DISCLAIMER: Okay, fun time. I try to make these things original. I get so tired of the same boring disclaimers all the time. Anyway, Joe, Richie, Annie and all that are property of Panzer/Davis. But you already know that, don't you? And Nick, Nat and that stuff belong to Sony and James Parriott. Knew that too, did you? Well, how 'bout this? Elaine, Aria and anything we make up belong to Kathleen M. Wilson and myself, even though Kat isn't writing this. What's that? If you already knew that, then why am I going to all the trouble of telling you? Sheeh! Some people! ;-) There are a couple of songs used here. I didn't write them, I'm only borrowing them along with everything else. To not spoil the story, they'll be listed at the end. Special thanks go to my darlings Laura Holder and Kat Wilson. :-) The Start of Something Good? By Elizabeth M. Lawrence (luckyliz@mindspring.com) Comments always welcome. (This is a hint, people ) Other stories in the Elaine Saga can be found at http://www.mindspring.com/~luckyliz/. "Tahn right heah, intah the driveway," Elaine instructed. Nick did so, pulling into an underground garage. Guided by Elaine, he parked in an empty space next to the elevator and stopped the Caddie. He got out, went around to open the doors for the women, unlocked the trunk and grabbed their luggage. The three piled into the elevator and Elaine pushed the button for the penthouse suite. "Another set of keys, Mama 'Laine?" a voice asked over the loud speaker. "Sahrah, Geahge. Neeki an' Natalay ah jus' visitin'," Elaine answered him, smiling. "Nat's mah great great gran'dahtah." "She is? Man oh man, is she lucky! This her boyfriend?" "Neeki's mah bruthah," Elaine corrected. "An' he's oldah then Ah am." "Oh," George said. "Well, I'll let you go then. Mornin'." "Mahnin' Geahge," Elaine answered, dismissing him. The doors opened onto one of the _classiest_ places Nat had ever seen, including Jonathan Levy's place. "_Very_ nice," she said, stepping out. "Why don't you have a place like this, Nick?" "I could, but it wouldn't look good for a cop on my salary," Nick answered. "Nicholah's never been very comfortable with too much luxury," Fleur added. "You should have seen his room growing up. Even Father Jean had more possessions." "Only because you kept stealing my books," Nick teased. "And what else was I supposed to do?" Fleur asked. "It was the only way I could get anything at all to read, since Papa thought educating women was a waste of time. And would you both mind taking your shoes off? Elaine would prefer not getting scuff marks on her hardwood floors." Nick and Nat did so, placing their shoes next to Elaine's by the elevator. "Ah'm afraid theah may not beh much tah eat," Elaine said, going into the kitchen. "Richay gave up his othah apah'men' aftah Ari 'n' Ah lahned abou' each othah an' weh all moved in heah, but Ah either made thin's fresh fah them oh weh wen' tah a restahran'. An' Ah _definitelay_ do not have any cow's blood," she added, shuddering. "I think I can manage human for one night," Nick offered, earning himself a dirty look from Nat. He got quite a different look from his sister. "Thank you," she said quietly, beaming at him. "Glasses ah in the cupbahd above the wine rack an' the cahkscrew's in the drawah below it." While Nick took care of that, Elaine checked out the freezer. "Nat, yah in luck," she said, pulling out a box of frozen waffles. "Richay mus've bought them some time. Theah's alsah some maple sahrup in the icebox, since Richay likes that, too." Elaine got out the syrup and read the instruction of the waffle box. And read. And read. And read. "Why don't I deal with that," Nat offered, taking the box out of Elaine's hands. "Thanks," Elaine said, somewhat embarrassed over having found something she couldn't cook. "Ah'll go find yah both some place tah sleep." Taking her glass form Nick, she left the room. Once she was gone, Nick turned to Nat. "You're angry at me," he realized. "For drinking human blood." Nat ripped open the box of waffles. "Oh, I don't know. I mean, she your sister, after all. It's only natural that she has more influence over you than I do." Nick went over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "It's only one glass," he said, kissing the top of her head. "And it'll make her happy." There was no answer as Nat shoved a couple of waffles in the toaster and turned it on. "And it'll keep her quiet because otherwise I'll have both of them trying to get me to drink something," he added. Still no answer. Then -- "Promise me you'll drink every protein shake I make for a week, no whining," she said. Nick grimaced. That was a lot of protein shakes. The things he did for the women he loved. "Promise. One week of shakes, no complaints. Just don't make them too bad." Turning around, Nat looked at him with a very Elaine-like look in her eyes. "Convince me," she said. "Nat...." "Lay one lip on mah gran'dahtah an' Ah'll tahn on the grow light in the Gro'ah the nex' time yah in theah," Elaine interrupted. "What's the Grotto?" Nat asked, as the toaster dinged. "A li'le somethin' Feliks fixed up fah meh," Elaine answered. "Ah'll show yah aftah breakfas'." Breakfast didn't take very long and soon Elaine was guiding Nick and Nat around. "This is the Gro'ah," she said, flipping a couple of switches and opening the door. "Weh cn go swimmin' la'ah, if yah wan'. Just mind the fahs' step." The 'first step' was a twenty foot drop straight into a tropical lagoon. There was a beach on one side and a waterfall on the other. "Good God!" Nat exclaimed. "How do you get out of there?" "Fly," Elaine answered. "Richay 'n' Aria usuallay use the han' holds on the wall undah the doah, if Ah don' carrah them out. Ah think theah's alsah a doah hidden behind some of the bushes that Geahge uses fah maintenance." "That's the second time you've mentioned George," Nick noted. "He's mah secuahritay guahd, Elaine said. "An' whatevah else Ah wan' him fah." "He knows about us?" Elaine smiled again. "Nicholah, Ah vahtuallay raised his fathah an' gran'fathah an' Ah helped raise Geahge an' his siblin's