(Day 2 - 3:30 a.m.)

Nat smacked Nick's shoulder playfully before looping her arm
through his, and they took the stairway down to the lobby. A blast
of cold air rushed at them as Nick opened the door. The sky was
finally clear after three nights of rain and fog. As they neared
the caddy, Nat noticed the broken headlamp. She didn't say anything
until she noticed the window had also been smashed. "What happened
to the car, Nick?"

Nick opened the passenger side door for her. "Repayment for a
broken nose, I believe." He wondered what she would have thought of
his post-hypnotic suggestion to Craig, and decided it best not to
try to find out.

Nick went around the car and climbed into the driver's seat. They
set off to visit Baby Doe at the hospital.

After parking in the half-empty lot, Nick and Nat entered the
hospital and walked over to the front desk. A young blonde
receptionist in a green dress greeted them with a smile. "Who are
you here for?," she chirped.

"A Baby Doe brought in very early yesterday morning," Nick replied
eagerly.

The receptionist shook her head and frowned. "I'm sorry. At this
hour only family are allowed visiting privileges, and Baby Doe has
no family."

Nick pulled out his badge and held it up. The young woman checked
it and waved them towards the elevators. "I'll call upstairs, you
can go on up."

In the elevator Nat checked her watch and calculated the time until
sunrise. "We can only stay for thirty minutes, Nick." She tried to
remember just exactly when she started measuring her own life
according to the sun, but she couldn't recall.

A few seconds later the elevator doors opened at the third floor
and Nick and Nat stepped out. Directly in front of them was a
nursing station. Hallway corridors ran down either side of it. An
elderly nurse manning the station had just hung up the telephone
receiver and poked up her head. "Take the corridor to the right,
third door down on the left."

Nick and Nat made their way down the hallway and stopped outside
the nursery window. Most of the lights inside had been shut off,
but Baby Doe was quite visible in the first row. He had probably
been there all day for the benefit of media photographers. Nick
tapped lightly on the window and caught the attention of a young
nurse on the other side of the glass. He pointed out Baby Doe and
the nurse signalled them to go into the sitting room next to the
nursery. In the sitting room were a few rocking chairs, a coffee
table, and a large grey couch. Nick and Nat sat together on the
couch and waited for the baby to be brought out.

Moments later the nurse arrived with a tiny blue bundle and a
bottle of warm milk. She looked quizzically at Nat, then Nick.
"He's due for a feeding, anyone interested?"

Nat glanced at Nick and chuckled, then held her arms out. "I think
*I* better do that."

The nurse carefully handed the baby and bottle to Nat. Then she
disappeared back into the dimly lit nursery, leaving Nick and Nat
alone in the sitting room with Baby Doe.

Nick watched with interest as Nat fed the baby. After a few minutes
of silence he reached down and played with the tiny hand. "He is
kind of cute, isn't he."

"He's adorable," Nat beamed, not taking her eyes off Baby Doe. "I
can't believe how attached to him I am already. I guess partly
because I found him on my doorstep."

Nat freed her pinky finger from under the bottle and tickled Baby
Doe's cheek. "Do you believe in love at first sight little fellow?
Do you? Do you?"

Nick let go of the baby's hand and touched Nat's cheek. He gently
turned her face towards him and grinned, "I do." Nick couldn't
remember ever seeing Nat look as content as she did at that very
moment.

Nat gently removed the bottle from Baby Doe's mouth. She looked
slyly at Nick. "Time for a burp I think. Do you want to do it?"

Nick tried to refuse, but before he got the words out, Nat had
placed Baby Doe on his shoulder. "Just pat his back softly until he
burps," she grinned.

"I *have* seen it done before, Nat," Nick groaned. His uneasiness
quickly diminished as he started patting and rubbing the tiny back.
Nick seemed to be growing quite fond of the little thing.

"Are you okay, Nick?"

