"Are you packed yet?" giggled Nat as she popped out of the elevator
and into Nick's loft.

Nick met her at the elevator. "I will be," he replied sluggishly.
"I still don't know how you talked me into this though."

Nat poked him in the arm. "Come on, Nick, it'll be fun. Besides,
it's Christmas Eve, and you said I could have anything I want for
Christmas."

"Skiing, Nat? Really?" Nick shook his head.

"Well I've never done it before either, but it looks like fun. And
they do have those trails lit up *all* night."

"Lucky break," muttered Nick, "no one will see us."

Nat kissed him quickly on the cheek. "Well, at least *you* don't
have to worry about falling. Besides, you said I could have
anything I want for Christmas. This is what I want."

"I expected you to ask for jewellery, or perfume, or something.
Hell, I'd have gotten you a new car if you wanted it, Nat."

Nat's smile turned to a frown. "I don't want a new car, Nick. I
want you. I want us to do something together, something different,
something ...normal."

Nick put his arms lovingly around Nat and gave her a hug. "I'm
sorry, Nat. I didn't mean to upset you." He kissed her cheek. "Of
course I want to go, and I'm looking forward to it."

Nat nuzzled his ear and smiled. "Yeah, right..," she mumbled.

Laughing, Nick gave her another squeeze before letting go. "Well,
it's 10:00 now, give me half an hour and I'll be ready." Nick ran
upstairs to shower and get some things for the trip, and Nat went
over to wait on the couch.

                          * * * * * *

It was almost midnight when Nick and Nat ran into trouble on the
highway. They collided with a sudden, violent snow storm. The snow
was blinding their vision, and the roads were quickly becoming
impassable. Nick increased the speed of the wipers, but it wasn't
helping much. "I don't think we're going to make it to the lodge."

"It does look pretty bad," agreed Nat. "Maybe we better stop at the
next place we see and wait for the ploughs."

"It could be a long wait. It is Christmas Eve," replied Nick, "and
I really don't know where the next place will be. Everything's
closed." Nick was now having trouble keeping the car on the road,
as the back end started sliding around haphazardly.

Nat opened her window and stuck her head outside. It was hard to
see anything through the wall of snow. "There's a big house up
ahead, let's stop there and see if anyone's home that can put us up
for a few hours."

Nick squinted his eyes as he stared out the windshield. He saw an
outline of the house and turned off where he presumed the driveway
would be. The driveway appeared as though it had not been ploughed
all winter, and he could only force the car in about twenty feet.
He and Nat piled out of the car and stomped through the deep snow
towards the house.

When they neared the front entrance, Nat noticed a "for sale" sign
in the front yard. "It looks deserted, Nick," she said.

"I think you're right. I don't think they would mind if we camped
out here for a bit."

When they got up on the porch, Nat shook the snow from her jacket.
Nick knocked on the door a few times, but getting no response he
tried the handle. To their surprise, it wasn't even locked. Nick
entered first and found a light switch by the door. He flicked it
on and a table lamp in the corner of the living room lit up,
casting a warm glow throughout the room.

Nat followed Nick into the house and closed the door behind her.
"Their furniture's still here. Maybe you better go upstairs and see
if someone *is* home." As an afterthought she added, "you better
take your badge out first - just in case - so you don't scare
them."

"Good idea," said Nick as he marched towards the stairs. He found
another light switch on the upstairs landing. Nick turned on that
switch and then checked the rooms one by one, two bedrooms and a
bathroom. There was no one home.

In the meantime, Nat took off her coat and boots and started
surveying the main floor. There were only two rooms here, a huge
living room and an adjacent kitchen almost as large. The
furnishings were sparse - a plaid sofa, two royal blue armchairs,
and a wooden end table. In the kitchen was a pine table and four
matching chairs, along with the typical cupboards and appliances.

Nat heard Nick's feet clomping down the stairs. From the stairway
he yelled, "no one home!"

"I don't think anyone's been here for awhile," replied Nat. "What
I can't figure out though, is why this place is so clean."

Nick approached her in the kitchen, "what do you mean?"

"I mean, everything is too clean. The furniture is old, but it
looks brand new. Everything smells fresh, new, somehow. It's almost
as though no one has ever lived here - yet there isn't any dust
anywhere."

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps they haven't been away as
long as you think."

"Perhaps," replied Nat unconvinced.

Nick headed for the front door. "I'll go get our things."

