From v4s@FKFANFIC.COM Mon Jun 8 06:23:14 1998 Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 01:58:35 -0400 From: Virtual Fourth Season To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU Subject: V4S: Obsession (11/13) Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #15 Episode Title: "Obsession" "Air" Date: June 4, 1998 Author: Carrie Krumtum Part 11 of 13 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1998 Carrie Krumtum -------------------------- OBSESSION Natalie slammed the driver's side door shut with her foot, her arms too laden with files and grocery bags to afford a free hand for the job. Tugging up one lagging bag, Natalie half-stumbled, half-staggered forward toward the stairwell that led up to her second floor apartment. She was well past the first landing when the door to a burgundy Plymouth opened just five spaces down from her parked Oldsmobile. *** The Nightwatch broadcast invaded the airwaves of the city of Toronto. "It is the ultimate obsession... love. It is selfish and self-serving.... *** Adam knocked on the front door of Gretchen Ferris' house. He doubted that there would be anyone up at this hour. All the lights were out. He knocked anyway. Loudly and repeatedly. Arthur had shown him the murder scene pictures because he was worried about the blood pattern on the carpeting. That was Arthur's gig, find out the unusual. But that wasn't the most unusual thing Adam had noticed in the photographs. Not by a longshot. There, among a sea of police officers, was a face he hadn't expected to see. *** "It taunts us. Makes us irrational. We succumb to its glories and to its horrors against our very wills...." *** With a little more effort, Adam's left shoulder, borne forward by his weight and momentum, managed to dislodge the door from the jamb. *** Natalie had to set down the grocery bags and leaned them against the wall outside her apartment in order for her to get her keys out and unlock her front door. She let the door swing inward and reached down to lift up the first of the three bags when something hit her from behind and she found herself sprawling forward into her apartment entryway. One of the grocery bags toppled onto its side and a lone grapefruit rolled out of the bag and down the hall. *** "It allows us the means by which to self-deceive. Lying to our own hearts gives us the illusion of happiness and contentment. But you aren't content, are you my friend?" *** The light from streetlamps cast shadows that moved across Nick's face as he drove. The sounds of the Nightwatch broadcast emitted from the radio and kept tempo with the ebb and flow of the early morning traffic. LaCroix would be trying to alter the course of human and inhuman hearts and events... a historical pattern with dubious success. >>--------> Warwick, England 1551 The wailing is what caught his attention. As Nicholas came awake, he heard the unmistakable cries of a woman. Pulling on his dressing gown, Nicholas stepped into the hall outside of his chamber and moved down the darkened passageway toward the sound of the crying. It was around the corner at the far end of the hallway that he came to the opened door that led into the Lady Phyllis' chambers. There, attended by her servants, Phyllis sobbed inconsolably. "What has happened?" Nicholas asked a servant who was rushing toward the door with a basin full of water and rags. "The lord of the manor, 'er betrothed," the woman said roughly and in a rough accent common to the peasants of this region. "What of Lord Leycester?" Nicholas grabbed the woman's arm gently to restrain her from leaving until she answered his questions. "The lord? Why 'e's been keeled, tha's whut. The lady's near mad with grief," the servant continued hurriedly. She leaned toward him in a posture of confidential agitation. "They said 'e 'as keeled by a monster, sir an' i's horrible ta look at." She shook her head as she pulled away. At nearly that same instant, Nicholas could both hear and feel a yell of rage from his own master. Something having to do with LaCroix's precious plans had gone terribly wrong and Nicholas feared the sweet Janette would have to answer for whatever that something was. "Thank you," he said almost absentmindedly as he released the servant to continue on with her task. Taking a step into the room, he saw the half-hysterical features of the lady. Moving toward the lady and kneeling beside the bed, Nicholas looked into the face of the last servant to attend Phyllis. He listened for her heart beat and concentrated on the sound before speaking. "Leave her to me." The servant nodded and mumbled something incoherent before rising and heading for the door of the chamber. Nicholas watched for a moment to be sure she would leave before turning back to Phyllis, who was talking incessantly through her cries. "He should have loved me," she was saying. "He'd still be alive." "Lady Phyllis," called Nicholas as he took her by the shoulders. "Tell me what happened." Her tears were uncontrolled and her breast heaved heavily with sobs. Nicholas shook her shoulders gently. "Tell me!" he insisted, searching for her eyes in