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

Nick pulled off his old jacket, admiring the new one in
awe, before sliding it on.  She knew that look, it was worn
when he remember Joan DeArc giving him a simple wooden
cross, and again when a mortal doctor offered to help him
regain his humanity.  She wanted to cry herself then, out of
happiness.  He'd found another spark of light, something to
keep him going for another hundred years.  To him, having
this many mortals wishing him well, meant the world, and he
deserved every bit of it.  The gold of the jacket picked up the
lingering flecks in his eyes.  That combined with his molten
hair, turned him into a glowing torch.

Screaming cheers tore out of the audience's throat.
Agony shot through her head.  If her eardrums took anymore,
they'd burst.  She slumped against a chair, grasping onto the
cold metal to support herself.

<Help!>

"You okay, Dr. Lambert?"  The lab technician,  Cara
Miller, held her elbow.  Natalie didn't know if it was safe to
open her eyes yet, so she shook her head.  Everything
happened in slow motion after that.  Miller's perfume hit her,
the god awful combination of jasmine and decomposed
human flesh.   It couldn't be what it smelled like, but ugh.
Natalie fought the immediate gag reflex that sought to
reacquiant her with LaCroix's dinner.

"I need some air."  She made an innane excuse, what it
was, later she couldn't remember.  Miller tried to help her to
the door, but the closer contact made the smell that much
more horrible.   Her last thought before meeting the walnut
floor was LaCroix's going to be pissed.

When she woke up, she wished she hadn't.  It had to
be a bad dream.  LaCroix was not holding Cara by the neck
against a wall.  Half the police present were NOT drawing
down on him, and Nick's eyes were not glowing.  Schanke
held onto her wrist, still checking for a pulse.  Crap.  Double
crap.   She pushed his hand away.  Think fast, Lambert.

"No!  LaCroix! No, don't do this!  She didn't do
anything.  Let her go."   She swore, it didn't work.  He still
held Miller by the throat.  "The baby is fine!  Come on
LaCroix,  we need it's Grandfather.  Please, walk away."

LaCroix's eyes swung slowly to her,  confused.  He
took note of all the guns pointed at him for the first time.  She
read the lack of control in his stance.  He wanted to rip
Miller's throat out, but not here, not in front of all these
witnesses.

"Baby?"

Nick willed his own beast away as the imminent threat
of losing both his master and Natalie disappeared.  He
walked through the crowd of officers, placing himself in their
line of fire.  "Release her."  For once, he caught on faster
than LaCroix.  "Natalie just passed out from the pregnancy,
she'll be fine.  Miller had nothing to do with it."

"She poisoned her."  LaCroix whispered under his
breath, only the vampires and Cara heard it.

"How was she to know?  Let her go, LaCroix, please."

Natalie walked up to join him,  "Are you out of your
mind?  Did you notice the guns?  The nine milimeter shiny
grey guns?  There's about fifty of them."  She waved at the
crowd.  "You never struck me as suicidal, LaCroix.  Let's
both walk away from this.  Come on, I don't think they'll
press charges if you let her go.  Cara was trying to help."
She caught another whiff of the lab assistant and backed
away.  "Let her go before you get yourself shot."

LaCroix closed his eyes, anger roiling off  him.  "Fine,
Doctor.  The mortal lives, this time.  You're lucky, Cara
isn't it?"  He pushed away from the wall.

Two officers rushed him, now that he released the
hostage, they had a job to do.   "Lay down!  Put your hands
behind your head!"

LaCroix just looked at her, telling her with his eyes
that this was all her fault.  Retribution would come later.  He
dropped to one knee, then the other, going to the floor while
retaining his dignity.  From the prone position, he still held
her gaze.  The handcuffs ratcheted into place, while the
officers read him his rights.  Throughout, he stared at her,
silent.

As they led him away, she shook her head.  "He's going to
kill me."

"Yep."  Nick pulled Cara away from the wall.  "You
okay?"

"I think so.  Who was that?  Why'd he attack me?" Shaken,
Miller hugged her arms.

"My adopted father.  I'm sorry about that.  He can be
overprotective sometimes."  Nick caught her heartbeat while
he spoke to her.  "He wanted to help.  He's a harmless old
man, and gets confused."

"Senile huh, poor guy.  How old is he?  He doesn't
look more than fifty."

"My family ages well.  Add a few decades onto it.  We
should put him in a home, but he'd kill himself.  He can't
stand to be locked up.  Don't know what the jail time will do
to him."

