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"How You Ever Gonna Know" is ) Kent Blazy and Garth Brooks, sung by Garth Brooks on his SEVENS album. FK belongs to TPTB. I don't mean to infringe on anyone's rights/hurt anyone's feelings.
This one's for my bodacious beta and buddy, the loquacious lady Lisa!!! <waves frantically> Hi!!!
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That old wind that's whippin' out there
It's whistlin' your tune
That wind blew pyramids to Egypt
And footprints to the moon
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Lucien Lacroix, master vampire, sat at the bar sipping a glass of blood mixed with red wine. He listened as a song came over the Raven's loudspeakers. Apparently, it was requested by one of the mortal patrons. He could see the excited youngster, not far out of her twenties and probably a student at the U of T, hop back to her girlfriends and start dancing. Lacroix normally hated country music, but tonight, Fleur's birthday according to Nicholas, he would listen to anything . 'Actually,' he mused, 'if you just listen, you can make any song passable .' This one wasn't so bad, after all. It would probably end up just like the standard woebegone country songs, but for now, he'd pay attention.
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And that old star that you been wishin' on
Is shinin' mighty bright
But it's the fire inside your heart
That's gonna lead you to the light
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Nick Knight, homicide detective, vampire, and "good friend" of coroner Natalie Lambert, gazed nervously at said coroner. He had never brought her to the Raven before, always thinking it a mistake to have his beloved around so many hungry vampires. Nick had been feeling so discouraged over the death of his partner Don Schanke that he hadn't cared anymore what happened to anybody. Now he was sitting at a small table with Nat, sipping bloodwine like most of the other patrons -- red wine mixed with human blood. He'd almost given up on a cure for the hunger that had sunk its talons into him for most of the past eight centuries. Vampirism wasn't that bad, if you didn't count the bloodsucking and eternal darkness aspects . But the country song -- 'An unusual choice for the Raven,' he considered -- had gotten his attention maybe it wasn't about "cures," but about his attitude.
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How you ever gonna know
What it's like to live there
How you ever gonna know victory
How you ever gonna know
What it's like when dreams become reality
How you ever gonna know
How it feels to hold her
How you ever gonna know
What it's like to dance
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Nick thought of the "remedies" he and Natalie had tried in the past. Some had helped, some had seemed almost to make him mortal again, but none had succeeded yet!! This part of the song described his feelings exactly. Nick almost wouldn't mind being a vampire for eternity, if he knew it was hopeless and if Nat would join him.
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How you ever gonna know
If you never take the chance
You know failure isn't failure
If a lesson from it's learned
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Nat nursed her beer and stared at Nick's pale face. He was lost in gloomy thought again, for all intents and purposes dead to the world. 'How true,' she snorted mentally. He was almost 800 . Dr. Lambert thought again of all the dead ends she and Nick had encountered -- none of them, no matter how desperate, had been enough to end this terrible state of half-death that imprisoned her love.
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I guess love would not be love
Without a risk of being burned
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Lacroix slowly scanned the room. At a table in a corner, he saw Nicholas and the good Dr. Lambert. He thought of how unusual it was for Nick to bring a mortal here. Then he turned his attention back to the song.
It hit him right in the gut. For all these years, all these centuries, he'd been angry and upset at Nicholas -- and at himself -- for his son's utter rejection of the "gift" of vampirism Lacroix had given to him. He thought he heard Fleur's voice whisper in his ear, "It's a gift, Lucien. Nobody has to accept a gift. Sometimes people will reject you, but there will always be many others who will accept and love you for who you are and what you do."
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Anything in life worth havin'
Lord, it has its sacrifice
But the gift that you're receiving
Is worth more than the price
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Urs sat back on her barstool and leaned her bare arms against the cool counter. She had a family of sorts now admittedly she never would have chosen Vachon or Screed to be family, but at least they accepted her. All she'd ever wanted was for a man to like her, to tell her she was important to him, to need her. Certainly, she hadn't wanted to live forever, but if vampirism was what it took to win the love of the sailor and the Conquistador she'd choose it any day -- or night.
