Future Mortality
Part 28/?
By Christine Hantzopulos
It
felt good to be home.
The
last twenty four hours had been a blur, as day had dawned on what truly was the
start of a new life. Showered and rested, Natalie didn't even mind the pain
that she knew would be with her for days or weeks to come. It was a very
natural reminder that she was alive, and human, with all the joy and sorrow
that that entailed. Right now, she could not help but
be on a natural high. Niki and Richie were safe under their roof, the baby was
sleeping peacefully in her crib, and Nick had held her protectively all night
long in his embrace. Even now, as she
slipped on a pair of sweats and a warm sweater to venture out into the living
room, she stopped for a long moment to watch Nick changing Fleur's diaper. Even
what was at the very least a tedious task seemed to fascinate him, as he
snapped on the onesie and held the baby up to look at her in wonder. Natalie
could feel the palpable emotion emanating from him as he held the child against
his chest, hugging her to him and kissing her lightly on her head. The vision
before her brought a lump to her throat.
Natalie
pulled a one- pieced PJ with closed feet from the drawer and brought it to him.
He looked at her with tender concern. "Aren't you supposed to stay in
bed?" he
asked as he lay his daughter back on the changing table.
“Niki
told me that Stavros and Dimitri are coming by after sundown to say goodbye. I wanted
to see them before they leave.” She looked at Nick’s expression with amusement.
He still bristled at the mention of the young man’s name.
“At
least our daughter will be back to normal,” he murmured as he finished dressing
the baby.
“Come
on, you really think it’s over just because he’s going back to
“I
know, I know,” he admitted, picking up Fleur and cradling her in his arms. “I
suppose I just hope it will fizzle out over time.” But she knew that even as he
spoke those words while gazing down adoringly at their baby daughter, he didn’t
believe them. It was just his way of holding on to his little girl as long as
possible.
“Absence
makes the heart grow fonder,” she said, leaning her head against his shoulder
and looking down at their tiny miracle. “Trust me, I know.”
He
looked at her, the love in his eyes shadowed by the twelve years of anguish he
had spent without her. “So do I,” he said softly,
kissing her tenderly.
Niki
ran to the door as the bell seemed to ring with the setting sun. Habit made her
look through the peephole, but she had known it would be him. She smiled
brightly as she opened the door to Dimitri and Stavros.
“Hi,”
she said shyly, then quickly invited the Vampire
Elder, “Please, come in.”
Stavros
was not the least bit scary, despite how powerful she knew him to be. On the
contrary, just knowing the high regard he had for her parents, and the sympathy
he had for her, made her feel safe in his presence.
“Hello,
Nicolette,” Stavros said warmly as he stepped into the foyer. “How are your mother and baby sister?”
“They’re
fine, thank you,” she told him. “Please, have a seat and I’ll let them know
you’re here.”
Even
as she spoke she could hear their footsteps on the stairs, and she turned to
see her mother looking as healthy and happy as she had ever seen her, holding
baby Fleur in her arms. Daddy had his arm around them protectively, but there
was pride on his face too.
For
a brief moment she felt a pang of jealousy—why hadn’t things been like this
when she had been born? But as her parents came over to greet Stavros and
Dimitri, Daddy flashed her a grin, motioning her to
come over and putting his arm around her. It was as if he could feel that she
needed his reassurance as he kissed her on the hair.
“Sweetheart,
would you mind getting Stavros a drink, please? From LaCroix’s stock in the
refrigerator,” he added with meaning.
“Okay,”
she said, then asked, “Do you want anything, Mommy?”
“No
thanks, I’m fine,” she said.
Niki
motioned for Dimitri to follow her, and he did gladly.
Alone
in the kitchen, she turned to face him and he wrapped his arms around her
waist, drawing her close. “I don’t want to say goodbye to you,” he said,
bringing his lips to hers.
His
kiss sent a warm flush through her body, as she wrapped her arms around his
neck. Suddenly the reality of it all hit her like an anvil. What had seemed
like a happy ending to the nightmare of the last few days was fraught with a
grief that seemed to engulf her all at once. These incredible new feelings that
he had awoken in her would transform into an intolerable anguish the moment he
left her little world. This was good bye. And she couldn’t bring herself to say
it either.
“Can’t
you stay?” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
“I
wish I could, Niki,” he told her. “But my father needs me there. And I…I need
him too. You made me realize that. He’s been different. I know now that he
loves me, and I’m not ready to be on my own.”
“I
know,” she said. She could see that he had forged a new relationship with his
father, and she would no sooner expect him to leave him than she would leave
her own parents right now. “Look, I’m only thirteen, and I need my parents too.
