Vampire love story

Nick sat in his chair, studying her face, waiting for her to speak. Natalie sat on Nick's couch, avoiding his face, waiting for him to speak. Pretending to listen to the music playing in the background, the minutes ticked away. Still not looking at him, she asked in her inimitable sarcastic way, "So...do we have anything to say?"

"I'm listening."

"Try talking, Nick."

Nick chose that most inopportune time to sigh. Natalie's nerves were nowhere near ready to deal with Nick's Guilt, the cross he carried throughout his existence. "If you dare start telling me about how you can't take the risk with me, I'm walking out, and I won't come back."

Nick's eyes stole over Natalie, measuring her anger, and realized he better do something quick, or he will lose her.

"What do you want me to say, Natalie? 'Hey, Vachon and Tracy are doing it, why not us?' I won't be that irresponsible."

"You're so full of shit, Nick." Natalie started pacing the confines of Nick's ever so neat yet not nearly lived in loft. Frustration radiated off Natalie in waves. "Do you have any idea how jealous I am? Do you have any idea how much I want what they have? To be wanted like Vachon wants Tracy? I thought they were going to set the lab on fire, with him just drinking from her. He wants her so bad...he loves her."

Natalie stopped short, feeling slapped. The truth was staring her in the face, and it wasn't a pleasant truth. "Oh my God, there it is. How could I be so stupid?" She looked at Nick, and shook her head at her mistakes.

"Good-bye, Nick." She went to gather her purse.

"Whoa, Nat, what did I miss? I thought we were going to talk about this." He went to her, tried to take her in his arms. She stopped him with a single look.

"No more lies, Nick. No more lies from you, and no more lying to myself. I want what they have. You criticize Vachon for being irresponsible, but he's following his heart. That's the kind of love I want, Nick. You're not capable of that."

"What kind of love can we have if you're dead, Nat? It's your life we're talking about Natalie, not just whether or not love is involved. You know I love you."

"I don't believe you. Frankly, when I think back on all the times I tried to 'talk you into' this, I'm ashamed. How did I lose all my self-respect, Nick? I believed you when you said we couldn't be together, but I loved you anyway. Now I know that was a lie. So I wasted my love on a lie."

"How can you say that, Natalie? We've come so far."

"'We've' come so far, Nick? You've come so far. Everything's been on Nick's terms, to help Nick achieve Nick's goals. Well, consider me out of that particular game." She turned back towards the door.

"Please don't leave, Natalie. Not like this."

"Fine, then you tell me HOW you want me to leave, because I am leaving." Nick didn't know what to say. Panic gripped him.

"Please, Nat, don't leave at all. I thought tonight was going to be the start of a new phase in our relationship, not the end."

"I have made EVERYTHING easy for you. Because you're a vampire, I let you get away with crap I'd have never taken from a 'regular guy.' Nick, you may be a great cop, and pretty damned human as far as the Undead are concerned, but as a beau, you stink."

Nick's voice stopped her at the door. "Just tell me one thing, Nat. Is it over, or do you think we still have a chance?"

Natalie looked at him with contempt, disgust, and much to her dismay, a spark of desire. "Be a man, Nick. I don't feel like leaving a trail of crumbs to my door so you can find me. If you want me, you better make me believe it. That's gonna take a lot. Honestly, I don't think you can do it. See ya!" Natalie left, making one of the best "slap your man upside the head" exits in the history of men and women.

Nick stood in the middle of his loft, wondering where the hell everything went wrong. He was trying to protect Natalie, wasn't he? His holding back was for her good, not his, right? Images of the many times Natalie had reached out to him flashed before his eyes, only this time he also saw her pain as she was rejected again and again.

Vachon, he thought. He started this. After all the crap he'd given Vachon these past months, would he even be willing to talk to Nick, let alone help him? He thought of going to the church, then remembered the look on Tracy's face as she left. Better wait till tomorrow night, he thought, picturing the embarrassing scene he might encounter this evening. How does he do it, thought Nick. How does he drink 'just a little'?

Nick walked to the refrigerator to get one of his private label bottles. This was going to be a long night.

***

The next evening, Natalie entered a morgue filled with roses. There had to be ten dozen roses waiting for her, along with one slightly nervous cop-chick in the form of Tracy Vetter. "Must have been some night, hmm, Natalie? Vachon likes roses, too. Must be a vamp-thing, what do you think?"

"I think Nick wasted a lot of money on foliage. Roses are not going to get him out of it this time." She walked to her desk, putting up her things for the evening. "So what can I do for you, Detective Vetter?"

"Nat, if this is a bad time..." Tracy hedged.

"No, it's fine. Look, Nick and I had a fight, he's majorly on my shit list today, and he thinks roses will do the trick. End of story. Let's get on to you. How are you this evening?"

"I'm fine, Natalie, but I'm worried about Vachon. I think I'm poisoning him."

Unbidden, a chuckle escaped Natalie's lips. "'Poisoning' him, Tracy? You want to explain that?"

