My personal theory is that Janette chose Nick because it satisfied her on a deeply personal level to "corrupt" a Crusader as both a soldier and agent of the Church.
The Church and soldiers sure as shit didn't do her any favors when she was mortal. We saw a soldier attack and try to rape her, and he surely would have succeeded had LaCroix not intervened. We saw a priest who had the opportunity to help her when the soldier attacked, but didn't, casting her away and telling the soldier just to not do it in front of the nuns. We know revenge is something that resonates for Janette, so taking a soldier away from the Church could have scratched a vengeance itch for her. In that vein, I don't know that it had to be Nick specifically. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time to catch her eye as the "type" she wanted to bring into the vampire fold. Of course, there's no doubt that once he was a vampire, she cared for and emotionally connected with him.
Why did LaCroix do it? He did it for Janette. Perhaps she had tried herself to make vampires and kept failing. LaCroix and Janette were together for, what? Some 200-ish years. He had long cared about her. So when she wanted something that he was in a unique position to give her, he did so. I don't really see him having much of a role in selecting Nick. I see it pretty much as all Janette. LaCroix would have to agree to "do the deed," given Janette's ineptitude in that department, but I'm not sure he really cared who Janette brought to him. As I described it in one of my episode commentaries, I viewed Nick as "Janette's choice, not LaCroix's. That was more-or-less Janette saying, 'I want that guy' and LaCroix being like, 'Sure, no prob.'"
It struck me as interesting because LaCroix really seemed to deliberate over Janette before he turned her. When he introduced himself to her, he said something along the lines of having watched her for a long time, but we didn't see the same thing when it came to Nick. Nonetheless, he became strongly attached to Nick.
Canon almost went with more vis-a-vis LaCroix and the "why Nick?" question. I only know this from parts of the "Night in Question" script that didn't make it into the episode. As scripted, in one of the flashbacks, LaCroix expresses a belief that "fate" told him to bring Nick over. Further, LaCroix believes that he and Nick have some kind of shared destiny that has yet to reveal itself and that this destiny means that their lives are inextricably intertwined. I'm not just talking about the vampire psychic bond/link/connection/whatever that's all about, I'm talking about something bigger. Fate with a capital F.
I find this to be such an interesting take on LaCroix's psyche, and it does explain why he is uniquely obsessive about Nick and not any other vampire that he has made. That there is a risk that this "fate" or "destiny" might not be fulfilled troubles him (that risk occurred in the NiQ flashback when the soldier almost killed LaCroix, and in the present when Nick forgot who and what he was). LaCroix's radio monologue in the episode makes a lot more sense through this lens. (Also, if this were his view, there's not a snowball's chance in Hell he'd have staked Nick in "Last Knight.")
While I find all of that "Night in Question" script stuff very interesting, none of it's canon and, therefore, not dispositive. Also, I'm not sure I buy LaCroix believing in some sort of external force he labels as fate.
Here are the relevant script pages for your perusal:
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The Church and soldiers sure as shit didn't do her any favors when she was mortal. We saw a soldier attack and try to rape her, and he surely would have succeeded had LaCroix not intervened. We saw a priest who had the opportunity to help her when the soldier attacked, but didn't, casting her away and telling the soldier just to not do it in front of the nuns. We know revenge is something that resonates for Janette, so taking a soldier away from the Church could have scratched a vengeance itch for her. In that vein, I don't know that it had to be Nick specifically. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time to catch her eye as the "type" she wanted to bring into the vampire fold. Of course, there's no doubt that once he was a vampire, she cared for and emotionally connected with him.
Why did LaCroix do it? He did it for Janette. Perhaps she had tried herself to make vampires and kept failing. LaCroix and Janette were together for, what? Some 200-ish years. He had long cared about her. So when she wanted something that he was in a unique position to give her, he did so. I don't really see him having much of a role in selecting Nick. I see it pretty much as all Janette. LaCroix would have to agree to "do the deed," given Janette's ineptitude in that department, but I'm not sure he really cared who Janette brought to him. As I described it in one of my episode commentaries, I viewed Nick as "Janette's choice, not LaCroix's. That was more-or-less Janette saying, 'I want that guy' and LaCroix being like, 'Sure, no prob.'"
It struck me as interesting because LaCroix really seemed to deliberate over Janette before he turned her. When he introduced himself to her, he said something along the lines of having watched her for a long time, but we didn't see the same thing when it came to Nick. Nonetheless, he became strongly attached to Nick.
Canon almost went with more vis-a-vis LaCroix and the "why Nick?" question. I only know this from parts of the "Night in Question" script that didn't make it into the episode. As scripted, in one of the flashbacks, LaCroix expresses a belief that "fate" told him to bring Nick over. Further, LaCroix believes that he and Nick have some kind of shared destiny that has yet to reveal itself and that this destiny means that their lives are inextricably intertwined. I'm not just talking about the vampire psychic bond/link/connection/whatever that's all about, I'm talking about something bigger. Fate with a capital F.
I find this to be such an interesting take on LaCroix's psyche, and it does explain why he is uniquely obsessive about Nick and not any other vampire that he has made. That there is a risk that this "fate" or "destiny" might not be fulfilled troubles him (that risk occurred in the NiQ flashback when the soldier almost killed LaCroix, and in the present when Nick forgot who and what he was). LaCroix's radio monologue in the episode makes a lot more sense through this lens. (Also, if this were his view, there's not a snowball's chance in Hell he'd have staked Nick in "Last Knight.")
While I find all of that "Night in Question" script stuff very interesting, none of it's canon and, therefore, not dispositive. Also, I'm not sure I buy LaCroix believing in some sort of external force he labels as fate.
Here are the relevant script pages for your perusal: