Archived December 2002 ------------------------------------------------ Warning: This story is rated R. If you are under 18 years then please do not read any further ------------------------------------------------ Nick slammed the door to the caddie, startling Schanke. "Whats with you, Nick?" Schanke looked over at Nick and could see he was angry. "Nothing, Schank." Nick said flatly. "Okay, sure, Nick. Did you get the reports?" Nick slammed his fist against the steering wheel. "No, and I'm *not* going back for them!" Schanke silently got out of the car and headed to the morgue, shaking his head. When will these to stop this crap and get together? Schanke enetered the morgue to see a steamed Natalie slamming reports around. " Man, oh man Nat! If you two aren't a pair, I don't know who is!" Natalie glared at him and said, "Schanke, don't talk to me about Nick, I don't want to hear it!" "Okay, okay, don't bite my head off! I just came for the reports, then I'll go." Natalie threw the reports at him and stormed into the cooler. Schanke managed to catch them before they hit the floor. As he headed back to the car, the wheels in his head started to turn. Nat heard Schanke leave and was embarrassed about taking her anger out on him, but Nick made her so mad! Her mind drifted back to the argument they'd just had. ********** Nick came in and tried to give her a hello kiss. Thats the last thing she wanted from him right now. Did he think she would just forget about whats her name? Nick was a little hurt when Natalie pulled away. "Whats wrong, Nat?" he asked puzzled. Natalie gave Nick an icy glare. "You know Nick, I'm tired of you chasing every woman you meet. If its not Janette, its someone else." Nat was practically screaming at him by this point. Nick was starting to get a little upset. Didn't Natalie realize how much he cared for her? And how scared he was of hurting her? "Nat, you know I care for you. You *know* that! he said, a trifle defensivly. "Just look at all the things I do to please you. You're constantly scraping pieces of me into test-tubes, making me drink those horrid shakes, take vitamins...." Natalie exploded. "All the things you do to please me?! Who was it that wanted to be mortal again? And as for knowing how much you care, how would *I* know that? You never tell me, and chasing all those women... Is that how you show me?" Nick was just as angry now. "You're only upset about those women because I have a personal life. You are so wrapped up in your work that it has become your life." Nick glared back at Natalie. "How do *I* know you really care? Maybe you're only interested in me as some medical experiment. Maybe I'm only a research project to you!" Nick turned and stormed out. ******* Schanke got into the caddie and looked at Nick, thinking he looked pretty anrgy still. Schank had had enough of both of them. "Lets check in at the station, Nick, It's really quiet tonight, anyway." Nick agreed and took off, the caddie's tires screeching. When they got to the station, Schanke went into the interview room. Nick called, "Where are you going, Schank?" "I have to make a call, be right back." Schanke shut the door and called his wife, Myra. "Hi, honey. Can you bring my lunch down to the station, I need to talk to you." A few minutes later, Myra came into the station. Schanke smiled, grabbed his souvlaki and Myra's hand and pulled her into the interview room behind him. Schanke turned to Myra and said, "I'm tired of being in the middle of Nick and Natalie's relationship. What do you think about playing a trick on them?" Myra smiled. "What did you hane in mind?" Schanke grinned and said, "A little matchmaking. You're good at that, Any ideas?" Myra thought for a moment. "Well, maybe they need some privacy yo work out their problems. We have that cabin by the lake. When do they both have some time off together?" Schanke replied, "This weekend." "Perfect! All you have to do is get Nick there without him suspecting anything, and I'll do the same with Natalie." Myra left for the morgue to talk to Natalie, and Schanke walked over to Nick. Looking at Nick, sitting there sulking, he said. "You know, Nick. You're off this weekend, why don't you go up to my cabin? Maybe if you and Nat spent sometime away from each other...." Nick glanced at Schanke. " Stay out of it, Schank. I *don't* want to talk about it." " Well, you have to do something. Pretty soon I'm going to throw something at you. You're so...so..." Nick interrupted "Irritating?" "Yeah, thats right! You're irritating! You know, the cabin's isolated and quiet, dark. Right up your alley." Nick looked at Schanke and sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll go. This weekend, ok?" Schanke smiled to himself. " Fine. Here's the key, and the directions." "How long have you been planning this?" " Not long." =========== Myra walked into the morgue and found Nat hard at work on a mound of paperwork. " Hi Natalie, Don told me that you and Nick had a fight. Do you want to talk about it?" Nat was still fuming from the argument with Nick. " Myra, maybe he's right. I really don't have a personal life. I spend all my time here, or with him." Myra looked at Nat. This was perfect! Smiling to herself, she asked Nat, "How would you like to make him think *he's* wrong? You could use our cabin for the weekend, and not tell Nick you're going. *I* could drop a few hints about another man." Natalie was about to refuse Myra's offer, when she stopped. Maybe she *should* try to make Nick jealous. < Lets see how he likes it!> Natalie grinned at Myra. "You know, Myra, that might be a good idea." ========== Nick pulled the caddie into the snow-covered driveway, relieved he'd finally made it. When he started out, the snow had stopped, but, about halfway there, it started up again. As he got out of the car, he saw the vague outline of another car, covered with snow. "Great, just great!" He said to himself. Schank had let slip that Nat had a date, and he was upset. The *last* thing he needed was company. Nick went around to the trunk, took out a few bottles, and the blackout drapes. He trudged to the cabin door. Looking up, he noticed it was almost dawn. He carefully opened the door, and trudged to the kitchen to put his bottles in the fridge. What he saw, or rather, whom he saw on the couch almost made him drop the bottles.... *Nat!* he thought. He was tempted to just march out and leave, but he didn't want to get caught by the sun. He quickly put most of the bottles into the fridge. He grabbed the blackout drapes he'd brought with him, and headed to Jenny's room to hang them up. When he'd finished, he walked over to Nat.His hand involuntarily brushed a stray wisp of hair from her face, and she murmured something in her sleep, shifting slightly. Abruptly, she sat up straight, and said through clenched teeth... "What the *hell* are you doing here, Nick?" Nick stood staring in disbelief. "Me? What are *you* doing here, I thought you had a date!" Natalie stopped for a second, remembering Myra's "plan". " Yeah, so what if I do. He's not back yet... What buisness is it of yours?" Nick stood there, stammering. "well....I... You weren't...I mean, I didn't expect to see you here!" "Oh. So I'm just suposed to be a good little girl and stay in the city, while you go trapsing around the countryside, is that it?" Nick managed to get out a "Uh...no... uh.." before Natalie tore into him again. "Well, I've got nes for you, bub. I'm plenty able to take care of myself, go where I want, when I want, and with whomever I want, WITHOUT you looking over my shoulder!" Nick finally got a word in. "Natalie, I just came up here to get away I really didn't know...and then Schanke said you had a date... and" Nat cut him off. " If I want to bring a date up here, thats my buisness. You don't like it? Well, you wanted to get away, so get away. Now!" Nick looked outside at the slowly lightening sky. "I can't. I..." She didn't let him finish. Grabbing her coat, she stormed out the door. "Fine! You can't so, I wil!" Slamming the door behind her, she ran from the cabin. Nick listened to the door slam. He wanted to follow her, and tell her how he really felt, but couldn't. All he ever brought her was pain. Even now, he could hear her crying as she ran away. God! How he wished he was mortal! Natalie ran from the cabin, tears blinding her. She couldn't see where she was going, and it really didn't matter, anyway. All she knew was that she had to get away from Nick. Nick heard her footsteps crunching through the snow, rapidly growing fainter. He'd managed to hurt her yet again. Natalie ran through the snow, towards some trees. She reached them, breathing heavily.She looked around, surprised at how much snow there was. She began to walk towards a large, open field. He stood there, cursing himself. If his penance was to feel the pain he had caused his victims, to feel their loss, this last few days were bringing him closer to mortality. But he wondered at the cost. Should he just give up, and do ad Natalie said? Just go away, for the final time, and save her the pain his existance in her life would bring? He couldn't hear Natalie in the snow any longer. Faintly, over the wind howling outside the door, he thought he could hear the occasional sob. Each one tore him