THE ELDER - Jarvinia Please send all comments, questions, and suggestions to: jarvinia@gmx.com This story is my first attempt at writing, and is a crossover between Forever Knight and Star Trek the Next Generation. In this universe, Starfleet is aware of the existence of vampires, and has been for almost ten years. DISCLAIMER: The concepts of vampires as used in this story and the characters of Forever Knight are the property of James D. Parriott, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia TriStar Television, and the Sci-Fi Channel, and are used without permission. The concepts and Characters of ST:TNG used in this story are the property of Paramount, and are used without permission. Other characters not part of either series are mine. This is an amateur publication intended solely for the entertainment of its readers. No infringements intended on copyrights, etc. ~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~ The Elder - Part 1/7 Nick stood looking out of the window of his and Natalie's apartment in twenty-fourth century Paris. It was still as beautiful as it was in any other century. The eternal city, the city of lights. He watched as the last stands of the sun's rays danced across the floor, wishing he could stand within them, almost reaching out to feel their touch, but they flickered away before he had the chance. The apartment slowly became dark, and was completely empty of life except for himself. Then he thought grimly, 'Even I am not alive.' "Computer, what is the time," he asked after a long while, not knowing how long he had been standing motionless in the lifeless room, only that it was now full night. "It is 21:40 hours," the computer complied in its steady, monotonous tone. He sighed, if he was going to meet Natalie in time for the shuttle to San Francisco he would have to leave now. She was probably already worried about him as it was. Nick picked up his bag and walked toward the entrance, allowing the door to swish open. He then took one last look at the apartment, making sure nothing was forgotten. He imprinted the view of the city in his mind, not knowing when he would get to return again, if ever. Nick then turned and headed out the door to meet Natalie at the shuttle bay. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Jean-Luc Picard sat in his ready room reviewing the new crew roster. He saw he would be gaining five new crew members while at Earth. Two of the names stood out, a Lieutenant Commander Nicholas Chevalier, and a Doctor Natalie Chevalier. Picard noted they were the same Chevaliers that did a presentation on archeology about a year before in Paris that he and a few others from the Enterprise had attended. He remembered them quite well, but didn't know anything about their Starfleet records. At the time he didn't even know they were in Starfleet. He also noticed several civilians would be coming aboard. As he scanned the list, he noted that one of the officers may not be who they claim. He reread the notice: Vetter, Tracy: A suspected vampire, proceed with caution. Status: Starfleet officer on vacation, will join crew in three days. Action: Discover if she is a threat and integrate or eliminate. Since the discovery made almost ten years before that vampires actually existed, he had never really accepted their presence, been able to be near one without instinctively wishing to flee. He had also never had one among his crew, at least knowingly. In fact very few even joined Starfleet. Most preferred to live in seclusion once they were discovered. They had a better chance of living if they did so. When their existence was proved true, many of them had been killed. Especially those that lived and worked among other mortal beings; either by their own kind, or by hunters, mortals that purposely tried to kill them. They were considered extremely dangerous. Not only were myth and legend against them, but when they were discovered they usually weren't at their best. Then, after several incidents when usually a civilian, sometimes a starfleet officer, and in a couple of cases a nonhuman, would attack a vampire, and in return would get injured or killed, their reputation was taken seriously, too seriously. He had also never entirely agreed with the idea of having to eliminate one, no matter how inhuman one might act. After all, they were at one time human themselves, some only a few years or decades before the present. Also, it's not like they could do anything about what they were. 'Well,' he thought, 'At least it I don't have to confront this immediately. I can wait three days, and just have security keep a close watch on her until then, although I will have to keep my eye out for other strange passengers. Where there's one, there may be many.' "Picard to Riker," he called to the empty room, knowing he had to let others know of this problem immediately. "*Riker here,*" came the disembodied voice of his first officer. "I would like you to come to my ready room. I have something to discus with you. Also, bring Data with you." "*Yes sir, we'll be there shortly.*" A few minutes later Riker and Data entered the room, and immediately knew something was wrong. Picard silently handed Riker the Padd he was looking at, and simply told him, "Read it." He quickly read the file, and with a shocked expression Riker passed the Padd to Data. "We have a problem," Riker stated obviously. "Yes, Will, we do, and it will have to be solved without Worf. He is on vacation for the next several months. Lt. Comdr. Chevalier will be taking over his post on the bridge." "Who?" said Riker not recognizing the name immediately. "He gave the archeology presentation we went to last year, remember?" He still had to think a moment, the name still not hooking itself to a memory, then finally it did. With a look of remembrance and confusion, Riker asked, "I thought he and his wife were civilians. So, he is in Starfleet and is involved in security. Can he be trusted?" The last was asked with a suspicious expression on his face. After all he didn't really know much about the man, and he was taking over a vital post. Picard figured the question might come up, and told them, "You may want to check that out. Data, find out anything you can about the Chevaliers." "Yes sir," he told the Captain, then returned his attention back to the file. "Captain, it says here, the Chevaliers will be coming aboard today at 14:30 hours, are we going to greet them upon their arrival?" questioned Riker. "Yes, of course. I would like us all to meet here at 14:00 hours to compare our information. You are dismissed." *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Nick walked into the shuttle bay and spotted Natalie on the far side of the room by one of the shuttles. As he entered, she looked up and their eyes meet, the worry clearly etched in her eyes. "Nat, I'm sorry I took so long," he said, apologizing and taking her hand in his, knowing he had lost track of time while looking out the window. He had planned on meeting her an hour earlier. "It's okay, and anyway, we still have a little more than ten minutes before the shuttle leaves." In her mind she added, 'The longer, the better.' Nick, noticing Natalie was trembling, and sensing her mental distress though their bond, took her other hand and whispered in her ear, "I know you're nervous, and so am I, but the longer we have permanent ties to Earth, the sooner we will be discovered. You know the only way to achieve this is to live on a starship, a starbase, or some isolated, yet colonized planet. Besides, we have more detailed bios than most of the community, more so than even some of the mortals." Her trembling became almost nonexistent as he finished. Only a slight uncertainty which he felt remained. An uncertainty that was mirrored in his own being. They were fairly detailed, but what would the Enterprise think of their files, parts of which were sparse in their content. She did her best to smile, but failed, and told him, "I know. It's just different when we're going to be permanently living aboard a Starship, instead of just using it to travel to other planets. It feels different, and it makes me afraid." After a moment, she started to shake again, and Nick put his arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. "Yes I know, it makes me afraid too. Come on, let's board or we're not going to make it to San Francisco let alone the Enterprise." His boyish grin caused her to smile as well, knowing she had never been able to resist that charm, then followed him into the shuttle hoping they were doing the right thing. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Lieutenant Data sat at the computer terminal in his quarters reviewing the bios for the Lt. Comdr. and Dr. Chevalier. He discovered that they were both French, and spoke multiple languages, English, French, German, and several other languages that were now extinct. He saw that they were also fluent in several non-Earth languages such as, Klingon, Vulcan, Romulan and Bajoran. Data noted that they were both very proficient at their jobs, and began searching their Starfleet files. He discovered that the Lt. Commander had been cited for valor on many occasions and solved problems faster than his fellow officers. Data observed that he really was not a Lt. Commander, but that he officially had the rank of Captain. He thought that strange. Usually a man would accept such a promotion, but Chevalier seemed not to care what his rank was, and even argued that he did not deserve it, which made even less sense to him. Data then looked over the Doctor's files and noticed that she too had been offered several promotions, and that she also refused them for the same reasons as her husband. Her patients tended to do better than others for an unknown reason, and it was noted that she was professional but compassionate at the same time. Data continued to access the files and thought about what he would tell the Captain. There was something about the information that didn't seem right, and he reviewed it several times. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Nick and Natalie got out of the shuttle and headed toward the exit. Natalie was glad they took the shuttle instead of transporting directly to San Francisco, even if they had to be careful because of the sun. At least they were able to see a great deal of Earth before they left, not knowing when they would get the chance to return. As far as they knew they might never return. They saw that many shops were open, and Natalie saw a blue and gold fabric she liked. After a few minutes, she finally persuaded Nick into getting the fabric for her so she could have a dress made, and he, in return, received a kiss on the cheek and the 'honor' of carrying the purchase for her. Seeing they had spent as much time as they could there, they cautiously headed back into the building, avoiding the sunlight as much as possible, and walked toward one of the transporter rooms, carrying their bags with them. He noticed they might be a little early, but if they had waited much longer it would have been extremely difficult to get back in the building without alerting the others of their nature. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Picard, Riker and Data met, and after the door silently closed, the Captain calmly asked from behind his desk, "What did you find out about them?" "They were both born and raised in France, graduated at the top of their classes, and are very proficient at their jobs. The Lt. Comdr. is thirty-three and his wife is thirty. They enjoy archeology, and translating old books in their free time. They are often called away from their regular jobs to work on these projects. Lt. Comdr. Chevalier is also a diplomat, and the representative from his department," Riker replied, cutting off Data before he could say a word, having also done research on the couple. "How can he be the representative from his department if he is not a commander?" the Captain asked curiously, wanting to know the answer. It was almost unheard of for Starfleet to break their own rules. "Actually, he officially holds the rank of Captain. He continues to work with the rank of Lt. Commander, and refused to accept the promotion. Eventually, Starfleet gave him the rank, and allowed him to continue at his post not allowing him to refuse. Doctor Chevalier has also been offered a higher position and has also refused each time," Data responded with his usual unemotional voice. "He and his wife also speak several languages, fluently. Almost all of the present languages spoken on Earth, plus a few from the past, and most Federation languages are included. Which would explain why they are called away from their posts to do translations, and negotiations," added Riker. 'They both seem to be very well accomplished. Especially for their young age,' Picard thought. Then after several seconds of silence, said aloud, "Is there any other information that I should know about?" "Well," Riker slowly replied, "They are both phototropic, allergic to the sunlight, and have requested that their quarters be windowless." "That's fine, although it is a very unusual condition in this time. You would think they would have had it treated. After all it is an easily treatable condition," Picard commented. At the same time, he thought, 'Not that unusual for a Vampire though, what if they . . . no, they do so many things that a vampire would never do, would not have any reason to do. No, they are just a little on the eccentric side.' He mentally shook his head, deciding the notice he received was just making him see vampires everywhere. "From the sound of it they are both quite amazing people. Let's go to the transporter room and see if they are ready to beam up yet." Riker nodded in agreement. Picard exited his ready room with Riker and Data close behind, and they continued to the transporter room to greet the Chevaliers in silence. He wondered what they would be like in person. Facts did little to describe how a person acted, especially on the job. True they had both been cited numerous times for their work, but he always liked to make his own judgments. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. As Picard, Riker and Data entered the transporter room, the officer on duty was contacted by Earth, "*Lieutenant O'Brien?*" Lieutenant Sudor's voice was hesitant, it was his first day. "Yes." "*The Chevaliers were wondering if they could transport up a few minutes early?*" "Sir?" O'Brien asked the Captain, although he already suspected what the answer would be. "Yes, of course, beam them up Sudor," Picard replied, seeing no reason for the couple to wait. The transporter pad hummed to life, and two people in civilian clothing with their belongings slowly shimmered into view. The man was about 6'1" or 6'2", with shoulder length, golden blonde hair which was slightly wavy, a style that was uncommon in this time, yet didn't seem out of place on him at all. It was partially pulled back with an old antique gold filigree clip. He was fairly slender, although looked like he had done much hard work, possibly in his youth. His skin was pale, almost too pale for a human, and his black clothing made it all the more colorless. Starring out of the man's face were the most striking blue eyes Picard had ever seen. They had the presence of being witness to far too much for such a young person. 'He looks exactly as he did a year ago, except his hair is about an inch longer,' Picard thought to himself, then turned his attention to his companion. The woman accompanying him was seven or eight inches shorter than he was, with waist length, curly chestnut brown hair, also partially pulled back, and the same smooth, pale skin and striking eyes. She also appeared unchanged since he saw her at the presentation. Suddenly realizing he had not introduced anyone Picard said, "Welcome to the U.S.S. Enterprise, I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard, this," gesturing to Riker, "is my first officer Commander William Riker, and this," gesturing to Data, "is Lieutenant Data." Picard nodded his head, signaling Chevalier to continue the introductions. After placing the bags on the floor, Nick approached the Captain and held out his hand for the Captain to shake. Then with a slight French accent, introduced himself, "I am Lt. Commander Nicholas Chevalier, and this is my wife," gesturing behind himself and to the left, "Doctor Natalie Chevalier." "Pleased to meet you Captain Picard," Natalie responded, stepping slightly forward and shaking the Captain's hand, her voice also slightly accented. "Yes, would you like to be shown to your quarters now, or after a brief tour of the ship?" Picard asked. "If it would not be a problem, I would like to place these," Nick answered gesturing to the two bags on the ground, "in our quarters before a tour." "That will be fine," Picard responded. "Were you able to meet the requests about our quarters?" Nick questioned uncertainly as he picked up his bags, unsure if they had enough time to fill his request. He had only remembered about it a few hours before while he was still at the apartment. "Yes, we were, Lt. Comdr., and if you will follow me I can show you to your quarters and begin a brief tour," Riker turned toward the door and walked through it with the Chevaliers close behind. "May I go, sir?" asked Data, unsure of what to do, the Captain looking silently down at his own hand. "Yes, of course," Picard replied, his mind focused on the unusualness of the Lt. Commander's handshake. It was very firm, he was definitely confidant, but his skin was so cold, almost clammy, as if the man was suffering from some illness. His wife's hand felt the same way. And then there was the extreme pallor of their skin. He'd never seen anyone so pale, and yet at the same time they looked very healthy, more so than most. 'It must have something to do with this sun allergy, maybe I will ask them about it later,' Picard thought as he left the transporter room and headed toward the bridge, contemplating the unusualness of both their files, and the couple themselves. He definitely wanted to learn more about them, but he would have to wait until the next morning when they came on shift. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. "Lt. Comdr. I hope you find your quarters acceptable," Riker mentioned as he opened the door to the Chevalier's quarters, gesturing for the couple to enter. Looking around Nick replied, "Yes, they are fine, and please, call me Nicholas or Nick, unless, of course we are on duty." Nick said the last with a smile, an archaic French accent, then added an old- fashioned bow. He also took Natalie's bags before she could put them down, and placed them by his, near one of the chairs in the large room. "I will try, and you can call me Will if you wish," replied Riker with a similar bow and a smile forming on his face, planning on joining in on the game. Natalie jabbed Nick in the ribs, causing all the attention to focus on her. "And what shall we call the young lady here? Mademoiselle Chevalier? Mrs. Knight?" he asked, attempting the same accent Nick used, and almost getting it, but not quite. In the process he took her hand and gave her a kiss on the back of it, a smile gracing his features. Natalie tried not to look concerned about the last remark, knowing the attention was centered on her, and at the same time was grateful she could not blush. 'After all,' she thought, 'Chevalier does mean knight in French.' While trying not to laugh or look too concerned at the same time, she decided to intrude on the conversation, "Now boys," both looked at her as is she was crazy, after all, neither of them were boys. "Cut the fun and games, you can call me Natalie, and let's get along with the tour." She suggested with a smile and a tone of mock-seriousness. They then left and began the tour. Riker thought, 'I rather like this couple, they have a sense of humor that is contagious. The Lt. Comdr. even reminds me of myself in some ways.' A smile began to form on his lips, 'I wonder how good they are at poker.' They talked quite a bit while Riker showed them around the ship. All the questions they answered, but with a vagueness that seemed to be practiced. Well practiced. They didn't even seem to try. All of their responses were truthful, but they could be taken several different ways. At the end of the tour Riker took them to Ten- Forward and offered to get them a drink before returning to their quarters. They both politely declined, neither feeling up to digesting anything other than their preferred diet, and Riker left wishing them a good night. After the hall was empty except themselves, they too left for their quarters and a drink. The day had been long and busy, and they had been up several hours longer than usual. Night was a welcome time. