Disclaimer: The Forever Knight characters and universe don't belong
to me.  They belong to: Sony, Columbia/Tristar, Parriot, & Cohen. But it is a hellufa 
fun playing with them :)

I have to thank Jules and Deb for helping me greatly by proofreading the story. I would have
never been able to write it without their help. And thanks to Kylie for pointing out that 
Natalies true parents are dead.

This is a sequel to the story 'Quo Vadis, Lucius?' i have posted some time ago. I hope you enjoy
it. Any comments, as long as you do not rip me apart completely, are highly appreciated :) 
My e mail adress is iejasu@lynet.de  

Many greetings from Germany :)

Iejasu aka Barbara

I have dreamt.......  ( The sequel to  - Quo Vadis, Lucius?)

Epilogue

The phone rang. It was the private line, the line which was exclusively for members of 
the Community, and it was hardly used, except in a case of emergency. 
Lacroix lifted an  eyebrow, reluctant for a second, until he decided to pick up the receiver. 

"Lucien Lacroix", he stated calmly, expecting to hear about another disaster in the 
Community, maybe a misguided youngster who was stupid enough to contact him before 
the Enforcers got hold of him. It was never sure whom to face was worse, 
Lacroix or the Enforcers.... 


"Lacroix? I just wanted to tell you I'm leaving town. If you happen to run into 
Nick, tell him to rot in hell." 
The caller did not introduce herself, but Lacroix knew at once who was talking.

"I can understand your actions. May I ask where you intend to go?" 
Weeks had passed since her appearance at the Raven, but Nick had stayed hidden. 
Lacroix worried about Nicholas, but he had finally decided that Nicholas was old enough 
to face his life on his own. In fact, he was sick of Nicholas, his selfishness, his 
moods, his self-loathing. Maybe that dream had changed him a little.  Maybe the fact that, in his dream, he had 
actually saved Lydia from her death had switched a jumper in his brain. He grinned at the thought of switching 
jumpers in a brain the way you would on a motherboard.

" I'll be moving to Montreal. I asked to be transferred, and today I got the papers."

"I will certainly contact you in case Nicholas shows up," he reconfirmed.


"Lacroix, don't bother. I am not interested anymore. His actions speak for themselves. 
He dumped me at the hospital and ran away."

Lacroix pulled a face. He was certainly glad that she did not know the truth. For it had 
been him who had ensured her wellbeing by taking her to the nearest ER.

"As you wish, Dr. Lambert. May I inquire if there is anything.... the Community may 
assist you with?" For a second, he had wanted to ask her something else, if 'he' could 
help her, but he knew just how much she disliked him and had decided in favor of  a noncommittal expression.

"The Community owes you a lot, and we would be glad to provide any help you might 
require, financial or otherwise," he added softly.

Natalie frowned a second. Lacroix sounded unusually gentle. He sounded even a little 
like that Lucius in her dream, but she had become suspicious of nice vampires. 

"No, thank you. I am quite able to handle everything myself, Lacroix," she  
answered curtly.

"Very well then, Dr. Lambert. May I remind you that you can always turn to the 
Community if you require our help, and that we have long memories."

She grinned sadly. The Community had most certainly the longest memory possible. It 
would not matter to them whether she contacted them tomorrow or in 60 years.

"Your offer is ... most generous. I will keep it in mind, Lacroix," she 
responded noncommittally.

A soft click told him that she had cut the line. Lucien Lacroix stared at the phone. All had 
ended in sorrow and anger. Natalie Lambert felt betrayed, left behind, maybe even 
dumped, and he could understand why. She had loved Nick, but Nick had run away, 
again. He was always running away. She had to live her own life.

He returned to his work. She had called him right in the middle of it.

"Now, gentle listeners, I will play a soft music for all of you who dream of 
love, but never find it. 
Don't you sometimes feel like a flower-girl standing at the corner? 
Those flowers representing all those things we would love to give that one special person 
who returns your  love. 

"How often has your basket with those flowers been thrown into the mud? 
How often have you picked them up again, gently brushing off the dirt, only to offer 
them again? 
To once again see them thrown into the dirt and stepped upon, and to hear mocking laughter in your ears? 
Now your flowers have withered.  They look crumbled.  They die slowly. 
And you know that soon you will put the basket away and leave. 
You will not offer anything to anyone anymore. Your heart turns to stone.  

This is for you."

He switched off his microphone and the music began to play.

**********


I have dreamt that your arms are lovely....
I have dreamt what a joy you'll be....
I have dreamt every word you whisper..
When you're close, close to me.

We speak in a whisper, afraid to be heard...
Alone in our secret together we sigh
For one smiling day to be free....

How you look in the glow of evening,
I have dreamed and enjoyed the view.

In these dreams I've loved you so,
That by now I think I know,
what it's like to be loved by you.
I will love being loved by you.

***********

The music went on and Lucien closed his eyes, his mind elsewhere, far back in the past, 
in the bight sunshine of a day in Rome. 


***

Natalie sat in her apartment, all her belongings spread out on the floor. She sat right in 
the middle of the mess, tears flowing down her cheeks. She did not understand why. 
Nick had left her, but that was not what made her heart ache. That song, that damnable 
song tore her heart apart. Why was she unable to forget a weird dream, a dream that was 
totally illogical, totally unrealistic? A dream about a man and a woman in Rome.
She buried her face into her hands and cried, but she knew Lacroix was only mocking 
her.  He knew that she had hoped Nick would return her love, but now she was 
alone. 
That was his way of revenge - a cruel, mocking revenge. 
She could imagine  the sneer on his face. 
No, she would go away. 
She would give birth to her child, and she would take her life into her own hands again. 



Chapter 1

5 years later.......


The door to the Raven opened, and a blond man with long hair and a beard entered. 
Vampires cannot be deceived by appearances, so all of them recognized him 
instantly.

Lacroix sat at the bar.  He always sat at the bar, and now he stared with an icy 
look at the seemingly young man.

Nick approached the bar as if nothing had happened.

"Good evening, Lacroix."

Lacroix forced his anger down and took a long swig from his glass.
"Nicholas. Should I say I am glad to see you?" His voice was calm but laced with anger.

Nicholas looked at him with slight surprise. He had expected that Lacroix 
would attack him, or that he would remain still, but he certainly didn't expect 
anything like this icy greeting.

"Well, Lacroix., I thought I might show up... "

"And what makes you  think that I am interested in your person..."

Nicholas' eyes widened. He had known Lacroix for 800 years, and the old 
General had always been interested in his .... whereabouts, but during the last 5 years, nobody had tried to bring 
him back or force him back into the Community. Quite the  opposite. He had been left alone. Even the other 
vampires had ignored him. In the end, he returned on his own.

"Umm, well... I thought..."

Lacroix showed his best predator smile. 

"Nicholas, I am not interested in your whereabouts. I would prefer you leave immediately and do not return. You 
wanted your freedom so badly... Well, it is time I 
grant you your dearest wish. Go, Nicholas. The sight of you makes me feel sick."

Nicholas stared at him disbelieving. Was he mocking him?
"Lacroix..."

"No, Nicholas., I have had quite enough. Your selfishness has overstepped its 
boundaries. Your inability to face the consequences of your actions is a lesson I realized 
you have to learn. But I will not be your teacher. You should go and see Dr. Lambert."

"Natalie? But...but...she is dead!"

"Dr. Lambert is well and alive, no thanks to you."

"You brought her over!!" Nicholas was not far from attacking the old General.

"I brought her over to the emergency room, Nicholas. She survived your inability to 
restrain yourself." 

Guilt washed over Nicholas' face. 

"Ahhh, Lacroix... Do you think it is ...wise? I am quite sure she has her own life now. I 
would not wish to open ... old wounds."

Lacroix stared at him with distaste.
"Nicholas, is it not simply that you are not very interested in explaining to her why you 
left? That you preferred to turn her over to death instead of bringing her over?"

"She had offered herself to me. I asked you to kill me!" Nick answered in a hoarse 
voice...

"She loved you!" Lacroix hissed. " You didn't want her to lose her mortality, isn't that so, Nicholas? You wanted 
to keep her on that marble altar instead of valuing her as a woman with desires and needs."

"She .... I did not want to destroy her ... innocence."

"Like Fleur... Isn't that so?"

Nicholas looked down.

"You have never learned that a woman is much more than either an idol or a whore. I was unable to teach this 
lesson to you. You turned to Janette when you could not suppress your desires and knelt in front of Natalie as a 
replacement of your holy virgin."


Nicholas looked at Lacroix with that puppy look in his eyes, pleading for understanding.

"No, Nicholas. Natalie is in Montreal. That is the last thing I got to know. Go to her and 
apologize. That much decency you should demonstrate."

"You always told me that the actions of mortals are not important to us, and now you tell 
me to apologize?"

