Chapter Title: 'Strawberry Fields Forever'
It made sense to Nicola Chase that she ended up at the door step of Sophie-Anne Leclerq, vampire Queen of Louisiana. Both of her godparents were vampires and she'd dated a vampire in high school, so she was completely at ease with their habits and regulations. Her parents, although supportive of the American Vampire League, had hoped that it was just a phase. And for awhile, it had been. Until her sophomore year of college, when she became restless and bored with the routine of parties, homework and little real sleep. She met a vampire attendant of Sophie-Anne's a few weeks after she started contemplating changing her major or seeking opportunities outside of college; it was as if a higher power she only barely believed in was sending her a sign. The vampire attendant, Leigha, mentioned that the Queen was looking for a new "vassal" for her court. Intrigued, Nici phoned her godparents for references. She got a short warning from both of them, having heard about Sophie-Anne and her oddities. Nici had heard more about her than they had and wasn't too worried about it. So, after an interview with Sophie-Anne's bodyguard, Andre, she ended up in the sprawling estate of the vampire Queen of Louisiana. Her arrival at the manor in New Orleans made sense to Nicola, it was an understandable step in her future.
Surprisingly, she found that she rather enjoyed being around Sophie-Anne's court. Her relationship with the Queen was a relaxed one for the most part. Feeding wasn't a requirement all of the time and sex wasn't mandatory, that much Nicola had made sure of. She liked her niche in the court. She was the smart, level headed one and everyone loved her for it. But after a few weeks, Sophie-Anne had offered her up as Eric Northman's next amusement. The Queen insisted that Eric hadn't been a maker in too long a time, and that it was his job to help replenish the vampire population in his area, that had recent fallen due to murders by the Fellowship Of The Sun. Personally, Nicola thought that she just liked seeing the Sheriff of Area 5 annoyed. She'd never even been interested in being a vampire. Not really. Curious maybe, but she hadn't really put any thought into being changed, and absolutely no thought to a maker. If anyone were to change her however, she assumed it would be Sophie-Anne, not Eric Northman.
Not that she had anything against the man. She'd heard about him from the other attendants she bunked with. They'd been introduced, albeit briefly, at one of Sophie-Anne's gatherings and she'd found him attractive. But then again, most of the men that came to Sophie's bashes were, so she hadn't paid too much attention to him. Not even when she'd found him in an uncompromisingly sexual situation with Leigha. Leigha was self-admittedly a fangbanger in the strictest sense of the word, the thrill and danger of the fanged race was a narcotic that she just couldn't seem to shake. So it was no surprise at all that Nicola's only reaction to the situation was to smile politely and shut the door. She didn't think twice about it, other than scolding Leigha for not locking the empty room behind them. That is, until Sophie-Anne had informed her that she had been offered as Eric's newest barbie doll. (There had already been two before her that he'd found uninteresting.) Thinking back on the moment, she felt nothing for the tall Viking, aside for the appreciation that he was in fact, handsome. And that is exactly what she told Sophie the morning she was supposed to leave for Shreveport. The vampire queen threw her head back and laughed, before throwing her Yahtzee dice leisurely across the table.
"Nici darling, you obviously haven't spent any time with the Sheriff. He's a devastating rascal, isn't he LeeLee?" The auburn haired vampire turned to look at her most recent snack. Leigha nodded her head and smiled, still half dazed on the baroque chaise lounge. "Almost enough to persuade me to start up on men again." Sophie licked her ruby red lips and rested her chin daintily in her palm, lost in a memory that no one at the Yahtzee table dared intrude on. Nicola sat down on floor next to Andre and waited patiently for Sophie-Anne to acknowledge her again. Finally, she turned towards Nicola. "Besides," she said, her lips turning upward in a smirk. "I think that watching Eric top you would be fun." Nicola cocked her head and smiled at the Queen.
"Of course you do." And she did. Sophie had a thing with dominant men, but only with other people. Namely her attendants like Leigha who were particularly sexual in nature. Everyone at the table laughed at the joke that wasn't really a joke. "But I don't think that Mr. Northman has any interest in me, my lady." Sophie-Anne turned to Nicola slowly, her grey eyes narrowed.
"You're female, aren't you?" She drawled, annoyed. "Don't think you're going to weasel your way out of this, Nicola Alexandra Chase." She growled softly. "I want you with him and you are going to go, or you're going to leave and not come back." Nicola averted her eyes, not wanting Sophie-Anne to be angry with her. She wasn't addicted to V or feeding, but it was an enjoyable way to spend her time while she was looking for a place in the world. The manor had become a real anchor, instead of the almost bohemian-like childhood she'd had with her parents. She would leave it eventually, but on her own terms. And hanging out at Fangtasia for a week or so wasn't that bad. Seeing Eric wouldn't be bad either, so she smiled and nodded.
"Yes ma'am." The queen smiled brightly, picking up the Yahtzee cup as the simmering anger dissipated from the room. She tilted her head to one side.
