Story Details: This is pre-revelation. It will be AU not following much of the TB or SVM plots. I'm not sure where I'm going with Sookie's romantic life but I promise there will be one. In the beginning it will focus on her building a friendship with Pam. Anyway, I hope you all like it.
Opening a bar was hard work and I rarely did hard work well. Hard work to me was having to carry my own shopping bags out of the mall. Eric called me lazy; which was probably correct to an extent but in my defense he did tend to give me the shittiest of assignments… So if anybody was lazy, it was him.
As I walked into our soon-to-be vampire bar dressed in what I called backwoods hick chic, my Maker couldn't help but laugh. "Pam, pink cowboy boots suit you," he continued sniggering.
"You told me to dress to fit on… Hicks wear cowboy boots, thus I'm wearing cowboy boots."
"I don't think anybody in Bon Temps strolls around in jeans with rhinestone crowns on the pockets tucked into pink boots." He looked me up and down, "But you'd fit right in at the place where the humans lasso bulls." He looked thoughtful, "What is that called again?"
"Would acid wash have been better?" I walked over to the bar area and popped open an unmarked bottle. It was the new blood substitute some Japanese scientists had come up with. Supposedly we could sustain our undead existence on nothing but this bottled shit. Sure, anything is possible but I much prefer a live human. Since the Japanese came up with this brilliant yet disgusting invention the powers that be in our vampire political structure have decided that we should make ourselves known to the human population. No more hiding in the shadows, they told us… I still wasn't so sure it was a good idea but they didn't ask ones as young as me what I thought about it. Eric being ever the Capitalist was doing what he does best and capitalize off the situation.
We were in the process of opening a vampire bar so that the humans could come and see how much we supposedly don't bite. He wanted the doors to be open the same night the AVL made the announcement that we exist. That was about six months away.
Personally I wanted a glamorous martini bar that served Tapas to breathers. I loved the word Tapas, such a fun little word. But Eric decided on some tourist trap style destination… Like if Disney World did vampires. We were naming it Fangtasia and it would have red walls and black furniture, pictures of famous false vampires hanging on the walls, and of course a dais with throne so that Eric could be on display for all the breathers to see. Why he wanted to subject himself to being like a zoo animal was beyond me but I was going along with it because he hadn't made a bad investment yet. And his investments paid dividends in the form of Louis, Roberto, and Calvin.
"Tell me again why I'm going all the way out to bum fuck Egypt to look at some dive?"
"Because it's owned by a shifter and because I want to know what sort of competition we are to have within a forty mile radius."
"Fine, but I'm dining on hick while I'm there, this bottle shit is like what I assume a human would eat if they were on one of those liquid diets."
"No, you will not eat anybody while you are there." His tone told me that it could be a command but not quite, "Tell the Shifter I said hi." He smirked.
"Oh yes, I'm sure he's just dying to hear from you," I rolled my eyes before leaving the building.
Eric insisted that I drive the forty minutes to this shit hole in the middle of nowhere because he didn't want anybody to see me running at vampire speed to and from the place. The AVL had passed this stupid rule that we weren't allowed to glamour people unnecessarily leading up to the Great Revelation. Such bullshit, we were given these vampire gifts for a reason and now we weren't allowed to use them because it might scare the humans.
"Merlotte's, really… I wonder if it's a play on Merlot or if maybe they didn't know how to spell Merlot?" I asked myself as I rolled up to the bar. As expected the parking lot was full of pickup trucks and old sedans. I often still questioned why Eric settled on Louisiana instead of New York or somewhere else more metropolitan. I believe it had something to do with the Monarch here, Sophie-Anne was young and dumb… She knew she needed Eric so she let him to whatever the fuck he wanted. Of course she would stop her feet and whale like a small child on occasion but for the most part he controlled the relationship or put her in her place when she acted fucktarded.
