Fallen Ashes - A Time to Remember

By Knightraven

This is the second installment of the Fallen Ashes mini-series. Part one was

Fallen Ashes - The Beginning.

Part 1

Natalie awoke, easing her eyes open, feeling disorientated for a moment. She was not in her bed. She breathed deeply as she recognised the lounge room...and the figure beside her, sitting up and pulling on his socks.

He glanced in her direction.

"I must go," he murmered.

"You don't have to,"

"I'm afraid I do...I have much work to do before I can reopen the club," he told her, continuing with his shoes. Pushing himself to his feet, he crouched, skillfully re-stoking the fire back to a small flame. Natalie watched him as he fussed a little longer than necessary.

"Better?" she asked him softly. She surmised that if she subtly reminded him of what had happened this morning, the vampire may remain placid...at least she hoped so. If he felt vulnerable at all, he may become aggressive, that and...she actually did feel sorry for the immortal man. He sighed visibly and turned slightly in her direction. She caught a glimpse of those expressive, pale-blue eyes over his shoulder.

He nodded silently.

"I hope you forgive me for intruding upon your privacy," he quickly apologised, in effect removing the attention away from his personal psyche. "I understand we are not exactly...chums," he said, rising to his feet, momentarily looking into his hands. She smiled briefly at the archaic term.

"This morning was no problem," she said. "Though we may have to have a wee chat about previous discrepancies about certain viewing habits," she stated, her tone firm as she mocked him. Her disapproval on the matter of her private domain being breached was all too evident. He cocked a small, brief smile and tilted his head in acknowledgement. His peeping tom days were at an end...at least for a time.

He moved toward the front door but stopped halfway and turned back toward her.

"Natalie...I would appreciate if Nicholas did not know of my...visit today."

Natalie gave him a reassuring smile and nodded.

"Our secret," she said, a twinkle of amusement in her eye. He returned it to some extent before turning and moving to the door once again.

She frowned as he turned again, his demeanor taking on a decidedly dark aura.

"Good...for I would be rather disappointed if it were not to be," he said, the familiar menace staining his tone and hooding his eyes in the manner which Natalie was more inclined to see, and expect, coming from the ancient vampire.

Continuing to the door, he opened it. Once again he turned to her. But this time she saw the sparkle of light in his eyes as he smiled demonically.

"Feel free to drop by the Raven, Doctor. You will always be welcome," he told her.

Natalie nodded and he left. She flopped onto her back and breathed a sigh of relief.

Now that was interesting to say the least. A sensitive Lacroix. That just had to be a contradiction in terms. The idea this may all be a sick game occurred to her, but it quickly fled...the pain in his eyes had been real...and for once, he needed to share that with someone. Why he chose her, she had no idea.

This whole episode had her well and truly intrigued. Lacroix had shown a side of himself that she had never seen before. She wondered if even Nick had ever seen it. Surely he would have had a few different tales to tell of his foreboding master if he had.

Then there was the notion of her keeping a secret from Nick...now that was novel. She couldn't help the small smirk which passed her lips.

It was two weeks later when Natalie finally gathered the nerve to visit the Raven. She hadn't seen the master vampire since the night she found him sitting on her balcony.

Smoothing down her jeans, she smiled at the bouncer as he recognised her and opened the door to allow her entry ahead of the younger, hipper mob queuing outside, much to their rather vocal disappointment.

The blaring noise of the club assaulted her ear drums as she scanned the crowd along the bar.

Sitting alone, a buffer of space between him and the crowd announced his presence. She watched him sip from his glass, lost in thought.

Of course she hadn't mentioned his dawn visit to Nick. He would have gone berserk-- that, and she had made him a promise. But she had thought of the ancient vampire since then and how devastated and how alone he seemed to be. So she had decided to visit, see if he was doing okay.

Natalie slowly wove through the mass of patrons until she arrived at his side and sat herself in one of the empty seats beside him. Although the bar was full, these seats were not available, though whose choice that was seemed unclear--Lacroix keeping the young ones at bay or the younger vampires keeping their distance from him.

"Though if I told him I knew the owner, he might give me a free drink," she told him by way of greeting, nodding toward Miklos behind the bar.

Lacroix let his lips smirk at her sense of humor and motioned toward the bartender. A rum and coke was placed before her, and his bloodwine was refilled.

