Written by TexanLady
negligible betaing by nycsnowbird :D
A/N: Save Dublin Dr. Pepper! It is a sad, sad day in Texas history. I'm crushed, heartbroken and … PISSED! Freaking corporate sharks sticking it to the small town family businesses! I am asking everyone who places importance on tradition to boycott Dr. Pepper! Those bastards have destroyed a Texas tradition for their own greed! Don't buy any Dr. Pepper products anymore! Join the movement at:
www(dot)facebook)dot)com/pages/Save-Dublin-Dr-Pepper/270143632999808
I will never buy another Dr. Pepper product again! And here is the product of my wrath! FUCK YOU DR. PEPPER!
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A Viking to the Rescue!
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Looking up from his paperwork, Eric watched Sookie storm into his office. The club hadn't opened yet. He'd brought Sookie early so that he could get most of his work done before the fangbangers began arriving. That way he would only have to put in an hour or two on the stage before he could take Sookie to a blues club he favored. Now, however, seeing Sookie so riled up and sensing her feelings through their connection he wondered if their date was going to be postponed. The bond was telling she was beyond pissed. Her fury was a living thing inside her and only growing hotter. He didn't know what had made her so mad, but he was hoping it wasn't him. "What is wrong, my Sookie?"
Furiously waving the newspaper clutched in her hand, Sookie hissed, "Look at this!"
Arching a brow Eric commented, "You'll have to stop swinging it about if you want me to read it."
Sookie's eyes slanted dangerously as she stomped around her boyfriend's desk to slam the paper down. "Look! Look at what they did!"
Eric's eyes scanned the paper as he read, "School to begin construction of new football field as soon as town grants permit, so? I fail to see why this would anger you so much."
"No! Further down! They're shutting down Dublin Dr. Pepper!"
Following Sookie's finger as she pointed lower on the newspaper, Eric quickly scanned the article and countered, "Not technically. Dr. Pepper is still going to sell a version made out of sugar cane, and the small town bottling company is going to begin producing other types of sugar cane drinks."
Stomping her foot, Sookie hissed, "It's not the same. Dublin Dr. Pepper is an institution! The Kloster family has run that bottling company for over a hundred years! They've already been forced to lay off over 14 people! Dublin Dr. Pepper made up less than one percent of overall Dr. Pepper sales! They had no reason to shut them down other than spite! It's not like the Kloster family was honing in on their profits!"
"You are very upset about this."
"No shit!"
"Why?" It was just a soft drink, he didn't understand why this news was affecting her so.
"So? So! Because it's not fair!"
Shaking his head, Eric replied, "You see and hear many things that are unfair and you don't get upset like this. I think this is personal for you. I'd like to know why."
Crossing her arms over her chest, Sookie explained, "My dad has a friend from high school that moved out to Stephenville after graduation. He has a milk farm out there. When we were strapped for cash he'd hire my dad for a few weeks and my dad would go out there. Stephenville is only a few miles from Dublin and when my dad came back he'd always bring a few cases of Dublin Dr. Pepper for me and my brother. We'd save those drinks for as long as we could. It was the only time we ever had anything that no other kids in our town had. The only vacation we ever had was when our mom drove us down to pick up our dad one time and we all went to the Dublin Dr. Pepper shop."
Still not understanding, Eric asked, "Why didn't he just get them at the grocery store? For that matter why didn't the other kids?"
"You don't understand. Dublin Dr. Pepper used to only be sold in Dublin, Texas. You could only buy it in like a 44 mile radius. Later they started selling online and that's the basis for that whole stupid lawsuit! Corporate Dr. Pepper is killing off Dublin Dr. Pepper!"
"No, they are absorbing it and getting rid of the Dublin trademark. You can still get the drink and it sounds like it will be more readily available. If you are so fond of this drink it should be good news."