As I got out of the car I picked up a scent I had never smelled before. It was like honey and sunshine and my fangs ran down before I could will them not to. I followed the scent into the bar but between the horrid smell of fried food and sweaty construction workers I couldn't quite pick it out anymore. I took a deep unneeded breath and waited for a hostess to seat me.
Inside the place was quite nice for a small town establishment. The Shifter had obviously done well for himself and was continuing to do so considering the fact that nearly every table and every barstool was taken. I waited by the door for somebody to acknowledge me, finally a redheaded woman yelled out, "Darlin', this is seat yourself." She was in a rush carrying pitchers of beer into a side area with pool tables. I nodded my understanding and found an empty booth that needed to be cleaned but it was the only one available.
Then the scent came rushing back to me as a cute blonde waltzed over. "Sorry, we've been slammed tonight, high school football game and all. I'll get this cleaned up and get you a menu." She looked up at me, "Oh my, you're beautiful."
"You're not too bad yourself, buttercup." I winked at her. I couldn't help but wonder if this yummy little breather played for the same team I did.
She continued to stare at me with wonder and awe in her eyes. "I just wow, you're…" She was cut off by the Shifter approaching the table.
"Sook, I'll take this one." He nervously ran his fingers through his hair as he looked me over.
"No, please, I'm not nearly important enough to have the owner serve me. I'm fine with the waitress." I told him as I looked her up and down. She smelled innocent as well. Hmm, a twenty-something virgin, unheard of in this day and age. I bet her blood was delicious.
"Sook, go on and check on your other tables," he moved his head in the direction of what I assumed was her section. "Now, I think Hoyt and Jason need another round."
"Sure thing Sam, but I don't mind I'm not that busy." She argued before running off to check on her tables.
Sam, the Shifter, slid into the booth across from me, "What the hell are you doin' here?" He nervously stacked the dirty plates between us, "You better not eat any of my customers, these are good people and they don't need to be getting fed on by bloodsuckers."
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Shifter." I smiled. "I am not here to dine on redneck, I'm here to check out the competition. Eric is opening a bar in Shreveport and wanted to know what sort of establishments surrounded us is all."
"I saw you making eyes at Sookie, you leave her alone and keep that Maker of yours away from her too." He demanded.
"Awe, how sweet… You have a crush on the cute blond." I joked.
"It ain't like that. She's different."
Speaking of the cute little blond waitress I heard her in the back talking to the cook. She was asking him if she was going crazy or if I was truly glowing. How could she tell that I was glowing unless she was something other than human? Humans normally didn't pick up on our glow. And the cook was no different, he told her she'd been working too hard and was definitely seeing things. She shook her head and returned to our table with a bus bin.
"Sook, I thought I told you to keep an eye on your tables."
"Well, this is one of my tables." She began putting the dirty plates in the bin, "I mean, I get this lady's pretty and all but this isn't like you to be hitting on our customers." She laughed. "Now can I get you something to drink?"
"A glass of Merlot please."
"One glass of Merlot coming right up." She smiled at me before spinning on her heels and heading back towards the kitchen.
"You stay the hell outta my town, you get me?" Sam said as he got up and walked away.
A few minutes later the delectable waitress returned with my wine. I could feel the Shifter's eyes on me and I knew I was definitely overstaying my welcome.
"I don't know what got into Sam, he's normally so nice." She was apologizing for the Shifter.
"Some men are just dogs, they can't help themselves. Lifting their legs to mark on just about anything from the furniture to their humans." I joked.
"I wouldn't know, I don't date much." She blushed.
"And why would a pretty girl like you have any trouble finding a man?" I looked up at her, "I think it's because you're too good for the men in this town."
"Yeah, tell that to them." She chuckled.
"Sook, your tables!" The Shifter yelled from behind the bar.
"Sorry, Sam's obviously in another mood today."
"Maybe it's a full moon." I joked again.
After the pretty little waitress walked away the lady at the table behind me leaned back to get my attention. She was heavyset with more perfume and makeup on than what an entire Sephora carried in stock. Of course she was shopping for her product at the drug store.
