The police officer held  the yellow crime scene tape so Natalie could 
walk under without stooping too low in her high heels.  She had to 
admit she probably was the best dressed coroner on the beat tonight. 

"I guess my plans will have to wait again," Natalie thought to 
herself and then sighed heavily.
 Carefully, she pulled the sheet away from the  figure laying on the 
sidewalk.
 " Not a bad looking kid," Natalie said to the officer. He looked 17 
or 18 years old, chestnut brown hair with an unruly cowlick which 
caused hair to part just above his right eye.  There did not appear 
to be a scratch on him anywhere. Natalie fished a Velcro wallet out 
of  the deceased's pocket and opened it to find a much more animated 
looking photo of him on his Ontario drivers' license. 

"Whose our friend here?" Nick's voice startled her. 

Natalie turned to face Nick. She was mildly amused to see him in a 
tuxedo. Natalie blushed as she wondered if anyone else made the 
connection between they way she and Nick were dressed and how obvious 
it must be that they supposed to  be on a date tonight. 

Natalie looked down at her clipboard,  "His name is Ian Sinclair, age 
17, lives... or I should say,  lived at 3443 Bay Street, Apartment F. 
He's been dead for about 20  to 30 minutes judging by his temperature,
 no rigor yet. I don't even have a guess at the cause yet. No visible 
sign of external abuse or trauma. However, most healthy 17 year old 
boys don't usually take a header onto the pavement in Grand Park 
without someone else being involved. I'll know more after I get the 
toxicology report back."

Natalie looked back up at Nick, "By the way, you  look nice tonight.
"

Nick  half smiled, "Well, you look fantastic, Nat. Though I am sad to 
say it looks like we'll have to put the Phantom tickets on hold for 
tonight." Nick lightly touched her arm, " Maybe we can still salvage 
dinner out it, if you're game?"

Before she could answer Joe Reese walked over to their party of three,
 "Knight, I know Commissioner Vetter is clamping down on the dress 
code lately, but I think you may have taken his memo a little  too 
literally."  

"You mean there's a dress code?" Nick pointed towards Natalie,  " I 
was just trying to keep up with the Medical Examiner's office."

" Sorry Nick, you're not even in the same ballpark as Lambert here." 
Reese turned to Natalie,  "By the way, you look really nice, Natalie. 
Although my hunch is you weren't planning on being here
tonight."

"I won't hold it against Ian, here." Natalie motioned to the body, "I 
am sure this is the last place he planned to be tonight too, Captain. 
Natalie put the pen back into her clipboard. " Nick, I'll give you a 
call when the toxicology report is in."

 As Natalie walked away, Nick felt the jealousy rise  as he noticed 
all the male officers' heads focused on Nat's legs as she passed by.

Nick parked the Caddie in the fire lane outside of  Sinclairs 
apartment. He had never gotten used to Notifications. Sinclair was 
only 17 years old which made it even harder on Nick. He rapped three 
times on the door marked F, but his extraordinary senses already 
told him  no one was home. Hed need to get a search warrant to get 
in legally, but a teenager possibly murdered, Nick wanted to get an 
informal look around the apartment. He popped the lock with his wrist 
and pushed the door inward.

Nick was instantly slammed to his knees. His fangs dropped  and his 
eyes glowed bright gold. Nick let out a half growl, half yelp as he 
backed out of the apartment. Fighting to gain control, he looked up 
at a four foot high crucifix which dominated the room.

 Good thing I didnt wait on that warrant, Nick thought to himself. 
Slowly, Nick entered the room  making sure to keep clear of the cross.
 The entire living room had been converted into a religious shrine 
dedicated to various Christian saints and martyrs.  Stacked three 
feet deep on the floor, were five or six piles of paper fliers. I 
dont think Ian would mind if I took one, Nicks words echoed in the 
almost empty room.

Join the Brotherhood of the  Light. All Love, All the Time. Join the 
Crusade for Jesus the flier announced. 

Nicks mind began to cloud over  as the memory began to form in front 
of his eyes...


Flash back:
Brabant, France 1212 AD

Sweat poured down Nicholas face as he plunged his plow back into the 
hard soil. It seemed hotter than normal for July in Brabant, and it 
did not make the task at hand move any quicker. His uncle was  quite 
clear in their argument this morning that the field was to be plowed 
by the days end.

 Nicholas heard faint voices from just over the hill and his heart 
stopped. He knew his uncle recently argued with the Duke of Flanders 
and he hoped it was not some of Flanders men here to take 
retribution.  Nicholas ran to the safety of the brush just as the 
first line of children topped the hill.

