Incarnations of Immortality
By The Bear!

Chapter 11 
Nick’s Loft 
12:00 p.m. Thursday December 14th 

He had slept all of four hours.  He spent another thirty minutes
watching his Scully sleeping.  Of course there wasn’t much to see.  She
didn’t breathe, she didn’t move.  If it wasn’t for the slight link they
had, he might have thought she was dead.  He reflected on the way their
lives had changed in less than a week.  Last week he was an FBI agent
obsessed with aliens, conspiracies, the supernatural and the occult.
Today he was supernatural- an immortal that was shacking up with a
vampire. 

In the end, the whole immortality/vampirism thing was minor.  More
importantly, last week he was desperate, alone, and hopelessly in love
with his partner- with no real hope of ever being with her.  Today they
were one in more ways than he could ever have imagined.  “Life is
sweet.  Weird, but sweet,” he whispered to himself. 

Mulder still hadn’t decided exactly what to say to Skinner, yet.  It
depended on how difficult he was going to be about this.  It also
depended on why he and Scully had been sent up here in the first place.
Other things had occupied his thoughts and kept him from wondering why
they were really there. 

As Kimberly answered the phone, Mulder reflected that maybe he should
have spent a little more time wondering about these things *before*
calling his boss, “Hi Kimberly.  It’s Mulder, is he in?” 

“One minute, I’ll see if he is available,” she said, putting him on
hold.  She came back on after a few seconds, “Ok, Agent Mulder.  I’m
transferring you now.” 

“What is it, Mulder?”  Skinner sounded slightly annoyed.  “What could
have possibly happened at a simple conference, for Pete’s sake?” he
asked, rhetorically. 

Mulder’s mind was filled with a few dozen different scenarios where he
answered that question honestly- none of them worked out in his head so
he said, “Uh, nothing… that is nothing to be worried about with the
conference.” 

“What did you need to speak to me about then?” Skinner asked. 

“Well, uh, that is I want to request some vacation time.  Actually we
need to request a couple weeks, Scully and I.” Mulder said, stumbling
through the answer. 

“Fine.  Email a request in and I will approve it.  Anything else?”
Skinner replied brusquely. 

Mulder could not have possibly imagined it would go that easily.  “Uh…
No sir.”  Something was definitely up, but he was going to take
advantage of it while he could.  “Thank you,” he said. 

Skinner replied, “You’re welcome Agent,” and hung up. 

“That was too easy.” Mulder muttered to himself 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Natalie woke up feeling extremely thirsty and very sore.  However, it
was definitely the good kind of sore.  She had received more physical
gratification in the last 5 days than she had in the rest of her life
combined.  “Of course, that isn’t saying much” she reflected. 

Even without the knowledge that came from the link when Nick drank from
her, she would have had no doubt that she was beautiful in Nick’s eyes.
It was as though he had worshiped her body.  He had touched and stroked
and kissed every square inch of her body this morning.  She looked like
she had been wrestling with a thorn bush, there were little scratches
and bite marks spread over her entire body.  “As if he was marking his
territory,” she thought with amusement.  She unequivocally did not mind
being marked as his.  He could put a big sign on her back that said
‘Property of Nicolas Knight’ as far as she was concerned.  She belonged
to him, just as he belonged to her.  Feeling wanton and decadent, she
covered herself in nothing but a silk robe and went downstairs to get
something to drink. 

As she left the bedroom she heard the television.  “Mulder must be up. 
No way it’s Dana,” she thought.  She was no expert on vampires, but it
was hard enough to get Nick up and out of bed before sundown, she
didn’t think a fledgling would be anything less than dead to the world.
She saw him sprawled out on the couch surfing through the channels, not
landing on one for more than a few seconds before moving on.
“Definitely a guy thing,” she thought.  “Nick does the same thing, when
he watches TV at all.” 

Mulder heard her coming down the stairs and stopped surfing for a
moment, “Hey, Natalie.  Good Morning?” he asked. 

“I think we have to go with ‘good afternoon’ Mulder.  How long have you
been up?” 

Mulder resumed surfing, “About an hour or so.” 

“What’s the matter, Mulder?  Nothing worth watching?” she asked as she
walked to refrigerator. 

“Mostly soaps.  I have enough intrigue, tragedy and suffering in my
life without watching that crap,” Mulder responded.  He noticed her
destination and asked, “Hey Natalie, could I impose on you to bring me
a bottle of whatever you’re having?”  He smiled, slightly embarrassed
at her knowing look. 

“Oh?  Are you thirsty, Mulder?  Feeling a bit… drained?” she teased as
she collapsed into the chair facing the couch Mulder was sprawled out
on. 

Mulder noticed that her legs looked like they had lost a fight with a
dull razor, “I’m lucky, I guess.  Mine all healed,” he said, gesturing
toward her legs. 

It was Natalie’s turn to blush as she handed Mulder his bottle of
orange juice.  She had brought herself a glass to go with her bottle.
She got tired of refilling it after the 3rd time and joined Mulder in
drinking straight from the bottle, upending it and not putting it down
until it was empty.  “Wow.  I was really thirsty!” 

Mulder smirked at Natalie and said, “I hope you two weren’t planning on
waiting very long before you come across.  It doesn’t appear that
you’ll be able to hold out much longer.” 

Natalie blushed furiously at that, but all the same, she was quite
happy that she and Mulder could tease each other like that.  She hadn’t
had a close friend outside of Grace and Nick in what felt like ages,
and for her and Nick to have another couple so close, and not have to
hide anything at all, “Well, it feels wonderful!” she mused.  “I hope
you and Dana hang around for a while, Mulder.  I really like you guys.”


Mulder’s smile faltered slightly at that. 

Instantly concerned, Natalie leaned toward him asked, “Mulder?  What’s
wrong?” 

Mulder sat up and put his face in his hands, resting his elbows on his
knees, “I don’t know what we are going to do, Natalie.  For the last
seven years, the X-Files were my whole life.  Scully’s too.  I have
spent years searching for the answers to certain questions.  There are
conspiracies that we have been trying to crack for just as long.  I am
not sure how I feel about giving up on that, even for a year or two
that Duncan says I would need to take to train.  Not to mention that
Scully has a whole new life that she needs to prepare for as well.”  He
leaned back into the couch and sighed heavily.  “On the other hand,
I’ve spent most of the last 7 years pining away after my partner too.
If I had to choose between the two, Scully would win hands down every
time.” 

Natalie nodded her head.  “I always knew Nick would have to leave
someday.  He can’t stay in one place for more than a decade or maybe
fifteen years at the outside before people notice that he isn’t getting
any older.  I dreaded that time, not knowing where our relationship
would be when it came.” 

She stopped for a moment and smiled, wistfully.  “I will miss my
career, and my friends.  In the end though, being with Nick is more
important than being the youngest coroner in Toronto history, not to
mention being one of the best despite the ‘handicap’ of being a woman.”
She stood up and went to the refrigerator to grab two more bottles of
OJ and returned to the chair, passing one bottle to Mulder.  After
draining it in two long pulls, she said, “You know, Mulder- I can be a
coroner anywhere I go.  Just because you leave the FBI, if that is what
you decide, that doesn’t mean you can’t continue your search for the
Truth.  You already have resources outside of the normal channels, and
now you have a couple of key advantages, especially with Dana’s
newfound skills and abilities.  The two of you could investigate people
and places you could never touch before. 

“I hadn’t really thought of it like that,” Mulder said in wonder. 

“How do you think Nick managed to have the highest solve rate in
Department history?”  Natalie smirked.  “He’s a very good cop, but
being essentially impervious to bullets, being able to hypnotize
suspects and witnesses, and preternaturally acute senses all stack the
deck in your favor.”  She laughed, “If I had a dollar for every bullet
I’ve removed from Nick in the years I’ve known him, I would be almost
as rich as he is.” 

“Well, that’s definitely one more thing to consider,” Mulder said.
“When Scully and Nick wake up we need to talk.”  Mulder closed his eyes
and clasped his hands on top of his head, sinking down into the couch,
“I need to figure out what I am going to do about my new status.  I am
not sure I want to spend eternity going around chopping off people’s
heads.  I know I don’t want to spend eternity on holy ground, not to
mention it might be a bit painful for Scully.”  He opened his eyes and
smiled at Natalie, “I do know that despite all of the uncertainty
regarding our changes, I am happy… content.  You have no idea how big
of a change that is for me.  I haven’t been at peace like this since I
was a young boy.  I am happier right now than I have ever been in my
life.  However we move forward, so long as it is together, I will
adjust to whatever else comes. 

Natalie felt almost exactly the same way.  Definitely content, whatever
may come.  She was suddenly struck with a thought, “Aren’t you supposed
to be flying back tomorrow?” she asked. 

“I called our boss and arranged a couple of weeks off,” he responded. 

“I need to do that, too.  Nick suggested a couple of months,” she said.


Mulder raised his brows at that, “Can you get that much?” he asked,
surprised. 

Natalie smiled, “We both have tons of leave accrued.  We never really
take any,” she said.  “Besides, we have a good excuse,” she said,
waggling her left ring finger at him. 

“Yeah?  When are you guys tying the knot?” Mulder asked. 

“We were thinking about the weekend before New Years,” she answered. 

“What about the… other event?”  Mulder asked slyly. 

Natalie blushed slightly, “Saturday… I can’t wait!” she confessed,
sounding like a little kid two days before Christmas. 

Mulder laughed out loud.  “Well, I don’t know about you, but I am
starved.  How about I buy you breakfast to celebrate your impending
immortality?”  He added, “It’s not as if our significant others will
feel left out.” 

“Ok, let me leave a note, Nick might actually wake up,” Natalie said
getting out a piece of paper and a pen from a kitchen drawer and
scrawling a few words.  “Ok, let’s go.” 

“Uh Natalie?  You going in that?” he asked, gesturing at her robe. 

“Oh…  I guess I’m a little distracted,” she said, blushing again.  “Let
me go throw something on,” she said running up the stairs. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Nick slowly achieved consciousness.  He could feel that the sun was
still up, and wondered what had awoken him.  He rolled over to look at
Natalie and saw that she wasn’t there.  “That must have been it,” he
thought.  Remembering that they had guests, he put on both the top and
pants of his pajamas.  He was about to head out of the bedroom when he
heard Natalie running up the stairs.  She swooped into the room and
suddenly stopped short when she saw him up and dressed, sort of. 

“Oh, Nick!  I didn’t think you would be up already,” she said. 

“What’s the matter, Nat?” Nick asked, concerned. 

Natalie went over to her bag and took out a pair of jeans and a
sweater, as well as a bra and panties, and began getting dressed.
“Nothing’s wrong, Nick.  Mulder and I were going to go grab some
breakfast.  Want to join us?” she asked, pausing with her arms crossed
above her head, about to pull her sweater over her head, and looked at
him for a response. 

Nick stared at Natalie, clad in jeans and a bra with her hands semi-
confined above her head and started to get some ideas he wanted to
explore Saturday night prior to her conversion. 

Natalie noticed the predatory look he was laying on her and blushed
head to toe, “Nick… Breakfast?” 

“Thanks Nat- I’m tempted, but I think you had better eat something
first.  I don’t want you getting anemic!” he replied, deliberately
misconstruing her question. 

She blushed even harder and pulled her sweater on.  “Nicolas de
Brabant!  You are incorrigible!” 

“Nat, after you guys eat, why don’t you go in to the morgue and see if
you can arrange that time off.  If you can keep Mulder out of Dana’s
and my hair until about midnight , I think we can complete the
preliminary stuff and she would be able to move out and among mortals
without me babysitting her.” Nick suggested. 

“Isn’t that awfully fast?  Just a couple of days and she is good to
go?” Natalie asked, concerned. 

“I don’t know what it is, Nat.  Maybe it’s the immortal blood she is
feeding on, but she’s advancing faster than I’ve ever heard of.  Even
with the deep link training I’m using, it should take a several days
for the basics, and she had them mastered the first night.”  Nick shook
his head in wonder.  We just need to cover a couple of things and
practice them a little and she should be ok.” 

“And that’s it?” Natalie asked. 

“No, she will still need time and practice to master some of the more
challenging skills, but she won’t need to be attached to my hip.  First
of all, those lessons will be intermittent, and second, those lessons
can wait. Until we get you caught up to her level.”  Nick smiled
tenderly at the love of his life.  “If things go normally, it won’t
take more than two or three weeks at the outside, and who knows?  Being
filled with your very own supply of immortal blood may accelerate your
progress as well.” 

“Or I might not come across at all,” Natalie said, somewhat glumly. 

Nick refused to let the possibility bring him down, “Then sword lessons
for you, young lady!  Now, go.  Eat.  Keep Mulder occupied.  I’ll see
you tonight.”  Nick laid into her with a searing kiss, giving her a
taste of just what he had in store for her tonight. 

Natalie kissed him back just as thoroughly, letting him know she was
more than ready for whatever he had for her tonight. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Natalie and Mulder had each consumed 2 entrees and about a gallon of
orange juice before they felt sated.  The bemused waitress had stopped
even asking if there was anything else she could get them, and just
brought them a pitcher of juice. 

Mulder was laughing at Natalie’s stories, sharing things with her that
he had only shared with Scully.  He was suddenly struck by the fact
that he hadn’t sat and talked with a friend, about nothing special,
for… “I can’t remember doing this since I joined the FBI.”  No
conspiracies, no aliens, no work at all.  It was almost like he was
exhaling after holding his breath for years.  No angst, no emotional
investment, just a nice chat with a friendly person who had no
political interest or reason for betrayal. 

Natalie noticed Mulder drifting off into another world and smiled at
him.  He looked relaxed.  “I think this is the first time I’ve seen you
relax this week, Mulder,” she observed. 

That was exactly it.  He felt relaxed.  In his anal-retentive
obsessiveness, now that he could put a name on it, he could quit
thinking about it.  “Yeah,” he said with a kind of satisfied sigh.
“Actually, I think it’s been quite a while longer than a week.” 

Natalie leaned back and smiled at Mulder.  Outside the sun was setting,
and she could see part of the sunset between the buildings.  She was
enjoying the peaceful companionship.  She suddenly started at the look
of utter shock on Mulder’s face.  He looked like he had sat on a tack,
or been touched by a live wire. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Nick’s Loft 
4:45 p.m. Thursday December 14th 

Scully came back to life with the setting of the sun.  She could feel
it slipping over the horizon with her newfound senses, “That’s
strange,” she thought, she felt as though she had just lain down.  She
remembered the last thing she had done before falling asleep- drinking
Mulder’s hot life’s-blood as she rode out her own orgasm and, through
the link, felt his as well.  “That’s definitely the way I want to fall
asleep from now on!” she thought. 

[*That* can be arranged] she heard Mulder say.  She rolled over to look
at her lover when she noticed she was alone in bed.  She immediately
sat up and looked around for him, but he was nowhere in sight.
“Mulder! Where are you?” she asked out loud. 

[Actually Scully, I am downtown having breakfast with Natalie.] 

“What?!” she almost shouted.  She suddenly realized that she wasn’t
hearing him with her ears, but rather in her head.  She closed her eyes
and saw a table full of empty dishes in front of her and a very
concerned looking Natalie leaning forward and asking her ‘what’s wrong,
Mulder?’ 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Mulder answered Natalie’s question, “Nothing, Natalie.  Scully just
woke up, that’s all.” 

[Tell her that her theory of the blood exchange was apparently right]
Scully thought to Mulder with a sense of wonder at this new sensation. 

“Scully says your theory was right.  What theory was that?”  Mulder
asked. 

Natalie’s train of thought was completely derailed.  “You… She???”
Natalie paused and scrubbed at her face with her hands and swept them
up and through her hair, taking a moment to put her thoughts together. 
“You can hear her?” she asked, still trying to reorganize mentally. 

Mulder was starting to feel very hungry suddenly.  *Very* hungry.  He
closed his eyes and groaned at the hunger pangs.  As his eyes closed he
suddenly found himself in Nick’s guest bedroom, but only for a moment
and then the scenery whizzed by and he found himself, not half a second
later, wrenching the refrigerator door open, grabbing a bottle, tearing
the cork out and chugging it down. 

[Sorry, that was me.] Scully thought.  [I felt how full you were and my
own hunger didn’t hit me for a moment.] 

Mulder was momentarily lost in the sensation that came from the blood. 
He had a faint impression of a young man laying on a table at the Red
Cross, donating for his school’s blood drive.  As he opened his eyes he
came back to himself and noticed that Natalie was looking a little
green, “Actually, everything looks a little green,” he thought. 

Natalie was about to ask Mulder what was wrong when he opened his eyes
and she saw that they had changed to the green/gold of a vampire.  Her
hands flew to cover her mouth as she gasped out loud.  “Mulder! Your
eyes!” she whispered loudly, looking around to see if anyone else
noticed. 

“What?” he said, blinking rapidly until the greenish tinge everything
had was gone.  “What just happened?” he demanded in a harsh whisper.
He focused on Natalie who was still staring at him, stunned.  Abruptly
he stood up and pulled out his wallet. Throwing two fifties on the
table he said, “Come on, let’s get out of here.” He growled. 

Natalie silently stood up, grabbed her stuff and walked out with
Mulder.  As they got outside she explained what she had seen. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Scully had her eyes closed, listening in, but not commenting.  She
didn’t know what to think- Mulder’s eyes vamping out?  Was it an echo
of her, or was he changing?  What did it mean?  Suddenly she felt
something she had never felt before- like fire in her head and a
buzzing in her ears. 

[Oh, no.  Not now!] she heard Mulder think. 

She saw through his eyes an intense man striding through the parking
lot towards Mulder and Natalie with violence written all over him. 

[It’s not Froag.  I don’t know who it is.] she heard Mulder tell
Natalie.  [Go get in the car, get it running and I’ll jump in.] 

She heard Natalie answer ask him what he was going to do without a
sword. 

[I don’t think he will try anything here, it’s pretty public.  Just
go!] 

Scully saw him pull a sword from his coat and felt Mulder’s fear
blossom.  “NO!” she screamed. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Natalie jumped into the driver’s seat of the Caddie and started it up. 
She pulled out of the parking spot and dropped it into drive with her
shaking hand.  She headed to where Mulder was and saw the immortal
cocking a sword back over his shoulder, getting ready to swing it at
Mulder.  What she saw next almost caused her to wreck the car. 

Mulder moved faster than the eye could see- he struck the other
immortal in the neck with the edge of his hand like he was trying to
crush his larynx, but he struck with such force that he took his head
almost entirely off.  It remained connected by only a little bit of
skin and muscle on the right side of the neck.  Apparently it was
enough, because within several seconds of the body hitting the ground,
the light show began. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Nick was drying off when he heard, and felt, Dana’s angry/fearful yell.
He had the impression through the link that she felt threatened with
deadly force, but he couldn’t sense anyone else- vampire or mortal.
That didn’t stop him from flying down the stairs at top speed.  He was
just in time to see Dana floating, bathed in a crackling blue aura and
screaming like to tear out her throat.  He tried to reach through their
link and it felt like he was opening his mind to an electric current.
He immediately clamped down on the link and watched, helplessly, as she
convulsed in… actually she didn’t look like she was in pain anymore,
and suddenly the aura collapsed and she crashed to the ground. 

“Dana?  Are you alright?” Nick asked softly.  He gingerly reopened the
link between them and felt…  He smiled at the feeling.  “Dana, do you
need a cigarette?” 

Scully sat up and looked at Nick, confusion written on her face, “Nick,
you know I don’t smo…” she suddenly caught the almost smile on his face
and the humor through their link. 

Nick suddenly laughed out loud, “Now there is something you won’t see
again anytime soon.  A vampire blushing!” he crowed.  Suddenly he got
serious again.  “What just happened, Dana?” 

In the afterglow of the quickening Scully had momentarily forgotten
herself.  She pressed into the link with Mulder and saw him tossing the
body into the trunk of the caddie and yelling at Natalie to drive.  He
was looking around for any witnesses but didn’t see anyone.  Natalie
gunned the engine and squealed the tires as they left the parking lot,
on their way back to the loft. 

Nick only caught about a third of all of that through his link with
Dana, but he could tell that she was completely immersed.  “Wow, Dana. 
Wow.  I mean… Wow.”  Nick was shaking his head in amazement.  “I’ve
never heard of a link like that, not even legends.  The master/childé
link is usually as strong as it gets, but it’s never like this.  Never
like becoming the other.”  He sat down at the table and just stared at
his childé.  “It’s like you are in a bloodkiss.  Total immersion!” 

Scully just said, “We tried out your suggestion.” 

