Forever Knight

You Are My Sunshine

It was still in the pre-dawn darkness when the man left the motel. He went to his car, a rental since he had just come to Los Angeles the evening before. He quickly searched the parking lot before he got into the front seat and tossed his briefcase onto the back seat. In his line of work he couldn't be too careful. Especially now. He missed his wife and his daughter, but at least he knew they were safe with their uncle. He put the key in the ignition and turned it.

**********

"Well, guess what." Detective Mike Taylor said to his partner, Nicholas Knight. He was leaning back, his chair at a perilous angle. His feet propped on his desk provided the necessary anchor to keep the detective from falling. "Looks like we made it through one night without a case. I don't know why, but I'm not going to tempt fate by asking too many questions."

"Don't be too sure. The night isn't over yet."

"Twenty bucks says we get lucky." Taylor said pulling his wallet out.

"I don't want to take your money."

"What's the matter? Too chicken? Put your money where your mouth is." Taylor said laying a twenty dollar bill on the desk.

"All right, you're on, but just to teach you a lesson." Nick placed a twenty on top of Taylor's.

Captain Jerry Davies came into the squad room. "Heads up, we have a car explosion at the Dreamy Rest Motel in the valley. Knight, Taylor, it's all yours."

"So much for a nice quiet shift." Taylor sighed, grabbing his coat. He looked at his watch. "And we only had two hours to go."

"Oh, Knight." Captain Davies said. "Be sure to donate the money to the Police Athletic League."

"Don't I always?" Nick said, picking up the two twenties and stuffing them the PAL donation box on the wall by the door.

**********

The Dreamy Rest Motel, or what was left of it, was a tidy mom-and-pop motel with single cabins arranged in a semi circle around a tiny pool. "There ain't much left, and what there is, ain't pretty." The uniformed officer in charge told them when they arrived at the scene. He was right. The explosion had virtually destroyed the car and ripped off part of the front wall of the motel rooms adjacent to the explosion site. There were several rescue squad trucks and ambulances there treating the injured. The fire trucks had put out the flames and were preparing to leave the place. Even without talking to anyone, Nick knew that this was no accident.

**********

Vietnam 1968

Lieutenant Nicholas Callahan paused as he neared the top of the hill. He should have reported to the 3442 MASH Aid Station almost an hour ago, but the boar that he chose for dinner decided to make him work hard for his meal. While he strongly disapproved of the methods used by carouches to satisfy their hunger, in wartime, one took one's meals where one found them. He could have fed on the mortally wounded soldiers, but he had vowed centuries before to abandon that method of satisfying his hunger. In addition, he was a doctor. His oath was to save lives, not to take them. When he had drained the boar, he took the carcass to the nearby village, so that they could feed on the meat as he had fed on the blood.

He used the village as his excuse to be absent from the Station during the day. He told his commanding officer that he was tending to the medical needs of the villagers and teaching them. He wasn't exactly lying. He did spend part of the day, between sunset and the time when he had to report for duty, at the village.

He had the nickname Boom Boom, because, according to rumors among the other doctors, he was getting a little 'boom boom' on the side. It was easier to let them think that than to tell them that he spent the daylight hours crouched inside a cave that he had found in one of the hills that surrounded the area.

"Hey, you!" A voice called out behind him very bad Vietnamese. "Stop or I'll shoot. Put your hands up and don't move."

"Don't shoot. I'm an American." Nick answered in perfect Vietnamese. He then repeated it in English, just to be certain the soldier understood.

"Okay. If you're an American, who won the World Series last year?"

"The Orioles, of course. Nobody thought they had a chance, but they did it in four straight. Personally, I rooted for the Dodgers, but you can't have everything."

"Okay. I'm convinced. Are you by any chance Lieutenant Nicholas Callahan?"

"I am. Can I put my hands down now and turn around?"

"Sure. Sorry about that, Lieutenant." The speaker was a young corporal. "Don't you know there's a war going on, Sir? You could get your fool head blown off running around like that."

"At ease, corporal." Another officer, a captain, was coming up the path from the Station. "I'll take it from here. Return to the unit." The corporal touched two fingers to his helmet and took off down the path toward the Aid Station.

The captain held out his hand. "Captain Harry Wilson. 783rd Miltran Brigade. Seems headquarters got word several Viet Cong battalions are headed this way within the next couple of days. According to the best reports we have, they're getting ready to mount a massive offensive right after the Vietnamese holidays and we're supposed to be right in the middle of it. We've been ordered to evacuate all the MASH units in the area. Your commander wouldn't leave without you." He said as he and Nick started back to the station

"By the way, where are you from?" Captain Wilson asked as they walked.

"Chicago." Nick answered. It was true. The last place he had lived was Chicago, and that was the 'official' story on his service records.

"How about that. We're practically neighbors. I'm from Skokie. Small world isn't it?" Wilson said, a wide grin spreading across his face. "We Illini got to stick together."

Suddenly, there was an explosion barely 10 yards from them. Harry pushed Nick to the ground. Simultaneously, both men drew their weapons and began firing.

"Seems Charlie can't read a calendar." Nick yelled above the gunfire. "They arrived a few days early."

Almost as quickly as it had begun, the firefight was over. Captain Wilson started down the path again, this time at a quick run. Nick went to one of the dead soldiers and began to examine him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Harry yelled at Nick.

"Seeing if any of them need help." Nick replied.

"Why?"

"Because I'm a doctor."

Suddenly, one of the 'dead' Viet Cong stood up and began firing at the two. Nick saw Harry take a hit and fell to the ground. The soldier turned to Nick and emptied his clip into Nick's chest. Most of the bullets passed through him, but one lodged in his right arm, probably in the bone. Ignoring the pain ... it was minor compared to some of the injuries he had sustained over the centuries ... Nick grabbed the Viet Cong soldier and raised him into the air. "I don't like being shot at!" He hissed in Vietnamese through inch long fangs. His eyes were glowing a florescent yellow.

"Wha ... what are you?" The terrified soldier stammered.

"The last thing you'll ever see in this lifetime!" Nick snarled as he sank his fangs into the man's neck.

**********

Los Angeles

Taylor half turned away from the scene. His face was a very sickly shade of green. "I saw a lot of things in the Gulf War, but nothing like this. According to the Coroner, there's really nothing we can do here. The bomb squad is in charge anyway. We can read their report when they are finished. The uniforms say that there were no witnesses they can find, considering it happened so early and so fast. According to the owner, the room was rented to a 'John Smith'. It may be his real name, but I'll bet another twenty it isn't. Everybody they talked to was in bed. Besides, since it's almost morning, and you can't be out in the daytime, why don't we split."

"I didn't know you were in the service." Nick said as they walked back to the car.

"Marines. Still am. Gunny Sergeant. Reserves, actually. My unit was reactivated for the war. I saw duty in Saudi Arabia. You know what, I could use a good stiff drink right about now . How about you?"

"I know just the place."

**********

They parked in front of the After Sunset and went in. Milos Grejenovic was tending bar as usual. Milos was Clarissa La Pont's bartender / butler / bodyguard / manservant / friend. He knew all about Clarissa and the others. His father, Mishcka, had been in Clarissa's employ, and Nick suspected that his father's father had held a similar position.

"Double bourbon on the rocks." Taylor said, seating himself at the bar.

"I'll have the usual." Nick said.

Milos brought Taylor his bourbon and a glass of red liquid for Nick. Taylor drank his in one gulp. "Another one." He said.

"Take it easy, Taylor. That's powerful stuff."

"Don't worry." He said, draining that glass. "Look Knight, we've been partners for six months. Isn't it about time we were on a first name basis? I'll call you Nick and you call me Mike. You know that's not my real name, don't you? It's ... " He leaned close to Nick. The smell of alcohol on his breath was very noticeable. "Promise you won't tell a living soul ... Promise." He whispered loudly.

"I promise." Nick said with a hint of a grin. "I won't tell a living soul."

"It's Moonchild Jehovah."

"Moonchild Jehovah?" Nick said, actively fighting the urge to fall down laughing.

"My parents were flower children. As near as I can tell, I was probably conceived at Woodstock. Do you know what it's like to grow up with the name Moonchild? Especially in the Marines? The Drill Instructor rode my ass from the minute I stepped off the bus. As soon as I got out of boot camp, I had it legally changed to Michael Joseph." Taylor slapped his arm around Nick's shoulder and drew him to him.

"What did your parents think of that?"

"Actually, they were relieved. By then, they were upstanding members of society and solid establishment. My father is a corporate accountant and my mother is active in the Junior League. I'm the one who never forgave them." He finished his drink. "Batrender. Anuvver one, plish."

"I think you have had enough." Nick said placing his hand over the empty glass.

"Don't worry, Nicky baby. If there's one thing I know how to do, it's hold my liquor." With that, Taylor's head hit the bar with a resounding thud.

"Your friend does not seem to be too well." Milos said to Nick. "Do you want me to call a cab for him?"

"No, I'll take him home."

"If you'll give me the keys to your car, I'll pull it into Madame's garage in the back and load Nick2 in the front seat for you. If you want, I'll even follow you in your friend's car."

Nick2 had been vastly improved. Larry Groce and his crew from ILM tried out every new idea on him before using it in any special effect for the movies. Nick had been fitted with a special headset and gloves that were electronically connected to Nick2. When Nick moved his head or arms, Nick2 made the same moves. They had installed a second camera behind Nick2's other eye and another microphone. With VR glasses and special earplugs, Nick had stereo vision and hearing.

Larry had talked Nick into having the computer scan of his face, so now Nick2 looked and felt almost lifelike. In fact, it would take an expert examination to tell the difference.

Nick handed Milos the keys to his car and to Taylor's, and half carried, half dragged the barely conscious Taylor to the back door.

"Moonchild Jehovah?"

**********

Vietnam 1968

Nick Callahan went to Harry Wilson. Harry was unconscious. A quick examination revealed that he had an abdominal wound. It did not appear to be too serious, and with prompt treatment, he had an excellent chance for a complete recovery.

Nick 'borrowed' a flak jacket from one of the dead Viet Cong and put it on under his shirt. That would explain why his shirt was riddled with bullet holes, but his chest was not. Then, with much effort, he picked Wilson up and draped him over his good shoulder. In his condition, he probably could have made it back to the Aid Station by himself, but, carrying Wilson, there was only one way to get there quickly. From force of habit, he looked around to be sure that no one was watching. Then he took to the air.

He caught sight of the Aid Station. It was deserted. There was only one thing to do, but Nick wasn't sure he had the strength to do it. The MASH unit was over 15 miles away. Thirty five agonizing minutes later, Nick set down in a wooded area out of sight of the MASH and staggered into the clearing. He wasn't faking it. The blood loss from his wound, while not great, was enough to drain nearly all his strength.