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. The next morning, well to most people it was the next morning, to Nick it was the beginning of the night, or at least that's what his body was telling him, he was startled by the insistent call of the computer telling him that someone wished to speak to him. Suddenly, the computer again demanded to be answered, and he wished he didn't have to get up, that this was all a dream. "Chevalier here, what is it?!" he said irritated, not knowing who wanted him, only that he wanted to go back to sleep. He really did not want to get up. "*This is Captain Picard, I was wandering if you could meet me and a few other officers in the observation room at 7:30 hours?*" He hesitated, knowing that he had not responded as he should have, especially to the Captain of a starship, and finally said in a much quieter, more professional voice, "Yes, of course, I will be there, and Captain?" "*Yes?*" "I'm sorry for the way I answered, it's just I'm not use to waking up at this time of the day. I have not quite adjusted to this new schedule yet." "*That's fine, just be in a better mood at the meeting.*" Nick's features relaxed at the Captain's answer, and said, "Yes sir, Chevalier out." As Nick took a shower and got dressed, Natalie came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist asking, "What was that all about?" "I am supposed to go to a meeting at 7:30 hours in the observation room, and to do that I need to finish getting dressed." The last he said as he turned around in her embrace, removing her arms, then gave her a kiss on the forehead. He fixed his uniform, golden in color, putting on the comm. badge, then looked again at Natalie. "And, if I am to arrive on time, I have to leave in a few minutes," Nick again stated as she tried to regain her hold on him. He then gave her another kiss, this time on the lips, and turned to leave. She watched him go, then got ready for her own day of work. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. As Nick arrived in the observation room he noticed that not everyone had arrived yet, even though he was almost late. So far only the Captain and Commander Riker were present, both of whom he had met the day before. He was indicated to sit on the left of Picard, directly across the table from Riker. Just then the doors opened up and Data, Counselor Troi, and Doctor Crusher entered the room, and took their seats at the table. Nick's attention was immediately turned to them. 'Something is different about her,' he thought looking at the brunette. She was different than the others. Picard introduced the two women to Nick, causing him to forget the observation for the moment, and then the meeting began. "Since you, Lt. Comdr.," he said facing Nick, who had finally turned his attention to the Captain, and he continued, "are now in charge of security, I would like you to read this," handing him a Padd, "and tell us what should be done about it." As he read the file, all eyes were trained on him, wanting to see how he would deal with his first assignment, after all this was his first day of duty on the Enterprise. It was the same file Picard had read the previous day with a picture of the young blonde haired woman included. Vetter, Tracy: A suspected vampire, proceed with caution. Status: Starfleet officer on vacation, will join crew in three days. Action: Discover if she is a threat and integrate or eliminate. As he read it his expression changed slightly, but only Counselor Troi noticed its exact meaning. It was an expression of recognition. Recognition and complete disbelief. He reread the name of the person in question, instantly recognizing her from the picture, and wondered how this was possible. The Elder - Part 2/7 "Lt. Comdr.?" questioned Captain Picard when he noticed that Chevalier was just sitting, staring blankly at the object in his hand. A little louder, the Captain tried to again grab his officer's attention, "Lt. Comdr. Chevalier?!" Suddenly realizing he zoned out, Nick tensed slightly, and tried to cover for the look of surprise he knew was plastered on his face. He then slowly responded, "Huh? Oh, sorry captain, it's just I think I've met her before and it's just a bit of a surprise that she is suspected to be a vampire." He did his best to look surprised, and he found it wasn't very hard. He really was surprised, both that she was alive and a vampire. He received a nod in answer, at which his muscles relaxed. "Now, what do you think we should do about the problem?" queried Picard, appearing to accept his explanation. "Well, I think she should be observed to see if she is to prove a danger to the crew, and if not, talk to her about it, and formerly let the cat out of the bag," replied Nick, relieved they ignored his slip up, or at least that's what it seemed like. Data, confused at the archaic phrase, interrupted, "Excuse me, but what does 'let the cat out of the bag' mean?" Riker expecting such a question, responded with a slight smile, "It means to expose, in other words it will go on her bio and it will be the real Tracy Vetter, whoever that might be." Picard agreeing to this idea, told Nick, "Yes, I think that is our best option. Lt. Commander, go and arrange observation to begin." He was glad Chevalier had an idea, he had never had to deal with this before, and was also pleased with the solution. He wasn't going to allow anyone to jump to conclusions. The situation was going to be handled calmly for as long as possible. "Yes sir," replied Nick as he stood up, pushed his chair in, and left the room. "Counselor, what is your impression of Chevalier?" he asked after Nick had left, curious of the feelings she got of him. He had seen a puzzled look on her face more than once while the Lt. Comdr. was present. She looked down slightly, gathering her thoughts, then looked up, "I'm not sure. He seems to be shielding his thoughts from me." "Counselor, how is this possible?" Picard asked. There weren't that many species that she couldn't read, and Chevalier was human. He didn't know if a human could shield their thoughts. "I can't really say. Perhaps he is a partial or complete telepath, but, there is one thing I am certain of. He knows Tracy Vetter, and was genuinely surprised when he saw her picture. If it is because she is alive or that she is a vampire, I can't tell for sure. He is hiding something, something that he is afraid of others knowing, but, I also sense that his intentions are good. He would not put anyone in harms way if he could help it." "How about the rest of you, what do you think of him?" the Captain asked, wanting to gain a better perspective of the man. "Well," responded Riker a bit hesitantly, "He seems to have a good sense of humor, from when I spoke to him earlier, yet, I can see where Troi gets the feeling he is hiding something. When I offered to get him a drink, he politely declined, and while in his company he did not mention anything that would in any way deal with his past, nothing specific, and nothing unusual. Also, when he saw the name, Tracy Vetter, he seemed to space out like he was remembering something." "Yes, he did Number One. I think we should keep a close eye on Chevalier while investigating Lieutenant Vetter. Dismissed." "Captain," Data said in his unique, almost curious tone, one he used when something seemed to be amiss. "Yes Data." "I have noticed that there is little information in either of the Chevalier's bios. Enough to dismiss the idea they are vampires, at least to Starfleet, but there are commonalities in their files that are similar to the files of vampires that have been discovered. Neither have any living relatives, there is no information on their physical appearance before approximately five years ago. Also there is sparse information on schooling, and many normal academy files are missing from their records or are incomplete." "Yes, Data, I know and I have decided to invite them both to dinner to prove to myself they are just a little eccentric," Picard told the android, more for himself than Data, and before standing up said, "dismissed." He then went into his ready room, and asked the computer for, "Tea, Earl Grey, Hot." He needed to think, what was he going to do if Chevalier wasn't just a little eccentric? He was definitely hiding something, but what was it? Was it as he said, or was there more to this man than met the eye? *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. As Nick entered his quarters, he blankly walked toward Nat as she looked at him with a concerned look on her face. She could both see and feel the emotions running through him, and at the same time his confusion. She repeatedly asked him, "What's wrong Nick? Nick?" He did not respond to her pleas, just walked into her embrace. After several moments he began to repeatedly whisper in her ear, in a voice she could barely hear, even with her enhanced senses, "Tracy, she's _alive_ Nat, and she's aboard the Enterprise." "Nick, are you sure it's her?" Natalie asked interrupting his stream of words as they repeated for a fourth time, not completely convinced, knowing that Tracy had died. "Yes, I saw her picture, and it _is_ her, exactly as she was in Toronto," he replied, still fiercely embracing her, while she was rubbing his back, attempting to calm him, and remembering that last night in Toronto almost four hundred years before . . . ~~~~~~~~~~ He was in the morgue, talking to Natalie, when his cell phone rang, commanding him to answer it. He was told that there was a situation at the precinct, some guy with a gun. Nick flew to the precinct as soon as he was clear of mortals' eyes. And after briefly speaking with Captain Reese, Nick slowly entered the precinct's locker room, showing Dawkins that he was unarmed. As soon as Dawkins heard the door open, the gun was aimed at Nick. He identified himself, while again showing that he was unarmed, saying, "Detective Knight." Unaware to the two men, Tracy Vetter, Nick's partner, was also in the locker room, listening and watching the proceedings. Dawkins recognized this man, he had been arrested by him before. He started to move through the locker room, slightly toward Knight, his gun still trained on his target. Dawkins shakily told Knight, his voice almost insane, "You better tell them to get a big body bag, because that's the only way I'm going out of here!" Nick tried to convince Dawkins that he didn't want to harm anyone, that he didn't want to be responsible for it, using only a little of his influence, but gradually using more. Dawkins then placed the gun to his own head, telling the detective, "I'm not going back!" Nick then approached Dawkins a little more and used his hypnotic influence to get him to kneel down and put the gun down. As it was starting to work, Tracy stepped into Dawkins line of sight, and raised her gun. Dawkins saw her, breaking the telepathic link, and yelled "No!" then aiming the gun at Knight, fired. The bullet passed through Nick and into Tracy behind him, causing her to be pushed into the wall from the force of the bullet. As he recovered from the bullet, he turned around and faced Tracy, with eyes glowing and fangs descended, to see a look of disbelief and pain on her features. He turned back to Dawkins, and attempted to grab him, as several more bullets were fired and passed through him. Nick grabbed Dawkins with superhuman strength, pushed him up and threw him violently into the wall, causing him to fall unmoving to the floor. As Nick turned to face Tracy a second time, the look of shock still resting on her face, she slid down the wall, a trail of blood following her form behind her. Nick ran up to her, all traces of the vampire fading from his being. He then began to repeat her name, trying to get her to respond, and immediately called for help. He held her, looking into her eyes, when she suddenly, barely managed to say to Nick, "You could have trusted me." Nick held her as she lost consciousness, and removed his hand from the back of her head. It was covered in her blood, her life force, and her voice echoed in his mind, 'You could have trusted me.' They were the last words she spoke, as she died a few hours later from a gun shot wound to the abdomen and another to the head, and the words continued to echo . . . ~~~~~~~~~~ Nick returned to the present as Natalie started to shake him, he had gone completely still, and she was worried. Suddenly he started murmuring, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault," over and over again. Nick's comm. badge beeped, demanding to be answered. Slowly, after regaining at least some control over his emotions, and it beeping twice again, Nick reached up and tapped the emblem, saying, "Chevalier here," in a much calmer voice than he felt, and was glad when his voice remained relatively even. "*Lt. Comdr. I was wondering if you and your wife would join me for dinner tomorrow night in my quarters?*" the Captain asked. "Uh," uncertain of what to say, caught completely off guard by the question, expecting it to be related to his duties, and after a pause he continued, "Just a minute, let me ask Natalie." He said this stalling for time, knowing he couldn't just say yes, when suddenly he got an idea. "I'm sorry she's sleeping right now, I will wake her and ask, then contact you in a few minutes with our answer." "*Good, Picard out.*" "I think he may be getting suspicious of us," Natalie said lowering her voice, even though she had no reason to. "Yes, and if we don't accept he'll get even more suspicious. Do you think you can eat a little bit of food tomorrow night?" "I think I can manage," responded Natalie, knowing he was absolutely right. Her voice didn't seem to be entirely certain, but then what choice did they have? "Chevalier to Picard." "*Picard here.*" "We can join you for dinner tomorrow night. At what time would you like us to be there and should we be in our uniforms or in casual dress?" "*At 19:00 hours, and casual dress please, this isn't formal.*" "Is that all sir?" "*Yes, and remember we will discuss our surveillance of Lieutenant Vetter some more tomorrow morning.*" "Yes sir." Nick then looked at Natalie, knowing she probably wasn't all that thrilled with the idea of having to eat normal food. Neither was he, but at least it might get rid of the Captain's suspicion. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. The next day when Nick reported to the bridge for duty, he was told he would have to go through a medical exam sometime in the next few days. He groaned at the idea, not because it was something he merely considered unnecessary, proclaiming he could take care of himself, but because if they scanned them, his and Nat's secrets could easily be revealed. After all, how would he be able to explain that his body temperature was about fifteen degrees below normal, and that his other life signs were all too low to support life. They would immediately know what they were. During his half hour 'lunch break' Nick decided to do a little exploring of the ship as he had no need to eat, and also decided it would be a good time to think. Little did he know, someone was sent to watch his every movement, and watch they did. As he was walking down the hall, suddenly he felt a tingle of sensation, similar to what he felt when Natalie was near, but slightly more distant. Someone he had never felt before, but was linked to him in some way. Then he turned the corner and _she_ was there. Nick noticed she had not changed at all in the last four hundred years. She was still 5'9", with shoulder length, light blonde hair that curled slightly under at the ends, her bangs resting lightly on her forehead. Tracy first felt the tingle telling another vampire was near, and the face before her was the last person she expected to run into. His hair was different, longer, the top half pulled back, and in some ways it looked more natural on him than how he used to wear it. But everything else was the same, the way he stood, and the clear slightly haunted blue eyes that studied her as hers studied him. They both stared at each other, not understanding how the other could possibly be alive. Suddenly as recognition finally sat in for Tracy, her expression turned to one of anger and hatred. The last memories of her mortal life returned to her with a suddenness which startled her back into reality. She stepped forward and slapped Nick as hard as she possibly could across his face. Nick didn't react, although he was much faster and stronger than she was, and could have easily deflected the blow. He felt that she at least deserved to hit him, for his betrayal of trust to her. She had keep Vachon's secret even after his death and she would have done the same for him, it might have even prevented her 'death.' She was right, he could have trusted her, and should have. However, the number of times he had trusted mortals with his existence, was just a little larger than the number that had betrayed that trust. So as a result, he found it very hard to trust them. She deserved to kill him for what he had done to her, in some ways he was no better than those that had tried to kill him in the past because of what he was. She watched as emotions of guilt washed across his down turned face, then they finally became ones of acceptance, acceptance of a punishment, she realized. After she discovered he was a vampire, she had found out as much information about him from the community as she could. From the sparse information she was told, she figured out that he wanted to become mortal again, that he drank cows' blood instead of human, and that he believed he was a monster, unfit to exist among humans. From what she understood, supposedly he had asked his master to kill him less than an hour after she had 'died,' only moments after he killed Natalie Lambert. She was not able to discover who Nick's master was, or what his true age or name was, although she figured he was probably close to Vachon's age. When she had asked, the others had gotten very nervous, insisting it would be better if she didn't know, as if something frightened them. Tracy knew she could not let her actions confirm his belief that he was a monster, after all, she knew he wasn't, and walked up to him and put her and on his shoulder. He flinched at her touch and she cursed herself for it, knowing that with a vampire's photographic memory, her untimely death was still fresh in his mind and that he must be blaming himself for what happened. After all, it was still fresh in her mind and she was mortal then, and mortal memories weren't as sharp. She moved closer to him, merely a foot away so that she could look up into his face, and when their eyes meet, he suddenly looked away and backed up a step or two. Deciding that they weren't getting anywhere, she hesitantly said his name, "Nick?" Suddenly out of the corner of his eye he saw movement with his enhanced vision, someone trying to be unseen. 'I wonder how long they've been there. Someone must have been sent to watch me,' he thought. He knew they had to continue the conversation later, and they would, but not now, not with an observer. He started to walk away, and as he passed her, he whispered so quietly that no mortal ears could hear, "We are being watched, be in Ten-Forward at 23:00 hours." Then as suddenly as they met, he was gone. Tracy, looked around, and neither seeing nor feeling anyone, mortal or vampire, headed back to her quarters, her new discovery still unbelievable in her mind. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. When Nick returned to the bridge, he was told that he, Riker, and Counselor Troi, were to have a meeting to discus how the observation of Vetter was to proceed, something he didn't really want to do, but had no choice. As he joined them, he could tell Riker was tense, and the two mortals' heartbeats had sped up, they were getting more suspicious, he could tell. Little did he know that Troi was half Betazoid, and able to sense the emotions that he rarely gave off, able to sense the same tenseness in him. He only knew that she seemed different, nothing more, and passed it off quickly. He sat down and waited expectantly for someone to speak. Instead of asking how to proceed, Troi asked an unexpected question which caught him completely off guard, "Lt. Comdr., how is it that you know Lt. Tracy Vetter?" Nick was sure that his complextion became a little paler at her words, his muscles tensing automatically. They knew he knew Tracy. The question was, how much did they know? Did they already know what he was, exactly what he was, or did they just find out that he knew her? He decided the best thing to do would be to tell them as much truth as he can, but avoid specifics, so he told them, his response only a couple of seconds after the question, "We used to work together when I lived on Earth." Riker then asked the next question, "How well do you know her, and where did you work?" "I know her better than most, but I can't say I know her well." 'And I was her partner,' he added to himself. Then realizing he didn't finish answering the question, continued, "I met her while working in security." "Do you think she would harm anyone?" the Counselor asked, emphasizing the word harm. He thought about it, and remembered that when they met briefly in the hall she had every right to kill him, yet did virtually nothing to him, and remembered how she was as a mortal. Truthfully he answered, "No, I don't think she would." "So, in other words," commented Riker, "you are sure she is no danger to the rest of the ship." "Yes, I'm sure," Nick stated in a firm voice that told all it was the truth. Riker shook his head in concurrence, and told Nick, "Now, we need to get her to agree to meet with us. Can you do that Chevalier?" "Yes." "Good. Can you meet with her and arrange a meeting for sometime tomorrow?" "Yes, I will talk to her about it tonight." The Commander nodded, approving his actions, then said, "Remember, I, Counselor Troi, and the Captain will be present and you will need to notify one of us ahead of time. You are dismissed." Nick stood up and headed to the tactical post on the bridge, glad that either they didn't know what he was yet, or they hadn't mentioned it, he figured it was probably the first. Nevertheless, his concerns were growing, discovery would be a problem, especially with the discovery of Tracy already made. When Riker was sure no one could hear their conversation, he turned to Troi and asked, "Was he telling the truth?" "Yes, I believe he was, although he used extremely vague responses. He is doing this to hide something. He is also afraid of something, what I'm not sure. It is very hard for me read his mind, it is different." As Troi finished speaking, the door opened and a young ensign came in, he was the one sent to watch Lt. Comdr. Chevalier. "Your report, Mr. Shelton." Nathaniel Shelton nervously approached the Commander and replied, "You wanted me to watch Chevalier?" At this Riker nodded, then Shelton continued, "Well, not that long ago I saw Chevalier and Vetter together." "Do they seem to know each other, what did they say to each other?" Riker asked slightly impatiently which just made the young man more nervous than he already was. Chevalier had already kept his knowledge of the young woman to himself, and now it seems as though he had also kept their meeting each other one as well. "They know each other, I definitely saw recognition on their faces, and well, they didn't really say anything." "Well, describe what you saw then," getting more impatient by the minute. He was tired of asking questions and getting no answers, only more questions. "They ran into each other, and when she recognized him she got angry and hit him, and he just stood there with his head down. Then, after a few minutes, she suddenly tried to comfort him, as if she just realized she had hurt him, and hesitantly said his name. After that it seemed as though he saw or heard something, maybe he spotted me, I don't know, but he suddenly walked away. I think he might have whispered something to her, but I didn't hear anything." Riker then told the ensign, "Thank you, Ensign Shelton, return to your regular duty, do not mention this to anyone, and cease your observation of Chevalier." "Yes sir," responded Shelton, promptly leaving the room happy that he isn't under as much pressure, and glad he no longer had to follow Chevalier, something about him was frightening, what, he couldn't tell. Troi stood up, mentioning to Riker, "I am going to share this with the Captain," and left for the bridge. When she saw that only Data, and Chevalier were on the bridge, she headed for his ready room, unaware that Chevalier had sensed her approach. Picard was in his office reviewing a report and drinking a cup of tea when the arrival of a visitor interrupted him. He called out, "Come," expecting a report on Vetter and Chevalier. When Counselor Troi entered he knew he would not be disappointed. After she sat at the Captain's desk, she waited for him to speak. "Counselor, is this about Chevalier and Vetter?" the Captain asked. She nodded. "I think Vetter and Chevalier know, or used to know each other very well. Chevalier is being vague when answering anything about his past, keeping something hidden in the process. He is going to speak with her to set up a meeting with us for tomorrow," as she told the Captain he began to shake his head. "Well done, I expect you, Riker, and Chevalier will be at this meeting, along with Data and Doctor Crusher?" "Of course," Troi Replied getting up and walking toward the door, the only sound being the swish of the door and the sound of a cup being placed in its saucer. The Elder - Part 3/7 For the remainder of his shift Nick thought about how he was going to get through the next twenty-four hours. He had to have dinner with Picard, something that with his vampire physiology was going to be difficult, or uncomfortable at the least. Tracy needed to be convinced not only to come to a meeting tomorrow with the Enterprise's senior officers concerning what she was, but to also forgive him for what he had done and to not reveal his secret. Then, they had to go through the meeting and not make any mistakes. One of the problems was if they found Tracy's file on her original life they'll find a file on him and Natalie as well, and that would make the situation that much more difficult. They would no longer have just one vampire to investigate, they'd have three. When his shift was over, he headed to his quarters to get ready for dinner. As he approached, he felt the tingle that told him Natalie was on the other side of the door, already returned from her daily duties in sickbay. He entered to find Natalie almost ready, all she had to do was her hair. She had put on a long navy blue dress that had slits up the sides and was sleeveless. The dress wasn't really dressy, although the style was. "Nat, I'll be ready in just a minute," he called as he passed her, heading off to get ready himself. A couple minutes later he emerged with black pants, and a long sleeved, blue mandarin-collared shirt, a slightly brighter blue than that of Natalie's dress, but still dark, with invisible buttons up the front. As he approached her, he asked, "Are you sure you're going to be able to handle eating regular food?" "I'll manage, and anyway I think it might be you that will have the most trouble keeping it down, you've been a vampire much longer than I have," she commented. He smiled at her. "Perhaps, but I've had more time to get used to its nauseating effects," Nick responded, eliciting a groan from Natalie, when she realized he was probably right. "Come on, let's get going so we're not late to dinner." They left their quarters, arms entwined, and headed toward the Captain's. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Picard lit the candles on the table, then walked over to one of the stuffed chairs and sat awaiting his guests. About a minute later, the door chimed telling him they had arrived. Instead of calling out, 'Come,' to the computer, he walked to the door and manually opened it by passing his hand over the sensor panel. The couple was revealed, their clothing enhancing their eyes, making them more entrancing than they already were. As he saw the Chevaliers, he welcomed them, "Thank you for coming to dinner, Lt. Comdr. and Dr. Chevalier." "The pleasure is all ours, and please call me Nick or Nicholas. It would feel strange to use our rank to address each other in an informal dinner setting." "Yes, and please, call me Natalie," she added. "Of course. Now if you will sit down, we may begin dinner," Picard suggested as he gestured toward the table. Natalie and Nick took their seats at the round table. It was set for three, with each person sitting at an equal distance from the others. On the table there were four candles, one taller candle in the center, with three around it placed between the table settings. Picard told them that the main dish was called cassoulet, a casserole of beans, sausage, poultry, and pork. They slowly began, Nick and Natalie both being very careful about how fast they ate, not wanting an unexpected wave of nausea. After about five minutes, Picard decided to start the conversation by asking, "So, you're French, where did you grow up?" even though he already knew the answer from reading their files. Nick, recalling the details of their present personas almost instantly, responded, "I was born in Lyon, and Natalie was born in Marseille. When I was ten, my mother died, which meant I had to go live with her sister in Marseille, since my father died when I was a baby, and that's where I met Natalie seven years later." "I am also from France, my brother owns a vineyard there," Picard commented, "I wish I could visit more often." "Yes, I almost wish I had not left," Nick mentioned, slightly distracted, noticing Natalie was having some trouble eating and it was adding a touch of green to her complextion, something he hoped the Captain would not notice in the dim lighting. "I saw your presentation on archeology last year, and am fascinated by your knowledge on the subject. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to discuss some finds with you sometime." When he asked the question, Nick knew he truly was interested, and recalled catching a glimpse of the Captain after the presentation, although they hadn't actually met. "That would be fine, Captain," Nick replied, pleased that he had found someone to discuss archeology with. A smile came to Natalie's face at his response, aware of his fondness for the subject. "I also heard that you are fluent in several languages. How did you learn so many languages, so well? I am sure that it must overwhelm you at times," Picard asked, genuinely curious as to the answer. Nick knew it was an unusual ability, but it would be hard to explain if he suddenly said something in old French, or Latin. Very hard to explain. So he told the Captain what he had been telling everyone that didn't know what he was for the past couple of hundred years. It was something most seemed to accept easily, and he began, "I started learning them when I was very young. By the time I was eight I could fluently speak French, English, German, Latin, and Italian. After that I started to learn other languages such as Vulcan, and a few of the Oriental languages. And yes, sometimes it does overwhelm me. Sometimes I start thinking in French and forget that I want to say it in English, or sometimes I will suddenly switch languages for a few seconds." Picard noticing Natalie has eaten very little, had not spoken at all during the meal, and looked as if she was getting sick, asked her, concerned, "Doctor Chevalier, are you all right?" "I think so," she paused, realizing she couldn't lie her way out of this situation, and if how she felt was any indication on how she looked, she knew she couldn't look all that great. "No, not really, I shouldn't have come. I wasn't feeling very well earlier, and my body is still adjusting to turning my schedule completely upside down, so I'm not very hungry at the moment. I'll be fine later, I just need a little rest," Natalie replied trying not to sound as sick as she felt, and doing a fairly good job at it. Nick, taking this opportunity to end the night's activities, told Picard, "I think I should take her back to our quarters. I'm sorry we had to cut the evening short, but Natalie needs her rest." "Yes of course. Remember to ask about the meeting, and tell me as soon as you can." "Yes sir," Nick responded as he led Natalie out of Picard's quarters. The Captain wondering why Natalie looked fine at the beginning of dinner, yet had clearly gotten sick after eating only a little bit of dinner. Even Nick didn't eat a whole lot of his dinner, and was slightly paler when he left than when he came in, at least he didn't look like he was sick, not quite. He decided he would go along with the Lt. Comdr.'s explanation for now, even though he had a feeling something was amiss. As Nick and Natalie entered their quarters, Nick asked, "Will you be okay if I go and talk to Tracy?" "Yeah, go ahead, I just need to let this settle a little." She managed a wan smile, then she started to feel the nausea rising slightly, and the smile almost completely disappeared. "See you later tonight," Nick replied as he left the room, and headed in the direction of Tracy's quarters, Natalie nodding in return. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Tracy was getting ready to meet Nick in Ten-Forward, when suddenly she heard a chime from the door. As she approached the door she said, "Yes," then as the door opened, she saw Nick and stopped in mid-stride. She was completely unprepared to see him. 'Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to change plans suddenly,' he thought as she stared at him with her mouth agape. After standing in the same spot for almost two minutes and two people had walked by, Nick asked, slightly embarrassed, "Uh, Tracy? Do you mind if I come in, or do you want everyone to wonder why I'm standing out here while the door is open?" When he didn't get a response, he suggested, "If you don't want to talk here we can go somewhere more public." Suddenly, she snapped out of her reverie, and realizing he was just standing out in the middle of the hallway, told him, "No, that's all right. Please, come in and sit down." Her senses told her that he was very old, much older than herself, and older than any vampire she'd met in the last couple of hundred years, but decided to ask him about that later. Right now she wanted to know why someone was watching either herself, Nick, or both of them. Then she suddenly realized, 'I don't even know what he's calling himself. I could've blown his cover earlier.' "So, what should I call you? I'm pretty sure it isn't still Nick Knight." "Well, not exactly but it's very close, it still means knight. Right now I'm going by Nicholas Chevalier and I have the rank of Lieutenant Commander. One thing I don't understand is how you survived." As he spoke, his expression lost its smile, and changed to puzzlement. She looked at him, and decided she would have to explain what she knew, although she wasn't sure if it was right or not. "I've thought about it a lot myself and have an idea. When I was shot, the bullets had already passed through you and taking with them some of your blood. I had lost a lot of blood from the bullet wounds, and it just happened that one of the bullets was lodged in my stomach, where your vampire blood was then absorbed. I believe these events caused me to be accidentally brought across. What do you think of my theory?" she asked, concerned that it made no sense to him. Nick contemplated this for a few seconds then said, "I think that could very well have been what happened. I can tell by our link that my blood flows within you, but not as strongly as it does in Natalie." Her eyes lit up at this news, "Natalie is alive! I thought she had died, but that doesn't really matter though does it? I thought you were dead as well!" Tracy felt happier now than she had for a long time. She then remembered Nick's comment earlier in the day, someone was watching them. "Nick, earlier you said we were being watched, what did you mean?" Knowing this would come up sometime or another in their conversation he responded, "Exactly that. You are suspected of being a vampire, Tracy. They know what you are, and I think a few may be suspicious of me as well. They want to meet with you tomorrow, and put it on your official record." "What if the Elder considers me a danger to the community for being discovered?" Tracy worriedly asks, terrified of what he might do to her. She remembered the incidences several years before where those that were discovered would be hunted down and killed by order of the Elder. She'd even heard of a few more recent ones. Ever since the discovery of their existence, the Elder, the oldest vampire had ruled them and kept order within the Community, and he was feared by almost every vampire. He knew she had reason to be scared, but he also knew she had nothing to fear, "Tracy, don't worry, he won't, but could I ask you to not reveal to them that I am also a vampire? And if you are going to put a file together that won't cause them to suspect me, then you can't use your true identity." "Why? Oh yeah, because you were my partner, and that would certainly show up. And yes, I will keep your secret. I'll use my second or third persona. How about 9:00 hours for the meeting?" she asked, completely forgetting her fear, taking his word without question. "That's fine, now all we have to do is figure out how we know each other. They know that I was working in security when I met you so it has to relate to that." "You're in security right now, correct?" In response Nick nodded his head in confirmation. Tracy then continued, "Let's say four years ago, you met me while you were on loan to London, and saw me at the security building. Then you found we were both very interested in law enforcement and, um . . . and . . ." Tracy ran out of ideas, so Nick took up the planning of their scheme. "And previous Earth cultures. We spent several hours every day, for a few months discussing and arguing about different events in history. You taught me how to read and speak some of the older languages. When I and Natalie had to return to Paris, we kept in touch with you for about three years. Then, a little less than a year ago, I got a message from your employer informing me that you had been killed on duty." Nick paused, letting all that he had said sink in, then asked, "How do you think that will do?" She nodded, and told him, "That's good, now, just remember tomorrow, don't stray too much and don't be very specific . . ." Nick cut her off saying, "Yeah, I know, I know. I've been doing this longer than you, remember?" He gave her a slight smile and stood up. "Yeah, I guess you're right, see you tomorrow at nine o'clock," Tracy said as Nick moved toward the door. She was slightly embarrassed, forgetting that he was older than she was, and obviously had more experience than she had. "Nick, should I wear my uniform to the meeting?" she asked, her nervousness starting to show again. "You probably should, after all it is a formal meeting, and everyone else in the room will be in their uniforms. Good night, Trace," he said as he left her quarters. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. The next morning Nick reported to the bridge as he did the day before, and went strait to the Captain's ready room. As he entered, Picard looked at him expectantly. "Captain, I have arranged the meeting for 9:00 hours this morning," Nick stated, then waited for the Captain's response. "Very well. You will escort Lieutenant Vetter to the meeting, and will be excused of your duties starting at 8:45. Understood?" Picard asked making sure his directions were followed to the letter. "Yes sir," answered Chevalier. "Good, you may now return to your duty." At Picard's dismissal, Nick turned and headed back to the bridge. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. After picking Tracy up at her quarters, they continued to the observation room. The two of them arrived a couple of minutes early, and both could sense the slightly elevated heartbeats of the mortals in the room, but then that was to be expected. As everyone seated themselves around the table, Tracy at one end, the Captain at the other, the meeting commenced. "Lieutenant Tracy Vetter, are you aware as to the nature of this meeting?" Picard asked. "Yes, I am," she responded confidently. "Will you tell the truth about your identity, or do we have to tell it for you?" the Captain questioned, hoping she would chose the first suggestion. "Yes, as you are aware of, I am a vampire, my true name is Tracy Vachon," Tracy replied, the nervousness showing as she spoke. Troi could tell she was lying but did not show her concern. She also noticed that Tracy's mind was similar to that of Nick's, except hers was more open, more inexperienced at coping with this kind of situation, and also not as powerful as Nick's, her nervousness clearly evident. She didn't know if Nick was a vampire or not, she could not feel the power of age emanating from him, but he was shielding his mind. Most of the time Vetter would give off completely clear thoughts and she could always sense her. In contrast, she had rarely felt anything more from Nick than a slight indication of his presence, and many times she couldn't sense him at all, it was as if he wasn't even there, even more so now than when she first met him. At least then she could tell if he was lying or not, now she couldn't even tell he was there. Each question led to the next. Tracy was asked, 'Where did you grow up,' 'Where did you go to school,' and other questions relating to where she lived and what she did throughout her original life. Each question was more difficult for her to answer, the details hard to remember, and many she had to make up at to least a certain degree, after all, most of them never existed in the first place. Then after about an hour and a half the questions started to get harder to answer without giving the truth away. Suddenly, Troi asked her, "Did you know about vampires before you were brought across or did you find out afterwards?" and that caught her slightly off guard. Tracy looked to Nick asking with her eyes what to do, and when he nodded slightly to her, she automatically knew, he wanted her to tell the truth. Troi and Picard did not miss this exchange but let everything go as it was, they would discuss it later. So that's what she did. "Actually I found out about a year before I was brought across." Tracy then continued to tell everyone how she was investigating a plane crash and how she had startled one of the undead. She mentioned how she was held against her will and discovered to be a resistor, all the way through to her partner being made to forget seeing a vampire. But, of course, she didn't give the real identification of her partner, or the vampire that she met, that would make the present situation impossible to deal with, at least for her. When they asked her how she was brought across, and by whom, she got really nervous, that was something she definitely could not answer, and told them, "Could we take a five minute break or something? I'm getting a little tired out from all of these questions." Before the Captain could reply the door chimed, announcing a visitor, he reluctantly said, "Come," and then Natalie entered the room. "Yes, a five minute break might be a good idea. I guess you three," Picard suggested, knowing everyone needed it, and gesturing to Tracy, Nick, and Natalie, continued the sentence, "could stay in here and talk. I'm sure you have a lot to catch up on." 'Anyway,' he thought, 'This would be a good time to decide upon the validity of this woman's words.' As soon as Picard entered the bridge, the yellow alert immediately sounded, and one of the Lieutenants on duty indicated that a ship was coming toward them, fast. The ship was clearly federation, but it had no identifying markings. It had not yet made any move, friendly or otherwise, and Picard commanded, "Data, try to contact that ship. Tell them we don't mean them any harm." "Captain, I am getting only a written message. It says, 'You have a dangerous creature on board your ship. We are here to cause it pain, unfortunately less than that which it has inflicted on others, and then cause it more pain before it dies.'" Data responded, confused. "What does it mean? Data, ask them what they want," the Captain said becoming concerned, knowing they were possibly talking about Tracy. Suddenly the red alert sounded and Data told everyone, "There are intruders in the observation room." Everyone immediately left the bridge except Data, and the other younger officers. When they entered the room where they had left Nick, Natalie and Tracy, they were greeted with an unexpected sight. The intruders had tranquilizer guns, and just as Picard and his bridge crew came in, shot the three that had remained to talk. Tracy and Natalie immediately collapsed to the ground, while Nick was left standing slightly dazed, pulling the dart out of his shoulder. He was shot by another dart to incapacitate him further, and it took affect instantly. As Tracy and Natalie were transported along with most of the unknown men, the leader walked up to Picard and gave him a Padd. "Give this to him," the man said gesturing to Nick, now laying sprawled out on the floor, "Tell him the only way to access it is to type in his full name, and then his father's full name. If you attempt to follow us, we will kill the two females now." The leader, a dark-haired man, then stepped back and he and the rest of his colleagues were taken away from view by a transporter beam. Everyone except Dr. Crusher and Counselor Troi went back to the bridge incase anything were to turn up, even though they suspected the ship was already gone. Beverly took her tri-corder out and scanned Nick. Confusion crossed her features, then she scanned him again wanting to be sure what it was telling her was right, before she told anyone else. And sure enough, the readings were right, Tracy Vetter wasn't the only one hiding something about what they were. "He's not human, but these readings, his temperature is rising past human normal. However, his heartbeat is way too slow and weak, not only for a human, but even for a vampire, and he is sweating profusely. I've got to get him to sickbay," she murmured this quietly, only Troi hearing. As Picard and Riker came back into the room Beverly was calling for assistance. "What's his condition?" asked Picard. "I'm not really sure, his life signs are very erratic, but once I get him to sickbay I'll know more. He also isn't human, he's a vampire," the Doctor stated, not sure what their reaction to that last bit of information was going to be. The Elder - Part 4/7 As the medical team arrived and took Nick to sickbay, Picard asked Troi, "Does this revelation explain why you can't sense Chevalier?" "No Captain, not really," answered Troi, shaking her head slightly in confusion. "What do you mean, not really?" "Most of the time I am able to sense Tracy clearly, however, I have never been able to sense Nick this way, if even at all. I can tell from her responses to the questions that she is a vampire, and from their minds that he is also a vampire. At a guess, I would say Nick is either stronger or older than Tracy. How much more, I'm not sure. I also noticed that Natalie's mind is partially shielded, not as much as Nick's, but much more than Tracy's, and from what I can tell, she is like them as well." After entering sickbay, Picard walked up to Doctor Crusher and asked, "How is he, has his condition improved?" "His life signs are returning to vampire-normal," she answered, turning away from her patient. "He has not regained consciousness yet, and I can't say when he will. He was given an unknown drug. It looks like a variation of curare, but it is more potent, it was designed specifically for vampires. He was also given an extremely large dose of the drug. I gave him something that should counteract the drugs affects, but I don't know how well it's working, I've never treated one of them before, and there is little information on how to treat them." He nodded, understanding how frustrated she must feel. It wasn't often that she came across someone she didn't know how to treat. "Keep me notified of his condition, Doctor," Picard commanded as he headed toward the exit to sickbay. Just as he was walking through the door, Doctor Crusher announced, "He is regaining consciousness, you might want to stay." Nick was aware of others in the room, talking distantly. Slowly he was able to hear their words, and then he knew he was in sickbay. He moved his head slightly, then his eyes fluttered for a few seconds, his senses returning to him swiftly. When he fully opened his eyes, golden from hunger, pain enveloped him, and he had to close them quickly. Doctor Crusher noticed his reaction and had the lights lowered. She then tried to speak to him, "Nicholas, can you hear me?" Nick, struggling to maintain control of his hunger, which was more evident than usual, 'It must have something to do with whatever I was shot with,' waiting for his body to stop aching all over, and wanting to know what had happened, replied, "Yes, I can. What happened?" "You, Tracy, and Natalie were shot with tranquilizers, and then they were kidnapped," the Doctor replied, saying all she knew, all anyone knew. Nick reached out with his senses and was concerned, he could not feel either of them. They were possibly still unconscious, and as he sat up, the intoxicating feeling from the drug still lingering, he asked no one in particular, "Where are they?" Beverly approached Nick, planning on getting him to lie down before answering him. Suddenly, Nick got a whiff of the scent of her blood, and his hunger flared, threatening to take complete control of his actions. He pleaded pulling back from her, "Please! Don't get any closer!" As he said this, his eyes changed from gold to crimson, his fangs descended and his voice took on a feral quality. The Doctor, realizing her predicament, stopped dead in her tracks. "Nicholas, are you hungry? Do you need blood?" she nervously questioned, suspecting he did, remembering what little information she knew on vampires, what little was available. He turned his head away and closing his eyes, trying to get as far away from the smell of her blood, and of those around her, as he possibly could. The sweet smell called to him, his senses filling with the vampire, begging to have a taste of the sweet nectar that kept him alive, and barely being held back. After doing his best to banish his thoughts he softly answered, almost too soft for her to hear, "Yes." Heading toward the replicator, Dr. Crusher got a large cup of synthesized human blood, knowing that it would help, just not how much. When she turned around, she saw that her patient was no longer laying down, but standing, leaning heavily on the bio-bed, with his head bowed slightly down. This caused her to pause for a few seconds before resuming her approach to him. No one else in the room had moved, all fearful of what would happen if they did. As she got within two meters of him, he raised his gaze to her. His eyes, now so crimson they didn't even look like a vampire's anymore, containing a hunger that would not be satisfied, caused a sharp intake of breath from Beverly and Picard. She was terrified and he knew it. As she was about ready to hand the blood to him, he commanded in the vampire's voice, "Put it down and back away. Now!" She did as she was told, almost dazed by his words. As soon as he had the container in his hands he flew backwards, away from everyone in the room. Half slamming his body into the wall, he greedily drank, finishing it in only a few seconds. Then Nick back leaned against the wall, eyes again returning to a golden color before they closed blocking out some of the confusion. While he started to sink down to the floor, still under the influence of the curare and his hunger, Picard and Dr. Crusher moved toward him. This time, no attempt was made to stop them. "Nicholas, is that better? Do you need more?" she asked, scared and concerned at the same time as she kneeled about a meter in front of him. With his hunger still craving blood, he opened his eyes revealing their bright gold color with a few flecks of red. He then raggedly responded, "Yes, please, more." Doctor Crusher again went to the replicator and returned with another container of synthesized blood. This time when she tried to give it to him, he took it carefully from her hands from his spot on the floor. He slowly sipped from the container, keeping his eyes downcast. Beverly scanned him with her tri-corder, receiving no resistance, and noted his life signs were almost vampire-normal. The slight abnormalities left, she contributed to his hunger, and the drug that was still in his system. She was amazed at his amount of control, a control she knew that many of them didn't possess. She had heard of what typically occurred when a vampire was starving and put into a situation similar to this, and she had no wish to be involved in that kind of situation. At least one person was always injured or killed before they were able to gain control. Usually the doctor that was trying to help, not knowing when they should listen to the patient, only knowing what they needed and wanting to give it to them. They would get too close by accident, and it would push the vampire's control over the edge where none existed. Picard decided to see if he could move the conversation into a more private location, noticing that all eyes in the room were still on them, and asked, "Nicholas, how about we move into Doctor Crusher's office?" "Sure," Nick said hesitantly and still slightly dazed, his eyes now a bluish gold. After a few seconds, he finally continued, "But I'm not sure I can get up. That drug made me really weak." He finished sounding almost embarrassed. In reply, Picard said, "Here," and offered his hand to the vampire. Slowly, Nick extended his right hand toward Picard's, not sure why the Captain was doing this, and with his help, managed to stand up. On unsteady feet Nick slowly made it to the office and sat down taking a large sip of the blood. "Now that I know what you are, will you tell me who Tracy is, and how she became a vampire?" the Captain asked, wishing he were not having this conversation, but knowing he would have to eventually. "First, how did you know Tracy was lying?" Nick asked completely baffled as to the answer. Realizing one of them was going to need to show the other trust, and knowing it will unlikely be Nick because of his vampiric nature, Picard took the initiative. "Counselor Troi is half Betazoid, she can sense people's emotions and tell if someone is lying, but not read their thoughts." "Yeah, that makes sense," answered Nick feeling like he overlooked the obvious, which he did. That's why she seemed slightly different. Then in reply to the Captain's question, "Her real name is the same as it is now, Tracy Vetter. After my previous partner died in a plane bombing, while I was a homicide detective in Toronto, in 1995 going by Nicholas Knight, she was assigned as my partner. She met another vampire that had been in the crash, a Spaniard named Javier Vachon. With his help I was able to keep my secret safe from her until the night she was shot. A man shot me, and since vampires tend to reflect bullets like tissue paper, they passed through me hitting Tracy. Our theory is, the bullets brought some of my blood with them, and because of her acute blood loss, the blood on the bullet that embedded itself in her stomach was absorbed. We think this may have been what caused her to be brought across." "Are you sure it was your blood that brought her across, I mean couldn't it have been another vampire?" Doctor Crusher asked, the theory sounding highly unlikely. "Yes, I'm sure. My blood flows though her. As a result I can feel her more clearly than other vampires." Nick responded. "So, then, who are you, really?" Picard questioned, getting to what he would rather talk about. Nick hesitated slightly, then said, "My real name is Nicholas de Brabant. I was born in 1193, and I am now almost 1,200 years old." Picard, recognizing the name as it belonged to one of the oldest organizations on Earth, asked, "Are you the owner of the de Brabant castle and the de Brabant Foundation?" "Yes, I am, I'm also the Elder or leader of the vampire community. I am presently the oldest vampire," Nick stated. He would probably have to tell them later, so why not get it over with? "What exactly does being the Elder entail?" he asked, never having heard the term before. Nick looked at the man sitting across from him, and the Doctor standing nearby, and explained something that mortals weren't supposed to know, "When our secret was discovered, when we were exposed, the vampire community went wild. We were hunted, most of the older ones died, and my Master took over, my vampiric father, who was then the eldest, and kept order using force. I am now the Elder, although I use other techniques to keep order." He hoped that they would do nothing at least for now, although he had a feeling he would have to explain more later. "Do you know why someone would want to kidnap your wife, and Lt. Vetter?" Nick started to shake his head, and replied, "No. I have no idea why someone would want to do this." He received a nod in return, and Picard placed the Padd given to him earlier on the table, and said, "I was given this by the kidnapers' leader to give to you. I was told the file can only be opened by using your name and your father's name. Would you care to access it?" Reluctantly, Nick took the Padd and punched in: Nicholas de Brabant, Lucien LaCroix. Immediately a message appeared on the Padd: Nicholas de Brabant, Elder of the Vampire Community: I know you know me. I'll say only this: Father like son. Yes, I did that to him, and I'll do it to you as well, but first, wouldn't you like your _children_ back? I'll give one to you. She'll be on Starbase 112. Where on the Starbase you ask? She could be anywhere. Get there before she dies, or, there will no longer be a Starbase 112 to look for her on! Oh, and by the way, if any messages on the Starbase are received that have to do with this threat, it will immediately explode. So don't try to warn them. By the time he got to the second line his face was so white, it wasn't even the color of the undead, but that of the dead. He remembered a similar incident a few year ago, what happened to him, how painful it was, and reached out with his senses once again, this time able to feel pain from Tracy and Natalie. He was using them like they used him and Janette against LaCroix. Janette died in agony before him, helpless to do anything, just so they could get to LaCroix, who eventually died. He had gotten away with Natalie's help, and was given the position of Elder after LaCroix' death. Nick stood up, taking the Padd with him and got a refill of his drink. He returned to where he was sitting and stared blankly at the note. Picard, after waiting for the man sitting across from him, 'No,' he corrected, 'Make that vampire,' to speak, he decided to try to get his attention back. From Nick's complexion, and the expression on his face, he knew something was seriously wrong. "What does it say?" Picard said in a softer tone than he would normally use. Nick simply handed the Padd to him and went for yet another refill of his drink. He had to have something to counteract his growing anger. As he read the note, Picard's face also blanched, but to a more livid color of pale. "We have no choice but to rescue them," Picard said, as he handed it to the doctor. "Yes I know, but it will not be we. It will be only me." As he said this, he took off his comm. badge and the magnetic pins that designated his rank. Picard, puzzled at Nick's reaction, asked, "Chevalier, why won't you let us help?" Nick looked at the