Unfinished Business (Forever Knight, Natalie/Janette)
Title: Unfinished Business.
Fandom: Forever Knight.
Pairing: Natalie, Janette.
Rating: G.
Word Count: 1000.
Author Note: Written off an old prompt from writers_choice - #30, old friends. I haven't seen this show in years I'm in the process of acquiring it :) so the voices are probably a little off.
-
"I didn't expect to see you here," the woman says, as she takes a seat at the bar. "I was informed -- wrongly, obviously -- that you'd all left a few months ago."
"Natalie."
"It's Natasha now," she says with a shrug, "But that's due to change again soon, so. Close enough."
Janette offers her a glass of house blend, noting the changes in the woman in front of her that time and immortality have wrought. The pale skin and perfect features are down to the vampire blood that now courses through her veins but the chill to her eyes and the distance of her body language are purely down to time.
This is not the Natalie Lambert she met in Toronto.
"So," Natalie says with another smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "What are you still doing here? It's been ten years, surely it's time to move on."
"Nearly," Janette allows. "I had a little... unfinished business to attend to first."
She reaches out to lay a hand on Natalie's arm, noting the tension beneath her fingertips, and says, "Join me. We can, as they say, catch up on the last few years."
Natalie doesn't look thrilled by the suggestion but she stands obligingly, picks up her glass and follows Janette through to the back of the club. Janette leads her upstairs, into the suite of rooms she used to share with Lacroix and Nicholas, and motions for her to take a seat.
"What do you want, Janette?" Natalie asks, setting her glass down before meeting Janette's gaze. "I don't want to play games with you today."
Janette sighs. At least some things haven't changed. Natalie is as direct as she's always been.
"Nicholas and Lacroix still believe you to be dead," she says. "That you died that night, thirty years ago."
"I did," Natalie says without humour. "Just not all the way."
"Who brought you across? It cannot have been Nicholas, I would have been able to sense you if it were, even accidentally. And Lacroix would never have allowed you to remain on your own."
"It wasn't either of them, you're right." Natalie shrugs. "I'm not your family's problem. You don't need to worry, I know the rules. I'm not about to expose the community."
"You didn't expose us as a mortal, I didn't think you would now," Janette says honestly.
That isn't why she's been waiting here. She's not concerned about what Natalie's doing, she's concerned about the woman herself.
"Then what do you want?" Natalie asks in exasperation, and Janette's relieved to see that another hint of the woman she used to know still lurks under the cool exterior. "You waited here for a reason, you obviously knew I'd think you'd left. I've been careful."
"Careful not to run into us."
"Clearly not careful enough."
Janette pays more attention to the community than Lacroix, who just rules sections of it when it suits him, and Nicholas, who stays on the outskirts. Enough rumours had circulated to intrigue her and when she started questioning and prying, she eventually had her suspicions confirmed. She'd wanted to see the truth for herself, which is why she'd left with Lacroix and Nicholas before doubling back on her own.
"Why didn't you come to us," she asks, genuinely puzzled. "We would have helped you."
"I didn't know that for sure. Lacroix never wanted me to be a vampire, I didn't trust him enough to go to him. Nick would have angsted about it for months before he got around to being any actual help, and you never seemed to like me very much."
Janette opens her mouth to protest that but Natalie shrugs and continues, "It seemed just as easy to stay where I was. I knew a few members of the community there. I couldn't stay long but I stayed long enough to adapt. Vachon helped. Aristotle set up my first move. It all worked out."
"I would have helped you," Janette says, a touch of sorrow in her tone. "You should not have had to do it alone."
"I wasn't alone," Natalie says. "And you did help me, indirectly. I stayed at The Raven for a few weeks after I changed." She breaks off to glance at her watch. "But speaking of help, I'm actually here to meet Aristotle, so if you don't mind--"
"He's being entertained downstairs," Janette says, a nostalgic smile lingering on her face at the memory of her old club. She's run many clubs in her time but The Raven remains one of her favourites.
"He has paperwork for me," Natalie says pointedly. "I can't move on without it."
Janette places her glass on the table and moves to sit next to Natalie on the couch. It was Natalie's choice to hide her transformation from them but Janette knows from experience that never-ending life can get boring without companionship, and this woman has always intrigued her.
"Why don't you and I travel together for a while," she suggests, meeting Natalie's startled gaze with her own steady one. "We don't have to join Lacroix and Nicholas if you don't want to--"
"I don't."
"--but I could be of help to you, if you'll let me."
"And what do you get out of this deal?" Natalie asks suspiciously.
"Your company," Janette says, offering up a smile. "That's all I want."
"My company?" Natalie repeats and Janette sighs softly.
"In my extremely long life I've made female acquaintances too numerous to count. But not many of them are true friends, the kind I can talk to freely or spend time with. You and I, I think we could be friends."
Natalie looks thoughtful now, her body language softer, more open. She's still guarded, but less so.
"Some company would be nice," she admits.
"Then we shall talk to Aristotle together, yes?"
Janette stands and holds out her hand and after a moment Natalie reaches out to take it.
