Author's Note:  Warning: Major Character Deaths

Nick Knight stepped off the elevator into his second story loft. He had just wrapped up a case and now he would relax. He took off his blazer and flopped it over the kitchen chair. Nick went to the fridge and took out a bottle of blood, uncorking it with his teeth; he took a hefty drink. He ignored the health shake that Natalie left for him. They always seemed to taste like bile. Selecting a remote off the end table he switched on the stereo but when he heard the familiar monotone of the Night Crawler he quickly turned it off. The Night Crawler was always going on about some deeply profound insight, and if one listened long enough to the Night Crawler, suicidal tendencies were sure to follow. He finished off the bottle and decided to get in his Caddy and see where he ended up.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Across town in an abandoned church Vachon sat on the floor plucking out a tune on his shiny black Gibson guitar. The room was only illuminated by candle light. His thoughts quickly turned to Tracy and when he thought of her and their somewhat tedious relationship it usually drove him to the sanctuary of the Raven. Leaving the church, the night wind fluttered his long raven hair and caressed his pale skin. Vachon quickened his pace till he reached the Raven. He ordered the club 'special' and took it to a dark corner of the bar. The music from the band blared through the club. He liked to hang out at the Raven; it was an interesting place. It was vampire owned and the clientele was made up of mortals and vampires. The club offered live bands and on the weekends they had amateur strip night.

Tracy never came to the Raven unless it was on business. Urs, the vampire he made in the eighteen hundreds, was a dancer here. LaCroix seemed fond of her and therefore she was well taken care of. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes letting the harsh music wash over him. When he opened his eyes the room spun. The 'wine' had never affected him this way before. He decided to get some fresh air. He struggled to make his way to the door. There was a crush of people; some of the women invited him to dance. One was so bold as to grab his butt. He staggered towards the door. He was beginning to feel strange, disoriented. The room spun faster. Just as he was about to collapse strong hands grabbed him by his leather jacket and hauled him up. It was Nick Knight, the vampire detective. Nick saw that there was something wrong with Vachon. He put his arm under the young Spaniard and dragged him outside. Vachon looked somewhat dazed to Nick. Beads of blood sweat were forming on his forehead.

Vachon sagged against the brick wall.

"Vachon, what's wrong? You look sick."

"I just had some of the 'wine' then it hit me. I don't know what's happening."

He wiped a shaking hand across his forehead. The Raven put blood in the wine for the vampire customers; it saved on feeding on the populace. Nick helped Vachon into the front seat of his Caddy and ran back into the club. He asked to have the bottle that Vachon had drunk from. If there was something in it that made vampires sick they were all in big trouble. He took the bottle and stuffed it in his overcoat pocket. Nick made his way to the back rooms of the club and found LaCroix finishing up his Night Crawler bit on the radio.

"Nicholas, so good to see you. I do hope this is a friendly visit?"

"Hardly, Vachon is sick. He drank some of this." He pulled out the bottle. "I suggest you pull this stock immediately."

"Really, Nicholas, what delusions are running rampant in your head now? Your foolish quest for mortality has warped your senses. You really should spend more time with the family."

Nick was losing his patience at LaCroix's nonchalance at the situation.

"He almost collapsed; I've left him too long. Just humor me and pull the stock." Nick stormed out of the room.

LaCroix sat behind his desk with his hands steepled and his lips pursed.

Nick got behind the wheel of the car and looked over to see how Vachon was doing. He was slumped in the seat with his head tilted back. His mass of black hair was in his face. He seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"Hang in there, Vachon," Nick murmured.

He pulled into traffic and got on his cell phone. Nick called Natalie, his doctor and friend. She was also a pathologist and their work always crossed paths.

"Nat, it's me. I need you to bring your doctor's bag. No, I'm fine; it's not me, honest. It's Vachon; he's sick. I'm taking him back to his place, St. John's Church.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

When Nick got to the church he all but had to carry Vachon inside. Nick pulled Vachon's battered leather jacket off and draped it over a chair. Vachon crawled weakly onto the mattress that was on the floor. He pulled the red duvet over him. He began shaking uncontrollably and moaning; he called out Tracy's name. Nick didn't know what he would do if he had to tell Tracy. Against Nick's better judgment the two of them had been seeing each other. Nick was protective of Tracy and didn't want to see her hurt. Nick heard Natalie's footsteps echo in the empty church.

He called out, "In here."

Natalie hurried down the stairs carrying her forensic bag. Her patients were usually dead, although Nick used her as his doctor mainly because she knew he was a vampire and she had the medical skills.

"What happened?"

"He collapsed just as I was coming into the Raven. He said all he had to drink was this." Nick showed her the bottle. "I took the 'wine' as evidence. I thought you could run some tests on it, see what we're dealing with. I told LaCroix to pull the rest of this particular stock in case it was all contaminated."

Natalie frowned, "Has this ever happened before, bottles of 'wine' getting contaminated?"

"Not that I know of. I don't know what's happening."

Natalie went over and knelt next to the mattress. "Vachon, how are you doing?"

"I've been better."