"Doctor, you honor me with your decision to grace my establishment with your presence," he told her, his eyes glinting with amusement.

"Yeah, well...this is apparently the most happening place in town..." she said nonchalantly and sipped her drink.

Lacroix let go a genuine smile, albeit briefly. He found himself welcoming her presence. Rarely did anyone draw up the courage to engage him in conversation. He would pass the evening away observing the mass of bodies before him. He would analyze them all, both mortal and vampire. He would surmise their profession, or lack there of, what their fears and hopes were, and most interesting of all, what drew them to such a place as the Raven.

He watched as the doctor took another sip from her glass.

"So, doctor, a social butterfly this evening?" he asked her.

"Hmph! A butterfly, hardly. I was going to drag Nick along with me, but he was called into work. He said he'd meet me here later."

Lacroix nodded. Surprisingly, he found himself looking forward to a visit from his son. He had felt through their bond that Nicholas was feeling nervous about seeing him again. They had not seen each other since the night Divia was killed, and he could understand how his son may think he would blame him for his daughter's death. But truth be told, his daughter had been long dead. The night she had been brought across she had left him.

A pity it wasn't so easy to tell this to his heart.

Natalie watched the man before her as his mind wandered. He sat silently, thinking of whatever and whenever. Natalie looked around the bar. The Raven had a live band tonight, and they were beginning to set up their equipment on the small stage across the dance floor. There were several good-looking guys leaning against the bar--almost all were vampire. Further afield, at the booths and tables, mortals laughed and swigged from their glasses, celebrating yet another end to their working week.

Something sitting at the far end of the bar suddenly caught her eye. She frowned as she leant forward to get a better look. It was one of those charity boxes, and it was full of money. That wasn't what caused her to smile, though. Rather, it was the recipient of the loot which was: the Toronto Metro Police Department Widows and Orphans fund.

She turned back to Lacroix who was still musing over his bloodwine.

"So...how long have you had that there?" she leant in and asked him quietly.

Her tone shook Lacroix from his thoughts, and he focused on where she was pointing. He pursed his lips.

"Yes, well...it seemed appropriate after the unfortunate demise of Nicholas' first partner," he mumbled, before sipping from his glass.

"Has Nick seen it?" she asked. It had obviously been there for quite some time.

"I doubt it," he replied shortly, which told her that most likely he had not. At the very least, he had never said anything to his sire about it.

The band roared to life, and Natalie's attention was diverted between the bar's owner and the talent upon the stage. He would lean over her shoulder and tell her a little about the musicians playing. The guitarist, Paulo, she knew had been a friend of Vachon's, but the others she had never seen before. They were wonderful.

When they finally played a second slow song, she slipped from her stool and grabbed the ancient's hand.

"Come on, dance with me," she all but commanded with a cheeky smile. He was about to decline when she raised her eyebrows and silently begged. With a sigh, he pushed himself upright and let himself be led onto the dance floor. They were both aware of the curious eyes, but he ignored them for the better part. Soon everyone was consumed with their own dance, and he found himself relaxing into the rhythm of the gentle music. Holding her close, they spoke quietly as they danced.

"You know Nick's terrified of coming here," Natalie whispered.

"I am aware of his feelings," he responded in kind, his tone curt, but he softened it as he said, "Nicholas has always carried the weight of the world on his shoulders."

"You could let him know it's okay. He doesn't know how you feel," she told him.

He closed his eyes briefly but remained silent.

"Maybe he will come tonight," Natalie said with a small smile. There was always hope.

"Perhaps," Lacroix replied softly. But he already knew Nicholas was not coming tonight. He had felt him approach the door and then turn away. He had almost gone after him, but he was not about to subject himself to being the aggressor again...he had had enough of that particular role for now. He refused to do anything that would cause his son to push even further away from him. He couldn't lose him, as well. Lacroix rested his chin on Natalie's head and held her as they swayed.

The song ended, and he led them back to their seats. He picked up his glass and sipped as they made themselves comfortable once again.

"Unfortunately, Janette's absence has not come at a very productive time," he told her, watching as he swirled the wine in his glass.

"Oh?" she said, desiring more information, though not willing to push for it.

