Forever Knight

Small Miracles

 

She sensed her before she saw her. There was no question who it was. Tracy Vetter opened the door to her office. "Toni!" She squealed and she threw her arms around her. "When did you get back? How was France? Where's that new husband of yours? Tell me all about it. Don't leave out even one tiny detail." She said as she led Toni Knight into her office and sat her in one of the leather chairs that faced her desk.

 

"We just got back early this morning." Toni said. "We barely had time to get to the apartment before sunrise. Naturally, we slept all day until now. You know, I really had a lot of trouble finding this place. You've obviously moved out of that storefront while I was gone." She looked around the office. "These are some pretty fancy settings for a fledgling gumshoe."

 

"I have to keep up the image. A couple of months ago, we did a job for a friend of Luke Thomas. He's one of one of my staff, you know. He used to be with the force. Retired last year. This friend of his just happens to be a junior partner in a very prestigious LA law firm. The president of the firm liked our work, and they signed Vetter and Associates to a long term contract. At a very hefty retainer, I might add. Through them and their referrals, we have all the work we can handle. I'm even thinking of putting some more people on. You wouldn't want a job, would you? Enough of me, though, what about Europe? Did you take any pictures?"

 

"Of course we took pictures. Tons and tons of them." Toni opened a large mailing envelope and pulled out a stack of photographs. "This is Nick and me at Castle Brabant." She said, handing Tracy one of the photos.

 

"A real French castle. Oh, how romantic can you get! Are you really a countess? Do I bow or curtsey?"

 

"Oh, it's real all right. I am Madame Atonia Marie Knight, La Comtessa de Brabant. You may grovel if you so desire." Toni stuck her face in the air and held out her right hand, wrist bent sharply. "Actually, it is only titular. Nick hasn't used it since the sixteenth century. The official story is, since Nick is an orphan, he didn't know that much about his family. So he decided to have a genealogy trace done. He discovered that through his mother, he was a direct descendant of Girard de Brabant. It's not exactly a lie, either. You see, Girard de Brabant was his real father."

 

She took out more photos. "These are from our trip to Brussels. And here we are at the Eiffel Tower. And we took these when we went to the Riveria. Of course, it was at night, but it's still absolutely gorgeous. "This is Monte Carlo and this ..." Suddenly she stiffened. Her face was contorted and nearly as pale as her husband's "NICK!" She gasped.

 

"What's wrong?" Tracy asked, grabbing Toni's hand.

 

"It's Nick. He was still sleeping when I left the apartment. I can feel him through our link. He's in pain. Great pain. I've got to get home. Now!"

 

"I'm coming with you." Tracy said, as she followed Toni to her car.

 

**********

 

This was one time Toni wished she could fly. It was late rush hour, and the freeways had become the world's largest parking lot. She decided to use local streets. It seemed that she hit every red light in Southern California. Garage doors. Security codes. Elevators. They all took forever. She could feel Nick's condition getting worse with each minute. Finally, she got the apartment door open. Tracy was right behind her. Nick lay in the fetal position on the floor beside dining room table. Blood covered his head and pooled on the floor. He was not unconscious, but he was definitely unresponsive.

 

She screamed and ran to him. That's when she noticed that the blood was dripping from the edge of the table onto the floor. There was an overturned green bottle on the table. She let out a sigh of relief. At least the blood wasn't his. "NATALIE!" She summoned. "HURRY! HE'S VERY SICK!"

 

"What can I do?" Tracy asked.

 

"Get a bottle of blood from the fridge."

 

Toni opened the bottle and started to press it to Nick's lips. Suddenly her stomach lurched. The odor was putrid. She dipped her finger into the blood on the table and brought it to her lips. She turned away and made a face. It, too, was rancid. "Get me a bag of the freezer stuff." She called to Tracy. Even before she opened it, she knew it was spoiled also.

 

Tracy looked aghast. "Oh! No! I forgot all about it until now. The day after you left, they had to dig up the street. A water main broke. One of the machines cut into the main power line. The whole area was without electricity for over twenty four hours. Everything must have spoiled. I'm so sorry. I should have checked." She was near tears. "I just forgot. I'm sorry."

 

Nick groaned heavily just as Natalie Lambert materialized.

 

"Tainted blood." Toni said, holding up the bottle from the table as Nat examined him.

 

"Let's get him into the bathroom." Natalie said "If that is the case, I have a feeling we are going to have one very sick vampire on our hands."

 

Seconds later, Nick was emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

 

Nick came out of the bathroom looking even paler and more ashen than he normally did. "I don't understand it. Even bad blood shouldn't have affected me like that. But then, so many things have been happening lately that I can't explain."

 

"Maybe we should go to the clinic at Maison de Mer and give you a thorough checkup. It could be the vampire killer virus resurfacing."

 

"Vampire killer virus?" Toni asked.

 

"It was a retrovirus that was supposed to cure AIDS, but it didn't work. Instead, it turned out to be fatal to vampires. The outbreak was confined to the Toronto area, and both LaCroix and Nick were infected with it. Fortunately, a cure was found, actually LaCroix stumbled on it accidentally, and we were able to bring the epidemic under control before too many died. The cure, incidentally, was the AIDS virus itself." Natalie explained as they helped Nick into the Caddy. "I'll meet you there. It might not be a bad idea to get in touch with LaCroix and have him meet us there, too. Just in case it is the vampire killer."

 

**********

 

Natalie was waiting for them in the clinic at the Maison. "We'll need blood samples from Nick and LaCroix. I'll also need a sample from an uninfected vampire and one from Toni and Tracy as well as urine samples from both of you. For control purposes."

 

"Why both of us?" Toni asked.

 

"Because you've let Nick feed from you, you could be infected as well. Remember that flu that wouldn't go away? If you are infected, it wouldn't kill you, but you could be a carrier. Tracy will be a control for you."

 

"But I've got Nick's blood too." Tracy reminded her.

 

"But I know the exact nucleotides in your blood, from the sample I analyzed at the nursing home, and I can factor them out."

 

"Will I do for the uninfected vampire?" Clarissa La Pont said. No one had seen her enter the clinic.

 

"How did you know we were here?" Toni asked.

 

"You forget about the security system I've got. An ant couldn't get on the property without my knowing about it."

 

Natalie took out a blood collection kit and several hypodermic syringes from one of the cabinets.

 

"Maybe we better do this one at a time. Nick, you stay here and the rest of you wait outside."

 

Nick rolled his left sleeve up and Natalie tightened the elastic strap around his bicep. "You should be used to this by now." She said as she slid the needle into his forearm. She filled several test tubes and then withdrew it.

 

"Next." She said at the door.

 

Toni stepped into the examining room and bared her arm. Nat repeated the scene with her. She handed her a specimen bottle and directed her to the bathroom. "Fill it."

 

Tracy was next. The same routine.

 

"You're next, LaCroix." Nat said. She picked up an irrigation syringe and held it before him. It was six inches long and about an inch around. The needle was four inches long, blunt, and as thick as a strand of spaghetti. These were used only to administer sterile water into the abdominal cavity during surgery. They were never used intravenously.

 

He turned his head away and closed his eyes tightly as he thrust his arm at the doctor. "Just ... tell me ... when ... it is over." He said with clenched teeth. "I can ... take it."

 

"Come on, don't tell me a big man like you is afraid of a little hypodermic needle." Nat chided as she replaced the irrigation syringe with a standard one. Carefully, she inserted the needle into his vein. She quickly drew two vials and then pulled it gently out.

 

There was an old French saying. The best revenge ... is revenge. She had never seen LaCroix squirm in that way. She played the moment for all it was worth. She even swabbed the area with very cold alcohol, making sure that some of it went into the puncture wound before it healed. A smile crossed her face as he winced.

 

"All done." She finally said.

 

He looked at his arm in amazement. "I knew it wouldn't hurt." He said smugly.

 

"Must it be that way?" Clarissa said. "Couldn't I just ... " She let her fangs elongate.

 

"Sorry. It has to be clean sterile blood or it's no good." Natalie tightened the elastic and picked up the syringe. Clarissa stared wide eyed at the hypodermic. Her lilac eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped to the floor.

 

Natalie knelt beside her and gave her a quick exam. She couldn't detect any problems. "I know some people who can't stand the sight of blood, but a squeamish vampire? Oh well, whatever turns them on, or in this case, turns them off." She said and proceeded to draw the blood.

 

Clarissa moaned as she regained consciousness. "What happened?"

 

"You passed out." Nick said as he helped her to her feet.

 

"I did NOT pass out. It's just that I have never had that done to me before, and I was weak from the loss of blood."

 

"You passed out even before Nat drew any blood. And she only took about a tablespoon."

 

"Oh."

 

**********

 

Natalie jumped as Nick put his hand on her shoulder. She was so absorbed in the slides under the microscope that she didn't even hear him come in. Not that it was unusual. She remembered that he could move very silently when he wanted to, but with her supernatural powers, she should have been able to hear or sense him long before he got close to her.

