Chapter 8: Switzerland

Rebecca happened to like sex - maybe too much for her own good. She was good at getting it and even better at having it. One night stands with mutual friends, strangers, boyfriends, neighbors, staff, you name it. If they were hot, they were in her bed. She had a rosary's worth of boyfriends in her lifetime, a few heartbreaks, but she had never found anyone close to being The One ™. She grew up hearing their parent's love-at-first-sight story at just about every cocktail party. One day at a conference in Seattle, the two locked eyes across the crowded room and they just knew, deep in their hearts, that they had found their missing piece.

She had yet to find this mythical creature, the one that sucks up all the air in the room, her soulmate. A spark so incandescent that you can't look at anyone else. But until the day they crossed paths, she would enjoy herself to the fullest.

Her current work schedule had her pretty busy nowadays, so other than the odd good find on the streets, there was a rotating schedule of men she could count on for fun at any time of the day and night. It took her years to test, draft and recruit the perfect roster of local, single hot men with bodies and talents she deeply craved. It was months of extensive research with countless trials - but the hard work had paid off. There was Troy (tennis instructor at the country club, great stamina), Kyle (personal trainer, A+ abs), Gabriel (an old college boyfriend who lived in DC but visited his parents every couple of months, great hair and even greater head), and her current personal favorite: Patrick, her alternate driver when Terry was off. He was an ex-soldier, older, tall and hunky, and very passionate. None of them however, were husband material. Nevermind the substantial tax bracket difference (for most of them, Gabriel was well off), they all had flaming red flags, ex-issues, mommy issues, commitment issues, inflated pride and egos, you name it. Altogether it was enough to fill a whole Bingo card.

So when she woke up in bed alone on a Sunday, she knew something was wrong. The house was quiet. There was no sound of pots and pans, dishes clinging or food frying on this particular Sunday morning. Rebecca often found Kate making eggs and bacon or sitting on the counter stool by the wide kitchen windows, sipping coffee and making polite casual conversation with whoever lover Rebecca had brought home the night before.

Her memory was fuzzy, her mouth was dry, her body a little achy. Rebecca carried her NAD IV stand all the way downstairs, seeing the multivitamin infused saline bag was still half full. She had a private nurse who always came by around 9 AM on weekends to hook her up to a custom made solution to re-hydrate her after a night out. Nurse Anne was so excellent at her job Rebecca often didn't even wake up at the poking of the IV needle. It sounds gluttonous and it is, but her time was too precious to waste nursing a hangover - she had shit to do. Plus, this kind of service wasn't even considered exotic in her circles. What was exotic though, was that she found her sister half passed out on her couch, hooked up to her own little IV bag.

It then hit her all at once. Kate and Terry shouting, her cousin slamming her body against the car, her sister's drunk confessions and overall deeply unusual and downright disturbing behavior. Now Kate was lying still on the couch, breathing deeply with eyes closed. Her little sister never went out, and wasn't much of a drinker so she was probably in the tenth circle of hell right now. Becca had no idea what time she walked in from the guest house. The last time she saw her Kate, she ran out the garage towards her quarters and slammed the door. Maybe Kate made her way to the main house when the nurse got here, as the two would not be strangers from the many times nurse Anne came by to put Rebecca out of her misery.

Concern took her heart hostage. What the actual fuck had happened to Kate last night? Had Rebecca done something to contribute to her borderline spiral? Kate always worked incredibly hard at anything she did, devoting herself 110% to her work, and Rebecca not once ever questioned it. Perhaps growing up the child prodigy of Dr. Abigail Bellefleur created an Everest of expectations. Was that why her sister worked so relentlessly? Did she think she had something to prove? A legacy to keep?

Or was it the fact that they were on the brink of losing it all?

"How in the world do you do this all the time?" Kate's voice was hoarse. She squinted at her, light probably hurting her eyes.

Her sister was wearing a giant Led Zeppelin t-shirt and silk pajama bottoms, splayed on the couch like a giant ragdoll. Her hair was a tangled mess, mascara smudged all over her face showing she had been crying. Her skin was dull and pale, but maybe that was because she spent far too long underground in the Glass Tower laboratory.

