PART ONE

Chapter 1

"She looks good, poor thing."

"Still don't know what the whole story was…something about some crazy ex."

"I heard she stabbed the guy…hid the body…we all know her past, bloody and filled with drama and danger."

So went her first day at work in a month, hearing the thoughts of the diners in the bar and though her brother, with the help of Sherriff Andy, had managed to make the situation involving her abusive ex Ryan kept mostly a secret, the rumor mill would always be flying. People didn't need to know her business, that Ryan had beaten her, thus killing their unborn baby. They didn't need to know it was death by vamp to Ryan. Not that he hadn't deserved it. He had proven to be pure evil, hidden under a façade that over their three years together had crumbled, revealing his prejudice against supes and his jealousy over her past with them. She was glad to be back at work, Arlene having taken Tara's place as being her best friend. As much as she missed Tara and so many others that had been taken far too soon in her life, Sookie knew she had plenty of friends and family to see her through this part in her life. Especially a certain club owner in Shreveport. Without him, she knew, she would have fallen to pieces or worse, considering the events a few weeks back. The dark faerie magic that had taken her over had very nearly broken her, changed her forever but it was thanks to his determination and the help of her dear grandfather things were fine now. She was, in a matter of speaking, back to normal. What was normal for her, anyway.

Lafayette was working the grill as usual as Sookie came to get the next order she had to deliver to one of the bustling tables. Business was booming and as much as she missed Sam, she was glad he had found someone in Nicole and were happy with their little family in Chicago. Last she heard, he had opened a new Merlottes out there and from the photo texts he had sent her, it was almost identical to the bar that was now Bellefleurs. It was nice that he had found someone that-

"Wakey wakey Sookie girly." Lafayette was waving a hand in front of her face as she got lost in her thoughts and reflections on the past and present. "Lights are on and no body wanna answer." he cocked his head and looked at her with concern. He was one of the few people that knew the whole Ryan debacle and the loss she had sustained. "You ok?"

She grabbed a tray of chicken fingers and burgers with sides of fries and looked a little embarrassed. "Yeah, sorry Lafayette….still settling back into the swing of things…I missed being here, ya know? Not the bad tipping, I could stand not to have that but-"

"Well, with a little light show, you could really rack up the tips." Lafayette retorted with a smirk. He and her close circle of friends knew of her coming into full faerie magic and she trusted them with that secret.

She made a face, a amused one. "if they only knew…" she headed out to serve her table. Tips were good most of the time actually and with all that had happened in this town over the years, her reputation had turned from pariah to savior and though there were still those who saw her as a freak, she felt that this new beginning was what she needed.

Delivering her food, she went to clear off one of her now empty tables, collecting a ten dollar tip in the process. Decency wasn't dead after all, she thought to herself as she tucked the bill in her apron. Jess and Holly were working as well and the two nearly crashed into each other as they passed, Jessica's super abilities preventing dishes shattering on the floor.

"Sorry Sookie…but I wanted to catch you and give you a heads up. Table 14 in the other room…..you've got company." she said, looking like she wanted to say more but was grinning like the Cheshire cat. "I think its about time for your break anyway, so let me take those from you." she took the tray of dirty dishes from her friend. "Holly and I got this, you know Fridays are always slammin but…..well…." she paused. "After everything you went through, I think you need a little something special."

"Thanks…" Sookie replied slowly as her friend took the tray into her own possession, leaving her free to go into the recently added on addition to the bar. It offered an additional ten tables and booths and had strangely been booked for a private gathering, one that everyone had been strangely mum about, only saying the party involved was arriving whenever they desired. She let herself into the addition, the windows were iced and as such no one could see through it. Closing the door behind her, she was surprised to see some people there that she knew weren't frequent fliers to this place. Pam, of course, was dressed to kill in her usual up market pink mini and blouse, stiletto heels on her feet. Sitting across from her in the booth was her partner in business and crime, so to speak. He got up with that slight smirk of his and clearly, she hadn't expected this at all.

"You rented this part of the bar just for a chat and-" she gaped as she saw the bouquet of flowers to the left. "Oh my goodness…I feel so spoiled lately. I mean, wow….."

"The catering service did well these last weeks?" Pam asked. "I thought it would be good for you not to have to worry about your meals….not that its easy to find any good places like what I found in this Podunk town but…." she smirked. "And the flowers…..well, they were a overnight from Paris. Rare flowers that you can't find anywhere in the states." she bragged.

