case yet?'
Michael glanced up with a puzzled scowl and rubbed absentmindedly at
his head wound. At the same moment Nick stepped back into the bullpen
behind Tracey and tapped her on the shoulder. 'Hi Trace.'
Tracey jumped and did a double take, looking at both men with obvious
confusion. 'What's going on here? Which one of you is Nick?'
Nick and Michael both smiled evenly. Nick took his badge from his
pocket and showed it to Tracey. 'I'm me.'
He put the badge back in his pocket and walked over behind Michael. 'So who's he?' 'Tracey, I'd like you to meet my ... cousin. Michael.'
Michael stood up and shook hands with Tracey. 'Bonsoir Madame.' 'Bonsoir? A French cousin?' 'Oui. The family is quite widespread.'
Tracey noticed, strangely, that Michael's hands were considerably
warmer than Nicks ever were. Michael let go and sat back down, wincing
as he realized another bruise on his aching body. Sian noticed his
discomfort, dug into one of her many pockets, took out a packet of
Asprin and handed them to him, which surprised Nick, as he'd never
known her to bother with painkillers. 'Thanks.' 'Do you want some water with those?' 'Yes, please.'
Sian wandered over to the water cooler to get the water. Nick sat on
the desk corner that Sian had just vacated. Tracey shook her head. 'Nick I have to say this, but I always knew there was something weird about your family, now I know what it is. Matching cousins and spooky stepfathers.'
Nick started at the mention of a stepfather, but it was Michael who
questioned it. 'Stepfather?'
By the looks she was getting she knew she had put herself in a spot. 'Well, he said he was. He was a barman at one of the clubs in town, you know what they're like.'
Nick knew which one she was talking about, but didn't let on.
Unfortunately it made Michael curious. 'Which club is that? I'd like to meet some more of our family.'
Sian gave Michael the water and shook her head at him. 'It's not a good idea Michael, you should steer clear for now, like I asked you to.'
She looked at him and he realized which bar they were on about; a fact
that made him even more curious. He turned from Sian's gold gaze as it
was starting to make him nervous. 'I will do you the courtesy of obeying your order mes ami, you know what's best.'
Nick was brooding to himself over why LaCroix mentioned his family
ties to Tracey of all people, wondering if it was one of the games he
liked to play with him on occasion.
Tracey leaned over and whispered in Nick's ear. 'She's got him well trained (!)'
Nick couldn't help but give a wry smile in reply, though Sian's
expression told him that she didn't appreciate the comment. Michael
downed the Asprin with a grimace. 'In answer to your question about work, no, we have nothing to go on yet again. I think it's going to be one of those cases.' 'Any leads on the ring? Did you find any of the De Brabant family or was that a dead end too?'
Michael looked up at Nick to answer, but Nick just looked at him and
shook his head. 'No, not really. It's going to take records some time to find them all, they're widely spread about.'
Michael knew he was missing something, but stayed quiet. Sensing his
annoyance, Sian whispered in Michael's ear. 'I'll explain later.'
At his pained expression Sian instinctively ran a hand through
Michael's hair, ruffling it slightly. 'Come on, I'll give you a tour around the station, leave the good Detectives to their work.' 'You don't have to be so sarcastic Sian.' 'Moi?'
Michael got up from the seat and allowed himself to be led out of the
bullpen. Once they were out of earshot, Sian took hold of Michael's
hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. 'I'm sorry I couldn't say anything back there, but there are a few things you just don't say in front of Tracey.' 'Like the fact that I am a De Brabant?' 'And Nick. As far as everyone is concerned he is Nicholas Knight, as in Chevalier.' 'Why?' 'Because. It's easier to say for one. Probably something to do with his ancestry, I'm not really sure, and I'm not going to ask him either.' 'What about his step father?' 'What about him? You should avoid him like the plague. They don't really get along together.' 'Can't they settle their differences?'
