The Remembering: The Raping Times

by Julia Freewoman
(julia@humboldt1.com)

The Remembering: The Raping Times (1/14)

The first few years after the articles where sighed by both parities I was worried that they were going to fall a part. After that I just sat back and realized and thanked the ancients that my daughter would grow up in a community where she could be anything she wanted to be. Still it did surprise me when I realized that Nick and I would be going to 54 the anniversary of the sighing of the articles. Little did I know that that party would be the beginning of one most trying periods of my life.-Natalie de Brabant.

Natalie laughed as Emily told her of her experience a couple year back a un expecting fledgling had targeted her for an easy kill. "Boy, I bet he was surprised when he realized that you where an immortal!" Natalie said through her giggles.

"More than that! He was in trouble you see this guy had gone rouge and I was undercover, I arrested his but!" Both women started to laugh out right at the point.

"You know it is amazing the policies that have come out of the articles. 100 years ago the enforces would probably never been able to catch that rouge before, he really caused some damage and attracted the hunters."

"How true. Now that immortals are part of the enforcement team, we are able to detect certain things that only the elders could detect before, and are able to handle situations such as that one with so much more ease than having a pair of enforcers showing up at your door step ever could."

"True add to that, the knew friendship that seems to be coming from this work between immortals and vampires."

"Yeah, because we catch the bad guys before they can do a lot of damage."

"Not just that Natalie1 Do you remember in the begginning when the older enforcers tried to keep immortal and vampire affairs separate?"

"Sure who doesn't? There was the immortal office and the vampire and then the mortal affairs office and the vampire/immortal affairs office. What a mess!"

"Most everyone thought that so, it got changed and now because of that there is going to be a bar opening that will be a hangout for both immortals and vampires."

"That's great! We finally are a community."

"We certainly are! Hi Micheal!"

"Hi, Em. Nick and I were wondering if we could ask you ladies for a dance."

"Sure," they both cirp at their perspective husbands.

Nick takes Natalie out onto the dance floor *you and Emily seemed to be having an interesting conversation*

*Yes. I missed you*

*I was just a couple of feet away talking to Micheal*

*I know I stilled missed you*

*I missed you too, Nat. I love you.*

*I remember when you where afraid to say that.*

*And I remember when you where unsure about my feelings for you*

*How could we have doubted each other*

* I don't know*

Nick held Natalie close to him as the danced. Just enjoying the feel of her near him was always enough to put all his troubles at ease. *Love you Nat. You make all my troubles seem so less emenese*

*And I love you Nick, you take away my fears when I'm afraid. You make me feel safe and loved* Nick gently tilted Nat's head up and kissed her passionately, but lovingly as the music ended.

They walk over to the punch stand were Micheal and Emily waits for them. Nick smiles as he looks at the couples on the dance floor, specially when he sees Alyssa and Richie dancing together. "I never though that that would happen."

"Never thought what would happen both Emily and Nat asks at the same time" That Richie and Alyssa would be dancing together instead of fighting. Everyone laughs. It wasn't to long ago that Richie and Alyssa were fighting with each other about everything. Thought Nick. Now they seemed to have a relationship of sorts. Maybe it was true that love and hate (at least the kind that those two had shared with each other) were just two sides of the same kind. It was nice to think about and a good testament to the more peaceful society they now enjoyed.

Natalie looked around the dance floor and couldn't find her daughter her J.T., and if either of them were at the punch stand they would have been noted. Besides, if Uncle J.T. would have insisted that Billie check in before she went dancing with boys. Natalie smiled at Nick's thoughts, she hated to interrupt him, but this was important.

*What's important Nat?* He sent to her sensing her anxiety

*I can't find J.T or Billie.*

Nick mentally smiled at his bondlying never would he or his daughter missing go unnoticed. It was one of the things that he loved about Nat so much, she needs to know were her family was at all times. *They probably just got stuck in air traffic Nat. Remember even though it doesn't take as long to get from North America to Europe their are a lot of people coming and going on business trips.*

Nat leans up against Nick. *I know that, but I still worry when I don't see Billie at the party.*

*Tell you what if they don't show up before we leave, we'll call the airlines in the morning to make sure that they landed OK.*

Natalie nods as Nick envelops her in a hug..

The Remembering: The Raping Times 02/14

I clearly remember the day that I woke up in that cell. I always though of myself as the toughest of the two de Brabant children. But what I learned through that experience is just because you can handle yourself like a boy and are a tomboy doesn't mean that every situation that comes your way you'll be able to handle. I sure wasn't. -Billie de Brabant.