an attempt to bring some calm to her mind. As Phyllis looked into his eyes, the contorted features of her face smoothed a little. "You tried to tell me, didn't you Nicholas." She reached up with one weak hand and touch the side of his face. "But you were right," her soft voice broke again and her hand dropped to the bed as if leaden. "Lady Phyllis, tell me what you saw," Nicholas insisted. Phyllis' tears quieted and she seemed to gather herself to meet the challenge of his demand for information. "She was so lovely. Edward couldn't help but by captivated by her. So lovely...." Her voice trailed away. "Who, my Lady?" Nicholas said with a sinking feeling in his heart. Janette had been very careless. "What did you see?" "If he had only loved me as he should," she was crying again. "You were right, Nicholas. You were right about everything." Shaking her again, a little harder this time, Nicholas forced Phyllis to meet his gaze. "Tell me what you saw." Quieting under the force of his influence on her, she spoke in a low singsong voice. "He kissed her... was kissing her...." Her eyes stared emptily as she told him. "Her eyes were so strange and then she... she killed him. She bit at him and he fell to the ground. Edward!" The panic returned and Phyllis began to cry again as Nicholas relinquished his tentative hold on her mind. Phyllis collapsed against his chest and dissolved into weeping once again. Janette! She had been seen. In the lady Phyllis' current state it would be difficult to make her forget the incident. When such a scene is too deeply linked to emotion it was more complicated to erase a memory or change the perception of events. Nicholas wasn't sure he could do it. The alternative could only be the lady's death. *** The pages of the phone book Adam found pulled free and lying on the couch told a story. Nick's apartment address had been circled. Natalie's as well. What was even more telling were the photos and the news clippings he found pasted into the scrapbook and scattered on the couch. There were several pictures of Nick and one that had to have been Nick and Natalie at a crime scene. Natalie's face had been blackened completely out with a marker. Gretchen Ferris had more than a crush on Nick. Much more. Looking up, Adam spotted a phone sitting on a small table in the entryway Gretchen Ferris' home. He headed for it. *** The phone rang as she tried to push herself up. Something hit her in the middle of the back and she was again forced to the floor. The last blow knocked some of her wind out of her and Natalie found she had to gasp to get air back into her lungs. What the hell was going on? *** Adam waited for the phone to ring and listened as the answering machine picked up after the fourth ring. He might as well leave a message for her. He waited as the prerecorded message began to play. *** Nick pulled the Caddy around to face the ground floor entrance and hit the remote button to open the garage door. The sound of an industrial motor groaning to life followed and the garage door began to rise ahead him. *** Natalie sensed the movement of whoever had shoved her down. Whoever they were, they were headed forward. She didn't have much time to think. *** The message ended with a beep and Adam spoke into the phone. "Natalie? Dr. Lambert? This is Adam Sakai. I was just calling to see if you were all right...." *** The sound of Adam's voice echoed almost hollowly. The person who had invaded her apartment had stopped and was distracted. Natalie took advantage of the moment and rolled quickly to her left. She put one foot beneath her and shoved as hard as she could, driving her body forward and, reaching up, she grabbed hold of the phone receiver cord that dangled from the phone table. Pulling, Natalie tugged the entire phone off the table and it toppled to the floor. *** His message was interrupted by a loud snapping sound and Adam paused to listen. There was another loud banging sound. It sounded just like someone had knocked the phone onto the floor. *** There was movement toward her and Natalie rolled again, this time toward the intruder. She hit the person's legs with sufficient force to drive them back into the wall. With a speed that Natalie hadn't been aware she could possess, she lurched to her feet and headed back toward the phone. "Adam!" she shouted even before her hand reached the receiver. *** "Natalie?!" Adam replied. He heard the doctor shout. He was sure it was Natalie. *** Just before she could get a grip on the receiver, Natalie was hit from behind yet again and carried forward against the wall by the full force of a body behind her. She had only a second to shout one more time, "ADAM!" *** "Natalie?! NATALIE?" Adam listened as the sounds of scuffling could be heard and then the phone line went dead. Damn it! Hitting the flash hook, Adam dialed as fast as his fingers would go. *** Nick stood just outside of the driver's side door of the Caddy and watched as the dark gray of dawn was slowly shut out by the final grinding efforts of the garage door as it descended. Stepping away from the car, he reached up to pull at the car door and