She resisted the urge to slap him, but it wasn't easy. "Eric! You don't understand! It's the principal of the thing! 121 years of tradition is lost! Dublin Dr. Pepper is an—"
"Institution," Eric finished. "Yes, you said this. I'm sorry you're upset, but the lawsuit is done. You're just going to have to let it go."
"The hell I am! Eric Northman, you better fix this!"
Eyebrows raising, Eric asked, "Excuse me?"
Fisting her hands on her hips, Sookie insisted, "You go to Plano where corporate is located and you glamour those fucks into backing down! You make them give Dublin Dr. Pepper back!"
Eric was well and truly shocked. He'd never seen Sookie so pissed or determined. She was practically vibrating before him in anger and he couldn't believe she was actually ordering him, yes! ordering him, to go and glamour humans into doing his bidding. "Sookie, you want me to travel to Plano, Texas to glamour the board of directors of Dr. Pepper into backing out of the verdict they spent millions to achieve all to bring back a name? Because I remind you the article made it clear that the drink was still going to be produced, just not in Dublin nor with the name. The drink itself will still be there."
Poking a hard finger into Eric's chest as she glared down at him, Sookie seethed, "Don't you argue semantics with me! Get off your ass and get to Texas! You promised to make me happy and I'm not happy!"
"Over a soda," Eric observed drolly.
"Over an institution! A tradition! A way of life for small town families!"
"Sookie, I think you're overreacting. In a few days you'll see that this is really not all that important."
Sookie's eyes went wide in shock before they narrowed in pure, unadulterated rage. Reaching down to grab Eric's shirt she jerked him forward and snarled, "You get your ass to Texas or you can forget ever having sex with me again!"
Eric watched in shock as Sookie then proceeded to kick his leg as hard as she could before spinning around and stomping out of his office, slamming the door so hard behind him it knocked several things off the wall. He heard her bellow for Ginger to call her a cab and bill it to his account.
'She cannot be serious,' he thought to himself. Checking the bond, however, he found a level of determination inside his bonded he'd never encountered before and realized she was completely serious. 'She would deny me sex over a label? A soft drink will be the cause of me not getting to mate with Sookie? Like hell!'
Reaching for his phone he quickly called his day-man. "Bobby, I will be flying to Texas tonight. Email me the names and locations of all the members of the board of directors for Dr. Pepper in Plano."
Standing from his desk he moved to the coat closet in his office where he kept an emergency sword, and this was definitely an emergency. He was strapping it onto his back when Pam came into the office. Pam eyed her maker carefully for a moment. Through their Maker/child bond she could tell he was highly agitated and preparing for a fight. Wondering if Eric was going to need her she asked, "Is there trouble, Master? Sookie just stormed out of here and you look like you're getting ready for war, should I get my sword?"
"No, I will handle this matter on my own."
"What is wrong, Eric?"
Adjusting the harness that held his sword Eric stated, "I'm flying to Texas to save Dublin Dr. Pepper. I will be unable to return until my task is complete. You will remain here and see to the area in my absence."
Not understanding what the hell her Maker was talking about, Pam questioned, "What the hell is Dublin Dr. Pepper? And why are you so determined to save it?"
"Dublin Dr. Pepper is a soft drink manufactured in Dublin, Texas, and I must save it because if I don't Sookie will never have sex with me again. Now if you'll excuse me I have some ass to kick."
Eric was gone in a flash and Pam shook her head as she mumbled, "Completely and totally pussy whipped."
…
…
…
The next night, Eric circled the table where all the nervous and terrified members of the board of directors for Dr. Pepper were sitting. He was holding his sword in one hand as he stated, "Ladies and Gentlemen, what we have here is a dilemma. Now I know that none of you could have foreseen the trouble your lawsuit against Dublin Dr. Pepper would cause me, but, sadly for you, I don't care. The fact of the matter is that your actions have caused my bonded and mate to deny me her bed and that makes me a very unhappy Viking."
Eric's fangs snapped down as he growled, "And I might add, a very unhappy vampire."
