IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! IMPORTANT!
Author's Note: This will be the longest note of the story, so I'll get right to it. First, I want to thank everyone for all of the support for the first arc. Thank You! ^_^ Second, I want to address Godric's age for the last time. No, I do not think that he is actually 15 years old. The guy is over two millennia. However, I am not going to gloss over or rewrite the fact that he is trapped within a 15-year-old's body just to soothe modern day sensibilities. When I write about odd couples, I imagine the many trials that they would have to face if they tried to get together in our world or theirs, and then I address all of those concerns to bring realism into my stories. I also do it to challenge myself, because anything less would imply that the couple is either impossible to bring together, or I lack the skill to create it. Third, take note that this arc will be no more than six chapters. Many people were surprised when the first arc ended, and I hope to avoid that this time. Finally, I am moving to livejournal. I will continue to post here for a short while, but I don't trust this site anymore. Censorship has gotten out of control, and I like freedom. I'm not into heavy smut or violence, but I do like to create freely, so please check out my page. I like the layout and color scheme that I've chosen better than this one. This chapter is already posted there. ^_^
Disclaimer: These characters are owned by Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball. I am merely using them for entertainment purposes, and am making no money from this post or any future postings.
Chapter One
"Hello," Sookie groggily answers with a veil of false cheerfulness. After being jarred awake by her phone loudly vibrating across her nightstand, and then having to debate with Bill about whether she should answer it, she's just hoping that the caller is still on the line. It must be important, if someone's calling at a quarter to five, right?
"Ah, I guess I was right in assuming that Bill is lacking in the stamina department. No respectable vampire's woman is resting at this hour," Eric casually replies, only to give a deep chested laugh when he hears Bill growl. That's followed by commotion and angry whispers, and Eric can't help but to smile deviously on the other end, causing Pam to roll her eyes. After several moments of this, a winded Sookie returns to the phone.
"Eric, this is not the time for your comments. It's 4:52 in the morning, and I've had a rough night, so tell me why you're calling," she starts slightly annoyed, only to let a hint of concern slip into her voice by the time she finishes speaking. For all of Eric's arrogance and seeming nonchalance, Sookie can hear the tension underlying his antagonistic banter. Only this stops her from hanging up on him. The tired sigh that follows her demand makes her thankful that she didn't act too hastily.
"Come to Fangtasia," Eric answers in complete seriousness, causing Sookie's brow to crinkle in confusion and worry.
"Now?" She asks incredulously.
"The sooner the better," he replies, and Sookie can hear the finality in his voice, which angers and concerns her all at once.
"Wait a minute! What's going on? Why do you want me to come to Fangtasia?" She quickly shoots back.
"You'll see for yourself," Eric responds, cryptically, and then the call is promptly terminated, leaving Sookie's mind whirling as she creates different and progressively more grievous scenarios. There is very little that can get to Eric…
'Godric!' She concludes, and then jumps off the bed, scrambling to put on her jeans, foregoing underwear all together. She then hurriedly throws on the knitted socks she had on earlier in the day, before haphazardly tugging on her crumpled sweater. Bill watches this from his place on the bed in disbelief. Not only is he insulted and highly irritated that Eric began breaking vampire custom by calling on Sookie directly, he now has to deal with him calling at obscene hours of the morning and night.
"You're not serious. Sookie, no, I know that you're not about to run off to Fangtasia just because Eric called. It's too dangerous, and the roads are terrible. This has to stop; I'm not letting you do this," he declares as he sits up, causing the sheets and comforter to pool around his naked waist. Sookie shoots him a quick glance, but continues lacing up her boot.
"Eric wouldn't have called unless it's serious. He may be many things, and I do mean many things, but even he wouldn't sink so low as to make up an emergency in the middle of the night just to get me away from you," she rebuts, while seamlessly moving on to her other boot, thoroughly exasperating Bill.
