One Shot written for The Sookieverse Weekly One Shot Challenge

Week 21

Theme: Reality TV

The Fanged World

Sookie

I was in Oklahoma for my nephews' graduation. I was so proud of Jason Corbett and wished that my brother, Big Jay, could see his son walk across the stage. JC, or Little Jay, as we sometimes called him, was the first one in our family to graduate from college. He'd been offered a football scholarship to the University of Oklahoma.

Secretly, I wished he'd chosen one of the other schools that had offered him a scholarship, but I understood why he chose OU. They had a great football program and were one of the top ranked teams with a great coach, not to mention their academic programs were top notch.

He started as the second string quarterback, but made starting QB his junior year. Michele and I were extremely proud. I didn't dare to go to any of his home games because, well, I could've been murdered for simply crossing the Red River.

But for JC's graduation, I decided that I just didn't care. Freyda could try to kill me for entering her territory, but I was willing to bet that she wouldn't. Vampires were having a bit of a PR problem at the moment, and Oklahoma had made themselves an easy target in the media. It seemed that Oklahoma had a bit of a political problem on their hands. The current governor of Oklahoma was, well frankly, she was a lunatic. She had made some incendiary comments about vampires, basically encouraging citizens to form militias and carry out open conflicts with the vamps. As a result, there were a lot of human casualties at the hands of vampires who may or may not have been simply defending themselves. The vamps hadn't come out unscathed either. They had lost some people too, though Freyda wasn't exactly forthright with the exact number.

Either way, the vampires looked bad. Freyda had started a series of traditional and social media campaigns aimed to show vampires in a better light. There was one commercial showing vampires volunteering by clearing debris after a tornado had ravaged a small community in Oklahoma. I thought it was over the top and that she should've just donated the money it cost to produce the dumb commercial, but what did I know.

Anyway, all that being said, Freyda was in no position to begrudge me a visit to my favorite nephew, she had bigger fish to fry.

Michele and I were staying the weekend, and JC's wasn't scheduled to walk until tomorrow, so we were all enjoying the breeze the night sky had to offer as we sat on the patio of a little bar and grill called The Mont. We were enjoying sangria swirls and reminiscing about Jason when we heard a commotion. A camera crew was following a couple. Odd. Country musicians aside, Oklahoma wasn't exactly known for its celebrity population.

The crew who were walking backwards holding their cameras accidentally bumped into our table and it was only then that I noticed exactly who they were filming.

Eric and Freyda

My stomach lurched and I hid my face behind a menu. I heard their conversation, and I thought, surely this is scripted.

"Oh course, my darling. We should definitely see to it that all human donors are paid health benefits." Freyda said stiffly.

"I agree. Why don't we throw a benefit gala with the proceeds going to the University's cancer research." Eric said.

My God, I thought, if this was supposed to be entertaining reality TV, they were doing it all wrong. Don't they know that we humans wanted to see things like "Vampires, they're just like us!" with a picture of Freyda with no makeup, or Eric in his workout clothes. Or better yet, we wanted to see them quarrel like a regular couple, arguing over silly things like each other's driving ability, or perhaps something more salacious like a suspected affair.

But they were stiff and boring. What had become of Eric? The Eric I once knew (almost 20 years ago) was a man who would fight for his freedom. He was the magnanimous leader, not the pitiful yes man. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

I peeked over the menu and got a good look at Eric. He was so handsome. A part of me ached for him, but I knew that our time had passed. He lived a different life now.

Michele and JC both knew of Eric and of my past with him, so when they noticed who was causing the commotion, Michele asked for the bill and paid. We slipped out of the restaurant, fairly certain that The Real Vampires of Oklahoma didn't see us.

The following day, we attended JC's commencement that was held at the Lloyd Noble Center. It was a large venue, but it was held during the day, so I knew there wouldn't be any vampires in attendance.

Michele and I cheered as loud as we could when Jason's name was announced. He graduated with honors with a degree in Biology. He wasn't planning on entering the NFL draft, but instead wanted to stay in Oklahoma to study medicine. We were going to have an honest to goodness doctor in the family!

We went out to celebrate after the convocation. This time, we ventured into the city. We went into Bricktown and were enjoying ourselves immensely at a bar called The Bricktown Brewery, when we spotted that damn camera crew again.

This time, I didn't have the opportunity to hide, because Eric zeroed in on me before I could bolt. Our eyes locked for what seemed like forever, but were probably just a few seconds. It was hard to read Eric, which wasn't unusual, but I could've sworn that I saw shame in his eyes.

Freyda was flirting it up with a very good looking human man, and that was definitely being filmed. I guess the producers figured out the same thing I saw last night at The Mont. Boring.

A producer tapped Eric's shoulder and pointed in Freyda's direction. Yes, they were definitely staging a certain amount of drama. Truthfully, Eric probably couldn't care less if Freyda flirted with a human. Or did he? Maybe he really did love her?

Suddenly the bar felt too small, and I told Michele that I was going to step outside for some fresh air. I hated that this drama was ruining JC and Michele's celebration.