“Well I’d say it worked,” Nick said with a loud exhale.  “So I take it
Mulder took his first head?  Was it Froag?  How did he do it?  He
doesn’t even have a sword… Does he?” 

Scully levitated herself up off of the floor and went over to the
fridge and pulled out a couple of bottles.  “That really made me
hungry,” she explained at Nick’s raised eyebrows. 

“Tell me what happened, Dana,” Nick said. 

Scully drained about half of a bottle and began, “Well, I woke up and
was talking to Mulder when I noticed that he wasn’t in the room,” she
began.  She recounted all of the events up until the feeling of the
quickening and seeing the unknown immortal. 

“Who was it?” Nick interrupted.  How did Mulder beat him without a
sword? 

“We don’t know who.  As to how… I’m not sure, Nick.  It’s almost like
when I… That night, when I watched Mulder get shot- it was like that.
I was seeing through Mulder’s eyes, and everything around him slowed to
a crawl and we hit him in the throat… but it was too fast.  Our hand
didn’t crush his larynx, it went through his neck…”  She looked up at
Nick with worry in her eyes.  “Mulder shouldn’t be able to move that
fast!  It’s not possible, is it?” 

“What’s not possible, Dana?”  Nick asked. 

“He can’t have come across?  He ate Pancakes!  I could taste them.  And
he was in the sun, I could feel it and it didn’t burn at all!  He can’t
be a vampire.  Can he?”  She asked, ranting and throwing her hands in
the air. 

Nick replied honestly, “Calm down, Dana.  This is new to all of us.  We
will figure it out.”  Nick reached over and took her hand, “The
important thing for now is that Mulder is alive.  Focus on the
positive, Dana.” 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

They had driven about 5 minutes when Natalie finally asked the
question.  “Ok Mulder, you want to explain what just happened?”  She
continued to stare straight ahead, made sure she had both hands on the
wheel and tried very, very, hard to keep her voice calm and even.  It
was the only way to keep from falling into a complete panic. 

Mulder started to laugh, becoming a bit manic before he shut himself
up.  He could feel a nagging little thread of panic itching to break
free.  “Sorry Natalie.  I would really like to tell you.  I really
would.  But I don’t have a clue.  I don’t know if that was Scully
acting through me, or if I somehow took some of her attributes, or…  I
don’t even know where to begin.”  Mulder paused for a moment as if
waiting for an answer and then said, “Nick and Scully don’t have a clue
either.” 

Natalie gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, and her voice was
just a little more brittle as she asked, “You can hear Nick too?” 

“Yeah… I mean I can’t hear him, but Scully can and I kinda hear what
she hears.”  Mulder started to notice that Natalie was more than a
little freaked out and hastened to clarify, “I don’t have a link with
him if that is what you’re asking.  I mean that I can hear him with
Scully’s ears.  They are talking.  Out loud, I mean.”  Suddenly he
sobered as both the topic of Nick and Scully’s discussion, and the
memories that he could sense Scully recalling came through, “She caught
part of the quickening.” 

“Natalie was distracted from the weirdness of the situation by the
thought of an innocent bystander being injured, “Innocent?  Bystander?”
she wondered.  “Maybe kind of ‘not directly involved’, ‘semi-
bystander.’  Maybe.” she thought.  “Is she ok?” she asked Mulder. 

“Yes.  Nick is razzing her about the…  Well, it kind of starts off
really painful, but it ends… Well…  Let’s just say I can see how
someone might get addicted to headhunting,” he said, blushing. 

Natalie saw the blush creep up his face out of the corner of her eye
and barked out a short, but genuinely amused laugh.  “Do you need a
cigarette Mulder?” 

Mulder stared at her goggle eyed for a second, “Do you and Nick have a
link, Natalie?” 

Confused by the apparent non sequitur, Natalie just gave Mulder a
puzzled look. 

Mulder said, “That is exactly the same question Nick asked Scully.” 

Now Natalie began to laugh out loud, dispelling all of her tension in a
virtual celebration of the ridiculousness of the entire situation. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Room 1013, Plaza Hotel 
Methos was standing on the deck outside the sliding glass door of the
hotel room Mulder had ‘loaned’ him when he saw the quickening in the
distance.  He focused on where he could see it, about a quarter mile
away.  As soon as he thought he had the landmarks committed to memory
he ran back into his room and through the door to Mac’s room.  He saw
him coming out of the bathroom, pants on and sword in hand- his hair
still damp from the shower. 

“What the bloody hell?” Mac demanded.  “Methos, I told you I would be
over when I was ready!” 

Methos interrupted him, saying, “I just saw a quickening, MacLeod.  Not
a quarter mile south of us.” 

MacLeod didn’t even pause, “One minute” was all he said as he quickly
finished getting dressed. 

They were in the car and on the road within 5 minutes.  They both knew
whoever was involved would be long gone, but if it was Froag, he might
leave the body behind.  At least they might be able to tell if it was
Mulder who was involved.  Maybe there would be witnesses from whom they
could find out something. 

“Here Mac, I’m sure it was here,” Methos said, indicating the parking
lot beside a little diner. 

They parked and began to walk around the parking lot, looking for
anything.  Strangely, there was no one milling about; no police cars,
nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  If this was the place, there must
not have been any witnesses. 

“Methos.”  Mac called.  “Look here.” 

Methos went over to where Mac was standing and looked down at the large
blood puddle at his feet.  “Someone or something died here.”  Mac said.


“I see a few scorch marks, but no broken glass,” Methos added.  He
noticed something lying between two cars across the drive aisle and
went over to it.  “Somebody lost their blade,” he said, bending down to
pick up the short, broadsword. 

“Froag’s?”  Mac asked. 

“Could be, I know he uses a broadsword, but I’ve never seen it.  The
question is who else is in town?”  Methos frowned.  “Froag is a prick,
but he’s pretty darned good.  If someone took him they had to have done
it quickly- you would think the sounds of a prolonged sword fight would
bring someone else out of the diner.” 

“We can’t be positive, Methos.  He could have lost his sword and had to
leave quickly,” Mac said. 

“But he had time to grab the body?”  Methos answered.  “Not bloody
likely.” 

MacLeod thought about it for a moment, “Well, Somebody had time to grab
the body and leave the sword.  We shouldn’t assume who it was.  We need
to try and find out.” 

“Yeah.  I’ll see if his watcher has caught up with him yet.”  Methos
said, resignedly. 

“I have to run an errand across the border.  There’s a dealer who
claims to have a 13th century kogarasu-zukuri,” MacLeod began. 

Methos started laughing, “You were going to come out here anyway!  And
you want me to feel guilty about ‘dragging you across the continent!’
you…” 

“I didn’t plan on dragging myself out of bed and rushing to the airport
to catch a plane!  I was going to fly in this weekend.”  MacLeod said,
indignantly. 

“Sure, right, whatever.” Methos dismissed MacLeod’s protest.  “When
will you be back?” 

“I told Mulder I would meet him Sunday night at the Raven,” he
answered.  “I’ll be there about ten or so.” 

Methos said “Ok,” and walked away. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Halfway to the loft Mulder said, “Nick wants you to call him.” 

Natalie wasn’t angry, but she was getting a little tired of this silent
communication.  “Alright Kreskin, it’s getting a little old already,”
she said as she hit the speed dial. 

“Yes Nick?  The Amazing Kreskin said you wanted me to call?” 

“Actually, I was telling Dana that I should call you.  Apparently
speaking to one, is the same as speaking to both,” he said as he shot
Scully a dirty look. 

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled impishly back at him. 

Natalie shot Mulder a dirty look and received the same impish grin.
“Why were you going to call me?” 

Nick said, “Dana said that you’re coming back to the loft?” 

“Yeah, why?” Natalie asked. 

“I think you should go ahead to the morgue, try and get the vacation.
I want to wrap up Dana’s training and…” Nick began 

“Nick- there’s our passenger to think about… Remember, he can’t stay
long.” 

As macabre as it was, Mulder couldn’t help but laugh at Natalie’s
delicate description.  Of course, that set Scully off and both Nick and
Natalie had to listen to laughter in person, and over the phone. 

Nick sighed at the ‘children’s’ antics.  “Natalie, go to the Raven.
I’ll call LaCroix and tell him you’re coming.”  Nick added, “Be back
here at Midnight and I’ll take you for a ride,” he said suggestively. 

This, of course, caused Natalie to blush, while Scully laughed at the
suggestion, and Mulder laughed at Natalie, and then Mulder and Scully
each laughed even harder at what each other was hearing and seeing.
After a few moments they settled down, wiping the tears from their
eyes. 

“All right Nick,” Natalie said.  “I think in the future we will have to
avoid phone conversations in these two’s presence.  It’s distracting.” 

“Absolutely,” Nick agreed.  “I will see you at Midnight , Love.” 

“I can’t wait!” Natalie replied and then disconnected the call.  She
found the next turn and headed toward the Raven. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

They drove for about 10 minutes before getting to the alley behind the
Raven.  As they stepped out of the car they were almost simultaneously
struck by the situation. 

“I never thought I would be doing something like this,” Mulder began,
quietly. 

Natalie agreed, saying, “I handle bodies all of the time, but this is
definitely different.  I’m usually trying to catch a murderer, not
helping cover one up and disposing of the body.” 

“I didn’t really think of it as a murder, Natalie.” Mulder said
somewhat defensively. 

“Mulder, ritual combat is still murder in the eyes of the law,” she
began, but then relented at the hurt look on his face.  “I know you
would have avoided this if it were possible, Mulder.  But you have to
accept that your life now includes behavior that civilized society
calls murder.  Two hundred years ago duels might have been an accepted
and even celebrated activity.  Today, they are considered murder. 

Times change, but it seems that immortals don’t.”  She heaved a big
sigh, “It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person Mulder.  If things don’t go
the way I want them to, I will be joining you in this ‘game.’  Don’t
think for a moment that I won’t take someone’s head if it comes down to
them or me, but it is still murder in the eyes of the law, and I have
always been on the other side of the fence.” 

Mulder sighed himself.  “Yeah.  I don’t think I can live like this and
stay in the Bureau.  I don’t think they would look kindly on having a
head-chopping agent in their employ,” he said leaning against the car
and scrubbing at his face with both hands.  “Not to mention a mass
murderer with a literal taste for blood,” he added with a smile. 

[Hey!] 

“Sorry, Scully, but you did kill a dozen men.  It doesn’t make you a
bad person.” He said, quoting Natalie and chuckling.  He looked at
Natalie and saw the worried look on her face.  “Don’t worry Natalie.
I’m not loosing it, at least I don’t think so.  I am just trying to
accept my new reality.  Scully and I are murderers.  We didn’t do it
out of malice, or because we are evil, but because it was all we could
do under the circumstances we were in.  And, we will both kill again,
for the same reasons.   So will you.  Watchers, Hunters, the ‘Game’; to
protect ourselves- and our friends- in our new reality, we will kill.
I think I will be better able to accept that if I don’t try to deny it
or dismiss it.  I will kill to live, but I don’t have to live for the
kill.” 

[Boy, talk about ‘paradigm shift’.] Scully added.  [Whoops!  Got to go,
Mulder.  Nick’s going to try and block our link so we can finish
training.  Don’t worry if you don’t hear from me for a while, Ok?] 

“Ok Scully,” Mulder said and then felt their link quiet down almost to
nothing. 

“Ok, Mulder.  I’d just like to go on record saying that this whole
‘mental conversation’ thing you’ve got going with Dana is starting to
be really exasperating,” Natalie said, facing him with her hands on her
hips and giving him an annoyed look.  “Come on, let’s get LaCroix and
get this over with.  I’ve got to get to the morgue and arrange time
off,” she said, heading toward the door to the club. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

 

Incarnations of Immortality

By The Bear!

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Chapter 12 
Toronto Homicide, 96th Precinct. 

7:00 p.m. Thursday 

After Nick had Scully practice her ‘Whammy’ on a few of the homeless
denizens of the street he took her with him to the precinct so that he
could talk to the captain about some time off. 

As Nick was in the captain’s office, she sat at his desk and looked
around the precinct.  She wondered how many times she had been in
homicide departments, similar to this one, working on a case, or
following one of Mulder’s far-fetched leads.  “Three hundred and thirty
seven,” she suddenly realized as her newly found perfect memory quickly
shunted through each and every one of them in a blur of images. 

“You forgot to mention perfect recall, Nick,” she thought.  She had
always envied Mulder’s ability to remember everything; whereas he had
thought of it almost as a curse.  Thinking back on Nick’s memories of
the horrors he had committed in his immortal youth, she could see
Mulder’s point.  She herself could remember in exact detail her own
recent murderous behavior.  “You were right Mulder.  No matter how we
dress it up in circumstance, it is still murder,” she thought. 

She closed her eyes and leaned back in Nick’s chair.  He was still
blocking her link with Mulder, and all she saw was the insides of her
eyelids.  The rest of her senses, however, were almost overloaded with
the activity around her.  She could hear the heartbeats of the
detectives working around her.  She could smell the perfume of their
blood singing in their veins.  Even though it called out to the vampire
in her, she found that she could easily control it.  She had fed well
before she and Nick had flown here, “Plus, when you have filet mignon
waiting at home, you don’t find ground chuck all that tempting,” she
thought. 

“What do you mean by that?” Nick asked her as he approached the desk,
questioning her unspoken comment. 

Scully opened her eyes and regarded her ‘master’ for a moment before
answering.  “The stuff in the bottle satisfies the hunger, but it is
not as good as it is ‘straight from the tap’ as it were,” she evaded. 

“That’s true, but you weren’t thinking of the bottled product, were
you?” Nick asked as he stood in front of her, arms folded across his
chest. 

“Even from the source, I can’t imagine regular human blood coming close
to Mulder’s,” she mused with a sigh, the wonder and desire evident in
her voice.  “When I drink from him, it’s like fire running through my
soul.  He burns into me and it’s as though I can feel him in each
individual cell in my body.”  She shivered slightly as her perfect
memory replayed their last encounter for her.  “I don’t know if it’s
his love, his immortality, or both; but I think Mulder has spoiled me
for anything or anyone else; even your blood, Nick.  I know when I
drink from you that it is the blood of my maker, and I can tell that
it’s different, certainly better than human, but it’s just not like
Mulder.” 

Nick could feel the pleasure/desire emanating from her.  He was awed at
the strength of the bond Dana had with her lover.  He hoped that he and
Natalie would have something similar. 

Scully shook herself out of her reverie, “Did you get your vacation
squared away Nick?” she asked as she stood before her Father in
Darkness.  She giggled at that thought, ‘Father in Darkness,’  “Dark
Daddy.” She thought to him. 

“Impudent Childé!” he thought back to her with a mock growl.  He
couldn’t keep the grin off of his face entirely, though.  He was
relieved that she and Mulder had so quickly accepted some of the darker
aspects of their new reality without falling into the despondency that
had haunted him for so long. 

Scully sobered slightly, saying, “I think the difference might be that
Mulder and I have each other to remind us that we aren’t monsters.  At
that time, LaCroix wanted you to act like a monster, and you didn’t
have anyone to tell you differently.” 

“Never forget, Dana, that we have that monster inside us and we must
keep it under tight control, or it will dominate us,” Nick whispered. 

“We had that darkness in us even before we were changed, Nick.  I know
it has been so long ago, but surely you remember having to fight the
darkness in your soul, even before you changed.” Scully said. 

“Yes, that’s true, it’s just more powerful now.” He replied. 

“You’re right, Nick.  But now we are more powerful as well,” she
replied. 

Nick changed the subject, “Anyway, to answer your question, Yes.  I got
the vacation.  Now we need to see if Nat can get hers, and we will be
set.” 

“What did you tell your captain?” Scully asked. 

“I didn’t have to tell him anything, Tracy was there first,” he said
deadpan. 

Scully chortled at that.  “I take it she doesn’t keep secrets well?”
she said as they stopped and looked around to be sure no one was
watching. 

“Oh, she can keep a secret when she thinks it is important, like the
truth about vampires.  But for everything else, she is an inveterate
gossip,” he replied, smiling down at her. 

Scully suddenly realized how close they were to one another, and how
their low conversation and continuous eye contact must appear to
everyone else around them.  She could hear their increased pulse-rates,
and she could feel everyone in the precinct staring at them. 

Nick heard the sudden lull in conversation around them and realized
that he and Dana were standing in each other’s personal space, carrying
on an intimate conversation.  He closed his eyes and groaned softly, “I
can hear the rumor mill gearing up now, Dana.” 

Scully laughed and said, “Oh come on, Daddy, lets have some fun with
them.  It’s not as if Natalie is going to have a problem with it,” she
said as she stepped closer to him, until they were almost touching.
She wrapped her arm around his waist and tried to lead him out. 

Nick stood there, staring down at his daughter.  “Oh you are a brash,
impetuous childé.”  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and allowed
her to tug him out of the precinct.  It was all he could do not to
laugh out-loud at the whispers he heard starting up behind them as they
left. 

Scully didn’t restrain herself.  She heard some of the comments and
laughed out loud.  When he looked at her with eyebrows raised, she
said, “No offense intended Nick- Natalie is a lovely woman, but the
thought of having sex with her doesn’t do anything for me at all; and
the idea of sex with you seems almost incestuous- let alone having you
both at once!” 

Nick did laugh at that.  He then paused for a moment, as if trying to
come to a decision.  He had his arms crossed, with his left hand
against his mouth like ‘The Thinker’.  After a minute, he seemed to
come to a decision.  He said, “Now, we are going to practice something
important; something very dangerous as well.  You will need to exercise
an enormous amount of control over your hunger, and your bloodlust.” 

Scully was intrigued, “What are we going to do?” 

As he took to the sky, Nick answered her question, “Hunt.” 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Toronto Coroner’s Office, Morgue. 
7:00 p.m. Thursday 

Natalie snuck up on Grace as she was intently looking at some sample
slides.  “Evening Grace,” Natalie whispered in her ear. 

“Good Lord, Girl!” Grace said after jumping halfway out of her seat.
“You like to have frightened a year off my life!”  She stood up and
turned around, hands on her hips and mock glaring at the unrepentant
woman in front of her.  She then noticed the tall good-looking man with
Natalie.  “Who’s this fine young man?  You finally get tired of waiting
for Detective Knight to come to his senses?” 

Mulder guffawed at that, and at seeing Natalie’s blush.  “No Ma’am,
just keeping Nick’s fiancé company while she takes care of a few
things,” he said, waiting for the look of shock and surprise that he
expected after Natalie’s briefing on Grace during their ride from the
Raven.  He wasn’t disappointed. 

“What did he just call you?!” Grace practically shouted, gripping her
shoulders and turning Natalie to face her. 

Natalie couldn’t keep the big, goofy grin off of her face as she lifted
her left hand up for Grace’s inspection.  “He finally came to his
senses,” She replied. 

Grace grabbed Natalie's hand and brought the ring up for a closer
inspection.  “Good Lord, girl.  That man don’t do anything by halves,
does he?” she said as she brought her eyes up from the ring to
Natalie’s face. 

Even though slightly embarrassed she couldn’t help but say, “No, he
does *everything* over-the-top.” 

Grace laughed at that.  “When’s the wedding, dear?” 

Still bear ing that goofy, tooth-baring grin, Natalie replied,
“December 30th, two weeks from Saturday.” 

“Lord above, Girl!  That’s awfully fast, isn’t it?  Can you plan a
wedding in 2 weeks?” Grace asked, stunned. 

“Well, it’s not going to be formal, we will just have a few friends and
some extended family, not a big church wedding.”  Natalie’s smile
turned into a sly grin, “besides, now that he’s pulled his head out,
I’m not letting him change his mind!” 

Mulder laughed out loud at that, and Grace joined him. 

Natalie realized that she hadn’t even introduced Mulder to Grace.  “I’m
sorry; Grace, this is Agent Mulder with the FBI; Mulder, this is Grace
Balthazar, my assistant.” 

“Oh? Is there a new case you guys are working on?  I hadn’t heard
anything.”  Grace began. 

“No, my partner and I are actually on vacation.”  Mulder answered.
We’re going to stick around for the wedding.” 

“Friends or extended family?” Grace wondered aloud, arching her brow,
clearly interested in this faucet of Natalie’s life that she was
previously unaware of. 

Natalie jumped in, afraid of what Mulder might say, “Would you like the
hot lights and rubber hose now, Grace?  Or are you waiting for a more
opportune point in the interrogation?” she said with a smile and a
laugh.  “Dana, Mulder’s partner, is related to Nick.  Kind of like a
distant niece.” 

Grace gave Natalie a look, like she was humoring her by dropping it for
now, but would be back to revisit the subject later, “Mm Hmm.  What are
you doing in tonight, Natalie?  I didn’t expect you back yet.” 