apart a little more. *Nick* she thought. How did she really feel about Nick? He infuriated her, exasperated her... made her angry. She sobbed quietly as she walked. He also made her feel happy... complete. She realized that she loved him and that's all that mattered. She turned to head back to the cabin, when she heard a low groan from beneath her. She looked down and saw the ice beneath her feet, just as it gave way, plunging her into the icy water of the lake. When she came up, she spluttered and yelled for Nick as loudly as she could. Her panicked movements sent her back under the water. Nick walked over to the window, lost in thought. He peeked out through the blinds.... but the sun had risen enough to make it uncomfortable. He quickly dropped the makeshift blinds again. He listened to the wind, lost in thought, and recalled the ancient stories of the Fates and of the Sirens. The window seemed to scream at him, and he felt as though they were calling to him, mocking him, in Nat's voice. Nat's voice.... He listened closer, and heard, just above the wind - it WAS Nat's voice.... When she came up again, She screamed "Nick, Help!" She managed to grab the edge of the hole, and continued to scream for Nick. He could hear he yelling, probably just to get her frustration at him out. His heart sank when he thought he heard her yell " Go to hell, Nick" His head drooped, and he walked over to one of the bottles... He could still hear her.... calling for...help? Natalie started shivering. She knew she needed Nick's help, and fast. She gathered her breath again, and yelled for help as loud as she could. Nick rushed over to the door and pressed his ear against it. Over the wind... Yes, he could hear her calling for help. He threw open the door, and was blinded by the dawn reflecting off the snow. Natalie's shivering grew worse. It was harder and harder to hold on, and her cries for help were growing fainter. Nick regained his sight, though looking out was still painful. There, near the edge of the lake, was a darker spot - and he saw... "Natalie!" Natalie thought she heard a voice, but wasn't sure. it was so *hard* to think. She was feeling so tired, and warm, now. He looked out... this was later then he'd usually risk going outside but - Natalie... He grabbed one of the blankets from the couch and ran out the door, yelling "Natalie! I'm coming...." Natalie thought she heard Nicks voice, but she was *so* tired... Her hand slipped from the ice and she floated ontop of the icy water for a moment. Nick started running through the storm, towards Natalie. He managed to atleast hold the blanket over his back, but his hand started to smoke. He tripped over a tree root, hidden by the snow, nearly losing his balance, but he couldn't let Natalie drown. He saw her still form start moving away from the edge. Natalie's eyes drifted shut, and slowly, she started to sink under the water. Nick was afraid he wouldn't reach Nat in time - and wondered why he was running. He took to the air for the short distance left, reaching her in seconds. He reached over, snatching her hand. Pulling he to the edge, he put his arms about her waist, and flew her back to the cabin. Natalie vaguely felt heself being lifted and wind brushing her face. She started to shiver violently, and realized she could feel Nicks arms around her. She heard a door slam and realized she was in the cabin. Nick put Natalie down on the blankets, close to the fire, and started to worry. "What do I do.." He saw her shivering. " Stay with me, Nat... Natalie? God..." Natalie could hear the worry in Nick's voice, but was too tired to say anything. She moaned slightly as she began to shake even harder. He looked around... Where was that blasted phone? He knew Schanke had one here, he'd called to lie about the fish he caught the last time he was here.He heard Natalie's moanm and his panic was turning to outright fear.She was shaking violently now. "C'mon, Nat, help me here..." In a brief moment of clarity, he realized that she still had all of those wet clothes on, and they were probably insulating her from the heat of the fire. She was so cold!! and wet. Weakly, she tried to move closer to the fire, but didn't get very far. Natalie felt Nick come up beside her and begin to remove her wet clothes. "Nick..." she murmured. Nick reached down, and started fumbling with the buttons on her coat. He swore at his wet, cold hands, but finally got them open, and started working her out of the coat. He thought he heard her murmur something... "Nat?" Nick threw the wet coat over by the couch. She was dressed like a sponge - sweater, sweatpants, all soaked. At the