"I'm no expert on CSI Rabbits, but it could have been," she nodded, shrugging lightly. "I mean, a fox would eat a rabbit, and the cold would just freeze it. For it to be unusual ....yeah, I guess exsanguination could be one of the theories. Like I said, I don't know the details."

A rash of rabbit deaths didn't exactly make the nightly news, as suspicious as it might be. Murders were another matter altogether, and as a homicide detective, he'd seen more than his fair share recently. "CSI Rabbits, that's good. Cute. I'll have to pass that one along." He wasn't cranky exactly, and though he tried to keep his job at work, it was often easier said than done, especially lately. "Home sweet home," he declared as he pulled the junker into the driveway in front of the house they shared with another couple who lived in the flat above them. "You know, come spring, we really should start house hunting. We've been living here too long."

As always, Willow refused to rise to Nick's crankiness, choosing instead to tease him further. "Aww, is diddums feeling all sad 'cos he didn't get there first?" she crowed playfully, blowing him a kiss to soften the blow as he pulled the car into their driveway. She agreed with him about the house hunting, in any case. "Well, the nest egg is about as big as it's gonna get for now," she admitted with a wry smile, unbuckling herself and digging around in her bag for her keys. "You're right, we should find somewhere further out to live."

"I'm right," he teased right back, a wry smirk on his face. "That's a first. I'll have to mark it on the calendar." He leaned over to turn her face toward his and brush a brief kiss against her lips. They were both off the clock now; this was their time, and they had little enough of it. There was nothing he was looking forward to more than a warm house, a warm meal, and a warm woman to share it all with.

She grinned into his kiss, fondly allowing him that one since it seemed as though he needed a small victory tonight. "Want a gold star so it really stands out?" she asked, dark eyes twinkling cheerfully even as she tugged her hat back onto her head and braced herself for the chilly walk up to the front door.

"Depends on where you wanna put it," he teased back, tweaking her nose before turning off the car and yanking the keys from the ignition. "Ready to make a run for it?" he asked, tugging at her hat to pull it down a little lower on her forehead.

She chuckled at his fussing, wondering if he was ever going to stop mothering her in cold weather. She'd grown up in Nain, Newfoundland, better used to cold weather than he was, but still he fussed over her whenever he got the chance. "No time like the present," she challenged him. "First one to the door gets the hot water?"

"Whatever happened to sharing?" he countered with a smirk as he pocketed his keys and pulling his hood up. The jacket wasn't regulation, but on a day like this, no one seemed to care. And off he went in a dash toward the front porch and the safety and warmth of their flat.

Of course it took her a moment longer to get out of the car, but she wasn't far behind him, long legs making fairly easy progress through the snow until she bumped into his back on the porch. "Keys, keys," she rushed him, shivering as her face grew cold in the enthusiastic breeze.

He fumbled in his pocket for his keys, jangling together as he searched for the right one before finally finding it and fitting it in the keyhole, turning, and pushing open the door to usher her inside. "Inside, woman, before you freeze your tail off." It would probably have been smarter and more chivalrous if he'd gotten out first and opened the door for her before she followed, but she was as stubborn as he was.

"And you just lurve my tail," she tagged onto the end of his admonishment, pausing just long enough to stamp the snow off her boots before lurching inside and out of the cold. Her own keys came out of her pocket then to open the door to their flat, one hand reaching back to take hold of Nick's jacket and pull him bodily inside.

He followed suit, stomping the snow from his boots before getting bodily tugged inside with a chuckle. "I'm in, I'm in!" he insisted, reaching around to brush a cold kiss to the back of her neck as she worked on getting the inside door open.

His wife yelped laughingly at the cold press of his nose and lips to the warmth she'd managed to maintain on her neck purely through the cultivation of long, thick hair, slapping his hip through his thick jacket as she opened the door. "Cool it, you randy sod, not on the doorstep."

"Why not?" he countered. "Afraid the neighbors might hear?" he teased, waggling his brows at her. The couple who lived upstairs knew them well enough not to be too surprised by a bit of unexpected afternoon - or rather evening - delight.