She called out his symptoms like she would when describing how the current body back at the lab had died.

"Patient has a fever, chills and some delirium. Of course, he has no pulse. Vachon can you describe the pain?"

Vachon clutched the sheets. "It's like something is eating me from the inside and it feels like I've been impaled on a 2x4."

Natalie shook her head. "If he were human, I'd say it was poisoning or the flu. I don't know what I can do for him. I'll run a check on the bottle and I'm going to need a sample of his blood to test."

Natalie pulled on some rubber gloves and took out a syringe. She took Vachon's trembling arm and pushed up his sleeve, then drew out a sample of his blood. Natalie tucked the sample into her bag and took the half empty 'wine' bottle.

"I'm off to the lab. I'll try to find out something as fast as I can. Will you be here?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I'll be here for a while."

Suddenly Tracy walked in the room; she saw Nick. "Nick, what are you doing here?" She saw Vachon lying on the bed. "Oh my God, what's wrong?"

Her voice raised an octave. As Tracy sank to the mattress beside Vachon, Nick filled her in.

"Vachon fell ill at the Raven. I brought him back here. Dr. Lambert just got done checking him over."

Vachon took her hand and murmured her name; his eyes were glassy. Tracy became worried if Nick and Natalie found out what Vachon was. She started wringing her hands. Vachon sensed what was wrong.

"Tracy it's ok; it's fine."

Tracy turned hopeful eyes on Natalie. "Do you think you can help him?"

Natalie took a deep breath. "I'm gonna try."

Nick touched Tracy's shoulder. "I know you'll want to stay with him so I'll head back to the lab with Dr. Lambert. I'll call you if there's any news."

"Thanks, Nick."

He smiled at her, "What are partners for?"

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Back at the lab Natalie was running tests on the blood sample she got from Vachon. Nick leaned up against the chrome counter watching her at work. She studied the blood under a microscope. She looked over at Nick.

"This isn't like before with the rat; this is something new."

He remembered the time Vachon's best friend Screed bit an infected lab rat and died. In the process he started passing on the disease to other vampires. It was a rough time.

She gestured. "Take a look at this."

He walked over and looked into the microscope. He didn't know what he was looking at or for.

Natalie explained, "There is a whole lot of movement in there, more than normal. Whatever it is, it gets into the blood stream and then just attacks everything in sight. As time goes on, he'll keep getting weaker and weaker. I'm not even sure what it is. I haven't seen anything like it."

Nick asked, "How long does he have?"

She shrugged. "It's hard to say but given that it's moving at an accelerated rate I'd say hours, a day if he's lucky. I don't want to sound pessimistic but that's not going to be enough time for me to find a cure."

"Nat, you have to keep trying for Tracy's sake."

Natalie sighed, "I will; you should call Tracy and tell her. She should know." Natalie looked at him meaningfully. "I know I would want to know if it were you."

Nick ran his fingers through his blonde hair. "I guess you're right; she should know."

Nick pulled out his cell phone and relayed the message to Tracy.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

When Tracy got off the phone with Nick she got very quiet.

"I guess that means I'm dying," Vachon said.

She laid her head against his strong chest. She didn't want to lose him. With his last strength he held her.

"Don't give up yet, Trace. In the pocket of my jacket there's a card; get it."

Tracy brushed away a tear and found a business card in one of the pockets. The card read Gypsy Cove Magic Shop. It was a struggle for Vachon to think clearly.

"Go to that address, there's a gypsy girl named Jade, bring her here. She knows me; she'll come. Tell her to bring her books. If she can't cure me, no one can."

Tracy's eyes welled with unshed tears. "But, Vachon, I can't leave you."

"Please, Trace, go now. Bring her here if you want me to live."

She kissed him softly then left.

Tracy hurried out of the church and jumped into her light blue Ford Taurus. She found the shop without too much trouble. It was an old rundown building. When Tracy walked in, bells tinkled. She looked around; it was an occult shop. The lights were dimmed. The smell of incense and herbs filled the air. It was a spicy smell. A beaded curtain parted and out stepped a young woman a few years younger than Tracy was herself at twenty-five. She looked exotic with dark hair and green eyes that looked like emeralds. She wore a gauze skirt and shirt that were colorful and in gypsy fashion.

"What can I do for you?" She had a slight European accent.

Tracy rushed on, "Are you Jade?"

The girl nodded. "I am."

"I'm Tracy; Vachon needs your help. He's sick and he said you might be able to help."

Jade smiled. "Vachon, the Spanish good looking vampire?"

Tracy chuckled, "Yes, that's him."

"Say no more. I'm not a healer but I'll help. I make my living selling tarot cards, herbs and telling the occasional fortune."

"We have to hurry," Tracy urged.

Jade nodded. She quickly grabbed up a plumb colored cape. She unlocked a drawer and took out a couple of old dusty volumes.

"Most of these have cures for vampires in them. I'll see what I can do."

She stuffed them in a crocheted bag and gathered up an assortment of herbs she thought she might need, placing them in the bag as well. She went over to the door and flipped the sign to "Closed".

