FIC: MIssissippi Straddle 5b/6
Title: Mississippi Straddle 5b/6
Author: docwho2100
Fandom and Pairing: Nikki/Nora - F/F
Timing: Takes place after the TV pilot and after the stories "I Want Them", "Dark Lady", "Firsts", "Seconds" and "Delaney C.O.D. or D.O.A."
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Nikki & Nora are the property of Nancylee Myatt and Warner Bros. Television. No infringement intended.
Authors' notes:
Alright - so, I have now firmly wrestled this story away from the status quo with this chapter and I hope I will be forgiven... what can I say, it's a full moon and I'm walking on the wild side... I promise after this story no more wildness, um, well, mostly none, um.... ah well like or not here it be...
I could not resist having a slightly lower probability hand (aka - ok the likelihood of the final hand happening as a final hand happens, is... well, statistically low, yeah I looked up some of the statistics hehe), but I saw something like this happen three different times within an hour and a half when I was watching poker playing at the Harrah's tables in NO, so, I went ahead and dared to "stack" the deck.
And lastly - yes, I managed to get my trademark reference in, a trademark I never intended until it was pointed out I had done this in just about every Nikki and Nora story - so just as many directors and writers sneak something into all their films, now so shall I - man i am such a spazzy geek
Character thoughts appear between ~ ~ symbols
---------------------------
"Isn't this exhilarating?" Nikki gushed as she joined Nora once the break had been called. "I've not had a good play like this in a long time. I missed it. The other players are good, but they telegraph their quirks so well."
"You have to stop, we have to leave."
Nikki blinked, focusing fully on Nora, sensing her agitated state. "Nora?"
"The chip, this, it's not just about the poker. It's a snobby rich way to do a wife swap. They're all a bunch of swingers." Nora blurted out, stumbling a little as Nikki had grabbed her arm and was pulling her over to a more secluded corner.
"Excuse me?"
"The chips, whomever you end up with, you spend the night with."
Nikki puckered her lips and arched an eyebrow as she calmly regarded Nora, mulling this over.
"How can you just stand there? Let's go cash out or what ever and... and why are you giving me that look?"
"Well, it certainly explains a few things, and why everyone wants to get into this game. It is the talk..."
"Excuse me, why are you not making your way over to give your apologies?"
"It's just a game Nora. And I still have your chip, don't I? I even have a few others." Nikki paused and automatically had to look over at the women whose chips were currently in her stack.
"What? You want to play? What if you lose?"
"I thought we agreed to jump into anything and to go beyond our boundaries, that being limited is what's gotten us to where we have had been lately. Besides, you told me about a few of your wild nights, so don't go telling me this is that far away from your standards. Wasn't it just last Christmas you were the one who broached the subject of a certain Natalie Jerminder?"
Nora clenched her jaw, silent as she knew at least part of what Nikki had said was true.
"Tell me there is not something completely unnerving, unhinged, and it seems so wrong to all of this that you are curious... that for one evening you could dare to leave the Nora you show everyone behind and to step outside of your box."
Nikki saw Nora's terse reaction, knew her last word would do that to Nora. The brunette wincing herself as she thought how what she'd done had an edge of cruelty to it, yet, she had gone and done it anyway. Honestly she was not that into swinging, she'd done swaps and swinger parties in the past, she'd just left a lot of that behind as she'd made certain choices the last few years.
So why was she pushing for this? The thought of being able to talk to people who knew a side of her mother that no one else had shown her, topics her father kept from her. It was like a magic elixir, a siren song causing her to throw aside her normal caution. The way the talk at the table had been running, she was certain this particular night and the set of circumstances this game built would put her in a position to be able to ask questions; to pry in places normally closed and reserved with this group of people.
It is funny how obsession truly begins with a single step, a single drop that overtime can collect together with other drops and form a powerful river, a mighty ocean. It also is telling how no one is immune from giving in to obsession as it slowly begins to build and take over one's desires. You can stand and wipe away a drop; an ocean will drown you.
With the recent string of events, Nikki had begun to wonder more and more about her mother and other pieces of her background and life that were missing. She was always so understanding with Nora regarding the blonde's need; a need to keep her love for Nikki quiet and hidden. Couldn't Nora return the understanding regarding Nikki's need?