She looked over her shoulder at him with a faint smirk. "No," she assured him cheerfully. "But the heating on the other side of this door actually works." With a wink, she slipped into the lower flat, sighing with quiet delight as the low level of heat they maintained all day washed over her. "Oooh, I can feel my nipples going down already."

"What a shame. We'll just have to do something about that," he said as he stepped in behind her. The door to the flat upstairs creaked as it opened and footsteps were heard on the stairs. He shoved her hurriedly inside and slammed the door closed behind them. "Hurry up!" he ordered. "Before they know we're home!" Though from their chatter and footsteps and door slamming, it was already pretty obvious.

Nick wasn't the only one suddenly moving very fast as the sound of their upstairs neighbors coming in their direction made itself known. Willow flicked the light-switch off as the door slammed, standing absolutely still in the darkness, almost nose to nose with Nick, still halfway through getting her coat off as she listened to the progress of the couple they shared the house with. "Maybe they're going out," she breathed hopefully, trying not to make the slightest bit of noise, just in case.

"It's about damned time," Nick replied. "Thought they'd be in the retirement home before he finally found the balls to pop the question. Please tell me she didn't ask you to stand up," he continued, with that familiar grumbly tone of his. Weddings were not his favorite social event, and they were even worse if you were part of the bridal part, at least, in his opinion, their own wedding aside, of course. He shrugged his suit jacket off, revealing the police issue handgun that hung in a holster against his left shoulder.

"Like I'd be stupid enough to say yes to that after she spent an hour telling me how coral pink velvet is her favorite idea for the bridal party," his wife snorted with laughter, tugging the fastenings on her tunic undone and peeling it off as she passed through the living room. It was cold enough that she was wearing a top underneath her uniform these days, not entirely sure how long it would last. "I agreed to help her buy her underwear, that's all."

"Probably be Victoria's Secret. Twenty bucks a pop for one pair. They just come off, yanno. The cheap ones work just as well." Though he had been known to splurge a little now and then on sexy lingerie, he was a little too practical to make it a regular thing. "Just don't get any ideas. We're way too married to be part of a wedding party," he said, his voice fading as he started toward the bedroom and adjoining bath.

"Oh, you incurable romantic, you," followed him from the kitchen, where a series of thumps and crashes dictated to him how she was progressing with reheating the chilli. Once it was on, Willow retraced her steps, ducking into the bedroom to change into something a lot less veterinary nurse to wear for the evening, leaving her feet comfortably bare against the warm floor. "You want a beer, Kringle?"

"Takes one to know one!" he called back at her from the bedroom as he unbuckled the holster, checked the safety on his handgun, and set it on the dresser for safe keeping until the next morning when he got dressed for the day, or received a call in the middle of the night, whichever came first. He didn't really consider himself officially off duty until the gun was off. "I would love a beer," he replied as she joined him, and he closed the distance between them to help her with her clothes. "But there's something I'd love even more," he told her, sweeping her hair back off her neck as he leaned in to brush a kiss just beneath her ear.

Above their heads, came a few thumps and bumps as the couple upstairs seemed intent on making as much noise as possible.

Even as she melted into her husband, the banging above their heads made Willow roll her eyes. "Ah, screw it," she snorted with laughter, "the chilli's on low heat. Let's show them how it's done." Because, undignified though it was, they always won the sex competition with their upstairs neighbors. Sadly, not on the variety of sounds, but Willow was pretty sure some of those sessions were just the other couple bouncing on the bed and grunting at each other.

Nick groaned at the sounds coming from the flat upstairs. "They're doing that on purpose," he complained, though it would take more than that to ruin his mood when it came to his wife. "Hang on," he said with a smirk, moving over to the nightstand upon which rested an alarm clock, complete with radio. Flicking the radio on, he tuned it to a classic rock station and turned the volume up loud enough to drown out their neighbors and ensure their own privacy. The song just happened to be by the Doors, and Nick sang along with a grin. "Come on, baby, light my fire." He growled as he took hold of her hips and tossed her onto the bed.