"You're speaking as though you're an expert on all things Eric! Sookie, he's had a thousand years to perfect deceit. He's just waiting for you to drop your guard, and it looks like now is the time," he responds as he gives her full winter attire a once over, before internally shaking his head at her foolishness. Then, for the first time since she got off the phone, their eyes meet, and they share a long gaze, before Sookie replies.
"Bill, I don't claim to know or understand everything about Eric, nor do I want to. But, I do know that underneath it all, there are many things that he cares about more than one-upping you, and one of them is Godric. If something is wrong with him, and I can help, then I'm going," she says calmly, yet firmly. Bill's frustration quickly becomes visible as he rolls his eyes and places his hand over his forehead as though he's developing a headache.
"How did I know that he was a part of this? Ever since you've come back from Dallas, you've been at his beck and call even though there are people that need you right here. He's not a child, Sookie. I know that he may look like one, but he's lived over two thousand years, long before you came along," he counters, causing Sookie to shake her head "no," slightly.
"He may be two thousand years old, but he's fragile. You weren't on that roof with us. Eric and I caught hell convincing him not to commit suicide," she tries to reason, but Bill explodes.
"Then you should have let him! If he was that adamant about meeting the sun, then you should have let him be. You are not his keeper!" He rebuts, finally raising his voice. Sookie's mouth drops open in stunned horror, and Bill immediately realizes what he said and how it can be interpreted.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to imply…" he begins the moment he flashes in front of Sookie, full nudity exposed. However, Sookie cuts him off as she sidesteps his grasping arms, looking at him in bewilderment, anger and disdain.
"I don't know who you are right now, Bill Compton," she says, and then stares at him for a moment longer, before turning to leave. By the time she gets down the stairs and near the front door, Bill is standing before her, fully dressed.
"Sookie, please. I apologize if I seemed cruel or callous, but don't be careless, because you're angry with me. The roads are still slick from the previous storm, and there are more than just vampires out there. Let me come with you. I'll even stay in the car, if you want. But, don't go out there alone," he pleads with growing anxiety as he watches her eyes narrow. She can be so stubborn at times.
"I know that I may look like a child, but I've lived for over 25 years, long before you came along. I can take care of myself," Sookie replies with snark, and then quickly walks out of the house and down the porch steps, leaving her vampire to look on as she hops into her car. Before it barely heats up, she pulls off. Tiredly, Bill rests his head against the doorframe, hoping that he doesn't receive a call telling him that she's stranded in a ditch. This is not how he expected the remainder of the night to go after spending the last 2 ½ hours making love.
OOOOO
For several moments, Sookie sits in Fangtasia's parking lot, collecting herself. Since Dallas, she's developed somewhat of a sixth sense when it comes to Godric, and it's currently tingling. That's why she spent the entire drive trying to recall all of her previous conversations with him. Somehow, even though she swore that she wouldn't let it happen, she and Godric have been going their separate ways. It began with him suggesting that she spend more time with her friends and family, and more importantly, her boyfriend when he noticed that she was driving to Shreveport to see him every few days. She agreed, and visitations became a weekly affair. Then, they somehow became biweekly with a phone call here and there. That quickly dissolved into texts and emails. Now, it's been over six weeks, and they've had nocontact. How did so much time pass so fast? Was she really that busy? What if something's seriously wrong?
'Sookie, stop it. You're getting worked up, and you don't even know what's going on, yet,' she tells herself, before quickly getting out of her car, and then walking over to the large doors. They open before she can reach them. Without saying a word, she steps in with a sense of purpose.
"Ah, how nice of you to finally show. Nothing makes an entrance like being fashionably late, especially if you're donning the right ensemble… Tsk, at least you have the late part going for you," Pam states as she casually looks over Sookie's frumpy outfit. Quickly, she's dismissed.
"Pam, not now," Sookie states, and then turns to Eric.
"I'm here. Now, tell me what's going on," she demands, but Eric just gazes at her for a few nerve-racking moments. Then, instead of speaking, he wordlessly leads her into one of the backrooms. They enter, and Sookie can't stop herself from gasping. Lying on the worn, tattered couch is Godric, yet he looks nothing like she remembers.