Nicholas was amazed to see line after line of boys and girls round 
the bend. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of them, and they all 
seemed to be between the ages of six and sixteen. They were singing  
Lord, give us back the Holy Cross as they marched in sync towards 
his village.

Come with us on a crusade for Jesus, a tall, black headed boy said 
as he walked towards the brush where Nicholas was hiding.  My name 
is Stephen and we are on our way to Jerusalem. Join us,  friend.

Nicholas felt a little embarrassed to be hiding from this boy who 
looked to be about ten years old. He stepped from the brush. My name 
is Nicholas de Brabant and this is my uncles  land. Leave or I will 
have you killed. Nicholas voice shook as he talked although he was 
trying to sound fearless and bold.

Join us on our crusade of children to the Holy land. We are knights 
in our  own  right and we seek not your anger but your love for God 
and Christ. Stephen opened his arms to Nicholas,  Come with me now 
and find your true purpose in the name of the Lord.

A stillness came over Nicholas and he felt drawn to this young boy.  
He felt an almost hypnotic power come over him. He must be the must 
be the voice of God he thought as fell into  Stephens arms.
 I will follow you anywhere. 

---------------------------

A fire trucks siren brought reality back to the 20th century Nick. 
It had been hundreds of years since he had even thought of  Stephen 
and the Childrens Crusade. He took one last look around Sinclairs 
apartment then pulled out his cell phone. He dialed the number 
without thinking. When Nats answering machine picked up he hung up. 
Good, maybe, that meant she was still at work. It would be nice to 
see her before he went home to bed. 


Natalie absentmindedly twisted a piece of   hair with her fingers 
while she read the report. "You should be out on a date, Ian, not 
laying here on my table." she said to the lifeless form in front of 
her. " What can you tell me thats not in this report?" 

Nick face brightened as he walked into the morgue and found Natalie 
still there. " Ummm...Nat? If he answers  you, let me know so I can 
tell your boss  you need to take a vacation."

"Fat good that will do, Nick," She smiled back, "Six years ago, you 
sat up and started talking to me and I havent had a day off since."

Natalie looked tired to Nick, and the vacation crack was half serious.
 She needed some time off  away from this place. If he had the 
courage, he would suggest they go somewhere together, but he was 
afraid she would say "No" then things could be awkward between them.

" I didnt realize I was such a high maintenance kind of guy," Nick 
faked a hurt look, " I never drop by during the day unexpectedly, I 
dont eat food from your refrigerator, and I never, ever cheat on you 
 with other women."

"Nick, you cant travel during the day, eat food, or have sex. I 
hardly say youre making any major sacrifices," Natalie enjoyed the  
playful banter between them lately, "On the other hand, how many 
girls do you know get to buy plasma by the gallon, or dig bullets out 
of  rib cages because a certain detective didnt know how to duck?  
Sounds pretty high maintenance to me, Nick."  Nick closed the 
distance between them as she was talking and reached down taking her 
hand in his.

" I am sorry I am so much trouble, Nat." He leaned in and gently 
brushed his lips across hers. "Maybe one day soon Ill be able to pay 
you back for all youve done for me."  The kiss caught Natalie off 
guard. She was not used to Nick being so demonstrative with his 
feelings, not that she minded it at all. 

"I think you better start paying your debt now." she whispered, " 
When you become mortal, youll only have 50 or 60 years to pay me 
back." A shiver slowly ran from her head to her toes as she leaned 
deeper into his kiss. Nick held the kiss for a few seconds longer 
then  tenderly pulled away. 

"Its a deal." Nick kissed Natalie on the left check then stepped 
back. The mask of business fell back into place.  "Anything 
interesting pop up in Mr. Sinclairs report?"

 Natalie lamented the passing moment, but she consoled her self with 
the fact that Nick was finally showing some of his feelings for her. 
" Cause of death - affixation, but I can not find what triggered it. 
There are no external or internal signs of trauma around the trachea 
or chest area. His lung tissues are healthy, no sign of asthma or 
emphysema.  Toxicology did not show any sign of drug or alcohol abuse,
 stomach tissue doesnt show any kind of allergic reaction to 
anything he may have ingested.  It is almost like this kid just 
decided to stop breathing, then he held his breath until he passed 
out. I found one small contusion where his parietal lobe hit the 
sidewalk pavement, but the impact from the blow would not have caused 
him to die." she looked away from Nick, " Im sorry Nick. I have been 
all over his body looking for anything anomalous, but did not find a 
thing.  I have sent some tissue samples to the fourth street office 
for a second opinion, maybe theyll find something."