"Hey!" One of the medics called out. "It's Boom Boom, and he's got a wounded with him."

Several pairs of hands grabbed him as his knees started to buckle.

Lieutenant Colonel Steve Farrell, the commander of the 3442 MASH, was at his side. Nick placed his good hand on the Colonel's shoulder and looked him squarely in the eyes. He let the Colonel's heartbeat fill his mind. "You've read my file." He said weakly. "You know that I can't undergo a general anesthesia because of the possibility of cardiac arrest. What you can do is give me a local Brachial block to deaden the arm and then do the surgery."

"I know from reading your 201 you can't take a general because you might cardiac out." Colonel Farrell said. "But I can give you a Brachial block. That way, we can do the surgery and you won't feel a thing."

An hour later, Nick was on the operating table. Colonel Farrell was removing the bullet from his 'deadened' arm, while, under the cover of the surgical sheets, Nick was rhythmically tapping his chest with his other hand to simulate a heartbeat.

**********

Nick studied his arm, suspended from a traction pole above him, while the cast dried. The bullet had fractured the bone, but almost as soon as it was removed and the break was set, the healing process had started. By the time they had finished applying the cast, the bone had nearly knitted and the wound itself was little more than a deep red scar. By tomorrow at this time, even that would be gone. He would have tried to tell them that, but it was much easier to just let them do their thing.

At his 'suggestion' the orderly had put him in a bed that was nowhere near any windows or doors. Captain Wilson was in the bed beside him. Colonel Farrell came into the ward.

"How is he?" Nick said pointing to Harry Wilson with his free hand.

"A clean wound. Didn't hit any vital organs and only minimal blood loss. You are both luckier than you have any right to be, Captain."

"You've got that backward, Sir. He's a Captain. I'm a Lieutenant."

"Not any more." Colonel Farrell said, handing Nick a small box. Inside was a set of shoulder pins, each with two silver bars. "Field promotion. I've also nominated you for a Silver Star for your actions in saving Captain Wilson's life. That ought to make a nice going home present."

"But I don't want to go home. Give me a few days, and I'll be ready to go back to the Aid Station."

"The Station is already in Viet Cong hands, and we'll be bugging the MASH out of here tomorrow. Besides, you're due to be rotated in 120 days anyway. Think of it as a belated Christmas present." He placed his hand on Nick's good shoulder. "Mozel Tov."

**********

Los Angeles

Nick parked his car in the enclosed garage of his building. It had once been the loading dock, but Mrs. Van Gelder had the docks converted into garages to protect the tenant's cars from the weather.

The inner door led directly to the elevator. This was an extra boon at times like this when he had to be out in the day. The sun was already high in the morning sky. It was a good thing that Taylor's apartment building also had an underground garage. It was hard enough getting the drunken detective to his apartment, without having to worry about avoiding sunlight as well.

As he walked toward the elevator, Mrs. Giovanetti came out of her apartment. She was the manager for this month. "Bastardo" She yelled at him, her fist clenched. It was definitely not a friendly greeting. "Why you do such a orrendo thing to poor Atonia! You gonna break her heart!"

"Mrs. Giovanetti, I haven't the slightest clue as to what you are talking about."

"The woman! She say she know you! She know you all right. In the Biblical way she know you! The bambina, she look just like you."

He put his hands on her shoulder and looked in her face. He considered a little 'suggestion' to help her calm down, but rejected it. "Mrs. Giovanetti, take a deep breath and start all over again. Slowly this time. What woman? What baby?"

"The one in your apartment." Mrs. Giovanetti said, heading for the elevator. Nick was right behind her. "She came here last night, right after you left for work. She say you were her uncle and it would be all right to let her in. After I take her to your place, I get to thinking. She is 25 maybe 30. You are what, 35 years old? No way she is your niece." They exited at Nick's floor. "Here, I show you."

Nick opened the door. A young lady ran to greet him. "Uncle Nick!" She said throwing her arms around him.

"Nikki? Is that really you? What are you doing here in Los Angeles? The last time I heard from you, you had just graduated from Law School were getting married. Your fiance had been appointed an assistant prosecuting attorney in New York City and you were in the process of moving there."

Then, remembering Mrs. Giovanetti, who was still standing in the hall, he said. "It's all right. This is Nicholette Hudson. She really is my niece, sort of. Uncle is only an honorary title. Her family was one of the foster families I lived with in Chicago." He lied. " She referred to me as her 'Dutch Uncle', because I was much older and always looking out for her. After a while, she dropped the Dutch part and I just became her Uncle."

"It's true." Nikki continued the lie. "I was raised with him. I tend to forget that he really isn't my uncle. I'm sorry if that caused you any problems."

Mrs. Giovanetti seemed satisfied with that explanation and returned to the elevator.

"Okay, Sunshine." Nick said. "Exactly what are you doing in Los Angeles?"

"A surprise vacation. It seems Matt won a two-week family vacation to Disneyland. Some kind of raffle from the office. Since we have both have been working really hard lately, he insisted that we come out a few days early and that we spend some time with you. How he managed to track you down after all these years is beyond me."

"And just where is that husband of yours?"

"He said that he had some loose ends to tie up but he would meet us here later today. He's very anxious to meet you. Nicole is asleep in what I assume is your guest room." She said, heading for what had been LaCroix's room.

"Nicole?"

"That's right, you don't know. I sent you an announcement when she was born, six years ago, but you were between identities, and it came back 'Addressee Unknown'."

"I tried to send you my new name and address, but you had apparently moved. My letters all came back 'Not At This Address'."

She opened the door. There, asleep on the bed, was a replica of the little girl in the photograph he carried in his wallet.

**********

Chicago 1969

Nick and Harry paced the length of the Father's room.

"Look, you said you wouldn't do the delivery, so the least you can do is be the baby's godfather." Harry said.

"Harry, I'm a surgeon, not an obstetrician. The last time I delivered a baby, I was still in medical school and the baby came in the back of a cab." Nick neglected to mention that the medical school was run by Louis Pasteur, and the cab was a horse drawn carriage. "I'm going to tell you one last time. Find someone else to be the godfather of this baby. Believe me, I'm not the type to be a suitable role model for anyone. I'm flattered that you're naming the baby after me. That's enough."

"Nick, for the last time, if it weren't for you dragging me those 15 miles to that MASH in 'Nam, I wouldn't be here and neither would this kid. I know you're not very religious, so I don't expect you to put your name on the baptismal certificate. But I do want someone to be there for Missy and the baby in case something happens to me. And I want that someone to be you."

"I promise I'll always be there for them. But nothing is going to happen to you. Not for a very long time. I didn't save your bacon back there just so you could be hit by the Carmen Avenue bus."

Harry was about to say something else, when the delivery room nurse came into the room. "Mr. Wilson. Dr. Callahan. It's a girl. 7 pounds 1 ounce. Mother and daughter are doing fine. Would you like to meet your daughter?" Another nurse wheeled out a bassinet. She picked up the baby and gently placed her in Harry's arms. Harry was instantly entranced by the tiny bundle he held.

"Nick, would you like to hold your goddaughter?" Without waiting for an answer, he placed the infant in Nick's arms. "This is Nicholette Marie Wilson." He said.

The baby opened her eyes. Even though Nick knew that a newborn couldn't focus properly, she seemed to be looking right at him. She wrapped her tiny fingers around Nick's index finger. At the same time, she wrapped herself around his heart. It could have been gas or it could have been a smile. Nick chose to believe the latter. Suddenly Nick discovered that a newborn baby's charms were so powerful they could even turn a jaded eight-century-old vampire into a 175 pound mass of blubbering mush. "Hi there, Sunshine." He said, stroking her under the chin. "I'm your Uncle Nick." Quietly he sang as he swayed slowly back and forth. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine ..."

**********

Chicago 1970

Nick held Missy in his arms. "I really wanted to go to the services, but I couldn't. You know, because of my allergy to the sun."

"I know." Missy said. "And I understand. I know Harry would have understood, too. It's ironic. You two were always joking about him being hit by a bus, but I never thought it could really happen."

"It was just one of those freaky things. First Harry's car stalls out, and at the same time the brakes fail on the bus coming at him. I know it doesn't count for much, but he was killed instantly. He didn't suffer. I made a solemn promise to Harry the day Nikki was born, and I make the same promise to you today. I will always be here for you and Nikki. You will never want for anything that it is in my power to provide."

"I know that this sounds like a weird request, especially at this time, but here goes anyway. I don't want to be alone tonight. Would you stay the night? In the den, of course."

Nick nodded yes.

**********

Chicago 1977

Nikki opened the door to Nick's room. Nick was asleep.

The overnight stay when Harry died had become a permanent arrangement. They had added a room onto the back of the house, with its own outside entrance. They turned it into a mini apartment, complete with a bath, a stove, for appearances since Nick never ate, and a small refrigerator, for his 'food'. Although he loved her deeply, the relationship between Nick and Missy was that of a brother and sister. There was never, there could never be, any romantic involvement. He was completely devoted to Nikki and she still could wrap him around her fingers, just as she had done at the hospital the first day of her life. 'Uncle' Nick became merely Uncle Nick.

"Uncle Nick!" Nikki shouted as she approached the bed. "Look what I got in Sunday School!" She held up a tiny cross around her neck. "Oh, you're asleep. I'll come back later." She bent down to kiss him and the cross brushed his face.

Screaming in pain, he woke up. His eyes were yellow and his fangs were elongated. Nikki screamed too, and ran to the other side of the room. Immediately, Nick returned to normal. Nikki was crouching behind the dresser. "Nikki. Sunshine." He called softly to her. "Don't be afraid. It's all right. I won't hurt you."

Slowly, Nikki stood up and cautiously approached Nick. Her eyes were a mix of fear and awe. "You're Nicholas de Brabant, aren't you?" She said in a small trembling voice.

"Who?"

"You know, the Crusader that was a good monster."

Nick remembered that one night, not too long ago, Nikki had been afraid to go to bed. She swore that there were monsters in her room and that they were going to eat her. Nick told her the story of Nicholas de Brabant, a young Crusader who had been turned into a vampire. He explained that even though some people thought that Nicholas was a monster, he was still a good man and therefore, if he was really a monster like people thought, he was a good monster. Satisfied that not all monsters were bad, Nikki fell asleep that night in Nick's arms.

"Are you afraid of me?"

"Why should I be afraid of you? You're my uncle, and you're a good monster, and I love you." She said, tucking the cross inside her blouse and kissing him.

"You know why I always call you Sunshine."

"Uh-huh, because you think I'm pretty as the sun."

