This is a Forever Knight/with a touch of Touched By An Angel story 
Disclaimers: No infringement of copyrights intended. I'm just borrowing the
characters for this fiction work. Thank you to Linda B my sister who beta
read this several times. Thanks so much to Kylie for all her help and
encouragement. 

 
The Last knight and Beyond 

by Olivia Jean Ecklund 
Chapter 1 


"Damn you, Nicholas," LaCroix yelled. He raised the staff. Nicholas looked
away. A faint heart beat touched LaCroix1s senses. He threw the staff aside
so violently that it shattered as it hit the stone fireplace. 

He grabbed Nicholas by the shirt, and pulled him away from Natalie. "You
would rather die than face a future without her?!" He spat the words into
Nick's face. His eyes were amber. 

Nick just stared into those piercing eyes and nodded, determined. 

LaCroix would never admit it to his son, but the thought of a day without
Nicholas somewhere on this planet scared the hell out of him. He could not
even fathom the thought. He stared back, searching his son1s eyes. The
reality of Nicholas' determination hit him between the eyes. He gritted his
teeth and said, "I told you I was leaving tonight, with or without you. I
will not come here again unless summoned. Are you coming with me or not?" 

Nick only stared at him blankly, unable, it seemed, to hear him. 

He grabbed, Nicholas by the shoulders and shook him hard, trying to bring him
out of his shock. When it didn1t work. He back handed him across the face.
"Nicholas, look at me!" he demanded. Nick focused on him, finally, his eyes
brimming with unshed tears. "No, LaCroix. I will not go with you, tonight. I
must at least care for her body." 

Rejected, LaCroix allowed one blood red tear to slide down his cheek.
Fiercely he pulled Nicholas into his arms, hugging him hard against his
chest. Then he set the startled vampire, back onto his feet and rose into the
air toward the skylight. "Nicholas," he called down, "she is not dead yet.
Perhaps you should take her to a hospital." Then he was gone. 

Nick turned back to Natalie. "Not dead!" The words pierced his mind like a
red hot poker, clearing away the cobwebs that had clouded his thoughts. He
scooped her up and flew up through the skylight toward the nearest hospital. 

Now that he was thinking more clearly, he could hear the faint, surprisingly
slow but steady heartbeat... almost too slow. He knew he didn't have much
time before it faltered. He chose a dark empty spot in the parking lot to
land, then ran with her into the ER, calling for help. Flashing his badge got
him immediate attention and soon blood IV's were dripping into both of
Natalie's arms. 

All Nick could do now was wait. He prayed to a God, he wasn't sure would even
listen to him, but he had to try. He sat at her bedside hour after hour.
Nurses came and went changing the blood bags and taking her vitals. In the
morning, Nick was grateful that they accepted his need for a darkened room.
He had tried to explain about his allergies. The nurse had looked at him
curiously, but had drawn the curtains so he could sleep. He was determined
not to leave Natalie's side until he had talked to her. 

In the late afternoon, Captain Reese came into the room. He saw Nick asleep
with his head on the edge of the bed. The Large man reached out a big beefy
hand to touch the young man's golden hair, checked himself, and shook him
gently by the shoulder. 

Nick looked up at him through sleepy eyes. "Captain?" 

"Nick, how is she?" His boss asked, peering down at Natalie's pale face. 

"The doctors told me a couple hours ago that she would make it. They do not
know if there will be any permanent damage from the loss of blood. It was
really close." 

Reese could see the pain in Nick's eyes. "What happened, Nick?" 

Nick looked away, "I don't know, Captain. I found her outside my build..." 

Reese interrupted. "I don't want the fabrication, Nick. I want to know what
really happened... I don't just want to know," he whispered, his voice hard,
his eye piercing into Nick's, "I demand to know." 

Nick looked at him fearfully, curious, "I don't understand." 

"Nick, I'm a good detective. That's why I'm Captain. One of my people is down
from loss of blood. We all know what you told the officers who took your
statement." He leaned down and looked into Nick's eyes... anger flashed.
"Now, I want the truth!" 

Nick opened his mouth to protest again, but the look in Reese's eyes stopped
him. This man already knew the truth! How? Where? Why? Nick could not
understand. "How long have you known?" 