The Viking had approached Sookie and though he had been spending most evenings at the bar, he had checked in with her at least once a week, saying he wanted to give her the space she had to admit she needed, to settle down after everything. Still, that night several weeks back when they had reconnected in every sense of the word, well, it was clear by the way he looked at her he wanted another go around. But there was something else.

"How are you, Sookie?" Eric asked her as she let him hug her to him, stroking her hair only he could.

"Work….I am glad to be back at work…and this was a nice surprise…..everyone else was in on it, right?"

"I had to organize it with your boss, that redhead certainly doesn't take crap from anyone." Pam said, almost with a note of respect towards Arlene. "But this isn't the only thing bringing us here tonight. We have a problem."

Chapter 2

"Great, what kind of crisis has come up now?" Sookie asked with a sigh, sitting herself down in the booth with Pam as the Viking paced before the both of them, clearly not happy of bringing bad news to her.

"Well, as you know, I made the decision to sell New Blood back to the Japanese. It was a win win, they had lost True Blood and got this in return-a far superior product anyway-and I got supremely wealthy. But there was something else that was put into the contract, something I, admittedly was not careful enough to read."

She didn't like the way this was going. She knew of his dealings with the yakuza in his past and the not so distant past. And she had thought that was over and done. Clearly, there was more. "What is it?"

"Somehow someone knows about you and your power. And they have sent a message to me that unless I cooperate with their demands, they will send word to their friends of what you are and I think we all know what people would and could do to you knowing what power runs through those veins of yours. Apparently the head of the company was sent word by the late Mr Gus about what you were, he having pored over security footage when he was at the bar and happened across a tape Pam had put aside. In which it showed you blasting her with your light."

Pam looked, for the first time in a long time, shamed. "I was going to just show Eric what you had done….not that he would have cared…but I never meant to put it into the hands of enemies….I was stupid and now he is having to leave because-"

"Leave?"

Eric gave Pam a withering glare. "Tactful as always… a deal has been offered to me in exchange for silence as to what you are. And I will leave after here to offer my agreement to the deal. As you know I am not one to make deals nor do I like being put in a situation like this but if people were to know what you are….the power in you…" he shook his head. "I won't have it and Pam I know is pissed enough about this….."

"They are making him hook up with the daughter of the head of New Blood. Turns out she's a vamp and so is her daughter. Turned her herself. And of course, with the info she got, who wouldn't want to try to get a prize like this for their own." Pam had shot up and stalked around angrily. "A forced marriage."

Sookie's face fell as she shook her head vehemently. "Oh, no, I just….we just got…you can't!" she started shaking as she grabbed his arms and looked up at his face which looked as pained, if not more so than her own.

"I can not and will not risk any harm falling to you. Either of you. Because they wouldn't stop with just you, they would go after anyone close to you…and me. Meaning Pam, your friends here…..they are ruthless….." his cell went off and as he looked at the screen, he paled, if that was even possible. "They….they are here right now, I had thought I was to go to them…."

"Fucking Japanese psychos. Too bad we can't throw another nuke their way." Pam said, ready for another go round with the yakuza and the new owner of the company she and her maker had started and then sold.

"Stay inside." Eric said to Sookie, who shook her head, taking his hands in hers. "I won't let them….not after all this time we finally have another chance and you're willing to let me go….to become what, some consort to some woman who doesn't know you, sees you as a prize?"

He smiled wistfully at the fire that was back in her. "I want you to live a good life, I always have wanted that for you and if I can give you a safe, happy life, then let me."

"I am going out there with you before- " a scream interrupted their chat as they heard commotion out in the lot. Moving the blinds out of the way of the window, Sookie saw a group of five, one a woman dressed to the nines and very non Japanese and four thuggish looking men in suits. They were no doubt yakuza but the fact that they had intercepted a patron wanting to enter the bar, the three watching saw that they were very much vamps to boot.

"Great. Vampire yakuza." Pam muttered. "Shall we?"

And so the three went out the back entrance of the bar and came face to face with the group that had already bitten and glamoured a few humans. "Pam, go inside and have the people stay inside….glamour them, actually, no on needs to be aware of these goings on." he turned to the waitress as his side. "If I say to go, then go. Use your gift to get as far from here as you can. Please." he said firmly and she didn't reply as she looked at the people who were threatening her present and future.

TO BE CONTINUED