"There's another reason. It's because you are the only sunshine I can stand to be near. You can't tell your mother or anyone else what you know about me. What happened here must be our little secret. Other people who don't know about good monsters wouldn't understand. Promise me you won't ever tell."

"I promise."

He held her in his arms and sang. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine ..."

**********

Los Angeles

Nicole stirred and opened her eyes. "You must be my Uncle Nick." She said, putting her arms around his neck and planting a wet sloppy kiss on his cheek. The spell the infant Nikki had placed on him26 years ago had lost none of its effectiveness when Nicole cast it again. Nick was instantly her slave.

She held up a Cabbage Patch doll. The doll was dressed in a Crusader's uniform. In the corners of its mouth were glued two long plastic teeth. She looked at her mother. "Is it all right to tell him?" She asked.

Nikki nodded yes.

"This is Nicholas Brabant." Nicole said. "We named him after you. He's a good monster."

"She knows?"

Nikki nodded. "Like me, she was afraid of monsters, so I told her the story of Nicholas de Brabant, the good monster. She has known about her Uncle Nick since day one. All by herself, she put all the facts together and came to the conclusion that Nicholas de Brabant and Nicholas Callahan / Nicholas Knight were one and the same person. The doll goes everywhere she goes. She says he is her protector."

"Don't worry, Uncle Nick. Mommy and I are the only two who know this. We'll never tell. Other people who don't know about good monsters wouldn't understand."

Nick pulled Nicole to him and hugged her. "Like mother, like daughter."

"Well," Nikki said, "Since we're all awake, why don't you wash up and get dressed and we'll have breakfast?"

"Aw-right!" Nicole replied, " What's for breakfast, Uncle Nick?"

"Unless Uncle Nick's finally learned to cook, I think I'd better make breakfast. You get ready, young lady."

"Okay Mommy. I'll be ready soon." Nicole headed back to the bedroom.

"And I'd better go out and do some shopping." Nikki said. "I have a feeling that what's in your fridge isn't fit for us mortals to eat."

"Guess again." Nick said, opening his refrigerator. It was stocked with a wide selection of food as well as a few bottles of chilled blood. "Mrs. Giovanetti and Mrs. Feldman know I can't cook, so they have taken it upon themselves to make sure I don't starve. I donate the food to a local food pantry every few days, but while you're here, help yourself."

Nicole returned to the living room. "What's for breakfast, Mommy? I'm hungry."

"French Toast okay?" Nikki asked.

"YEAH!"

While Nikki made French Toast, Nick and Nicole set the table. Nikki set two plates of French Toast on the table, one for her, the other, for Nicole.

"How come Uncle Nick ain't getting none?" Nicole asked.

"Isn't having any." Nikki corrected. "I think Uncle Nick would rather have this." Nikki handed Nick a glass of red liquid.

"Now it's my turn to surprise you." Nick replied. "May I?" He took a small piece of Nicole's toast and started to put it in his mouth.

"No, Uncle Nick. It's gotta have maple slurple on it or else it tastes yukky."

Nick dipped the piece in the syrup on her plate and then popped it in his mouth. A wide grin spread over his face and a tiny trickle of syrup escaped from the corner of his mouth. "I never knew it tasted like this. It's delicious!" He said, wiping the syrup with his index finger and then licking the finger

"I didn't think you could eat real food." Nikki said

"Six years of therapy and protein shakes and I can eat raw hamburger. Now this. Can I have another little taste?"

"I'll make you a piece if you want."

"No thanks. I don't want to push my luck."

Nick started to load the dishwasher with the dirty dishes as Nikki and Nicole straightened the table. "I'm not sure how to operate this. The only dishes I use are the bottles, and I usually just rinse them under the faucet before I take them back to the stockyard."

"We have a lot of catching up to do." Nick said. "I don't want you to leave out a single detail."

"Let's see, where do I begin." Nikki said, handing a bowl to him. "Matt's now the Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the City of New York. I am a part of the up and coming law firm of Case, Taurus and Hudson. I, of course, am Hudson."

"Missy must be so proud of you." Nick said.

With that, Nikki's eyes clouded over. "We had no way of notifying you. Mother died two years ago. Cancer."

The news hit Nick like a brick. The bowl in his hand fell to the floor and shattered.

"I know that this is a hard thing for you to deal with, but I don't think she would have wanted you to get all bent out of shape over her. She fought it to the end, but when it came, she accepted it with the same enthusiasm as she had lived her life."

They were interrupted by the phone ringing. The answering machine picked it up. It was Captain Davies.

"Nick, if you're still awake, pick up. It's important. If not, call me as soon as ... "

"Yeah. I'm awake. Some old friends dropped by."

"Just wanted to tell you we got an ID on our John Doe. The bomb squad was able to scrape up enough pieces of the car to get a serial number. We traced it to a rental company. From them, we got the name of the person who rented it. If he was the one who was in the car, his name is Matthew Hudson. He's from New York. We've contacted NYPD to see whether they can find any next of kin ... Nick, are you there? ... Nick? ... Nick? ... "

The phone lay on the floor where Nick dropped it. He stood staring at it, a blank look on his face. What little blood there was had completely drained from his face. As though in a trance, he picked up the phone. "Can't talk now. Call you back." He hung up the phone. Fighting to keep a pleasant look, he went to Nicole. "How would you like to meet a friend of mine? Her name is Toni. She lives across the hall. Your mother and I have some big people things we have to talk about."

**********

Toni Parker opened one bleary eye. The last time she was awake before noon was when she first arrived in Los Angeles from Ohio and was suffering from an extreme case of jet lag. She wasn't dreaming. The doorbell was definitely ringing. She padded to the door dressed in nothing but a dorm shirt and bunny slippers. She glanced at the clock mounted on the wall. It was a 9:07. "I'm going to kill the person on the other side of this door." She grumbled. She was definitely not a morning person.

"Toni. Open up. It's Nick."

"Too late, he's already dead." She mumbled as she opened the door. "You'd better have a good reason for getting me up at this hour. Come to think of it, what are you doing up at this hour?"

"I'll explain later. This is Nicole Hudson. Could you watch her for a few minutes?"

As soon as Nicole was seated on the pit couch, Nick motioned Toni aside. "She's my great niece. Her father was just murdered. I've got to break the news to her mother, and I think it will be easier if Nicole wasn't there when I do."

**********

Nick returned to his own apartment. Nikki had put the last of the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. Hoiman sat at her feet.

"He came in right after you left." Nikki said, pointing to the cat. "I tried to chase him out, but he won't go."

"Hoiman is the apartment complex cat. No one owns him. Come to think of it, you don't own Hoiman. Hoiman owns you,"

"Okay, what do you have to tell me that you can't say in front of Nicole?" Nikki asked, somewhat belligerently.

"Nikki, I think you'd better sit down."

Nikki sat on the couch. Hoiman jumped up beside her and put his head on her lap. Absently, she began to stroke his head. Nick paced in front of her. Informing next of kin about the death of a loved one was never easy, but this time it was especially difficult for Nick. This time he had to tell his adopted daughter she had just become a widow.

"It has something to do with the phone call you got earlier. Right?"

Nick nodded.

"Is it about Matt isn't it? He's been hurt. Right?"

"Not exactly. There was a car bombing earlier this morning. They just identified the person they think is the victim. It's ..."

"MATT ! OH GOD ! NO-O-O-O !"

Nick held her close and stroked her head as she screamed. Quietly he hummed. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine ... "

The screams turned to sobs, and after what seemed like an eternity, the sobs stopped. Hoiman reached up and began to lick the tears from her face. She held him close. "I know we have to tell Nicole, but do you think we can wait a few days. I don't think I can handle that right now."

Nick nodded.

Hoiman jumped off Nikki's lap and ran to the door, meowing loudly. Then he ran back to Nick and Nikki. Then back to the door.

"I think Hoiman has other ideas." Nick said as he got up from the couch. "And I've learned from experience that what Hoiman wants, Hoiman gets."

**********

Nicole met them at the door. Hoiman now on the other side of the door, beside Nicole.

"Nicole, honey, Mommy's got something to tell you. Let's sit on the couch."

Nicole looked at her mother with tears in her eyes. "It's about Daddy, isn't it? He's in heaven with Grandpa Harry and Grandma Missy, isn't he?"

"How did you know?" Nikki said, astonished.

"You're going to think I'm telling lies, but I'm not. He told me." Nicole said, pointing to the cat. "He said Daddy is now my guardian angel and that Daddy and Grandpa Harry and Grandma Missy are all watching out for all of us."

"I believe her." Nick said. "Don't ask any questions, just accept it that Hoiman is not your average run of the mill cat."

"I'll verify that." Toni added.

"Now, I think it's time we returned to the apartment. We've imposed enough." Nick said, starting for the door.

"Wrong!" Toni said, placing her fists on her hips. "In about three hours and forty five minutes, the bottom is going to drop out of Nikki's life. She's going to need someone to catch her. I'm volunteering to be that someone. You go and get some sleep, or you're not going to be any good to anyone."

"Thanks, Toni, you're a real friend."

She pointed him in the direction of the door and patted him on the rear. "Go home!"

"Did I tell you she's bossy as well?" Nick said with a wink.

Toni pointed her arm at the door. "GO!"

"Yes, mother."

"Nick's a pretty special guy." Toni said to Nikki after Nick had left. "Want something to drink? I'm afraid that the strongest thing I have is a bottle of Surge."

"That's fine. I couldn't agree more about Nick. I've known him since I was a kid. He was like a ... " she caught herself. " .. a brother to me."

Toni held up Nicole's doll. "A very, very, special brother, no doubt."

"You know?"

"He told me all about himself. Since the doll looked like this, and was named with Nick's birth name, I figured that, unless it was some incredible, unbelievable coincidence, you had to know too."

"I didn't lie, exactly. I really was raised with him. He wasn't like a brother though, he was more like a surrogate father. He saved my dad's life in Vietnam. He was my godfather when I was born, and when my father died several years later, he sort of took over the role of father."

"I'll bet you know a lot about him, then."

"Oh, the stories I could tell."

Toni poured two glasses of Surge and sat down at the kitchen table. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's hear them. I'm all ears." She said, patting the chair next to hers.

**********

Nick paused, his finger only inches from the doorbell. On second thought, he did not wish to intrude on the two ladies in the middle of their grief. He fished on his keyring until he found the key to Toni's apartment. They had exchanged keys several months ago, in case of emergency. While this was not exactly an emergency, it was a matter of courtesy.

He was not prepared for what he saw when he opened the door, however. On the coffee table was an empty pizza box. Hoiman was dining on a half full bucket of fried chicken that graced the end table. Empty pretzel and potato chip bags littered the floor along with numerous Hershey Kiss wrappers. Nicole sat on the couch, happily stuffing the last of a box of french fries in her mouth, her face and shirt covered in ketchup and strawberry milkshake. Toni and Nikki sat laughing at the kitchen table, surrounded by empty pop bottles and cans.

