She turned quickly to look into his face. "Light? No
Lucien, "please not the light.  I don't want to be
your light, not if it means not joining you in the
darkness."  She trembled against him with fear that
he would leave her like Nick had.

"And you will," he said pulling her close so she
could rest her cheek on his shoulder.  "You will," he
said but some how it felt like an empty promise.

They bathed quietly and then helped each other
dress.  Afterwards, they explored the house a bit
more.  Both realized with a sigh it was deep into
the night and time to return to reality.

Natalie put on her fur coat and LaCroix lifted her
into his arms and flew them back to the city.  Natalie
loathed returning to her life in the city.

When LaCroix left her on the balcony and flew away
after kissing her deeply, she cried wanting to be
nowhere else but in his arms waking up next to him.

The next day the lawyer came to inform her that the
apartment was complete and she could return that very
day.

With the staff's help she packed her things and put
Sydney into the cat carrier. After gazing fondly
around the penthouse, her eyes rested on the
bar, and her face blushed as she left the penthouse.
She soon found herself in the Limo heading home.  Yet
she knew home was at the mansion, not in the small
apartment she had left what seemed a lifetime ago.  So
much had changed for her.

When she walked into the apartment she sat the cat
carrier on the floor and paid the Limo driver after he
set her bags down. She stared around in disbelief and
wonder.  The rooms were now twice as large.  LaCroix
must have bought the apartment next door and had her
place enlarged. The furniture was of rich creams and
soft leathers.  The windows were heavily clad in black
out curtains.  This comforted her.  LaCroix was
planning to spend time with her here.  The kitchen was
larger, lavish, and held familiar things as well as
new ones. She could see some of LaCroix's things
here and there mixed in among her things.  She found
his things in the bedroom and there was a huge
canopied bed like the one in their bedroom at the
mansion.   She went running into the bathroom and
stood gaping open mouthed at the sunken tub all in
creams and corals.  The room was huge and also had a
modern shower.  Yet what captured her attention was
Lucien stark naked lying on a red velvet Roman
couch with a glass of red wine in his hand. "Do you
like it?"

She laughed and came to him, nuzzling his nose and
lips with soft kisses. "It's wonderful."

"We do need a home away from home.  I thought you
might enjoy coming here every century or two. "

She laughed caressing his body, her hand running
down his side and over his hip.  "I'm so glad to see
you."

"Yes, well," he sat up drawing her onto his lap and
started to undress her, "I'd be much more comfortable
if I could see you as well, my dear."

Natalie laughed with pleasure as he swiftly undressed
her and took her on that very red velvet couch.  She
tried to stifle her cries of pleasure until he
informed her that the walls were now sound proof, so
she let her pleasure ring through the large room.
Later as they lay side by side in the large bed she
told him, "I felt lost without you today Lucien.  At
first I did not even want to come here."  He caressed
her shoulder as he held her close.

"I am sorry, forgive me.  I wanted to surprise you."

"Oh you surprised me. I have no complaints now."  It
was a wonderful homecoming." She sighed her body was
so relaxed and at peace.  "Will you bring me across,
Lucien, please I want to be with you always."

"When the time is right," he said.

"Why wait."

"I want to indulge myself in your warmth for a bit
longer. Please allow me to satisfy this need in
myself."

"You will never tire of it until I am old and gray."
She said pouting.

He pushed her away and got out of the bed, "I do not
want to discuss this, Natalie.  I will know when it is
right.  I do not feel it is now.  I am not ready to
leave here.  We have our house and this apartment.
You know we will have to leave when you are brought
across."

"The house is well secluded.  No one will know we
are there for years." She felt the peace fly away and
her heart was beating with fear.

LaCroix found himself angry and he reached back
taking her chin in his fingers, "I told you, I will
know."

Natalie pulled back, "You're hurting me."  Her eyes
were wide. "What's wrong Lucien?"

He turned away angry and confused and suddenly
realized his body was on fire. Pain overrode all his
senses.  There was a pain in his chest. He put his
hand over his heart, turned and walked further away
from Natalie, through the bedroom door into the living
room.  Somewhere in the back of his mind he heard her
stifle her crying.  The pain blinded him and seared
through his body and he fell to his knees, fear
overwhelmed him and he screamed,

"Natalie!"

She was there, he could feel her hands, but he
couldn't see her.  He could hear her frightened voice
and yet he couldn't understand her words.

Someone had once told him that love, true, blinding
passionate love of a woman could kill the vampire. Was
he going to die here naked upon this floor? He felt
her body slip beneath him and her breasts press
against his back and her arms enclosed him.