Sian stopped and looked Michael in the eyes. 'Nick has spent many years trying. It's better all round if we avoid getting in the way. I know you have good intentions, but you don't know what you'd be getting yourself into, and I'm not exactly in the best of positions to say why.' 'But you've met him.' 'I wouldn't say well met (!)' 'What?' 'Sorry, it's an old joke. I have met him, but only fleetingly, just before he threw me out the club and threatened me with my life if I ever returned.' 'So you haven't been back since?' 'Of course I have, but I can take care of myself. You on the other hand would have a problem. To everyone in the bar you would be Nick, no matter how much you try to convince them otherwise. If any of Nick's enemies find out who you're not, or indeed any of his friends, you wouldn't last five minutes.' 'I am a grown man, you don't have to treat me like a child.' 'I don't. Okay, time for an example. Hit me.' 'Why?' 'Just hit me.' 'No.' 'I'm going to prove a point, now take your best shot, I won't be offended.'
After a second of hesitation, Michael stepped back a little and swung
a fist at Sian. Almost instantly she gently batted his arm away, took
hold of him by the throat and slid him up the wall, holding him a
couple of inches above the ground. She held him like that for a couple
of seconds then gently lowered him back to ground level. He rubbed at
his throat, but Sian had held him gently enough so not to leave any
marks. They got some funny looks from passing officers, but a quick
glance at Sian's eyes put them off staring. 'How did you do that?' 'It's not the how that should worry you, it's that I managed to do it at all. Imagine what I could have done if I meant it?'
Michael looked down at the floor defeated. 'So what is your point?' 'My point is this. I was only playing, people like the one who trashed you aren't. Do you really think you'd have any chance? Think about it.'
Michael rubbed his neck again and Sian began to wonder whether she had
hurt him. 'You made your point mes ami, just don't do that again, please, my nerves are cracked already.' 'As long as you listen to me and trust me I won't have to do it again.'
Sian leaned to one side of Michael, and he made as if to move away.
Sian stood back up holding a donut she'd taken from the snack table
around the corner from where they were standing. 'You hungry? I didn't have time for breakfast.'
Michael shook his head and looked up as Nick walked over. Nick looked
at the pair of them, Michael rubbing his neck and Sian sucking the jam
out of a donut, and had a sudden bad thought, which he quickly shook
away. He handed Sian a piece of paper. She dusted a hand on her
trousers before taking it from him. 'What's this? Two weeks notice?' 'A message from your precinct. They somehow got wind that you were here. Inter-office gossip I suppose.' 'Probably.' 'What does it say?' 'You didn't read it?' 'I'm not in the habit of reading other peoples mail.' 'Why not, everyone else does. Well, it says that I'm to get paid time off due to injury, blah, blah, ooh, a commendation. Just shows how much I value my work doesn't it? The rest is not important, I'll read through it all later. I just hope they haven't decided to clear out my desk before I return.'
She folded up the note and put it in her back pocket. 'Desk? I thought you were on patrol?' 'Was. I'm a desk Sergeant. They took my past record into consideration when dealing out promotions. They were probably worried I'd scare the wrong people.' 'Why didn't you say anything?' 'You didn't ask Mon pére.' 'Natalie wants me down in the morgue, do you want to stay here or come along, your choice.' 'If it's all the same to you Nicola', I'll come with you. I may end up having to do your work if I don't.'
Nick had considered that prospect and let the smile play on his lips. 'Sian?' 'Count me in.' 'Okay, let's get going.'
They arrived at the morgue in good time, and Natalie almost did a
double take when Nick and Michael walked in side by side. It was only
the fact that she remembered that Nick was wearing a black shirt and
Michael the blue that stopped her from talking to the wrong person.
Sian followed behind with Tracey. 'Nick, do you want the good news or the bad news?' 'I'll make do with the Readers Digest version.' 'Well all I can say is the MO. is the same as the others, single shot, 32 caliber, close range, and the killer was right handed. As far as I can tell there was no struggle either as I found absolutely no unusual skin cells or fibers under his fingernails, or anywhere for that matter.' 'A clean kill.'
She moved to uncover the body but took a quick glance at Sian and Michael. 'Are you both okay with bodies?' 'I'm fine, I've seen a few in my time. Michael?' 'I think I can cope.'