"She was something of a rather skilled diplomat, working between Nicholas and myself during times of incommunicado and stubbornness," he told her, a small, brief smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"I did get that impression about her at times," Natalie said, returning his weary levity.

"I fear she had grown tired of such a thankless job. Hence her prolonged departure."

"You miss her," Natalie said.

"She is my daughter," was all he said. Natalie nodded. That was a big fat yes if ever she heard one, especially now.

They sat in silence once again. Natalie finally decided to bite the bullet and broach a rather tenable subject.

"Lacroix. Valentine's Day..."

"Yes, well, I was meaning to make my apologies in that regard..." he interrupted, but Natalie waved his apology away, silencing him once again.

"That's okay, I'm over it...it's...well, I remember you both arguing... Tell me about Fleur," she asked.

Lacroix stared at her. Had she just asked him about his son's sister? He blinked as he stalled to gather his thoughts. Indeed, she had. He had been quite unprepared for the subject and did not answer for a long moment.

"I am surprised Nicholas has not told you of her. What do you wish to know?" he asked her.

"I don't know. Everything I guess. Who was she would be a good start," Natalie replied.

Lacroix nodded, but again, hesitated for a long moment before speaking.

Should he speak with her on this matter? Could he? He certainly hadn't been able to talk to Nicholas about the whole affair...

"This is not a subject I readily speak about," he told her.

Natalie sat easily, making herself relax under his scrutiny. He seemed very unsure about continuing. Obviously Fleur was a major subject in his and Nick's life. He suddenly rose and tipped the remainder of his drink down his throat.

"Bring your coat," he said as snapped his glass down onto the bar, then began to walk toward the club's rear entrance. Natalie had to scramble with her winter coat and handbag to catch up with him.

She caught up to him at the heavy steel door as he pulled on his own long coat and gloves. Natalie suited up herself, and they stepped out into the night air. Though there was a thin blanket of snow on the ground, the night air wasn't too cold for a short excursion. Very astute of him. Out in the cool evening air she could only delve into so much of his past before she would have to return inside. Hence a means of his escape.

They walked along the dimly lit streets, making their way toward the waterfront. They had strolled for a couple of blocks before he spoke.

"Fleur was Nicholas' mortal sister," he told her quietly. "He insisted he return to his home in Brabant one last time to see his family, having been away from them for almost five years. They had thought him killed in battle." He breathed deeply before going on. "I allowed it, albeit reluctantly. We arrived at dawn to the arms of his younger sister and his mother. I took little notice of the mortals at first, as they were just that, mortals...But I had been injured, and had not fed for three days. I stumbled and Fleur prevented me from falling, rather ungraciously, I would have to admit, to the floor. It was then I looked into her eyes. The attraction was immediate...there was really very little I could do."

"And Fleur?"

"That evening we met and spoke in the garden. It was obvious she was enamored with me even then. It was a magical experience, the affinity between us almost a visible entity. I had never before felt such toward anyone...even back during my mortals days," he told her quietly, ducking his head slightly.

"She loved you?"

"Oh, yes, and I her." A small, thoughtful smile appeared before quickly vanishing. Natalie wondered what he had just seen in that complex mind of his.

"So why didn't you two get together?" she asked him, curious as to how this story would end.

"Nicholas," he breathed, as they reached a small park boarding the lake's edge.

"I should have guessed," Natalie sighed. Nick and Lacroix seemed to forever be at odds with each other, one forever the bane of the other's existence. It only stood to reason that they had started their relationship as they had endeavored to go on.

"Quite," the vampire huffed. "He did not approve of our union at all. He demanded, then begged, me not to bring her across; to leave her....and the fool be me...I did as he asked." He stared into his hands, and Natalie could see the ripple along his jaw as he clenched his teeth.

"Why?" she asked him.

He was silent as they looked over the lake spread majestically before them. The quiet ensued as he thought back to those times and the decision he had made.

Was it so very long ago? he thought.

He sighed heavily and turned away briefly before moving back to face the water as it gently washed upon the shore.

"Truth be told...Nicholas was, in his overprotective haze, accurate in his denial. Fleur did not belong in the darkness...Perhaps that is why I loved her so. But what had truly stolen my heart was that Fleur, knowing what and who I was, still loved me."

Natalie felt her emotions stir as he failed to conceal the thickness in his voice.