"My God!" Sookie exclaims with her hand over her mouth, while he just peers back at her casually.
In less than two months, his skin has faded to a chalky, alabaster white with an odd burnt burgundy tinge sitting just below the surface. All of the youth and elasticity of it appears to be gone, so it's sinking into his bones, revealing long dead veins, and making his eyes look much larger and rounder than they should be. On top of that, the florescent lights are highlighting the cracked and dried skin marring his lips, hands and joints. He looks like a Holocaust victim in his final stages.
"Eric, you shouldn't have called her here," Godric says crisply, before turning to Sookie, "You shouldn't have come."
Sookie is surprised that he sounds perfectly normal, but gives him no attention or reaction beyond that. It's obvious that he was planning to leave her in the dark, so she asks Eric all of her questions.
"What happened to him? Why does he look like that?" She fires off, and Eric answers without a missing a beat.
"A lack of blood," he states, and Sookie looks on in shock and confusion.
"What do you mean 'a lack of blood'? Isn't just about everyone that comes in here a willing donor? How long has this been going on? When was the last time he fed?" She questions.
"Yes, there are plenty of willing donors, but he refuses to feed, and has been doing so for some time now. I only noticed when his appearance started declining. I've attempted to get him to feed several times, and even advertised him as my maker to Fangtasia's patrons, but he just holed himself up in here. As for when he last fed… when was the last time that he tasted you?" Eric responds, before ending with a query of his own. Sookie is thrown by it, and a little put off by his word choice, but stays focused on the matter at hand.
"Godric doesn't feed on me. That was just a one-time thing in Dallas," she informs, and Eric stares back blankly.
"Then to answer your question, it's been four months," he replies nonchalantly, causing Sookie's eyes to widen to the point of strain.
"What? That can't be right," she rebuts, before turning to look at Godric, who's calmly watching and listening to them converse about him. Sookie tries to glare, but there's too much anxiety and pain filling her eyes to effectively pull it off.
"Unfortunately, it's true. I am certain that he hasn't fed on anyone in my area since he arrived, so if you haven't been donating, it's been four months, which would explain his appearance," Eric states dryly, regaining Sookie's attention. With one look into his eyes, she can see that his concern runs deeper than he's letting on.
"Well, what about TruBlood? I've seen him drink one of those before," Sookie replies with hope, and immediately, a delicate look of disgust crosses Eric's face.
"That human-engineered waste does nothing for a vampire his age. He might as well sit down to a glass of red wine. At least that would actually taste like something," he counters, leaving Sookie puzzled. Seeing this, Eric decides that it's time to impart the secret that many vampires would never admit to a human in a world where they are barely tolerated.
"The truth is we're dead no matter how you slice it, and our very existence defies nature. The older we become, the stronger the forces trying to pull us into death grow. Therefore, though we grow stronger with age in some ways, we weaken in others. That's why older vampires are more susceptible to silver and sunlight. This applies to the blood as well. While we can progressively live off less of it, it must possess a strong life essence. Baby vampires can sustain themselves on dead or low quality blood, and even TruBlood to some extent, but any blood that doesn't come from the living or the freshly deceased doesn't register with us. He knows that," he informs with a hint of exasperation slipping in, sending Sookie into deep contemplation.
She mulls over everything she just learned, and all that it implies. She's not surprised that Nan Flannigan hasn't publicly advertised this, but it does make her wonder what other false pretenses the human race is secretly living under, and what it may mean for future relations. More importantly, she's worried about what it means for Godric. He will never be able to mainstream, as they say, yet he's seriously going through some post-death crisis where he doesn't want to be a vampire. Foolishly, Sookie thought that they had overcome this in Dallas, but thinking back, Godric only agreed to live and atone. He never said anything about taking care of himself in the process. Sookie also recalls something else that he said…
"The hungrier you become, the more dead you feel. You become paler and your skin begins to cave in, as your body stiffens similar to rigor mortis. You then begin to bleed out until you resemble the grotesque figures from human folklore, which startlingly reminds you that you are truly the undead. That's why many vampires don't allow themselves to get to that point, even though we can survive it."
