Archived December 2002
------------------------------------------------ Warning: This story is rated R. If you are under 18 years then please do not read any further ------------------------------------------------ Nick sat beside Natalie as their flight began its descent into the small airstrip that served the small village near Echo Bay. They were here because of a double murder that seemed to resemble a case that Metro had worked on about a year ago. Nick had been the lead investigator and Natalie had discovered the cause of death, what for lack of a better term she'd called an 'ice bullet', impossible to trace but deadly nonetheless. Thankfully, it was winter and the village being located on the Arctic Circle, meant that Nick's 'allergy' would be much less of a problem. There were only about 5 hours of daylight at this time of year and the sun was so low in the sky that, with just a few precautions, Nick would be able to function during the daytime. He glanced down at Nat, who was asleep, her head resting on his shoulder, and smiled. He was looking forward to having this time alone with her. They had made great strides in their relationship, and for both of them this trip, though business, would also be a sort of holiday. Nick kissed her softly on the forehead. "Nat, wake up. We're getting ready to land." He said softly. Her eyelids fluttered as she slowly came awake. Nick felt his heart warm as she focused on his face and gave him a loving smile. "I can't believe that we're finally there," Nat said, yawning slightly. "If feels like I've been sitting in an airplane for a year." She kissed Nick lightly on the cheek. "Thanks for the use of your shoulder." She whispered. "Anytime." Nick replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. The plane at last touched down and Nick, Nat and the other twenty passengers aboard, gathered their belongings and headed out the door. Nick carried a small, black satchel that contained several bottles of bloodwine, while Nat had only her briefcase and purse. The small size of the commuter plane had forced them to check the rest of their luggage. As they made their way down the stairs, Nat couldn't help but notice how good Nick looked in the black leather coat he had on. When the wind hit her, she was glad that she had brought her own leather coat, and wished that it had buttons instead of just wrapping shut. Together they headed for the metal building that served as the baggage claim area, Nick putting his arm around Natalie to assist her on the icy path. Inside the building, Nat stayed close to Nick. The temperature was low enough to cause her to shiver and somehow just being beside Nick seemed to make her warmer. As two men began to deposit the luggage from their flight, Nick and Nat began to watch for theirs. It was with a gradually sinking feeling that Nat realized that she didn't see anything that even resembled either of their bags. She glanced at Nick and knew that he was also concerned by the nonappearance of their possessions. Finally he walked over to the man who seemed to be in charge. Nat watched as Nick spoke to him and then nodded and came back toward her. "It seems that the flight was overcrowded and our luggage is still at the airport in Yellowknife." Nick said, with a wry grin on his face. "Oh, that's just great! Do they have any idea when it will arrive here?" Nat asked. She saw Nick's eyes slide away from hers and knew she wasn't going to like the answer. "They'll be in on the next flight, two days from now." Nick replied. "TWO DAYS!" Nat exclaimed. "All right. I guess we'll just have to stop at a clothing store and get a couple...." she broke off at the look on Nick's face. "The nearest clothing store is about 120 kilometers from here, and according to that gentleman," Nick indicated the person he'd spoken to, "the road there is currently shut because of the last snowstorm." Nat looked at him in shock then took a deep breath. "Okay, I guess that means we had better be very careful with what we have on." She smiled, to let Nick know that she wasn't angry with him. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked, indicating his bag. Nick sighed with relief. "Yes, I've got enough in here for the next couple of days." There were additional supplies in both his and Natalie's luggage. He took her arm. "Let's see what sort of car they have for us and then find the police station. We'll see where they are putting us up and then get you some dinner." A short time later, Nick maneuvered a four-wheel drive vehicle in to the nearly empty parking area of the local police station. To say that the area was sparsely populated was like saying that there weren't many outdoor ice skating rinks in Saudi Arabia. The town seemed to consist of a small hotel/bar, a snow mobile dealership, a tiny food store/ restaurant, a laundromat and the police station. It was only 7pm, but only the police station, restaurant and hotel/bar appeared to be open. Nick and Nat entered and were soon in the chief's office. They made arrangements to start looking at the evidence the next morning, and then headed for the hotel. They stopped in the lobby and undid their coats before heading toward the front desk. They had gotten about halfway to it, when two large, obviously drunk men, each carrying a pitcher of beer came out of the bar area and promptly collided with Nick and Nat, dumping beer all over the two of them. The overpowering odor of beer immobilized Nick for a moment. Not until he heard Nat calling his name, in a somewhat anxious tone, did he realize that she was trapped between the two drunks. Nick had to struggle to keep his beast quiet as he saw one of the men attempt to pinch Nat's butt. In a flash, he grabbed the man and tossed him to one side. The other man took one look at the visible anger on Nick's face and quickly decided that he had somewhere else to be. Nick looked at Natalie, seeing she was near tears. He put his arms around her and she leaned into his protective embrace. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" He asked worriedly. "No, I'm not hurt, but I smell like a brewery." Nat said. She suddenly realized that Nick's shirt beneath her cheek was soaking wet. "So do you." Nick lifted her chin, to look into her eyes. "I cannot tell you how long it's been since I've smelled like this. I think this is one part of mortality I'd just as soon skip." Nat managed a smile. She knew that he was trying to make her feel better. "I don't know, eau de beer and eau de formaldehyde might make a nice combination." Nick's eyes sparkled. "Even with all the beer, you still smell like oranges and spice to me." He said, so softly that only she would hear him. The look that Nat gave him caused Nick's breath to catch in his throat. Any questions he may have had concerning Nat's feelings for him were vanquished by the open love he saw in her eyes, love and desire. He automatically tightened his arms around her and, to his joy, he felt her seem to melt against him. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her, tasting the sweetness of her lips, and losing himself in the delicious scent of her. At last he broke the kiss. "Let's see about our rooms." He said hoarsely. Nat felt like her legs were made of over-cooked spaghetti. She was breathing rapidly and didn't trust her voice. She nodded and managed, with Nick's support to cross the lobby to the desk. As they waited for someone to answer the bell, Nat looked at Nick. Her heart was still racing from his kiss and she longed for more, much more. When the manager appeared Nick smiled and spoke. "We'd like to check in, Chief McWilliams made reservations for us." Nick said to the man. "Lambert and Knight." The manager suddenly got an odd look on his face. "I..um.." He stuttered. Natalie spoke. "Is there a problem?" "Apparently, whoever took the reservation thought that was the name of one person, Lambert Knight." He explained. "The reservation is for one room." He swallowed. "Normally there wouldn't be a problem, but we are booked solid this week, so I don't have any other rooms." At Nick's astonished expression he explained. "The annual dog sled races start tomorrow." Nick glanced at Nat and noticed the slight smile on her face. "I see. Well I guess we'll just have to make do." He said. He felt Nat slip her hand into his. He tried to tell himself that this would be no different than the movie nights at his place, except that they'd be in a much smaller area and had no nightclothes. The last thought caused a sudden tingling in his groin. Nat could feel her heart pounding; at last, the chance to finally see all of Nick! She wondered if there was some way that she could manage to actually get him to sleep in the same bed as she did. They went up the stairs and found the room. "Considering how this trip has gone so far," Nat said jokingly, "I'm almost afraid to see what the accommodations look like!" "Don't worry, I'll be right here to protect you." Nick replied, hoping that he could protect her by holding her in his arms all night. He unlocked the door to reveal a surprisingly lovely room. The furnishings were antique in appearance, with colorful quilts on...the bed? Nick did a quick look around, seeing a door leading to the bath, a small table with wooden chairs, a dresser, but no sign of any other bed. Nick was thrilled at the possibility that part of his fondest dream might come true and terrified that he might harm Nat at the same time. Nat's eyes widened as she saw the room. Under her breath she quietly exclaimed, "YES!" Aloud she managed, "Oh my, this is going to be interesting." She glanced at Nick, seeing a mix of emotions on his face. She lay her arm on his, causing him to look at her, and smiled at him. "When Reese made his little speech the other day, about how Metro and Forensics needed to be close to one another, do you think this is what he had in mind?" She teased. Nick raised his eyebrows, "Somehow I have the feeling this wasn't what he was referring to, but I have to say it holds a definite appeal." His voice became soft and sensuous as he finished. "Oh, I have to agree there," Nat said, as she slowly ran her hand across his chest, "it is very definitely appealing." She frowned, suddenly as she encountered the still damp beer spill on his shirt. She moved away and peeked in the bath. "This only has a small sink and a shower," she said to Nick, "so much for my idea of washing our clothes out in the tub. Before we do anything else, I guess we ought to see if there is somewhere to get our clothes washed and dried. Maybe the hotel has a laundry." Nick nodded and picked up the phone, calling the front desk. It only took a few minutes to ascertain that the hotel did NOT have any such facilities and sent all of its cleaning to the laundromat down the street. The manager did offer to lend them the key to the laundromat, as well as the key to the machines, enabling them to clean their clothes and dry them. Nick accepted and, with Nat, headed back to the desk, retrieved the keys and walked over to the darkened laundromat. Nick opened the door, and flicked on the lights. In addition to several washers and dryers, the room contained a table for folding and stacking clothes, a couple of snack and drink machines and a large sofa against the wall. Obviously, the owner had decided to allow his customers to wait in comfort for their wash to be finished. The room itself was