The room was dark and empty as J.T. gently applied the wet cloth to Billie's face trying to get rid of the blood on it and the rest of her body. She just like him was a complete and utter mess. Most of the time Billie didn't mind it anymore than any of the 'guys' did. She had always been the one to go and catch the frogs, the one who hated dresses and baths and, the one who always got herself and her 3 year older cousin into plenty of trouble. She was a tomboy, but this was not the dirty kind of mess, this was the kind of mess you got through abuse of captors. This was the kind of mess that he himself had gotten in the hands of the Nazi's after his 'teacher' had turned him over to them.

Billie moans as she feels a wet cloth applied to her face and she slowly opens her eyes to a world that she does not want to face. She keeps seeing the faces of those men in her mind, but more than that she feels an utter terror at the realization that she couldn't do anything to stop them. She opens her eyes.

The cloth comes off her face and is replaced by a very familiar voice. "Hey, Little Bit." Billie looks up into the face of J.T. Marsh, she blinks twice, to clear the haze from her sight as her father and grandfather had tough her to do when you have gotten hit in the head and can't see that well.

"Uncle J.T.?"

"Yes it's me Little Bit," J.T says using his childhood nickname for her.

Her mouth feels dry and she feels sore and still all over. "Where are we?"

J.T. hands Billie the cloth, so that she can clean herself off. He knows full well that although she is a girl she has a very male ego and would not like it if he tried to clean her off at this point. "I don't know. What happened to you?" He asked as he looks her ups and down noticing that she is like him in different cloths and has blood all over her.

Billie unconsciously hugs herself remembering the pain and the humiliation that she had gone through only a few hours ago. "They took a sample of my blood from my neck and they beat me."

J.T. had not expected a miracle, but he had hoped that she would open up to him a little and tell him what happened. Billie was, Billie and she kept things to herself when she felt that they made her feel less. He couldn't blame her for doing it, in fact it wasn't that long ago that a young J.T. Marsh had been unwilling to talk to a 'head shrinker.' "About the same thing happened to me, but I put up so much of a fight that they just put me back in my cell," says J.T.

Billie looks at J.T. for a moment. "So, what do we do now?" She asks trying to think of something other than what most recently happened to her.

J.T. puts his hand on her shoulder. "The duty of every soldier is to stay alive and to escape," he says.

She looks at him, the way she always does when given something she had never done before, with determination. "What if we have to choose?" Billie asks.

"Choose life," J.T. says remembering all those other pilots who died trying to escape from the camps that they were put in, remembering all the lives wasted. J.T gets up and starts to look for a way out. Soon Billie joins him in looking. J.T. smiles inwardly as he starts to sing a song he once sung in the camps during WWII. A prisoner can be as well off as someone who has been in less time than they have, or as worse off as someone who has been in for years it all depends of one thing, hope.

The Remembering: The Raping Times 03/14

The worst fear of any parent is for their child to die before they do, the second worst thing is for that child to be taken from them and there is nothing that they can do. As a police officer and later an investigative enforcer I saw this truth in many people's eyes and told myself that I new what it felt like to lose like that, I knew what they were going through, but the truth is that I had no idea. When I lost Billie, it felt like a very important piece of my life had been snatched from me and there was not a think I could do about. Nat and I felt what all parents, teachers, and masters feel the grief and helplessness that comes with the loss of a child.- Nick de Brabant.

Nick is talking on the phone to someone, Nat watches him her eyes betray how nervous and scared she is. "I'll contact you if I have any news. Thanks for the help Jason." Nick gets off the phone and turns to Nat. "No one has seen them since they checked out at 9 last night." His voice betrays the fear that is growing in his heart as he realizes that his only child has just disappeared.

Natalie feels the same fear that she is feeling in her husband and bondlying's heart as in her own. *Have you tried Duncan and Tessa yet? Duncan is J.T.'s teacher maybe they got in some kind of trouble last night and crashed there. *She sent hoping that it was just the simple answer of Billie forgetting to call them or not wanting to be doted over by her parents if she just got 'a little' hurt.

*Good point* Nick dials Duncan's house.

"Maclead." Says Duncan as he picked up the phone and disconnects the visual mode he was not in the mood for a face to face conference with whoever was on the phone it was much to early.

