Waltz in the Sky

By Lorelei Sieja

A Waltz in the Sky, 03/14

By Lorelei Sieja

Natalie's visit had been a lot of fun, Nick thought as he dressed for work. Keeping to the theme she'd started several movies ago, she'd selected one about a giant baby stomping through the streets of Reno. Or was it Las Vegas? Nick had laughed so hard, and Natalie had laughed with him. Unlike King Kong, this movie was intended to be funny. He didn't remember her leaving though. When he awoke, he discovered that he'd slept on the couch, and she had tossed a quilt over him. He must have fallen asleep while the movie rewound. He hoped she wasn't mad at him. Babysitting Tracy was wearing him out. Maybe he'd have to make sure he fed a lot better until she was older.

Nick climbed the stairs to LaCroix's apartment wondering why Tracy couldn't manage to be ready when she'd said she would be. Whatever. He smiled at LaCroix. The ancient seemed distracted. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"No. Nothing, Nicholas," LaCroix answered in a way that made Nick even more suspicious. Well, maybe Tracy was still giving him headaches. He turned to hide the grin at his master's expense.

Tracy emerged from her room muttering something under her breath. "I can't wear pierced earrings anymore! You never warned me about that. I have tons of earrings. What am I going to do with them now?"

LaCroix leaned over her, his breath whispered lightly over her neck raising the sensitive hair and bringing a shudder up her spine. "It would be a shame to conceal such perfect ears behind cheap baubles, my dear."

Tracy wasn't amused. She must have slept on the wrong side of her bed. Nick tried to hide his smirk, but not before she'd seen it.

"And you! You will stop babying me! I am a detective, Knight. I know how to do my job!"

Nick looked startled. Had they had an argument last night? Not that he could remember. "I have no idea what she's talking about," he told their master.

"Nick is too damn bossy, LaCrox. Tell him to knock it off!"

LaCroix filled three glasses and held out two to his children. Nick shook his head but LaCroix insisted. "We will have a chat before either of you may leave," he said firmly.

Tracy took hers and plopped on the couch. Nick decided it was safer to take the chair than sit anywhere near her. LaCroix remained standing as he regarded them both.

"Tracy. Tell me, about what exactly are you upset with Nicholas." LaCroix's tone was firm but patient.

Tracy gulped her beverage and tried to calm the strong emotions, unsure what they were really all about. "I'm sorry I'm crabby tonight," she apologized. "Last night went fine, mostly. Only, Nick was always a little over-protective before. Now it is definitely worse. It's like he doesn't think I'm capable of doing my job."

LaCroix eyed his son. Nicholas could be rather obstinate. It was probably that overactive knight-crusader ethic of his again. Then again, Tracy was stubborn and strong-willed. He could not undermine Nicholas's authority and still expect him to protect her.

"Tracy, in police matters, you may argue with Nicholas to your heart's content-"

"LaCroix!" Nick interrupted.

The master held up a hand to silence him. "Would it not further arouse suspicions if she suddenly became compliant in all things, Nicholas?"

Nick nodded reluctantly.

"However," he said, turning to Tracy with a stern expression. "In all matters pertaining to your existence as a vampire, you will obey Nicholas as you would me. Is that clear?"

She started to object, but saw that as far as he was concerned, the conversation was over. "Yes, sir," she replied.

"I suspect that she is not getting enough rest," LaCroix said as he held her coat for her. "Return her earlier tonight."

Nick shrugged. If Tracy stayed this crabby, she'd be home in an hour.

"So, partner," Tracy said, as they drove in to work together. She was wondering how they were going to squelch the growing rumors regarding her and Nick if he continued to chauffeur her around. "How do we go about handling last night's case?"

"We don't," he stated, accenting the first word.

"Nick, I will not be kept in the dark! This is a police matter!"

He held up his hand to cut her off. "Tracy, I'm sure that LaCroix meant "mortal police matters". You will not go anywhere near this one. You know the killer's a vampire, and I can guarantee that he is older and more dangerous than you are. LaCroix made me promise to take care of you, and that is one command I happen to agree with."

"Well, I don't. What if he's stronger than you are? What if you need me? You know that is what partners are for."

"Tracy!" Nick was getting angry, but she didn't fear him. He was nothing like LaCroix. "End of discussion!"

By then they had reached the precinct. Tracy entered, slamming any doors that she could and slumped behind her desk, radiating her irritation. Nick came in at a more dignified pace but also exuding anger. Many in the bullpen concealed grins behind their hands, and wiggled their eyebrows knowingly at this "lover's spat" being enacted before them.

