The Last knight and Beyond 

by Olivia Jean Ecklund 

Chapter 6 


Days passed as the three built a life together. Nick had a room and bath built 
on the first level of the loft for Reese to stay in when he couldn't face going 
home. 

Some nights, the three friends would sit with Reese's dying wife and read or 
talk to her in Reese's big house. Natalie had taken a three month leave from her 
job to recover. She would go at night to sit with Denise. After awhile, she 
started to read the Bible to the sick woman. It seemed to bring her comfort. 
Natalie started to take in the words of the Bible, and renewed her faith in the 
Lord, praying for hours for the relationship that she and Nick were building. 

Sometimes, the three would sit at the loft and Nick would tell stories about his 
many lives and the times he had lived in. Reese got a small laptop and started 
to write the details down. Nick had given him permission to write a book about 
characters living in those times. It made him feel good that some of the lives 
he had touched would not be forgotten. 

There were times when Nick would take Natalie out for a late night walk or a 
movie. Tracy had recovered and was back at work. On occasion they would meet her 
and Vachon and see a movie together. One night the guys took the girls flying. 
Tracy seemed to love it but Natalie clung to Nick so hard she nearly strangled 
him. They set down on a hill over looking the city. The lights twinkled forever. 
It was a warm summer night. 

"Natalie, you nearly strangled me," Nick complained, though he was grinning from 
ear to ear. She slapped his shoulder, "You love scaring me half to death!" 

"Giving you a thrill is more the idea." he pouted. 

Tracy remarked, "I love it. It's so freeing and so amazing up there. Someday 
I'll be able to do it on my own." 

Natalie and Nick both looked at her and said in unison, "No!" 

They looked at each other, then Natalie said, "Tracy, think about this very 
carefully before you decide. There is so much that goes with the perks of being 
able to fly." 

"Yes," Nick said, "Like never being able to stand in the sunlight? constant 
hunger? being dangerous to the ones you love. The darkness is the worst." 

Tracy sighed. They'd had this conversation a lot, but she'd pretty much decided 
that she would have Vachon bring her across in about 5 years. "I'm already 
living at night, exclusively. I can't imagine life without Vachon," she said, 
taking his arm and pulling him close to her. "He has no desire to live in the 
sun, so I will live in the darkness." 

"What about faith? Religion? It could be lost to you," Natalie pleaded. 

Tracy shrugged. "It's never been a part of my life, Natalie. I don't see that I 
will miss it." 

That night, conversation had faded off into the darkness. They finally gave up 
and flew back to the Loft. After that, the four friends saw less of each other. 
The gulf between those who wanted humanity and those who wanted vampirism grew. 

Natalie, with her new faith, was worried about Tracy's soul. 

A week later, Denise Reese died. Joe was devastated. He planned the service for 
the evening so that Nick and Vachon could come. They had all stood in the light 
of garden torches looking down on the grave sight, silent in their own thoughts. 
Nick finally spoke quietly, "Pop, please come and stay with Natalie and I on a 
permanent basis. I know you do not want to go back to your house alone." 

Reese had looked at him with tears streaking his face, "Thanks, Son. I will 
come." 

A voice came from behind them, "Dad, what are you saying! You can't leave Mom's 
house." 

Reese turned to his daughter, Laura. "Please, honey? we will talk about this 
later." 

"No, Now!" Laura, his distraught daughter demanded. "First, you have mom's 
funeral in the dark... She always loved the morning." 

"You know Nick's allergic to sunlight," Reese reminded her. 

"So who is he to us... to mom? Rachael is so upset about this she refuses to 
even talk to you. Now you're just walking away from all of it?" 

Grace, having come to the funeral along with half the department, came from the 
larger group of officers to see what the commotion was. She touched Natalie's 
arm, her face full of questions. Everyone was taking notice of the raised 
voices. 

Natalie shook her head, mouthing 'not now'. Natalie took her Grace's and held 
her friend close for support. 

Reese begged, "Please don't do this here. I know you're hurt that mom is gone, 
but these people have been at our side for months... you haven't..." He said 
angrily and a bit too loudly. "Pop, please...let's just go to the house for now 
and you can .....", Nick started. 

Laura, becoming hysterical now, struck out at Nick, "Pop? He's NOT your father, 
and he never will be!" She turned again on her father, "Dad, come with me now!" 

Reese said, "No, Nick and Natalie have offered me a place to stay and I Can't go 
back to the house now... not tonight, at least. Please understand, that house is 
too empty for me right now." 

Nick looked at Natalie desperately. "Laura?" she spoke to the woman. "Please try 
to see your father's needs in this matter. You're welcome to come to our place 
to talk with him." 

"I don't intend to. He belongs with us... at mother's house." 

Grace added quietly, "Your mother's gone. You need to think about what your 
father needs." 

"Who are you? His girl friend?" Laura snapped. 

Everyone stared, open mouthed. 

Nick explained, "Grace is only a co-worker. Your father would never cheat on 
your mother." He allowed the beast to surface a bit. His voice was deep and 
dripped with anger. 

Natalie let go of Grace and dragged him away. Vachon, who was with Tracy, 
followed. 

Many of the officers felt for their Captain and started to herd the on lookers 
away. 

Rachael had left her husband's side and came to join in the argument. Before 
Long, it became a shouting match and ended with the girl's husbands dragging 
them away. Reese was devastated and fell to his knees before the grave. Grace 
looked around and found she was alone with the torn man. She knelt beside him 
and he blindly grabbed hold of her and held on, sobbing for his loss... for the 
pain and embarrassment his daughters had caused him. She soothed him by rubbing 
his back and softly humming, 'Amazing Grace'. A few minutes later, Natalie 
returned and changed places with her. 

