A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers, especially those with suggestions. I shall do my best to incorporate them.
I do not own Forever Knight.
Nick had been silent and sullen for most of the trip. Lacroix understood... and as there was little else to do during the voyage, he allowed Nick to brood. Once they arrived at their destination, there would be little time for it. Lacroix would see to that.
Fortune had been with them, and the sun had already set when they reached port. Nick hadn't even bothered to ask where they were going, and seemed to walk down the ramp like a man walking to his execution. They hadn't bothered with passports... before anyone could question them, Lacroix leaned to whisper into Nick's ear. "The time for sulking is over, Nicholas. Follow me," he said, and disappeared in the crowd of people.
Nick looked up, somewhat startled, though he shouldn't have been. He had lived this last lifetime as a cop, pursuing mortals, but to pursue a vampire, that took an amount of skill he hadn't used in a while. Particularly a vampire as old as Lacroix.
Seeing the checkpoint up ahead, Nick disappeared himself, moving quickly and silently through the throng of people... using his senses as Lacroix had taught him long ago, the sense which told him he was nearing his Master.
It was not long before their chase led away from the docks, and into the city streets. Nick began to realize where they were... he had been here before, but long, long ago. Some of the cobblestone streets and more ancient buildings still looked the same... only much older. And his sightseeing was distracting him from the chase.
Keeping his focus on Lacroix, he took to the air, deciding the rooftops would be easier ground to cover, and less conspicuous to passers-by.
He sensed him in a dark alleyway not too far ahead of him... but he wasn't moving from that spot. Silently, but swiftly, Nick moved to the ledge, just above where he sensed Lacroix.
Nick's suspicions were correct... there was someone else with him in the alley. Nick watched from the shadows...
Then wished he had not. For Lacroix had merely stopped for a meal... and more than that, he had waited for Nick to arrive, to watch. The young woman struggled at first, but soon her struggling had ceased, and Lacroix let her fall to the ground, looking up at Nick.... smiling...
And then he was gone again. Taking one last regretful glance at the dead woman in the alley, Nick took to the air once again, in pursuit of Lacroix.
The chase didn't last much longer. Soon Nick alighted in an alley next to a rather large building - a club of some kind, if the music was any indication. Of course he would come here... old memories did not die with their kind. Nick's eyes were hooded as he circled around to the front and walked through the doors.
His nose picked up the scent of blood here easily... of course, Jeanette hadn't been the only vampire to think of such a place. And, just as in the Raven, there were mortals here as well, apparently oblivious to the dark nature of the vampires they were mingling with. Lacroix was sitting in the back, sipping on a glass of something unmistakeable, except, perhaps, to the mortals, who obviously just passed it off as red wine.
Nick made his way through the crowd, ignoring those who sought eye contact with him, and came at last to stand at Lacroix's table. "You've gotten slow, over the years, Nicholas. Have a seat," he said, gesturing to a spot in the booth beside him. Nick did so, knowing there was really little else to do, and took a moment to look out over all the patrons before he spoke.
"I'm surprised you didn't make me kill her," he said finally, knowing Lacroix was waiting for him to say what was on his mind.
This brought a partial chuckle from the old vampire, who had lowered his glass so as not to spill it. "And, would you have? If I had 'made' you, as you put it?"
"No," Nick replied quickly, as though it were obvious. Of course, it was obvious... that was why Lacroix hadn't even attempted it.
"Come on, Nicholas. You give me too little credit. I brought you here to help you... but, ultimately, the decision is yours whether or not you accept my help. It always has been," he said, and smiled at the dubious look Nick shot him. "It is my hope that you have seen the errors of your ways, Nicholas, the price you pay for ignoring the lessons I have taught you. I know you, Nicholas... I know what you are capable of... and what you are not yet ready to do. Trust in me, Nicholas. I will help you, if you let me," he said, gazing at his son.
Nick sighed, then nodded. "I know," he said, his voice tired. "That's why I came to you in the first place. I..." He gazed back out at the patrons, at the mortals, dancing and drinking, oblivious to what was around them. "I'm not one of them. I never can be... not truly. When Jeanette died..." He swallowed hard, looking away.
Lacroix made a subtle gesture to the bar keeper, and soon someone came with another glass of blood. Lacroix was keenly aware of the irony of his situation... it was Nick's guilt that was the problem, yet it was that very guilt that had brought his son back to him, for help. He felt guilty over Jeanette's death. And yet, Lacroix could not help him deal with that fact, for that was the very reason he remained in the first place... why he trusted Lacroix. It was a challenge, to be sure... but one Lacroix looked forward to with relish.
"Drink, Nicholas," Lacroix said, gesturing towards the glass. "We must live for the moment... we must put the past behind us. A clean slate, Nicholas... that is what this place is all about. Look at them," he said, raising a hand to indicate the people all around them. "None of them know each other from Adam, even most of the vampires are anonymous to one another. Yet here they are, wooing and cavorting and striking up conversation, hoping the ones who draw their interest will consider them no better or worse than anyone else. Some are here, cheating on wives or husbands, some are here on the run from the police, and some are merely uninterested in the people they know during the day, and are looking for a good time. But none of that matters here and now... they are all anonymous, their pasts overlooked, their sins forgiven, if only for tonight, if only for a few hours. Just like you, Nicholas," he said, his eyes boring into the young vampire. "You are not a detective here, Nicholas... you are not a knight in shining armor, just as you are not a honed killer, or a Crusader responsible for the deaths of innocent pagans. You are new, here, Nicholas... to those who glance your way, you have no past... only potential." He smiled and took another sip. "Incidentally, Nicholas, that is also the way I choose to see you," he said.
Nick looked at him then, startled. "Ah, yes, Nicholas.. you'll find that the only one holding your past sins against you, is yourself," Lacroix said, leveling a gaze at him. "In this place, in this time, you are a new vampire, Nicholas. I plan to grant you all the patience and guidance I did when I first brought you across. In essence... you will need to re-learn your first lessons... those are, after all, the ones you never quite seemed to grasp," he said, then smiled. "But we can deal with all of that later. For now, drink. You will need your strength for tomorrow night," he said.
Nick glanced down at the glass, and picked it up, drinking it quickly. It was easier for him now... the first taste of human blood after all that time had been difficult, overwhelming... but it was quickly becoming second nature to him. He was torn on whether or not that should bother him... but he had made his decision, crossed the line, and now there was no going back.
But it would take a long time before he actually enjoyed it. Part of him hoped he never would.
They did not remain at the club for long. Once they had finished their drinks, Lacroix paid the barkeeper and they left, by way of the street. They strolled along at a mortal's pace, taking in the scenery.
A/N: Well, dear readers, tell me what you think of how I am doing. I have not forgotten the inner struggle within Nick, as one of my precious reviewers reminded me. He has not fallen to taking lives, but then... has his training really begun? What does Lacroix have in store for his 'Prodigal's Son'?