"Dont feel too bad, Nat. The only thing I could  find at his 
apartment were five or six stacks of this flier." Nick handed the 
folded sheet to her. " Have you ever heard of this group before?"

Natalie stared at the filer, " The Brotherhood of the Light. 
Crusaders for Jesus? Sounds like this is more up your alley, Nick." 
Natalie gave Nick a knowing glance. "I have heard of these type of 
cults in the Toronto area. They mainly recruit teenage runaways. 
Probably brainwash them and send them back onto the streets to beg 
for money on street corners."

"It  is our only clue in this case. Hopefully, someone with this 
Brotherhood will know more about Ian Sinclair." Nick was ready to 
call it a night. He picked up Nats coat from the chair, "May I walk 
the lady to her car?" Nick said in his best cockney accent.  He got 
the smile he needed as he slipped his arm around her waist and guided 
her out the door.

Nick  headed straight to the refrigerator and grabbed a green bottle. 
He pulled the cork out  of the bottle with his teeth and took two 
long gulps.  Natalie would  have been appalled at his manners, "For 
Christ sake, Nick use a glass." she had told him on more than one 
occasion. Somehow, justifying his blood lust by drinking out of glass 
only masked the  obscenity of it all.  Vampires have an animal drive 
to kill humans for their blood. Pouring it into Waterford crystal did 
not make the act anymore civilized. Nick flicked on his stereo and 
the Nightcrawlers voice filled the loft.

"Good evening, gentle listeners. You are tuned to the Nightcrawler on 
CERK 40hz.  When does a boy realize he bears a mans weight? At what 
point does the weight of responsibility begin to smother  him? A boy 
becomes a man when he realizes he no longer has free will or choice,  
when others dictate his thoughts, his actions, his love.  Beware of 
Charlatans dressed as clergy. Religion is  a great aphrodisiac. Take 
it in moderation  ... and then only on an empty stomach."

Nick  clicked the stereo off, "Always have something cheerful to add 
to my night, dont you Lacroix." He said to the now silent stereo.  
Nick sat down on the couch and drifted off into a light sleep and the 
dream started...
 

Flashback:

Nicholas placed the young girl down on  the dock s step. None have 
them had  eaten the last few days since the crusade left the Alps. 
Marseilles was not what he had expected. It was dirty. There were 
homeless families everywhere, and the people were not friendly. Their 
group at one point numbered in the thirty thousands, but crossing the 
Alps had left many dead or dying from hunger, and exhaustion .  
Through it all , Stephen  guided them and preached the Gods word 
along with words of encouragement and love. It was left a bitter 
taste to finally reach Marseilles and then not be able to find a 
captain willing to take them across the Mediterranean. Nicholas let 
out a cleansing sigh as he thought of the argument he'd had with his 
Uncle months before. His Uncle had wanted him to learn about running 
the estate from the "ground up" by having him hoe one of the fields. 
Nicholas had dismissed the work as peasant work and left it undone 
for several days. Now he would give anything to be back in his 
Uncle's field as
a peasant, than to be here as a common beggar.

"Nicholas, we have found someone to  help us." Stephen looked as 
excited as he had seen in months. "This is Porcus. He agrees that our 
quest to free the Holyland is a just cause. He has seven ships that 
will take us to Constantinople in the morning." 

Nicholas immediately did not like the look of the man. He wore a 
scraggly beard, his hair in a greasy pony tail, but Nicholas 
attention was fixated on the snakelike scar which ran from Porcus  
left temple and wrapped around his chin. "Stephen, I think we may be 
acting in haste. My Uncle has money. I can contact him and we can 
purchase our passage."

" I am not relying on the Duke of Brabants charity, Nicholas," 
Stephen had grown older than his ten years allowed in the past three 
months," Besides, that would take months and we have nothing to eat 
as it is... Porcus is a righteous man and he will be our guide."  
-------------

Nick woke suddenly in a cold sweat. The blood droplets stood out on 
his forehead as evidence that the dream was growing unpleasant.  He 
reached over and grabbed the bottle again chugging its contents dry. 
Nick moved upstairs to his bed hoping he would be able to get back to 
sleep, but he already knew it was almost impossible. He dialed the 
phone and a sleepy Natalie answered.

"Sorry Nat..."

A more alert sounding Natalie responded, " Nick, what is it? Are you 
okay?"

"Im fine. I just wanted to talk, but I didnt realize what time it 
was," Nick said apologetically, " Go back to sleep, Nat." He hung up 
the phone as Nat he heard her protesting on the other end. 

