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Warning: This story is rated R. If you are under 
18 years then  please do not read any further
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The bright churning flashing lights marked off the site of the latest 
murder scene.  It was a warm spring night, the moon was just setting, 
and the glow of the city lights was dimming to the grayness of the 
coming dawn.    

Nat sighed deeply as she looked out over the dashboard at the typical 
crowd of policeman, detectives, EMT's, and onlookers. Another night, 
another murder scene.  Just part of the job, she kept telling herself.   
It was just her sour mood getting her down tonight. She was crabby and  
knew it.  There had been an unbelievable amount of work at the morgue 
lately and after barely making a dent in getting any of it done tonight, 
she had got paged to come to this murder scene, just a bare hour before 
her shift was to end.  And since it was still dark, she knew that Nick 
would mostly likely be assigned to this case, and he was the last person 
she wanted to see tonight.

They had barely spoken in the past week.  Nick had been a total jerk 
again, and as always, realized it too late and was trying to make it up to 
her.  And on top of it all, Nat felt the onset of cramps coming on.  She 
sighed again and opened the car door.  She couldn't avoid this forever. 

Nick was the first one to notice her entering the crime scene. As he 
headed towards her, she brushed right by him and went right to work 
examining the victim.  If anyone else noticed, Natalie neither looked to 
see nor really cared at the moment.  She wanted to get through this 
crime scene report and go home.  Come to think of it, Nat nibbled on the 
pencil eraser, a nice hot bath, a cup of tea, and a good night's sleep 
would feel just.... she looked up.  Nick was staring at her again with that 
lost puppy-dog look on his face.  Her heart skipped a beat and she 
swallowed hard. Damn. That man, no, that vampire, she corrected 
herself, even when silent, could still get to her.  She stared back at 
him a moment, her eyes cold.  

Nat finished up her report and started heading back towards her car.  
There were footsteps behind her.  Looking up at the growing dawn of 
the day, she stopped and paused.  Not even bothering to turn around, 
she called out to him,  "Shouldn't you be well on your way home about 
now?" Her voice sounded like she was irritated.  Good. 

There was a long, pregnant pause, long enough to make her wonder if it 
was really him.  "Nat...."  Yep, it was him, no one could put that much 
angst in his voice like Nick. 

"Nick, " she began in her most authoritative voice, which she noticed 
she used quite frequently with him.  "Turn around, get in your car, or 
perhaps fly if you damn well feel like it, and GO HOME.  I don't feel like 
dealing with this, especially right now."  Nat could almost see Nick's 
apologetic face pleading into her back.  "Please?"  That last part came 
out with too much emotion.  She was definitely tired.  

There was silence behind her.  Perhaps he did like she said and went 
away, running away as he usually did and as she expected him to.  It 
had been like that all week.  All it would take was one cold glance or a 
few harsh words and Nick would leave her alone.  As it remained quiet 
behind her, she felt pretty sure that he was gone.  She could hear the 
sounds of the crime scene breaking up behind her, and out of the corner 
of her eye, saw the ambulance pulling quietly away.  She started walking 
towards her car again, regretting having parked so far away.  This was 
not exactly the best part of town.  Even now she could hear what 
sounded like air being let out of tires.

Damn, that was coming from in front of her.  In the light of the coming 
dawn, she barely saw the dark blur flashing past her and disappearing 
into the darkness where her car was parked.  She quickly followed, 
thanking the heavens that it had been warm enough tonight that she 
wasn't burdened down by a heavy coat. But as she drew near her car, 
she could her the groans and scuffles of a fight, interspersed with a 
couple yells, and then the rapid patter of heavy departing footsteps. 

It was still dark enough that she couldn't see the shadowy figure in 
front of her until she ran into it... and was nearly knocked backwards 
when he whirled about and the blond-haired, golden-eyed, fanged 
vampire growled at her.  She stumbled and struggled to regain her 
footing.   Strong arms instantly caught and wrapped around her as Nick 
pulled her against him.  And for once, Nat let herself forget everything 
else in  the world and savor the moment, their bodies close, his chin 
brushing against her temple, his breath softly blowing against her hair, 
his hands gently stroking her... 

"Are you okay?"  Nick said softly as he kissed her temple, apparently 
enjoying this rare moment between them.

No, she couldn't give in like this, she was still angry with him.  Nat 
started pulling out of his embrace.  "I am just fine, "  she bristled.  
She pushed against him to move away and her hand accidentally slipped 
underneath his partly opened shirt, which must have come unbuttoned 
during his scuffle with the thugs.  As her fingers felt the bare, cool 
lightly muscled flesh, she heard Nick's sharp intake of breath.  While 
she had certainly touched him and seen his bare chest before, never she 
touched his bare skin while they were standing so close together,  so 
intimately close... this simplest of touches made her feel...

She cursed to herself again.  She was supposed to be mad at him.  Why 
did being close to him always make her weak at the knees? Nat pulled 
back and looked away.  She knew her cheeks were flushed, but she 
wasn't sure if it was from anger or embarrassment.  Thank God it was 
still dark so hopefully he would not see how she felt.  