"I kept my alcohol tolerance from college," she shrugged, making her way to the fridge, the wheels of her IV stand rolling next to her.

"I think if I had drank like this in college I would have died," Kate moaned.

"Well, yeah, you were like 15 when you went to MIT," Rebecca laughed, studying the contents of her fridge.

Their private chef did all the groceries and meal prep a couple of times a week, leaving it fully stocked. All they had to do was add dressing to salads and reheat hot meals in the oven. But not this time."Oh for fuck's sakes, Kate! Did you ask Chef Michael for a vegan round again?"

A shy weep echoed from the living room. Yes, she had. Which meant there was no greasy comfort food anywhere in this house. Rebecca walked back to the living room, her sister put on her regular glasses, begging forgiveness with blue puppy dog eyes. She looked like fucking road kill.

"How bad is it?" Kate asked, managing to raise her head.

"We have chia seed pudding and vegan sugar free pumpkin pancakes for breakfast," Rebecca watched her sister's soul leave her body. "I should make you eat it, you know? Serves you right."

"Do the pancakes at least have chocolate chips in them?"

She shook her head. "Raisins. It's like you learned nothing from the last time you forced a rabbit's diet on us."

The promise of raisins in her breakfast was the final nail in her coffin. Kate looked completely drained and defeated. She looked worse than when she couldn't figure out the stabilizing photobiology structures of her UV coating compound. Memories of last night trickled in her brain, particularly a pair of amazing blue eyes ravishing her at the club in a momentary lapse of judgment. God, last night had a royal fucking disaster, and it seemed to be seeping into today. Their business meeting was a fucking bear trap, Eric Northman was a son of a bitch, him and Godric were at Tara's, Kate lost it and had a huge fight with Terry, the list went on. Rebecca had a lot of things on her plate, but there was only one thing that took precedence above all else.

"Wanna go to Switzerland today? The weather is good and you could use some sunlight," her sister looked slightly green at the thought, but Rebecca knew what she had to do. She knew the perfect bribe. "We'll stop at Shake Shack on our way."

A glimmer of light and hope seemed to spark within her. "Who's on driving duty today?"

She shook her head. Kate was avoiding their cousin. "Patrick."

"Deal," she nodded, lazily getting up.

"Go get your bathing suit, I'll text Theresa and meet you in the car."

Switzerland was their Oyster 495 sailing yacht. 50 feet of top tier British craftsmanship, it had been a gift from Richard Senior to his children. The months following their mother's suicide had been hard, but the incessant fighting between Rebecca and Dick Junior made it unbearable for everyone. And being the old crusty baby bomber that he was, dad didn't believe in therapy. But he did think the best course of action was to get them a 3.4 million dollar sailboat and enroll them in a sailing school in Croatia for a summer. Something about "teamwork" was supposed to heal all trauma and grief. Richard picked Switzerland as its name, as the family's official neutral zone - meaning absolutely no fighting aboard. Although there were one or two incidents of someone getting tackled off deck so the fight would happen on water. In any case, the rule stuck. If you have to have an important conversation that you don't want to end up poorly, you do it onboard Switzerland.

Their first week in sailing camp was spent in the classroom learning navigation theory and ocean safety, but Rebecca and her brother spent every moment trying to outdo one another, since the best sailor would get to be captain. Kate became too hyper focused on studying the ship's inner workings and the physics of currents, winds and sailing mechanics to care about who led. But once they ventured into blue waters of the Adriatic sea, they all quickly discovered Dick had the stomach of a weak kitten. Hard to steer a sailboat while throwing up everything you've ever eaten overboard. Rebecca learned to lead and navigate, while her siblings learned the ropes of the top deck. By the end of that summer Dick was 10 lbs lighter, Kate knew how to take Switzerland apart and put it back together and became Rebecca's chief engineer and second in command not only on the water, but also in life.

Which is why it was so fucking important that Kate and Terry made amends. The two of them were her rock, the pillars that held her entire life up. She can't work or live with a divided house. Becca needed them both, and they needed each other too whether they liked it or not.