 Nick began to think about how much he relied on Natalie. He was her 
friend, her doctor, her psychologist...the only person he truly 
trusted.  The kiss in the morgue only hours earlier made Nick acutely 
aware how much he wanted to add lover to the list of  roles Natalie 
played in his life. She had responded to his kiss instantly and he 
was fairly certain she held as much attraction for him as he held for 
her. However, they never could find the time to explore their 
feelings for each other - last nights canceled opera tickets being 
the perfect example. Nick decided hed try to arrange some time 
together, away from Toronto, where there would be no distractions. 
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Nick said to himself as he laid 
back closing his eyes. He  hoped his thoughts would carry over into a 
dream with Natalie in it.


Natalie headed to Nicks  desk. After he woke her up this morning, 
she had been tempted  to drop by his loft, but she did not go. 
Something held her back and she wasnt quite sure what. By now she 
was dying of curiosity as to what Nick wanted and she was ready to 
beat it out of him if necessary. 

Nick was wearing a navy shirt and stonewashed jeans.  He looked tired 
and it appeared he had not bothered to shave this evening . Hi, Nick,
  she tried to sound upbeat, "Could we have a word in private?"

"Uhhh, sure Nat," Nick stood and waved her towards the interview room.
 There was an uncomfortable silence as they entered the room. Nick 
closed the door and faced Natalie. His face wore the same unemotional 
mask she had seen too many times on him.

Natalie reached out and put her hand on his upper arm. " Are you okay,
 Nick? You dont look well." she stammered trying to find the right 
words, "When you called, your voice sounded strange...." Her words 
trailed off. 

"I am fine, Nat. Ive been having some problems sleeping lately is 
all. Please dont worry." He tried to smile but it looked more like a 
grimace.

Always the doctor, Natalie asked, " When did the sleeplessness start? 
Have you had any dizziness or  headaches?"

Nick grabbed Natalies hand that was still on his arm and drew her in 
closer. " Nat, I will be okay. I think I need some time away."

"I think thats a great idea Nick. You could use some rest and 
relaxation. It would do you a world of good." Natalie was surprised 
Nick was actually considering a vacation.

Nick took a deep breathe. Its now or  never, he thought to himself. 
"Nat, would you like to join me? I thought maybe we could go to 
Bermuda. We could walk on a moonlit beach, and take a midnight dip in 
the Caribbean." He had been looking at his feet the whole time, but 
now forced himself to look up. Nick was surprised to see tears 
standing in the corners of Nats eyes. "Whats wrong? What did I say?
"

Natalie was at a lost for words so she leaned over and delicately 
kissed his lips. The kiss grew passionate quickly as Nicks arms 
wrapped around her waist.  Natalies head fell backward and her hands 
moved up to caress his blonde hair while Nicks mouth slid down to 
her neck. A moan escaped from Natalie as she moved deeper into his 
arms. Nick pulled back for just a minute, " I take it that you want 
to go with me, then?"

"Nick, if we keep this up, well both be on vacation permanently if 
someone catches us." Natalie reluctantly stepped out of the embrace, 
" And yes. I would love to go with you, but theres one condition."

"Whats that?" Nick was not sure if she was serious or joking.

Natalie smiled, " You have to take up where you left off just now or 
Im finding another traveling partner."

Nick was relieved, "I think I can manage that. When I get back from 
the Brotherhood, Ill book off the next seven days and drop by the 
airport to get the tickets." He planted a much more platonic kiss on 
her forehead. "Dont forget to pack your bikini," Nick teased as he 
left the room. 

Nick walked up the gravel road towards the farmhouse. His hearing 
picked up the sound of several young voices and the clatter of 
activity. "All Love , All the Time, Welcome to the Brotherhood" the 
sign read on the top of the oak door. 

Before he reached the porch three teenage boys approached, each 
holding an AK-47 rifle in  their hands. "Some Brotherhood..." thought 
Nick, "Im Detective Knight, Metro police. Id like to talk to 
whoever is in charge here."

The older looking of the boy of the three walked closer. "You are 
trespassing Detective. Please leave and go in peace."

Nick looked directly into the boys eyes,  "Put down the gun. You 
have nothing to fear. I am sure you agree with me that I need to see 
the person in  charge." With Nicks whammy in place, the boy dropped 
his rifle. "He is not here but will be back in an hour."

"Then you will let me in so I can wait for him." Nick said as the boy 
nodded his head in agreement.

Nick walked into the house and saw 40 teenage boys all various ages 
and in different stages of dress. After scanning for other weapons, 
Nick walked further into the room. The center of activity seemed to 
be a computer game where the boys were hooting and hollering as the 
current player racked up points on a mock target range.