“I just came in to get some vacation arranged.  We’ve got plans to
make, and a honeymoon to enjoy afterward.” Natalie said; her goofy grin
back in place.  Plus she knew that nothing would sidetrack her
assistant like sexual innuendo. 

Grace smiled openly and teased, “I bet you’re not waiting for the
honeymoon!” 

Natalie put on a straight face and deadpanned, “Well, practice makes
perfect.” 

“I heard that!” Grace said, ever the relationship cheerleader.  “You
get yourself situated and be sure I get an invite when you figure out
where you’re having it!  The wedding, I mean.  You can just tape the
honeymoon.” 

Mulder cackled at that, not able to contain himself at the look on
Natalie’s face. 

Natalie rolled her eyes at Mulder’s antics and said, “Oh, you are *bad*
Grace!” 

“You know it!” she agreed. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Ontario Watcher Chapterhouse 
8:45 p.m. Thursday 

Methos was checking the database, trying to figure out who might have
been involved in the fight from which he had seen the quickening.
There were actually several in the province besides himself, Mac, and
Froag.  As he was perusing the db, an update on one Willy Williams came
through.  His watcher, Ken Baker, was relatively new to the group and
this was only his second charge.  His first had been a very young one,
only a couple of years as an immortal.  He died in the first 6 months
and Baker had been reassigned to Williams.  Willy was about 250 years
old, and was a real piece of work.  He had been an indentured servant
brought over from England in the 1750s.  He was a thief and a scoundrel
and only came to America to escape the hangman’s noose at home.  Methos
wondered how this guy had survived two years, let alone over two
centuries as an immortal.  He attacked any immortal he came across, in
public or not.  If he found one who was his better, he would find a way
to escape the fight and run away.  He was apparently in Toronto after
being chased out of Buffalo , NY by just such a circumstance. 

“I guess he learned his lesson at last,” Methos thought as he read the
narrative of the battle that ended Willy Williams’ tenure among the
Immortals.  As he continued to read, he began to get a feeling that
this was not entirely right.  The description of the fight seemed
pretty routine, but some of the details didn’t fit.  By the time he had
gotten to the part about the woman with long curly black hair in a
green Cadillac; and the two taking the body and head with them, Methos
began to think that this entire narrative was a sham.  He reread the
vague description of the immortal that took Williams’ head and thought
of a new immortal that fit that description perfectly.  “That would
make the longhaired woman Natalie Lambert,” he thought.  “That can’t be
right, Mulder doesn’t even have a sword, does he?” he asked himself.
Methos ran a quick check to find out where Baker was staying, and took
off, deciding to go speak to him face to face. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Vachon’s Church 
9:00 p.m. Thursday. 

Tracy sinuously stretched her lissom nude form out on the bed, savoring
the sensations she had been experiencing.  She had awoken at sunset
with a ravenous hunger, quickly satiated by the four and a half bottles
of blood Vachon had handed her, one after the other, chuckling as she
downed them as fast as she could. 

Halfway through the fifth bottle, her stomach appeased, a new hunger
overtook her.  Through their newly forged link, Tracy could feel
Vachon’s desire.  His need to possess her ignited her own yearning.
What had followed was the most intense four hours in her life.  They
had made vigorous, ardent love- varying between furious bouts of
physical prowess; and long, slow, languid sex that drove her insane
with need and desire as he teased and tormented her before allowing her
release. 

Vachon watched Tracy stretching out on the sheets like a cat waking
from a nap.  The sweet taste of her blood still lingered in his mouth
and he savored it like the finest wine.  “Thank God for vampiric
stamina,” he thought.  Tracy had been an insatiable sexual monster,
seemingly intent on draining every last ounce of life out of him. 

Tracy giggled as she caught that thought from her lover.  “You make it
sound as though I was taking you against your will, Javier,” she said,
laughing. 

“Not at all Querida,” he replied.  “I just thought we might want to get
out of bed while it is still night,” he joked.  “Seriously Trace, We
need to get some basics covered if you want to be able to go back to
work in a week.” 

“Seriously?  When have you ever taken anything seriously, Vachon?” she
pouted, clearly wanting to lie about for a while longer. 

Vachon realized that they seemed to have switched roles.  Tracy was
usually the overly controlled one, driven by duty and responsibility;
whereas he was the one who was usually carefree and easygoing. 

“I take you seriously, Tracy .  I love you,” he answered.  “I want you
to be happy, and I know you want to keep working as a cop.”  He reached
out and tenderly stroked her face, “In order to do that, you need to
get the basics down and be able to control the blood lust.”  He leaned
down and placed a soft kiss on her lips, then moved down to her ear and
whispered, “If you’re a good girl, and learn fast, I might be persuaded
to give you a treat,” then he pierced the lobe of her ear with a single
fang, nearly causing her to have an orgasm just from that. 

Her every nerve ending was hypersensitive to sexual stimulation.  Tracy
quivered as Vachon pulled away, stood up and walked away toward the
shower.  “Oh you fight dirty, Javier!” she moaned, watching his
delicious butt, actually licking her lips at the thought of sinking her
teeth into it. 

Vachon felt the desires and emotions running rampant through his
childé, stirring his own, and relented slightly.  He looked back over
his shoulder and smiled at her when he saw her eyes fixed on his
backside, “Aren’t you going to join me?” he asked. 

She leapt out of bed and attacked his mouth with a searing kiss,
stroking his fangs with her tongue and digging her nails into the
object of her attention.  She didn’t know what it was about this man,
but somehow he inflamed her desire like no one else had ever before.
Even in her most erotic fantasies she hadn’t imagined being so eager
and hungry for sex.  While she wasn’t a prude, she hadn’t really been a
particularly sexual creature.  She slept with her boyfriends in the
past more for their benefit than hers.  When she did orgasm it was
usually at her own hand.  Typically, it was brief and, while pleasant
enough, certainly nothing to write home about. 

With Vachon, she *was* sex: hot, steamy, and wet.  When she came, it
was like she was on fire, burning from the inside out.  No one had ever
made her feel like that, and she was very rapidly becoming addicted.
These feelings and desires made her want to do things that she had
never wanted to do before. 

She had never been especially fond of oral sex, usually reserving it
for birthdays and Christmas, if she was in a relationship at the time. 
It wasn’t that she found it especially distasteful, just that she
didn’t take much pleasure in it.  With Vachon she was learning that it
could be just as pleasurable to give head as to receive it. 

Vachon felt Tracy slide down the length of his body, dragging her erect
nipples down his torso, and licking and sucking his skin as she went.
She scraped her fangs across his abdomen and licked the droplets of
blood from him, causing him to moan.  “I have a feeling that we aren’t
going to make it to the shower,” he rasped out just as she closed her
mouth over his stiff member. 

Vachon heard her respond through their link; “Hmm, do you care?” 

“Nuh Ohhhh,” was all he could reply as she took him all the way into
her throat and began to lave his balls with her tongue.  Not having to
breathe certainly made an already good thing even more enjoyable.  She
refused to slide more than halfway off of him before gobbling him back
down, increasing her pace, and grabbing his ass to encourage his
thrusts.  Vachon was wracked by guilt and desire.  If he had initiated
this activity, or even suggested it he would have fully expected to be
slapped for being a misogynist pig; especially with a ‘modern’ woman
like Tracy .  This was, however, absolutely the hottest, sexiest thing
any woman had ever done for him in nearly 500 years of life.  He had
absolutely no control, and couldn’t have stopped if someone rammed a
wooden stake through his heart.  When she offered her left wrist so he
could cum, her other hand busy driving herself toward orgasm, he
thought he would explode. 

She felt like a harlot, but she found his reaction to her attentions so
stimulating that she couldn’t help herself.  She was enjoying this
almost as much as he was.  As Vachon bit down on her wrist, Tracy
pulled back so that he came right in her mouth, the combination of his
blood ejaculate and her own ministrations brought her to powerful
orgasm of her own. 

Vachon fell back against the doorframe, utterly spent.  Tracy carefully
licked him clean and said, “You can return the favor in the shower.”
With that she bounced to her feet and sauntered off to the bathroom. 

“Woman, You’re going to kill me yet,” Vachon thought as he staggered
off after her, waiting for the vampire’s recuperative powers to kick
in. 

It was after 11 by the time the couple made it outside of the church to
begin Tracy ’s training. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

The Dirty Mick bar and grille 
10:00 p.m. 

She had done it.  It was very hard to stop in time, and she could tell
that Nick was just about to pull her off forcefully, but she managed to
stop.  She could still hear his heart beating rapidly in fear, even
though he was unconscious.  “Good!  The bastard should be afraid!” she
said. 

Nick chuckled, “I almost thought you weren’t going to stop there for a
moment, Dana.” 

“I think it was more rage than hunger, Nick.  I was so pissed off that
he thought he could do that to me!” she answered. 

Nick had taken her to what he described as the seediest bar in Toronto
.  “I thought we were going hunting Nick,” she had protested upon
seeing the dive he was leading her into.  She was still leery about the
very idea, but he would only say ‘trust me’ when she tried to question
him.  In the end, she decided that she did trust him.  She knew he
didn’t kill for food, and hadn’t in over a century.  She didn’t think
he would make her kill. 

“You are hunting, Dana.  I would never teach you to hunt innocents, and
we are not here to kill anyone.  However, you will, essentially, be
committing assault and battery.  Therefore, we will be choosing prey
that warrants such treatment, or rather, you will be letting your prey
choose you. 

“What do you mean?” Scully asked. 

“Sexual predators are plentiful, easy to find, and who better to suffer
a little turnabout?  All you have to do is hang out for a while, be
seen; be seen to be alone and ‘vulnerable’ and then walk out and see
who follows.”  Nick said.  “I will be out back.  Come around before you
let your prey get close and I’ll help you if you need it.” 

She knew that he meant that he would help her to stop from killing her
prey, not that she’d require any help defending herself.  She went in
and nursed a drink for a little while, pretending to drink, while she
surveyed the crowd.  It didn’t take long to pick out two or three who
were eyeing her like their next meal.  She would have felt nervous in
this place even with a gun before her change.  Now she could feel the
predator in her becoming excited in anticipation.  She also knew that
she could control it.  Mulder’s immortal blood had given her control
unheard of in a fledgling vampire.  She knew from her link with Nick
that, with the vibe of barely constrained violence in the air, and the
smell of mortal blood that filled the room, most newborns would be
tearing into the crowd with unrestrained ferocity.  She again thanked
God for the gift that was her lover.  Not only did he make her a happy,
well-adjusted person, he also helped her to be a happy, well-adjusted
vampire. 

“I think that’s enough for one night,” she said to herself and got up
to leave.  She noticed one of the lurkers cutting a line to intercept
her before she got to the door, and quickened her pace just enough to
get out ahead of him, but not enough to lose him in the crowd.  “He’s
going to be in for a shock,” she thought.  She heard Nick admonish her
not to get too eager- to maintain control. 

“Hey, darlin’ where you running off to?  The party is inside,” he said.


Scully put on her best ‘frightened woman’ face and said.  “Just leave
me alone!” and ran around the building and down the alley. 

“We’re going to party one way or the other!” the man growled and
followed her around the back of the building.  As he rounded the
corner, he stopped short when he saw the hot little redhead he was
after standing in the back alley, hands on her hips and glaring at him.
He looked around to see if anyone else was around, but didn’t see
anyone.  “Well, well little lady.  Looks like it’s just you and me.
Now why don’t you come over here and let me show you how a real man
treats a lady.” 

Scully smirked and said, “Don’t you understand?  No means No!” 

The man, one David Birch- a three time loser who was out on bail,
awaiting sentencing for his latest conviction for sexual battery (plead
down from felony rape) - had never taken no for an answer, and didn’t
see a need to start now.  It would, of course, be a serious error this
time. 

He was faintly surprised that she didn’t try to run as he advanced on
her.  A smarter man might have realized that he was walking into a
trap, but the words ‘smart’ and ‘David Birch’ rarely went together in a
sentence.  He closed in on her and grabbed the back of her hair,
meaning to pull her in for a kiss, when she grabbed his hair and pulled
his head aside.  He had a brief glimpse of glowing red eyes and
luminous white fangs before he felt a tearing pain in his neck.  He was
so stunned by the rapid turn of events that he couldn’t even scream as
he felt his heart’s blood being drained from him. 

As Scully felt David’s memories and thoughts enter her own mind, she
became outraged.  She saw his past and saw his plans for her- a quick
sodomization and then slitting of her throat as he finished.  She was
angry and wanted to punish him for presuming that he had the right to
do that to anyone, let alone her.  It was the anger in the end that
almost pushed her to drain him, not the hunger or the thrill of the
hunt.  In fact, the hunt didn’t really thrill her much at all.  She
could feel her beast, but it didn’t really fill her with excitement the
way she remembered Nick’s experiences when he was a fledgling.  “Thank
you again, Mulder,” she thought. 

It was the thought of Mulder that helped her to release Birch before
she killed him.  She didn’t want to sour their relationship with
homicidal tendencies, do she dropped Birch. 

“In the end you stopped.  That’s all that matters, Dana,” Nick said.
“It proves to me, and to yourself, that you are in control.  Not the
beast.  That is important, and will help you deal with everything
else.” 

Scully wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and spat the taste of
his thin, sour blood out of her mouth.  “What now, Nick?” she asked. 

“Now we wait until he comes to, and you get to practice your whammy
some more,” Nick said with a smile. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Hénri Duval’s Antiquities 
12:00 a.m. Friday. 

Mac walked into the antiques shop, eagerness and skepticism warring in
his heart.  The dealer had emailed him photos and details about the
sword, but he wouldn’t be certain until he saw it for himself.  He had
tried to acquire this sword over 200 years ago, “if it’s the same
sword,” he mumbled to himself.  He had been outbid at an auction in
London by some simpering twit of a minor noble.  “Bloody idiot had no
appreciation of fine steel!” MacLeod thought. “Just wanted to show off
how wealthy the family was.” 

“Pardon me?” he heard from beside him.  He had been so preoccupied with
his memories of that event, and the attendant emotions, that he had
failed to notice that he was speaking out loud.  He turned and looked
upon the source of the question.  A dark haired ingénue with pale white
skin was considering him with a puzzled frown, which caused her full
lips to pout ever so slightly.  He was instantly entranced with the
lovely creature before him.  “My apologies, my lady.  I was lost in
thought and hadn’t realized that I had spoken aloud,” he said with a
courtly half-bow.  He swept her hand up to his mouth for a kiss and
introduced himself; “I am Duncan MacLeod, at your service.” 

“Janette dúCharme,” she replied with a very slight curtsy.  “A pleasure
to make your acquaintance,” she said, automatically falling into a
pattern of courtly behavior. 

They both stood there for a moment.  He had not released her hand, and
she made no motion to withdraw it from his.  He was about to speak when
they both started at the voice of the shop’s owner.  “Monsieur MacLeod,
you’re early!” he said in his loud, booming voice. 

Mac dropped her hand and they took half a step away from each other.
He turned to Hénri and said, “Not a problem, Hénri, I can wait for a
moment.”  He turned back toward the beautiful woman he was just meeting
but she was gone. 

“No, no.  We had completed our business already,” he boomed.  “Come,
come.  I think you will be well pleased by what I have to show you.”
He waved Mac back toward the rear of the shop. 

MacLeod stared at the door, wondering why she had so quickly fled his
side.  He slowly walked back to where Hénri was waiting for him,
“Alright Hénri, you had better not have flown me all the way out here
for nothing…” he trailed off, not able to completely remove his
thoughts from the lovely Janette dúCharme. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Janette walked briskly away from the shop.  She had had to leave lest
she turn one of Hénri’s customers into a lunch snack.  “He would never
forgive me,” she thought.  It was too bad, she thought.  Mr. MacLeod
was as appetizing a man as she had seen in decades.  With his courtly
manners and his overwhelming masculinity.  “Enough!” she chastised
herself.  “Mortals are too fragile to make good playmates,” she told
herself.  “And it would be a shame to waste such a fine specimen on
nothing more than a quick snack.” 

Janette put all thought of him out of her mind and headed back to her
club.  She would find someone there to play with. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

MacLeod couldn’t get the girl off of his mind.  He haggled half-
heartedly with Hénri over the sword.  It was indeed the sword he had
tried to acquire over 200 years ago, and as happy as he was to find it,
he was more interested in finding out about the girl he had met at the
shop.  She intrigued him greatly. 

“Very well, Monsieur MacLeod.  Shall I ship it to Seattle for you, or
would you prefer to take it with you?”  Hénri asked. 

“Hmm?”  Mac was shaken from his reverie.  “I’m sorry Hénri, what did
you ask?” 

Hénri paused for a moment to consider his old acquaintance, “What is
wrong, monsieur?  You seem to be distracted.”  He then noticed the look
in MacLeod’s eyes.  “Ah ha, it is Mademoiselle dúCharme, is it not?
You are taken with her, yes?” 

“She is a very striking girl, Hénri.  Does she often utilize your
services?”  Mac asked, hoping to appear even slightly nonchalant.  He
knew he had failed when Hénri ignored his spoken question and answered,
instead, his unspoken one. 

“She has a club, ‘Corneille’ it is called.  Here I have a card,” he
said as he ambled off toward his desk.  “Yes, yes.  Here it is,” he
said- waving it over his head as he returned to MacLeod’s side. 

“What do you know of her, Hénri?” Mac asked. 

Hénri smiled, seeing that this man was smitten by the considerable
charms of his other late night customer.  “She only ever comes here at
night.  Never during business hours.  I think she is a very private
person, I know nothing about her except that her knowledge of fine
antique jewelry far outstrips my own not inconsiderable talents.  I
only know that she has a club, because she usually has her purchases
shipped there.” 

MacLeod was disappointed that Hénri could not share anything of
substance about the intriguing girl.  “How long have you known her?” 

“She first came here several years ago, but only in the last eighteen
months have I seen here more than once a year or so,” Hénri answered.
I think she opened her club here around that time,” he added.  He
watched as MacLeod pondered for a moment, then added, “There is
something about her, No?  She has about her an elegance that one rarely
sees in today’s youth.  She descends from aristocracy, perhaps?  A
younger daughter of some European nobility, seeking anonymity in the
new world?” 

Mac chuckled at his friend’s flights of fancy.  “No doubt you’re
correct, Hénri.” 

Sensing that the discussion was at an end, Hénri repeated his question,
“The sword Monsieur, shall I ship it to Seattle ?” 

“Hmm?  No, Hénri.  I believe I shall take it along with me,” he decided
that he wanted to take it to his hotel room and examine it in greater
detail.  After all, he had wanted to find this sword for a long time.
“After that, perhaps a drink,” he thought.  “I’m sure I can find a nice
club somewhere in Buffalo …” 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Vachon’s Church 
1am 

Had Scully been there to see it, she would have wondered if vampire
training came from hidden textbook that all master vampires were
required to use as a course syllabus.  Though Vachon didn’t use the
deep imprinting technique Nick used, everything else was very similar. 
Vachon encouraged her into her first flight, which went quite well
until she tried to land.  He drove his fangs entirely through his
bottom lip in an effort not to laugh out loud when Tracy couldn’t slow
down enough and ended up crashing and rolling several meters.  It
reminded him exactly of that ski-jumper they showed at the beginning of
ABC’s Wide World of Sports back in the 1980’s while the voice over
commented on ‘The Agony of Defeat.’ 

She picked up on the hide-and-seek part very quickly.  She could follow
Vachon in her mind’s eye quite clearly.  She was awe-struck at the
keenness of her senses, extremely excited at the possibilities. 

“No wonder Nick always catches the bad-guy,” she said excitedly to
Vachon. “I feel like everything around me is just dying to tell me all
about itself.  I can see the energy emanating from the tiniest speck of
living material, plant or animal!”  She grabbed Vachon in a hug and
spun them around, “This is so wonderful, Javier!!” she laughed with
delight. 

Vachon smiled, basking in the delight he felt from his childé, so
unlike his other daughter, Urs.  “Yes Querida.  I could never
understand Knight’s desire to give up all of this.” 

“What do you mean?” Tracy demanded.  “Nick doesn’t want to be a
vampire?” she asked incredulously. 

“I think that has changed recently,” Javier said.  “You should ask him
about it if you’re curious.”  One thing Javier did not want to do, now
that things were going good, was to presume to tell Knight’s partner
things about his past.  Knight was scary enough on a diet of cow blood.
Now he was at full strength and Vachon didn’t care to do anything that
would piss him off. 

“I will!” Tracy said, shaking her head.  She couldn’t imagine how
someone could have this gift and want to give it up. 