 

"I thought you were going to wait upstairs in the living room with the rest of them."

 

"Well?"

 

"Okay. It's not the vampire killer virus. I'm sure of that. I have some theories, though. You said that a lot of weird things have been happening to you. What kind of things?"

 

"Well, as you know I can eat solid food. Not a lot of it, but I can eat a little bit of almost anything, as long as it doesn't have any garlic in it. 

 

And I can go out in the daytime. Not in direct sunlight, mind you, but I can spend almost half an hour in the shade. We were coming back to Brabant from Amsterdam. It was almost sunrise when we had a flat tire. By the time I changed it, the sun was up. Fortunately, it was a cloudy, rainy day. The boot of the car was way too small, so I had to ride on the floor of the back with only my jacket and a thin blanket for protection. Also, there was no way to go from the garage to the house without going into the daylight. All I got was the equivalent of a mild sunburn. I tested it out several times after that and the results were the same. No burning. Not even a little smoking.

 

Another thing. When Toni and I make love, it takes less and less blood for me to have a ... you know .. to ..." A slight hint of pink formed on his cheeks. The vampire equivalent of a blush.

 

"Achieve orgasm?" Natalie prompted. He may have been over 800 years old, but he was still the shy, thirteenth century crusader.

 

"Yeah. That. Lately, all I have to do is break the skin and I'm satisfied. Nat. Is this what I think it is? Did Janette have the right idea? Am I being cured?"

 

"I wish I could say yes, but according to your blood sample, the vampire factor is present and very viable, so you are still fully vampire. I said I had a few theories and what you told me only confirms them. In order to make love to Toni, you had to learn to control the vampire in you to a fine degree. At first, it took a lot of willpower to do this. After a while, it became almost subconscious. Am I correct so far?"

 

Nick nodded.

 

"After a while, you began to control the vampire in your everyday life as well. It became more and more automatic, you didn't even realize you were doing it. Eventually, your mortal tendencies surfaced and in effect, you became more mortal. I suspect the same thing happened to Janette. As long as she was with Robert, she was mortal. After he died, the vampire in her would have reasserted itself and sooner or later, If she had lived, she would have reverted to being a vampire again. The same thing probably happens to you when there is no need to control it."

 

"Do you mean like what happened when I fought Alexandra?"

 

"Yes. Exactly. When you needed to be the vampire, you were one, and when you need to be mortal, like when you are making love to Toni, you are that too."

 

"If what you say is true, then the two are not mutually exclusive. I can be both vampire and mortal?"

 

"You always were. And it's very likely you always will be. It's just that for the past 770 years, the vampire was dominant. Now the mortal part of you is becoming the dominant factor."

 

"If that's the case ... Is there any possibility ... I mean could Toni and I ... What I'm trying to say is ... "

 

Nat knew where he was leading, and she decided to let him suffer just a bit longer. She wanted him to put it into words.

 

"I mean ... Is there any chance ... however small ... we could ... I mean ... I could .. you know ... be a ... make a ... I mean could I ... you know ... father a ... a child?"

 

"I'd say there is a one hundred percent chance you could father a child." She held up a plastic strip. "I'm no gynecologist, but this stick is definitely blue. As part of the control, I did a pregnancy test on Toni."

 

"A baby?" Nick's eyes went glassy. "A baby! We're going to have a baby?" A silly lopsided smile spread across his face. "We're gonna have a baby!" He repeated. "I've got to tell Toni. We're going to have a baby." He practically floated out of the lab.

 

**********

 

"Toni." Nick said as he entered the living room. "You had better sit down. I've got something to tell you."

 

"What is it?" She said, fear growing in her eyes. "Something's wrong, isn't it? It's the vampire killer virus. You've got it. You're going to die, aren't you? Oh, Nick ... " She started crying.

Nick took her head in his hands and pressed it to his chest. "Nothing like that. In fact it's good news. We did it. I didn't think it was possible either, but it is. We really did it. There's no question. We did it."

 

"Nick. If you don't start making some sense ... "

 

"The stick turned blue. We're going to have a baby."

 

"What?"

 

"Nat did a pregnancy test. The stick turned blue. That means you're going to have a baby. We're going to have a baby!"

 

With an unearthly scream, LaCroix lunged at Nick. His eyes were blood red and his fangs were fully extended. He tore Toni from Nick's arms and tossed her to the couch. With a great effort, Clarissa managed to pull him off only seconds before he sank his fangs into Nick's neck. She held the seething vampire in a full hammerlock.

 

"LET ME GO!" LaCroix shouted. "I must bring him back across! I have lost one child to mortality. I shall not lose another!"

 

"What are you talking about?" Clarissa asked.

 

"Nicholas, of course. The only way he could father a child is if he were mortal again. I won't allow it. Neither will the Enforcers. He has to be brought back!"

 

"LISTEN TO ME!" Nick shouted at his master. "I AM STILL A VAMPIRE!" To emphasize this point, he let his eyes go yellow and his own fangs elongate. "I will always be a vampire."

 

"Then who is the father of Atonia's child?"

 

"I am." Nick retracted his fangs and his eyes became blue again. He explained what Natalie had told him. " ... So you see, although my sperm count is very low, it only takes one to get to the egg."

 

"You may release me, Clarisse." LaCroix finally said. His fangs had retracted and his eyes returned to their ice blue. "I am satisfied. It's true then? You and Atonia are going to have a baby?"

 

"It's true. We're going to have a baby." Nick said with a silly grin on his face.

 

LaCroix had the same silly grin as Nick. "A baby?"

 

"A baby."

 

"You're going to have a baby?"

 

"We're going to have a baby."

 

"I don't believe this." Clarissa said to Toni and Tracy. "In the two hundred years I've known him, this is the first time I've ever seen the great Lucien LaCroix at a loss for words, let alone blubbering. "

 

**********

 

"Is it really true?" Toni said as she came into the lab. She was followed by the rest of the group. "Nick said I'm pregnant. At least that's what I think he said. He and LaCroix were babbling so much, I could hardly understand them."

 

"Impending fatherhood will sometimes do that to a man. Before I give you an absolute yes, I'd like to do a more comprehensive exam. If all of you would wait outside just a little bit longer ... " She pointed to the door. Mumbling and grumbling, they left. They had to practically drag Nick out.

 

A few minutes later, Nat and Toni came to the door of the examining room.

 

"I can definitely say that Toni is pregnant. My best guess is about eight to ten weeks."

 

There were cheers, and hugs were passed out freely.

 

**********

Brabant, France 1210

 

Catherine looked at her husband. Girard de Brabant was grinning from ear to ear. "It's true." She said. "After all these years, we are going to have another baby. When so much time passed after Nicholas and it did not happen, I began to think he would be an only child. Now, at last, he shall have a sister or brother."

 

Thirteen year old Nicholas came into the room where his parents were talking. "Maybe I don't want a little sister or brother. You promised me a new pony for my birthday!" He pouted.

 

"Nicholas! Is that any way to talk to your mother? And why are you here? You were not given permission to join us." Girard said disapprovingly to his son. "Just for that, you will definitely not get a pony. Go to your room until you are ready to apologize for your insolence."

 

"Girard!" Catherine said softly, laying her hand on top of her husband's shoulder. "Do not be so hard on him. For all these years, the boy has been the center of our attention. Now he finds that he must share that place with someone else. Someone who hasn't even been born yet. Give him time to adjust to it. I know that he will set an excellent standard for this little one. After all, he has so many of his father's best qualities."

 

"How did I ever deserve someone as wonderful and intelligent as you?" Girard said, putting his arms around his wife. "Very well, Nicholas, you do not have to go to your room."

 

"Thank you, father." Nicholas sighed heavily. "Mother, if you have to have a baby, could it please be a boy? I can be a pal to a brother. I have to be a protector to a girl."

 

"We have no choice in that matter, Nicholas. It has already been decided for us. We will know in about six months whether it is a boy or girl."

 

"Six months?" Nicholas gave another sigh. "I've waited this long for a brother or sister, I guess we will all just have to wait a bit longer."

 

"Nicholas." Girard said, placing his hands lovingly on his son's shoulders. "Why don't you go down to the stable and have the stablemaster show you some of the yearling horses in the herd. Pick out a favorite. It is yours. I know that your birthday isn't for another three months, but consider this as your present."

 

"A real horse? For me? What about the pony?"

 

"Ponies are for children. Not for big brothers."

 

**********

Los Angeles

 

Nick and LaCroix practically carried Toni into the apartment. Over her objections, LaCroix laid her on the couch while Nick went into the bedroom and returned with a blanket. He tucked it tightly around her. "Are you sure you wouldn't be more comfortable in bed?" He asked.

 

"I'd be a lot more comfortable if the two of you would get out of my face." She fumed. "I have to go to the store. We have nothing to eat, thanks to that broken power line, and if I don't do the shopping, we'll starve. Or at least I'll starve. And the baby with me!"