"Yes," she agrees with a genuine smile. "I'd like that."
Fandom: Forever Knight.
Pairing: Natalie, Janette.
Rating: G.
Word Count: 1000.
Author Note: Written off an old prompt from writers_choice - #30, old friends. I haven't seen this show in years I'm in the process of acquiring it :) so the voices are probably a little off.
-
"I didn't expect to see you here," the woman says, as she takes a seat at the bar. "I was informed -- wrongly, obviously -- that you'd all left a few months ago."
"Natalie."
"It's Natasha now," she says with a shrug, "But that's due to change again soon, so. Close enough."
Janette offers her a glass of house blend, noting the changes in the woman in front of her that time and immortality have wrought. The pale skin and perfect features are down to the vampire blood that now courses through her veins but the chill to her eyes and the distance of her body language are purely down to time.
This is not the Natalie Lambert she met in Toronto.
"So," Natalie says with another smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "What are you still doing here? It's been ten years, surely it's time to move on."
"Nearly," Janette allows. "I had a little... unfinished business to attend to first."
She reaches out to lay a hand on Natalie's arm, noting the tension beneath her fingertips, and says, "Join me. We can, as they say, catch up on the last few years."
Natalie doesn't look thrilled by the suggestion but she stands obligingly, picks up her glass and follows Janette through to the back of the club. Janette leads her upstairs, into the suite of rooms she used to share with Lacroix and Nicholas, and motions for her to take a seat.
"What do you want, Janette?" Natalie asks, setting her glass down before meeting Janette's gaze. "I don't want to play games with you today."
Janette sighs. At least some things haven't changed. Natalie is as direct as she's always been.
"Nicholas and Lacroix still believe you to be dead," she says. "That you died that night, thirty years ago."
"I did," Natalie says without humour. "Just not all the way."
"Who brought you across? It cannot have been Nicholas, I would have been able to sense you if it were, even accidentally. And Lacroix would never have allowed you to remain on your own."
"It wasn't either of them, you're right." Natalie shrugs. "I'm not your family's problem. You don't need to worry, I know the rules. I'm not about to expose the community."
"You didn't expose us as a mortal, I didn't think you would now," Janette says honestly.
That isn't why she's been waiting here. She's not concerned about what Natalie's doing, she's concerned about the woman herself.
"Then what do you want?" Natalie asks in exasperation, and Janette's relieved to see that another hint of the woman she used to know still lurks under the cool exterior. "You waited here for a reason, you obviously knew I'd think you'd left. I've been careful."
"Careful not to run into us."
"Clearly not careful enough."
Janette pays more attention to the community than Lacroix, who just rules sections of it when it suits him, and Nicholas, who stays on the outskirts. Enough rumours had circulated to intrigue her and when she started questioning and prying, she eventually had her suspicions confirmed. She'd wanted to see the truth for herself, which is why she'd left with Lacroix and Nicholas before doubling back on her own.
"Why didn't you come to us," she asks, genuinely puzzled. "We would have helped you."
"I didn't know that for sure. Lacroix never wanted me to be a vampire, I didn't trust him enough to go to him. Nick would have angsted about it for months before he got around to being any actual help, and you never seemed to like me very much."
Janette opens her mouth to protest that but Natalie shrugs and continues, "It seemed just as easy to stay where I was. I knew a few members of the community there. I couldn't stay long but I stayed long enough to adapt. Vachon helped. Aristotle set up my first move. It all worked out."
"I would have helped you," Janette says, a touch of sorrow in her tone. "You should not have had to do it alone."
"I wasn't alone," Natalie says. "And you did help me, indirectly. I stayed at The Raven for a few weeks after I changed." She breaks off to glance at her watch. "But speaking of help, I'm actually here to meet Aristotle, so if you don't mind--"
"He's being entertained downstairs," Janette says, a nostalgic smile lingering on her face at the memory of her old club. She's run many clubs in her time but The Raven remains one of her favourites.
"He has paperwork for me," Natalie says pointedly. "I can't move on without it."
Janette places her glass on the table and moves to sit next to Natalie on the couch. It was Natalie's choice to hide her transformation from them but Janette knows from experience that never-ending life can get boring without companionship, and this woman has always intrigued her.
"Why don't you and I travel together for a while," she suggests, meeting Natalie's startled gaze with her own steady one. "We don't have to join Lacroix and Nicholas if you don't want to--"
"I don't."
"--but I could be of help to you, if you'll let me."
"And what do you get out of this deal?" Natalie asks suspiciously.
"Your company," Janette says, offering up a smile. "That's all I want."
"My company?" Natalie repeats and Janette sighs softly.
"In my extremely long life I've made female acquaintances too numerous to count. But not many of them are true friends, the kind I can talk to freely or spend time with. You and I, I think we could be friends."
Natalie looks thoughtful now, her body language softer, more open. She's still guarded, but less so.
"Some company would be nice," she admits.
"Then we shall talk to Aristotle together, yes?"
Janette stands and holds out her hand and after a moment Natalie reaches out to take it.
"Yes," she agrees with a genuine smile. "I'd like that."