Lucifer in Starlight 1/1

This was originally supposed to be a long story, but it didn't work out, so
I made it into a serial of shorts.  It may run to five or six stories.
Forever Knight and the concepts, characters and ideas associated therewith
are copyright to Messrs Cohen, Parriot and Sony/Tristar.  No infringement of
their contractual and other rights is intended.  This story belongs to me,
Spike Shovelton and I hold copyright hereto.

Archive permission is given to Mel for the fkfanfic site and to Cousin Mary
if she wants it.  Anyone else is welcome to archive but please ask first.
Constructive feedback is welcome at blot30@hotmail.com but flames are not
required. The views expressed in the class discussions are not my own, nor
do I agree with all of them.  Any mistakes as to history or legal theory are
mine.

This isn't the most action orientated of stories, it's more just people
talking and life happening.  Spoiler for Ashes to Ashes.   Enjoy and let me
know what you think.  The title comes from a poem by George Meredith.

This series is dedicated to Lee Belsky for not minding answering my stupid
questions about life, crime, public transport and coffee in Canada. I owe
you for it.

Lucifer in Starlight 1/1

By Spike Shovelton

He wondered exactly why he was attending this class.  It seemed a waste of
time, yet he was drawn to it.  He liked studying, and he had been feeling a
little bored lately.  An immortal life was fine but not without dull
patches, though he would never admit that to Nicholas.    A class on the
history of crime and punishment should be interesting, if only to see what
modern historians made of some of the older methods of punishment.  So he
had come over to York University to take this course.

He walked into the classroom and looked around.  The usual array of people
was standing and talking, either in groups with friends or awkwardly trying
to make friends.  He stepped to one side and watched the mortals
interacting.  It might give him food for a monologue.  Lacroix looked across
the room as the teacher came in.  The evening class was being taught by one
of the lecturers from the university, a stocky figure in his late thirties,
dressed in a striped shirt and answering to Malcolm Taylor.

"Hello, I'm Malcolm, your lecturer for this course.  If you will all sit
down we can start.   I'd like us to begin with everyone giving a brief
introduction to themselves and what they hope to achieve." He sat down
towards the end of one of the rows.  The class was in a seminar room so the
desks were in rows. Lacroix sat at the end of a row, to allow him to watch
everything.

The people began to speak and he listened.  There were about eighteen people
in the class.  A vacuous woman was going on about how she was doing this
because someone vandalised her jaguar, and how dreadful it was.  Halfway
through this diatribe the door opened and he smiled as a familiar figure
came into the room.  This was definitely looking up.  The last time they had
met she had broken one of his ribs with a candlestick.  Then again he had
been trying to whammy her.

Tracy looked around as she searched for a spare desk.  As she went to the
end of the row she felt a sense of concern when she recognised the figure in
the next chair.  She drew in a sharp breath.  Idly Tracy wondered what was
going on.  She tried to come to this class to find a pastime.  Now Vachon
was dead her life was incredibly dull.  It was just that after vampires
everything else was sort of boring.  She had needed something to do and had
decided to try learning something.  She had enjoyed it at university before;
perhaps this would be fun.  She had studied at University of Toronto as a
student, she hoped nobody here at York would hold it against her.

Trust her to go to the one evening class that the vampires frequented.  Or
one vampire at least.  She saw him look her over as she sat down.  He
worried her this one, and no mistake.  She wondered if he had come to find
her, if he wanted to kill her.  She looked around at the people as she sat
down, displeased to be so near to him, yet not seeing another place.

He realised that it was his turn.  He did hate this modern habit of using
first names; it was so lacking in dignity.  "Lucien."  He said quickly.  "I
am a businessman and I am taking the course for a diversion from my business
affairs."

"Brief and evasive."  The blonde murmured and he raised an eyebrow at this
and studied her.

"Have you studied history before?"  Malcolm asked quickly.

"Yes, during my formal education and also for amusement.  I particularly
enjoy the age of the Roman Empire."  He said and sat back.

The blonde woman smiled.  "Tracy, I'm a cop, but don't worry, I'm off duty.
I don't like crime and I approve of some punishment, so I wanted to see how
people dealt with the matter in olden days, and if it reduced crime rates
any.  Then perhaps I can persuade the Captain to bring back the birch."
Tracy grinned as her comment got chuckles from some of the other people
attending the course. This should be quite interesting.  Besides it would
perhaps make people aware that she was not a dumb blonde.  Sometimes she had
the impression that people thought she was silly and inconsequential.

Once the introductions were done Malcolm smiled.  "The first part of the
course considers the theories, what motivates people to commit crimes, the
different theories that have emerged over the years and the current ones.
The second half is devoted to the punishments, both in the past and present,
and how effective these can be considered to be.  I want you all to
contribute and share your opinions on the theories and punishments.  Most of
all I want you to have fun."

There were murmurings during this comment and Lacroix studied her.  "Sounds
fun."  He murmured.  "I think this class promises very well, don't you
Tracy?  I may call you Tracy?"

She shivered slightly.  That voice was even more cadenced in person.  Tracy
remembered when he had tried to whammy her, how strong the temptation had
been to give in and let him win.  She was annoyed with herself because of
that.  "I suppose so."  She said finally as the lecturer moved to the
overhead projector.