whenevah Lou 'n' Ednah wan'ed a night off. An' befoah yah ask, yes, Ah do trust him. "Now, shall weh continue?" She closed the door to the Grotto and re-flipped the switches. "Feel free tah take a swim if eithah of yah feels like it, jus' beh shoah the grow light's off an' the othah one's on. An' don' worrah abou' a suit. Geahge knows be'ah then tah come up heah when Ah'm around." The three set off again, stopping outside another door. "This heah's yah room, Neeki," Elaine said. "Believe it oh not, Ah haven' changed it since Ah fahst moved in heah, some fahtay yeahs ago." Nick looked around -- and froze, his mind journeying back almost eight hundred years. "Nick?" Nat shook Nick's arm to get his attention. "What's happening?" "It's perfect," he breathed, going to the center of the room and turning around. "Absolutely perfect." "The books are different," Fleur corrected. "An' Ah insisted on lights that wouldn' catch fiah," Elaine added. "But on the whole Ah think weh did a faahlay good job." "Especially since I wasn't fully awake at the time," Fleur finished. "Would someone mind telling me what's going on?" Nat asked again, hating not being informed. "It's my room," Nick explained. "The one I had growing up." Nat looked around. "This was your room?" she repeated. "It's so...." "Bahrin'?" Elaine supplied. "Empty," Nat said instead. "I liked it that way," Nick said. "Less clutter, easier to find things that way." "And I kept stealing most of his possessions," Fleur admitted. "So you were the culprit," Nick teased. "I should have known." "I thought you did," Fleur said. "Else why would you have put 'To Fleur, because you already have the rest of them, Love, Nicholah,' in the book you gave me before you left for Wales?" Nick almost blushed. "I forgot about that." "Dearest brother." Fleur went up to him and touched his cheek affectionately. "Yah ge'in' fahgetful in yah ol' age," Elaine finished, resurfacing with a laugh. Nick rolled his eyes, looking upward. "Two of them. What did I do to deserve two of them?" Then he pulled his sister into a bear hug that Fleur gladly returned. As soon as they broke apart, Nat interrupted. "So what's my room like? Or do I get to sleep with Nick?" Since Nat knew full well that there was no chance in hell that Elaine would let her sleep in the same room as any vampire, let alone Nick, most of what she had said had been for the results. Nick and Elaine may have had a vampire's stamina, but she was tired and wanted to go to bed! "Weh'ah keepin' yah up," Elaine realized. "This way." She led them out of the room, down the hall and past another door. "What's in here?" Nick asked, peeking inside. "Mah bedroom," Elaine answered. "Oh, deah." "What?" Nick and Nat both asked. "Ah fahgo' abou' the pain'in'," she explained, entering the room. Nick and Nat followed and came face to face with a _very_ explicit painting. The woman in it was definitely Elaine, and while she didn't appear to be a vampire at the moment, it was obvious that she had just killed the man underneath her during sex and drank his blood. Nick whistled appreciatively. "That's ... that's a Picasso," Nat said, trying to keep her mind off the subject matter. "You have a genuine, undiscovered Picasso in your bedroom." "Ah couldn' verrah well allow it tah beh seen in public, now could Ah?" Elaine said. "Espec'allay aftah Pablah fahgot he evah pain'ed it." "You hypnotized Pablo Picasso?" Nick asked. "What was Ah supposed tah do, le' Pablah make a hundred copays of it sah ev'ryone could see his pain'in' of the vampiah? Ah'm shoah _they_ would reallay have loved that," she reminded him. "Ah onlay did it in the fahst place because he kep' askin' meh. That an' Ah was cuahrious tah see what he'd do." "So what's the problem?" Nat asked. "It's a beautiful painting, even if it is a little...." "Ahrotic?" Elaine supplied. "That's a good word for it," Nat agreed. "That's the prahblem," Elaine said. "Do eithah one of yah have any ideah what it'd like wakin' up lookin' at that thin? It's one thin' when Richay an' Ari ah with meh, but neithah one of them's heah fah meh tah take it out on this time." "Well, that's easily enough taken care of." Nick went up to the painting and took it down. Then he carefully turned it around and leaned it against the wall. "How's that?" "Pahfect," Elaine said. "I knew my big brother would save the day," Fleur added, kissing his cheek in thanks. "An' now that that's taken caah of, weh cn show Nat tah hah room, since Ah'm shoah she'd dyin' tah hit the hay," Elaine stated, leading them out of the room. Nat's room was decidedly more feminine that Nick's but still barren compared to Elaine's. "Liselle," Nick said, recognizing the room. "Who?" Nat asked. Elaine frowned, getting an image in her head. "Fahteenth, no, fifteenth centahray France, Lucien was fa'enin' us up, onlay Nicholah got us fahst, right?" "You have Liselle's memories, too?" Nick asked, unsure whether he should take it in stride or be surprised. "Some," Fleur said. "Mostly having to do with you and Lucien. We lived a very sheltered life that time, didn't we? I can see why Lucien didn't want to bring us across." "You don't mind?" Nat asked, wondering how the blonde could just accept it all without question. "Why should we be?" Fleur asked in return. The whole point of our being born that time was for Lucien to take us and finish what he had started with Fleur. Nicholah got us instead, but accidents happen." "But ... your life was cut short," Nat objected. "An' if Nicholah hadn' killed us, weh would verrah likelay have died in chil'bahth oh some othah illness," Elaine reminded her. "At least this way was quick an' relativelay painless." "Uh huh." Nat clearly wasn't convinced. "Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm off for bed. Anyone object if I get the shower first?" "I don't," Nick said, shrugging. "Each room has its own bath, sah the point is moot," Elaine informed them. "An' Ah think Nat has the right ideah, since it's past mah bedtime as well." Nick and Elaine kissed Nat good morning (with Elaine timing Nick so he didn't kiss her too