"Let's go," Jade said.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

When Tracy pulled up to the church Jade looked at her skeptically. "Vachon lives in a church?"

Tracy smiled. "Yeah, he's crazy that way." Tracy led the way to Vachon. She went over and took one of Vachon's hands. His eyes fluttered open. "She's here."

Jade lightly touched his hair. "Well, my friend, we meet again, I only wish it was a happier time." She looked at Tracy, "I'll begin looking. It's going to take a little time. The old texts are written in Hungarian. It'll take me a while to translate. I'm a bit rusty but I think I do remember a cure that will work." Jade went over to a chair and began paging through the crumbling volumes at times murmuring to herself.

Tracy came over to her. "Is there anything I can do?"

Jade looked up. "Unless you read Hungarian just be patient. I know it's hard."

Tracy looked over at Vachon. "I care about him and I don't want to see him die."

Jade smiled. "I know." She scanned a page in the volume she was holding. "I think this is it; I think I have it."

Tracy was on the edge of her seat. "Well?"

"I have the cure; it's very simple. He needs to drink some human blood with a few different herbs mixed into it."

Tracy asked, "How are we going to get human blood?"

Jade held out her arm. "You're going to draw it out of me; half a pint should do. I'll mix up the herbs now."

While Jade selected the right herbs from her bag Tracy rubbed her hands on her jeans nervously.

"I can do it, I think, take your blood. It's just like first aid. They make cops take classes."

"You're a cop?"

"Homicide detective actually."

Jade smirked, "Oh that makes me feel better."

Tracy ran out to her car and got the kit out of her trunk that she was required to carry. Tracy prepped the needle then stuck it in Jade's arm. Jade clenched her teeth and made a hissing sound.

"Are you ok?"

Jade nodded. "Never better."

It took a while to draw out enough blood but the task was finally done. Tracy was always squeamish around blood but she knew she had to be strong for Vachon. Jade took the blood and poured it in a glass and mixed in the herbs. She then took the glass over to Vachon and raised his head so he could drink the mix. While he drank she caressed his face with her cool hand. He laid back down when he was done.

Tracy asked, "How long will it take?"

"I don't know; no more than a night I should think."

Within the hour Vachon's fever broke and Tracy was relieved. Jade sat down next to him. He was feeling much like his old self again.

"Now I want you to rest; that's an order. It was good to see you but now I must go."

"How much do I owe you?" he asked.

"Nothing, we're even now. You saved me once, I'm just glad I could return the favor." She bent over and kissed his cheek. "Take care, Javier Vachon. Call and I will come," she whispered in his ear. "Be good to Tracy."

He gave her a saucy smirk. Jade went over to Tracy and took both her hands.

"It was nice meeting you. Come by my shop anytime."

"Thank you so much for saving him."

Jade titled her head to the side. "It's what I do." She gathered up her books and left.

Tracy called Nick to tell him Vachon was getting better. Now that Vachon seemed to be feeling better by the minute she could barely keep her eyes open. She crawled on the mattress beside him and laid her head on his chest and snuggled close to him.

"I hope you don't mind but I'm staying the night."

"You can stay."

They fell asleep in each other's arms.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

At the lab Nick and Natalie were relieved that Vachon's sickness was over. Although they were both puzzled at how he got better.

"Tracy never said. I'll have to ask him later," Nick said.

In their searches for a cure they found out that the blood in the wine was contaminated with Spanish influenza. Over the hundreds of years it sat in the bottle it mutated so much that it became very deadly. Nick grabbed up his black duster and kissed Natalie on the cheek.

"I have to go; it'll be dawn soon. I'll make sure LaCroix gets rid of that stock."

"See ya, Nick," she called after him as he hurried out the door.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

The next night as Nick was getting ready for work he checked his phone messages. There was a message from Natalie asking him to come down to the coroner's office before work. She had sounded excited.

When he arrived she was making little notations in the black book he knew she kept on him, his medical progress to becoming human again.

"Nat, you wanted to see me?"

She looked up at him smiling. "I think I have it this time. I think I found the cure. After you left last night I couldn't sleep knowing that Vachon got cured in time. It inspired me to work on your cure. I know its two totally different situations but I think I came up with something that will work."

"How do you know it will?"

She let out a breath. "Well, I don't for sure but I've been testing it out on samples of your blood with positive results every time."

A far away look crossed his face. Not too long ago Natalie tried a drug on him that worked for a while but it had horrible side effects. He became dependent on the drug. It caused delusions and got him more than a little high. Natalie got up from her desk.

"I know what you're thinking. What if it's like the Litroutrivine-B? I don't have an answer to that. There are no guarantees and I can't make promises. I wish I could."

"I know," he said seriously. He playfully grimaced. "What are the side effects?"

"I don't know; it could possibly make you nauseous, but you've done this all before so it shouldn't be too different. You probably shouldn't take it before work; it could prove fatal if the side effects are too bad."

Nick felt like throwing caution to the wind and took off his long black duster. He took off his shoulder holster and put it with his coat.

"I'll do it."

"Nick, are you sure about this? I could test it some more. I want to be sure."