"She don't date because she's crazy," the woman whispered to me.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"Sorry, I'm Maxine, I was saying that Sookie Stackhouse doesn't date because she's crazy." The woman turned her body around to face me. "Hears voices in her head or something so all the men in town, if they know what's good for em' stay away from her."
"How interesting."
"It's sad. She's a cute thing but no self-respecting man would ever marry her." The woman, Maxine, said with such conviction. "My Hoyt had a crush on her for the longest time; had the Reverend talk him out of that nonsense."
I sat quietly for a few more minutes before motioning for the waitress to come over. She strolled over with a smile from ear to ear, "Can I get you some food or something?"
"No, that's alright. I have to run." I told her. She pulled my check out of her apron and placed it on the table. The wine was only six dollars and I dropped a twenty.
"I'll be right back with your change." She told me before walking away. Not realizing I didn't want any change. I got up and walked out of the bar and a slow, human pace. I could sense the Shifter's eyes on me the whole way. As I was opening my car door, Sookie called out after me, "Excuse me, miss, you forgot your change." She trotted towards me at a slow run, her perfectly sculpted legs gracefully hitting the ground in perfect strides. Watching her tits bounce up and down had my fangs itching to break through my gums. She reached me and went to hand me the money in her hand. "I, I can't… Oh my, what are you?" She asked.
I couldn't help myself, the scent of her and her perfect twenty-something body got the better of me. My fangs ran down and I looked into her eyes, "You're going to let me feed on you but you won't remember. You won't remember that I came into your bar or sat in your section. You won't remember that you saw a woman that glows."
"What the heck?" She asked. "Why wouldn't I remember and what are you talking about feeding on me?"
"Mother fucker," I roared before sinking my fangs into her neck. As her blood hit my mouth I was in heaven. She started to struggle but I put my hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming. I drank and I drank almost unable to stop, she'd lost a lot of blood and I didn't know what to do. I had to get the evidence out of here. I was going to have to take her to our warehouse and get Eric to glamour her since mine wasn't working. I placed her nearly drained body in the back of my minivan and drove off. I watched as a dog ran out from behind the bar… I knew it was the Shifter.
"I'm sorry, Eric." I cried, "I don't know what came over me?"
My Maker paced the floors of the basement of our soon-to-be bar. When I called him about my big fuck up he told me to bring her there. He had carried her down the stairs and chained her to the wall. I was pretty sure when she woke up we'd probably have to kill her or pay her off.
"You are still a fairly young vampire. Her smell is intoxicating but I can't quite place it." He looked at me, "You say you couldn't glamour her?"
"No, I tried but it wouldn't work. I was trying to erase her memory of me because I heard her telling the cook that she could see me glowing."
"Humans can't see that."
"I know." I agreed with him.
"You took a lot of her blood. She is very weak. Her pulse is barely there. Go and fetch some human food. Then you are going to have to go back to Bon Temps and glamour the Shifter. If she can't be glamoured by me either than we're going to have to kill her."
"Why not make her one of us?" I asked him.
"I do not want another child and tonight's events proved you are not ready for the responsibility of one just yet."
I nodded and zipped out of the basement. I hoped he could glamour this girl. I normally didn't care about killing humans but it would really suck for her to die a virgin.
She fought against the chains I had placed around her as she began to wake up. "Hello, little one." I smiled at her. She was quite beautiful, I could see why Pam had an issue with keeping her fangs to herself.
"Where am I? Who the hell are you?" She spit out, her voice was laced with fear but she was still quite defiant in what she probably considered the face of death. "Let me go. If you let me go I won't tell anyone. I just, I can't die, not yet."
"Look at me, little one." I gently guided her face with my fingertips so that her eyes would be looking in mine.
"You glow too." Her eyes grew wide. "And, I can't hear you."
"What do you mean?"
"Your skin, it glows and it's beautiful. You're just like the lady that came into Merlotte's; she glowed too."