Especially now, that they’re finally together…” She hesitated, knowing that the
death of his mother was still a painful wound in Dimitri’s heart. But she had
told him how much her newfound relationship with her father meant to her, and
there was very little else to say. “I just…hope that until we can come to
Dimitri
took her face in his hands, looking deeply into her eyes as if trying to sear
into her very soul. “Do you think I could ever find a girl like you?” he asked
solemnly.
“I…hope
not,” she whispered, as he kissed her again.
For
a long moment he held her in an embrace, and she closed her eyes
trying to remember everything—the smell of his cologne, the warmth of his arms
around her, the soft brush of his lips against her skin. Reluctantly, she
separated from him, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Your dad is probably
waiting for that drink,” she said.
He
nodded, unwillingly letting her go.
“Natalie,
please, sit down,” Stavros said, waiting for her to
settle onto the couch before sitting down to face her. “I can’t tell you how
relieved I am that you and your baby—that your entire family—are safe. I know
I’m responsible for this, and I hope you can forgive me.”
Natalie
was taken aback. A four-thousand year old vampire who could destroy them all if
it were his wish was asking for her forgiveness. She could feel Nick’s arm
tighten around her, and wasn’t quite sure what he was thinking. But she had
always been a good judge of character—with a few unfortunate exceptions—and her
instincts told her that Stavros was sincere. “Nick told me why you brought
Steven across. The truth is, that I asked Janette to
do it, because I felt guilty for his death. Whatever happened after that…it’s
not your fault. You meant well. And I appreciate everything you’ve done to
protect us. Especially Nicolette.”
Stavros
smiled. “She is a lovely young lady. I need not tell you the effect she has had
on my son. In more ways that one. Your family has convinced
him of the merits of being human—something which I have been unable to do. I
owe you thanks for that.”
“He’s
a good boy,” Natalie told him. “I think he just wants to be close to you.”
Stavros
nodded. “Things will be very different. And yet, I do expect that you will keep
my secret from all but the select few whom I trust to tell. There are others
who would not understand, and fear our children for what they represent.”
“We
know,” Natalie said gravely.
“Do
you think there are others, Stavros?” Nick asked. “Other
dhampirs?”
The
elder shook his head. “There is no way of knowing, but I strongly doubt it.
Although,” he said, looking down at the baby sleeping in Natalie’s arms, “only
time will tell if your little one has her sister’s gifts.”
“Nick
was human when she was conceived,” Natalie told him. “The preliminary DNA tests
I conducted while I was pregnant show that she’s one hundred percent human.”
“That
is good,” Stavros murmured as he looked in wonder at the tiny infant. “I would
still stay under the radar, Nicholas. Just in case.”
He looked up at them. “Which brings us to the question of
Andrew Dillon. He requested that we not erase his memory, but I’m not
sure we can trust him.”
“He
deserves to know the truth about his brother, Stavros,” Nick said. “In any
case, if he didn’t, he would never stop looking for Natalie and the kids. He’s
promised to keep our location secret, and squelch the investigation. All he
wants is the chance to see his nephew from time to time.”
“I’ve
known him for years,” Natalie added, seeing Stavros’ dubious expression. “I trust him. As long as he knows the kids
are safe, he’ll keep our secret.”
“I
will trust your judgment, then,” Stavros agreed. “After all, he did help
to…stop Steven. I suppose he has proven his trustworthiness.”
Just
then, Niki came back into the room, graciously handing Stavros a glass of
LaCroix’s private stock. Though she seemed composed now, her mother could tell
she’d been crying. Natalie knew this wouldn’t be easy for her. But then again,
love rarely was.
For
a while they chatted as pleasantly as if nothing had never
happened. As if Steven weren’t dead, and hadn’t nearly killed her and her baby.
The entrance of the children had put an end to any serious discussion, and as
Richie came in and their other vampire guests came down from their daylight
slumber on the third floor, the conversation became friendly but innocuous.
As
if nothing had ever happened.
Finally
Stavros rose, and the reluctant good byes were said. Natalie watched Dimitri
hug Niki tightly, and she knew that he would miss her just as much as she would
him. “Summer vacation’s not far away,” she whispered
to Niki as the two took their leave.
Niki
smiled sadly and gave her a hug. “Four months and two weeks,” she replied
softly.
Natalie
looked at Nick, whose initial relief that things would go back to normal was
suddenly tempered by the sorrow he could feel through his bond with his
daughter. It…troubled him, perhaps more than he had imagined it would. He ran
his fingers through his daughter’s blond tresses, the tenderness in his eyes
reminding Natalie of why she loved him so much.
“Hey…we
can even book our flight from now if you’d like,” he offered.
Niki
threw her arms around his neck, tears of grief and joy intermingled. “Thank you,
Daddy,” she sighed, “I love you.”
“And
I love you,” he told her, the emotion caught in his throat. And Natalie knew it
was relief that despite this new man in her life, she was still his little
girl.