"Natalie?" Grace heard him say as she walked away. She wondered, as she left the 
cemetery, if Joe had even realized, that she had been there with him. 

Reese came to stay with Natalie and Nick. 

About a week after the funeral, Joe told Nick, "Take Natalie out, Nick. Make it 
a special evening. You've put your lives on hold for me for too long. Sidney and 
I will be just fine." 

Nick smiled, "Thanks, Pop. I have been wanting to ask her a very special 
question." 

"Well, well," Reese said. "It's long over due, son. Go on... make your plans." 

So that evening Nick found himself sitting before Natalie in a very posh 
restaurant in a secluded side room. She was so gorgeous. She was dressed in 
green velvet, and had small, emerald earrings on. Her reddish brown hair was 
piled high on her head, with tiny curls slipping down her neck, making it a very 
inviting place. Nick felt his fangs itch. 

She smiled a knowing smile. Sometimes she ached for his fangs to bury Them 
selves in her neck, too. The sensations she had felt the night Nick had taken 
her blood overwhelmed her. 

Nick seemed to shake himself. He reached out to take her hand. "You know how 
much I love you, Natalie. Soon it will be time for us to try again." 

He stood, came closer, and then went down on one knee. He could already hear her 
heart beating faster. "Marry me, Natalie. Make our first time together, be 
really together. Make this a holy union between us. If it's God's will that we 
be together, let's do it right." 

Natalie was so touched that tears ran down her face. She had been waiting for 
months for Nick to ask her to marry him. They'd been sleeping in the same bed 
together since she had come home. Some nights had been easy and other nights had 
been hard. Sometimes Nick slept on the couch... others she did. 

She thought back a few nights. Nick had been pulling away, almost afraid of 
physical contact, and he'd snapped at her several times. Finally she had grabbed 
him and turned him to face her. He'd seen the hurt in her face and had been 
aghast. He took her in his arms and had pulled her stiff and unyielding body 
close. She'd had to will herself to relax against him. 

"What's wrong?" she'd pleaded with him, her voice loud, her fear radiating from 
her. 

Finally he had admitted, "I'm afraid. It will be okay soon to be with you, Nat. 
I nearly killed you the last time. I don't know if I can take that chance again. 
I can't live without you." 

"Nick," she'd said, sternly, "Things are so different now. We're sleeping 
together most of the time. I know it's been a struggle at times, but you have 
learned a lot of restraint." 

Nick had admitted slowly, "That's true. It is easier now." 

"You're not hungry all the time, anymore" 

Nick nodded in agreement, his fear receding. He knew that no matter what they 
talked about, he would never be totally sure he could pull away. Natalie's blood 
was like a sweet nectar. It was very rare for a Vampire to find a mortal to love 
one who could love them back with equal strength. The taking of her blood had 
made him feel so alive. If it hadn't been for the pain of nearly losing her, he 
would have been in heaven. The well being he had felt from her blood touched his 
very soul. He hadn't felt like that since he had knelt before the cross as a 
crusader and pledged his life to the Lord's service. 

LaCroix had felt it in Nick's blood, and had pursed him over the centuries to 
feel that life again each time he had taken Nick's blood; sometimes by mutual 
agreement, sometimes by force. At first, Nick had loved him fiercely, bestowing 
on him all the love that he hadn't gotten from his father. When LaCroix had 
brought him across he had felt that unconditional love from Nick. That's why he 
could never let Nick go, knowing that only in those moments they were together 
would he feel that life. Nick understood him a bit better now, having been 
filled with Natalie's blood. 

As Natalie looked down into his eyes, she saw all his love and his fear, yet now 
she knew he was ready to join with her again no matter what the cost. In her 
heart she knew Nick would not hurt her again. All these thoughts had flashed 
through in a second and Nick was still awaiting her answer. 

"Yes!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. "Yes, Nick. I'll marry 
you." 

Nick stood, drawing her to her feet. He kissed her with wild abandonment. Then 
he pulled the small, red velvet box from his pocket. She took the box with 
trembling hands and it crackled as she opened it. Inside was a beautiful heart 
shaped diamond of about four carats. "Oh, my! It's so beautiful, Nick." 

"You are my heart and soul, Natalie." His fingers trembled as they took the ring 
from its velvet cushion and slipped it on her finger. It seemed to catch the 
many lights from the beautiful chandelier above them and the facets danced as 
the tiny lights reflected all over them. It seemed as if bells rang and they 
both looked around. 

"What?" Nick asked the air. 

Natalie giggled, "Wow! Do you think there is some truth to the saying, about a 
marriage made in heaven?" 

Nick answered, "What would heaven want with me?" Sadness flashed across his 
face. 

Natalie leaned forward and kissed him. "Heaven knows of you. You just have to 
find your way back, my love." Knowing it was not the time to get into one of 
their conversations, Natalie asked him to dance with her. 

They stepped from their private alcove and onto the main ballroom floor. Natalie 
in her velvet gown and Nick in his black tux, garnered attention. Soon all eyes 
in the room locked on the two lovers as they glided around the room. Their feet 
didn't even seem to be touching the ground. In fact, Natalie realized she was 
slightly elevated. 

"Nick, put me down. People are watching," she whispered. "It's a good thing my 
dress is so long." She giggled against his neck as she felt her feet touch the 
ground again. 

He drew his head back and grinned at her, "Guess we'd better get out of here." 
He guided her back to their dining table and soon they sat gazing at each other. 
Nick had a special bottle delivered to him by a waiter who was a member of the 
community, and Natalie dined on a fine steak as they planned what kind of 
wedding they would have. 


End Chapter 6 


By Jeannie Ecklund Gersknightlady@cs.com