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Natalie hastily threw some clothes in her bag.
She could barely see through her tears. She was leaving. She didn't
know or care how long she'd be gone. She had the foresight to call in
and ask for an extended leave of absence at least. It had been granted.
She would have to tell Grace later. She made another phone call.
The captain from the other night was available and willing. Perfect. Everything
was set then. She put Sydney in the carrier. Three hours later,
she was out to sea. Luckily, the
boat had two bedrooms. One for her and one for the captain. He had
promised to teach her to sail, and then she would drop
him off at the port of his choice. She felt no regret over taking the
boat. It seemed like a small price to pay for smashing her heart.
The captain knocked on her door.
"Miss, it appears you have a visitor," the captain
looked puzzled. "The gentlemen who hired me the other evening.
Mr. LaCroix."
"Oh, tell him I'll be right out." Natalie brushed the
tears from her eyes and splashed her face with cool water.
"Doctor Lambert."
"I thought we agreed it was Natalie."
"Natalie, we never said our good-byes."
"Don't take it personally.
I didn't say good-bye to anyone. I just left. I think I'd like to just
go somewhere and start over, you know?"
"Come," he offered his arm.
She took it and they strolled the deck.
"I took his boat, stole it actually,
since I have no intention of giving it back."
"I'm sure he wouldn't mind, only....
it doesn't belong to him."
"Oh, no! You mean he rented it?
I stole a boat! That's like grand theft. I'm going to spend my life
in the slam-"
"Shhhh, Natalie." LaCroix covered her
lips with one finger. "The vessel is mine."
Realization sunk in. "Yours? But why
didn't you tell-- Oh I get it, taking care of your responsibility to Nick.
Cleaning up after him. He can really leave a mess can't he LaCroix?
I mean just look at me. What would happen if Nick left a vengeful mortal
behind who knew his dirty little secret? It could get very messy for the
community, couldn't it?
Well, as gallantly as you did your job, LaCroix,
it was just that, an obligation. One that I'm relieving you of. Have no
fear of your safety or Nick's. I'll never tell, not that anyone would believe
me. I'm leaving, you can go now."
"It's never a relief to lose one that you
care for, Natalie."
Before she could say another word, his lips
covered hers in a kiss. He was extremely pleased when she returned it and
instigated another. The action spoke volumes.
When they came up for air, she spoke. "That
night, my birthday. It was you. You planned everything. And you weren't
just cleaning up after Nick?"
"No, it was my pleasure. You don't
remember because I *persuaded* you otherwise, but I confessed my attraction
to you months ago."
"Yes, Lucien. You may have hypnotized my mind,
but evidently you neglected to speak to my heart. Attraction is not
always something we understand, just something we feel."
"You don't know why you're attracted to me,
Natalie,?" he asked softly.
"Not in the slightest," she whispered as their
lips met.
"I know I should be a little upset that the
only way you were able to give me such a wonderful birthday is by reading
my mind, but I can't. You took the time to do it, fulfilled three
decades of birthday candle wishes, ones I thought would never come true.
Thank you, LaCroix."
LaCroix contemplated telling her that the link didn't
actually work that way, that it was more about sensing feelings than actual
events and places, but changed his mind. It would wait. His job as Nightcrawler
would not.
"Would you consider coming back to town with
me?" he asked. "As much as running off and starting over appeals to me,
I do have an obligation to stay. It will, of course, be difficult in working
with Nicholas, but I assure you, he will not hurt you any longer. I will
make that clear."
"Yes," Natalie agreed. Things would be different
now.
Four weeks later
.....................................
"So, my dear, tell me why did you choose medicine as your
career of choice?" LaCroix asked.
Natalie's head lay in his lap, and he stroked her curls. This simple
gesture of intimacy was so desirable, it nearly made him uncomfortable.
Her brow knit a moment and then she answered,
"I'll have to give you a little background first.
