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Exhausted, Natalie Lambert got into her car and sighed. She was so tired. All she wanted to do was go home and crawl into bed. Slowly she leaned over and started the car. Carefully, she pulled out of the lot and headed home.
As she drove, her mind drifted back through her day. Still puzzling over a case from earlier that week, and feeling tired, Nat didn't notice as her car drifted over the double yellow line.
With a start Nat realized too late that she was heading straight for a lamp post. Desperately jamming on her brakes, she felt the pedal fall to the floor. She had a split second to realize that something was wrong, then the car slammed into the pole, causing Natalie's head to slam into the steering wheel and then it all went black.
The quiet ticking of cooling metal was the only sound that came from the vehicle.

Slowly, the darkness began to lift, and she realized her head ached. A soft moan escaped her as she raised a hand to her head. *Wow! That was some bump on the head I took!* she thought as she felt the large lump on her forehead above her right eye. *Nana's gonna be so mad*.
"Nat?" She heard a soft voice that she didn't recognize call her name. Opening her eyes and blinking at the light, she saw the blonde-haired man she saw before sitting next to her bed, a worried look on his face. Somehow, although she didn't know who he was, she knew she trusted him. "Hi," she said.
Smiling slightly he asked, "Nat, do you know who I am?"
Closing her eyes she wracked her brain, but couldn't for the life of her come up with his name, or anything about him. Opening her eyes and looking at him she said softly, "No, I'm sorry, I don't know your name, should I?" She saw a look of pain flit across his face, then it was gone.
He leaned forward. "My name's Nick. Nick Knight. I'm a police detective and your friend. Do you know what year it is?"
Nat thought for a second. What an odd question. "Yes, its 1980." She could tell that answer wasn't the one he was looking for. She began to get very nervous. Where was her grandmother? Shouldn't she be here? "Where is my grandmother? If this is a hospital, she should be here."
Looking even more uncomfortable, Nick got up and began to pace. Turning to face her, a somber expression on his face, he spoke. "Nat...you were in a car accident. Your head hit the steering wheel. It seems that...you have lost some of your memory." He paused, and sat down on the edge of her bed. She didn't think she really wanted to hear what he was going to say. "Nat, its 1996."
She closed her eyes at that. "No..." She whispered. She felt him take her hand but she pulled it loose. "No! It can’t be! You're telling me that I can't remember 16 years of my life!" She could feel herself getting upset but she couldn't stop. "I don't believe you! If that's true, where's Richie? He should be here, not you! Where's my brother?!" She was practically screaming at him.
He closed his eyes, and a look of sorrow crossed his face. "Nat, Richard was...killed a couple of years ago. And I'm not sure when, but I know your grandmother passed away, too."
Unable to hold back, she burst into tears. She was alone. And if this man was right, she had no one to help her. Her grief rocked her and she sobbed, terrible sobs of an abandoned child.
Nick's heart broke as he watched the woman he loved deal with the fact that her family was gone and she was alone in a world she didn't remember. He carefully slid his arm around her shoulders ready to back off if she wanted him to. She didn't resist as he pulled her close and she buried her head in his chest and cried.
Finally her tears slowed and she pushed herself away. "What now? I don't know anything. Where I live, what I do. Am I married?" A lost look crept into her eyes.
"Well, I can answer some of your questions, Nat. First off, you're not married." A look of relief spread over her face. "You're a doctor, actually you're a pathologist and you work for the city. We work together."
She nodded for him to continue.
"You have an apartment, and a cat named Sydney."
"A cat huh? Do I have a boyfriend?"
"Umm no, not really." Nick answered uncomfortably. Sooner or later she'd find out that most people thought they were an item but he wasn't going to bring that up just yet.
"How long have I known you, Nick?"
Nick paused a moment, then replied, "Oh we met at work about six years ago." The memory of that night flashed through his mind. What a strange six years it had been.
She saw the look on his face. She seemed to trust him, but she didn't know why. Suddenly tired, and not really interested in asking more questions about a life she didn't remember anyway, she turned her attention to something else. "Nick, when can I get out of here? I hate hospitals." She shuddered slightly as she remembered her last trip to the hospital...no, she wouldn't think about that, not now.