 

Nick was at her side in an instant with a pencil and paper. "Make out the list. We'll do the shopping for you. You need your rest."

 

"You two? Do the shopping? Okay. Pop quiz time. What cereal do I like? How much lunch meat do I buy? What brand of detergent do I use? How many loaves of bread do we need? Instant or regular coffee? Decaffeinated? What about fruit?" She watched the expressions on their faces go blanker and blanker with each question.

 

"All right. Point taken. You may shop, but we'll go with you. I don't want you overdoing it." Nick said.

 

"Nicholas! I am pregnant. I am not an invalid. There are many women in third world countries, and even here in the US, who work hard physical jobs right up to the time of their delivery. It doesn't affect them and so I am certain a trip to the supermarket is not going to harm me."

 

"I do not care what those other women do. They are not going to have my grandchild." LaCroix said indignantly. "You are. You will not overtax yourself."

 

**********

 

Toni sat on the bench at the front of the Safeway. "No, LaCroix. Get the large size. And buy the store brand."

 

"You will have only the best."

 

"Economics 101. Lesson for today. The best is not always the most expensive. The store brand is the same quality as this and it's forty cents cheaper. Now go."

 

LaCroix shot her a dirty look and disappeared back into the aisles.

 

"And what do you have there?" She asked as Nick came to the shopping cart with his arms loaded with packages.

 

"Anchovy Pizza. Peanut butter. Gefeltefish. Pickles. And Rocky Road Ice Cream." He counted as he dropped the things in the cart. "I know pregnant women get strange cravings and I want to be prepared."

 

"Nicholas de Brabant Knight! Put them back! I hate anchovies. Gefeltefish, E-Yu-u-ck! And if you HAVE to get pickles, make them bread and butters, not dills. Leave the peanut butter and the Rocky Road, though. Now, where is the cottage cheese you were supposed to get?"

 

Nick only gave her a blank look and shrugged his shoulders. LaCroix returned with a huge package.

 

"NO! NO! Not the Super Giant Industrial Size. The Large!"

 

"They don't have it in large."

 

"Yes they do. I buy it all the time. I tell you what. It will be much less stressful and a lot faster if you two sit on the bench and I do the shopping."

 

Nick went to talk with the greeter and returned a minute later riding a Mart kart. "Okay, but only if you use this."

 

Toni sighed as she seated herself in the cart. "It's going to be a lo-o-o-ng seven months." She thought.

 

**********

 

" ... Yes Mom, you heard what I said. I'm pregnant."

 

" ... What do you mean did we use artificial insemination? Nick's the father."

 

" ... I know. A vampire isn't supposed to be able to father children, but he did and we are."

 

" ... No, Mom. We did not have an in vitro fertilization. We did it the usual way."

 

" ... Sometime in late April or early May."

 

" ... Mom, don't cry. I know you're happy for Nick and me. We're happy too."

 

" ... I love you too, Mom."

 

" ... Bye Mom. Give my love to Sherry and Ron and kiss Jay and Nellie for me."

 

**********

 

A cheer went up from the place as Nick walked into the squad room.

 

"There he is! The man of the hour!" One of the detectives called out.

 

"You don't waste any time, do you?" Jerry Davies said, handing him a cigar. "Husband and father in just six weeks time."

 

"How did you ...?" Nick's desk was festooned with pink and blue streamers. Beanie Babies and teddy bears sat on every open area. Every other space was filled with booties, rattles, and pacifiers.

 

"Tracy told me the good news last Wednesday." Mike Taylor said. "I guess I might have mentioned it to one or two people."

 

"Guys and gals. Thanks." Nick said, blushing as much as he could. "This means a lot to Toni and me."

 

"So. How was Europe? Where did you go and what did you see?"

 

"With a beautiful bride like Toni, you really think he ever saw anything more than the bedroom?"

 

"How do you think she got pregnant so fast?"

 

"All right, kiddies." Inspector Ganlon said as he came in the room. "This isn't a maternity ward or a comedy club. It's a police station. Let's get some work done. Chop. Chop." He shouted to the office at large. "The next person I catch slacking off gets to wear this." He picked up the baby bonnet that had been perched on top of Nick's lamp. Suddenly there was the sound of a multitude of keyboards clacking.

 

He went to Nick and clasped his hand. "Congratulations on everything, son. First your marriage to Toni, and now this." He leaned close and whispered in Nick's ear. "Come over to my office a little later. Marge and I have got a little something for the kid."

 

**********

 

Nick was waiting by the Caddy when Toni came off shift. She was carrying a large cardboard box filled with baby things. On the top sat a teddy bear dressed in a green infant's shirt and a diaper. A pacifier had been stuck in the bear's mouth.

 

"I see they got you, too." Nick said as he took the box from her and put it in the back seat next to his box. "Amazing how fast word can spread."

 

"What is that?" Toni asked.

"What is what?" Nick replied, looking intently at the night sky.

 

"In the back seat."

 

"What does it look like?"

 

"A five foot tall purple dinosaur."

 

"That's what it is."

 

"I know that. What's it doing in the Caddy?"

 

"Sitting."

 

"NICHOLAS!"

 

"It's a present from Bill and Marge Ganlon. For the baby."

 

As they walked into the living room, Toni gasped and tried hard not to laugh out loud. There were baby things, toys, clothing, and furniture on every surface. LaCroix sat in the middle of the floor maneuvering an electric train around its track. Actually, it was the only place to sit, since the couch and chairs all held an assortment of stuffed bears, doggies and kitties. There was even a giant panda. On the floor in front of the couch stood a two wheel bicycle.

 

"I just wanted to make sure it worked." Was his only explanation.

 

"LaCroix!" Toni said, putting her arms around him and kissing the back of his head. "I don't know who is worse, the eight hundred year old kid or the two thousand year old kid. But why a twenty six inch bicycle? The baby won't be able to ride it until he or she is at least ten years old, and it hasn't even been born yet."

 

"Because this apartment is too small for a pony."

 

**********

 

"Cap! I want this case!" Nick yelled, his fists planted firmly on Jerry Davies's desk.

 

"And for the fourth time in as many minutes, the answer is NO!" Jerry Davies yelled back.

 

"But he's killed three pregnant women!"

 

"And Toni's pregnant. I can understand where you're coming from, but Dominguez and Heller are first class detectives. It's their case, and I've got everybody I can spare working around the clock to solve it.

 

"You don't have me."

 

"I can't spare you. You and Taylor will have your hands full with the Findler murder case. It goes to trial next week and you two will be tied up in court for the next three months or more. From what I understand, the defense is preparing to nit pick this one until the Simpson case will look like a romp in the park. If you want, I'll put a tail on Toni until this maniac is caught."

 

"Can you put a guard on every pregnant woman in Southern California?"

 

Jerry Davies lowered his eyes.

 

"I didn't think so. Let me work on this one too. I can do it and handle the Findler case at the same time

 

"For the fifth time. What part of 'NO' don't you understand, Detective Sergeant Knight. We've invested too much time in the Findler case. I don't want him to walk because my detective got sloppy. That's an order, DO YOU READ ME?"

 

"I can always go to Ganlon."

 

"The orders came from him."

 

**********

 

" ... And so I want to hire your people to keep around the clock watch over Toni until this case is solved." Nick said to Tracy. "I'll pay anything you want to charge."

 

"No." Tracy answered.

 

"You mean you won't take the case?" Nick said in surprise.

 

"I mean ... I'll do it myself. No charge. If it weren't for you and Toni, I'd still be a vegetable in that nursing home. I owe you both. Big time. Besides, it'll be much less obvious if her best friend is there with her all the time. I want to see this creep behind bars, too. We'll give you any help we can. My entire staff is at your disposal."

 

"Thanks, Tracy. I love you." He said kissing her lightly on the cheek.

 

"Hey, what are partners for."

**********

Toni looked at her expanding figure. According to Natalie, she was in her fifth month, but she looked and felt like a house. She had started wearing maternity outfits when she was only about three and a half months along. Her musings were interrupted by the door buzzer. It couldn't be Nick, Clarissa or LaCroix. They all had keys, not that LaCroix needed one. His usual mode of entry was through the skylight.

 

Tracy had a key too. She had been there nearly every day for the past two months. Toni was grateful for the help, but she wondered when Tracy found the time to do her own job. She was glad, though. The Maternity Killer, as the papers called him, was still on the loose. He had killed two more women and the police weren't even close to solving it. According to the department grapevine, they didn't even have any solid leads. With Nick tied up in court every day, it felt good to have someone there with her.

 

When she opened the door, she saw why they had buzzed. Both Nick and his father had their arms loaded with packages and bags. LaCroix was dragging a huge red wagon, also filled with packages.

 

"If you two don't stop this, we'll have to buy another apartment unit just for the baby things." Toni chided. "A wagon?"

 

"Every child should have a red wagon!" LaCroix pronounced, putting his packages on the couch. "Don't you agree, little one?" He put his head to Toni's stomach. Suddenly his eyes became large as saucers and a huge grin spread across his face. "Nicholas! Come here." He called.

