Sequel to Schanke's Return, which can be found in Clan MacSlow.
Full Moon at the Raven
By Emily M. Hanson
Disclaimer: The characters of Forever Knight do not belong to me, they belong to Sony/TriStar. I'm just borrowing them. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit will be gained from this story (it's a good thing I have a day job.) Permission is granted to archive. This is a short sequel to Schanke's Return. A longer one is in the works. Thank you to all of you who sent comments, they were very much appreciated!
* * * * *
The Raven was packed. It was so crowded that Janette was helping Miklos serve customers. For the first time in a long time, there were more mortals than vampires. A group of Japanese tourists posed for pictures with Urs in one corner. A few college students wearing Gothic outfits mingled with the vampires, chatting about music and poetry and art. In a dark corner, Aristotle showed off his new website on a laptop to a small group of computer enthusiasts, both vampire and mortal. Some of the vampires on the dance floor were showing off their fangs and glowing eyes. The mortals didn't seem to care. In fact, some of them were dancing with vampires.
"Hello, Nicolas, and Detective . . . Schanke, if I recall. What can I do for you? Are you off-duty, by chance?" Janette asked.
"Actually, yes," Don replied. "And it's Captain Schanke now. We both got promoted." Although Schanke was mortal, he had such an aura of power that he caught the attention of all but the youngest fledglings and the other mortals. What had happened to him, Janette wondered? "Congratulations on both of your promotions. I see the rumors of your death have been greatly exaggerated, Captain Schanke," she remarked.
"You can say that again."
"What can I get for you?"
Schanke ordered a beer.
"And you, Nicolas?" Nick almost said he didn't want anything, but changed his mind and ordered a blood wine. It was, after all, a special occasion. Schanke grabbed a handful of peanuts from a nearby dish. "So, how long have you known Janette?"
"And what makes you think we know each other?"
"The way she looks at you is a dead giveaway. Besides, I don't think the fact that you're both French and vampires is a coincidence."
"Okay," Nick sighed, "I've known her for a long time."
"How long?" Schanke prompted.
"Since 1228."
"Wasn't that the year you . . ?"
"Yes." Interesting, Don thought. So Nick had known Janette since the year he'd became a vampire. What role had she played in his conversion? He could smell the scent of the Nightcrawler clinging to the female vampire like a heavy perfume. Was the Roman vampire her master, too? Schanke barely knew anything about vampire culture. Apparently, it was fine for one master to have more than one . . . what was the word? Fledglings, Nick had called the younger vampires, though at his age, Knight was hardly a fledgling. Janette returned with the drinks.
"Here you are."
"Thank you," Nick said.
"Thanks," Schanke added. He took a sip of his beer. "Not bad." The female vampire was staring at him and trying not to obviously stare. She was not the only one. He chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Nick asked.
"The fact that I've managed to confuse pretty much every vampire in the room."
Knight looked around and realized that his partner was right. Surely at least one of the other vampires had known about werewolves. But everyone had the same confused and befuddled look. That is, everyone except him.
"Nicolas, what is it that you know and we do not?" Janette inquired, being unusually blunt. "And how do you know that Nicolas is not the only vampire in the room, Captain Schanke?"
"For one thing, I can smell a vampire from half a block away. For another thing, I can't hear your heartbeat. And as for your first question . . ." Schanke took a deep breath. "I'm a werewolf."
Janette tried to determine if the man was crazy. If so, she decided, he would not have been promoted to Captain. But that did not mean that he could have hidden it until now.
As if to punctuate his statement, Don shape shifted with lightning speed. "And, uh, there's a full moon." He looked slightly embarrassed.
Nick grinned like a kid at Christmas. "Janette, I don't believe you didn't know. You're more experienced than I am."
"Nicholas, I did not know until your visit yesterday," LaCroix said, joining them. "But now I do. Captain Schanke, have you not wondered if you are stronger than your partner?"
"Actually, yeah." Schanke got a mischievous look in his eyes. "Nick, how'd like to you arm-wrestle me?"
"Are you kidding? I could break your arm."
"Maybe before, when I was still a normal human, but how do you know I can't break your arm now, huh?"
Never underestimate your opponent. That lesson was one many failed to learn, and one the blond vampire would not. It was quite possible that in his current form, Schanke was stronger. Nick's eyes also sparkled mischievously. "If I win, you do all the paperwork for a month."
"Sure. If I win, you're doing the paperwork. And I mean actually do it, not just let it pile up on your desk to collect dust."
"No problem."
The vampire and the werewolf clasped hands. They had the attention of everyone in the room now. Several people were taking bets. The Japanese tourists were taking photographs.
"Ready?" Nick asked.
"Oh, yeah."
"On three, then." Nick counted.
The vampire suddenly grappled with a force far stronger than he had ever experienced. Time seemed to slow, and then stop all together as he tried to counteract Schanke's strength with his own. It was over sooner than he'd expected. He'd lost. Nick leaned back and stared at Schanke open-mouthed. "I can't believe I have to do all the paperwork for a month."
The werewolf laughed. "It won't be so bad."
"That's easy for you to say."
"I already do all the paperwork. It'll be nice not to have to for a change. Come on, I'll buy you a drink. You want another one of those . . . . whatever that is?" Don squinted at Nick's half-finished glass.
"It's blood wine, Schanke."
"Klingon?" The look on Schanke's face was priceless.
Nick chuckled. "No, more like Holstein and Merlot."
"Oh." Schanke grinned.
"Madame Janette, could you get my partner another drink?"
"Certainly. And it's Mademoiselle." She turned around to fill another glass.
The thought of doing paperwork for a month was not pleasant, but Nick had survived much worse.