"Bite," Sookie commands as she makes her way over to the prone vampire, once all of the pieces fall into place. Tantalizingly, she exposes her wrist to Godric, and he can practically hear, see and smell the blood flowing beneath the thin flesh, but he only gives a wayward glance to the appendage, before returning his eyes to her face.
"Eric was foolish for worrying you; calling you here at this hour. I'm fine. I already told you that vampires are a lot heartier than most people realize. Looks aren't everything," he says soothingly, but Sookie isn't soothed. In fact, she's frustrated, worried and frightened of his line of thinking. Clearly, he thinks being able to survive this state makes it acceptable when it is not. Humans have been known to go for weeks without food, but that doesn't mean it's good for them.
"I don't want to hear it. You look terrible, and from the looks of it, can barely get up. Bite," Sookie commands once again with sheer defiance in her eyes. She's not leaving this room until she gets some blood into him, even if she has to slit her own wrist and force the liquid down his throat!
Godric sees this determination, and it causes him to quirk what's left of his eyebrow. He's not surprised that Eric has called in reinforcements, after being nagged relentlessly for the past five weeks. He just wishes that it wasn't Sookie. Nevertheless, she will get the same treatment as his progeny. Even in life, he was known for being stubborn, and millennia of death haven't caused that trait to subside in the least. Therefore, after gazing at the young woman for a few silent moments, he weakly turns over so that he's facing the material of the couch. Sookie watches this in shock, and feels her eyes begin to burn as she looks over the vampire's paper thin, translucent skin, feeling helpless. Meanwhile, Godric is trying to will her away, but it becomes progressively harder when the scent of saline rapidly increases.
Without an utterance, he rolls over and sits upright, grabbing her wrist, and clicking his fangs out in the process. Sookie notices that they seem much larger than usual, and briefly, wonders if they actually grew, or if Godric's receding gum line is creating an illusion. The thought doesn't persist for long; that first prick hurts like hell. Immediately, Sookie's previous tears spill forth, causing her to slam her eyes shut in pain. She somehow manages not to cry out or squirm in fear of scaring off her frail recipient. Fortunately, he doesn't stop drinking for many seconds, relieving both her and Eric. It's short lived.
"That's not enough," Eric quickly protests when Godric gently releases Sookie's arm. He then switches gears once he realizes that he's appealing to the wrong person.
"That's not nearly enough," he repeats, gaining the more reasonable person's attention.
"He needs at least half a pint, preferable one, 1 ½ would be better," he adds, and Sookie swiftly returns her gaze to Godric. She nearly falls backwards at how fast his appearance has changed. He's still deathly pale, and his skin still lacks some firmness, but more or less, he looks like himself.
"Eric, end this. You are being insubordinate," Godric warns, and then addresses Sookie.
"As you can see, I'm fine," he states unconcernedly, yet Sookie just continues to silently assess him for a solid minute, before speaking.
"How much did he drink?" She asks slowly, without turning away. Godric holds her stare, and it is punctuated by perpetual silence. Sookie is worried that she won't get an answer, but eventually, Eric responds.
"One third of what he needs, at best," he informs, causing flaxen eyebrows to pinch forward in distress.
"Eric…" Godric begins, but Sookie interjects.
"Eric, can you please leave us alone for a minute?" She requests, keeping Godric in her sight, and compelling the older vampire to do the same. Meanwhile, Eric is apprehensive about leaving them unattended after personally witnessing how hard it is for his maker to restrain himself while in this state. However, Sookie managed to do in minutes what he couldn't do in weeks, months even. He has to take the chance. Godric is too important. Quickly, he vacates the room with only the latching of the door indicating his departure. At once, Sookie crouches down, and cups Godric's cheek. It's so cold that she struggles to keep her fingers pressed against it.