slam it shut. (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. From v4s@FKFANFIC.COM Mon Jun 8 06:23:22 1998 Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 01:58:48 -0400 From: Virtual Fourth Season To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU Subject: V4S: Obsession (12/13) Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #15 Episode Title: "Obsession" "Air" Date: June 4, 1998 Author: Carrie Krumtum Part 12 of 13 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1998 Carrie Krumtum -------------------------- OBSESSION "Ninety-sixth precinct, Sergeant Beaucome. May I help you?" "Sergeant, this is Detective Sakai. Listen up. I want a patrol sent to..." *** Someone grabbed her shoulder and pulled her around and away from the wall. As Natalie was spun around, she came face to face with the intruder. What she saw surprised her. *** "Do it now, Sergeant." "Yes, sir," came the reply. As soon as Adam got the confirmation he hit the flash hook again. He decided to call Nick. His partner lived a lot closer to Natalie's place than Gretchen Ferris did. *** The wait for the freight elevator that served as the garage entrance to his loft had always been a long one. The mechanism that drove this elevator was at least thirty years old. Speed was not one of the goals of the designers. Just as the elevator car reached the ground floor, the cellular phone in his pocket began to ring. Nick opened his coat and pulled the phone free, hitting the 'on' button as he did so. "Knight." *** "Who are you?" Natalie asked the woman who stared at her, a gun in her hand. The woman practically sneered. "He doesn't belong to you," she said harshly. Natalie was confused. Who was this woman and whom did she mean? Nick? "He's mine. Do you hear me?!" The gun was waved at her and Natalie found herself trying to push back into the wallpaper. Whoever this woman was, she was anything but rational. What Natalie needed to do was try and calm her down. She swallowed against a dry throat and tried calming her own racing heart as she decided what to do next. "Of course," Natalie said quietly, her nervousness barely disguised. "Of course, he's yours." "I saw you with him tonight. I know what you're trying to do. I won't let you," Gretchen said angrily. "I won't let you take my knight away." *** "Send a patrol," Nick told his partner. "Already done," Adam informed him. "I'm on my way." Nick didn't wait to hear what his partner had to say after that. The sky was growing lighter as the sunrise threatened. He had to get to Natalie and he had to get there now! The line of glass set into the top portion of the garage door shattered and fell to the ground as he went through it at a speed that defied human sight. *** "Nick?" Natalie said in surprise. She immediately realized that she shouldn't have verbalized her thoughts. Gretchen became more agitated. Her voice took on an edge as she continued to speak and Natalie felt her blood run cold as the woman before her cocked the hammer of the gun. "My mother told me there would be those who would be jealous. She said I had to be careful. Now I see. You can't take him away from me!" "I don't want to," Natalie replied. "YES YOU... *** "...DO!" Gretchen was shouting. Nick could hear her voice clearly. He watched in horror as she aimed the gun in her hand directly at Natalie's chest. Slowing his approach just enough to keep from running into Gretchen as he came up behind her, Nick had the gun out of her hand before Gretchen could even see who had taken it away from her. Natalie relaxed immediately. Adam must have called Nick. He must have also called the precinct to have them send a patrol car, she thought, as the sound of sirens became audible from the street. Looking up at Nick, Natalie was sure she saw relief in his face. "NO!" Gretchen shouted as she pounded on Nick's chest. Her blows slowed as Nick took hold of her shoulders and pushed her away from him. "You're supposed to be my knight. You're supposed to love and protect me!" The tone of Gretchen Ferris' cry was more than familiar.... >>--------> Warwick, England 1551 "Edward is dead," she was sobbing into Nicholas' shoulder. "He's dead and he didn't love me at all." Nicholas felt the air in the room stir and knew from the unmistakable tremor he felt that LaCroix had found them. He looked up from the woman he held to meet his master's glare. "You know what you must do," said LaCroix after only a second's pause. "She's an innocent, LaCroix!" he insisted, dread filling him as he realized what must be about to happen. "No one is innocent," his master said darkly. "Leave her," Nicholas tried once more to win the lady's freedom from her fate. "Either you take care of this, Nicholas," said LaCroix, menacingly, "or I will!" "Edward?" Phyllis called from within Nicholas' embrace. "Why didn't you love me, Edward?" The soft sounds of her grief continued as Nicholas held her gently. "She can be made to forget," he tried, one last time, to persuade LaCroix. It was obvious that LaCroix's patience had been all used up in his dealings with Janette. When Nicholas looked back up at his master he