The breeze felt wonderful on my cheeks and I took some calming breaths. It was just so damn hard to see him, especially with the woman he divorced me for.

"You look as beautiful as I remember." Eric said in that smooth voice that used to drive me mad with desire.

I looked past him, yep, I was being filmed. Fantastic.

"Thank You King Consort." I said.

His smiled faded, "Sookie" he implored.

I didn't come here looking for some sort of reconciliation or even closure. Pam had actually warned me against coming, knowing that if I was caught, Freyda was within her right to kill me.

"I have to go, King, it was nice to see you again." I began to walk away, but he stopped me and pulled me into a hug. Was he smelling me? I noticed that he put a note in my back pocket and I assumed he meant it to be out of view of the cameras, so I didn't immediately reach for it.

After I bid Jason and Michele good night, I looked around, making sure no cameras followed.

Colcord Hotel, Room 208 Midnight.

I debated with myself whether or not I should meet him. Certainly, nothing good could come from it. Ultimately, though, I decided that I'd probably never have this opportunity again, so I went back to my hotel and put on my nicest dress and made myself look hot. Yeah, I still got it. I thought, after applying a final coat of gloss.

Honestly, I did still have it. Maybe looking slightly older than Eric remembered me, but with the fairy in me, combined with the demon and vampire blood I'd ingested, I really could pass for someone in their 20's. I got carded all the time, which I found endlessly flattering.

Nervously, I knocked. Eric opened immediately and pulled me into the room. "Sorry, I couldn't risk someone seeing us together, without the cameras, that is." He apologized.

"It's fine. You look good, how've you been?" I plastered on my "crazy Sookie" smile.

"There isn't enough time in the night to explain how horrible I've been." He said and sat down on the bed. Without invitation, I sat beside him.

"How're you and the shifter? You received my gift?" Eric asked. Oh, um Sam. Yeah, that's a long story too, so I just gave him the main points. "Sam and I divorced almost 20 years ago. We just weren't right for each other." Because it's hard to be married to someone whose thoughts and feelings you constantly hear. So it wasn't exactly a surprise to me when he admitted that he'd cheated on me with another shifter.

"I'm sorry Sookie." He said sincerely. I wasn't. Sam and I shouldn't have ever crossed the line. I knew it and he did too, we just fell into each other because we'd both been heartbroken. We were each other's rebounds but were too dumb to realize it until after we married. Hell, maybe we should've had the reality show.

"It was a long time ago." I dismissed.

"Your nephew graduated." It was a statement, not a question. I looked at him inquisitively. "I saw you at The Mont and overheard a bit of their conversation." Ah, so he had seen me. I should've known that you can't out stealth a vampire.

"When do you leave?" he asked.

"Tomorrow." I said.

"Gods, there is so much I want to tell you, to explain to you. I miss you Sookie." He said and brushed the hair from my face. "You really are just as beautiful as the day I left you." I gave him a brief explanation for why that was. He didn't seem too surprised.

"I want to kiss you." His lips were so close to mine. "May I?" He asked. I closed the distance, and when our lips touched, it was like that night when I found him naked and afraid, running towards my house in the dead of Winter. If only he never regained his memory.

When our tongues met, the passion erupted and his hand slipped under my dress. Oh God! "Tell me to stop and I will." He breathed. Not a chance.

I unbuttoned his shirt, running my hands up his hard, cool chest. In a flash, my dress was gone and so was my bra and panties. He pushed me on my back, my hair splayed across the bedspread. His tongue made a wet trail from my mouth to, Oh God! Right where I needed him! I gripped the bedspread and called his name. "Are you watching lover?" He paused to ask. How could I forget his little kink with the eye contact? Mother of God was he good at that. I felt like I was going to explode, heck, maybe I was exploding. I certainly was shaking.

Before I could comprehend what state of being I was actually in, Eric had removed the rest of his clothes and was inside me. "Oh!" He took me by surprise. I'd forgotten just how large Eric actually was. His cool body offered my fevered one a sweet reprieve. I climaxed just before he did.

"I'd almost forgotten how right you feel." Eric said. I, on the other hand, felt a bit conflicted. On one hand, of course, what we'd just done felt good, amazing even. But on the other hand, Eric was married, which I guess made me a one night stand.

I wanted to show Eric that I was still desirable, and I succeeded, I guessed. What I hadn't counted on was feeling like dirt at the bottom of my shoe. Once upon a time, I'd wanted nothing more than to run away from our bond, but after two decades of not having it, I missed it. This just wasn't enough. It's like going to a five star restaurant and only eating an appetizer. I wanted a four course meal!

I started to gather my clothes, totally aware of what I looked like, sex-hair and all. "I should go. Thanks for, you know, the sex." I redressed as quickly as possible.

"Always running from me." He said angrily. What did he expect? Maybe he thought since I was there and that we had sex that I'd decide to take him up on the offer of being his live in mistress. Like I said, I wanted the four course meal, and he just wasn't in a position to give it to me.

"Don't, Eric." I fumed. I gathered up the rest of my belongings and my pride and walked out the door.

