Subject: 99-FAITH-pg (pg version) This was supposed to be a little one part story with a few mini story-lines. Instead it has turned into two seperate stories, this one, the first one, being a N+N Valentines Day story (even if it is a little late!!) Much thanks to the N&NNuts for their welcome & encouragement! You guys are all wonderful!!! Special thanks to Jody, Marci & Cheryl for their beta-reading, feedback & suggestions!! I love ya, ladies! This is the PG version of this story. There is an adult version of it also, but if you are offended by explicit adult material or are underage, please do NOT read it! FK characters are not mine - Wish they were though... Archiving permission given to the main archive (Mel's), and to JADFE. If any T+Vpacker. DP, or N&NNut wants it, go ahead ;) Anyone else, please ask. ============================= FAITH (the N+N portion of a late Valentines Day set of stories) "Micki" Lynn McCormick Feb 1999 ============================= Natalie answered her phone. It was the double ring, indicating an internal call. "Nat." There was the sound of a voice clearing, almost but not quite a cough. "Dr. Lambert?" "That's me. What do you need?" Natalie was a little unsure who was on the other extension. Since there were fewer people around on this shift, she knew most of them. But this voice was a new one. She hoped she didn't sound too abrupt, but she really was rather busy. "This is Terry, the guard." The voice on the other end half cracked and Natalie recognized it as the new night guard. He was only 16, but for undisclosed reasons he was legally an emancipated adult. He was therefore able to hold positions, such as a guard, for which one must be an adult. Despite his youthfulness he was very meticulous and responsible, and had the makings of being a great guard. He worked at the morgue by night, studying in the quiet between his rounds, and attended classes by day. Natalie didn't know if he went to school or post- secondary, as she'd only met him once before, and then just briefly. "What's up, Terry?" Natalie asked. "Is your first name Natalie, Doctor? There's a delivery person here, and I've never been told your first name." "That's me. Does he need me to sign for it, or can you sign and I'll come out after I have a minute? I'm kinda in the middle of this right now." Natalie heard the young guard ask, but couldn't make out the reply herself. "He says I can sign. Would you like me to do so then, Doctor?" "Please. I'll take a coffee break when I'm done here and come out to get it then... Thanks Terry." Natalie hung up the phone and returned to her tedious task at hand. -=-=-=- Natalie took a coffee for both herself and Terry when she went out to collect her delivery about 20 minutes later. She sat on the chair beside him, where the second guard sat during the daytime. "So, what did I get?" Natalie handed him his coffee and took a sip of her own. The guard blushed slightly. "It's a little box. It looks like maybe jewellery sized." He put the sugar she'd brought into the coffee, and added, "If it's from your boyfriend, I bet it *is* jewellery." Natalie took the box, and turned it over looking for a card. "What makes you so sure I've got a boyfriend?" The card indicated it was indeed from her favourite detective. As she began to open the box, the young man answered, "Well, I..." he tipped his face toward the cup in a misguided attempt to hide his embarrassment. "I thought you were pretty cool when we first met. I asked about you a bit. Everyone I asked told me about the cop. They say you and Detective Knight-with-a-k keep trying to make people think you're just friends and no one believes either of you." The young man beside her blushed even more, the flush now reaching his ears. "So anyway, if it's from him I bet it is something nice. If you were my girlfriend, I know it would be." Natalie smiled as she pulled out a little lead crystal figurine of a cat playing with a ball, which was a little white pearl. "Oh, this is adorable! It reminds me of Sid!" Seeing the blank look on the young guard's face she added, "Sidney is my cat. Had him since I was in pre-med. He's my baby..." "Really? I figured you for a cat person! I have a kitten." The guard looked at the time. "I have to go do rounds. Thanks for the coffee, Dr. Lambert." "I should get back to work too. I'll put this little guy on top of my computer I think. And please, call me Natalie. My friends all do." She picked up the little ornament and it's card. "See you later, Terry." And with that she turned and went back to her office to face the report she now had to fill in on her findings. -=-=-=- Tracy walked into the area that passed as an office, since that's where Natalie's desk was located. Hearing the door open, Natalie looked up as Nick's young partner entered. "Hi Trace. Where's your partner?" "Hey Nat. He said he had an errand to run." Tracy saw the collection of lead crystal figurines cluttering the top of Nat's computer as well as part of a nearby bookshelf. "Cool. I didn't know you collected