Nick was definitely confused. "What in the world is going on here?" He asked. "I thought I would find you two weeping and grieving, and instead I find you giggling like a couple of schoolgirls."

"We got to talking." Nikki said, "Toni and I discovered we have a lot in common."

"You." Toni added. "And I never would have guessed you'd have a birthmark there."

"Nikki, you didn't!"

"It's not like I walked in on you while you were in the shower on purpose. After all, I was only eight years old at the time. Besides, you're the last person I'd suspect to be a chocoholic."

"Toni?"

"All I told her was that you liked to have a Hershey Kiss or two every now and then and that you gave the rest of the bag to me."

"How many other things did you tell each other about me?"

"Let's put it this way, Nick." Toni said with a sly smirk. "There's nothing that one of us knows about you that the other one doesn't know."

"Or could use to blackmail you." Nikki added.

"Seriously, Nikki, I've got to ask you some questions about Matt. Did he have any enemies?"

"He is ... was the Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the City of New York. Open the phone book and you'll find at least one name on any page that would have liked to see him dead."

"Do you know what he was working on before he left?"

"We were both lawyers. Occasionally my firm and the prosecutor's office were on opposite sides of the courtroom. Early on, we made a pact to leave our work at the office and not to discuss each others cases."

"Did he have a computer?"

"Doesn't everyone?"

"Maybe we can find out what he was working on by looking in his files. Toni, do you have a computer with Internet access?"

"Like the lady says, doesn't everyone? Mine is in the office."

She seated herself at the console and turned it on. She brought up the Internet browser and typed in her screen name. Sweetcheeks. "Say one word, Nicholas Knight, and I will have to hurt you very badly." She said, pointing a finger at him. "And you know I can."

She got up and Nick sat down. "Maybe you better leave, Toni. Just in case there would be anything here that could be considered a secret. You too, Nikki."

Without any comment, Toni left the room.

"No way." Nikki said, folding her arms across her chest. "That's my husband that they killed, and like it or not, I'm staying right with you until we find his killer."

Nick just rolled his eyes upward. She definitely had inherited Harry's stubborn streak. "I know the World Wide Web address for the NYPD." He said. "From there, we can access Matt's file. He typed in several commands, and in a few minutes he had the New York prosecutor's office web page on the screen. "I'm going to have to hack from here. It would be a lot easier if I knew Matt's password."

"I know what it is." Nicole piped up.

Nick got up and motioned for Nicole to sit down. She climbed into the chair and hunt and peck typed something into the computer. All the screen showed was a series of asterisks. "I watched one time when he was working at home." She explained. Moments later, they were into Matt's main screen.

"I'm raising a computer geek." Nikki said.

A quick browse of his E-mail revealed nothing more that routine correspondence interspersed with cartoons, games, and slightly off color funny stories.

"Let's try his personal directory." Nick said, bringing up the main screen once more The files, too were mostly routine, inter-office memos, letters he had dictated, and explanations of various points of the law. One file, though was definitely different. It was labeled Pinocchio. When Nick tried to access it, a message flashed across the screen 'REQUEST DENIED. INSERT ACCESS DISK'.

"Okay, anybody know anything about an access disk?"

Both Nikki and Nicole shrugged their shoulders in the 'I-don't-know' position.

"I'll bet you anything that whatever is in this file is the reason he was killed, but without the access disk, we can't be sure."

"Maybe it's back in New York."

"I doubt it. If this file was that important that it required external access, he would have kept the disk with him at all times. It might have been in the car when it was blown up. I'll see if Forensics found anything at the scene, but don't hold your breath. Apparently they had to gather the evidence with a whisk broom and dustpan."

"Now what?"

"Now comes the hardest part. You have to identify the body, or what's left of it. For the record."

**********

Somewhere over Kansas

"You got it?" Vincent Geppelli asked his Los Angeles contact. He was speaking on a cell phone from his private jet.

"No. It wasn't in the motel room or in the wreckage of the car."

"Are you sure?"

"I searched the room personally. I also have a copy of the Forensics report in front of me. My police contacts got it to me before the Homicide boys got it."

"So where is it?"

"If it can be found, I'll find it."

"Who is the officer in charge of the investigation?"

"Name's Nicholas Knight."

"Can he be had?"

"Don't know. He's only been on the force for six months. Came here from Toronto."

"Find out. I want to know everything there is to know about this Knight guy. I'll be landing in LAX in about three hours. Meet me there with the information."

**********

Los Angeles

"You don't have to do this." Quincy McCoy said to Nikki. "We have already made a tentative identification from fingerprint and dental records supplied by the NYPD. There isn't even a full body in there."

"Yes. I have to do this. For myself. I have to know that he is really dead. I have to see him, so there is no doubt." She looked directly at Nick and Toni. "And I've got to do it alone."

Nikki and Dr. McCoy went into the morgue room. Toni and Nick waited anxiously in the waiting room. Suddenly there was a scream. Nick started through the door, but Toni restrained him.

"She has to do this her way. We can only wait and be here for her when she comes out."

**********

Mrs. Giovanetti showed the three of them into the living area. She kept her arms around Nikki. "You sure you be all right? You want something to eat? You povera persona piccola." She said.

Nikki only nodded. "I'll be all right. I think it would be best if we just took Nicole and went back upstairs."

"She's asleep in the bedroom. I get her. Did the nice insurance man find you?"

"What insurance man?" Nick said.

"He came here about two hours ago. He asked what apartment is yours. He said he was looking for information about Nikki here. He said her husband took out a policy with his company and he wanted to give her the money."

'What did you tell him?"

"I told him she was staying with you but you were gone. I told him to come back tomorrow. Did I do something wrong?"

Fear spread over Nick's face. "No, you did nothing wrong." He said, heading for the door. "Toni, take Nikki and Nicole to the car and wait for me. Now!" He barked.

Once in the hall, he looked around to make sure no one was there. An instant later, he was on the roof, kneeling beside the skylight. Carefully, he opened it and lowered himself to within inches of the floor. Using his enhanced sight, he searched the living room. It had been ransacked. Drawers were pulled out of cabinets and dumped. Furniture was overturned and slashed. Whoever did this was looking for something. Nick had a very good idea what that was. They apparently did not find it. He went back out through the skylight and set down beside the car. Once inside, he put in a call to the bomb squad to check his apartment and Toni's. Just in case.

"Where to now?" Nikki said as they drove away.

"Someplace safe. It's a good bet that whoever did this are the same ones that killed Matt. They were probably looking for the disk. They obviously didn't find it. They are going to keep looking, and I don't want any of you around when they come back"

**********

Clarissa La Pont closed the door to her office. "Nick, I've never seen you this way. What's wrong?"

Nick explained the situation to her. "I need a place for the Hudsons and Miss Parker to stay until this case has been solved. Do you know any place where they would be safe?"

"My estate." She said. "It's impregnable. I had it designed that way so that my 'special guests' would feel comfortable and secure. Milos will take you there by a very roundabout route to be certain that you are not followed. He is trained in evasive driving techniques."

**********

"You mean this is a private residence?" Nikki said as they turned onto the road to Clarissa's estate. "There are vacation resorts in upstate New York that don't have this much acreage." From the road, it looked like woods. If you did not know exactly where the gate was, you could miss it entirely.

"This all is Madame's estate, Maison De Mer. She named it after her villa in France, Chateau De Mer." Milos said. "There are approximately nine hundred seventy three acres. The perimeter is protected by three electrified fences with motion sensor cameras every 100 feet. The gate is made of carbon steel and is electronically controlled from the house. Her security force is hand picked, combat trained, and absolutely loyal. An ant couldn't come in without being detected. She is very insistent about absolute privacy." He inserted a plastic card into the security box beside the gate and it swung open.

After Milos had driven what seemed to be miles, they reached the house itself. Once inside, Nikki and Toni gaped open mouthed at their surroundings. Clarissa had spared nothing to make the house elegant. Nicole slept secure in her uncle's arms, Nicholas Brabant clutched in her hands.

"I think you should follow Nicole's lead and get some rest." Nick said to Nikki and Toni after one of the staff had showed the party to a bedroom.

"No way." Nikki said. "I'm so wound up ... I mean ... I don't think I could rest. Not just now, at least."

"Me neither." Toni added. "I am hungry, though."

"Me, too." Nikki chimed in.

"Madame keeps a very well stocked kitchen. Perhaps I could have the chef prepare a small snack for you." Milos suggested.

"She has a chef?"

"Oh yes. He has a five star rating. He worked for the Waldorf Astoria before coming to work for Madame. I'll show you where the kitchen is."

"Great!" Toni exclaimed. "What say we have a little midnight raid." She grabbed Nikki and started to follow Milos.

"Not so fast." Nick said. "I want Milos to stay with you two. I don't want you picking me to pieces again."

Toni stared intently at the ornate ceiling. "Why Nicholas de Brabant Knight, you are the most suspicious person I have ever met."

"Uncle Nick. I'm surprised. Why would we want to do such a thing as that? And to such a wonderful person as you." Both Nikki and Toni were struggling to keep from giggling.

"And where will you be while we are eating?" Toni asked.

"I'm going to the precinct. Maybe they've uncovered something that might unlock the puzzle."

**********

Forensics had little to tell him that he did not already know or guess. It was a professional job. There were no clues as to who was responsible. There were traces of plastique explosives on the

undercarriage of the car. They were trying to track down anyone who had purchased any explosives of that type recently. However, if it was a professional job, they held little hope that they would succeed. There was no trace of anything that even might have been a computer disk in the bits and pieces that they had recovered from the scene of the crime.

The bomb squad had evacuated the apartment complex and had searched every apartment there. Nothing.

"You know, the people who live in your complex are really weird." The officer told him. "While we were searching the area for any bombs, we had them gather in the courtyard in the middle of the buildings. The next thing we knew, they were throwing a party."

Since Nick was now personally involved, Captain Davies had officially taken him off the case, and given him Administrative Leave until it was solved. At least that's what the personnel log stated. Both Nick and Jerry Davies knew that there was no way that Nick was going to stay out of this one.

As he was walking across the parking lot, two men fell in behind him. One of them pressed something into the small of his back. It felt like a gun.

"Don Gepetto says he wants to see you." The other man said, taking Nick's gun.

"And what if I don't want to see Don Gepetto?"

"Don Gepetto says that it is not a request."

As soon as they had ushered him into the back of the car, they blindfolded him, handcuffed him with his own cuffs, and duct taped his mouth. It was all unnecessary. He could have broken the bonds at any time, but he decided to play along with the thugs. With his enhanced hearing, Nick kept careful track of the unique sounds as they traveled. He knew, within a block of their position at alltimes.