"I am sorry... your.. um.. car is not doing as well."  Nick's voice sounded 
impersonal, like nothing had happened.

Nat peeked around Nick.  "Oh damn..."  Both tires on the drivers side of 
the car had been slashed.  Moving closer, she bent down and fingered 
the knife marks in one of her now very flat tires.  

Nick crouched next to her, also examining the tire, once again ending up 
entirely too close to her.  "Looks like you won't be getting far on these."  

Was it just her or was his voice sounding a little happy at her 
predicament?  Nat glared at Nick and stood up a little bit too fast.  Her 
eyes closed as her hand rubbed her temple to help ward off the head 
rush that threatened to overwhelm her. 

"Nat?"  Nick sounded concerned.  He stood up next to her and cupped 
her elbow with his hand.  "Don't worry, I'll give you a lift home." 

Nat opened her eyes and noticed how light it was getting outside.  It 
was doubtful that Nick could take her home and get back to the loft in 
time before the sun broke the horizon.  And that meant he'd probably 
have to spend the day at her place... if they could make it that far.  
And the *last* thing she wanted was to spend more than a couple minutes 
with Nick right now, not when she was struggling so hard to remain 
angry at him.  And all this closeness was slowly wearing her down.   
No, this would not work.   

"No, I'll walk or catch a cab.  You, " Nat poked at finger into his chest, 
being careful to avoid his open shirt, "need to get home.  Don't worry, 
I'll be fine."  Please let him buy it, let him go and leave me alone, she 
silently pleaded to herself.  She was worried both about herself and 
Nick.  The dawn was coming quicker that expected, the eastern sky was 
already turning gold with expectations of a rising sun.  

Nick looked over to where the thugs had disappeared down the street.  
"Natalie-"  

"Look, Nick,"  Nat cut him short and waved at the rapidly approaching 
dawn on the eastern horizon, "In case you've forgotten, the sun will 
soon be rising and your *condition* doesn't quite take kindly to it, 
remember?"  Her voice was laden with sarcasm. 

"Nat, I won't leave you here alone. "  Nick sounded determined and 
looked at her with a strange, thoughtful look.

Ignoring his odd behavior, Nat opened her mouth to continue berating 
him. Her words were lost in her throat as she felt her feet leaving the 
ground, her body falling back into Nick's strong arms.  Then the whole 
world blurred by so fast that by the next breath she took, she realized 
Nick had carried her to the caddie and was lowering her to her feet as he 
opened the door to the passenger's seat.

Nat collected herself and turned to face Nick.  "How dare you..."  She 
didn't have time to finish her statement, as Nick leaned down to lift her 
into the car.  She resisted him, forcibly this time, planting her feet on 
the ground and hands on the car door.  "Nick!"  Nick had never forced her 
physically before.  Now, she was really mad, her eyes shooting daggers 
at him as she looked at him.

Nick seemed momentarily distracted, noticing how beautiful she looked 
like when she was angry.  But a moment later, he winced as his attention 
was caught by the pain of the first rays of the rising sun spilling over 
the horizon and began to burn him.  

Nat noticed the grimace of pain flash across his face and her heart was 
instantly torn between anger and concern for Nick.  "Damn it, Nick."  
She said for the umpteenth time.  Nick needed to get out of the sun,  but 
after a long pause when he had yet to move, Nat grabbed his arm and 
began hauling him to the rear of the caddie.   

The smell of burning flesh and smoke was starting to fill the air as Nick 
struggled to open the trunk.  It was only after Nat grabbed the keys 
from his smoking hands that they were able to unlock it and expose the 
dark coolness of the trunk. 

Nick paused for a second looking down the alley.  Nat followed his 
glance and heard the echo of voices.  They were going to have to get 
out of here soon, lest someone see the strange scene of a person 
voluntarily climbing into the truck of a car.  

When Nick still stood there staring at her looking torn, it was Nat's turn 
to begin pushing him into the car, her earlier anger at him forgotten, 
replaced with worry about Nick.  How long could Nick last in the direct 
sunlight?.  At last, Nick moved and started climbing into the trunk.  
Halfway there, Nat looked up to see if anyone was watching, but that 
slight lapse in her attention was all it took.  Before she realized what 
was happening, Nick grabbed her and pulled her down into the trunk next 
to him.  Tucking them both inside, both lying on their left sides, Nick 
pulled the trunk shut with a slam and they were both thrown into the 
darkness of the small confined space.

It only took a moment for Nat to figure out what had happened.  
Immediately, she opened her mouth to yell at Nick, but found her mouth 
instead covered by Nick's cool hand, her words muffled beneath his 
fingers.  She proceeded to curse every foul name she could think of, her 
sounds a mere murmur that echoed in the small chamber of the trunk. 

Voices outside the car grew louder and closer.  In the distance, the 
sounds of the waking city could be heard.  Traffic, cars, trucks.... the 
new day had come to Toronto.   

But inside the trunk, Nat felt the oppressing confinement of the trunk 
and begin to panic.  She struggled, locked under the iron bands of his 
arms, his hand covering her mouth.  She bit down hard on his finger, 
and Nick didn't even flinch.  Damn vampire.  So she tried another 
method and began kicking and pounding against sides of the car and 
trunk.   