"I'm fine Nat. But I think we should give him a name - just between
us, of course. I don't like calling him Baby Doe."

"Well then, hmmm ...Snookums, Puddles, Pumpkin..."

"None of the above," Nick sighed.

Nat smiled. "So, how do you feel?"

"I'm here, with you, burping a baby." Nick lowered Baby Doe from
his shoulder and put him back into Nat's arms. "How do I feel? ...I
feel something I haven't felt for a very long time, Nat." Nick
kissed her tenderly on the lips. "I feel human," he whispered.

Nat kissed his cheek and whispered back, "someday".

Nat carefully stood up and crossed the room to take the baby back
into the nursery. She suddenly stopped by the exterior window and
peered out.

"What is it, Nat?" Nick asked.

Nat just smiled and resumed her jaunt to the nursery. "Nothing. I
thought I saw something outside the window, but there's nothing
there."
                         * * * * *

After leaving the nursery, Nick and Nat headed downstairs. The
newspaper box outside the front doors was crammed with the morning
papers, and Baby Doe's face was splashed across the front page.
Nick waited as Nat quickly dug through her wallet for some change.
She scooped a paper from the box. They continued their walk to the
parking lot and got into Nick's caddy.

"What are you going to do about the car?" Nat asked. "You can't
drive it around like this when you're working."

"I guess you're right." Nick thought about it for a moment, "can
you take it in for me later on this morning?"

"Of course," Nat answered brightly. Nat was feeling so blissful
after their visit with Baby Doe, that Nick could have asked her to
scrub his floors and she would have cheerfully agreed.

Nick and Nat were silent during the ten minute drive back to Nat's
place. Both of them were basking in the special contentment they
had experienced in the hospital, both with themselves, and with
each other.

Nick pulled up to the curb and parked the car. He opened the door
for Nat and took her hand, holding it tightly as he escorted her to
her apartment. Nick opened the door and kissed Nat's forehead.
"This is one night I wish would never end."

Nat stared lovingly into his blue eyes. "The night doesn't have to
end now. You can stay over again if you want."

"Of course I *want* to stay, Nat," Nick smiled, "but I don't think
it's a good idea." He leaned over to kiss her cheek, but Nat moved
her face quickly enough to catch his kiss on her lips. Nick hugged
her firmly. As he turned to leave he chuckled, "my, how you love to
tempt fate."
                         * * * * *

After sunset that evening, Nat stood waiting outside by Nick's car.
He finally arrived with her car shortly after 7:00. Nick walked
around the caddy and checked the newly replaced window and
headlight. He stopped next to Nat. "You look like you're going out.
What's the occasion?"

"I have a date," Nat teased. She paused for effect. "With Baby...
you never did pick out a name."

"I'll think of something," Nick laughed.

Nat's voice took on a touch of sadness. "Do you want to meet me at
the hospital for a few minutes on your way to work? I called Karen
Mantt at Social Services today and she told me he would be
discharged to foster care tomorrow morning."

"Sorry Nat. Tracy's already at the station waiting for me. We have
an interview tonight with a witness. I'll stop by here after work
and we can go say goodbye to him together."

"Done deal," Nat blurted out. She kissed Nick's cheek and smiled.
"Oh, by the way Nick, can you pick up my laptop and bring it with
you? It's in the cold room, under the sink."

"You're *supposed* to be on vacation, Nat."

"I know. I know. I just want to check out some things," Nat
whimpered.

Nick withdrew into his car and headed off to work, while Nat went
upstairs to grab a bite to eat before her trip to visit Baby Doe.


Arriving in the squad room at 7:45, Nick noticed Tracy waiting
impatiently for him at her desk. When she saw Nick, she ran towards
him excitedly. "Fill me on this Baby Doe case! I just found out
about it! The baby was left on Nat's doorstep? Why on earth didn't
you call me!"

Nick grinned. "It sounds like you already have all the facts."