sound of his voice, Nat turned her head slightly and got her eyes open. "Nick?" she mumbled through trembling lips. Nick saw her eyes open and heard her say his name. "Nat... Just stay with me, OK?" Stay awake..." "So tired..." she muttered. "Natalie, no... Stay awake, come on..." he said. He knew enough that if she fell asleep now... well, his humanity was the last thing on his mind. He leaned her up - partly to get the soaked sweater off, partly to try to help her stay awake... Natalie felt herself being lifted and heard the pain in his voice. She was shaking even harder now, and moved closer to Nick. He realized that, though she'd brought a change of clothes to his loft at times, he'd never seen this much of her. "Sorry, Nat, but modesty takes second billing to keeping you alive..." He felt her move closer, and reached for a dry blanket. He held her and moved her a bit closer to the fire. "Now,stay awake, Nat...Nat, please stay awake.. I'm going to try to call for help." As Nick started to move away, she clutched his shirt with her fingers. "No...." she whispered. Nick felt her grab his shirt." Natalie, I'll only be a second, but we've got to get help up here! Please..." "The phone's out, Nick." She answered, her shivering begining to lessen. "Its outwhere, Nat? Out where?" At least she remembered where the phone was - whicj was more then he could in the state he was in right now. Natalie weakly slapped his chest and said, "Its not working, Nick." A smile on her face. Natalie could see Nick was in a panic. She pulled on his shirt to get his attention. "Nick... I need to get these wet clothes off, then, maybe something hot to drink." Nick was still muttering "phone, phone" and looked down at Nat in his arms."Ok...uh, clothes...." Nick started looking around the room for her clothes, a bag, something. "My bags by the couch, Nick." "You packed in your medical bag, Nat?" "Not *that* bag, you idiot!" He reached over, it was just beyond his grasp. He started leaning, and flet Nat start to slide.He leaned back, to prop Nat up, and went for the bag again. Nat started muttering about 800 year old idiots, under her breath. Nick looked indecisively at Nat, then the bag - then got an idea. He grabbed a pillow and another blanket from the couch, and propped Nat up by the fire with them. Settling Nat down on them, he went over and got her bag. Nat felt so comfortable by the fire, her eyes closed and she started to fall asleep. Nick worked at opening the bag, fumbling with the zipper. "Nat..." He looked over, and saw her eyelids drooping. "Oh, no you don't! Nat, stay awake!" Nat opened her eyes, and said a bit irritably, " I'm tired, Nick." Nick slid over to her and put his hand on her shoulder."I know. Nat, but please, you have to stay awake. Just for a little while, I promise." Nat was feeling a bit petulant. " I'm cold, wet, and tired. I don't *want* to stay up, I *want* to sleep!" Fumbling in Nat's bag, he found a warm bathrobe and pulled it out. It would do perfectly. Nick began to remove the rest of Nat's clothes."What do you think you're doing, Nick?" Nat said, batting his hands away. Nick looked at her, puzzled. "I'm getting your wet clothes off, Nat. Why are you hitting me?" Nat pushed Nick away. " I can do it by myself." she said, defiantly. However, she found that the cold had numbed her fingers and that made taking off any article of clothing quite impossible. Meekly, she was forced to lie back against the pillows and allow Nick to remove her wet clothes. Natalie had to admit that having Nick help her was nice... Too bad she was too tired to take advantage of the situation. Nat drifted into a daydream. She was just about to kiss Nick, when she was suddenly shaken awake by Nick. "What now, Nick?" annoyed that he disturbed her very, very, pleasant dream. Nick flinched back form Natalie, then started to slip her robe on. "I know you're tired, Nat. You just can't fall asleep on me right now, ok?" He worked at getting her other arm into the robe, and started arranging the rest of it around her. Nat gave a half-giggle, and Nick saw what he was doing for the first time "Uh...Nat..." he said - and for the first time, she found out vampires can blush. As he started closing up her robe, he said, "Why don't you...uh, finish getting yourself arranged, and... well, I'm sure Myra left some tea around here... Why don't I go make you a cup?" Nat watched him leave, disappointed. She was doing so much better in her dream. Maybe she could find a way to change that. She noticed that her shivering had stopped, and that she was *sore*.... Nick got up to go to the kitchen. Natalie had stopped shaking, so