He gave her one of his smiles; she couldn't resist. "I have faith in you." He rolled up the sleeve of his dark blue shirt.

Finally she nodded. "Ok."

She got the vial from the storage cabinet and prepared a syringe. He sat on the metal table that was usually reserved for examining corpses. She grabbed his forearm, stuck the needle in and injected the liquid into his vein. When she was done she stuck the syringe into the red box where all the other used needles were. Natalie watched Nick carefully for any signs that he may have a bad reaction. He pumped his arm and closed his eyes.

"How do you feel, anything?" She asked nervously.

He shook his head. "I don't feel anything."

Suddenly he did feel very strange. When he opened his eyes his vision blurred and the room spun out of control. He fell to his knees; his senses were reeling. Natalie rushed to his side grabbing his quivering form.

"Oh God! Nick, what is it? What's wrong? Tell me!"

He drew his legs up to his chest while she tried to hold him.

"Damn it! I shouldn't have given it to you. I should have run more tests; this is all my fault. I can't get it right. One of these days I'll probably end up killing you."

He shook his head. "Not your fault."

Nick lay there shivering for a moment. He retched a few times then he felt a little better but not by much; his senses were still dulled. Natalie helped him to his feet.

"God Nick, I'm so sorry."

"I'll be ok if the room would just stop spinning." He straightened his shirt and unrolled his sleeve. He grabbed his coat and gun.

"Nick, you're not going to the precinct, are you? You're still sick."

"I'll be fine. If it makes you feel better I'll check in with you when my shift's over."

She knew when he left that something bad would happen, she just had a feeling.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

By some miracle he made it all the way to the 96th precinct without crashing his Caddy. Matters weren't made better when he dropped his keys in the parking lot. When he bent over to pick them up a rush of dizziness and nausea overtook him. He leaned against his car taking deep breaths of Toronto's night air. He slowly walked into the station, made it all the way to his desk and sank down into his chair. Nick put his head in his hands. This was going to be a long night.

His partner, Tracy Vetter, came over with a mug of hot steaming coffee. The smell of it did nothing to settle his churning stomach. Tracy sat behind her desk and studied her partner.

"What's wrong, Nick? Ya look a little green around the edges."

"It's nothing; I'm fine. I just had a bad reaction to some medication."

Concern showed on Tracy's face. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah." He started shuffling papers to make himself look busy but in reality all he was succeeding to do was mess up the order of the forms on his desk.

Nick gathered up his strength valiantly and walked out of the precinct to his car with Tracy to go on patrol for the night. Tracy was her usual perky self.

"You should take vitamins and chicken soup, cures everything. My mother swears by it."

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Nick concentrated on navigating the city streets and tuning out Tracy's excessive prattling. A burst of static emitted from his police radio.

"81 Kilo?"

Nick grabbed up the mike and depressed the button. "This is 81 Kilo."

"Shots fired on Oak Wood Avenue, back up will assist."

"We're on it," Nick replied.

Nick reached under his seat to grab the bubble light. He stuck it on the dash and turned it on while picking up speed to Oak Wood Avenue. He parked his 62 light blue Caddy at the mouth of the alley. They both got out with their guns drawn. They kept close to the shadows of the building. A shot rang out from the fire escape. Nick dove for cover. Tracy flung herself behind a metal dumpster. They returned fire. Nick crept out from his cover keeping to the shadows.

A young man ran down the fire escape. He leapt over the side dropping down the rest of the way to the ground. He fired at the shadows. Nick caught a bullet in the thigh. He staggered back a little then raising his gun; he fired. The guy took the bullet in the shoulder. The guy dropped his weapon and it clattered to the pavement. Tracy stood up and kicked the gun away. She then had the guy leaning over the car with his hands cuffed behind his back, reading him his rights. Nick was more than glad to let Tracy take over from there. When she was done she called out to him.

"Were you hit?"

He quickly shifted his coat to cover his leg wound. "No, it just grazed me."

They heard backup screech up behind them. They never seemed to come when you needed them. Being first on the scene, Nick filled in the other cops on what went down.

The captain walked over to Nick. "Good work, Knight, Vetter. This scum has been giving us problems for a while. Drug dealing, auto theft and B and E. Some of the officers are checking out his place right now. I can't wait to see what turns up."

Nick was leaning against the brick wall. The captain noticed he wasn't his usual self.

"Nick, if you don't mind me saying so, you look like crap. Why don't you knock off early? Tracy can write up the report."

"Thanks, cap, I think I'll do that." As he was leaving he heard Tracy grumbling in the background.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Nick drove to his loft and parked his car in the garage. He rode the elevator up to the loft. Nick changed out of his clothes and into a pair of black silk boxers and his red silk robe with the velvet collar. Then he dialed Natalie's work number.

"Hi Nat, it's me; I'm home. Listen, can you come over? I caught one at work and I need you to take it out. Ok, bye."

He settled back on his leather sofa to wait for her. He must have fallen into a light sleep because the next thing he knew he heard the elevator door slide noisily back. Natalie walked in with her black medical bag swinging from her hand. When Nick got shot at work he would always call her to take the bullets out for him since she was his doctor. This time she felt guilty. She just knew the reason he got shot was because of the medicine she gave him before work. She vowed to herself she would never make that grave error again.