While he was gone, Nat decided to do a little snooping through the
kitchen cupboards. She found coffee, sugar, and a can of milk.
Luckily there were also a couple of mugs in the cupboard, and
spoons in the drawer. Nat opened the fridge, but it was empty.
Opening another cupboard, Nat found a kettle, filled it, and put it
on the stove.

Nick arrived with their bags a few minutes later. He set them down
just inside the front door. They seemed to increase in weight as he
brought them into the house. Nick then removed his own boots and
coat. 

Carrying a mug of hot coffee, Nat soon joined him in the living
room and they sat together on the couch. She glanced at her watch.
"It's Christmas, Nick. We must have gotten in here a little after
midnight."

"No television to watch," grinned Nick, as he put his arm around
Nat.

"No skiing either," whined Nat.

Nick started playing with Nat's hair and she snuggled closer to
him. He felt good, and he leaned into her face and kissed her
softly on the lips. She returned his kiss eagerly, and Nick kissed
her again more intensely.

Nat gently broke away from him. "You're playing a dangerous game,
Nick. We are stranded virtually out in the middle of nowhere."

"I'm okay," Nick assured her. "In fact, it's strange, but I don't
even feel the vampire. It feels as though it's just you ...and me."

Nat wasn't totally convinced about that, but she was willing to go
wherever Nick felt safe leading her. She cuddled back into him and
let him kiss her again.

Nick kissed Nat's neck teasingly. He undid the top buttons of her
blouse and caressed the soft skin of her throat and shoulder. Nat
shivered in delight under his touch, his touch ...what was it?
There was something different about his touch. It was warm.

"Nick?" Nat's eyes opened wide.

Nick slid his lips up along her neck and found her ear. "What," he
whispered.

She looked into his eyes, still a deep blue. "You're warm!"

"Huh?"

"You're skin ...it's warm." Nat put her head to his chest and heard
his heart beating. She was taken aback, "don't you feel that? Your
heart's beating."

"It can't be so," smiled Nick. "I don't feel any different, I just
don't feel the vampire."

"You don't feel it because it's not there!" shouted Nat, her ear
still glued to Nick's chest.

Nick lifted her chin. "That can't be, Nat."

"Well, look at you. We've never been able to get this far before
without you changing. I'm telling you, it's gone."

Nick jumped up from the couch. He tried to fly, but he couldn't.
Nat scrutinized him in confusion. Then Nick went to the front door
and stepped out. As he did so, he felt the vampire within him
again, and took to the sky. A few moments later he came back, but
the vampire did not enter the house with him. "This is really
strange, Nat."

"I'll say," replied Nat as she walked towards him.

Nick gathered her up in his arms and said softly, "there is
something special about this house. I don't know what it is, but
the vampire won't enter it."

"That can't be, can it?" asked Nat. "What is it? A miracle? It's
just too strange, Nick."

Nick stared at her. "Is it any stranger than the existence of
vampires?"

Nat had to agree that it wasn't.

Still holding her, Nick gently tugged Nat towards the stairs. He
stepped up two steps, turned around, and held his hand out for her.

"Where are you taking me?" Nat asked with a knowing smile as she
took his hand.

"Somewhere I've been wanting to take you for years," replied Nick
softly.

Nat grinned and let Nick lead her upstairs and into one of the
bedrooms. When they neared the bed, he stopped and swung around to
face her. Nick caressed Nat's cheek and eyelids with his lips as he
finished unbuttoning her blouse."I love you," he whispered, "and
I'm going to make love to you." Nat's breathing quickened and her
body went limp under his touch. Nick slipped his hands around Nat's
back and undid her bra.

Nat ran her fingers through Nick's hair and impatiently pulled his
face towards her, her lips eagerly sought out his. Nick kissed her
fully and deeply. Nat trembled as he slipped his hand over her
breast and gently caressed her bare skin. As Nick lowered Nat down
into the bed with him, she moaned in anticipation. Nick smiled and
whispered, "it is a miracle. It is not going to be questioned, and
it is not going to be wasted."


Natalie awoke late in the afternoon. She lay in bed a long time,
revelling in the sensation of wrapping herself against Nick's body.
Nick soon felt warm wet kisses as Natalie started nuzzling the back
of his neck. She kissed a path to his ear. "Merry Christmas, Nick."
Nick rolled over and pulled her close to him. He nuzzled her ear
and whispered back to her, "Merry Christmas."

It was well after dark when Nick and Nat finally got out of bed. As
she was getting dressed, Nat wondered why neither of them felt
hunger or thirst until now. She smiled inwardly as she chalked it
up to their being otherwise engaged. Nat headed for the bedroom
door and called back to Nick, "I'm going to make some coffee." 