She texted Theresa, their house manager, to prepare Switzerland's kitchen for a day of sailing. Theresa had been working for the family for decades, and was her mother's personal assistant for years. Theresa knew the Bellefleur girls' favourites snacks, and drinks better than she did herself. Rebecca went upstairs to get changed. From the upstairs window she peeked at her semi-lifeless sister dragging IV stand across the courtyard towards the guest house. Knowing she was now home alone, she called her cousin.

"It's a fine day to sail, wanna go?"

There were grumbles and muffled noises on the line. Terry was probably asleep. "Can I fish when we drop anchor?"

"Of course, it's gonna be a lazy day today. Meet me at the Marina in 30?"

"Sure."

Rebecca hung up, pleased with her parent-trapping skills. She brushed her hair and washed up, then selected her favorite bikini set (yellow with white daisies, triangle top and high cut bottom, very cheeky), and put on some denim shorts, a white linen shirt and Hermes deck shoes.

With Patrick around to drive them on Terry's day off, she always liked to show a little more skin. Obviously, she couldn't be flirty with him in front of her cousin, or else the man might actually kill somebody on American soil.

Terry didn't care who Rebecca slept with, but he took the safeguarding of the girls as if it were a matter of national security. Patrick Devins had been hand picked by him, since they were long time pals from their time in the army. Once Rebecca heard Terry threaten to cut his dick off if he ever took advantage of his job position, Patrick instantly became the delicious fruit of the forbidden tree. She had to have him. And in secret? That just made it extra spicy.

Unhooking herself off the now empty IV bag, Rebecca met Kate in the garage while Patrick (looking delightfully fuckable as always) was already waiting for them. She barely felt hungover anymore, but her sister still looked like the living dead in the back seat.

"Good night, I take it?" Patrick smirked, opening the door for her.

He was wearing a dark green crew neck t-shirt that made his green eyes more intense. He had shaved his face this morning, which was a shame because stubble looked good on him and felt even better on her.

"Could have been better," Rebecca said then dropped her sunglasses on the ground.

She bent over to retrieve them and stuck her hips up right in front of him. Being a man, he looked at her ass but quickly averted his gaze, too afraid that Kate would catch him admiring her assets.

Which made it even funnier, because if Patrick had known Kate better he would know that although extremely intelligent, she was the most sexually oblivious person on earth. His cheeks flushed red, and he immediately walked away, getting into the driver's seat without a word. That was their little game though. She would tease and torture him in anyway she could all day, watching him struggle to look away and keep his hands off, scared they would get caught. But when they were finally alone, he would ravish her. Every time.

They did their stop at Shake Shack and ate in the car like a pack of wild animals, bringing color back to Kate's face. When they arrived at the Marina, Patrick escorted them down the dock. It was a beautiful Sunday morning, the sun was glimmering gold on the water. Rows of sailboats and yachts swayed slightly in place, standing tall and majestic. Terry was already waiting for them in Switzerland with the fishing tackle box Becca and Kate had gotten him last Christmas. When Terry and Kate made eye contact, a sudden cold nordic breeze blew past them all. Terry glared, and Kate shrunk three inches. Yeesh, this was going to be harder than she thought.

The boys played catch up for a few minutes while Becca did the pre-sail checklist. Today she was going to take it easy, so they would only sail within Lake Pontchartrain where the water was much calmer than out in the Gulf. The weather was perfect: wind was at 11 knots offshore, visibility was well over 5 nautical miles, the temperature was a sunny 72, and Switzerland was as perfect as she last sailed, passing every check with flying colors. And most importantly, she had a game to play.

The boys were standing below at the stern, on the back of the yacht, talking and chatting completely at ease. Becca took her shirt and shorts off, sprayed her pearl dust infused SPF lotion on and put on her captain's hat, and leaned over the railing of the cockpit, soaking the afternoon sun in her glistening skin.

"Oy! We're ready to go. Care to join us, Patrick?" She smiled gracefully, knowing damn well she looked hot as hell.

Patrick did one quick glance up, immediately regretted it and then looked down at his shoes.

"Waves don't really agree with me. I'll wait for you in the parking lot. Bellefleur," he nodded at his old friend, and jumped back onto the dock.