was met with the full force of the ancient vampire's anger. "Do it!" LaCroix hissed, eyes blazing gold and fangs bared. Nicholas had seen the brutality of his master. He didn't want that for Phyllis. She hadn't deserved any of this. If Nicholas hadn't told her, she would have remained in her chambers instead of trying to confront the lord of this house. She wouldn't have seen Janette take Leycester. She would have been hurt by his death but she would be free to live out her life in search of love elsewhere. Now, she was doomed to die for his folly. But not at LaCroix's cruel hands. His fangs ached as they descended to their full length and his head began to pound with the sound of her racing heart. The lady's grief would become his own. With one last impatient growl from his master, Nicholas reared his head back as he pulled Phyllis' head to one side to reveal the soft white flesh of her neck. The sound of her surprise and the taste of her grief-stricken terror filled him as he plunged his fangs into her veins and began to drink.... <--------<< "Detective Knight?" a young constable asked from behind him. Nick still held Gretchen firmly and he looked over his shoulder and motioned the constable forward with a jerk of his head. "You're supposed to love me, not her. Me," Gretchen sobbed as the officer took her from Nick and led her toward the door of the apartment. She put up no resistance as she was pulled away. Nick looked up as Gretchen was taken away to see that Natalie was watching Gretchen's retreating back. He moved to her. "Are you okay?" asked Nick, a little hesitantly but with evident and deep concern. Another officer moved into the apartment and approached them. Natalie nodded. "Detective?" "Yeah," Nick said, turning reluctantly from Natalie to address the officer. He handed the officer the gun he had taken away from Gretchen. "Tag this. You can take Dr. Lambert's statement when you get back. Let's give her a minute, okay?" "Sure, Detective," the officer said as he took the gun. "Do you want me to call an ambulance?" Natalie slowly pulled away from the wall and felt very glad that Nick reached out to take her by the elbow. She was shakier than she thought she would be. "That won't be necessary, officer. I'm fine." "Sure?" asked Nick, searching out Natalie's eyes. Natalie met his gaze and gave Nick what she hoped was a strong and reassuring smile. Her shoulders ached from repeated blows and she felt carpet burns on the palms of both hands but, other than that and the now waning feelings of terror, she was fine. "Yeah, I'm sure." (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. From v4s@FKFANFIC.COM Mon Jun 8 06:23:33 1998 Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 01:59:01 -0400 From: Virtual Fourth Season To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu Subject: V4S: Obsession (13/13) Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #15 Episode Title: "Obsession" "Air" Date: June 4, 1998 Author: Carrie Krumtum Part 13 of 13 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1998 Carrie Krumtum -------------------------- OBSESSION "So you just went over to her house?" Natalie was asking from her position on the couch. It was well into the morning and Adam and Nick had remained behind after all the other officers had left. Gretchen Ferris had been taken into custody and Adam was explaining how he had figured out Natalie was in danger. "Well, sure," responded Adam. "When Arthur showed me the photographs from the crime scene and I saw her in the background, I knew she must have followed Nick and me to the scene. Then I remembered a car taking off just after you left for the morgue. It didn't take much to pull her up in the computer and find out that she had a burgundy 1991 Plymouth registered in her name. I decided to see what she was up to." "And breaking into her house was the way you decided to follow procedure?" Nick jokingly chided his partner. "That," Adam said as he shuffled his feet nervously for a second. "I just figured that if there were going to be a problem, it was better to know sooner as opposed to later, that's all." "I'm glad you did," Natalie told him. "Yeah," replied Adam, realizing he should probably take his leave right about now. "Me too. I'm glad you're safe, Natalie. That gal is a fruitcake. I wouldn't worry about her. She'll get the help she needs. "Anyway, I'm just glad Nick got here as quickly as he did and you're okay." "Me, too," said Natalie as she looked over at Nick. "Well, I got to go. Kelly's going to skin me alive if I don't get over to her mother's soon. We've got to pick out flowers today," Adam explained as he moved to go. "Still not done with the wedding plans?" Natalie said as she watched him open her front door. Adam sighed. "Do they ever get done?" He smiled as he shook his head. Natalie said "thank you" again before Adam left and continued to look after him until the door was closed and a quiet descended on the room. When she looked back at Nick, she found that he was staring at her from his chair across from the couch. "I guess I owe you a thank you as well," she said quietly, looking