these. They're beautiful!" "I didn't know I did either until a few days ago. Nick's been getting them for me and having them delivered here. The guard, the delivery guy, and I are all on a first name basis now," Natalie joked. Tracy picked one up and examined it. It was a lead crystal rose in a lovely reddish tint. "Well, it's less than a week till Valentine's Day." She put the rose down and jokingly whacked Natalie's shoulder lightly. "You think he'll continue this until then?" She winked at her doctor friend. "I hope not! I love these but I'm running out of places to put them! If he keeps this up I'll have to put up a special ornament shelf! I don't know what my supervisor would say to that..." Natalie looked at Tracy. "Really, Trace, we are just friends. I don't know why he's doing this." "Come on Nat! Everyone who has seen you two together knows you guys are more than that! Just no one knows how much more. Some people think you're hot and heavy away from work and try to be just friends at work for sake of professionalism. I figure Nick wouldn't be so gloomy half the time if that were true. I figure it's more likely that you both want to be hot and heavy together but, for some reason, you guys are trying to convince yourselves you are just friends. I know how much Nick thinks of you, Nat. Why don't you take this as a sign of the affection that it really is. I'm sure it's because of Valentine's Day!" Before Natalie could figure out what to reply, Terry knocked on the door and stuck his head into the room. "You busy, Natalie? Keith's with me. He's got another one for you." Natalie shrugged. "Come on in, guys." She looked at Tracy who gave her a very knowing look, and mouthed "So what did Nick send this time, Natalie?" The delivery guy asked as he handed Natalie a box about the size of a shoebox. Natalie opened it up, with all eyes on her. After careful removal from the packing peanuts, she held in her hand a little scene. On a mirror lake swam two lead crystal swans, their necks forming a perfect heart. On the shore of this little pond were various little crystal critters. It really was quite breathtaking. "Wow! That's gorgeous, Doc. This guy must really love ya!" The delivery fellow turned to the guard. "See ya for coffee when we get off work?" "Wait, I have to walk you out. Later, Natalie." Terry turned and left with his newfound friend. Tracy found the card and opened it, then grinned as she handed it to Nat. "I came for the Wilson report, which I see on your desk. I'll grab it and go." Tracy smirked as she picked up the report and headed out. After the door had closed, Nat opened the card that Tracy had peeked at. Inside it read . As Natalie tucked the card under the edge of the crystal diorama, she smiled to herself and thought absently, ~at least he signed it better than 'with affection'!~. When she realized her thought, she blushed, although no one was there to see it. -=-=-=- The day before Valentine's Day Natalie awoke to find a message on her answering machine from the department head. "Doctor Lambert, this is Jeremy. If you worked any other shift I'd speak to you personally about this, but since I never see you anymore, this will have to suffice. I walked into your office space today to speak to the guys who are in on days, and saw your collection of figurines. Someone needed to refererence one of the books on the bookcase and was being particularly careful not to bump and shatter them. I know they are probably leading up to a special Valentine's date or something, but as much as they brighten the place up, they're also too fragile to clutter things we all use, like the bookcase. I'll give you until the end of your shift on the 17th to get them removed. If they're not gone by then, someone else will have to box them up for you, and there is no guarantee they'll be as carefull as you might want. Keep one or two here if you like, Natalie, but no more. I think everyone would feel bad if someone here accidentally broke one of your little gifts." Natalie smiled ruefully as she thought, "Well, Nick and I both have the 14th and 15th off. He can help me get them packed up and taken home on one of those nights.~ She dialed Nick to tell him of the little plan, and why. Nick readily agreed, and they spoke of other things as well. But after getting off the phone, Natalie was more confused than ever. Nick was *not* acting like himself! Not that she minded the 'new Nick' of course... -=-=-=- After work, Natalie stopped at the precinct. Technically, it was already the 14th, and a number of the officers winked at her as they saw her walking over to Knight's desk. As usual, when they did that she just shook her head, which just made them smile more. "Hey Nick." Natalie pirched on the corner of his desk. "I just got off work. I wondered if you want to do movies tonight?" Nick covered her hand briefly with his own, seeming to pat it as if in a token of friendship. His hand lingered a moment too long, however, belieing the pretense if anyone was truely observant. "I'd like to Nat. But I