"Catch you later, Devins." Terry replied with a wave and he walked up the stairs to join the girls on deck.

Kate and Becca taught Terry everything they knew about sailing, but he didn't seem to care much for it. He was just here to fish, which Becca never understood the appeal of. Just sit there and stare at the water for hours on end? That just seemed stupid.

The views were breathtaking. Switzerland crossed the water effortlessly, the breeze felt soothing on her skin, breathing life back into her hungover body as she steered the helm. Kate was completely focused pulling in the main sheet, securing the head sail. Terry was at the bow of the boat looking out for large shadows in the water so he could drop his bait.

"I think I see a bunch of 'em off to the left!" Terry shouted, walking back towards the cockpit where she stood at the helm.

"My left or your left?" Becca asked, annoyed. They were called port and starboard for a reason.

"Your left, like thirty yards or so."

Rebecca nodded. "Kate, let out the sheets. Time to slow this ship down," she ordered, steering the helm where Terry wanted.

Her sister loosened the sails, easing the tension on the fabric. This made them act less like a parachute and actually let the airflow through, instead of pushing the boat forward. She then turned the helm aggressively, tipping Switzerland to an incline of almost 45 degrees in order to stop the boat near the spot where Terry wanted. Kate knew what to expect from the maneuver, but Terry held on the railing and cursed loudly.

When the boat slowed down, Rebecca unlocked and dropped the anchor, and Terry let it down gently at the bow. Kate worked on tying up the sails so they didn't pick up any wind. Now being stationary everyone could feel the heat turn up almost right away. Without the sailing breeze they could feel the sun sizzling from above. The lake was perfectly blue, with cheerful sail and fishing boats dotted all across the shimmering water at a distance. There was barely any phone reception out here. Life was gentle and quiet, all with the exception of Terry throwing lines into the water, the nylon string cutting through the air.

Rebecca went downstairs to the cabin to fetch some of the cold drinks Theresa had stocked. There was beer, cider, sweet tea, kombucha and freshly pressed organic juice, along with a nice colourful selection of cut up fruits. She chose Kombucha, Kate's favourite, and headed back upstairs where she found her sister sitting on the coach roof, legs dangling under the railing on a shady spot under the open sail. She sat down next to her, handing her a chilled bottle of fermented tea.

"Ah, look at the well developed scoby in yours!" She said, pointing at the dark goop at the bottom of the bootle. Rebecca liked Kombucha as much as the next gal who enjoyed fermented cold drinks that reminded her of beer minus the calories, but she tended to not make eye contact with the gross goopy thing at the bottom.

"Wanna trade?"

Her sister excitedly exchanged bottles, examining the goop closely. "Have I ever told you what scoby actually means?"

"Not, but I get the feeling you're about to-"

"It's an acronym for 'symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast'."

Rebecca looked at the brown thing at the bottom of hers, trying not to be grossed out by it but also thankful there was less of it on her drink. But to be honest, she was just glad her sister seemed to be back to being her weird old self.

"Yum," she said unenthusiastically.

"I can't believe I didn't experiment with kombucha that one summer I studied fermentation cycles. Do you remember how much bread I baked?"

"Oh, my waistline sure does," Becca said then took a long, cold and bubbly sip of her passion fruit and hibiscus rotten white tea.

The two sisters sat on the shady spot under the sails, feeling the gentle sway of Switzerland, listening to water swash against the hull, and feeling the breeze kissing them every so often. "Hey, Kate, are you ok?"

"Yeah I feel better now. That nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide intravenous therapy worked so well! No wonder nurse Anna is always at the house. I've read that people my age can have a hangover for days."

Rebecca pursed her lips. It was always hard to read when her sister was being aloof or dodging hard questions on purpose. "You know what I meant."

Kate avoided her gaze, still staring at the bottom of the bottle as if it held all the answers in the universe. "I know what you mean."

"And?" Rebecca prompted. "Care to explain?"

Kate's blue eyes flickered up to hers, and then away again. Sometimes, it was as if Rebecca were staring at a living picture of her mother when she was young.

"I… Thought he was sincere. That he actually was interested in my research and what we were doing."

Becca didn't follow. "Who?"