Natalie uncovered the body and Sian leaned forward for a closer look. 'It whiffs a bit.' 'Well so would you if you'd been laying dead in the trash for eight hours.' 'Yuck. There's nothing worse than the smell of manky spuds.' 'You could say that.'
Natalie handed them a pot of Wintergreen. 'Here, put some of this under your nose.' 'Thanks. Maybe he needed some of this while he was alive, you never know.'
Michael tugged Sian back out of Natalie's way. Tracey scowled a little. 'You should be a bit more considerate around the dead.'
Sian shrugged and linked her arm in Michael's, staying silent as
Natalie showed Nick the wounds on the body. 'You can see where the round went in. I don't think it was professional, more like a lucky shot. The others were killed by a single shot to the head. The starburst pattern indicates that the gun was discharged a lot closer than before.' 'Getting desperate?' 'Or simply more confident in his technique. Death was instantaneous, a reason for a lack of blood at the scene. Apart from that there's not much else I can tell you.' 'So we're still in the dark about the whole thing.' 'Pretty much. I'm sorry I couldn't find anything new, but I am not a miracle worker.' 'It's not your fault.' 'i morti non sono più soli.'
Natalie looked at Sian who seemed to have surprised herself with that
outburst. Nick translated it for the others. 'The dead are no longer alone.'
Nick looked to Sian for a reason for the phrase but she simply shook her head. 'Don't ask.'
Sian sat on the sofa in Nick's apartment and propped her feet up on
the table, Nick swatted them off as he passed, not wanting her
slightly grotty DM's making scuff marks across the polished surface.
Michael sat in the chair to her right, looking a little awkward. 'You're welcome to stay here for the day, the both of you. I know you don't value your chances as a driver Sian.' 'Don't knock me mon ami, but I'll take up your offer, thank you.' 'Are you sure you have enough sleeping room here Nicola'?'
Sian looked around at the cavernous room and couldn't help but smirk. 'Plenty. I don't have any food stocked so you'll have to order something for yourselves.' 'Don't you eat with us?'
He looked at Sian who raised her eyebrows, wondering what he'd say if
he'd seen Nick 'eat'. 'I ate earlier.' 'They should do take-out this time in the morning, be thankful for 24 hour eateries.' 'How do you both manage on such an unusual schedule? I have trouble keeping to a normal day.' 'Well Nick has to, and I want to. The night is more comfortable for both of us, for different reasons, huh Nick?' 'You could say that.'
As they talked they noticed the sun rising through the window. Nick
waited until the light was almost at his feet before remotely closing
the blinds and switching on the lights. He would normally test his sun
tolerance at the sunrise, even while Sian was there, but was wary to
risk it near Michael. Sian flicked open the phone directory, straight
onto the take-away pages; a trick learned over countless uses of those
particular numbers. She put the directory in front of Michael. 'Michael, you phone for food, I need to talk to Nick. The address for this place is on the phone.' 'Oui. Anything in particular you want to eat?' 'Anything but curry, you choose.'
Sian walked Nick over to the kitchenette and poured him a drink,
knowing that Michael would be too distracted to notice. She ran
herself a glass of tap water. Out of curiosity she picked up Nick's
glass and took a sip of the contents, much to Nick's surprise. She
grimaced slightly then downed the water in one. At his amused glance
she pulled a cheeky smirk and flicked her eyebrows. 'Different, but not wholly unpleasant.'
Nick picked up the glass and took a sip himself. 'I know what you're thinking Nick.' 'If you keep it up you'll have Uri Geller on your tail (!)' 'Call it women's intuition. And it has nothing to do with the drink. I knew you'd care about Michael ever since you two met, but only now do I know just how much.' 'I'm worried the Community will mistake him for me.' 'No, you're worried LaCroix will mistake him for you. You know you can't lie to me, especially when it's written all over your face.' 'Okay, so I'm worried that LaCroix will mistake him for me, but it's not just that.' 'You're feeling sorry for yourself. You want to be Michael, the version of you who can get a tan without imploding, order food and be able to eat it and be everything you wish you were. I can sympathize, but brooding will get us nowhere.' 'I didn't realize you could be so cold.' 'I may not have your years, but I do have experience. You looked like you needed to be jolted back into this century.' 'And you look like you need to be kicked right into the next one.' 'Is that a threat or a promise?'
