FicWad

Title: Incarnations of Immortality
Author: TheBear!
Crossover: XF/HL/FK
Pairings: M/S N/N T/V
161,428 words
15-Apr-02

Disclaimer—I don’t own any of it.

=====

Chapter 5

Room 1013, International Plaza Hotel

11:26am Tuesday

Scully slowly began to wake up. She was laying on her side with Mulder spooned against her, his right arm wrapped around her ribcage and his hand on her breast, thumb lightly tracing the contours of her areola and nipple. His breath was warm on the top of her head and his erection was nestled in the cleft of her ass. All in all it was a particularly wonderful way to wake up.

As soon as he felt her stirring he said “Good morning, beautiful.” and moved his hand down her torso and between her legs.

Scully was slightly chagrined to realize that she was already wet. She had woken up wet. She felt wanton, needing him again already, wondering if she could ever get enough of him. “Yep, I’m definitely addicted.”

“Oh baby, you are so hot and ready. I need you so badly” Mulder whispered huskily in her ear, reaching his head down to nip at her earlobe. “You are like a drug, Scully, I am hopelessly addicted to you. I can’t get enough of you” he practically moaned in her ear.

“Oh God,” she said to herself as his words mirrored her thoughts, “Thank You so much!!!” Out loud she said, “Time for your fix, then Mulder. I want you inside me, Now!” her tone demanding instant obedience.

Mulder lifted her right leg slightly and she moved her hand down to guide him. He slipped inside her like he was made to fit there, and began steadily thrusting into her. After several minutes he began nibbling on her ear again and whispering to her, “I finally figured it out, Scully.”

“Oh… What’s… That… Mulder?” she panted out between thrusts.

“The reason I exist. Why I was born.” Mulder crooned to her.

“W-w-why-y-y” she stuttered out as he increased his pace.

“This, Scully. To be inside you. To make love to you. To be in love with you.”

She wanted to say that she loved him too, but he chose that moment to begin grinding his fingers in tight circles over her clit. Her orgasm washed over her in slow lapping waves, “Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhh, Yes! Yes, Mulder, Yes!” she shouted.

Mulder paused inside her and lightened the pressure of his fingers against her, gently stroking as she rode it out. He was close himself when he suddenly felt Scully tightening around him in a wave, starting at the base of his penis and moving up to the tip. “Oh God! What did you just do, Scully?” She brought his hand up to her mouth and sucked his wet fingers into her mouth. Then she did it again and Mulder felt a warm tingling beginning to build in his groin.

She smiled around his fingers as she heard him start to moan. She gripped him again inside her, and again- like she was milking him. “Which, I suppose I am, in a way,” she thought. She heard him hoarsely whisper that he was going to cum, and she gave out her own low throaty moan, encouraging him to do just that.

It was too much for him to bear. What she was doing to him inside her was making him nuts, and then when he told her he was going to cum, she made that moan like he was doing her a favor. He exploded inside her, the feeling of his orgasm traveled like an electric shock from his balls to his brain and he saw stars as he closed his eyes. It felt like he pumped himself into her for hours, though it was probably only a few seconds. “That’s it, its over,” he rasped. “Hi, my name is Fox Mulder, and I’m a Scullyholic.”

Scully laughed in delight.

“Yep, I’ve got it bad,” he said. “Crack addicts are going to see me, and say, ‘Damn, junky- you better get your ass to rehab! You’re outta control!”

Scully was laughing so hard that tears were running down her face. “Enough, Mulder! I think we need a shower, as in right now,” she said with a wide smile on her face. “We’re sticky.”

Mulder grabbed on tight and rolled her over the top of him and into a seated position on the edge of the bed. Then he stood up, looked her in the eye and said, “Never let it be said that Fox Mulder isn’t his lady’s obedient love slave.”

Before she could respond to that he suddenly pulled her to her feet while bending down towards her. The next thing she saw was the world invert itself and she found herself slung over Mulder’s shoulder, being carried through to the adjoining door to her room and into the bathroom.

He gently set her down and said “Go ahead and start it, I will join you momentarily,” leaving her to take care of her morning needs while he went back next door to do the same.

===== X-FILES ===== FOREVER KNIGHT ===== HIGHLANDER =====

While watching him wash his hair she had noticed the wound on his temple and asked him about it. He had said it was a long story and after the shower he would order some room service and tell her all about it.

As they sat at her table, drinking coffee, having just finished breakfast, Mulder was uncomfortably silent. Scully looked at her partner, now her lover, and wondered what had him looking so pensive. “Well, Mulder?”

He told her about him and Knight seeing the swordsman from the other night and deciding to follow him, “We were just going to see where he went, and then call for backup, Scully” he said when her eyes narrowed at him. He then went on to tell her about being spotted, the alley and the fire escape. He got to the point where the guy was standing over him with the sword, and the cryptic words he said just before Nick popped up across the roof and shot him.

Scully was confused at this point “But If Detective Knight was clear across the roof and behind you, why didn’t this guy see him and duck behind the air conditioner? Why just stand there and get shot?” she asked. “And where is the body?”

“Well, I have a theory on the first part, but you’re not going to like it.” Mulder sheepishly said.

“Oh Mulder, not the vampire thing again?” she sighed.

