I don't own any of these characters! I just like to play.

I guess it all started when my cousin Hadley called. I don't know if it was the phone call the week before Gran died or the one the week after she died but I know it was that phone call that started it all. The call the week before Gran died was the first we heard from Hadley since she had roared out of Bon Temps in a bashed up mustang with Tommy Harrison after high school graduation. That was 5 years ago. The one after Gran died was a demand on her part. "Time to live a little Sookie. Come to New Orleans. Stay with me. Gran would want you to live a little."

Three months after Gran's funeral saw me packed up. I rented out the old farm house off Hummingbird Road for a 6 month lease to Arlene's nephew and his wife and daughter. I was a little worried that things wouldn't work out in New Orleans and I needed somewhere to come home to. Jason was happy for me to get a chance to get away from Bon Temps. He had grown up a bit lately. So had I.

I sold my old car and Hadley came to join me on the road trip. It took us over 6 hours to get to New Orleans. At first I was sad. I had strained my neck to catch the last glimpse of my home I shared with my Gran and brother for years. I felt a lump in my throat as we turned onto Hummingbird Road and away from home. Where would home be now? Driving through Bon Temps was a little better, but I was still sad. This was my town. My home. My family was here, albeit all the family I had was Jason but it was still here. My ancestors were buried here.

I promised myself that I would come back to Bon Temps someday, be it 6 months or 6 years. This was my home. As we left the town limits I felt a fierce loyalty. I would be back.

We headed south, and eventually I began to cheer up. I was heading into a new life, even if I had only planned to stay for 6 months. We stopped a few times, once for gas and some coffee and then again for some lunch. The closer we got to New Orleans the more my spirit began to brighten. I sang along with the radio, badly I might add. Hadley was better at singing, a little. The Stackhouse family were dancers not singers.

We arrived late in the afternoon and began to cart our stuff into Hadley's upstairs apartment. It was fantastic. It was all open plan with lots of space and light. Her bedroom and en-suite was massive and the guest bedroom and bathroom were smaller but just as good. It didn't take us long to fill the apartment with the help of the girl from the apartment below. Amelia owned both apartments and Hadley paid her rent. After working for a few hours a pizza arrived in the hands of one of the prettiest women I had ever seen. Sophie-Anne Leclerq was petit but dangerous. She wore a smart red skirt suit, a white blouse and red heels. She hadn't seen Hadley in 3 days and she was delighted. I greeted her politely ate my share of the pizza and then went for a quick walk with Amelia. It was clear Sophie-Anne and Hadley had missed each other and I didn't want to get in the way.

I went by the store with Amelia and we found some wine we thought would go down a treat. I needed to celebrate my first night in New Orleans in style after all! When we got back to the apartment we found Hadley lounging on the comfy couch. She was kind enough to scoot up and clapped like a little child when I produced the wine and Amelia went in search of wine glasses. Sophie-Anne appeared a few moments later wearing sweat shorts and a vest. Her hair was wet and rolled into a bun. She was barefoot. She still looked dangerous.

She joined us, folding her legs under her on the floor and leaning into Hadley's legs. "So Sookie. What brings a little country girl like you to a Big Easy like this then?" Her voice was soft and beautiful, but I knew differently. Sophie-Anne owned one of the most sought after record companies in the United States. S.A.R.C Music had a lot of talented music under its belt, the best and most prosperous being Last Request. I went to school with the drummer, Tray Dawson. Tray had always been a nice big guy and I was pleased for him. S.A.R.C stood for Sophie-Anne's Record Company. I thought it sucked a little when I found out what the initials stood for, but S.A.R.C Music seemed to work well.

"Well you should know, Hadley here demanded I come to New Orleans. I don't know why I'm here but it feels just right for now. I'll look for work waitress, bar staff, stuff like that. That's what I've always done. If it all works out well I'll go to night school and do a quick collage course, I never had time for or could never afford to go to collage when I was younger."

"Our Sookie was always the smart one. She was editor of the school magazine 2 years running!" Hadley beamed.

"Hadley!" I blushed.

"Really! She was fantastic. I have some of the old magazines somewhere. I have the year book as well, again our Sookie wrote most of the articles for it. She was a big star with the English Department."

"It was just a bit of work, easy really. My audience wasn't the most attentive. How hard is it to entertain teenagers?"

