A Question of Time by Rosemary Beard Copyright 1997 Time: after "Night in Question". Cinderella's glass slippers are used with the permission of Mel Moser. The characters are the property of TPTB. Part One It had been a month since the war and Rose sat at her desk, working on the story challenge for Soulseeker's wedding. She hadn't participated in the war as much as she had wanted to, and she missed her LaCroix. Only the night before she had mentioned this to Mel. "Why not use the slippers?" Mel asked. "You can bring LaCroix back and spend some time with him." "That would be great! Could I borrow the slippers for a few days? I'll send them back as soon as I'm done." Rose smiled. It would be fun, now that she was finished with school work, to take a break before she started looking for a job. It might be good to get away from the story for a while too. It wasn't going well. The doorbell rang and Rose got up to answer it. It was a courier. Mel had sent the slippers priority mail. Rose quickly signed for the package and closed the door. Her heart was pounding as she ripped the wrappings off the box. Carefully, she lifted the lid and peeked inside. There they were, the slippers that had sent LaCroix back to his own time. Tucked into one of the shoes was a folded piece of paper. Rose picked it up and opened it. It was a note. Rosemary, The slippers adjust to fit the feet of the wearer. Just put them on, close your eyes and click the heels together. Wish for your LaCroix, and when you open your eyes, he'll be there. Mel PS. I want DETAILS. Rose smiled as she read the note. The slippers were even more beautiful then she remembered. They sparkled like diamonds and there was a slight glow as she lifted them out of the box. Gently, Rose placed them on the floor. They looked so small. "Mel will kill me if they get broken." she said. Taking a deep breath, she gingerly stepped into the shoes. She stood there holding her breath. She could almost feel the glass expanding and reshaping itself. Rose stood there for a moment, staring down at the shoes."They fit!" she said in amazement. She couldn't wait to try them out. Closing her eyes, she clicked the heels together and said "LaCroix. Show me my LaCroix." A loud noise, like a gust of wind, filled the room. The lights flickered and the noise grew louder. Rose opened her eyes and watched as a spiral of lights appeared. The lights seemed to dance around her. There was a flash and a shimmering, glowing oval appeared. Rose could see through the oval to another place and time. It was night, but a full moon lit what appeared to be a garden. "How lovely." Rose thought. Looking into the portal she could see masses of rose bushes in many colors. There was a fountain nearby and in the center of the garden was a long, stone bench. Standing off to one side, near a wall, was her LaCroix. She called out to him. He turned his head and saw her. Smiling, he moved toward her and extended his hand. Rose was overjoyed at seeing him, and reached for his hand. Suddenly she found herself being pulled toward him. Something was wrong. She was being pulled into the portal! "LaCroix, help me!" she shouted and then darkness engulfed her. ************************************************ Rose opened her eyes and looked around. It was dark, and her eyes needed time to adjust. She could see lights reflecting off a lake nearby. Squinting, she could make out the shapes of some of the buildings. LaCroix, standing next to her, looked a little puzzled. "Where are we?" he asked her. "We are in Toronto, I think." she said."But this doesn't look quite the same as last time we were here." "Why did you bring us here?" he asked. "Is there another war?" "No, I mean, I don't know. I didn't bring us here, it was the magic slippers. I only wanted to see you again. I missed you." she told him. "And I, you. I have often wondered about you and my friends from your time." he said, putting his arms around her, "I have much to tell you. But first we need to find out why we are here." Rose spotted a newsstand and hurried to it. Picking up a newspaper she scanned it. Maybe it held a clue. Then she saw the date. "1995?" she mumbled. Why had they come to Toronto, and why 1995? This hadn't happened when they used the shoes before. There had been a rift then, maybe that was the cause. Taking LaCroix's hand she closed her eyes and clicked her heels. "Take us home." she said. "Take us to 1997." Rose opened her eyes. Nothing happened. She closed her eyes and tried it again. Still nothing. "Why isn't it working?" she said aloud. Perhaps there was a reason she and LaCroix came here, she thought. Maybe there was