Last Knight Scenes (1/4) : Jaded
by Elisa P. Black


"Once the world was full of straight lines; one ruled in brilliant
strokes with iron fists, generals of the old world. It was life or
death, it was a game, we gloried in our god-like power. 'Truly, this
is the ultimate pleasure,'you said -- didn't you, gentle listeners?
--, 'Surely there could be nothing greater or more eternal.' Nothing
could touch us, nothing; not man, not the gods, not love...

"Within the precision of the checkered board, no queen could be but
for the one we conquered, the most pleasing jewel won by bold sleight
of hand. Within the vividness of black and white there was no friend
but for the greediness of Challenge; with glittering eyes to order
your subjects to and fro, an infinite dance it seemed, and you the
choreographer, the master puppeteer. There was nothing better, there
was nothing else.

"But then a strange light shines from afar, more blinding than the
sun, forcing you to realize the darkness where you stand. You become
anxious, afraid you might not have taken the brightest jewel of all,
that you are too late, too old and jaded even to approach it. For
sooner or later, you realize that this loveliness cannot be obtained
by the coldness of your soul, but only through innocence and hope. So
you force yourself to let go of that wondrous sight, convince yourself
of its unreality, attempting to return to your vicious content that
before rendered you so high. You convince yourself that all are
guilty, that hope is useless, faith is weakness for no ultimate god
who deserves your belief should be so cruel as to hide such shining
glory from the reach of all.

"There is nothing here, you say, no more games to distract, no more to
achieve; the lives in your reach are nothing, mere sustenance. To live
forever in this coldness is but to exist endlessly. Wandering
aimlessly, a lone traveler, finding always darkness behind every
corner.  No more does the glittering bring your nose to the shop's
window, no more do you grin to shatter the glass to sparkling ruins.
All the while, the soft distant glow of sweetness grows in the corner
of your eye and suddenly, you turn and are blinded.

"Fear, you feel, and awe when your eyes can see more clearly, not
happiness but greed. The light has come towards you where before no
distance you could have walked would have approached it. And you know
that the glow is not gossamer mist but contained within the innocent,
noble soul of a person. And you think, 'This is merely a man. Men can
be conquered; the light can be mine.'

"You carefully reset the board, lure him in with your offer of
godliness, and he is yours but not the precious light. No, he will
never let that go, never share, though your cold heart longs so to
have it. Evil, he calls you; evil he believes himself now. Drowning in
the guilt of having submitted to you, to darkness, he selfishly holds
off the light from all. Though many gather around to chase away
shadows with his warmth, he denies them all. Though he looks into the
mirror which faithfully reflects that angelic glow from his hair and
his eyes, he deceives himself into seeing sparkle like fool's gold.

"You meet another of his innocence, soft and gentle as a rose, so
delicate. She opens you to experience something in which you find
yourself to be an innocent as well; she allows you to love. And then
he takes it away. He convinces you to fear for your love; that if she
should attempt to share her light with your evilness, the light will
flee altogether.

"So you settle back into the shadows, striking randomly at your
glowing puppet, cold and annoyed. 'Out of my sight if you will not be
mine,' you order the light within the man. If it will leave according
to your will, then you will have conquered it. But it will not leave
for the man is yet innocent, denying its existence, and you realize
that the denial is, in innocence, the source. For to do good while
denying all goodness, while innocent to the light... is good.

"But you have not done good, gentle listeners, I know. Not many could
do good with foolish innocence like my Nicholas. You are jaded; you
know not how to seek the light. But you can find comfort in me, the
NightCrawler, for I rule the darkness where you stand. I was always
there, and will always be."


End of Part 1

---

Last Knight Scenes (2/4) : Oblivion
by Elisa P. Black


Natalie was gone.  LaCroix was gone.  He clutched only the lonely cold
of the night.  And his head hurt.  Badly.

Shivering as a rush of air sliced through him, he did not notice her
approach.  So he started at the voice, a crystal shard.

"Nicola."

Wincing, he raised his eyes to watch her blankly.

"I... I... she's gone--"

Janette raised a sarcastic eyebrow.  "And who are you reaching for?"

He followed her gaze to his reaching arm, drew in a breath of shock,
lowered the appendage shakily.

She shook her head gently.  "Cherie, I will not give you what you
crave. I will not give you oblivion."

"Oblivion?"

She stepped back, like a slap, like a sign.  Had he been reaching
again? "Oblivion, cherie, is a passing shade.  Burning with guilt, you
seek the shade, never realizing the ice you build in me.  I have
disposed of my illusions, so must you."

"I'm not sure I understand..."

"Nicola, I will shelter you no longer.  Nor will LaCroix.  You shall
face your judgement, blind or not."

"But..."

But she was gone.