"Uh ... sir—I'm not sure," one of the profusely sweating men began before he was cut off as Eric threw his sword and it slammed into the headrest of his chair mere inches from his head. The human promptly fainted.
"I do so hate being interrupted," Eric drawled as he strolled over to the unconscious man and pulled his sword out of the chair, destroying the headrest in the process. "Now, as I was saying, you will cease and desist in your endeavor to end Dublin Dr. Pepper. You will contact the Kloster family immediately and let them know they may continue to produce their beverage or I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you all. Nothing comes between me and Sookie, certainly not a damn drink!"
The humans all looked at each other. They had been going over the new bottling procedures since they were absorbing the sugar cane drink when this great hulking brute of a vampire strolled into the office with a sword strapped to his back and began going on and on about how "his woman" was not happy. Every last one of them was wondering if the vampire in front of them was insane, and if he was what their odds were of making it out alive. One woman slowly raised her hand and waited to be called on. She didn't want to have a sword thrown at her for speaking out of turn.
"Yes?" Eric asked when the woman raised her hand.
"Sir, the lawsuit is over. The court ruled in our favor and Dublin Dr. Pepper is no more. There's really nothing we can do."
Lying his sword down reverently on the table Eric explained, "This isn't my favorite sword you know. I keep it handy in my office for emergencies and decided it would suffice for this meeting." Trailing a finger along the blade he added, "And while it is not my favorite I have killed thousands with it. Probably more."
Letting his eyes travel from one increasingly frightened board member to the next he continued, "I have walked this earth for over a thousand years. I have seen and done things you couldn't imagine. I have learned every torture technique there is to learn, and I have practiced all of them. I've drained armies, and I will drain each and every last one of you if you don't have Dublin Dr. Pepper back in production, by the Kloster family might I add, in two days time. If my woman does not see a notice in the paper that you have changed your minds and that plant in Dublin, Texas is once again manufacturing that fucking drink I'll be back here."
Eric licked his fangs slowly and hissed, "And let's just say I'll make sure you're all replaced with different humans that will have a better understanding of survival."
Taking up his sword to re-strap it to his back, Eric said, "I'll be watching the papers closely, humans. Don't be stupid by crossing me again. I've already gone 24 hours without having sex with my bonded, and you don't want to see what kind of mood I'd be in if I have to come back here."
As Eric left the building he pulled out his cell and called Sookie. The phone rang only once before Sookie answered. He winced at her tone as she got right to the point.
"Eric, unless you're calling to tell me you've fixed the Dublin problem don't say anything."
"My Sookie, I have met with the board and told them my demands."
"Is Dublin re-opened?"
Shifting nervously, Eric began, "Well I only just spoke with them so I doubt they've had time to deliver—"
CLICK!
Glancing down at his phone, realizing Sookie had hung up on him, Eric growled, "Fuck two days. Tonight! They're re-opening it tonight!" Spinning back around he headed back inside. He had new orders to give.
…
…
…
Two days later Eric finally landed on Sookie's porch. He had his trophy clutched in his hand and wasted no time ringing the bell. Moments later, the door opened and he shoved his hand in Sookie's face, showing her his offering. "Right there, my Sookie, in black and white. This will be delivered to every doorstep in the south come morning. I got you an advanced copy."
Sookie reached out and snatched the newspaper out of Eric's hands. The headline read, "Dublin Dr. Pepper Back!" Raising her eyes to Eric's she squealed, "You did it!"
Nodding, Eric affirmed, "Yes, I did. I saved Dublin Dr. Pepper, just as you demanded." Placing his hands on either side of the door jam as he leaned towards his bonded, Eric begged, "Now can I please come back to your bed? The past few days have been torture!"
Throwing herself into her Viking's arms, Sookie cried, "My hero!"
Eric swept Sookie up into his arms and dashed upstairs to the bedroom. He was a warrior returned home from conquering a beverage after all, and he was dead set on ravaging his woman as payment. A Viking's job was never done.
END!