"Gepetto ... Gepetto ... Gepetto ... " The name kept nagging at the back of his mind.

**********

Chicago 1977

Nick hoisted Nikki on his shoulder as they left the mall theater. The marquee advertised a Disney film festival. "Well, did you like the picture?"

"I loved it. I especially loved it when Pinocchio got his wish and became a real boy. I made a wish too. I wished that you would become human again. Will my wish ever come true?"

"Maybe someday, Sunshine." Nick said, kissing her gently on the cheek. "Maybe someday it will. Let's see, what's next on our list?"

"Santa Claus!" Nikki squealed, wiggling out of Nick's arms and running toward the middle of the mall, where the Santa Town display had been set up.

"My, my, Nicholas. Such a lovely scene of domestic concern." LaCroix fell in step beside Nick.

"LaCroix, you've come back into my life." Nick said, more than a trace of sarcasm in his voice.

"Why, Nicholas, my boy, you of all people should know that a father is always concerned about his children and what they are doing." LaCroix smiled slightly, an evil satanic smile "Tell me, what are you going to tell her when the time comes to move on? You are long overdue. It should have happened several years ago."

"Nikki knows all about me. She knows I must leave soon."

"Yes, I know all about that little incident. You are lucky that it was not reported to the Enforcers. You know, you could arrange it so that you never have to leave her. You could make her just like you. Then the two of you could be together forever. Father and daughter. Wouldn't that be lovely? You know, I've always wanted to be a grandfather."

Nick shuddered at that remark. He wanted to rip the older vampire's heart out. "LaCroix, if you know as much about me as you say you do, then you know that I would never do that. Especially not to Nikki."

Just then, Nikki came running back. "Hurry, Uncle Nick, it's almost my turn to see Santa." A look of fear spread across her little face as she noticed LaCroix. "Who are you?" She asked.

LaCroix leaned down and patted her cheek. "You must be Nicholette Wilson. Your ... Uncle Nicholas ... has told me ever so much about you. I am Lucien LaCroix."

Nikki kicked LaCroix firmly in the leg. "You're a bad monster! You leave my Uncle Nick alone!" She yelled as she ran off toward Santa Town.

"Spirited child." LaCroix said, rubbing his shin. "You know, this is truly a remarkable season. Christian mortals use the birth of a Carpenter's Son two thousand years ago, in a backward village of a nondescript country that was conquered without so much as a major battle, to drink too much, eat too much, spend too much money, and in general make complete asses of themselves. That reminds me, I must buy a present for Janette. Do you think she would like a diamond necklace or perhaps perfume? Why don't I buy them both? One can be a present from me, and the other can be from you. I would love to stay and chat, but I must be going." An instant later, he was gone.

Nick arrived at Santa Town just in time to see Nikki climb on Santa's lap. After she had told him her wish list, the photographer took her picture. Then she turned to Nick. "Why don't we have Daddy in a picture, too?"

Nikki grinned. "Okay. But he's my uncle."

Nick and Nikki put their arms around each other and smiled broadly as the flashbulb went off.

**********

Los Angeles

Vincent Geppelli was hardly your stereotype Mafia gangster. He was thin, slightly stoop shouldered and balding, with thick silver rimmed glasses. He looked more like an accountant or an insurance representative than someone who controlled all the organized crime activity in six states.

After Nick's restraints had been removed, Geppelli snapped his fingers and the two thugs left the room.

"Mr. Geppelli." Nick said, rubbing his wrists. While there was no pain, there were several red marks where the handcuffs had cut into his wrists. "I cannot say that this is a pleasure, but I also cannot say that it is unexpected."

"You know who I am. That's good. It saves me the trouble of introducing myself." Geppelli said.

"I'm a policeman. I'd have to be living under a rock not to know that Don Gepetto is one of the most influential Dons in the Organization. Appropriate name, I must say. You are a master puppeteer. You pull the strings and everyone dances."

"I appreciate the flattery, Detective Knight, but if I wanted to be buttered up, I'd have told one of my fawning yes-men to do it. I'll get right to the point. You have something I want. You will give it to me."

"I haven't the foggiest clue to what you are talking about".

"I think you do. We know it was not among the effects of the late Mr. Matthew Hudson. We also know it is not in your apartment. That means, either you have it or you know where it is. I am sorry that my associates were a little destructive. I will see to it that all the items that were damaged are replaced."

"I still don't know what you are talking about."

"Don't play stupid with me, Knight." Geppelli's manner turned ugly. He put a bottle of red liquid and a glass in front of Nick and poured a drink. "How rude of me. Here, allow me to offer you a little refreshment. They found this in your refrigerator. It's not exactly cherry wine. I'm not going to beat around the bush. I know exactly who you are, and exactly what you are. Either you get me what I want or I will see to it that you won't be able to function anywhere on this continent, or any place on this planet. Also, your friends are mortal, are they not? I would hate to see any of them come to any harm. Especially that pretty little artist who lives across the hall from you. When I have what I want, I will destroy all the evidence and no one will be the wiser. Do I make myself clear?"

"Very."

"Good. If you, or any of your ... associates ... are thinking about doing anything to me, remember that if something should happen to me, like I wind up with two holes in my neck, you and your little friends would still be marked." He snapped his fingers. The two thugs returned to the room. "Take Mr. Knight back where you found him. Do not attempt to harm him in any way."

They replaced the blindfold, cuffs and tape and drove Nick back to the precinct parking lot.

**********

Nick was still visibly shaken when he returned to Maison De Mer.

"I just had a command audience with Vincent Geppelli." He said to Toni and Nikki "They know everything about me. That means they may know about this place, too."

"I doubt that. Madame has gone to great lengths to preserve her secrecy." Milos said. "Very few people know of the existence of this place. Not even among your kind."

"I still think it would be a good idea if she did not return to her town house tonight. The same goes for LaCroix. He had better not go to his place either. I'd call them if I could be sure that no one was listening in on my cell phone." Nick said.

"Use mine." The speaker looked to be a raw boned youth with a shock of unruly red hair and a row of freckles across his nose. He was perhaps twenty, no older than twenty five. Nick knew, though, that looks could be deceiving, especially in the company he kept. "Jebediah S. Puckett, at your service, Sir." The youth said, handing Nick a portable phone. "Y'all can call me Jeb."

The voice on the radio was soft and velvet, almost hypnotic, with just the barest of undertones of evil. "My children." LaCroix began. "The commandment says thou shall not kill. But we all kill. Every one of us. It is in the nature of things. We kill to survive. In order to feed our hunger, something, plant or animal, must die.

Every living being, if desperate enough, will kill to protect itself or its family group from harm. There are those who kill for vengeance, to right a wrong, real or imagined. Others kill because it is the most expedient solution to a problem.

Then there are those who kill for the sport of it. The thrill of the chase. The exhilaration of the capture. The ecstasy of the blood.

Is it wrong, my children? Ask anyone who has killed and to a person they will tell you the same thing. It was necessary.

Think on this, my little ones. What ... or who ... have you killed? What ... or who ... will you kill? What ... or who ... wants to kill you? Sleep tight. The Nightcrawler is watching over you."

Nick waited until the music started to make the call. "LaCroix. Don't ask too many questions. I don't have time to explain. You could be in great danger. Do not go to your apartment when you finish your show. Come to the Maison. Be sure you are not followed." Nick said when LaCroix answered his private phone at KLAC.

He made the same call to Clarissa, using a private number given to him by Milos.

"Miss Clarissa lets me stay here whenever I have a meet in this area." Jeb explained. "I drive on the NASCAR circuit. I met these two lovely ladies in the kitchen. I went in for a drink, and one thing led to another and we started talking. I'm powerful sorry about what happened to Miss Nikki's husband. If there's anything I can do to help, don't be shy about asking."

"Aren't NASCAR races held in the daytime?" Nick asked. "How can you stand to be out in the sun?"

"The helmet I wear is made of the same material that NASA uses to shield the astronauts from the sun. Miss Clarissa put me in touch with a company that makes Kevlar racing suits. Between them two, ain't no sun can get to me."

An hour later, Nick got a call from LaCroix. He put it on the speakerphone. "Clarisse is with me. We are being followed. He is one of us. I know him. He is pure evil. He likes to hunt and torture people and I don't mean just mortals, just for the thrill of it. Shall I take care of him? It's the ones like him that give vampires a bad reputation."

Jeb spoke up. "Is he a tall, thin and ugly drink of water with a long scar on his left cheek?"

"Yes, Jeb, do you know him?" It was Clarissa speaking.

"You bet I know him. He's the one who dragged me across. He needed a scapegoat for the killings and mutilations back home in Havens Corners, Georgia, and he found me. I want to be the one who takes him out. It's personal."

"Do you have a plan?"

"I've had me a plan for the last twenty years. There's an abandoned warehouse on Pier 74 in Long Beach that I use to store my cars in. Miss Clarissa knows the one I mean. Meet me thereabout an hour before sunrise. I'll explain the details then. In the meantime, lead Smiley, there, on a fools chase through Southern California."

"He came upon me while I was passed out drunk." Jeb explained after he had finished talking to LaCroix. "That's when he did the dirty deed. I vaguely remember him fanging me, but I'll never forget his face. By the time I woke up, he was long gone. If it weren't for Miss Clarissa finding me and showing me how to control and use my powers, I probably would have ended up with a stake through my heart years ago. I ain't a hateful man, you understand, but I want him, and I want him bad."

"I don't understand." Toni asked. "Vampires working for the Mafia? Why?"

"Think about it." Nick answered. "Some vampires, like the one tailing LaCroix and Clarissa, really do enjoy the killing. What better existence could one of this kind have that to be able to do what they like best, and get paid for it? And what better hit man could the Mafia have than one who cannot be killed? It's the perfect arrangement."

**********

Jeb Puckett walked up to LaCroix and Clarissa in the warehouse. He was wearing his racing suit. "You must be Mr. LaCroix. I'm Jebediah S. Puckett. Y'all can call me Jeb." He said shaking LaCroix's hand vigorously. "Howdy once more, Miss Clarissa. By the way, where's Smiley? I didn't see him when you came in. You see, I've been waiting here for over an hour, so he wouldn't know I was here."

"He's across the street, attempting to practice invisibility. I think that he thinks that this place is just another fools chase, like the ones we have been giving him. Either that, or it is possible he thinks we intend to spend the day here." LaCroix said.

"We've given your friend an in depth tour of every deserted building in Southern California just as you asked." Clarissa said. "Now what do you have in mind for him?"