The End
Full Moon at the Raven
By Emily M. Hanson
Disclaimer: The characters of Forever Knight do not belong to me, they belong to Sony/TriStar. I'm just borrowing them. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit will be gained from this story (it's a good thing I have a day job.) Permission is granted to archive. This is a short sequel to Schanke's Return. A longer one is in the works. Thank you to all of you who sent comments, they were very much appreciated!
* * * * *
The Raven was packed. It was so crowded that Janette was helping Miklos serve customers. For the first time in a long time, there were more mortals than vampires. A group of Japanese tourists posed for pictures with Urs in one corner. A few college students wearing Gothic outfits mingled with the vampires, chatting about music and poetry and art. In a dark corner, Aristotle showed off his new website on a laptop to a small group of computer enthusiasts, both vampire and mortal. Some of the vampires on the dance floor were showing off their fangs and glowing eyes. The mortals didn't seem to care. In fact, some of them were dancing with vampires.
"Hello, Nicolas, and Detective . . . Schanke, if I recall. What can I do for you? Are you off-duty, by chance?" Janette asked.
"Actually, yes," Don replied. "And it's Captain Schanke now. We both got promoted." Although Schanke was mortal, he had such an aura of power that he caught the attention of all but the youngest fledglings and the other mortals. What had happened to him, Janette wondered? "Congratulations on both of your promotions. I see the rumors of your death have been greatly exaggerated, Captain Schanke," she remarked.
"You can say that again."
"What can I get for you?"
Schanke ordered a beer.
"And you, Nicolas?" Nick almost said he didn't want anything, but changed his mind and ordered a blood wine. It was, after all, a special occasion. Schanke grabbed a handful of peanuts from a nearby dish. "So, how long have you known Janette?"
"And what makes you think we know each other?"
"The way she looks at you is a dead giveaway. Besides, I don't think the fact that you're both French and vampires is a coincidence."
"Okay," Nick sighed, "I've known her for a long time."
"How long?" Schanke prompted.
"Since 1228."
"Wasn't that the year you . . ?"
"Yes." Interesting, Don thought. So Nick had known Janette since the year he'd became a vampire. What role had she played in his conversion? He could smell the scent of the Nightcrawler clinging to the female vampire like a heavy perfume. Was the Roman vampire her master, too? Schanke barely knew anything about vampire culture. Apparently, it was fine for one master to have more than one . . . what was the word? Fledglings, Nick had called the younger vampires, though at his age, Knight was hardly a fledgling. Janette returned with the drinks.
"Here you are."
"Thank you," Nick said.
"Thanks," Schanke added. He took a sip of his beer. "Not bad." The female vampire was staring at him and trying not to obviously stare. She was not the only one. He chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Nick asked.
"The fact that I've managed to confuse pretty much every vampire in the room."
Knight looked around and realized that his partner was right. Surely at least one of the other vampires had known about werewolves. But everyone had the same confused and befuddled look. That is, everyone except him.
"Nicolas, what is it that you know and we do not?" Janette inquired, being unusually blunt. "And how do you know that Nicolas is not the only vampire in the room, Captain Schanke?"
"For one thing, I can smell a vampire from half a block away. For another thing, I can't hear your heartbeat. And as for your first question . . ." Schanke took a deep breath. "I'm a werewolf."
Janette tried to determine if the man was crazy. If so, she decided, he would not have been promoted to Captain. But that did not mean that he could have hidden it until now.
As if to punctuate his statement, Don shape shifted with lightning speed. "And, uh, there's a full moon." He looked slightly embarrassed.
Nick grinned like a kid at Christmas. "Janette, I don't believe you didn't know. You're more experienced than I am."
"Nicholas, I did not know until your visit yesterday," LaCroix said, joining them. "But now I do. Captain Schanke, have you not wondered if you are stronger than your partner?"
"Actually, yeah." Schanke got a mischievous look in his eyes. "Nick, how'd like to you arm-wrestle me?"
"Are you kidding? I could break your arm."
"Maybe before, when I was still a normal human, but how do you know I can't break your arm now, huh?"
Never underestimate your opponent. That lesson was one many failed to learn, and one the blond vampire would not. It was quite possible that in his current form, Schanke was stronger. Nick's eyes also sparkled mischievously. "If I win, you do all the paperwork for a month."
"Sure. If I win, you're doing the paperwork. And I mean actually do it, not just let it pile up on your desk to collect dust."
"No problem."
The vampire and the werewolf clasped hands. They had the attention of everyone in the room now. Several people were taking bets. The Japanese tourists were taking photographs.
"Ready?" Nick asked.
"Oh, yeah."
"On three, then." Nick counted.
The vampire suddenly grappled with a force far stronger than he had ever experienced. Time seemed to slow, and then stop all together as he tried to counteract Schanke's strength with his own. It was over sooner than he'd expected. He'd lost. Nick leaned back and stared at Schanke open-mouthed. "I can't believe I have to do all the paperwork for a month."
The werewolf laughed. "It won't be so bad."
"That's easy for you to say."
"I already do all the paperwork. It'll be nice not to have to for a change. Come on, I'll buy you a drink. You want another one of those . . . . whatever that is?" Don squinted at Nick's half-finished glass.
"It's blood wine, Schanke."
"Klingon?" The look on Schanke's face was priceless.
Nick chuckled. "No, more like Holstein and Merlot."
"Oh." Schanke grinned.
"Madame Janette, could you get my partner another drink?"
"Certainly. And it's Mademoiselle." She turned around to fill another glass.
The thought of doing paperwork for a month was not pleasant, but Nick had survived much worse.
The End