"Nat, stop it."  Nick whispered in her ear, concerned not only about Nat 
hurting herself, but about whoever was outside in the alley.  If they 
were discovered, Nick might not be able to protect her in the direct 
sunlight.   

Nat must not have heard him over the ruckus she was creating. So Nick 
silenced and stopped her physically.  His arms tightened around her, 
pinning her arms to her sides, and when Nat went to kick again, she 
found her legs trapped underneath his long lean leg  She struggled only 
a second more as she soon realized she was being held totally immobile.  

Nat felt her blood pulsing in her veins.  How dare he treat her like this?   
If he thought he was in trouble before, he was really going to get the 
force of her wrath once he let her go.  But then she heard the voices 
outside the car and quieted, realizing that Nick was more concerned for 
her safety than for treating her harshly.  The trunk all of a sudden 
seemed very dark and confining around them.  

Slowly, her body relaxed as they both listened to the casual 
conversation going on outside, the voices coming closer, followed by 
gradual noises, a can being kicked, a rock being thrown and hitting a 
dumpster, startling Nat and making her jump slightly, her body pressing 
back against Nick.  In the quiet darkness of the trunk, Nat heard her 
heart pounding in her ears and instinctive leaned backwards... against 
Nick's chest.

And instantly, she became aware of their proximity, his cool length 
against her back and neatly fitted against her backside and hips, and his 
right leg holding her own legs down, his calf flexing against her shin as 
he held her tight.  Nat shivered in response.  Damn him for putting her 
into this situation.  And her rebellious body was becoming very aware 
of their intimate closeness, a situation she had been trying so hard to 
avoid.

Nick was trying to listen to what was going on outside, but found it 
excruciatingly difficult.  Nat's body was so warm against him, her strong 
heartbeat pounded in his ears, the familiar scent of her blood mixed with 
the faint smell of her shampoo and perfume, the feel of her soft lips 
against his fingers, the skin of her jaw warm and silky to his touch.  
Definitely distracting.  He gave a silent chuckle and tried to focus on the 
activity outside.   

Nick didn't know what strange motivation had overcome him to pull Nat 
into the trunk beside him, but as he felt her slowly relaxing in his arms, 
he knew his heart had somehow been involved in the act.  Nat was mad 
at him, she had been all week, and had been doing her best to avoid him 
and keep pushing him away, no matter how insistently he had tried to 
get her to listen to his apology.  He had been an idiot again and he knew 
it now.  She had a right to be upset with him, but yet, he wished she 
would just give him a chance to apologize.  But instead, she had kept 
pushing him away.  

Perhaps now he could finally get her to listen.  The voices were fading 
away in the distance outside and Nat remained calm and still.  Slowly, he 
began to release the strong hold he had on her, hoping he hadn't given 
her bruises.  

"Nat..."  He said softly, his fingers slowly relaxing against her mouth.  

That scant moment was all she needed.  Even with his vampiric hearing, 
it didn't take much to detect her sharp intake of breath, a deep breath 
right before one was going to.....

Nick caught her mouth beneath his hand again, stifling her scream into a 
slight cry.  "Nat, stop it!"  He told her harshly. He was quickly losing 
patience with her little protests.  But she felt so warm and soft and alive 
in his arms, it was so easy to become distracted.

Nat was boiling mad now. her body was now very much aware of Nick 
holding her down.  While her mind was angry, her body had a mind of 
its own as she noticed how the rough denim from his jeans could be felt 
through the thinness of her slacks, that his muscles felt both heavy and 
strong as they easily held her down against the hard floor of the trunk.  
And the still open buttons of his shirt were pressed against her back, 
enough that she could feel the fine muscles as they flexed as he 
tightened his hold on her again.  So strong, so vibrant, so... alive as he 
cocooned her.  Suddenly, the confined space of the trunk seemed very 
warm.  She *had* to get out of there....

She began to struggle again, her arm escaping Nick's momentarily lapse.  
She reached for the catch release of the trunk, groping blind in the dark 
until her fingers found the lever and began working to open the trunk.  
She heard Nick sigh behind her, but he made no motion to stop her.

The latch wouldn't budge.  Nat knew that Nick had had the lever 
specially installed in the trunk to be released and locked from the inside, 
but now it appeared to be stuck, or perhaps she wasn't strong enough 
to unlock it.  Her attempt at escape was thwarted.

"Damn it."  Nat exclaimed as she hit the roof of the trunk once again 
with her fist in frustration, which she regretted instantly as her body 
moved back against Nick making every nerve in her body once again 
aware of their closeness and responding in kind.  She cursed her 
traitorous body.  And the fact that his hips were pressed tight against 
her backside did little to prevent the warm throbbing desire that was 
building between her legs, especially as her mind wandered and began 
to imagine what those hips of his could be used for.  The darkness and 
limited space of the trunk only made it more apparent how intimate their 
situation was. 

Nick had been so silent and motionless during her latest outburst that at 
first, she didn't notice him moving, nor her hair being brushed to the 
side.  But she instantly became aware of soft lips planting a tender, 
damp kiss at the nape of her neck.  Nat froze and inhaled deeply as 
electricity shot down her spine, nearly curling her toes.  