"I always told you not to get involved with mortals, but you did. Now face the 
consequences and apologize!" Lacroix hissed angrily.

Nicholas shook his head in defiance.

That was enough for Lacroix. He grabbed Nicholas's arm and pulled him toward the 
exit.

"Go, Nicholas. You are not wanted here anymore. Leave and look for another 
Community. I recommend Australia or the Arctic."

Lacroix told the bouncer at the door never to allow Nicholas to enter again.

Nicholas stared in disbelief. His father had abandoned him. Anger rose in the 
younger vampire. He would look for another Community, and he would find it.



Chapter 2

A week later, Lacroix stepped out of the plane that had brought him to Montreal.

The services of a private investigator had delivered to him the whereabouts of Dr. 
Lambert.

He was quite aware that he could have phoned, but he had decided to deliver the message 
in person. He also wanted to confirm that Natalie was well, that she had reestablished 
herself, her life, her emotional stability.

He told the cabdriver the address and leaned back into the seat. He disliked cabs, but he 
did not know Montreal well enough to fly, so he had to seek her out by mortal means.

It was a tiny house on the outskirts of the town, with a large garden outside, and a lawn 
full and lush in its green shade, soft to the feet like velvet. He rang and an elderly woman opened the door to 
look up at him. 

"Yes, Sir ?"

"I beg your pardon, but I am looking for Dr. Natalie Lambert. I was informed that she resides here."

The woman looked up at him with wonder. This man certainly had a way with words and 
splendid manners, but something in his pale blue eyes and features told her that this 
was also a man who could be dangerous. Molly felt towards Natalie as if she was her daughter but she had been 
her nanny when Natty was small. With the instinct of the mother who still had  an unmarried daughter, she 
decided that this impression was not relevant.

"Natalie is not at home. May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Lucien Lacroix. I am acquainted with Dr. Lambert and would like to inquire about her wellbeing as 
well as deliver a personal message."

The woman at the door smiled at him and stepped back to allow him 
entry.

"If you would care to wait, Natalie will be home shortly."

He entered the house and smiled dutifully.

The living room was nondescript. Lacroix was guided to the couch.

"May I offer you a drink?" the woman asked.

Lacroix smiled at the thought. Natalie would certainly not appreciate it if he responded 
positively to this generous offer.

"Thank you, Madame, but I am not thirsty."

The woman nodded and sat down as well.

"So where did you meet Natalie? At the hospital?" 

"I know her from the time she resided in Toronto," he answered 
politely. He did not enjoy being questioned, but he realized that he had to conduct 
himself carefully here. She was obviously not a servant.

The woman looked at him with an expression that struck him as odd. He suddenly felt 
as though he was the chosen prey of a predator. A very strange feeling for the old vampire.
Finally, he realized the truth. That woman had taken the place of a Mother in Dr. Lamberts life. Mothers were 
always the same, during all times. And 
mothers of daughters who were over 30 were especially dangerous 'hunters', ruthless and 
cunning. He chuckled inwardly.

The key worked in the lock, and he could hear laughter and giggles. Lacroix rose to his 
feet. Natalie came in, her coat hanging over her arm. Her eyes fell on Lacroix and she 
paled visibly.
Lacroix just wanted to open his mouth when he realized that there was a little girl 
standing next to Dr. Lambert. A little girl with pale blue eyes and blond, nearly white, 
hair. Disbelieving, he stared at the little girl who eyed him suspiciously.

Natalie quickly recovered from the sight. In consideration of Molly, she decided to 
remain polite." Lacroix, I did not expect you to visit me." 

It took him a second to answer in the same tone.
"Dr. Lambert, I am pleased to see that you are well. I am here to deliver a message from 
my son."

She saw his questioning look at the girl.

"This is my daughter, Lacroix."

"May I inquire as to her age?" His voice was suddenly hoarse.

"I'm almost 5 years old," the little girl interrupted.

Lacroix closed his eyes in shock. It rarely happened that a vampire fathered a child, but 
it was not entirely unheard of. He found the thought that Nicholas had lost his restraint so completely to be 
shameful. 

"Molly, could you leave us alone?"

Her old nanny nodded dutifully and left.

Both stared at one another in silence.

It was Lacroix who managed to voice the next sentence.
"I am deeply sorry, Dr. Lambert. I did not realize that my son behaved in such a manner."

Molly had taken the little girl with her.

They sat down.

"Did you see Nick?" Natalie requested. The way she asked showed Lacroix that Natalie 
had indeed recovered, at least partially, from her loss.

Lacroix nodded and instinctively reached out and took her hand into his own.

"Natalie, I cannot express my sorrow. Nicholas showed himself about a week ago. I talked to him, told him to 
face you and to apologize. But he is unwilling to follow my request...... as always." He sighed deeply.

Natalie stared at the hand that held hers. His hand was soft and cool but he held her 
lightly like a bird.  She could have slipped from his grasp any second. He had 
beautiful and strong hands, Natalie realized. Just like the hands she remembered.

She smiled sadly at the ancient. "He always defies you, doesn't he? It does not 
matter any longer, Lacroix. I have settled down and am quite happy. I do not care if Nick 
knows that he has a daughter or not."

"But you and your child should be provided for. Allow me to see to 
the duties my son is not willing to undertake." He looked into her eyes. "It is my grandchild, Natalie."

She smiled at him. Strange, Lacroix seemed changed. His eyes had a warm expression.
"Lacroix, I am quite capable of providing for my child. I do not need to be ... provided for." 

He sighed inwardly. The women of this century were so different from previous times. 
They did not need male support any longer, and they were proud of it.

"Dr. Lambert, I certainly realize that you are not in any position that could be called 
'needy', but it would give me great pleasure to add to your financial independence."

Natalie frowned for a second. It would be nice to be financially independent, not having 
to worry anymore. The job she had at the hospital paid her bills and provided for their 
living, but it was not as well paying as her job at the morgue. She was not alone anymore, 
and being there for her little girl meant more to her than a great income, so she had 
settled for a less lucrative job in order to have more time.

She nodded calmly.

"I accept your offer, Lacroix."

"I am most pleased, Dr. Lambert...."
He kissed her hand politely and this time she did not pull back.

"May I inquire in person, from time to time, about the wellbeing of my grandchild, Dr. 
Lambert?" He asked politely, unsure if this request would spoil the whole agreement.

He could see the inner battle in her eyes. She was unsure if she could trust him.

"I will certainly not bother you ever again.  This is not part of the ... financial agreement, 
just a personal request you are free to decline."

He realized that he still held her hand...

"Very well, Lacroix. You may visit us occasionally if you promise to inform me 
ahead of time."

"I will be most pleased to do so, Dr. Lambert."
Chapter 3

Lucien Lacroix transferred a respectable but not ostentatious sum to the accounts of Dr. Lambert and took the 
liberty of quietly erasing the mortgage on her home. But he purposely left her alone, however, in keeping with 
their arrangement.
His phone rang about a month later.
"This is Dr. Lambert speaking. I just wanted to thank you for... well, for the transfer." He could hear how 
difficult is was for her to thank him. He smiled.

"I am most pleased that you accepted my offer, so there is nothing to thank me for, Dr. Lambert. I trust you and 
your family are well?" he asked softly.

"Yes, we are well, indeed...."

There was a short silence, and Lacroix wondered if Natalie had cut the line. He could still hear her breathing, 
though, so he waited patiently.

"I... well, how about having a coffee together when you happen to be in Montreal?" she asked. He could not help 
but grin. It must have been difficult for her to make such an offer.
"I would enjoy accompanying  you to a coffeehouse, Dr. Lambert." 

"Uhm, well, yes.... fine."

"Would the day after tomorrow be agreeable?" Lacroix offered. He understood that convention dictated that she 
make this invitation, even so he was unable to resist.

"That would be agreeable," Natalie stated firmly.

They agreed on a small coffeehouse in the center of Montreal, a place crowded with people.

Natalie put down the receiver and sighed. This was certainly not getting easier. Molly had argued that she could 
not treat this polite and generous man like dirt. And it was true, Lacroix was more than kind to her since the day 
he had visited her and met her daughter. If he were a mortal man, she would respond differently, but Nick had 
told her what a dangerous and deceitful personality Lucien Lacroix was, and the night at Azure had confirmed 
that. He was able to be polite, even pleasant, but he reminded her of the snake in the Disney movie, 'Kaa' ... A 
soft and friendly voice but dangerous to the extreme, deceitful and without any remorse. She giggled slightly at 
the thought of Lacroix singing, "Trust in me," like Kaa, trying to whammy Mowgly.
She then decided that she was getting to be too much of a mother, watching Disney movies and knowing every 
line from the Disney songbook. 



Putting on her gloves,  she stared at the victim. The male nurse turned away in disgust.
"This is certainly gruesome. Look at his throat. It's torn out!" 