long) and left the room. There was another pause outside Nick's room, as Fleur kissed him good morning as well, and they also parted. Then Elaine went into her own room, and also went to bed, taking the time to call first Richie and Aria to let them know they had arrived safely and then downstairs to give George a few instructions. Being the proper hostess, Elaine was already up and busy making breakfast by the time Nick and Nat woke. "Good ev'nin'," she greeted them, closing the oven and turning on the timer. "Natalay, Ah hope yah in the mood fah coffaycake. Ah had Edday, that's Geahge's son, do some shoppin' fah meh while weh slep'." "Coffeecake's fine," Nat said. "Got any coffee to go with it?" "Check the freezah," Elaine answered. "Coffay makah's on the countah." Nat did so, finding a package of grounds from Buckstars. "So. Where all are we going tonight?" she asked, following the instructions on the label. Elaine thought it over. "Theah's two places Ah know of right off. Jimmay's grave an' the place wheah the house used tah beh. Theah's alsah Alma's, but that depends on who's in town." She got a couple of bottled from the wine rack, along with a couple of glasses, opened them both, poured and handed one of the glasses to nick. "It's cow," she told him. "Did you say Alma's?" Nick asked, recognizing the name. "Mm-hm," Elaine nodded, sipping from her glass. "She came out heah aftah Lucien took over the Raven. Amazin' the numbah of us who lef' aftah that." Nat raised an eyebrow. "Afraid of LaCroix?" she asked, half teasing, half serious. Frowning, Elaine shook her head. "Moah likelay afraid of what he'd do tah the Raven," she corrected. "Lucien's tastes still run tah ancien' Roman brothal at times. Not that Ah mind, a'cahse." The oven timer dinged, announcing the coffeecake was done. Elaine went opened the door, took out the pan, without bothering to put on oven mitts, and set it on the stove. "That was quick," Nat noted. "Convection oven," Elaine explained. "Jus' because Ah'll live fahevah doesn' mean Ah like wai'in'." She got out a knife and fork, and a plate and proceeded to slice the coffeecake, putting one piece on the plate for Nat. "Caahful, it's still hot," she warned. Nat waited for it to cool down, then took a bite. "This is wonderful!" she exclaimed. "Give Sara the recipe sometime, would you?" "If Ah cn remembah it," Elaine agreed. "Ah'm afraid it's one of the ones Mammay taught meh, sah it's a han'ful of this an' a sprinkle of that." Nat finished breakfast and soon they were on their way. First stop was the Seacouver cemetery. Elaine led Nick and Nat through, to the oldest part, stopping in front of one of the graves. For once, Elaine was able to speak. "Jimmay, theah's someone heah Ah'd like yah tah meet." She grabbed Nat's hand and pulled her over. "This heah's Natalay. She's yah great gran'daugh'ah. She's verrah beautiful an' verrah bright, even if she does have mah lousay taste in men. Yah'd beh proud of hah, Jimmay. Ah am." Elaine beamed at her granddaughter. Elaine then nodded towards Nick, still addressing her son. "That lug ovah theah is Nicholah. He's the one responsible fah yah bein' bahn. Mos' of the time he's a pain in the ass, but he doesn come through in a pinch." Harsh words, but said with a smile. That said, she turned around and started back the way they had come. "C'mon, let's go." "Wait," Nick said. "Aren't you going to put flowers on the grave?" Elaine stopped and looked at them, her eyes lined red with tears. "Ah can'. Yah don' undahstand. Ah _abandoned_ Jimmay. How cn he fahgive that? If yah wan' tah leave flowahs, go ahead." She turned and left. Nat placed the flowers she had brought on Jimmy's grave, not quite sure what she felt for him. He obviously meant a lot to Elaine, but Nat had never met him, since he had died before she was born. Still, he was family and Nat had little enough of that left. Elaine was waiting for Nick and Nat at the cemetery gate. "It's the oddes' thin'," she mused. "It tahned out Reese had been comin' heah ev'ry yeah, same as Ah, jus' close enough fah meh tah feel his presence. Then Richay took his head an' the cemetahrah hasn' been the same since. Y'all readay?" "You never knew it was Reese?" Nick asked as they headed for the Caddie. Elaine shook her head. "He always kep' out of sight an' since Ah didn' know about' Immahtals then, the idea that Reese could still beh alive nevah crossed mah mind." She looked at them, grinning wickedly. "Ah still have his head. Took it down tah the Amazon aftah Richay cut it off an' gave it tah one of the local tribes tah shrink. It was mean' tah beh a gif' fah Richay, but he didn' wan' it, sah Ah stuck in it the Gro'ah instad. Yah won' _believe_ the amoun' of pleasah Ah get out of lookin' at it." "You really had Reese's head shrunk?" Nat asked, somewhat surprised by the idea. Not that she had a problem with shrunken heads, God knows she'd seen worse, she'd just never met anyone who'd actually done it before. "Ah wan'ed tah make shoah he wasn' comin' back this time," Elaine explained. "The res' of him, Ah tossed intah the Amazon fah the pahranahs tah feed on. Does any of this Immahtalitay business bothah yah?" "You mean aside from now being an accessory to murder?" Nat half-joked. "I don't know, I supposed it's no different from vampires. It'll just take a little getting used to." Not quite the answer Elaine had been hoping for, since she had a feeling it _was_ bothering Nat, but it was apparent that was all she was going to get. They reached the Caddie and piled in, with Nick in the driver's seat and Elaine in the back leaning forward between the two front seats. "Seat belt, Elaine," Nick reminded her. "Yah not mah fathah," Elaine shot back. But she sat back and buckled up anyway. "So where are we headed now?" Nat asked. "Place wheah the house used tah beh," Elaine answered. "Yah'll like it." And that was all she would say on the matter, beyond giving directions. Following instructions, Nick drove into a parking lot full of cars. He found a space big enough for the Caddie and pulled in. "This is a bar," Nat said as they