"I had my suspicions before the bomb, but afterwards, well no one could have
gotten there and then gotten out like you did, Nick. It didn't take a rocket
scientist to realize you have super human abilities. I read through a lot of
your older cases. To many perp's saw strange things that can't be explained.
 That time you were arrested, the officers found steer blood in your frig. You're allergic to the sun. Most people use sunscreen and wear protective
clothing. You have to barricade yourself in your apartment. I guess what
really convinced me, though, is Natalie. She's always running tests on you." 

Nick squirmed in his chair, dread filling his heart. He did not wish to hurt
this man. Reese continued, "I've seen you at crime scenes, Nick. I saw your
eyes change once. It's beyond me how you maintain control or even why you do
the job you do." He leaned in closer, "You can trust me, Nick." 

Nick allowed his voice to deepen and his eyes to change to amber. "Knowledge
can be a dangerous thing, "The threatened. "I could make you forget..." 

Reese pulled a chair closer and sat, "Yeah, I realize that, but I want to
know what really happened. I know you and Natalie are under pressure. The
death of her friend and then almost losing Tracy so close to Schanke's death.
It's enough to take anyone over the edge." 

Nick had closed his eyes, but when he heard "almost", his eyes flew open and
he exclaimed, "What! She's not dead?!" 

"Damnedest thing happened. They took her to the morgue, and an hour later,
when Grace went down, she saw her move. She's still hanging on and the doctor
said she might make it." 

Nick sat, stunned. Tracy was still alive. Had Vachon gotten to her on time?
He knew the Spaniard was still recovering from his staking and illness. He'd
been away, hiding from Tracy. Nick had helped him to hide, hoping to prevent
the heartache that he and Natalie suffered. He had also hoped to keep Vachon
from bringing Tracy across. Still, he had called Vachon to tell him when he
had found out that she was dying. He knew the other vampire had been on his
way to see his love when all this with Natalie had begun. 

"That's great news, Captain." He mentally shook himself. He realized that 
Reese was still waiting for an answer. Well, he would tell him... he could
always make the man forget later on. 

Nick turned haunted eyes to look at Reese, "She came to me, and asked me to
make love to her... asked me to take only a little blood at a time. A friend
of mine regained her humanity that way." He looked back at Natalie and his
hold on her tightened. 

Reese's eyebrows rose at the cure Nick had mentioned, but he didn't say
anything. 

Nick continued to speak, slowly and with great sorrow in his voice, "My
control was already lost. I was full of pain and regret. Tracy was shot
because she didn't know the bullets wouldn't hurt me. All the harsh emotions
that allow the Beast to take over, were right on the surface." He said,
almost to himself, "I hadn't had human blood in a very long time. 

Reese watched, fascinated, as a blood red tear slipped out of Nick's eye and
slid down his cheek, leaving a crimson trail. 

"There was no physical love making at all. I could not stop there before the
fireplace. Her blood was like sweet ambrosia. It filled me in a way I have
never been filled. Her love overwhelmed me. It has been over 800 years since
I have felt that completeness. Only at my mother's breast was I so loved and
filled with such peace." 

"800 years!" Reese croaked. "I had no idea." Nick continued, "I don't know if
she will ever be able to forgive me." He looked at her pale face. Agony
radiated from his voice, "I could not bring her across as she asked me. I
could not condemn her to the hell I live in. I was going to let her die..." 

Nick's anguish overwhelmed Reese and he reached out to put an arm around
Nick's shoulders. 

"I asked a friend to help me join her, but he refused. When my friend left,
he told me she was not yet dead, so I brought her here as fast as I could
fly." 

Nick reached up and soothed her brow. He brought her pale hand to his lips. 

"A friend," Reese said, flatly. "LaCroix?" 

Nick turned quickly, placing Natalie's hand back at her side. He looked at
Reese, astonished by the revelation. "You know about LaCroix?" 

"Don't you mean 'Father'?" Reese asked, a bit smugly. 

Nick nodded and admitted, "He is my 'sire', the creator of this 800 year
hell. I have called him 'father'. He left Toronto last night. He as much as
told me that he would not return while Natalie is alive." 

"You really think he will keep his word?" Reese asked, then added, "Nick,
this might come as a surprise to you, but I was an FBI agent when I was very
young. The agency knows of your kind." 