"Jail time?  Why would he go to jail?"  Eyes blank, she
stared at him.

"You don't plan on pressing charges..."  Nick held
Cara's mind, planting the command.  To anyone else it
looked like a normal conversation.  Natalie hoped in time she
would be that smooth.  Only Schanke watched with a hooded
gaze.

"I don't plan on pressing charges.  Poor guy, he
doesn't deserve jail time.  My Uncle had alzheimers, so I
understand.  You really should have someone with him at all
times."

Natalie covered the smile.

"Man oh man.  Natalie, you okay?  You're pale.
Maybe you should eat something?  Myra ate like a pig when
she carried Jenni.  If she didn't eat, bam! On the floor.  Nick,
you dog!  You should have told me.  If you can't trust your
partner, who can you trust?"

Holding up her hand, Natalie stopped him.  "Enough!
I can't keep down solid food right now, Schank, but thank
you."

He shifted nervously, rubbing his neck.   Sweat
beading on his brow, he stared at her wrist, remember her
lack of pulse.  "So, that's the way of it.  Well,  I hope
you're both happy, Nat.   He's a good man."

He knew,  she saw it on his face.  Not fear, but close.
"Thank you, Don.  You're right, he is a good man, I
couldn't ask for better."

"Yeah.  Yeah, I know.  Hey, look at the time, we
better get this party started before the sun comes up.  Some
of us have to sleep sometime, eh?"

She closed her eyes at the pain and loss in his voice.
He masked it with humor, and probably felt guilty as hell for
feeling it to begin with.  If she were in his shoes, would she
feel the same?  Most likely, but she doubted she'd have the
character to laugh it off.  No, she'd be throwing a fit.

"I'll miss you, Schank."

"Hey now, don't make a grown man cry.  We'll see
each other again, Montreal's not far.  Myra wanted to go
shopping out there this summer.  Her brother has a cabin on a
lake out there."  His eyes lit up.  "I wonder if she'd
like a fishing reel for christmas?"

Nick stood behind her now, she felt his cool breath
ruffling her hair, and the warmth at her back.  He'd fed
before coming and she doubted it was on cow.

"Oh, I don't know Schanke, maybe some power bait
might be a better idea.  Or a plain old can of worms?"  Nick
suggested.

"Funny, very funny.  Myra likes fishing."

"Knight!" Cohen stood off to the side, displeasure
written all over her face.  "You better have an explanation for
this.  The commissioner's wife is in tears.  I'll hear all
about it tomorrow, and I better have some kind of excuse."

Nick shifted on his feet, remaining silent under her
glare.

Schanke backed away.  "That's my que. You can deal
with her on your own."

Not seeing any other choice, Natalie spoke up.  "It's
my fault, Captain.  I invited him here.  He's uh, going to be
my father, and I wanted him to meet my coworkers.  I'm so
sorry.  I should have eaten before coming.  With
my…condition, fainting isn't uncommon.  LaCroix thought
Miller hurt me, he's a little too protective of uh, the
baby." She knew she was rambling, and so did Cohen.

"Look, I'll let this one slide, but I don't ever want to
see his face again.  Do you understand, detective?"

"Yes, Ma'am.  I'll talk to him."

"Do more than talk.  I mean it, Knight.  He's out in the
patrol car.  Since Miller's not pressing charges,  I'm cutting
him loose."  She turned on her heal, and strode to where the
commissioner was helping his wife into her coat.  He shot
daggers at them both, no doubt blaming his wife's upset on
them.

"I'm not leaving you alone this time, Nat.  Let's go
rescue him before he loses his temper."

She didn't wait for him to repeat the request, grabbing
her coat, and heading back outside.  The party would
continue without them for a little while.

After they were safely out the doors, she whispered,
"What happened in there?"

"Garlic.  Miller was saturated with the stuff.  I don't
know how she did it, but LaCroix was partly right, it's poison
to you.  Until you're older, stay as far away from the stuff as
you can."  He spoke at decibles below mortal hearing.

"No garlic pills for awhile, eh?"

"Why bother?  You don't want to be mortal.  You'd
rather be damned."  A loud pop came from the street.

She was saved from answering by the sight before
them.  LaCroix held a woman against his chest, her head
tilted to the side, allowing him access to her neck.  The
officer assigned to him sat in her patrol car, staring at
nothing.

 End Chapter 13b