Eliza Ford: Cause of Death: Unnatural

"I don't need a break," said Em, interrupting him. "I'm fine. I can keep going here..."

Robert stepped closer to her, gestured for Nick to come over and lowered his voice. Em thought he'd been annoyed at them - his tone had certainly been curt - but now she could see he was concerned for them.

"You've both been here since midnight last night. And you pulled long shifts the day before."

"So?" said Nick. "It's not like we haven't worked long hours before."

Robert put a hand on his arm. "I mean it, Nick. This scene hasn't been easy on any of us today. We're all going to need a break at some point, and you two have been here the longest. We've got a long way to go on it still, and they'll be plenty to do back here tomorrow in the light." He nodded quickly as Nick began to interrupt again. "Go home and get some rest, both of you. I'll need you refreshed and on the ball tomorrow."

"Come on, Nick," said Em, looking closely at Robert. Robert looked back at her, his face inscrutable. Em had the strangest feeling Robert was letting her know he was okay with her and Nick. Em let one of her eyebrows twitch a question at Robert, and in return Robert gave the smallest of nods. Interesting, thought Em.

Robert turned back to the rest of the pathology team and Em took Nick by the hand and lead him out of the warehouse.

Naturally, they were late to Nick's family barbecue.

The event was a tentative celebration. Nick's sister Lucy's youngest son had passed some milestone in his treatment. With luck it meant fewer long-term hospital stays in the future - and that meant everyone in the family could relax a little. It also meant Nick had more time to spend with Em, he had whispered to her in the car on the way. No more taking the other kids to little league on a Saturday morning for Lucy when she was stuck in hospital.

"So, little Jack being home from hospital means I get to spend more time in bed with you?" said Em as Nick grinned at her. "Well then, this really is a celebration, isn't it?"

But Em found the atmosphere at the gathering a little curious. Most human parties she'd attended had been wild celebrations of life. There'd been alcohol, party drugs, laugher, loud music, the usual. Here there was an almost melancholy tone. This was a family celebrating one small life that clung on precariously. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and kids all smiled and laughed but with a certain wariness, and weariness, the adults in particular not sure if they should relax completely. Em was intrigued, and the slight tiredness about the mood suited her current state of mind completely.

Lucy came by with a small boy in her arms and a careful smile on her face. She kissed Nick on the cheek and turned her smile to Em. Em could see she looked older than her years with an age old fear dancing close behind her eyes.

"Nick, I'm so glad you could come," she said. "Jack was asking after his 'Nunkle Nick'. Busy day?"

Em raised her eyebrows at Nick over Lucy's shoulder as the woman leant close to her brother to allow the kid in her arms to kiss his uncle. 'Nunkle Nick?' she mouthed with a grin.

"I wouldn't have missed it," said Nick, taking Jack out of Lucy's arms and tossing the boy high in the air.

Jack squealed, but Em noticed it was a subdued little squeal. She looked at the boy again. He was about three, bald as a button, with eyes older than time. Em looked deeper and saw the death lurking inside the child's blood. She realized in a second how pointless this celebration was. No, not pointless, she corrected herself, there was love here and that should always be celebrated. She sighed. She was surrounded by death today. Thirty seven pointless deaths in the warehouse, and one sweet little death still to come in front of her now. How did humans cope with this?

“And you must be Em," Lucy was saying. "I'm so pleased to finally meet you. Nick's told me so much about you." The smile Lucy gave Em was warm and genuinely happy. Em's insides twisted as she thought of how that smile would shrivel and die when the death in Jack's blood finally won the battle. Lucy seemed like such a nice person, Em thought. She doesn't deserve this.

Em allowed herself to be introduced to the whole family. She was a little surprised at the generous welcome she received - what had Nick been telling them all - but she was touched as well. Of course they would greet her so kindly. If this was the family that had produced Nick then of course they were good people. The comparison between this beautiful kind-hearted group of humans and the cut-throat competition of her own Family didn't even bear thinking about.

Em watched Nick. He'd dived in to play a complicated game of tag with his nieces and nephews in the back garden, and the kids yelled and laughed around him. The smaller ones simply climbed him like a tree and at one point she noticed four children hanging off him, from his arms, from his shoulders, wrapped around his legs. He looked like a boy himself. Em could feel his happiness from where she watched inside the house with a gaggle of sisters and aunts who scoffed thick slices of desserts and sweet tea.

“So, how long have you been going out with my goofy brother?" said a voice behind her. Lucy was there, pressing another glass of champagne into Em's hand.

Em smiled politely. She didn't really want the champagne. Damn it, she didn't know what she wanted. She was feeling almost overwhelmed by a whole range of feelings that had her confused and anxious. She was scared, she realized. Scared of whatever had caused the mess in the warehouse, whatever was causing her headaches. She was scared that Jarek's tempting darkness might lead her home. She was scared that she'd somehow ruined whatever was between Robert and her, and she was scared that if she didn't grab Nick and hold him tight to her right now that she might lose him forever.

She looked at Lucy, and realized most of the other women were waiting on her response. So, this was a test, she thought.

"We've been working with each other for a few years now," she said smiling and sending out a whisper of dark energy through the window and out into the garden. She was searching for one of the children. "But I guess we started seeing each other, you know, properly, about two years ago."

There he was. Jack. Her dark energy found him where he was sitting to one side of the group of older children and Nick still playing wildly together.

"Though I must say I had no idea how good he was with children," she said. "Hardened crims and drug dealers, sure, but who'd have thought he'd be such a pushover with kids."

The women laughed, and Em's dark energy flowed inside the boy, through his blood, around his heart, into every cell.

Lucy gave Em a sly look. 'It's attractive, isn't it? A bloke who's so good with kids..."

The other women groaned. "Oh, for heaven's sake Lucy," one of them said. "Give the girl a break. Your matchmaking pitch needs a little work!" They were all laughing again.

Inside Jack's blood Em found what she was looking for. The blood was thin and boiling with chemicals, but there it was. One cancerous cell that had found a way to survive the drugs. One cell with the potential to start the cycle of the death all over again. Just one little cell.

Em met Lucy's eyes and smiled. She raised her champagne glass.

"Yes," she said, meaningfully. "Very attractive."

She clinked her glass against Lucy's and inside Jack that one little cell turned to ash.

Later she found Nick and leant up against him.

"Remember how you asked me if I was okay?" she said.

He nodded.

"I'm not."

Nick's face softened and his hands took her by the shoulders and turned her around to face him.

"The warehouse?" he asked. "Or do you still have that headache? How thoughtless of me. I can't believe I've made you suffer through my whole family when you're still feeling so bad." He shushed her as she tried to defend his family. "No, my fault, I'm sorry sweetheart." He hugged her. "How about we just get you home, ok?"