She walked over to the sofa. "It's all my fault, Nick. I really screwed up this time. I'm so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Nat, it's not you're fault. I got shot; it happens."

"Where were you hit?"

He moved his robe aside and exposed his bare leg; it was lodged in his upper thigh. She knelt between his legs and prepared her scalpel and other instruments. She set to work expertly but gently removing the bullet. For a brief moment Natalie got distracted when her gaze drifted to the black silk bulge. She blushed and quickly got back to work and finished up.

"There, all done." She put her tools back in her bag and sat in one of his leather chairs next to the couch. "You should get some rest; doctor's orders. Do you still feel ill?" Concern for him shown on her face.

"I'm fine; the symptoms are pretty much gone now."

She got up from her chair and headed for the elevator. "Call me, if you need anything."

"I will and, Nat, you tried. Don't beat yourself up over this, ok? I don't blame you."

She nodded as the elevator door closed.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

When Natalie entered her apartment the first thing she did was change into a big sleep shirt and bunny slippers. She went into her bedroom and flopped on the bed then she began to sob uncontrollably. Sidney, her cat, got up on the bed to give her comfort. She had spent six years working on a cure for Nick and she had failed at every turn. She was thirty-two and growing older while Nick stayed the same. If this went on much longer there would be no point to it. She wanted Nick to be human, to be her husband. She wanted to have kids. She loved Nick dearly but if time ran out then one of them had to have the courage to leave. She raged at the unfairness of it all. Her soul screamed of endless pain.

She decided to turn on her radio to make herself feel better but she landed on the station where the Night Crawler was in full swing. Tonight's topic was pain. Physical, emotional, the suffering of pride shattered and broken dreams. Lost love and mistakes made in the name of love. She quickly turned it off; she could relate to all of it. She cried bitter tears into her pillow while stroking Sidney. She fell into a fitful sleep.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Vachon buzzed the intercom on the outside of Nick's building. Nick had one of the best security systems. He had the intercom, key pad plus a surveillance camera to see who came to visit. Nick wondered why Vachon would visit him and hoped there was nothing wrong with his partner, Tracy. He buzzed Vachon up and waited anxiously for him to come up to the second floor. He pulled back the elevator door.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked on edge.

Vachon was wearing his black leather jacket and tight worn button fly jeans. His long raven hair spilled over his shoulders.

"Nothing's wrong, I came by to give you some information."

He went over to Nick's black kitchen table and turned one of the chairs around and sat down. Nick followed him.

"I thought you were Tracy's informant?"

"I am; this has nothing to do with police work."

Nick folded his arms across his chest. "Then what is it about?"

Vachon put his hands on top of the chair back in front of him. "Do you still want to be mortal?"

Nick narrowed his eyes. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Vachon raised a dark eyebrow. "Do you?"

"Fine, yes, now what is this about?"

"I know someone that can help you. She has the cure. I asked her for you."

Nick sat up with interest. "Who?"

"There's this gypsy girl I know; her name is Jade. She has a little shop set up." He pulled out a piece of paper from his pants pocket. "Here's her address. You should go see her. She's the one that cured me when I was sick."

"I was wondering about that."

"She helps vampires. She knows about our kind but she doesn't just help anybody ya know. If the community found out about her they'd probably kill her."

"What makes you so sure she can help me?"

"She has the cure; go talk to her. I told her you might drop by soon." With that he left.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

The next night Nick drove to the address on the paper. He wondered if this was a good idea. He couldn't count all the times when he thought he had the cure in his hands only to be disappointed that it didn't work. He also had to put up with LaCroix's mocking him for wanting to be mortal. One time he was so close to getting "The Book of Cures" but LaCroix burned the book before it could even be read or translated. He got out of the car and went into the Gypsy Cove Magic Shop.

A bell tinkled over the door as he walked in. A young woman in her early twenties stepped out from the back room. She pushed past the beaded curtain.

"How may I help you?"

She was pretty with long dark hair and green eyes.

He smiled. "I'm Nick Knight." He showed her his badge. "Uh, Vachon sent me to see you."

She smiled. "Ah yes, Vachon told me you wish to be mortal again."

"Yes, I've been searching for a cure for centuries. How did you come to know Vachon anyway?"

"Vachon saved my life. This man wanted to hurt me; he was evil. He was going to do horrible things to me. Vachon came out of nowhere and snapped his neck. The jerk wasn't even worth biting. I was grateful that he helped me. He checks up on me every now and then. It's nice to know I have a protector if I need one."

She turned and grabbed a volume off a high shelf. The book had a red ribbon sticking out of it marking the page. She set the book down on the counter and opened it to the page.

"Here it is; the cure for vampirism. The only one known to my people, but I don't know if it works."

His expression was grim. Did he really want to go through all this again? When he thought of Natalie and the life that they might have if he became a mortal man, the answer was simple.