Nicks sudden gold stare and half smile said all she needed to know.
Sian led Michael out of the apartment and into the morning sunrise.
They walked towards one of the local café's for a drink before
bedtime. Sian had been mildly surprised that Nick had run out of
coffee considering that Natalie was the only person who ever drunk any
of it. Michael grabbed Sian's arm and she turned to face him. He
looked slightly upset. 'What's up?' 'Nicola', he's ... well, unusual.' 'In what way?' 'Do you know what he has in his fridge?'
She paused and decided to play it straight, wondering how she'd managed to miss his trip to the kitchen. 'I'm sure you want to tell me.' 'Bottles of ... I don't even want to say it.' 'You don't have to. I know what he keeps in the fridge.' 'But why?' 'Art; thickens the paint. He eats take-aways, just like I do.'
Out of the corner of her eye Sian could see Tracey lingering in the
doorway to the coffee shop. But the look in Michael's eyes gave her
the hint that he wasn't going to stop until all his questions were
answered. 'And what about the pizza I ordered?' 'What about it? I thought it was rather tasty, apart from the crust being a bit hard.' 'No, I mean Nick wouldn't come within ten feet of us while we ate. You can't tell me he just didn't like pepperoni.' 'He's allergic to garlic, of which there was plenty on the pizza. Why do you think I chewed gum for hours after?' 'He's allergic to a lot of things isn't he? Daylight, garlic...' 'You could say that.'
Sian dared a glance back at Tracey who was statue still in the
doorway, quite obviously hearing every word. 'Look, Michael, if you want to know anything about Nick you should ask him yourself. If I say anymore I'd be saying too much. Now, do you want a coffee?'
Tracey ducked into the café as they passed, turning away long enough
not to see Sian's venomous glare.
As the sun set gently behind the curtains, Michael watched it and
thought carefully over the bizarreness of the last few evenings. He
glanced over at Sian who was laid out on the sofa, fully clothed. He'd
come to the conclusion that Nick was weird beyond anything he'd ever
seen before. And Sian, although she was helping him to the best of her
abilities, knew what made Nick so odd. And although he hadn't been
around that long, he was family, and they should have let him in on
the secret. The answer to everything, he surmised, was at the Raven,
the place he'd been warned away from enough times to make him curious,
and now it had got the better of him. He picked up the phone directory
from its place on the floor and looked up the Raven. Once he found it
he took down the address on a scrap of newspaper. Before leaving he
bent down and kissed Sian on the forehead. 'Au revoir mon amour.'
With the address in hand he quietly left the apartment.
Michael stepped into the Raven warily; taking in the dim lighting and
eerie atmosphere that seemed to fill the place. The clientele also
seemed a little strange, none more so than the barman who seemed to be
watching him with slightly concealed puzzlement. Michael walked up to
the bar and sat down. LaCroix composed himself enough to speak to his
all too human 'son'. 'So, what can I do for you this evening Nicholas?'
Michael realized by the tone that the barman was the 'stepfather'
Tracey was talking about. 'I'll have a beer please.'
LaCroix's puzzlement turned to surprise at his choice and became a
little suspicious that 'Nick' didn't seem to recognize him. LaCroix
poured the beer and handed it to Michael, before walking around the
other side of the bar to join him. Before he could say anything there
was a shout at the entrance followed by the body of the doorman
sailing through the air and coming to an unflattering stop against an
interior wall; this was duly followed by Sian, strolling in as if
nothing had happened. Another bouncer grabbed her arm, but Sian
quickly made him airborne with almost no effort on her part. She
walked over to the bar and took hold of Michael's arm. He tensed as if
expecting her to throw him too. She looked up at LaCroix fleetingly. 'Hello Lucien, nice to see you again.'
LaCroix sneered. There were only a couple of people who could call him
by his birth name, and Sian wasn't one of them. She gently pulled
Michael away from the bar. 'I told you not to come in here, for good reason, and you ignored me.' 'How did you find out?' 'You left the directory on the floor. I thought we were friends.' 'We are friends, but you're not my mother.' 'That's as maybe, but you don't want to upset me. Does he Lucien?'