got out. "Brillian' obsahvation," Elaine noted. When they got to the door, she stopped and turned to Nick and Nat. "Would one of y'all mind checkin' tah see if a gen'leman with sal' 'n' peppah haah an' a beahd is in theah somewheah?" Nick opened the door and snuck a peak. "There's a man like that behind the counter. Is that good or bad?" Elaine grinned impishly. "Verrah, verrah good," she assured him. "That's Joe. When weh go in, do meh a favah an' keep between meh 'n' him. Ah wan' tah sahprise him." The three entered the building, Elaine hiding behind Nick and Nat. They stayed that way until they reached the bar, then Elaine walked up next to Joe. "Ah don' know, Joe," she said into his ear. "The band's great, but Ah think they could use a sin'ah." "Elaine!" Joe leaned over and gave the blond a bear hug that lifted her three inches off the floor. "When did you get into town. And where's Richie and Aria?" "Richay 'n 'Ari ah back in San Franciscah," the blonde answered. "Natalay still had time off from wahk lef', sah Ah thought Ah'd show hah some of the ol' stompin' groun'. Heah, Ah'll introduce y'all." Beckoning Nick and Nat over, Elaine indicated Nick first. "Joe, this is Nicholah Knight, mah brothah." She paused so they could shake hands. "Nick." Joe held out his hand. "I think we've talked on the phone once. Unless Elaine has another brother she calls Neeki." Nick took the hand, smiling. "The time Elaine called me for advise," he said. "I remember." "An' this," Elaine's face took on her beaming grandmother expression, "is Natalay Lambah'. Mah great great gran'daugh'ah." This time, Joe took Nat's hand and kissed the back of it. "As beautiful as your grandmother," he told her. Nat blushed. "Well, I don't know about that...." "I would," Nick said, putting an arm possessively around her shoulders. Normally, Nat enjoyed Nick's attentions. After all, one of the nice things about having an eight hundred year old sort-of boyfriend was that he knew how to impress a woman. Most of the time, anyway. Tonight, however, all she felt was cramped. She ducked out from under Nick's arm, moving to the other side of Elaine. A motion not lost on Joe, though he did nothing about it. For one thing, he didn't want to get Elaine angry at him by trying to pick up her granddaughter. For another, it looked like Nick was already interested in her. If Joe had learned one thing over the years, it was don't mess with a vampire. "SO what can I get everyone to drink?" he offered. "Nothing for me, thanks," Nick turned him down. "White wine," Nat decided. Elaine didn't say anything. She just stared at Joe in a 'yah have tah ask?' manner. Right. Joe nodded and got the drinks. "So what's up? Find you can't live without seeing this old mug every night?" "Hahdlay," Elaine answered with an amused snort. "Like Ah said, Ah'm playin' toah guide fah Neeki an' Nat. Weh alreaday did the Seacouvah cemetahrah, now weh'ah at the place wheah the ol' house used tah beh." Joe did a double take. "You used to live _here_?" he asked, surprised. "Yah didn' know?" Elaine teased. Joe shook his head. "Reese's record starts when Mac took him to the Island as a student. For some reason, we never bothered to find out his background." "Who's this we?" Nick asked, suddenly concerned. "Damn peskay lot of busaybodays," Elaine said, frowning. "Alsah known as the Watchahs. Sah named because they Watch 'n' recahd ev'ry las' damn detail they cn get theah hands on abou' the lifes of Richay 'n' Ari's type of Immahtals." "We're not that bad," Joe said. Elaine merely raised an eyebrow. "_Everything?_" Nat asked, now also alarmed. "You mean like that fight Richie had with Trevor?" "Richie was in a fight?" Joe repeated, perking up. "He won, I hope?" "Cahse he did," Elaine assured him. "If he hadn', Ari 'n' Ah would have called yah. Aftah weh'd taken caah of Trevah." Joe couldn't help but smile. Knowing Elaine and Aria, by the time they'd gotten done with him, Trevor would have been in lots of itty-bitty pieces. "Care to fill me in on the details?" "Shoah," Elaine agreed, then turned to Nick and Nat. "Why don' yah come with meh in case Ah've fahgo'en anythin'." Nick and Nat looked at each other and shrugged. "Sure," they said. Joe turned on the computer, then turned back to the others. "So, how long have you known Elaine?" Nick asked him. "Since I lost these," Joe answered, patting his legs. "'Miss Amherst' was one of the nurses assigned to amputees. Night shift, of course. She had every soldier asking her out. Instead, she took pity on ol' Legless Dawson." "Wasn' pitay," Elaine corrected, caressing his cheek affectionately. "Yah alreaday knoew what Ah was, sah Ah could relax aroun' yah without worrahin' abou' yah tryin' tah get meh in the sack. Ah'm not shoah yah evah realized how precious that is." "What makes you think I wanted to be precious?" Joe asked, looking up at her. Fortunately, before things could get tenser between the two, the computer dinged, announcing it was ready. "Right," Joe said, calling up first Richie's file, then the challenge page. "You said Richie was in a fight? When was the challenge made?" "Two weeks ago Tuesday," Nat answered. "Aria was showing me around Fisherman's Wharf when this man showed up and said he was looking for Richie Ryan and that Richie and his girlfriend had killed his mother." "Uh huh." Joe typed her words in. "He didn't identify himself at that point?" "He handed Aria a business card and said his mother was Annie Devlin, but that was it," Nat said. More typing. "So who decided it was Trevor Devlin?" Joe asked. "I did," Elaine answered, in an Irish accent. "And if I'd've know I was bein' bloody watched all the bloody time, I would've paid more attention to what I was bloody doin'!" Joe froze, then slowly turned and looked at the petite blonde. "Annie?" "No, it's the bloody queen of bloody England," she shot back. "Of course I'm Annie. Elaine got m'bloody Quickenin' and I've been trapped in her bloody head ever since." While part of Joe's mind was still stuck on hearing Annie's voice coming out of someone he'd known most of his life, the rest