“Worry about that later,” Vachon said, wanting to distract her from
that line of thinking.  “You have learned enough for tonight.  Let’s go
upstairs,” he growled softly in her ear.  “I think your hard work
deserves a reward, don’t you?” he asked, nibbling but not penetrating
her earlobe. 

Tracy shivered in delight.  “I always wanted to be the teacher’s pet,”
she moaned thickly. 

They entwined their fingers together and gently floated up the stairs
and into Vachon’s, now their bedroom.  As they set down, He silently
asked her to stand still, and then began to undress her. 

Tracy could not restrain herself from trembling as Vachon began to
unbutton her blouse.  His eyes never left hers as he worked each button
free.  He began to whisper to her through their link, telling her that
she was beautiful, that she haunted his dreams when he was asleep, and
his thoughts when he was awake. 

Finally he had her shirt open.  He slowly pushed the material over her
shoulders, caressing her arms as he slid it off of her, letting it fall
to the floor behind her.  She could barely stand; the feel of his hands
tenderly stroking her skin, combined with the raw emotion and desire he
was communicating were threatening to reduce her to a quivering wreck. 
Vachon filled her with smoldering passion and her heart and body both
ached to have him inside her. 

Vachon paused for a moment after he unhooked the clasp on Tracy ’s bra.
He spoke as he slowly slid his hands under the cups of the now loose
bra and ran his thumbs over her erect nipples, “No one has ever made me
feel like you make me feel, Querida.  I burn for you, to be inside you
and feel you inside me.”  He was virtually panting as he rasped out the
words.  “You’re like a drug, Tracy , now that I’ve had you, no one else
could ever satisfy me. 

Tracy was overwhelmed.  Her pale flesh was coated in a gloss of blood-
sweat, blood tears were flowing freely down her face, and she was so
wet for him that her pants were soaked through.  Her ability to speak
had fled her entirely. 

“Shh, Querida.  Don’t try to speak; I know,” he whispered as he slid
her bra off of her shoulders and let it drop.  He finally broke eye
contact with her, leaning forward to kiss her throat, collecting the
blood from her skin as he moved up to her ear and began to work it over
with his lips, teeth and tongue. 

She didn’t even notice that he had undone the buttons on her jeans when
she felt them fall to the floor.  She was lost in the sensation of her
lover laving her entire body with his tongue, kissing and suckling
every square inch of her flesh, moving around her body and he moved
down.  Where he was kissing and tasting her along the graceful curve of
her spine, his hands were stroking and caressing her breasts and
abdomen.  He slid his hands slowly down her flanks to the waistband of
her panties while he worked the area of the base of her spine with his
mouth.  Once he had pulled her saturated panties off of her down to the
floor, he had her step out of the puddle of clothing she was in-
turning her to face him. 

Vachon was on his knees in supplication before his angel.  He ran his
hands up the backs of her slender legs, stroking up and across the
crease at the top of her thighs while looking up into her wildly red
eyes.  Never mind that she didn’t actually need to breathe, Her fangs
had fully dropped and she was panting like a steam bellows, fanning the
flames of his desire.  The smell of her sex right in front of him was
making him insane with the need to taste her. 

Tracy watched, riveted, as her lover buried his face into the juncture
of her thighs.  They were both moaning in delight as he licked and
suckled her.  His hands on her ass pressed her onto his mouth with a
great deal of force, as if he were trying to consume her whole.  It was
for the best really- it was the only thing keeping her upright because
her legs had failed her completely the moment his mouth latched onto
her.  As he worked her over with his lips and tongue, she felt her
already dizzying arousal climb into the stratosphere.  She was moaning
and groaning so loudly that she was sure people in the next province
could hear her.  She needed to cum like she had never needed anything
in her life. 

His childé’s need was beating against him like a battering ram.
Finally the combination of her need and his own was too much for him to
resist any longer.  In an amazing display of speed he released her,
tore off his own clothes and impaled her before her feet even hit the
floor.  He lasted about three strokes before he had to bury his fangs
in her throat. 

He had moved so quickly that she didn’t even realize that he had let
her go before he had sunk into her and began pumping rapidly.  Already
on the cusp of orgasm for several minutes, she immediately drove her
fangs into the junction of his neck and shoulder. 

They both came, nearly simultaneously, and harder than either had ever
experienced before.  They experienced their own, and the other’s at
once.  The sensation and emotion were like a standing sound wave that
gets returned to the source, creating feedback.  The orgasm amplified
until each was driven into unconsciousness.  “But what a way to go!”
one of them thought as darkness overcame them. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 


 

Incarnations of Immortality

By The Bear!

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Chapter 13 
The Corbeau 

1 a.m. 

MacLeod entered the club and stopped for a moment.  He was struck by
déjà vu.  He knew he had never been to this place before, but something
about it seemed very familiar.  He just looked around for several
minutes before moving toward the bar.  It didn’t look like anyplace he
could remember, but it still… 

“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked, jarring him out of his
thoughts. 

“Springbank, neat; if you have it.”  Mac answered, expecting a look of
confusion, followed by ‘What?’ 

“12 or 18 year old?” the bartender asked without missing a beat. 

“18, of course.” MacLeod answered, keeping the surprise (mostly) off of
his face. 

As the bartender handed him his snifter and a small stopper bottle of
water MacLeod smiled.  “I could get to like this place,” he said to
himself and turned to watch the dancers on the floor- his eyes roving
around to see if he could spot the girl he had met earlier. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Janette watched the crowd from her table in the shadows of the back of
the club.  It afforded her a measure of privacy while allowing her to
keep abreast of the comings and goings into her club.  Surprisingly the
crowd was mostly human tonight.  There were only half a dozen vampires
in the place; none of them over a century old.  The Buffalo community
was a relatively young group, with no real gathering place until she
arrived.  She hadn’t really thought about starting another club so soon
after the fiasco in Toronto , but she found herself without a good
place to spend her time.  She didn’t want to stay in the same city as
Nicolas, but she didn’t want to go too far either. 

Her brief stint as a mortal hadn’t seemed to lessen her powers as a
vampire, she was certainly no fledgling, but she wasn’t comfortable
with the thought of exploring her new relationship with her former
sibling and now master.  “It is ridiculous to have a master who is
younger than I am!” she thought. 

Not that Nicolas would ever act like her master, she knew.  He brought
her back out of his own selfish desire to ‘save’ her.  Ironic that he
would want to save her from the very fate he himself had longed for,
and had been trying to attain for nearly two centuries. 

She had been relieved that Nicolas had not tried to contact her.  Even
now, wasn’t sure she was ready to see him.  It hadn’t even been two
years yet.  Such a short span of time in her long life, yet it felt
much longer.  She had not taken another lover since her beloved Robert
had been killed.  Nor had she taken another life since she avenged his.
The events of her leaving and then re-entering immortality had changed
her in many ways.  She did not suffer the self-hatred that her now
master had felt for so long; neither did she revel in the vampire as
she did prior to Robert. 

Robert McDonagh.  She still missed him, but the pain was finally
subsiding.  Despite her love for Robert she was glad that she was once
again immortal.  It really was her forte.  “I don’t do ‘mortal’ very
well,” she thought.  Even if she could have Robert back, she would want
him to be immortal like herself, never to face old age or death.
Having watched him die, she knew she could never face truly falling in
love again with a mortal, unless she intended to bring him across to be
with her forever. 

Unfortunately, few mortals had the depth of character that it takes to
live forever.  She had seen many a vampire that didn’t survive their
first century.  They couldn’t handle the change- seeing loved ones age
and die, moving on every few decades to avoid detection; they weren’t
able to sever their mortal ties.  

No, immortality was not for the weak willed.  The catch, of course, was
that such personal strength took a long time to develop.  Consequently,
few mortals ever attained it, and those who did were usually old and
gray by the time they did.  It was harder to attain it after the
crossover.  Vampires tended to remain as they were at conversion;
emotionally as well as physically. 

She realized that these thoughts were stemming from her encounter
earlier at Hénri’s.  That man she had briefly met, “Duncan MacLeod,”
she whispered to herself.  He was very beautiful.  And, while she had
seen definite attraction in his eyes when he looked upon her, his eyes
had remained on hers, not raking up and down her body as so many of
those pawing, grasping boys who fancied themselves to be men were apt
to do.  She had the feeling that when he looked at her, he was wholly
focused on *her*, not her body.  She felt a slight tingle at the
thought.  She had barely met him, but she knew instantly that he would
be an attentive lover.  He had a look of sensuality about him that
caused her millennia’s old body react like a virgin bride going to her
wedding bed.  “It was well that I left,” she told herself.  “Such a man
would be distracting.  I would be unable to stop myself in time, I
think,” she tried to convince herself.  Unfortunately, her argument
seemed less than compelling, as she spent another evening sitting in
the back of her club, alone. 

She sat back in her chair with a soft sigh and began to once again scan
the crowd.  Looking for something to divert her from such melancholy
rumination.  Her eyes roamed over the dancers and then swept along the
bar when she saw him.  “Oh no,” was all she said. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

The Raven 
12 a.m. 

Nick and Scully decided to see LaCroix after the encounter at the Dirty
Mick.  Scully was both pleased and angry about the experience.  Pleased
that she could handle herself without loosing control, but she still
felt residual anger at that pig.  The thought that kept floating into
the periphery of her mind was, “I should have killed him.”
Rationalizations kept popping up in her head, ‘What if he rapes someone
else and I could have stopped him?’  ‘He is an animal; I would have
been doing society a service!’  She knew that it would have been wrong
to kill him.  Vigilantism was not the answer to crime, she knew. 

“This is normal, Dana,” Nick told her.  “The vampire wants to kill.  If
you give in to rationalization, you will find yourself on a path to
self-destruction.  I spent a century hunting only the ‘guilty.’  I
rationalized it in my mind as being different than hunting innocents.” 
Nick looked haunted for a moment.  “It isn’t.   Murder is Murder.  Who
am I to judge guilt or innocence?” 

Scully laid her hand on the arm of her master, “I know, Nick.  I won’t
give in to the darkness.  I’ve always felt this way when I dealt with
evil.  I never gave in to it, and I’m not planning to start now.” 

They landed outside the alley entrance and went in.  The music was like
a wall of noise they had to fight through to get to the offices at the
front.  They found LaCroix waiting for them in his office. 

“Good evening Nicolas,” LaCroix said.  “Granddaughter, tell me how your
education is progressing.” 

Scully spared a glance at Nick as they both sat down.  “I think it has
gone very well.  Nick is a good teacher,” she said, wondering where he
was going with this. 

LaCroix raised and eyebrow at that, but refrained from comment. 

“She has a very good grasp of the basics, Father.  She can control her
bloodlust, even in the heat of attack.  She is far more advanced than
her age would dictate,” Nick said, proud of his childé. “Feel her,
Father.  She doesn’t even feel like a fledgling.” 

LaCroix leaned back in his chair with his fingers steepled in front of
his mouth and reached out with his senses.  He was surprised at what he
felt.  She didn’t feel at all like a fledgling.  He had known vampires
in their second century with less presence.  “This is unprecedented in
my experience.  How is this possible?” he asked, concerned. 

“We don’t know with any certainty, but I think that her consumption of
immortal blood has caused rapid advancement.  She shares a link with
Mulder that is more complete even than our link together,” Nick said.
At the deepening of concern that he felt from his master he quickly
added, “I have been able to block it during our training however.” 

“Describe this link,” LaCroix instructed Scully. 

“It is as though we were still in a bloodkiss.  When Nick isn’t
blocking, I can see with Mulder’s eyes- I sense what he senses.  We are
like one being in two places.” Scully answered. 

Nick leaned forward slightly in his chair, excited by the
possibilities, “She even caught the quickening earlier this evening.  I
came down the stairs and she was wrapped in a blue electric glow and it
was like she was on fire, mentally and physically.”  He shook his head
at the memory.  “Mulder has undergone some changes as well.  Did you
see the body?  Did he tell you what happened?” 

“No.  I had Miklos take care of it.  I was taping my show for this
evening.  Why?” LaCroix asked, leaning forward and carefully
considering his son. 

Nick deferred to Scully, even though she was obviously less than
comfortable with this discussion.  She hemmed and hawed for a moment
when LaCroix asked her a question. 

“You were in this link with him at the time?” 

“Yes,” she answered. 

LaCroix stood up and held his hand out to her.  “Show me,” he
commanded. 

Scully silently looked at Nick, unsure of what to do.  She was hesitant
about sharing this intimacy with a man she hardly knew. 

Nick was surprised that LaCroix would want to share with one so young
who wasn’t his own.  “It’s alright, Dana.  Go ahead.” He told her. 

With some hesitancy she took LaCroix’s hand and stood up.  He drew her
to him and bent down to her neck.  He gently sank his fangs into a vein
and silently encouraged her to do the same. 

Scully felt the mild erotic rush from being bitten, and then complied
with his unspoken command.  As she bit she was assaulted with two
millennia of memories.  It was far too much to process at once and she
was swept up into the maelstrom, helpless to do more than hang on for
the ride. 

After a moment that seemed like an hour, it was over.  Scully dropped
back down into her chair, bewildered by the experience.  LaCroix merely
stood there considering this newest member of his immediate family. 

“Fascinating.  Utterly unprecedented.” He said at last.  “I am sure
that nothing like this has ever happened before in our history,” he
said while returning to his own seat.  “I shall want to see both of you
periodically to see where this progresses.  Nicolas, have you given
consideration as to what this might mean to you and Natalie?” 

“I think we will find out very soon how this might impact us,” Nick
replied. 

“Yes?  You plan to go ahead with Natalie’s conversion then?” LaCroix
asked. 

“Tomorrow night,” Nick said.  “At the latest,” he added, thinking that
he might not be able to wait that long. 

“Why don’t you invite the others to join us here, Nicolas?” LaCroix
asked.  “I should like for you and I to spend a moment with Agent
Mulder and perhaps determine what effect this has had on him.” 

“Of course, father,” Nick said, getting up and walking away from the
desk to use his cell phone. 

Scully looked at LaCroix for a moment.  She was worried about this
thing that was happening to her and Mulder, but she didn’t know what to
say or ask.  Finally she said, “Thank you, Lucien.” 

“For what, my dear?” he asked. 

“For taking care of Mulder’s mess earlier this evening.  I don’t know
what we would have done if we had to deal with a homicide investigation
on top of everything else going on right now.” She replied. 

“As you move through the centuries you will find that I always take
care of my family, Dana.” LaCroix responded.  “Always.” 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

It was almost 1 am by the time Mulder and Natalie got there.  They had
gotten hungry again and had been at another little hole-in-the-wall
diner when Nick had called.  Fortunately, this time they left without
incident. 

Scully could feel Mulder as they got closer.  She knew it the moment
that he and Natalie entered the club.  She couldn’t really touch him
through the link; Nick was still blocking it, but his presence was
leaking through as their physical proximity closed.  She got an
enormous grin on her face and said “Mulder’s here!” in a breathlessly
excited voice. 

LaCroix frowned slightly at his son, “You said that you were blocking
them.” 

“I am!” Nick said, surprised that she could get through his block. 

“A can’t sense him like that,” she said.  “It’s not like before… I… I’m
just aware that he’s here!” she said, standing up and turning toward
the door just as it opened. 

Mulder followed Natalie into LaCroix’s office and was immediately
assaulted by a short redheaded monster that immediately began kissing
him with abandon.  He was startled by his own reaction- not the kissing
part, or the raging hard-on part; those he understood just fine- but
the part where he was feeling like he had lost her and just now found
her after being apart for ages.  That part he didn’t understand at all.
“God I missed you!” he said. 

Scully was feeling a bit confused herself, “Me too!” she said, but her
brow was furrowed and it came out almost like a question.  “Mulder,
it’s been less than a day since we saw each-other.  Why do I miss you
so much?” she asked. 

Mulder just smiled.  “I don’t know Scully.  But, I feel exactly the
same way,” he answered. 

Meanwhile, Nick and Natalie had kissed their hello’s for several
seconds. 

LaCroix looked at this group as though they were mad, “Enough!” he said
loudly.  They all snapped their heads toward him, looking like children
with their hands caught in the cookie jar.  “I will thank you to save
your sexual exuberance for a place other than my office!” he mock
growled. 

The couples each broke apart slightly, “Sorry,” they each mumbled, not
looking at all contrite. 

LaCroix singled out Mulder and Nick with his withering glare, “I can
see that I will not be able to keep your attention for very long this
evening.”  He stood up from his chair and very slightly adjusted the
drape of his jet-black Armani suit coat, “I would like to try and
determine what is happening to you Agent Mulder.  You and Nick shall
accompany me.”  He regarded Scully and Natalie, “The two of you may
wait in the club.  We shouldn’t be long.”  He silenced their protests
before they even began with one raised eyebrow.  After waiting half a
beat, he strode purposefully out the door and up the stairs to his
apartments, not even looking back to see if everyone was following his
instructions. 

Mulder gently squeezed Scully’s hand and whispered to her, “I miss you
already.”  He kissed her hand and walked after the master vampire. 

Natalie forestalled any protest from Nick by saying, “The sooner you
get this started, the sooner we can go home.”  Then she kissed him
softly and turned to collect Scully.  “Come on, Dana.  Let’s get a
drink.”  She gently dragged Scully by the hand into the club. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

“Nicolas, you are still blocking their connection?” LaCroix asked as
they reached his rooms above the club. 

“Yes,” he replied. 

Turning to Mulder, LaCroix asked, “Can you sense your partner at all?” 

Mulder was still somewhat struck by the sense of longing he felt.  He
reached out through their link and said, “Barely.  It feels the same as
it has since Nick started blocking us.”  He suddenly realized
something, “You know, we haven’t actually been in the same room
together since this… since we…” 

“Since the link was established,” Nick finished for him.  He turned to
LaCroix and said, “That’s true, Father.  Natalie and Mulder left the
loft before Dana woke up this afternoon, and they haven’t been in
physical contact until just now- and I was blocking them then.” 

“Maybe that’s why I feel like this,” Mulder whispered. 

“Feel like what?” LaCroix asked. 

“I miss her terribly,” he replied.  “I feel like we have been separated
for months…” it hit him just then that he had felt exactly like this
once before.  “Actually, it feels exactly like when she was abducted,
and I couldn’t find her, and I didn’t know what was happening to her,
and I didn’t know if I would ever see her again.” 

Suddenly Mulder started smiling, but at the same time, his eyes welled
up and tears began running down his face. 

“What’s wrong Mulder?” Nick asked. 

Mulder looked a Nick with confusion evident on his face, “What do you
mean?” 

Nick glanced at LaCroix as if to confirm that he was seeing what he
thought he was seeing.  He said, “Uh, Mulder- you’re crying.” 

Mulder reached up to touch his face and was surprised to find wetness
there. 

LaCroix broke in, “It is obvious that they are influencing one another
even with your block, Nicolas.”  He turned to Mulder Let us see if we
can determine anything from your blood.”  He held out his hand, clearly
expecting Mulder to acquiesce. 

Mulder decided that anything he could do to get this over with more
quickly, and get back to Scully, would be worth it.  He wordlessly held
out his wrist. 

LaCroix took Mulder’s hand and brought it to his mouth.  He hesitated a
moment, realizing that this would be his first experience with immortal
blood.  Experiencing something entirely new after two millennia of life
was not to be taken lightly.  Nevertheless, this was about family.  “I
always protect my family,” he thought. 

Mulder gasped a little at the sensation and then was assaulted by the
overwhelming experience of sharing with such a powerful vampire.  It
was vast, dark, and frightening.  This was one vampire who never felt
any regret for his violent past. 

“Regret is a waste of time, Mulder,” LaCroix said as he pulled back
from the link.  “The past is unchangeable and not worth concern.  As
for the present, I must say that I have never tasted anything like that
before.”  He watched with fascination as the bite sparked with blue
energy and healed before his eyes. 

“Is he changing?” Nick asked. 

“There is very little of the vampire in his blood, but it is there,”
LaCroix answered his son.  Turning to Mulder, who was rubbing lightly
at the area where LaCroix had bit his wrist, LaCroix continued, “Not
enough, however, to explain what Dana showed me about your encounter
with the other immortal today.” 

“What do you think it was then?” Mulder asked.  He was mildly curious
about this, though it ranked very low on the concerns he had right now.
Primarily, he wanted to go find Scully and bury himself in her,
mentally, emotionally, and physically. 

“I imagine your link with Dana operates on more than just a mental
level- spilling over into the physical, as with this afternoon’s
quickening, and the emotional, considering your tears a few moments
ago.” LaCroix answered.  “It should be interesting to see where the two
of you go with this.  You have shared blood only once so far, I take
it?” 