"Hi, Mac. It's Nick. Listen Billie and J.T. didn't show up at the party last night, and Billie hasn't called or come home yet. So I was wondering if they might have crashed at your place." Nick asked.

Duncan more awake now shot up in bed. This was unusual for J.T. not to check in with the de Brabants if something happened and Billie was with him, or at least call him and ask him to call them if for some reason he didn't have the time for a long conversation with Nick or Nat. "No I haven't. It's weird that they didn't show since J.T. was looking forward to seeing some people he hadn't seen in a couple of years. Call me if you get any news Nick?"

"I will, and Duncan keep your ears out for anything thing as well, since you live closer to the airport than we do, you might hear something."

"I will, tell Nat that my prayers are with the safe return of Billie. She knows and thank you Duncan."

Nick hung up the phone with a sigh. * He hasn't seen them either, and says that J.T. was really looking forward to this party. He wouldn't have missed it if he could avoid it. C'est mysterious!* Nick held his arms out for Natalie and she went to them willingly. She had always been his guiding light whenever he was lost or hurt in his world he knew that he had to be the same for her.

*I think we'd better call the Bureau and report this*

Nick nodded his head and called the number that he knew by heart, yet was only listed as E.B. in the phone book. The phone rang 3 times and then Morgaine picked up. "Hello."

"Morgaine this is Nick. Both Billie and J.T. didn't show up at the party last night and now I can't find them." Nick said to his friend and co-worker.

"Nick I'm going to be at your house in about half and hour you think you can get the whole family together in that amount of time. I have something that I have to tell you and I'd rather only tell it once."

"I'll do what I can Sarah." Nick sighed Morgaine knew that Lacroix was staying over tonight with Fleur it was becoming more and more obvious to all of them that those two like Duncan and Tessa, were soon to be bonded. Nick smiled as he though of both couples, in the begginning no vampires had believed that it was possible for vampires and immortals to really bond. Now, that it was proven possible, the one couple so far that kinds become a bonded pair was the hottest topic for the gossip columnist.

half an hour later.

Nick had been true to his word and had managed to get everyone in the family in together and marginally awake. When Morgaine trudged in the house the entire group looked up at her, as she walked in. "What I've got to tell you is not to go outside this room, but considering this family has 5 of the best Investigative Enforcers we thought that you were going to need to know this. J.T. and Billie are not the only one's to have gone missing, about 15 youngsters never arrived at the party, and 15 more never made it home. We are putting together several teams together we would like all of you to be on them. We need the best we can get at this moment." Silence filled the room as the realization of what was going on hit everyone at the same time. All the couples get a little close to each other seeking out the comfort of their partner in this.

"They realize what this means don't they?" Michael finally asks breaking the utter silence and dread that hung in the air.

"Of course they do, how could they not. A group of mortals knows about us, and not just vampires but immortals as well," says Lacroix

"But why only the young ones, the hunters where not like that, they didn't care what age you where just as long as you where immortal," asked Emily.

"It is quite simply my dear, they young ones are practice for when the come after all of us," says Lacroix

The Remembering: The Raping Times 04/14

I can clearly remember the days after Billie's capture; Nicholas walked around the house like a phantom going from one place to another, as if his entire world had come to an end. Natalie was not much better either; both of them acted more like zombie's than people. I thinking that I knew everything tried to counsel them telling them what I though was good advice from my experience with Nicholas trying to become mortal and the feeling I had of losing him. I did not realize how wrong I had been until I lost Nicholas to the hunters, until I lost my own son I did not know the pain that he was in when he lost his daughter-Lucien Lacroix

3 months have gone by.

Fleur walks into the head quarters and to Lacroix her eyes are puffed up and she looks for all the world like she has been crying very hard. She comes and sits next to him, silence is their only companion for a moment as she tries to think of what to say of a way for her to put into words what is going on in her head. "You've heard about them?"

Lacroix gently holds her to him trying to think of a way to comfort her, to tell her that everything will be all right, but he is stuck in a situation many people end up in, trying to tell someone that everything is all right when you do not believe it. "I heard," is all he could say.

She turns to him angry, sorrow, fear and loss all echoing in her eyes. "You know I thought I knew what pain felt like when you left me or I was raped. But having Nick, Michael, Emily and Natalie disappear I feel so empty. Who ever is doing this is dead!" She says as her fist clenches showing her rage at what has been done to her and to her family.