down at her hands. Nick didn't say anything. The truth was, he didn't know what to say. When Nick didn't say anything, Natalie felt some of her anger return. There it was, that studied silence that seemed to define how Nick handled their relationship lately. Natalie took a deep breath to take control of the anger. Nick didn't deserve that. He was unsure of what to say and the silence was just his way of trying to keep from saying the wrong thing. What she needed to do was give him a direction to go. "I was wrong about what I said at the precinct," she informed him. She looked up to meet his gaze squarely. "I had no right to hurt you that way." This time, Nick knew exactly what to say. "You had every right." "No, I didn't," she insisted. Natalie unfolded her legs from beneath her and rose to her feet. Despite the soreness, she felt too nervous to remain seated. This would be a lot easier if she could just walk around a little. "No one has the right to hurt you, Nick. You don't deserve that." When she had risen, Nick had stood as well. He remained by the chair and simply watched as she moved around the couch to place more space between them. "Don't I?" Even though Natalie knew the statement from Nick was inevitable, she found the sound of it stung. What else could Nick think after how she had treated him? "No," she said matter-of-factly. Turning, Natalie again met his gaze. He looked away. As he did so, Natalie again felt the anger threaten her resolve. She wasn't ready to do this, to talk about any of this. It didn't matter much what she was or wasn't ready for. There would never be another time like now and right now Natalie didn't want to be angry anymore. She walked around the couch and stood in front of him. As she did so, she could feel him retreating emotionally from her. His fear was palpable. "Damn it, Nick!" She had a hard time keeping her frustration out of her voice. "Will you just talk to me!" "What do you want me to say?" asked Nick. His expression was challenging. He wasn't going to broach the subject. Natalie was going to have to do this herself. "Tell me why," she said with quiet directness. Nick knew what Natalie was asking. She wasn't talking about Gretchen Ferris or why Nick thought he deserved her contempt. Natalie was asking about that night. She wanted to know why he had broken his promise to her that they would be together. The truth of his answer was something he had never been given a chance to explain to her. Not fully. Now that he was asked, he wondered what to say. The expectation in Natalie's eyes was hard for him to look at. Looking away, Nick decided that the best thing to do was to simply start speaking. "What would you have me do, Nat?" Nick said, pacing away with his back to her. His voice, though earnest, was little more than a whisper. "Would you have me kill you outright or bring you into my darkness... damn your soul... damn... you to...." His voice trailed away and she wasn't sure whether or not he had left the last of his thought unspoken. Her anger and her fear warred within. Was it so wrong to be angry? He had broken his promise, his vow. They were to be together... forever. He loved her. How could he say he loved her and then leave her there? He was speaking again and this time his voice belayed his emotion. "I'm not some dark tragic hero or romantic figure from a bad historic novel. This is what I am now. This beast within me that demands I destroy all that is light in the world around me." She was sure she heard his voice crack as he paused. When he did continue, something she wasn't sure he would do after a long interval, his whisper was so heavy and low that she had to strain to hear it at all. "I don't have your faith, Nat. Your strength. I... I wanted... I should have left," he swallowed as if nervous, "long ago. I couldn't... I didn't want... to be away from..." He stopped again. The silence was deafening. There was so much she should have said: "You aren't that beast," and "You can't give up." Those words weren't what came out of her mouth, however. She waited until the still in the room threatened to bear her to the ground with its weight before daring to speak. "So you would rather I die." Her voice sounded offensive in the silence and she immediately regretted her tone on hearing it. Nick whirled and his eyes blazed gold. His mouth was open in a hushed growl and his fangs glinted moist in the light of the room. "Yes!" he hissed at her, his anger and horror at the accusation apparent. "If living meant this hell then you are better off dead. How could I say I love you and tear you away from the sunshine, the warm of day? How could I do that to you?" A single tear formed at the corner of his eye. "Is that love, Nat? Or is it selfishness and blasphemy and evil? Is it love to destroy love?" The force of his emotion along with her own deepening sorrow seemed almost too terrible to bear. Her chest felt as if it were being squeezed in a vice. It was so much easier to be angry... to tell herself that she could hate him. But... to be loved by him... to be left to God because death was better than a life