******************************************

      While Natalie slept, LaCroix straightened the apartment, and
debated his next moves.   He picked up the phone and dialed
Jeanette's private number at the Raven.  Unless he wanted a mad
fledgling come nightfall, they needed supplies.

      Her groggy voice answered, and it didn't sound happy.  "If
this is a sales call...you will not live to see another sunrise."

      "It's me.  Jeanette, I need you to send a courier with a case
of fresh stock to hmm...hold on a second."  He spotted her purse on
the table and rifled through the contents, searching for Natalie's
address.  With a growl, he flung a picture of Nicholas in the
garbage.  Nothing, how can a mortal not have a single piece of paper
or identification with their address on it?  He held up the pair of
latex gloves.  "Just the essentials, why am I not surprised?"

      "I'm waiting, LaCroix.  I do have better things to do with my
mornings;  like sleep...."

      Fine, she would have to know.  "Send it to Doctor Lambert's
residence.  You will have to find out the address."

      "Why not ask her?"

      "She is rather indisposed at the moment, or I would."  He
answered, terse.

      "My, you have been busy.  You realize that Nicholas will not
be pleased, non?"

      "He seldom is.  Just send the case, or he will be even further
displeased to find his fondest love with a stake through her heart."
He hung the phone back on it's cradle and returned to the bedroom.

      She woke up, surrounded by the warm cocoon of blankets.
Drifting between that wonderful place of dreams and reality, she
snuggled further down into the soft heat, and bumped something cold
and hard.  Eep.  Her eyes snapped open, to reveal LaCroix, lying
prone beside her.

      Oh god.   Breathe, Natalie, breathe.  She gasped, and dove
from the bed, putting as much space as possible between her and
Nick's master.  Eeep.  What the hell was he doing here?  She grabbed
a set of clothes from the dresser and fled the bedroom.   She tried
to think of a single reason why he would be in her bed.  They hadn't
done anything, had they?  She did a mental timeline, hmm, taking
nyquil,  calling in sick to work,  and then sleeping.   No strange
excursions to the Raven, or outside her apartment for that matter.
Without thought, her hand sought her neck, searching for any telltale
sign of a vampire slurpy.  Nope, nothing there, thank god.

      In the kitchen, she stopped and glared at the case of green
bottles on the counter.  What, did he think he was moving in?  Of all
the nerve, she shook her head in outrage.  She tossed the entire
crate in the garbage.

      It was then she noticed her uninvited house-guest had cleaned
up.  The dirty dishes were gone,  the living room didn't look like a
typhoon anymore, and the garbage had a new bag.  And the
carpet...he'd vacuumed, and she'd slept through it?   Good job, Nat,
at least he didn't kill you while you took your beauty sleep.

      She heard him rustling in the covers, and felt him wake up.
Wait a minute, no,  you can't feel someone wake up...can you?  Her
hand went right back to her throat, determined to find something this
time.

      "Good morning, Doctor."

      Uh oh.  She needed something to defend herself.  A stake?
Too bad the only steaks in here were of the meatier variety.  A
cross?  Garlic? Her eyes went to the cupboard, and she found herself
there in the blink of an eye.  She needed to keep him away from her
throat before he did give her a twin piercing.  She wrenched the lid
from the garlic and halfway tossed it at him.  Only after the cloud
of spice enveloped her, did she realize her mistake, and how much
trouble she really was in.  Her knees gave way, and she plunged to
the floor.

      LaCroix held up his hands, and deliberately applauded her
efforts, each slow clap reverberating in her pounding skull.  "Very
good.  You've learned your first lesson.  Garlic makes us weak."  He
raised an eyebrow when he found the case of blood in the
trash.  "Natalie...what do you remember about last night?"

      She scooted back against the cupboard, and inched her way up
to a sitting position.  "Taking way too much Nyquil, after that,
nothing."
 

End chapter 2