I Want to be Loved Like That

by L'Phantom

"What are you rebelling against?"

"Whaddya got?"

Nat looked over at Nick with a surreptitious grin. Nick always did remind her of James Dean from "Rebel Without a Cause," and now, sitting on his couch with him watching it, she remembered again why. Nick was going against everything his "society" tried to impose on him. But why, she wondered. Was he that much like Dean in that he didn't need a reason? Or was there a motive behind the good Detective's deviant behavior? 'Could it be,' she appended as an afterthought, 'could it be me?' Nat felt her cheeks getting hot when she thought that all this that Nick was doing could be because of how he felt about her. Logic told her that Nick was trying to become mortal long before he met her, so he couldn't be doing it for her. Nevertheless, her romantic side hoped that maybe, just maybe, part of it was because of her.

Nick, who had been engrossed in the movie up to this point, finally looked over at Nat, as his vampiric senses had told him her heart-rate had increased somewhat, and he was naturally concerned as to why. When he looked over at her and saw the flush in her cheeks, Nat quickly turned away. 'What is she thinking when she looks at me like that?' Nick thought to himself. Over the past four years, Nat had been there, both as a doctor and as a friend. And yet, Nick couldn't help but wonder why. True, vampire physiology fascinated her, but was that all? Could she possibly be doing this because she wanted the two of them to be together? Part of his heart swelled at the prospect, but the rest of it didn't see how it was possible. Still, one never knows, he reminded himself.

Nat looked back at him, and for a moment, their eyes locked. And in that moment, something wonderful passed between them, and they knew...

It was a small ceremony. Nat wanted it that way. Just their friends from the precinct, and some of Nat's friends from medical school. The wedding was at night, of course, because of Nick's "allergy." Nick wanted a much larger wedding, and of course he could have afforded it, but Nat wouldn't hear of it. When it came time to pick out the ring, Nick took Nat with him and said, "Get want you want. The sky's the limit." Even then, Nat chose only a small one-carat diamond in a small gold band.

"Are you sure?" Nick had said. "You can have anything you want. If you want the biggest ring in the store, it's yours."

"Nick, this is fine. I mean, when my parents got married, Dad couldn't afford to get Mom something even like this. Mom's wedding ring was just a small band of gold. But, you know something? Mom didn't care. She loved him, and he loved her, and that's all that mattered. And they were together until the day Dad died."

Nick had kissed her right there in the middle of the store when she said that. After that, he never argued with Nat's plans for the wedding.

Commissioner Reese gave Nat away; Captain Tracy Vetter was Maid of Honor; and Detective Javier Vachon was Best Man. Nick realized that having Vachon as best man was a bad idea about the time of the bachelor party in Nick's loft. Nick still had the blood/wine stains on his couch. But, it turned out okay, Nick decided. He was afraid Vachon would show up for the wedding in his characteristic leather jacket, but no, he actually rented a tuxedo. A nice one. And he shaved, too.

The only problem was when the priest asked for objections, and Nick could just see LaCroix bursting through the doors and killing Natalie right then and there. True, the two of them had finally settled that debt, but one never knew with LaCroix. But the few seconds of silence calmed Nick enough that he barely managed to keep from breaking into blood sweat. And then the priest continued and Nicholas Knight and Natalie Lambert became Mr. and Mrs. Knight for the rest of their lives.

It was a beautiful day. For some reason, though, Nick almost wished it wasn't. The day was far too beautiful to be so sad. He squinted against the sun, the lines etched around his eyes betraying his age. He didn't need to look where he was going; he knew. He'd traveled this path once a week since the day she died. The path from the road to her grave was so worn that grass would never again grow there. But he didn't care.

He stood at the foot of her grave and looked at her tombstone.

Nick removed the carnations from the week before. This day was special. He put twenty-seven red roses in front of the tombstone. "Happy anniversary, Nat. I love you." A single tear traced its way down his cheek and onto the ground above his beloved Natalie. "See you next week," he said before turning and walking back to the car.

...And then the moment was gone. They both looked away, stunned by the depth of the emotion they'd just shared. Nick put his arm around Natalie and pulled her close, absorbing every minute detail of her, freezing it in his memory.

And somewhere not too far away, a single blood tear fell from LaCroix's eye.