He just nodded. “It gets better, Scully” he said.

“What, the perp. was a vampire too? And let me guess, he turned to dust and blew away, right?” she said, exasperated.

“Uh, good guess, but… no.” He then went on to tell her about the guy coming to, impaling Nick and taking a dive when Mulder shot him.

“So he was wearing a vest, Mulder.” Knight should have been more careful. Besides the wound couldn’t have been that bad, I saw him last night and he looked fine.” Scully was still in denial about the vampire thing. “Anyway, what happened to the body?”

Mulder responded to the first part again, “Scully, I had to pull the sword out of his chest.”

Scully just sat there with her mouth open. She knew Mulder would not lie to her, even when they disagreed on things, she usually just felt that his belief in the supernatural and aliens skewed his interpretation of things. “As in what, Mulder? The tip was caught under the skin…”

“As in he was sitting upright with his back against the parapet, the sword sticking straight out from his body.” He shook his head slightly, remembering his excitement at living (as it were) proof of the supernatural, combined with the fear that his ‘proof’ might take that opportunity to ‘get supernaturally medieval on his ass’. “I had to use both hands, Scully. I ended up having to put one foot on his shoulder to keep him from coming forward before I could get it out.”

“Mulder, I…” there had to be an explanation, and she would find it. Maybe Knight was wearing a vest and it was stuck in that. Whatever it was she would leave it for now. “What about the body Mulder?”

“You mean what happened to the guy Knight shot three times, and I emptied an entire clip into, knocking him off of the top of a 4 story building, where he landed on the concrete in the alley below? That body?”

“Yes Mulder, what happened to it?” she asked, getting impatient.

“After I pulled the sword out of Nick and gave him his flask of blood to drink, I looked over the edge of the building and watched our perp get up and run away.”

She was stunned. “Not possible, Mulder.”

“Tell me about it, Scully,” he said.

“But how…”

“I have a theory about that too. Do you want to hear it?

“He’s a vampire too?”

“Nick says no. Besides, if he was, why climb the fire escape? Nick didn’t. And why the sword? They aren’t very deadly to vampires, unless you cut off their heads, but a good sharp wooden stake would be better in a fight, more debilitating.” Mulder smiled, “at least the sword didn’t seem to bother Nick much once I pulled it out. He didn’t look like he was in a lot of pain, and once he downed the blood the wound healed almost instantly.”

Scully looked like she was about to choke

Mulder pressed on, “I don’t know what he is, but based on last night and Saturday night, I would say that whatever he is, there are more of them out there, and appears that the only way of killing them permanently is by decapitation. Nick said that the guy was dead after he shot him. He said that he could hear the heartbeat stop. It was like the guy woke up from death; one moment he is dead, the next he gasped for air and came back to life. That surprised Nick long enough that the guy was able to stab him before he could react. There was also a pause of several seconds between when he hit the ground, and when we saw him run off.”

Scully was having a hard time digesting all of this.

“Look, Scully. Nick said it was up to me whether or not to tell you about him. He said it would be dangerous if you knew, that there are those in his ‘community’ whose job it is to keep knowledge about vampires out of mortal hands. We would be targeted for death if they found out that we knew. I didn’t want to tell you Scully.”

“Mulder,” she began.

He lowered his eyes to his lap and interrupted, “I know you don’t want me to ‘protect’ you from danger, Scully… I can’t help wanting to anyway.” He looked once more into her eyes and continued, “But, I knew you were going to find out eventually and if you knew that I kept it from you, you’d kick my ass.” he said with a smile.

“Mulder, please don’t take this the wrong way- I believe that you believe these things…”

“But you need proof, right Scully?” Mulder interrupted. “It’s OK Scully. I am a believer, but if someone brought this to me, I would want to see proof too.”

“I don’t know what to think, Mulder. I trust you, and if you say you saw it happen, then I believe that you did. I just don’t know that there aren’t other explanations that might be applied.” Scully said, almost apologetically.

Mulder wondered for a moment at her apologetic tone. She didn’t usually say it like that when she thought his theories were crazy. Then it came to him that she must believe that he would be mad at her for not conforming to his beliefs now that they had advanced their ‘relationship.’ He shook his head ruefully. He was a lucky man to have a woman that would be so solicitous, without taking the easy way out by giving in to the desire to humor her lover.

He wanted to reassure her, “It’s ok, Scully. I love you! I love the Dana Scully who clings to scientific explanation as firmly as I believe that some things are beyond science. I love the Dana Scully who makes me come up with evidence to back up my beliefs. The woman that challenges me to look beyond what I want to see, and find out what the truth is. I love the person who is willing to respect the journey, even if she doesn’t always agree on the destination.” He reached across the table and grasped her small hand in his large one, lacing their fingers together. “I don’t want you to change who you are, any more that I am going to change who I am or what I believe. I want my Dana Scully, not some pale reflection of me.”

Scully didn’t think it was possible for her to love Mulder any more than she already did, but once again his belief in ‘extreme possibilities’ won out. “Sometimes I think you are crazy, Mulder. Other times I know it for a fact,” she said with a teeth-baring grin. “However, you are also, without a doubt, the man I love more than life itself.”