don't think it's such a good idea tonight." He leaned towards her and spoke very quietly, so Natalie herself could barely hear. "I hope we'll have plenty of time for that later. Don't forget tomorrow night?" Nick hoped his dismissal didn't sound too abrupt, but he still had a lot of plans to finalize, plans he couldn't complete if things were to be a surprise to Natalie. Natalie looked over at Tracy, who was grinning at them like a Cheshire cat. "I do believe I've been dismissed." As Natalie slid off the desk, her skirt slid up slightly, inadvertently displaying even more of her legs to Nick in the process. She stepped over to Tracy, and whispered, knowing full well that Nick would hear, "And here you thought he liked me!" She stood back up, and looked reassuringly over at Nick, who looked a little worried. "7, right?" When Nick nodded and Nat had left, Tracy asked Nick conspiratorially, "So what have you got planned?" "You'll have to wait, too. Nat gets to find out first." And with that, Nick stood and went to borrow the phone in Reese's office for the 5th time that night. -=-=-=- Natalie stood before the mirror looking at her hair. The stylist had done a remarkable job. Her hair had been piled atop her head in a very attractive style. A number of strategically loose strands fell free and framed her face softly. As per the stylist's instructions, Nat had brought in her dress so the woman could complement the garment with a customized look. By the time she was finished, there was a strand of pearls entwined through her hair, and a number of tiny sprigs of baby's breath as well. The stylist had finished off the look with a light dusting of glitter spray in a colour to match the dress. While this had been being done, Natalie had been indulged with a professional manicure, and had been given tips from the cosmetician regarding her evening makeup. The service had been expensive and Natalie felt that she could have spent her money much more wisely. After the way Nick had insisted she dress formally, however, she decided the extravagance might be a good thing since she seldom dressed up this much. Natalie dressed for the occasion, hoping that it would lead perhaps to some level of intimacy, reminding herself not to be embarrassed by her choices. Either it would and Nick would be pleased, or the evening would fail and Nick would never know her secret. She changed completely, and then went and put the final touches with the makeup. She was just finishing when her intercom buzzer rang. "Yes?" She spoke into the panel, holding the intercom button in. "Is this Dr. Lambert?" "Yes." "I'm your chauffeur for this evening, ma'am. Whenever you are ready, I'll be waiting for you out front." "Thank you." Natalie released the button and peered out her window. There really was a stretch limousine out front. Taking a chance, she dialed Nick's cell and confirmed with him that he had indeed sent it for her. Then she took her small purse, and a shawl type wrap. She knew she would be chilly, but she could always ask the drive to turn the heat up if she needed it, and she *was* dressing for effect tonight. Natalie smiled as she locked up and went downstairs to the waiting limousine. -=-=-=- The limousine stopped before the restaurant where someone, whom she guessed was the maitre d', stood waiting by the entrance. As the driver helped her from the vehicle, he announced her to the man at the door. "This way if you please, ma'am. Your host awaits you." He opened the door quickly and escorted her through a crowded restaurant towards a secluded and quiet back corner. As they came around the corner, Nick stood, but there all protocol ended. His eyes sparkled, and his breath caught in his throat. He stood before Natalie gaping like a schoolboy at his first date. Natalie wore a cocktail length dress of rich, luxurious crushed velvet in a dark, royal blue. The collar was done as a choker of the same material, but the dress was almost more akin to a strapless dress in its cut. For instead of being held by uncomfortable wires, ribbing or other such uncomfortable means of insuring the dress didn't fall, from the collar there were lengths of pearl beads both front and back to support the dress. Natalie had a thin shawl wrapped about her shoulders in a shimmering very light blue, and high heels to match. Natalie was shaking inside, not knowing if she was passing muster or not; This caliber of dinner being beyond anything she had ever experienced, Nat was relying solely on the 'guidance' of television dramas she'd seen. Nick looked absolutely stunning in his full tuxedo of a century-old style. "Hi Nick," she managed, sounding more confident than she felt. "You look really good." Nick seemed to come to his senses then. He came around behind Natalie and pulled her chair out for her. "So do you, Nat!" As he slid her chair in, he leaned over her shoulder whispering, "Stunning, gorgeous, magnificent. None of these do you justice. You surpass all of them." He kissed her cheek, then took his own seat opposite her at the