“Yeah.  Wow it’s only been about 20 hours ago,” Mulder said, surprised
as he looked at his watch.  “Hey, Nick- do you think you could… you
know…” 

Nick smiled knowingly. “Could I stop blocking you and Dana?  Is that
what you’re asking?” he said teasingly. 

“Yeah.” Mulder said sheepishly. 

Both LaCroix and Nick watched with interest as Mulder’s eyes unfocused
and his face grew serene.  He closed his eyes for a moment and then
reopened them, focusing on Nick. 

“Thanks, Nick,” he said with such relief in his voice that one might
have thought he were a drug addict getting his ‘fix’. 

Nick felt for his daughter through their link and found her emanating
blissful satisfaction as well.  He shook his head slightly and wondered
what it was going to be like between Natalie and himself.  “Mulder sure
looks happy, though,” he thought. 

LaCroix was amused at Mulder, and at the feelings he was getting from
his son- some concern, a little envy, and a lot of avid anticipation.
He turned to Mulder with a smirk and said, “All better now?” 

Mulder did feel better; so much so that LaCroix’s cut didn’t embarrass
him in the slightest.  “Yes, sir.  I feel *much* better now!”  His
feeling of missing Scully was gone, erased as though it had never
existed.  After commenting on one thing she had said, he retreated,
letting the two ladies have an enjoyable ‘get-to-know-you’
conversation.  “She and Natalie are chatting.  I think they’re going to
be really good friends, Nick,” he said, smiling. 

Nick smiled in response, “If all goes well, by this time tomorrow, they
will be sisters.” 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Scully was sitting in the booth, moping.  It was silly, but since she
had seen him in LaCroix’s office, she really missed Mulder.  She
noticed herself repeatedly reaching through their link to reassure
herself that he was still there.  Of course that didn’t work, because
Nick was blocking them.  She couldn’t restrain herself from whining to
Nick through their link, “Hurry up, Nick.  I need him!”  But Nick was
ignoring her. 

Scully snapped herself out of her self pity long enough to notice that
Natalie was behaving just like she was.  Morose.  “What’s she got to be
down about?” Scully thought. 

“What’s the matter, Natalie?” Scully asked, raising her brow at the
almost pensive look on Natalie’s face as she cast sidelong glances at
Scully. 

“I don’t know, Dana.  I… I don’t know how to explain how I feel,”
Natalie began.  “Everything is a whirlwind.”  She shook her head as if
trying to clear it, “Did you know that less than 1 week ago I was still
trying to help Nick ‘cure’ his vampirism.  I despaired of his ever
loving me… I couldn’t imagine how I was going to go on without him if
he left.”  Natalie hugged herself, bewildered at the tears she felt
threaten to well up in her eyes.  Sometimes that seems like a lifetime
ago- time so distant that I can’t even remember it clearly.  But I
still wake up in the middle of the day and feel alone.  Then I roll
over and see Nick sleeping next to me and it feels like a vise
loosening from my heart.  And, I didn’t even know it was squeezing the
life out of me until it was removed.” 

Scully watched as the tears that were filling Natalie’s eyes finally
welled over and rolled down her cheeks.  Really, she had just met this
woman a handful of days ago- how could she feel such empathy for her?
She knew the answer was a combination of her blood link with Nick, and
her own frighteningly similar experience with Mulder. 

Natalie had stopped talking and was just sitting there, staring off
into space, not even noticing the tears trailing down.  She started
suddenly at the feel of Scully’s cool hand cupping her cheek, her thumb
gently wiping away the tears.  She looked into the eyes of this woman-
this vampire, the childé of her lover, closer to him than she herself
in some ways.  She saw the blood tears welling in Scully’s eyes and
realized, “She knows exactly how I feel.” 

Scully’s words echoed Natalie's thoughts.  “I understand,” was all she
said, but the look on her face and the tears in her eyes spoke volumes.


Scully was surprised when Natalie copied her own gesture.  She felt the
warm palm and thumb wipe away tears she hadn’t even realized were
falling.  “So much, so quickly, after sitting in neutral for years,”
she said as she pressed her cheek into Natalie’s palm, luxuriating in
the warmth of contact with a like soul.  “I haven’t felt like this
since Missy died,” she thought.  Out loud she said, “So much pain for
so long that I had forgotten how it felt to be without it.  It’s like
my heart was numb and now the return of sensation is almost painful in
its intensity.” 

Natalie found her head nodding in unconscious agreement, “Like pins and
needles.  But, I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” she said with a
genuine smile. 

Scully’s eyes suddenly lost focus in that way that Natalie was
beginning to realize indicated her silent communication with Mulder.
Scully laughed and said, “Nick wants to know what we are doing.” 

Natalie was taken aback slightly, “Why?” 

“Mulder is crying and has a ‘ridiculous smile’ on his face, as Grandpa
puts it,” Scully replied. 

Natalie laughed heartily at both the image of Mulder as described, and
her own imagination of the look on LaCroix’s face at the sight.  Then
the thought of his reaction to hearing Scully call him ‘grandpa’ made
her laugh even harder. 

They both calmed down slowly, dropping their hands, but each realizing
the closeness they felt toward each other was another welcome change.
Natalie said, “I didn’t have a sister or girlfriend in my life growing
up, but I think it would have been like this.” 

Scully was so happy that the memory of Melissa didn’t even sting like
it usually did.  “I had a sister.  We were close, but not like this.  I
feel like you’re a best friend I have known for years, but I don’t know
that much about you.  Even though I have shared Nick’s memories of
you.” 

Natalie looked slightly confused. 

Scully grimaced, “I’m not saying this very well…  It’s like I know
*you* very well, but I don’t know things about your life.”  She paused
and tilted her head slightly, “Does that make any sense?” 

Natalie got it then.  “Nick and I didn’t really ever talk about either
of our pasts.  Before the blood link I knew very little about his life
before Toronto .  I think he would say the same.  I was never very
talkative about my own past.” 

Scully was shaking her head. 

“What?” Natalie asked. 

“That’s one area where Mulder and I are different.  I know almost
everything about Mulder’s past.  Much of the last seven years of our
lives has been spent trying to find answers about Mulder’s past,
especially his sister.  In the process I think I have learned most of
Mulder’s life… the events anyway.”  Scully pondered for a moment,
digging in to her link with her lover.  “Actually, I think I didn’t
know him at all.  Not really- I knew the events, but only as
biographical details.  Before the link, I didn’t really know how those
events really impacted him.  Not the full extent anyway.” 

Natalie asked, “How do you mean?” 

“You would never know it to meet him or talk to him.  Or even to work
with him; but he is a very tortured soul.  It wasn’t until I had
witnessed some of his recurring nightmares that I even got a glimpse of
how the horrible events in his life have affected him.”  Scully’s eyes
lost focus again.  “I can’t understand how he didn’t snap,” she said
softly, as if to herself.  “I think I would have had to be
institutionalized if I had gone through that as a child.” 

[Now you know why it was so easy for me to profile all of those
psychotic serial killers and mass murders] Mulder thought to her.  [I
was one step from joining them.  If it hadn’t been for you, I probably
would have.] 

[Oh, Mulder.] She thought back to him with a smile.  [Don’t be so
melodramatic.] 

She and Natalie fell into comfortable conversation, getting to know one
another’s past experiences as they already knew their present
personalities. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Terminal 3 
Lester B Pearson International Airport 

3:08 a.m.   Friday December 15th. 

Methos caught up to Ken Baker as he was waiting for a red-eye flight
back to the states.  He introduced himself and began asking questions,
giving Baker the impression that he was on official Chapterhouse
business, investigating the possibility of a new player in the game.
After Baker made some statements that contradicted key areas of his
report, Methos began to press him for the truth. 

Feeling the relentless pressure of questioning by this Pearson fellow,
finally Ken was at his wit’s end, “I couldn’t report what I saw!  I had
to be seeing things, it isn’t possible!” 

Methos recognized that Baker was about to lose it, so the toned it
down, “Its ok, Ken.  Just tell me what it looked like to you.” 

“No!  Its crazy, you’ll think I’m mad!” Baker moaned, face buried in
his hands. 

Methos put his hand on Ken’s shoulder and reassured him, “Ken.  You
spend your days chasing immortals around the globe, watching them chop
off each other’s heads in order to take their quickening.  Why would I
think you’re mad?” 

Baker chuckled slightly at that.  “Alright.  I’ll tell you, but
remember- you made me tell you.  I still think I must have been
hallucinating.”  He furtively checked the surrounding area for anyone
who might be listening, then leaned in close to Methos and began
speaking. 

“I was following Willy when he suddenly veered into this parking lot.
I knew from experience that this usually meant that he had felt a
quickening.  I pulled over across the street from the diner and started
watching.  A man and a woman exited the diner and I could see the man
begin to look around himself- he was the immortal and he was trying to
figure out where the quickening was coming from.  He spotted Willy who
was walking very rapidly toward them.  He sent the woman away just as
Willy drew his sword.”  Baker shook his head again, “I waited for him
to draw his sword, but he just stood there.  I got a sick feeling in my
stomach- I mean, its not that I really like seeing anyone get their
head cut off, but at least there is usually a fair fight first.  Both
individuals enter into combat knowingly and the best fighter wins.”
His voice took on a hollow, haunted quality, “I was about to watch
Willy walk up to an unarmed man and chop his head off.  I knew he was a
real bastard, but I never thought…  I guess I didn’t know what to
think.” 

Baker paused for several moments, obviously reliving his feelings at
that moment in time.  Methos encouraged him to continue, “But that
isn’t what happened, is it?” 

“No.  No, it isn’t.  You could see that Willy expected an easy one
because he just walked up to this guy and cocked his sword back behind
his head like he was going to hit a home run or something,” Baker said.


“It’s like pulling bloody teeth!” Methos thought as Baker stopped
again.  “And then?” he said aloud. 

“I’m sure this guy didn’t have a sword.  His hands were empty, at his
sides.  I don’t know how he did it, but there’s Willy standing there in
front of him, about to chop his freakin’ head off, and then…” He
stopped and looked Methos right in the eye, “I didn’t see him move,
man!  I freakin’ blinked and when my eyes opened, this guy is standing
behind Willy like he had walked past him.  Willy is still standing
there with his sword still cocked back, but his head is torn off.” 

“Torn off?  What do you mean?” Methos asked. 

“I mean its not cut off, because it is still hanging down his back by a
little piece of skin, but his neck is all torn up, like the guy just
tore his head off with his bare hands.  God, I puked my guts out when I
saw his head hanging there like that.”  Baker leaned back and slouched
down in his chair.  “Anyway, there was the quickening and then the
woman pulls up in a green Cadillac- old one, early ‘60s maybe- and the
guy grabs the body and the head- which must have come loose in the
quickening- and throws it in the trunk of the car.  Then he jumps in
the passenger seat and they take off.  End of story.” 

Methos just sat there, absorbing this news. 

“Now can you see why I couldn’t report this?” Baker whined. 

Methos decided that he would have to get the rest of the story from
Mulder himself.  “Yes, you did the right thing, Ken.  I suggest you
keep this to yourself- it is pretty unbelievable.” He said to Baker.
“Good luck,” he said as he stood up and walked away. 

Baker decided that he would put in for a transfer to research when he
got the states.  “I’ll just pretend this whole thing never happened,”
he decided. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

The Corbeau 
2 a.m. Friday December 15th 

Mac sat at the bar for an hour, nursing a couple of drinks.  He thought
he had spotted her at a table near the back of the club, but he had
decided to wait a bit and see if she would make any move, either toward
or away from him, before he approached her.  Frankly, he had no idea
why he felt like this.  Certainly, she was lovely- young, charming, and
aristocratic.  He was intrigued that such a young girl would have an
interest, and the money to exercise that interest, in fine antique
jewelry.  He was also intrigued that she owned this club; which- if a
bit on the dark, gothic design- was quite elegant, without being
stuffy.  “She barely seems old enough to drink, let alone operate such
an establishment,” he thought. 

Mac looked around the club for a while longer, still struck by that
nagging sense of déjà vu that he had felt upon entering.  He couldn’t
put his finger on it.  He hadn’t been to this club before, it didn’t
appear to be a chain, or copy of anyplace he could remember- yet it
felt eerily familiar.  The entire evening seemed to be a mystery- the
girl he couldn’t remove from his thoughts, and the club.  “I should
just forget about this and leave,” he decided.  He stood up to walk
out, but found that his steps were taking him across the dance floor,
directly towards her table. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Janette knew that he had seen her.  His gaze returned to her table
again and again.  For one brief moment their gazes had locked, and she
thought her heart might have actually beat twice in succession.  She
wondered why he made no move towards her, at the same time dreading
that he might do that very thing.  She knew that she could leave, and
he would undoubtedly get the message, “Maybe he is waiting to see if I
will,” she thought.  She rationalized that it was *her* club, and she
would not allow some pathetic mortal, no matter how beguiling he might
be, to drive her from it.  It had nothing at all to do with her wanting
him to come over to her table and join her.  Absolutely nothing at all.


When he stood up, her heart fluttered again.  She berated herself for
acting like a child.  If he did decide to walk over and join her, she
would be calm.  She would be cool.  She would be… Janette; 1000 year-
old vampire seductress. 

“Oh, my,” she said as he began to cross the dance floor.  He walked a
perfectly straight line towards her.  Dancers seemed to move out of his
way inadvertently, as though the sheer presence of him was enough to
part the sea of humanity before him.  They closed behind him without
missing a step, as though it had been carefully choreographed. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

MacLeod wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing.  He really had meant to
leave.  Now was not the time for emotional entanglements.  He had more
important things to consider- Mulder, possibly Natalie as well.  Even
if he did not take them as his students, his own sense of honor would
preclude him from simply abandoning them to their fate.  He had never
abandoned a new immortal when he found them.  He would always arrange
for their training if he were unable or unwilling to do it himself.
That not all of them availed themselves of his largess was not his
fault.  He could no more force them to learn than he could turn back
time itself. 

All of these thoughts ran through his mind at once, encouraging him to
turn away and leave now.  His steps did not falter, however.  He didn’t
even notice the dancers parting before him; his attention was on her.
Janette dúCharme.  She alone held captive his attention at this moment.
He tried to think of what he was going to say when he got to her table,
but he found it hard to concentrate.  Normally he had no trouble at all
charming a lady- he had, after all, four centuries of practice.
Tonight he felt a nervousness he didn’t remember having ever felt
before.  He stood in front of her, silent for a moment, overcome by
something about her- though he couldn’t tell what. 

Janette was fascinated by this man.  She stared at him as he stood
before her, silent and still.  Finally she heard him say, “I was going
to leave.”  She felt an altogether unreasonable sense of loss hearing
that.  “But, you did not,” she replied, unable to think of anything
other than the obvious. 

Mac didn’t know where that came from.  “I was going to leave?” he
thought.  “That probably wasn’t the smoothest line.”  Her response,
however, did nothing to discourage him.  “I couldn’t,” he replied.
Again honestly, if not elegantly put. 

Now she was even more intrigued - he seemed as affected by her, as she
was by him.  “Why?” she asked. 

“I don’t know,” he replied.  “I got up to walk out the door, but I
ended up here.” 

“Do you want to leave?” she asked. 

He shook his head slowly, never breaking eye contact. 

Janette smiled warmly, truly pleased that she had this effect on him.
He certainly was having a strong effect on her!  She decided to ignore
her earlier advice to herself, “Then let us throw caution to the wind. 
Sit down, Mr. MacLeod,” she invited. 

“Please, call me Duncan, Mademoiselle dúCharme,” he replied as he
accepted her offer. 

“Certainly, Duncan .  And please, Mademoiselle dúCharme is so formal;
you must call me Janette,” she replied. 

“Janette.  Of course…” MacLeod paused again for a moment and considered
the lovely girl before him.  “I don’t want to give you the wrong
impression, Janette.  I don’t generally follow after young ladies whom
I bump into accidentally,” he began. 

“Non?  This is not a habit of yours then?” she teased.  “Should I
consider myself special?” she said with a genuine smile.  She could
hear his heart racing, and his blood had a spicy, peppery smell to it,
like a young American northwest pinot noir.  More than the smell of his
blood, however, his very presence was arousing her, not just the
vampire but the woman as well. 

Though MacLeod recognized the teasing tone and it would have been easy
to fall into a light, flirtatious banter, he was unable to do so.  In
all seriousness he said, “I must say, Janette, that there is something
very extraordinary about you.  I find myself captivated.  I don’t want
to sound trite; we hardly know one another in the least.  However, I
would very much like to rectify that.” 

“You do not sound at all trite, Duncan , though if anyone else had used
such a line on me I would have been offended.  However, you also have
strangely intrigued me.  I would not normally have allowed you to
approach me at all, let alone so openly,” she said. 

Normally MacLeod would have dismissed such a statement as empty
bravado; however, he could feel from this little slip of a girl a sense
of strength and power that belied her frail appearance.  “I must be
going mad,” he thought; he became more enchanted by this woman every
moment he spent in her presence.  He could not think of any woman in
his past that had so fascinated him. 

Janette was amazed.  “I hope I can wait long enough to see if he is
worth bringing across,” she thought; one last vestige of reason holding
tenuously under the onslaught of her desire.  Certainly this man must
be a sorcerer to mesmerize her so quickly and so thoroughly. 

MacLeod wanted to take her away from this place, he felt suddenly
uncomfortable in the club- he felt as though they were being watched.
“Would you come for a walk with me?” he asked.  “It is quite noisy in
here,” he added, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse to leave
the club.  He didn’t think ‘I’m jealous at the thought of anyone else
even looking at you right now’ would cut it. 

She thought that was an extremely apt suggestion.  She felt an absurd
compulsion to separate him from anyone’s presence, outside of her own. 
Rather than responding verbally, she merely stood up and took his arm,
waiting for him to lead her out.  Rather than going through the crowded
dance floor she then suggested, “let us go out the back, yes?”
indicating the direction with a nod of her head. 

As MacLeod led her to the rear exit, he marveled at how right this
felt, having this woman on his arm.  He was intellectually aware that
this entire situation was completely ridiculous- both of them were
behaving precipitously at best, they really knew nothing about each
other.  He should have been concerned at her willingness to go along
with such lunacy.  There was no good reason for her to respond as she
was unless she had an ulterior motive.  Yet he could not bring himself
to believe that this was the case. 

“What is happening to me?” he wondered as they walked out into the
night. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Nick’s Loft 
3:15 am 

Nick and Nat rode the elevator up to the loft in silence.  They were
holding each other in their arms, kissing.  Soft, languorous kissing,
telling each other without words of their love and adoration for each
other.  Mulder and Dana had decided to go flying for a bit.  Nick had
sternly warned Dana about being in before dawn, and Mulder had quipped
‘I’ll be sure to have your daughter home at a reasonable hour, Mr.
Knight’, annoying Nick, but causing Natalie to laugh.  Dana had
reassured him that she would be sure to be back in plenty of time. 

Nick cupped Natalie’s face in his cool hands and broke the kiss, “Your
eyes are red, Nat.  Why were you crying?” he asked gently, stroking his
thumbs across her cheekbones. 

Natalie was slightly embarrassed, but it didn’t even occur to her to
lie.  “It’s hard to explain, Nick.”  She took a deep breath as she
paused to consider how to put into words the way she was feeling.  The
elevator stopped and she waited until Nick had opened the door.  She
took him by the hand and led him over to the couch.  She sat him down
and then cuddled up in his lap, resting her head on his chest. 

“I’m so happy right now Nick.  Sometimes I wake up and think its all
been just a dream.  I wake up in the middle of the day and I almost cry
because I was so happy and it turns out it was just another in a long
series of Nick and Natalie fantasy dreams.  Then I realize where I am,
and I roll over and see you sleeping next to me,” she stopped and
pulled away from him slightly to look him in the eyes.  “It’s like my
heart was being squeezed in an enormous fist, and I never realized how
much pain I was in until it let go.  I get so overwhelmed with relief
and love that it almost hurts.”  She answered the unspoken confusion in
Nick’s eyes, “Do you remember when you were mortal and you fell asleep
on your arm, and when you woke up it felt like little pins and needles
were jabbing your flesh as the arm as feeling returned?”  At his nod of
comprehension she continued, “It’s not pins and needles, but it is a
pain that is accompanying the return of feeling to my heart.” 

She reached out and ran her hands over his face.  “A week ago I thought
I had lost you forever.  I was despondent.  I cried myself to sleep
almost every night.  I felt like a teenage girl with a crush on the
most popular boy in school.  Oh God Nick, I was such an idiot.” 

“No Natalie, you weren’t an idiot. If I had been more open…” Nick
began. 

