Title: Debt Paid
Author: Endaewen
Spoilers: 3rd Season? (I've never seen it, only gathered events
through other fanfic)
Disclaimer: Not mine, the characters etc all belong to their
creator. Sony, I think.
Summary: Nick broke the Code when he let Natalie live with her
knowledge of the Community. Now the reckoning is due.

Part One:
	No new customers so far, Natalie thought gratefully. As there were
no new cases waiting for her attention on this shift, Natalie was
taking advantage of the slow night to catch up on the paperwork her
job as one of the city coroners entailed. Let's hope it stays that
way. Thankfully, such shifts were common, however, the quantity of
paperwork was large enough that one or two busy shifts left Natalie
with a small mountain of the stuff, demanding her attention very
quickly.

	Nick hadn't stopped by once in the last week, or phoned her for any
reason. He was going so far as to send his young partner, Tracy for
any paperwork. Even Tracy had noticed, asking Natalie if something
had happened between her partner and the coroner. Natalie was
wondering if he was going to move on, as he put it. If so, she hoped
that the vampire would say goodbye first, and not simply disappear
without warning.

	I don't want to come in to work one day soon, only to discover that
he's disappeared without a trace. However, with the way Nick's been
acting, I'm afraid it's all too likely. Natalie shook her head as if
to shake away the distracting thoughts. Whatever happens, you can't
do anything about it, and the paperwork's not just going to go away,
she scolded herself as she went back to work.

	Just over an hour later, Natalie had finished the paperwork for two
of Nick's and Tracy's cases, as well as one or two other cases for
the same precinct. Figuring that was as good a time for a break as
any, she decided to drop the files off with the two detectives before
going on her coffee break.

	When she arrived, it was just as she had thought: her two friends
were also struggling with that bane of public servants everywhere,
called paperwork. Taking a closer look, she realized that Nick had
indulged in a bad habit of his and piled most of it on Tracy's side
of their shared workspace. Hiding a grin, Natalie toured the rest of
the busy room, dropping off envelopes for some of the other on-duty
detectives before making her way over to the pair of blond
detectives, with the remaining envelopes. "Hi Nick, Tracy," she
greeted them. Tracy looked up, groaning at the sight of the envelopes
in Natalie's hand. Natalie saw the look and said with artificial
cheer: "Yep! It's all for you." She grinned at the face Tracy made.
Sobering, the Medical Examiner added, "it's the results for the
Hutchins and Wang cases."

	Through all this, Nick hadn't done more than greet the new arrival
with a simple "Hi Nat". This had become par for the course for the
past four or five days. A couple of weeks previously, he would have
been chatting with her and teasing her the same way she was with his
partner, possibly teasing the younger detective as well.

	The two women talked for a minute before Tracy asked if Natalie had
time for a mug of coffee. They headed for the break room, leaving
Nick still sitting at the desk.

	Luckily, there was no one else in the break room, because the
minute the door closed behind them, Tracy started asking questions.
"What's going on between you and Nick?" If anyone else had been in
the room, a question like that would be sending the office gossip
grape-vine into new levels of energy.

	Knowing that Tracy knew about vampires but not about her partner,
and that Nick could, if he chose, listen in on their conversation
from his desk, Natalie had to be careful about what she said. She
didn't want to give away other's secrets. "Do you know anything about
what's going on with Nick?" she asked, instead of answering Tracy's
question.

	"No, but he seems to be worried about something." Tracy replied.
"He hasn't changed towards any of the other people working here,
though." Here Tracy frowned, continuing, "except me. He's hardly
talking to me now. Not that he's told me all that much sometimes in
the past."

	Natalie shook her head. "I can't tell you anything. We may be
friends, but your partner still mystifies me sometimes." Try most of
the time. Must come from being eight centuries old.

Part Two:
	The coroner sipped at her coffee and changed the subject away from
their mutual friend and co-worker. Ten minutes later, Natalie
realized that she really had to get back to work. As they walked back
to Nick at the desk, Natalie said, "it was nice to have a chance to
just talk to you Tracy, without work getting in the way."

	Nick's partner replied: "agreed! We've got to find the time to do
it again, Natalie." During the conversation, Tracy had become
comfortable enough to start using Natalie's first name in casual
conversation, instead of calling her "Dr. Lambert" all the time.

	Back at her office, Natalie immersed herself in the paperwork
again, hoping to get it finished before the end of the shift. She had
the next two days off, and didn't want to even think about work after
tonight. Not likely though, she thought with some exasperation.

