Last year I was introduced to a new band locally (local being Seattle) and I'm entranced with their music. Their song "The Wrong Side" has been rolling around in the back of my brain waiting for the FK story to come around and tie in, and I saw them in concert last weekend. So, here it is. It's vaguely NN, and the setting is a real club I go to here in Seattle (The Mercury if anyone is interested). If you are interested in the song, go to http://www.abneypark.com/vault/index.htm and listen to it. This one is free to listen to. Usual disclaimers, I don't own Nick or Nat, and Judith is purely my own invention. Abney Park owns all rights to the lyrics used. ================================================ The Wrong Side 3/2006 Kristen Fife, all rights reserved Natalie walked into the dark club, wondering again why she was doing this to herself. She paid the five dollar cover, fumbling with the American money. It all looked alike and was hard to tell apart. Handing it over to the woman behind the high counter, she started to walk on. “Hey, you need to get a stamp.” Natalie turned back around staring at the black woman behind the counter. “Give me your right hand.” Frowning, Natalie extended her hand. The other took it, turned it over and rolled up the velvet sleeve a couple of inches, then pulled out a stamp and put a black rose on Natalie’s arm. She pulled her hand back and looked at it. She walked to the bouncer, a very solid looking woman wearing a pirate-like bandana, and a sleeveless black leather vest that showed the extensive tattoos on her upper arms. Nat admired the koi on her left arm as she extended her driver’s license. The bouncer took one look at the I.D. then waved her through a dark archway. The strains of gothic music could be heard. Natalie tried to control her heart rate, not sure if any of the patrons of this small Seattle club could detect her heartbeat over the pounding of the bass from the speakers. Turning left through the archway, she noted a coat check that wasn’t open yet. It was early by the gothic crowd standards, barely ten. The red-painted walls in the narrow corridor led to a cavernous looking room with flashing lights coming from the darkness. Nat could smell cigarette smoke and something else which it took her a few moments to recognize as clove cigarette smoke. As she walked through the doorway, the scene opened up before her. Tables immediately to her left lined one wall, small candles in them. Sconces dotted the walls every few feet shedding very dim lights on the red walls. The concrete floor rolled away from her toward a raised area with a wall around it, more tables and chairs and a long bench on the other side of the wall creating more seating. A television overhead was playing a movie; she watched it for a moment and identified it as “The Hunger” with David Bowie. *How appropriate* she thought to herself. Glancing to the left she saw the bar and breathed a sigh of relief as she walked over to it. The bartender, a blond twenty-something or other had a pierced lip, eyebrow, and a horn in his nose through the septum. His hair, what little there was of it, was spiked into two “horns” on either side of his forehead. The rest of his scalp was shaved revealing intricate blue and green knot work tattoos. “Hi, can I have a bourbon and coke?” He nodded and started to pour her a drink. She watched him fill a highball almost full of bourbon then squirt some coke into the glass. “Seven fifty.” She pulled out a ten dollar bill and laid it on the counter, then deposited the change into the jar with the stuffed raven on the rim, smiling to herself at the irony. Turning away, she wandered over past the raised area and saw the dance floor. A large projection was on the wall, somewhat faded on the bricks. It was still David Bowie. To the right of the movie image was the DJ booth, with barbed wire on top of the half wall. A few people were swaying to the music playing. She took a stool on the edge of the dance floor, people watching. The club was quite small, but it lacked the “dangerous” feel she always associated with the Raven. The song ended, and the opening strains of a cello came on. She tilted her head to listen. A few bars of the cello, then a horn joined in. Soon a harder beat came on, followed by a keyboard. Soon a haunting male voice came on, and she listened to the lyrics. I live on the wrong side of life, I’m the one you fear as you hold your wife. I run were the darker crowds run. On the rain swept streets were black rain runs. I play where the darker kids play I’m the one who goes out when you end your day. I dance where the darker crowds dance, In the pitch black clubs in a clove stained trance This our time, the nights our day We ’ll dance this fading life away. I see things the darker kids see Though you wouldn’t believe all that’s happened to me. I’ve been to the backside of hell, And I’ve played with your fear and enjoyed it well This our time, the nights our day We ’ll dance this fading life away. She shuddered as she listened to the haunting lyrics play through twice. Oh yeah, someone knew about vampires. The song ended with the thundering of drums fading. She sipped her drink and watched as the club slowly filled up. The crowd was varied, with kids in elaborate velvet and silk Edwardian costumes, to PVC-clad fetishists wearing little more than underwear, and also some folks in black jeans and t-shirts. She tried to see if any of the crowd looked especially pale and was drinking red wine. Finally