Well, here is my longest fic yet. Took me several
weeks, lots of hours, etc. I think it will fit nicely
into the request for a virtual 4th season that I just
saw :)

MANY MANY MANY Thanks to Maggie and Ang for beta
reading this.

Usual disclaimers: I don't own the FK characters, they
belong to Sony/Tristar. Any new characters are my own
creation (I don't want to give you any spoilers, but
there is one very special new mortal and several
vampires.)

This story takes place mostly in Portland, OR. I lived
there, so I'm familiar with the area. The places are
real, with the exception of the Elysium and the house
on SW Timmons.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy!
====================================

So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the
greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Portland, OR

2003

She looked up from the electron microscope, and
realized it was time to go home. She put away the
research materials and packed up her laptop. Grabbing
her raincoat, she headed out into the soft spring
rain. It was still light outside, one of the
advantages to having an early schedule. As she pulled
out of the parking garage and wound her way down the
hill leading away from the Oregon Health and Sciences
University research complex, she turned on the radio.
The Dixie Chick's remake of "Landslide" came on. She
smiled fondly.

Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life

Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my
life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too

So many changes in the last ten years. So many
wonderful and terrible moments.

She pulled into the parking lot of the preschool,
parked her car and got out. As she was walking up to
the building, a small whirlwind raced out, pink rain
slicker shedding water, a long ponytail flying behind.
"Mama, Mama, Mama, I made a DINOSAUR today! Come SEE!"

She bent down just in time to avoid being bowled over
by her five year old daughter as Nancy, her pre-school
teacher, followed her, a smile on her face. "She
really did do a great job. She's been waiting all
afternoon just to show it to you."

Picking up her squirming daughter, she grinned. "Well,
I guess I'll just need to see this amazing dinosaur,
now won't I?" Big blue eyes looked back at her, and a
miniature version of her own face smiled and nodded
back at her.

Nancy, still smiling, turned and led the mother and
daughter into the school. "This way, Natalie. You'll
be quite impressed with Nikki's work."

Toronto, Ontario
1996

She woke up slowly, the hum of machines and the swish
of rubber-soled shoes telling her she was in a
hospital. She tried to remember what had happened.
Suddenly, it all came rushing back. She tried to sit
up.

"Nick..." her voice croaked out as a hoarse whisper.

Just then a nurse was wandering by, and saw her
struggling to sit up. "Whoa, stay still. Let me call
Dr. Anderson." She gently pushed Natalie back down
before walking back out the door.

Natalie looked around her, trying to determine what
had happened. Her last memory was hazy. She remembered
Nick's fangs piercing her flesh, and the feelings that
accompanied that action. Images had started flashing
into her mind. Images of Nick's past--- his far past
and his recent experiences. Then, everything went dim.
She vaguely remembered someone else in the loft, then
she was picked up. And she remembered a terrible
fatigue. Finally, darkness.

At that moment, a tired-looking woman in a white lab
coat came in. She looked to be in about her
mid-forties, with short dark hair. She picked up
Natalie's chart from the end of the bed, flipped
through it, and then looked at Natalie.

"Well, Dr. Lambert, you are finally awake. You were
in a coma for almost three days. We were very worried
about you. I'm Dr. Louise Anderson. How do you feel?"

Natalie sighed. "I'm tired, but other than that I seem
to be ok." Her voice came out rather hoarse but
intelligible.

Dr. Anderson smiled. "Well, the lassitude is to be
expected. You had severe blood loss. We had to give
you almost 2 liters. How's your neck, any pain?"

Natalie concentrated and realized there was a dull
throbbing in her throat, just under her right ear. "It
aches, but it's manageable. I didn't even feel it
until you said something."

Dr. Anderson nodded. "Good. You're healing. Now, can
you tell me what happened? The gentleman that brought
you in gave us your name, then disappeared. No one
remembers seeing him leave. He told us you had been
attacked in an alleyway."

Natalie frowned. "No, I really don't remember anything
other than leaving work. I was going to stop by a
friend's place to give him some news, and that's all I
remember."

"OK, don't worry about it for now. The police have
been here every day to check on you. I'll give Captain
Reese a call and let him know that you're awake, he's
been calling three times a day checking in on you. You
should probably sleep some more. You've got a lot of
resting up to do." Dr. Anderson turned to leave.