"Nick!" Laughing, Willow squealed as he lifted her off her feet and tossed her onto their bed, well used to the various ways he dealt with their lovely, but annoying neighbors. Bracing herself on one hand as she sat up, she reached out and took hold of the waistband on his pants, pulling him closer as she slid to the edge of the bed. Using her teeth to undo the buttons on his shirt, she grinned up at him, tugging his pants open. He really should know better by now than to think she was going to surrender without giving as good as she got.

He grinned as she tugged him close, his fingers sliding through her hair and purposely mussing it before reaching for her shirt, bunching up the fabric in his hands to pull it over her head. He growled low close to her ear, letting her know he was more than ready for her before drawing back to get rid of his pants and shirt, leaving them in a pile on the floor near the bed. Comfortable with each other, there was no shyness or awkwardness between them, only a mutual shared passion and knowledge of what the other wanted without asking. While some couples grew cold and distant with time, marriage had only brought them closer together.

Better than close, it was fun to share each other this way. There was no sense of obligation in the instigation of their enjoyment of one another, just a wish to be as close as they could be. With the radio blaring loud enough to be white noise, clothing was thrown onto the floor in an exchange of kisses and caresses that was almost playful wrestling, punctuated with growls and moans and loving smiles.

By the time all was said and done, they were sprawled across the bed, tangled in a lovers' embrace, panting for breath and laughing like old easy lovers, enjoying the physical closeness as much now as they had when they'd been new lovers, perhaps more so for knowing each other so well. He sighed contentedly and pushed her hair back from her face, green eyes shining happily, lovingly even, despite his occasionally rough exterior. "I love you, you know," he told her quietly, for her ears only, not the neighbors'.

"I know," she promised him, her own dark eyes sparkling with tender affection as she lay in his arms, sated and feeling ridiculously content. "I love you back." She kissed him softly, breathing in their mingled scents as her palm smoothed over his side. "Suburbs, spring," she murmured. "The sooner we move, the better."

"I'll get rid of the clunker and buy something better. Promise." Or maybe he'd trade in his roadster. It was the last lingering reminder of his days as a bachelor, and while she had never pestered him to part with it, maybe it was time. If they really were going to move to the 'burbs, they were going to need a reliable vehicle to get back and forth that wasn't police issue. He lifted his head to kiss her nose, fondly and affectionately. "We should have moved a long time ago."

Her nose scrunched under his kiss as she smiled, stretching languorously with a low groan of contentment. "But at least we've got a good chance of getting somewhere that doesn't need everything done to it now," she pointed out gently. Staying put here hadn't been the plan - the plan had been to rent for a couple of years while saving, and then find a place they could make their own. A couple of years had turned into a few more than that, but their nest egg had grown, thankfully. "I guess I'll have to learn how to drive, huh?"

He followed her into the living room and handed her the extra beer, before setting the utensils down on the table. A barking dog in the neighborhood often meant nothing other than someone out taking a walk, but with all the break-ins lately, he thought it was better to be safe than sorry. "Maybe we should get a dog," he casually remarked as he twisted the cap off his beer, perking an ear to the insistent barking outside and considering taking a look. It was a bit cold for a walk, though people were often known to walk their dogs in the area this time of night.

"With the hours we work?" She shook her head, pulling the throw off the back of the couch and wrapping it over their legs as she drew her feet up beneath her. "It wouldn't be right. We don't have the time to devote to a dog, baby." She leaned over to nip his jaw. "Nice idea, though."

"Mmm," he muttered in response to her reply, knowing she was right. They'd discussed it before, and it always seemed to end in a stalemate. If they couldn't managed a dog, how were they ever going to manage to have kids" But then, you could get a nanny or enroll a child in daycare. As a matter of fact, you could probably hire a doggysitter, if you had the money, but they had decided that their first priority was buying a house. Starting a family would just have to wait. "I'd feel better leaving you alone at night if we had a dog," he admitted. Being a homicide detective sometimes meant being called in at all hours of the night and day. And most people thought only doctors worked weird hours.

"Baby, I've got a phone by the bed, a baseball bat, a taser, and the sense not to settle down without obsessively checking all the locks are secure," his wife pointed out with a gentle smile. She appreciated his concern, of course she did, but there were times when it felt over-zealous. Tucking herself close into his side, she turned her attention to dinner, warm and comfortable with her favorite man right there. "What's worrying you so much these days?"