“Shh, Nick.  This isn’t about recriminations.  Both of us were blind.” 
She laid her head back on his shoulder, pressing her forehead against
his neck, “You barely spoke 3 words to any woman who was near you, and
you were totally oblivious to the advances of some of the more
aggressive ones.  Yes you spent tons of time with me.  You sought me
out for no other reason than to talk to me, you invited me over to
watch movies and let me fall asleep in your arms all the time.  In
retrospect, I was an idiot not to notice how much you wanted me.” 

Nick smiled, “I even choked down those terrible concoctions you made
for me.” 

Natalie slapped him on the chest, “Hey!  I was trying to help you!
They weren’t supposed to taste great,” she complained. 

“One of these days, after you come across, you’re going to have to try
one of those, just so you can get the full effect. 

Natalie sobered at that.  “After I come across… Nick, what if I…” 

It was Nick’s turn to interrupt, “Shh, Whatever happens, you and I will
be together forever.  Even if you don’t cross, we won’t be denied the
important part- you and I can be linked together.  I know you want to
fly,” he had seen that in their sharing together, “and I want that too,
but its more important that neither of us will grow old and leave the
other behind.” 

“What if someone wants my head?” she asked plaintively. 

“There’s no reason you have to fight if you don’t want to, Nat.  You
can run away, or I can help protect you until you’re strong enough to
defend yourself.  Plus, it’s not like you’re going to go out looking
for a fight.”  Nick stroked his fingers up, across her cheek and into
her hair, “Whatever comes- you and I will face it together.” 

They snuggled together for several minutes before Natalie's caresses
became less soothing, and more arousing. 

“Nick?” 

“Yes, Love?” 

“I don’t want to wait for tomorrow,” she whispered. 

Nick’s senses were suddenly on overload as the vampire came out in full
force.  He yearned to drink her down to death, stimulating the rebirth
of another daughter, this one to be both daughter and eternal mate.
“Me neither!” he grunted out around his fully descended fangs.  “Come
on!” he said, getting up and leading her to the stairs. 

Natalie’s heart was hammering in her chest.  Hope and anticipation and
fear and dread were warring inside her.  She didn’t think she could
wait another moment to do this.  She wanted so badly to join Nick in
his world, but even if she couldn’t, she knew they could be closer when
she shed her mortality one way or the other. 

Nick stopped them at the foot of the stairs, “Natalie, I wanted to make
this special, for you to have a last meal with all of your favorites,
for you to take one last walk in the sun…” he began. 

Natalie interrupted, “I want my next meal to come from you Nick.  I
want my next walk to be a flight through the night sky with you.” 

Nick just smiled at his beloved, more in love with her at that moment
than he could have ever conceived of in his long life.  He grabbed her
and flew them up the stairs and into the bedroom. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

The CN Tower 
3:15 am 

Scully luxuriated in the strength her new incarnation afforded her.
She flew herself and her lover to the one place she had secretly wanted
to go since landing in Toronto almost a week ago; the CN Tower.  

Standing atop tall structures always brought out the childlike
joyfulness in her.  When she was young, being able to look down from a
great height allowed her to fantasize that she could fly.  Now that she
really could, the elation of standing on the edge was sharpened, rather
than diminished.  She leapt off of the edge a couple of times and flew
back in, just for the sheer delight of it. 

Mulder reveled in his lover’s joy.  “God, this feels so amazing!” he
said. 

Scully threw herself into his arms, giggling like a little girl.  “What
does?” she asked, feeling his echo of her delight, but not catching his
exact thoughts. 

“This,” Mulder replied.  “You, laughing in utter delight, the feel of
flying and the feel of being carried in flight.  Me, wrapping my arms
around you and holding you tight.  All of it- it feels so… so…” 

“Right.  It feels right.  It feels like home, like belonging,” she
finished for him.  She felt his joy surge even more as she spoke. 

“Yes.  That’s exactly how it feels.  I love you *so* much!” Mulder
said. 

Scully could feel the outpouring of love washing over her and flowing
back from her into him.  “Me too,” was all she got out before their
lips met. 

Their kiss was all encompassing, as their focus narrowed to the
sensation of lips and tongue to the exclusion of everything else.
Slowly their awareness expanded to include the whole of their bodies
and they touched, stroked and undressed each other.  Seemingly of their
own volition, their bodies joined together as their mouths had.  They
breathed each other’s breath as they moved within and around one
another.  As they neared their climax, Scully sliced into her throat
with one sharp fingernail and moved Mulder’s head to her neck to drink.
She then bit into him and they simultaneously came.  As with the last
time the orgasm was amplified in a feedback loop until both passed out
from the pure ecstasy. 

Mulder died again after the sensation overload rendered them both
unconscious.  Even though Scully didn’t drain him entirely, it was
enough to cause his heart to stop.  Nevertheless, he recovered first,
gasping back to life in what he was coming to determine was the
‘normal’ manner.  He found himself propped up against the wall of the
enclosure, a naked, boneless vampire sleeping in his arms.    Her head
was lolled back, and he could see the tips of her fangs through her
slightly parted lips.  He suddenly noticed the smell of her blood,
still drizzling slowly out of the wound on her throat.  “Scully, you
smell like… strawberries?” Mulder rasped.  He was suddenly compelled to
lick the blood from her throat.  “Oh my God!” he whispered.  The taste
was unlike anything he had ever had before.  Both of the previous times
he had tasted her blood, last night and just a few minuets ago, it had
tasted like blood- slightly bitter and metallic. Now, it was sweet and
rich, with hints of acidic tartness- like biting into a fresh, just
ripened strawberry.  And, it was definitely Scully.  It tasted like
her, as though- somehow- there was ‘essence of Scully’ mixed in with
the berries.  He would forever be able to identify that taste as
‘Scully’s Blood.’ 

He bent down for another taste, and suddenly he felt a tearing
sensation in his gums.  “Ouch!” he said, loudly enough to wake Scully
from her stupor. 

Scully came to, just in time to see Mulder staring at her with green
eyes and fangs.  To say she was startled was understating things rather
a bit.  “Mulder?  Are you ok?” 

“You tashte like shtrawberriesh, Shcully.” Mulder lisped through his
new fangs in a husky, sex-roughened voice. 

The combination of the desire evident in Mulder’s voice, his comment
about the flavor of her blood, and the eyes and fangs was too much for
Scully to bear .  She felt her own fangs at full extension and couldn’t
help but sink them in Mulder’s throat. 

The sensation of being bitten, previously erotic but painful, was
suddenly a discovery of a whole new erogenous zone.  He felt a hard
slap, as his erection grew rock hard with a single heartbeat.  He drove
himself into Scully at the same time he buried his new teeth into her
neck at the shoulder.  “Oh, dear God!” he thought.  The flavor of
Scully’s cool blood in his mouth was almost overpowering.  [You taste
so good, Scully!] he thought to her. 

[Now you know why I can’t keep my fangs off of you, Mulder.] she
replied.  [You taste like cardamom- fragrant and overpowering and
wonderful!]  Suddenly the taste changed and she tasted strawberries. 

Mulder also noticed the flavor shift to the cardamom Scully was
describing, and they jointly realized that each was experiencing the
sensation of the other, as though their minds had switched places.
Before they could examine this new experience in any more detail,
Mulder died again, dragging Scully back down into unconsciousness as he
went. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Nick’s Loft 
3:55 am 

Natalie never even felt the sting of Nick’s fangs in her throat.  He
had worked her to a fever pitch with his hands and mouth.  He had
started gently, slowly removing her clothes and laying her out on the
bed- reverently kissing her everywhere on her body.  Soon he had two
fingers buried in her, stroking her g-spot while his lips and tongue
worked her clitoris.  As she crested over the top and came crashing
down into her orgasm he slid up her body, still working her with his
fingers, and buried his fangs into her throat. 

Natalie awoke to find herself standing at the crossroads that Dana had
described.  She didn’t see a doorway, though.  Dana had mentioned a
doorway. 

After a bit, she began to grow concerned.  “Uh, Where’s the door,” she
asked aloud hesitantly.  “Hello!” she shouted a bit louder.  “Anyone
around?” 

“You’re not supposed to be here!” 

Natalie whirled around to face the speaker.  When she thought about it
later, she couldn’t remember anything about him/her/it.  Whatever it
was, it repeated its statement- “You are not supposed to be here!  Your
kind doesn’t come this way.” 

“My kind?” Natalie asked. 

“You have to go back now!” the figure said. 

Natalie blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself
conscious again, sucking from Nick’s bloody wrist.  Oh, it tasted so
good; she couldn’t have imagined that anything- let alone blood- could
taste this good.  Not to mention the link that came with it.  She could
feel that Nick was happy and excited that she had crossed over to join
him.  She was happy too.  Finally Nick pulled his arm away from her,
when it was clear she wouldn’t be letting go on her own.  She resisted,
but she was too tired to put up more than a token struggle. 

Nick’s heart was overflowing with pure, clear joy.  “My daughter, my
lover, my soul mate!” he exulted.  “We will never be separated again!” 
He stroked her hair, savoring this moment.  It was a moment he had
secretly yearned for every minute of the last six years.  He had hidden
it from himself, disgusted with the idea of ‘dragging her into his own
hell’ as he thought of it.  Now that he had finally accepted that his
misery was of his own making, and not inherent to his existence, he
could rejoice in having his dearest love join with him in eternal
night.  

“Who needs sunlight when I have you, Natalie,” he reverently whispered.


He was feeling a bit light-headed from the blood Natalie had taken from
him, and went down to get a snack, as well as stocking up so when she
awoke, he would be ready for her. 

As Nick drank his ‘snack’ he reached out for his other childé,
concerned that she not find herself stuck outside the loft during the
day, even though he knew Mulder would take care of her.  He really
liked Dana.  He had brought her across out of a sense of
responsibility, which he felt for her because she had been harmed while
‘under his protection,’ and out of sympathy for her and Mulder’s
situation.  If he had ever thought of bringing someone across, “Not
counting Nat, of course,” it wouldn’t have been Dana Scully.  Knowing
her like he did now, he was glad he had been in the right place and
time to sire a childé like her.  Even though it had only been a short
time since her transformation, he had the advantage of the deep link,
and knew her better than anyone in her life ever had before, “Except
for Mulder, now,” he thought.  And Dana Scully was definitely the stuff
a good vampire was made of, as he defined it anyway. 

As he reached through their link, he found Dana and Mulder flying on
their way back here.  She expected they would be back around 5:30,
giving them plenty of time before the sun rose. 

Nick climbed the stairs back up to his room.  He had 6 bottles, and
usually four or five was enough, so he figured he was prepared.  He set
them on the nightstand on his side of the bed, and lay down next to
her.  She was still lying on top of the sheets, naked.  Nick marveled
at her form, visually caressing every inch of her voluptuous body.  Her
skin, already pale, had turned marble white, in stark contrast to her
thick mass of brunette hair, and her lips, dark red like a vintage
port. 

“I love you so much, Natalie.  I’m glad we can share it in the
bloodkiss, because I could never find the words to tell you how much,”
Nick whispered softly to his sleeping lover.  Indeed he was himself
amazed.  Not at how much she deserved his love, but rather at his own
capacity for love.  He had been with Janette on and off for centuries,
and he did love her, both then and now.  He had once loved a mortal
enough to marry her, and to try and bring her across to join him.  When
she had died, he had been despondent for months.  He missed her
terribly, and yearned for her greatly, but never once in that time of
mourning, did he ever even consider ending his own life.  He knew even
the moment she had died in his arms that he would get over her
eventually.  He didn’t admit it at the time, of course.  But, looking
back, he could now see it. 

There was no way he could ever go on without Natalie.  He probably
loved her more in the first year they had known each other than he had
ever loved Janette or Alyssa.  By the time 2 years had passed, he could
no sooner have done without her than he could have done without his
arms and legs.  He was happy with everything in his life right now,
even those things that didn’t directly involve Natalie; his
relationship with LaCroix, his daughter Dana, just everything.  But, he
knew that if something were to take her away from him, he would be
unable to go on.  He couldn’t look into the future and not see Natalie
there with him.  Thank God, he wouldn’t have to face that. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Quick-Mart 
5:35 am 

This time they had awoken together, Mulder’s fangs had retracted, and
his thirst was not for blood, but for orange juice.  Scully flew them
down from the tower and directly to the closest 24-hr market they could
find.  Scully was torn between mortification and mirth as Mulder up-
ended 3 gallons of orange juice, one after the other.  She was
embarrassed at her lack of control, draining the poor man twice in the
space of ten minutes. 

Even though she wasn’t thinking actual words at him, Mulder could tell
she was upset about draining him twice in such a short space of time.
“I told you Scully…” he paused to take another drink, “Don’t feel bad…”
another drink, “I would take this thirst every day…” another drink, “
for the rest of my immortal life…” he finished the bottle, “to have you
make me feel like that.” 

She was still a little embarrassed by it, but she could feel the easy
sincerity in his voice, as well as feel the deep sense of satisfaction
that he felt.  “I just need you so much Mulder, I feel a little, I
don’t know, desperate I guess.  Overly needy.  Smothering.” 

“You know that I feel the same way about you Scully.  You can feel it
in me, just like I feel it in you.  Call me an enabler, but you’re
welcome to bite whenever you feel the slightest urge,” he said with a
broad grin, taking her in his arms and ravaging her mouth with his own.


Scully felt the vampire rising to the fore again, and forced herself to
stop.  “Mulder, stop it.  We’ll never make it back to the loft at this
rate.” 

“And this is a bad thing because…?” he responded. 

“We have the rest of our lives, Mulder.  And, if we don’t get me inside
in the next hour, the rest of my life will be measured in minutes, not
centuries,” she said, mock-exasperated. 

“Oh, yeah… That.” Mulder said thoughtfully.  “I could probably wait
long enough for us to make it to the loft before I have to rip your
clothes off and ravish you again,” Mulder said with a deadpan look. 

“I’ll hold you to that, Mulder,” Scully said; equally deadpan, as they
took flight for the short trip back to the loft. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 


Incarnations of Immortality

By The Bear!

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Chapter 14 
Vachon’s Church 

3:45 a.m. Friday December 15th 

Tracy woke up from a light sleep.  She was slightly confused, as she
didn’t remember having gone to bed.  She quickly noticed that she was
on the floor, or rather, on Vachon, who was on the floor.  She was
naked and sticky, Vachon was still partially in her.  In the past she
would have been mortified to be in such a state.  “Certainly not
‘proper’ or lady-like,” she thought.  Instead, she felt deliciously
wanton.  She decided to wake her lover, “And what an amazing lover he
is!” in what she thought would be the most appropriate way possible. 

Vachon awoke to two competing sensations.  His head ached a little, “I
must have really hit hard,” he thought.  He remembered that he passed
out standing up, with Tracy hanging onto him.  He obviously fell and
whacked his head on the hardwood floor. 

The second sensation Vachon was feeling was Tracy , licking the sticky
blood off of his balls while she stroked his semi-erect member- already
cleaned apparently.  Vachon moaned loudly, and it wasn’t the headache! 

Tracy heard her lover’s return to the land of the conscious and
chuckled.  She was savoring the taste of both of their blood mixed with
the taste of his skin.  She felt him lengthening and hardening in her
hand and smiled at her ability to affect him.  As she took him, now
standing at full attention, into her mouth she heard him moan, “God,
Tracy! You’re insatiable!” 

[Yeah, lucky you] she thought to him. 

“‘Lucky me’ is right!” Vachon thought as he lay his now-healed head
back on the floor and sunk down into the sensation Tracy was eliciting
from him.  He had wanted Tracy from the first moment he had seen her.
Lately, though his cravings were becoming almost incontrollable.  He
had fantasized about her constantly for the last several months.  Thank
God she had decided to come across.  [I can’t even imagine life without
you Tracy,] he thought to her.  [I never imagined I could love someone
as much as I love you.] 

Tracy pulled away from him and crawled up his supine form until her
lips hovered over his.  She looked down at his angelic face and said,
“I never imagined that I could be loved like that.  I love you, Vachon-
with all my heart.”  Their lips met, and he thrust himself up into her.


This time their actions were slow, as they cherished one another.  An
hour later they fell asleep in each other’s arms again- still never
having made it to the bed. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

The Corbeau 
3:45 a.m. 

Franklin had been waiting for over an hour for her to get back.  He
only lamented that he was too late to save her latest victim.  He had
been watching her when the poor sap just walked right up to her and
invited her out for a bloody walk.  Franklin had been near the front
door and by the time he made it out and around to the back of the
building, they were nowhere in sight. 

He had figured out that she was one of the unholy ones last weekend
when he had stopped in with a couple of his buddies to try and score
some chicks.  He had seen her with her pale skin and her smug look of
superiority, drinking blood from a glass like it was wine.  He could
tell it wasn’t wine- too thick, it stuck to the glass.  He had seen her
kind before- devil spawn, bloodsuckers.  His papa hadn’t done much for
him growing up, but he did teach him about vampires.  It was a vampire
what done in his papa when he was fourteen.  He’d seen the aftermath.
He hadn’t ever found the bloodsucker that did it, but he figured this
would be as good a chance as ever for a little payback. 

He knew she would have to come back here before sunrise- she apparently
lived in the club somewhere.  “Must have a coffin in the basement or
something,” he thought.  Then he heard footsteps coming.  He could hear
them talking and laughing.  “She must be saving him for a bedtime
snack,” he thought.  “Good, I might be able to save him after all.” 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Janette felt absolutely wonderful.  Duncan was extremely charming.  He
was also very intelligent, funny, well traveled, and knowledgeable
about a wide range of subjects.  They had had serious discussions about
politics and history (about which he had been surprisingly well
versed), he had entertained her with amusing anecdotes and stories, as
well as listened attentively to her when she shared selected stories-
though she told them as third person, not wanting to seem suspicious. 

They had gone from her hand on his arm to being wrapped in each other’s
arms without even noticing it.  It just felt natural.  As they got
close to the club she felt suddenly compelled to kiss him.  Actually,
she had felt that compulsion from the moment he sat down with her at
the club, but she had rigorously suppressed it.  It would be more
accurate to say that she suddenly felt unable to restrain herself any
longer.  It was this distraction that kept her from paying adequate
attention to the sound of the heartbeat in the alley beside the
Corbeau.  Hindsight was indeed 20/20. 

MacLeod had just brushed her lips with his own when he felt the impact
against her back as the arrow thudded home just under her right
shoulder.  She immediately let out a terrifying scream and spun to face
her attacker. 

The pain was almost un bear able.  Fortunately the fool had shot her on
the wrong side.  She would survive this wound, assuming she could keep
him from bettering his aim on the next.  Of course this would
undoubtedly be the end of any relationship she would get to have with
Duncan .  That angered her more than the arrow in her back.  She was
just about to counterattack when she noticed Duncan was already more
than halfway across the alley.  He had, of all things, drawn a sword
and was hurling himself at her attacker, who was screaming some cliché
about ‘Hell-Bitch’ and ‘Unholy Bloodsucker.’  Her wound kept her from
moving fast enough to save Duncan from his next arrow. 

She watched with horror as it struck him right in the heart.  He had
already began his down stroke with the sword and, therefore, managed to
avenge his own death- neatly severing the assailant’s raised bow in
two, and splitting his head like a giant melon- killing him instantly. 

The pain in her heart overshadowed the pain in her back when she got to
Duncan ’s side.  He was fading fast, but not before he saw her eyes and
fangs. 

Duncan ’s last thought before he died was one of joy.  He’s already
decided that he could easily fall in love with this woman, and a small
part of him dreaded the inevitable death and passing that was inherent
in loving a mortal.  “You won’t die,” were his last words as blackness
stole over him. 

Janette wondered at his words, and even more so at his beatific smile. 
She was even more heartsick, if that was possible.  He had seen what
she truly was, and not only accepted it, but seemed genuinely happy
with it- even as he died.  She was sure now that Duncan MacLeod would
have been an ideal candidate whom to offer immortality. 

She managed to pick him up and carry him into the club with her.  It
was, of course empty by this time.  She didn’t house any strays here as
she had in Toronto .  She valued her privacy after hours too much right
now.  So it was that she had to figure out how to get the arrow out of
her back by herself.  First she grabbed a bottle of the house special
and drank it down.  Then she managed to remove the arrow by closing it
in a doorframe, holding the door tightly against it with one foot, and
basically falling forward as hard as she could.  The pain was quite
excruciating, causing her to cry out again.  She lay on the floor for
several minutes while the wound healed.  Fortunately it appeared that
there were no splinters from the shaft.  The idiot had actually left
the steel tips on the arrows! 

