A/N: Here's the start of story number 2! I really wanted to finish ATLU before cracking into this one, but the story ideas wouldn't leave me alone :-) I own nothing True Blood or Southern Vampire Mysteries related. Enjoy!
"You sure you want to do this, Sook?" Tara Thornton asked for the fifth time that day, pausing after she lifted the last box from the ground into the U-Haul trailer. She crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the trailer, knowing eyes watching as her best friend rolled her eyes at her. "I'm serious, Stackhouse. As much as we want you back, this could seriously blow up in your face. Badly."
Sookie Stackhouse let out a laugh, bushing fly-away strands of her blonde hair out of her face as she looked at her face. "Now, Tara-Mae…would I really ask you to fly out here and help me drive over twelve hours, just to say that I changed my mind?" she asked as she pulled down the door to the trailer, wiping away sweat that had begun to bead on her forehead. "I promised Gran before she died that I would finish my degree…and I did. I want to go home, Tara. I need to go home. Having you, Gran and Jason visit these past few years was nice…but it's time that I put my foot down and go home."
Tara sighed as she wrapped her arms around her friend, hugging her close as she thought about what Sookie had just said. "Well…Bon Temps has certainly missed you, Sook; especially your dork of a brother. Idiot was so excited about my flight yesterday, that he woke me up by bouncing on the bed. I fell off and damn near hit my head on the night stand. He's lucky I didn't get a concussion and forget that I'd already agreed to marry his sorry ass," Tara said with a laugh, smiling widely as she heard Sookie snort loudly. "Alright…let's hit the road before Jase starts blowing up my phone again."
Sookie nodded as Tara climbed into the passenger seat of Sookie's SUV, allowing Sookie a few moments to say goodbye to her home of almost four years. She'd already handed the keys over to her realtor that morning, knowing that the new owners were super excited to move in. She also knew that she was selling it for well below what she could have gotten for it, but the newlyweds had instantly charmed her. Sookie hoped they would have as many, if not more, good memories of the brownstone. She got into the driver's seat and started the car, pausing a moment to look into the back seat. While Chicago had given her many memories, Bon Temps had given her the greatest gift that she ever could have asked for. Smiling widely as she watched the blond toddler nap in his car seat, she turned back to Tara. "Let's go home."
Fifteen hours and many pit stops later, the SUV pulled into the driveway on Hummingbird Lane. Sookie grinned as she saw the truck in the yard and the front door wide open, knowing that her older brother was inside waiting.
Jason Stackhouse let out a whoop of excitement as he ran out of the house, barely giving Sookie a chance to get out of the car before he swept her into his arms and swung her around. "There's my girl!" he said with a laugh, hugging his sister tight. "About damn time you came home," he murmured with a smile, pressing a kiss to Sookie's forehead as he placed her back on her feet.
Tara got out of the car and unhooked Jacob from his car seat, rolling her eyes as Jason let out another whoop and swiped the toddler from her arms. "Two days since he last saw me, yet I get passed over like chopped liver," she joked with a small sigh, letting out a laugh as Jason turned around to give her a toe-curling kiss. "That's more like it, Stackhouse. Now…You got the breakfast food going in there?" she asked as she swung an arm around Sookie's waist, starting to walk towards the house as Jason nodded. "And the champagne for the mimosas is chilling?" she adding, letting out a sigh as Jason shook his head with a sheepish grin. "Let me guess…of all the things on the list, you forgot the booze." She turned to go back down the porch steps towards Jason's truck, stopping when she felt Sookie's hand on her shoulder.
"I can go, Tara. You and Jason can get Jacob settled in the house," Sookie said, holding up a hand when she saw Tara start to protest. "It's the Bon Temps' Piggly-Wiggly. I think I can handle that on my own," she said with a smile, holding out a hand for Jason's keys. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Twenty minutes later, Sookie found herself regretting those words. Apparently everyone in Bon Temps decided to go shopping at 9am on a Sunday, causing her to run into many familiar faces. She'd finally pried herself away from Maxine Fortenberry and was reaching for a bottle of Moet, when a familiar voice behind her had her freezing in place.
"Well, look at what the cat dragged in. The prodigal daughter has returned, it seems," Pamela Northman drawled out, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched the shorter blonde turn around. "Almost four years of unanswered calls and emails, and I have to find out from Big Max in the chip aisle that you're back? I wasn't aware that you'd turned into a cold-hearted bitch, Sookie. If I wasn't so angry, I'd be proud."
Sookie winced at Pam's words, but knew everything that she said was true. She, Pam and Tara had been inseparable growing up…and Sookie had disappeared without giving Pam any explanation. There had been many nights where she'd considered answering the missed calls and emails from her friend, but fear of telling the truth had kept Sookie from ever doing it. "What the hell were you doing in the chip aisle, Pam? Did Salome finally release you from that hellish diet she had you on?" Sookie asked with a raised eyebrow, unable to hold back tears as her friend pulled her into a big hug.
"God damnit, Stackhouse. I didn't wear waterproof mascara today," Pam said with a sniff, holding onto Sookie for a few moments more before letting her go. "I really am pissed at you, Sookie," she said with a laugh, wiping at the tears that started to fall. "I'm sorry we weren't in town for Gran's funeral. We really wanted to be there."
Sookie shook her head, wiping at her own tears. "S'okay, Pam. I really appreciated the flowers that y'all sent," she said, remembering the gorgeous arrangement that had shown up from the Northman family. "And I'm sorry that I never called you to tell you I was okay. I…I just needed to get away from everything," she added, giving her friend a small smile. "I promise I'll tell you everything soon," she murmured, grabbing a bottle of champagne from the shelf.