of him was clicking full into Watcher mode. "Hang on, I thought Richie took your -- I mean, Annie's head," he said. "Weh wahn' speakin' at the time," Elaine reminded him. An' la'ah on, it plum wasn' impahtan'. Not that it reallay ma'ahed, since yah couldn've stuck it in Richay's File anyway." She did have a point, even though Joe wasn't about to let her know that. "So how did you end up with Annie's Quickening instead of Richie?" he asked instead. "It's a vampiah thin'," she shrugged. "Weh ... sometimes pick up the traits of ah victims. Annay attacked meh one time when Richay was out havin' dinnah. Ah got pissed, sah Ah killed hah. Tahned out she was Immahtal, sah Ah wai'ed until Richay retahned an' Ah ripped hah head off. Onlay appahren'lay Ah counted as an Immahtal jus' then, cause the damn Quickenin' wen' tah the wron' pahson." Interesting. "I don't suppose...." "Fahget it, Joe," she interrupted. "Ah ain' takin' anothah head jus' sah yah cn take notes. Unless yah'd let meh have MacLeod's head?" "Not unless you want Aria, Richie, Adam and a few others after our heads," Joe reminded her, deciding it was time to get back to Trevor. "Okay. So Trevor challenged Richie, then what?" "After Trevor left, we returned to the house," Nat said, resuming her tale. "Aria asked Richie about Annie and Richie said to wait until Elaine woke up." "And?" Joe prompted. "All hell broke loose." "Aria found out Ah was the one tah sugges' Ricay's head hun'in' spree an' took exception tah the fact," Elaine shrugged. "You and Aria had a _fight_?!" Joe translated, not sure if he believed it or not. "If ... yah wish tah put it that way, yes, Aria an' Ah had a fight," she admitted. "And you're still alive." "Obviouslay." "And Richie's still alive?" "Considahrin' this was befoah his fight with Trevah, Ah'd say the ansah was alsah obvious," she answered. "And Aria's still alive?" "This is ge'in' monotonous, Joe." "And the house is still standing?" "Boy Scout," Elaine warned. "Okay. Just checking." Joe held his hands up in defeat. "It sounds like you expected Elaine to do something a little more...." Nick searched for the word. "Dramatic," he finally decided. "Not Elaine. Elaine and Aria," Joe corrected, turning to look at them. "Did she ever tell you what happened after she and Aria found out Mac and I were helping Richie to keep them from learning about each other?" Nick and Nat shook their heads. "Those two staged a fight, right in the middle of the bar," Joe told them. "Completely demolished the place. The only things left in one piece were the bar and the walls and I'm sure if Adam hadn't stopped the fight when he did, they would have gotten those, too." "Grandma?" Nat looked at Elaine, a mix of awe and fear in her eyes. "Joe an' Duncan needed a lesson. An' weh did pay to have ev'rythin' replaced," Elaine shrugged. "Besides, that was no wheah neah what weh did tah Richay." "What'd you do to Richie?" Nick asked, not quite sure he really wanted the answer. Knowing Elaine, it wouldn't be pretty. "Nothin' much," she answered. "Aria an' Ah meahlay convinced Richay it had been a mistake tah evah keep us apaht." She paused before continuing. "Usin' a guillotine." Nick gulped. Joe just stared. Nat got an enormous smile on her face. **That's my grandmother,** the grin said. After a few seconds, Joe shook his head clear. "Right, Elaine and Aria had a fight, then what?" "Richay trained," Elaine answered. "Neeki was close enough tah Trevah's size tah make a good spaahin' pahtnah, even if he was a li'le rustay an' even then it was appeahrin' Ah had moah of Annay then Ah ought tah, though she hadn' manifested fullay yet, that between the two of us, weh got Richay jus' abou' as readay fah Trevah as he could evah beh." The blonde paused. "Um, Joe? Put any of what Ah jus' tol' yah abou' Neeki trainin' Richay oh meh havin' Annay's mem'rays in the computah an' Ah'll break yah fingahs. That stays between us." "Sure thing," Joe agreed, highlighting and deleting a large portion of text. "Anyway," she continued. "When Richay got tah the point wheah Neeki was havin' tah cheat in ahdah tah beat him, weh decided he was readay tah tak on Trevah. Ah telephoned Trevah, got him spi'in' mad an' weh agreed tah meet in Golden Gate Pahk, in front of the Consahvatahrah of Flowahs. Richay 'n' Travah fought, an' Richay won. Neeki an' Ah dumped the boday in the Bay an' weh wen' home. End of stahrah." "Okay." Joe finished typing. "Come over here and see if this meets with your approval." Elaine did so, reading over Joe's shoulder. "That's fine," she decided. "Unless Nick or Nat want to add anything?" the Watcher said. "Not really," Nat answered. "I think Elaine said it all," Nick agreed. "Okay." Joe saved the file and turned off the computer. "Shall we go back out to the bar now?" "Sure." Nick and Nat turned and left the room. Elaine hung back, keeping Joe with her. "Joe, do meh a favah?" she asked him. "Ah have a feelin' Nat's not handlin' ev'rythin' as well as she could, but she won' open up tah meh. Would yah mind talking with hah an' makin' shoah she's all right?" "Sure, no problem," Joe agreed. "I'm a bartender, that's what I'm here for." "Thanks." Elaine gave Joe a kiss on the cheek and a hug. "Yah know," she whispered into his ear. "If yah int'rested in Nat, go fah it. Yah'd beh great togethah." "What about Nick?" Joe asked, pulling back a little. "Nicholah knows Ah don' like him da'in' Nat," she answered. "And after eight hundred years, I've gotten quite good at wrapping him around my little finger." Joe very carefully looked at Elaine, scrutinizing her face. "How many of you are there?" he asked. "We're not sure," Fleur admitted. "Most of us don't have names, so it's hard to keep track. I do, because I'm the original one and Nicholah's birth sister, and you've met Annie." "And you are?" Joe prompted, still trying to sort it all out. Fleur laughed. "Do forgive me. I forgot the other times we've met, I was masquerading as Elaine. I'm Fleur." "Nice to meet you," Joe said automatically. "Other times?" Before Fleur could answer, someone knocked on the door. "Hey, how long are you two going to be in there?" Mike asked "There's some people asking for Elaine." "Weh'll beh right out, Mike," Elaine answered. "Lahd, don' tell meh. Heah five minutes an' they'ah alreaday yammahrin' fah meh." "They've missed you," Joe explained. "They're not the only ones, either." Elaine kissed him, wiping the lipstick off his lips. "C'mon, weh'd be'ah go befoah they think weh've run off togethah." As soon as the door was opened, the two were assaulted on all sides. Elaine was pulled away from Joe and dragged to the stage. "Somehow, Ah get the feelin' y'all missed meh," she said as soon as someone handed her a mic. "Ah suppose yah'll beh askin' meh tah sin' fah yah next." The crowd roared, screaming and applauding their approval of the idea. "Ah think that's a yes," she laughed. "What's wron' with the band yah have now?" "They suck without you," a man yelled from the crowd. