The Value of a Life

Chapter 8: Drawing the Lines

Tracy/Vachon, post Ashes to Ashes, elements of Last Knight. Takes the story a whole new direction from there.

Usual Disclaimers: Not mine, blah blah blah. Like I would treat something of mine like they did!

Rated M

Nick continues to pursue Nat, but a sniper reappears. Tracy worries Vachon with her new aggressive side.

--

Nick was at the crime scene by the time Tracy arrived, looking more than a little flushed. Seeing the new marks on the back of her neck, he knew where Vachon had headed off to in such a hurry. He envied them.

Natalie was there, too, examining the body found next to the dormitory. This time, everything pointed to the same sad but safe conclusion: the idiot fell off the roof drunk. "What do we have here, Natalie?" Nick insinuated himself closer, only to have her counter his move with her own away from him. "Still angry with me?"

Natalie started her report as if he'd never spoken. "His neck snapped on impact. From the smell of him, lots of liquor involved. I'll have the tests done up, but this one looks easy. No homocide here, detectives."

She gathered her things and walked off, only to be brought up short by Nick's hand on her arm. "Please, Nat, can't we talk?"

"Words are being exchanged. I believe that defines talking, Nick."

Remembering her challenge to make her believe in his love, Nick jerked her body against his. Nick took advantage of her surprise, plunging his tongue in her mouth and kissing her. She was so shocked it took her a moment to realize she was kissing him back. She pulled away only to see Tracy and the other officers quickly looking away, amusement on their faces. "Nick, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Kissing you, Natalie. I intend to do it often." All hell broke loose as Nick grabbed Natalie and threw her to the ground just as a bullet rushed past his head. Natalie hadn't heard the shot, she only knew Nick was guarding her once again. Guns were drawn and people ducked for cover. Natalie recovered enough to let Nick go.

"Go!" she whispered. "They won't catch him but you can."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Nick's hands shook as the reality of how close that bullet had come to Natalie sunk in. He could have lost her. Leaving her now with that knowledge so fresh in his mind was something he didn't think he could do.

"Nick, go. This is his second attack. He killed a young paramedic two nights ago. You've got to stop him, and I've got to find proof that he killed this young man," she said, pointing to the focus of her original investigation. "You've got to stop him."

Nick nodded and hurried towards the building, leaping upwards as soon as he was certain he'd not be seen, but the roof was empty.

--

He ruined it! That fucking detective was supposed to die! God, it would have been so perfect! Killed on the job while trying to sex up the coroner!

That's fine. Stupid cop just made things a whole lot easier. He would keep at it until he found the blond cop again. Then he could stop.

He'd kill that fucking cop if it's the last thing he did.

Peter Cipoli drove back to his apartment and shoved the door open against the debris holding it closed. He knew he should clean up. He hadn't changed a thing since his brother was killed. Fucking paramedics killed him, sure as if they shot him. He was just a kid.

Had it really been two months? Peter shook his head as he counted the days on his fingers. It felt like just the night before when he and Joey were walking to Buddy's Tavern down the street. Even those Joey was only seventeen, Buddy would serve him and look the other way. Those were good times.

The shots just came out of nowhere. Fucking gangs everywhere, shots flying. He turned to cover Joey but was too late. Joey slipped to his knees. He yelled for help just as he saw an EMT unit slamming to a stop. He waited but the paramedics just sat there. He ran to the truck and started pounding on the windows. "Hurry! My little brother got shot!" He tried to open the door but they stayed shut.

The driver yelled through the window. "We can't get out until the police arrive, man, it's the law!"

"Fuck the law, he needs your help!" He ran back to his brother, fully expecting help to follow.

Seven minutes later a police car rounded the corner, sending the remaining gang bangers running. They signaled the paramedics who rushed to the brothers, one's cold eyes staring lifelessly upward as the other wept. "I'm sorry, man," the lead paramedic offered, but Peter cut him off.

"You will be." Peter kissed Joey's head and walked back to his rundown apartment. It used to be home, but he was alone now. All they'd ever had was each other. They could have saved him.

They would pay. Peter wiped his eyes, remembering his brother once again. He wanted to kill the paramedics, but he realized something after the first execution.

Killing felt good. He loved knowing it was he who decided when a life would end. The feral smell of the blood and the screams from those at the scene were better than sex. For just those few moments, the thrill was bigger than the pain.