Nick's senses were reeling from their closeness in the enclosed space of 
the trunk.  Warning bells were going off in his mind, that maybe this 
was really bad, impulsive move.  But her pulse was pounding in his ears, 
her warm breath blowing softly against the back of his fingers, the 
softness of her lips against his hand, the heat of her from her exertions 
was chasing away the perpetual chill in his bones, the silkiness of her 
skin beneath his lips, and her scent...the tempting smell of her blood 
was slowly being replaced by another...the damp, heady scent of her... 
arousal?    

Up until this point he had been concerned that the increase in her pulse 
had been due to her fear or anger, but now he was beginning to suspect 
it was from something else.  But he wanted to make sure. 

"Nat, " Nick whispered against her skin.  Nat barely heard him over the 
pounding of her heart, "I'm sorry, for everything." He continued to 
nibble lightly at her neck while his hand began to lightly caress her 
stomach.  He felt Nat relaxing and her breathing deepen in response and 
Nick smiled, his fangs joining his lips and tongue to continue nibbling 
down her neck to the curve between her shoulder and neck. 

Nat felt the brush of his teeth against her skin and quivered. His touch 
was so light and sensitive, and were those fangs she felt? She couldn't 
be sure.  All she knew was that his lips and nibbles were wreaking 
havoc with her senses.  She swallowed hard, her mouth and lips moving 
slightly reminding her that his strong hand still laid against her mouth.  
And his other hand, making small circular motions on her stomach, 
making her very aware and frustrated that her blouse was the only thing 
separating his hand from touching her bare flesh.

The entire world had slipped away, thus Nat barely noticed when Nick 
began shifting their legs, rolling her slightly backwards towards him so 
that she was no longer just laying on her side, but was laying partly on 
top of and back against him.  His right leg still lay across hers, but he 
now used his left leg to slowly move up and part her legs, his knee and 
thigh pressing erotically against her.

There was no doubt in Nick's mind, as he felt the center of her warmth 
against his thigh through the thin layer of her slacks. Nick smiled.  She 
was just affected by their proximity as he was. And perhaps now he 
finally got her attention.  But would she listen?

Nat couldn't hold back the groan as his denim-clad thigh pressed 
against her, the feel of his muscled leg against her inner thighs even 
more arousing.  She swallowed hard and then realized her lips had been 
parted beneath Nick's hand that still covered her mouth.  And her 
breathing, like her pulse, were far from steady.

Nick nuzzled against the smooth skin beneath her ear.   "I'm sorry, 
Natalie.  I didn't mean to hurt you.  You had a right to be angry."  Nick 
sighed and slowly removed his hand from her mouth.  

Natalie was quiet for a long moment and let out a long breath now that 
his hand was gone.

"I'm afraid, Nat."  his voice trembled with his concern as he continued, 
"Afraid of hurting you, of getting to close to you, of you getting too 
close to me."  He whispered the words into her thick hair, stroking it 
gently.  

"I know that Nick."  Nat said softly, her body trembling with emotion 
and reaction to his words and his closeness.  But she heard and felt his 
words and remembered the emotions of the past week.  "But I can't take 
this much longer, this on again off again-ness. One moment we're warm 
and friendly and affectionate and the next, you're cold and distant."  

Nick sighed.  "I don't know how to react around you, Nat,"  he tried to 
explain.  "We want to remain friends, but every time I'm near you, I want 
it to be much more than that, and I'm not talking about wanting to bite 
you either.  I see how much you care in your eyes and the things you 
do for me.  And for the first time in a very long time, if ever, I have the 
found myself wanting to become mortal not just for myself, but for you, 
so that you and I can be together."  Nat could hear the unshielded 
honesty in his voice.  "And I know that is not possible."   His voice 
lowered to a bare whisper filled with sadness.  

"There is a way, Nick."  Nat said simply, her voice echoing hollowly in 
the darkness.

"There is a way, " Nat repeated, her voice filled with growing 
conviction.  

Nick closed his eyes in the darkness and sighed. "Nat, no. "  Nick 
replied.  He knew she would say that, but how could he make her 
understand?  "I won't risk your life like that. I'm not even sure that cure 
would work."

"Well, how the hell do you know, Nick, unless you- *we* try?"  Nat's 
anger was returning, she reached up and began searching for the latch 
again.  She had to get away from him, away from these emotions he 
stirred up in her, away from his stupid stubbornness.  "And why in the 
world then did you pull me in here with you knowing how close we 
would be, how tempting it might be for you."

Nick had no answer.  He wasn't sure either, other than he needed to 
show her, to tell her what he was feeling, to make her listen and 
hopefully understand what was in his heart and mind.  Words never 
seemed to be enough.  How could he make her understand that he cared 
so much for her, he couldn't take such a risk with her life?  He turned 
slightly and let her rest on her side again, wishing there he could 
somehow look into her eyes and let her see the pain that was in his eyes 
and heart.  The darkness and limited space of the trunk suddenly felt 
very confining around him.  But he also felt the distance between them 
and wished he knew a way to lessen it.  