"I'll be down in a minute," yawned Nick as he sat up and stretched.

Nat already had the coffee poured by the time Nick got downstairs.
She wasn't sure if he would drink it, but everything else about him
seemed human. She had kept the blinds down in the bedroom as a
precaution against the sun, worried something might happen while
they slept.
                          * * * * * * 

It was half past eleven that night when they heard it. The loud
sound of a car horn followed by the horrifying squeal of metal
against metal. Nick ran to the window and looked out, but could see
nothing. He headed for the front door. "I better go check it out."

"Don't go," begged Nat. "You know what will happen when you walk
out that door."

Nick pulled on his coat and stepped into his boots, "I have to go,
Nat, someone could be hurt."

Natalie followed him to the door and pulled on her own boots. "Then
I'm going with you."

Nick didn't argue with her. He didn't want to leave the house
either, and Nat would be a comfort to him. Nick helped her into her
coat. Nat studied his face as they walked out the door. She saw the
change in his expression immediately, from bliss and contentment,
to sorrow and anguish. The vampire was back home. Nat took Nick's
hand and held it tightly as they trudged through the snow to the
end of the driveway.

They squeezed past Nat's car at the end of the driveway, and walked
out to the roadway. After getting around the bend in the road Nick
stopped. "I still can't see anything, Nat, except that the road's
been ploughed." He hesitated for a moment before pointing up, "do
you mind?" Nick noticed Nat's eyes spontaneously begin to fill with
tears, and decided it better that they walk.

Nick and Nat walked down the road for a full ten minutes without
seeing anything. Nat noticed Nick's agitation at being unable to
speed up the process. She stopped walking and Nick turned about.
Nat squeezed his hand, "go ahead, Nick. Someone could be hurt. I'll
wait here."

Nick kissed her cheek, "I'll be right back." As he flew into the
night sky, a few tears started rolling down Nat's cheek. She wiped
them quickly, determined not to reveal them to Nick.

A few moments later, Natalie heard a swoosh behind her. She spun
around to see Nick standing there. He shrugged his shoulders.
"There's nothing there, Nat. Nothing. It must have been the
snowplough."

"That's probably all it was." Nat smiled and tapped Nick's chest.
"Let's go back inside." As they started their journey back to the
house, the wind suddenly picked up and it started snowing heavily
again. It was difficult to see anything through the clouds of
swirling snow.

By the time they reached the driveway, the snowfall was so blinding
that Nick and Nat almost bumped into Nat's car before they even saw
it. Nat lost her footing and Nick caught her. "I can't see a thing
out here!" she squealed. They continued their trek up the driveway.

As abruptly as it began, the wind died and the snow stopped
falling. Nick and Nat both stared at the barren space front of
them. The house was gone. There was nothing there.

"My God, Nick. Where is it?!" screamed Nat.

Nick ran forward to the place where the house should have been, but
all that remained was empty space. He ran in circles around the
area. "NO!!!!" he screamed aloud. Nick fell to his knees in the
snow, and Nat quickly reached him and clung to his back. She held
him tightly. Nick pummelled the snow with his fists in grief. He
soon felt something underneath the snow, it was Nat's overnight
case. Nick dug further through the snow and found his own bag.

They sat solemnly in the snow for a long time, until the cold
forced them to seek refuge in the car.

Nick sat behind the steering wheel and started the engine, but he
didn't want to drive. He didn't want to do anything. Nick needed to
feed. He reached around to the back seat and pulled his bag into
the front. He opened it to pull out a bottle, and found a card
inside. Nick pulled out the card and looked at Nat, "did you put
this in here?"

Nat looked over inquisitively. "No. What is it?"

"It's a card," replied Nick, a little confused. "A Christmas card."

Nat leaned over curiously. "What does it say?"

Nick carefully opened the card and read the words. He stared at
them for a long minute and smiled. Nick then chuckled as he pulled
Nat over and hugged her warmly. He released her from his arms and
laughed as he handed the card over to her. "It's a message, Nat. A
message for the future, I believe."

Nat took the card from his hand. "A message for the future from
whom?"

Nick grinned. "A message from our host, I think. Someone who gave
us our Christmas together."

Nat opened the card. Her heart glowed as she read the neatly
scripted words, "where there is love, there is hope." Nat felt
tears slipping from her eyes. They were not tears of sorrow, but
tears of joy. She reached over and hugged Nick, "this is the best
Christmas present I could have ever hoped for."

Nick kissed her softly on the lips and whispered, "me too."

The End

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