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such language," Elaine teased. "Besides, it's the same band that used tah back meh up. Yah shoah yah not jus' askin' fah anothah kiss, Hahrol'?" "Damn straight, I am," Harold shot back. The audience laughed. "Hahrol', Hahrol', Hahrol'. Whatevah will yah wife say?" Elaine asked. "Now, abou mah sin'in', while Ah have been keepin' mah hand in, in fact, Ah found this club down in San Franciscah called the Stahlight Club. Y'all might wan' tah check it out the nex' time yah down theah. It's all been Big Band la'elay, not what these guys play." "Just sing," the guitarist told her. "We'll catch up." "All right," she shrugged. "How does," she hummed a few bars, "sound?" He nodded and began playing, improvising on the melody she set. Elaine waited for the rest of the band to join in, then sang. A fine romance With no kisses A fine romance My friend, this is We should be like A couple of hot tomatoes But you're as cold as Yesterday's mash potatoes A fine romance You won't nestle A fine romance You won't wrestle I might as well play bridge With my old maid aunts I haven't got a chance This is a fine romance A fine romance My good fellow A fine romance I'll take jello You're calmer than the seals In the Arctic Ocean At least they flap their fins To express emotion A fine romance With no quarrels With no insults And all morals I've never mussed the crease In your blue serge pants I never get the chance This is a fine romance A fine romance With no kisses A fine romance My friend, this is You're just as hard to land As the Isle de France I haven't got a chance My heart's not made of plastic You're the reason I'm sarcastic Cuz this is a fine, fine romance! For some reason, the song Elaine had chosen to start with made Nat _very_ uncomfortable. It hit just a little close to home, describing her relationship with Nick to a T. No kisses, no cuddles, no attention lately except when she threatened to give up on him. A fine romance, indeed. "There a problem?" Joe asked, coming up to her. "Huh? Oh, no," Nat lied. "I was just thinking about a few things. You've known Elaine for what, thirty years?" "Give or take." "Is that when you found out about...." "Immortals?" he guessed. "Yeah," Nat nodded. "Almost," Joe answered. "My patrol was at a village when we were ambushed. Most of us were killed, including my sergeant. I stepped on a land mine, woke up later staring into Sarge's face. He got me out of there, mostly on his back. 'Bout a week later, I was asked to join the Watchers. Was still thinking it over when I ran into Elaine." "So, you lost your legs, found out about Immortals, became a Watcher and learned about vampires, all around the same time," Nat summed it up. "Yowch." "Yeah," Joe agreed. "That's why Elaine was never able to make me forget. I'd seen to much. Besides, who'd want to forget a woman like her?" "Careful, that's my grandmother you're talking about," Nat half-joked. "I know." Joe's eyes twinkled, revealing he was interested in the present generation as well as the past one. Nat shifted in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable. While she did like Joe, she didn't know if she _liked_ him liked him. It was too soon to tell. Besides, there was Nick, whom she still hoped to find a cure for. Even if there were times when it seemed Nick himself no longer cared. She took a sip of her wine, trying to decide what to do next. "Immortals ... kill each other," Nat said bluntly. "That's murder. Whether or not they call it a game." "I wouldn't call it murder. Maybe self defense, but not murder," Joe corrected. "No Immortal has to accept a challenge. They could stay on Holy Ground if they wanted. Some do." "But even so, being in the Game is one thing, standing by and taking notes is another," Nat countered. "And you're wondering how we Watchers deal with it?" Joe asked. "Yeah," Nat admitted. And by extension, how she herself could deal with it. "Depends," he answered. "Watchers are trained to keep our emotional distance. It's a lot easier to watch people hack each other to pieces if they're not people." "The way I try not to think of who a body was when I'm cutting it up on the table," Nat made the connection. "Do you do that? "I used to," Joe admitted. "Then I became ... involved, as they put it." "You became friends with an Immortal," Nat translated. "Several. Of course, if I hadn't, I couldn't have introduced Elaine and Richie and we never would have met," he said flirtatiously. This time, Nat ignored him. "So how do you deal with it now?" "How do you deal with what Nick and Elaine are?" Joe countered. "Nick's not like that," Nat immediately said. "We're trying to make him mortal again." "What about Elaine?" he reminded her. Nat hesitated. Elaine not only freely admitted to enjoying the kill, but to doing it as often as she thought she could get away with it. "So I guess what you're trying to say is either just accept it as part of their personality like smoking or being Catholic, or ignore it and hope nothing happens to them," she said. "Basically," Joe agreed. "Look, it's never easy seeing them go off, knowing they might not be coming back. But you can't stop them any more than