Mulder squeezed her hand and placed a sensual kiss on her palm. “Nick said he would call this afternoon and we could discuss it at his place. You can see if he will let you examine him enough to prove it to yourself. If he is running an elaborate hoax on me, you will have a great opportunity to prove how gullible I am.” He smiled and changed the subject, for now, “Why don’t you tell me how your second seminar was?”

She recognized the tactic for what it was, but went along anyway and told him about what was going on with her while he was out gallivanting with vampires and unkillable headhunters.

===== X-FILES ===== FOREVER KNIGHT ===== HIGHLANDER =====

Nick’s Loft

1 p.m. Tuesday.

Nick didn’t have nearly the trouble telling Natalie about the events on the apartment roof that Mulder did with Scully. They were lounging at the dining table in their robes. She just listened; gasping appropriately when he told her the perp. had come back to life and stabbed him with a sword, and shaking her head in wonder when he described the fall, and subsequent recovery and escape.

She was concerned when he told her about Mulder knowing about vampires, and possibly involving his partner. “Won’t they be in terrible danger, Nick?”

“Possibly, but Mulder already knew a little bit about vampires, as he had had encountered them before, and I was unable to remove the memory from him.”

Natalie thought she heard him mutter “damn resistors,” but chose to ignore it. “Aren’t you concerned that he will report you to the FBI?” she asked.

I don’t think he will report me personally, and his previous reports about vampires have been ignored.” Nick thought for a moment, “I think he’s kind of like the reporters who write for those tabloid magazines, they report about vampire attacks all of the time. I know that some of those reports are accurate, because I was aware of the events before the report was published. However, the Enforcers don’t get involved because no one credible pays attention to tabloids. If every time the National inquirer reported about a vampire attack the reporter turned up dead or missing, well, credible news agencies might actually start sniffing around.”

“So they take no action in those cases?” Natalie asked.

“The vampire that was careless enough to get caught usually gets ‘disappeared,” but that’s about it,” Nick replied.

“Meaning that we would be in danger, right Nick?” Natalie was concerned with Nick’s seemingly careless attitude about this situation. “You won’t tell your own partner, but you’ll bring these FBI Agents in on it?”

Nick realized that he had sounded pretty cavalier about the whole situation, but that wasn’t the case at all. He was madly trying to think of ways to keep the lid on this situation. “Nat, I’m glad to see that you appreciate the gravity of this situation. It is serious, and I am concerned.” Nick took his beloved’s hand in his own and said “Mulder already knows. I didn’t tell him, and my denials were meaningless once I had to ask him to pull the sword out. I tried to whammy him, and failed. He is a resistor. My only other options are to kill him, or try to convince him to keep his mouth shut; I presume that you would agree that killing him is not acceptable?”

“Of course you can’t kill him, Nick…”

He interrupted, “The Code demands it Natalie! We already face death for allowing him to live with the knowledge he has.” His face softened at the resignation on her face. “As for his partner, I advised him not to tell her. I was completely candid about the danger, but I know that he will. I can’t really blame him for doing so, either. It would be difficult to keep something like that from someone you are so close to, and work with so closely. It would be like keeping you in the dark if I had found out that Tracy was a spy for a foreign government, or something. It would be a violation of trust.”

“You are right, of course, Nick. I am just concerned about endangering them and ourselves. Besides, I kind of like Dana. I empathize with her.” Natalie sighed.

Nick smiled and said, “You mean because she and Mulder remind you of us for the past six years?”

Natalie laughed and said, “Do you think that everyone who saw us realized how hopelessly in love we were with each other? In retrospect I feel so blind for missing all of the little clues you were leaving for me.”

“No more than I feel, Nat. I’m supposed to be a crack detective, and I couldn’t see the evidence that was right before my eyes.” He ruefully shook his head. “Speaking of our two clueless FBI agents, we’re probably going to need their help to solve this case. We can’t really use our normal contacts on this one, and they have a pretty good reputation for solving ‘paranormal’ cases. We will just have to impress on them both the importance of discretion in this matter.”

They sat in silence for a moment.

“You know, Natalie, you brought up my keeping this secret from Tracy. I think we may need to consider bringing her in on this.”

“Why now Nick? I mean, I think she deserves to know, but why change your mind now?”

“There are several reasons, Nat. First, she is already in danger just because she knows about vampires at all, and she is too nosey to keep from looking where she doesn’t belong, and asking questions she shouldn’t ask. Second, I worry about her getting hurt if she tries to ‘cover my back’ when it isn’t necessary. Third, I am getting the impression that she and Vachon are getting very close. She may not be among the ranks of the living for long,” Nick mused. “I think Vachon would be pushing for it himself if it wasn’t for me threatening him.” Nick chuckled.

“You threatened him, Nick? Why?” Natalie asked.

“When Tracy discovered Vachon after the plane crash, and he couldn’t make her forget, I was concerned that he might hurt her. You have to remember, Natalie; Vachon was not like me at all. He thrived on being a vampire, and casual killing was nothing to him. I let him know that Tracy was his responsibility and that if he hurt her, or allowed her to be hurt, he would have to answer to me.”

Natalie laughed, picturing Vachon’s face when Nick told him that.

“Yes, he wasn’t pleased, to say the least.” Nick laughed. “Anyway, I’m going to give Mulder a call and I’d like you to pick them up if that is ok, Nat?”