"Right then, we'll start with the theories of crime.  In the early days of
civilisation we have little evidence of a concern with the causes of crime.
Initial legal codes were unremittingly harsh.  I am going to distribute a
copy of the code of Hammurabi, a code based on retribution and also some of
the laws of the Hittite people, who existed at a similar time period.
Theirs was a code based on restitution.  You can see the differences in the
punishments.  This will enable us to begin considering the kind of crimes
that were considered important by early people."  Malcolm began.

When they had a ten-minute break after the first forty-five minutes Tracy
turned to her neighbour.  As she did so he raised one eyebrow and waited.
Tracy could think of a lot of things to say, unfortunately half of them
would lead to people noticing and the other half would probably lead to her
winding up terminally inconvenienced.  "So what do you think of Hammurabi?"
She cursed herself when she said it.  What a stupid thing to say!  She
waited for him to respond.

"His views were undoubtedly interesting.  His system had many advantages.
The retributive nature of the laws would ensure that obedience was
maintained."  Lacroix said, enjoying this.

"Really?"  Tracy said, glad that they were sticking to a neutral topic.  "I
think the restitutive model is far more effective, it reduces the brutality,
and is much more civilised.  If you understand that."  Her tone was edged
and he smiled.

"Very civilised.  So you would not enjoy enforcing the code of Hammurabi,
knowing that when you caught a rapist he would never rape again?"  He said
quickly.  "Doesn't it annoy you when liberal socialists release those you
catch, and attempt to understand their dreadful social deprivation?
Wouldn't you enjoy simply removing them?  Think how much safer you would be,
imagine the possibilities.  To simply remove the criminals would cut the
crime rate."

Tracy looked at him and realised that he wanted a reaction, was trying to
bait her.  It was probably not what he believed but he was clearly being
annoying.  "The price is rather too high and it ignores the possibility of
reform."

"My dear Tracy, every action bears a price."  She heard the warning note in
his voice.  This was not at all a good idea.

They discussed the alternative models for a while and joined in a
conversation with some of the other members of the group before returning
for the second part of the class.  Afterwards the class all went for a
coffee together, including to Tracy's surprise, the vampire.  "So what sort
of business do you do Louie?"  One woman said to him.  She was rather
overdressed and she fluttered her fake eyelashes and smiled at him.  She
wore too much makeup and was trying too hard.

Lacroix wondered if anyone would miss her.  Nobody called him that and he
felt his fangs aching to descend.  "I own property."  He responded and
shrugged.  "It is quite dull."

"Sounds it."  Tracy said and he looked at her, seeing an amused look on her
face.  "How about you Cindy?"  She looked at the socialite.

"Oh I am a woman of leisure.  I enjoy life."  Cindy smiled.  "Life is far
too short to bother with work."  She giggled.

"I enjoy work."  Tracy said quickly.

"Yeah, it must be great fun wearing one of those uniforms and stopping
cars." Cindy said acidly.

"Has its moments."  Tracy restrained an urge to hit the other woman.  She
remembered now why she hated society women.   She saw that the vampire was
watching her.  She wished he wouldn't do that, look at her as though seeing
into her soul.  It was too unsettling.  "Arresting people is so much fun.  I
enjoy dealing with the sort of people who think that they are above the
law."  She said, still looking at Lacroix, thinking that she could drown in
the pale blue pools of his eyes.

"You are quite a radical then."  Lacroix studied her.  "Interesting."

"Glad you think so."  Tracy watched, as he did not drink his coffee.  He
obviously did not hide himself.  She turned to him.  "If you're not going to
drink that then may I have it?  Letting a good coffee go to waste is a sin."

"Forgive me, I do not much care for coffee."  He handed her the cup.  "I
prefer other sustenance."  His eyes dipped to her neck deliberately and
lingered there, watching her pulse until it began to beat faster under his
gaze.  "Something sweeter with the essence of fruit.  The juice of perfectly
ripened apricots." She went red at this.  "Served with a twist."

"I love coffee, it doesn't hurt anyone, and it is safe."  Her tone was as
barbed as his was.  Lacroix was enjoying this, apart from that society
woman, at least.  Detective Tracy Vetter would prove to be an entertaining
challenge to him.  Nicholas really ought to take a second look at his
partner.  Then again maybe it would be better for Nicholas  not to do so.
Lacroix considered whether to mention it to Nicholas, or drop a hint of it.
No it was so much more amusing to see where the situation evolved.

Tracy was having similar thoughts as she went home.  That vampire had to be
up to something.  What was he doing in a class on crime and punishment?
Didn't he have places to go, people to eat?  Best not to pursue that
thought.  It had really shaken her up to come into the classroom and find
him sitting there as though he owned the place.  Mind you, seeing the look
on his face when Cindy had called him "Louie" made it almost worthwhile.

She would have to watch him.  He was probably up to something evil.  Tracy
looked at the sky.  At times she really missed having Vachon around.  Not
that he would have answered her questions but it might have helped just to
bounce her ideas off him.  No she would keep a close eye on Mr Lucien
Lacroix, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was one of the most
intriguing men she had ever met, did it?

The End?


1) The laws of Hammurabi are one of the earliest legal codes, considered
harsh by most standards and based on principles of retributive justice (eye
for an eye) where the object of justice is to punish the one responsible by
putting him in the position of the one wronged.  The Hittite societies
preferred a code based on restitution, where the criminal is obliged to make
recompense for his actions (by performing a service or paying a fine) and so
makes amends.  They are two, sometimes conflicting, viewpoints on
punishment.  General opinion now is that punishment should incorporate both
elements to varying degrees.