He felt anger, bewilderment, pain.  And knew then that she was right.


End of Part 2

---

Last Knight Scenes Part (3/4): Smiles
by Elisa P. Black


He felt his heart lurching towards his throat as his hands scrambled
for purchase.  He was on the floor.  He had tripped.

'You, idiot!' his mind screamed. 'That shouldn't have happened.  You
shouldn't have been so stupid.'

"Nick?" Footsteps approached and he was pulled to his feet.

He looked up into her eyes, confused, aware that she was seeing
something within him, afraid that she would know... what?  He suddenly
realized that he'd had this dream before and hoped against hope that
he wouldn't have to see her disappointment again, that innate disgust
of his soul.  He didn't know what horrendous part of himself he could
have exposed; he just knew that everyone would find him repulsive.  A
painful image flashed through his mind of Schanke and Cohen backing
away from him as Nat gave him that *look*...

She smiled.  He blinked a few times, not daring to believe and hope.
She positively shone at him, her sunlight turning his fear to an
exuberant joy.  The smile promised healing, forgiveness.  She
understood his *evilness*, in fact, she was telling him that he wasn't
evil at all.  He was simply misguided, but now he had the love to
change direction.

They gathered around him, people he loved and admired.  Schanke,
Cohen, Nat; they reached out to him, reached to help him...

He awoke.  'Damn, just a dream,' his mind taunted.  Then he
remembered.

"Nat!"

She lay in his arms, frighteningly pale.  Again he yelled her name,
willing her to wake.  And she did.

Weakly, she gave him the most wonderful smile he'd ever seen.


End of Part 3

---

Last Knight Scenes Part (4/4): That Light
by Elisa P. Black


Only last night, Natalie had come to him in grief over Lora's death,
demanding to try Janette's cure.  In his own pain over the death of
Tracy, he hadn't refused.  The kiss, so desperate, so sweet; and then
the vampire had surfaced, the beast had come to claim its prize, he
was drowning in ecstasy, drowning in her.  Desire, pain, the memories
which had shaped his Natalie, he saw her so clearly now... her
strength, her hope, her faith. Her love.

But then she was fading, he had taken too much, he was reeling full of
her essence, so warm inside him; he had stolen her warmth, her life...
And suddenly he was in the glorious spring day she had shared with
Richie... The kiss he had shared with her on Valentine's Day... And
the terror of Azure, LaCroix as cold as ice...

And LaCroix came, and dear god, no, Natalie lying on the floor, so
cold. The stake, give him the stake.  He gave LaCroix the stake; set
me free, my oldest friend, let me go to my Natalie.  And he held her
hand and looked upon her beautiful face, waiting.

The darkness descended.

***

His nostrils caught a subtle scent which brought him back to reality.
He breathed it in deeply, almost laughing in joy.

"Natalie."

He kissed her in greeting.  Even weak from the blood loss, and in a
wheelchair, she was breathtaking.  Her smile was like the sun which
would soon rise.

He nodded to the one who had brought her to him, decided it was too
passive a greeting, then hugged his surprised father.  "Thank you,
LaCroix."

LaCroix allowed himself a smile in return an then flew off before the
approaching sun.  Natalie commented in surprise at the beautiful table
arrangement.  But he was anxious to share something with her so he
shushed her and told her to listen.

"I found my light and my god in you, Natalie.  It was your faith which
let me see them again.  I love you.  For that and much more.  For
giving me back my humanity."

He knelt before her and pulled out a gorgeous sapphire and diamond
ring. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes.  Yes, Nick, of course I’ll marry you."

Even his first sunrise in ages could not tear his eyes from Natalie’s
beautiful face.  She was his everything.  And everything was perfect.

"It’s about time you two got together," interrupted a loud, familiar
voice.  It was Schanke.

"You wouldn’t believe what happened to Cohen and me.  But I can tell
you later; shouldn’t you be getting downstairs, Nick?  And what
happened to you, Nat?  By the way, you’ve got a lotta of visitors
waiting inside."

"Really?  Who?" asked Nick.  However, he was more interested in giving
Nat a most intense kiss than in Schanke’s answer.

His partner did not notice and began ticking them off on his fingers.
"Some girl named Fleur who says she’s your sister, some lady with a
baby who says she wants to apologize and be friends, some Spanish guy
with long hair who needs a bath, some blond girl named Urs, a short,
bald guy with a rat in his pocket, that friend of yours, Janet, who
says she forgives you, and some captain named Reese who says your
partner’s still alive.  Was I gone so long that they gave you a new
partner?  Those damned..."

Nick looked up towards heaven.  "Thank you, Lord."

Then he exchanged smiles with Nat.  "Thank you, Nat."

Everything was truly perfect now.  And then some.


The End