It was Pam's turn to raise a brow. "If I didn't have a big meeting to get to, I'd pry for more details right now. Tell you what, Sook. Tara and I have been talking about going to this club in Shreveport on Tuesday night. It's that old biker bar that got bought a few years back. New owners completely redid it and are having a big grand opening that night," she said to Sookie, gears already turning in her head as she began to plot.
"Who the hell has an opening on a Tuesday night? And since when are you and Tara so buddy-buddy?" Sookie asked with a raised brow, turning her head to look at Pam. While the three had been inseparable, Pam and Tara hadn't really gotten along if Sookie wasn't around. "Anyways…that's my birthday and I'm pretty sure Tara and Jason have something planned."
Pam rolled her eyes with a little laugh. "Lots of things have changed since you left, Sook. Tara and I have made a truce to be nice to each other, especially when girl talk is needed. As for Tuesday, I'm aware that it's your birthday. And since you robbed me of taking you out on your twenty-first, I get to drag you out for your twenty-second," Pam said with a grin, hearing Sookie's groan of defeat. "I'll send you the address later. Meet there at 8?"
Sookie could do nothing else but nod, knowing after fifteen years of experience that there was no use trying to reason with Pamela Jane Northman. "Do me a favor, Pam? I'm not sure where he is, but don't tell Eric I'm back yet. I'll reach out to him when I'm ready," she said with a sad smile, giving her friend another hug as her phone beeped to notify her of a new text. "And that'll be Thing One and Thing Two wondering where I am with the booze," she said with a laugh, holding up the bottle in her hand. "I'll see you Tuesday, Pam. Promise." Sookie turned and made her way the checkout line, not noticing the mischievous grin on Pam's face. For the second time that day, Sookie found herself muttering "What's the worst that could happen?"
Sookie pulled into the club parking lot Tuesday night, shooting a glare at Tara as she turned off the car. "You're certain that Jason was the right person to baby-sit Jacob? I'd like to remind you that this is the same person who tried to get me to play in traffic when I was Jacob's age." She got out of the car and smoothed down her red and white sundress, throwing another glare Tara's way as she heard her friend continue to laugh. "I'm serious, Tara-Mae. Jason's like a danger magnet."
Tara playfully rolled her eyes as she shut her door, slipping her ID and credit card into her front pocket. "Relax, Sook. Jason's been looking forward to time with the little man since Sunday. Besides…it's your birthday! When's the last time you got out of the house for the night?" Tara asked as she looped her arm in Sookie's, leading the blonde towards the door. "Your son is in good hands, you look smokin' hot, and Pam managed to get us on some VIP list for tonight. You deserve tonight!" She said with a grin as the bouncer let them in, the sound of loud music washing over them as soon as they walked inside.
Sookie looked around the packed club, taking in the sight of the red and black décor. Anywhere else it would have seemed garish and tacky, but the owners somehow managed to make it look tasteful. "Wonder whose fantasy this is," she said loudly to Tara, making a mention to the club name that she had seen outside. "Why don't you go find Pam. I'll go get us some drinks."
Tara nodded, knowing that Pam was upstairs in the VIP lounge. "She said that she already opened a tab, so you should be able to order and go pretty quick," she told Sookie, then made her way to the stairwell of the lounge. Once she reached Pam she noticed that she had a good view of the bar area, something that caused Tara to nearly choke on her own spit. "Pam…what did you do?" Tara asked as she took in the sight of one of the bartenders, nearly fainting as she recognized the tall frame.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Tara?" Pam asked as she saw the expression on Tara's face, her head turning to see what was making her so skittish. "Didn't I tell you that I own the bar with him? We flipped a coin. He tends bar for the first few hours, then we switch," she said, looking confused as Tara shoved her phone into her hands. Pam's eyes narrowed as she looked at the photo that was displayed on the phone, a brow shooting up in confusion. "What on earth is going on with you and why do you have my brother's baby photo on your phone?"
Tara shook her head as she took the phone back from Pam, swiping until she found another photo. "I know it's her story to tell, but tonight just bumped up the importance," Tara said, handing the phone back to Pam. "That boy on my phone isn't your brother."
Pam swore loudly when she saw the photo of Sookie and Jacob, her jaw dropping in disbelief as she looked between Tara and the bar down below. "Well…this is going to be awkward."
Sookie made her way through the throngs of people, parking herself on the first empty barstool that she could find. There were four bartenders running around trying to keep up with the opening night crowd, but Sookie knew that she could be in for a bit of a wait. She glanced down at her phone, letting out a sigh when she saw that there were no messages from Jason. While that was a good thing, since it meant that there were no emergencies, Sookie was having a hard time being away from Jacob. Tara was right, though. She needed this time out to unwind.
A crash from behind the bar tore Sookie from her thoughts, her head lifting to address the bartender that popped up in her peripheral vision. She opened her mouth to give her drink order, but something else slipped past as her eyes focused on the bartender in front of her. "Cheese and fucking rice," she breathed out in disbelief, finding her herself looking at a (somewhat older) carbon copy of her son's face. "Eric?" she managed to squeak out before her mind succumbed to darkness and she fainted dead away.
A/N: Sorry for a cliffhanger on the first chapter, but it seemed like a perfect place to end :-P Next chapter will most likely pick up with Eric, which should be a fun time ;-) Until next time! 3