“You mean I get to drive the Nick-mobile all by myself? Are you sure the sexual tension hasn’t addled your brain?”

“Hmm, you’re diagnoses sounds serious, doctor, what would you prescribe for this terrible, terrible condition?” he asked, kidding around.

Natalie blushed lightly, but kept a straight face when she replied, “There is no cure, Nick. However, with rigorous exercise, and intense therapy sessions, there is no reason you couldn’t lead a normal, healthy life.”

Nick chuckled and picked up the phone to call the plaza. He told Mulder that Natalie would have the desk call them when she got there to pick them up. As he hung up the phone and turned around to make a comment to Natalie, he froze, his mouth hanging open at the sight before him. Natalie had dropped her robe to the ground and stood before him, naked. She kneeled before him and pulled open his robe, grasping his penis, already half-erect just at the sight of her nude form.

“Wha-What are you doing, Nat?”

“It’s important that you not miss your therapy sessions Nick,” she said, and then lifted his penis and gave it a long lick from the base to the underside of the head.

Nick groaned and said, “Yes, doctor.”

Natalie began a relentless assault on Nick’s member. “Never let it be said that I am not goal-oriented,” she thought. She varied between taking him deep into her throat in long strokes, sucking as hard as she could as she slid onto and off of him; and short bobs of the head, vigorously rubbing her tongue side-to-side on the sensitive underside of the head, while stroking the shaft with her hand. Her other hand stroked his balls, focusing on the underside and perineum. When she felt him getting close, she let go of his balls and thrust her wrist up to his face for him to sink his teeth into, while she took his penis deep into her throat and began humming with delight at the incredible gasps and moans she was eliciting.

Nick took his beloved’s proffered wrist and tried to pull away before biting, but she was locked to his groin, and not letting go. “I am the luckiest man in the history of the earth,” was his thought as he bit down and felt the warm blood fill his mouth.

Natalie concentrated on the joy she felt and repeated, “IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou,” in her mind as he bit down. She wanted him to know the depth of her feelings, and the pleasure she felt from doing this for him.

Nick was assaulted with Natalie’s love and was surprised at just how much pleasure she felt, performing this act on him. “If this is your idea of therapy, I may need daily sessions,” he thought to her through the bloodlink.

Natalie withdrew from him with a popping sound as he withdrew his fangs from her wrist. She chuckled and said “Daily? I’m afraid your condition may require more frequent treatment than that.”

“Once you come across, Natalie, we will be able to share blood a lot more often- and for a much longer time,” Nick said with naked desire in his eyes.

“Soon, beloved!” she replied with a thrill running through her. “I’ll call tonight and arrange for vacation as soon as possible. Will you have any trouble getting time off?”

“I never use it, so I don’t think it should be a problem. Besides, I have an idea.” Nick answered.

“Really? What?” Natalie asked

“What would you say to a very short engagement, followed by a long honeymoon?” Nick asked.

“Wow. Exquisite looks and devastating intellect- in one package; I’m such a lucky girl!” Natalie said with a smirk on her face.

“Why don’t you get dressed and pick up our intrepid Feds? Maybe later I’ll show just what a lucky girl you really are.” Nick said, smirking right back.

“What are you going to do while I’m gone?”

“I need to call LaCroix. We will probably need to see him before the night is out, and he might even be helpful on this case.” Nick said.

===== X-FILES ===== FOREVER KNIGHT ===== HIGHLANDER =====

Room 1013, International Plaza Hotel

2:26 p.m. Tuesday

“Natalie? Why is Natalie picking us up, Mulder?” Scully asked after he had explained the phone call to her.

Mulder tilted his head toward the window and raised his eyebrows with a slight grin on his face.

Scully looked out the window for a moment trying to figure out what was out there that would prevent… “Oh” she said, frowning slightly at him and turning toward the window to collect her thoughts.

Mulder watched her for several minutes before he walked up behind her. He paused for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her, just below her breasts, pulling her tightly up against his body, chuckling lightly at his own hesitation.

“What’s funny, Mulder?” Scully asked somewhat snappishly, thinking he was laughing at her skepticism.

“I stood there for a moment, wanting you, wishing I could put my arms around you,” Mulder said, still laughing at himself. “I am so used to pining after you like a love-sick teenager, that I forgot for a moment that it’s OK now.” he said.

She smiled at that. “What a sweet adorable man I have,” she thought. She leaned her head back against his chest, molding herself to him. “It’s more than ok, Mulder,” she purred at him. “However…” she began, feeling Mulder start to swell against her lower back, “You’d better put that thing away. We have to go see your ‘vampire cop,’ remember?” she teased.

She turned around in his arms and draped her arms around his neck, and saw him try to stifle a grimace when her arm hit the wound she had made on his neck last night. She was instantly solicitous, “Oh, Mulder. I’m so sorry about that…” she said, blushing at the memory of it, of how out of control she had been.”

Mulder tightened his grip when Scully began to pull away. “Don’t be, Scully. I love it,” he said sincerely. When he registered the skeptical look on her face he continued, “I think it’s damn sexy, and yes it is sore. However, every time I feel it I remember what led up to it, what I was doing, how you were responding.” He chuckled at his next thought, and decided to say it out loud, “It’s like a merit badge or something- I finally got my ‘Scully Orgasm’ medal. I hope it never heals.”

