Natalie shut the loft door behind her and stepped to the kitchen table,
where she dropped her jacket and purse. After a quick look around the
dinly-lit room, she called out to Nick.

In a second (literally), Nick appeared at the top of the stairs in jeans
and a tee-shirt, "Hey Nat, I'm glad you could come over tonight."

"No problem. So I see you got all dressed up for company."

"Oh this?" Nick looked down at his tattered attire, "Well, it's just
you, Nat. Not like it's real company."

"My, my. Don't I feel loved? So what did you ask me over here for?"
Nat walked over to the sofa and sat to wait while Nick poured a glass
of soda and brought it over to his guest.

She thanked him and took a sip.

Nervously, Nick cleared his throat, "Remember when we went to dinner last
night and we were talkling and I told you there was something I wanted to 
show you?"

"Oh Nick," Nat put her glass of soda on the end table and took a deep
breath. "I was thinking about ...it...last night and on the way over
here...but now I'm not so sure."

Nick paused before speaking, "You mean after how we talked about it
and how I've been looking forward to sharing it with you, you no 
longer want to see it?"

"I...I don't know. I guess I'm a little scared."

"It's really cute, Nat. You'll like it."

"Maybe...or maybe I'll scream."

"I hope not!"

There was a moment of silence as Nat looked into Nick's pleading
blue eyes.

"It's just...well...I never saw one before."

"Of course you have."

"No. Never."

"You must have had a very sheltered life, Nat. I've seen them."

"Obviously Nick - since you have one right now."

"Oh yeah. But you're a doctor. How can something like this shock you?"

"Nick, please. It's not something they show in medical school."

"But they should. What if you were treating a patient who had a 
problem with one?"

"I don't know, but that's not the point. I'm scared of yours."

Nick smiled and moved closer. "He does get excited and he would
like it if you picked him up and..."

"You want me to touch it?!"

"Well...Nat, how else can you play with him?"

"You call it 'him' ?"

"Actually I call it 'Matt'."

"Why?"

"It rhymes."

"Oh, of course."

"So, will you let me take out my little friend and show you?"

Nat took a deep breath, I don't know if I'm ready, but okay."

"Gee, thanks." Nick was out of his seat in a flash and returned
quickly with a cardboard box topped with a screen.

Nat peered in, uneasily at first, then relaxed and smiled, "He is
kind of cute, Nick. And I must amit I never saw a more appropriate
pet for you - 'Matt the Bat' indeed."

***

Grace looked up from the filing cabinet as she heard someone       
approaching. "Hi Tracy, what brings you to this part of the world?"

"I thought I'd pick up the Anderson file. Thought I'd look it over
before Nick gets his hands on it. He never lets me see anything. He
doesn't share. I don't know how Nat's put up with him for years."

"I don't know what goes on between them. Nat's my friend and she says
she and Nick are just friends but I don't know what to believe." 
Grace closed the filing cabinet and pointed to an inner office, 
"Come in here and I'll give you the file you need."

"Thanks. Hey Grace -"

"Yeah?"

"What's that noise?"

"Someone's coming. It must be Natalie. She's the only other person
with a key to that door."

"She has someone with her," Tracy ran towards the backroom. "If it's
Nick and he sees me with this file, he'll think I don't trust him."

"I'm coming too,"Grace entered the backroom and shut the door half-way,
"I always wondered what they talk about when they're alone."

"Well," Tracy giggled, "you'll soon know."     

---

"Nat, come on, don't be angry!" Nick tried to get into the room
before Nat slammed the door on him.

"You are lucky I needed a ride to pick up my notebook or else we 
wouldn't be speaking!" Nat spun on her heels and slammed an accusatory 
finger into Nick's chest.

---

"Oooh! Nicky's in big trouble," Grace giggled to a nodding Tracy.


____

"But Nat, you agreed to look at it!"

"Only because you were begging me! 'C'mon, we've been friends for 
years - I want to share my little friend with you' and then you go
and pull a stunt like that!"

"I should be angry at you."

"You should be angry at me!" Nat had begun to walk away and spun 
back around. This time Nick was saved from another poke in the 
chest by the examining table which separated him from her. "Why
should you be angry at me?" she asked.

"You hurt Matt."

"First of all, I refuse to call your little friend by the name you 
gave it and second, I did not hurt it."

"You dropped him!"

"I said I was sorry, but I was shocked when you suddenly put it in
my hand!"
___

Grace gave Tracy a puzzled expression. Tracy just shrugged.
____

"I told you Matt liked to be touched."

"So touch it yourself! When I said I'll look at it, I didn't mean I
wanted to hold it!"

"I thought you might like to play with it."
___

Tracy nudged Grace,"Are they talking about what I think they're
talking about?"

"I think so."

"Well, then I don't knwo what to think!" Tracy started to turn red.

"Shhh! I want to hear this!"
___

"Big brave doctor got scared by my poor little friend," Nick 
teased...after taking a few steps back.
___

"At least he's modest," Grace whispered. Tracy just blinked and
swallowed. She was too bright red to answer.

___

"You think it's funny," Nat shook her head,"but I was truly scared. 
It could have had a disease!"

---

"She's blatantly honest!" Grace felt herself turning red now.
___

"I would not have discussed it over dinner with you, brought you to
my place, showed it to you, and then put it in your hand to play with
it, if it had a disease," Nick crossed over to where Nat was searching
for her notebook.

"I know. But I have no idea all of the places it's been!" Nat found
what she was looking for and turned to leave.

""Yes," Nick sighed, "I admit it has gotten around."
---

Grace and Tracy just looked at each other.
___

"But since you like showing it to me, I'll give it another chance."
Nat conceeded with a smile.

"Thanks, Nat. Both Matt and I really appreciate it! And you do 
admit he's cute?"

"He's very cute."

"And he's fun to play with?"

"I guess..."

"Will you try to hold him again?"

"Alright but let me pick him up this time. I don't like it 
when I'm looking the other way and you just shove it into my hand."
___

Tracy almost fell over.
___

"One other thing..." Nat began.

"Yes?"

"Can you call it something else? It's name is so close to mine
that I keep thiking you're calling me every time you talk to it..."

"That's it!" Grace threw open the backroom door and stormed out.
Tracy was right behind her, clutching a file folder.
"I always wondered if there was anything between the two of you! 
But now that I know I've decided you're both sick! Nick, you're
a pervert! And Natalie Lambert, I am ashamed of you!" With a 
huff, Grace turned around and quickly left.

"What the hell...?" Nick attempted to speak but Tracy put up
her hand to silence him.

"I agree with everything she just said and I am right now going 
to Captain Reese and asking for a transfer! And," she said,
holding up the report folder, "I do not trust you when it
comes to the paperwork...you...you...you perverted paperwork
hogger!" With a bang of the door, Tracy too departed in a hurry.

Nat just looked at Nick.
Nick just looked at Nat.

**Back at the loft...

Nick stretched out on the sofa, one arm draped around Natalie.
She leaned against him, her head on his shoulder.

"You're not angry anymore?" he asked.

"Nah...I'm sorry I over-reacted. Bats just scare me, but he's
cute now that I've gotten used to him."

"Nat?"

"Yes?"

"What do you think was the problem with Grace and Tracy?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out tomorrow. It was weird of 
them to act like that though."

"Well not everyone is as well-adjusted as we are, Nat," Nick 
gently kissed his favourite coroner.

"No," she answered, kissing her favourite vampire in return,
"I guess not."


The End

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