He knew she was right. They'd taken every precaution, short of getting a dog or buying her a handgun. There was no real reason to think anything would happen. He was probably just being paranoid, but with the rash of homicides he'd been seeing lately, who could blame him' He took a swig of his beer as he settled in beside her, doing his best to ignore the barking outside. "It's this case I'm working on," he told her, unable to tell her too much. They'd managed to keep the weirder details out of the press, but it was only a matter of time before someone got wind of it. So far, all the victims had been either transients or the homeless - people who could go missing without being noticed - but it was starting to look like they might have a serial killer on their hands.

She frowned lightly, knowing he couldn't tell her much and not really wanting to know the details. "You back to thinking it might follow you home sometime?" she asked him as gently as she could. They'd had one scare over the years, which had been averted purely because Nick had made a point of making sure his wife knew that broken kneecaps were better than a broken head. "If it's that bad, Nick, I can go and stay with Julie or Anna on the nights you're not around. But you know I'd rather be here for when you get in."

As much as he disliked the idea of her having to stay with someone else, he knew it would make him feel a little better to know she wasn't alone those nights when he couldn't be there with her. "Would you mind" Maybe I'm being paranoid, but this one scares me, Will." That alone would probably tell her how serious this was. In all the years she'd known him, he had rarely admitted to ever being scared of anything.

As much as she didn't want to leave their home empty for him to come back to on such nights, Willow knew her husband well enough to understand that just the admission that he was scared meant it was far, far worse than that. "Just let me know when," she told him quietly. "And be careful yourself. There's no point keeping me safe if you're not doing the same for you."

"I'll be fine, Will. I know how to take care of myself. It's you I worry about." He leaned over and brushed a kiss against her forehead. "Now, no more talk about work. Do you want to do a few open houses this weekend?" he asked, changing the subject back to house hunting, as he set his beer aside and started on his bowl of chili, skipping the salad or leaving it for later. He never was very big on greens and only ate them to pacify her.

Far from pacified on the subject but knowing when not to push it, Willow let the subject change brighten, barely even glancing up when the barking outside abruptly stopped. "There's gotta be some open, even in this weather," she agreed, shrugging one shoulder as she took a swig of her beer. "Yeah, that'd be cool. Just, you know, make sure the heater's working in the car, in case we end up sleeping in it again." She grinned at him, having never let him live down the one time that had happened.

He would have chuckled at her remark, but he found the sudden cessation of barking as disturbing as the barking itself. He set his bowl aside and got off the couch to take a peek out the window. "We're not gonna sleep in the car. I just had it tuned up. It should be fine," he replied, obviously somewhat distracted, even as he replied to her question.

"What, not even if I ask really nicely?" she teased him, maintaining the light tone of the conversation even as he looked out through the window. It was unusual for Nick to be so on edge at home; he was usually so good at leaving his work at the office. But something obviously had him riled.

The darkness outside the window yielded very little to his eyes, shadows on snow and the track marks of paws and feet through the drifts. If he had turned the light off, he might have seen a little more clearly, and probably would not have felt any happier for the sight of the loud Rottweiler bleeding into its own snowdrift as the wind blew fresh white over it. Something was out there, and taking pains not to be discovered.

"Something's not right," he murmured to himself, more gut instinct than anything else. Turning out the light wasn't an option. He didn't like the idea of leaving Willow alone in the dark with the possibility of some serial killer prowling around. "Stay here," he told her, before going to the bedroom to get his sidearm.

"Wait - what?" Startled, Willow was up on her feet as he stepped into the bedroom, ignoring his order to stay put in favor of peering out through the window herself. She couldn't see anything but swirling snow in the darkness, sighing a little impatiently. "There's nothing out there, Nick. And you shouldn't go out there."

Too shaken to offer any kind of reassurance to their neighbors herself, Willow let Nick draw her back into their own flat, forcing herself to calm down. "God, I'm an idiot," she muttered. "He was only outside the window, it's not like he was in here, and I screamed like a kid."