 

"Isn't it amazing?" Nick said. "I've felt the baby moving and kicking, too."

 

"No." LaCroix said, pointing to her abdomen. "Listen!"

 

Nick put his ear to her. A huge smile filled his face. He went into the bathroom and returned a few moments later with the stethoscope from the medical kit. He put it into Toni's ears and put the plate on her belly. She grinned too. That was why she was so huge. There were two heartbeats.

 

**********

 

"Definitely twins." Natalie said to Nick and Toni. They had gone back to the Maison so Natalie could confirm it. "And if this amniocentesis is correct, there is an XY chromosome and an XX chromosome present. That means you are going to have a boy ... and a girl. Would you like to see them? I was going to do a sonogram this month anyway." She smeared some lubricating jelly on Toni's abdomen and maneuvered the sensor over the area of the uterus. "Watch the screen."

 

At first, all that Nick could see was a bunch of wavy lines, but then he gasped. There, in the middle of the screen, were the images of two tiny babies. He could see everything, their faces, their tiny hands and feet. They were perfect. Natalie moved the sensor and he could make out the genital areas. Yes, the one on the left was definitely a boy!

 

"Want a picture of your son and your daughter?" She pressed a button and a hardcopy of the monitor was etched line by line on the paper in the printer. From the expression on Nick's face, he might as well have been given a rare masterpiece.

 

**********

Brabant

 

Nicholas placed his hand on his mother's abdomen. His father glared at him and reached to take it away.

 

"Let the boy feel his sibling. He cannot do any damage." Catherine de Brabant said.

 

Nicholas grinned widely. "He kicked me." He gasped.

 

"He?" Girard said. " Do you know something we don't, young Master de Brabant?"

 

"No. But I want a brother so bad. I guess I'm just hoping."

 

"It could very well be a boy." Catherine said. "I remember when Nicholas was in there. He kicked so much I thought I was carrying a wildcat. Sometimes I'm not so sure I didn't birth a young tiger. This one is much the same way."

 

**********

Los Angeles

 

"You still love her." Toni said as they lay in their bed. "That is not a question. That's a fact. I know you love me with all your heart and soul, and you always will, but I also know that you still love Natalie as well. I see it in your eyes every time you look at her. I know that if things were different, she would be laying here beside you. She would be having your babies. Maybe in some alternate universe Nicholas Knight and Natalie Lambert are husband and wife. I certainly hope so. I don't know how to say this without it sounding wrong, but have you ever wished that you could have made love to her the way you make love to me?"

 

Nick only sighed deeply.

 

"You don't have to answer that. I can read it in your thoughts. Our link is getting very strong, you know. I wish you could do it too. If it weren't for her help and encouragement, we never would have come this far. I wish there was a way that she could know your love as I do."

 

Nick kissed her softly, yet passionately. "I really am the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have you as my wife."

 

**********

 

Nick pulled the wire from the wall and bent it straight. He picked up the box and checked to see which side the wire went to.

 

"What are you doing?" Toni asked.

 

"I'm wiring an outlet box so we can hook up the baby monitor. That way when the babies cry, we can hear it from anywhere in the house."

 

"We don't have a baby monitor."

"We will. LaCroix is buying one now. By the time he gets here with it, I'll have this box hooked in."

 

"Did you remember to turn off the electricity at the fuse box before you started?"

 

"No." He said, picking up a pair of wire cutters. "But don't worry, I know what I'm ... Y-E-E-E-A-A-A-H-H-H !"

 

**********

 

Nick slowly opened his eyes. He was in bed and Natalie was standing over him.

 

"Welcome back to the world of the nearly living. How did it feel to have a zillion jolts of electricity going through you?"

 

"That's volts."

 

"In your case it is jolts. You were thrown clear across the room and you hit your head on the wall." Natalie closed her medical kit and started toward the door. "I guess now that you're awake and coherent I can go."

 

"I remember."

 

"What?"

 

"I remember. Everything. Do you recall when I was shot in the head and lost my memory?"

Natalie nodded.

 

"Most of it came back, but in disjointed bits and pieces. LaCroix filled in the blanks. Some things he recounted the way they actually happened, some, the way he wanted me to remember them. Either way, they were not my memories. It was like I was reading a book or watching a movie of my life. They were just facts. There were no emotions associated with the events. That shock of electricity must have jogged my memory. Now I remember what it felt like to be brought across. My first kill. How I felt when I woke up on that gurney and looked into your face for the first time. I remember it all."

 

"Good. I'm so very happy for you, now that you're whole again." She said, beaming. Her aura shone a bright white.

 

"Wait." Nick said, taking her hand and motioning for her to sit on the edge of the bed. "I'm not sure how to say this ... I don't even know if I should ... I guess the only way to do it is to come right out and ask." He took a beep breath and slowly let it out. "Natalie, have you ever thought about what it would have been like if we would have been able to ... you know ... make love?

Before you go freaking out about how I'm a married man and all that, it was Toni who suggested it. I love her with every breath in me, but I love you the same way. She knows that. She wants you to know my love too. She wants you to share some of the joy and happiness you have given to us. I want it too. With all my heart and soul."

 

"I'd be lying if I said I never thought about it."

 

"Will you ... Can you ... Let me make love to you?"

 

Natalie did not answer.

 

"You don't want to?"

 

"It's not that. I need permission. We aren't in control of our actions here. Everything we do must be approved. By HIM." She faded from sight.

 

Schanke walked out of the shadows. "So. You two are finally going to get it together. About time, partner."

 

"Do you think she'll get permission?"

 

Schanke nodded "With the love that you two have for each other? Piece of cake."

 

"Tell me. Do you and Myra ever ... "

 

"Every night. Of course she doesn't know that I'm there with her. She thinks it's a dream or a memory. Here comes Nat. Good luck."

 

"HE said yes. There's just one catch, though. Mortal love only. No fangs."

 

"You don't trust me? You know I won't hurt you. I've learned a lot since ... that night. You know I can control the vampire."

 

"It's not you. You forget what I am. If you were to taste from me, it would have the same effect on you as drinking holy water."

 

He pulled her gently to the bed. "No fangs." He said as he planted butterfly kisses across her forehead. "I promise."

 

**********

 

He caressed the smooth skin of her shoulders, his head nestled in the base of her neck. "That was fantastic." He whispered. "Even the vampire was satisfied. While I didn't bite you, I could still feel your blood pulsing through your veins and I remembered how you tasted the last time we ... " He sighed.

 

"I am completely satisfied too. I know now what Toni meant when she said she wanted me to know your love like she does. It's truly beautiful, and I am grateful to her for being so generous. Not every woman would want to do that. I don't know if I could do it."

 

"But Toni is not just any woman. That's why I love her so. But then, I love you, too." Nick began kissing her repeatedly, working up the neck and the cheek. She put her fingers on his lips.

 

"No. As much as I would like to make love to you again, you must understand that it has to be a one time thing." She put her head against his bare chest. "That's part of the rules."

 

"But Schanke and Myra do it ... "

 

"But Schanke and Myra were married to each other. You are married to Toni. Your love belongs to her now."

 

Nick sighed and rolled on his back. "I know. I guess once will have to be enough, then. I will remember this night forever. It's like some incredible dream come true."

 

She propped herself on one elbow. "How do you know it isn't a dream, Nick? Sleep now." She kissed his closed eyelids. "I love you Nicholas Knight."

 

"I love you Natalie Lambert." Nick murmured as he drifted into a deep slumber.

 

**********

 

Toni ran her fingers along his cheek. Nick blinked his eyes open and a smile crossed her face as he took her hand and brought it to his lips.

 

"Thank goodness you're awake." She said. "We've all been worried sick."

 

"Where's Nat?" He asked.

 

"She's not here. I tried to summon her, but she didn't appear."

 

"She was here. She must have materialized while you were gone. Do you remember what we talked about yesterday? You know, about my making love to her?"

"Darling, that was two days ago. Do you remember putting in an outlet box for the babies' room? That was yesterday. You cut a live wire and you've been out for almost twenty four hours. I've been with you almost all the time since then."

 

"But she was here." Nick insisted. "We made love. It was real."

 

"It was real to you. As you have often said, hallucinations can be very real to the person having them. You called her name several times but she was never here. She was with you, though. In your mind. I felt her through our link. Now the three of us are bonded through our love for each other." She reached over and kissed his cheek. " I love you Nicholas Knight."

 

"I love you Atonia Knight."

 

A man in his middle thirties entered the room. He was of medium height, perhaps 5 feet 8 or 9, well built, and had deep brown, almost black, eyes. His face was topped by a massive shock of sandy brown hair. He extended his hand. "I'm Doctor Tom Nichols."

 

"When we couldn't reach Natalie, Clarissa brought Tom. He's in charge of the clinic at the Maison."

 

"I know all about the situation here, Mr. Knight. Clarissa, Mrs. Knight, and Mr. LaCroix have told me everything. I know that Doctor Natalie Lambert is a ghost and that she has been treating you and your wife for the past three years."