Cops, paramedics, coroners, one would die as easily as the other. He smiled and planned his next move.

--

Natalie was finishing her examination of the corpse, struggling to find proof that he was helped off the roof, when she sensed a presence. Spinning around, she found herself nose to nose with Vachon. "Don't do that!"

Vachon just smiled. He looked to the counter, counting the long-stemmed roses. He also saw a bunch of long-stemmed stems with the buds cut off. "Symbolic offerings?" he mused.

Natalie blushed. Once the initial fear of the sniper had receded, Natalie had focussed on Nick's kiss. She had been so flustered, she decided to cut the buds off of all the flowers. After about a dozen, she realized she was being a childish and stopped. That one dozen did feel good, though.

"I was pissed off. Take it as a warning." She turned back to the corpse. "So what brings you here tonight, Vachon?" She wanted to look at his cut. The implications of that one little cut were astounding.

"It's Tracy. I'm really worried about Tracy. I think I'm infecting her somehow," Vachon muttered as he fiddled with various tubes.

"Oh brother," Natalie snapped. "She was in here earlier telling me she's afraid she's poisoning you, now you're afraid you're infecting her. Get it straight, guys. You are a vampire. She is a mortal. This is NOT supposed to happen. Gee, do ya think there might be some side effects?"

"A bit on the bitchy side tonight, are we?" Vachon quipped, one eyebrow risen imperiously.

"Yes, WE are." Natalie sighed. She liked Vachon. She liked him for Tracy. She reminded herself that he wasn't the vampire she wanted to stake. "I'm sorry, Vachon. Tough night, okay?"

Vachon took in the tension in Natalie's neck and shoulders, and walked behind her. She jerked when he began massaging her shoulders, then relaxed as his hands worked magic on her tensions. "Nick came to see me tonight," he began quietly. "If it's any comfort, he really is afraid he'd kill you if he ever got close enough. I don't agree, but his concern is sincere, if misguided." Natalie was quiet, but her mind was racing. She found it hard to believe that Nick would go to Vachon!

Then her own memories flooded her fantasies, and her shoulders slumped. "Well, this is beyond the vamp/mortal thing anyway. The fact is, I don't believe he loves me, not enough, not like-" Natalie's words stopped abruptly, but Vachon knew where they were leading.

Shaking off her turmoil, the doctor returned. Walking to her desk, she picked up her notes on Vachon and Tracy. "Anyway, back to you and Tracy. I want to know why you think you're infecting Tracy. But first I want to take a look at that cut of yours." Vachon offered his hand, and Natalie studied it. It looked like a minor thing, something a little Neosporin and a bandaid would fix. She gathered her things and fixed him up. "Does it hurt?'

"Nah, nothing like that. It's just weird." Vachon was silent. "I'm becoming mortal, aren't I?" he asked quietly. Natalie looked into his eyes and saw the fear within.

"I don't know, Vachon. Maybe. Or it could be that Tracy's blood is only altering your ability to heal. Are your other vampirisms intact?"

"'Vampirisms?' Nice word. Like what?" He felt a surge of excitement that he might not be returning to his mortal state.

"Can you fly? Do you need to drink blood? Is your strength beyond mortal abilities?" Natalie ticked off the possibilities.

"Yes, yes, and yes. Second yes is weird, though," he murmured.

"Do you mean drinking blood is strange to you now?" Natalie was now on full alert.

"No. It's just that..." Vachon struggled with the words. "I only want Tracy's blood. I was thinking that if her blood is making me mortal, maybe if I drank from someone else, it would counteract her blood, you know? Only, the thing is, I couldn't do it. It's not that I wouldn't do it, I couldn't do it. The hunger just wasn't there. But all I have to do is think about Tracy's blood, and I fly across town just to have her." He sounded so exasperated.

Natalie remembered Tracy's late arrival at the crime scene, and understood Vachon's last statement. She smiled to herself. Vachon misunderstood. "It's not funny, Natalie." Now he sounded petulant.

"Vachon, I was just figuring out why Tracy was late tonight. Don't be sensitive. Sheesh! Men!" She made notes on Vachon, then turned to him again. "Okay, now tell me why you think you're infecting Tracy."

"Well, she's changing," he started, fumbling over the word.

"Changing how?"

If it were possible, she would have sworn this vampire blushed. "Sexually."

Natalie sighed to cover her smile. She wondered if he knew how much Tracy had shared with her.