"Still," Tracy paused to catch her breath. "You should have called
me, Nick. How often does something like that happen? And the mother
- they don't even know who she is. No ID, no prints on record, no
missing person match. No one has recognized the photograph of her
the department put out. All we know is she was about eighteen years
old."

"I don't think you need any 'filling in', Tracy," Nick quipped.
"That about sums up the case."

"I just can't believe no one has seen the girl," Tracy complained,
"especially when her pregnancy must have made her *extremely*
visible."

"I'm sure plenty of people have seen her, but whether anyone steps
forward with information is something else altogether." Nick
studied his watch and glanced back at Tracy. "Anyway, it's not our
case, and we have that Caleb interview in about forty minutes."

"I'll just get my coat," Tracy said as she skipped over to her desk
and picked up her jean jacket.

Nick decided he was going to stop off at the morgue on their way to
the interview. He reached into his pocket for his cell phone to
call Caleb and let him know they would be a few minutes late. It
was then that he noticed his phone was missing. He had left it in
Nat's car.
                         * * * * *

Nat arrived at the Hospital at 8:00. She made her way to the third
floor and was surprised to meet Karen Mantt in the hallway leading
to the nursery. Karen had told her earlier that the baby wouldn't
be discharged until the following day. A twinge of panic swept
through Nat. She and Nick had a very special connection to Baby
Doe, and she was distressed at the possibility that they would not
be able to say goodbye to him together.

"Karen!" Nat shouted. "What are you doing here! You told me Baby
Doe wasn't being discharged until tomorrow!" 

Karen smiled at Nat. "Relax, Natalie. He's not going anywhere until
tomorrow. I just stopped by on my way home from the office to take
a peek at him."

Nat was relieved and grinned. "He is a little bit contagious, isn't
he."

Karen flashed another warm smile. "Yes, and the mysterious facts
surrounding his birth, and his arrival at your doorstep, only
contribute further to his charm."

It was a bit of a jolt for Nat to think of LaCroix and the word
"charm" at the same time.

Karen and Nat continued down the hall to the nursery window. Nat
noticed a very different atmosphere at this time of the day. The
lights were up full and three nurses were busy tending to the
babies. Happy grandparents and nervous fathers maneuvered for
position in front of the window. The power these little things had
over adults, reducing them to babbling simpletons, was incredible
to Nat. The power Baby Doe had over a certain vampire was
irresistible to her. Lost happily in her thoughts of Nick, Nat
stepped over to the nursery door with Karen.

Karen called into the room for attention, and a gaunt, grey-haired
nurse sauntered over. Karen scanned the nurses's nameplate and said
authoritatively, "Nurse Ellen. I would like to see Baby Doe."

The nurse shook her head. "You're too late. He's not here. Someone
from Social Services picked him up twenty minutes ago."

Karen shoved the nurse aside and barged into the nursery. "*I* am
Social Services, and he is not supposed to be discharged until
tomorrow!"

Nurse Ellen huffed and crossed her arms. "Well he's already been
picked up." Pointing down the corridor she added curtly, "there's
a pay phone down in the lounge, why don't you just go and call your
office!" Karen hurriedly left the nursery and marched down the
corridor.

Having heard the exchange between Karen and the nurse, Nat strolled
into the nursery and started checking the bassinets. Baby Doe was
nowhere to be found. She returned to the hallway and grew worried
when she saw Karen returning with a stunned expression on her face.
As Karen approached her, Nat asked, "what is it?"

Karen wrapped her arms around her own chest and shook her head. "It
wasn't anyone from our office. The police are being advised as we
speak."

Nat flew down the hall towards the lounge, her stomach twisting
into knots, and dialed Nick's cell phone number. Each ring seemed
to last an eternity. There was, alas, no answer.

                         * * * * *

At about the same time that Nat had arrived at the Hospital, Nick
and Tracy had arrived at the morgue. Nick felt strange being there
at night and finding a darkened room, but Nat's temporary
replacement was on a call-in basis. Obviously there was no work for
him tonight.