she spotted a young woman talking to the bartender, who went through a doorway behind the bar and emerged with a wine bottle which he poured to refill the patron’s glass. She turned and saw Natalie looking at her, a smile on her pale face. Natalie quickly looked away in a different direction, hoping the other woman couldn’t hear her heartbeat speeding up. Soon, she sensed a presence next to her and turned to see the woman standing next to her, a slight frown on her face. Her dark eyes studied Natalie. “Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Judith.” She didn’t hold out her hand, to Natalie’s relief. “Um, hi. I’m Natalie.” “Ah. You don’t look familiar, and I know almost everyone that comes into the club. Is this your first time here?” “Yes, I’m in town for a convention. I heard about the club from an acquaintance of mine.” Sort of true. She had done some internet research based on her experiences at the Raven. “Really? Where are you from, Natalie?” “Toronto, Canada.” “Ah. So what sort of work do you do, that brings you to Seattle?” “I’m a medical examiner. I’m giving a keynote address at the North American ME conference at the Westin.” “How interesting. You seem very young to be so accomplished. How are you enjoying Seattle so far?” “Well, other than finding out that it’s true that it does rain a lot, I really do like the city.” Her discomfort growing, Natalie realized that it was stupid to venture someplace where vampires might be spending time, alone, in a city where she knew no one.” Judith was looking at her, still intent on something Natalie hoped wasn’t the equivalent of a menu. Just then she felt a touch on her shoulder and turned to see Nick standing there. Relief swept through her. “Nick!” A smile lit up her face and relief swept over her. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Hi Nat. Sorry I’m late.” He looked at Judith and extended his hand. “Hi, I’m Nick.” Judith grasped his hand and inclined her head. “Judith. I didn’t realize Natalie was meeting someone here.” Her attitude altered slightly. She looked at Natalie. “Now I understand, please forgive me if I overstepped my bounds. Enjoy your visit to Seattle.” She looked back to Nick. “If you need anything while you are in town, you can find me here most nights after sundown.” She glided away. Nick watched her go then turned to Natalie. “What the hell are you doing here, Nat?” His tone was tight and he was obviously upset. Her relief at having him appear turned to indignation. “What do you mean, what am I doing here? What are YOU doing here?” Her eyes were sparkling with suppressed anger. “I’m here on legitimate business. What’s YOUR excuse? And while we’re on the topic, are you following me?” Nick raked his fingers through his hair, obviously frustrated. “Look, let’s get out of here. We need to talk.” She didn’t respond for several minutes. “Nat, please?” He turned the puppy-dog charm on. Finally she nodded and got up, walking out of the club without seeing if he was following. They exited the doorway into the alley, where a light mist heralded more spring rain. Natalie turned to glare at him. “Well? What are you doing here?” Nick sighed, realizing that his plans were not going as well as he had hoped. He glanced over her shoulder as more people walked down the slope toward the club. He reached out and grasped her elbow, leading her away from the club. She went with him, her manner stiff. They got to the top of the alley and Nick headed toward his rental car. He opened the passenger side door for Natalie. She refused to get into the car. “Nat, please get in? I promise, I just want to talk.” She snorted then got in the car. Nick walked around to the other side and got in the drivers side, briefly missing the Caddy. He settled in and closed the door. Looking to his reluctant companion, he took a deep breath. “Yes I followed you. But it’s not what you seem to think. Grace told me you were coming to the conference, and since your birthday is this week, I thought I’d surprise you with a little weekend R and R before you have to go back to Toronto. I already talked to Cohen and your supervisor and got it approved. I happened to see you leave the hotel tonight and I followed you to try and see if you would like to go to dinner. It’s probably a good thing that I DID follow you. What were you doing, talking to a vampire in a strange city, alone? Do you realize you could have gotten yourself killed?” Stunned by his answer, Natalie shook her head. “I didn’t know she was a vampire until she walked up to me and started talking to me. I just wanted to get out for a little while, and I found the club on the internet. I guess I overreacted, I’m sorry. You’re right, I didn’t think things through very well.” She took a deep breath. “Can we start again?” He smiled at her. “Sure. So Nat, surprise. I was wondering if I could take you to dinner?” “I’d like that. I heard about this restaurant on the water. I’m also intrigued by this R and R you mentioned.” Nick laughed. “OK, I’ll tell you about it at dinner.” He started the car and they left the vampires of Seattle behind them. =========================== Yes, I'll finish it with dinner and the suprise in another story:) Permission given to archive at the FTP site, FKFanfic.com, fkfanfic2.com. Anyone else just ask me. "The price for this gift is the darkness of the night, and the blood of humanity to sustain you." -THICKER THAN WATER, Kristen Fife in progress See my blog at http://spaces.msn.com/members/landinn/