Another Reality 

by Olivia Jean Ecklund 

Chapter 16 


They entered the Loft through the skylight. Nick was shivering so hard that 
Natalie led him upstairs to the shower. "Warm yourself up," she told him. "I 
need to feed." 

He undressed and stood in the shower for a long time, letting the hot water take 
the chill away. He showered and dried off and tried on Natalie's white robe. It 
worked good enough. He could think of nothing but her and holding her. Making 
love to her. He realized she had been waiting for him to declare his love for 
her. It seemed to be part of the conditions for the miracle she hope for. He 
prayed that she would get her wish. 

He took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door. The room beyond was bathed 
in flickering candlelight. It looked as if a hundred candles burned. 

He found that he had eyes only for Natalie. She stood near the bed dressed in a 
floor length red lace negligee. Her hair framed her face and fell over her 
shoulders in thick cascading waves. He came forward and drew her to him. He 
kissed her lips tentatively and then crushed them with his, kissing her deeply 
holding her body tightly against him. He tasted the copper taste of blood. He 
ran his hand down her silk clad body. 

"Natasha, you are so beautiful. I have never even dreamed of loving someone as 
much as I love you." 

Her eyes seemed to glow with a brightness of their own. He kissed her again. He 
felt her pull at the ties of his robe and she slipped her hands inside to caress 
his chest and then wrapped them around his ribcage to hold him tightly against 
her. "Nicholas," She said, using his full name. 

"Natasha," he whispered against her lips, trailing kisses over her cheeks and 
down along her neck. 

One of her hands came out to push the robe from his shoulders. Her lips kissed 
his bare skin. She ran a hand up his neck gently so she wouldn't cause him pain 
and buried her fingers in his hair, guiding his lips down her chest. Nick 
caressed her gently and with great care. Slowly he drew the gown over her head 
and picked her up and carried her to the bed. He gazed down at her. 

You're so beautiful, Natasha," he whispered huskily. 

She held her arms out to him and he came to her. With gentle hands and lips he 
loved her as he had always dreamed he would love a woman he wanted to spend a 
life time with. 

As their bodies finally joined in that age old dance of love, Natasha drew back 
and then struck gently. Her fangs buried themselves in the soft flesh of his 
neck. The precious life giving fluid of her lover washed over her senses and she 
swallowed a mouth full, their bodies arched against each other and their voices 
cried out in ecstasy. Natalie with drew her fangs and they retracted. 

Nick looked into her beautiful face. " You are a dream come true, my love. I 
love you more than life itself, Natasha." 

She smiled up at him. "I love you, my Nicholas." She drew him down to her for 
another kiss then she snuggled up to his side and the slipped into a warm 
peaceful sleep as the sun rose high into the sky outside. They felt safe inside 
the fortress for the day. 

A noise woke Nick. He glanced at the clock. It was 7:00 am. Another crash woke 
him fully. He grabbed his pants and pulled them on. He looked at Natalie still 
sleeping. She was so beautiful. 

"NATASHA!" came a shout from below. 

Natalie sat up on the bed, eyes wild, yet there were no fangs or glowing eyes. 
Nick saw her hand fly to her mouth and watched as she fingered the place the 
fangs should be. 

"Nick, its LaCroix! How can I fight him like this? He will kill us! We are 
trapped here with him." 

She jumped from the bed, grabbing some sweats and jumping into them. Her body 
felt slow and uncoordinated. Nick was standing near the door with her gun in his 
hand. She opened the drawer of the dresser and got a box out. "Nick, give me the 
gun." 

He handed it over knowing she knew how to use it better than he. Then She did 
something that made his mouth fall open. She emptied the clip of bullets onto 
the bed and took something from a box and started to load the new shells." 

"What are those?" he asked curiously. 

They're a very hard wood tipped with garlic. They won't stop him but they will 
slow him down. It will give us an advantage. Go to the closet and in the back 
there is a long pointed wooden staff." Nick dove into the closet and a few 
things came flying out. Finally she heard "Yes!". He emerged holding the staff. 

The carnage continued below and Nick knew that the beautiful pieces of art that 
Natalie treasured where being destroyed one at a time. "Nick, you must try to 
get to the blind controls. Get them to open. The sun will limit his movements. 
Maybe we can force him into the light." 

"But you could be killed too!" he protested. 

"No, Nick." She put her hand on his cheek. "Look at me. I am changed. Even if 
there are remnants of what I was, it won't happen as fast as it will with 
LaCroix." She reached for the door. "I will go out and try to riddle him with 
the bullets. He won't be expecting this. Be ready with the staff. Please try to 
stay out of his reach. He could snap you like a twig." 

Nick nodded, "We must pray the Lord will give us an advantage. It's all we have 
in our favor." 

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, let's pray." She seemed to look into herself for a 
moment then she smiled and looked up. She grabbed the door handle and opened it 
slowly. Armed with the gun she moved out of the room and onto the landing, 
trying to see LaCroix down in the main room. 

Nick crept behind her. He suddenly caught a movement from above and shouted, 
"Nat, look up!" 

She started to turn, but the vampire was too fast. He swooped at them and 
barreled into Natalie before she could even raise the gun to fire. It flew from 
her hands and bounced down the steps. She rolled over and over and came to rest 
at the bottom of the steps and was still. LaCroix landed down beside her, 
glanced at Nick and smiled an evil smile that chilled Nick. 