The poor victim had been alive when the police had found him, but every effort in the ER proved unsuccessful, 
and now he was lying on Natalie's table.

Natalie examined the wound while the male nurse walked out, gladly fleeing the sight.

It certainly looked as if a vampire, a quite ruthless vampire to be exact, had ended this poor man's life, but the 
fact that there was still blood in the body made her unsure. She examined the photos from the place the victim 
had been found. There was blood on the ground. 
No, it couldn't have been a vampire, at least, not a hungry vampire... 
A dog? No dog in Montreal had fangs like that, but what other animal could rip out a throat like that? A tiger? A 
lion? Both would have continued to feed on their prey.... 
She was confused. Natalie took samples of the blood from the surface of the wound and examined it for the 
vampire virus.
She looked though the microscope, not believing what she saw.
There was a virus indeed, indeed,  similar to the virus of vampirism but somehow different. 
It seemed inactive. A sleeping virus? She decided to let it be for tonight and put the victim in the storeroom. She 
had a meeting tonight, one she was not looking forward to.


Lacroix arrived at the coffeehouse and looked around,  noticing that Natalie had already arrived. He went over to 
her table and bowed, greeting her calmly.

"I hope your day was not too stressful, Dr. Lambert."

Natalie watched as he took the seat opposite to her and relaxed.

"Actually, it was quite uneventful, until shortly before I finished my shift,"
she remarked dryly.

"Indeed? He grinned mischievously. "So, tell me: Was it at least interesting?" He had no clue what to talk about, 
so he was glad they could discuss her job.

Natalie hesitated for a second until she made up her mind. "I would like your expertise on that matter. It looks a 
bit like an animal attack, but it is definitely too large for a dog. I would have thought of a member of the 
Community, but there is too much blood....left."

Lacroix looked at her. She wanted his expertise?

"What else? I have the feeling you haven't told me everything."

She sighed. "Yes. There is a virus involved, similar to yours....but different somehow."

The ancient General nodded. " I'd like to see the ... victim."

"You would?" Natalie was surprised.

"Yes, indeed." Lucien had a suspicion, and that idea was certainly not very amusing. Natalie saw the concerned 
look on the face of the old vampire and realized that this matter was more important than she had anticipated.

As they entered the morgue and Natalie recovered the body from the fridge, she witnessed a vampire turning 
green in the face. Lacroix suddenly looked like a young medical student at his first dissection. 

"Well, it's not that bad Lacroix. You have seen worse."

Lacroix coughed violently, and she clapped him on the back.
"My dear Doctor, please remove the ... victim from this room! The smell is nauseating."

Natalie followed his request immediately, and after a while, the vampire seemed to recover his dignity.

"I've never seen a vampire react so strongly to a dead mortal," she mused.

He shook his head in disgust.

"My dear Natalie, I did not react to the victim, but to the smell of the one who killed him."

Her professional interest awoke.
"You mean, you can smell the murderer?"

He smiled at her. Vampiric senses certainly had their benefits.
"Yes, my dear, and I can confirm to you that it was no vampire who did this. It was a quite different predator. A 
very dangerous predator."

Natalie wondered what a man like Lacroix would call 'dangerous'."

"What kind of.... predator?"  she found herself whispering.
"A werewolf, my dear, the natural archenemy of every vampire."
Chapter 4

Natalie and Lacroix left the building. The evening was warm and welcoming. Lucien was obviously glad to 
escape the horrid smell. She heard him breathe deeply.

"Tell me more," she said as they walked the streets.

"We share the same hunting grounds. In the past, the attack of a werewolf was often mistaken for the attack of 
my  kind, and vice versa. Because we prey on the same species, we are natural enemies."

"But a vampire is stronger than a werewolf, isn't he?"

"On the contrary, my dear. A werewolf gains his full strength the second he mutates into his predator state. An 
old vampire is certainly stronger, but a young one has no chance. 
Werewolves reproduce in a much quicker way. A scratch from the claw of their kind turns a mortal into a 
werewolf. We need to bring our young over, nurture them, let them grow, very much like a human child. 
Certainly we have advantages. A vampire is still in possession of his intellect, while turning into a predator while 
a werewolf becomes an animal, only guided by its instinct. Only very old werewolves are able to keep their 
intellect after the transformation."

"If they are so dangerous, why aren't there constant fights between them?"

"We hunt them, try to keep their population low or to destroy them completely. Werewolves have been extinct 
for at least 100 years. At least, we thought so."

"What else is there?" Natalie believed that he had not finished yet.

"Normally, we detect them by accident. We hunt humans and drink their blood, but drinking the blood of a 
werewolf is lethal to us. The merest scratch of a werewolf can make us violently ill. Some of us die. 
Unfortunately, it's only when they turn into their bestial state that we are able to detect them. Their tainted blood 
is undetectable until we have already taken it."

"Why did you react so strongly at the victim?"

"The werewolf who attacked him left his scent behind. The smell is disgusting to my kind. Unless he doesn't 
shower and change its clothing, a werewolf in human form smells like any other human to us."

"That certainly sounds very unpleasant," Natalie murmured.

"Indeed, it does. I have to warn the local Community." He shoved his hands into his pockets, and they continued 
their walk.

"Do you think there is more than one werewolf?" Natalie inquired.

He laughed bitterly. "At the speed they normally  reproduce, I highly doubt that there is only one of their kind. I 
just wonder how they were able to hide this long."

She looked up to the moon. It was full and a perfect circle. The horror was not over yet.

"Lucius, do you think they will seek out vampires and attack them?" Natalie asked, lost in thought.

He turned towards her, paling even for a vampire.
"Excuse me, Dr. Lambert. What did you just call me?" His voice had become somewhat louder.

She stared at him, until she realized what she had said just a second ago. Natalie quickly tried to find an 
explanation.
 "Is Lucius not your first name? I mean... Lucien is hardly... Roman."

He calmed down and looked away from her. 
"You are correct, Dr. Lambert. My name is indeed Lucius. How very clever of you." 

There was an awkward silence until he continued.
"You may call me Lucius, if I am allowed to call you Natalie."

Suddenly, he remembered her question.
"They will indeed seek out the vampires and try to destroy them."

They walked for quite a while, speaking about various matters. He called the local Community and talked to 
them for a brief while.

It was getting late when he finally walked her home. There was a nice park not far away from the house. This 
area was especially handy for couples with children, as there were parks and playgrounds everywhere. 

Suddenly, Lucien turned around. The smell was faint, but is was detectable to his keen nose.

His eyes narrowed. "Natalie, stay with me but try to stay out of the way."

"Lucius? What is it? A...," She did not finish her sentence.

"If you start running, he will hunt you down. Stay with me, and let us walk calmly. He is down wind."

"Can't you simply fly away?" Natalie asked quietly.

"Theoretically, I could, but the powers of a vampire are slightly diminished during a full moon. I could fly away, 
but I would not be able to lift you as well," he murmured in her direction.

She saw blood sweat on his forehead. If Lacroix was nervous, the danger had to be great.

Suddenly, something jumped out of the bushes. It was hairy, ugly and smelled like a dead dog. Lacroix shoved 
her aside just in time and took the full blow. They rolled on the ground. Natalie could hear the growl of the 
werewolf and the snarl of the vampire. The fight was utterly ruthless. Natalie wanted to run, but her feet would 
not move. She stood there and watched, transfixed.

"Run, Natalie!" Lacroix managed to yell.

Natalie's paralysis vanished, and she ran, not looking back until she reached her home. She slammed the door 
shut and fell to the floor, breathing hard.

Suddenly, she heard someone approaching the front door. The step was unsure, hesitant. Her heart thundered in 
her ears. 

"Natalie...."

It was Lacroix's voice, sounding weak through the door. 

She opened the door and stared at Lacroix. The old vampire was bleeding from various wounds. "The werewolf 
is dead," he stated flatly. She noticed that his silver sword pin was missing. 

Natalie reached out for him as he lost consciousness and fell into her arms.

Chapter 5

Natalie struggled  under the weight of the old General. Somehow she was able to drag his 
limp form inside and rest him on the carpet while she closed the door carefully.


He was lying on the floor, his eyes closed and his chest not moving. Anyone who saw 
him might have thought him dead but Natalie knew that a vampire didn't necessarily 
need to breathe. She ran into the bathroom to get the first aid kit.
Carefully trying not to hurt the old vampire, she started to clean the various cuts and bite 
marks. His eyelids flickered, and it took him quite a while until he was able to focus on 
her face.

"Dr. Lambert, I would greatly appreciate it, if you would help me into a more dignified 
position," Lacroix managed to say.

She grinned. If he was still concerned of his dignity, his injuries couldn't be that bad.
Natalie helped him up and into the master bedroom. 
"I really shouldn't be here, Natalie."

She smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry, Lucius...Lucien, um...Lacroix. Molly and my daughter are on 
holiday."
He grinned. "Natalie, this is getting slightly complicated. You should settle for one 
name. How about Lucien? I've used that name since the Middle Ages and I am quite 
pleased by the sound of it."

"Lucien. Fine. Now lay down. I'm not finished with you!"

He growled slightly, but his growl was laced with a snigger as he lay down on the king 
size bed and allowed her to finish cleaning his wounds.

She frowned at the sight of him. None of the cuts and bruises showed any sign of 
healing. The blood was still seeping slowly out of them, and she began to worry they 
were going to become infected.

"How do you feel, Lucien?" Natalie managed to ask.

"My dear doctor, what do you think?" The answer was definitely him. 

She looked down at him sternly. "Hmm, you look like death warmed over, but then... you 
always look like that," Natalie answered in a light tone, then added in a more serious 
voice," you look terrible, Lucien."

"I feel worse than when Nicholas staked me and set fire to me."

"He did WHAT?" Natalie was stunned.

"We had a little dispute a few years ago. Vampires tend to be a little temperamental at 
times." He grinned broadly despite his condition.

Natalie covered his wounds.

"I should get you something to eat, but I wasn't expecting visitors. I'll have to go to the 
hospital and try to organize something. Will you be alright?"

"Don't worry, Natalie. I will be just fine," he said amicably. 

Shortly thereafter, Lacroix heard the front door close. He squeezed his eyes shut. It had 
been difficult enough to conceal the pain while she was present. 
No sense in disturbing her any further, but now he was unable to suppress it any longer.
He groaned and pressed his knees into his abdomen, trying to master the pain that 
seared though his body. The vampire and the werewolf viruses started to battle inside of 
him. Until now, he had seen only a few survive this battle, most of them crippled for life.

It took Natalie more time than she had anticipated before she could gather the necessary 
blood supplies and return home.

When she opened the door, she found Lucien on the floor, unconscious. 
Quickly setting down the bags she had used to transport the blood supplies, 
she began to give him a cursory exam as the doctor in her took over. His body was 
covered with blisters and the wounds were infected. She could see that his joints had 
become terribly swollen, due to what appeared to be the rupturing of many of his blood 
vessels.

Like a true professional, she shoved him back into the bed and tried to clean him up, to 
bring down the fever and make him more comfortable. She took samples from his blood 
and studied them under the microscope she had brought home from the hospital. 
She could see the destruction of his blood cells, the violent battle between the two 
different viruses that occupied his bloodstream. Natalie didn't know what to do.

She poured some blood into a glass and held it to his mouth.

"Lucien, drink!" Natalie ordered him, but only after several tries did he open his eyes.
She stared at them in disbelief. They were not blue, not even yellow or red. They were 
totally black, no white left in them, like the pits of hell. She gasped at the sight.

She had to force herself to stay calm. "Lucien, you have to drink something. Here. Open 
your mouth!"

And after a while, he actually opened his mouth but when she tried to feed him, he was 
unable to swallow. Natalie got a syringe and injected the blood right into his stomach.
A few seconds later, she witnessed him violently vomiting up all of the blood.
Natalie was at a loss. The vampire in him needed the blood, but the werewolf rejected it.

She tried to cover him with blankets and sat down next to his bed. He would have to 
battle this out alone. Out of desperation, Natalie took his hand into hers as she waited for 
any change in his condition.

Hours passed. In the dark of the bedroom Natalie sat, eyes closed, and listened to the 
silence. He had stopped breathing hours ago, and she wasn't even sure he was still alive. 
His heartbeat was slow, even for a vampire, and she knew every heartbeat could be his 
very last.

She realized that she must have had fallen asleep. A sudden scream woke her, and she 
saw Lucien sitting up, his eyes wide and black, staring into nothingness. He turned 
towards her, and she could see his fangs, dripping from his own blood as he had pierced 
his tongue in pain.

She tried to calm him down, taking him by the shoulders and pressing him down onto 
the cushions, but the moment she touched him, his hand flashed out like an angry cobra. 
Natalie flew across the room like a rag doll. It took her a while to recover from the vicious 
blow, but stubbornly she got back to her feet.

She talked to him, hoping that something would reach the man inside.
"Lucien, look at me! You are sick, very sick, and you need to calm down. You need rest!"

She continued to talk to him for quite a while, mostly complete nonsense, but she hoped 
that her voice would soothe him.

Slowly he leaned back, laying his head on the cushion and closing his eyes.

Natalie examined her arm. Luckily, it wasn't broken, only badly bruised. She was angry, 
not at Lacroix but at this illness. The scientist took over once more. She had an idea. 
What if she could withdraw most of his blood from him, then return pure, unspoiled to 
his body? Maybe it was a chance.

Hesitantly, she turned his limp form onto his stomach and located a very large syringe.
It had been years since she had punctured the spinal cord of a human, and she had never 
done this to a vampire. She did not know what to expect. Carefully, so as not to inflict any 
damage, she took a small sample of the spinal fluid. Natalie looked into the microscope. 
There was the answer! His spinal cord was not affected yet. None of the invading virus 
could be found in there.

Natalie checked her blood supply. She had plenty of blood, all in good condition, but not 
enough to replace his blood and to feed him as well. If she just could clean his own 
blood from the virus, destroy the werewolf virus in his blood, and put it back.

She needed the aid of the Community! She needed more blood. No hospital in Montreal 
would hand her that much clean, unspoiled, human blood, unless it was an emergency, 
and stealing that much was out of the question, but Natalie did not dare to give him 
anything less. He was too weak.

She grabbed Lacroix in desperation and shouted at him. This time she used Latin in 
the hope that he would understand his mother tongue.

"LUCIUS! FAC EXPERGISCARIS!! LUCIUS! IT FESTININAT!" In her desperation, she shook him violently. 
And, indeed, he slowly opened his eyes, and she had the distinct feeling that a part of his brain recognized the 
urgency. (Lucius! Come on,Wake up!! Lucius! Hurry up!)

"QUID EST?" he murmured.  (What's the matter?)

"UBI CIVITAS EST?" Natalie hoped he would understand her.  (Where is the Community?)

He murmured an answer and slowly turned around, falling back into darkness.

Natalie looked at him. She was human. No one in the Community here would trust her if 
she had nothing with which to verify her authority. She reached over to Lacroix and took 
his ring.

Chapter 6

It took Natalie some time until she found the place where this Community met. The bouncer at the door was not 
willing to allow her entry. She told him Lacroix sent her and he stepped aside. Natalie wondered how much 
influence Lacroix held within all the Communities. She braced herself and entered. It was very much like the 
Raven, but something was missing. Maybe the cold presence of the Raven's owner. He was able to keep younger 
vampires at bay and did not hesitate to do so.

She approached the bar. 
"What can I do for you, Miss?" the barkeeper asked her.

He was certainly not very friendly. She was a mortal, and she could feel everyone staring at her. Some vampires 
started to encircle her. She drew in a deep breath and addressed the barkeeper with a loud and steady voice.

" My name is Natalie Lambert. Lacroix sent me. I need to talk to the elder of this Community. " 

The mentioning of Lacroix's name sobered the younger vampires considerably. Hastily they went back to their 
tables. A smooth voice addressed her from behind.

"Why should we believe Lacroix sent you?"

Natalie turned around, and found herself facing a tall dark man with oriental features.
"Are you the elder?" she asked.

"You may consider me an elder. My name is Weng."

She nodded and presented him the ring, mentioning that she was present when Lacroix had called the 
Community barely 24 hours ago.

He looked at the ring Natalie held for quite awhile before he gestured to her to follow him. They entered a small 
office.

"Does each Community open up a nightclub?"

He laughed at her question. "Well, Dr. Lambert, a nightclub is rarely suspicious. No one wonders if a lot of 
people gather at such a place during the night. 

Natalie understood. 

"Lacroix would have never willingly taken off his ring. It was given to him by Vespasian. What has happened?" 
he continued.

"Lacroix was attacked by a werewolf. I need blood to replace his own, and my access to fresh blood is limited."

"He will not need any blood," the elder stated flatly.

"Why do you say that?" Natalie was getting angry.

"Come with me. I will show you." She followed him into the cellar. A lone creature was laying there, barely 
alive. The scent of decaying flesh and death hung in the air.
The being barely resembled a human or a vampire. Black, empty eyes stared at the ceiling. His body was 
covered with blisters. He was in basically the same condition as Lacroix, only to a far worse degree. 

"Why don't you do anything?" Natalie was embarrassed  by the lack of compassion.

"We cannot do anything, Dr. Lambert. He will die no matter what we do. At least we hope so, because if he stays 
alive, he will never be anything but a cripple, barely able to feed or hunt and weak like a child. He will lose all 
his abilities and linger between two worlds."