he didn't feel so bad about leaving her alone. He was a bit embarrased about seeing so much of Natalie, so soon, but he wouldn't have been so bold if her life hadn't been at stake. He could feel the blood rising to his face again, and he started to wonder out loud about Nat's date. Natalie could hear Nick as he poked around the kitchen muttering about her date. She wasn't quite ready to tell him that she didn't have one, but she did feel that she had to say something. "Nick." she called, "I have to tell you, My date never showed up." Nick found the teapot, cleaned, filled and put it on the stove to boil. He went through the cupboards again... "Earl Grey, Orange herbal, or lemon... Nat?" " I don't care, Nick they all sound good. Just as long as its hot." Nick nodded and found a cup. " One bag or two, Nat?" She shouted back, exasperated. " Did"t you learn anything over the last few centuries? Read the directions!" Nick returned to Natalie's side, tea in hand. She reached up to get it... "Ooh!" Nick becamed concered instantly. "Are you all right, Nat?" She accepted the tea, and brought it slowly to her mouth. She sipped the warm liquid, gratefully. "Yes, Nick...better, just a little sore." Natalie sipped more of her tea. "This is great, Nick. Just what thee doctor ordered." Nick smiled an let her finish the tea. She reached over to put the cup on the hearth, and groaned. "here, Nat... since Mr Wonderful isn't around, let me see if I can help you a little more." Nat looked at him, quickly hiding the flash of guilt across her features. Gingerly, Nick picked her up and brought her over to the couch. He sat down at one end and laid her out, against him. Slowly, he started rubbing her shoulders, working his way in small circles up to her neck amd back down to her shoulders.Natalie felt herself melting into Nick's hands. He worked his way down her back and around her shoulders. Natalie felt as though she wee drifting away. From somewhere above her, she heard Nick's voice saying something "...sorry, Nat...I know I said somethings I shouldn't have before." Nick looked down at her. She was warmer, now, and seemed to be enjoying the massage. "I don't know if I should feel this way or not, Nat, but I heard you had a date with someone else, I just couldn't..." Natalie was off in her own world now, just her and Nick. She said softly, "There isn't anyone else, Nick." And in her dream, she was with Nick, in a field, in the sun. "What?" Nick felt his world turn around. Slowly, he lifted Natalie up, and slid behind her, so she could rest in his arms. "Natalie... you don't know what that means to me." He ran his hand through her hair, and nuzzled her neck. "I love tou, Nat. I know I've never said it, but I do." Nick looked down startled... She had fallen asleep and was snoring away in his arms. Nick woke up and wondered where he was. Slowly he became aware of his surroundings. He was lying on the couch in Schanke's cabin with Nat sleeping soundly in his arms. Carefully, he stretched his cramped muscles and yawned.He didn't want to wake her. She needed her rest. Looking down at Nat, he thought about what had happened this morning, how close he had come to losing her. She looked so sweet asleep in his arms. Nat moved slightly in her sleep. The belt of her robe had come undone, and as she stirred the robe came open just enough to reveal what was underneath. The sight of her bare flesh made the blood rush to his face. Carefully, so as not to startle her, Nick leaned down and began to kiss her face softly.The sight of her, warm and soft in his arms, was too much to resist. His hands began to stroke her gently. Nat stirred in her sleep, a smile on her face... *She could feel Nick's arms around her, caressing her, loving her. Natalie lay there and enjoyed the sensation. This was better then anything she could have imagined. Her mind began to drift. She could see herself, with Nick, in a sunny meadow. She felt the sunshine on her face, sweet smells drifted on the breeze. Nick leaned closer and kissed her, his hands slowly making her clothes disappear* ...Suddenly, she remembered where she was, and woke up with a start. Nick'smouth was on hers and his hands were drifting down her naked body, just like in the dream. Only, there was no sunshine and no flowers. She soon realized, this was no dream! Nat wriggled a little, trying to fit herselfcloser to him and realized the even though his hands were on her bareskin, he was still completely dressed. Nick heard Natalie's quiet moan, and realized she was awake. He pulled his mouth away quickly. "I'm sorry, Nat, I wasn't thinking... I mean, I didn't mean to..." Nat