"She is mine! I warned you. I will not allow you to change what she is. You will 
die and I will have the pleasure of reclaiming what has been mine for 
centuries." He pulled Natalie to her feet and held her against him. His tongue 
came out to lick the arteries on her neck. 

Nick felt a fury overtake him and a fear so deep it shook him to the core. 
"LaCroix!" he screamed. He hefted the staff like a javelin and threw it with all 
his might. The vampire dropped Natalie at his war cry and had started forward. 
The staff hit him a bit to high to stake him but pierced him through the 
shoulder. A scream of rage and pain tore from the monster's throat. He started 
forward, the staff didn't take him down. 

Nick dove for the gun and grabbed it barrel first. Not being too comfortable 
with guns he fumbled with it and could almost feel LaCroix's cold breath on his 
neck before he fell backwards on the steps. The vampire's body blocked the light 
from the lamps below. Nick pulled the trigger and fired into the Vampire's chest 
point blank. The force of the bullets knocked him back down the stairs and he 
stumbled, stopping in the middle of the room to claw at the pain that had 
invaded his chest. He felt as if he where on fire. 

Nick got to his feet and tried to run past the crazed vampire to find the 
remote, but even though the ancient creature was in agony he reached out and 
snatched Nick. 

He pulled the human close, his fangs extended. His red eyes seeming to glow. 
Nick felt the tips press against his neck and he whispered, "Lord save us, save 
Natalie." 

Suddenly the vampire got a curious look on his face and there seemed to be smoke 
and light every where. His strength seemed to fade and Nick was able to pull 
away, stumbling back. 

Nick looked frantically around and saw that Natalie had come too. She had 
crawled to the coffee table. Nick finally understood what was happening. She had 
opened the skylight letting the light flood in. The shaft of light had frozen 
LaCroix in his place. He didn't have the strength to move. 

Nick stood transfixed as the creature continued to scream in pain, finally 
crying out, "Natasha, I loved you!" He seemed to lose his form and it wavered 
and smoke billowed about him and then he was gone. His screams faded into the 
air. A fine gray dust shifted through the sunbeam and came to rest upon the 
floor. 

Nick stumbled over to Natalie and fell to his knees beside her. He engulfed her 
with his arms, holding her body tightly against his. 

The other blinds were rising and Nick realized they were both bathed in light 
and it wasn't hurting Natalie. 

Her words came back to him, "You've changed me, Nick." 

"Natalie, you're warm, your alive!" He took her face in his hands and kissed her 
gently, then rained kisses on her face. "Are you okay?" 

"Yes, my love. You have saved me from an endless night of darkness. I'm free to 
embrace the Son. I'm free to live in the sun. I no longer need to feed on you." 

Nick found his strength and pulled her into his arms. He caught her up and 
twirled her around the room. They laughed and kissed. Natalie felt tears on her 
face and Nick tasted salt not copper. He stood and held her and took one of the 
tears on his finger and showed it to her. 

"It's clear, Nick, it's clear." 

"Thank you, God," Nick whispered. He held Natalie, one of his hands on the back 
of her head stroking her beautiful hair. "Come let's go up and shower and then 
sleep. I can hardly stand." 

They supported each other as they ascended the steps. Their clothes fell to the 
floor as they stepped into the warm water and let it caress tears and pains 
away. They helped each other bathe and then after they were dried they crawled 
into the bed and slept holding each other tightly. 

Six weeks later in an early afternoon sun, Nick and Natalie married. They stood 
under a white tent and said their vows. Don stood with Nick and Grace with 
Natalie. Beast stood proudly at Nick's and Natalie's side. He had a tiny bow tie 
around his neck. His shinny black hair and the white star on his chest made him 
look as if he wore a tux. He watched with his large warm brown eyes. 

Friends and family stood with them. Janette cried with happiness. As the day 
progressed into evening, the sun went down in a glorious blaze of oranges reds, 
and purples. Natalie pulled Nick into the trees. She kissed him until he was 
breathless and ran a finger along his neck. She nibbled on his ear, pressing 
herself against him. 

"Nat, Nat!" he begged, "We can't do this here. Its too bad you can't fly. You 
could take us home." He leaned to kiss her. 

She drew back and her eyes seemed to glow. Nick shook his head, but the shine 
was still there. "You know Nick." she said, as she teased his lips with her 
teeth. "The legend not only said I could be human again. It also granted me one 
wish." 

She unbuttoned his shirt and teased his collar bone with her lips and teeth. 
Nick groaned, "Natasha, what are you talking about?" She drew back, smiling her 
devastatingly beautiful smile. She bent and scooped Beast up and he licked her 
face with his warm tongue. 

"I'm talking about flying," she grinned at him. She reached out and slipped her 
arm around him and then leaped into the sky." 

Some of the guest later swore they heard Nick scream, "Natalie!" 

Don Schanke turned beet red, "Geez, Myra," he said to his wife. "You'd think 
they could wait until they got home." 


THE END 


*** Dedicated to my very precious Beast, whom I will miss every day the rest of 
my life. 

By Jeannie Ecklund Gersknightlady@cs.com