Captain, and explained, "Because it will just create problems for you. Anyway, you have no reason to help a creature like me. You should just concentrate on the starbase, and forget about us, that's what anyone else in this situation would do." Nick again turned to leave the office, but this time was physically whirled around to face Picard, the action so unexpected he had no time to prevent the action. "I don't care what you are. You, Tracy, and Natalie are all Starfleet Officers and members of my crew. To me that says a lot. I don't care if you are vampires, I am responsible for your lives no matter what the circumstances. You are also human. You may be a vampire, but underneath you are human, your actions are human, and that's what really matters." Picard crescendoed to the point that Nick almost had to back off, Dr. Crusher now standing up, concerned at the Captain's actions. Counselor Troi entered sickbay as Nick sat back down. Nick sat staring at his hands blankly, with his head bowed down, wondering how the Captain could possibly do this for him, he had absolutely no reason to. Troi, who was now standing outside of the office, made a gesture to Picard, suggesting that he and the doctor should step out of the room for a moment. Once the door swished closed, silencing even the most acute vampires' senses, Troi told the Captain, "His mind is now very open, and he is giving off a lot of emotions. Captain, I could feel his anger from the bridge, he must get it under control if he is to act rationally. He could have turned on you while you were talking to him." She tried to get Picard to realize the situation he had been in, but he just started shaking his head. "No, Counselor. I don't think he would have. He wanted us to stay out of this situation, why, I don't know. But, he didn't want us to get in any trouble for helping him. He sees himself as a monster, something inhuman, a creature that should not be allowed to exist. All I can see is a terribly worried man, drowned in guilt. Nick seems to blame everything on himself, taking responsibility for every action that occurs near him." He told this to Troi hoping she would understand what he said. She looked through the window at the vampire sitting in front of the desk in Dr. Crusher's office. He sat, his hands holding his temples, attempting to ease the war his emotions were fighting. She then looked closer, not just with her eyes, but with her mind, and noticed that he was more human than she had ever heard of a vampire being, more human than some humans. The anger was there, yes, but so were other emotions, other emotions which controlled the anger. "Nicholas?" she asked as she entered the office and approached him. Everyone else stayed away from the room, letting her talk to him alone. Again she called, "Nicholas?" This time he looked up, his eyes a slightly golden color from the emotions running through him. But more noticeable were the red streaks of blood tears that ran down his face. As they made eye contact, he abruptly got up and went to get another container of blood, and then wiped his face with the back of his sleeve before turning around. His eyes still had golden flecks in them, becoming a solid bright gold in less than a minute. This didn't scare her, for she knew it was his growing emotions that caused the change, something that was hard for anyone to control. "Nicholas, tell me what you are feeling," she said after a couple of minutes, hoping she would receive an answer. "Why?" he asked with a confused look. "So that I can help you with those feelings," she replies, hoping she's going in the right direction. "Why should you help me? Many don't even think I have a conscience." As he approached her, he allowed his eyes to take on a scarlet hue, and his fangs appeared, attempting to scare her off. "Do you?" he added, his voice lowering. "Yes, I do," she told him, her voice completely calm. "How can you be so sure?" his eyes narrowed, and continued to intensify in color. "For a couple of reasons. Number one, I can feel your emotions, at least most of them, and they are of a man struggling to gain control, not of his hunger, but of his anger. And secondly, if you didn't have a conscience you wouldn't be drinking from a cup, and I'd most likely be dead, possibly several others as well." All vampiric color drained from his eyes, a clear blue replacing it, and he lowered his face to stare at his closed fists. She was right. If he didn't have a conscience, she and several others would have already been dead by now. He decided he might as well answer her question, if nothing else it would help organize his thoughts. He turned away from her, and told her, his voice quiet, "I feel anger, anger that someone could do this to me or anyone else for that matter." His eyes began to faintly glow again, then he continued. "I am also feeling revenge. After all, he killed my master, my _father_ a little more than five years ago." He got up and started pacing back and forth through the room. When he spoke, he stopped abruptly, and gazed into her eyes. "I didn't know why then, and I still don't know why he wishes to kill the elders of the community. He used me for bait and there was nothing I could do, he gave me so much curare it made me sick, and it took me several weeks to recover. Now he has experience, and a new drug designed specifically for vampires. He probably has several, and now he knows exactly what he's doing. On top of all of that I can feel Tracy and Natalie's pain, and this makes me even more angry. It also makes me scared that I might lose one or both of them because of this, because of him going after me." Just before he ended, his eyes became blue again, and he stood with his head down in the middle of the room. Troi felt all of his emotional barriers collapse, and she took in a quick breath as a result of the strength of his mind. 'No wonder he shuts his mind off from others. His mind is extremely powerful, more so than any Vulcans' or even Betazoids' I have ever felt before,' Troi thought amazingly. She walked up to him and tried to comfort him by placing her arms around him. To her surprise he didn't push her away. Instead, he embraced her and started to cry, something he had never done in front of a mortal for almost four-hundred years, not since he had in front of Natalie. After a few minutes he backed away from her and went to the replicator again, then sat down with his drink, not touching it, merely starring at it. She noticed his eyes again had crimson streaks running down from them, his eyes still crystal clear. He wiped the blood tears from his face as he once again raised his emotional barriers, walling his emotions back up, once again becoming an emotional blank, a solid black wall. A wall with no edges that went on forever. She saw Picard outside and gestured that it would be all right for him to come in. "Nicholas?" When Nick raised his head, the Captain continued, "We will be arriving at Starbase 112 in four hours, twenty minutes." Nick's features brightened slightly, knowing at least one of them would be safe, then he asked, "After we get there, what do you plan on doing to find the bomb?" "We are going to begin a scan of the Starbase, however I think that the bomb will be with either Tracy or Natalie, which means you will probably get there first, right?" suspecting Nick would use his sense of her to find her. "Yeah, I probably will, what do you want me to do with the bomb when I find it?" "Contact either myself or Riker, and take care of whomever you find." Nick nodded in reply, then headed toward the door but was stopped by Picard's voice, "You might want these." He was holding Nick's discarded comm. badge and the pins. Nick took the pins, but did not put them on at that moment, but waited until he was out of the room. Picard watched him leave, a paradox, a vampire who didn't want to hurt anyone, one who didn't want to kill. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Four Hours Later Everyone was assembled on the bridge, the Captain, Troi, and Riker were sitting in their normal seats. Nick was standing back at tactical, impatiently waiting for the time at which he could transport to the Starbase and start the search. The only reason he was even at his post was because he had insisted it, telling the Captain it would give him something to put his mind to. When there was ten minutes left until they were to arrive, Picard sent Chevalier to the transporter room and Dr. Crusher to sickbay, then he too, waited impatiently for when they were in range of the Starbase. A few minutes later when they were in range, Picard signals to the transporter room. "Beam to the Starbase as soon as possible." Seconds later Nick was standing on the station with his eyes closed in concentration. He reached out and found Tracy, then focused on her pain, trying to tell what direction it was coming from. The people around him backed up when he raised his eyes, a mixture of gold and blue. Most knowing full well what he was, and scared to death for that same reason. They all watched as he ran through the mass of people, everyone moving out of his way, then took off at vampire speed as soon as he was free from the crowd. He felt Tracy, and even though their link was not as strong as his and Natalie's, it was amplified from the amount of pain she was experiencing. After ten minutes of flying through corridor after corridor, exposing his secret to all, he finally found her, and as expected, the bomb was also there. "Chevalier to Picard." "*Picard here.*" "I found the bomb, and Tracy. I will stay here until someone arrives to take care of the bomb, and then I will beam back up with Tracy." "*Very well, we'll be waiting. Picard out.*" He then approached the lifeless form of Tracy. She was manacled to the wall by her feet and hands. Several cuts running the length of her arms were bleeding, but were slowing as she lost more and more of her blood. She had lost almost all of her blood and was now a ghostly shade of white, a gray color in actuality. Using the phaser he brought with him, he was able to weaken the titanium enough that he could break them off of her wrists and ankles without more damage being done. He then tried to wake her, knowing she was still alive, slightly shaking her, saying, "Tracy, Tracy wake up!" A few officers from the Enterprise arrived, telling him that he can now transport back to the Enterprise interrupting his attempts to revive her. He beamed up directly to sickbay, and placed her gently on one of the bio-beds. Doctor Crusher was waiting for him along with Picard and Troi. "How is she? Can you tell what is wrong with her?" Beverly asked Nick, as she scanned her. "I can't really tell. She is in so much pain, she can't even regain consciousness. I would guess she was given far more drugs than what I was given, but how much more, in amount or strength, or even if it was the same thing that they gave me, I don't know. She has also lost a lot of blood." Nick answered feeling as if he were not able to do anything. However, he knew one thing, she needed blood, and a lot of it. Doctor Crusher coming to the same conclusion, tried to get blood to her like she would during a regular transfusion. After a minute she noticed something wasn't right, aloud she murmured, "Why isn't this working?" Tracy was accepting the blood, and was slowly beginning to heal, but nothing had changed according to the medical scanner to indicate anything else, and she should have been healing much faster than she was. Turning to Nick she asked, "Do you know?" "Not really, but I think I know what might. I'm going to give her as much of my blood as I can. It will help her heal more quickly than human blood would." The statement didn't really surprise anyone, but his actions did. He allowed his fangs to descend, and bit down on his own wrist, ripping into it. Then after he got the blood flowing, he placed his wrist over Tracy's mouth, allowing the blood to drip down her throat. After about a minute she started to drink from his wrist, eventually sinking her own fangs into it to obtain more blood, and did so until Nick pulled his wrist away, too weak to lose any more. He stumbled away, gaining his balance when he caught a hold of another bio-bed. Dr. Crusher handed him a cup full of blood, and when he was finished she refilled it, then refilled it again, until he was able to support himself, again amazed at his control. Tracy's wounds healed very quickly, and she slowly regained consciousness, but still couldn't move. Her head was pounding from something, and she couldn't remember anything, just blackness. Slowly she began to return to reality, and watched as the images from her former partner's blood rushed through her mind. Then she felt something about him. He was old, probably one of the oldest of their kind. He had been older than Vachon, older by a few hundred years. The crusades, hunting and being hunted. She could feel the power in his blood, and let it wash over her. Then, from the images, she also realized that he was not only one of the oldest, but that he was _the_ Elder, the eldest vampire. Her eyes abruptly opened, and she tried to get her bearings. She could feel him, he was standing right next to her, and she had to get away. Suddenly she sat up, making her head pound even more. She ignored the immense feeling of hunger radiating through her body and focused on her situation. People were pushing her back down, but she had to get away. Again she tried, and this time she was able to break free, and awkwardly flew to the far side of the room, away from everyone present, her attention still wholly focused on the vampire in front of her. Nick, 'No,' she corrected herself, 'the Elder,' approached her, and she began to panic. She had heard what happened to most that met the Elder, they usually ended up dead, dying horrible deaths. All reason left her, and she began to shake violently. He got closer to her, now only a little more than a meter away. In her attempt to keep herself sane she yelled out, "Keep away from me! I don't want to die like the others!" From exhaustion and the effects of the drugs given to her, she collapsed to the ground, her body giving her no other choice. The Elder - Part 5/7 Nick just stood, unmoving. He had never done the things she thought he did. Those were done by his master, LaCroix, when he was the Elder. His mind couldn't comprehend doing what LaCroix did, torturing a vampire for days, using every weakness of their kind, until they eventually died of pain, let alone be able to do it himself. Perhaps he could have at one time, but not now. He knew she had mistaken him for his master, but it still hurt to be compared to him. He was the first to approach her crumpled form. Nick gently picked her up and placed her back on the bio-bed, and watched her as she fell into a deep sleep. Suddenly he was jolted back into the present by an insistent touch and his name being called, "Chevalier!" Finally answering the Captain's voice, he said in a flat emotionless voice, "Yeah, what." Picard was slightly taken back by the golden flecks remaining in Nick's eyes. "Another Padd was left behind at the site the bomb was found at." Picard handed it to Nick. "I didn't open it. I thought you should do that since it again asks for the names, for the password." For the second time that day he entered: Nicholas de Brabant, Lucien LaCroix. He then slowly read the message, not really wanting to, but having no other choice. Well, I see you have averted disaster and were able to rescue the young lady. But, you want Natalie back don't you, Natalie _Lambert_. Don't worry, she's still alive, I'm sure you can sense her. Your next destination is: Earth. I won't tell you where, and it would be unwise for you to contact anyone on Earth. I will send you another message when you arrive. Nick then, as before handed the Padd to Picard so he could read it, his features becoming an unreadable mask. "Picard to Data." From the bridge the response came, "*Data here.*" "Set in a course for Earth, warp eight." "*Yes sir. It will take three days, four hours, seven minutes, and 27 seconds to reach our destination.*" As Picard ended the conversation with Data, Nick approached the nurses taking care of Tracy. He got close, but still stayed back, almost as if his mere presence would cause her more harm. "May I ask why she was so frightened of you?" Picard didn't want to find out he was being lied to more than he already had been. Nick let out a long sigh, "She believes that I am the Elder, which is correct. However, since the identity of the Elder is kept hidden from the majority of the community, she wouldn't know that I am the new Elder. LaCroix, my master and the previous Elder, was known to be extremely cruel, especially to vampires that were young, and many times careless. In other words she thinks I am LaCroix since I am the Elder, and she associates the stories about his cruelness to me." Picard now let out a sigh of his own, "Which means you don't want your status to be revealed, thereby creating a panic, and therefore your correct age." He nodded his head slightly, "Yes. If my true identity were used, other vampires would guess that I am the Elder. And as you can see with Tracy's reaction, many would try to kill me or run away, terrified." Hoping he didn't misjudge Chevalier's character, the Captain told Nick, "For now I will not file anything on your unique existence. Later we will talk about what to do about your identity." With that Picard left sickbay to the bridge, needing to explain to Starfleet what happened on Starbase 112. Nick being relieved that at least for now he would not have to deal with that problem. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Several hours later Troi found Chevalier in sickbay, watching Tracy Vetter as she calmly slept off the drugs. "How is she?" the Counselor asked softly, startling Nick, as he was again lost in the past, and did not hear or feel her approach. He turned to her, and apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in. Could you repeat what you said?" "I asked, how is she?" "She is sleeping. Every now and then she seems to remember something and is restless, but she has been relatively calm otherwise." After he finished, he turned back to Tracy, concern, fear and anger shaping his face. Sensing his turmoil, she asked, "How are you feeling?" Lying, he softly answered, "I'm fine." Knowing the truth, Troi said, "No, you're not, what's wrong?" In response he turned around, his cold blue eyes locking hers in their gaze, and repeated quietly, and firmly, "I'm fine." Troi, through her telepathic abilities heard much more, 'I'm fine! Leave! Now!' It was so strong a message that she recoiled, backing up several feet, while holding her hands to her temples. She had never felt something that powerful from anyone in her entire life. Nick realizing he must have done this to her, caused her this pain, approached her, and put his hand on her shoulder, telling her, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen." He then backed off not wanting to cause her more harm than he already had, turning to head through the door but was stopped at her question. "Wait! Please tell me how you did that. I've never met anyone other than other Betazoids that could enter my mind when I wasn't even remotely using my abilities." Reluctantly, but seeing no other alternative but to walk away, Nick replied, "I don't really know how, it's just something I'm able to do. I've never met another of my kind that has this ability. I've had it since Earth acquired warp drive. Sometimes I forget about it and something like this happens. I didn't mean to do that, and I'm sorry." With that he left sickbay and headed toward the bridge and his neglected post at tactical. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Later that night, Dr. Crusher found Troi sitting in Ten-Forward frowning softly at an untouched chocolate Sunday. "Deanna, is there something wrong?" Beverly asked, concerned for her friend. Looking up from her Sunday, Troi replied with a slight smile, "I'm fine, but I've encountered a mind that is stronger and more complex than anything else I've ever felt, and possibly ever will." She turned back to the sitting chocolate, and gazed at it with a puzzled look. Realizing it must have something to do with a conversation Troi and Chevalier had, she asked, "Is it Chevalier?" "Yes." She paused trying to think how she was going to explain. "His mind is so powerful. He accidentally let his control slip a little too far, and when he did, his presence overwhelmed me. He left feeling guilty for what he did, he added that guilt to the rest he carries around. I can tell he is normally in control, but I think he believes this is just another ability that makes him evil. The emotions I felt from him were overpowering in themselves, even before I felt the rest of his mind. I want to help him, but I'm not sure how." "What exactly happened?" "He seemed overly distracted, and I had asked what was wrong, he told me he was fine. I asked again, knowing he was lying, and he gave me the same verbal answer, but I could feel his thoughts as well, and they were extremely powerful. I think he's telepathic, probably something that he's had all his life, and I think it appeared along with contact of other races. He doesn't know what it is, and he doesn't really know how to control it either." "Why don't you try to talk to him? It will probably help each of you understand the situation, and you might be able to help him," Beverly suggested. "Yes. Perhaps I will speak with him." Troi left in a happier mood and went to sickbay to look for Chevalier, and to check on his friend. The still untouched chocolate Sunday was left behind, and Dr. Crusher gladly ate it for her, as she too thought about this man's unique qualities. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. The Second Day As Troi entered Ten-Forward she saw Nick looking out one of the windows. She had been attempting to talk to him for the past couple days, and he had been avoiding her like the plague, or in his case, like sunlight. She advanced upon him, but he didn't hear or see her, so, when she placed her hand on his shoulder, he jumped slightly, startled at the sudden touch. When he saw Troi, he moved away from her and toward another window. Sensing he was uncomfortable, and feeling he didn't want to think any more about the current situation, she asked him a question to start a conversation and satisfy a little of her curiosity. "Doesn't the stars' light burn you? Isn't that why you asked for quarters without windows?" Slightly surprised, and glad she didn't directly confront him, he answered with a slight smile, "No, it doesn't burn. Although it is slightly painful to my eyes. At least when we get near to them and I am looking strait at them." Turning away from the stars toward Troi, he finished, "The reason I asked for the quarters is for when we are around another planet, where the suns' light would do more than just irritate. And anyway, Natalie is more sensitive to the sun than I am, she is younger." Curious she asked, "How old is Natalie?" "Just a couple years older than Tracy. I met them both while I was a cop in Toronto, in the late twentieth-century." Troi caught him before he could attempt to leave. "Please, let us talk. It can be about anything, but, if I can, I would like to help you." Deciding he had nothing to lose, and for some reason feeling he could trust her, knowing that it wasn't just because she was a Betazoid, told her, "Very well. Come to my quarters at 22:00 tonight." He then walked away, leaving her standing starring out at the stars. Wondering if he felt as lonely as the stars do, and if he did, how he coped with it. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. As Nick sat beside Tracy, her life signs indicated that she was waking up. Again when she sensed his presence she tried to get away. This time Nick pushed her back down and told her in a soothing voice, "Tracy, I'm not going to hurt you. I would never hurt any living or nonliving creature if I could avoid it. I am not going to harm you, I have no reason to." She calmed down, but was still nervous, not entirely believing what he was telling her. In trying to convince herself she was right, that what the others have been telling her was not a lie she said, "But you're the Elder!" "Yes, I am the Elder, and I won't deny it. But, Tracy, I never did all the things you've heard. That was the previous Elder, LaCroix, my master." As Tracy let this new piece of information find its way into her mind, which caused her to remember something, "But Vachon told me that guy, the Nightcrawler, LaCroix, or whatever, wasn't a vampire! And why didn't you tell me!" Knowing she would eventually ask, but not able to think of something other than the truth, he stated, "To protect you. The fewer vampires you knew about, the less of a danger to the community you were. Vachon and I made a deal, well sort of, and because he let you in on the secret, he was to be responsible for your actions." "How did you meet Vachon anyway?" "Remember the Vudu case, that first case?" She shook her head, showing she did. "Well when you disappeared, I went looking for you, and I had a suspicion you were with a J. D. Valdez. Well, in the process I met the Inca, and another that told me a lot about Vachon. Then before I went back to the precinct I caught up with him at Screed's. I forced Vachon to take responsibility, we both knew what the community would do if they knew about you, you'd be dead. It didn't take much to get him to stay, I had an advantage." "In other words you're older than Vachon. Then how old are you? Really?" "I am almost 1,200 years old. My real name is Nicholas de Brabant." Gasping in surprise she said, "Then you were almost twice as old as Vachon was." "Yeah," came his short and quite reply. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him, before when they spoke it was all about her discovery. Only now was she beginning to fully realize everything that happened. She then realized Natalie must have known about him, "Wait, Natalie knew didn't she? What was so different about her knowing and me knowing?!" She was mad that he had kept what he was from her, and wanted to know why Natalie could have that knowledge. "Yeah, she knew, and the only reason she wasn't dead was because of my age, and I couldn't have kept both of you safe for long. At least not without the Enforcers coming after me for letting mortals discover the secret of our existence. Another fact that added to her safety was she was a coroner, a doctor." "Why would that help? I'm sure you have told other doctors. What makes her special?" Nick let a long breath of air out, then responded, "Do you remember the fever that killed Screed?" Tracy showed her comprehension by slowly shaking her head. "Well, Natalie found the cure for it. After giving me some, she gave me some to give to Vachon. However, before the fever ran its course, about three-fourths of the Toronto community were dead." "He never told me," she said shaking her head, tears about ready to fall down her face. "What?" Nick asked, not what she was talking about. "He never told me how he survived the fever, and now I know why. From what you told me and from experience, I understand, and I'm sorry." "You have nothing to be sorry about . . . " Before he could finish, she cut him off, "No! You are going to accept my apology. You have to understand there are things which you are not responsible for, which have nothing to do with your actions, that you have no control over." Tracy laid back and closed her eyes exhausted from arguing. She quickly found herself within a deep healing sleep. Before Nick left sickbay, he touched the back of his hand to her cheek and softly said, "No, Tracy, _I'm_ sorry." *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Troi arrived at Nick's quarters at 22:05 hours and before she even had the chance to pass her hand over the sensor panel, the door swished open for her. This startled her, but she quickly overcame her surprise. She entered his quarters to find him standing right inside the entrance, the door closed behind her, and she asked, "How did you know it was me?" "Your mind," he answered simply, then elaborated seeing she was still confused. "Your mind is stronger than the others on the ship, I can sense you, and a few of your thoughts, although I do not mean to. It is different, and I can easily differentiate between you and another Betazoid because you would give off different signals." Just as Deanna was going to ask him another question, the disembodied voice of the Captain interrupted, "*Picard to Chevalier.*" "Yes," he exhaled, relieved he would not have to answer another question just yet, although he didn't really mind, and in fact looked forward to speaking with her. "*Instructions of what we are supposed to do when we arrive have been transmitted to us. I would like you and Counselor Troi to meet me in my ready room at your earliest convenience.*" "Of course, and Troi is right here so you don't need to contact her." "Yes, we will be there in a few minutes," Troi added, ending the conversation. Five minutes later they arrived in the Captain's ready room. Taking in a deep breath, Picard began, "They want us to be at the de Brabant Estate by 19:30 hours tomorrow, and that's the time down there which means it will be 10:30 hours our time, with Tracy as well." Nick, not really surprised by the time, leaned back and stated, "That's during the day. I and Tracy will have to wear protective coverings." "Yes, you will. And you will also need to show your face to get in, correct?" Nick nodded his head in the affirmative. "Then you will have to momentarily expose yourself to the suns' rays. Will that work? Won't it kill you?" Laughing slightly, Nick replied, "No. I have a very slight resistance built up, I probably won't even burn, at least not seriously. And anyway, it takes over a minute of full sun exposure to kill one of us." "You should probably go and explain the situation to Tracy," the Captain said while facing Nick. "Yes, I'll go do that now, if I may?" "Yes, go ahead." Nick left the room with Troi right behind him. After they got into the turbo-lift Troi stated, "I'm coming with you." Nick didn't resist her presence, but shook his head in acceptance, he knew she would come anyway. They continued to sickbay in complete silence. As Nick crossed the room to where Tracy was laying, Dr. Crusher touched him on the arm, telling him, "She is asleep," in an attempt to let her rest. When Nick turned his face to her, she saw something, no felt something emanating from him. It calmed her, and she knew he must wake her, for what reason she wasn't sure, but she let him. Both she and Troi stood slightly back from him, and watched as he woke her. Nick softly placed his hand on her shoulder, and whispered in her ear, "Tracy, wake up. You must wake up Tracy." She woke slowly and asked him, seeing the concerned look on his face, "What's wrong?" "Tomorrow, between 9:30 and 10:00 hours we have to beam down to Earth, in the daytime." He then elaborated on the information and the sketchy plan made earlier. Not understanding how this was possible she asked, "How are we going to do that? The sun will vaporize us!" Trying to assure her, he told her, "No, it won't, we will wear protective clothing, and will not be burnt." "How will I go with you? I'm not even strong enough to sit up on my own yet." "I'll carry you, and by tomorrow you should be much stronger. And don't worry, I'll be fine, even with the sun." "How long do we have?" Tracy asked oblivious to the present time. "About 10 hours," Nick told Tracy, having calculated the time several times for his own need to know, to prepare. "Now, you need to get rest, and plenty of nutrition." With that said he left the room for his quarters, Troi momentarily staying behind finding out from Doctor Crusher exactly what Tracy's condition was before returning to hers as well. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Picard went to Chevalier's quarters after speaking to Doctor Crusher about Tracy's condition. The door was promptly answered, and Nick gestured for the Captain to enter. "What may I do for you, Captain?" Nick politely asked. "We need to go over everything that must occur to get into your estate, to find out what time we need to leave." As Picard finished, Nick shook his head in agreement. "Yes, we do. Well, let's sit down and get started." Nick gestured to a chair and once they were seated Picard asked, "How long will it take for you and Tracy to be covered to go outside?" "Probably between five and ten minutes, depending upon if Tracy has help or not." "How are we going to get to the estate?" Pleased he was able to decide how to do everything, Nick answered, "Transport to Paris and then take a shuttle to Brabant. I will have to pilot the shuttle because you don't know where the castle is and how it is laid out, where the entrances are." "Won't you have to be exposed to the sun to do that?" When receiving a nod he asked, "Won't that be painful for you?" "Yes, it will be slightly painful, but I will heal," Nick firmly stated, shutting of his emotions, his eyes becoming cold. Seeing he had already lost the argument on that point, he said, "Very well. How long will it take to get through security and into the castle?" "From Paris, approximately twenty minutes, perhaps a little longer." Thinking for a few minutes, Picard said, "Then once the time change is included, we will need to meet at about 9:45 hours in sickbay to get ready. I will notify Troi and Dr. Crusher." "I will see you then," Nick said as he stood up. Picard looked at the man standing a few feet from him and wished he could understand his situation, his life. He walked toward the door, but before passing through it took one more look at Nicholas, this time as a man, not a vampire, then departed to his own quarters to retire for the night. The Elder - Part 6/7 The next morning at the scheduled time Picard and Troi entered to find Nick already dressed to endure the sun's rays. He wore black civilians' clothes and a black robe with a hood. In his hands were thick gloves and an extremely heavy cloak that also possessed a hood. Duplicates of these items were lying across one of the bio-beds. The black robe and his shoulder length hair made him appear to be living in a much different time, and made him seem out of place in the high- tech sickbay. As the Captain approached, Nick woke Tracy and gave her a glass of blood, his blood. She accepted it, and quickly drank it, nervous because the people around her knew what she was and she didn't know how they felt about what she was, and what she was doing. Picard then continued to watch as Dr. Crusher and Nick helped Tracy put on the robe and gloves. Then he put on his own gloves and cloak, and placed Tracy's heavier one over his shoulder. It was now almost 10:00 hours, and Nick asked, "Is everyone ready to go?" Troi and Picard nodded and Nick picked Tracy up and headed to transporter room three. They arrived shortly, and beamed down to the surface. Once there, Nick put Tracy down on a nearby bench, and wrapped the cloak firmly around her, and then wrapped his more tightly around himself. They walked to the shuttle, passing through several strands of daylight. Tracy was very sensitive to it, more than normal, and noticing this, Nick stopped between two of the windows to take off his own cloak and wrap it around her, leaving himself more exposed to the sun in the process. They continued though the building moving quickly through the sunlight let in by the numerous windows in their path. When they reached the shuttle bay, Nick stopped and set Tracy down for a second, leaning up against a wall and closing his eyes. "Nick? Are you ok?" Tracy asked concerned, he was very pale, and starting to burn in a couple of places on his face. "Yeah, Trace, I'm fine. I'll survive this little adventure. Are you all right?" he said dismissing his discomfort, and concentrating on Tracy. "Yes, I'm a little tired, but I should be ok." Nick nodded, and led Tracy over to the shuttle supporting almost all of her weight. When they reached the shuttle he again picked Tracy up and sat her down in the back of the shuttle, not wanting her to waste any of her energy. He took his cloak, which he had wrapped her up in and placed it around himself, and taking his gloves off, sat at one of the two chairs in the front of the shuttle. Picard entered next and sat in the remaining chair, and Troi sat across from Tracy in the back. He again asked, "Is everyone ready?" Receiving nods from all present, he proceeded to pilot the shuttle out of the shuttle bay and away from the city and towards Brussels. As they traveled, his hands flew through the sunlight while programming the computer. In a few minutes they were in the county side, where little had changed in the last several centuries. After several more minutes, they could see a castle in the distance, a massive fortress probably built in the 15th century, with a smaller, older, castle near it, and were soon at its front gates. The gates were very old, they were probably the original ones, and there was no sign of technology. Picard, confused as why they were not continuing asked, "Why are we stopping here?" Nick told him, "There is a force field around the estate, and according to the sensors, it is up. To get inside, the barrier must be dropped." A man was waiting for them at the gates, instructing all to exit the shuttle craft. Nick carried Tracy out and set her on her feet, allowing Picard to support her as he took a couple steps closer to the guard. The man pointed his weapon at the four, and motioned them away from the shuttle. "Brabant, show your face!" Nick uncovered his face and looked at the speaker. At the recognition, the man used his communicator to tell his boss that Brabant had arrived. Switching off the force field around the estate, he motioned back to the shuttle, "You may enter. Go now!" They boarded the shuttle, flying up to the front of the castle. Nick replaced the hood, although the damage was already done, and did not help. His burns did not escape the notice of Troi, and even if she didn't see his face she would have still felt the pain emanating from him. "Are you ok?" "It's nothing," he answered, trying to shrug off the pain, and shielding his mind more. After landing, but before they had exited the shuttle, Troi intersected Nick and pushed back his hood putting her hand up to his burns. "This isn't nothing. These are very serious burns." Before she had a chance to continue, he grabbed her hand and pulled it away from his face. He then almost glared at her, and said, "Let's go, or else we will be late." He covered his face back up, picked Tracy up, and started walking toward the castle, heading strait to the entrance. The massive door swung open, allowing access to the inside. Once inside, Nick walked through the massive room, and up the elaborate stairs, following his sense of Natalie. The others followed him through the impressive castle, trying not to let their attention stray. Tracy was now walking on her own, although slightly slower than the others. As they approached where Natalie was being held, Nick suddenly stopped, an expression of fear flowing into his visage. Picard, noticing the change asked, "What's wrong?" "Natalie. I can barely sense her, at all." He then headed off again in the same direction at a faster pace, forcing the mortals to run, and Picard to help Tracy, as she could not run on her own. As he reached the door which he felt Natalie behind, he slowed, allowing the others to catch up. Then, he opened the door, and they were immediately directed into the corner of the room. "Well, well, the creature has finally arrived, although too late for your love." A slight chuckle filled the room as two of the unknown faction dragged Natalie into the room, dropping her lifeless body to the floor at Nick's feet. Before Nick could move toward her, the leader told Nick to remove his protective clothing and give them to the Captain, or the mortal woman would die. Then the two that brought Natalie grabbed him and injected him with something, causing him to slump immediately in his captor's arms. Pointing at Troi, the leader again spoke, "Bring her as well, and escort the rest of them to their shuttle craft. By the way, the name is Jacques Rousseau." He then smirked and turned around, leading his associates and Troi to a door on the other side of the room, walking down stairs deeper and deeper into the castle. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. As Picard and Tracy approached the exit they were instructed to place the cloak on Natalie and then to leave in the shuttle. They did so, having no other choice. Once out of the force field, Picard contacted the Enterprise informing them they would be coming up by shuttle, and that they were to beam Tracy and Natalie directly to sickbay. Once aboard, Picard went there as well and met Riker there. He gestured for Dr. Crusher and Riker to go into Beverly's office. After the door swished to a close, the Captain related the events that occurred on the surface. They both had worry and fear reflected in their eyes and faces. Riker was the first to speak, "So, who is this Jacques Rousseau?" "Lets find out," Picard replied, moving toward the computer and punching in the name, then hitting a few more keys. Almost instantly the man's bio appeared on the screen. He scanned the file relating pertinent information to Riker and Doctor Crusher. "It says here that he was once a researcher, his primary interest was mythology. Jacques was arrested because of his insane idea that vampires were real, and then taking his idea too far and trying to kill someone that was supposedly a vampire. He claimed that a vampire killed his sister right in front of him, then tried to get him to forget. That was twenty-one years ago, a long time before the discovery that vampires truly existed. He escaped arrest and disappeared. That was the last anyone had officially heard of him. He might have been sited about five years ago in Paris, but they can't confirm if it was him or not." "So in other words, we know nothing about the guy except he has known about vampires for over twenty years, and that he is probably out for revenge." Riker sighed, leaning back against the wall. Picard nodded. "Yes, and he seems to know more about the vampire community than some of the vampires." He then turned to the Doctor, "What is Natalie's condition?" "She is in what I would describe as a comma, the only way I've been able to get blood to her is by letting it flow directly into her bloodstream. She is healing very slowly, even slower than we would, so I've sped up the process. I don't know if she will recover from what happened. Tracy says she cannot feel Natalie at all, and her life signs also tell me she is dying. Her heart only beats about once every thirteen to fourteen minutes, and her temperature is only 76.8 degrees. But her condition could be from the drugs they gave her, she may only need to sleep the effects off. I've given her something that will hopefully counteract the drugs she was given. We can only wait." Riker and Picard agreed, they would just have to wait, and hope she'd be all right. "How are we going to get to Troi and Chevalier?" Riker asked, not knowing how to get past the force field, from what they could tell it was very effective. "The force field will have to be turned off, or we will have to break through it. Then we'll have to search the castle from top to bottom for life then decide how to continue," said the Captain. "We'll have a meeting at 16:00 hours to discuss this further." With that the Captain left for the bridge. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Troi was led down several stairs and through many tunnels before they arrived in a large stone room. It was like a dungeon, very dim light, and she could barely see anything. There were manacles on the far wall. A cage, two sides of bars, and two of stone closed off the section with the manacles. It was about fifty square meters in area, and the floor was stone. She watched as Jacques' men brought Nick into the cage first, and used the manacles to restrain him. They gave him another dose of the drug they had given him earlier, then pushed her into the cell, and locked the door. Then all but one of them left for the upper regions of the castle. This man lit several more candles scattered throughout the room. Several hours later Troi woke to chains rattling. She looked back at the wall where Nick was chained, and saw him struggling against his bonds. He had woken with a pounding headache, and a growing feeling of hunger. The chains were unbreakable - titanium. As she approached him, he suddenly went tense. Her heart rate had increased and he sensed it. It pulled on his instincts, and he blocked it as best he could. The sensation drowned out the headache. She got within inches of him before he raised his face to meet hers. When he did, she saw his eyes change from a coppery-gold color to pure scarlet. From his condition and the emotions he was giving off she realized something. To confirm her suspicion she asked, "You're starving, aren't you?" "Yes. Don't get any closer. I don't want to hurt you." The vampire was very much in residence, his voice was deeper than before and her sense of him was changing. Troi could feel as the beast took over within Nick, and realized that he could very well kill her and not even know it. She backed away and watched him as he struggled to gain control. He slumped in the manacles ceasing his attempt to gain freedom, allowing himself to hang by the wrists, and tried to block out his surroundings. For several hours she watched him as he hung motionlessly before she eventually fell asleep, knowing that he was awake the whole time. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. At the meeting Picard, Riker, Data, and Dr. Crusher were all present. Picard asked Data, "Have you found a way to get past the force field?" "No, I have not. I do not know if there is a way through it. It is the most sophisticated force field I have ever seen. I cannot find anyway past it from the ship. Perhaps if we were inside the force field we could, and if communications were being made." "Anything else that would help?" Picard asked, hoping something important was found. Everyone shook their heads in the negative. "Then we'll just have to wait until Rousseau contacts us. Dismissed." Everyone had returned to their posts after the quick meeting which seemed to get nowhere, and Picard thought, 'Why doesn't he see the good in Chevalier, how can he not? Why is he doing this so elaborately?' Many more answer less questions filled his mind but he ignored them for now, he needed to rest. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Troi woke, this time not to Nick struggling to be free, but to one of Jacques men releasing him. He unlocked the manacles, and let Nick fall to the ground, still disoriented from falling asleep, and the sedative they had given him. After they left the cell and locked the door they started teasing Nick. "Aren't you hungry? Dinner's right in front of you! Take all you want! You know you're hungry!" They chuckled insanely and with that all but one left, standing back, watching with amusement. From her spot on the ground she could see his eyes, now not even red, but a dark burgundy. She had never heard of a vampire's eyes turning this unnatural color. He started to approach her, his actions completely controlled by the vampire. Smooth, predator-like, then suddenly he was inches from her, fangs bared, moving around behind her. She was silent, and unmoving, knowing that anything she did could easily cause her death. The being behind her was not Nick, she reminded herself, aware that he was being controlled by what he was. He pulled her head to the side, and just as she felt his fangs brush against her neck, her eyes closing, suppressing the fear she felt. He stopped, whispered almost too low for her to hear, "I can't," and flew to the far corner, the breeze pulling her back to reality. When she looked over at him, he was staring at her, huddled in the far corner, his eyes shining crimson in the dark like a frightened animal's. Attempting to get him to talk to her, to give him more than his hunger to think about, she asked, "What's wrong?" The vampire slowly answered, "The drugs they gave me, they are causing me to starve. I need blood, now, but I will not do as they wish. They want me to kill you, which will prove that I am a senseless killer. They want me to brake the promise I made, to not let my curse be the cause of another's death." These captors knew how to destroy him. From what she knew of vampires, most would not hesitate to kill her in these circumstances. They knew this, that he was different, and made it so he had no choice. They were going to starve him until instinct took over completely, and nothing was left of him. Suddenly she had an idea, it might not work, but knew she would eventually die if she didn't do something, and he would also break his promise. "What if you take some of my blood." At her suggestion, his eyes paled slightly before slowly regaining their deep red color, and he told her, "No. I will not harm you, no matter how strong the pain of the hunger gets." She was prepared for his reaction, and taking a step forward, protested, "But wait, just listen. What if you don't take all of my blood, what if you took just a little. Couldn't you do that?" When he responded with turning his head away and silence Troi added, "It wouldn't kill me, and you won't be hungry anymore." When silence again enveloped the room, she pushed, "Nicholas! Answer! Could you?!" Bowing his head after turning slightly toward her, he sighed, and reluctantly told her, "Perhaps, but there is no guarantee that I could stop before taking your life. In fact I would most likely kill you." His memories floated back to the night he brought Natalie across, he took to much, and was barely able to bring her across after LaCroix had refused to kill him. When his attention was again on the present, Troi told him, "Then do it, if there is even a chance I will survive, do it. Otherwise I will surely die, and they will have gotten what they want, what they intended to happen." Blanching at the last part of her comment he realized that if he waited, he knew he would certainly kill her. Not understanding her willingness to do this he asked in a soft whisper, "Why are you willing to give your life for something so evil?" Realizing where the conversation was headed she responded, "Because you are not evil, you are more human than you think, much more." Slowly his eyes backed down to a soft crimson glow for just a minute, then suddenly got darker again. He began walking toward her, moving with the grace of the natural predator which he actually was. When he arrived a few feet in front of her, he surprisingly gently took her by the shoulders and asked, his voice deep and inhuman, "Are you sure you want to take this risk?" His eyes and emotions pleaded with her, trying to get her to take back her suggestion. Her verbal answer and her mind confirmed his suspicions, she would not back down from her earlier choice to help him. Even if it could cost her life in return. He nodded and pulled Troi closer to him in the process turning her around. He paused for a second before he tilted her head to the side, and then he could feel her fear, fear of death. As he carefully sank his fangs into her neck and drank deeply he knew it would be hard to stop. It had been well over a century since he had done anything like this, and then he was not starving like he was now. After a couple of minutes he stopped, gently lowering her to the ground. The man watched as Nick checked her pulse. It was strong, she would live, but would she still believe him to be good. He thought to himself, 'She will probably hate me from the images she received when I drank from her.' He sat on the ground and watched her with a guilt filled expression as she fell into a recuperating sleep, her body replenishing the blood he had taken, and her mind reliving his memories, his life. The man smiled, knowing that although de Brabant did not kill the woman, as was intended to happen, the guilt still appeared. He exited the room to tell his employer the result of the event. Several hours later Troi again woke from a deep sleep, except this time she knew exactly what caused it. As she sat up, she put her hand to her neck and felt the two little puncture holes she knew would be there. Surprisingly, they were almost completely healed, and no blood came back on her fingers. She then began to see his memories, events long past, events that took place centuries before. Troi held her hand up to her temple, and tried to make them go away. She saw him as he killed, as he did monstrous things. But as they continued, she noticed the change. He didn't really want to kill, and quickly his more recent memories overcame the others. They finally stopped, and only then did she looked around the room for Nick. He was laying a few feet from where she was, sleeping, and having what appeared was a terrible nightmare. And she knew his memories were assaulting him, she didn't know how she knew, only that she did. She could almost see his thoughts as they attacked him, made him see himself as some evil being, an evil being that was long dead. Troi pulled the gold clip from his hair, it was almost falling out as it was, and she held onto it, hoping she would be able to give it back to him. She did not wake him up, figuring he needed all the sleep he could get, no matter how troubled, but in a few minutes that wouldn't matter. Jacques Rousseau entered the room with several of his men and approached the bars. "Open the door and chain him back up," he commanded, staring strait at Troi, with a look of disappointment. His men immediately rushed into the cage and dragged Nick from his spot on the floor to the wall where he was restrained earlier. His wrists and ankles were roughly manacled, and he was left to hang, with most of his weight on his wrists, the rest on his knees, his hair hanging down the sides of his face. When they finished all but one left the cell, moving toward Troi. Other than approach her, the only thing he did was watch her closely, a guard. Rousseau entered the cage carrying several items, two hypo-sprays, a strange yellowish-orange liquid in a bowl, and an ornate dagger. This was the first time she could really see him, before it was much too dark. He was about 5'11", with almost black hair and eyes to match. He was well built and looked as though he was used to hard labor. Rousseau was probably in his late-thirties, but was worn down which gave an illusion of being in his mid-forties. Once he had gotten within four feet of Nick, he started to speak, "Well, well, a little disobedient aren't you?" When no answer was received, he took one of the hypo-sprays and injected Nick with it, with no immediate result apparent. Rousseau then took the dagger and dipped it in the strange liquid he brought with him. Once he was satisfied with the amount left on the blade he used it to make a deep cut in Nicholas' shoulder. An inhuman howl of pain issued from Nick's throat, and he struggled against his bonds trying to get away from the burning liquid. Jacques grabbed Nick's hair and pulled his head back, revealing Nick's icy blue, emotionless eyes, and again spoke, "You will not disobey me again, is that understood?" When no answer was received Rousseau took the dagger and repeated what he done to the other shoulder. This time no sound escaped Nick's lips, not even a whimper of pain. He knew this man wanted to see him suffer, exactly why he didn't know, but he was not going to grant that wish to him, he could not grant that wish to him. Troi could feel exactly what was happening to Nick, almost as if it were happening to her own body. She attempted to move toward Nick, but was restrained by the guard. Hearing the slight rustle, Jacques turned around, and approached her. "This is a warning to you. Do not disobey me, and do not try to break free, it will do you no good, and then I will just have to hurt you." The last was intoned with an evil smile. "The fact that you are still alive is a mistake, but perhaps it will be useful." Rousseau went back to Nick. "You'll obey me soon enough." Before leaving, he took the dagger and made several slashes on Nick's arms, causing him to wince slightly from the liquid on the dagger, but no sound was heard. Then he injected the contents of the second hypo- spray into Nick and said, "I'll break you, and break you soon." He whirled around and exited the cage leaving his employees to lock up. When they were finished no one remained. Troi went to Nick, who had lowered his head upon Rousseau's departure, and examined the cuts. She observed he was not healing and that his skin had a red tinge to it around the cuts, and it wasn't blood. "What was in the liquid?" He raised his head to her soft question, grimacing at the pain it caused. "Its primary ingredient is garlic. Something else, another irritant was added, but I don't know what it is called." "Are you feeling better?" Troi asked, hoping her blood had helped a little. "Yes, well at least until a few moments ago. Now, I think I actually feel worse, although I'm not hungry." He managed a slight smile and shifted slightly, attempting to find a more comfortable position. Nick discovered there was no such thing as a comfortable position, he hurt all over. "What is so painful?" Troi asked, seeing him wince when he moved, and feeling a wall of pain around him, not being stronger in any specific place. "Everything, I think they gave me something to intensify anything that I were to feel." Suddenly, without warning Nick was racked with pain, and he shielded his mind. The pain originated in his stomach and pulsed outward. It was not caused by hunger, but his eyes changed from the crystal clear blue they had returned to, to a deep coppery gold. Troi did not back off, knowing it was only pain, and not anger or hunger, knowing that he couldn't and wouldn't do anything to her. "What's happening?" the concern radiated in her voice, and she watched as the amber color disappeared, becoming an icy blue, his eyes slowly closing. Instead of getting a verbal answer, she received a sudden jolt of surprise from his mind entering hers, his pain almost knocking her down. This time, unlike before in sickbay, the message was not loud. Instead it was as if he was speaking in a quiet room. "I don't know, but I've never experienced such pain. It's not the hunger, but I think it might be caused by one of the drugs they gave me or a reaction of the two." By the time she received the message he was already unconscious from the intensity of the pain, and he was relaxed, looking both so young and so old at the same time. About an hour later Troi was startled when the door to the room opened. Rousseau and several of his men entered, and all but one entered the cage. The one that stayed out locked the door to ensure their prisoners would not escape. Two of the men approached Nick, one trained his weapon on him, the other yanking his head back, waking him up. Another man closed in on her, pulling her up and over toward Nick. "We are going to talk to Picard, you will say only what I tell you to, or you will be further harmed. Is that understood?" Rousseau looked to Troi demanding her answer. She shook her head, then Rousseau turned to Nick, who was silent. He again asked in a louder, firmer voice, "Is that understood?" In a raspy whisper Nick responded, "I understand." He then nodded to one of the men, then said aloud, "Enterprise, this is Jacques Rousseau." Aboard the Enterprise, the officer at tactical picked up the message and told the Captain, "Rousseau is contacting us." "Open communications, and let's see what he wants to talk to us about." At first no answer came, but after a couple of minutes the disembodied voice of Picard filled the room, "*This is the Enterprise. What do you want of us?*" "I will make a deal with you." A short, succinct statement, that would force them to ask for more. "*What kind of deal?