Nick saw the shudder and wondered. He really didn't know much about Nat's past, he mused. "Well, the doctors say you can get out any time now, you just can't stay alone...I was thinking...Why don't you come and stay with me? You've done it before, and maybe it will help your memory..." he trailed off.
'Stayed with him before huh?' she thought. "Okay, Nick, sounds like a plan. When do I get sprung?"
"I'll go talk with the doctor now."
True to his word, within the hour, she was out.
The drive to the loft was mostly silent. Nat was thinking hard about what was going on and Nick was wondering how he was going to tell her what he was. Arriving at the warehouse, he pulled into the garage.
"You live in a warehouse?" Nat asked incredulously.
"Yup."
They took the lift up and Nick watched as a delighted grin spread over her face. "Oh cool! This is so neat!" she exclaimed as she stepped in and turned around, looking at everything.
Nick smiled at her enthusiasm. He headed to the stairs saying, "I think you left some clothes here the last time you stayed, I'll be right..." His voice broke off at the sound of a crash behind him. Whirling around, he saw Nat standing next to the table behind the couch, the shattered pieces of a vase on the floor.
Nat was so caught up in looking at all the things in the loft she didn't watch where she was going and knocked into a table. With a crash a vase fell over and shattered on the floor. Reacting instinctively she cringed, her eyes flying over to Nick. If Nana were here she'd get quite a beating. It was impossible for her to keep the fear from her eyes.
Shocked, Nick saw her cringe and saw the fear in her eyes. He'd seen that fear before. But not in Nat. It was the fear of an abused child waiting for the inevitable, and it tore at his heart to see it on Nat's face. Quickly, he was at her side and put an arm around her. He could feel the tension in her. "Nat, it's ok, it's just a vase. No big deal." He said softly. Gently leading her around the couch he sat her down. Sitting next to her he asked. "Nat, why are you afraid?"
She heard his words. She felt his arm around her. She let him lead her to the couch and sit her down. She heard his question. How could she tell him? Should she? Nana's words echoed in her head. "Such a bad girl, Natasha. I try to help you, but you do not listen."
No. She couldn't tell him; he wouldn't believe her anyway. Quickly freeing herself from his arms, she tried to think of something to say. Nick watched her, concerned.
"I'm not afraid, I...I was just startled, the noise was so loud. I'm really sorry about the vase." Nat jumped up and went around the couch. "I should have been more careful, I guess." She murmured as she began to pick up the pieces. Nick silently rose and went to get something to put the glass in. Something was wrong. Nat had been so scared. And the look on her face...
When he came back with a box, Nat placed the glass in it. He could see she was still upset about something.
"Nat, really, its ok...Are you hungry? I don't have anything here...but I'm sure we can have something delivered." He smiled at her, hoping to reassure her.
Nat gave a silent sigh of relief. Nick really wasn't mad at her. She thought for a moment. "I don't think so Nick, I'm not really hungry." She answered, breaking off into a yawn.
Smiling ruefully, Nick said, "Looks like you're tired, Nat. Why don't I show you where the bedroom is and you can take a nap, I'll sleep on the couch."
With a determined look on her face, Nat replied, "I'll take the couch, no reason for you to."
"Nat...you'd be more comfortable upstairs," Nick responded, even as Nat curled up on the couch.
"I'm just fine here and this is your house, I'm a guest."
Nick realized that even without her memories, Nat was just as stubborn as always. "Ok, ok, you win. I'll just go get a pillow and some blankets for you." Nat nodded and smiled as Nick went up the stairs.
Five minutes later Nick came down, his arms loaded with bedding. "Here you go..." his voice trailed off as he realized Nat had fallen asleep. He placed the stuff down on the table and gently brushed some stray hair from her face. She looked so peaceful, sleeping. Gently he slid the pillow under her head and covered her with the blanket.
Grabbing a bottle from the fridge and his laptop, he sat down at the dining room and began to look for some answers. Several hours later, he shut down the computer with a sigh. He knew more then he did before about Natalie, but had even less in the way of answers for his questions. Not to mention all the new questions he had.