Jade went on. "There haven't been many vampires that want to go back but there is a rumor, that one vampire long ago fell in love with a mortal woman and wanted to make the change back. It's said the woman had relations in Hungary and this spell was unearthed for her. Mr. Knight, it's just a story. I don't know what happened to them or if they ever existed. No one had the foresight to take notes."

He took her hand. "Please, call me Nick."

She smiled "All right, Nick, if you decide you want to do this, I'll make sure notes are taken for posterity."

"Could I see the book?"

"Of course," she turned the book around so he could see it.

The parchment was worn and brittle. He could tell the text was written in Hungarian. Nick spoke quite a few languages fluently but Hungarian wasn't one of them.

"So how does the cure work?"

"There is a list of herbs here. They will have to be ordered. All of the herbs are poisonous to humans so a word of warning to the person that handles them. They must be crushed up into a fine powder and mixed with one pint pure blood. Vachon told me you try to abstain from human blood but there is nothing I can do about that. It must be human."

Nick's brow wrinkled. "Do I want to know where you'll be getting the virgin blood?"

"The blood will be donated by me for a small fee. You'd be surprised how many spells call for virgin blood."

He grinned at her sheepishly. "Oh."

"The herbs must be mixed together with the blood. You must drink it one minute before sunrise. You have to stand in the light letting the first rays hit you. I don't have to tell you what will happen if it doesn't work. It's your choice. I know it's a big risk. Take as much time as you like to think it over. If you still decide you want to I'll have the herbs sent for by overnight mail."

"Would you do the honor of mixing it up if I decide this is what I want?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"We have to be careful; the community can't find out about this."

She nodded. "I know about the community. I take precautions; mostly I'm too useful to be killed. If I fall out of favor, I'll leave town."

"How much will the cure cost me?"

"The amount of the herbs and a small fee for my blood. I'm not here to take advantage of you."

He patted the page with the cure on it. "I'll let you know soon."

"Talk it over with your lady friend," she called to his back.

He turned around. "How did you know?"

Jade smiled. "Why else would you want to become mortal again?"

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Nick got in his Caddy and decided maybe it would be a good idea if he swung by the coroner's office and talked it over with Natalie. In the end the decision would ultimately be his.

Nick sat down in Natalie's chair at her desk while she was examining new evidence that came in. She sighed when she heard the news.

"Nick, do you honestly believe it will work? If you do this and it doesn't work it's suicide. I don't want you to die. Damn it, Nick, I love you!"

He put his arms around her. "I love you too; I want us to be together."

Natalie rubbed her temples. "I know I haven't been successful in finding a cure and maybe I never will, but how can you honestly think this will work?"

He knew she would react this way.

"She cured Vachon when he was sick. I have faith in her. I trust her. I know that my trust in people has backfired before but there is a goodness in her. She's willing to do everything she can."

"Sounds like you've already made up your mind."

He nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, I think I have and I want you to be there. I need you to be there with me."

"Why, tell me that, Nick. I think I could live without seeing you spontaneously combust."

"You need to draw out a pint of her blood and you're the doctor."

She put her hands on her hips. "Let me get this straight. All it's going to take to cure you is her blood mixed with some poisonous herbs. Gee, why didn't I think of that?" She let out a bitter laugh

"Nat, please don't be upset."

"She looked deep into his eyes. "I can't help it. The thought of losing you scares me out of my mind."

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

When he got back to the loft he made arrangements with Jade to order the herbs. He gave her directions to his loft. That's where they would all meet and see if the cure really worked.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

It had been two days since Nick called Jade to order the herbs; this was it. It was five in the morning; dawn was at six. Jade packed up all the stuff she would need and caught a taxi to his loft at 101 Gateway Lane. Nick and Natalie were already waiting for her. She looked around his loft.

"Nice place, I like it. You vampires have such impeccable taste." She opened the book on the kitchen table. "Shall we begin?"

"Yes."

She took out a mortar and pestle and began crushing up the herbs. Jade named them as she crushed each one to a fine powder. "Nightshade, Monkshood, herb of grace, foxglove and Chanterelle. Ok now for the blood." She stifled a yawn. "Sorry, I'm not used to being up this early."

Jade sat in one of the leather chairs and drew up her sleeve. Natalie slid the needle in and started drawing out the blood.

"Nick, I have to warn you it will probably taste dreadful so I would drink it down fast, ok?"

"Yeah I got it."

He grabbed the remote off the end table and opened the blinds. It was always darkest before dawn.

"Natalie, take the blood and pour it into a glass and mix it up," Jade instructed.

When Natalie finished the task Nick pulled her over to a corner of the room.

"Nat, if I should die."

She held up her hand. "Nick, please, I can't talk about this. I'm so scared for you."

He took both of her hands in his. "I'm scared too."

"It's time," Jade called.

Nick took up the glass and stood before the window. Jade nodded to Nick.

"Good luck," she whispered.

Nick held the glass up to his lips and drank. It was more repulsive than one of Natalie's shakes. He tried to drink as fast as he could. When he finished he handed Natalie the glass and waited for the sun to rise. That day it seemed like the sun took forever to rise. The room was quiet as a tomb; everyone held their breath as the sun peaked over the horizon. Light began to fill the room. Nick let out a yell and sank to his knees on the floor. Pain surged throughout his body.

