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Nick sat thinking on the couch, in the San Francisco townhouse he and Nat had bought, waiting for her to arrive home from her 'errand'. It had been a long time since Toronto and many things had changed and sometimes Nick worried about that. Natalie often told him he worried too much. Nick was now a private detective specializing in missing person cases, especially those that involved children. He would work for a standard, but not outrageous, fee for those who could afford it. For those who couldn't he worked gratis, he could afford it, after all he wasn't in it for the money. However he and Natalie had given up on a cure after Toronto, or at least gave up looking. If they stumbled into one, the way Janette had, that was fine but they wouldn't let it control how they spent eternity.
Natalie had been brought across 'that night'. Nick's blood that
Natalie had recieved while he was drinking had started the job. LaCroix at the last second realized that the instant she was given a choice her essense had rushed back into her body. Natalie's soul had been trapped between, for her choice no longer wanted in heaven and yet not enough Vampire blood in her to actually allow her to return. LaCroix had smashed him against a wall and had finished bringing her across. So Natalie had two masters, and in the long run it was a good thing. Now Natalie was out 'feeding' with LaCroix along for the ride. That's what bothered him.
Not that he was one to talk. Natalie and him had worked hard for the first while to deny their natures, but it was hurting Natalie. Her first feeding had been human and as such she needed human to survive, especially as a fledgling. However with the way they had both felt about it at that time they had resisted, subsisting on cow's blood. Natalie had nearly died, and it took Natalie nearly draining LaCroix to bring her back again. That's when Nick had ended the charade and started to hunt again. Only the worst criminals, but he was still hunting and killing humans occasionally. He had tried to teach Natalie, but she had resisted prefering to feed from bottles. LaCroix had forced her to go out hunting with him, but he had had no success either until one night Natalie invited him to come out and watch her feed. Up until that point, Nick actually had been happy and somewhat proud of Natalie for resisting her urge to hunt. Now he worried about 'who' she was feeding on and it's effect on her, was she still -his- Natalie? He felt nothing different when they shared, except the random memories of her kills. How could killing effect her so little?
Nick, honestly, had been avoiding going with her although he had been invited several times. He knew the exterior process of how it happened. Natalie would recieve a phone call sometime during the night, then she'd get dressed, LaCroix would appear and they'd leave. A few hours later, she would return well fed. One night LaCroix had been away on business and unavailable, Natalie had wanted Nick to come, but he had refused. Janette had been there and so she had gone with her 'sister'. When they returned, Janette had been very affectionate with Natalie and seemed somewhat in awe of the younger vampress. Nick had noticed red stains on Janette's cheeks which had seemed incongrueous, but when asked Janette had told him less than politely to 'go with her and find out for yourself.' Again tonight it had happened and so Natalie had gone out with LaCroix.
Nick could hear their footsteps through the pouring rain. Natalie often refused to fly, she said she liked the neighbours to see comings and goings even though they were at night. The key turned in the lock and LaCroix and Natalie entered looking somewhat damp. LaCroix helped Natalie with her coat and then removed his own, he seemed to start to say something derogitory but then as he fixed his gaze on her the comment faded away. The vampire elder shook his head and walked up the stairs. Natalie came over to the couch, and smiled inquiringly at Nick. "Hey good lookin", she quipped, "Feel like warming up a poor little drowned vampire?"
"Anytime", Nick held open his arms and Natalie wiggled underneath them. She looked so vibrant, so healthy after feeding, if only he had the courage to go with her, make sure she was doing it 'right'.
"LaCroix's leaving town tommorrow", Natalie commented as she settled in his embrace, "I think he might be setting up to move on. How much longer do we have here?"
Nick gazed at his truest love and vowed the next time she went to feed that he'd go with her. How could he fear anything she did? She spent her time writing children's novels that weren't just pulp, but had real 'lessons' in them. After Sidney had 'died , she had taken to feeding all the stray cats in the neighbourhoods they lived in. She was the one that insisted that they still shop as though three people lived in the house, and then donated the meat, vegetables and baked goods to a local soup kitchen while taking the canned goods to a food bank, all anonymously. If anything, she did more with her immortality to do good than he ever did.