"He's got a cut on his hand. It hasn't healed." Natalie was suddenly all ears. "It's only been about a day, but you know how they are. That should have healed instantly. So what's going on?"

Weighing how much she could tell Tracy, Natalie stood silently for a few moments. "Tracy, I've only known of one other Vampire-Mortal relationship. Nick always told me it couldn't be done. The one time I knew about...the vampire became mortal."

A singular hope flared in Tracy's heart, but reality squashed it. Vachon had never even hinted he wanted to be mortal. Would he want this? "Did you tell Vachon this?"

"Yes, Tracy, I did. He asked if I knew anything about these types of relationships." Natalie studied Tracy, wondering if she knew Vachon's view on the life of a vampire. "Did you make love again last night?" Tracy nodded. "Did he drink your blood again?" Another nod. "Well, then, Tracy, it looks like Vachon thinks you're worth the risk. Lucky girl." Natalie walked back to her desk, slamming a file down just a little too hard. Tracy followed.

"Natalie, do you want to talk?"

"Does Vachon want to become mortal again?" The abrupt question startled Tracy.

"He's never mentioned it. I don't think he does."

"The irony of this situation is a bit overdone, don't you think? I mean, Vachon doesn't want to become mortal, but will risk it just to be with you, and Nick dreams of being mortal, but won't risk being with me. Isn't life just peachy sometimes?"

"What do you mean, Nick won't risk it? What risk?"

"Nick says he's afraid if he drinks from me, he won't be able to stop, and I'll die."

Tracy remembered the first time she and Vachon made love. She remembered Vachon's fear, but her certainty seemed to lay those fears to rest. It was never an issue after the first time. Now she wondered in how much danger she'd been. "Natalie, do you think Nick could kill you? What would you do? Would you want to be brought across?"

"I don't know, Tracy. I used to think that being brought across was better than living without Nick. Now I don't know anymore. You're so lucky, Tracy. Your Vachon wants you so much, and doesn't let anything stop you from being together." She looked at the roses, and her heart seemed to melt just a little. "I wish we could have what you have."

Natalie looked so sad, Tracy felt she had to say something to change the mood. "Yeah, well, at least you can walk today!"

Natalie laughed, taking the gesture for what it was. She was grateful for the change of topic. "Well, now that you brought it up..." The lab filled with the womanly whispers and laughter of friends sharing secrets.

***

In a nearby deserted church, Nick looked for Vachon. Eating anything was difficult for him, but crow was his least favorite meal. "Vachon, are you here?" His senses guided him down the stairs, where Vachon was getting dressed.

"Please, just come in. We're not shy." Buttoning up the last of his jeans' buttons, he continued, "So to what do I owe the honor? Another big brother speech about leaving Tracy alone?"

He walked past Nick to flop on his chair. "Make yourself at home, Detective. Just save the speech, okay? I'm a little too tired to sift through the crap."

"No speeches, Vachon. Actually, I'm here to ask you something." For the first time Vachon noticed how uncomfortable Nick looked. He gestured towards the couch.

"Take a seat. What can I do for you?"

"I want to talk about you and Tracy."

"Been there, done that, none of your business."

"I don't mean telling you to stay away, I mean asking you..." Nick stumbled over the words. "How do you do it?" he finally blurted.

"Detective Knight, I'm shocked. I didn't think locker room details was your style."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you? I'm serious, Vachon. How do you stop yourself? How do drink 'just a little'?"

Comprehension dawned. "So that's why you and the good doc have never..." He let his words trail off. Nick looked away. "You think you'll kill her?" Vachon sounded so disbelieving, Nick quickly explained.

"It's happened before."

"Every time you drink, you kill? No wonder you're the poster boy for Vampire Guilt."

"Vachon, you're not making this very easy."

"So what makes you think I care?"

"Fine, I deserve that. I've given you a hard time from the beginning. But I'm backing off now. So will you help me?"

Vachon thought of Natalie, her kindness during the fever, her beautiful loving ways that left judgment to others. He saw the love in her for Nick, probably clearer than Nick did. Nick could suffer along in his self-created turmoil, but Natalie deserved better. "Okay, Nick. But I'm doing this for Natalie. She's a lot more than you deserve."

"You think I don't know that? Actually, Natalie's of the same opinion anymore." He thought about last night, and hoped the roses would soften her. She was so angry.

"Anyway, when you and Tracy are together...how do you stop? I've killed my lovers before. I killed my wife. Do you know what that feels like?" Memories of his beautiful young wife, never awakening their morning after, haunted him still. "How can I take that risk with Natalie? How can you take that risk with Tracy?"

"Knight, it's not even an issue. The first time we were together, I told her I was afraid I'd take too much. She just laughed. She was so sure we'd be fine. And at the first taste of her blood," Vachon's words stopped, feeling the vampire returning. Just the thought of Tracy's blood inflamed him. She was a drug, and even though he knew the risk, he couldn't stop drinking from her.