"I am always going out of my way to accommodate your wants and desires regarding keeping certain things in and away from your family, let me have this chance tonight to possibly find out about a part of me I've lost, or maybe never even really had. To find out what the comments about another Beaumont at the table means. Perhaps to find out what Madame L knew... you can always just go and sit and talk to whomever it doesn't have to be the whole physical game the others play. Not that it will happen. But, just, the possibility..." She added the last in a rush trying to assure Nora.
"Nikki, stop." Nora stepped in close to Nikki, laying a hand on the woman's shoulder, the blonde not saying more for a very long minute as she worked on what to say, processing what Nikki had revealed.
"You are right, kinda. It doesn't have to be physical and I do owe you. You are always patient and go out of your way to see my views and accept how I handle those issues. I..." She licked her lips and looked down, running a hand through her hair before looking back to Nikki. "I love you and trust you." She followed her words with a kiss, nothing too passionate, but one filled with conviction.
Nikki returned the kiss, pulling back after a moment. ~~Can love and life be this easy??~~ She thought, her eyes sweeping across Nora's face, trying to guess what Nora was truly thinking.
"Besides, I am with the best poker player on this boat. How can we lose?"
Nikki's face spread wide as her grin swept across her face. "With me Sugar, you can't go wrong."
Nora nodded, then pushed Nikki back to the table as the others were gathering. "All the same, I think I'm going to get a couple more drinks in. I knew I should have left you handcuffed to the bed last night..."
"You are a wonderful and wicked woman Nora Delaney," Nikki called, watching her partner walk toward the bar.
Nora did not look back, simply raising her hand in acknowledgment, giving Nikki a little wave.
-----------------------------
"It is the last hand ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the witching hour and wish to leave everyone plenty of time." Knowing looks and chuckles met the dealer's words.
"The last choice goes to Ms. Beaumont. And," he rolled the dice, a few anxious gasps meeting the sight of a four, "the choice of game is?"
Nikki appeared to be cool, playing with her lips some as she considered. "Let's round out the evening with a return to the original game. Five card draw, nothing wild."
She could feel Nora watching her and she looked over, winking and blowing a kiss to her lover, mouthing the words, ~Relax,~ She had won Mrs. Soule earlier and could use that for the blind. She winked again as she reached over to take her chip and put it in, frowning as she saw Nora's expression go from tense to stunned, the blonde's eyes so wide it was almost comical. She heard a laugh and looked back, blinking as she looked at the chip she had put out on the table.
Her outward appearance never changed as she cast a glance down, looking at her chips, puckering her lips as she ran over everything once again in her mind. She noticed that one of her stacks of chips was a little lopsided. Disturbed. Someone had moved her chips, So when she had reached for Mrs. Soule's chip...
As Nikki glanced to the side, her inquisitive expression pulled a wink and then ultra innocent look from Marjorie. Nikki narrowed her eyes, looking at the chip she had put out, the one with Nora's name. Nikki had known the position of her chips, and yet, somehow....
"You are very daring Ms. Beaumont." Marjorie commented.
"Yes, I do like to live dangerously. A side of me you wouldn't want to have directed at you. I have a very long memory and can be very unforgiving to those who take advantage of my... generosity."
"Then we are two of a kind, a pair of... ladies." The publisher replied. "A winning combination, isn't that right?"
"In the right hands it is," Nikki returned, her gaze never leaving the older woman.
"It would seem, Imelda will find out just how right those hands are. And here the others thought you would be the most prudish. You have restored their faith in the impetuousness of the younger generation."
"And you have restored mine in the treachery of old folk."
"I aim to please, and to win. And since you said anything goes." She gave a simpering smile, her cadence calm and as casual as if they were talking about the weather as she pushed a stack of chips out before the cards were dealt.
"A Mississippi Straddle is on the table," the dealer announced, hesitating only a moment before dealing.
Marjorie's smile was lecherous as she watched Nikki blink a few times in rapid succession, the first trace of the detective's consternation. "Tell me, would Nora prefer something fine like wine before the more physical activity or does her tastes run to stronger spirits?"