*" asked Picard, a hint of suspicion in his voice. "I will allow de Brabant and the Counselor to live, if you make sure it is known that he is the Elder, the eldest vampire. Also, he must then be mistaken for the previous elder, LaCroix. That way the hatred from the community will kill him." Rousseau ended with a chuckle which was interrupted by a scream of protest from Nick. Then that scream became a howl of pain as Rousseau made several more slices with the dagger, dripping with the garlic solution. The Elder - Part 7/7 From the bridge of the Enterprise the sound of Nicholas' cry of pain came across, and with that and his reaction to the deal, Picard made his decision. "I will not make a deal with you unless de Brabant agrees to it." "Very well." Nodding to one of his men to mute their conversation, Rousseau turned to Nick and angrily said, "You will tell them you agree with the deal, or be punished. Understand?!" Weakly Nick responded, "Yes." Jacques again nodded and communication was reestablished with the Enterprise. "Brabant will now tell you his response." "I _do not_ agree with this deal!" Nick yelled as loud as he could, not caring what happened to him. Rousseau ceased the communication with Picard and turned to Nick with rage filling his features. Nick received several severe slices to his back and chest due to his insubordination, but did not make a sound. He would not give Rousseau any sense of pleasure from his pain. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. The Lieutenant standing at tactical announced, "He has cut communications." "Data, have you found any weaknesses in the force field yet?" "Nothing we could use from here. If we could get a hold of their communications equipment, we could use it to break down the force field from the inside for a few minutes." "Good, now how do we get inside?" Picard asked wanting an answer, but not caring who from. From the back of the bridge Dr. Crusher replied, "We could say we want to see for ourselves if Nick and Deanna are all right. We have reason to, and we could say that we are willing to compromise. That should get them to allow us to come down without too much suspicion." "Will, what do you think?" the Captain asked. "I think it just might work," Riker replied, a look of thoughtfulness, and almost a glimmer in his eyes. The Lieutenant at tactical told the Captain, "Rousseau has reestablished communications." "Rousseau, we are willing to make a compromise with you." "What kind of compromise?" he asked with excitement entering his voice. "We will talk about that later, but first we want to see de Brabant and Counselor Troi. We would like to beam down, would that be all right?" "Yes that is fine, as long as you will consider our demands, or a compromise of them that suits us. Beam down to the front gates in a half hour, at these coordinates." Rousseau then cut communications again. The Lieutenant received the coordinates, and saved them for later use. "I, Riker and Dr. Crusher will beam down in a half hour. Meet in Transporter Room One. Data, you have the bridge, and you will need to beam us out. Also, have a security team ready to beam down. I will be in sickbay." Picard turned and walked toward the turbo lift with Dr. Crusher right behind him. When they arrived in sickbay, Beverly noted that Natalie's life signs were now almost normal, but that she was still unconscious. Tracy was sitting by her, watching and waiting. She was now almost completely healed. Tracy, unaware of what happened on the bridge, but able to feel that something was definitely wrong because of her connection with Nick, asked, "Where's Nick? What's going on?" "He's still at Brabant, and Rousseau wants to make a deal. We're going to try and rescue him in just a few minutes," Picard told her. "Chevalier will probably need medical attention, so be prepared for him," Dr. Crusher said turning to the head nurse on duty. "Which means be ready for anything, right?" replied the head nurse. "Yes, it does. I am going to the transporter room now, in case Dr. Chevalier wakes." He and Dr. Crusher then quickly walked to their destination. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. It was now 21:00 hours and the moon was rising as Picard, Riker, and Doctor Crusher materialized at the front gates to the de Brabant estate. The man standing outside told the three to walk single file through the opening he made in the wrought iron gates. After walking through they got into a shuttle, and minutes later were at the front doors. They were shown through several rooms and corridors until they stopped in a huge great room. On the other side of the room Jacques Rousseau could be seen whispering instructions to one of his men. He then approached his visitors, "Welcome! Now, what did you have in mind?" He sounded excited, as if he was sure of victory. "First we would like to see Counselor Troi and de Brabant, make sure they are okay," Picard said, and hoped Rousseau would not get suspicious at the actions they were going to take. "Very well. Here they are!" He gestured toward the door and Troi entered being escorted by two of Rousseau's men, and behind her, Nick was dragged unconscious and blood covered. Dr. Crusher immediately went to Troi and scanned her. As she did this Rousseau exclaimed, "She is fine, other than a little blood loss." About the same time Beverly noticed the almost fully healed puncture marks on Troi's neck. Beverly gasped, knowing it could have only been Nick that caused them. Troi whispered, trying to assuage her friend's concern, "It's okay, he didn't attack me, and I'm fine." She used her tri-corder once again to assure herself that Troi would indeed be fine. Then seeing so, she moved to check Nicholas, but was stopped by one of Rousseau's men. "You have no need to check him, as you know he heals just fine on his own." She moved back toward the Captain and Riker because she was given no other choice. Delighted that his conquest was so near, Rousseau clasped his hands together and asked, "So, Captain. What is your decision, and how can we help?" "First, I would like to speak with one of the officers on board the Enterprise," Picard asked, hoping Rousseau would not become too suspicious, but perhaps he wouldn't, he was already so confident he was going to get what he wanted. "Of course, this way." He led Picard to the back of the room where their communications equipment was set up, and flicked a switch on the consol. "You may now use your communicators." "Thank you. If it would be okay, we would like to speak in private." Reluctantly, Rousseau slowly agreed, "All right, but make it quick," and left the area giving more instructions to his men, and keeping an eye on them out of the corner of his eye. Once Picard had contacted Data, Riker began weakening the force field with his tri-corder, and Data helped from the Enterprise "Captain, I believe we can transport down now," Data announced, telling the plan had succeeded so far. "Good. The three of us, plus Troi and Chevalier will transport up as soon as we can all get into a group. Picard out." As Picard, Riker and the Doctor approached the other end of the room, where Nick and Troi were being held, a security detail materialized. Rousseau realized his plan had failed, that he would be caught, but he had prepared for such a situation. He pulled out an old weapon, a crossbow, armed with a slender wooden bolt. Before anyone could stop him, he fired accurately, and hit Nick, right where he intended to, in the heart. It brought Nick out of unconsciousness momentarily, and a scream could be heard over the rest of the clatter in the room. Dr. Crusher was the first to get to Nick. She scanned him with the tri-corder and started to shake her head negatively. She could see the grayness of his skin, and according to the readings his life signs were nonexistent. "We have to get him to the Enterprise, now." Picard, Riker and Troi approached them and the Captain, hearing the last remark said, "Picard to Enterprise, five to transport, now," and they disappeared into thin air. They were all transported directly to sickbay. As soon as they appeared Natalie tried to run forward to Nick, but was held back by Tracy and another nurse. "No! How did this happen?!" She broke free and ran to his spot on the floor, pushing several nurses violently out of the way. Frantically she grabbed the bolt, and after several tries pulled it silently free. When he didn't respond, he was so far gone he didn't even feel the pain as she pulled it out, she desperately whispered, "Nick? Nick! Wake up! Please!" Beverly pulled Natalie back, "Natalie, we will do our best to revive him. What will help?" Instantly Natalie's mind turned professional, thinking frantically what to do. "Um . . . Blood. He needs as much vampire blood as we can give him. Here, give me that," she told one of the nurses, pointing to the old-fashioned doctors' bag she had left in sickbay several days earlier, before this mess began. The nurse retrieved it and Natalie immediately grabbed a long thin transparent tubing with a needle at each end. 'There were some things that were useful about old technology,' she absently thought. She placed one end in her arm, and then the other in Nick's stomach, and let the blood flow. Troi watched this and waited for some indication that he was alive. She waited for Dr. Crusher's diagnosis and more importantly Nick's mind, knowing she would be able to sense when he was. Suddenly she sensed what she now recognized as a vampire, but it wasn't Nick. Natalie and Tracy also sensed the other, turning toward the entrance. A young ensign, appearing in his early twenties, with pitch black raven hair, striking emerald green eyes, and flawless, pale skin entered sickbay and approached Natalie. "We need to speak." Natalie recognized the man as Dimitri, a fairly young vampire, only 250 years old, that she and Nick have trusted with their lives. She was slightly surprised to see him on the Enterprise, he must have just transported up. She looked into his eyes, and could see the concern and panic radiating from them. "What about?" she asked as she pulled the needle from her arm, feeling the drain on her system. "The situation that will be caused by recent events," he said almost to low for the mortals present to hear, while gesturing to the other Starfleet officers in to room and then to Nick. Natalie weighed her choices, and took a slight risk, "Talk here, we don't need to go anywhere. Besides, I think they," gesturing to the Captain, Riker, Crusher and Troi, "would like to hear." "But, we can't . . ." he protested, the panic in his eyes becoming almost overwhelming for him to handle, Nick and Natalie were family to him, his only family, perhaps not by blood, mortal or vampire, but by choice. Dimitri was abruptly cut off by Natalie, "They know. About what, and who we are." Her eyes also communicated more than her words, they told that they knew _exactly_ who they were. He trusted her judgment, and did as she said, "Um . . . Well, if he dies, his identity will be known, and you will be discovered. Which means either you will become the temporary, or perhaps the new elder, or you will be killed, and the Community will be ruled by chaos once again. If he lives, and they," gesturing nervously to the Starfleet officers in the room, "don't reveal his identity, either true name or age, then you will both be safe from the community, and will continue to live as you are now." He looked at the mortals in the room, deciphering each of their reactions, and figuring out who everyone was. After he decided who the doctor was, he asked her, "What is his condition?" "He has not gained any semblance to consciousness, and I don't know when or if he will. I know virtually nothing about your kind's unique physiology, Natalie probably knows more." He turned toward Natalie expectantly, and she said, "All I can suggest to do is to give him blood, vampire blood, and wait for a response." In her mind she continued the sentence, 'And hope that he wakes up.' The others in the room waited for her to say more, so she adds, "It is true I know more than most, but I have never seen anything like this happen to a vampire, at least not on purpose," she added remembering the fever that had swept through Toronto's vampire community, destroying most of it, and then the more recent, similar events from when LaCroix was killed. It was done by the same person from what she could tell, but there was a big difference between getting too much curare, and given several doses of different drugs engineered specifically for vampires, repeatedly cut with garlic put in the wounds, and then staked. Janette had died of less, so had LaCroix. A very big difference. Doctor Crusher nodded in understanding, herself never having to deal with anything quiet like this, never even having to actually treat a vampire before this. Dimitri approached Natalie and told her, so that only themselves and a couple of the humans right next to them could hear, "For now you are the Elder. Is there anything that the community should do?" "No." Then, realizing she was a little too abrupt in her reply, said, "At least not at the moment." She then turned her attention to the Captain, "Will you keep our identities to yourselves?" Picard knew what his answer was going to be immediately, having already decided a couple of days before, and answered without hesitation, a smile forming in his eyes, "Yes, we will keep your little secret." She nodded, relieved that they would be able to live in relative peace. Then suddenly, from exhaustion, blood loss, and the drugs still in her system, Natalie collapsed. Dimitri caught her in her decent, and laid her on the bio-bed. The Captain asked, "Will she be all right?" "She should be. I think her system temporarily overloaded, from the stress of the last few minutes, and from the drugs that had not yet worked their way out of her system," replied Dr. Crusher, reading the signs from her tri-corder. "What about Chevalier?" "I'm not sure, but I would say he'll survive. I would know more if I knew if his brain was functioning. Right now the computer is not picking anything up." "Captain, the computer might not be registering his mind's signals, but I can feel his mind struggling to awaken," Troi said, hoping that she was correct about what she was feeling, Tracy nodding to her. The Captain, not understanding how she could do this, asked her, "How do you know?" "His mind is unique, even for a vampire. He can communicate with me as easily as a Betazoid could, and he can get even more from my mind than they could. His mind is waking up, and as a result I can sense him. From what I can tell he is just in a healing sleep." "I thought he was amazing for a mortal, but he is unique as a vampire as well. Keep me updated on their conditions." Picard turned and left for his quarters. Dimitri offered to give his blood, knowing Nick needed as much as he could get, and he was the only vampire that could do so without making their medical condition worse. Doctor Crusher accepted, and he took the needle and placed it in his own arm. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Several days later Nick and Natalie both recovered enough to leave sickbay, but Dr. Crusher and Natalie still wanted to monitor Nick's condition. He still had a large quantity of the drugs in his system that were making him either extremely tired, or hungry without warning, and were not dissipating. He refused to remain in sickbay, insisting he was fine, he stayed in their quarters' day and night. Troi was sitting in Ten-Forward trying to sort out the emotions she was getting from Nick, which she didn't understand, when Natalie came up to her. "Counselor?" "Yes," Troi replied, sensing the same confusion from her. She looked down at her hands, not sure if she should tell her what she's noticed, but who else could she tell? Even Tracy knew less about him than the woman sitting next to her, she'd even seen some of his memories, and could feel his mind, but on a different level than others could. Natalie took a deep breath, and began, "There's something I need to talk to you about. It's Nick, he won't talk to me and he's not doing anything. The last time I saw him in a state similar to this he had tried to walk into the sun, but even then he wasn't this depressed. I don't know if it's the effect of the drugs or not, and I don't know what I should do about it. I would talk to him, try to find out what is bothering him, but he won't let me near him." She stopped talking, and a pleading look came over Natalie's face. Deanna was aware of her concern, and knew she now had proof that he was not okay. "I'll try to talk to him, okay?" Natalie shook her head. "Where is he right now?" "I think he's still in our quarters," she softly answered. Troi got up and walked to their quarters, and announced her arrival. She could tell he was there, her mind could feel his on the other side of the door, feel the thoughts running through his mind. She tried again, and when she got no answer, tried to override the door commands. Troi tried several times, but to no avail, Nick would simply override the override. She tried to use her mind to talk to him, knowing she could do so, but he closed it off before she got anywhere, and then she could feel absolutely nothing from him. She decided to try to get the Captain to talk to him, they seemed to get along with each other well. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Picard sat in his ready room, writing up a report on recent events that would satisfy Starfleet Command, he had put it off as long as possible, and was just then finishing it. He then prepared to make a log, when the computer announced a visitor. "Come," he said, and Counselor Troi entered. "What can I do for you?" "It has to do with Nicholas Chevalier. He won't speak with me or anyone else, and he is closing himself from everyone around him. In his state I think he could cause himself serious harm. I was wondering if you could talk to him, perhaps about France or archeology, something that wouldn't cause him to stray to much on his nature, or recent events, but something that he enjoys, something to bring him back." "I can try, but if he won't speak to you, or anyone else, why would he want to talk with me?" Picard asked. "Well, I think he respects your judgment, and position. He also seems genuinely interested in archeology, and he knows you are as well." He paused, debated whether he should or not, aware that he had also grown a respect for Nicholas. "Very well, I will try to talk to him." As she turned to leave, he thought about what he could say. He had to admit, that the presence of his kind made him nervous, but that was before he had actually been able to have a conversation with a vampire, before he got to see what one was really like. After counselor Troi left, he tried to contact Chevalier by going to his quarters, using the computer, and communicators, but didn't get anywhere. He decided to send a written message to Nick, about meeting to talk about archeology, to take him up on the offer made before. About an hour later he received a message telling Picard to come to his quarters at 22:00 hours that night. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. When Picard arrived at Nick's quarters, the door opened for him, and his senses were enveloped with music. At first he thought it was a computer playback, but then as he got further into the room, he saw Nick. He was sitting at a grand piano playing. Picard was amazed at his skill, he had never heard music like this before, especially not live. The melodies flowed from measure to measure, the moods changing almost as fast. It was a sad song, mirroring the emotions Troi told him she was concerned about. Picard simply sat and listened until the unknown piece was finished. After a moment of silence, not recognizing the composer, he asked, "Who was the piece written by?" even though he had a suspicion that the answer was sitting right in front of him. "I wrote it," Nick answered softly, with his head bowed down looking away from Picard. He rarely played for an audience, at least for the last two hundred years, especially one whom he barely knew. Nothing more was said until Picard suggested, truly amazed by his musical skill, "Why don't you play some more?" Nick, with a smile slowly appearing on his face, the first since returning to the Enterprise, continued to play, creating the music as he went, and the Captain listened silently, as the notes smoothly flowed through time. ~fin~ Feedback to: jarvinia@gmx.com