"You, Nicholas Knight, deBrabant, or whatever the hell your name is 
this decade, are a coward."  She threw the words at him in the dark.  Nat 
found the latch and began working at unlocking it again.  "You're afraid 
to face the unknown... unwilling to even try to control yourself.  You 
say you care about me, yet your words are empty if you keep 
backsliding like you have been."  The anger and frustration 
bubbled over making her voice tremble with emotion.  Her fingers 
continued to work at the latch, trying to find the hidden way of 
unlocking it.  "And they are meaningless since you refuse to back them 
up."  Nat wasn't even sure if she was making any sense at this point.  
"A knight in the crusades?  Yeah, right. I've never seen a wimpier--" 

Her fingers brushed against something sharp in the latch, slicing across 
her index finger. "Ouch!" Unfortunately, it was too dark to see how 
deep the wound was.  Nat instinctually placed her finger in her mouth, 
sucking on the wound to nurse away the pain, the taste of blood and 
rust against her tongue.  Real bright move, Nat.  Taunting a vampire and 
then cutting your finger, she silently scolded herself.

Nick had remained silent as her words bit into him.  Anger began 
to build within him.  Nat was lashing out in anger, he knew.  But 
there was a ring of truth to her words. And the truth hurt.  Feelings 
began to grow, an anger with himself, at Nat for stirring up the 
status quo, a desire to prove her words wrong...

But his thoughts were cut short.  He grimaced as he detected the heady 
scent of fresh blood.  Natalie's fresh blood.  Blood he had struggled so 
hard to shun.  The barely-contained vampire growled with hunger and 
desire within him.  He fought against the rage and need within him.  
He lost.  Grabbing her wrist, Nick pulled her hand back and placed 
her still bleeding finger into his hungry mouth.  The taste of her 
flowed over his tongue and down his throat.  Nick suckled long on her 
finger, overcome by her heady taste, silky smooth and more beautiful 
than he ever imagined.  But the wound healed too quickly and the blood 
flow tapered slowly down to nothing, just as the beginnings of her 
thoughts and emotions were beginning to register with his mind. In 
those bare seconds, he began to feel her anger, her warmth, the beauty 
and strength of her heart and spirit, just the surface thoughts, but it was 
only the start.  The vampire keened within him.  It wanted more.  He 
wanted more.  

Nick's movements had been so quick it took Nat a moment to figure 
out exactly what had happened.  The feeling of her finger in 
Nick's mouth, his soft tongue wrapped around her finger, his mouth 
sucking lightly and tugging at her finger was one of the most erotic 
sensations she had ever felt.  The pain of her wound was history in her 
mind compared to the delight of his mouth working on her finger.

And then too soon, it came to an end as Nick released her finger, 
kissing her finger tip lightly before entwining his fingers with hers and 
lowering them together to rest on her hip.  His lips kissed the curve of 
her neck again. 

Nick's lips tasted her skin.  Oh, she tasted so good, warm, vibrant... 
alive... her pulse was raging right beneath his lips.  No!  He tore himself 
away, his head hitting the back of the trunk. And they laid there for a 
long moment, entwined together, but yet so far apart.  

Her words still echoed in his mind.  He was not a coward, his mind cried 
out in denial. Her accusation both angered and pained him. She had 
been right, those many months ago, that he often ran away instead of 
facing up to things.  In many ways, he seemed like a coward.  But was 
he running from others or from himself?  He felt cornered, trapped, 
unsure.  The freedom of mortality was most likely beyond his grasp....

Nick shook his head.  No. not this time.  For once, he felt driven to stand 
against the doubts that plagued his mind. In the back of his mind were 
the thoughts and images he had gained from Janette when he had 
brought her across.  Somewhere in those memories was the clue to 
mortality. And it started with finding and loving the right person.  Nat's 
back was warm against him, her body teeming with life in his arms, 
reminding him of the power of mortality and the importance of their love.  
He remembered her voice, her thoughts and feelings that often showed 
in her eyes, her inner beauty and strength, her spirit.  All came back to 
him with a flash and strengthened his will and spurred him on.  No, he 
was not a coward.  And he could make the cure work.   

Nick gave into the other hunger within him.  Nuzzling her neck again, 
this time driven not by hunger, but out of need and love, he removed 
his hand from hers and reached around her to begin unbuttoning her 
blouse  He vanquished the vampire and let the other part of him, the 
part that loved Nat with all his heart and soul, take over. 

He began to kiss her again, this time with love and tender passion 
instead of lust.  How soft her skin was, how scented it was with her 
perfume.  He wanted to taste and touch more of her to see if it was the 
same all over.  The other passion, of desire and love, sprung loose and 
took over.  His kisses became more insistent as he removed his hand 
from hers and began stroking the curve of her hip and buttock.  His 
other hand unzipped her slacks, allowing him to pull her blouse free and 
finally make contact with her bare skin.  He paused only a moment to
undo the buttons of her blouse and slip it off, exposing the rest of
her bare skin to the cool air... and his touch.  He lowered his lips 
down to kiss the bare skin of her shoulder.  Sweet, soft, warm her
skin was, he noticed as he felt Nat shiver in response.  