Scully laughed indulgently. “Mulder- you are such a dope!” she said snuggling her head into his chest and hearing his soft, “yeah, but I’m your dope.”

“Uh, Mulder?”

“Yeah, Scully?”

“Have you given any, ah, thought to what we do when we get back to DC?”

“You mean how do we handle our new status at work? Or in public?”

“Yeah, either… both. I guess?” Scully sighed heavily, “What is our new status, exactly? I mean- I don’t want Skinner to separate us, but I don’t want to hide either, but I’m worried that they might use it against us, but…”

“Scully, I think they already know. Everyone thinks we have been sleeping together for years, even Skinner thinks we are together.”

“What?!” she yelped. “Skinner thinks we have been sleeping together?”

Mulder laughed, “I don’t know if he specifically thinks that, but I’m pretty sure that he thinks we are ‘together’.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Remember the last budget meeting, after we walked out I had to go back in because I forgot my pen?” Mulder asked.

“What about it?” Scully asked back.

“I overheard the tail end of a discussion between Hoynes and Skinner. Hoynes had said something about you, and Skinner was telling him to keep it to himself. Just before they walked out the door Hoynes asked him why and Skinner said that if I had overheard it I would have torn out his tongue and… lets just say ‘reinserted it, rectally’.”

Scully absorbed that for a moment and then asked, “What did Hoynes say, Mulder?”

“Nothing,” Mulder said. “That’s when they saw me and they both just shut up. I explained that I had forgotten my pen and when I got back out of Skinner’s office, Hoynes was gone.”

“No Mulder, what did he say to Skinner in the first place?”

“Oh.” Mulder smiled, “He said your ass looked good enough to lick.”

Scully blushed slightly and said, “What a jerk!”

“Mulder smiled even wider and said, “Actually Scully, I agree with him, though I certainly would never share it with Skinner.”

Scully blushed even harder.

Mulder added, “But you’re right, he is a Jerk.” Mulder slid his hands up her back to her shoulders, and down her arms until he was holding both of her hands in his, “I don’t want to hide either. There isn’t really any policy that forbids us from seeing each other. They can only separate us if it becomes an issue, if our performance suffers of if they caught us ‘in flagrante delicto’. What do you want to do, Scully?”

“We just won’t say anything about it. At work we should behave like we always do. What we do on our own time is none of their business.” She gave Mulder’s hands a squeeze and looked up at his eyes. “Ok?”

“So long as you agree that while we are on the road, time in our hotel rooms constitutes ‘our own time’, I think I could abide by that,” Mulder said with a grin.

“And lunch! Lunch time is definitely our own time,” Scully growled suddenly, as though someone was going to contradict her.

Mulder laughed out loud, wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up, spinning them both around. He set her down and said, “Agreed, Agent Scully.” Then he kissed her soundly and held her tight to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled against his chest.

They stood like that- swaying slightly, as if dancing to music that only they could hear, until the phone rang.

===== X-FILES ===== FOREVER KNIGHT ===== HIGHLANDER =====

Nick’s Loft

2:46 p.m. Tuesday.

Nick phoned the Raven right after Natalie left to get Mulder and Scully. He was a little nervous because his newly found happiness was so different from his life for the last several centuries. There was still a small part of him that believed that it was all going to end, suddenly and badly. He put that thought out of his head and focused on his reconciliation with his father, and his overwhelming love for his betrothed.

“Nicolas.” LaCroix said. “What is it that could not wait for nightfall, my son?”

Nick still wasn’t used to hearing LaCroix call him ‘son’ either. “I wanted… that is, I didn’t want… I want to come by tonight, but I can’t until late.”

“Certainly, Nicolas, but you do not need my permission for that. You may visit as late as you wish.” LaCroix said, wondering what had come over his son now.

“I would like to bring Natalie with me, father,” Nick said.

“Ah, I see. Things went well then, I presume?” He would have thought he would feel it if Nicolas had brought her across, “Is she mortal still, Nicolas?”

“For now, Yes. Things went very well, father.” Nicolas said.

“By all means, Nicolas. Bring the good doctor along. I would like an opportunity to speak to her.” LaCroix wondered if his son was still hesitant about trying to bring her across. “Do you need my help with her transformation, Nicolas?”

“Thank you father, but I am not worried about that. I need your advice on an unrelated matter, however.” Nick said. “I had an unusual encounter Saturday night.” Nick went on to explain the events on the way back from the airport. “The presence of the Agents kept me from using any extraordinary measures to apprehend the individual,” he said at the end.

“Most unusual, Nicolas. I cannot say that I have ever seen such an event before."

Nick knew that LaCroix would eventually find out about the rest, so he told him up front. “There is more.” He told LaCroix about last night, and the two agents coming over as they spoke.

“You realize the danger you place them in by revealing yourself, Nicolas? Not to mention the danger you face yourself if the enforcers ever found out.” LaCroix shook his head at his impetuous progeny.

“He already knew about The Community, LaCroix. He has met our kind twice before.” Nick sighed, “Also, he is a resistor. I hardly think that killing him would be in the best interest of The Community. The death of an FBI agent would lead to quite an investigation.”

“What will you do then Nicolas?”