small, dimly lit table with the candle glowing softly in its center. Although Nick wasn't eating, he was moving food around on his plates and Natalie nibbled enough from both of their dishes to make it appear that they were both grazing on the various courses of the dinner. Although neither Nick nor Natalie even noticed, being far too enraptured with each other, they were witnessed by Captains Reese and Stonetree and Commissioner Vetter, and their wives or dates. Several times during the course her own meal Denise would look over at Nick and Natalie and make comments about being young and in love. Denise gasped when a single flaming dessert was brought out and set before Natalie. Commissioner Vetter said he'd seen it once before, when Denise asked what it was, but didn't know what it was called. They watched as the flames seemed to go out quickly, and below it was what appeared to some sort of crepe and ice cream dish, drizzled in chocolate sauce and covered with strawberries. Oblivious to their audience in the brighter half of the restaurant, while Natalie was looking at the flames dying on her dessert, Nick topped up her champagne and quietly slipped something into it. A moment later Natalie reached for her drink, and saw the gold and diamond ring sparkling through the bubbles that were clinging to it. "Nick!" Natalie exclaimed, heedless of the other patrons. "This isn't...?" She pulled it out of the flute with the handle of her dessert fork, and laid it on her napkin to wipe it off. Nick smiled, and reached over for the ring. Then he came around to Natalie's side of the table, and went down on one knee before her. "You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me, Natalie. You have given so much of yourself to me and my quest, without asking for anything in return. I hope you have known how I've felt about you, Natalie. I've felt it since the day we met. And my love for you has grown stronger each and every day since. I tried to deny it, but it wouldn't go away. You know what I have to offer, Natalie. You know more about me than anyone else on the planet. There is only one way we can be together and have the time we want and need. Say yes, Natalie. I want you to be my wife." Nick would have said more, but 800 years of caution kept him from saying more in a public place, even if he was unconscious of the fact right now.. Natalie looked over at Nick with tears shining in her eyes and running down her cheek. She couldn't speak. She looked at Nick and nodded dumbly, then pulled him into a tight embrace after he slid the ring onto her finger. It wasn't long after that they left the restaurant, their unseen audience toasting their future happiness as they left arm in arm to the waiting limousine. -=-=-=- They cuddled in the back of the limousine enroute to the loft. When they got to the loft, Nick spoke softly to the driver, telling him his services would no longer be needed tonight. As the limousine pulled away, Nick took Natalie's hand and they entered the lift. Once upstairs, Nick led Natalie to the sofa. "We need to talk, Nat." "I don't want to talk, I can think of much more interesting things to do right now." The effects of the champagne throughout dinner were making themselves known to Nick as Natalie trailed her hand down his chest slowly, enticingly... seductively. Nick sat beside her and took her hands in his own so she couldn't distract him from what he had to say. "Nat, the only way that we can be together intimately means that I'll need to bring you across to my darkness. I think you understood that, didn't you? When you said yes?" "I knew it then, and now." Natalie tried to pull her hands away from Nick's grasp to tantalize him again, but he held her fast. Natalie sighed, then giggled. "I think I'm a little drunk, Nick." She leaned against him. "But it's me, not the champagne, talking when I say I love you." Nick touched Natalie's forehead with his own. "Do you want to wait until we're married? Or do you want me to bring you across tonight?" Natalie giggled slightly, and realized herself that the talk and thinking was helping her pass the slight intoxication faster. "Why not do both?" When Nick looked confused, she continued, "We can get a Justice of the Peace to marry us tonight, and then we can come back here... and do what we've both wanted to for a long time... You can bring me across then." "We'll have to take some time off from work until you are adjusted to being a vampire..." "We'll have the excuse then that it's our honeymoon, Nick. Come on! Let's do it! I don't have any family or anything to invite, and you don't have any you'd want present, do you?" When Nick shook his head, she added, "Besides, you know what a big deal cop weddings are! This is for us! Let's do it tonight and tell everyone after! You look like a groom in that anyway!" "You're serious?" "Yes." "Okay. I always pictured you in a more traditional wedding dress... but I can't imagine you looking more beautiful than you do right now." Nick called the cell number in the limousine he'd