"Her blood told me everything I needed to know. She doesn't want to die. She doesn't want to be brought across. So what else could I do but stop?" Vachon's thoughts returned to Nick. "If you love Natalie, love her so much you can't stay away, then you'll stop."

"It can't that simple."

"It is that simple for us. Here's a practical solution. Start with her wrist. It's harder to kill 'em that way." Images of Tracy offering her wrist to him when he awoke from being staked, and again in the morgue after being shot, burned him to his soul. The need for her seared him, and he knew he must have her now.

"Well, Knight, lessons in love are over. I've got things to do. You know the way out." Vachon took to the skies to look for Tracy.

Nick thought about what he said, and wondered if Natalie had forgiven him yet.

****

"Vetter, where the hell is your partner?" Reese was in fine form this evening. "A body's turned up at the college, and I need you to go check it out."

"I'll page him, Captain. I'm sure he's on his way in. I'll let him know where to meet me."

"Well, it looks as if this kid fell off a roof after drinking too much, but check it out just in case."

"Sure thing, Cap, on my way." Tracy grabbed her coat and headed out to her car. Halfway though the parking lot, all her senses went on riot, and she knew Javier was near. She looked to the sky, and felt this incredible urge to fly. Shaking her head at her fancy, she looked around for Vachon.

Standing at her car with arms crossed, Vachon watched Tracy approach. He saw her heightened color, the way her long black skirt hugged her thighs as she walked. He heard her breathing quicken and saw the hunger in her eyes.

Filling her dreams, her waking moments, Tracy couldn't believe they'd been lovers for just a few days. Tracy felt herself moving as in a dream, Vachon's eyes lost to the vampire. "Hi."

"Let's go." No prelude, just a command. She felt her body twinge in anticipation of his taking. His mastery of her body was an inescapable bond.

"I've got work to do, Vachon. I'm on my way to the college now."

"No, you're not." He held out one hand, and Tracy watched her own hand reach to him. The minute their fingers touched, she felt herself lifted, flying. The last time she flew with him she was unconscious, really cutting the fun out of it. This time, she felt the wind on her face, his arms holding her tight, and the exhilaration of knowing she was flying.

Landing on the roof of the precinct, Vachon quickly turned Tracy away from him. "Look at the lights, Tracy. Look at the beauty of the night." Mesmerizing her with his words, his hands made quick work of her clothes. Urgency rode him hard.

"Vachon, we're outside..." Tracy loved Vachon, but really!

"Tracy, you will do what I say. When I want you, you won't refuse me. You will give yourself to me whenever I need you. Do you understand, Tracy?"

Slowly moving her body, he bent her over the ledge, looking out on the city. She wanted to fight against his words, rage against his presumptions. Her pride screamed that she deny him, but her body was his willing accomplice.

As angry as his words got her, they thrilled her even more. She loved knowing she was his hunger, his need. She loved knowing he could take her whenever and wherever he wanted. The total control he had over her was intoxicating.

She gave him her body as he lunged into her, taking her harder and faster than he'd ever done. His strength frightened her, but his passion drowned her fear in her own melting. She felt him struggling to control his needs, waiting for her, and decided she wanted him to lose control. She rocked her body back against him, driving him over the edge. Sinking his fangs into her, he drank of her heat and love, tasting the difference of unfulfilled passions.

"Don't move, Tracy, just wait a minute."

"No, Javier, let me go." Moving to straighten her clothes, feeling the cold of the night against her still burning body, she began hatching her plans.

"I'm sorry, Tracy. I feel like some seventeen year old kid who can't control himself long enough to satisfy his girlfriend." He looked so chagrined, Tracy had to let him off the hook.

"It's okay, really. Actually, I'm glad."

"Get real, Trace."

"No, I am. Now you owe me one." The look in her eyes set him back. His Tracy was definitely up to something.

"I owe you what?"

"One sexual experience of my design. Tonight, I'm in charge. You have to do whatever I say. Tonight, I get to set the rules." Tracy's eyes glowed in anticipation. Vachon was enchanted.

"Is this going to hurt me?" He loved seeing this side of Tracy, the side that was more than ready to demand her rights to his body. Her slow, sexy smile brought him to the edge of bursting again. Vampires may have great rejuvenating powers, but she was definitely pushing the envelope. "Come here, Tracy. Let me touch you."

She walked to him, imagining his hands on her. As hot as she was, just walking was enough to get her going again. "Not now. I want you to think about poor me tonight, working with all these unfulfilled desires. Think of what a brute you were, using me for your lusts. Think of how much you need to make up to me for that. Then think how obedient you're going to be for me tonight." She kissed him, then bit his lip, hard enough to draw blood. She slowly licked up the drops. "Mmmm, no wonder you like it."

Vachon stared at Tracy, suddenly worried about this change in her. Was this a side to Tracy he was just discovering, or was their lovemaking changing her, too?