Natalie screamed, "Oh God, Nick, no!"

Jade had to hold the distraught woman back. Natalie broke away from Jade and rushed to Nick's side. He was slowly getting up; he held his hand up to shade the light. It was so bright it hurt his eyes. He looked at his pale skin in the light of the day. Nick grabbed Natalie and swung her around in his arms and kissed her.

"I'm cured! Nat, it worked."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed; she felt giddy. She put a hand to his chest; Natalie could feel his heart beating through his shirt. Jade smiled as she watched the couple. Nick released Natalie and hugged Jade tightly. He placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you, I'm in your debt."

Reality started to set in for Natalie. "Wait a minute, Nick." She turned to Jade. "Is this only temporary or are we going for the long haul here?"

"Nick is human now and it will last as long as he lives. If something should ever go wrong, which it won't, come see me. Now Nick, why don't you tell me about your experience?"

"Well it was horrible tasting. I felt a part of me die when the light touched me. I think it was the vampire in me. I feel like a weight's been lifted off me. The pain went away and I feel fine," he said smiling.

Natalie grabbed his wrist between her fingers. "Nick, you have a pulse and your skin is warming up."

She grabbed up her medical bag and took out a stethoscope and held it to his chest. His heart was beating normally, unlike before when it only beat once every eleven minutes. She smiled up at him. "This is very encouraging."

Nick handed Jade an envelope. "This is yours; I want to thank you again."

Jade peeked in the envelope, looked at the amount and almost fainted dead away. There were so many zeros. "I can't take this; it's too much."

"Please take it; you earned it."

"You are very generous, Nick, thank you. Natalie, would you walk me to the door?"

"Sure."

Jade lowered her voice. "There's no cause for alarm so don't look so worried. He's going to be fine. He should take it easy the first few days though. Don't let him overdo too much. I know he'll want to experience everything with passion. One last thing before I leave; now that Nick's mortal again he can have children. I just thought you might like to know." She winked and stepped into the elevator.

Natalie turned around. "Well Nick, I say this is a cause for a celebration. I'm gonna call into work and take the day off."

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

After she made the call they took the Caddy out for a spin around the city. It was a bright and beautiful day. Nick wore sunglasses to protect his eyes because the light was still something he would have to get used to. He felt the sun's rays on his pale skin. They were both overjoyed with happiness. They stopped by a grocery store to pick up food for Nick's empty fridge. Natalie packed a picnic lunch and they headed for the park.

Natalie smiled. "I can't believe this is happening. So Nick, how do you feel?"

"I feel great! I've missed going out in the daylight. I always hoped it could be possible. I've been searching for a cure for so long, and now it's done."

"I still want to do lots of tests on you though, just to make sure. I confess I'm a bit jealous of Jade. She did what I couldn't do; she cured you. I wanted it to be my gift to you."

He put his arm around her. "All that matters is I'm here with you in the sunlight." He leaned over and kissed her deeply. "Now I can kiss you as much as I like without worrying if I'm going to lose control and bite you."

"I think I like the sound of that."

Nick spread out the blanket on the ground while Natalie started laying out the food. She sat on a corner of the blanket.

"Are you hungry?"

He sat down close beside her. "Starving," he said with a leer.

She laughed and handed him a wrapped sandwich. "Well here, sink you teeth into this. It's a chicken sandwich."

He unwrapped it and slowly took his first bite. He nodded. "This is good, real good."

"Glad you like it."

She started in on hers but she kept watching him eat. She was fascinated by watching him. She never saw him eat before. Today was a day of firsts. When they were finished with their sandwiches she took out a special treat.

"Have you ever wondered what chocolate tasted like?"

"No, I could never understand what all the fuss was about."

She handed him the candy. "Well, why don't you see for yourself?"

He took it from her and took a bite. He closed his eyes and savored the sweet morsel. He looked like he was having an original experience.

Nick confirmed "I have definitely been missing out."

"Eating is one of the pleasures of life."

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Next they went to an art exhibit and looked at the paintings. Nick painted in his spare time. When Nick finished a painting he would show her his work. One year as a Christmas present he gave her one of his paintings. She hung it in her bedroom so she could always feel close to him.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Nick got up from the bed trying not to wake Natalie; by the look on her face she was having pleasant dreams. He went down to the living room, intending on calling the precinct and telling them he wouldn't be in. He noticed a flashing light on the answering machine. Before they had gone upstairs he had turned off the ringer so they wouldn't be disturbed. He played back the call.

"Knight, we need you down at the station pronto. Come in as soon as you get this. And what the hell does incommunicado mean anyway?"

Nick smiled; he was going to miss the captain. He had planned to turn in his resignation tomorrow night. He was also going to miss his partner, Tracy Vetter. He remembered the first time he tried to hand in his resignation. It was when his first partner Don Schanke died in a plane explosion. Tracy was to be his new partner. He hadn't even come to terms with Schanke's death. To have a woman partner, the commissioner's daughter no less, he just wanted nothing to do with it. Then there was that whole police station bombing and he just never got around to resigning. Nick decided he'd go into the station and see what the captain's problem was.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

As Nick was driving to the station he spotted a robbery in progress. The guy was running out of the store with a gun in his hand. Nick stopped the car with a screech of the wheels. He jumped out of the car and pulled out his gun.