LaCroix's eyes flashed yellow to match Sian's for an instant before
returning to his icy blue. He could cope with her abusing his name
once, but not twice. And the fact that she was but a mere mortal made
it even more irritating. He spoke through gritted teeth. 'You're trying my patience now Sian.' 'Bite me (!)'
They both knew that was a risky thing to say considering the
situation, but Sian was in a harsh enough mood to mean it. She turned
back to Michael who had given up struggling to remove himself from her
grip. 'Michael, if you don't come willingly I'll have to carry you out under arrest, and it would be most undignified.'
LaCroix raised an eyebrow at the name Sian had called the visitor,
quickly understanding why he wasn't recognized. 'Arrest for what?' 'Breaking police protection for a start.' 'What is it with this place that makes you so jumpy?'
She shot a glance at LaCroix whose steely gaze met hers as if in a
challenge, one she would have gladly taken up in private if she didn't
have to guard Michael from the hungry looking crowd that had stopped
to watch the spectacle. 'That's my problem, this is yours. Let's go.'
Before she could leave, Sian and LaCroix were both momentarily
distracted by a figure moving towards them, LaCroix having sensed him,
and Sian having heard. Nicholas approached the uneasy trio and was met
with a mixture of glares. LaCroix's being one of mild amusement. 'So Nicholas, when were you going to spring this little surprise on me? I must admit, they have been quite entertaining. And your young ... 'twin' here appears to be as much as a handful as you.'
Nick looked at LaCroix but didn't waste his breath in a reply. Instead
he signaled for Sian and Michael to leave.
Sian turned to lead Michael away, and in the instant her back was
turned Michael drew a knife and plunged it into her side. Reflexively
she knocked him backward into LaCroix's grip before, herself, falling
into Nick's stunned arms. The knife went flying behind the bar, out of
the way. She looked down at her wound and cursed in different
languages as she tried to cover it with her bandaged hand. She could
see the shine in the eyes of the Vampires as the smell of her blood
reached them. She could also see the same shine in Nick's eyes. She
stepped away from Nick and, finding that walking wasn't a problem,
made her way out of the club. Nick turned to follow, but she gave him
a warning glance, speaking through gritted teeth. 'Deal with Michael, I can deal with this.'
Nick knew what she meant, so he nodded to her then took Michael away
from LaCroix. Michael looked panicked at the change in the people
around him, especially Nick, who was fighting to stop the gold from
rising in his eyes. LaCroix seemed slightly amused at the whole
incident. 'It seems foolhardiness runs in your family Nicholas.'
Nick ignored the comment, as usual. 'Come on Michael, you have a lot of explaining to do.' 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry.'
As he walked Michael across the dance floor he felt him tense up as he
sighted a figure walking in the other direction. 'Mon dieu! Nicola', it's him, the one who attacked me.'
Nick looked up at the figure he was pointing at, and was surprised to
see the familiar face of Vachon, who turned and ducked out of sight
near one of the exits. 'Are you sure?' 'Oui, how could I forget.'
Nick led Michael out of the club and into the car lot. He noticed that
Michael's blue Cadillac was missing, probably taken by Sian. 'Get in the car.'
With a glance at Nick's slightly feral appearance, Michael climbed
into the passenger seat without question, and sat rubbing the blood
from his hands. Nick climbed in beside him. 'Do you normally attack people like that?' 'I didn't mean to hurt her, I panicked, please let her be alive, pour l'amour d'un dieu, please let her be alive.'
Nick didn't say anything, but just put the car into gear and pulled away.
They pulled up outside Sian's apartment, much to Michael's surprise,
and parked next to Michael's Cadillac which was parked with abandon on
the pavement. The light was on in Sian's apartment and Nick could hear
movement inside, a good sign. 'What are we doing here?' 'Praying that she's alive, for your sake.'