Lacroix pulls her closer to him. "I know, for all of us this has been hard." He says," talking to friends just minutes before they disappear and not being able to tell anyone anything, especially when it is our family." His fangs come out showing how angry he is.

Fluer straightens up and try's to put on a brave face, but when she looks at Lacroix he sees the fear that is behind her facade. "I've got to go talk to Liessete about her knew plan to keep this from happening to us. Come with me?" She asks.

"Of course I will. How could I leave you now, in this hour of need for all of us." He says as he gets up and follows her into the office.

Liessete is sitting in her office all alone. You can almost feel the loneliness of the place, 'Sarah use to sit here too.' She thinks. 'She use to be able to handle this kind of thing much better than I.' Sarah's desk has been turned inside out for any lead as to where so might have gone, but none can be found, and now she had called Fleur to her office in one desperate last hope before they all disappeared. She hoped that it would work. Liessete looks up as Fleur and Lacroix come in and sit both of them waiting to hear what is wanted.

"Fleur, Lacroix, thank you for coming. I think that it is quite obvious to everyone that our population is disappearing at a alarming rate, and there is nothing that the Enforcers can do about, nothing conventional that is. Sarah before she was captured came up with the idea of using bait, putting homing beacons on that bait and letting them be captured and brought to wherever our people have been taken and then rescuing them and the rest of our people. I can't order anyone to do this it has to be completely voluntary, but we have to do something we just can't sit and wait for them to find us and capture us." She finally looks at them, hoping for the answer she needs although it is not the one that she wants.

"I once heard a saying that seems particularly appropriate right now, 'sometimes some most be sacrificed if all are to be saved.' We can't keep going on like this, if we ever want to be free we most act on this idea now, before there are no more of us to act upon it. I volunteer," said Fleur.

"As do I," said Lacroix.

Later that night both Lacroix and Fleur would be captured, the unknowing enforcers would follow and be captured. That last desperate gamble enabled all of the rest of the community to be captured, but only captured not killed.

The Remembering: The Raping Times (05/14)

What does not kill me makes me strong. Everyone knows that quote and most people are lucky enough to never have to understand what it means. But there is another kind of killing and it will make any one stronger or it will kill them slowly from the inside, it�s the killing of the soul that happens to all those who happen to captives or slaves. All those who happen to abused.-Nick de Brabant

Nick rocked back and forth with Natalie in his arms. Her racking sobs tore him up inside; they had been like this for nearly an hour. All he could do was hold her to him and try to comfort her, and it tore him up. He wanted to be able to do something for her; he wanted to hurt those that had hurt her this way. He wanted to be able to do something anything, he was helpless and he hated it. So he did the only thing he could he held her to him and let her cry until there was no more to cry. And every sob tore him apart inside.

Natalie finally looked up at her husband and bondlying. She knew for she felt it through their bond that he wanted to do something other than comfort her. He hated feeling helpless, and so did she, but he had given her something no one else could. He had given her the courage to face that helplessness, the courage to go. "How are you doing?" Nick asked when he noticed that Natalie had stopped crying.

"As well as can be expected under the�," she shivered in his arms as she remembered what the circumstances where. Nick looked down at her and felt not for the first time that day the rage of anyone who sees a love one who as been beaten and hurt and is unable to do anything *anything* to stop it. "Nick did you have flashes?"

"Yes."

"Have any idea what they might mean?"

Nick thinks for a minute and then begins. "How can we read the manuscripts?"

Natalie looks at him for a moment and then frowns. She had never thought of that before. "I don't know Nick how."

Nick kissed her gently on the lips. "Exactly you Natalie Lambert de Brabant don't know how, but your quickening does."

"And maybe if we can remember a long dead language we can remember other things like our religion or memories" She then starts to tremble and Nick takes her into his arms.

"Tell me." He asks knowing that she needs to talk about it or it the fear and trembling will only get worse.

"It's hard to tell you what happened." She begins her voice trembling as she remembers what had happened to her only a few short hours ago. "I remember a very bright light, and then I heard voices asking me my name age date of birth. I told them by mortal identification at first, but they didn't believe me." Natalie feels Nick start to hold her closer to him in silent support as tears start to run down her face as she remembers what happened next.