Jeb went to one of the cars and took out a large flat canvas bag. "As for what I'm about to do to him, Miss Clarissa, I don't think I should be telling you what my plans are. You might think I'm some kind of vindictive evil person. I do need Mr. LaCroix's help, though. Here's what I want you to do ... "

**********

LaCroix approached the vampire waiting in the shadows across the street. "I know what you want. You want us to lead you to Nicholas Knight and the Hudson woman. I tire of this cat and mouse game. Personally, there is no love lost between Knight and myself, and I certainly do not intend to risk my neck for the safety of a mortal. If you are willing, I am sure we can work out some kind of arrangement. Why don't you come in and we can discuss this as gentlemen?" The man followed LaCroix into the warehouse.

Once inside, LaCroix excused himself and went to the pre arranged hiding place. Over the warehouse paging system came Jeb's voice. "Hey, you." The vampire turned to see if he could trace the direction, but the voice came from everywhere, and with Jeb wearing the Kevlar suit, it was impossible for the evil one to trace his scent. "Yeah, you. Smiley." Smiley flew to the office on the catwalk, where the warehouse paging system was housed. It was empty.

"No cigar for that one, Smiley." Jeb taunted. "Peek a boo. I see you, but you can't see me." Smiley hovered about ten feet off the floor and turned in a full circle. "Ring around the rosey." Jeb sang. "Let me give you a hint. July 1978."

By now, the vampire was starting to exhibit confusion and fear. "What's the matter, Smiley. Starting to sweat? Fraidy cat? You like to hunt. You enjoy the thrill of the chase. How do you like it being on the other side? Fun, ain't it?"

He was definitely disoriented, as Jeb's voice seemed to come from everywhere.

"Still ain't placed me yet? Let's try another clue." Jeb sang. "Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton ... " The game was having a definite effect. Smiley's concentration was failing. Panic was starting to set in.

Jeb looked at his watch. It was time. "Last chance. Havens Corners, Georgia." He stepped into the open area of the warehouse. "Time's up. You lose. Howdy. My name is Jebediah S. Puckett. Y'all can call me Jeb." He said, extending his hand. "In case you forgot, I'm that country hick you dragged across to take the fall for all the unspeakable things you did in Haven County."

The frustrated vampire lunged at Jeb. In an instant Jeb was on the other side of the warehouse. This time, he had a bow in his hands and a quiver of wooden arrows was slung across his chest. "I learned this trick from a couple of good ol' boys over in Hazzard." He said, steadying an arrow in the notch. He fired, striking the vampire in the thigh. The vampire screamed and pulled the arrow out. "Ain't going to do you a whole lot of good pulling them out. I coated each one with a paste of garlic powder and holy water. I'll bet you they must sting like crazy."

The vampire lunged again, but his movements were slow. Jeb didn't move. He fired again. This one pierced the abdomen. A third arrow struck the chest. Smiley turned and tried to fly away, but he couldn't lift off. Another arrow severed his spine. The vampire went down, writhing in agony.

"Now it's time you seen the light." Jeb said, standing over him. Smiley made no attempt to attack. He only lay gasping, trying vainly to remove the arrows in him. Jeb put his helmet and gloves on and grabbed the vampire under the shoulders. Smiley offered no resistance. Jeb dragged the evil vampire to the door. He opened it and dragged him outside. The last thing the Smiley saw was the sun peeking over the horizon.

Jeb picked up the arrows from the smoldering pile of ashes that had once been Smiley, put them in his quiver and went back inside the warehouse. "Y'all can come out now, Mr. LaCroix, Miss Clarissa. There's no more danger." He took off his helmet and opened the trunk of one of the cars. "It's time to go home." He said extending his arm in a sweeping flourish. "There's plenty of room for the both of you in here if you squeeze a little."

"And how will you get home?" LaCroix asked.

"Someone has to drive." Jeb said with a smile, replacing his helmet.

**********

Toni, Nikki and Nicole were in the game room with Nick when Jeb, Clarissa and LaCroix returned to the estate. Toni had just finished giving everyone an impromptu lesson in the art of shooting pool.

"LaCroix, it's good to see you again." Toni said, putting down her cue and going to him. "Everyone at the complex misses you. You have to come to the next tenants party."

"I shall make a point to attend. Thank you." LaCroix said. "I thought you did not like to get up before noon."

"I haven't been to bed yet. I've been exploring. This place of Clarissa's is fabulous. did you know she has a fantastic collection of rare paintings that would rival the Louvre?"

LaCroix turned to Nikki. "You must be Nicholette." He said, taking her hand and kissing it. "You have grown to a beautiful young lady."

Nikki only nodded curtly and wiped her hand on her shirt.

"I don't blame you for being suspicious. I admit I have done some terrible things in the past, but I have reformed somewhat. Please give me another chance to convince you." He bent to Nicole. "This has to be your daughter. She is the very picture of you."

"Who are you?" Nicole asked.

"I am Mr. LaCroix. A very old friend of your Uncle Nick."

Nicole kicked him soundly in the leg and ran screaming from the room.

"Spirited child." He said, rubbing his leg. "Like mother, like daughter."

"We can all breathe a little easier now that Ol' Smiley is out of the way." Jeb said.

"Not necessarily." Nick said. "If they sent one after us, they might send another. We don't know how many of our kind are on the Mafia payrolls. I suggest we all stay here until this case is solved. If they can't find us, they can't trail us to the others."

"Nick ... what about ...I mean ... Isn't it supposed to be a secret that I ... we ... know about you?" Toni stammered.

"It's all right, Toni." Nick said. "LaCroix knows about everything. It's almost impossible for a vampire to keep a secret from his maker."

"What about the club?" Clarissa said.

"And my radio show?"

"We'll just have to work around them. I'm sure that you both can take a little ... sick time?"

"I suppose so." LaCroix said. Clarissa agreed.

"If that's the case, why don't we, who need to, get some rest?" LaCroix said. "I, for one, need my beauty sleep."

**********

Toni and Nikki opened the door to the pool area.

"Who'd have guessed that Clarissa had an Olympic sized swimming pool in her basement? And heated too." Toni said, draping a towel over a chair.

"Yeah." Nikki answered. "It's really neat that she even provides swimsuits for those who don't have their own. Staying here is almost like being at a resort. I can't wait to dive in."

"I want the hot tub." Toni said, turning into the enclosure where the spa was located. There, in all his unadorned glory, was LaCroix, immersed in the tub. If it was possible for a vampire to blush, LaCroix was doing so.

"Why, LaCroix, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to bed." Toni said in not-too-mock surprise. "I didn't realize you were an aficionado of hot tubs. You never used the one at the complex."

"Hot tubs have been around for a very long time." LaCroix said, shifting his body to take advantage of the camouflaging effects of one of the streams of bubbles. "I came here to relax. Through the centuries I have often indulged in the therapeutic effects of a mineral bath. I have used the tub at the complex many times, but I have always taken care to avoid occasions when others were present."

He was uncomfortable, that was obvious. The girls were not about to let the Mr. Oh-So-Proper LaCroix off their hook that easy.

Toni started down the steps. "You mind if I join you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do mind." He said, drawing his knees to his chest. "Would one of you ladies be so kind and get me a bathrobe?"

Nikki made a show of searching the area around the hot tub. "I don't see a bathrobe anywhere. Are you sure there is one here?"

"From the dressing room." There was a note of irritation in his voice.

"You don't expect us to go into the men's locker room, do you?" Toni replied, fluttering her eyelids at him in mock embarrassment. "What if someone caught us in there? Imagine how embarrassing that would be."

"I do believe you two are enjoying my discomfort." He said. "That is not a wise thing to do." There was an undertone of coldness in his voice that sent shivers down Toni's back.

"Say please." Nikki cajoled.

A low growl escaped from LaCroix's throat. "Please."

**********

Nick sat at Clarissa's harpsichord. How long had it been since he had played one? Centuries? This one was genuine, not a replica. He idly fingered the keys. A Bach sonata came to mind. As though they had a intellect of their own, his fingers began to play the melodies running through his head. Soon he was immersed in the gentle, almost ethereal sounds from the ancient instrument. He did not hear Toni come in until she sat down beside him. Abruptly he stopped playing.

"No, continue. It's beautiful." She half whispered.

He continued playing. The look on Toni's face was one of trouble and concern. She did not seek him out just to listen to him play. Finally, at an appropriate place in the score, he ended the impromptu recital. "Is everything all right?" He asked softly.

"No. Everything is not all right. Everything is all wrong. It's Nikki. Her husband was just blown to spaghetti sauce. The Mafia wants to do the same to everyone here. And she's acting like she's on some kind of a resort vacation. Also, she hasn't had more than a few catnaps in three days. She's either pigging out or she's just picking at her food. I'm afraid that she's going to snap at anytime."

"I've seen this reaction before. She is in denial. She's afraid to face the truth that Matt is gone, so her subconscious tells her that if she ignores it, it didn't happen and Matt will be back soon."

"That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard!" Nikki came into the music room. "I am not in denial. I know full well that Matt is dead." Her voice became louder with every sentence. "Don't you think I want to mourn him? Everything inside me cries out to let go and let it out. I can't. I've got to be strong. I've got to keep it together for Nicole. It was difficult enough when Mom died, but I had Matt to lean on. Now I'm the one that everyone leans on. I can't eat. I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see him, or what's left of him lying on that morgue slab. He's dead and his killer is living high in the hog in some fancy hotel penthouse." She grabbed Nick by the shirtfront. "You had him. Why didn't you do something then? You could have stopped all this running and hiding with one simple act." She began beating on his chest. "My husband's dead and you could have killed his killer!" She yelled hysterically. "You could have avenged him! You are a coward! You are a ... " She buried her face in Nick's chest and began sobbing uncontrollably.

Toni put her arms around her, tears running down her cheeks. Nick, his own face wet and streaked, pulled them both into his embrace.

**********

Nicole padded up to Jeb in the garage of the mansion, dragging Nicholas Brabant by one arm. The doll flopped obediently behind her. "Whatcha doing Jeb?" She asked.

"Well, sweetie pie, I'm trying to bore out the cylinders on this engine."

"Why?"

"Well, by boring out the cylinders, I can increase the ratio of fuel to air by nearly 30 percent, and improve mileage performance without sacrificing economy or significantly increasing pollution." Jeb said absently.

"Why?"

Suddenly Jeb remembered that he was talking to a five year old. "To make it go faster."

"Oh." She said. "Can I help?"

Jeb looked around the garage. There were many expensive and potentially dangerous parts lying around. This was no place for a little girl. He started to say something, but the sad puppy look in Nicole's eyes melted his heart. He sensed that Nicole needed to be with someone at this time. Someone other than her mother or Toni. Like it or not, he was that someone. "Okay." He said, picking up a wrench. He placed it on one of the wheel nuts. "You keep this nice and snug. That will help me a whole lot."