Disposing of the empty bottle, he took a new one out and settled into the chair near the couch and sipped slowly. As he watched her sleep, he thought about what he had learned.
Nat's parents had been killed in a car accident when she was 12. Nat suffered only minor injuries in the crash. She and Richard had gone to live with their grandmother. While she was away at college, her grandmother was hospitalized.
Nick found it hard to believe, but Nat didn't go home to see her grandmother. In fact, she didn't go home till the funeral. She finished school and went to work in the coroner's office, and basically he knew the rest. What Nat needed to remember were things he couldn't help her find.
Nick leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Without even realizing it, he fell asleep.
Vague sounds penetrated his slumber, and he stirred. He jerked awake realizing something wasn't right. He glanced at the couch and saw Nat, twisting in her sleep. The sounds were coming from her.
"No, Nana, please, I'm sorry," Nat whimpered, arms moving as if to ward off a blow. As Nick watched, her face contorted into an expression of terror; tiny, fearful sounds barely audible.
Nick moved swiftly to her side, gently whispering her name. "Nat, wake up. Nat, its ok now, c'mon, wake up." He reached over and gently stroked her forehead.
With the touch of his hand, Nat gave a gasp, and her eyes flew open. She looked wildly around, searching for anything familiar. "Nat?" She heard a soft voice say.
Warmth flooded her as she looked into a pair of worried blue eyes. "Nick..."
"Looked like you were having quite a nightmare. Do you want to talk about it?"
Nat pulled herself up into a sitting position on the end of the couch. Nick sat down next to her, but not too close. He could see she needed space.
Rubbing her face to give herself some time to think she wondered why he was so concerned. She *felt* she could trust him, tell him about her nightmares, but she didn't know why and that bothered her.
"Nat?" His voice penetrated her musings and for some reason she got angry.
"You want me to tell you about my dream. What if I don't want to tell you? *I* don't know you. I know you say you're a cop. I know you say your name is Nick, but I don't know you." Frustrated she jumped off the couch and began to pace.
"You don't have to tell me Nat, I just thought it might help for you to talk about it," Nick said softly. He was hurt by her words, but realized she was right. She didn't know him. How could she trust him if he didn't tell her about himself?
"Nat, you're right. I know you trust me. I know we're friends, but you don't. I can prove to you just how much we trust each other, if you'll let me," Nick said softly.
She paused in her pacing and looked at him. "I'm sorry, this must be hard on you too. Its just so frustrating. I *feel* like I should trust you, it just bothers me that I don't know why."
"Nat, sit down, and we'll talk." Nat walked over and sat down in the chair, and nodded. Nick took a deep breath and began.
"I told you we met at work, but that's not quite correct." Nick looked at her and gave a small smile.
Nat watched as he got a far away look in his eyes and his smile deepen. "What?"
He started and laughed. "Just remembering. Ok. First thing you need to know is that you are my doctor. You're helping me with...a condition I have."
He broke off at her puzzled look.
"You said I was a pathologist."
Nick nodded. "Yes you are, and a very good one, too. You'll understand in a minute. We met at your office, you work for the coroners office." Nick saw her puzzlement deepen.
Watching her closely, he said, "I'm a vampire, Nat. I was brought in after a pipe bomb exploded. You are helping me to become mortal again." Nick watched as shock, amazement, fear, and curiosity warred on her face. He heard her heartbeat accelerate, but other than that she gave no sign of fear.
A vampire. Nick actually expected her to believe he was a vampire. Beginning to wonder just what kind of weirdo she got herself mixed up with, she tried to remain calm. Maybe this amnesia thing was just a sick joke. Somehow, deep inside, she just knew that Nick was telling her the truth, she just didn't want to believe it. "A vampire?"
He watched as she decided to humor him. Sighing he said, "I guess it sounds pretty wild, huh?"
She nodded cautiously.
"I guess I'll just have to show you." He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them they glowed golden. He heard her heart rate soar.