He needed her.  He both wanted her and needed to show her how he 
felt. It was the only way he felt he could communicate with her, to 
overcome the vampire and meet her as a mortal, to show her how much 
she meant to him, so much that he was willing to face the risks that this 
path towards mortality would require, especially if it meant he could 
spend the rest of his life with her.  His hand slid across the warm bare 
skin of her stomach as he lifted her back against him again.  

Nat reeled with the sensations that were coursing through her.  Had she 
been stupid in taunting him like she did?  God, his hands were cool 
against her hot flesh.  She had imagined making love to Nick numerous 
times, in the silky satin sheets of Nick's bed, on top of the downy 
softness of her comforter, but in the trunk of the caddie?  His hand 
stroked across her stomach and was slipping under the band of her bra, 
his cool fingers delicately exploring each inch of her bare skin.   Nat 
swallowed, stifling back the moan that had nearly escaped her lips.  The 
darkness of the trunk made it worse, made her body more aware of each 
touch, each sound, each breath, each movement, each fine touch... of 
his hand softly cupping her breast, his fingers brushing her hardened 
nub, sending shivers down her spine.  His lips continued to kiss her 
neck, her throat and jaw.  He nibbled on her earlobe then nuzzled her 
hair as his hand moved back to undo her bra clasp, deftly undoing it
with one hand to her amazement, then slipping the slim strap down and
over her arm, his fingers trailing down her skin as he did so.  His hand
slid up and cupped her breast, squeezing it gently as his thumb
traced circles around her hard nub.  His rough skin felt so right 
holding her, touching her in ways she had only dreamed about before.

Then slowly, both hands were resting at her hips and with his thumbs, 
Nick began to pull the waistband of her slacks downward.  He had to lift 
her hips slightly, but somehow in the limited confines of the truck, he 
was able to shimmy her pants down past her knees to her ankles, 
exposing her bare skin to the cool air and his exploring hands.  

Nat gasped at the feel of his hands stroking the uncovered skin of her 
hip, then moving to cup and squeeze her buttock.  He drew lazy circles 
against her skin, sending warm thrills up her spine.  And he took his 
good old time doing so as he continued his loving caresses on her rump 
until she wriggled her hips in complaint, making him chuckle in her ear. 
His hands finally moved lower and stroked the back of her thighs.  Nat 
tensed as they both realized that this was most definitely one of her 
erogenous zones.  Nick blew softly in her ear, then continued caressing 
the back of her legs, softly at first then more demanding, his fingers 
running lightly up and down this sensitive area.  Nat couldn't stop the 
light moans from escaping her lips.  

Nick chuckled at her vocal response, deciding it was just one more thing 
that he loved about her.  He moved his hand down to lightly caress the 
backs of her knee, and felt her shiver again.  But this was too easy, he 
decided and continued on.  Easing her legs apart again with his knee, 
Nick slid his left hand underneath her, his hand moving slowly up and 
around her hip until his fingers touched the edge of the soft mound of 
curls at the juncture of her thighs.  His right hand moved up to cup her 
breast again, holding it tenderly as his mouth continued its run of kisses 
down her cheek and shoulder.  His fingertips wove through her mound 
of curls, teasing them endlessly until she groaned and wiggled her hips 
in protest.  

Nick, lost in feelings long forgotten, mortal sensations of a body that 
had almost forgotten them, cursed when he felt the beginnings of the 
vampire swelling up within him again.  He mentally forced it back, his 
body throbbed with sensations the growing passion within him stirred 
up.  So caught up in them, he barely heard Nat calling his name.  

"Hmmmm?"  Nick nuzzled her hair in response.

"It's not fair. I can't touch you."  Nat protested, her voice deep and 
husky with passion.  Her hand had been resting behind her against his 
hip, but she felt a sense of loss for not being able to return his caresses, 
for not being able to feel him and touch like she wanted to.  Their 
position, with him behind her,  made it a little difficult.

"I guess we'll have to fix that."  With that she felt Nick pull away, the 
cool air hitting her back.  There was movement behind and beneath her 
as Nick shifted, causing the car to shake slightly with his motions.  A 
moment later he was back, encircling her with his arms again and pulling 
her back against the bare skin of his chest. Again, Nat was struck by 
again by the arousing feeling of his skin pressing against hers.  The 
muscles of his chest flexed against her back.  She could feel the light 
brush of chest hair, the faint hardness of his ribs, the flatness of his 
abdomen. and each inch of him was firm, smooth  and cool against her.  
Nick draped his silk shirt across her side and let it fall down across her 
front until she reached out and clutched it.

He picked up right where he left off pulling her even closer. It was like 
something out of a dream, the smoothness of his bare skin brushing 
against hers, his hand caressing and stroking its way down her 
shoulder, past the curve of her waist, up the curve of her hip, then 
slowly sliding forward.  His lips found the curve of her neck again and 
she arched her neck up to meet his embrace.  Nat held his discarded silk 
shirt her hands, letting the smooth fabric run between her fingers.  
Lifting it to her nose, she inhaled and was rewarded by the scent of him 
that still lingered.  Desire bubbled up within her, spreading throughout 
her body, enflaming it and her heart with passion and need.  She felt his 
hand slip up between her legs again, and as if reading her mind,  his 
fingers tiptoed down and found the center of her desire, caressing her 
slowly there, her hips unconsciously rocking to match his strokes. 

