July 31, 2000 The Guiding Darkness Part 12 by Christy Go forth and archive. Remember, O Powers That Be, we ain't makin' a nickel off this puppy. We just like to play with your characters. We promise to put them back nice and neatly when we're done. Teri...gee thanks for such a lovely cliffhanger...ack! --------------------------------- When last we left Nick and Natalie, Vampire Nick had overcome Other Nick and Normal Nick had put Vampire Nick back in place. His psyche once again whole, Nick faced an even greater peril--a mightily aggravated coroner who looked ready to put him on a slab once and for all. <<"Well?" She demanded. "Do you mind trying to explain yourself?" Nick took a deep breath, fortifying himself for some quick thinking and quicker talking. She couldn't help thinking he looked truly miserable as he turned angst-ridden blue eyes to her and said....">> "I'm sorry, Nat. It's all my fault." Natalie rolled her eyes. It was ALWAYS Nick's fault--whether it actually WAS or not. "It all started a long time ago when I heard that a physician in England might have discovered a way to banish the vampire forever." Blue eyes began to glaze over as a flashback began to descend. Natalie thwapped his arm...hard. "Stay with me here, Nick. It's not like there's some kind of movie screen strapped to your forehead. Sit down...over THERE...," she pointed toward the massive black leather couch across the room, "and tell me what's going on." Rubbing his stinging arm, he headed toward the couch like a chastized little boy, thinking all the while just how lucky he was that vampires didn't bruise. When Natalie had seated herself in the chair across from him, he began. "Well, as I said, I heard about a possible cure and went to check out my lead. The man had discovered a serum which could separate the evil nature from the good. I immediately offered myself as a test subject. Unfortunately, there were...difficulties." He hung his head. Natalie stared at him. "Nick...are you making this up? It sounds an awful lot like a book I read in high school. Just how desperate ARE you to get back on my good side?" Raising blue eyes that had seen centuries of mistakes (and yet hadn't seemed to learn from any of them), he said, "The best fiction is often based on fact, Nat." "No way!" "Yes way. The treatments actually worked for a while." The eyes grew brighter as he leaned forward to emphasize his point. Besides, being a little closer to Natalie was hardly a bad thing. "I could feel the Vampire slipping away...fading into the background." The brightness faded from his eyes as he once again lowered his head in shame. "Unfortunately, it also released yet another, far more terrible monster." He sighed heavily. Natalie put her hand over Nick's and said softly, "What could possibly be worse than the Vampire, Nick?" With a haunted look and coming as close to blushing as a vampire ever could, he lifted his eyes to meet Natalie's. He paused a moment and then whispered, "My libido." ---------------- NEXT!!! NewCousin @ aol.com