you could stop Elaine from singing. It's just part of who they are." Nat was suddenly very glad she wasn't Immortal. The idea of having to kill, even just to fight sickened her. "How do _they_ deal with it?" she asked. "Most of them grew up with it. Even in Elaine's time, people were still fighting duels, so it wasn't that much of a jump," Joe answered. "You know who I feel sorry for? Richie. He really is in his twenties." "So he's having to learn all this from scratch," Nat realized. "Well, at least he has Elaine and Aria to help him with it." "Yup," Joe agreed. Nick watched Joe and Nat talk, listening in on their conversation. He knew Nat needed to talk with someone about Immortals and what she'd seen in San Francisco, but he didn't like the way Joe was looking at her. And he especially didn't like the way Nat was unconsciously responding to him. A few more minutes of watching and Nick decided to join them. "You two look like you're talking about something serious," he said, putting a possessive arm around Nat's shoulders. "We were," Nat said, glaring at the arm, then stepping out from under it. A motion not lost on Joe, especially since this was the second time this evening it happened. "We were just talking about what happened in San Francisco," he explained. "You're a cop, right?" "Yeah," Nick nodded. "So?" "So what does a cop think of the Game?" the Watcher asked. "As a _cop_," Nick emphasized the word, "my first instincts would be to arrest Richie for murder and everyone else as accessories." Joe and Nat looked at Nick sharply. He wouldn't.... "But if I did that," Nick continued, smiling, "Elaine would get mad at me and since she knows all my ticklish spots, I guess I'm going to have to let it slide. As long as Richie doesn't start killing mortals as well." "He did that, Aria would kill him," Joe told him. "But I don't think you'd have to worry about it anyway. Richie's a good kid, despite growing up on the streets." "Streets?" Nat repeated. "What happened to his family?" "What family?" Joe asked. "Immortals are all orphans. Richie had a foster mother, but she died. He was too old to adopt after that, so he went through the foster circuit for a while, then he took off on his own. By the time he broke into Mac and Tessa's antique shop, he'd been on the street for a couple of years." "Broke into!?" Nick repeated. Just what kind of people was his sister hanging out with, anyway? Before Joe could answer, Elaine ended her song and grabbed the mic from the stand. "Ah hope y'all don' mind this li'le intahruption, but theah's a couple of people Ah'd like y'all tah meet," she told the audience. "See that blond man ovah at the bah, standin' nex' tah Joe? That's mah brothah Nicholah. Say hello, Neeki." Nick smiled and waved to the crowd, who answered back, cheering. "He's single, by the way," Elaine continued. "Though Ah'm not shoah any woman in hah right mind would wan' tah date him. Ah have two sistahs who'll _sweah_ he's a real laday killah. "Anyway, yah see that absolutelay gahgeous brunette si'in' nex' tah Neeki?" she then asked. "That's Natalay. She's mah -- on second thought, Ah won' tell yah. Yah nevah believe meh an' if Ah did, Ah'd have tah kill yah. But Ah will say that weh shaah the same las' name. "Now, le's back tah Neeki fah a momen'. Did yah know he plays the pianah? He's quite good at it, too," she said. "Classical, a'cahse, though Ah have hahd him improvise a time oh two. Ah wondah, do yah think weh could convince him tah join meh on stage?" The audience loved the idea, giving their usual response. Nick didn't, shaking his head. "A'cahse, if he doesn' think he cn _handle_ the Blues...," his sister challenged. After that, there was no way Nick could refuse. He left the bar, reluctantly joining her on stage. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked Elaine as he passed her. "Getting you away from my mortals," she answered in medieval French, covering the mic with one hand. "Joe and Nat seem to like each other and I want to give them every chance possible, without your interference. And don't even think about doing anything to Joe. He's _mine_. Harm one hair on his head and I swear I'll stake you, never mind what Lucien will do to me. Now get to the keyboard and smile." Nick got. It took him a few minutes, but soon he was jamming along with the rest of the band. "Is it just me or did Elaine getting Nick on stage come at almost too convenient a moment? Nat asked Joe. "You noticed that, too, huh?" Joe answered. "I wouldn't put it past her. Especially after she gave me the all clear to ask you out." "She didn't!" Nat said, trying to decide whether to blush or be angry. "She did," he nodded. "Not that I wasn't thinking about it already." Out of impulse, Joe picked up Nat's hand and kissed the back of it. Nat pulled the hand back towards her, taking him with her until their lips met in the inevitable conclusion. Strangers in the night, Exchanging glances, Wondering in the night, What were the chances, We'd be sharing love before the night was through. Something in your eyes was so inviting, Something in your smile was so exciting, Something in my heart told me I must have you. Strangers in the night, Two lonely people we were strangers in the night, Up to the moment when we said our first hello, Little did we know, Love was just a glance a way, A warm embracing dance away. And ever since that night, We've been together, Lovers at first sight, In love forever, It turned out so right, For strangers in the night. Strangers in the night, Exchanging glances, Wondering in the night, What were the chances, We'd be sharing love before the night was through. Ever since that night, We've been together, Lovers at first sight, In love forever, It turned out so right, For strangers in the night. Dooby-dooby-doo, Doo-doo-doo-dah-dah, Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-yah-yah-yah. Intermission couldn't come fast enough for Nick. As soon as Elaine announced that she needed a drink before continuing, he headed straight for the bar, grabbed Nat and dragged her outside. "Nick, wha?" Nat