No infringement of anyone rights intended.  For FK
fans pleasure only. A thank you to Ametheystshells for
her Beta work on this story and also the story title
also Stephane for her content comments.  Permission to
archive in Jadfe or other adult sites just let me
know.

Natalie sat staring at the walls.  She saw nothing,
nor did she hear the persistent meow of her hungry
cat.  Her reason for living seemed to have evaporated.

She'd gone last night to see Nick and had found the
loft empty.  Stone cold empty, all traces of Nick's
life here vanished.  She found only a note on the
kitchen counter:

"Forgive me," It had begged from its two dimensional
self. "I cannot be near you.  I will kill you if I
stay."

       Nick

It was so short and so impersonal. It felt like
someone had pushed a red-hot poker through her heart
and back.With blinding tears she'd shred the note into
pieces and let them fly up into the air.  She was out
the door before the last piece had floated to the
floor.

Natalie couldn't even remember how she had gotten
home that night.  Sydney had been meowing for his
dinner for hours, but Natalie hadn't heard him. He'd
finally given up and curled up close to his mistress'
side.  Her pain was raw and permeated the room.

A horrendous crash in the living room brought
Natalie to her feet and to her senses.  Someone was in
her apartment.  She looked around for a weapon and
grabbed a long letter opener from the bedside table.

The destruction continued.  Someone was trashing her
apartment.  It sounded as if everything was being
destroyed. She could call for help, but what if it was
an Enforcer. Innocent people could die and nothing in
the universe would save her anyway.

Had LaCroix sent them? Had Nick? No she couldn't
believe Nick would do that to her.  She would have
rather died in his arms feeling him draw the last
drops of her blood from here than face the Enforcers
alone.

An agonizing cry from the other room froze her and
chilled her to the bone. The door to her bedroom flew
open, pulled away from its hinges as if by a
bomb blast.  A dark figure drew up filling the
doorway, eyes red, blazing with anger.

Natalie saw the glint of white fangs in the dim hall
light.  She pressed up against the wall then flung
herself at the figure burying the letter opener
into the chest of the attacker.  Maybe it would
incapacitate him long enough for her to escape.  She
knew that thought was foolish, but she had to try.

As she sidled past the agonizing figure, a hand came
out grabbing her and she was pulled face to face with
LaCroix.

She became furious.  "What the hell are you doing
here?!"  She demanded, "How dare you destroy my place.
Isn't it enough that he's gone?  You've won!"

Pale light from the open moon lit window illuminated
his face.  "You're still here!" he hissed through his
pain.

His surprise stopped her struggle and her anger.
She saw beneath the physical pain.  He was amazed and
shocked and there where blood tears on his
face.

All the fight had drained out of both of them as he
slipped to the floor. His hand grasped the hilt of the
opener, which was buried deep in his chest.
"You're here," he said defeated.  "I thought he'd
taken you with him."  He released her hand and she
stumbled back.

"He ran from you too."  He gritted his teeth against
the pain.

Betrayal flashed through his pain filled eyes.
"Please remove this," he demanded through clinched
teeth.

Though it was not fatal the injury was sending waves
of pain through him.

With shaking hands Natalie reached past him and
switched on the light.  Blood flowed out around the
wound drenching his shirt.

"Can't you pull it out?"

"No, I've lost too much blood."  He seemed to lose
the remainder of his strength and slumped against the
wall."

"It's in pretty deep.  It's going to hurt. "

"It already hurts Doctor.  Just get it out!" he
growled.

"Alright!" she threw back at him.

She bent close.  "I'll have to cut off your clothes."

"Do it!" he whispered through his clinched teeth.

Natalie got her bag and quickly cut the shirt away
from his chest so she could see his flesh. She tested
the tightness of the opener.  "I'm going to
have to place my foot against your chest for
leverage."  She put on rubber gloves to get more
traction on the handle.