rented earlier and found that the driver was still available. Soon the car had returned, and Nick and Nat were on their way to the courthouse, after a couple of other calls were made to those who would be their witnesses. -=-=-=- Those in attendance were Grace, Richard's widow and daughter, Tracy and her date (who of course was Vachon), and Myra and Jenny Schanke. Joe and Denise Reese, thanks to the fact that the captain had his pager on their evening out with the others, were also present and did not let on they had seen them earlier at the restaurant. Grace and Vachon witnessed the legal document, and by 11:30pm they were officially Mr. and Mrs. Knight. Captain Reese said he'd arrange with Natalie's supervisor for time off for their honeymoon, so that she and Nick wouldn't have to worry about anything. As they were about to leave to go back to the loft, Natalie suddenly remembered the menagerie of crystals. Turning to her friend, she spoke, "Grace, Jeremy asked me to take most of the crystals home. Will you pack them all up for me, except the diorama and the one I told you made me think of Sid? I'll need to get you to look after Sidney for me too for a little while, and my mail and stuff." When Grace agreed, she pulled her keys from her little purse and gave them to her friend, then with one more round of hugs from everyone, they finally were on their way back to the loft as husband and wife. -=-=-=- (Removed from this version is the consumation of Nick and Natalie's relationship. The story continues beyond that, below. -Micki) -=-=-=- Nick reached out with his senses, and heard her heart struggling to pump the blood that her body no longer held. With one last frantic flutter, Nat's body shuddered once, and then she and her heart were still. Tears welled in Nicks eyes as he prayed to a long abandoned Savior to please let Natalie return, to give them a chance at returning together someday. Nick quickly tore his wrist open, and held it to Natalie's mouth, as he cradled his wife's still body to him. "Please come back, Nat. Please? I love you so much. Please have the faith in us that you tried to talk into me. I love you so much. Please come back to me..." Nick sobbed over his still wife. Natalie found herself standing. There was air and light, but there seemed nothing else. Then the swirling mist seemed to slowly clear, and she found that she was standing on grass, a lawn that looked like that of her grandmother's house when she left for university. It looked right, but it was a shell for the comfort of recognition, and she somehow instinctively knew that. A figure opened the door, and there was the most beautiful light she had ever known glowing from within the house. Natalie took a step towards it, when a figure clad in black stepped through the doorway and she instantly knew it was her brother, even though she also knew that she wasn't supposed to recognize this yet. "This was the biggest decision you made in your life, Natalie. Now you are faced with another choice." "The same choice you made?" "You recognize me then, Natalie?" "I have always known your heart, Richard. You were always a good man." The figure began to take on a more recognizable shape. "Then you know the choice. Those of us who have come before await you inside, or you can return to your Nicholas. I can't tell you what will happen following your decision." "You know how much I love Nick." It was a statement to which her brother nodded solemnly. "Then you know what I must choose. I believe in us, Nick & I. We will find a way to return here, to our families, when the time is right for us, after we have shared a long and happy life together. The light behind Richard seemed to be reaching out to Natalie, as if to encompass her unless she made a strong effort to get away. As Natalie began to back up, she added "Tell Mom and Dad that I love them and miss them. But tell them this isn't my time." Natalie began to hear Nick's sobbing voice as she backed away from the porch and the brightness of the light. "I love you Richie. I always will. Please make Cynthia understand, she's just a child... I love you all, but I have to return. If you have any way to relay a message to Nick's mother, tell her I'll take good care of her son." The light began to grow towards her rapidly, and Natalie turned on her heels and fled, trying desperately to outrun the expanding light. "Oh God, Natalie, what have I done!" Nick was sobbing, sure that his wife had been unable to make the choice to return, when he felt a feeble suck on his wrist. Nick opened his eyes, and looked down into Natalie's face. "Natalie? You came back to me?" As the suckling on his wrist wound grew stronger, Nick began to cry tears of joy. Finally Nick knew he had to pull his wrist away, or he wouldn't be strong enough to look after her when she awoke with first hunger. Nat sleepily looked up at him, and whispered one word, before the deep sleep of the fledgeling encompassed her. "Faith..." she whispered, and fell asleep in Nick's embrace. ==============================