"Nick, you're spacing again", Natalie smirked at him, "I asked how much time we have left here?"
"Probably another two or three years", Nick answered finally, "We don't have really close relationships with the neighbours and my work engenders a lot of passing friendships. LaCroix is just restless because ..."
"Because my method of feeding disturbs him." Natalie finished for Nick, "I really wish you'd come with me, Nick. It bothers him but I think it would make you feel better."
Nick rose from the couch and paced in front of the lit fireplace, "I'll go with you next time, Nat. I just don't know how watching you kill someone will make me feel better."
"Just trust me, alright Nick", Natalie hit the button on the remote to close the blinds all through the house. She couldn't see the sunrise through the heavy storm, but they could both feel it coming. She then took Nick's hand and led him upstairs to bed.
~~~
Images assaulted Natalie's mind of her Sidney and Nick in the twenty four hour vetrinarian's office like it had only been yesterday.
"Isn't there anything that can be done?" Natalie was a doctor but desperation, born of watching something she truly loved die when she was immortal, spurred her comment. Her cat was twenty eight years old, ancient in cat terms, and he was dying of cancer, she already knew the answer.
"I am sorry, Mrs. Knight", the doctor had replied sadly, "I can give him something for pain. But it would really be better if we just put him down. It's the most humane thing to do."
"Can I have the day to say goodbye?" Natalie asked choking back tears that would alert the doctor to her otherworldly nature.
The doctor nodded and gave the cat a shot of something for the pain. Natalie lifted him into her arms and carried him to the Cadillac. They drove home in silence, Nick knew what she wanted to ask. "I know you know about Perri, Nat. You can't."
She looked as if she were about to burst into tears but instead just asked, "why?"
"If you managed to do it, stopping before you took to much I mean and actually did bring him across, we'd have no way of controlling him. Dogs are used to being subserviant to man. Cats are just way to independant. Hopefully he'd stick to rats, the way Screed liked to but.."
"But there'd be no guarantees." Natalie petted the old fur ball who started to rumble despite the pain. "I knew, I just had to ask." The rest of the trip passed quickly enough and Natalie carried Sidney into the house, setting him on the couch. Nick watched as Natalie carefully opened a single blind in the room she used as an office, setting Sidney's basket where the stream of sunlight would fall. Nick looked at her questioningly. She answered his look simply enough, "He's had to spend the last years of his life in darkness because of me. I'm letting him have a last day in the sun." Nick nodded. Then she went into the kitchen and pulled out some raw chicken and a can of tuna and carefully went about creating some gourmet cat food. Natalie was just glad LaCroix was away, he'd never approved of keeping Sidney. Now he'd get his wish, he'd be gone before he returned. She filled both of his bowls and set them in front of his basket, then she went and got Sidney from where he lay on the couch. She could smell the cancer in him and feel the heat of the tumors through his skin as she carried him into her office. Natalie felt guilty, she had known for so long and let him suffer because she couldn't let go. She layed him in the basket, and despite the pain and drugs he became very interested in the bowls in front of him. Then Natalie got an armchair, setting it where she was sure the sun wouldn't reach her and sat down to watch Sidney for the day. Nick had left them.
She had spent the day like that, watching her last mortal friend from Toronto spend his final day in the sun. Several times he had found the strength to come and sit on her, sharing the warmth of the sun's rays that had soaked into his grey pelt. As night fell though Natalie knew it was time. Nick would think she had tried despite his caution and failed, but that wasn't how it would be. She wanted to be -with- Sidney when he died. She crossed the room and tenderly picked up her old friend, petting him, making him comfortable, lulling him to sleep. Then she carefully picked him up as she had done so many times to kiss his head, but this time she willed her fangs to drop though not feeling any hunger, then she kissed him, his eyes remained shut and his purr filled the room. Slowly, carefully, she sank her fangs into the cat's neck. There was a flash of panic through the beast's mind but Natalie sent forth calming, soothing, simple thoughts. Sidney calmed and Natalie let only one thing flow from her to her friend as she slowly drained him, her love for him, how much she cared. There is not much in a cat's memory but she was finally rewarded with a fleeting emotion as the cat breathed his final breath, he loved her too.