something they needed to do. "Nah, that's too much like Quantum Leap." she said, shaking her head. "That's silly."Rose started laughing. "And this isn't?" This whole situation was comical. Here she was, standing on the lakefront in Toronto, in the middle of the night, wearing cut off jeans and a T-shirt, ankle socks and crystal slippers, holding hands with a vampire from the middle ages. "Why are you laughing?" LaCroix asked, looking at her strangely. "Oh, nothing. I'll explain later. We need to find Nick and Nat and see if they know what's happened. Come on." Rose started walking toward the center of town, her hand still holding LaCroix's. He seemed to be in no hurry. It was all she could do to keep him walking. "What are you doing?" she asked, becoming annoyed. "If we don't figure this out, you'll never get back to Fleur." "I am trying to find Nicholas." he said, removing his hand from hers. "If he is a vampire here, I should be able to feel his presence, perhaps even contact him, but you must keep still." "Why didn't you say so." Rose asked. She stood there and watched as LaCroix closed his eyes and concentrated. "I feel his presence here, but the bond between us is weak. He is after all not MY son. He belongs to the LaCroix of this time." LaCroix told her, his eyes still closed. "This way." he said, hurrying toward the city. "Wait for me! I can't move at vampire speed, remember? I'm just a lowly mortal." Rose yelled as she struggled to keep up. An exasperated sigh escaped LaCroix's lips. He turned and scooped her up in his arms and took to the air. Rose put her arms around his neck and placed her head on his chest. Smiling to herself, she held on and enjoyed the ride. LaCroix touched down lightly in front of a large building. "He's in here." he said, untangling her arms from around his neck. Stepping into the shadows, he pulled Rose back against him. "Someone's coming." he said, holding her close so she would not be seen. Her face reddened. "Shame on you." she thought, as she pressed herself closer to him. LaCroix looked down at her, a strange look on his face. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the door opened and a figure stepped out into the night. "Nick." Rose whispered. LaCroix reached down and placed his hand over her mouth. Rose really wished he wouldn't do things like that, surely he must be able to tell how her heart beat rapidly when ever he touched her. Nick walked quickly away from where they stood, oblivious to their presence. LaCroix took his hand from Rose's mouth and motioned for her to follow him. Silently they slipped into the building and activated the lift. Using his great strength, LaCroix opened the door and together they walked into the room. Rose stood there looking around. "Of course Nick would be here. This is his loft." she said aloud. "He lives here." "Then we have only to await his return." LaCroix said as he walked around examining the room, opening and closing doors and peering inside cabinets. Walking to the fridge he pulled open the door. Taking out a bottle he pulled the cork and held it to his nose. "This is just what I need." he said, and raised it to his lips. "Ugh, this is pitiful." he growled, wiping his mouth in disgust. "I had forgotten that in this time he drinks cow's blood." Rose stifled a giggle and sat down on the couch. "How is Fleur?" she asked, not really sure she wanted to know. "Ah, Fleur." he said, his eyes growing softer. " My precious Fleur is alive and well and waiting for me. We were married shortly after my return. Nicholas and I came to a bit of a compromise. She remains a mortal and I remain with Fleur. It isn't the solution I had hoped for, but her love is still mine." "Married." she repeated to herself. Rose sat there feeling a little sorry for herself, she had hoped that LaCroix would have grown tired of Fleur by now and that she might have a chance with him. She shook herself mentally. That was not why they were here. She needed to find a way to return them to their own times. As Rose sat there pondering their situation, they heard the lift activate. LaCroix stepped back into the shadows. Rose got up and hurried across the room, frantically searching for a place to hide. She had only just made it to the staircase when the door opened and Natalie stepped into the room. "Who are you and what do you want here?" she asked. "I, uh, I'm Rosemary. I'm waiting to talk to Nick." she stammered. "Does he know you're here?" she asked, scanning the loft. "Is he here?" "No. He left before I arrived. I, uh, we let ourselves in." Rose gave LaCroix a pleading look. "WE?" Nat said. "Who else is here?" LaCroix stepped out of the