	It was some time later, Natalie wasn't sure how much later,
probably an hour or two, that the Medical Examiner was abruptly aware
that she was no longer alone in the room.

	One moment, she was alone, the next there was somebody else in the
room. No sound from the door, which was the only entrance into the
room, though, either opening or closing. She looked up to see two men
standing silently on the other side of the desk.

	The two figures were imposing, reminding Natalie of the few
encounters she had had with Lucien Lacroix during the time of the
Fever. One thing was certain, Natalie thought, I've never seen either
of these two before. Both were wearing dark clothing, neither too
casual, nor too formal. Except for the air of menace, they were the
sort of people you could pass in the street and never think twice
about. The Coroners eyes flicked to the clock on the wall behind the
two strangers. There were still several hours before dawn. Vampires.

	The figure on the left nodded to acknowledge and confirm her
suspicions. Natalie did her best to control her reactions, but she
knew that the two standing in front of her could tell that she was
frightened, regardless of what she did. Still she could do her best
to not show it outwardly.

	Natalie decided to remain silent until she knew why the two
vampires were there. She figured they weren't there to kill her right
off, or they would have already. Had that been their intent, she
doubted she would have even seen them. However, she didn't want to
inadvertently do or say something to change their minds on that count
either. Staying silent remained the safest option.

	"Natalie Lambert?" The one who had earlier confirmed that they were
vampires spoke. "Would you come with us please?"  The words were a
request in the same way that requests from the police were: not at
all, they were orders. This was the final piece for things to click
into place for Natalie. Enforcers. This must have been what Nick was
worried about all week. Would have been nice if he'd told me, not
that it would make a bit of difference, if I understand what he's
told me in the past. Only a second had passed while these thoughts
raced through her head.

	She changed her mind about not asking questions as she got up from
behind the desk. "Can I ask who you are, and why you are here?"
Natalie hadn't look away from the two impassive figures from the
moment she had become aware of their presence in the room.

	This time it was the one who had not yet spoken who answered. "We
are Enforcers, as I am sure you have already surmised."

	Blast it! This is what Nick was afraid of, from the beginning.
Nothing can be done now though. Natalie was not by nature a
fatalistic person, but it seemed to her that she was staring her end
in the face.

	It appeared that her thoughts were visible on her face, because the
Enforcer speaking said next: "you will be perfectly safe, for now,
provided you do not do anything stupid." Not that that was all that
reassuring, especially the 'for now' part.

	Given that there didn't seem to be any overt threat to her at the
moment, Natalie dared to ask one more question. A rather optimistic
one at that. "How long will this take?" Assuming I'm going to be
coming out of this alive, she muttered to herself in a quieter tone
of voice. At the same time, she got her coat and got ready to go. 

	The same one who had been speaking earlier answered her question as
well. "As to your fate, nothing has been decided yet. For the moment,
those in charge simply wish to talk to you and de Brabrant," he said,
first responding to her mutterings, then answering the question. "I
would assume at most a couple of days."

	There was no other option but for Natalie to do as they told her.
Minutes later, they were out of the building. Surprisingly enough, or
not, given the senses my 'escorts' have, Natalie thought, they hadn't
encountered anybody, not even her assistant, Grace, as they left. I
could have sworn there were more people working here, even on the
nightshift. Perhaps they hypnotised them into leaving the area.

Part Three:
	Once outside, the two vampires escorting Natalie drew her into the
shadows. With that action, she got an inkling of how they were
planning to transport her to where-ever they were going. With that
realization came the first outward sign of any severe emotion on
Natalie's part. She paled.

	"Don't worry, you'll be perfectly safe," the one now holding her at
the waist said. There was nothing intimate in the action though.
Anyway, Natalie was sure she could hear amusement in his voice at her
predicament. "Just hold on tight." With that warning all three of
them went straight up.

	Soon enough they were at their destination, the Raven. The club
owned and run by Lucien Lacroix. It was also one of the local
Community hangouts. Regardless of whether it was a comfortable place
for her or not, Natalie was glad to be back on the ground, partly
because the flight had been a terrifying experience, and partly
because it was cold up there. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
the Enforcer who had transported her asked. 

	Natalie decided it would be safer if the didn't reveal her true
thoughts on the matter, which were that she would have felt
distinctly safer had she been flying with someone she trusted, such
as Nick. Instead of answering, the coroner simply nodded.

