"Partners" Storyboard #3 Nick Knight never wanted a partner, especially not one as annoying as Don Schanke. Well, guess what?

It's a rough night for Detective Nick Knight. Not only does he have to deal with the fourth blood-drained corpse in a recent string of murders, but he's got to do it with the obnoxious, Det. Donald Schanke standing over his shoulder jeering him for being squeamish around blood. Things get worse when Capt. Stonetree decides it's time to stop catering to Nick's desire to work alone and his inability to work daylight hours. He informs Nick that he's going to be given a partner to work with. Nick is horrified to find that his new partner will be none other than the overbearing, souvlaki-loving, Don Schanke. "Will somebody shoot me!" Nick pleads to the precinct at large. "Please?"

First, the new partners stop by the local hospital where Schanke donates blood, unknowingly assisted by the serial killer he and Nick are hunting. After Schanke chews on some raw garlic to help replenish his strength, he purposely blows his breath in Nick's face, nearly incapacitating him. Later, Schanke discusses his theories on the case, telling Nick that he could learn a few things from him since he's more experienced. Of course, Nick has serious doubts about that.

While driving, Nick's superior hearing picks up the sounds of trouble coming from a nearby apartment building. When he and Schanke arrive, they discover a drug-crazed gunman holding a woman hostage. As Schanke covers the front door of the apartment, Nick goes to the rear of the building, elevates himself, then snatches the gunman out of the window. It's Schanke's first taste of how weird it is working with his new partner. Back at the precinct, Schanke explains the odd events to his captain, but is simply warned not to jump to fantastic conclusions.

When Nick has a personal rendezvous that leaves him out past sunrise, he's forced to take refuge in the trunk of his car for the day. The illegally parked Caddy is towed in, and Schanke is called to pick it up. He decides to stop by the hospital in hopes of establishing the fact that the murder victims had all been blood donors. Again, he unknowingly chats with the murderer who now feels he's getting too close to the truth. The killer finds out what type of car the detective is driving and cuts the brake line on it.

When Schanke gets back on the road again, the brakes give out, and he collides with several objects before coming to a stop. The Caddy gets banged up quite a bit, as does Nick who's still in the trunk. Schanke makes it back to the police garage where Nick soon shows up, highly upset about the damage done to his ride. But he knows that the accident was not Don's fault, and that Schanke was right about the case they've been working on. When Nick suddenly becomes dizzy from hunger, Schanke offers to buy him a souvlaki. Nick wisely declines. Instead, he's ready to put aside their previous differences and work with his new partner in order to solve the case.

The partners head back to the hospital, seeking the orderly they suspect is the murderer. With help from the duty nurse, they discover the man's identity. After putting out an APB on Don Fenner, Nick calls home to check his messages. Alyce (Nick's latest love interest) picks up and tells him that she's awaiting an ambulance for Jeannie, a homeless friend of Nick's, who survived an earlier attack by Fenner. Alyce has him to hold the line while she unwittingly opens the door for the killer. Hearing her screams, Nick rushes to the rescue, leaving Schanke to wonder how he plans to make it there on foot.

At Nick's loft, Fenner is about to add another victim to his list, but Nick arrives just in time in full vampire mode. Schanke calls for backup while speeding to Nick's place. By the time he arrives, the loft is on fire, Fenner is dead from blood loss and Nick himself is in need of a transfusion (which Schanke obliges with Natalie's help).

Schanke isn't told what really happened. He'll never know that his partner is a vampire and that Nick's need for a transfusion came from a lack of feeding. He won't find out that Fenner was drained by master vampire LaCroix, who had come to pick a fight with his offspring Nick, and lost. Schanke will know only the protective lies that Nick and Natalie conjure up for him. He'll believe them all and pretend to understand every word.
"Man, oh man! I knew that."

In fondest memory of Detective Donald Schanke. Seasons 1 and 2.