shot him a look, and attacked his lips with her own. Her robe opened, exposing more of her body to him, but he had yet to lose so much as a button on his shirt. She decided to change the situation. His belt was digging into her belly anyway. The last thing she wanted was a distraction from enjoying this fantasy come true. She reached down, unbuckled his belt and yanked it off. Nick felt Natalie yank his belt off, as her tongue invaded his mouth. He pushed her robe all the way off, as Nat slid her hands under his shirt and began to stroke his chest. She could feel his erection pressing against her. Nat's fingers began to lightly tweak his nipples, and Nick gasped, breaking the kiss. He looked down, into Nat's eyes, and in a soft voice said, "Nat.... are you sure about this?" Natalie smiled at him and reclaimed his lips in a passionate kiss, as one hand drifted lower, to slide under his jeans to rub his hardness. Nick closed his eyes when he felt Nat's hand touch him. He briefly struggled with his desire, then his hands slid around to cup her breasts, kneading gently. Reaching around her body, he cupped her buttocks and pulled her hard against him. Holding tight, he flipped them both over, then slid down her body, kissing, licking and nibbling along the way. When Nat became aware of her surroundings, after a brief episode of thinking she was dreaming again, she decided that somehow she had to get those clothes off him. As Nick kissed and licked his way down Nat's stomach, she grabbed his shirt and pulled, ripping the buttons open. Nat then reached down and unzipped him, brushing her hand against his straining member. She started to push his jeans and shorts down,and found she couldn't quite manage it with her hands. She lifted herleg, and slid her toe into his jeans and slid them the rest of the waydown. Nick quickly reached down and finished removing his clothes, then lay back down on top of Nat, nibbling her lips, as his hands slid up her inner thighs. Nat moaned at the feel of his cool hands on her sensitive skin. She ran her hands down his back, cupping his buttocks, and squeezed, pulling him closer. He growled, pushing himself into her, his eyes glowing. Startled, she looked at him and began to pull away. He stopped her, saying, "No...Nat. We can't stop now.... I can do this. *I* can!" Nat looked up, into his golden eyes, and smiled. "Nick, I trust you, I was just surprised." With that, she captured his lips again, and wrapped her legs around him as he began to thrust gently into her. Nick was lost in the sensations sweeping over him. He reveled in her tightness, and warmth. He growled, deep in his throat, as Nat arched up to him, pulling him deeper. Nat was in Heaven! She tangled her fingers in his hair, as he began kissing his way down her neck, towards her breasts. He paused for a moment at her neck with his golden eyes closed, and Nat held her breath, waiting...waiting. She trusted him with her life, butdid he trust himself? Apparently so, because, still moving in and out ofher, faster and faster, he forgot the vampire, her blood, and only remembered her love. Waves of pleasure poured over her, as he thrust deeper. She moaned his nameas she climaxed, her fingers tightening in his hair. Her whole body arched, and she drifted away, on a tide of pleasure. Nick felt Natalie's orgasm sweep over her, and heard her call his name. The sight of Natalie, writhing with pleasure, excited him even more. He quickened his thrusts, reveling in his feelings for her. Natalie became aware of Nick, still thrusting into her, and she rose to meet him, matching his pace. That was all Nick needed, and he came, with Natalie right behind him. She felt his whole body spasm and collaspe on top of her. A broad grin spread across her face, made of relief, fulfilled desire, and a heartbrimming with love for the vampire - no, man - in her arms. Still smiling, she drifted off to sleep in his arms, with Nick only seconds behind her. Nat woke up with Nick's arms around her. She was cold!! As she opened her eyes, she realized why. She was naked, lying ontop of Nick. She smiled down at his peaceful face, and then her stomach gave a rumble. As she started to untangle herself from Nick, his eyelids fluttered open and he gave her a huge smile. He reached around and stroked her butt, giving every indication that he was that he was ready for a second round. She wriggled and, regretfully listening to her stomach, said, "I need food and so do you. Later." She gave him a quick kiss, and slid off him and grabbed her robe from the floor. Nat checked her clothes to see if they were dry yet. They seemed ok, so she got