together, whatever and however that might be.... This was his love. This was the way he had chosen to love her. When she didn't answer, he closed his eyes and bowed his head. After taking a deep breath, he looked up again with eyes as pure a blue as a summer day's sky. The look of self-loathing and guilt in those eyes was too much for her to stand. Say something, she shouted to her heart. Anything.... "No," she whispered, her voice now soft and sure, not condemning as it had been before. Her bitterness seemed small in comparison with the pain she both felt in her own heart and saw in his face. She had wanted to be loved by him... had asked him to make the sacrifice necessary to bring them together. *She* had asked and he couldn't. Perhaps what bothered her most of all was the fact that she had given him an impossible choice to make. No wonder he found death so attractive. The no win situation.... That was what she had offered him. She... and LaCroix. Natalie shook her head and stared into a face filled with silent disbelief and incredulity. "No, Nick," she continued quietly, "that's not love. You were right. I shouldn't have asked." When she saw that he moved to speak, she held up her hand. "Please," Natalie said as she took a step closer to him. "This isn't getting us anywhere. "We...." She swallowed. "We've both made mistakes. Maybe," she paused, searching for the words of honesty to give him, "maybe I needed to know that there was a chance for us. Maybe I was too desperate, too afraid of being left alone... without you." "Nat," he began and took a small step towards her. "Nick... please... just let me finish." He stopped his advance immediately. It was her turn to take a deep breath before going on. "I just don't know. What I do know is that I can't blame you anymore. It was easier to just be angry, to just leave everything unsaid and abandon these feelings I have. It was easier... but not right or better. I can't pretend forever, Nick. I don't want to." When she stopped, Nick was sure his heart was pounding out a slow desperate rhythm, aching for her to tell him. He had to know. "What do you want, Natalie?" His voice wasn't demanding, it was hesitant and afraid. Natalie found that the discovery of his fear help bolster her courage. What did she want? "I want for us to keep trying to find a way. I want to bring you back across, Nick. I want that goal to mean as much to you as it does to me. That's what I want." She looked deep into his eyes. There was a relief there, mixed with a deep fear that this was all a mistake, another terrible tragedy just waiting to happen. Perhaps it was, but... it was what she really wanted. The truth of it stood between them and, for a moment, she thought it would become a wall that would separate them. There was a lump in her throat as she realized that the depth of her desire for him to want to be mortal again as much as she desperately needed for him to be mortal again was overpowering her. There were tears in her eyes. The sight of them seemed to free his voice. "I do want it," he said gently. Even though the force of his voice was soft it seemed to shatter the barrier that she felt had risen between them. They stood, mere inches apart, and the wall that Natalie had feared would divide them had suddenly become a bridge to unite them. For the first time since *that* night she felt as if they understood one another. It felt good... right. There were no words left in her heart. She had said her peace. A tear broke free and dropped onto her face. She sniffed in defiance and nodded to him. It was enough, then. They would agree to try again, to really try. When he took her into his arms, Natalie found she wasn't frightened at all. There was a warmth and strength in his arms that she needed and wanted and wouldn't let blind fear take away. Not now, not when they had everything to accomplish and all the reasons in the world to try. This, at least, was something to live and hope for.... ------------------------------------------------------------- Writing for the Virtual Season has been a real learning experience for me. I'd like to thank a few very kind folk for their assistance. John Folden, you deserve a medal. Nothing less would do. Mel Moser, you are fantastic. Thank you so much. TJ, what can be said? I'll always be thankful. And to everyone else associated with the production of this work of fiction, thank you. May the tale be worthy of your efforts. This story is dedicated to a dear friend, Gretchen Schultz. Yep, her character is the name sake of my friend and I used it with complete permission. Gretchen is an extraordinary individual who has overcome tremendous obstacles to live a life that would be considered "normal" by most but is, by her example, one of great courage. I could think of no one else who embodied the sense of hope and courage faced by Nick and Natalie in the wake of Last Knight better than Gretchen. So, it is to her that I dedicate this story and to her that I give my deepest thanks. I count myself truly blessed because she has called me friend. Peace. -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com.