~~You, old bat, will never know...~~ "You'll just have to ask her, like the cards, I never reveal too much." Nikki looked at the pot, leaving her cards be. The publisher's bet had not only given her the right to act last, but had immediately tightened the game as now the stakes were raised high for all players, not just Nikki.
"Cards?" The dealer asked, giving those that had not folded the number they asked for. When it came to Nikki, she passed.
"No cards?" The dealer asked again, the others surprised by the request.
"I have a perfect hand, why dare to trifle with perfection?" She responded, looking to Nora, trying to ease the woman's nerves with a calming smile.
Finishing the round, the dealer placed the deck on the table as the players assessed their new hands.
"I'm out, too much muck." Theodore folded. The next player checking. As it came to Nikki, she pushed out a set of chips, raising the stakes. Marjorie nodded and raised. This led to the others bowing out. Leaving the two women as the last.
"And I will call," Marjorie said, her eyes locked with Nikki's.
Nodding, the detective laid her cards down, a six, a two, a seven and two fives.
"Well, ain't that right funny." Marjorie laid down two fives as well. "Course it helps to have a lady as a kicker." She laid down her other cards, a four, three and queen completing her hand. "Seems lady luck came home to roost."
Nora stared at the pot as the players all stood, stretching, congratulating each other. Laughs and pats on the back as well as light banter swirled around Nora as she stared at the chip that had her name, the one that was no longer in front of Nikki.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Lois winking at her. "Now the real fun begins. We sit and watch and support. But when the chips are all played, we are the ones who step in and take control. Have fun Nora, I am sure Imelda intends to." She waved at the woman whose chip Nikki was left with. "I have a politician to tryst with." She patted Nora's shoulder before leaving the detective.
Nora's gaze swept across the room, connecting through the gaps in the crowd with her lover. Nora gave her partner a half smile, a half-hearted attempt at an "it'll be ok" attitude. This faded as Nora's eyes shifted to the right watching Mrs. Soule move toward Nikki, the woman laying a hand on Nikki's arm.
Green eyes moved from that point of contact up, meeting the piercing brown eyes that remained watchful, unreadable. Nora kept her expression blank, the blonde working to keep her thoughts in the same state. She turned without a single word, heading out of the game room.
Author: docwho2100
Fandom and Pairing: Nikki/Nora - F/F
Timing: Takes place after the TV pilot and after the stories "I Want Them", "Dark Lady", "Firsts", "Seconds" and "Delaney C.O.D. or D.O.A."
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Nikki & Nora are the property of Nancylee Myatt and Warner Bros. Television. No infringement intended.
Authors' notes:
Alright - so, I have now firmly wrestled this story away from the status quo with this chapter and I hope I will be forgiven... what can I say, it's a full moon and I'm walking on the wild side... I promise after this story no more wildness, um, well, mostly none, um.... ah well like or not here it be...
I could not resist having a slightly lower probability hand (aka - ok the likelihood of the final hand happening as a final hand happens, is... well, statistically low, yeah I looked up some of the statistics hehe), but I saw something like this happen three different times within an hour and a half when I was watching poker playing at the Harrah's tables in NO, so, I went ahead and dared to "stack" the deck.
And lastly - yes, I managed to get my trademark reference in, a trademark I never intended until it was pointed out I had done this in just about every Nikki and Nora story - so just as many directors and writers sneak something into all their films, now so shall I - man i am such a spazzy geek
Character thoughts appear between ~ ~ symbols
---------------------------
"Isn't this exhilarating?" Nikki gushed as she joined Nora once the break had been called. "I've not had a good play like this in a long time. I missed it. The other players are good, but they telegraph their quirks so well."
"You have to stop, we have to leave."
Nikki blinked, focusing fully on Nora, sensing her agitated state. "Nora?"
"The chip, this, it's not just about the poker. It's a snobby rich way to do a wife swap. They're all a bunch of swingers." Nora blurted out, stumbling a little as Nikki had grabbed her arm and was pulling her over to a more secluded corner.
"Excuse me?"
"The chips, whomever you end up with, you spend the night with."
Nikki puckered her lips and arched an eyebrow as she calmly regarded Nora, mulling this over.
"How can you just stand there? Let's go cash out or what ever and... and why are you giving me that look?"