"What kind of articles did you write?" Sophie-Anne asked me.

"Everything from movie reviews to study guides. Our Sookie was a wee genius." Hedley gushed.

"No don't be silly Hadley. I'm no genius. I just wrote a few articles is all." I was beginning to freak out a little bit. Where did this sudden Sookie worship come from? Hadley and I had never been close in high school. We were friends nothing more. Certainly not bosom buddies, and I never ever thought Hadley had noticed more than a passing blond head in the crowd. I certainly didn't think she noticed the geeky work I done for the school magazine.

"How often were the magazines published?" Sophie-Anne asked.

"Monthly. Mid month."

"And how many were in your team?"

"I was what was known as the 'permanent girl'. The rest were people who applied to me and the English department with an article or idea."

"A lot of responsibility for a girl so young." Sophie-Anne grinned. I just grinned back. I liked Sophie Anne, she was happy to sit among us, sip wine and chat. We moved off the topic of me for a while, which was a relief until Sophie-Anne's phone rang.

She giggled as she stood up and wobbled to the counter. "Sophie-Anne." For a giggling wobbling girl all of a sudden she was all business. "What?" she napped. Yep, definitely all business.

We sat and listened quietly, and suddenly I felt as if I had done something wrong. She was furious. "I'll string him up. I'll string him up by his balls. I'll kill him. Trouble that's all he ever is!"

I felt myself sink into Amelia beside me. She gave me a sheepish smile. Hadley was gazing at her wrist. When Sophie-Anne snapped her phone shut the doorbell rang. Whoever it was did not wait for an answer though because the door opened straight away. The woman who came in wore black slacks and heels and a blue t shirt. Her light blond hair was twisted into a neat roll.

"He didn't do it." She said to Sophie-Anne by way of greeting. The two women faced each other. I didn't feel fooled by the newcomers superior clothing at the moment. Sophie-Anne's shorts may have been cute but I would hate to make an enemy of her. I found myself hoping beyond hope I would never be on the other end of that stare.

"He better not have." Sophie-Anne warned. "What's his side?"

"He says she spoke to him a few times after gigs. Apparently she got herself obsessed with him. He told me she asked him out for coffee and he told her he didn't think it would be a good idea. He's not stupid."

"As I hear it, he took her back to his hotel room and tried to recreate the big bang. And that's a direct quote."

It felt like watching a tennis game. I snapped my head back to see what the New Blond would say.

"Who said it?" She snapped. She was quite beautiful I noticed. Her eyes were locked on Sophie-Anne. She was happy with the challenge, but the slight smirk at the corners of her lips told me she might have an upper hand with that question.

"Ms Pelt."

"Hah! Ever since Alcide left her she's had it in for the band. If she can't attack him directly she'll do it through any contact of his. Eric was just the perfect target. Of course because Eric is fond of nocturnal activities with beautiful ladies then he's the obvious choice."

"Do you believe he didn't sleep with her?" Sophie-Anne asked.

The new woman smirked. "Of course he slept with her. Well, he denied it but we both know what he's like. No woman is safe around him. But that's why I'm his manager and you're the 'queen' of S.A.R.C. We get his back."

Sophie Anne smirked back. Then with a flourish she waved her arm towards us on the couch. "Sookie, this is Pam. Pam, meet Sookie. Sookie's going to be working with us. She's going to full that role you suggested to me at Christmas. I know she's good and can meet a deadline."

I gasped. No one had offered me a job but all of a sudden I had one. "Now just hang on one minute here Sophie-Anne. You never asked me if I wanted to work for you." I was…well I was unsure how I felt but I most definitely wanted a better explanation.

"Sookie. Of course you'll work for us. How could I be so rude as to pass up your talent. Of course I'll want to see your work and we'll enrol you in a distance learning programme. Funded by the company of course, but you, my Southern Belle are going to be the perfect little journalist for S.A.R.C. You'll certainly give that bitch Pelt a run for her money."

I was gob smacked. I was just supposed to start working in some job I had heard nothing about, all of a sudden. I didn't even know what my role was and I was pretty damn sure Sophie-Anne only had a fleeting idea of what she wanted me to do. Hadley sat down beside me on the couch holding a large box. I hadn't even noticed her getting up.