Nick knew he couldn't wait much longer.  For the first time in a very 
long time, he felt his body responding to hers in the mortal way, his 
jeans feeling far too confining, especially with her soft body pressed 
against the length of his, stoking the desire within him.  The vampire, for 
once, was hushed as he continued to stroke her, to feel her silky 
softness beneath his touch, to hold her and hear her heartbeat and soft 
moans in his ears,  to feel her slight movements as she rocked her hips.  
Her taste was against his lips, her scent filling his every breath.  

It only took a second for his hands to unzip his jeans and slide them 
down past his hips.  There wasn't enough room to fully disrobe, but 
they didn't need much space.  At least, not this time.  He needed her too 
much.  His body and soul cried out for completion, yearned to become 
one with her, to find out if they could beat the odds, risking it all for 
love and for the one chance he might ever have at regaining mortality.  
There was no going back from here.  It seemed like the entire world 
stopped for a moment as they both held their breath in anticipation..

His knee gently parted her legs, his right leg lifting hers just enough to 
allow him to slide up and inside her, her warm, damp tightness slowly 
opening, welcoming him, guiding him as he thrust deep within her.  He 
heard Nat cry out, at first he thought in pain, but her voice softened into 
a moan and she cried out his name.  He wrapped his arms around her 
and held her tight, his hands softly stroking her skin as he pressed 
gentle kisses against her jaw and whispered her name against her skin.   
For the first time in his centuries of life, Nick felt a sudden awareness,  
a feeling of fulfillment, of completeness beyond anything he had ever 
imagined before.  She held him so gently.  They fit together perfectly, 
her warmth surrounding him, penetrating his coldness and cradling him 
within her warmth.   It was the most beautiful thing he had ever 
experienced.  It was a joining not only of body, but of spirit and love. 

And just when he thought it couldn't get any better, he felt Nat begin to 
move slightly, her hips pulling up and forward only to rock back against 
him, causing him to move within her.  The slight friction set off new 
sensations within him, reminding him that there was more yet to come.. 
much, much more. 

Nat was lost in sensations.  The feel of Nick holding her and of him 
inside her were beyond anything she had ever imagined or dreamed.  It 
felt.. right.   Perfect and beautiful.  While one of his hands caressed 
her hip, the other cupped her breast, holding it as his thumb strummed 
its sensitive peak, momentarily distracting her as she felt the slight pain 
from their joining subside.  Did he notice that she was pretty 
inexperienced at this? And with their position, she couldn't easily look 
at him to find out, to see how this was affecting him, not that she would 
be able to see much in the darkness of the trunk anyway. The close 
blackness surrounding them somehow made the feelings more intense 
as if her entire being was focused on the contact between their two 
bodies, both the spiritual and physical bonding that now drew them 
together.

For a brief moment, she wondered about the uniqueness of their 
position, not only in the trunk of the car, but with him behind her.  As 
she grew impatient and started to move for them both, her curiosity 
faded as brilliant sensations began to slowly build inside her at the 
slight friction their movement created. As she felt Nick began to move 
his hips to match the slight pace she had started,  all her thoughts and 
worries dissipated as the building passion took over.  

Nick was in awe of the feelings growing between them.  He felt the 
silkiness of her thighs against his, her soft, yielding flesh in his arms, 
the taste and smell of her filling his senses, and he smiled to himself at 
her soft moans, noises he might have to stifle if they got much louder, 
he thought to himself, smiling.  But most of all, he was amazed at how 
mortal he felt, for the first time since he could remember.  His body was 
throbbing with sensations, the vampire noticeably absent. Nat's heat 
surrounded him, urging him on as he felt it seep into his body and 
slowly into his soul.  He continued kissing her shoulder, whispering her 
name against her skin.  She was so vibrant, warm, alive.  The realization 
of that he was truly making love as a mortal to a mortal shook him to his 
very core.  

And together they soared higher and higher, the gentle rocking motion 
of the caddie adding to their motion.   They moved as one, setting a 
demanding pace that grew quicker with each thrust.  Sensations rippling 
through her body, Nat felt as if the whole world was about to explode.  
And then it did. 

Brilliant light and colors shattered through her mind as she distantly felt 
Nick peak right along with her.  Her body convulsed with sensations 
beyond anything she had ever imagined before.  The most beautiful 
feelings rippled through her entire body, starting at the top of her head, 
trickling down her spine then all the way down to curl her toes.  Nat 
cried out his name over and over again as she hugged his shirt to her 
cheek and snuggled instinctively back against him, feeling and sharing 
the sensations that rocked them both.  