They got out of the car and quickly climbed the stairs to the
apartment. On the door of the apartment, Nick noticed, were the
remnants of a wooden cross, the rest of which was scattered down the
hall; Sian's way of clearing the way for him. They stepped inside and
saw Sian perched on the arm of the sofa with a needle and thread and a
small stack of gauze pads. She didn't look up, but it was obvious she
knew they were there. 'Are either of you men any good at sewing, because I can't stitch myself up.'
Only now did she look up, and they could see the tracks of tears on
her cheeks. Her eyes were red with crying, which made her gold pupils
look even more fearsome. 'Why didn't you go to the hospital?' 'They would ask too many questions, many of which I would be under oath to answer, and I just can't. Now, are there any takers or do I have to give this a go myself?'
Michael shook his head. Sian looked up at Nick. Despite their matching
appearance Sian seemed able to tell the difference between them. 'Nick, you'll have to do it.' 'I can't.' 'I trust you not to do anything stupid. Please? Or I'll bleed to death.'
Nick knelt next to her and Michael sat on the armchair, too upset to
move further. Sian removed her shirt and dabbed at the wound with a
piece of gauze. She didn't seem very bothered about her near nakedness
considering her company. Nick picked up the needle and thread and
hesitantly set about sewing up the wound. Sian hissed with pain as
Nick started the stitching, but gritted her teeth and bared it. Being
close to the wound hungered Nick, and Sian knew it. Nick also knew
that she would probably have let him feed from the wound if they
weren't in company, as trusting as their friendship was. Nick managed
to get through the procedure without trying for it, but he was sorely
tempted. He covered up the stitching with gauze and tape. 'You're done.'
Sian could hear the hunger in Nick's voice, and when he looked up at
her she could see it in his eyes; and so, unfortunately, could
Michael. 'Oh my god.'
Michael stared at Nick's gold eyes, then his fangs, and knew it would
be pointless trying to leave. 'What are you?'
Sian got up carefully and stepped into the kitchenette. She opened the
fridge, took out a bottle and handed it to Nick. 'I was saving this for my real flat-warming, but I think you need it.'
Nick opened the bottle and took a mouthful of the contents. He closed
his eyes, and when he opened them they were once again blue. Nick re-
corked the bottle. Michael looked worried and flinched when Sian
walked over and touched his arm. 'You have nothing to fear from either of us. Although you deserve to be thrown through the window for stabbing me, I'm not going to give in to impulse.' 'What about Nicola'. What is he?' 'He's harmless.' 'What about the man in the club? The biker?'
Sian looked over at Nick for clarification. 'Vachon.' 'What about him?' 'He's the one who's been following me.' 'Vachon doesn't just follow people around without a reason.' 'You know him?' 'Only too well. He hunts criminals.' 'Hunts?' 'Have you got a confession to make Michael?' 'I haven't done anything wrong. I'm the victim here.' 'Really? You'd better tell me the truth Michael, because you're in way over your head now. What did you do to catch Vachon's attention? Theft? Rape? Murder?'
Michael looked away from Sian, and Nick realized what Michael was
hiding. Nick took off the ring and handed it to Michael. 'I think this belongs to you.'
Michael looked at the ring, then at Nick, then pushed it away. 'Keep it.' 'So you're the one behind the murders.' 'It wasn't murder, it was justice.' 'Justice?'
Michael sighed, knowing he had to explain himself if he was ever going
to leave the room. 'A dealer murdered my son. It was his first time over here. Andre was only 18. The police didn't seem interested. I couldn't stand waiting. You understand? No, you don't, you've never had children have you?' 'No, but I've had family. And what's worse is I've had to sit by and watch them die, but I haven't killed simply because I've outlived them, no matter how much I wanted to.'
Sian raised an eyebrow at Nick's speech, knowing full well that he had
twisted the truth by a long way. 'I regret what I did, but it won't help me now will it?' 'You don't have to sound so happy about it.' 'I'm not. I'm just resigning to the fact that I'm going to jail and there's nothing I can do about it. And I've got the feeling that if I did I wouldn't live long enough to tell about it.'