"Vachon, think of me as your doctor, okay? You're going to have to answer in sentences of more than one word."

"She's wild, okay? She's Tracy one minute, then all this wild side is coming out of her. She bit me!" he blurted out, exasperated.

Natalie buried her face in her charts as she pretended to make notes. She had a feeling this had very little to do with Vampire Infection Syndrome, and a whole lot to do with Tracy letting go for the first time. "Go on," she prodded.

"Well, then she licked the blood off my lips, and she's being all demanding about tonight, saying I 'owe her one'. Does that sound like Tracy to you?"

The need to laugh at this poor confused vampire was riding her hard, but biting on her inner cheek seemed to balance out the laughter. "Okay, I can see why you're confused. If you want, I'll run some tests on the both of you."

She sobered, needing to explain herself. "Vachon, you know I've been working with Nick on a cure, right?" He nodded. "Well, studying you and Tracy will help me alot. I'll work with you for you, but I wanted to be honest about all my motivations."

Vachon stared in her eyes long enough to unnerve her. "Don't be mad, okay?"

He smiled. "I'm not mad, Natalie. I just haven't dealt with someone with as much honor as you ever, even before I became a vampire. You are a rare and special woman. I hope Nick appreciates what he has."

Natalie was embarrassed. "Yeah, well, let's just keep that little secret between us. I've worked hard on the reputation of the slightly off ME who talks to her corpses." She turned to her tools, finding a syringe. Turning to Vachon, she was startled to find a look of pure consternation on his face.

"What's that for?" The little petulant boy was back.

"I'll need a sample of your blood to run some tests on. I'll measure the levels of the vampire agent I've identified in Nick's blood in your own. Then I'll check Tracy's, to see if she's been infected. Will that put your mind at ease?"

"Thanks, Natalie." He rolled up his sleeve. His elegant eyebrows slanted down towards his nose. "I hate needles."

Men! she thought, loving the little dears all the more for the few minutes she spent in this man's presence.

--

When Vachon got to the church his phone was ringing. "Javier? It's me, Tracy."

"I recognized the voice."

"Funny. Listen, give me an hour, then come to my apartment, okay? I've got something special planned for you."

Vachon felt something shifting inside of him. This desire to please her wasn't yet at home in his heart. It was, however, undeniable. "See you in an hour."

Tracy was energized, exhilarated. She was also aroused to the point of pain. Thoughts of this evening hounded her mercilessly, planning the seduction of the vampire. Lighting candles around her apartment, she was slick with anticipation.

Reaching for her second glass of Bailey's, she let her head roll back on her shoulders, enjoying the simple buzz, the slight greasing of the path of her inhibitions. She felt them slipping away minute by minute, and nearly attacked the door when the bell rang. She opened the door to find a vision of beauty and heat. Vachon had dressed for her. He wore a suit from another time, perhaps the early 1900's. Dressed in black, his white tuxedo shirt was tied with a simple cord, Spanish-looking. The black of his clothes set off the pale of his skin until he looked carved of alabaster.

He was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, he thought. Standing before him in a rose colored chemise, the simplicity of the gown heightened her own beauty. He looked at her flushed cheeks, smelling the bouquet of Irish Creme. He studied her graceful neck, her sweet breasts. He gazed at her long long legs. Returning his eyes to her face, he offered her a single daisy. "I thought you might be tired of roses."

"Thank you, Javier. Come in." His ears had come to crave her hot, husky voice. She took him by the hand and led him through an enchanted maze of candles, finally seating him on the couch. "Can I get you anything?" He smiled. She could only imagine what he wanted.

"Are you willing to do what I say tonight?" Vachon stared at her, blinking twice, then finally nodded. "Good. Then stand up and take off your clothes."

Vachon briefly thought about his conversation with Natalie, and wondered if he should mention it to Tracy now. If he were somehow changing Tracy, this new aggressive side could be part of it. He thought of all it could mean. He wondered again if he should warn Tracy.

He stood up and took off his coat. They could talk later.

--

Natalie walked to her car carrying one of the several dozen roses from the morgue. On her car was a present. Looking around, Natalie sensed yet could not see Nick. She opened the present to find a simple length of satin, colored in the deepest red. With it was a note:

"Natalie - I will find my way back to you. I will see you wrapped in this and calling my name. We will be together. I love you - Nick."

Driving home was hell.

TBC