"Uh, Doctor Anderson, the gentleman that brought me
in, what did he look like? I'm wondering if my friend
started looking for me and found me..."

Dr. Anderson nodded. "Tall, blond hair, older
gentleman. Is that your friend?"

Natalie shook her head. "No, that wasn't him. It must
have been a good Samaritan. Thanks."

Dr. Anderson left and Natalie started thinking.
Obviously LaCroix had brought her to the Emergency
Room after Nick had drained her. But where was Nick?
Was he OK? What had happened after she blacked out? As
her mind started swirling, she
felt...something...flutter in the back of her mind.
She tried to isolate it, but it eluded her. She
started falling asleep, her small reserve of strength
deserting her.

Nick felt Natalie stir in the back of his mind through
their shared blood link. It took every ounce of will
power he had not to push into the link and send her
feelings of love and reassurance. He shut his eyes,
fighting the blood tears that welled up in his eyes.
His ever-present guilt was now an almost overwhelming
constant in his life. He was deeply ashamed of himself
for what had happened with Natalie. He had almost
killed the one person that meant more to him than
anyone in the world ever had.

He looked around the loft at the dust cloths covering
what few belongings still remained. He had already
turned in his resignation at the station, and was only
waiting to make sure that Natalie was going to recover
before he moved on. Distance was the only thing that
could assuage the ravening urge for Natalie's blood
that now burned within him; and even distance would
never truly calm his hunger. As long as Natalie lived,
they would share a blood link and Nick would crave
completion of the deed he had started...to drain her
life and make her one with him.

He returned to composing the letter he intended to
leave for her. Even calling her on the phone would be
too dangerous. Once he had finished the letter, he put
it in an envelope with two other pieces of paper and
sealed it, then placed it on the mantel. The last
thing he would do before he left Toronto would be to
deliver it, along with two very important objects, to
her apartment.

Three days later, Grace arrived at the hospital to
take Natalie home. After Natalie's "attack", Grace had
gone to her apartment to collect Sydney and take the
feline home with her. As they rode home, Grace
couldn't help but notice how quiet and withdrawn
Natalie seemed. She knew Natalie had found out from
Captain Reese that Nick had resigned, and that when
she tried calling his home phone number the line had
been disconnected. In her own mind, Grace cursed
former Detective Nick Knight up one side and down the
other. If she ever saw him again, she intended to give
him a piece of her mind. The man had vanished just
when Natalie needed him the most. After her friend's
suicide and Tracy's death, then being the victim of a
vicious attack, Grace was seriously worried about
Natalie.

Granted, Nick was probably extremely upset about his
partner's death, but one would think he would want the
comfort that Natalie would be able to share with him.
Those two were in love with each other, and no one who
had ever seen them together was likely to think
otherwise.

As they pulled up to Natalie's apartment building,
Grace parked her car and turned off the motor.

"Nat honey, I'd feel a lot better if you would come
over to my house for a few days. Sydney is still
there, and you know you are welcome to stay as long as
you want."

Natalie didn't look at her. She just stared out the
window into the darkening sky. Finally, she turned her
head and smiled weakly.

"Grace, thanks for the offer, but I'll be OK. I'll
come get Syd tomorrow. I just need some time at home."
She opened the car door and got out. She closed the
door behind her and trudged up the sidewalk to her
front door.

Grace watched her, a look of worry on her face. But
she didn't say anything. She considered following
Natalie, but decided to give her some space and call
her later that evening.

For her own part, Natalie was barely functional. When
she had found out about Nick's resignation, she had
immediately called the loft, only to discover that his
phone had been disconnected. In her heart she knew
what it meant. Nick had left, or would soon be
leaving, Toronto. She wasn't sure she would be able
to go on with her life. Everyone she cared about was
either dead or gone. She had contemplated ending her
own existence, but she just didn't have a suicidal
nature. Her mind argued that without Nick and the work
she had done for him, she had no real purpose to her
life.

As she trudged up the steps to her apartment, tears
threatened, yet again. She opened the door and walked
into an empty home. Devoid even of the loving presence
of Sydney, the walls started to close in on her. She
got the door shut, then collapsed. She slid down the
door to the floor, sobs starting to rip her heart and
soul apart.