	The three of them entered the building, which was very different
than when Natalie had seen it open for business, which it clearly
wasn't at this time. No music or coloured lights, and the tables were
all stacked to one side of the room. There was also a crowd, which
she assumed were all vampires. In the crowd, she spotted the few
Community members that she knew on sight: Vachon, Lacroix, and a
couple of vampires for whom she had removed slivers. Worryingly,
Natalie couldn't find Nick anywhere there. Then Nick and Tracy were
brought in behind her. Natalie's heart sank, feeling ever more
certain of her doom, and that it was going to be a public end as
well, designed as a warning for the rest of the Toronto Community.

	Nick and his partner had been brought in under guard as well, three
Enforcers for the two of them. From the looks of things, Tracy had
obviously found out about her partner and was not happy. If the three
of them got out of this intact, Nick was going to have to deal with
it, and Natalie didn't want to be anywhere near by for the explosion.

	The coroner, now probably former coroner, and soon to be body, as
her mental voice put it, knew her brain was seizing on these
inconsequential things to avoid thinking about the current situation,
which as far as she could tell was getting worse by the minute.

	Soon after the two detectives arrived, five vampires filed in from
one of the other rooms in the club. There was an aura about them,
which demanded respect and fear, much like tat of the Enforcers who
had escorted or guarded Natalie, but more so. At any rate, with the
newcomers arrival, the low buzz of voices stopped entirely.

	There had been something familiar about the way the room had been
set up, Natalie thought, but she hadn't been able to put her finger
on what it was until the arrival of the five vampires. Then it hit
her: It was a lot like a cross between a courtroom and a throne room.

	At one end of the room, opposite the doors to the outside world,
were five chairs, where the newly arrived vampires were seated. The
rest of the crowd stood around the other three sides of the room and
there was a clear space in the center area of the room.

	It was towards this center area that the three of them were now
led. The two detectives and the coroner ended up standing, facing the
seated vampires. Two of the Enforcers who had brought them here were
standing one to either side of the group, the other three were now
standing just in front of the crowd behind them, or so Natalie
thought. She certainly couldn't see them standing behind her any
longer.

Part Four:
	She didn't have a change to worry about it any more, as the
centermost of the seated vampires stood and began to speak. "Nicholas
de Brabrant, you stand before the Elders Council accused of breaking
the Code. Your guilt in this matter is clear, as the evidence of your
transgressions stands here beside you. The penalty called for by our
laws for this is your death." He looked at the two mortals flanking
the vampire. "And theirs." At that statement there was a low
muttering from the crowd standing behind the accused. He paused,
letting his statement sink in. "Have you anything to say, de
Brabrant?"

	Nick looked over at Natalie apologetically before saying anything.
"In my defense, when Dr. Lambert here found out about our existence,
I did attempt to make her forget, however, it turned out that she is
a resistor. As is, I believe, also the case with Detective Vetter.

	One of the other members of the Council of Elders caught Nick's
phrasing on that statement and queried it. "You believe? You do not
know. Why not?"

	"Until tonight, when the Enforcers were ordered to bring us before
the Council, Tracy had no idea that I am a member of the Community.
Having heard that she is a resistor, I thought it better to not risk
her finding out about my double life, by trying and failing to make
her forget about our existence myself.

	Natalie was trying her best to keep an eye on both Nick and the
Council. So far, she thought there was a trace of fear in Nick's
voice and face, but no expression she could read on the faces of any
of the Council members. Tracy, however, from what she could see,
considering that the detective was standing on the far side of Nick,
well, if looks could kill, Nick would be a pile of smoldering ashes.
Still, Nick's partner was intelligent enough to not do or say
anything right then, no matter what she was feeling. Natalie figured
it was a mix of fear at their current situation and anger and
betrayal that her partner hadn't trusted her enough to tell her what
he was himself.

	Nick explained the situations where each of the mortals had
discovered the existence of the Community, then one of those
questioning Nick asked why he hadn't killed the two mortals when he
discovered that they were resistors. "Because I have made a choice to
avoid killing where there is any other available option. Besides, the
attention the media gives to the deaths of anyone who works with the
police or justice system is immense." Natalie noted with surprise
that there had been an involuntary nod of agreement with Nick's last
point from two of the Council members.