Nicole carefully placed Nicholas Brabant where he could see her and grasped the end of the wrench tightly. She was delighted with her task. "It will also keep her out of trouble." He murmured almost inaudibly.

**********

With Nick and Toni on each side of her, Nikki slowly made her way out of the music room. She was still crying softly.

"You all right?" Toni asked, her own voice still quivering slightly.

"No. But I'm a lot better than when I went in there. There's a lot of anger and grief inside me that's got to come out, but I feel that I have taken the first baby steps toward that end. I hope you two can put up with me for the next few weeks while my mood swings like a pendulum."

"You know your Uncle Nick will always be there for you." Nick said, squeezing her tightly. "I made that promise to your father when you were born and to Missy when Harry died. I make the same promise to you. If there is anything I can do, it will be done."

"Catch Matt's killer."

"I will, Sunshine. I will."

"Ready for some sleep?" Toni asked

"No. I don't think I can handle that yet. Maybe some light reading might help, though."

"I hear the reading room here rivals some of the better public libraries. Shall we find out?" Toni started down the hall.

" Thank you for the offer, but I think I'd rather be alone for a while."

"Are you sure?" Nick asked.

"Uh huh."

Suddenly Jeb came running toward them. His face, even for a vampire, was ashen. "Mister Nick! Miss Toni! Miss Nikki!" He yelled frantically. "Come quick! Something happened to Nicole!"

The four of them raced to the garage.

"I'm sorry." Jeb said half hysterically. "I should have been more careful. I only turned my back for a second. Next thing I knew, the car had slipped the jack and caught her under the wheel. I didn't want to move her for fear I would hurt her more. I'm sorry ..."

Nicole's legs were pinned under the tire that she had been 'working' on She was still conscious, but it was obvious that the little girl was in a great deal of pain. The only outward sign, however, was a low whimpering crying.

"GET HER OUT! GET HER OUT!" Nikki shouted frantically.

"Okay." Nick said, placing his hand on Nikki's shoulder and fixing his gaze on her. He could feel her heart racing. "She is going to be all right, but I need you to remain calm while we get her out. It isn't going to do you or her any good for you to go off the deep end. Take a couple of deep breaths."

Nikki drew a deep breath, and immediately started to relax.

"Good." He went to Nicole. "How are you doing, sweetheart? You okay?"

Nicole nodded her head and managed a wobbly smile.

"Jeb, you take one side of the car and I'll take the other. On my signal, lift it off Nicole. Nikki, you and Toni slide Nicole out when we do that. Be very careful. Don't move her any more than necessary. Ready?"

Everyone nodded. Jeb and Nick took their places on each side of the engine compartment and Nikki and Toni positioned themselves at Nicole's side. "NOW!" Nick shouted. He and Jeb lifted the car while Nikki and Toni gently slid Nicole from beneath it.

Word of the accident had spread quickly through the mansion. By now, a small group of onlookers including LaCroix, Clarissa and Milos, had gathered in the garage

With a physician's practiced touch, Nick gently examined Nicole. Gingerly he ran his hands along her legs, being careful to apply only as much pressure as absolutely necessary. Her legs were puffy and rapidly turning ugly shades of purple where the wheel had been sitting on them. Her right leg seemed to be far worse than the left. In addition, it was bent at an unnatural angle. He then probed her abdomen. Finally her arms and head. Other than the legs, there did not seem to be any other trauma. "It appears that one or both of her legs may have been broken. I don't believe there are any other injuries. Of course, without X-rays, it's impossible to tell. You don't, by any chance, have a medical clinic here, do you Clarisse?"

"No, but I will at the earliest chance. There is a clinic in town, though. The doctor who runs it ... he's mortal by the way ... is a good friend of mine. I don't think he'd mind if we used his equipment."

"I'll get the car." Milos said.

"No." LaCroix said. "That would be too slow and rough. It will be much quicker and safer if we fly her there."

With Nicole in his arms, Nick headed for town. Her legs were splinted with boards and she was safely nestled in a down comfort, with Nicholas Brabant firmly in her grasp. Jeb followed carrying Nikki, and LaCroix brought up the rear with Toni hanging onto his neck for dear life.

**********

"This is going to hurt, Sweetheart." Nick said, lifting Nicole to the X-ray table. "It's necessary, though, if I am going to make you all better. I promise I won't hurt any more than I have to."

"I don't want it to hurt." Nicole whimpered. "It hurts now." She stiffened her little body. In the position she was in, it was nearly impossible to place her on the table.

Nick had an inspiration. "Why don't we X-ray Nicholas Brabant? Just to be sure he wasn't hurt too. That way you'll have an idea what's going to happen and it won't hurt nearly so bad when you know what to expect. He took the doll and placed it on the table. Then he positioned the X-ray machine over it and clicked the shutter several times. "There, that wasn't so bad. Nicholas Brabant didn't mind at all." He said, handing the doll back to Nicole. "Now it's your turn."

Without a word of protest, Nicole allowed Nick to take the X-rays.

A few minutes later, he came out of the developing room, a bunch of negatives in his hand.

"She's a very, very lucky little girl. Her left leg is badly bruised and quite a few ligaments, tendons and muscles are torn, but no break. Her right leg, though, is broken. The break, however is a clean one. There's no other injuries, and given a child's healing powers, she should be good as new in about a month."

"What about Nicholas Brabant?" Nicole asked. "Was he hurt in the accident?"

"No. He's fine."

"Can I see his X-rays"

"Sure."

"You mean you actually took X-rays of the doll?" Toni asked.

"I didn't know there was film in the plate when I snapped them. I was going to throw it away, but if Nicole wants to see the X-rays, I don't see any harm in it. I'll develop them as soon as I finish putting the cast on Nicole's leg."

**********

"Nikki! Toni! Everybody! Come here!" Nick yelled from the developing room. "You aren't going to believe this!"

When they had assembled, Nick put the X-rays of the doll in the viewer. There, clearly visible in the doll's abdomen, was the unmistakable outline of a computer diskette.

"It's been right under our noses all along." Nikki said in astonishment. "Matt must have put it there for safekeeping. He knew Nicole would never let the doll out of her sight. My only question is how did it go through the X-ray machines at the airport without the security people seeing it?"

"That's easy. They probably did see it." Clarissa explained. "Since it wasn't a weapon or a bomb, and it posed no threat, they probably saw no need to say anything."

"Security guards can be so unimaginative." LaCroix added with a sigh.

"Wouldn't the X-rays destroy whatever's on the disk?" Jeb asked.

"X-rays. No. Magnets. Yes." Toni answered.

"How do we get it out without Nicole being upset. She's crazy about that doll. If we were to destroy Nicholas, she would never forgive us." Nikki said.

"Leave that to me." Nick answered. "I am a surgeon, after all. Or I was in another identity. I've performed hundreds of laparotomies, and they always said I left the neatest scar of all. If I can't remove a disk from a doll without major complications, I had better give it up."

He went into the other room and returned with Nicholas Brabant. "I told her he had something in his tummy and that I had to cure it." He went into the operating room and returned a few minutes later. In one hand was the disk. In the other, Nicholas Brabant, unclothed, with a neat row of green nylon stitches along his midline.

**********

With Nicole finally tucked in her bed and Jeb keeping a concerned eye on her, Nick, Toni and Nikki sat at Clarissa's computer station. As usual, she had the latest state of the art equipment. In only a few minutes, they were in Matthew's files. This time, when the screen asked for the access disk, Nick slipped the diskette into the slot. Immediately the computer flashed 'ACCESS GRANTED'. The file came up on the screen. But this, too was another apparent dead end. Instead of words, there was only a meaningless jumble of letters and symbols.

"OH, GREAT!" Nikki said, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "Another Gordian Knot to unravel. We're no closer to solving this than when we started."

"It's an encryption code." Nick said. "I've seen it before. The government uses it on top secret documents."

"Can you break it?" Toni asked.

"I can't, but I know someone who might be able to."

**********

Nick paused outside the neat split-level in Rancho Del Mar. He wasn't sure about the reception he would receive. It was well after midnight, and it was probable that the owner was sound asleep. This was a matter of top priority. If Matt had encrypted the file, that meant that it had to be of national interest. He couldn't let that fall into the hands of the Mafia. Drawing a deep breath, Nick pushed the doorbell.

"Okay! Okay!" Arnie Sherrod called as he made his way to the door. "Lay off the bell before you wake Vera. She'll have shivering fits as it is." He mumbled as he opened the door. "Detective Knight. What are you doing here at this time of night? Don't tell me this is over the murder at the Ventura Party Mansion? I report to my probation officer every month just as I'm supposed to do."

"No. It has nothing to do with that. As far as I know, you are in good standing with the probation department. This is sort of personal and strictly off the record. I need your help."

"Anything you need, just ask."

"What I am about to ask of you is in strictest secrecy. It is also very dangerous. You could be hurt or even killed. However, if you do help me, it could possibly put some of the most dangerous people in the country behind bars. If you say no, I'll understand completely." Nick was fully prepared to hypnotize Arnie to make him forget he was ever there if Arnie said no.

"You don't pull any punches, do you? I'll probably end up in all kinds of hot water, but if it wasn't for you and Taylor going to bat for all of us, I'd be doing some hard time now. It's against my better judgment, but okay. Tell me what you want me to do. I understand the risks. Who wants to live forever, anyway?"

**********

Arnie peered at the screen. Except for a few hmmm's and uh-huh's and an knowing nod or two, the computer expert gave no sign that he was aware that the outside world even existed. Finally, he looked up. "It's an encryption code all right. One of the better ones, too. It's the one that the FBI uses."

"Can you decipher it?" Nick asked.

"I better be able to crack it. I designed it." Arnie said with a hint of a smile. "It'll take about two or three hours. They've made some modifications. Come back then."

Two hours later, Arnie Sherrod emerged from the office, a triumphant smile on his face. "I did it! I didn't download the file, though. I figured if it was that well protected, the less I know, the better." Nick almost told him that it wouldn't have mattered, since he was going to remove all memory of the night's activity from Arnie's mind anyway.

They stared at the screen. "Oh my God!" Nikki exclaimed. "No wonder Vincent Geppelli wanted this file so badly. There's enough here to shut down Mafia strongholds in the entire eastern U.S. and several provinces of Canada."

"Can you make duplicates of these files and the disk as well?" Nick asked Arnie.

"Am I breathing?"

**********

"Nicholas." LaCroix said in a tone of barely suppressed anger while they were waiting for Arnie Sherrod to copy the file. "I DO NOT approve of what you are about to do. While I understand that you feel that you MUST protect Atonia and Nicholette, you ARE setting a dangerous precedent. In all of history, NO vampire has allowed himself to be blackmailed. We KNOW how to deal with scum like Geppelli."