"Well, it certainly explains a few things, and why everyone wants to get into this game. It is the talk..."
"Excuse me, why are you not making your way over to give your apologies?"
"It's just a game Nora. And I still have your chip, don't I? I even have a few others." Nikki paused and automatically had to look over at the women whose chips were currently in her stack.
"What? You want to play? What if you lose?"
"I thought we agreed to jump into anything and to go beyond our boundaries, that being limited is what's gotten us to where we have had been lately. Besides, you told me about a few of your wild nights, so don't go telling me this is that far away from your standards. Wasn't it just last Christmas you were the one who broached the subject of a certain Natalie Jerminder?"
Nora clenched her jaw, silent as she knew at least part of what Nikki had said was true.
"Tell me there is not something completely unnerving, unhinged, and it seems so wrong to all of this that you are curious... that for one evening you could dare to leave the Nora you show everyone behind and to step outside of your box."
Nikki saw Nora's terse reaction, knew her last word would do that to Nora. The brunette wincing herself as she thought how what she'd done had an edge of cruelty to it, yet, she had gone and done it anyway. Honestly she was not that into swinging, she'd done swaps and swinger parties in the past, she'd just left a lot of that behind as she'd made certain choices the last few years.
So why was she pushing for this? The thought of being able to talk to people who knew a side of her mother that no one else had shown her, topics her father kept from her. It was like a magic elixir, a siren song causing her to throw aside her normal caution. The way the talk at the table had been running, she was certain this particular night and the set of circumstances this game built would put her in a position to be able to ask questions; to pry in places normally closed and reserved with this group of people.
It is funny how obsession truly begins with a single step, a single drop that overtime can collect together with other drops and form a powerful river, a mighty ocean. It also is telling how no one is immune from giving in to obsession as it slowly begins to build and take over one's desires. You can stand and wipe away a drop; an ocean will drown you.
With the recent string of events, Nikki had begun to wonder more and more about her mother and other pieces of her background and life that were missing. She was always so understanding with Nora regarding the blonde's need; a need to keep her love for Nikki quiet and hidden. Couldn't Nora return the understanding regarding Nikki's need?
"I am always going out of my way to accommodate your wants and desires regarding keeping certain things in and away from your family, let me have this chance tonight to possibly find out about a part of me I've lost, or maybe never even really had. To find out what the comments about another Beaumont at the table means. Perhaps to find out what Madame L knew... you can always just go and sit and talk to whomever it doesn't have to be the whole physical game the others play. Not that it will happen. But, just, the possibility..." She added the last in a rush trying to assure Nora.
"Nikki, stop." Nora stepped in close to Nikki, laying a hand on the woman's shoulder, the blonde not saying more for a very long minute as she worked on what to say, processing what Nikki had revealed.
"You are right, kinda. It doesn't have to be physical and I do owe you. You are always patient and go out of your way to see my views and accept how I handle those issues. I..." She licked her lips and looked down, running a hand through her hair before looking back to Nikki. "I love you and trust you." She followed her words with a kiss, nothing too passionate, but one filled with conviction.
Nikki returned the kiss, pulling back after a moment. ~~Can love and life be this easy??~~ She thought, her eyes sweeping across Nora's face, trying to guess what Nora was truly thinking.
"Besides, I am with the best poker player on this boat. How can we lose?"
Nikki's face spread wide as her grin swept across her face. "With me Sugar, you can't go wrong."
Nora nodded, then pushed Nikki back to the table as the others were gathering. "All the same, I think I'm going to get a couple more drinks in. I knew I should have left you handcuffed to the bed last night..."
"You are a wonderful and wicked woman Nora Delaney," Nikki called, watching her partner walk toward the bar.
Nora did not look back, simply raising her hand in acknowledgment, giving Nikki a little wave.
-----------------------------
"It is the last hand ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the witching hour and wish to leave everyone plenty of time." Knowing looks and chuckles met the dealer's words.
"The last choice goes to Ms. Beaumont. And," he rolled the dice, a few anxious gasps meeting the sight of a four, "the choice of game is?"
Nikki appeared to be cool, playing with her lips some as she considered. "Let's round out the evening with a return to the original game. Five card draw, nothing wild."