"Godric, what's going on with you? Don't lie to me. Why are you doing this?" She asks gently, but Godric just tries to look away. He's stopped when Sookie grabs his face with both hands, and turns it back to her, making him settle on peering down at the floor.
"I guess I'm just tired of being people's reminder that they're alive. That makes me feel deader than being in this state," he finally declares, and Sookie recalls the caliber of people that come to Fangtasia. Every single one of them wants sex, to be fed on, vampire blood, or a combination of the three. They're vultures, the whole lot. Eric's practically treated like their death god, because of his looks and age, so there's no telling how they treated death's father.
"Forget about them. Not everyone sees you that way. I don't see you that way," Sookie counters, and Godric looks thoughtful for a moment. Then, he gives a barely perceptible smile.
"You're strange," he states matter-of-factly, causing Sookie's eyes to widen, before narrowing in mock anger. The look is spoiled by the full grin she eventually succumbs to.
"I've heard that more than once, and it may be true, but I'm no liar. You're more than just a life meter, and if they can't see that, then screw them. Please stop this," she pleads. Even though the mood has lightened, there is still the underlying issue that she was called here to deal with, and she's not going to let Godric sidetrack her. He is going to feed, and feed well, before she leaves this room.
Realizing that Sookie is not going to relent, Godric looks contemplative, sad and resigned all at once. Why can't he just starve himself in peace? How long is he going to be double-teamed by his progeny and this human? Eric is bad enough on his own.
"Godric," Sookie calls, causing said vampire to give a tired sigh. With a half-hearted glare, he quickly pulls her into his lap, letting her knees rest on either side of his hips. He then hesitates for a moment, peering into her eyes, and making Sookie bite back laugh. Godric's adorable when he gets frustrated. He looks like a petulant child, and though Sookie knows that he can't help that, it's still endearing. The only thing that tops it is when he gets really frazzled, and starts chewing on his lips and growling. She first witnessed that when she tried to teach him the Stackhouse version of rummy.
"Do it," she encourages with a nod, and Godric shifts his hands to her lower waist. For a moment, he just runs his fingers over the material of sweater, but then he moves closer and nuzzles her neck with his cheek, nose and then lips. Tension quickly builds in Sookie, and it abruptly intensifies when Godric starts placing open-mouth kisses from just below her jaw down to her collarbone. She gets why he's doing this, but does it have to feel this good?
"Oh, oh, oh… oh my… Ah!" A woman screams, and then shudders violently in pleasure as a large vampire with piercings and dreads holds her close. He's sucking down mouthfuls of blood so quickly that it drizzles down the sides of his mouth. Many people are cheering, clapping or looking on in envy, but Sookie is disgusted.
"Doesn't Eric have rooms for that? Ugh, some things should be kept private," she states as she redirects her gaze to her mojito, slowly stirring its contents as a distraction. No matter how many times she comes here, she cannot get used to Fangtasia's atmosphere. It just screams sin on so many levels.
"I agree," Godric replies somewhat abashedly, preferring to read his TruBlood's label, instead of watching the spectacle before him. He sees it on a nightly basis.
"Can I ask you something; and don't you dare say that I just did," Sookie halts his ponderings and replies in one go, making Godric smile, impishly. A curious lift of his eyebrows signals his acquiesces.
"Was that woman glamoured?" Sookie asks, speculatively. A simple "no" is her answer, and she nods thoughtfully once she hears what she expected.
"Then, are there some people that are… um… what's the word… oh, predisposed to being attracted to or disliking vampires?" She follows, causing Godric's eyes to widen, before he lifts his eyebrow in incredulity. He can't keep it raised for long, because humor wins out.
"Don't laugh, I'm serious! I once read that some people are more likely to drink or smoke than others, so I'm wondering if it's the same with people and vampires. I mean what else could cause that? I've been bitten more than once, and have never had a reaction like that," Sookie states while gesturing offhandedly in the moaning woman's previous direction. Godric sees that she's genuinely confused, and dare he say it, a bit put out by not having a reaction like that, which intrigues him much more than it should, but he answers, casually.