When I was five, my Nana kept all my paintings on her refrigerator. My
picture would be up until the next one came, and then I would never see
it again. I found them one day in the trash. I was devastated. I remember
crying."
She stopped suddenly and looked up at him.
"Lucien? Can't you just read my mind and get all the memories?
I mean, I don't mind telling you. But, I'm afraid you might find it a little
tedious."
He smiled. "It doesn't exactly work like that, I'm
afraid. Maybe upon first taste, but after that you really only sense feelings
and
emotions. You would say it was more like reading your heart than
your mind."
"Oh, okay." She took his hand in hers and
continued on,"So, after that, I was determined to create something that
would find a
permanent place in her home. Nothing was good enough, it seems. My
paintings, my ceramic dancer I made out of clay, soon
found a home on one of the back closet shelves. Trying to live
up to her expectations became an obsession for me. I threw myself into
violin lessons. But the screeching sound of it annoyed me more than her,
so I gave it up. I traded violin for the piano. I still play a little.."
"You'll have to give me a concert, sometime," LaCroix
interrupted.
"Considering who you must have seen play throughout
the years, I find the prospect rather daunting."
"Allow me to be the judge of your musical expertise."
"Okay. So anyway, dance replaced music in high school,
although it was hardly classical ballet- that Nana would have approved
of. All right, so maybe Dance was more for me than for her. But the compulsion
to find something that would please her persisted. There was always one
way- and that was to have good grades. And I did. It happened to
be easy for me. So by college, the logical choice for me was medicine.
The perfect career for Nana's granddaughter. Then one day, I discovered
that I really loved it. It was like a mystery, a puzzle to solve. The science,
the challenge, the detective work of a coroner sucked me in and before
long I had a job."
"Natalie Lambert, coroner exraodinaire."
"Lucien, I haven't seen him since we've been...together."
"I have, Natalie. And although he is far from
pleased, and unaccepting of it, he will adjust in time."
"I just hope he doesn't have any delusions
about me helping him find a cure- because believe me that is the last thing
I-"
"Yes, well I was hoping we could reach an agreement
on that point." LaCroix interrupted.
"Don't tell me you actually want me to continue...?"
Natalie asked incredulously.
"I understand your anger and it is founded,
however he is my son, my responsibility. I do desire to see him happy.
He has decided that mortality will make him so. Perhaps it would be easier
if he were mortal again."
"Because you would no longer be obligated?"
"Yes, but actually I was thinking of you.
Nicholas has not had the experience of leaving a mortal behind. Not one
that he loved and who rejected him."
"Do you think he wishes me harm?" Natalie asked
.
"I don't know. I can't be sure. Our link is
somewhat diminished as of late. Did you hear his Nightcrawler monologue
when he took over for me the other night?"
Natalie nodded. "The one on betrayal? Yeah,
spooky."
"Like father, like son?" LaCroix interjected.
"Not quite."
Natalie watched as Sydney approached catiously.
He moved closer to LaCroix.
"I think he's starting to get used to you, Lucien.
Maybe one day, he'll even climb on your lap.
"No, thank you," he said disentangling the cat's
claws from his pants. "I can do without the little furball."
"You know what I think?" Natalie asked. "I
think the only reason you haven't had a pet in the past is your afraid
of developing a bond with anything that's going to be around less than
a century."
"So, you have me all figured out, do you, Doctor?
Then tell me, why do I keep you around?"
Natalie sat up to glare at him. "First, this is my home
and so it seems to me that it is you who are doing the hanging around.
And second, you're waiting for me to come to some sort of a decision."
He looked at her thoughtfully. What was the reason
she was undecided still? Was she waiting for a direct invitation? Was it
Nicholas? With him, she had accepted it, even welcomed it as a possible
course of things. Ah, well he knew better than to push the issue.
The one luxury they had was time.
The end of (03/07)
Back to Part Two! / Onto Part
Four!