comfortably warm, and the small windows on the street had drapes that were closed, thus shielding anyone inside from the looks of any possible passersby. "I guess we can do both of our outfits in one load," Nat opined. "We'll still have our coats, after all." She nodded toward the restroom. "I'll go change." Nick watched as she disappeared through the door. Just knowing that when she returned, she'd have nothing on under her coat, was causing him to have wonderful fantasies about what COULD happen. Nat quickly stripped off her clothes, washed the stickiness from her skin, and slipped her coat back on. Catching sight of herself in the mirror, she realized that the neckline was a lot lower than she'd thought it to be. The gentle swell of her breasts were clearly visible, in fact MOST of her bosom was in plain view. That the bottom of the coat barely covered her butt didn't hurt either. She gave a wicked grin as she wondered how Nick would react. Carrying her clothes in one hand, and her shoes in the other, she went back into the main room. As Nat returned, Nick couldn't seem to tear his eyes from the creamy expanse of skin that her coat revealed. The soft leather seemed to mold itself to her body, outlining every delicious curve and almost inviting him to peel it off. His hands actually twitched with the desire to bare all of Nat's body to his eyes. He'd dreamed often of how she must look and longed to have her open to his thirsty eyes and eager hands. The way she'd felt in his arms, only a little while earlier, inflamed his need. He became aware that Nat was speaking to him. "I'm sorry," he began, "I guess my mind was, um, elsewhere." Nat smiled to herself, fully aware of where Nick's mind was. "I said, do you want to go change now?" Nick nodded, and headed into the small restroom. As he stripped off his clothes, he was not at all surprised to find that he had quite an erection. 'I only hope that the coat will cover it!' He thought. He also wondered just how he was going to manage to share a bed with Nat and still control his beast. He wanted her, wanted to feel her body beneath his, to taste her passion and to bury his now throbbing cock deep in her moist warmth. He wanted to know everything she was, to take her blood into him, the orange and spicy taste slowly savored. Nick sighed; they both knew that it was dangerous. He tried, unsuccessfully, to will away his tumescence. He didn't realize that as he walked the lower part of the coat, past the buttons, gave a tantalizing glimpse of his well-formed shaft. Hoping that he would be able to keep his beast at bay, he rejoined Nat. Nat kept her jaw from falling open through sheer willpower. Her eyes kept drifting to where the paleness of Nick's lower body showed beneath his coat. She felt her mouth go dry and knew that her pulse was racing. An all but irresistible wave of desire swept through her body and she began fumbling with the minutiae of getting the washer started in an effort to regain some control. Nick watched as Nat's actions caused her coat to ride up, showing the very edge of the soft roundness of her butt to him. He moved to the couch, knowing that if he got closer to her, he would not be able to stop himself from touching her, and was fearful that he might lose control. Nat joined Nick and they sat, not quite touching, and chatted about anything they could think of to keep from acting on their desires. At last the wash cycle ended and Nat went over to put the wet clothes into a dryer. Nick followed and, thinking to help gathered some of the clothes from the washer and carried them over to where Nat was setting the dryer controls. When Nick's arm touched her shoulder as he reached from behind her to deposit the clothes he held into the dryer, Nat felt as if a live electric wire had touched her. With a soft moan, she automatically leaned back against Nick feeling the firm muscles of his chest against her back and, much to her delight, the hard fullness of his manhood against her butt. Nat quickly shut the dryer and pressed start. Nick inhaled sharply as Nat leaned against him. Her scent filled his head and her warmth stroked his ardor. His hands moved on his own, finding her waist and pulling her tightly against him. He dropped his lips first to her hair and as she sighed and seemed to melt into him, he lifted her hair and lightly trailed kisses on the soft skin of her neck. When Nat stirred in his embrace, he loosened his hold and to his delight she turned to face him, her arms reaching up to encircle his neck. Breathing heavily, he looked into her eyes and seeing the bald look of need and desire in them, sought her lips. Nat met Nick's kiss with joy and eagerness. Her lips parted, readily admitting his probing tongue. She felt his cool hands slip beneath the hem of her coat to tentatively cup her butt, causing her to press against his hardness. Nat slowly rubbed against him, and moaned as one on his hands slide between her legs to touch the damp heat of her core. She felt herself lifted into his arms, and she clung to him, wanting to never leave them. Nick carried Nat over to the sofa, and gently laid her on it. He reached down and, watching her face for permission untied the belt that held her coat shut. Her smile of gladness reassured him that she wanted this as much as he did. Like a child opening a long desired present, he slowly opened her coat and feasted his eyes on the soft, rosy skin of her body. Nat shrugged her arms from the coat sleeves and reached up to him. He paused only to unbutton and remove his own coat, before lying beside her on the couch, his body half covering hers. "Nat, I want you. I LOVE you." Nick murmured into her ear. "I don't want to hurt you. Please