Tracy stood outside the door while Nick entered the room and
flicked on the light switch. He headed for the cupboards across
from where he stood.

Tracy then gingerly stepped inside. "Where is Baby Doe's mother?"

"I don't know," Nick replied. He waved towards the cold lockers at
the far end of the room. "Go take a look if you want." Nick started
searching through the cupboards for Nat's computer.

Tracy cringed at the thought of opening those drawers, but her
curiosity got the better of her. She walked down to bank of
compartments and creaked one open - it was empty. She tried the
next one - it wasn't empty. Tracy slid the shelf out, and noticed
a patch of auburn hair sticking out from under the white sheet. She
slowly folded over the corner of the sheet to reveal Mother Doe's
face. Tracy turned deathly pale and let out a blood curdling
scream. "My God, Nick!! It's my cousin!!" Tracy fell to the floor
in a heap.

Nick stopped his foraging through the cupboards and dashed over to
Tracy. He knelt beside her and slightly lifted her head, "Tracy!
Tracy!"

Tracy immediately regained consciousness and opened her eyes. It's
my cousin Nick," she sobbed. "I haven't seen her for four years,
but I know it's her, Melissa Louise Vetter, my cousin."

Nick was dumbfounded. "How could it be your cousin? Surely someone
would have noticed her missing. And with your family's connections
to the police department, she would have certainly been found."

Tracy dragged herself to her feet, avoiding making eye contact with
the corpse on the slab. She kept her eyes on the floor. "Melissa
ran away from home two years ago, on her sixteenth birthday. She
had been having problems with her parents for a couple of years
before that. From what my uncle told me, she just stormed out the
front door one day and said she was never coming back. She never
did."

Nick pushed the shelf back into the cooler. "How on earth could
they have overlooked *that* in the missing persons records?"

Tracy wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket and let out a
mournful sob. "She was never reported missing, Nick. Her parents
didn't want to find her."

Nick took Tracy by the arm and led her out of the morgue, and into
his car.

On his way to the station, Nick pulled out the police radio and
called for Reese. After getting Reese on the other end, he said,
"Tracy's going to need some help, she's just identified Mother Doe
...as her cousin. You better cancel the Caleb interview too."

"What?" Reese asked a little astonished.

"I'll be there in a couple of minutes, Captain. I'll fill you in on
the details." Nick tucked the radio away and concentrated on
getting Tracy, upset and shaken, to the station.

They arrived at the police station a few minutes later. Reese was
waiting at the front doors and met Nick and Tracy there. He took
Tracy's arm and guided her in. "I'll look after Tracy, Nick.
Natalie's looking for you. She wants you to get to the hospital
right away."

Nick was puzzled. "What's going on?"

"Baby Doe's been kidnapped," Reese grunted in disgust. 


Nick drove quickly to the hospital. He got out of the elevator on
the third floor and rushed down the hallway. There were six
uniformed officers scattered about, interviewing various hospital
staff. Natalie was standing with her back to the nursery wall. Next
to her stood an officer who was interviewing Nurse Ellen, the nurse
who had handed Baby Doe over to the imposter.

Nick finally reached Natalie, her face awash in tears. She
collapsed into his arms and wailed, "my God, Nick, our baby's been
taken!" Nick held her in his arms. He understood perfectly what Nat
meant by "our baby". It symbolized the intimacy shared between them
that morning in the nursery.

Nurse Ellen wrung her hands nervously as she gave her description
of the culprit. "He was a tall man, white, blonde, close cropped
hair. He did seem a little odd, all dressed in black as he was, but
he had the proper papers."

Nick reeled with utter, heart-wrenching dread. He should have
known. Nat *did* see something in the window of the nursery that
morning. It was a shadow. It was a dark shadow. It was LaCroix.