"How long have you been here?" Nick asked a red headed boy of about 
13.

"I have been here for 8 weeks, but I hope to move on soon." 

"Move on to where?"

"I will join our crusade to bring joy and love to the world." 

"Where are your parents?"

"My parents are dead. This is my family now." the boy shrugged and 
walked away.

With a practiced motion, Nick flipped his cell phone open and called 
for back up. Teenagers with assault rifles... next on Geraldo , Nick 
smiled inwardly. He also focused on a gold cross hung prominently 
across the room. It looked familiar somehow, but Nick could not stare 
for too long before feeling weak in the knees.

-----------------
Flashback:

Porcus had indeed provided food and shelter for the Crusade, but 
Nicholas  was still dubious of him. Seeing the man with a snake 
shaped scar wrapped around his throat only meant one thing to 
Nicholas. Someone ... at sometime thought Porcus should have his 
throat cut.

 Nicholas rounded the corner in time to hear Porcus speaking, "Tell 
the Turk that I can bring 15,000 to him in three months and that they 
are all well fed and of good stock. Not one of em is over the age of 
15," he laughed "They should fetch a good price at the Sultans 
Winter Solstice Slave auction. Oh, and tell him that they are 
Christians. You know how the Sultan loves to feed Christians to his 
lion pride."

The force of Porcus words knocked Nicholas off balance. He was 
planning to sell them into slavery when they reached Constantinople. 
He had to warn Stephen and the rest of the Crusade. As he turned to 
run, Nicholas felt a hand grab his shirt collar."Look what we have 
here...the snibbling nephew of the Duke of Brabant." Porcus grabbed 
Nicholas arm and spun him around." I have a special buyer that I am 
saving you for, Nicholas. Hes a friendly sort of guy who simply 
loves aristocratic young boys when the weather grows cold."

Nicholas tried to struggle in his grasp but Porcus only held on 
tighter. " Wheres your rich Uncle now, Nicholas? He cant save you, 
so I suggest you begin to appreciate me. I can make your voyage much 
more pleasant, shall I say." 

The scar on Porcus chin hissed down at Nicholas. Acting more on 
instinct than anything, Nicholas threw his leg and hip behind Porcus 
and quickly brought his arms up. This up ended the large man who fell 
with a thud on the wood floor. Nicholas ran for the door only to come 
face to face with two more large men who grabbed him then pinned his 
arms behind his back.

"So the fearless Knight of Brabant wants to joust with me?" Porcus 
began to get to his feet and brush himself off. "Well, sir Knight, 
how familiar with pain are you?" Porcus swung his fist into Nicholas 
stomach like a sledgehammer causing Nicholas to collapse to his knees.
 The last thing he remembered was a well placed knee to his groin and 
a fist to his jaw. As the comfort of unconsciousness began to envelop 
him, a lone tear came to his eyes as he realized he had failed 
Stephen and the Crusade.

----------------

The sound of  a truck on the gravel driveway brought Nick out of his 
daydream. He looked out the window in time to see two men jump out 
from the bed of the truck and scurry into the adjacent barn. Nick 
discretely walked out the back door and headed towards the barn. He 
heard three heartbeats and stopped just outside the window.

"Larry, call our contact in Manhattan and tell him we have 20 more 
coming over the border tonight. Tell him not to worry. These ones are 
much younger and easier to control.  They should fetch a good price 
this close to the convention season."

Nick did not even sense the vampire behind him or hear the hammer 
before it struck the back of his head. He was stunned by the blow and 
felt himself being dragged through the barn door.  When he re-focused 
his eyes, he could not tear his eyes away from the snake-like scar 
hissing down at him.

Natalie seemed to walk on air as she left the interview room. Finally,
 we are going to catch a break,  she thought to herself as she walked 
back to her office. Would she have the courage to tell Nick all the 
things she had been trying to tell him for the past six years? She 
had tried to ignore the attraction to him from the very beginning. 
She had dated plenty of men and, yes, slept with several in the hopes 
she could drown out Nick in the passion with someone else. But it had 
never worked out , so she had resigned herself to a celibate life 
these past few years. She was in love with him and it consumed not 
just her waking hours, but Nick had crept into her dreams invading 
her nights as well. Nick was thick and outside of a card with a 
bouquet of flowers and a "I care about you," every few months, 
Natalie had never been sure about Nick's feelings for her. Until now, 
that is. You don't just pick up and spend a week with someone in the 
Caribbean without some affection for them, do you?  

"Wow, Natalie, whatever you had for dinner, I want some too," Grace 
said with a grin, "Or could it be you  had a certain blonde haired, 
blue eyed Detective for dinner?"