	The first speaker stood again. "The laws of the Community are
clear, as is the sentence for breaking them in this way. It shouldn't
rate gathering the Council, much less a hearing in front of it."
Natalie's feelings of doom increased at those words, then the speaker
continued. "And yet, as we have found out, were it not for this
mortal," here he looked straight at the medical examiner, "the toll
of the Fever would have been much greater. Had it raged much longer,
it would most likely have spread to other cities, wiping out entire
populations. Those the Council have spoken to," here his eyes raked
over the crowd, "suggest that it was Dr. Lambert who discovered and
provided the curative agent"

	For the first time since her arrival, one of the Council spoke
directly to Natalie. "For this we owe you a debt of gratitude. In
addition, we have heard that Dr. Lambert has done her best to alert
us to the inevitable bodies that occasionally turn up poorly
disguised. At the same time, going out of her way to divert official
scrutiny as to the reality." Here Natalie grimaced in distaste. She
didn't like doing that. It felt too much as though she were lying.

	"It is due to the way that Dr. Lambert has aided us so extensively
that the Council was convened here to discuss this breaking of the
code, and to decide her future."

Part Five:
	Chairs were brought out for those who were on trial and the Council
questioned Natalie for the next couple of hours in front of the
crowd. The topics discussed included: her impressions of those
members of the Community that she had met and what she had done
during the Fever. Also, what the coroner did on encountering a
Community kill and how she felt about it. Finally, about an hour
before dawn, the five Council members left the room for a short time.
When they returned, it was to announce their decision.

	"Natalie Lambert, we have come to an unusual decision because of
the debt we owe you. It has been decided that, provided you swear to
uphold the Code as one of us would, you will be permitted to leave as
you are, but considered by our laws to be a member of the Community."
The medical examiner sagged in relief, knowing that she was going to
survive the night. "The same offer has also been extended to you,
Tracy Vetter. Your other choices are: To be brought across, or to be
killed. Your decision is to be made after dark tonight." With that,
the Council dismissed the rest of the crowd.

	Nick, Natalie and Tracy were led into the office in the bacl of the
Raven, where they were soon joined by one of the Council members.
With him was one of the Enforcers who had 'escorted' the group to the
club in the first place. He brought food and drink for the four of
them.

	The Enforcer spoke, thanking Natalie for her efforts during the
Fever. "No, it didn't get me," he said at her look, "but it almost
killed one of my children. The curative agent was found just in time.
If there is anything I can do for you today, I'll be just outside the
door."

	Once they were left alone, Tracy's patience ran out. "You knew that
I knew about your kind and you didn't tell me the truth?"

	Nick nodded, and before she could continue, spoke. "Tracy, it was
safer this way for both you and I. Or so I had hoped." He shook his
head at the futility of that hope. "I'm sorry."

	"Partners need trust for it to work out. I trusted you, but did you
trust me?" Tracy paused, her voice sad. "And more importantly, can I
trust you now?"

	"I swear to you, Tracy, other than this, I have never withheld
information on anything of importance. If you don't want to remain as
my partner because of this, I won't fight it, just please don't make
any decision on the spur of the moment."

	About ten minutes later, one of the members of the Elders Council,
one who hadn't spoken earlier at the meeting, entered, After his
entry, the subject changed to the rules that the two mortals were
going to have to live by for the rest of their lives. Also known as
The Code. The Elder remained in the room for most of the day,
watching Nick explain the intricasies of the Code to Tracy and
Natalie. Occasionally he would contradict Nick or explain some detail
in more depth, but mostly he stayed silent and watched.

	Of course, much of the Code couldn't and wouldn't apply to the two
mortals as they weren't actually vampires. It was mostly the rules on
secrecy which concerned them. That and the ruling structure and
hierarchy of the Community. Still, they had to know and understand it
all. However, even the watching Council member knew and understood
that it would take time for Natalie and Tracy to absorb and learn the
details of the rules fully.

	By the time night had fallen again, Natalie and Tracy were prepared
to agree to keep the Code. In front of the Council and the majority
of the Toronto Community they swore formally to do so. As they stood
in front of the Council seconds before swearing the required oath,
Natalie thought it reminds me of when I swore the Hippocratic Oath,
but even ore solemn and important.

	Nick also had an oath to swear at the same time: to take
responsibility for the two mortals and to ensure that they did keep
the code. To him was given the role of protector and instructor,
making sure they knew and understood the rules, to answer any
questions. However, should either of them break their oath, the
penalties allotted to the two mortals would also fall on him as well.

	Soon after, the three of them were permitted to leave. It turned
out that when they had been summoned, that one of the Enforcers had
made sure that they would not be missed for several days. For which
small mercy Natalie was grateful. Now she just had to deal with an
angry cat.