"This is interesting." I stood up at my full height. "Excuse me for a moment."
"Please, don't leave me down here… It's dark and I'm, I'll be quiet I won't try to run." She pleaded with me. I hadn't gotten to my age by listening to the pleas of prey but for some reason I had to give into her. I couldn't just leave her here. I unlocked her chains and took her hand to guide her upstairs, "Thank you." I wasn't sure if she was being an obedient prisoner because she hoped it would get me to let my guard down so that she could escape?
"Sit there," I told her. She sat on the leather couch in my yet to be decorated office. I took a seat at my desk and dialed the phone. I needed answers from a vampire even older than me.
"Good evening, my child. How are you?"
"I have a problem and I need your assistance."
"The Queen again?"
"No, a human that cannot be glamoured. She smells different, Pam says that she tastes different. I'm not quite sure what to do with her."
"What the hell are you talking about and who the hell are you saying it to? I don't smell funny and what kind of pervert are you talking about how I taste? My Gran would have your tongue in a soap dish for that." The small blond human yelled.
"A fiery one, I hear." He chuckled.
"Should I take her to the warehouse?" I asked my Maker. The warehouse was where Pam and I permanently disposed of our problems in the area.
"No, I will arrive tomorrow at nightfall. As the AVL has said, there are to be no senseless acts of violence against humans."
"But I don't believe she is human." I argued.
"What? I'm perfectly human and normal. Just because I can read minds doesn't mean I'm some kind of freak… If anything ya'll are the freaks, you're the ones that are glowing."
"A telepath. I'll be there in an hour." His only goodbye was the dial tone in my ear. I hadn't seen my Maker since the last world war and here he was dropping everything to survey a telepath.
"I have Pam bringing you food. She should be back shortly." I told her.
"I'm not hungry, I just want to go home. My Gran is probably beside herself with fear by now." She told me.
"Unfortunately for you… Going home is not an option right now." Her heartbeat increased, "Do you need to use the facilities?"
"Yes, please. Peeing would be nice." She blushed.
I walked her out of my office and to the restroom. I let her have her privacy in there because there was no windows or doors to the outside. Because of her excessive blood loss she was still not quite sturdy on her feet. I considered giving her some of my blood but the blood was sacred and I knew if my Maker smelled me in her he would be none too pleased. The last time I had given my blood to a werewolf he had punished me after the fact. That was the last time we saw each other. And he hadn't punished me for over six hundred years before that.
Pam returned with food for Sookie, a smorgasbord of Shreveport's late night finest. "I was unsure of what you'd like so I got a bit of everything." Pam smiled at Sookie. As expected Sookie cowered from her.
"Listen, Sookie, that is your name, yes?" Pam asked. "I'm sorry about earlier. I hope that we can come to some sort of understanding."
"Understanding? You bite me, drink my blood, and then expect me to feel all warm and fuzzy towards you?" Sookie huffed, "What are ya'll in some kind of Devil worshipping cult? Are you gonna sacrifice me because I'm a virgin or something?" She looked over the food and hunger won out, she went straight for the pancakes and began eating them. Little moans escaped her mouth as she ate.
I knew he was there before I even saw him. I could feel the power of my Maker's presence surge through our maker-child bond. "No, we are not Devil worshippers." My Maker chuckled as he entered the room. "In fact, I quite enjoy Christianity. To be absolved of ones sins no matter how grievous is a nice thought." He looked her over. "Did neither of you consider finding her suitable clothing? Something not covered in her own blood."
"Well God might forgive Miss Sparkly jeans over there for taking a chunk out of my neck before but I sure as hell ain't too happy about it." Sookie felt around her neck, "What the?" As she had been sleeping earlier I had healed her neck by applying some of my blood to it. "Where'd it go? I know she bit me."
The next thing we knew the girl fainted. I rushed at vampire speed to save her from falling over and hitting the floor. I had a feeling things were about to get extremely interesting for all of us.