He looked at Nick pointedly as if he truly understood what Nick was
capable of. Sian walked back to the kitchen, un-wrapped her bloodied
hand bandage and threw it away. Her grim expression and glazed eyes
indicated she was deep in thought about something. She looked at her
injured hand and flexed her fingers. 'Do you know how I did this?'
She kept her eyes on her hand but her question was aimed at her
company. She turned her palm outwards to show two puncture words and a
badly bruised palm. 'Someone tried to get rid of me. I fought back and got bitten for my troubles; threw a few crushed bones into the bargain.'
She looked up at Nick who was eyeing the wound with disdain. 'I made him disappear. Forever. Just an unknown statistic. As if he never existed.'
Nick grasped the meaning of what Sian was on about, and realized that
she had grown up a lot over the last three months. She walked back to
the sofa and, shakily, taped a piece of gauze over the bite marks. 'So, what? You want me to make Michael disappear?' 'Only on paper. It can be done.' 'But it's illegal, you know that.' 'You've done it enough times.' 'That's different.' 'I won't tell if you won't.' 'But he's a murderer.' 'So are you. And so am I.'
Michael felt out of the loop in their unusual verbal tennis, and was a
little unnerved by Sian's confession to murder. 'Excuse moi, but what are you saying? You're going to kill me?'
Sian held his hand and smiled, though the smile twisted, betraying the
pain she was still in. 'That's the last thing I'd want to do. Considering.'
She ruffled his hair. 'Nick, what could be a good name for him?' 'You're going to do it? Despite all that's happened?' 'It'd be worth it.' 'So how are you going to achieve this great feat? Even you're not trained for it.' 'Don't worry, I have help.'
Her cryptic answer didn't give Nick any cause for comfort.
Next evening Nick turned up at the station a little tired and
distracted after the events of the previous night.
Nick had taken Michael to his loft apartment while Sian vanished out
to do 'business'. She had returned well after sunrise with a wry smile
and a box of black hair dye. Nick had the job of dying Michael's hair
as the strain on the stitches had been too much for Sian who fell
asleep curled up under the desk with the local phone directory as a
pillow. She and Michael had left before he woke, leaving a note baring
three cryptic words. 'Light is helpful'.
Nick sat at his desk and tried to stifle a yawn, unsuccessfully. 'Didn't sleep?'
Tracey echoed the comment he made to her the night before. 'A little.' 'And you are Nick, not the twin...?' 'Cousin. No. He's...'
Nick looked up at movement in the bullpen to see Sian and Michael walk
in arm in arm. 'He's here.'
Michael ran a hand through his newly dyed hair. It suited him. Nick
thought about trying it himself sometime. Sian was wearing her shades
and, despite being among friends, was unwilling to remove them. She
stepped up to Nick and, holding her wound, rose on her toes and kissed
him on both cheeks. 'Bonsoir mon ange. Çe'st vá?' 'Tres bien, merci. Now are you going to tell me what that note of yours was meant to tell me?'
Sian looked at Michael who sat quietly at Nick's desk while she led
Nick into the doorway of one of the interrogation rooms. Michael and
Tracey started their own conversation quietly behind them. ' 'Light is helpful'? You couldn't have been more cryptic.' 'Yes I could, but I won't. I got Michael's new identity sorted out. He's now officially Michael Chevalier from Leon. You'll get a report through soon saying that Monsieur De Brabant was found dead with a full confession in his suicide note.' 'How did you manage that?' 'Light is helpful. Unless your language skills have faltered even you should know that the Latin for light is Lucien.' 'LaCroix?'
Nick was genuinely surprised. 'He can be a nice bar steward when he feels like it.' 'I thought he hated you?' 'It's a love hate thing.' 'So he sorted everything out without complaint?' 'I didn't say that. I think he did it just to get rid of me. In the nicest way of course.' 'Wonders never cease.' 'Here's one more for you.'
Sian removed her shades and looked up at Nick. Her once yellow eyes
were now a definitive shade of blue. Her long lost Cyan. 'Contact lenses?' 'A gift from Lucien. He said my actions yesterday were causing the Community some concern. I've caused a rift actually, which I found quite amusing. So it was either kill me or change me. He chose the safe option.' 'So he's looking after you?' 'Well I have nothing to fear from the Community anymore. In fact after my display they find me quite intriguing; Apparently. I'm almost like an honorary Vampire.' 'Just promise you won't sign up.'