Natalie was a physician and her oath would not allow her to accept such a statement.
"You cannot give up like that. You have to fight this illness! This is barbaric!"

A very angry and vamped out Weng stared at her, snarling. "How dare you address us as barbarous! My people 
walked the earth when your ancestors were living in primitive huts!"

Natalie gulped. It seemed all vampires suffered from a quick temper.
She saw Weng turn his eyes away and look at the sick young man, trying to collect himself. "We have heard 
about you. You are the coroner who helped the Community in Toronto, the girlfriend of De Brabant."

Natalie tried to approach the sick vampire in an attempt to help.
Weng grabbed her arm.

"Don't! Let him be."

Natalie turned around and stared into the golden eyes of the elder.

"Try to keep him alive! I .... might find out something. Give me 48 hours!" 

The elder drew back from her. "You are a stubborn mortal, but I respect your courage. I will give you the 
necessary supplies, and ... I promise to try and keep him alive for another 48 hours."

Natalie suddenly realized the suppressed pain in the voice of the elder.
"Is he close to you?" she asked quietly.

"He is my son."

She saw blood tears in his eyes. 

"I will do whatever I can." Silently Natalie pledged that she would help them, no matter the price.

Within minutes, she was provided with a large amount of fresh and clean blood in plastic bags. Natalie grinned. 
The vampires must have robbed a blood bank. Everything was stored in cooling bags, the Community evidently 
knowing how to store fresh blood. In addition to that, they provided her with boxes filled with the finest reserves 
they could provide. 

"I will help you take it to your shelter, Miss Lambert," Weng explained.


They entered the Natalie's house and suddenly Natalie realized the smell. It was faintly reminiscent of the smell 
of decay she had encountered in the cellars of the nightclub she had so recently visited. By the look in his eyes, 
she could see that Weng was thinking the same thing.


She dropped the bags and ran upstairs.
Lucius was lying on the floor, shuddering violently.
As she bent over his form, he grabbed her arm and stared into her eyes. His eyes were still black, and blood tears 
ran down his hollow cheeks. He opened his mouth a few times, trying to voice a plead... She understood him 
even though he was unable to 
speak ...
He was begging her to kill him.

"You would put him out of his misery, Miss Lambert. I have seen hundreds of vampires go insane from the pain 
or killing themselves after they recovered. Being a crippled vampire is the worst fate we can think of. A crippled 
vampire is lower than any Carouche. Give him the honor of the stake."

"I will not stake him!" Natalie cried out at the elder.

She ran over to Weng and grabbed him, forgetting momentarily that she was trying to bully an elder. "You will 
help me, Weng. We will lift him to the bed."

"Very well, Dr. Lambert." 

She grabbed the thickest and longest syringe she could lay her hands on and stabbed his abdominal main artery.

"What are you doing, Dr. Lambert?" the elder asked curiously.

"I have to get all the blood out of his system. I want to replace it with the clean blood."

"That will not help him. The infection will only continue anew."

"I know, but it will buy us some time."

Weng pinned Lacroix to the bed while Natalie had the gruesome task of robbing Lucien Lacroix of every last 
drop of blood. Weng forced a piece of wood into the mouth of the vampire in order to silence his screams as he 
fought instinctively against their assault to the very life of every vampire.

"You are a very cruel woman, Dr. Lambert. No vampire would ever inflict such torture on another, mortal or 
otherwise." Weng's voice was thick with horror.

"I want him to live!"

"He will hate you for this," Weng stated flatly.

"Then let him." Natalie murmured, fighting back her tears.

Chapter 7

Half an hour later, Natalie pumped one blood bag after the other into Lacroix's body, silently observed by the 
very still Weng. 

She poured the infected blood into a filtering system, normally used for blood analysis, and stared at it for quite a 
while.

Lacroix had lost consciousness and was lying on the bed, looking like death itself. Weng stood in front of his bed 
as if he was an honor guard.

Natalie took a small bottle of unknown contents and added a small drop to the blood sample. It started to boil as 
if acid had been added to the blood and changed from red to a rusty brown. 

The elder went over to her, peaking over her shoulder. 

"What are you doing, Dr. Lambert?"

She recovered the sample and looked at it under the microscope.
"Yes, as I thought. I added silveroxide to the blood. It killed the werewolf virus."

A glimmer of hope was in Weng's voice when she heard him again.

"What would happen if you injected this chemical into Lucius' veins?"

Natalie shook her head.
"That would not work. It would burn him. All his blood vessels would rupture instantly from the reaction."

Weng sighed." I told you there is no cure."

Natalie looked up from her microscope and stared into the eyes of the old vampire.
"It was not the reaction of the virus on the silveroxide I was looking for but for the dead virus itself. Have you 
ever heard of the cure for pocks ?"

"We are vampires. Plagues do not interest us."

"Yes, I'd imagine that. But the immune system can be made resistant to a virus by injecting a small sample of the 
original virus, only dead."

Understanding showed on the face of the elder.
"You mean injecting this ..... dead virus could make us resistant to the virus?"

"Exactly!!!" Her voice could barely hide her optimism. 

"Then do it!! For heaven's sake, do it !"

She grinned at the old vampire. "Be careful or you'll burn your lips mentioning heaven!"

He grinned back mischievously. "Heaven stakes? Would that be more appropriate?"
Natalie could hear the glimmer of hope in the voice of the elder.
She laughed. She never knew vampires could inflict dark humor upon themselves.

"First I have to filter the silveroxide from the blood, then I will inject a small sample back into Lucius. His spinal 
cord is not infected yet, so I hope he will grow resistant to the virus."

Half an hour later, she gave him a small sample of the cleaned blood with the dead werewolf virus.

She nodded. "Now, all we can do is sit and wait."

***

Natalie made a couple of phone calls, making sure Molly and her daughter were well.

"Yes, sweetheart, I will call you more often. So you like Disney World?"

She laughed as she listened to the phone.

"Mickey Mouse? Oh, yes, I know him but I always preferred Donald."

After a while Molly was on the line.

"Molly, oh yes...I am fine....no, I do not sound strained. I am fine, really. A friend is ill, and I help out a little. 
That's why I am a little busy....The friend?... Oh, well, it is Nick's 
father. He caught a flu......Yes, one of the really nasty ones....yes, Molly.... don't worry ... I will call again 
tomorrow... see you...bye."


She went up again and looked at Lucien. He was pale, but the blisters and wounds 
seemed to have healed a little, and his swollen limbs looked more normal. Maybe it was the fresh blood in his 
veins, maybe the injection worked. She was not sure.

Weng looked very anxious. He was even a bit giddy, which looked strange on such an old and respected member 
of the local Community. 
"Natalie, give me some of the medication. It is the only hope to rescue my son."

Natalie looked stern. "We are not sure if it works...." 

"I know, I know.... but I witnessed what you have done, and I want to give it a try. It might be his only hope for 
survival."

She nodded and handed Weng a sample of the serum.

He was gone within seconds. 

Natalie settled on the easy chair, closing her eyes.

***

Lucien opened the eyes and moaned. He felt like he had been pulled behind a chariot along the whole of the Via 
Appia from Gaul to Rome.

Slowly he opened his eyes and focused on the still form of Natalie Lambert, sitting in an easy chair, sleeping. 
The dawn was approaching, but he was wide awake, the throbbing headache reminding him that he had slept far 
too long.

He looked at Natalie, the fine lines in her face. She looked tired and worried. Did she worry for him? She had 
fought for his life, had held him when he thought he would become insane. She had heard his sobs of pain and 
was witness to his helplessness. Still, she was here. A wave of pain wavered through him as if a forgotten part of 
him was coming back to live. A painful throbbing in his chest that settled down in his throat. He suddenly longed 
for her touch, for her warmth, her breath brushing against his cold chest, rekindling the fire of life inside of him. 
He smirked at the thought. It was as if he 
wished that a princess would come to give him a wakeup kiss. No, the big, bad and mean General would never 
submit to such needs. He shook his head in amused disgust for his weakness. This was nothing but the remains 
of his illness, an emotional weakness that accompanied his physical weakness.

With as little noise as possible, he got up. Shocked, he looked down. He was stark naked! He listened intently 
but there was no other heartbeat in the building except Natalie's and his own, slow thrum. Avoiding the beams of 
the rising sun coming through the closed curtains, he went downstairs. Everywhere the curtains were carefully 
closed. He was grateful for that. Lacroix found his way into the bathroom and prepared a hot bath for himself. 
Slowly he descended into the hot water, trying to relax his aching joints.
He had not felt this aching and tired since an especially gruesome campaign against some Gauls. Lacroix looked 
at the variety of bubble baths standing around the tub. Some looked like animals or cartoons. Obviously those 
belonged to Natalie's daughter. 
He opened one of those bottles, inhaling the scent. Peaches. He liked the smell. It reminded him of his youth. He 
poured a large amount of the yellow liquid into the water and laid his head back, closing his eyes, allowing his 
mind to wander.