"Grace, you are incorrigible. But since you asked, I will be taking a 
week off  and spending some time away from here." Nat picked up her 
next client's chart and pretended to study it. "Do you think you can 
handle things here while I'm gone?"

"Sure, Natalie, no problem. I'll even take Sydney off  your hands for 
the week if you'd like. Tell me Nat, will you be traveling alone? Did 
you pack a pajamas or a sexy nightie?"

"Okay, Grace. I am not traveling alone and what I wear or NOT wear to 
bed is none of your business.  Natalie could not contain it anymore 
and she had to tell someone. " And, it just so happens that Nick is 
going with me and the rest of the story will have to wait until we 
get back."

Grace squealed with happiness for Natalie at the mention of Nick's 
name. Her friend had turned down offers from every eligible doctor 
and police officer in Toronto over the past year Grace had worked 
with her. It bothered Grace that someone so young and beautiful as 
Natalie would sacrifice herself for a man who barely shed a hint of 
affection towards her. Granted Nick was a gorgeous man, and every 
woman at the station threw themselves at him, but he was moody and  
his angry temper was legend . Maybe Natalie was just the person to 
calm the beast within.

"Natalie, I am so happy for you." Grace said with a quick hug.

"Thanks Grace. I really love Nick but I don't want to get my hopes up 
too high. I can't handle any more bad things happening to me."  
Natalie began to think about the past year. Schanke, Cohen, Lora, 
Tracy... the names  rattled off with the ones she had lost. She 
didn't even remember way the night ended when Tracy died from a 
madman's gun. She had been on her way over to Nick's loft  to tell 
him, but blacked out and woke up at home the next day with a crushing 
headache. Nick left a note that he'd be gone for a few days so he 
could gather his thoughts, but had gone without her. This had hurt 
more than Nick would ever know. It had taken some time before she 
began trusting him again. Finally, everything seemed to be back on 
track.

A uniformed officer stuck his head into the morgue, Webster was his 
name, Natalie thought.
 " Dr. Lambert, I just wanted to let you know there is a hostage 
situation out at a place called the Brotherhood near Cantoba Farms. 
Detective Knight appears to be the hostage. The guys  thought you'd 
want to know..."

Natalie turned to Grace who quietly said, " Nat, I'll drive..."


"Porcus." Nick stammered the name across his lips. "How..." 

"Ah, de Brabant," Porcus' eyes danced as he spoke, "Still the 
snibbling little crusader knight , I see. Over the centuries, I have 
learned that no matter who you pretend to be, you can not run from 
what you truly are. And you, de Brabant are still the aristocratic 
boy who  wants to run home to Uncle for protection."

"And you, Porcus, are still the same piece of merde who condemns 
young lives to a living hell without the blink of an eye as to what 
you've done. You sicken me and everyone else who comes in contact 
with you,  I imagine." Nick's anger was rising quickly but he knew he 
had to stay calm or else he'd fail this crusade as he had the one 800 
years ago. 

Porcus laughed, " See, that is exactly what I am talking about. You 
with your morals and holier than thou voice. This is business, this 
is profit.  You condemn the wrong man, de Brabant. You should be out 
catching the ones who buy these human souls. I am just a supplier. 
Can you claim you have not enjoyed your share of human life and 
suffering over the centuries? So pious you are..."

Nick winced at the words for he indeed had enjoyed his vampire 
existence for many, many years.

"Yes, I am correct, aren't I de Brabant? You enjoy the hunt, the kill,
 the spoils of victory as it pours down your throat."

Nick opened his eyes and looked up to see that Porcus' fangs had 
dropped, and his eyes glowed gold.
 " Who is your master now, Porcus? Who claims the honor of bringing 
you into our world?"

"Why Nicholas, I am surprised you don't recognize family. Our father 
would be most disappointed in you, but I understand you are quite an 
embarrassment to him as it is."

"Lacroix, brought you across." It was more of a statement than a 
question. Damn him, Nick thought. He had tried for years trying to 
find Porcus during the sixth crusade. When Lacroix offered to bring 
him across, it had presented Nick with an even better chance to find 
him. Now he knew why Porcus had evaded him. Lacroix probably had a 
good chuckle over this at one time. 

An amplified voice carried into the barn, " Mr. Porter, this is 
Captain Reese with Metro police. Please throw your weapons from the 
building and slowly exit  the structure. There is  no opportunity to 
escape."

"Mortals." Porcus spit the word out, " They have no clue how meager 
their existence truly is, do they?"
The other two vampires who had not said a word just simply grinned 
like idiots.