"We have an understanding then?" Nici nodded her head again, and stood up to go pack. She had procrastinated packing since Sophie-Anne had told her was supposed to go. As she walked to her room she shared with Hadley Hale, the ditsy blonde lapdog of a girl, she pursed her lips and decided she should probably be calling her parents to check in. Sitting down on the checkered bed spread she pulled her cell phone out of the set of drawers next to her bed. Dialing her father's cell phone number, she got his voicemail. Then she got the answering machine at his office.
"Hi, you've reached Richard Chase's office. I'm probably out in the field. Leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible." The machine beeped and she rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling.
"Hi Daddy, I called your cell and didn't get you. Hopefully that means you found the graveyard you were looking for? Call me back, I've got some news for you. I'll try Mom's cell though. Love you." She clicked her phone closed and then opened it again rapidly. She dialed her mother's number and waited getting the voicemail. Nicola growled in annoyance at the phone and then sighed heavily.
"Hi Mom, I called both of Dad's phones and he isn't picking up." She studied her nails for a minute, trying to find something to say to the mother who hadn't talked to her since she dropped out of Centenary College in the fall. She made a hopeless gesture and frowned. "Well..have Dad call me?" She said uncertainly. "Bye." She put her ringer on high and after a quick look through the texts she'd missed she set the phone on the table. She stared at the dresser she shared with Hadley as she contemplated what she should take with her. Sitting up, she pulled her tawny curls into a loose ponytail and started to go through her things. She had packed an entire small suitcase when her cell phone began to vibrate against the dresser and play "Strawberry Fields Forever" really loudly. She flopped on the bed, flipping open her phone.
"Hi Daddy!" Richard Chase's long, low chuckle made his daughter smile as she closed her eyes and stretched lazily.
"Hello Colie." He responded as he locked the front door. "I haven't heard from you in weeks." He chastised softly. Nicola frowned.
"Sorry Dad, things around here have been weird."
"A good weird I hope." She stood and went to the suitcase, throwing a soft blue sundress inside before zipping it shut. "Honestly? I'm not sure. But I think so." She added the last as an afterthought, smiling as she did so. She heard her Father sigh.
"I don't like the sound of that, Colie." She made a face. She was almost twenty for god's sake, and she could take care of herself. So she lied. A little.
"I'm fine Dad, Sophie-Anne just asked me to go check in on one of her Sheriffs. Eric Northman? He owns the club Fangtasia in Shreveport? I think it was one of the places that were just being built when you and Mom were here last time." She told him, trying to remember if they'd driven past it in her little Chevy Cobalt.
"A Sheriff?" He made a long, low whistle. "Moving up in the ranks are we?" He asked teasingly. She rolled her eyes and left her room, going down the hall to the bathroom. Rooting through the cupboard for her makeup bag she giggled,
"Oh yeah, that's it." She found her bag under a towel someone had left lying around and she crossed to the shower, flipping on the water. "No, she just doesn't wanna go herself." She grabbed a clean towel off the rack and flung it over the side of the bathtub. "Did you find what you were looking for then?" She asked, looking at herself in the mirror.
"Oh yes!" He exclaimed excitedly. "We found a clue to where the Pharaoh King Snefru is located." As he went on to explain about a wrongly named tomb and a hieroglyphic that hinted at a burial site dating around his death, Nicola played with her long hair. She had her father's sandy brown hair and her mother's dark green eyes, while she wished she had her mother's auburn hair and her father's piercing blue eyes.
"That's amazing Dad, let me know if you find Hetepheres with him?" She asked. "I would love to do a little research on her." Richard laughed at his only daughter, who had her mother's beauty and his closet geekiness.
"I will." He checked his watch as Nici yawned. "Isn't it a little late for you to be awake?" It was six in the morning and she'd been up all night with Ludis and Sophie-Anne playing Yahtzee.
"Yeah, but I have things to do before I leave for Shreveport."
"Who's going to show you off?" She laughed.
"Nobody, everyone will be asleep." She checked the water running from the faucet and winced, turning the knob towards cold. "Don't worry Dad, I'll take a nap before I go. Anyways, it's only five and a half hours and I have my music to keep me company." Her father laughed a little and nodded.
"Alright Nicola, my lunch break's almost over and I have some things to do before I go back out."
"Okay Daddy, I'll talk to you sometime."
"Sooner rather than later this time." Nici nodded as she turned the shower on.
"Yeah, real soon. I love you."
"I love you, and your mother does too." The silence that seeped over them was a guilty one.
"I know she does..." Nici said softly. After another awkward goodbye Nici hung up the phone and showered. When she was done, she wrapped herself in one of the egyptian cotton bath towels and went back to her room. Hadley was already curled up on the bed like a content puppy and fast asleep, so Nici didn't bother turning on the light. Instead, she turned on her alarm for two o'clock in the afternoon and curled up on the bed in her towel. She should probably be worrying about impressing Eric, or not impressing him. Either way she figured she could worry about it on the five and a half hour drive to Shreveport. She groaned. Five and a half hours, and that wasn't even counting traffic. She muttered some expletive under her breath before putting in her ear buds and falling asleep to the soothing lyrics of Damien Rice.