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

      Hearing the sound of a heartbeat, Natalie snapped her head
around to the couch, the steady beat luring her instinctively to the
other room.  She doubled over at the sudden pain tearing through her
stomach.  What the?  "I'm hungry.  LaCroix, tell me you didn't do
what I think you did."  Panting in agony, she resisted the urge to
tear the couch apart until she found the source of that hypnotic
thumping.

      When Sidney darted from his hiding place, she couldn't stop
herself from diving after him.  LaCroix stepping into her path,
catching her square in his embrace.

      "I don't think so."  He snapped one hand up to the back of
her neck, prying her away from his chest, and propelled her back into
the kitchen to a stool. "Now sit."  He stared into her eyes, forcing
her to obey when she resisted.  "You WILL NOT eat house pets.  To
answer your earlier question, my dear, yes I did."  Expressionless,
he retrieved a bottle from the garbage.  "Drink."

      She stared at the bottle, smelling the sweet elixir contained
within.  Her hands shook when she reached for it.  That lack of self
control, made her want to hide in shame. Through sheer force of will,
she dropped her hand at the last moment.  "No!  I won't give in to
you, LaCroix.  You had no right to do this to me, and if you expect
obedience or gratitude, you won't get it. How dare you."

      Fury clouded his features, as she finished her tirade.  "My
mistake.  Sunrise is in seven hours,  leave the drapes open and your
problems will be over."  He stalked from the room, shoulders stiff at
her rejection.   "Never ask anything of me again, Doctor."

      Stunned, she stared after him.  What did he mean by that?
She knew LaCroix, he wouldn't bring her across on a whim.  What was
going on?   Oh god.  No wonder she didn't find any marks on her neck,
she should have checked for a pulse instead.   Another wave of pain
crashed over her innards, and in desperation she yanked the bottle to
her lips.  Closing her eyes, she drained it, not taking the time to
savor the taste.

      Sensing the confused mixture of pain and anger coming from
her new master, she blinked to find him at the exit.  His white
knuckled grip motionless on the doorknob,  he studied her with
glacial blue eyes, hooded by a frown.

      "LaCroix, wait." Not knowing why she stopped him, she bit her
lip. "Why?  Before you go, at least tell me that."

      He shook his head, and turned the knob.  "I'll be at the
Raven.  If you decide to come to me,  I will hold you to your oath,
memory or no."

      "What oath?"

      "Obedience and loyalty, my dear.  I should have asked for
undying love as well, since it seems you would have promised anything
last night."

      She ignored that barb, not wanting to delve into a discussion
of love with Nick's master.  Her master too, she corrected.  "And, if
I don't come?"

      "Then you may as well leave the blinds open."  He opened the
door, and walked out.  She felt him close the link at the same time
he closed the door.

      Well, hell.  She slumped back against the counter, her mind
completely blank.  What now?  He'd brought her across.  She was dead,
her life over, no kids, no sun,  no marrying, oh no.  Her heart fell,
leaden, in her chest.  Nick.  What was she going to do?  This was
going to kill him, he would think it was all his fault.   She still
remembered Valentine's day, so long ago, and the heartrending
confession after LaCroix left.  How was she going to tell him?  How
could she not?  He was her best friend, and the only one who had a
chance in hell of comforting her.   Numb, she dialed the loft,  and
waited for him to pick up.

      "I'm either in bed or incom..." She hung up and dialed the
precinct.

      "Schanke here."

      "Hi Don, put Nick on would you?"

      "Nick, err  Nat, he's not here right now."

      "So, where is he?"

      She could hear him fidgeting in the background, even the
sound of his heart speeding up.

      "He asked that I not say anything, Nat, I'm sorry."

      "Oh no, Donald, where is he, I won't tell him you told me.
Be a pal."

      "He'll kill me."

      "So will Myra when I tell her about your visit to the strip
club after hours.  Where, Schanke? I'll buy you Souvlaki for a week.
It's important."

      "All right, all right, but I will keep you to that promise.
He went to see his girlfriend at that freaky nightclub, the Raven;
some French dancer,  Jeanette or something."

      "Thanks, Schanke.  I'll try there."  No wonder Nick never
brought the Tylenol, he was too busy trying to reclaim mortality
through blood loss, and physical exertion.   She hung the phone back
in it's cradle, and debated the merits of phoning the Raven, or just
going there.  If she went, LaCroix would demand she fulfill an oath
she didn't remember making.

      A phone call it was then.  She looked up the number in the
yellow pages.  After the second ring, LaCroix's rich voice flowed
through the reciever.  "This is the Nightcrawler, host of the Raven,
what desire may I fulfill for you with this evening?"

      Of course, with her luck tonight, HE would be the one to
answer the phone.  He had to be kidding, and why wasn't Miklos
answering?  She debated hanging up on him, but she refused to
backdown,  that would mean he won. "A better pick up line for
starters."

      Velvety laughter echoed in her ear, reverberating down her
spine and making things tingle that had no bussiness tingling around
him.

      "Very well, Natalie,  I can as easily quote poetry describing
the fire in your eyes, and the graceful length of your smooth body as
you shudder beneath me in bed."

      "Or not.  Where is Nick?"  She didn't need to listen to this,
did she?  Ugh.

      "I offer you my bed, and you think of Nicholas."   She heard
the self deprecating tone;  a sad, bitter humor.

      "Cute, real cute.   Will you allow me to talk to him, or not?"

      "He won't talk to you,  as usual, he is sulking.  Jeanette is
comforting him."

      "Comforting him...right.  When he's done,  tell him to call
me."

      "Natalie, you wait for the impossible.  He will never give
her up.  They've been together for eight hundred years, living as
husband and wife.  For all your beauty and fire, you can never make
up for that.  Don't be a fool."

   Fool.  Boy,  he nailed that one on the head.  Waking up with
no recollection of the night before, and then scaring off the one and
only source of that vital information.  Yep,  the dunce cap goes to
Natalie Lambert.  "I'll be there shortly.  You can tell me about
being a fool while you explain exactly what happened last night."

      "Wise decision, Natalie.  I'll be waiting."

      She just bet he would be.  What have you gotten yourself
into, Nat?
 

End chapter 3