Natalie tried to calm herself down during the ride to the Brotherhood.
 Nick can take care of himself as long as he doesn't do anything 
stupid. It was only two hours before sunrise and if Nick was going to 
make a move it would have to be soon. She had hidden two pints of 
blood in her bag while Grace wasn't watching and prayed it would not 
be necessary.

As they turned onto the street it was quite obvious they had found 
the right place. There were cars, buses, vans, and a lone helicopter 
circling above the site. "Geez, they already called in the SWAT team,
" Grace said then regretted the comment. " Nat, I know Nick is going 
to be just fine so don't worry." Grace flashed her coroner's badge at 
the uniformed officer who stopped their car and they were let into 
the area.

As Natalie stepped from the car, Captain Reese walked over. "Good to 
see you Natalie and Grace. We need a doctor or two here. We have 43 
teenage boys in custody who need a quick look to see if they require 
medical attention. All of them are run aways or were abducted from 
their parents. Seems Mr. Porter in there sells these kids into sex 
slavery after he brainwashes them into thinking they are on  some 
kind of religious crusade to save the world. This guy is one sick 
ticket."

"Captain, where is Nick?" 

"He's fine as far as we know. Porter has Nick locked up in the barn 
with him. Nick was in the wrong place at the wrong time when we got 
here. Nat, I'm not going to lie. These guys are heavily armed and we 
don't think they are just going to hand over Nick and walk out." 
Natalie's  face paled a little at the news. "Look , Nat. I am not 
going to lose another officer on my shift. We just  need to find out 
what they want and make the trade. Guys like this slip up and we'll 
catch them some place else." He patted her back and walked off 
leaving Natalie feeling not a whole lot better.

"Come on Natalie. Let's take a look at some of  these kids, They need 
our help now. " With that Natalie and Grace walked towards the first 
van they saw.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----

"Porcus, I am not going to let you hurt anyone else. Please just take 
your band of merry men here and your business someplace else." Nick 
was weak. He had not eaten in hours and he knew he could not defeat 
Porcus, along with the two much younger vampires, in his condition.

"YOU are not going to LET me hurt anyone? That is rich, de Brabant. 
How exactly are you going to stop me?"

Again the amplified voice was directed into the barn. " Mr. Porter, 
release Detective Knight as a token of good faith and we will take 
that into account  when charges are filed against you."

Nick spoke quietly, "Porcus, you want me, and not the people out 
there. If you leave, I will go with you and we can continue this 
someplace else. Besides, you risk exposing the Community if you play 
any vampire games in front of  this crowd." Nick hoped he could get 
Porcus away before the cops grew too impatient.

" So its Knight now? My isn't that ironic," Porcus walked closer to 
Nick, " You are still a weak  helpless boy to me, Knight." Porcus 
bared his fangs and lunged towards Nick.

 Nick was still pinned by the younger vampires but managed to duck 
the full force of the blow. Porcus' fangs ripped down the length of 
Nick's throat causing Nick to scream from the pain. Nick's shirt 
quickly became saturated with his own blood and he grew dizzy from 
its loss. In a desperate attempt to free himself he threw his body 
backwards and through the barn's walls taking the younger vampires 
with him. Porcus dove again at Nick who managed to roll free of the 
other vampires. Nick grabbed a piece of the barn's wall and held it 
up just as Porcus was descending upon him. The stake did not miss its 
mark and was driven into Porcus' chest.

"I am Nicholas de Brabant, Knight of the sixth crusade, and I, sir,  
exact my revenge upon you in the name of Stephen and all the children 
you have murdered over the past 800 years." Nick then drove the stake 
deeper. Porcus screamed in agony and then fell limp in his arms.

Nick looked up in time to see Lacroix pulling the other two vampires 
to their feet. "Get lost." He growled at them. The fledgling vampires 
did not wait for a second command and made a hasty retreat into the 
night sky. "Nicholas, I would love to stay and chat but my presence 
here may be difficult to explain to your mortal friends. Come see me 
soon, I am sure we'll have lots to talk about." Lacroix also took 
flight leaving Nicholas with his words echoing in his ears. 

Nick felt a familiar touch on his cheek and opened his eyes to see 
Natalie. "You are so beautiful, Nat. Please don't leave me." Natalie 
looked into his eyes "I would never leave you Nick. Look at all the 
fun I would miss." She said with a smile and then turned to Reese, 
"He's awake, Captain. He'll be fine. All the wounds are superficial 
and look much worse than they are. In fact, I think I'll drive him to 
the ER myself since it doesn't look like an emergency."