She took his hands in hers and kissed his knuckles. 'You have my solemn vow. As my dear friend, tu nos debes pertenezca al sol, pero solamente a la luna y mi corazon.' (You do not serve the sun, but only the moon and my heart.) 'Y mio.'
Nick was more surprised that she'd managed to learn that little bit of
Spanish than the French from earlier, he wondered how much more she
kept hidden. 'Well I guess we should make a move. I promised to show Michael a little more of the nightlife that doesn't involve Vampires.'
Nick noticed Tracey glance over at their conversation. Sian looked
over and shrugged nonchalantly at her. 'She knows.' 'About Vampires? Yes, I know.' 'No, I mean about you. Well a little bit.'
Nick's panicked glare struck Sian as amusing, but she tried her best
to keep a straight face. 'How?' 'She heard Michael and me talking and seemed to put two and two together. We were arguing actually. The contents of your fridge and your extreme dislike of the pizza we had for lunch cropped up, what could I do? We were outside, Tracey overheard. She's nosy. I spoke to her, but it's up to her what she does.' 'When were you going to tell me all this?' 'I wasn't. She knows the risks, so I don't think she'd say anything. You can always ask her.' 'I will.' 'Ah, male pride.'
He gave her a sharp look and she flicked her eyebrows coquettishly in
reply, a sign of sheer bravado that Nick would have taken offensively
if it had been any other person but Sian or, indeed, Natalie. 'I came to say au revoir and said rather more. So I should go before I open mouth and insert foot.' 'I think you've already done that.' 'Yeah, but I'll stop before I do it to death.' 'Where are you going to now?' 'Nowhere. Michael is going to stay with me at my apartment until we get one of his own sorted out, and by that time I should be going back to work.' 'So you're not going to vanish off into the wild blue yonder?' 'Ye of oh so little faith. I spent a lot of effort getting my working feet back on the ground again, I'm not going to throw it all away for something as trivial a charge as falsifying official documents and harboring a murderer.' 'You've grown up a lot, you know that?' 'I've got a good teacher, Sir.'
She bowed her head and walked back over to Michael. Nick watched from
the doorway as Sian walked over to Tracey and whispered a few words to
her, making her glance up at Nick. Michael stood up from the desk and,
linking arms with Sian, walked out of the bullpen. Nick was unable to
translate the meaning of the smile she gave him as she left, but he
wasn't exactly going to run after her and ask. Tracey watched them go
then turned to look at Nick, and he could see the questions in her
eyes, questions he didn't want to answer. Reluctantly he walked back
to his desk and Tracey's immutable stare. 'What?'
That caught Tracey a little unexpectedly, as she'd expected him to go
into one of his little tirades, or at least imitate the Spanish
Inquisition. 'Nothing, really. It's just...' 'I know.' 'Sian?' 'She never could keep anything important to herself for very long.'
There was an uneasy silence as Tracey tried to think of something to say. 'Don't hurt her.' 'I couldn't even if I wanted to. She's like extended family.' 'She... I really didn't know. Are you really allergic to garlic?' 'Yes, unfortunately.' 'Then you don't like Italian.' 'Not generally.'
Nick was confused at her line of questioning. 'What's your point?' 'Sian told me what she said and I should apologize.' 'For what?' 'Jumping to the wrong conclusion.' 'I have no idea what you're talking about.' 'She didn't tell you?' 'There's a lot of things she didn't tell me.' 'Well then, there's nothing I need to worry about then is there.' 'Tracey, what is going on here?' 'I just heard a few things and jumped to the wrong conclusion. Your cousin helped straighten a few things out too. Ask Sian, she'll tell you. I've got an errand to run.'
Tracey made a quick exit before digging herself any deeper into
problems. Nick sat on his desk and mused over the conversation, trying
to make sense of it, and failing miserably. He thought about Sian's
smile and only now realized what it meant. 'Children(!)'
THE END