"I have some of those old school magazines in this box Honey." She said to Sophie-Anne. "Our year book too."

"Brilliant." Sophie-Anne cried as she knelt on the floor. I got up and walked to the kitchen. Suddenly the heat of the summer and the wine had all gone to my head. I needed water. Pam followed me to the kitchen to grab herself a wine glass. She smiled at me but didn't speak. I didn't know how to read her. I followed her back into the lounge where everyone was going though that box full of stuff. I scowled at it, angry all of a sudden. Pam kicked off her heels and sat beside Amelia giving her a quick peck on the cheek. I was surprised at that. The box was full of my old school magazines.

"Who's that?" Amelia asked. We had been sitting for about an hour. I had forgotten most of what I was reading. I surprised myself a few times with some of the stuff I seen. It was…good. Sophie-Anne seemed pleased. I craned my neck to see what Amelia was pointing at. There on one of the yearbook pages was a picture of my ex, Bill. Hadley had drawn little fangs on him and a pair of horns. He had cheesy glasses courtesy of biro as well and a dodgy moustache. I couldn't help myself. I laughed. Hadley took the book from Amelia and glanced at the picture.

"Oh he's the Bastard. Capital B if you please."

"What's the story?" Pam asked, lifting the book. She wanted in on the action too apparently.

"He and Sookie had a bad break-up."

"Make that bad relationship." I said. Bill had been my first everything. Then he betrayed me. In the worst way. "He was on the football team. All the girls loved him. I wasn't unpopular, I wasn't the school geek but I didn't go round fucking every guy I came across. I was a virgin, intended to keep it that way till I found the right man." I closed my eyes. I could feel all the old hurt.

"Bill asked Sookie out one day. Out of the blue. She accepted, he was pretty cute after all. They went on a few dates, he was very charming." Hadley helped me out a little.

"He definitely was charming. He spoiled me, romantically. He opened doors, carried my books, helped me with study, kissed me in front of the football team after winning a game. He was hard to resist. I did for a while." I took a deep breath. Hadley was looking concerned. I don't ever remember us discussing this. Apparently Hadley felt more for me than I thought. "Then one night we slept together. It was beautiful. He was so sweet and gentle. He lit a fire in the hearth and we made love in front of it. He took me for a bath then and we did it again. I was sore but happy." I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders. It was Pam.

"He was always real popular with the cheerleaders. The head cheerleader though, she was hot. He wanted her so much. He cheated on Sookie when Lorena gave in." Hadley spoke quietly.

"But that wasn't the worst." I had to finish. I had never spoke about this part before. "The worst part was she was his prize. I was a bet. It was made one evening among the football team and the cheerleaders when they were drinking. Lorena would fuck him if he seduced a virgin. The sex wasn't enough, he had to make said virgin fall for him. I did fall for him. Then I slapped his face." I don't normally spill stories like this to strangers but the wine was giving me a loose tongue. I'll have to have a chat with that silly tongue in the morning I thought.

"Capital B is right." Amelia said thoughtfully. "Did you dump him?"

"You bet your ass I dumped him. I got a bit of revenge though. He felt guilty. Told me he was sorry and wanted to know if I forgave him would I go out with him again. I just walked away."

"Oh Sookie." Sophie-Anne touched my knee. I didn't realise the tears were falling till I noticed a splash on my wrist.

We sat in silence for a long time. Each lost in our own thoughts. I was thinking about the last time I heard from Bill. It was Gran's funeral. He tried to comfort me. I pushed him away. I didn't need him to weaken me further. Gran told me I didn't need a man to make me strong, that I was a strong woman myself, and to keep my chin up. I did just that.

"Why is all the wine gone!" Pam's voice was such a shock that I jumped and spilled a bit of my own glass down my top. "Oh!" she gasped when she seen the stain. "Waste not want not." With that she dived on my chest and began to suck the wine playfully from my t-shirt.

We all screamed with laughter. It was nice to be involved in this little group, even if I was the only straight girl in the room. I hadn't laughed so much in ages. Hadley found a little drop of Sambuca in one of her cupboards and we finished the night off with a shot each.

Soon after I made my way to the guest bedroom and into what was to be my bed for six months. I suppose its not the guest bedroom anymore, its my bedroom. I lay down and as soon as my head touched the pillow I was asleep. I slept better than I had since Gran died.