Natalie awoke and realized that Lacroix was gone. She looked at the curtains, realizing that it was morning. Had 
he finally gone insane and run out into the sunlight? Natalie's heart throbbed in fear and she was close to 
panicking. Hastily she ran downstairs calling his name.

"My dear Natalie, I am merely trying to make myself more presentable." 

She looked frantically around, trying to locate his voice. Then she realized that the voice came out of the 
bathroom and started laughing.

"I thought for a second that you .... went out." 

Distracted by her own feeling of relief, she entered the bathroom until she realized that this was not very 
appropriate. The scent of peaches was overwhelming. Right in the middle of a mountain of white bubbles was 
Lacroix grinning at her.

She grinned back. "You look just like Lydia when she is taking a bath!"

He frowned for a second. "Lydia? Your daughters name is Lydia?"

"Yes, Lydia. It is a beautiful name, isn't it?"

He looked lost in thought. 
"Yes, yes indeed. A very beautiful name. I had a sister named Lydia."

Natalie looked at him with a strange expression. "You...had a sister?"
Lacroix did not know why he answered but he had to. 
"Yes, my dear. I had a sister. I even had a mother.... or did you think I..."

"...was born from a rattlesnake..." Natalie continued the sentence with a blank look on her face. 

He stared at her, trying to believe his ears. Both paled visibly.

"Lucien... was your mother's name Bronagh?" Natalie's voice was suddenly very hoarse.

He nodded, unable to answer

Natalie looked away, then she looked around as if she could find the words she was desperately looking for, 
laying somewhere on the floor or pinned to the walls.

"I'll get you a bathrobe, Lucien," she murmured absent mindedly and ran out only to vanish again after she gave 
him a robe without even looking at him.


He went upstairs into the bedroom, unsure what to think or what to believe. Could it be possible? Natalie sat in 
the easy chair, staring at the bed. She had put fresh linen on it simply to keep herself occupied. 
Lacroix sat on the edge of the bed facing her. He lifted a hand to touch her arm and saw that she flinched away.
"What is it, Natalie? Have I hurt you?"

"No, no... it's only ... a bad bruise." She shivered slightly.

"Let me see your arm," Lucien demanded in a very soft and concerned voice.
He lifted the arm of her T-shirt to examine her shoulder. It was black and bruised. Natalie saw him taking in a 
deep breath. 
"I have hurt you, Natalie..." he murmured and placed feather light kisses on her arm, kisses so tender, they 
reminded her of Lucius. Natalie moaned and closed her eyes.
"Lucien... I thought everything was ... a dream. I thought..."
"I thought the same. Forgive me, Natalie, for being so ignorant."
Suddenly Natalie was in his arms and they kissed deeply. She could feel his body warmed by the hot bath and 
his muscles though the bathrobe.
A second later he drew back, trying to put some distance between him and her.

She looked at him without understanding.

"Lucien? Why..."

He looked at her, and she saw the flicker of gold in his eyes, and when he opened his mouth she could see his 
fangs had dropped. 
"I am not the same man you remember, Natalie. I am .... not mortal. Also, my resistance has greatly weakened."

Natalie lifted her hand and touched his pale cheek briefly. Both their eyes were filled with sorrow.
It hurt deeply, but they both knew there was truth in his words. His world and her world were not compatible. 
She had experienced it with Nicholas.

She buried her face in her hands, close to tears. This was so unfair. For years she had thought of the past as a 
dream. Now the dream came true but was instantly destroyed by 
reality. 

He kneeled in front of her, holding her hands.

"I am sorry, Natalie..." he murmured, unsure.

She looked up and steadied herself. 

"No need to be sorry. I have a daughter to look after. A very bright and intelligent daughter."

Lacroix hesitated for a second until he continued.

"Is Lydia my daughter?" He knew it was impossible but something forced the question over his lips.

"I do not know, Lucien. I really do not know. When I woke up, I was pregnant."

He nodded and accepted the answer.

"Will you allow me to visit her from time to time?" he pleaded silently.

Natalie nodded and smiled.

The phone rang and Natalie lifted the receiver. It was Weng. He was as excited as a schoolboy. His son's 
condition had improved ever so slightly. Finally, there was a glimmer of hope. 

Lacroix grabbed the receiver and talked to Weng for a short while. Then he turned towards Natalie.

"We will meet the others at the Dragon after sundown."
Natalie nodded. The werewolves would pay for their actions.

Chapter 8

Lucien and Natalie entered the Dragon together. She felt his hand lightly on her back as if he was guiding her, 
but she realized that was mainly a signal for the other vampires that she was his protegee or, as Lacroix would 
have called it in former times, human pet. She disliked the thought of being regarded as a pet, but she also 
realized that there was absolutely no time to argue, not with so much at stake.

Lacroix was still a little weak. For a second, she felt his hand moving from her back to her shoulder, as if he 
needed support, but she was not entirely positive that this was the case. Lucien hated to show any weaknesses, 
especially in front of others of his kind but even more so around mortals. She wondered how he regarded her 
now.

Weng had already informed the members of this Community, and everybody was looking at him expectantly. 

"We will put an end to the canine infection of this town, and we will see that other Communities follow our 
example." Lucien Lacroix stood there, proud and erect, and Natalie could imagine him talking to his troops back 
when he was a General in the Roman Army. 

Some of the vampires became visibly nervous. The thought of confronting a werewolf was something no 
vampire enjoyed. 

One of the younger members of the Community addressed him with a display of ignorance.

"Is it not enough that we let them know that we do not fear them anymore?"

Lucien walked up to the youngster. He was less than 150 years old and obviously not used to fighting anything 
that could match his strength. He realized that a lot of the vampires present never fought against an opponent of 
similar strength and cunning. They were used to draining mortals who had no chance, and only a few of them 
had ever encountered a hunter or anything that could fight back.

Lacroix looked the young one up and down, measuring him with obvious distaste.

"You, my dear boy, are a fool. You are a disgrace to the one who brought you across," he stated flatly and the 
youngster blushed, trying to avoid the cold blue eyes of the Roman.

A voice from the back interrupted, and  the crowd of vampires parted to let a black and very large vampire 
through their midst.
"He is my son, and I will not allow you to call him a fool. He is not used to such a treatment, and there is no 
reason for us to fight for you in any battle, against whomever."

Natalie realized what was going on. Lucien had to show his superiority in order to keep the vampires in line. 
Vampires were individualists and trying to organize them was nearly impossible. Like a pack of wolves, the 
leader had to prove his strength to the others.
But Lucien was in no condition to do that. He was greatly weakened by his sickness. Natalie tried to hold him 
back, but he looked at her and his eyes pleaded for silence. This was something he had to do alone.

"Garn of Ethiopia, dost thou challenge me?" Lucien Lacroix hissed without hesitation.

"Yes, Lucius of Rome, I dost challenge thee! I will not take any insult from you or your tribe."

Natalie realized that the other must be about the same age as Lucien.

The others got out of the way as the two vampires circled each other, looking for a gap in the defense of their 
opponent.

The black vampire attacked first, sending Lucien crashing into the bar. Glass and wooden splinters flew around, 
but Lucien got up nearly as quickly as he had fallen. He lunged at the other and got hold of his hair, pulling his 
head back and trying to break his neck. But Garn pried the grip of the weakened Lucien open and escaped, 
grabbing one of the wooden splinters, large enough to cause serious damage to any vampire. Lucien looked 
around for anything to defend himself, and Natalie caught sight of  a pair of ancient swords hanging from the 
wall of the nightclub. She ran and jumped on table, only to be held back by the protegee of this Garn. She could 
barely reach one of the swords with her fingertips, and after some struggle, she ensured her grip on the weapon 
and slashed violently at the arm of the younger vampire who tried to hold her by her ankle.

He howled and let her go, and she jumped up again and got hold of the second sword and threw it through the 
air.

"Lucien, Catch!!"

He turned around and grabbed the sword in full flight, and with one flowing movement turned around and 
blocked the wooden stake that was about to stab him.

The other was in shock for a moment. He flew up and wrestled the second sword from Natalie's hand, sending 
her violently to the floor. She got up immediately, but everyone was so occupied with the fight of the two 
vampires that nobody attacked her.

Lucien fought with the skill of someone trained to use a sword without a second thought. Natalie could see that 
he did not need to think about what to do. He simply followed his instinct. The other one was stronger but less 
skilled, far less skilled even though he must have been a fair fighter once.

Furniture crashed and decoration was severely damaged until Lucien managed with one swift parry to disarm 
Garn. He held his weapon to his throat.