'Wow, look at his eyes! He really IS a vampire!' Squashing her panic at being alone with someone who drank blood, she said, "So...you really are a vampire...Now what? What's to stop you from draining me dry?"
Stunned by her questions, he just stared at her.
Nat began to blush when she realized how blunt her questions were. He had done nothing to indicate that he would harm her. And there was that damn feeling that she trusted him.
"I'm sorry, that was unfair..."
He cut her off. "No...No it wasn't. I just told you that I'm a vampire, and basically ask you to trust in the fact that I won't hurt you. You have no reason to trust me. I don't always trust myself. The only thing I can tell you is that you do trust me, more than I trust myself." Now it was Nick's turn to pace. " I don't know why you do, but you do." Anguish and fear filled him as he wondered if her trust wasn't a mistake.
Nat's head began to ache as she thought about everything. She was sitting in the apartment of a man who had just told her he was a vampire. A good chunk of her memory was missing due to an accident; she was alone except for Nick. He trusted her enough to tell her what he was. She decided to trust her feelings.
"You wanted to know what I was dreaming about...it's not something that's easy to talk about." She paused and took a deep breath. Nick had stopped pacing and was leaning against the mantle, watching her.
Hands twisting nervously, eyes down, Nat spoke. "You have to understand how hard this is...I've never spoken about this to anyone," an ironic smile crossed her face. "That is as far as I know...anyway. After my parents died, Richie and I went to live with my grandmother. At first everything was fine...as we settled in, I saw a change, at least towards me. I could never please her...I was never good enough for her, and she told me that, often."
Nat stopped talking, lost in thought. She snuck a glance at Nick, who had remained quiet so far. The look of compassion and understanding on his face surprised her. Quickly looking away, she continued. "It was, oh...about a year after that when she hit me for the first time...I knew she was sorry for it, but she never told me she was, and..." Nat's voice broke. Nick started forward, but stopped when she shook her head. "I'm fine…just let me finish, ok?"
"It was a couple of months before she hit me again, but she did. I was dreaming that she was yelling at me for not taking care of Richard...and then she hit me."
Nat fell silent, waiting to see how he would react. Telling Nick about her grandmother felt great, but what would he think? Was her Nana right? He knew, better then she did right now.
Nick stood still for a few moments, digesting what she told him. Natalie made more sense now. Things that had always puzzled him were clearer. Nick moved over and quietly knelt next to the couch. Nat refused to look at him, unsure and unwilling to see what his eyes held.
Nick reached out and gently took her hand. "Nat, look at me," he asked softly.
Hesitantly, she looked up and saw the compassion, and something she couldn't quite identify, in his eyes. "Nat, what your grandmother did and said...It was wrong. You are one of the smartest, most caring people I know. When you get your memory back you'll see that I'm right."
Nat was at a loss for something to say when her stomach gave a rather loud gurgle. Nick smiled and she laughed, both grateful for a change in subject.
"I think that's a hint," Nat said ruefully as another, quieter sound followed.
Smiling, Nick stood up. "Why don't we stop at your place, pick up Sydney, and some clothes for you. On our way there we can grab a bite to eat for you."
Natalie titled her head sideways. "Sounds fine for me, but what about you? Don't you have to eat?" she asked curiously. Nick stared at her uncomfortably.
He was hungry, but even when she had her memories, Nat hated to see him drink blood. Without her memories..."Well...Why don't you go downstairs, and I'll grab something and meet you."
Nat saw his nervousness and rose. "Nick...I'll meet you downstairs." she said, realizing that he was trying not to upset her. Nick nodded gratefully and she walked to the lift.
As he quickly downed a bottle of cow, Nick wondered about Natalie. He knew what to expect from the Natalie he knew, but this Nat, without their shared memories was someone he didn't know. What if she didn't get her memories back? Should he stay in her life, or leave and give her a chance at a normal life? Sighing, he rinsed the bottle and met Nat at the car.
Nat paused outside the door to what Nick told her was her apartment, her home. She could feel Nick standing behind her, silently lending her support. Taking a deep breath, she turned the key, and opened the door. She was greeted by the meowing of a large grey and white cat. 'This must be Sydney' she thought as she bent down and scooped up the cat. Softly stroking the cat, she moved deeper into the room.