“I will just have to persuade them to remain silent. Either one would be resistant to such a suggestion; however, there is another factor that will help our case significantly.” Nick said.

“And what is that?” LaCroix asked.

“They are deeply in love with each other, though each is trying to hide it from the other.” Nick replied. “They will do anything to protect the other from harm. I think I can impress on them exactly how much danger their knowledge places them in. They will keep silent out of fear for the other’s safety, where they would not for their own.”

LaCroix laughed.

Nick knew why he was laughing and grinned ruefully. “Yes, they remind me of Nat and myself. It is obvious to everyone but them.”

LaCroix said, “I often wonder how the human race even manages to continue, in the face of their own folly.”

Nicolas returned to the matter at hand, “Would you make some discrete inquiry regarding this man who attacked me last night? Mulder postulated that beheading them would render them permanently dead, but that is based on a single, as yet unexplained, incident. I am concerned at what kind of creature I am facing, and how many of them there might be.”

“If I have not heard of their kind in 2000 years of existence, I doubt that any inquiry I could make would be helpful; however, I shall look into the matter.”

“Thank you Father. I will be by with Natalie sometime after the Raven closes.”

===== X-FILES ===== FOREVER KNIGHT ===== HIGHLANDER =====

The Caddie

Natalie seemed somewhat withdrawn, Mulder thought, as they drove back to Nick’s place. Not unhappy, she was smiling most of the time, but it was as if her focus was inward. He looked at Scully in the seat next to him, “This car is big enough for at least 3 in the front,” he thought while watching her. She was quiet also, stealing glances at Natalie, but not commenting.

Mulder thought the tension needed to be broken, so he said, “So, the sunlight part is true, huh? What other myths are true? Which ones aren’t?”

Natalie was having pleasant thoughts about her upcoming wedding and especially the honeymoon when Mulder’s question snapped her out of her daydream as though she had been slapped. She floundered for a bit, not really feeling that it was her place to discuss this with them. She said, “I see you chose to disregard Nick’s warning, agent Mulder.” She glanced at him and then Scully for a moment before continuing, “He wasn’t joking you know. This is extremely dangerous for you both- if anyone found out…” she sighed, “you should save your questions for Nick.”

Scully finally spoke, “You really believe that Detective Knight is…”

“If it is OK with Nick, I would be happy to discuss the symptomology with you Dana, but why don’t we just wait until we get to the loft. I would feel a lot more comfortable talking about it there- if you don’t mind.”

Scully shrugged her shoulders and said, “Ok”.

Mulder just shrugged and thought, with some amusement, of the look he was sure he was going to see on her face when the question of the existence of vampires was proven to her satisfaction.

===== X-FILES ===== FOREVER KNIGHT ===== HIGHLANDER =====

They arrived at the loft approximately 15 minutes later. The rest of the trip had been quiet, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

Natalie punched in the code and escorted them into the elevator. As they rode up Mulder asked, “You live in a warehouse?”

Natalie said, “Uh, I don’t exactly live… that is, I have an apartment… Um, Nick’s been here for about 6 years.” she finished, blushing.

“Oh, sorry. I thought you guys were…” Mulder gestured to her ring. “Um, how long have you known him?”

“About 6 years, and we are, uh, together- he’s my fiancé.”

“Oh, how long have you been engaged?” Mulder asked, curious about what had to be a very unusual relationship. “If you don’t mind my asking, that is,” he added when she hesitated.

“Uh, for about,” Natalie’s eyes dropped down her watch, “eleven hours I guess.”

Suddenly Scully burst out laughing. She remembered Natalie’s parting shot at the bar last night. “So that’s what you meant.”

Natalie just stared at her.

Scully replied to Natalie’s look of confusion, “Last night... at the lounge? Remember what you said to me?”

Comprehension slowly dawned on Natalie just as the elevator reached the 3rd floor. As she opened the door she asked, “And did you take my advice?”

Just for a moment all thoughts of vampires and unkillable sword-fighters left their minds and they were two women newly, and madly, in love. Scully’s smile lit up the elevator and Natalie said, “I see that you did. Oh, Dana, I am so happy for you!”

Mulder was bewildered by this sudden turn of events. He swore he could hear Rod Serling whispering in his mind, “Submitted for your approval…” He looked out of the elevator and noticed Nick approaching. He shrugged at the questioning look in Nick’s eyes at the antics of the ladies who were now laughing at the expression on Mulder’s face.

Nick said, “Mulder, Agent Scully, welcome.” He gestured at the couch by the fireplace and said, “Please have a seat. Would you like something to drink? I have orange juice, Gatorade… uh, water,” he trailed off. “I have a very nice port that we didn’t finish this morning if you would prefer a glass of wine.”

“Ah, whatever you’re having is fine,” Scully said.

Mulder just laughed, as did Natalie. Scully blushed as she realized why.

Nick jumped in quickly, “A glass of wine then?” He turned away towards the kitchen at her nod, Natalie joining him.

Mulder and Scully went over to the couch, looking over the enormous room that was the loft as they went. The sat down closely together and Scully, who was feeling somewhat chagrined, whispered in Mulder’s ear, “No coffins Mulder.”

Nick, of course, heard Scully’s comment and laughed out loud. He repeated it for Natalie’s benefit and she laughed as well. This was certainly going to be an interesting afternoon; much better than a boring conference.