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When I woke in the morning it was with a heavy head. My tongue felt fuzzy and all I could think of was coffee. I got up and made my way to the kitchen. Sophie-Anne was already awake and perched on a stool at the breakfast bar. She smiled brightly at me. Too brightly. I was sure she had as much to drink as I had. "Coffee's in the pot." She smiled to me. I smiled back. All of a sudden I found I loved this woman. A whole sip later and the world had righted itself and I felt like I could function like a normal woman again.

"You still up for that job?" She asked me. There was a little smile on her face as she asked it. I looked into her delicate face. She was really very pretty without makeup on.

"Well, I'll need to know more about the job naturally. I'll need to see a contract and job description and all sorts of silly practical things that I can't even think of now." Apparently my head was still fuzzier than I thought.

Sophie-Anne nodded and we sat in silence for until Hadley walked into the room, squeezed my shoulder good morning and kissed Sophie-Anne on the lips. I smiled at the two of them, and I wondered if I would be happy here. Something told me I might be.

I spent the rest of the weekend sorting out all those silly practical things I needed to know about my new job with Sophie-Anne. I got the feeling she didn't truly know what my role would entail herself and would make little parts of it up as she went along. She told me if I was not happy with anything she suggested I was to argue with her and hash at my role until I was happy. Something told me that Sophie-Anne liked a good argument, and that she wasn't adverse to losing to practical honest points. When Monday rolled around I found myself heading to the New Orleans office of S.A.R.C Music. The main office was in Los Angeles but there were a few sub offices dotted across the country. New Orleans, she told me, was her favourite.

The first few days in the office was all about getting to know the people around me. I spent a lot of time reading about the top artists associated with S.A.R.C. I listened to music and read old interviews with various bands and solo artists. I found a favourite among them. I had always loved the heavy rock sound created by Last Request when they played a track on the radio but listening to all their material I found I loved the music. I didn't know much about the band but I found they were a favourite of Sophie Anne as well. They were her 'top men' she told me, despite their 'discrepancies'. I wondered what she meant but I didn't ask.

"They're starting another US Tour in a little over a week." It was Wednesday lunchtime and we were in Sophie-Anne's office. "I have been thinking about your role and I know what I want from you. Last Request will be spending months travelling all over the country. They have their own website of course but I want you to do a daily blog and various interviews with them and the crew around them, and what it takes for Last Request to put on a show. I want you to, over time, put together a comprehensive diary of their time on the tour. Perhaps this will lead to a book about the band with your name on it." I was shocked. I was sitting across from Sophie Anne in her large office with great views over New Orleans. The room was large, minimal and airy. I however was gob smacked. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't believe what she just said. I started on Monday. It was Wednesday. Lunchtime. I was being given a book. To write.

"I don't know if I can do that, the book I mean."

"Of course you don't. You are not writing a book Sookie, you'll be gathering material. You might not have enough information to put into a book from the next few months but perhaps over time you will. I'm not trying to put you out of your comfort zone just yet." She paused and frowned at me. "Well actually I am, because you will be sharing a bus with Last Request for the next few months. Hell if you think fans will be interested in their menu's I want you to record it. I'll have a personal photographer as well. She's young like you. Two fresh girls in my employ to bring new ideas to my company. I cant wait to see what kind of work you do together."

"Oh." was all I could muster. "When do I leave then?"

"Next Thursday. There will be various lorries excreta but Last Request, Pam their manager and Maria Star the photographer and of course you will all be sharing the bus. Pam loves this idea. We put it together just after they finished their last tour but we haven't had the chance to put it into practice. I've interviewed quite a few people with this role in mind but I thought I was going to miss the opportunity. You will be perfect in this role Sookie." She gave me a sincere smile. "All your expenses will be taken care of. You'll get a chance to stay in some of the best hotels the country has to offer. Hadley tells me the furthest she thinks you've travelled is Dallas." I nodded. It was true. I went when I was in high school.

"I never got a chance to travel much. I've had a lot of commitments."

"Sookie, you are committed now to fulfilling this role. I'm going to show you the world girl."

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OK guys be gentle. This is my first fic in years.

Much thanks to Jo who has read this chapter more times than enough. I couldn't do this without you girl!