Nick quietly moved inside and shut the door. He had hoped that coming here might jog her memory. He waited in silence as she looked around.
Nat stood in the center of her living room, looking around. Occasionally she spotted something familiar to her, but mostly she was lost. These were her things but they weren't familiar. Secretly she'd hoped that she would remember something, but that obviously wasn't the case. Sydney slipped from her arms as she turned to face Nick.
Nick stared to move closer to Nat, when he heard something. Moving faster then she could see, he grabbed Nat and threw her to the floor, his body covering hers. Nat screamed as they fell, but her scream cut off at the sound of a window shattering. Immediately Nat froze.
"Stay here," Nick whispered. She nodded even as Nick moved off towards the window. Peeking out, he scanned the area, but didn't see anyone.
Nat lay on the floor, eyes tightly closed, shaking. When Nick knocked her to the floor, she had no idea what was going on, then the window shattered. She heard Nick tell her to stay put, and felt him move off.
This was too much. How much more would she have to endure? Nothing made sense. She forced back the tears that threatened to fall. This wasn't the time, but soon. She opened her eyes to see Nick coming towards her. His look was impossible for her to understand. It was such a mixture of sorrow, worry, and something else, it made her uncomfortable.
"Nat, are you ok?" he asked worriedly.
As he reached her she sat up. "Yeah...I think so...What just happened here?" She wanted desperately to hear that it was nothing, but knew it wasn't.
He frowned. "I'm not sure. Someone took a shot at us, but as to why...I have no idea. But I am going to find out."
Suiting actions to words, he reached into his pocket and took out his phone, starting as it began to ring. Giving Nat a look, he sat down next to her and answered. "Knight."
"Nick, it's Tracy. I have some news."
Tracy sounded worried, and Nick frowned. "What’s up, Trace?"
"Nat's 'accident' wasn't an accident. Her brake lines were partially cut. The first time she needed to hit them hard, they'd fail. Someone tried very hard to kill her."
'Well, that answers the question of who they were shooting at, it just leaves why.' Nick thought to himself. He looked over at Nat, who seemed to be in shock.
"Tracy, we're at Nat's and someone just took a shot at us."
Tracy whistled. "Are you two ok?" she asked tensely.
"Yeah, we're fine. But Nat's kind of shook up. We're going to head back to the loft. Why don't you stop at the morgue and pick up all of Nat's active cases and anything she might have to testify about. We'll look it over and see if we can find an answer."
"Meet you there in an hour," Tracy said then hung up.
Making another quick call, Nick arranged for a crime scene team to come to Nat's place and retrieve the bullet. Maybe they'd be able to match it with something on file.
Nick turned his attention to Nat. She was very pale, and her eyes had a blank look he didn't like. Lightly touching her arm, he said softly, "I'm just going to get your things, then we'll head back to the loft, ok?"
She nodded mechanically. He could see she was struggling to keep herself together. Looking around once more, he got to his feet and swiftly went to her bedroom.
Nat listened as Nick went into the bedroom, and gathered her things. Her things. That was a laugh. They could be anyone's things as far a she was concerned. Almost nothing here was familiar to her, and she hated the way that made her feel. Worse yet, she had to rely on, of all things, a vampire.
Slowly getting to her feet, she began to wander around the apartment. Occasionally she'd stop and look hard at a photo. She wondered at the face of a young girl. Looking at it she got a sense of sadness. Why did she feel that for this child?
Then there was a picture of her and a blonde-haired young man that just had to be Richard. She smiled at the image, amazed at how grown up he was. The smile faded as she remembered Nick telling her he had died a couple of years ago. She wondered what his life had been like. Tears threatened as she realized that she might never remember.
Nick came out of the bedroom, and looked around, spotting Natalie looking at a picture of her and Richard. He could smell her tears. What must it be like to suddenly wake up, having forgotten so much of your life? To be hit with the death of all your family, to find yourself alone. He couldn't imagine being unable to remember like that. Oh sure, he had amnesia, but he had people that were familiar to him. He had *family* People who cared and knew enough about him to help him remember. Natalie didn't even have that. It was obvious to him that he wasn't familiar to her. And he had to admit that hurt. Deciding he had to get her out of there, he cleared his throat.