The two detectives worked almost silently, grunting one-word comments until Nick took a call from the coroner.

Tracy could hear their conversation now. It was something to be thankful for, and one more way to tease her partner, for now anything Nat said to him would be "public" information.

This call was just business. Nat had some information on the identity of last night's John Doe. His name was Alvin Jacobs, an American from Louisiana. The case just got a lot more difficult, since it crossed political borders.

"I'll be there shortly," Nick said, before hanging up.

Tracy reached for her coat and brazenly followed Nick out the door. She sensed his growing anger at her defiance, but she knew he wouldn't make a scene in front of the mortals. Once out in the parking lot, though, he turned on her with glowing eyes and sharp fangs. He was so beautiful when he did that, she thought.

"You are NOT coming," he ground out. "You will stay here and wait for me to return."

"Are you going to make me!" she snapped belligerently, her hands on her hips.

Nick took a deep breath and some of the anger receded. "I would hope that won't be necessary," he said. He loomed over her, his fangs scraping along her sensitive neck. "But I could leave you too tired to resist."

Tracy almost hoped that he would, as the now familiar feeling of warmth and moistness filled her core. Still, if he were going to be gone, it would be a perfect time to slip out and see her birth father one last time. She remained silent, no longer fighting him, but not agreeing to stay, either.

Nick took it for submission. He nipped playfully at her throat, his voice becoming thick and husky. "Wait at your desk. I expect to be gone about an hour."

She hugged him impulsively, one hand slipping unnoticed into his pocket for the keys.

Then, leaving the caddy behind, Nick leaped into the night sky and was gone. She grinned. She had hoped he would do that. She adjusted the seat in his car and drove away.

It was a little earlier than she'd expected to be able to get away. Maybe, if she were lucky, her dad wouldn't be home yet... but as she pulled into his driveway, she saw his car parked in the garage and some lights on in the house.

Nearing the front door, she was struck with playful curiosity. Her dad had always been such a private person. Conversations would end the moment she came in to a room, doors were always closed, and drawers were kept locked. With her vampiric senses now she could unveil a little of the mystery.

Filtering out many of the sounds she could detect, she focused only on her father's voice. It was deep, but a little nasal- not thrillingly powerful, like LaCroix's. He had an odd habit of speech- not ignorant, exactly, but uncultured. She'd never really noticed before. He was talking with someone he called "Turk", and they were not happy. She couldn't hear both sides of the call from outside. Her mom had always kept a spare key under a fake rock in the rose bushes, for nights she couldn't remember where she had left her purse, or the car, or anything else she'd misplaced while under the influence. Tracy nudged the rock aside now and found it was still there.

Feeling some of the old excitement, like when she'd still been a rebellious teenager, she turned the key in the lock and silently slipped inside. Her dad was in his office, down the hall and on the left. Stealthily, she drew nearer and listened.

The other voice was still hard to detect through the closed door, but it carried fine through the floor vents. Her dad was irate, but this Turk sounded confident.

"His body washed up on shore last night, you a**hole! I paid you to get rid of him and I've never seen a sloppier job! I don't know how you stay in business!"

Tracy covered her mouth to muffle a gasp. No, it couldn't be! Surely she hadn't heard right. Her dad was a police commissioner! Surely he had nothing to do with this murder!

She'd missed some of Turk's reply.

"... it will all be swept under a rock, and filed with other unsolveds," Turk promised.

"My force is not that irresponsible," her dad yelled. "It would have been far better to get rid of it right the first time. Now take care of it, or you will have no further business with me. You hear?"

She could have heard the phone slam down even without her special hearing. Suddenly, she wished she'd been a good little girl and waited outside ringing the doorbell. It certainly sounded like her dad was involved in something clandestine. And she didn't want to try to lie to him now, while she was shaking. Using vampiric speed, she fled the hallway and returned to the front door. She buried the key and straightened her jacket before ringing the doorbell. Now she would have to see how good she was at acting.

Her same old dad opened the door shortly. He didn't look like he'd just chewed out a hit man.

"Baby! You're early," he said, stepping aside to let her in. "This is great. Can I get you something? A soda, some chips perhaps?"

Tracy plastered a perky grin on her face even as the thought of greasy chips and flavored, colored, sugary burpy water made her stomach pitch and roll. "No, thanks, dad. I've eaten." That much was true.

She walked with him through the wide, familiar halls towards the den at the back, feeling strangely like an intruder. This wasn't home anymore. This was another lifetime. Her dad helped himself to a beer and popped the top, guzzling the foamy brew that squirted forth.