Natalie received the Sinclair report back from the 4th  street office.
 They had confirmed her autopsy results. Outside of some indication 
of  stress  in left ventricle wall muscle and the total failure of 
lung capacity, there was nothing definitive as to why Ian Sinclair 
died. Nick had said maybe Ian had just given up on life and had 
called in it quits. For lack of anything further to add, she closed 
his file as "unknown cause of death." It was still on her mind as she 
entered Nick's loft.

She stopped short when she realized  it was completely dark in the 
loft. "Nick?" she called out tentatively. "Are you okay?" As if her 
words triggered a switch, the lights came on and in the center of the 
room was Nick. He was wore sunglasses and was dressed in the loudest 
Bermuda shirt she had ever seen. He held what looked like two pina 
coladas in his hands.

"Would the Senorita like a drink before her flight?" Nick grinned.

Natalie was overcome with the giggles everytime she looked at Nick. " 
Yes, I would love one. Where did you get that shirt?"

"Schanke gave this to me two years ago. He thought it would help my 
image to lighten up on the colors  at work. He said that women go 
crazy over men in calypso colors." Nick crossed the room and place a 
glass in Natalie's hand. Nick  placed a hand around her head drawing 
her in closer. He placed a kiss on her cheek and  gently pulled away. 
"So is it driving you crazy?"

"Uh, huh.." was all Natalie could get out before Nick leaned back in 
and placed his lips gently on hers.
Natalie felt herself melt into the kiss. She let out a slight whimper 
as Nick gently explored her mouth with his tongue. With a sigh 
Natalie pushed him back this time, "We'll never make our flight..." 
She warned as she walked over to the couch and sat down taking a sip 
of her drink. Nick was amused to see the surprised look on her face 
as she took the sip. "You have a future as a bartender, Nick...or did 
you already have a past as one?"

"I've been known to make a drink or two." Nick said as he joined her 
on the couch.

Knowing that Nick needed to talk, Natalie asked, "You know Nick, you 
never did tell me about what happened after Porcus attacked you in 
Marseilles during the Children's Crusade."

Nick's eyes darkened. He knew that Nat was trying to help him deal 
with all this by getting him to talk, but it was painful to remember. 
Nick looked into her eyes. God, he loved her, but he had never been 
able  tell her and it hurt him deeply.

 Nat waited patiently as Nick struggled with his emotions. Finally 
resigning to the fact he needed to talk about it he began, " Porcus 
was infamous as a pirate and slave trader. He loved the suffering he 
inflicted on children, he reveled in it now and back then."

Nick turned a way from Nat's eyes as he spoke, "Porcus, left me for 
dead in a pile of waste along the water front. When I woke up, I 
struggled to the street where a kind family took me in and nursed me 
back to health. About a month later, my Uncle arrived and took me 
back to Brabant. It was a few months later that I learned most of 
Porcus' ships had sunk in the Mediterrian crossing killing everyone 
on board. A few ships did make it to land though. All of the children 
were sold to the Turks as slaves. It was then that I swore to my 
Uncle I would become a Crusader Knight and avenge their deaths.... I 
guess I finally did."

 Natalie gently wrapped her arms around Nick as he continued, " Years 
later, I came across some of the children. They were adults by then 
and free of the Sultan. Many were too ashamed to return to their 
homes in the West so they lived out the rest of their lives in 
poverty and despair. Their families never to know what became of 
them"

"There is one thing I don't understand," Natalie chose her words 
carefully," Why did the parents of all those children let them go 
with Stephen?"

Nick faced her again and met her eyes, " It was a time of great 
conviction and frustration for us.  The three crusades prior to the 
Children's Crusade ended in the failure to free the Holyland. As 
children, we lost complete faith in our parents ... in all adults.... 
to return this important part of  our religion to us."

 He gently place a hand on Nat's cheek. "When you lose faith, you 
lose hope. Without hope, life is meaningless. Our parents let us go 
with Stephen so we would have hope. They felt that if we did not have 
hope in our parents, we would find  it in the deliverance and 
salvation of the crusade."

"It was not your fault, Nick. You were a child yourself back then. 
The adults  were the ones who failed you, not your faith." Natalie 
spoke in a pleading tone. 

Nick looked deeply into her eyes, "That is  one of the many things 
you have taught me, Nat. In Love and Faith there is forever."

Natalie pulled him closer and gently kissed his neck and was rewarded 
with a lusty groan from Nick. " I love you, Nick." she whispered into 
his ear.

She felt Nick's arms tighten around her waist. He pulled her deeper 
into his arms. " I love you too, Nat."

It was going to be a great vacation.

(end)

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