Eric

Running into Sookie during the filming of that ridiculous reality show was both thrilling and humiliating at the same time. She hadn't aged a bit; in fact she looked younger. It was humiliating for her to see me with Freyda filming that ludicrous show. It was Freyda's idea to film "The Fanged World" on Bloody TV. She said it was all part of a PR campaign aimed at repairing our tarnished image. I wanted no part in it, I told her that I'd sooner take the true death before appearing on a reality show, but like every time she ordered me to do something I didn't want to do, she threatened someone I cared about. Usually it was Sookie, but other times it was Pam or Karin.

Initially, I thought I could dutifully complete my 200 year tenure as her slave so long as my people were protected. However, it became abundantly clear just after we'd been married that she would always have something to lord over me.

From that day forward, I'd begun plotting. It was difficult, of course. I had no allies in Oklahoma, no one I could trust, so I had to be patient and wait for the perfect opportunity. So when the current governor was inaugurated, I knew she was the perfect candidate to carry out my grand plan. I glamoured her into inciting riots against our kind. It was a risk, but the fewer vampires loyal to my wife, the better off I was.

My plan was going better than I'd hoped. Freyda was feeling the pressure from our clan or else there was talk of a coup. Ultimately, I needed Freyda out of the picture. I wasn't certain yet how the plan would come together, but with the increased tension between the humans and our kind, I figured it wouldn't be altogether improbable if she were taken out by a vigilante. I just didn't have that part of the plan figured out yet.

Then I saw Sookie at that bar by the campus. I tried not to think of her too often, so I thought perhaps I was having a hallucination when I saw her. She was either brave or stupid for coming to Oklahoma. Freyda could easily invoke our agreement as justification for killing Sookie and there wouldn't be a damn thing I could do about it.

But the moment I saw her, I wanted her, like I always did. It was just like the time Compton brought her into my bar. She's always been my weakness. I distracted Freyda with my contrived idea of hosting a gala, hoping that Sookie would make haste and leave. She did, thankfully.

I'd come to terms with our separation, so long as she was safe. But when I saw her the next night in Bricktown, I had to talk to her.

She came to my hotel and we'd made love. It was the best feeling I'd had in decades. Her warmth, her scent, her flavor. Everything came back to me. And when she told me that she'd divorced that pathetic shifter, I knew that the timing was right. I needed to find my way back to her.

But then she left. She fucked me, and just left, saying something like "Thanks for the sex." I was livid. But wasn't that the way she dealt with all the roadblocks in her love life? She just ran? Either way, Sookie or no Sookie. I was miserable in Oklahoma and I hated Freyda.

Sookie

It'd been six months since my run in with Eric in Oklahoma City. I'd not heard a single word from him, not that I thought I would. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about him and our night together. I cried when I got back to my hotel that night, lamenting how nothing ever worked out for us.

I'd just gotten home from Merlotte's (I got to keep it in the divorce) and popped a Lean Cuisine in the microwave and turned on the TV, hoping to catch Jeopardy.

"Tune in for the shocking finale of The Fanged World after Jeopardy." A loud obnoxious voice man announced. A preview of the show came on and all I could hear were people arguing, fake drama, blah, blah, blah.

Pfft. I watched one episode of that disaster and I told myself never again. I couldn't stand to see Eric parade around like a circus monkey. He must have felt so degraded.

I sat down with my TV dinner and caught Final Jeopardy (I got the question right!). I was too lazy to find the remote, so I left it on the station. I guess I was watching The Fanged World after all.

I was bored with all the fake drama until about ten minutes before the finale. The cameras were rolling as Freyda and Eric were in Bricktown. They were rehashing some drama they'd had with a vampire name Carmen. Apparently, Freyda had accused Eric of cheating on her with this other vampire. I was bored with it all, because I knew it was fake. Anyway, Freyda was saying how she was sorry for falsely accusing him, when it happened. Now I know reality TV is staged, but let me tell you, there is no faking a vampire turning to ash. Some guy in military fatigues shot a bow straight through her heart, proclaiming, "Vamp hate in the Sooner State!" I gasped, not believing the truth of what I'd witnessed. Eric, of course flew off into the night sky, protecting himself from an attack on him.

There was a moment of silence, then the theme music for the show came on the credits began rolling. "Catch the Fangover on Bloody TV." The announcer said. I was too shocked to move. Certainly this had to be fake, right? If Freyda was in fact dead, then what did that mean for Eric? This wasn't a live show, so Freyda had been dead for at least a few months. Was Eric now the true King of Oklahoma?

I went to bed truly scared for Eric. He was free from Freyda, but at what price? Around 2 am, I heard a knock on my door. "Eric!" I ran into his arms. "I saw the episode, is it real?" I asked.

He smirked, "Yes, I am a king now, Sookie." He declared. He was free! No more 200 year slavery! Lord have mercy if I didn't attack him right there on my porch. "You are not going to leave me after we have sex this time, are you Sookie?" Okay, I got it. It wounded his ego when I'd up and left him at the Colcord.

Clearly, we had a lot to work through, but now that our enemies were no more, we were free to work through them without interference. Maybe, just maybe, there was a happy ending in store for us after all. Time would certainly tell.