"Baby. You look awful," he said tactlessly.

"I feel fine. I just got over the flu, remember?"

Predictably, he'd found the subject of tonight's debate rather quickly. "It's that night shift. I expected you to pull graveyards as a rook, but you've really proven yourself. It's time that captain realized it and promoted you to days."

"No, dad!" She felt a moment of terror. That would be disastrous. "I love working nights! And my partner is the greatest."

"Cocky, arrogant a**hole. He's a good cop, but he sure ruffles my feathers. Look at you. You're pale as death. Not my little sunshine girl anymore. You need a week off on the beach. Can I send you to Cancun for Christmas?"

It had been a mistake to come here. She glared at him, experiencing all the old feelings of inadequacy. He would boss her around, and push her around, until she did something really stupid. Then he'd tell her how disappointed he was, and maybe her mom would seek solace in the bottle again, and Tracy would feel responsible. Well, it was over.

"Dad. I came because you commanded it. But I am fine. And I am staying on night shift, and I will remain Nick's partner. If you do anything to change all that, then Toronto is no longer big enough for both of us!"

She grabbed her purse and marched to the door, eager to make her exit.

Her dad followed after her, yelling obscenities. How dare she speak to him like that! He told her to stop, demanded she apologize. Tracy blinked back blood tears and kept her back to him. Slamming the door behind her was one of the hardest things she'd ever done, but she knew she would never come here again.

She sat in the caddy for long moments to still the trembling in her hands. Then, with a sigh, she drove back to precinct to wait for her partner.

Nick felt a twinge of guilt at leaving Tracy alone. LaCroix had made him promise to take care of her. But, how much trouble could she get in if she was sitting behind a desk? He also had a duty to find the guilty vampire quickly, and at the moment, the two obligations did not mix. He tried to shrug off his concerns, and promised himself that he would just finish his tasks as soon as possible and return to her.

Natalie smiled at him as he entered the morgue.

"So how's babysitting detail?" she asked.

He shrugged, hoping he didn't look too worried. "Fine. What have you got?"

She pulled down the drape and let Nick examine the deceased's neck. There were two unmistakable neck wounds, which were only partially concealed with a sloppy knife-cut through them. The neck wounds were 3 and half centimeters apart- most likely a male vampire. But the odd thing was that the man had been drugged before being killed.

"Are you sure," Nick asked her. "That doesn't make sense. Why would a vampire drug his prey?"

"To keep him quiet?" she suggested.

"That's why we hypnotize them," Nick said.

"Well, maybe he was a resistor?"

Something still seemed wrong. Nick couldn't think what it was. If the man had been a resistor, most vampires would just ignore him and find easier prey. If the man had already discovered their identity, then he had to die, but why the drugs?

Nick took the file she'd written for his private viewing only. Not only was the vampire sloppy, but he'd let a lot of blood go to waste, too. The victim was only partially drained. Nick would have to return to his computer to research this man's background- see if he could learn why he was here, and who his friends had been.

"So how's Tracy doing," Nat prodded, strangely curious.

Nick shrugged again, still trying for indifferent. He didn't want to describe to Nat how great Tracy was in bed, or in the caddy, or even in the middle of the floor. "It's nice to have someone else for LaCroix to pick on," he said lightly. "Nat, I have to go."

"Could you bring her by sometime?"

He looked surprised. He usually came to the morgue alone, partly because when Tracy had been mortal, she'd always gagged around bodies, and because he enjoyed the light, unprofessional teasing with Nat.

"Why?"

"I'd like to have a little "girl talk" is all. And it might be interesting to compare her new vampire blood cells with yours, and the few others samples I've collected."

He nodded. "Soon then. But, you should clean up the place first." He winked at her, and then was gone.

He shouldn't have set up the meeting at the Raven, Nick thought as he drove there. But then, if LaCroix was going to get mad at him for leaving Tracy unattended, then they'd better get this argument over with in a hurry. He went inside, grateful that he could not sense his master's presence.

Patrick poured him a drink. "They're willing to meet you," he said.

Nick didn't have to ask who they were. He'd sensed them ever since entering the Raven. They were old, cold, and distant. He wasn't sure if they were as old as LaCroix, but he sensed they were much older than he was. Fortifying himself by chugging the drink, he squared his shoulders and approached them.

The two vampires were dressed all in black, but the styles were a little different for Toronto. The tailored tunics and blousy pants tucked into leather boots looked more eastern European and from some past century. As he drew nearer, he noticed the woman's tunic even had black embroidery with tiny mirrors embedded in the center of each design. It was exceedingly beautiful.