She downed another bottle of the house special before going over to
consider Duncan .  She tried to harden herself against the emotional
pain, she tried not to think about the future they could have had
together.  Even though she had only met him that day, the sense of loss
was even greater than when Robert had died.  With Robert, though she
loved him dearly, she had been changing herself to be with him.  At
best, she would have remained mortal, and they would have had twenty or
thirty years together before one or both of them died.  She could
envision bringing Duncan across to be with her for twenty or thirty
centuries. 

Finally she approached his body, she had left him on a table, on his
back- the arrow sticking straight up into the air.  She angrily yanked
the arrow out and snapped it in half.  “As if that could bring him
back,” she thought, furious at the insignificant worm that had
perpetrated this monstrosity upon them out of some misguided religious
fervor.  “Aarghh!” she growled.  She had to restrain herself from going
out into the alley and jumping up and down on what remained of his
head, or perhaps pulling out the sword and chopping him into little
bits. 

The thought of the sword led to other thoughts.  “Why was he carrying a
sword?” she wondered.  She remembered that he had been at Hénri’s
muttering about a sword.  Maybe that’s what he purchased there.  He did
seem to know how to use it, however.  He also responded to the attack
in a manner that suggested combat experience.  She had never been a
warrior, but she knew that most people tended to react with confusion
or fear when an attack commenced.  She knew this from having been the
attacker, more often than not.  Duncan didn’t hesitate- he armed
himself and counter-attacked before she even turned around.  That
bespoke training.  And, it specifically suggested training with a
sword- as his counter attack was weapon specific- not the way one would
react if one were armed with a pistol. 

Her musings were interrupted by a loud gasp, and the sound of a heart
beating rapidly.  She spun around to see who had invaded her privacy
and was properly shocked to see Duncan MacLeod sitting up on the table,
his hand clutched at his chest where he had been struck by the arrow.
Janette was dumbstruck. 

MacLeod awoke to find himself sitting on a table in the now-deserted
club.  Janette was standing in front of him, jaw dropped.  He could see
that she had reverted- no fangs and eyes normal.  He could almost
believe that what he had seen had been a pain induced delusion, except
for the fact that he knew- intimately- that vampires did indeed exist,
and that she would not be standing at all if she were not one of them. 
His first question was, “Are you alright?  Did you get it out?” he
croaked.  At her blank stare he repeated the question, “The arrow.  Did
you get it out of your back?  Do you need me to get it?” 

Janette was stunned into silence.  She nodded her head and pointed to
the arrow lying on the floor in the doorway beside the bar. 

Duncan saw one bloody arrow on the floor where Janette was pointing,
and another- broken in half- at her feet.  “Do you need blood?” he
asked, concerned that she might be in shock “If vampires are
susceptible to that,” he thought. 

Janette slowly shook her head, still unable to formulate the proper
response. 

Duncan ’s next question was, “Where is my sword?” 

Janette managed to reply to that one.  “In the alley,” she said,
pointing to the door. 

Duncan jumped down from the table.  “Janette?  Are you alright?” he
asked, concerned.  “Surely she won’t freak out about my immortality,”
he thought.  Certainly a vampire wouldn’t consider an immortal a
monster.  He hoped not, anyway.  His feelings for her had gelled in his
mind and his heart.  He knew he was definitely in love.  “I’ll be right
back, Ok?” he said, sprinting into the alley. 

Janette listened as Duncan recovered his sword.  She was shaken by this
turn of events.  She was definitely happy that Duncan wasn’t dead, but
how?  He wasn’t a vampire, she was confident of that.  He had
undeniably died.  Heart stopped, breath stilled, dead.  Dead for
several minutes.  Also, he didn’t seem at all disconcerted to find out
that she was a vampire.  “He has to know! Doesn’t he?” she whispered.
He had seen the wound- had asked if she needed blood.  No, he
definitely knew about vampires, and knew she was one.  She was equally
convinced that he hadn’t known previous to the attack.  He had been
genuinely surprised and pleased to see her looming over him as he died.
“As he Died!?” her mind shouted at her, still having difficulty
accepting that he wasn’t dead even yet.  He had even commented that she
wasn’t going to die.  He had said it with astonishment and joy. 

Duncan came back in after recovering his sword.  He wanted to make sure
that Janette was going to be ok, and that she was going to be OK with
him.  He could see her mulling it over as he re-entered the club.  He
walked up to her hesitantly, knowing that she could seriously hurt him
if she freaked out.  He had fallen in love before and faced the pain
when the object of his affection couldn’t accept the truth about him.
He really didn’t think he could face that again.  “Janette, are you
going to be alright?” 

She could hear his unspoken question.  She could see the fear of
rejection in his eyes, and her heart broke.  Questions could come
later.  She loved this man.  He had fought and died for her, even if it
wasn’t permanent.  He obviously accepted her for what she was.  How
could she not do likewise?  Why would she even want to?  As before, she
let her actions answer both his questions.  She stepped to him and
wrapped herself around him, kissing him soundly. 

When Duncan broke the kiss, he saw bloody tears streaming down her
face.  His heart was overcome with relief and love- relief that she was
alive, and that she would accept him.  He said, “When that arrow hit
you…” 

At the same time Janette said, “When I saw you die…” 

They both laughed. 

Janette let go of him and stepped back one pace and said, “As you have
clearly surmised, I am a Vampire.”  She felt surreal saying those words
out loud. 

MacLeod responded with, “We call ourselves Immortals.  Not terribly
clever- but I never knew there were any others who could lay claim to
that label.” 

That statement puzzled Janette.  “But, you were not surprised when you
found out what I am.”  At his look of protest she clarified, “Not
surprised that we exist, I mean.” 

“You might find this to be an incredible coincidence, but I only
recently had my first meeting with your kind, at least so far as I know
it was my first.  It was, in fact just Wednesday evening,” he mused,
remembering the eclectic mix of immortals he had encountered that
night.  He was distracted enough that he missed Janette’s question.
“Hmm?  Sorry, what was that?” 

Janette was amused by the far-away stare Duncan had, it reminded her of
Nick when he was reminiscing.  “I said, your meeting must have been
unusually genial.  Most people who meet my kind aren’t allowed to
remember it, if they are lucky enough to live through it.  We generally
don’t get along well with humans.” 

MacLeod smiled at that.  “Actually, I met several vampires that night. 
One was following a friend of mine who met me at the airport.  He
killed us and then ran off.” 

Janette grabbed his arm, concerned.  “Why?  Why would he do that?” she
asked, upset at the thought of Duncan lying dead- regardless of whether
he could recover from it or not. 

Duncan reached out with his free hand and gently stroked a lock of hair
away from her face, answering, “To make a long story short, he was
following my friend, we detected and confronted him, and he blew
through us like straw in the wind.” 

“Your friend is like you?  He recovered?  Did you encounter that one
again?” she asked.  She was still uncomfortable with the idea of one of
her kind stalking Duncan . 

Duncan reassured her, “It’s all right; we ended up meeting the person
who had put the tail on my friend.  While surreal, that meeting ended
up all right.  We met several vampires and a new immortal, and his
lover- who was a new member of your ranks. And we met someone who will
become immortal, if she doesn’t become a vampire first.” 

Suddenly MacLeod knew why this club was giving him déjà vu!  “Janette? 
Have you ever heard of a club in Toronto called the Raven?  It reminds
me a lot of this place.”  He looked back from the club surrounding them
to Janette.  She looked stunned again. 

Janette’s mind was whirling with the implications.  It seemed fate was
playing a trick on her.  “Oh dear,” was all she said for several
moments.  Finally she led them to a table and said, “Tell me everything
that has happened to you since Wednesday,” as she sank into her chair. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Nick’s Loft 
4:00 p.m. Friday 

Mulder woke up first again.  He looked at the clock and saw that he had
a little over half an hour till sunset.  He pressed into the link with
Scully and detected only her presence, no thoughts or any definable
emotions.  “I guess vampires don’t dream,” he thought.  “I’ll have to
ask about that.”  He was thirsty again- product of making good on his
promise at the quick-mart.  They had barely made it to their room
before he was tearing her clothes off and going down on her.  This
time, the blood set him off again.  She tasted like strawberries and
caused his fangs to drop.  This development was a joy to them both, he
could definitely see himself spending hours giving head to Scully, the
taste and sensation from the blood was supremely satisfying to him, and
so long as he made one wrist available to her, she could have repeat
orgasms while he serviced her.  Of course, he still enjoyed straight
coitus, a fact which he demonstrated twice before they succumbed to the
pull of death.  This time he lasted a lot longer before dying.  It felt
like heaven, and it just went on and on.  He knew that she was
absolutely addicted to his blood and that she was embarrassed by that
fact, but he was hopelessly addicted to her as well.  “And, this is one
addiction with no downside!” he thought.  Well, there was the thirst.
But, that was a very small price to pay. 

Once he had come back to life, Scully was out for the day.  He had gone
down to the kitchen and finished off the OJ, making a mental note to
get some more for Natalie, if she still needed it, and himself.  Then
he rejoined his partner in bed, this time bringing a large jug of water
with him, which he now emptied. 

Mulder thought about their link.  It was a marvel.  In his wildest
imaginings he could never have dreamt of this level of intimacy.
Despite the fact that her vampirism would present many difficulties for
them both- they would probably have to leave the FBI- he was glad that
she was a vampire.  The cause was horrifying; he got cold chills
whenever he remembered walking into that alley and seeing the pile of
broken flesh and bone that was his Scully.  The effect- her vampirism-
was magnificent.  Of course, that effect was definitely affecting him
as well.  He hadn’t had a chance to face the sun since the increase in
his change.  It would be interesting to see if he was truly turning, or
his link with her was just allowing some bleed-through.  He didn’t
think giving up the sun would be too high a price to pay for being a
part of Scully.  “Flying would be great, too,” he thought.  Not to
mention, it would definitely give him an edge in ‘The Game’.  He would
be able to avoid most fights, and if not, he would have an advantage in
speed and strength. 

Thinking about the future inevitably lead back to thoughts of their
jobs with the Bureau.  In some ways it would be a relief to be free of
the restrictions placed on them by their jobs.  Of course, he would
also miss some of the access that came with the badge.  “Maybe they
would let us consult, from time to time,” he thought.  Natalie had a
point when she said they could still search for the truth.  He would
wait to see what Scully thought.  Knowing that she would wake up
hungry, Mulder went down to the kitchen and got several bottles from
the fridge.  Then, he finished off the Gatorade, making another mental
note to restock the fridge.  Whether it was for him and Natalie, or
just himself, it would definitely get consumed. 

Mulder lay on his side, watching her sleep.  He knew she would wake up
soon- sundown was in less than ten minutes now.  He was running his
fingers through her hair when an idea struck him.  “I wonder if Scully
wants to get married,” he suddenly thought.  He knew that she wanted to
be with him for the rest of their lives, as did he.  He never even
thought about marriage.  He personally didn’t have a strong opinion
about marriage.  He often thought of it as being almost inconsequential
to the relationship.  People who loved each other- truly loved each
other- didn’t have to be married to do so.  Some of them did get
married, some of them didn’t- but they stayed together and loved each
other for their whole lives.  On the other hand, many, many people were
together- married or otherwise- and didn’t love each other like that at
all.  They didn’t stay together more than a few years, at best.  Again,
the institution of marriage seemed inconsequential to the
relationship’s success or failure.  Scully might feel otherwise,
however.  He was pretty sure Scully’s mom would definitely feel
otherwise.  “Dana Mulder,” he whispered, trying it on for size.  Of
course, Scully was a modern woman.  She might not want to take his
name.  “I’ll probably always call her ‘Scully’ anyway,” he thought. 

Scully woke up about that time.  Mulder felt his consciousness expand
to include Scully’s awareness.  Immediately the hunger hit him and he
wordlessly handed her the first bottle.  It only took two bottles this
time to sate her.  “Does that mean you’re getting acclimated?” he
asked. 

“I never asked Nick what was ‘normal’ for a morning feeding,” she
replied.  “Thanks for bringing me breakfast in bed Mulder,” she said
with a grin. 

Mulder sat in front of her and looked at her.  She was deliciously
naked, her eyes still glowing and her fangs just starting to recede.
He felt arousal, of course, but even more so he felt a deep and abiding
joy suffuse his spirit. 

Scully watched as Mulder’s grin got wider and wider, and felt the
growing joy that he was feeling.  It made her smile and giggle, “What,
Mulder?” 

“Do you feel that?  Of course you do,” he said, answering his own
question.  “That’s you, Scully.  You make me feel like that.  So
happy,” he shook his head slowly in amazement.  “I never even knew
anyone could be so genuinely happy, let alone me.”  He reached out and
gently cupped her cheek, “Thank you, Dana,” he said, trying out her
name- something he rarely did. 

Scully had never felt more cherished.  Every time they made love, she
could feel his adoration for her, and now with the link, it became
constant- like being wrapped in a warm cloak on a cold day.  Even so,
she couldn’t imagine it could grow to more than it already was; yet it
did.  Every day his love for her grew, and hers for him.  “We are going
to be a pretty goofy pair, Fox,” she said; and then she giggled- using
his given name seemed strange. 

“It does, doesn’t it,” Mulder answered her feeling.  I guess I fell in
love with Scully, and that will probably always be how I think of you,”
he said. 

Feeling Mulder’s unspoken possessiveness when he used her name, she
said, “Don’t you mean ‘My Scully’?  Isn’t that how you think of me?”
she asked with a smile. 

Mulder nodded his head, moving in to kiss her.  “That’s right,” he
whispered.  “You are mine, Scully.  Forever.” 

“Forever!” she agreed just before they kissed. 

The kiss started softly, as they delighted in each other’s love.  Soon,
however, the kiss deepened, Mulder’s fangs dropped- Scully’s had never
fully retracted.  Before they knew it they were each drinking from the
other.  This time Mulder didn’t die.  They stopped after about 10
minutes- both of them amazed.  Mulder did feel a little lightheaded,
unlike Scully who felt blissfully sated. 

“I think you drink faster!” Mulder said. 

“I only drink as fast as it comes, Mulder,” she replied.  “Maybe you
bleed faster.” 

Without any thought, Mulder picked up the remaining bottle of blood,
bypassing the water he had left, and drank it down. 

Scully was somewhat stunned.  “That’s new,” was all she said. 

Mulder stared at the bottle in his hand.  The blood tasted good, not
nearly as good as Scully tasted- this was much less flavorful, but it
still tasted good.  He caught a faint emotional residue from it;
nervousness?  Someone was nervous about donating, a young man?  That
startled him.  “I don’t feel like a vampire,” he whispered.  Turning to
Scully he asked, “Do I?” 

Scully considered him for a moment.  “No, not really,” she answered.
“You don’t feel like any vampire I’ve met, anyway.  All four of them.
Your heart is beating, but it’s really slow… about 20 beats per
minute.”  She shook her head as if to clear it, “It’s kind of hard to
tell what I’m feeling separate from what I’m feeling you feeling.  Does
that make sense?” 

“No- but, I know exactly what you mean,” Mulder said sympathetically. 

“It’s kind of late to ask this, but… Do you want to be a vampire,
Mulder?” Scully asked.  “I never really thought about it when Natalie
suggested it.  I just wanted this thing between us, [this], to get
stronger.  I like feeling like I’m a part of you,” she finished
sheepishly. 

[Every time I think I couldn’t possibly love you more than I do at that
moment, I find out that I’m wrong.  And my love for you grows,] he
thought to her as he tightened his arms around her and kissed her. 

Before their kiss could deepen into something else she pulled away.
“Mulder!  At this rate we will never get out of this bedroom,” she
objected.  She cut off his protest with a thought, [You need a shower,
Mister!] 

Mulder leered back at Scully, “*We* need a shower, Scully.”  Sensing
that she really wanted to give in anyway, he added- in his most
innocent tone- “I could wash your back…” 

Scully did not for a moment have any illusions that washing her back
was all he had in mind.  However, her thoughts were leaning in that
direction as well.  She smiled a coquettish little smile and said,
“Ok!” as she bounded out of the bed, dragging Mulder along with her. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Nick’s Loft 
4:30 p.m. Friday 

He woke up before Natalie that evening.  He could hear Dana and Mulder
playing and giggling in the guest room.  He smiled to hear the joy they
had in each other.  He was looking forward to a bond with Natalie.  It
might not be as close as the bond his childé had with her lover, but it
would be a wonderful sharing of souls.  Thanks to Mulder, Nick wouldn’t
have to worry about Dana being jealous of her new sister.  Especially
since this sister would also be her master’s life-mate. 

Nick also was giddy with anticipation about Natalie’s transformation.
It seemed that she was vampire.  “Her reaction last night was certainly
textbook vampire,” he thought.  He would be interested in Mulder’s
reaction- to see if she exhibited any ‘Quickening’ once she awoke from
her death-like sleep.  Whatever the case, he could feel her now as he
did Dana, so he was hopeful.  He drank one bottle himself in order to
be properly fortified for the evening ahead, then waited in eager
anticipation for his beloved to awake. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Natalie woke up to the feeling of hunger pains so intense that she was
cramping up into a fetal position.  She heard someone say ‘Here Nat,
take this,’ and a wine bottle was pressed into her hands.  She could
smell the blood and immediately poured it down her throat as fast as it
would come out.  The moment it was empty it was taken from her and
replaced with a full one.  This continued until she was nearly through
her fourth bottle.  She set it down in her lap and finally took a
breath, “You weren’t kidding about the first hunger!”  She licked her
lips and finished off the bottle.  Turning to face Nick she asked, “It
gets better, right?” 

Nick smiled and replied, “You will always wake up hungry, my dear; but
it will get much easier with time.” 

Now that her thirst was assuaged, she became hungry for something else.
Nick was sitting on the edge of the bed, and they were both naked.  Her
new senses made her more aware of him than she had ever been before-
the smell of him was stronger now, and she could smell herself on him
from last night.  Her own arousal quickly surged and she gave in to the
impulse to attack him. 

Nick saw the look in her eyes a split second before she leapt on him.
As they fell to the floor he spun them around so that he landed on her,
pinning her wrists above her head and her legs with his.  “Oho! Feeling
playful this evening, are we?” he teased. 

Natalie felt her fangs tear through her gums for the first time and saw
everything around her through a filter of green.  She felt a need in
her for Nick that was almost as strong as her hunger for blood had
been.  She needed to feel him inside of her, thrusting.  She needed to
feel his fangs in her throat and sink her own into the sweet honey she
could smell flowing through his veins.  “Nick!  I need you now!” she
said as she struggled to get to him with her teeth. 

“Patience love, behave yourself and you will get what you need,” he
said.  He saw a subtle change come over her when he told her to behave,
a certain glint in her eye.  He felt himself becoming even more aroused
at the possibilities, but he wasn’t certain that she wanted what he was
thinking of, so he tried another tack; “You will have to restrain
yourself, Natalie,” he began- emphasizing the word ‘restrain.’ 

Natalie suddenly had a picture in her mind of Nick restraining her,
dominating her and driving her wild with ecstasy as she lost all
control.  She didn’t know if he was sending the image to her, or she
was sending it to him, but she could see that he was definitely getting
it.  This was an aspect of her personality that even she had been
unaware of.  She had never played BDSM games before, but the thought of
it was making her wet with anticipation. 

Nick definitely got the picture.  He didn’t have all the hardware they
would need, but he did have handcuffs, and they would do for now.
Plus, with her new strength, she could easily break free if things went
beyond what she was willing to do.  He swiftly grabbed her, and the
handcuffs, and but her on the bed, on her knees facing the headboard.
He cuffed her hands together to the headboard and pulled her back
towards him until she was bent over, stretching forward to reach the
headboard with her ass up in the air facing him.  She was softly
moaning and demanding for him to take her now.  Nick stared in silence
for a moment at Natalie’s delicious ass wiggling in the air, her lips
wet and dripping for him.  It took all of his self control not to give
in to her demands for satisfaction.  He leaned forward over her,
letting the head of his cock brush her lips, but not enter.  He
whispered in her ear, “Is this what you want?” rubbing the head up and
down, wetting it in Natalie’s dripping juices. 

Natalie was wild with need.  “Yes Nick!  Do it now!” she demanded.  She
tried to push back onto him when she felt a delicious sting as his hand
came down on her ass with a resounding slap.  It made her even more
aroused and desperate for him. 

“Beg me for it Natalie,” he growled in her ear.  “Make me believe that
you need it more than you’ve ever needed anything before!” he said,
relishing this role, but at the same time hoping she wouldn’t hold out
too long.  He didn’t think he could wait very long himself. 

She wanted to beg, but she also wanted the game to go a little longer. 
She had never felt this aroused before.  The anticipation was amazing. 
She couldn’t trust herself to speak so she just shook her head and bit
down on her lower lip. 