"I wouldn't put too much stock into what you see here. Half the people that come to Fangtasia are addicted to vampire blood, or want to be turned. But, outside of that, it's the vampire's call as to what reaction the human has." He then pauses for a moment to see that Sookie is attentively listening to each word. After taking a sip of his TruBlood, he elaborates on his vague explanation.
"Pleasure and pain are controlled by the same nerves, so you can manipulate a person into thinking that something that's painful is actually pleasurable, or just the opposite. It depends on what state the body is in before you introduce the stimuli," he adds, and Sookie's brain starts churning. Many people think she's stupid, but that's far from the truth. She may not use all of the fancy lingo that many northerners use, but she's damn good at reasoning.
"If that's true, then why do some vampires let it be painful? What's the point? It's not doing them any favors with human acceptance," she counters, and misses the contrite flash in Godric's eyes.
"Preference. With pain comes a spike in adrenaline, and with pleasure comes an increase in endorphins. They flavor the blood differently, and most vampires prefer one over the other," he informs, and is it met with an unreadable expression on Sookie's face. Luckily, her words clarify her line of thinking.
"Flavor the blood?" She asks in shock and mild disgust. Never has she felt more like a sausage than she does right now.
– 'Would you like barbeque sauce, or mustard and ketchup with that?'
"Oh goodie, I have choice in how my blood tastes to others," she quickly adds, and then moves to take a sip of her mojito, but is stopped by Godric's words.
"Not really," he states, causing Sookie to flick her gaze to his face.
"I could never knowingly hurt you," he continues, and Sookie colors slightly, before she gulps down half of her drink. She would have been fire engine red, if she knew the significance behind that statement. Pain has been Godric's game for millennia, and adrenaline has been his drug of choice. But, for her, he would gladly spend the remainder of his existence high on endorphins.
Indeed. He would never knowingly hurt her, but he will drive her insane with pleasure, which Sookie desperately wishes that she didn't know the reason behind. Then, she could deceive herself into thinking that this was some illicit affair, and behave uninhibitedly without feeling like an immoral woman getting her jollies off somebody's considerateness.
'Please don't do that again,' she thinks as Godric sucks her flesh between his fangs, rolling it with his tongue. Of course, he does, and she has to dig her nails into his shoulder blades in order to remain silent. He gives a surprised gasp, and then pierces her neck, pulling her tightly to him. Immediately, her eyes close in contentment, though she knows that it should hurt. The way the human body operates is thoroughly amazing to her.
'Now, I see how someone can get addicted to this,' Sookie thinks, absentmindedly, as she gently traces over the welts she caused, casually running her fingertips along the hidden vertebra in the back of his neck. Godric shivers, and then gives a choked gasp as he gulps a bit harder, making Sookie apply more pressure. This causes an escalation, which only stops when Godric finds the will to pull himself away. Breathing heavily to force his body to calm down more quickly, he rests his forehead against Sookie's with his eyes tightly closed, remembering exactly why he warded her off so many months ago.
'What are you doing to me?' Godric thinks as he lies beside Sookie, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath that she takes. She had one rum and coke too many, and he didn't want her to chance driving back to Bon Temps unless she was completely sober, hence her resting in his bed at four o'clock in the morning. Hours ago, he came to the startling realization that he was becoming too attached to her when she was not his to become attached to. She has friends, family, a partner, and a heart that accepts anybody that comes along. He's jaded, penitent and only walks this earth at her insistence. No, he will not pull her into his world. He has nothing to offer. Her issues with Bill Compton are miniscule in comparison to what she will face if she becomes associated with him due to his age, appearance, and status within the vampire world. She will be shunned from all sides, and put in immense danger, needlessly. No, he won't allow. He must create space.