She was not. Her too-narrow face and close-set eyes looked pinched and disdainful. Her dark hair was pulled back into such a tight pug, that he wondered if it pulled the corners of her eyes into their unpleasant squint. She was overly tall and thin, almost a manly figure.

The male vampire was tall as well, but big all over. Broad shoulders with just a bit too much padding to look muscular. His face was mostly concealed behind a bushy beard, and thick eyebrows cast his dark eyes in shadow. Nick could not read any emotion in their cold faces, nor could he sense them as he drew near, which made his apprehension grow.

Finally, he stood at their table, feeling strangely boorish. He stammered once, then drew a deep breath and pushed on ahead.

"Good evening. I am Nicholas Knight. May I speak with you?"

The man nodded slightly. Nick sank into a chair, relieved he could sit down before his knees went out. He had to form his sentences carefully, that he didn't offend these newcomers. If only LaCroix had volunteered to do this! But his master had never shown any interest in his "mortal" life as a cop.

"My sister, Corda, and I am Caspian," the vampire said gruffly.

An awkward silence floated around the table. The elder vampires were not going to engage in the mortal customs of small talk. Nick had always hated dealing with such stuffy Old World elders. He cleared his throat and began.

"I am a detective with the Metro police," he said. Already he could see the sneers on their faces, so like his master's. This was going to be even worse than he'd imagined.

"We found a corpse washed up on the beach. It is the work of a vampire- a sloppy one, at that."

Corda sniffed. Caspian slapped the table with the flat of his hand. "Why disturb our evening with your tale of such wastefulness?"

Nick squared his shoulders, trying hard not to squirm beneath their condescending glares. "I must find out who is responsible," he said.

"Are you insulting us?" Corda blurted with indignation.

"No!" Nick said quickly. Maybe it wasn't such a good thing that LaCroix wasn't here now.

"It sounded like it to me, fledgling. How dare you even suggest that we had anything to do with it."

"I didn't," Nick stammered, beginning to squirm anyway.

"And now you call us liars?" Caspian jumped to his feet.

Nick felt the temperature of the room drop, and sensed the customers pulling away from the trouble that was brewing. Nick stood, struggling to remember LaCroix's lessons on submission and humility, which had been some of the hardest to learn. "No, master," he said, keeping his voice soft. "I would never deign to impugn your noble character. Please accept my humble apology."

Caspian continued to glare at him for a tense moment. Then Nick felt his master's presence behind him, and felt both relieved and fearful.

LaCroix nodded at the two guests. "Good evening, Caspian," he said.

So he knew them, Nick thought. Why hadn't he told Nick that? It would have saved him from having to come here, unless his master could not vouch for them. Perhaps they truly were guilty?

"Is there a problem?" LaCroix prodded.

Caspian glowered at Nick a moment longer then turned his gaze away, effectively dismissing him as unimportant. Nick grit his teeth, struggling to keep his irritation from showing. "Your cub needs more lessons in manners. But I will forgive him this once. See that you tend to his education."

LaCroix laid a hand on Nick's shoulder. It was a gesture of ownership and would tell the vampires that Nick had his protection. Nick wisely held still and silent.

"My son does the community a great service," LaCroix said softly. "While he plays in the mortal world, he is able to protect us from discovery. He has found vampire kills in the past, and managed to conceal the truth from mortals. If he seems outspoken, bordering on rudeness, it is merely his passion that he devotes to everything he undertakes. However, I promise you, that we will continue to work on those lessons he has not yet mastered."

The two guests nodded curtly at LaCroix. Then they left the Raven without another word. Nick shuddered with relief at their passing. And he was stunned by LaCroix's speech. If he didn't know better, he would almost think his master was proud of him!

"And what are you doing here," LaCroix said, his voice low and menacing.

Nick scowled at him. All the anger and rebellion he'd felt at the other vampires was now unleashed on LaCroix. "My job. I have to find the careless vampire, and I didn't want to put Tracy in danger. I left her at her desk in the precinct, where I don't think even she can get into trouble."

"She must not ever be left alone," LaCroix said firmly. "I seem to recall telling you that. I am not in the habit of tolerating such blatant disobedience!"

"She's not alone," Nick insisted.

"She is a lone vampire among mortals. That is sheer stupidity for a newborn. Come! We will go see her together!"

LaCroix's grip on his arm was painful. Nick could not shake him off. Together they left the Raven and flew towards the precinct.