She helped him to lie flat, she was glad she still
had her work scrubs on. She placed a tennis shoed foot
on his chest, leaned in and pulled.  She heaved back
and LaCroix clamped his mouth closed.

A deep sucking noise filled the silence and then a
popping sound.  Natalie fell back onto her butt on the
carpet holding the long tapered knife in her hand.

She saw LaCroix take a shuddering breath of relief
and the tension drained out of his face.  The blood
stopped seeping out and the wound closed.

"Wow!" She reached out and touched the area; his
skin was smooth and flawless.  She suddenly realized
he was looking at her quite intently.  She blushed and
pulled her hand back.  Her fingers touched the nipple
on his breast and it immediately hardened.

Suddenly the room was ripe with sexual tension.
Natalie could not take her eyes off the stimulated
nipple.

LaCroix's acid voice curbed that line of thought.
"I'd oblige your curiosity, Doctor, but I need to
feed."  He stood and in a rush of air was gone from
the room and the apartment out onto the balcony into
the air.

Natalie sat there staring after him.  When Sidney
mewed and crawled into her lap she shook herself
mentally and pulled the cat close.  She climbed
shakily to her feet.  She reached around the door and
switched the light on in the hall and then went to the
living room door.  Another switch and she stood
gaping at the destruction.  Tears stung her eyes.
"So you left him too."  She found some comfort that
LaCroix had also been left behind. At least Nick
was still fleeing his vampire nature.

She remembered something he had said recently when
they had discussed his new ease with LaCroix.

"If I ever move on and go with him, I will never be
able to fight what I am. My search for humanity will
be lost forever."  She had not known at the time
that he would abandon them both.

Something caught her eye and she reached under a
book and drew out a porcelain ballerina.  She examined
it amazed.  It wasn't broken.  Not one finger was gone
or chipped.  She cried and held the delicate piece to
her breast.  It was one of the few items left behind
by
her mother.

Sidney rubbed against her leg, mewing for his food.

She took the ballerina to her room and set it gently
on her dresser, then took pity on the poor cat and
went to the kitchen to feed him. Miraculously
her front door was in one piece, she closed it and
used the chain to secure it. No one had heard the
noise and come to investigate.  If anyone had heard
anything they must have thought it was her television.
Nick often had turned up the volume of action
adventure movies when they'd have a movie night at her
place.

Tears stung her eyes, "Damn you Nick!"

She dismissed him, scrubbing the tears off her face
with the back of her hand.  She realized she still
wore blood stained clothing.  She went to the bathroom
stripped and took a hot shower.  She wrapped all the
bloody things up in a plastic bag. She would dispose
of them in the basement incinerator tomorrow.  The
rest of the place would have to wait. Her legs
suddenly felt rubbery and she climbed into bed.

She thought of LaCroix and all the emotions she'd
seen in his face tonight. Then she remembered touching
him.  Could a vampire be stimulated so easily?
It made her blush to think of purposely touching
him. She drifted off to sleep with LaCroix's voice in
her mind.

Natalie woke the next morning feeling empty.  Not
the devastating emptiness of last night.  No matter
what LaCroix was; he was also hurting.  That was
food for thought.  She would never forgive Nick for
abandoning her this way. For not having the courage to
tell her how he felt and why he was leaving.  Had he
really been losing control of the vampire and wanted
to kill her or did he love her so much that he knew he
couldn't resist her and would have done anything other
than take her life.  Nick's note had left her wanting
so much.  "Nick," she whispered as tears fell down her
cheeks.  Was he in worse pain than she or LaCroix?

The doorbell shook her out of her thoughts.  If
someone saw this mess what would they say?  She
scrambled into her robe.  She opened the door to find
a man wearing a three-piece suit and carrying a brief
case.  "Yes?" she asked looking at him curiously.

"Dr. Lambert?"

"Yes?"

"I'm James Hancock, of Hancock and Hancock."  He
held out a card.

Natalie took it and studied it.  His law offices
where well known.

