Standard disclaimers apply.  None of the characters in this
story are mine, I'm just taking them for a quick spin.
Permission to archive at the fkfanfic.com and the ftp site.
This story was written to a really pretty song by Heart
entitled Alone.  All indicated text was written by and
belongs to Heart.

Anyway, I just know I'm going to get flamed for this, so I'm
apologizing in advance, but alas, I can say no more or the
story will be spoiled.  Oh yeah, and as with all of my itsy
bitsy short stories, this has not been beta read, so read at
your own risk.

Comments, questions, and whatnot may be sent to Diane Harris
at [email protected].

The candlelight framed his face in a perfect picture of
melancholy, the glow giving him a gaunt, eerie pallor of
pasty white as it flickered about.  Sighing, he blew it out
with a weak puff and watched sadly as the smoke curled up in
a lazy trail towards the ceiling.  It was just as well, he
didn't need the light to see.

-//I hear the ticking of the clock
-//I'm lying here, the room's pitch dark
-//I wonder where you are tonight

He glanced at the phone sitting silently next to his black
leather couch, reaching for it forlornly with outstretched
fingers only to pull back at the last instant.  What if no
one picked up?  He had so much to say...  So much he'd meant
to say, but never had.

-//No answer on the telephone
-//And the night goes by so very slow
-//Woah, I hope that it won't end though
-//Alone

Once again, he reached for the phone, not noticing that he'd
sucked his breath in and held it as soon as he heard the
dial tone echoing in his ear.  Breaking into a cold sweat,
he dialed the number from memory.  So much to say...

-//Till now, I've always got by on my own
-//I never really cared until I met you
-//And now, it chills me to the bone
-//How do I get you alone?
-//How do I get you alone?

The love he had was frightening him, and he had never before
brung himself to admit that it was even there.  He'd always
pretended that their relationship was strictly a special
friendship.  Very special, intimate in some ways but
platonic in others.  And he couldn't ever say that it was
more...  He couldn't without risking everything.

Every fragile thread their relationship hinged upon was
based on restraint.  He restrained himself from losing his
temper, from breaking rules that had been tacitly set forth
in order to keep making progress, just to stay close, just
to be able to watch his love from afar, never truly
admitting to himself that he was most likely wasting his
time.  It would never work...  But...  No amount of reason
could stop his heart from misbehaving.

Love, what a frightening emotion.  It left him quaking and
breathless, yearning for something that he would never be
able to have.  And it was killing him, simply because he
couldn't say anything.  He _wouldn't_ say anything.  If he
were to admit it, what friendship they'd been building
slowly, would be lost.  And if he were rejected he didn't
think he'd ever be able to face his life in Toronto again...
He didn't think he could take it...

So much to say...

"Hello?"

He breathed in quickly as the other end of the line was
picked up.  But he couldn't.  He couldn't bring himself to
say a word, caught speechless on the brink of confession.
He couldn't.

So much to say...

-//You don't how long I have wanted
-//To touch your lips and hold you tight
-//Oh, darling
-//You don't how long I have waited
-//And I was gonna tell you tonight
-//But the secret is still my own
-//And my love for you is still unknown
-//Alone

He hung up the phone quickly, even as the echoes of the
frantic "hello's" on the other end of the line drifted
through the room and refused to silence themselves.  Damn!
He'd done it again.  He simply couldn't...

So much to say...

-//Till now, I've always got by my own
-//I never really cared until I met you
-//And now, it chills me to the bone
-//How do I get you alone?
-//How do I get you alone?

Reluctantly, he picked up the phone again, dialing again,
holding his breath again in quiet anticipation.  He would
talk this time.  Maybe they would be able to work things
out...

So much to say...

"This is Nick Knight, I'm either in bed or incommunicado, so
if you want to leave your name and number, go ahead."

He slammed the phone down in frustration, his earlier
hang-up had ruined any chance he had.

-//How do I get you alone?
-//How do I get you alone?
-//Alone
-//Alone

LaCroix sighed as he glanced at the grandfather clock lazily
chiming midnight across from where he was sitting.

It seemed, that he was alone.

THE END