"Don't you think I want to take care of him my way? The cop part of me wants him behind bars. The vampire part of me wants to sink my fangs in his neck. But I don't do things like that anymore. You know that."

"Then let ME take care of him. After what I've seen, it would be my pleasure." Flecks of gold dotted the ancient vampire's eyes. "Another thing to think about. If he, or anyone, poses a threat to the Community, the Enforcers will know of it. They will see to it that the threat is removed ... permanently ... wherever or whoever it comes from."

"I know that. I think I have a plan to neutralize his threat to me and to the community."

"I sincerely hope so, Nicholas. For all our sakes. I hope so."

**********

A few minutes later, Arnie handed Nick two diskettes. He held one up. "This one contains the file just as it is on the computer. It can be downloaded onto any computer. The other one has all the access information. Before I downloaded it, I put the file back the way it was. Only someone with the same security level as I have could even tell it had been breached."

"How many people have that level?" Nick asked.

"Three. Me. My supervisor. And the head of the FBI."

**********

Nick handed the disk to Vincent Geppelli. "This is what you want."

Geppelli opened his laptop computer and after going through the same procedures as Nick had, pulled up Matt's file. He inserted the disk at the appropriate time. As it did with Nick's first access attempt, the file showed nothing but gibberish. "Damn!" Geppelli swore. "It's encrypted." He highlighted the file and pressed the delete key. In a matter of seconds, the screen was blank. "No problem now. They can encrypt this all they want." He said, a gleam in his eyes.

"Now it's time to keep your end of the bargain." Nick said.

"Of course. I am, after all, a man of my word." He went to the hotel refrigerator and removed four green bottles. "Test them if you want just to make sure that they are the ones that my people took from your refrigerator." He handed one of the bottles to Nick.

Nick opened it and took a sip. It was blood. He handed it back to Geppelli. Geppelli took all four bottles to the sink, and one by one uncorked them, and after Nick had tested them, poured the contents down the drain. He then handed the empty bottles to Nick.

"One last thing." Geppelli said. "One of my ... associates ... is missing. He is one of your people. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"I am also a man of my word. I guarantee I had nothing to do with that." He spoke the truth. He had only agreed not to harm Geppelli. Also, it was Jeb, not him, who dispatched the vampire.

"No matter. It'll be easy to replace him. His kind are a dime a dozen."

**********

Nick approached the man standing on the pier staring out to sea. There was no one else in sight.. No one had followed him, not the way he traveled, and if no one had followed the man, they were safe. "Agent Stack? I'm the one who called you."

FBI Agent Stack continued to stare at the ocean.

"I have vital information about a project your office and the New York City Prosecutor's office have been working on."

"I don't have any idea what you are talking about." Agent Stack said. His heartbeat told Nick differently.

"In that case, the Pinocchio file would not mean anything to you."

His expression did not change, but the agent's heart was racing. "How much do you know about that?"

"Enough to know that it contains enough evidence to incriminate the entire Mafia organization of the eastern half of North America."

"That file has been destroyed. We tried to access the other day and the file no longer exists."

Nick held up the two disks that Arnie Sherrod had created. "It was Vincent Geppelli who erased the file from Matt Hudson's computer. Don't ask any questions, but here is an exact duplicate of the file as well as the access disk." He handed the disks to the agent, along with an envelope containing Arnie's instructions about how to download the file.

Agent Stack examined them and then turned to Nick. "We will have to get a statement from you about ... " He was alone on the pier.

**********

The trial of Vincent Geppelli was almost an open and shut case, thanks to the Pinocchio file. Nikki and Toni attended, not as witnesses, but as spectators. Nick tried to persuade Nikki not to go, but he might as well have been talking to the wall. She was determined to see this all the way. Nick, for obvious reasons, stayed away.

It was late afternoon when Vincent Geppelli left the courthouse, surrounded by uniformed police as well as US Marshals. He spotted Nick sitting in his car parked in the shade near the police van that was to transport him to prison. "You betrayed me!" He shouted at Nick. "You're a dead man." He turned to one of the police escorts. "You think Knight there is such a outstanding officer. You think he's such a terrific person. You're wrong! You think I'm evil? He's twenty times more evil than I am. He's a vampire. A real, live, blood sucking vampire!" He shouted, shaking his manacled fist at Nick.

"Yeah. Yeah." The officer said. "If he is a vampire like you say, what's he doing out in the daylight? Aren't vampires supposed to be afraid of the sun?"

"I don't know! It's some kind of a trick! Hold a cross to him! He's got to be afraid of a cross! You'll see. I'm telling the truth!" Geppelli's face was red with anger.

One of the other officers took a crucifix on a chain from beneath his shirt and held it to Nick's face. Nick2 fingered the chain. In the trunk, Nick winced slightly at the sight, but since it was only an image on the VR glasses he wore, the negative effect was very mild. "It's beautiful." He said through Nick2. "Where did you get it? My niece would love one."

"Tremplers Jewelers. $59.95." The officer said, putting the cross back inside his shirt.

Geppelli was still screaming challenges to Nick when they put him in the van.

Taylor came over to the car. "Imagine. A big wheel like him going off the deep end. Vampires. Really. How far out can you get? I have the feeling he's going to be looking at inkblots for a long time to come. By the way, Nick, what are you doing here? I mean aren't you allergic to the sun?"

"Please note." Nick2 said. "I'm in the shade."

That seemed to satisfy Taylor and he rejoined the knot of officers standing at the curb where the van had been parked.

Nikki and Toni walked over to the car.

"Uncle Nick!" Nikki exclaimed after they had gotten in the car. "You're out in the daytime! Does that mean you're cured? It's a miracle!"

"Nope. It's not a cure. Not yet." Nick2 said. "Actually, I'm in the trunk. That's an aminatronic robot behind the wheel. Toni can explain the details on the way home." Nick2 put the car in gear and drove out of the lot.

**********

Chicago 1981

Nick held Missy and Nikki in a tight embrace. "Do you have to cut yourself off from everything this way?" Missy said with tears in her eyes.

"I'm afraid so. When you testify before the grand jury about drug lords, your life and the lives of everyone around you are in jeopardy. That's why I have to enter the witness protection program." That was the excuse he gave Missy. Only Nikki knew the real reason he had to leave.

He turned to Nikki and handed her a small jeweler's box. "This is so that you will never forget me." He said. "Go ahead. Open it."

Nikki carefully opened the box and lifted a delicate gold locket from inside. She opened it. Inside was a copy of the photo that was taken on her seventh Christmas. The locket played "You are my sunshine ..."

"It's beautiful, Uncle Nick. I'll treasure it always. Now I have something for you to remember me." She handed him a package.

He opened it. There in a wooden and gold frame, was an enlargement of the Christmas photo.

"I know it's against the rules, but I'll try to keep in touch whenever possible." He hugged them again. With tears in his eyes, he walked across the tarmac to the plane taking him out of their life and to a new existence.

**********

Los Angeles  Present

"East Coast Airlines Flight 273 to St. Louis, Cleveland and New York boarding at gate 23." The voice over the airport loudspeaker said.

"That's our flight." Nikki said. They had deliberately booked an evening flight so Nick could see them off.

"Are you sure there's no way I can persuade you to stay here?" Nick said, taking her in his arms. "We've found each other again, and I don't ever want to lose track of you. There's a vacant condo in the complex and I know several law firms that would be ecstatic to have you on their staff. Another thing to think about is the fallout from the trial. The Mafia will be looking for anyone connected with the case."

"No. Thanks for the offer, but New York is my home. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself. Besides, after six months here, I shudder to think about the backlog of cases piled on my desk at the firm. According to Justin Case, my partner, there are indictments being handed down all over the East Coast as a result of the Pinocchio file. As far as the Mafia threat goes, there was nothing brought out in the trial about Matt, you or me. As far as anyone is concerned, only the FBI, you and Vincent Geppelli know the whole story. After that little performance outside the courthouse, I doubt if anyone will believe him when he says it's raining.

Besides, Matt was a New York boy. It was his wish that if anything happened to him, his ashes were to be scattered in the Atlantic Ocean. I owe him that." She kissed him tenderly and gave him a big hug. She fingered the small gold locket around her neck. "As long as I have this, we can never be apart."

She turned to Toni and hugged her. "Thanks for all you have done for Nicole and me. After all we've been through, I've come to think of you as the sister I never had. We must make a promise to keep in touch. Take good care of Nick for me."

"Absolutely. I feel the same about you. And as for Nick, I wouldn't think of doing otherwise."

Nicole, her broken leg only a memory, ran to Nick. Nicholas Brabant, as always, obediently flopping behind her. Nick bent down to receive her kiss and hug. She held onto him for several moments. "I love you, Uncle Nick." She turned to Toni. "I love you, Aunt Toni. It's okay if I call you 'Aunt', isn't it?" She said, hugging her and planting a wet sloppy kiss on her cheek

Nikki noticed a figure in the far corner of the observation room. She went to him. "LaCroix, You were wrong when you said you had reformed somewhat." She said, taking the old vampire's hands in hers. "You have reformed a lot. I have grown very fond of you these past months. Please say you'll stay in touch."

LaCroix only nodded imperceptibly. Nikki reached over and kissed him tenderly on the cheek.

Nicole pulled at his sleeve. LaCroix knelt down. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him one of her patented wet sloppy kisses. "I've decided you are a good monster after all. I love you Uncle LaCroix." She ran to catch her mother and the two of them disappeared down the tunnel toward the plane.

LaCroix straightened up and brushed the wetness from his cheek. He gave Toni and Nick an icy stare. "One word of this to the Community, and I will personally stake both of you in Death Valley. After I smear your naked bodies with honey."

Nick and Toni looked at each other, barely suppressing a smile, and then back to LaCroix. He was gone.

Nick and Toni stayed at the observation window long after the plane left the runway. He put his arm around her waist and she gently squeezed his hand. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine ... " He softly sang.

**********

The guard approached Vincent Geppelli's cell in the maximum security section of the prison. He had never seen this one before. The guard was tall, extremely pale skinned, with close cropped blonde hair. There was something in his transparent blue eyes that sent shivers through Geppelli's body. Suddenly, the guard was inside his cell, although Geppelli never saw the door open.

"I bring you greetings from my family." The guard said. Before he knew what was happening, the guard had grabbed Geppelli's head and bent it in an angle that exposed his left jugular vein. In an instant, the guard's eyes turned fluorescent yellow and he hissed. Vincent Geppelli's last memory of this life was a pair of inch long fangs being sunk into his neck.

**********

The End

Not Nearly