"Well if this is death let it come." He could think
of nothing more pleasant than to die pressed against
his love's beautiful body.  The sound faded and
darkness over came him and he lost all conscious
thought.  He heard Natalie's screams ring in his ears
as he slipped into the inky black darkness.

Lucien LaCroix became aware of a steady heartbeat.
He wasn't dead.  Natalie must still be pressed against
him.  He felt warm and comfortable.  He found he could
see light against his eyelids.  He opened his eyes and
found sunlight shining into them.  "What?"  He called
out trying to shield himself. But the sun only warmed
him.  It didn't burn.

"Natalie?"

"Yes, Lucien."  She was close.

He felt her hands on his face.  "What is this, what
happened?"

She lay down beside him drawing him against her
body, "Something very unexpected. You're human."

"What?"  He tried to sit up and felt so weak he
could not raise his own body. "That's impossible."

"No, you loved me with all your heart."

"Yes," his body was shaking with emotion. "The
legend was true.  Love can kill the vampire?"

"It seems so."  He heard disappointment in her
voice.

"You really wanted to be brought across?"

"Yes."  He felt warm tears on his chest.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea it would happen to me."

"I love you Lucien.  We will survive this."  She
helped him stand and they made it back to the bed and
fell into it.

They did not speak again, each buried in their own
thoughts trying to adjust to this amazing change.
Exhausted Lucien slept and Natalie joined him.

He woke in the cool darkness and thought, "It must
have been a dream.  I'm fine; I'm still a vampire.
The thought made him sad.  When he tried to sit
up he found he could not.  He realized that Natalie
was asleep laying half across his chest.

"Natalie?"  He nudged her arm. "Wake up."

She groaned and rolled off.

He said, "I believe I have to go to the bathroom."

Natalie grinned down into his face.  "Do you
remember how?"

"Yes, I think I can manage it.  He crawled off the
bed.  He found he was weak and stretched his aching
muscles dragged down by gravity. He groaned in pain.

"Natalie frowned at him. "How old where you when you
were brought across?"

"44," he said heading for the bathroom.

"Wow."  We'll have to get you on a healthy diet and
an exercise program. You'll want to stay as fit as
possible.

He grunted.

Natalie turned and let her tears fall onto her
pillow. This magnificent creature was now reduced to
the most basic of human needs.

She didn't hear him behind her and flinched when he
touched her.

"Natalie, please don't cry for me.  I want to love
you as a man not a monster.  We'll adjust.  It will be
a new adventure."

She turned to him eyes red.  "You're not furious
about this? You don't hate what you have become?"

"No. I love you. You belong in the sun. Besides I've
lived 2000 years. I've learned to accept what comes
along and go with it."  He took her by the arms and
drew her against his chest, "You can live in the sun,
Natalie. You can have babies."

She was shocked and gaped at him. "Babies?"

"It is something I have kept in my heart.  That is
why I created Janette and Nicholas.  I wanted
children.Please Natalie, give this a chance. If this
doesn't work I'm sure I could find us a good master."

Suddenly the idea of Lucien LaCroix being human and
giving her a child became a plus.  Natalie had given
up her dream of having a baby after falling in love
with Nick.  The idea had no longer even occurred to
her when Lucien had fallen in love with her.  The idea
of a baby warmed her soul and she breathed in the
fresh air and found life to suddenly have its points.

Lucien saw her face soften and he felt relieved.

She reached up and caressed his face. "A baby,
really Lucien?"

Tears flooded her eyes and he held her close and
kissed her face.  "I know of no one in my whole
existence I would rather be the mother to my child
than you."

Natalie flung her arms around his neck and held
tightly.  "A baby is worth a trade for eternity."

"Yes, it is my love."  He pulled her off the bed,
"Come on, let's go out into the afternoon sun. "  They
dressed and Natalie opened the door cautiously.  They
went down the stairs and out onto the street.

LaCroix squinted against the bright sun.  They crossed
the street into the park.  The trees were rustling in
the breeze and birds flew into a beautiful blue sky
laced with fluffy white clouds.  Children played and
ran after dogs and balls.  Their laughter washed over
the couple.

"It's beautiful, Natalie.  I'd forgotten what the
light was like.  The colors..."

"Come Lucien, lets walk down to the lake.  We'll
take it slow.  We have the rest of our lives
together."

"Yes, the rest of our lives.  Somehow that's a
comforting thought."

They strode arm in arm across the grass. Enjoying
the beauty of the world around them.

The End