She could feel Nora watching her and she looked over, winking and blowing a kiss to her lover, mouthing the words, ~Relax,~ She had won Mrs. Soule earlier and could use that for the blind. She winked again as she reached over to take her chip and put it in, frowning as she saw Nora's expression go from tense to stunned, the blonde's eyes so wide it was almost comical. She heard a laugh and looked back, blinking as she looked at the chip she had put out on the table.
Her outward appearance never changed as she cast a glance down, looking at her chips, puckering her lips as she ran over everything once again in her mind. She noticed that one of her stacks of chips was a little lopsided. Disturbed. Someone had moved her chips, So when she had reached for Mrs. Soule's chip...
As Nikki glanced to the side, her inquisitive expression pulled a wink and then ultra innocent look from Marjorie. Nikki narrowed her eyes, looking at the chip she had put out, the one with Nora's name. Nikki had known the position of her chips, and yet, somehow....
"You are very daring Ms. Beaumont." Marjorie commented.
"Yes, I do like to live dangerously. A side of me you wouldn't want to have directed at you. I have a very long memory and can be very unforgiving to those who take advantage of my... generosity."
"Then we are two of a kind, a pair of... ladies." The publisher replied. "A winning combination, isn't that right?"
"In the right hands it is," Nikki returned, her gaze never leaving the older woman.
"It would seem, Imelda will find out just how right those hands are. And here the others thought you would be the most prudish. You have restored their faith in the impetuousness of the younger generation."
"And you have restored mine in the treachery of old folk."
"I aim to please, and to win. And since you said anything goes." She gave a simpering smile, her cadence calm and as casual as if they were talking about the weather as she pushed a stack of chips out before the cards were dealt.
"A Mississippi Straddle is on the table," the dealer announced, hesitating only a moment before dealing.
Marjorie's smile was lecherous as she watched Nikki blink a few times in rapid succession, the first trace of the detective's consternation. "Tell me, would Nora prefer something fine like wine before the more physical activity or does her tastes run to stronger spirits?"
~~You, old bat, will never know...~~ "You'll just have to ask her, like the cards, I never reveal too much." Nikki looked at the pot, leaving her cards be. The publisher's bet had not only given her the right to act last, but had immediately tightened the game as now the stakes were raised high for all players, not just Nikki.
"Cards?" The dealer asked, giving those that had not folded the number they asked for. When it came to Nikki, she passed.
"No cards?" The dealer asked again, the others surprised by the request.
"I have a perfect hand, why dare to trifle with perfection?" She responded, looking to Nora, trying to ease the woman's nerves with a calming smile.
Finishing the round, the dealer placed the deck on the table as the players assessed their new hands.
"I'm out, too much muck." Theodore folded. The next player checking. As it came to Nikki, she pushed out a set of chips, raising the stakes. Marjorie nodded and raised. This led to the others bowing out. Leaving the two women as the last.
"And I will call," Marjorie said, her eyes locked with Nikki's.
Nodding, the detective laid her cards down, a six, a two, a seven and two fives.
"Well, ain't that right funny." Marjorie laid down two fives as well. "Course it helps to have a lady as a kicker." She laid down her other cards, a four, three and queen completing her hand. "Seems lady luck came home to roost."
Nora stared at the pot as the players all stood, stretching, congratulating each other. Laughs and pats on the back as well as light banter swirled around Nora as she stared at the chip that had her name, the one that was no longer in front of Nikki.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Lois winking at her. "Now the real fun begins. We sit and watch and support. But when the chips are all played, we are the ones who step in and take control. Have fun Nora, I am sure Imelda intends to." She waved at the woman whose chip Nikki was left with. "I have a politician to tryst with." She patted Nora's shoulder before leaving the detective.
Nora's gaze swept across the room, connecting through the gaps in the crowd with her lover. Nora gave her partner a half smile, a half-hearted attempt at an "it'll be ok" attitude. This faded as Nora's eyes shifted to the right watching Mrs. Soule move toward Nikki, the woman laying a hand on Nikki's arm.
Green eyes moved from that point of contact up, meeting the piercing brown eyes that remained watchful, unreadable. Nora kept her expression blank, the blonde working to keep her thoughts in the same state. She turned without a single word, heading out of the game room.