 

"You don't find our ... arrangement a bit strange? And please. It's Nick and Toni."

 

"When you've removed stakes and other objects from enough vampires, nothing seems weird anymore." He said with a smile. "I have the same arrangement with the Community here as they tell me Dr. Lambert had with the Toronto Community.

 

Now. Let's have a look at you." He took out a small penlight and shone it in one eye and then the other. "Good. Reacting normally. Considering you took enough electricity to electrocute a mortal and you split your skull nearly in half when you hit the wall, you are recovering nicely." He lifted the covers and removed an IV tube that was hooked to a bag of blood feeding into Nick's stomach. "I don't think you'll need any more of this.

 

I've also been talking with Mrs. Knight ... Toni ... and with your permission, I would like to take over as the doctor of record for her pregnancy. I know that Dr. Lambert will want to stay active, and please tell her that she's welcome to use my offices any time she wants. My knowledge of vampire physiology is not nearly as extensive as hers must have been. Do you know if she kept any notes or journals?"

 

"There is a trunk in the storage room." Nick said. " It's part of the things she left me in her will. There may be something in there. I've never opened it. It was too painful. I think now would be a good time to do that."

 

Tom helped Nick drag the trunk into the basement hallway. It wasn't that heavy or that large, but Nick was still a little weak from his shock. Nick took a key and carefully opened the lock. There were photos of him and Nat. A CD of Always and Forever, their song. The card with one of the flowers pressed in from her birthday was there, too. There was the Santa hat that he had worn for the Children's Hospital Christmas Party one year. She had to practically badger him to do that. And the heart shaped box that had once been filled with chocolates. He gave that to her for a Valentines Day gift another time. There was a diary, but it was mostly her personal thoughts. Nick was mentioned frequently, but there was no hint of anything concerning her research. There was, however, a video cassette with a note taped to it. 'This is what you are seeking' was written on it.

 

He put it in the VCR. Natalie's face appeared on the screen.

 

"Nick. If you are watching this, it can mean only one thing. I am no longer among the living. I hope and pray that my death was not too traumatic for you. You mustn't blame yourself.  However I died, I am certain it wasn't your fault. You know I will always love you. One way or another, we will always be together. I hope you will continue to seek to regain your humanity. Everything you need to pursue that quest is in this trunk. You know, don't you, that when you think you have reached the bottom, there is always more to find. I love you, Nicholas Knight."

The screen went blank.

 

Nick put his hand over the spot where Natalie's face had been. "I love you, Natalie Lambert." He murmured as he wiped the tears from his cheeks.

 

He searched the trunk one more time. There still was nothing that hinted at her research. Again he went through the contents of the trunk. Again nothing. Again. Nothing. "It's got to be here." He said in frustration. "What was it she said. 'When you think you have reached the bottom, there's always more to find.' there's a clue there, but what is it?" He went through the items one more time. Like all the other times, they yielded no more information than before. Angrily, he pounded on the floor of the trunk. It was hollow sounding. That was it! There was a false bottom! He got a steak knife and carefully cut the fabric along the edge. Using the knife, he gently pried the bottom off. There, hidden in the secret compartment, were two maroon notebooks. Reverently, he lifted them out.

 

He opened the first one and began reading. Although they were carefully worded to avoid mentioning Nick or vampirism by name, he was referred to as 'the patient' and vampirism was 'the condition'. There was no question or doubt. These were Natalie's journals.

 

**********

 

Nick woke with a start. He glanced at Toni sleeping peacefully beside him. There was someone else in the apartment. Nick could sense him. It was a vampire. A very strong vampire. Probably an Enforcer. Carefully he made his way to the living room. He could see no one. Suddenly, he felt a hand pressing hard against the nerve at the base of his neck. A stinging, searing wave of pain shot through his skull and then there was black.

 

As the darkness lifted, Nick was aware that he was no longer in appeared to be some sort of a waiting room. He had not been tied in any way. He did have a throbbing headache, though. There was another chair beside his, and LaCroix lay slumped in it. In front of them stood two vampires. Nick recognized the scent of one of them as the vampire in his apartment.

 

LaCroix groaned and in the next instant, he was in full vampire. Yellow eyes, long fangs and all. He lunged at one of the Enforcers, and for his efforts received a sucker punch to the solar plexus from the other. With a painful grunt, he doubled over and sank back into the chair.

Wordlessly, the two picked them up, none too gently, and led them through a door in the wall in front of them.

 

The next room was in darkness except for a single shaft of light in what Nick assumed was the middle. He looked around, but he could not identify the source. In the center of the circle of light, on a throne-like chair, sat a woman dressed in long, gold trimmed red robes edged in black fur. Her long, flowing gray hair was topped by a small tiara. On her lap sat a jet black cat with

gold-yellow eyes. The woman looked to be about seventy or seventy five, but Nick could tell that she was incredibly old, and incredibly powerful. She was one of the Ancients. He knew of them, but until now, he had never seen one. The two Enforcers released Nick and LaCroix and took their places behind her, feet spread slightly apart, hands behind their backs, eyes front, in a form of military parade rest.

 

"Sean!" She said sharply to the vampire that had hit LaCroix. "Remember your manners. He is an elder, not some Belfast hoodlum. He deserves respect, not a punch in the stomach." Sean hung his head.

 

"Accept my apologies for him." She said. "He is very young. He was brought across during the Irish Troubles. He will be dealt with, I assure you."

 

She held her right hand toward LaCroix. On her middle finger was an enormous blood red ruby ring. In the center of the ruby, was set a diamond like jewel. It sparkled and danced as if it had a life of its own. LaCroix bowed low and took her hand in his. With his eyes on the ring, he kissed it reverently. "My Lady Zera." He said softly.

 

"Lucius." She said in acknowledgment, and he straightened up. He kept his head bowed and his eyes focused on the floor. It was a definite position of subservience.

 

She held her hand to Nick and he followed LaCroix's example. Eyes lowered, he, too kissed the ring. "Lady Zera." He said.

 

"De Brabant." She replied. "You know why we have called you here." It was not so much a question as a statement of fact.

 

Nick had been expecting a visit from the Enforcers, but he never expected to be summoned before an Ancient. There had been considerable controversy in the Community about his marriage to Toni, and when the word that they were expecting got around, many of the more outspoken vampires had proposed that Toni and the infants be brought across as soon as the babies were born. Others wanted Toni killed immediately and Nicholas staked. As an example to any other vampires who might have similar thoughts. A few even volunteered to do the staking. Only their fear of LaCroix's retribution held them back.

 

Nick nodded. "It is because of my marriage and my unborn children." He stated.

 

"We have no objection to your marriage. Many of our Community have taken mortal spouses. In fact, we think that Atonia is quite charming. It is the fact that you, too, have become mortal again. How else could you have impregnated her." She looked directly at LaCroix. "And you have done nothing to remedy that situation."

 

"There is no need to do anything, my Lady." LaCroix answered. "Nicholas is still a vampire."

 

Lady Zera looked at Nick. He closed his eyes and concentrated, willing the vampire to the surface. He opened his mouth and a look of surprise covered Lady Zera's face as his fangs began to elongate. When he opened his eyes, they were yellow. He closed his mouth and the fangs returned to their original position and his eyes slowly became blue again. "It is true, Lady Zera. As you can see, I am still a vampire. I always will be a vampire. According to my physician, I can control the vampire and the mortal so that which ever one I need is the one that is dominant."

 

"We are aware of Dr. Lambert. We know that she has ministered to your health needs, both as a mortal and now as a spirit. We will accept her explanation. There are many in the Community, however, who will not be so easily convinced. You must prove conclusively that you are still one of us, and you must do it quickly."

 

"I have sworn an oath never to deliberately take another human life. I will not break that oath."

 

"Think carefully, De Brabant. If you do not act soon, we cannot guarantee your safety or that of your wife and children. We may not even be able to protect you, Lucius."

 

She held out her hand again, signifying that the audience was ended. Nick and LaCroix kissed the ring. Sean and the other vampire moved behind him and LaCroix. Again, there was a blinding pain inside his head as the vampire pressed a nerve in his neck.

 

When he regained consciousness, both he and LaCroix were slumped on the couch in his living room.

 

**********

 

"Nick!" Captain Davies said in exasperation. "If you ask me that one more time, I'm going to write you up."

 

"But why not? The Findler case went to the jury yesterday. We won't be needed there any more. I know that everyone is working their butts off, but they could always use some more help. He just killed another woman, and who knows when he is going to strike again."

 

Davies reached in his desk drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper. "That does it, Knight! You're on report."

 

Nick put his hand on his superior's arm and made eye contact. Davies's heartbeat filled his ears. "You don't want to do that." He said softly. "You really want to put me on the case."

 

"On second thought." Davies said, putting the paper back into the drawer. "Why don't you go and see if you can give Dominguez and Heller some help."