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How you ever gonna know
What it's like to live there
How you ever gonna know
What you never knew
How you ever gonna know
If you're down here doin'
What the good Lord put you here to do
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Nicolas de Brabant had been a confused man. He still was, although going by a different name in a different time and place. There had been the fear after the death of his father, revulsion from the Crusade, horror at the cruelty some people were capable of. He'd lost almost all faith. Nick trembled every evening when he woke up for fear that he would die by stake or by fire and go to Hell. Natalie had told him once that maybe God, if he existed, wanted Nick to be a vampire -- to save lives with his awesome strength and heightened senses. He believed in God, but Nick wasn't so sure if he'd ever know before it was too late .
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How you ever gonna know
If you could have done it
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Nick thought back to the recent death of his partner. If there had been some way to stop the plane from crashing . But there wasn't any that he could think of that wouldn't give him away as a vampire and that would mean the Enforcers killing the witnesses anyway.
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How you ever gonna know
How it feels to fly
How you ever gonna know
If you never dare to try
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The blonde who had requested the song sat down heavily at the far end of the bar. Some guy with no hair, babbling gibberish, had hit on her on the dance floor. She needed a drink. The woman thought of the man she'd been dating until recently. He'd told her stories of being a vampire flying she wished she'd had a chance to fly with him before he disappeared. Short hair flew with her head as she twisted to look at the persons currently inhabiting the dance floor. She suppressed a smile. Her friends would never have believed she'd been going out with an "Enforcer" .
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Listen not to the critics
Who put their own dreams on the shelf
If you want to get the truth to admit it
You gotta find out for yourself
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Nick thought about the words as they were belted out over the sound of several guitars. 'How music has changed!' he thought, remembering Gwyneth and her harp-playing. Then Lacroix hadn't been around to threaten his love but according to the song, Lacroix didn't know what he was talking about! Nick's "father" had set aside his love for Fleur, Nick's mortal sister, in order to carry out his fatherly duties. But Nick didn't value Natalie so lightly .
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How you ever gonna know
What it's like to be there
How you ever gonna know
If you're the best
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The young blonde thought back to the day before, when her father had called. She'd been promoted, and she didn't think she was ready, but BY GUM, nobody was going to see her weakness!!
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How you ever gonna know
What you believe in
If you don't put it to the test
How you ever gonna know
How it feels to hold him
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Natalie remembered all the placating things she'd said to Nick. She'd assured him they would find a cure. She believed it, too. But she was going to have to work very hard to find it . Of course, it would all be worth it if she could only have a normal life with Nick.
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How you ever gonna know
What livin' means
How you ever gonna know
If you never chase the dream
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Nick thought again about his despair. He'd spent so long being a melancholy vampire that he wasn't sure being mortal would affect his attitude but he renewed his vow and determination to find a way out of the depressing Hell he walked through every night. Nick knew for certain that this was not real life.
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How you ever gonna know
Your potential
How you ever gonna know victory
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The straight-haired blonde smiled again to herself. She wouldn't let this new job beat her. She lived by the saying, "The only boundaries are the ones YOU set!"
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How you ever gonna know
What it's like when dreams
Become reality
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Urs smiled at these words. She already knew. Perhaps not all of her dreams had come true, but the most important ones had. She had approval, love, and someone who would always come when she needed him. She also had to dance. This song had a soothing beat.
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How you ever gonna know
How it feels to hold her
How you ever gonna know
What it's like to dance
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Lacroix gazed at the slight lady who walked past him onto the dance floor. She reminded him vaguely of Fleur, but there was something else about her . Abruptly, he got up and followed her, leaving his now-empty glass on the bar.
"Would you care to dance?" He didn't accompany this with a raise of an eyebrow, as was his custom; instead, he smiled at the curly-haired beauty.
"Song's almost over, I think. But yes, I'd love to!"
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How you ever gonna know
If you never take the chance
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Tracy Vetter smiled. The blonde knew she'd take some heat from her friends for requesting this, but she liked the song, even though it was a far cry from her usual type of music. Her now-gone Enforcer boyfriend had introduced her to the artist's work.
There... ya like it?? Yes, I'm a DP-type... how*ever* did you guess?!! ;-) Comments, smiles, and general all-around good cheer <G> to piccolo_kathy@hotmail.com. 8-)