He continued, "I have been retained by an acquaintance
of yours.  May I speak with you?"

"Does this have anything to do with Nick?" She asked
curiously.

The small man looked confused, "Nick?  I have no
client called Nick."  He motioned asking for entrance.

She held the door tightly, "I'm sorry the place is a
mess.  I work night and sleep days.  It's hard to
maintain the place."

"I am aware your place is damaged Doctor.  I was
sent here to evaluate the damage and make repairs."

Natalie was stunned, "A Tall Whute haired man hired
you?"

"Yes, please may I come in?"  She opened the door
and Natalie saw the man's eyes widen when he saw the
mess.

"Mr. LaCroix does have a temper doesn't he?"  Was
all he said.

"You know who your client is?"

"Of course.  He's a very unusual man, but he pays me
an exorbitant amount of money for my retainer."

"Oh" she said.

He pushed the debris from a table and placed his
briefcase on it.  He opened the case and produced
several documents.

"This is a contract for workers to come in here to
repair and replace everything they can."

Surprised Natalie asked, "What about my cat?"

"It's all been arranged for you to take him with
you."

"What does Mr. LaCroix expect in return?"

"Pardon me?"

"What does he want from me?"

"Ma'am, Mr. LaCroix wishes only to repair the damage
and make you as comfortable as he can while the
repairs are being made.  If you will sign here, I can
be on my way.  A young man will come in 4 hours to
take you and your things to the hotel.  The entire
hotel and all the provisions for you
and your cat have already been made, Dr. Lambert.  I
suggest you enjoy them.

Five and a half hours later Natalie was driven up to
the hotel in a Limo. She was greeted by a handful of
people ready to cater to her every need. Sidney was
meowing loudly in the unfamiliar cat carrier.  The
elevator they took was plush and beautiful.

The "room" made Natalie gasp.  It was no mere
apartment. It was a penthouse. It even had a private
balcony with a swimming pool.

The manager asked, "Will this suit your needs, Dr.
Lambert?"

"Oh yes," she managed to choke out, "it's wonderful.

"Thank you."

The bellboys placed her luggage in the bedroom.
"Please feel free to call house keeping if you need
anything."

Natalie reached into her purse for a tip, but the
manager stopped her, "all tips and gratuities have
been taken care of.  My staff has been very well
compensated for, Dr. Lambert.  Please allow the
staff to earn their tip. "

She smiled, "I'll see what I can do, thank you."

The man handed her a card, "Call me if you have any
concerns day or night."

"He was THAT generous," she laughed.

"Yes Ma'am."k
"All right I will see what I can do, but I'm pretty
self-sufficient.  Where's the list of services your
hotel offers?"

The manager showed her the binder on the desk,
"Anything in here you desire, let me know and if you
come up with something you need not listed please just

ask."

Finally the man left and the smile fell from Natalie's
face.  All the splendor and beauty would not bring
Nick back.  How could he have done this to her?  "How,
Nick?" she cried.

She let Sydney out of the carrier and he ran around
checking out his new surroundings.  She sat heavily on
the nearest couch and cried.  A week ago Nick had been
over for a movie. He'd pulled her close kissing her
deeply.  He'd allowed himself to push her down onto
the couch as he caressed her with his mouth and hands.
She had felt his desire against her leg and knew he
could smell hers.  Then he'd reared back, his eyes
amber and fangs descended.  It had startled her and
she screamed.  She was not afraid; he'd only surprised
her.  But Nick had been horrified and pulled away
apologizing.

She had called to him, begging him to stay with her
but he'd gone.  She had decided to let him call her.
Had that been a mistake?  It had been 4 nights
and she hadn't heard from him.  She had gone looking
for him, finding his place empty nearly killed her but
she'd not even had a choice.  He'd gone and turned his
back on loving her.  She had seen it in his eyes, felt
it in his kisses, in the touch of his hands on her
breasts,and body.  All of it was dust now.

End Part 1