"Hush, you're not an idiot," he assured her as he locked the door behind them and went to the window to take another look outside. "I want you to call the precinct while I check the windows. Tell them to send someone over, but keep the siren off."

"All right." His calm manner was more than enough to reassure her, forcing herself not to be a silly child over one fright as she picked up the phone. She did, however, stay away from the windows as she spoke to the operator at the precinct, passing on what had happened, who she and her husband were, and what he had told her to say.

They had practiced it a dozen times, like a fire drill. She knew what to do and what to tell the dispatcher on the other end, and most of all, she knew when not to question his judgement, even if he was being overly cautious. "What did he look like?" Nick asked, once she was off the phone. Whatever or whoever it was she'd seen, they didn't appear to be there any longer. He went around to each and every window, one at a time, and did the same, ensuring no one could see inside.

"It was real quick, I didn't get much detail," she warned him, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked over at her husband, leaning back against one of the inner walls, as far away from the windows and doors as she could get. "He was tall, I guess. I mean, he was on eye level with me, so even if he was standing on something beneath the window, he'd still have to be over six feet to be that tall. Uh ....dark hair, kinda curly over his forehead, black coat, uh ....I think he had a lazy eye." She frowned, considering this for a moment. "There was something weird about his eyes, anyway. He looked me right in the eye. And he moved so fast - one second he was there, and then he was gone. I didn't see him move."

"Write that down," he directed, as he took a brief peek outside to see if the cops had arrived yet. "Everything you can remember." It was important that she recorded what she remembered while it was still fresh in her mind and before her memory started playing tricks on her. "Have you ever seen him before" Did he look familiar?" he asked, as he closed the distance between them, the handgun in his jacket pocket for now with the safety back on. "What was weird about his eyes?"

She did as she was told, locating a notepad and pen to get as much detail about the unexpected peeper down before things started to get too cloudy in her mind. "He didn't look familiar, but I kinda got the impression I'd seen him before," Willow said quietly as she wrote. "Like I've seen him on the street or something." As he mentioned the stranger's eyes, she sighed, straightening up. "You're gonna think I'm nuts, but for a second there, I could have sworn his eyes were yellow. You know that darker, predatory yellow of a big cat's eyes? Like that."

He made no judgements, only absorbed the information she was giving him, which vaguely matched the description a few other witnesses had given and which only made him worry all the more. If what she was saying was true and someone was stalking him or his wife, it wasn't safe to stay here any longer. "Okay, I want you to listen to me very carefully, Will," he instructed, taking her by the shoulders and holding her gaze. "I don't want you to panic, but I want you to pack a bag with a few days' clothes. We're not staying here tonight. It's not safe."

Again, a sigh left her lips, half relieved and half worried, her brow furrowing as she looked up at him. "So much for the quiet night," was all she said, tucking her arms around him for a moment, needing the reassurance of a little closeness before she went to do as he told her. It was just as well they didn't have any children, or this would have felt even more complicated.

He wrapped her in his embrace, offering the reassurance and comfort that she needed, though only for a moment. Once they were safe and secure somewhere else, he'd have more time to comfort and console her and make sure she was all right. He tucked her head beneath his chin, holding her close, if only for a moment. "I love you, Willow. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you."

"I know." She hugged him tight for that long moment, trusting in him to keep his word and keep her safe. He was all she had, and she intended to keep him safe if she could, but when it came right down to it, Nick was the one wearing the pants in this relationship. Drawing back, she managed a half-smile for him as she turned away, slipping into the bedroom to pack them both a few days' worth of clothing and essentials.

Once the police arrived, Nick and Willow told them what had happened, holding nothing back, no matter how strange the story sounded. He made sure to get their neighbors out of the house, as well, encouraging them to go stay with family for a few days until the police were finished gathering evidence and deemed the house safe. It wasn't until Nick and Willow had themselves safely - or presumably safely - checked into a hotel for the night, that the implications of the evening came crashing down on them like a ton of bricks. Only once before had they had a similar experience, and though it had only brought them closer together, it wasn't something either ever wanted to go through again.