"But Nick doesn't think that it was your choice to leave," Natalie stated.

"No. He still believes it was he who forced us apart. And for quite some time, I found it difficult to disagree."

"You never told him otherwise?"

"No."

"Why?"

He turned to her and frowned slightly as he thought. Why were such a complex series of events and emotions, born of centuries of battle between his son and himself, now so easy to explain and comprehend? He shook his head in disbelief.

"Anger. Control, and I suppose I still blame him somewhat for the outcome. But the worst...affliction was that Nicholas never truly believed I loved his sister as I did. He thought me incapable of such emotion, and before that night, I would have readily agreed...in fact, I believe I did."

"One night...and still, eight hundred years later...that's quite a love at first sight story," the woman told him. At Natalie's raised eyebrow, he smirked.

"What Nicholas did not know, and still does not..." He paused and gave her a look of warning. This was not to part from her lips. "...was that Fleur came to my chamber that day...we made love, and I took her blood." He sighed and closed his eyes briefly as he recalled the time they spent together. "I saw everything she was. Her hopes, fears, dreams...her love for me...I knew her favourite food was the apple tarts her mother would bake...I knew just how much she had hated it when Nicholas pulled at her hair as a boy. I knew her as intimately as if I had spent my entire life with her," he told Natalie, trying to make her understand what they had shared...just how he had fallen so deeply in love.

As Natalie watched, the vampire's face softened and his eyes became unfocused as he became immersed in memories of his lost love.

"You still love her," she whispered.

"She is my heart," he breathed, raising a hand to brush over his chest.

They stood in silence, letting the sounds of the night fill the void his admission had created.

"Yet you use her to hurt Nick, " she told him gently a few minutes later. Lacroix curled his lip, but refrained from turning on her, but his tone hardened as he growled,

"He would not believe the pain I felt at her loss." His tone eased once again, and he forced himself to calm down. "Still, I had not meant it to get so out of hand. It created a life of its own, our revenge, tit for tat, pain for pain. I suppose it was all we had left of her to keep alive," he said, his voice softening again. "But I have grown weary of the whole charade...this endless game of who loved her more..." He paused and turned to her. "Valentine's Day had not meant to end as it did. I had truly wished to speak with you about Nicholas. I apologise for my scare tactics. I was hoping you would be weak enough to bend to my will..." He smiled. " But apparently Nicholas had chosen a little too well." He paused again for a moment. "His love can be dangerous, and I am, and was then, well aware of his love for you," he told her honestly. "I have been the one to pick his trampled heart from the floor enough times to learn that prevention can be easier upon us both."

"But...?"

"But...it is, and always will be, a lost cause. If not you, it would have been someone else. Not to trivialize your relationship with Nicholas, but I have watched him for centuries fall in love over and over again...Though, I must admit, this time seems to be somewhat different. Perhaps, he has finally found the love which will compare to that I shared with his sister." He turned toward Natalie with a small smile.

"And you wanted to make Nick hurt as you have hurt?" His smile fell.

"That had been our agreement." He looked away toward the water and continued. "A thousand times in the past, I have laughed at his attempts at true love. I knew he did not feel the kind of love between soulmates. Yes, I was cruel, but I never...well, rarely ever, enjoyed hurting my son. Our actions became more a habit than a true desire to pain the other."

"And what of your agreement?"

"Null and void, I fear." He attempted another small smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. She watched as he sighed heavily.

They again stood in silence for a time, staring out across the bay, the city lights twinkling in the distance.

Lacroix huffed as he returned the smirk the coroner was suddenly giving him. Not quite believing he had just had this conversation with the mortal woman, he shook his head as they began to walk back toward the Raven. However, whether he approved or not, he couldn't deny that for the first time in a very long time, his heart felt somewhat lighter.

This had been first time he had really ever talked about Fleur with anyone. Perhaps taking the risk by talking with this mortal woman had not been a completely insane decision.

"Would you like me to take you home, Natalie?" he asked as he saw her shiver yet again.

"My car is at the Raven,"

"Nicholas can collect it tomorrow," he said.

"Can we fly?" she asked, grinning like an excited child.

"Is there a better way to travel?" he replied seriously before letting loose a grin.

Natalie leapt into his arms, and he held her tightly as he lifted them off the ground and flew them slowly toward her apartment.

End.