"I've missed you," Godric mumbles in a language that he hasn't spoken since he was human. That's the effect that she has on him. She makes him remember the few good aspects of his human life even when he's doing things that are distinctly not human. It makes him want to stay with her like this forever, and that's not allowed.
Sookie recognizes that his gibberish sounds slightly different from how it normally does, but she gives it little attention. Unlike most people who get offended when they don't understand the language that's being spoken, she welcomes it. It makes her feel normal. She's not supposed to know everything that's being thought or spoken. No, her attention is focused on the hands that are rubbing wayward circles on the sides of her stomach. It makes her want to sink into him, and never move. It's that thought that makes her lips form words.
"I should go," she says breathlessly, but with false confidence. She feels more than sees Godric nod in agreement, but he doesn't remove his hands. Good. She can blame him for her body not following her commands, at least until he stops.
"Don't think that I'm through with you just yet. I see now that I can't let you out of my sight for even a short while," she states once she finally untangles herself from him, assessing his appearance. Instantly, she notices that his color has returned, his face has filled out, and his skin is soft and firm once more. However, the brief flash behind his eyes makes him look far less innocent than what many people would assume.
"Good," he says in reply to her comment, causing Sookie to color, slightly. With some effort, she leaves the warmth and intensity behind, closing the door behind her.
"My my, don't you smell delicious," Pam announces once Sookie walks into the main area. Before Sookie can retort, Eric dismisses his progeny. With a raised brow, and an indignant glare, she sarcastically declares that she'll be retiring to his lavish suite, before promptly stalking off to his closet of an office. Eric pays her no attention.
"Is it safe to assume that he's well fed?" He asks coolly, and Sookie nods, reaching to up to touch her neck. She's surprised that the puncture wounds are completely gone, but focuses her attention on more important matters. A slight tilt of her head toward the main exit causes Eric to lead her out to Fangtasia's parking lot. Sookie begins speaking the moment the doors close behind them.
"I don't mean to tell you what to do with your maker…" she begins, but Eric interjects.
"Don't worry about sparing my feelings. It's obvious I haven't a clue what's going on with him," he states, making Sookie abandon tact.
"Eric, this place is killing him. No offense to your business, but the type of people that come here…" she replies, letting her visible disgust supply the rest of her statement. Eric peers at her for a second, and then looks thoughtful.
"None taken," he answers offhandedly, his mental gears already working overtime. Within moments, he has a solution.
"I require your assistance," he states, gaining Sookie's full attention.
"Shreveport is heavily segregated between those that accept my kind and those that don't. Any residence on this side of town will have tenants similar to those that frequent Fangtasia. Therefore, I need you to take a look at some of the vacant condominiums on the other side. I would do it myself, but most establishments in that area refuse to do business with vampires, directly, and you're the only human that I trust with Godric's interests," he adds, and Sookie looks thoroughly confused.
"Is that even safe? If they don't like vampires, and won't even do business with you, why would want to move Godric over there?" She asks in puzzlement. The emotion and intent behind these questions are the reasons that Eric is adamant about her being the one to do this task.
"They are known for their disapproval of us, but for most part, they keep it to themselves. The residents tend to think that any vampire willing to venture over to that side of town is powerful, so we're left alone. More importantly, you won't find any of the common riffraff over there. Just make sure that you arrive and leave early. The entire area shuts down from dusk until dawn. They use it as a ploy to keep us out," he informs, but Sookie still looks skeptical.
"I assure you that Godric's health, safety and happiness are my number one priority. No harm will come to him in my area, let alone my city," Eric adds, making Sookie feel foolish. Of course, his main concern is Godric. This is his maker they're talking about.
"I'll do it," she finally agrees, and Eric tells her the best places to start looking. There is no limit on price, with space and quality being the most important things. She makes a note of everything, and then turns to leave, but is stopped.
"There's one more issue," Eric announces, causing Sookie to turn around.
"It's become clear that Godric will only drink from you. I'm willing to pay you to be his primary donor until whatever he's going through passes," he states, and Sookie frowns in indignation.