Their home wasn't safe. For the second time, and for apparently a more serious reason, the place that was supposed to be the safest refuge for them from the rest of the world was considered to be unsafe right now. It was a harrowing thought, and one that Willow didn't want to linger on. Instead of letting it sink in, she moved about automatically, unpacking the bags she'd put together for them without really paying attention to what she was doing, still in her boots, coat and hat, all of which had been thrown on over her pajamas.

"I'm gonna ask for a transfer out of homicide," Nick declared out of the blue, as if he'd just decided it, though he had actually been contemplating it for some time. He had just finished brushing his teeth, both of them lost in their own thoughts for a while after arriving at the hotel and locking themselves in.

"Not really, but..." He trailed off, unsure if he should continue. He didn't really want to scare her, but he didn't want to keep anything from her either. "Will, I don't want to scare you, but if he followed me home tonight, you may have gotten a good look at him."

A slightly resigned look crossed her face as she met his eyes. "You want me to talk to the sketch artist, don't you?" she asked with a hint toward a smile. If she had gotten a look at this serial killer, then maybe she could be of some help. On the other hand, she could be the next victim on the list because of that, but she wasn't going to mention it before Nick did. "Why would he follow you home and then not do anything, though' It doesn't make sense."

"He did something. He scared the hell out of you, and there was blood outside in the snow. A lot of it. I have a feeling the neighbor's dog was his next victim." Though why a dog" Why rabbits, for that matter" Why follow him home" And, perhaps more importantly, if Nick was right and it wasn't just some random peeping tom, how'd the killer find out he was working the case"

"That makes even less sense," Willow pointed out, finally lying down beside him, tucking herself close. "I know it's worrying, and yes, I was scared, but there's nothing either one of us can do about it tonight. We need to sleep. Maybe tomorrow will pull up something you can work on."

He untucked his arm from behind his head and wrapped it around her shoulders to draw her close. "Are you okay with talking to the sketch artist?" he asked as he canted a glance at her curled up beside him. "I don't want you involved in this, baby, but if it was him at our flat tonight, you're the best witness we've got."

"I'm okay with it, Nick," she promised him, raising her eyes to his. She was relaxing, so trusting of his ability to keep her safe that there was no need to be frightened any longer. "And if I can help, then I'm more than happy to. I promise, I'm good." Pushing up, she kissed him softly, nuzzling close for a moment. "I've got you looking after me, haven't I?"

"I'm just a cop, Willowbean, not Superman," he reminded her, as he smoothed a finger against her cheek. Though she might be relaxing, he was far from it, too wound up from their evening and worried about her safety to sleep, though he didn't tell her that. "I wanna get this guy, Will, but you're more important to me than anything else. Say the word, and I'll ask for a transfer. I've been meaning to talk to you about moving anyway. I'm not getting any younger."

"You're not just anything, baby," she told him firmly. "You're everything to me. I don't tell you that as much as I should. I love you, Nick." She brushed her lips against his once more, settling close into his arms as she closed her eyes. "We can talk about it in the morning. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, okay," he relented, after returning her kiss, tucking her close against him, wound as tight as a spring, though he'd never admit it to her. What bothered him most about the whole incident was a.) whether or not the prowler was their killer, and b.) if he was, how the hell had he'd followed him home" Unless he'd been watching while they were working the case, or an even more disturbing thought, that he was someone Nick already knew. "I love you, Beanie. Get some rest, okay?"

"You try, too," she murmured, knowing he wasn't likely to sleep for at least a few hours yet. Hugging close to her husband, she sighed softly, secure in the knowledge that he wasn't going to let anything bad happen to her.

Though he might not be as eloquent or as openly affectionate as she was, she was everything to him, and there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. Nothing. "Night," he whispered, pressing his lips against her forehead as she settled in for the night. It would be at least a few hours before he fell sleep, his mind going over every last detail of the case and the events of the evening. The more he thought about it, the more the evidence was leading him to believe that this wasn't just your run of the mill serial killer. There was something else, something strange, some almost unexplainable evil going on, and the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if there really was such a thing as....vampires.

((New characters, same universe! Loads of thanks to the awesomeness that is Nick's player!))