"Eve of All Saints" by Mary Co., 1997
- Nominated, 1997 FK Fanfiction Award, 1997 Novelette (81K)
- G
- Set after "Last Knight"
Summary:
Made mortal in Natalie's death, Nick mourns and then carries on, living out a full, human life.
Recommendation:
Quietly, peacefully, "Eve of All Saints" rolls forward from "Last Knight," gently sliding Nick into the mortal world. Conveying thoroughly-human joy, sorrow and endurance, the soft, accepting atmosphere almost overshadows several perceptive invocations of Lacroix, Dawkins, "The Human Factor" and FK's canonical position on interaction between the living and the dead. Altering only their avenues, "Eve of All Saints" extends Nick's quest and penance throughout his human life, portraying them as much part of the man as means to an end, and thus offering an assured understanding that the goal has ever been more than mere mortality.
Characters:
Nick, Lacroix, Grace, Other, Janette, Natalie, Schanke
"Heart Within The Beast" by Lisa McD., 1993
- Novella (135K)
- PG
- Set thirty years after first season: divergent reality
Summary:
Lacroix schemes revenge through Nick and Natalie's eldest daughter, but finds her more than the pawn he expected.
Recommendation:
Written in the hiatus before second season, "Heart Within the Beast" intriguingly presages second-season's "Be My Valentine." Employing Catherine Knight where the episode does Natalie and Fleur, the tale maximizes the range of every scarce hint dropped during first season, creating a convincingly detailed future without unnecessary clutter. "Heart Within the Beast" sparkles with all that enthralls about Lacroix in BMV, while simultaneously fulfilling the Nick and Natalie interaction of that episode. (Prequels: "Confessions," "Coming Across," Sequel: "Father Christmas Figure.")
Characters:
Lacroix, Other, Janette, Nick, Natalie
"Our Puppets" by Susan B., 1996
- Vignette (3K)
- G
- Setting indeterminate, probably mid-third-season
Summary:
Natalie complains to Nick about her treatment at the hands of the FK fan-fiction list until a popular plot interrupts.
Recommendation:
This blithely post-modern vignette fondly pokes fun at fanfic-writing from within. Not only is the author an insider as an fkfic-l member, but the ultimate insiders, the characters themselves, address the pitfalls and pleasures of their eternal servitude to fannish whims. Cheerful and charming, "Our Puppets" amuses and intrigues with its brief, side-long look at both those who write FK fanfiction and those who "live" it.
Characters:
Natalie, Nick
"Caroline" by Sharon S., 1994
- Novella (68K)
- PG
- Set after "Love You to Death," more than a year before "Killer Instinct," with flashbacks to 1927-28
Summary:
Nick mysteriously disappears, then requests Natalie's presence across town, drawing her intimately into a previously-unsuspected part of his life.
Recommendation:
Set in the hiatus year between first and second season, "Caroline" aches and shines with all the passion and pondering of that unique time in the fandom. The story gracefully encloses larger arguments about the series within its well-paced, self-contained tale of a mortal Nick has loved and is losing. Tightly-coiled, "Caroline" slides from angle to angle to unroll Nick for Natalie's — and our — understanding, then allows him to snap firmly back into place. The rich detail of the text builds layers of resonance for the reader and envelops Natalie in Nick's past. This touching tale reveals Nick in love and loss and life.
Characters:
Nick, Natalie, Schanke, Janette, Other
"Sangria" by Bonnie P., 1997
- Short Story (41K)
- PG-13 (vampire behavior and violence)
- Set after "My Boyfriend is a Vampire" and before "Ashes to Ashes"
Summary:
Assaulted by a vampire when she attempts to halt a crime-in-progress, Tracy survives, only to find the lines between her world and Vachon's more sharply defined than ever before.
Recommendation:
Told entirely from Tracy's perspective, "Sangria" runs a familiar parallel between Tracy's understanding and that of the other characters and the audience. The eerily well-intended silence that isolates Tracy in her knowledge of vampires gives her less with which to do more in this traumatic moment. Thoughtfully, "Sangria" touches lightly on the metaphorical representation of rape in a vampire attack, then moves through a traditional structure, only to dramatically reject the conventional resolution in favor of a realistic, insightful and vividly-imaged ending.
Characters:
Tracy, Vachon, Nick, Natalie, Bourbon
"Eyes of a Child" by James K.W., 1995
- Nominated, 1999 FK Fanfiction Award, Historic Short Story (49K)
- PG-13 (vampire behavior and, off-stage, criminal violence)
- Set after "Killer Instinct" and before "Close Call," with a flashback circa 1528
Summary:
A murder investigation deeply affects Nick and provides Schanke an accessible context in which to better understand and reach out to his partner.
Recommendation:
In its powerful comparison of Nick and Schanke's reactions to an abused girl who kills her abuser, "Eyes of a Child" boldly solidifies the second season's preferred metaphor of the vampire family as dysfunctional family. The homicide case prompts and organizes achingly perceptive depictions of Nick and Schanke, as well as bridging the gap in their experiences across which they struggle to communicate. Forcefully realistic, "Eyes of a Child" gently sifts through the meanings of many canonical behavior patterns in its steady and well-structured progression to its strong and satisfying conclusion.
Characters:
Schanke, Nick, Lacroix, Natalie, Myra, Jenny, Others
"Color of the Night" by Valerie M. K., 1995
- Nominated, 1999 FK Fanfiction Award, Historic Short Story (36K)
- G
- Set four months after "Be My Valentine," on Natalie's birthday
Summary:
Invited over by Nick one rainy summer night, Natalie faces three surprises: a romantic interlude by candlelight, the painful resurgence of her memories of Valentine's Day, and a profound decision about her future.
Recommendation:
Weaving the song's lyrics into a hauntingly appropriate refrain, "Color of the Night" addresses the aftermath of the endlessly controversial confrontation in Azure with striking insight and resonance. This is a Natalie whose personal strength and independence are complementary to her feelings for Nick — not overwhelmed by them. An exciting sense of motion pervades both action and theme, unifying the exploration of canonical fact with that of emotional possibility. "Color of the Night" is a memorable interlude, highly characteristic of both Natalie and Nick.
Characters:
Natalie, Nick
"Peerless Pressure" by Susan G., 1995
(This author died in 2010.)
- Nominated, 1998 FK Fanfiction Award, Historic Novelette (46K)
- PG (vampire behavior)
- Set after "The Fix" and before "The Black Buddha"
Summary:
After an encounter at work sorely tests his control, Nick is confronted in his home by vampires bent on convincing him to abandon his dreams of mortality and his abstinence from human blood.
Recommendation:
Compelling and forthright, "Peerless Pressure" cuts to the heart of one of the most prominent metaphors in Forever Knight — vampirism as addiction — in an ingenious manner. The startling reversal of social expectations from the human to the vampire perspective skillfully implies that the genuine difference between the sides lies not in intent, but in action and consequence. "Peerless Pressure" is thoughtful, tightly structured and enticingly paced; it presents an outstanding portrait of second-season Nick, and is sympathetic to every one of the many canonical characters who cross its canvas.
Characters:
Nick, Natalie, Lacroix, Janette, Feliks Twist, Larry Merlin, Others
Please contact an author with feedback after reading her story. You may inspire her to write another! Your readership and responses are precious. Writers depend on readers.
Naturally, these fanworks are entirely fictional (there's no such thing as a vampire). Forever Knight was created by Parriot & Cohen and belongs to Sony. Feedback and suggestions are welcome; please let me know what you think. Thank you very much for reading!