"Garn, if I behead you and keep your head and torso apart, there will be no way for you to regenerate. I believe 
you would hardly enjoy this. Will you accept my leadership for this campaign or will you face the 
consequences?"

Everyone was so enchanted by the view of the fighters that nobody saw the younger one approaching Lucien 
from the back with the wooden stake his master had lost previously. Everyone except of Natalie.
She grabbed a chair and threw it in the way of the younger vampire, sending him stumbling to the floor and 
stabbing his own shoulder.

Everybody turned towards the howling youngster who was trying to pry the stake from his tormented arm.

"Your protegee has shamed you further by interfering," Lucien stated flatly, his eyes glittering with a strange 
fire.

Garn of Ethiopia swallowed hard.

"I will accept your leadership, Lucius of Rome. I swear to accept you as my liege for the time being."

"You and your tribe?"

"Me and my tribe, all that belong to me."

Lucien pulled the sword back and offered his hand to help the other up.

The other one stared at the hand for a second but accepted it.

Both men brushed the dust from their clothes.

Natalie could see that Lucien hid his own exhaustion by leaning nonchalantly at the bar, grinning like a predator.

She went over to him, trying to look equally unimpressed.

He grinned at her and murmured a single, "Thank you, my dear. You have saved my hide." 

Then he looked again at the Community of vampires watching him.

"And now let us discuss battle plans......"

Natalie realized that this was going to be a long night.



Chapter 9 

The following days and weeks the whole community was drilled in a way no one of them had ever encountered 
in their immortal life span. Lucien taught them how to operate with weapons, silver weapons he ordered to be 
crafted by the finest jewelers the Communities possessed. All the Communities were contacted and some of 
them sent observers in order to pick up certain information that might prove useful if some of their enemies 
showed up in other areas.

Suddenly, the door to the Dragon opened and a young, handsome and bearded man entered. Natalie was sitting at 
a desk, preparing and polishing silver bullets, recognized him instantly. It was Nick. He looked at her for a 
second, only to avert his eyes in a way that told Natalie more than she ever wanted to know. There was shame in 
his eyes, but it was a different kind of shame. He felt ashamed for her instead for him.

She continued polishing the bullets, pretending that she did not recognize him. He approached Lacroix, who was 
showing some of the younger members how to use a gladius, including that insolent whelp who had attacked him 
some days ago.

Lucien turned around and stared at him, his eyes cold as diamonds. 

"What is it that brings us the divine pleasure of your company?" he asked with a stony face.

Nicholas' eyes held a similar expression as he answered. "My Community wishes me to participate in order to 
obtain the necessary information." There was no warmth in their greeting.

"You are aware that it is quite possible that the foe is preparing as well. Indeed, it is most likely that they will 
summon their forces. If they win this battle, no other Community will stand in their way ever again. There is 
much at stake, and I am not interested in being distracted by any of your actions."

"It is not my wish to distract you, General," Nicholas stated flatly.

"And it is understood that observing is not an option. One has to participate or to leave. Your conscience is not 
valued here."

"I will keep my inner turmoil out of the matters at hand. I promise that much. And I brought this..." He 
unwrapped the parcel he was carrying. His own sword was revealed, the one he had used during the crusades.

"It contains enough silver to be of serious damage to our enemy."

Lucien nodded in approval.
"I accept you allegiance for the time being."

"I am offering nothing but an allegiance for a limited time," Nicholas stated with a cold and distant voice.

Natalie witnessed the gap between the two men. They were friends for centuries, father and son, brothers. How 
could anything lasting so long be destroyed?  It grieved her more than her own disappointment.

She put the bullets away and approached the two men.

"Nick! How are you?" she inquired softly. 

Strangely, she did not feel any anger. She felt sorry for him, for the loss of his family, for the estrangement with 
his father.

Nicholas had difficulties facing her, but suddenly he looked up and tried to smile. 

"Hello, Natalie. How are you?"

What should she say? Thank you, Nick, I feel fine....despite your lack of restrain or solicitude. She heard herself 
answer, " Thank you, Nick, I'm fine, just peachy." But her words had a faint echo of acid buried deep inside. He 
heard the silent message and blushed ever so slightly.

Nick drew in a deep breath and tried a different approach.

"What are you doing here? I have heard you found a cure for the werewolf infection. So you are still interested in 
the scientific examination of my kind."

"Nick, keep Natalie out of this. She is here because she wants to," Lucien intervened.

"She is mortal!"

"Before you left Toronto, you had a different opinion concerning mortals. Now I have changed my mind and you 
argue again. I am sick of your stubborn behavior. Natalie is here because she will provide medical assistance in 
the upcoming battle. You might call her our Red Cross service."

Natalie watched the two men arguing again. She was unsure why she stayed with this Community. It was really 
none of her business. But leaving them to their fate? Garn and his son? That stubborn youngster with more heart 
than brain? Or Weng, who was still sitting at the bed of his recovering son? Or the others? Vampires and mortals 
were so much alike. Their lifespan was longer, but they had the same feelings, they spilled the same tears, even 
though blood red, when one lost a loved one. And there was Lucien. She started to learn more about his kind 
than she had learned in all those previous years with Nick. Lacroix hid nothing from her. He answered all her 
questions. Maybe there was a way for a mortal and a vampire to be together. Maybe they could build a bridge 
between her world and his.
They talked when he guided her home every morning, mostly about the work ahead of them. He avoided any 
emotional subjects. 

Lacroix glared at Nick, at his stubbornness, his attitude. When had Nicholas started to hate him the way he did? 
Was the day Nick lost Alyssa, the day that had lain the foundation for the decay of their relationship? Was is 
only Nicolas fault or his as well?  They had argued for so long, it seemed like a bad habit. And what of 
Natalie...? Did she still love Nicolas? Lucien was unsure. She was angry at Nicolas but even a lover can be angry 
at the one he or she loves. Love and hate never excluded each other completely. Quite the opposite. They were 
like siblings, coming from the same mother. Very different but also very much alike. He could never be Natalie's 
husband the way she deserved him to be. And there was this little girl. She reminded him so much of his little 
sister, but it was impossible that she was his daughter. And daughters brought only pain to him. He remembered 
Divia far too clearly. Divia, his beloved daughter. Maybe he should stay away. 
Every time, when he escorted Natalie back to her home, he told himself that they had no future, that he should 
quit trying to nurture hope in both of them, but when she looked at him, he could not force himself to say 
goodbye without the hope of seeing her tomorrow.




And again they were walking home, through that little park, and talking about the organization of everything, 
carefully avoiding any personal matter. Suddenly, Natalie turned around.

"Lucien. We talk a lot about the battle. But what will happen after the battel. Will you go away?"

He knew that the day would come when she asked the one important question.

"Natalie, what sense is there in us being together? You have a daughter who needs you, a daughter who needs a 
mortal mother that loves and cherishes her. She does not need a pale shadow that can only live in the night. She 
needs a mother who walks with her in the sun. And I have never been a very successful father."

"Lucien, you could be such a wonderful father, if you'd only allow yourself."

Lucien winced.

"Natalie, I had a daughter. She was a monster, even by my standards. I do not wish to experience the same 
disaster ever again. It is better we part after the battle."

There, it was said. Lucien swallowed hard.

Natalie looked at him. His pale eyes glittered in the night. 

She did not need male support. She would go on without Lucien. He was not important to her life. She could go 
on without him.

"Very well, Lucien. Then we will part after the battle."

"Yes, Natalie. I think it is the best for everyone."

Natalie  nodded calmly. His words contained some truth. 

And this evening he did not ask her if he should meet her tomorrow again.


Molly was preparing a little snack when Natalie arrived.

Natalie was  leaning on the door to summon her strength when she realized that Molly was still up.

"Natty, my god. You are out nearly every night, and you come home, looking tired. Child, what is it?"

"I am helping in some Community work. Lucien needed some help," she explained.

"Community work? That guy does not look like the type of man that is interested in public welfare."

Natalie grinned at that remark. 

"Well, Molly, you misjudge him greatly."

"Why does he never come in for a coffee or such?" Molly inquired.

"He does not think it proper."

Molly murmured something and guided Natalie to the couch in the living room to get some rest.

"Are you in love with him?" the elderly woman inquired softly.

Natalie stared at Molly. Was she in love with Lucien? She did not know. She loved Lucius, his pride, his attitude 
towards life, his pitch black humor. But Lucien was a different man. One second, he was cold as an ice cube, and 
in the next moment, he was exploding like the Vesuvius. And Lucien was a vampire. What should she tell Molly 
in answer to her question? She was unsure.