The sound of a cough behind her jarred her out of her misery. Blinking her eyes to clear the unshed tears, she strove to pull herself together. After a moment, she turned to face Nick. He carried an overnight bag in one hand, and the other held a book.
"What's that?" she asked as she pointed to the book.
Nick held it out to her. "I’m not sure, but I think it might be your diary. Once I recognized your handwriting, I stopped looking. I thought it might help your memory."
Taking the book, she opened it. Immediately she recognized her own handwriting. Glancing at the date on the first page, she saw it started on her birthday, 1990. Paging through, she noticed she hadn't written everyday, sometimes not for weeks, but the last entry was dated in 1996. Tuning to the first entry, she began to read.
Nick watched as she paged through the book, then turned back to the beginning and began to read. Suddenly she looked up. "We met on my birthday?" she asked startled.
"Yes, we did, why?"
Closing the book, she replied. "Because this diary starts then."
Now it was his turn to be surprised. Nat had started a diary because of him? He thought about all the ups and downs they had been through, and began to worry.
Nick quickly changed the subject. "Why don't we run to the store and go back to the loft? Tracy is going to meet us there."
Staring at him for a moment, not fooled in the least, she asked, "Who's Tracy?"
Moving to the door he replied, "Tracy is my partner; she's stopping at your office to get your files. We're going to try to figure out who shot at us."
Looking down at Sydney sprawled on the couch, she asked, "What about Sydney? We can't just leave him here. I've got to have a carry-case around here somewhere."
Nick moved to a door and pulled out a case. "You're going have to get him in it yourself, Sydney and I aren't the best of friends."
Smiling slightly, she picked up the chubby cat, and deftly got him into the cage. Securing it, she picked him up and headed out the door.
They stopped at the store, and got some supplies. Nat had to refrain from laughing at the look on Nick's face as they wandered up and down the aisles.
Finally she couldn't stand it anymore and began to laugh. The puzzled look on his face deepened, and she laughed harder.
"Whats so funny?" he asked, a slightly hurt look on his face.
Between giggles she answered. "You should see the look on your face...like you've never been in a grocery store before." As soon as the words left her mouth, she sobered. 'He probably hasn't been in one before, or at least not recently.' Mentally kicking herself, she started to the checkout.
Nick stood staring after her, the lightning change of mood catching him by surprise. Normally, he'd have made a comeback to her and they'd start laughing. Now, he couldn't be sure what was going to happen. He had no idea why she was upset, but he could see that she was. Trailing after her, it hit him just how hard this was going to be, and he wondered what would happen if her memory didn't come back.
They drove the rest of the way to the loft in silence, both of them unsure what, if anything, to say. Nick pulled into the parking lot of the warehouse, just behind Tracy. Pulling into the garage, they got out and waited for Tracy.
Natalie watched the bouncy, blonde-haired woman approach. 'So this is Tracy,' she thought. "Hi Tracy."
Tracy stopped and shifted the files in her arms. "Hi, Nick. Hi, Natalie; how are you doing?" Tracy's obvious concern touched her.
"Ok, I guess." Nat answered. Not quite sure how to treat Tracy, she retreated into silence. Tracy and Nick exchanged a look as they got on the lift.
When they got upstairs, Nat went to the kitchen. She didn't know how to react to Tracy. She was everything Natalie never felt herself to be. She supposed that she and Tracy had some kind of relationship as Nick's partner, but *she* had no idea of what that might be. Irritated with herself, Nat started emptying the bag she brought up. Maybe she'd feel better after a bite to eat.
Nick watched Nat moving around the kitchen. He could feel her confusion and didn't understand it. He followed Tracy to the couch. Sitting down, Tracy asked quietly, "How are you doing, Nick? This has to be a strain on you."
Nick sighed. Absently running a hand through his hair, he sat down. "I don't know what to do, Trace. With her memories gone, it's like she's almost a stranger...and she's dealing with so much. I just want to hold her, but I can't."