 

"Thanks, Cap." Nick said as he bolted for the door. "You won't regret it."

 

Jerry Davies shook his head sharply as Nick closed his door behind him. "Why did I do that?" He said to no one in particular. "When Ganlon finds out about this, he's going to shave my tail with a rusty razor."

 

Dominguez and Heller were as different as two human beings could be. Rafael Dominguez was a huge, beefy Hispanic with a lion's mane of unruly black hair. He was naturally outgoing and pleasant and almost always had a smile on his face. He reminded Nick a little of Javier Vachon. Peter Heller, by contrast, was the stereotype Barney Fife. Small and pencil thin, he had only a monk's fringe of graying blonde hair. He wore thick horn rimmed glasses that gave him an owl like appearance. As outgoing as Rafe was, Peter was that shy and introverted. He rarely spoke unless spoken to, and then with a slight stutter. In spite of his appearance, he was a formidable police officer, and he had a drawer full of medals to prove it. When they were on a case, Dominguez and Heller functioned seamlessly, as though they were of one mind. Occasionally, they even finished each other's sentences.

 

Heller pointed to a blackboard. On it was a chart with pieces of post-it notes stuck in various squares. "Here's what we got. Six women murdered. There doesn't seem to be any connection except that they were all pregnant. The last one was white. Two were black. One Hispanic. One oriental and one part Indian. All from different socio-economic backgrounds and as far as we can tell, none of them knew any of the others."

 

"We're checking out all of the places they may have visited." Dominguez continued. " Do you know how many maternity shops there are in Southern California? Oh that's right. I forgot. You do know. We've narrowed it down to these seven stores." He pointed to a row of names across the top of the chart. "Right now, we're doing background checks on all the employees. It's like wading through oatmeal, though. Some shops have only a few workers. Others have dozens. Then there are the former employees. Not to mention mailing lists."

 

Peter handed Nick a stack of folders. "Here, use this terminal. It's been already set up."

 

"What am I looking for?"

 

"You'll know when you find it." Rafe called out.

 

**********

 

Jerry Davies turned off the monitor. "Nick. Go home. You've been at this for two days straight. You've been sitting in that chair so long, the cleaning people are getting ready to dust you as part of the furniture"

 

Nick looked at the wall clock. It was 6 PM. In another hour, the sun would be down. "Just let me finish this one folder and I promise I'll leave"

 

"Okay, but if you're still here after 8 o'clock, I'll have you handcuffed and shackled and escorted home in a cruiser." He turned the monitor back on.

 

"Dominguez! Come here!" Nick said as he typed in the command for a screen print of the information. "I think we may have something in this one. His name is Philip Young. He's a salesman at the Great Expectations Maternity Boutique. He was arrested last year at a demonstration outside an abortion clinic. He nearly killed a pro life demonstrator. During questioning, he said that his wife and unborn child had died shortly before. He may be worth talking to."

 

"Great work." Rafael said. "We'll take a trip over to the Great Expectations and have a little chat with Mr. Young. In the meantime, you had better get your buns home before Davies gift wraps them."

 

"Come on, Partner. I'll take you home." Mike volunteered. "That way we all can be sure you get there and don't decide to pull some unauthorized overtime. Tracy can bring me back to the station."

 

**********

 

"Hello, Mrs. Knight. I'm from the Great Expectations Maternity Boutique." The voice on the answering machine said. Toni picked up the phone. "I'm calling to inform you that you have been selected as this month's winner of a ten dollar gift certificate. If you can come in tonight, we can arrange for your prize to be awarded to you by our general manager."

 

"I was planning to come in anyway. I need some new slacks. When you are carrying twins, it really pulls the bejeebers out of the waistbands."

 

"No problem, Mrs. Knight. You can use your gift certificate to buy them."

 

**********

 

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Tracy said. They had been shopping for only a few minutes when Toni wavered slightly. "After all, Dr. Nichols said that your blood pressure was slightly down and you were showing some signs of anemia. I could have gotten the slacks and the certificate for you."

 

"I'm all right." Toni said, leaning against one of the racks at the Boutique. "I had to get out of the house. I've been shut up so long I'm going stir crazy. Nick, Tom, LaCroix and Natalie have been watching over me like a flock of mother hens. I know that they're just concerned for me, what with the Maternity Killer still on the loose. It's a wonder Nick hasn't hired a squad of private detectives to shadow me everywhere I go."

 

< If only you knew. > Tracy thought.

 

"Is everything all right." A sales clerk came over to them. He took Toni's arm and led her to a bench. He was in his late twenties, slender, dark haired, and not bad looking. "If you would like to rest in the managers office ... "

 

"She would." Tracy said.

 

"Could you go to the ladies room and get some wet paper towels to put on her forehead?" He asked Tracy as he escorted Toni toward the back of the store.

 

Once in the office, he helped Toni into a chair and took a cloth out of a plastic bag. "Here, breathe this. It's smelling salts."

 

He pressed it hard against her nose. There was a gray green ringing in her ears.

 

**********

 

Nick's cell phone rang. He reached around the seatbelt and put it to his ear. "Knight."

 

"Nick!" Tracy said in a panic. "It's Toni. We went to the Great Expectations to get some slacks. She wasn't feeling well and one of the sales clerks took her into the manager's office. I went to get some towels and when I got to the office, she was gone. They both were gone. I never should have left her alone."

 

"It's okay. You had no way of knowing anything would happen. What was the sales clerk's name?" He already suspected what Tracy would answer.

 

"The name on the badge was Phil."

 

"Dominguez and Heller will be there in a few minutes. So will we. Sit tight until then"

 

"Head for the Great Expectations." He ordered Mike. "And Step On It!"

 

**********

 

Toni shook the fog from her head. She could still smell the sickly sweet odor of chloroform in her nostrils. She was laying on a bed and her hands and feet were tied securely. The clerk from the boutique was standing over her.

 

"Good. I see you are no worse for your experience. I'm sorry I had to bring you here, Mrs. Knight, but I couldn't do it in the store. Too messy, you know."

 

"You're the Maternity Killer, aren't you?" She said.

 

"That is such a disgusting appellation. I am only doing what has to be done."

 

"Why?" She asked. She reached through her link to her husband. < NICK! > She sent. < HELP ME! COME FLYING! >

 

"It's a long story, Mrs. Knight. But, since you are next, you ought to know the whole story. Last year, my wife was expecting. Just like you. Of course, we weren't going to have twins. Oh, I know. The doctors told her that we should not have any children because she had severe diabetes. We both wanted a child so bad, so I simply flushed her birth control pills down the toilet and replaced them with sugar candies."

 

He brought a bowl of candies. "Would you like a snack? I can feed them to you. I used to do that for Evie. That was her name. My wife. Anyway, the good Lord saw fit that Evie became pregnant. The doctors wanted to end the pregnancy right away. They said she wouldn't be able to carry it to term. They said it could be bad for her, and for the baby. I wouldn't let them take our baby. After all, a baby is a gift from God. Don't you think?"

 

< NICK! HE'S THE KILLER! HELP ME! > She screamed mentally.

 

"After that, I quit taking her to doctors. They were nothing but a bunch of quacks anyway. Then when she started bleeding and the pain got so bad, I had no choice but to take her to the emergency room. The doctor there said they couldn't do anything for her. He said I had waited too long to bring her in. He was a quack, too. Are you sure you won't have anything to eat?" He picked up a chocolate. "This one is mint. Evie liked the mint ones."

 

< NICK! HURRY! HE'S INSANE! >

**********

 

Nick braced against the back of the car seat. Toni was reaching to him through their link. He could tell she was frightened out of her wits. < Toni. > He sent back. < Keep calm. Where are you? Can you see a window or anything that would give me your whereabouts? >

 

Toni took a deep breath. Nick was with her, if only in her mind. The sales clerk was still droning on about his wife and did not seem to be paying any attention to her. There was a window, but it faced the wall of another house. No unusual features or identifying markings. Then she saw it. On the nightstand beside the bed. An envelope with a name and address. Mr. Phillip Young. 7242 East Elm Ave. Los Angeles CA. She concentrated on the envelope, burning the information into her mind. "Please. Let our link be strong enough. Let Nick see it, too." She prayed.

 

"Pull over into the gas station." Nick told Mike. "When you gotta go, you gotta go." He ran into the mens room and came out a few seconds later holding his cell phone. "Just got a tip from a snitch." He scribbled the address he had gotten from Toni's link on a piece of paper and handed it to Mike. "If I'm not out in two minutes, go there. Just leave without me. That's an order. I still gotta go."

 

As soon as he was out of Mike's line of sight, he took to the air.

 

**********

 

He arrived at the address at the same time as LaCroix.

 

"Your link with me is still strong." LaCroix explained as they broke the front door down. They burst into the bedroom and stopped in their tracks.

 

Phillip had a butcher knife to Toni's throat. "Come one step closer and I'll kill her." He said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I don't want to, but it has to be done. The world is too overcrowded as it is. The Lord didn't want my baby to be born. I can't let her bring two more babies into the world, now can I?"