dressed and looked outside to check the weather. Dusk had fallen, and the blizzard had died down, so she started to go outside to bring in some wood. As Nat headed for the door, Nick caught up with her. "where are you going, Nat?" She looked at Nick, standing there naked, and grinned. "We need more wood, for the fire. I'm getting some." Nick just shook his head. "Nope, I don't think so. Why don't you get something to eat, and I'll get the wood?" Nat's smile grew wider "Are you going out like that, or are you going to put on some clothes first?" Nick looked down at himself and blushed. "Uh, I guess I'd better get dressed." Nick grabbed Nat, gave her a quick kiss, and turned to get dressed. As Nick bent over to pick up his pants, Natalie just couldn't resist. She came up behind him, and gave him a pinch on the butt, then took off for the kitchen. Nick gave a yelp, and turned around, "What was that for??" he asked indignantly. He heard Nat chuckle. Nick dropped his pants and chased after her. Nick caught up with her in the kitchen and started tickling her. Nat was laughing so hard, she was having trouble breathing. "Ni...Nick!... Stop!" all the while laughing. Nick grinned at her. "Why, Nat? aren't you having fun?" he finally stopped, and after a moment, she said, "Nick, I'm having lots of fun, but we both need to eat, and it's *cold!* She smiled provocatively at him" And if you want to pick up where we left off, I need you to start a fire, so.....March! and go get some wood!" He looked sulky for a moment, but finally nodded and went to get dressed. He looked around and realized it probably was pretty cold in here, went outside into the cold, early evening air and gathered an armload of firewood. Nat bustled around the kitchen, warming up some soup she had brought. She heard Nick leave, and gave some thought to feeding him. Nat looked thoughtfully at the bottle on the counter and had an idea. Making up her mind, she went to her medical bag, got a syringe and a bandaid, and went back to the kitchen. She took out a small glass, and pushed up the sleeve of her sweater. She quickly tied a torniquet around her arm and slapped the crook of her arm to raise a vein. Inserting the needle, she drew enough blood to fill the small glass. Hoping she wasn't making a mistake, she covered the hole with the bandaid, grabbed her soup, the glass and the bottle and went to sit on the couch. Nick came back in, walked over to the fireplace and dropped the wood. He leaned over, his jeans pulling tight across his rear, and built up the fire. Nat sat on the couch, admiring the view, and eating her soup. "Here, Nick, I think you need some nourishment too." and handed him the glass of blood, not telling him what was in it. She watched as he took a sip, and saw him realize what it was. Nick closed his eyes, savoring the feelings and memories from Nat's blood. He opened his eyes, and stared at her, overcome by the love he felt in her blood. "Nat....Why?" Natalie looked away from him. "Nick... I know how important blood exchange is to you, and.... well... I just wanted to do something special for you..." she trailed off, embarrassed. Nick stood looking at her. He could feel that she was embarrassed, and that there was something else bothering her. He walked over to the couch, and sat down next to her. "Nat, I... I have to tell you something, but... What about this date?" Natalie looked away. "There was no date, Nick. He was made up by Myra and I to make you jealous." Nick looked at her. "I know." he said softly. Natalie stared at him, with a puzzled look on her face. " You know? How could you know that?" she asked, her voice a whisper. Then she realized... "The blood. You could tell from the blood." Nick smiled. "Nope. I knew before that." Seeing Nat's expression, he explained. " You told me once already. When you were drifting off to sleep this morning." Natalie blushed. "So what did you find out from my blood?" Nick wrapped his arms around her, put his lips next to her ear and whispered. "That you love me." He continued, "You fell asleep in my arms this morning, as I was telling you something. I'm going to tell you what I said then. I love you, Nat. With my heart, my soul, my mind, and my body." Natalie looked at Nick, and the tears began to fall. "Oh, Nick..."she whispered, and threw her arms around him, burring her face in his chest. Nick cupped her face in his hands, and began to kiss her tears away. Nick picked her up in his arms, kissing her passionately. He headed to the bedroom, determined to show her just how much he really loved her. Nat returned the kiss with gusto, her hands busily working on those dam