He sighed, and Tracy could see his confusion. "Nick, we just have to hope that her memories will come back...in the meantime, we have to figure out who is trying to kill her."
Nick smiled slightly. "Yeah, you're right. So, those are all the files, right?" he said motioning to the fairly large pile of files Tracy had dropped onto the coffee table.
"Yup, so we had better get busy."
"Tracy, can I get you something? I'm going to make myself a sandwich, would you like one?" Nat asked.
Tracy looked over and smiled. "Thanks, sounds good. I didn't have a chance to grab some dinner."
Nat busied herself in the kitchen as Tracy and Nick started sorting through the files.
Nat grabbed the two sandwiches, a couple of soft drinks, and her diary and walked over to them. Nick looked up and smiled as she came near. "Here you go, Tracy, hope you enjoy."
"Thanks, Nat, it looks great!"
Nat sank into the chair, next to the couch and watched as Nick and Tracy started going through the files. Munching on her sandwich, she listened as they discussed the various cases. Totally lost by the discussion, Nat opened the diary and began to read.
'Something happened tonight. Something strange. I met someone tonight who is unlike anyone I've ever met before. He is intriguing, mysterious, and his very existence is at odds with everything I believe. He is a vampire. He could have killed me tonight, and to be honest, I don't know why he didn't. There's something about him that draws me to him. I hope I see him again.'
'He came back tonight! His name is Nick. I still find it hard to accept he is a vampire, but he is. He told me that he is looking for a cure to his 'condition'. Fascinating! I offered to help. The look on his face when I told him that...It was just a flash, but the pain, the longing and the hurt in his eyes made my heart break. I hope he lets me help him...He told me he was a monster, that it was dangerous to know him, but I don't believe that. We met because he tried to help people. With the condition he was in when we met, I should be dead, but I'm not. I can't believe that this man would ever hurt me. He said he would visit me soon, I hope he does...'
Nat read the diary with growing amazement. It became rather obvious that she had more then just friendly feelings for Nick. It also quickly became apparent that Nick was a huge part of her life. This diary was about them.
She came to an entry dealing with her treatment of him. Frowning, she read the entry again. 'I'm treating vampirism as a dietary problem?' She shook her head. Somehow she seriously doubted they were making much in the way of progress. Lying the book aside, she propped her head on her hand and listened to Nick and Tracy. As she listened, her eyes began to droop and before she realized it she feel asleep.
Nick occasionally glanced over at Nat, as he went through the files. Every once and awhile, he'd see a smile. He wondered what she had written.
"So, Trace, any ideas? I don't see anything that could account for someone trying to kill Nat."
Tracy glanced at Nat and saw that she had fallen asleep. Pointing at Nat, Tracy leaned closer to Nick. "I'm not sure, look at this." Tracy handed him three files, and opened a fourth.
"Nat's due to testify next week in a drug case. Those three files are autopsies of guys who were suspected of working for Tony Palmentari. This one," she waved the file in her hand, "contains her findings on a fourth murder. They all have the same M.O. Only this one implicates Palmentari. If Nat can connect those three to this one..."
Nick leaned back thinking hard. Palmentari had a bad rep. It wouldn't be a stretch to accept that he would try to get rid of, or turn any witnesses against him. Nat would never turn, and there wasn't much Palmetari could use against her.
"Trace...you may have something. Now, we need to find a connection. Someone has to know if he put a contract out on Nat."
Tracy nodded. "I'll head back to the station, Nick, and we'll start looking. If it’s there, we'll find it."
Tracy stood and touched Nick's shoulder. "It will work out, Nick." Looking over at Nat, Tracy continued, "Right now, I know it’s hard, but Nick, she loves you...She'll remember."
Nick laid his hand over Tracy's. "It might not be as easy as that, Tracy. She's dealing with a lot. Anyway," Nick stood shaking off Tracy's touch. "You get going. Tell the captain we'll be down later. Who knows, maybe a visit to her office will jog her memory."
"Ok Nick, see you later, and if you need me, call."
Nick nodded and watched as Tracy left.

End Part One