"The vampire, Godric…" Kate admitted with great difficulty.

It wasn't a secret that Kate wasn't always the best at reading social cues. She took everyone and everything a bit too literally and hadn't had much experience with regular people who didn't always say what they mean. But Becca could see a real weight on her sister's shoulders, the weight of utter disappointment.

"Oh, Katie," Becca sighed, feeling sorry for her baby sister.

"I know everyone expects me to be a genius, but this… I didn't see it coming. Not at all. It never even occurred to me – that Dad would sell Mom's company, our company–" Kate broke off, not able to finish.

Our company. Rebecca still burned with fury, she forced herself to breathe so she could hear what Kate said next.

"I'm sorry I didn't handle it well. And I'm sorry for how I behaved last night and everything I said. I'm really sorry."

"I know."

"And I know I need to apologize to Terry too," Kate added.

The two of them glanced at their cousin standing on the other side of the boat, standing still with his little fishing pole. She had never seen Terry be so angry at anyone, and she had misbehaved plenty in the years he had been their bodyguard.

"Yeah, you do," Becca agreed, taking another bubbly sip. "He was angry because he cares about you."

Kate smiled. "That I do know."

They were silent for a moment, just enjoying the view of the sunshine sparkling on the water. Rebecca loved sailing. She loved the distance, the openness, the point where her eye met the horizon and couldn't quite tell what was sky and what was ocean. Sailing always felt like freedom to her. Becca loved that she could conquer something so big, that with the help of her sister and her own skill and wits… They could go anywhere. Do anything. It was freedom.

"Can I ask you something?" Kate asked, interrupting her musings. "And please don't laugh at me."

"What?"

Kate hesitated only momentarily and then she plowed forward. "Can you help me… Get a date?" Kate whispered, despite that no one could hear them talking.

Rebecca laughed involuntarily, as if this was the world's most outrageous joke. Out of all the things in the whole wide universe, her sister - the Katherine Bellefleur - wanted a boyfriend?! "Oh my God! Are you serious right now?!"

Katie rolled her eyes and her cheeks flushed from anger and embarrassment. "I told you not to laugh!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She tried not to smile too wide. The thought of her sister dating was absolutely hilarious. "Fine, fine, I'll do it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'll help you," she shrugged, still feeling the whiplash of the request. Her sister - dating a real person. Going on dates. Kissing! Getting laid! Holy shit-

"But don't try to set me up at a party!" She amended. "Last night confirmed that I really don't like crowds."

"Pssh!" Her sister scoffed. "I'm not setting you up in person! What is this, 2010? I'll get you on Raya."

"What's Raya?"

Not that she ever had to dumb things down for her sister to understand, but in this instance she actually might have to. "It's like… Tinder for people in our tax bracket. Sort of."

She wasn't being a snob or elitist, just unfortunately realistic. Rebecca had tried dating… normal people, and it always ended up in one of two tragic ways: either they get too intimidated by their money, success and upbringing and turn into huge assholes because they are insecure, or they inevitably start poking holes in condoms. She couldn't in good conscience expose her sweet little sister to either.

"Oh," Katie seemed disappointed by it. But, if she was going to start dating, it was best she started in a disappointed state. It was rough out there. "I know how to do that. Obviously not the technical side of it – but it's my understanding that how you present yourself on your profile can impact the type of people you are matched with. You know what— I'll just create a program to analyze dating profiles and then I could use that information to make a meta-" Kate had started to ramble, and sensing she was already overcomplicating this, Rebecca interrupted.

"Just give me your damn phone," Rebecca extended her hand, demandingly. "You may be a genius and all, but this is my area of expertise."

Kate wasn't good at apologies. She never really had to give them, mostly because she rarely realized that she had offended people. Becca had apologized on her behalf quite a few times, especially when Kate was younger. And it's not that Kate did not feel remorseful, it's just that words to fix the situation just never naturally came to her and very rarely she felt words were ever enough. Kate had researched apologies, and practiced them even, but this was different. This was Terry.

Between becoming an orphan, going to war and his divorce, Terry had been through a lot, probably more than she could ever understand, but despite his past he was the most steady person Kate knew. Kate counted on him and she knew that he looked after her and Becca because he loved them, not just because he was paid handsomely to do so.