 

Before he could react, Nick grabbed him and pushed him against a wall. Nick's eyes were blood red and his fangs were fully elongated. "NO ONE TOUCHES MY FAMILY!" He growled. He bent Young's head to expose his neck.

 

"NICK! STOP!" Toni cried out. "Remember who you are! You are a police officer! You are sworn to protect life!"

 

"AND YOU ARE MY WIFE!" As he brought his fangs touching Phillip's neck, his head was forcefully jerked back.

 

LaCroix had him held firmly by the hair. "Nicholas! Remember your oath never to kill again!"

 

"He tried to kill Toni! He deserves to die! And since when do you give a damn about my oath?"

 

"Since I am not the same Lucien LaCroix that I was when you made it."

 

Nick looked at his master a long minute and then slowly released his terrified prey. At the same time, LaCroix let go of Nick. Young started to run. Before he could even take more than a few steps, LaCroix grabbed him and bent his head to the side. "I, however, made no such promise." His eyes were yellow and his fangs were long. He sank them into the Maternity Killer's throat.

Nick untied Toni and held her tightly. "It's all right. You're all right." He kept repeating as he rocked her gently. He dabbed at a few small drops of blood on her throat where the knife had cut into the skin. He put it to his lips. Her fear was tremendous. So was her relief.

 

"How shall we explain ... this?" LaCroix pointed to the body of Phillip Young. In the distance, they could hear sirens.

 

"I have an idea." Toni said. With a paper towel, she picked up the butcher knife from the floor where Young had dropped it. "Let me see, he was right handed." She put it in his right hand. "He untied me. He was about to kill me when I clawed him." She raked his throat with her fingernails, conveniently covering the fang marks. "Several times." She also scored his face and his chest. I tried to run and he chased me. He tripped and fell on the knife." Guiding his hand, she forcefully thrust the knife through his rib cage. Then she rolled him on his stomach. The point of the knife protruded through his back. "That's when you arrived."

 

"Davies was right." Nick said proudly. "She would have made a great cop."

 

< Or a superb vampire. > LaCroix thought.

 

Mike Taylor was the first through the door. "How did you get here before me?" He asked.

 

"It took longer in the mens room than I thought. Constipation. Anyway, when I came out, you were already gone. I called LaCroix, and he and I practically flew here."

 

**********

 

Nick tugged at the collar of his police uniform. No matter what he did, it chafed his neck. He hadn't known torture like this since the Inquisition. At least he wasn't alone. Everyone was in full dress. And in distress. Taylor kept straightening his tie. Dominguez was scratching his left shoulder. Ganlon was constantly adjusting the front of his jacket and Davies kept removing his cap to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Only Heller was calm, cool and collected. How did he do it?

 

They were seated on a makeshift stage on the steps of the courthouse. Dominguez, Heller, Taylor and Nick were to be given commendations for their work in solving the Maternity Killer case. In addition, Nick and Mike were to be honored as the Police Officers of the Year. Not only were there police brass, there was also the City Council members, the County Commissioners, and the Mayor. There was even a representative of the Governor's Office. They were playing this for all the positive publicity they could get out of it.

 

He squeezed Toni's hand. She, too, was being given an award. At least she didn't have to wear a uniform. He tugged at his collar again. Why couldn't they have held it indoors, where it was nice and cool. Although they were holding it in the evening in deference to Nick's 'allergy', it had to be at least 150 degrees, or so it seemed to Nick.

 

He felt a twinge of pain through the link. but it passed as quickly as it was there. "Are you all right?" He whispered.

 

Toni nodded. "It's just the heat. After all, I am in my eighth month." She said

 

The current speaker, the Governor's representative, droned on and on about justice ... and law and order ... and how the governor supported the efforts of the local police departments, etc. etc. etc. There was another pain. And another. This time there was definitely a look of anguish on her face.

 

< Trace. > He sent, hoping Tracy Vetter could read his thoughts. He felt Tracy touch his mind and then Toni's. A few seconds later, she was out of the audience and unobtrusively standing behind Toni. "I'll take her inside." Tracy said, helping Toni to her feet and assisting her inside the courthouse.

 

< Nick! Get in here! Now! Her water just broke! > Tracy's voice rang in his mind. Her powers of telepathy were getting stronger by the day. He could feel the contractions that were enveloping Toni.

 

He leaned to Ganlon. "Take the awards for me." He whispered. "Toni just went into labor. I've got to get her to the hospital."

 

De Brabant babies had the knack for being born at the most inopportune time.

 

**********

Brabant

 

"Gloria in excelsis Deo. (Glory to God in the Highest.)" Pere Martein intoned.

 

"Et in Terra pax hominibus. (And peace to men on earth.)" The congregation in the tiny chapel replied. Sunday Mass was mandatory at the Brabant castle, and Girard, Catherine and the entire staff were present. Nicholas, as usual, was the altar boy.

 

Suddenly, Catherine doubled over in pain. She gripped her husband's arm tightly. "Girard!" She whispered loudly. "We must leave. Now!"

 

"Not now. Can't you see Mass is in progress. Whatever it is, it can wait until it's over "

 

"Tell that to your son. He has miserable timing. The baby is coming. NOW!" She cried out loudly as another contraction started.

 

At her cry, Pere Martein stopped chanting and turned to them. "Is something wrong, Lord de Brabant?" He asked.

 

"We must leave, Father. My wife's time has been fulfilled. She is about to give birth."

 

"Go, then." He motioned to Nicholas. "Go with them. We will continue the Mass at a later time."

 

He made the sign of the cross over the congregation. "Dominus Vobiscum. (God go with you.)"

 

**********

Los Angeles

 

LaCroix, Tracy and Taylor, as well as nearly half the police department paced the tiny waiting room. Toni and Nick had been in the delivery suite for over twelve hours. There should be some news by now.

 

Nick wiped the sweat from Toni's forehead as another contraction gripped her. "Are you sure everything's okay?" He asked Tom Nichols. Natalie, unseen by everyone except Nick and Toni, stood behind Tom as he made yet another examination.

 

"Everything's fine. The babies are in good position and there is no sign of any fetal distress. As I've told you every time you have asked, first babies tend to be early and multiple births are even earlier. In this situation, there's nothing unusual about a eight month delivery. Relax! I haven't lost a father yet."

 

**********

Brabant

 

Girard, Nicholas, who was still in his altar clothes, and several of the household staff, as well as a few other knights from the surrounding provinces, gathered in the great hall.

 

"The nerve of him." Girard fumed. "At least he could have had the good sense to wait until after Mass was over to announce that he wished to be born." The ladies of the court and the midwife had been upstairs with Catherine for several hours.

 

"Who ever accused the de Brabants of having good sense?" Lord de Tangliux laughed. He had the province next to Brabant. "Remember Nicholas's birth?"

 

"Oh, yes." He put his hand on Nicholas's head. "You, my son, held up a war to be born."

 

"I did?"

 

"Yes. My brother-in-law, Your uncle, Lord de Labarre, envied my lands. Since I was without heir, they would have reverted to him when I died. When we found out that you were on the way, he knew he had to act quickly. The battle lines were drawn. Armies were recruited and trained. The fires had been lit and the songs had been sung. We were to engage each other in the morning. As I was riding to the front, a messenger arrived from the castle to inform me that Catherine had given birth the evening before and that it was a son. Now, there was no reason to wage war anymore."

 

"Then my birth was a good thing. Because of me, thousands of lives were spared."

 

"No. When the bloodlust is as strong as it was at that moment, it is extremely hard to suppress. Perhaps you will understand that someday, my son. There were bitter feelings on both sides for many years. Perhaps I shall rub his nose in it and send you to be his squire when you turn fifteen."

 

"Girard, you cannot be that cruel." Marquis de Shonte said.

 

"It's not cruelty. De Labarre is an excellent warrior. Nicholas will learn much from him."

 

"But father, I thought I would be your squire." Nicholas said disappointedly.

 

"I already have a squire. Your cousin Jean-Pierre."

 

"To Jean-Pierre!" One of the knights said, raising his cup. They all took a sip from their cups.

 

"To Nicholas!" They drank heartily. A servant refilled the cups.

 

"To De Labarre!" Another drink.

 

"To the new baby!" The servant filled the cups again.

 

"To Catherine!"

 

"To Girard!"

 

"To ... whatever"

 

"Hear, hear"

 

**********

Los Angeles

 

"Push!" Nick said, gripping Toni's hand tightly. According to Tom, the first baby was in the birth canal.

"Damn you, Nicholas de Brabant Knight, you blood-sucking sonofabitch! I'll stake you for this!" Toni screamed between clenched teeth as she bore down. "You weren't supposed to be able to do this to me in the first place, let alone two of them! A-A-A-Y-H"

 

He kissed her on the forehead. The Lamaze instructor had warned them that she would say things she didn't mean. "I love you, too. Now. Push!"