If Nick had ever imagined he could ever make love to a mortal again, he 
knew he had never imagined it would feel like this.  Long forgotten 
feelings, mortal feelings of pleasure had reawakened and tingled 
throughout his entire being as he felt Nat climax and his own body 
easily following her up and over that peak, joining her in pool of 
sensations that showered down around them both.  Warmth like he had 
never imagined touched him, his mind and body welcoming it, his heart 
opening to these long-forgotten feelings of mortality.  He heard Nat 
calling his name, making him realize that he too was saying her name 
over and over again, in between whispers of love and pressing kisses 
against her delicate skin.  But too soon, he felt the mortal feelings 
slowly becoming consumed by another hunger calling to him, reminding 
him of his immortality and its cost.  But something felt different.  

He felt his fangs drop, but the vampire somehow felt secondary, as if an 
afterthought reminding him that he needed to taste her, to share with 
her the part of him that was the vampire.   He needed her taste, the 
warmth of her blood, the power of her love, the reminder of goodness 
that only she could bring to his body.  Only with it was there a chance 
to regain his mortality.  The power of the blood.    Her skin easily parted 
letting his teeth sink gently into the soft, fertile vein in her neck.  The 
vampire within him growled in ecstasy as he felt her hot blood course 
over his tongue and down his throat to warm his cold, hungry stomach.  
For a second, the beast raged as he fed on a few rapid swallows of 
blood, but then he felt the other sensations, the slowly subsiding 
pleasure from their lovemaking that still rippled through his body, 
reminding him of the mortal bonding he had just shared, and the 
beginnings of her thoughts, her feelings, her emotions filling him, 
distracting him from all other thoughts but her.  As her lifeblood poured 
into him, their unique bonding filled his mind with images and feelings, 
reminding him of their friendship and love, of how much this woman 
meant to him and had done for him.  He felt himself falling in love with 
her all over again as her blood continued to tell the story of her life 
and soul.  

Nat had felt herself slowly returning to earth when a new set of 
sensations began assaulting her.  It took a minute for it to register that 
there was a gentle, erotic sucking at her neck.   At first, she thought it 
was Nick kissing her, but his lips were not moving, and a strange sense 
of languor was sweeping through her mind and body.  She found 
herself drifting off into a new world of feelings, ignoring the distant 
warning bells that niggled at the back of her mind.  She sighed as she 
felt the world disappearing again into a fog of emotions and images. 
feelings that were not entirely her own.

In the distance, he heard Nat's breathing and heart rate begin to return 
to normal.  Her blood was still pouring into him as her heart continued 
to beat.  The steady sound of its beating eventually broke into his 
thoughts, reminding him that he needed to stop before he took too 
much.  Already he could feel it beginning to weaken, to tremble in fear at 
the danger to her life.  Her blood was so sweet, filling, and her thoughts 
even more so.  But it was her warmth, the power of her feelings that 
awakened him from his intoxication and gave him the strength to slowly 
withdraw his fangs and lap the remaining droplets of blood from her 
skin.  

Nat didn't move.  He could still hear the slight sound of her heartbeat, 
the slights sounds of her breathing.  But she laid quiet in his arms.  
"Nat?"  He called to her, kissing her shoulder softly. 

She still didn't answer.

"Natalie?" he called again, this time more urgently.  Had he taken too 
much?  Did he stop in time?  Flashbacks from his life when he had not 
been able to stop in time flashed through his mind.  Nick began to panic. 
He wished he could see her to see if she was okay. The darkness of the 
trunk and the gravity of their surroundings came back to him all at once.

But then she moved, wriggling her hips to snuggle back against him.  
He instinctively pulled her back, his arms tightening around her so that 
her warm back was against his chest, her soft legs against his.  
"Mmmmmm."  Was her only response.  

"Are you okay, Nat?  I didn't hurt-" 

"I'm fine, Nick."  Nat took one of his hands and gave it a light squeeze 
before kissing it gently.  "Just fine."  Her voice was soft, but full of
life, 
full of emotion.  She was okay.

Nat felt his cool fingers against her lips, then laid his hand against her 
cheek, relishing in the contact.  She had been lost in feelings, 
overwhelmed by the depth of emotions and images that the vampire bite 
had brought.  Nick had spoke of the sharing that occurred between a 
mortal and vampire during a bite, but she had never imagined it would 
be so intense. Suddenly she had a better idea of what Nick was dealing 
with, the dark desires, the need and love of killing, the hunger for blood, 
the guilt for the souls he had ravaged, the desire to do good and repent 
for the things he had done, the want of mortality, to live a normal life 
once again, to allow himself to love again.  It had been then that the 
contact had been broken when he withdrew.  She wished it could have 
gone on forever.  It was addictive and erotic.  And dangerous she 
realized, feeling the languor and slight weakness the loss of blood had 
brought.  

Nick relaxed, the tension slipped away at the sound of her voice.  "Does 
this mean I'm forgiven?" he whispered in between kisses against her 
shoulder.  He nuzzled her neck and stroked the soft skin of her abdomen 
with his free hand.   Nat arched her back in response.  

"I'll think about it."  Nat replied.  She took his hand and placed it  
on her breast.   Ah yes, she'd definitely have to think about it.  Later.

Outside, a car honked its horn and someone yelled.  Inside the dark 
trunk, neither of them noticed, or cared.

The End

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