She was roused from her dreams of the past by a phone ringing off the hook. Natalie pulled herself up in bed, and noted the time, it was barely past sundown. Nick slept on, oblivious. Natalie picked up the phone and listened to the emotion laiden voice of the person on the other end. She had half hoped that the call would be for Nick, but it was as though her dream about Sidney had been a portent. She felt the presense of Death, and she welcomed her companion, though it was odd for a creature that would very likely never feel his hand to do so. It was time to feed again.
~~~
Nick had promised, so he came. They had gone to a small apartment in the rolling hills of San Francisco and the door was opened for them by an older man who seemed on the verge of tears. "Dr. Thanatos?" It was obviously a psuedonym. Nick knew Natalie still had an identity as a doctor, although he had no idea as to why she insisted Aristotle create one for her, he was fairly certain that wasn't the identity's name.
Natalie nodded. Nick was darkly amused by her choice of name, but also disturbed. "Mr. Long?" Natalie asked and the older man nodded. "You got my name from the network?" Again a nod. "So you understand, I choose whether I take her or not." Again a nod.
"They say you are the best, and that your patients don't go out in pain." The man looked resigned, "I've been selfish. I've had the doctors try everything to keep her with me. She's just in so much pain. I love her too much to do that to her anymore. I've just been thinking about myself."
"You have her medical records?" Natalie asked. The man nodded and handed Natalie a folder. Natalie read quietly so only Nick could hear, "Systemic cancer. Non-operable. All other treatments tried and failed. Probable prognosis one year to live." Then Natalie spoke up again, "I'll need to speak to her now."
Nick stood in the doorway as he watched Natalie go and sit on the edge of the woman's bed. She was gaunt, her hair was gone from the radiation and chemo, and her face was filled with pain, her eyes lit up as she saw Natalie. "I have heard you need me?"
The woman looked so relieved Nick thought she would break down crying, "Yes", she turned and looked at her husband, "Thank you, Gerald", then she turned back to Natalie and asked excitedly, "Do I qualify?"
"Yes", Natalie said smiling slightly, "As long as you are sure you want it and understand the conditions."
"I do, please", the woman begged.
"And you know how this is done?"
"I've heard the rumors, Gerald hasn't." Natalie nodded taking the warning into account.
"Then there's no need to wait", Natalie looked at the woman's husband, "Please come here, Gerald." Nick could feel the pulse of Natalie's mind control from across the room, "Hold your wife and tell her how you feel about her. All you will remember me doing is administering a syrienge of something and then your wife left this world peacefully." The man came over and wrapped his arms around the frail figure in the bed, then he began to tell his wife about how much he loved her and how he remembered meeting her on a sunny day, late in September. Nick watched as Natalie's fangs descended and she leaned forward sinking them into the woman's neck.
~~~
Natalie felt the rush of memories and emotions from the woman, a normal human life which she shared with Nick through their bond. Natalie relived childhood, high school proms, first love, meeting the man of her dreams, the feelings of pregnancy, the memories of childbirth, school recitals, everything that her love for Nick had denied her, but that she didn't regret giving up. There was pain too, but even this Natalie welcomed with open arms. For her this sharing was a reaffirmation of all that was human within her, and it was indeed a sharing since with a skill she had perfected since the first time with Sidney, she projected her caring, and a sense of togetherness to the woman, so she would not have to die alone. In then end both Nick and Natalie rode the crest of emotion that the woman had for Natalie, gratitude for allowing her to die with dignity and for not letting her to die alone.
~~~
Nick watched as Natalie gently covered the wound with a adhesive bandage, then filled out the death certificate, and -made sure- the husband understood that the body was to be cremated. The husband tried to pay Natalie but she shook her head, refusing the money and told him to call for the paramedics in about an hour. They silently left the house like ghosts in the night.
Nick was taken aback, suddenly he understood, no wonder she never said she hunted. Natalie had found a way for her victims.. No that wasn't right.. For her clients to come to her. He smiled, Natalie was still an angel. An angel of mercy.
Finis.