Nick and Nat sat down in the chairs facing the couch, after placing two glasses of port on the coffee table for Mulder and Scully. “Agent Scully, we don’t sleep in coffins,” Nick began.

Scully blushed furiously.

“Nor do we require dirt from our graves,” Nick mused. We don’t turn into bats or vapors. A bite, or three, will not make you a vampire. Crosses, garlic, and holy water do work, to a degree, depending on the individual. Sunlight and stakes will kill us, as will decapitation. Our senses are heightened, strength and speed increased, and, yes we can fly. Any other questions?” Nick said with a smile.

Mulder of course was brimming over with questions but deferred to Scully. She was the one who needed proof positive.

“Detective Knight, I have to admit that I have seen things, extraordinary things, in my life that many people would find difficult to believe. I hope you won’t take this as an insult, but I don’t believe in vampires.” Scully said.

Nick laughed out loud at that. “Agent Scully, I apologize for laughing, but you have to understand that this entire conversation is entirely the opposite of the normal course of events. I would normally be trying to convince you that there are no such things as vampires, and that I certainly am not one myself.” Nick shook his head as his laughter subsided. “What do you need to convince yourself? Short of a full autopsy that is.”

Scully was starting to hear the voice of Rod Serling herself. “This is ridiculous,” she thought. Out loud she said, “I don’t know detective, I feel silly even having this conversation.”

“The whole package then,” Nick said. He downed his glass of blood in a swallow and set it down on the table. He willed his eyes to change, then bared his teeth and let his fangs drop. He saw Scully’s eyes widen, heard her heart start to race. He slowly stood up out of his chair and then rose slowly into the air.

Scully felt her heart pounding in her chest as she saw Detective Knight’s eyes change and his fangs descend. She felt like a sparrow caught in a serpent’s gaze and had to restrain herself from drawing her sidearm and shooting. She tasted the bitterness in her mouth from the adrenaline as the fight or flight response kicked in. When he rose up into the air she began to look for the wires, like she was watching a circus magician and trying to figure out the trick. She began to calm down with that thought. “It’s like a parlor trick,” she told herself- even though it was obvious that this was no trick. She looked over at Mulder and he had a smile of childlike joy on his face- as though he was a kid who caught Santa in the act as he came down the chimney.

It was at that point that Nick let go- unleashing the power and sheer presence that a vampire of his age had at his command.

Natalie was trying to keep her eyes off of her lover floating about the room. She wanted to keep watch on Dana to make sure she didn’t freak out. She succeeded until she felt the power washing over her. She had never felt that from Nick before. Of course, she had never actually seen him doing ‘the whole package’ as he called it. It was awesome. It was breathtaking. It felt like each cell in her body was being individually filled with the awareness of Nicolas de Brabant, Master Vampire. She actually got one word out, “Wow!”

Mulder and Scully were rooted in place. A nuclear explosion could not have moved them while under the onslaught of that presence.

Nick smiled and reined it in, releasing them from the spell.

Natalie saw Scully’s fright begin to subside and started talking, “I have thought of it as a virus- it acts like a virus, even though it isn’t really that. The vampire factor, as it were, acts like an RNA messenger and makes a small change to the genetic coding. The factor itself is only visible under an electron-tunneling microscope. The effected blood cells are visibly unique under a normal microscope, and their effect can be seen when brought into contact with unaffected blood cells- they attack and consume them.”

“How long have you been researching it, Natalie?” Scully asked.

“Since I met Nick. He was a patient of mine- first time I ever gained one on the table,” she said lightly.

Scully snickered a little. In response to Mulder’s inquisitive look she said, “Coroner humor.”

Nick returned to his seat and changed back to ‘normal’, as Mulder asked, “Why? Why the research, Natalie?”

Natalie glanced at Nick, clearly wanting him to field that question.

Nick thought for a moment on how best to put it. “I have regrets Mulder. There was a time when I reveled in the role of predator, and I have a lot to make up for. For a time, I was convinced that I would only be able to atone if I were able to regain my mortality. I sought a cure for my condition.”

Natalie said, “I thought it was a purely physical condition, and that I could come up with a way to reverse it.” Natalie shook her head at her own state of denial, “It has physical manifestations, but obviously, there is a metaphysical aspect as well that, as a scientist, I had refused to consider.”

“What do you mean?” Scully asked.

“Nick was convinced that he was infected with evil- that vampirism was inherently equivalent to damnation. I know that that isn’t true, but there are aspects that defy scientific explanation- crosses, holy water, flying, that ‘thing’ he just did, etc…”

“You don’t think vampires are evil, then?” Mulder asked.

Natalie shook her head, “Nick is not evil, Agent Mulder. He did terrible things in the distant past, but that person is not the same person who is here with us today. I have met many vampires and some are evil- truly horrifying.” She thought of Vachon, Screed, and Urs and said, “I have met several that are very nice people, living relatively normal lives.” Then she thought of LaCroix and said, “Some, I’m not sure about. Vampires run the gamut just as mortals do.”

“Detective Knight, I don’t mean to sound prejudiced, but…” Scully began, not sure exactly how to put it delicately. “You drink human blood, don’t you?”