Nick alternated between resounding spanks and gentle licks and kisses
on her pale white ass-cheeks, reddening them delightfully.  After each
spank he would repeat his demand that she beg for her release.  He was
almost to the point where he would be the one begging, himself.
Finally he ended one kiss by driving his fangs into the smooth ruddy
flesh. 

The sensation of Nick’s fangs in her ass drove her over the edge.  She
had already bitten through her lower and upper lips in an effort to
remain silent.  She finally gave in and began begging, crying for her
master to give her what she needed. 

That was all the encouragement Nick needed.  He immediately drove in to
her, pumping madly as his own need was so great.  She pushed back
against the headboard, meeting his thrusts with bone-shaking impact.
Finally he could take no more and sank his fangs into her neck, while
offering her his wrist so that she could find her way too. 

Natalie felt the warm jets of his release within her as her own
convulsions wracked her.  She felt the delightful weight of his body as
he collapsed on top of her, the length of his torso warm against her
back.  “Warm?” she muttered.  “Nick, why are you warm?” she asked,
confused momentarily. 

Nick chuckled, “Some doctor you are!” he teased, whispering in her ear.
He reached over to the nightstand and got the key for the cuffs. 

As he unlocked the cuffs, understanding dawned on her.  “I should have
expected that, I guess,” she said, shaking her head at her foolishness.
“I’m just used to you feeling cool to the touch.  It didn’t dawn on me
that that would change.” 

“It’s no matter, Love,” Nick replied.  “Although, speaking of
surprises…” he began, holding up the cuffs and shaking them in front of
her, “Where did that whole thing come from?” 

Just looking at the cuffs dangling in front of her was making her hot
again.  She suddenly had an image of herself strapped spread eagle to
the bed while Nick tortured her with his hands and mouth.  Liquid
warmth spread through her at the thought. 

Nick watched his mate’s eyes glaze over at the sight of the handcuffs. 
He saw her nipples surge erect and smelled her renewed arousal.  He was
amazed at this response.  “You never told me you were into this,
Natalie,” he said seductively.  “I would have been happy to
accommodate, you know,” he whispered, drawing closer to her. 

Natalie was a modern woman.  She believed that women were equal to men
in every way; frankly, they were superior in many ways.  She still
believed that- and if she had thought for one second that Nick
considered her to be anything less than his equal she would have never
allowed him into her life as she had.  That being said, the thought of
Nick dominating her, enslaving her, and utterly possessing her was
driving her wild.  She finally took her eyes off of the cuffs and met
his gaze.  “I never thought I could be, Nick.  I never imagined that I
could trust someone enough to surrender myself wholly to them.”  She
smiled at him in delight, “When you possess me, Nick, I feel free.” 

The combination of her words, her scent, and the feelings she was
broadcasting through their link was more than he could stand.  He
dropped the cuffs and grabbed her hands in his own.  “Then feel free,
my love,” he said as he pressed her against the bedroom wall, holding
her hands above her head with one of his own.  He ravaged her mouth
with his, while running his free hand over her body.  He reached behind
her and pulled her hips away from the wall until she was hanging by her
hands. 

She wrapped her legs around his waist for support as he drove himself
home inside her once again.  He began ramming himself into her,
pressing her into the wall with each stroke.  He drew out slowly and
slammed back in forcefully again and again.  She had no real leverage
to thrust back, so she tried to pull him into her with her legs around
his waist, but he ignored her and kept his steady pace- relentlessly
driving her insane with need.  She begged him to go faster, but he paid
no heed to her pleas. 

Nick was driving himself insane at the same time.  He felt the need to
drive his fangs into her neck and trigger his release but ignored it.
He was going to bring her to the edge slowly, knowing the outcome would
be more intense, the slower he took her there.  So he continued to
drive into her until she was weeping blood tears, thrashing about and
crying his name.  Her eyes were blood red and her fangs were gnashing
as she tried to reach out and sink them into his flesh.  He kept her
restrained and leaned away from her efforts to bite him.  His own eyes
were red and his fangs too itched to be sheathed in her flesh. 

When she was ready to reach the summit he denied her his blood.  She
was crazy with need, trying to reach him with her mouth, trying to bite
him anywhere she could get to, trying futilely to free her hands from
his grasp.  Finally when she thought she would lose her mind entirely,
he lowered his head to her and allowed her to sink her teeth into his
throat.  The moment his warm blood hit the back of her throat she came
like a supernova- the sensation burning her mind with its intensity.
The pleasure felt like fire searing through her veins and she didn’t
even notice his teeth in her shoulder until they had consumed enough of
one another to begin tasting themselves in the blood. 

Nick released her hands as he pulled away from her.  Then he leaned
forward and kissed her, softly and lovingly.  “I love you Natalie
Lambert,” he said simply. 

Feeling the love flow through to her she luxuriated in its warm
embrace.  “I love you too, Nicolas de Brabant Knight,” while returning
the feeling through the link. 

They decided that a shower would be in order, and spent another 45
minutes exploring each other’s bodies before the water got too cold for
even them. 

“We need a bigger hot water tank,” Nick said as they returned to their
bedroom to dress- kissing all the way. 

“Absolutely,” Natalie agreed.  “Maybe one of those ‘constant demand’
water heaters,” she said as she briefly broke the kiss.  “Do you think
we should go downstairs and join Dana and Mulder?” she asked before
planting another kiss on his mouth. 

Nick slid away from her mouth and began kissing her cheek toward her
ear, which he began licking and biting gently, “I suppose we are being
neglectful hosts,” he answered. 

“Ok,” Natalie answered with a shiver.  “But, we will continue this
later, right?” 

“Ab-so-lutely!” Nick whispered in her ear, before breaking away to
finish dressing. 

They went down the stairs hand-in-hand and noticed Dana latched on to
Mulder’s neck.  Nick smiled at the thought of catching his daughter
‘necking’ with her boyfriend on the living room couch. 

Natalie wondered if Mulder was getting used to the flavor of blood, as
she remembered her own distaste for it before coming across. 

Nick chuckled aloud and said, “Alright you two, get a room.” 

He stopped dead in his tracks when they pulled away from each other
suddenly and turned toward himself and Natalie. 

Natalie gasped at the look on Mulder’s face.  More accurately, she
gasped at the look *of* his face. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

Nick’s Loft 
6:00 p.m. Friday 

After drying off and getting dressed, Mulder and Scully went downstairs
and sat on the couch in front of the fire that Nick seemed to have
perpetually going.  Mulder sat in the corner of the couch, with Scully
curled up against him.  They each had a glass of bloodwine they were
sipping on, and they were discussing their immediate future.  Out of
deference for Nick and Nat, who they could hear were moving about in
Nick’s room, they were conversing via thought.  Besides, Mulder thought
it was cool to be able to do it this way. 

[You’re such a boy, Mulder,] Scully thought. 

[Come on, Scully.  Didn’t you ever dream of being telepathic?  We’re
living, breathing X-files!] he replied. 

Scully sighed.  [Speaking of the X-files…] 

[Yeah.  I've been thinking about that lately.  What do you want to do?]
he asked. 

[I don’t think I can stay in the bureau like this.  Frankly, I don’t
know that I want to anyway.] 

[Really?] Mulder asked, astonished.  He had always thought their work
was just as important to her as to him. 

[We don’t need the Bureau to look for answers, Mulder,] she said. [We
are part of a community now that has resources unlike anything the
bureau could have ever provided.  If we combine that with the links the
gunmen have, we should be able to do even better than we were before.] 

Mulder was somewhat surprised to hear her echoing Natalie’s sentiments
so exactly. 

Scully continued, warming to her subject, [plus, we won’t have to put
up with the crap details, the oversight, the politics…] 

[The expense reports!  I always hated those,] Mulder added. 

Mulder’s comment took some of the wind out of Scully’s sails, [Well…
yeah.  There is that.] she began.  [We could find a way to make it
work.  Maybe we could consult, consultants make a lot of money.] 

Mulder realized that Scully thought he was nay-saying.  [Actually,
Scully.  I’ve got money.  I was serious about hating those expense
reports.] 

“What do you mean, ‘I've got money?’”] Scully demanded, pushing away
and turning to face him with one brow raised. 

[The wages of sin pay pretty well, Scully.  Dearest Dad left behind
quite a chunk of change.  Plus there are several houses…] he began. 

[You mean all this time you were rich?  Why did we always have to stay
in the seediest hotels available?] she demanded.  [If I had known you
were rich, I would have seduced you a long time ago,] she joked. 

“If I had known you would have seduced me, I would have told you a long
time ago,” he whispered. 

They both laughed softly at that, mostly at their own stupidity for not
seeing how the other felt for so long.  Scully curled back up against
him and they sat in silence for a moment- mental as well as physical.
They could sense each other’s emotions intimately, however, it seemed
that they only heard each other’s word thoughts, not mental pictures or
images, unless they were sharing blood.  When they were in the same
room, their senses overlapped and everything seemed to be in 5-sense
equivalent of surround sound.  When they were in different
environments, their own senses dominated unless they concentrated on
the other’s. 

Suddenly they both thought to each other, [I was thinking…] then they
laughed and Scully thought [go ahead, Mulder] 

[I love you Scully.  You know that…] he began. 

She would have been nervous at that except that she felt nothing but
love and adoration from him.  [Yes, I do,] she interjected. 

Mulder smiled, pulled her a little tighter against him and nuzzled her
hair, luxuriating in the feel, smell, and presence of his Scully.  [I
want to be with you forever.  In ten millennia I want to be holding you
in my arms, just like this.  You’re mine- ‘My Scully’.] 

She secretly- although not so secretly anymore- enjoyed Mulder’s
possessive streak.  She wanted to be possessed by him, wholly.  Just as
she owned him utterly.  [Yes.  And you belong to me.  I own you,
Mulder.] 

Mulder reached his hand up and caressed her face with the back of his
fingers, [Completely,] he agreed.  [I want to proclaim it, Scully.  I
want to look at you and think, ‘That’s my wife’,] 

Scully’s breath caught and she spun around in his arms to face him,
just in time to meet his gaze as he said, “Dana Scully, will you marry
me?” 

Immediately tears of joy welled up in her eyes and left bloody streaks
down her cheeks.  She was rendered speechless, but not without thought,
[Every time, Mulder…] 

Mulder thought that was a funny way to answer his question, [every
time?] 

[Every time I think ‘I couldn’t possibly get any happier than I am
right now,’ you prove me wrong,] she thought.  Recovering her voice she
said, “Of course I’ll marry you, Mulder.  I’ll love you forever- and
ten millennia from now I want to be sitting in the arms of my husband. 

The happiness Mulder felt both in himself, and from his now fiancée,
combined with the smell of her bloodtears sparked Mulder to change.
His eyes turned, his fangs dropped and he couldn’t restrain himself
from leaning forward and licking the tears from Scully’s cheeks. 

Well, that incredibly erotic act broke what little restraint Scully was
showing and she changed too.  Within a heartbeat- his, not hers- their
fangs were buried in each other’s necks.  Just in time for Nick and
Natalie to come walking down the stairs. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

The Corbeau 
3:00 p.m. Friday 

Janette woke up to the sound of snoring.  Very faint, but unusual
enough by its very presence to bring her back to consciousness.
Vampires, not needing to breathe at all, didn’t snore.  She hadn’t
woken up to that sound since Robert had died. 

She turned to her side to look at the man who now occupied her bed.  It
was amazing to think that she had met this man less than 24 hours ago,
and yet here he lay in her private chambers below the club; in her bed.
She barely knew him, yet she already loved him.  “At least he is not
mortal,” she thought with relief.  She would not have to suffer the
anxiety of the thought that he could die at any moment, car wreck,
illness, random violence, etc…  There was, however, the matter of this
‘Game’ that he had told her about.  “Ritual Combat seems a silly way to
spend eternity,” she thought.  Still, Janette had not fallen in love on
a whim since Nicolas.  She had, on impulse, become infatuated with a
potential new toy from time to time, yes.  But not love. 

Then, of course, there was the revelation of her family in Toronto .
They had spoken for several hours before they finally both were on the
verge of exhaustion.  She had invited him into her bed, but neither had
the energy to do more than fall asleep in each other’s arms. 

She was still incredulous at the turn of events in Toronto .  Nicolas
had made a childé?  She had expected that he would eventually give in
and turn his precious doctor.  He would never have the control to
successfully try the ‘cure’ by taking only a little from Natalie.  “No,
he would end up draining her, and bringing her across.  Then he would
be obsessively guilty about it for the next two centuries,” she
thought.  And now, it turned out that Natalie might be an immortal, or
she might be a vampire- Nicolas was actually willing to bring her
across?  “Obviously things have changed since I left Toronto .  Changed
dramatically,” she thought.  She wondered what circumstances could have
possibly led to him making a childé other than Natalie in the first
place.  Especially an FBI agent- one whose partner turned out to be an
immortal like Duncan . 

That thought brought her back to this glorious man who was lying next
to her.  She felt her fangs ache in desire.  She still could not
believe her good fortune to have someone like this quite neatly drop
into her life.  She would have been suspicious if not for the fact that
she would know the truth at the first taste of his blood.  She believed
in him already, but if he were trying to trick her she would know soon
enough.  “And what point would there be to such an elaborate ruse?” she
wondered. 

MacLeod awoke, opening his eyes and seeing before him a most beautiful
sight.  Janette was lying there, watching him.  Her hair was sleep-
tousled, her eyes were bright; the irises a deep green that he imagined
he could fall into forever.  “God, Janette. You are lovely!” he
whispered, the words torn from him by her sheer presence. 

Janette could hear the desire in his voice, his accelerated heart beat
and respiration.  She saw his beautiful eyes dilate with arousal.  “You
look absolutely delicious, Duncan ,” she replied.  She reached out to
still him momentarily before he moved in on her.  She responded to his
look of confusion by saying, “I doubt that either of your encounters
with my kind involved a discussion of vampire sexual practices.” 

“No.  They did no cover that topic,” he replied.  “Is there a great
difference?” he asked, taking her hand from his chest and delicately
kissing her palm. 

Janette smiled at Duncan ’s behavior.  Her own arousal was climbing
rapidly, but she felt that he needed to know, even if he didn’t really
risk death, “At least not permanently,” she thought.  “Vampire sex
involves the exchange of blood in addition to the usual physical
coupling,” she explained delicately.  We can not reach our, shall we
say, ‘peak’ without the blood.” 

“Ah,” he replied.  “Do humans usually survive sex with vampires?” he
asked. 

She hoped he was not getting cold feet, “If sex is all the vampire has
in mind?  Sometimes; if the vampire wants to stop.  Their mortal
partner will survive,” she answered.  “Of course it isn’t as simple as
that.  If the vampire has a strong emotional attachment to their lover,
it can be especially hard to stop in time,” she added. 

Duncan moved closer to her, stroking his hand up her bare arm, to the
strap of her nightgown.  He looked into her eyes for any sign that she
wanted him to stop.  Finding none, he slowly slid the strap over her
shoulder.  “Why is that?” he asked, casually. 

Janette smiled even more broadly at the incongruity between Duncan 's
questions and his actions.  Obviously his mind was made up.  She ran
her free hand down over his muscled chest and abdomen, exploring,
teasing and tweaking.  “Well, a vampire’s bite, and the subsequent
consumption of blood, forms a connection between the two.  A person’s
thoughts, feelings and emotions are carried in their blood.  When it is
someone for whom you have deep feelings, you can get caught up in the
experience, distracted.” 

“Hmm, what happens then?” MacLeod asked, sliding the strap off her
other shoulder. 

Janette was definitely becoming distracted by Duncan ’s ministrations. 
Her breasts ached to be held, and her nipples were diamond hard,
begging to be suckled.  “Ah, well… Hmm, we can take too much; forget
ourselves and fail to stop in time.” 

“And then…” he whispered as he cupped her breast through her gown. 

Janette was growing slick with arousal.  She thought that she would
melt if she didn’t get him inside her soon.  “The mortal will die, or
be brought across,” she answered at last.  Her fangs were dropping, and
all the colors around her were turning green. 

MacLeod looked Janette straight in the eye as he slipped his hand
beneath the now loosened nightgown and gently cupped one breast in his
hand, sliding his palm across the hardened nipple.  His voice dropped
to a husky whisper, “You will no have to worry about that with me,
Janette.  I will come back to you.”  He closed the rest of the distance
between them and kissed her, gently.  His tongue slid across her teeth,
scraping lightly on her fangs, drawing a drop of blood. 

Even that tiny drop was enough to show Janette the truth behind his
words.  It was impossible that they could love each other after so
brief a time, yet she tasted echoes of her own feelings in his blood.
She could feel his erection pressing against her gown, trapped inside
his briefs.  She rolled him onto his back, hitching up the length of
her gown and pulling down his underwear just enough for what she
needed. 

Mac felt himself groan from deep inside his belly as her slick, cool
flesh enveloped him.  It was a sensation entirely unique in his 400
years of life.  He looked up at her as she slowly slid up and down his
length.  Her eyes glowed a golden green, her ruby lips were parted and
her bright white teeth and fangs glistened.  Before he knew of vampires
he would never have imagined that glowing eyes and fangs would be sexy,
but they were.  And how!  He caught a tantalizing glimpse of her
breasts swaying under the gapped nightgown, and suddenly he had a
desperate need to see all of her.  “Janette, please,” he moaned.  “I
want to see you.” 

She knew instinctively what he meant.  She swooped down on him for a
short, but heated kiss, and then sat up on him, shimmying her gown over
her head and off. 

MacLeod’s breath caught at the sight.  Her flesh was uniformly creamy
white, save for her dark nipples and the triangle of hair on her lower
abdomen where their bodies met.  He hadn’t thought it was possible to
become harder than he already was, but he did.  He gasped, “God in
heaven, you are beautiful!” 

Janette felt his member swelling inside her.  He was like a length of
just forged steel inside her, filling her with heat.  He reached around
her and pulled her down to him, pressing his face into her bosom,
suckling like a newborn.  She hadn’t felt this cherished in a long,
long time.  It felt wonderful. 

Mac felt himself coming close to the edge and began to thrust
powerfully up into her, increasing the tempo of their love.  He
remembered that she would need to take his blood in order to reach her
own orgasm, so he arched his neck and said, “Now, Janette.  Do it now!”


She needed no further urging, having been restraining herself since she
awoke.  She buried her fangs into the golden sweep of his neck and
drank strongly. 

The link was established between them and swept them up into the
whirlwind of thoughts, feelings, and memories attendant to the act.
They jointly felt the hot gush of his orgasm inside her, and the
tremors and contractions of her nearly simultaneous release.  They each
felt the cherishing love that they had for one another.  The lack of
time shared between them was erased in an instant, and they knew one
another completely.  Each was amazed at the other’s age, not having
known what to expect.  They instantly forgave one another for past
sins, and gloried in their joy of life, despite dark times.  More
importantly they accepted each other as they were, and could easily see
joining for eternity. 

In the past, each had lamented the loss of those whom they might have
thought of as soul mates.  Now they saw that each had really been
waiting for this moment.  This relationship was already beyond what
either had ever experienced before, and it was in its infancy.  They
would delight in seeing it grow over the next millennia or two. 

Inevitably, Janette was unable to stop in time.  MacLeod felt death
approaching, as he had hundreds of times before.  He reassured her
through the link that he would come back for her, and then blackness
took them both. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

The Raven 
6:00 p.m. Friday 

“Very well,” LaCroix said as he put down the phone.  Aristotle hadn’t
found out very much about ‘Adam Pierson.’  The name was obviously
false, Aristotle had found a birth certificate for him, and a death
certificate dated not long after.  The personal history was quite good,
he had said.  Not quite at his own level of expertise, but better than
what most government agencies were doing these days. 

The only thing Aristotle had found that was of any interest to LaCroix
was a tax record of a research grant to the University of Washington
that listed Pierson as the chief researcher.  The grant came from a
source that was well hidden, but Aristotle had been able to track down
as an obscure historical society based in Bern Switzerland .  The
description of the society sounded to LaCroix as though it might be
affiliated with this Watcher group his granddaughter had run into, “or
run through,” he thought with a small smile.  He wondered what
Pierson’s affiliation with the Watchers was.  It was too unlikely to be
mere coincidence. 

LaCroix was, however, hesitant to have Aristotle dig any deeper.  If
the enforcers and the council were to become aware of the existence of
immortals, things could become rather unpleasant.  He needed to bide
his time until he knew more about the situation, until he could guide
the events as he saw fit. 

===== X-FILES ========== FOREVER KNIGHT ========== HIGHLANDER ===== 

 

....continued in chapter 15