Lucien Lacroix walked slowly back to the Dragon. He witnessed young couples exchanging gestures of their 
affection. Suddenly, he envied their innocence. Since Fleur, there had been no real love in his life. No woman he 
felt close enough to to exchange his inner being. He shoved his clenched fists deeper into his pockets. There was 
a battle ahead. Thinking about emotional trivialities was a waste of energy. No, after the battle there would be 
enough time to come to terms with emotions and possibilities. 
Tomorrow would the next full moon grace the dark skies. Tomorrow the hounds of war would cry for their 
prey....on both sides.

How often had he experienced this feeling in his mortal life, the evening before a battle, the rushing of the very 
last preparations? The anticipation, the scent of fear and adrenaline?


Chapter 10

Natalie was at home. Lucien had made it clear that she would only be called in case of an emergency. There was 
no use into endangering her in the upcoming battle.

So she sat in her living room, trying to keep herself busy by reading a fairy tale to her daughter.... The wolf and 
the seven little goats.

"Mommy, are you sad?" Lydia looked up to her mother with questioning eyes.

"No, I am not sad, Liddy. I am simply thinking of a friend."

"Is that friend nice?" Lydia grinned broadly.

"Yes, very nice. But he is also very difficult. He is different."

"Mrs. Wayne told us that we should not judge people only because they are different," Lydia proclaimed 
broadly.

"Mrs. Wayne is a very wise woman." Natalie smiled softly but asked herself if Mrs. Wayne, the kindergarten 
teacher, would extend her view to vampires or werewolves.




Various groups of vampires started a search for the werewolves, only guided by their keen sense of smell. They 
spotted a few spots on the outskirts of the town. One by one, every pocket of the werewolf community was 
destroyed.

Garn cleaned his sword. The training and the logistics Lucius had provided had prevented serious losses. 

Lacroix stood there and stared at the flames of another burning building. 

"What is it, Lucius? You seem discontent."

Lacroix laughed bitterly. "Garn, no battle was ever won that easily. Tomorrow they will take the offensive."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes, tomorrow night."

Lucien encountered a certain feeling of doom creeping up his spine.



The door shattered into pieces. Natalie sprung up and grabbed her daughter.
"Liddy, go and hide in the cupboard. Don't come out until I tell you."
Lydia went to her hands and knees and crawled into the cupboard. Her mother had explained what she had to do 
after she had talked to her friend on the phone. And she had given her a sweet she should eat as soon as she was 
inside the cupboard.

A loud howl filled the air. 

Suddenly, an extremely large werewolf stood in front of Natalie. Natalie stepped back and tried to reach her 
weapon.


Lucien woke up. Something had called out to him. Fear crept up in his chest, a feeling he did not enjoy very 
much.
He could not pinpoint the feeling.  Before he went to rest, he had called Natalie in order to give her some 
directions and to tell her of their success. Now, the first thing he did was call her again. The phone rang. Without 
noticing, he tapped with his fingers on the table, unable to control the feelings he had. Why was Natalie not 
answering the phone? She had promised to stay at home. Suddenly, he realized why. The weakest spot of this 
war was Natalie Lambert. He would have done the same. He cursed viscously and ran downstairs, alarming the 
others. 

His mind raced. They would not harm Natalie, he continued telling himself as he and the others flew though the 
early evening towards the house.

The house was completely dark and the door was shattered. Lucien shivered inwardly as he recognized the smell 
and saw the claw marks on the door. He looked around and examined the other houses. Luckily, the gardens in 
this part where rather large and none seemed to have heard anything, or maybe the neighbors were on holiday.

He ordered the others to stay behind.

"Where are you!?" It was not clear to whom he spoke, Natalie or the werewolf who had invaded her home.

"We are here, Vampire. Upstairs! Come up and we will talk."

Lucien braced himself and went up, calm on the outside but boiling hot inside.

The smell was disgusting.

Then he saw the werewolf. It was  a very old werewolf. So old that he was able to keep his intelligence even 
after the transformation. Drool sipped from his lightly opened jaw. 

"I would make her one of us, but I fear she would find a cure against it. It is better to make things even again. I 
will kill her."

Lucien hid his horror and answered back.

"She is a mere mortal. Killing her will change nothing."

The werewolf seemed irritated. "She is your lover, is she not?"

Lucien laughed. "She is a mortal. She might be my lover but that is not important. I kept her as my pet as long as 
she was useful. Now that she has provided us with the serum, her usefulness has come an end."  

He hoped that Natalie would not believe his heartless words but it was more important to distract the werewolf 
and to make him believe that Natalie was worthless.

"But you came pretty quick to aid her, Vampire." The predator smile of the werewolf was nauseating, especially 
because of his vile breath. Natalie discovered that she found werewolves disgusting. 

"No, I came as quickly as I did so that I could put an end to your existence, Alpha." Lucien grinned his most 
viscous smile.

"I will not be so easily overcome as my whelps, Vampire." The werewolf snarled.

Lucien grinned. There was that common bond among all werewolves. Their feeling of inferiority. 

"Well, even you cannot stop drooling over a little flesh. Restraint is not much of an art for one of your kind, is it? 
You reproduce like rabbits and eat like animals. Not to mention that you smell worse than a ghoul."

The werewolf was fuming.
"I will show you my restraint, bloodsucker. I will pin you to the wall so you can watch me take that little lover of 
yours. Then I will stake you slowly, through the rectum, right into your heart."

He tossed Natalie away and she bumped into a piece of furniture, loosing consciousness.

Lucien could hear the sounds of the battle outside. All the other werewolves left were fighting with his little 
army outside while he and the leader of those canines fought in here.

They circled each other, tried to rip each other's throats out, clawed, snarled and fought each other with every 
ounce of hatred they had for each other. Lucien and the werewolf were bleeding from many wounds. Still 
nobody wanted to give up or surrender. Surrendering was no option. 

"Lucien!" 

Natalie had regained her consciousness and had instinctively called out for her husband. Lucien turned for a 
second to look at her and that second was too much. A wooden stake hit him in the shoulder. Lucien howled in 
pain. The wooden stake had been prepared with holy water! 
 
The werewolf turned towards Natalie as he saw that she was crawling towards her weapon that lay forgotten in 
the corner. Lucien saw the danger, and with inhuman strength, he pulled the stake from his shoulder and impaled 
the werewolf. It was not enough to kill a werewolf, but the pain was distracting him enough to give Natalie a 
chance to get the gun.

She pointed the weapon at the werewolf  towering above her and pulled the trigger.

Blood gushed from his chest wound, and he stared at her with blank eyes. 

Suddenly, the werewolf fell like a tree, right on top of Natalie. Lucien screamed and shook off his paralysis as he 
ran to her. He dragged the werewolf from Natalie, tossing it aside like a pile of dirt. Natalie's face was covered 
with blood. His hands trembled as he lifted her, trying to see if she was alright.

"Natalie, please, ma Coeur, don't leave me. I do not want to live without you. Please, ma chere, I love you with 
every bit of my heart...Don't leave me again....Not now." Lucien was at the mercy of his emotions he had held 
back for far too long.

"I hope I have not caught that werewolf virus... otherwise you have to bring me over.... I don't want to be 
accused of smelling like a dead dog...."

Lucien blinked disbelieving. Natalie grinned. His face lit up as he saw her smile. 

He kissed her deeply despite of the werewolf blood all over her.

They cried and laughed and held each other close. Suddenly,  Natalie screamed out under his kisses. "Oh, my 
god, Lydia. She is hidden in the cupboard. I gave her an anesthetic."

Other vampires entered the house. The battle outside was over. The last remains of the werewolf community had 
fled when their leader had died.

Lucien covered Natalie with a blanket and guided her to the bathroom.

"I will fetch Lydia. Please clean the blood off. I'll be back to examine you afterwards."

Natalie nodded and closed the bathroom door. 

Lacroix went upstairs again. All the vampires looked at him, expecting him to say anything.

Lucien Lacroix came down the stairs, all eyes fixed on his form.
In his arms lay a sleeping mortal child.

"May I introduce you to Lydia Lambert - Lacroix, my mortal daughter," he announced with a clear voice.

Natalie came out of the bathroom in fresh  clothing and smiled at his display.

"And this is my wife, Natalie Lambert - Lacroix."
His eyes caressed her.
He gently laid the little girl on the couch and gently covered her with a blanket.

Natalie saw Nick standing in the door, looking at her in total surprise. But his expression changed and he smiled 
broadly. Maybe there was a way to bring father and son back together again, she mused.

"Natalie, I told you I would examine you...." Lacroix whispered silently.

Natalie had examined herself  without finding any scratch but grinned at him with a slightly wicked grin.

"I demand to be examined when the sun goes up and you and I have a little more time, my dear."

He purred at the implications and his blue eyes glittered.

"Oh, yes, my dear. Every square millimeter of your beautiful body will be thoroughly examined."

Natalie blushed at the promise that was shining from his eyes like a bonfire.



End