Nick actually laughed out loud at that. “First, please call me Nick. I don’t think I can listen to ‘Detective Knight’ all night. Second, yes I drink human blood. I have recently returned to it, in fact. I subsisted on cow for the last 90 years or so, and let me tell you, it wasn’t pleasant.” Scully and Mulder’s eyes widened at that. Nick continued; “Think of it like this, you could live on bread and water, right? However, it would not be a very healthy diet, and you certainly wouldn’t be at your best, right?”

Scully remained silent- her mind whirling.

“Agent Scully…” Nick began again.

Scully’s response was automatic, “Dana’s fine…” she whispered.

Nick paused and started again “Dana, Mulder, what I drink is donated. We are able to get blood that has been donated and has expired. It is no longer useful for transfusions, and would otherwise be destroyed.” He looked them both in the eye for a moment before continuing. “I have not killed for food in a century. Even before that I only hunted criminals and killers- not that that is any excuse.” He dropped his gaze and continued, “I won’t lie to you- most in The Community do not share my reverence for human life. However, even those of us who are so inclined rarely hunt these days. It is far too dangerous in this day and age, and not just because of the human authorities. Careless vampires that cause attention to be turned toward The Community face action by the enforcers. Bottled blood is the norm these days.”

“Enforcers. They are what you were warning me about last night.” Mulder began, seeking more information.

Nick said, “The community has a code, Mulder. Part of it requires that we live in secret, not allowing mortal society to know of our existence. Those mortals who do discover our secret must be dealt with in one of three ways. The knowledge is removed from them, they join The Community permanently, or they die. There are exceptions, but they are rare.”

Scully turned to Natalie, “You have survived, Natalie. You said you have known about Nick for six years.”

Natalie dropped her eyes and blushed heavily- clearly embarrassed.

Nick explained, “Yes, Natalie is an exception. At first we just kept secret the fact that she knew. By the time the enforcers became aware of her knowledge, she had already proven valuable to The Community.”

Mulder thought he knew what that entailed, and was somewhat concerned, “You covered up things…”

“I left justice in those specific cases to the proper ‘community’ authorities. Nothing would have been served by exposing The Community except to cause more deaths.” Natalie defended her actions, “It was not in anyone’s best interest to initiate a witch-hunt.”

“Those cases were rare in any case. Her value was more for her service as a doctor, believe it or not.” Nick added.

Scully was intrigued, “What medical services do vampires need? Mulder told me about the sword, and he said you healed automatically.”

Natalie chuckled at that. “I could probably make a practice out of just Nick- ‘Natalie Lambert, Foreign Object Removal Specialist; bullets and shrapnel are my specialty.’”

Nick laughed at that and Natalie confided, “Nick seems to get shot or blown up inordinately often.”

Nick sobered, “Even with all that, it wouldn’t have been long before the enforcers compelled a decision. In another five or ten years I will have to move on; and Natalie would have faced the three options. As she is a resistor, it would have been narrowed down to two options.”

Mulder and Scully spoke simultaneously, “A resistor?” said Scully; “Would have?” said Mulder.

Nick and Natalie both smiled. “Not everyone is susceptible to a vampire’s mental persuasion,” Nick said, answering Scully’s question.

Natalie answered Mulder’s question, “I have made my choice already, Agent Mulder”

“Just Mulder, please.”

Natalie had a question of her own, “Why does everyone use your last name? Dana even calls you that,” Natalie was clearly bewildered, “and why do you call her Scully?”

Scully laughed out loud at that and said, “It’s complicated. Besides, Mulder doesn’t like his first name.”

Nick laughed at that, “I guess it would be hard growing up with the name Fox.”

Mulder changed the subject, “Nick, if you don’t mind my asking, how long ago were you, ah I don’t know, turned, I guess… When did you ‘join The Community’ as you put it?”

Nick laughed lightly at that, “Brought across. That’s how we refer to it. I was brought across in 1228. I was on my way back to my family holdings in what is now Belgium, from the crusades in Palestine.”

“That makes you, what 772 years old?” Mulder mused.

“I have been a vampire for 772 years, I have been ‘around’ for over 800.”

“Nick is one of the eldest vampires in the Toronto community. That’s another reason I survived, I think. Others may not have thought much of his trying for a cure, but none wanted to challenge him over it,” Natalie added.

Scully was nearly in shock at the thought of this man sitting before her having been around during the time of the crusades when Natalie’s comment sank in, “One of? There are people older than you?” she choked out.

Nick looked at her for a moment, “I am old, certainly, by community standards, but hardly ancient. There are in this world many vampires that are older than I am, Dana. In Toronto, however there were only two, now there is only one.”

Mulder asked, “I take it then that the older the vampire, the more powerful they are?”

“In many ways that is true. However, age alone is not always the defining factor. Bloodline and training can make a significant difference as well.” Nick answered.

Nick suddenly looked back and forth between the two agents and leaned back into his chair. He wasn’t sure why he was in such a sharing mood. Natalie knew most of this, but it had taken her 6 years to find out. She had never really asked about some of it, and he had been reticent to discuss it. “If there are no more pressing questions about me, let us discuss this man Mulder and I encountered last night.”

They settled down into discussion and speculation as to what manner of men, or creatures, it was that they had stumbled onto.