The description was not lost on Natalie either, as she gasped and
started screaming at the nurse. "How could you! How could you! How
could you give the baby to *him*!" Vivid images of her dream of the
vampire baby came thundering into Nat's mind.

Nurse Ellen glared at Natalie and then at the officer who was
questioning her. "It's not *my* fault," she said brazenly. "He had
all the proper papers."

Nick continued holding Nat in an effort to comfort her, but nothing
could ebb the flow of tears. He staggered with her down the hallway
to the stairwell, and down the back stairs. Once outside, Nick
swept Natalie up into his arms, and flew to the Raven.

                         * * * * *

The Raven was dark and quiet when Nick arrived there with Nat still
in his arms. Her tears had stopped, but her expression was numb
with hurt and fear. Nick gently set her on her feet and tried the
door. It was locked, and Nick kicked it open. It was cold, dark,
and quiet inside. Nick tucked Nat safely behind him as they stepped
into the club.

LaCroix slithered out from the shadows with an amused look on his
face. "Nicholas ...Dr. Lambert," he crooned, "I've been expecting
you."

"Where is the child?" Nick demanded.

"Quite safe, Nicholas, I assure you."

"And what do you want with it?"

LaCroix chuckled. "You and Ms. Lambert have taken an unusual
interest in the child, have you not?"

"What of it," Nick snarled.

LaCroix took another step towards Nick. "Surely you must know by
now, Nicholas, that your interests inevitably become my interests."

Nick's eyes began to glow.

LaCroix took another step forward. "Don't be a fool, Nicholas. It
would be a fight you could not win." He eyed Nat peering out from
behind Nick's shoulder, and added menacingly, "and you would not go
down alone."

A sense of impending doom inspired Natalie to summon up her
courage. She took a deep breath and stepped out from behind Nick.
She clutched his hand tightly. Nat tried to sound strong and
unafraid, but her voice trembled as she spoke. "You've had your
fun, LaCroix. Give us the baby."

"Indeed," LaCroix grinned wickedly. "It has been rather
...amusing." LaCroix retreated back into the shadows for a moment
and returned with a basket. He walked towards Nick and Nat and
stopped about ten feet in front of them. He glared at Natalie, "Dr.
Lambert..."

LaCroix held the basket as Natalie cautiously approached him. Nick
started to follow, but LaCroix held out his arm as a signal for
Nick to stop. LaCroix vaguely licked his lips as Nat peered into
the basket at Baby Doe.

The baby was sound, moving his lips as though suckling in his
sleep. Nat exhaled a loud sigh of relief. "He's okay, Nick!" She
reached into the basket, but LaCroix seized her arm and growled
"No!"

Natalie looked to Nick for help and Nick charged to her side. "Let
her take the child, LaCroix."

"I will return him myself, later tonight." LaCroix suddenly rose
into the air with the basket.

"No!!!!", Nat screamed, as LaCroix disappeared from the room with
Baby Doe. She was wildly thrashing her arms when Nick grabbed hold
of her from behind. He held her snugly in his arms. "Don't worry,
Nat. LaCroix won't harm the baby. If he was going to do anything,
he would have already done it."

Nick's steady embrace and positive words consoled Nat. She gazed
sadly into his eyes and implored, "why did he do it, Nick? Why?"

"For the same reason he always does it," Nick groaned, "to teach me
a lesson. To remind me that I am not human, and that I will never
be human."

And Natalie understood, finally and completely, the hell that
LaCroix had subjected Nick to for centuries. She was more
determined than ever to release him from his bondage.

                         * * * * *

Nick and Nat walked in silence back to the hospital to pick up
Nick's car. They remained quiet during the drive to Nick's loft,
both calming themselves after LaCroix's cruel joke.

"I feel so numb inside," Natalie moaned as she entered the loft and
kicked off her shoes.

Nick followed behind her and helped her out of her coat. He lightly
kissed her cheek. "Why don't you go upstairs and lie down. I'll
bring you some tea."