trust me to not harm you." He looked with pleading eyes into hers "I do trust you, Nick." Nat said softly. "I know that you will never hurt me. I love you, too." She could feel tears of happiness fill her eyes. He had finally told her the one thing she had longed to hear. He loved her. Nat knew that no matter what the risk, they had to be one. "Make love to me, Nick." She said, her voice trembling with love, need, and hope. She saw the fear in his eyes, but she also saw a fire in him that burned as brightly as she own did. "I know that there is a chance that you might kill me or bring me across," she continued. She saw the pain her words brought to his eyes. "I'm not afraid of what you are or of being like you," she reassured him, "and I'd rather die in your arms, making love, than live to be one hundred without ever knowing that joy." She felt her tears rolling down her cheeks. Nick looked at her, unable to believe that anyone, let alone Natalie, could care that much for him. His first instinct was to tell her that they dare not take the chance, but the honesty and sincerity in her voice and his own raging desire overcame his reluctance. He softly kissed away her tears. To her questioning eyes, he nodded and smiled, not trusting his voice. Slowly he began to stroke her body, strong hands moving feather light across her soft curves. He cupped her breast and carefully kneaded it, causing Nat to arch her back and press its fullness into his hand. His lips traced the outline of her eyes, her cheeks, and then concentrated on her full, parted lips. He could feel his hardness growing, aching to be buried in her warmth. Now he moved his lips down to the line of her jaw, licking and kissing each inch of skin beneath them. He could taste her arousal, and the rich musk odor of her desire melded with the orange and spice scent. When his lips reached her breasts, he took his time licking and sucking at each nipple, feeling Nat writhe in pleasure beneath him. He felt her warm hands on his own skin, caressing, cupping and pulling him closer to her. Nat thought she might faint from the marvelous sensations that were coursing through her nerves. She wanted Nick to know every part of her and wanted to know all of him. With only a moment's hesitation, she reached down and cupped his scrotum in her hand. She felt the tremor that this sent through Nick's body and heard him make a low, growling sound. She sensed that the vampire had emerged and, without the slightest fear, she looked up into his now golden eyes. She held his gaze as she took his shaft into her hand and slowly began to stroke him. Even with the gold of the vampire in them, she could still see his love for her shining in his eyes. Natalie's touch was like nothing Nick had ever known. Her lack of fear enabled him to maintain some measure of humanity, even while accepting the vampire's presence. He parted her legs with his hand, seeking first the slick heat of her vagina, then lightly stroking the engorged center of her pleasure. The ever-quickening speed of her breathing and heartbeat spoke to him of her pleasure. He gradually increased the speed and pressure of his hand against her clit, carrying her to the brink of orgasm. He was trembling with his own longing to plunge into her. As she cried out his name and begged him to fill her with his manhood, he eased between her legs and lifted her hips slightly. He smiled into her eyes as he felt her guide his rock hard cock to the hot opening he so desired. Gasping with the feeling, he slowly entered her. Nat felt Nick's coolness penetrating her and filling her completely. She thrust her hips forward, wanting to take all of him deeply inside her. She tightened her vaginal muscles around him, feeling the throbbing of his cock. As he began to move in her, she could feel every muscle in her body tensing in pre-orgasmic need. She was panting, so great was the heat that had built in her womb. As Nick moved faster, she was at last swept over the edge of her bliss. It seemed to her that every fiber of her being was made of flame that melted all her joints and muscles. She fell limply back as the wonderful waves of pleasure washed over her, only vaguely aware that the voice she heard crying out in wordless ecstasy was her own. Nick felt Nat's explosive orgasm, and that, combined with her cry of delight, took him to the brink of his own climax. With a silent prayer he plunged his fangs into the skin of her throat, at last tasting her blood. The intensity of her love for and trust in him flooded his senses. He drank deeply, wanting the wonderful feeling this gave him to last forever. His shuddered as his climax exploded and he felt his seed spurt into her. He felt Nat's wonder as she touched his mind and her joy at what she found there. It was her thoughts, which enabled him to stop drinking. Her promise to him, that she would always be with him, would always love him, was the balm that allowed him to push the beast back and hold her as a man. He looked into her shining eyes and knew that this was only the beginning, the first of what might be an eternity of love they would share. The dryer began to buzz and they slowly got up and retrieved their garments. As they dressed, Nat looked at Nick. "You know, when we get back to the hotel, we have a lovely big bed just waiting for us." She saw the slightly lecherous grin that appeared on his face. "That is if you'd be interested in seeing what we could find to do there." She added. Nick laughed and caught her up into his arms. "Oh, I have a number of ideas we might try, and I am definitely interested!" They left, and headed back across the street, neither one expecting to get more than a few hours of sleep. The End.