 

"You love me? You lying asshole! Good! YOU can go through this the next time! And I hope it's quadruplets! A-A-A-E-E-E-A-A-A H-H-H!"

 

"C'mon Toni. You're doing fine. A few more pushes like that, and this one will be out." Tom called out in encouragement.

 

"And I'll stake you right along with him!" Toni screamed. "O-O-O-H-H-A-W"

 

"The head is out ... One more good push ... Here come the shoulders ... The arms ... And here he is. It's a boy." There was a piercing wail as Joseph Lucien de Brabant Knight announced his arrival.

 

"He's beautiful." Nick said to Toni. "Just like his mother."

 

"We're not through yet." Tom reminded them. "Don't push until I tell you. His sister is not in the right position yet. She's a bit backwards. I'm going to have to turn her manually." He maneuvered the fetus through the wall of her abdomen until he was satisfied that the head was down . "Now! Push ... Push ... Push ... "

 

Toni nearly ripped Nick's hand off as she did as Tom directed her. Nick could see his daughter sliding out of her. Unlike her brother, she was tinged with blue and limp as a rag doll. Fear gripped him. Something was very wrong. A nurse quickly took the baby and cupped an oxygen mask over her tiny mouth and nose. Tom rubbed her back with one hand and smacked her legs repeatedly with the other. After what seemed like an eternity, Natalie Janette de Brabant Knight finally let everyone know she had been born.

 

A few contractions later, the placentas had been delivered and Nick was given the honor of cutting the umbilical cords. When he finished, he turned so that only Natalie, Tom and Toni could see him. His eyes were yellow and his fangs were distended. While the nurses cleaned the twins and got them ready for their debut to the world, Tom took the placentas and ushered Nick into the sterilization utility room next to the delivery room. He took a forceps and ran it along one of the cords, draining the blood into a specimen cup. He did the same to the other placenta, draining it into another cup. "Would you like to taste your children?" He said handing one of the cups to Nick. "This is the girl."

 

Nick took a sip. He had never tasted anything so pure and so innocent in all of his eight hundred years.

 

"And this is the boy."

 

It was as pure and innocent as his sister's. There was also a strong hint of mischief. He could tell. They were going to have difficulty raising him.

 

**********

Brabant

 

The midwife came into the great hall. Nicholas was the only one who was in a completely vertical position. One knight was passed out across the table. Several were sitting limply on the couches and two were leaning precariously against either side of a suit of armor.

 

"They wouldn't let me drink with them." Nicholas complained. "They only let me have juice. It's not fair. They said I'm old enough to be a squire, but then they said I'm not old enough to get drunk."

 

Girard struggled to his feet. He was one of the ones on the couch. "My son?"

 

" ... is a lovely daughter." The midwife said. "Mother and child are doing well. As soon as they are presentable, you can see them. May I suggest you make yourself presentable also?"

 

"A girl?" Nicholas said. "Yuck! I thought Mother said she was going to have a boy!"

 

"It may not be so bad, Nicholas." Girard said, patting his son's back. "Remember, I, too have a sister. Your Aunt Marie is ... not so bad. Except that she married De Labarre."

 

**********

Los Angeles

 

Robyn came into the waiting room, followed by the entire Gramwood clan. "Thank you for arranging for the private jet. And the limo at the airport." She said to LaCroix, hugging him. "We never would have made it here in time if we had to wait for a commercial flight."

 

Just then, Nick came out of the delivery ward. "You have perfect timing, Robyn." He said, kissing Toni's mother on the cheek. "They're here. The nurse will bring them out in a few minutes." He took LaCroix into the bathroom of the waiting room and handed him one of the cups. "Would you like to taste your grandchildren? This is Natalie Janette."

 

LaCroix took a sip and a look of utter peace came over him.

 

"And this is Joseph Lucien."

 

"Lucien Joseph." LaCroix corrected.

 

"LaCroix. We've been through this before. I got to name the girl and Toni named the boy Joseph after her Grandfather Scott, and Lucien after you. If we had named him Lucien Joseph, he would have gotten the nickname Louie or maybe even Lucy. You wouldn't want that for your grandson, would you?"

 

"I'll drain the first person who calls him a name. But since you put it that way, I guess he's better off with Joseph Lucien." LaCroix sipped of his grandson's fetal blood. "After tasting him though, I am certain he will be well able to take care of himself."

 

Applause from the waiting room summoned them back outside. The nurses had wheeled two isolettes into the room and knots of people crowded around them. Nick picked up Joseph and put him in Robyn's arms. She began talking to him softly. "Hi, Joey. You are such a handsome little boy. Your grandma loves you very, very much, Yes, I do." She chucked him under the chin.

 

"Really, Nicholas." LaCroix said. "Why do mortals think they have to make such a fuss over a newborn. It's positively nauseating."

 

Nick took Natalie, and after showing him how to hold her, placed her in LaCroix's arms. He put his hand to her face. She curled her tiny fingers around his finger and gave him a lopsided smile. It was the same smile as her father's. He looked at Nick with a baffled expression. "She smiled at me!" It may have been just gas, but no one was going to convince Lucien LaCroix of that. "Hello, sweetheart." He cooed. "You are the most precious thing I've ever seen. Yes, you are. Would I lie to you? No, of course not. Grandfather would never lie. Not to his precious little Nattie Poo."

 

**********

Brabant

 

Catherine de Brabant lay in the huge bed in the master suite. She was propped up with a multitude of pillows. In her arms she cradled the infant. "Are you sorry it isn't a boy?" She asked.

 

"Not a bit. She's absolutely beautiful." Girard beamed at his daughter. "Just like you."

Come, Nicholas." Catherine said. "Meet your new sister."

 

Cautiously, he peered into the swaddling blanket. "She's kinda pretty ... for a girl, that is."

 

"Would you like to hold her?" Girard asked. He positioned Nicholas's arms properly, and lifted the baby from her mother and placed her in her brother's arms. The baby looked at Nicholas and blinked her huge blue eyes.

 

"Hi, baby. I'm Nicholas. I'm your big brother. I'm going to take good care of you." He crooned. "She really is beautiful. Just like a little flower."

 

"Then that shall be her name. Fleur." Girard said, taking the baby and placing her with her mother again. "Welcome to this world, Fleur de Brabant."

 

**********

Los Angeles

 

Nick stood on one side of the bed and LaCroix was on the other. They watched proudly as Toni cradled the infants. She was tired from her ordeal, but she glowed with pride at the two tiny lives in her arms.

Two Enforcers entered the room and stood stiffly at attention, one on either side of the door. Nick noted that Sean was not one of them. One of the enforcers held the black cat in his arms. Lady Zera entered. She was dressed in a dark blue suit dress, elegant and fitting her position. Her hair was now shoulder length and impeccably styled.

 

Nick and LaCroix lowered their heads. "My Lady Zera." They said.

 

Zera gave them a nod of acknowledgment and approached the head of the bed. Toni bowed her head. She offered her hand. Toni kissed the ruby ring. < Respect, but no fear from this mortal. That is good. > Zera thought.

 

She placed her hand on Joey's head. He reached out and took her thumb in his tiny hand. Then he guided it toward his mouth and began to suckle contentedly. "Had I known he wished to feed, I would have prepared the finger beforehand." She said. Looking at Nick, she continued. "Do not look so worried. I will respect your wishes." She withdrew her hand. Joey let out a wail of protest.

 

She next went to Nattie and did the same. Nattie only looked up at Zera with her large blue eyes and cooed softly, blowing tiny bubbles at the Ancient. Zera bent down and gently kissed the baby on the forehead. There was a very grandmotherly look to her face.

 

"You have done well, De Brabant. They shall bring you and your spouse much happiness." She said. "In addition, your treatment of the ... Maternity Killer ... has done much to placate the Community at large."

 

"But I didn't kill him."

 

"But you would have if Lucius had not pulled you from him. That is all they needed to know. Now there can be little doubt as to your status."

 

She took three necklaces from her pocket. They were gold and each had a ankh on the medallion. In the circle of the ankh was a ruby stone with a diamond in it. It was a duplicate of the ring she wore. She kissed the larger of the necklaces and placed it around Toni's neck She then kissed each of the smaller ones and placed them on each of the infants.

 

She went to Nick and LaCroix and took two small pins out. They were duplicates of the medallions. She pinned them to their collars.

 

"These will signify that you are all under my personal protection." She explained to Toni. "Woe be to anyone who brings harm to any of you. They shall feel my wrath."  She motioned to the Enforcers and in an instant, they were gone.

 

**********

IT'S A BOY!

Joseph Lucien Knight

Born: March 27

4:07 AM

Weight: 4 lbs. 13 oz.

Length: 17 1/4 inches

Parents: Nicholas and Atonia Knight

 

IT'S A GIRL!

Natalie Janette Knight

Born: March 27

4:19 AM

Weight: 4 lbs. 4 oz.

Length: 16 1/4 inches

Parents: Nicholas and Atonia Knight

**********

The End

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