Nat trudged exhausted up the stairs and into Nick's room. Nick's
pyjamas were laying on the bed. Natalie stripped off her clothes
and slipped into his silk pyjama top. Then she climbed into his
bed.

Nick had just turned off the stove when he heard the muffled sounds
of Nat's sobs. He could not bear it, and he feared the moment he
dreaded was at hand; the moment they would indeed cry together,
become lost in each other, and lost in eternal darkness. He tried
to shut the sound out, but it would not be silenced. Nick went
upstairs to comfort Nat.

Stepping into his bedroom, Nick saw Nat cuddling and crying into
his pillow, just as he had done with hers. He crept over to the
bed, sat down, and stroked her hair.

Nat rolled over and slowly sat up. She pulled Nick to her and
moaned, "hold me."

Nick took Nat in his arms and she buried her face in his chest. He
felt her warm tears seeping through his shirt, and he rested his
head down on hers. How many times had she cried alone in the night
longing for him? How many times had he done the same for her? It
was more than his heart could stand. Nick started to cry.

Nat had never seen Nick's tears before, but the last two days had
been an emotional roller coaster for both of them. She lifted her
face and found his mouth. Nat delicately kissed his cool lips. She
soothingly wiped the tears from his face with her hand, and softly
kissed his eyelids. Nick's tears stopped flowing as he regained his
composure, "I'm sorry, Nat. I came up here to comfort you, and
things have gotten turned around."

Again Nat kissed his mouth softly. She started unbuttoning his
shirt. "Words won't be enough tonight, Nick. I need your love. I
need you. I need you to make love to me."

"Nat," Nick moaned, "please ...don't. You had a taste of my hell
tonight. I love you too much to envelop you in it for eternity."

Natalie opened Nick's shirt and slid her hands across his bare
chest and shoulders. She kissed his neck gently and whispered
sweetly, "love is a gift from God, Nick, not the devil. I have
faith in God, faith in love, and faith that good *will* overcome
evil. Give me your love, Nick; and I ...will give you ...my faith."

Nick had ached for this moment for so long, just as Nat did. He
drew strength from her words and felt no fear. He was inspired by
Nat's faith, and he had faith in her. Nick kissed Nat passionately
on the lips and whispered, "I love you."

Nat slid the pyjama top over her head. She ached to feel Nick's
skin against her breast. One glimpse of her and Nick's eyes began
to change. He lowered her down into the bed, planting soft touches
and gentle kisses all over her bare skin. He soon found her neck.

Nat moaned in the ecstasy of love fulfilled as Nick's fangs sank
deep into her flesh. He felt her pouring into him and was
overwhelmed with love, his love for her, and her love for him. And
with her love came a bright light, the bright light of her faith,
the bright light of her soul. A blazing light that penetrated deep
into his darkness. A light that found his lost faith and pulled it
to the surface. A light the vampire had no refuge from. The vampire
was enveloped and consumed by it, burned from existence for all
eternity.

The change was shocking and sudden, just as it had been when he was
first brought across. Nick still clenched Nat's throat in his
teeth, but his fangs were no more. He let go of her throat and
looked at her face, the face he loved. Nick felt his blood stir,
his heart throbbing in his chest. Nick felt ...alive.

Nat felt Nick's heart beating rapidly next to hers. She felt his
skin grow warm. Nat opened her eyes, "Nick?"

Nick stroked Nat's face and whispered the three words that meant
the world to them, "I am human."

                            * * * * * 

LaCroix landed soundlessly on the roof of the hospital. He stared
almost lovingly into the basket at Baby Doe and cooed, "for
everything that is lost, something is found." LaCroix then flew
down to the third floor and hovered outside the nursery window,
waiting for the opportunity to slip inside unnoticed. When the
chance arose, LaCroix returned Baby Doe to his bassinet. He gently
glided his fingers down Baby Doe's neck and whispered softly, "it
matters not that I have lost him, for I shall, one day, have you."

The End

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