The fact that she had hurt him made Kate feel even worse. It wasn't just her recklessness or drunken behavior that embarrassed her, but how she treated Terry made her want to shrivel up into a little ball. She leaned over the railing next to him, looking at the water, not sure how to start this conversation.

Terry was holding his fishing pole, his face hidden beneath aviator sunglasses, his mood unreadable.

"When I first met you," Terry began quietly, almost too quietly for Kate to hear. "You were already doing the math that I nearly flunked out of in high school for." He shot her a brief grin. "So it's hard for me to to think of you ever actin' the fool."

Kate understood what he meant. For a genius, she had really acted like an idiot. Godric and his stupid face –

"Maybe that's the problem. I still see you as that little girl I met at the family reunion, not the young woman you've become."

Terry didn't look over at her, and Kate was thankful that they could have this conversation looking out into the blue of the water. It felt validating hearing him say she wasn't a child any longer. Still, it didn't excuse what she did.

"I am sorry," Kate said, hoping Terry would know how sincere she was. "For being rude. And not letting you know I was leaving the Glass Tower with someone. I just wanted to-"

"I know what you were doin'," Terry nodded his head in acceptance, and she was grateful he didn't make her say it. "You and I need a new system, cuz what happened last night can't happen ever again."

She perked up. Kate loved systems, procedures, processes and protocols. Oh, if only all social interactions could have step by step instructions and decision trees.

"What do you mean, system?" Kate asked, intrigued.

Terry sighed for a moment, looking uncomfortable.

"My job is to keep you safe, not be your father or minder. If you," he coughed, seemingly trying to sound casual, "Want to meet up with a fella, well, you won't hear any thoughts on that from me. Lord knows I've been quieter than a grave about your sister's outings. What you do, and who yah do it with, it ain't my business. But you walkin' along the streets where anyone can grab you is."

"I just thought, because I was with a vamp-" Terry finally looked at her, his gaze piercing through her right from behind his shades which made her shut up immediately.

"He ain't me."

Kate pondered on that a bit, thinking back to her logic that made her feel safe walking to Tara's in the first place. Godric was just so serene but yet exuded a mysterious power that she could still not stop thinking about. From his silver eyes looking down on her, to the sheer electric shock she felt touching his hands. Was that what attraction was? Would she find such a thing in somebody else? Somebody who wouldn't lie to her about his true intentions?

Regardless, Godric may be many things but the reality is that he was a mere stranger with questionable intentions. The feeling she got from him was a fluke, a coincidence, a statistical outlier. Kate was safe with Terry, and that was a fact as indisputable as Newton's laws.

"You still got them drops, the ones that prevent the compelling?" Terry asked, dragging her mind back to planet Earth.

"Of course," Kate replied. They were one of her mother's most incredible inventions. Without them, Kate wouldn't be able to safely work with vampires and carry out any of her research.

"Like I said, it ain't my business then. But if your date ever does somethin' you ain't okay with, vampire or not, it becomes my business. That clear, soldier?" Terry lifted his sunglasses to look Kate in the eye.

"Yes, sir," Kate replied.

"Jesus, this conversation was much easier when I gave it to your sister. I didn't know if I'd ever need to have it with you."

Kate smiled, and looked over at Becca. She looked up from Katie's phone and gave her jolly wave and a tip of her captain's hat, evidently pleased that her scheming had worked.

"Well, it may not matter anyway," Kate sighed. "I mean… Me dating? Talk about something that is immiscible."

"Immiscible?"

Kate smiled, "It's when liquids won't form a homogeneous mixture when combined."

He continued to stare blankly.

"Oil and water, Terry. Oil and water."

AN: what a cute wholesome chapter 3 We dont get many of those here, do we?

I hope you liked it! Thank you so so much to oldnumberseven for your incredible and kind comments!
There will be another update around Christmas IF I survive the end of the semester (big IF at this point) follow, favourite and leave. me a lil note

xoxo

Spice

PS: in the event this website ever goes down, all my works are also on archive of my own under the exact same user name :)