"Freeze, police, put the gun down."

"I don't think I will."

He shot Nick in the chest. Nick got off one round before he fell to the pavement. He could feel the life flowing out of him.

"Oh God no," he moaned.

Nick suddenly felt the rush of air on his face. Suddenly his former master LaCroix was standing next to him.

"Nicholas, feeling poorly? Look at where your incessant quest for mortality got you. Although, I should congratulate you for finding the cure. It took you long enough."

"LaCroix what are you doing here?"

"A father knows when his children are in pain. As keenly as he senses their rejection, I felt the link between us break when you foolishly became mortal."

He slashed his wrist with his teeth; his blood welled to the surface. He held it over Nick's mouth. Nick tried to turn his head away. LaCroix grabbed his face and squeezed his mouth open.

"No!" Nick rasped.

LaCroix pressed his bleeding wrist to Nick's mouth and for good measure he pinched his nose closed so he had no choice but to swallow or choke. When Nick had drunk enough LaCroix took his wrist away.

"Your time has come Nicholas to move on. You've stayed well past your time here."

Nick's eyes fluttered closed, the death sleep overtaking him. When he woke he'd be a vampire once more. His attempts at becoming mortal were all in vain.

Another cop car pulled up. They saw Detective Knight on the ground shot. A tall pale man dressed all in black stood over him.

"What happened here?"

LaCroix looked deep into the officer's eyes, hypnotizing him. "The brave Detective Knight was shot and killed in an armed robbery. Report back to your superior and tell him there is no problem here. I am family. I will attend to the body. Now go."

The officer left in a daze.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Natalie woke up in the empty loft. She wondered where Nick had gone but realized he probably went into the precinct. She put on one of Nick's silk robes. Suddenly she had this overwhelming sense of panic. She felt something was wrong. Natalie went down and turned on the big screen tv. The news was on and her worst fear was confirmed. Nick had been shot and killed trying to stop a robbery. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She wailed into the empty loft crying out rage and despair and most of all pain.

With final resolve she went up to the bathroom and turned on the water in the tub. She got one of her scalpels form her doctor's bag. Natalie got into the tub and with expert precision slashed both her wrists open. She lay back in the tub. All that was left to do now was wait. It wouldn't be long now. Maybe she could join Nick on the other side. She wondered idly if there would be a white light or if she'd hear tortured souls screaming. She simply didn't care about the treasure of life anymore if she couldn't have Nick in her life. She'd even gladly accept an empty box if need be.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Nick woke up from his death sleep in one of the back rooms of the Raven. LaCroix was sitting in the corner of the room.

"Hungry?"

He offered Nick a bottle of blood. Nick grabbed it up and took a long pull on the bottle.

LaCroix smiled. "Glad to see you have a hearty appetite."

Nick bared his fangs. "No thanks to you."

"Still the ungrateful child I see; some thing's never change."

"Damn you, LaCroix, you'll never let me go, will you?"

"Not in this lifetime. You are mine! Don't trifle with me, Nicholas."

Nick stormed out of the Raven, he had to see Natalie.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Nick didn't know how he was going to break the news to Natalie that LaCroix made him a vampire again. It would break her heart. When he entered the loft he immediately sensed something was wrong. He climbed the stairs two at a time. He looked in the bedroom but Natalie wasn't there. Then he noticed the bathroom door was ajar. He pushed open the door and saw Natalie floating in a pool of blood. Nick saw the scalpel on the floor. He went down on his knees crying out her name. Blood tears formed in his eyes. All he could think was why was this happening to him?

*+*+*+*+*+*+*

When LaCroix found him he was still cradling Natalie in his arms.

Nick growled "What are you doing here?" He looked at his master with anguish in his eyes. "Why don't you want me to be happy?"

"Let me ask you this. Was it worth it, Nicholas? What have you really gained in the bargain? Pain, sickness, the promise of decay. It pains me to see you like this."

"LaCroix, I loved her. You are my dearest friend. Help me end it. I want to be with her."

"Nicholas, were you not listening when I gave my 'life is like a ripe peach speech?' Or was I talking to myself? I don't think your faith is that strong. You won't know what's beyond until the deed is done. Is any of this ringing a bell yet? Listen well, Nicholas, I hate repeating myself. Don't trade a treasure for an empty box. Love warps our senses, takes us past hope, past cure, past help. Love is suffering, it's anguish. Heaven makes means to kill our joy with love and you had to have it at any cost. You should never aspire to mortality. Here endeth the lesson. Lucky for you I'm in a forgiving mood."

Lacroix took his wooden staff and struck Nick upside the head. Nick crumpled to the floor. LaCroix dragged an unconscious Nick over to his traveling steamer trunk and pushed him in. He had booked them both passage to France.

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