Thu, 17 Feb 2000 
Round Robin       

When the Hunter Becomes The Hunted
by Elise 
  
      Nick sorted through the choices on the table. "Let's see," he 
muttered. "-Ten Things I Hate About You-, well, the title isn't very 
promising." He lay it aside. "-Blue Streak-, no. -Patch Adams-?" He 
looked up at Nat. She had a wistful expression on her face, and she was 
trying hard not to stare at the last movie on the table. Nick grinned when 
he looked down at the mystery movie. "-Tarzan-?" he asked in a skeptical 
tone. 
      "Well, why not," Nat returned a bit defensively. "Neither of us have 
seen it, and I happen to be a fan of Disney." She crossed her arms and 
glared at him with mock anger. 
      "As a matter of fact, Nat, I am a big fan of Walt's myself. He was a 
talented artist, but not really very good with names," Nick told her. He 
put the movie into the player before joining her on the couch. 
      "Do I detect a story there?" she asked hopefully. 
      "Well..." 
      "Spill it, Nick," Natalie ordered. 
      Nick agreed to tell her while the movie credits rolled. "I was working 
part-time as a cartoonist and met Walt. He was just beginning to play 
around with the idea of an animated mouse, which he called Mortimer." 
      Natalie's jaw and tone of voice dropped. "Mortimer?" she interrupted. 
       "Yeah, bad isn't it?" Nick laughed as he answered. "I told him I 
loved the idea and that I thought animation would make it big, but I also 
told him that `Mortimer' was not a good name choice." 
      Natalie held out her hands. "Don't tell me. You named the mouse 
Mickey." 
      "No, I just told him a cute little mouse needed a cute little name. I 
suggested `Mikey' as a name." 
      "You know, Nick, I really envy your getting to meet such famous and 
fascinating people," Natalie told him. "I sometimes wonder what it would be 
like to live forever, to have all the time in the world to help people, to 
learn new things, to travel to far away and exciting places." Her voice had 
softened and become dreamy as she spoke. Suddenly realizing that Nick was 
watching her with a glint of amusement in his blue eye, Natalie blushed. 
      He put his arm around her and pulled her close. "That has been one of 
the only good points about my life," he conceded. "But it's been a long, 
lonely life, too." 
      The movie started, and although both of them stared at the images on 
the screen, neither of them was really watching. 
       Natalie was lost in thought. Recently, she had admitted to herself 
that she loved Nick. More correctly, she had admitted that she was in love 
with him. Oh, she had known the truth for a long time, but she had fought 
against it. For some strange reason, there was a nagging voice in the back 
of her mind, which kept insisting that loving Nick would only bring her 
pain. Nat couldn't understand why she felt this reluctance to admit how she 
felt. She believed in science and never had trouble facing facts, except 
for this one. But love him she did. 
      Nick, for once, wasn't lost in thoughts of the past. Instead, he was 
considering the future. He was still a vampire, but he had his humanity 
back. No, he wasn't mortal and might never be mortal again, but he had 
found his faith. No longer was he evil; he was forgiven, saved by the Grace 
of God. Was it possible for others of his kind, should they wish it, to 
receive salvation and atonement? Maybe he wouldn't have to be alone 
anymore. 
      With a sudden movement, which brought Nick out of his reverie, Natalie 
grabbed the remote and switched off the movie. "Don't say a word," she told 
him before he could express in words the puzzled look on his face. "Nick, 
there's something I have to tell you. I've been holding it in for a long 
time, and I just can't keep it any longer." Natalie was babbling, but she 
couldn't help it. "Nick, I know we keep telling everyone that we're `just 
friends,' but it's just not true. At least not for me it isn't." Gathering 
her courage, Natalie ignored the rising scarlet in her face, and looked 
deeply into his eyes. "I love you, Nick." 
      Nick lay a finger against her soft lips stopping the flow of her words. 
His face shone with utter happiness. "I love you, too, Nat, more than any 
woman I have ever known," he whispered. "But what are we going to do about 
it?" 
      "I don't know," she whispered back. "But for now, a kiss would be 
nice." 
      Taking her into his arms, Nick kissed her tenderly and eagerly. 
Natalie sighed with happiness and returned his embrace. They melted 
together in a golden, liquid haze until nothing existed in all of the world 
but the two of them. 
      Lungs starving for air, Natalie pushed him and beheld the sight of his 
whiskey-colored eyes. Breasts heaving, she stared at his lips, desiring 
more. 
      For once Nick didn't feel the beast and it's endless roaring bloodlust. 
He felt only desire, a mortal man's desire. "Natalie," he spoke huskily, "I 
love you and need you so much." 
     She didn't answer him with words. Her mouth reclaimed his, and the two 
of them lost all restraint. Teal colored blouse and yellow shirt swirled 
together on the floor in an abstract design of passion. Thoughts to deeds, 
cool to warm, male to female. The boundaries of each opposite wavered, 
blurred, until they nearly no longer existed. 
      "Hey, Partner, we got a major call this time! Three bloodless bodies 
have been found out back of the Raven," Schanke bellowed as he barged into 
the loft. "Damn, Nick, you need a little sun on that chest of yours," 
Schanke called out as he approached the couch. "C'mon, Nick, Cohen is 
waiting. Oh, and hey, have you seen Nat? Dr. Edwards says she's the best 
he's got, and he wants her down there PDQ. Oh, hi, Nat. Holy Shit!" 
      Bug-eyed and crimson beyond embarrassment, Detective Donald G. Schanke 
wheeled himself around and marched to the door, where he stood listening to 
the mad scrambling behind him. By the time Natalie rushed past him in a red 
flurry, he had recovered his wits. "You have nothing to be embarrassed of, 
Nat," he called out to her retreating figure. "Believe me, I know." Then 
he turned his glib tongue upon Nick. "I thought you said you guys were just 
friends." 

************
  
Okay, Christy Newcousin, it's all yours.