buttons! He laid he gently on the bed, and slid in beside her. His hands traveled under her sweater to play with her nipples, pinching and rolling into hard points. She wriggled out of her sweater, so more of her bare skin could touch him. She kissed him again, and had to tear her mouth away, he didn't want to release it. But she brushed her lips down his throat, to his nipple. She brushed it with her lips, swirling her tongue around it a few times, then bit him gently. Nick gasped as he felt Nat bite him. He growled deep in his chest, and slid his hand down her stomach, to the top of her pants, and with a ripping sound, tore them off. His fingers traveled over her waist and slid into her curls, gently massaging the hard point he found. Nat moaned, and arched up into his hand. As he continued to stroke her, with his fingers, varying his motion, she reached down between them, unzipped his pants, and quickly ran her hand over him. Nick felt her hand stroking him. He reached down and gently removed her hand. Nat moaned in disappointment when Nick rolled to one side and withdrew his hand from her. With vampire speed, he tore of his jeans and rolled ontop of her, burring himself to the hilt in her warm, moist chamber. As Nick began to move, Nat moaned "Faster!" and moved in rhythm to his deep, hard thrusts. Panting, she clamped her legs around him, trying to find her release. Nick began sucking harder on her nipples, increasing the speed and depth of his thrusts. He pumped harder, faster, unaware of anything except pleasing her, and finding his own release. Nat could feel her orgasm approaching and ran her hands down his back kissing his neck. Nick felt himself explode, and ground himself against her, sending her over the edge as well, their cries of pleasure echoing in the small room, as Nick collapsed, spent. Nat brought his lips to hers, and kissed him gently, aftershocks rippling across her. Nick pulled back and stared into her eyes, and whispered, "Happy Valentines Day, Nat", a small smile on his lips. They lay in bed, cuddled together, basking in the afterglow of lovemaking, talking and murmuring sweet nothings to each other. Outside, an old pickup rattled by, clearing the narrow road. They looked up, startled, glancing at the window. "Was that what I think it was?" Nat asked. Nick glanced at the clock - then got out of bed, went to the window and looked out into the night.""Well, Nat, I can see the road again, so I guess so." With the road cleared, reality crept back to them. They both began to realize that winding up in the cabin was more then just a coincidence. They looked at each other and said, at the same time, "We were set up!" They started to laugh. Nick walked over to Natalie and held out his hand. "Cmon, Nat, let�s get packed and get out of here. We have some serious revenge to inflict!" They packed their bags, looked around at the cabin and grinned at each other. They stepped outside, took one look at Nat's car, still buried in the snow and shook their heads in unison. Throwing their stuff into the back of Nick's car, they climbed in and headed back to Toronto, scheming all the way. ************** Monday evening: Schanke was sitting at his desk, thoroughly pleased with himself, when the desk sergeant rang him up. "Yeah, Shanke." He said. "Just thought you might like to know... Detective Knight just came in, and he *does not* look happy. He did ask if you were in, though." Schanke just sat there, holding the phone. He began to sweat. Maybe this hadn't been a good idea afterall. "Detective? you there?" He shook himself. "Uh.... Yeah, thanks." He began to look around for a hole to hide in. Just then, Knight stormed in. "SCHANKE!" Nick roared. Too late! Schanke began to sweat harder, as he looked at Nick's angry face. "Uh, yeah, Hi Nick. How was the weekend?" he asked as he got up and started to back away... Right into Natalie. Schanke gulped as he saw a similar look on Nat's face. He thought to himself, "Uh, Hi Nat, how's it going?" he asked, desperately looking for a way out of the room. She just glared at him, then looked over at Nick with a look that made Schanke's blood run cold. Nick stared at Schanke. "You knew we weren't speaking, so you set us up. You and Myra." Schanke could feel the sweat dripping down his face. He held up his hand, and said, "Now, wait Nick, Nat.....Lemme explain..." Schanke had no place to run, as they both lunged toward him...... and enveloped him in a group bearhug. "Thanks, Don." Nat said, trying not to laugh at the stunned look on his face. She slid her arm around Nick's waist and continued. "We managed to work *everything* out." The End