Vachon sat up and took his feet off the cushions. "I just wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?"

"For what you did to stop the plague." The Spaniard got up and walked towards Knight. "I brought you this. Sort of a thank-you gift." Vachon produced a wine bottle from underneath his coat.

"I don't drink..."

"...Human blood," Javier interrupted. "This is pig. According to rumor, it's slightly better tasting than cow ... and I wanted to get you something special." Vachon looked down at the bottle, then thrust it at Nick.

The French vampire was too startled to do anything other than accept the gift. If he hadn't known better he'd swear that Javier was suffering from a bad case of embarrassment.

"There's no need to thank me, though I do appreciate the gift," Nick gestured with the bottle. "Really, it's Dr. Lambert who deserves all the credit. She figured it out ... and prepared the vaccine."

"And you administered it," Vachon said firmly.

It was Nick's turn to look at the bottle. "Actually ... I had help with that as well." He hadn't been surprised when LaCroix had volunteered his help in vaccinating the remnants of Toronto's vampire community. Natalie had been shocked almost speechless. Nick's thoughts were interrupted by his guest.

"I guess I'll have to think of a way to thank the good doctor."

Nick could feel his eyes start to glow as he snapped, "You leave Natalie alone!"

Javier put his hands up and backed up. "Hey," he said in a soothing tone of voice. "All I want to do is thank the lady for her help...."

Nick turned away from the other vamp. It was a struggle to subdue the glow in his eyes, and to force his teeth back into their hidden sockets. When he succeeded he turned back to flash a repentant grin at his guest. "Sorry. I guess I get a bit over-protective sometimes." He looked down at the bottle still clutched in his hands. "I'd offer you a drink ... but you probably don't drink...?" He gestured with the container.

Javier grinned and his tense posture relaxed. "Actually," he produced another bottle, "I brought my own ... just in case...."

Nick moved towards the kitchenette and plucked two wine glasses from the counter. He handed one to Javier, then moved towards the sofa as he used his teeth to remove the cork from the bottle. Nick needed a drink so badly that it was all that he could do to restrain himself long enough to pour the blood into the glass instead of drinking it from the container. His excellent hearing told Nick that his visitor had wasted no time in opening the other bottle.

The first taste of the pig blood made Nick wonder if masochism hadn't figured into his choice of cow as his steady diet. It was good -- much better than bovine blood. But anything else is, Nick thought. Or almost anything. He gave a shudder as he remembered the taste of some of the protein drinks Nat had given him.

"That bad, is it?" Vachon asked.

Nick had forgotten his visitor. "No," he replied after a moment. "It's quite good, actually. I was just remembering ... other liquids."

"The stuff your lady friend is using to try and bring you back across," Javier said matter-of-factly.

"How do you know about that?" Nick demanded with a frown.

Vachon shrugged. "Rumor, mostly. The community here in Toronto is so small that everyone knows everything about everyone."

Nick refilled his glass, then drained it again. "What do they say about me."

"That you're trying to become human again."

Nick looked Javier in the eye. "Is it common knowledge that Natalie is trying to help me?"

"Not really." Vachon twisted his glass round and round in his hands. "I just put a few comments together and made a good guess." "Comments?"

Javier looked up at Nick. "Something Tracy said about not understanding your relationship with Dr. Lambert, and part of a conversation I overheard at the Raven ... before I met you. LaCroix was talking to the former owner."

"Do you always listen in on other people's conversations?" Nick asked sarcastically.

Javier gave him a look of exaggerated patience. "Sometimes you can't avoid it."

"I'm sorry," Nick apologized. He was well acquainted with the twin vampire traits of super-sensitive hearing and phenomenal memory. "I really do know better than that," he said sheepishly.

"She must be a really special lady," Javier commented.

Nick looked over at Vachon. The Spaniard's eyes dropped their gaze to his hands. "Have you ever...?" Javier asked delicately.

"Ever what?" Nick responded sharply.

"You know!" Javier looked at Nick. This time it was Knight's gaze that dropped first.

"No," Nick said softly. He gulped the remaining blood in his glass.

"It's a bitch, isn't it?" Vachon said sympathetically. "The more they matter, the harder it is to control the bloodlust."

Nick looked over at Javier. "Have you and Tracy...?"

"No. Too hard to control the beast."

"Yeah," Nick agreed. He raised his glass to his companion. Javier matched his gesture.

The two vampires sat silently drinking. The younger vampire glanced at Nick, then away.

"What is it?" Knight asked.

"What does she smell like, your doctor friend?" Vachon kept his eyes on his half-filled glass. It was an incredibly intimate question for one vampire to ask another, and he really didn't know Knight all that well.

"That is none of your business," Nick said flatly.

Vachon darted another glance at the older vampire. He knew that he'd crossed the line with that question, but he couldn't turn back now -- it mattered too much. "Tracy smells like apricots ... with just the hint of cream.... I can always tell when she's been at my place. The smell ... lingers...." The Spaniard's voice was almost a whisper. "What does Natalie smell like?"

Nick's eyes began to glow. "I told you. That's none of your business."

Javier frowned, then took a closer look at Knight. "Have you even admitted to yourself what she means to you?"

The older vampire stood up and slammed his glass down on the end table. "I think it's time you left," he said through clenched teeth.

Vachon laughed in disbelief. "You really haven't admitted it, have you? And here I was hoping you could give me some advice." His eyes seemed to bore through Nick. "But you can't even handle your own relationship." A falsely bright smile plastered itself across Vachon's face. It didn't touch his eyes. "Well, thanks for the hospitality, but I really must fly!" While he was speaking the Spaniard maneuvered himself backwards across the lounge towards the elevator. Nick was half a step in front of him, eyes glowing yellow-green.

"Bye." With that Javier popped into the waiting elevator car and punched the button for the ground floor.

Nick could feel waves of disappointment bubbling off of the younger vampire. But he couldn't spare any sympathy for Vachon. Knight was being smothered by the depth of his feelings for Natalie -- a tangled web of love, desire, protectiveness, fear, and self-loathing.