"They tore my cloths off," her voice quivers as she tries to keep back the flood of tears that threat to exploded once more. "I was afraid they would rape me but it was for humiliation only, then they tortured me Nick until I told them what I was. I kept trying to connect to you, but you where in just as much pain as I was. When they had gotten the information they wanted they had me kneel down and put my ankles and wrists in binds so I couldn't get up .I tried to get up I thrashed and thrashed, it didn't do any good they put my head down on a I think it was a desk, and took some kind of sample from me, I don't know what they wanted with it. Then they gave me these cloths and escorted me to this cell." When she had finished her story tears were running freely down her face, Natalie simply wiped them.

"The same thing happened to me Natalie. If I had been able to�"

Natalie put her hand over Nick mouth. "The blame for what happened to me lays solely on the person who did this not you and not me."

"Don�t expect anything much different from now on." J.T. says. Both Nick and Natalie run over to him. "They�ve done the same thing to Billie and me ever since we got here. I don�t know why, but they defiantly are interested in our DNA."

"Can we talk to Billie J.T.," asks Nick.

Billie comes over to the crack. "Hi Mom, hi Dad. So you guys are stuck in here too."

"Yes, we are Billie, but you listen to me we�re going to get out of here."

"Whatever you say."

J.T. comes over to the crack in the wall. "She�s loosing hope of ever being free again."

"How are you doing J.T.?" Nick asks.

"As well as can be expected. I�ve been in this kind of situation so I know that you have to keep believing that you�ll be rescued but never setting a date. Unfortunately for Billie she�s one of those who can�t deal with the confinement and humiliation I knew a lot of them back when I was in a POW camp."

"That�s the best anyone can do J.T."

"How long have I been gone Nick?"

"Three months."

The Remembering: The Raping Times (06/14)

Most people tell me the worst part about those years we were tested were the first few months not knowing what was going on, not knowing if your friends were all right or what was going to happen to you. The pain became I daily thing after that, the want to get out became a daily thing and you started to get used to your situation you got use to being locked up and settled in after you knew you and your friends were ok it wasn't as scary anymore. The feeling of being abused and hurt and violated was still there but for most people life started to begin again. This was not so for me. I had few friends and not one of them was with me; I was lonely and scared the loneliness the being utterly alone with no one to talk to that was the worst. I never tried to pry the bricks apart to talk to someone I never though of it I was too afraid I just sat there in my cell and waited for the death that would never come. I had put a shell around myself after I contracted A.I.D.S and it would take the remembering and a kind heart and a couple more years to finally break it and allow me to come out again. -Colleen O'Reilly

Every immortal and vampire is brought into the court yard 3 years have passed since they were last together 3 years since this chaos began 3 years. Many try to find friends , mates, children, anyone that they have not seen in years. One stands back from the rest she looks at everything yet sees nothing she is afraid, afraid of opening herself up again to people, afraid of being hurt. J.T. watches her he knows that he has met her somewhere before he knows that inside her there is a kindness. Yet he does not know how he knows this he just does.

J.T. comes up to her and puts his hand on her shoulder. "We've met before haven't we?"

Colleen smiles at him, she remembers him he is one of the few people who cared for her in away that was just because she was a person. "Yes, at the airport."

"You look lonely," he says.

"I am I have no one to talk to"

"You do now. How did you survive all this time I would have gone crazy with all the loneliness."

'I almost did.' "I died of AIDS I keep telling myself that whatever pain they do to me nothing can be worse than that kind of death, as your friends stop coming to see you because they are afraid that they might catch it somehow."

J.T. looks her up and down, he doesn't think that she actually has survived her disease yet. Yes, she *lived* beyond it, but it still haunts her most likely the pain of losing her friends to suspision. 'Now she is unable to approach people to make close lasting friends she's afraid much as I was,' he thinks. He opens his mouth to tell her as much when he notices a man get up on the stage.

The man looks at them for a moment and then says, "for several years now we have kept your kind together. Years before that we learned all we could about you your biology, and your recent views on the world. This place is your home now, we will no longer take interest in you although food will be provided for you. I have no doubt that in time you will find a way to break out of this prison, but by that time it will not matter. I will tell you this only each one of you is now a parent." He leaves the stage.

There is a mummer a mind the crowd some try to get to the man to demand what he met, and how they where to get out but found a force field blocking there way. Pandemonium breaks loose, people try to climb walls anything to get them out of this enforced prison. Know one really remembers what she said nor could she later if asked tell you why she said it, but Colleen uttered a single word and suddenly each immortal starts to remember. The remembering had finally been remembered the immortals finally knew what it meant to be immortal.

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