Nick rose quickly out of his chair, stepped around Reese and went to the
window. The sun was down and he opened the curtains to stare out into the
last rays of a glowing sunset. He watched until it was pitch black and the
stars came out. Finally, turning to Reese, he asked, "If that's true, why
haven't they killed us? Why let us live?" Reese sighed, "It's complicated.
For one thing, the FBI doesn't know how many of you there are. They don't
want a Holy War on American soil or a panic among humans. For another thing,
they do not want to bring attention to themselves. There are lots of things
they keep secret from the world. Occasionally, one of your kind does a job or
mission for them. Vampires make great spies. They can get into places that
most people can't." 

"Do they know about me?" Nick asked. 

"No, Nick. At least I don't think so. I've been asked to keep an eye on the
Raven, and LaCroix, but no one has even mentioned you. I'd rather keep it
that way. I won't say anything. You've tried to blend into society in a very
benevolent way. I don't want to change that. Natalie needs you and you need
her. Government involvement would only complicate things. Right now most of
your people live on a donated food supply. I don't like what the few who
don't do, but that has been put out of bounds of local jurisdictions. I have
strict orders not to meddle in those cases or call attention to them. I
don't. I did, however, notice that Natalie keeps covering them up. That also
led me to you. I never mentioned this to the FBI. They just assume I'm doing
my job. This is all something I wish I Didn't know about, but I've learned to
live with it." 

"Captain Reese, why are you confiding all this to me? You must be aware that
our society has pretty strict rules about not allowing our existence to be
know to mortals." 

"I know I'm taking an chance, Nick. But I can see you need friends. The idea
of what you are and have been is frightening, but I care about you, Nick.
Sometimes I see a frightened boy in your eyes. You and Natalie belong
together. I want to be here for you." 

"What's in it for you?" Nick asked, skeptically. 

"You're an officer under my command. You have all become my 'children'." He
added, "You're a good cop and if I can help keep you here awhile longer, I
want to. Tracy will need you here when she's better, and I..." he hesitated,
"I have always wanted a son." 

"What!" Nick looked his Captain in the eyes. He saw something there he had
only glimpsed a few times in LaCroix eyes... Love. 

"I know you may think I'm losing it, but something draws me to you, Nick.
You're a fine young man. You strive to live a good life... help people. I
admire your strength and desire to change what you are." He looked deeper
into Nick's eyes and tears formed. "My wife's dying, Nick. She has
Alzheimers. We can't even communicate anymore. I want to help you. I need to
be there for someone. The girls are married and live so far away now. Please,
Nick, you can trust me. I would value you as I would a boy of my Own." 

"I'm 800 years old," Nick reminded him. 

Reese smiled at him, "Well you wouldn't know it to look at you. Being what
you are, does have its advantages." 

He came close to Nick and then did an amazing thing. He reached out and drew
Nick into a big bear hug. "What do you say, 'young' man? Do you want a human
father, for a season in your life?" he asked, then released Nick and stepped
back to look into the young man's eyes. 

Nick teared up again. "I would be honored," he said, touched beyond
imagination. 

A tiny voice filtered into their consciousness, "Hey, can I have one of those
hugs?" They both turned to see Natalie smiling weakly at them. Nick literally
flew to her side and took her hand in his. 

Reese shook his head, amazed. 

"Natalie," Nick breathed in a whisper. He pressed his lips to her forehead. 

Natalie held out her other hand to Reese. "Captain," she said weakly with a
look that added, "It's good of you to come." 

Reese took her cold hand and rubbed it gently. 

Natalie looked around and realized she was in the hospital. "Nick, how did I
get here?" 

Reese answered for him. "Nick brought you here, Natalie. He loves you. Don't
judge him to harshly. Talk to him... let him explain, then forgive him. You
need him and so do I." He kissed her hand. "I'm going to get some coffee," he
said as he left quietly. 

Natalie looked into Nick1s frightened eyes. "Was he holding you?" she asked,
trying to lighten the moment. 

Nick nodded. "Nat, forgive me!" he burst out, unable to stand it anymore.
Would she forgive him or send him away? He had to know! 

"For what!" she cried, seeing the anguish in his eyes. 

"I took too much... You almost died!" A ruby tear escaped his eye. 

End chapter 1

By Jeannie Ecklund Gersknightlady@cs.com