shadows and walked to where Rose was standing. "You!" Nat gasped. "What are you doing here. Haven't you done enough already?" Turning to Rose, she said angrily, "How dare you bring him here." Rose looked at Nat. "It's not what you think." she started. "He's not..." LaCroix touched Rose's hand. "Dear Lady." he said, his deep voice sending chills through Nat. "I am not that Lucien LaCroix. I am here to ask for your help, and in return I will help you if I can ." "Help?" Nat said, eyeing them suspiciously. "What kind of help? And what could I possibly need from you?" *********************************************** Rose explained what had happened. She told Nat about the shoes and the war. Rose was on the verge of telling her about what would happen between her and Nick in the future when LaCroix stopped her. Nat sat listening to the tale, not sure whether to believe what she was hearing. Nick's memory had not fully returned, perhaps there was a chance for them, perhaps these two could help. They seemed to know so much already. She was still suspicious of this LaCroix, however. The one she knew would not be so willing to help, in fact he had done everything he could to keep her and Nick apart. "Suppose I believe you. What do you want me to do?" Nat asked. "We need to talk to Nick. Do you know where we can find him?" Rose asked. "No, I have no idea where he went. It'll be dawn soon. But there's no guarantee he'll come back here. Let me try calling him on his cell phone." Nat walked over and picked up the phone. She dialed the number and anxiously waited. "C'mon Nick, answer." she said. But there was no answer. Nat put down the receiver. She had an uneasy feeling about this. "He's probably with LaCroix." she said wistfully. "He's been spending a lot of time there lately." Rose looked at Nat. She could see the tears forming in Nat's eyes. "Why would he do that?" Rose asked. "I thought he didn't want LaCroix in his life." "He didn't." Nat said, brushing the tears away. "But Nick was angry at me for not telling him about his past. I couldn't. After the shooting he'd lost any memory of being a vampire. He was almost mortal again." Nat walked over to the sofa and sat down next to Rose. "We finally had a chance for a real life together." Tears were streaming down her face. Nat looked down and her hands. "We even made love." she whispered. Rose wanted to put her arms around Nat and reassure her that everything would be ok, but she didn't know herself. "I don't know what happened." Nat sobbed. "The next morning he was demanding to know what he was, and why I didn't tell him the truth. He doesn't trust me anymore. He said that LaCroix is the only one who can fill in the missing pieces." Nat reached up and wiped her eyes. "I don't know what he has been telling Nick. He won't talk about it." "I know exactly where we are now!" Rose thought. She got up from her seat and grabbed LaCroix's hand, pulling him toward the door. "I'm sorry Nat, but we need to go find Nick. We'll be back." she called out as she and LaCroix disappeared out the door, leaving Nat staring wide-eyed after them. "Where are we going?" LaCroix asked her, freeing himself from her grasp. "The Raven." she said. Rose knew where to find Nick. She quickly explained to LaCroix what had happened and where they were going, the words coming so fast that he had some difficulty following her thoughts. Several times he had to ask her to repeat what she was trying to tell him. Once outside, Rose began to run toward the club. LaCroix anxiously looked at the sky, it was beginning to lighten. Dawn was about to break. He pulled her into his arms and took flight. Rose pointed out the Raven as they drew nearer. Touching down near the door, they rushed inside barely escaping the sunrise. "That, my dear, was too close for comfort." Rose looked up at him. She could tell he sensed something. His eyes were rimmed with gold. "The bond is much stronger now. Nicholas is here." A noise caught their attention and they turned to see Nick standing near them, staring wide eyed at them both. From behind him another LaCroix stepped forward. This one was angry, his eyes fully golden. Rose quickly stepped behind her LaCroix. "Lucien." she whispered, "be careful." "What is this?" LaCroix growled. "Who are you?" Lucien stepped toward his double, his eyes growing golden. "I am what you once were." he said quietly. "I have come to help Nicholas regain what was lost." Nick stood quietly watching the two LaCroix's face each other. Rose made her way across to where he stood. Taking hold of his arm, she drew him aside. "Nat told us what happened." she said. "Nick, we need to talk."