asked. "Just what do you think you were doing back there," he demanded. "What? At the bar?" she said, confused by the abruptness of Nick's accusation. "Yes, at the bar," Nick answered. "I saw the whole disgusting episode." "What disgusting episode? All I did was kiss Joe," Nat replied. Nick didn't answer. He just glared at her. "Now wait just one damn minute," Nat said, getting angry. "You mean that for all that you hopped into bed with Marian Blackwing, and all the times you ran to Janette for a little nookie, I'm not allowed to even _kiss_ a man?" "A man you only met a couple hours ago," Nick reminded her. "A man who Elaine's known and trusted for decades," Nat shot back. "Yeah, decades," Nick seized on the word. "Doesn't that make him a little old for you? "Oh, and eight hundred years isn't? At least Joe was born in the same century," Nat replied. "You know, I am really getting sick of the way you treat me. Half the time you ignore me. You never even try half the treatments I suggest. For a while I thought things were going to get better, but then you went off playing that damn vampire game. If you want a relationship, fine. Otherwise, fuck the hell off!" Nat returned to the bar, doing her best to slam the heavy door behind her. Nick was about to follow, when he felt a hand on his arm. "Don' yah daah go aftah hah," Elaine told him. "Give hah time tah cool off befoah yah do anythin'. Othahwise, she might not fahgive yah this time." "Were you listening in the whole time?" Nick asked his sister. "A'cahse. Ah was plannin' on intahfeahrn', but Natalay did a good enough job on hah own, sah Ah didn' need tah," she answered. "She's right, yah know. Yah do treat hah hahriblay. Make up yah mind, eithah stop ignahrin' hah or le' hah go. Now hurrah up, weh'ah expect'ed back on stage. The second act didn't go any better than the first did, in Nick's opinion. Nat shamelessly flirted with Joe, laughing and touching him at every opportunity. To make matters worse, Elaine kept picking slow love songs to sing, perfect for slow dancing. Some enchanted evening you may see a stranger You may see a stranger across a crowded room And somehow you know, you know even then That somewhere you'll see her again and again Some enchanted evening, someone may be laughing You may hear her laughing across a crowded room And night after night, as strange as it seems The sound of her laughter will sing in your dreams Who can explain it, who can tell you why Fools give you reasons, wise men never try Some enchanted evening, when you find your true love When you feel her call you across a crowded room Then fly to her side and make her your own Or all through your life you may dream all alone Once you have found her, never let her go Once you have found her, never let her go Nat, on the other hand, was thoroughly enjoying herself. Part of her realized what she was doing wasn't fair to Joe, but at the moment, she didn't care. Besides, Joe was a wonderful dancer. Great kisser, too. Good enough Nat was wondering what he would be like in bed. "You're blushing," Joe told her. "I was just ... thinking," she replied. "Something naughty, I hope," he flirted. That made Nat blush even more. "How'd you guess?" "I know the way Elaine thinks," Joe told her. "I figure her granddaughter can't be all that different. Nat suddenly became very uncomfortable. This was getting a little too serious for what she wanted right then. "Joe, I...." "I know," he interrupted. "You're doing this to show off for Nick. I understand. I'd be lying if I said that part of the reason I'm interested in you isn't because you're Elaine's granddaughter. "You're in love with her," Nat realized. She'd more than suspected it before. This just confirmed it. "Yup," Joe acknowledged. "Always have been." "Then why did you set her up with Richie?" she asked. "Have you seen them together? Even before they met, they couldn't take their eyes off each other," he told her. "Besides, the only thing a relationship with Elaine would lead to is my death. Which you should know, being in love with Nick." "So what do we do?" she asked. "Get on with our lives," he answered. "You go back to Toronto and your job and I stay here, Watching and tending bar." "And pretend none of this evening ever happened?" Nat asked. "I never said that," Joe assured her. "But you need to decide if there's a future with Nick first." Nat nodded, realizing he was right. The two left the dance floor, returning to their former places at the bar. The next night, Nick and Nat decided to head back to Toronto. Nick loaded up the Caddie while Elaine and Nat talked. "You get ev'rythin' se'led with Joe?" Elaine asked. "Yeah," Nat nodded. "We're going to wait and see if anything happens." "That's probably fah the best," the blonde agreed. "Ah would like tah see yah 'n' Joe togethah, but Ah don' wan' tah fahce yah intah anythin' that makes yah unhappay." "The car's all packed," Nick interrupted, joining them. "Nat ready?" "I'm ready," Nat said, giving her grandmother a hug. "You take care, you hear." "Don' Ah always," Elaine answered, hugging her back. "Don' le' them wahk yah too hahd." "I won't," Nat promised, then headed for the elevator. "The same goes for you, too," Fleur said, turning to Nick. "Behave yourself and don't pick on Tracy too much." "I won't," Nick promised, kissing her on the cheek. "And ... I'll think about what Elaine said." The two joined Nat in the elevator and they all went down to the garage. Nick and Nat got in the Caddie and drove off. Elaine watched them leave, then returned upstairs. She stayed there just long enough to change into her flying suit and to tell George she was leaving, then she went out onto the balcony and took off. Time to return to her Immortals. THE END Song Listing (in order of appearance) A Fine Romance: written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields. Strangers in the Night: written by Bert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton, and Eddie Snyder. Some Enchanted Evening: written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers for the musical "South Pacific".