"You don't have to pay me for that," she quickly counters, but Eric is unmoved.
"Yes, I do. Being the sole donor for a vampire is dangerous, even when dealing with one that needs as little as Godric. It's nothing to be taken lightly. You'll have to stay hydrated, sleep well, stay as stress free as possible, and remain in nearly perfect health. You'll also have to take a daily vitamin, and closely monitor your diet. Most importantly, no bloodletting with Bill, or any other vampire," he rebuts, thoroughly annoying Sookie. She didn't appreciate the lecture Sam gave her about her health, and she doesn't appreciate the one she's getting now. She's also not too happy about being told who she can or can't share her blood with, even though she knows that it's for the best. Bill is not going to be happy about this.
"I get it, alright! It's a big deal. Just tell me when and how often," Sookie states in exasperation. Eric doesn't thinks she truly understands what he's asking of her. Nevertheless, he continues with his proposition.
"Godric requires roughly 120ml of blood, about a fourth of a pint, each month. He'll likely try to take less, so you'll have to judge for yourself. His appearance is the best indicator.
For each transfer, I'll pay you 5000 dollars, starting with a 40,000-dollar bonus for what you gave tonight, and for assisting me in relocating him. I'll also be covering all of your current and previous medical bills. Just have them forwarded to me," he states, and Sookie nods the moment he finishes speaking.
"Fine, I'll do it. But, I'm not accepting your money," she says with finality. At that, she walks over to her car, and gets in, not waiting for a reply.
'Yes, you will, one way or another,' Eric thinks as he smirks at the car pulling out of his lot. She just has to challenge him on every little thing. That's okay; he could use the excitement.
OOOOO
"Sam, I need tomorrow off," Sookie announces, and gets a tired huff in response.
"This is the third time in the past two weeks," Sam counters, trying to be stern. Sookie doesn't pay it any attention.
"I know, but after this, it'll be all over. My friend will have his new place, and I can work as many hours as you like," she says soothingly, but Sam is focused on the friend part of her statement.
"Why can't this friend of yours run his own errands?" He asks with irritation, having long since deduced that her friend is a male. Considering that it's none of his business, Sookie grows irritated as well.
"Because, my friend cannot go out in sunlight," she says casually, handing off the slip for her previous order. Tara shakes her head as she listens in, and Sam becomes visibly agitated.
"Sookie, why can't you just be happy with human friends? First, we all have to put up with Bill, then Eric, now there's some new vampire sniffing around. When are you going to learn that they're not good company?" He asks, and Tara adds something about her being crazy. After arguing will Bill nonstop for the past two weeks, Sookie can't deal with this right now.
"Look, I don't expect y'all to support me. At this point, I don't even expect y'all to try to understand me. But, what I do expect is to not be openly judged by my so-called friends," she says, and then stalks off. Quickly, she makes it outside with Tara running behind her.
"Sook, wait," she calls out, but before she can say anything more, Sookie whirls on her.
"Tara, I get it. You don't like vampires, and nothing I say or do is going to change that. But, can't you at least trust my judgment? Do you honestly think that I would hang around bad people? I know they may not have the best reputations, but neither did you, and you still don't, yet you're my best friend. Trust me. All I ask is that you give him a fair chance. You haven't even met him yet," she retorts, and Tara finally relents.
"Alright, fine, I'll meet him. I'm not going to like him, but I'll meet him," she states, before rolling her eyes skyward, mumbling about all of the things she do to please her best friend. Sookie smiles, because though Tara says it in her own abrasive way, she knows that her friend is actually going to try. That's all she ever asked for.
OOOOO
"This will have to be changed, immediately," Eric states as he taps his finger on the picture window in the photo. Judging by the images, Sookie did an excellent job on selecting an updated, well laid out condo with ample storage and square footage. The relatively low price tag is quite impressive as well. It just needs to be converted for vampire living.
"How much are the HOA fees?" Eric asks as he internally calculates his expenses. Godric may have more money than he needs, but he would never let him pay for anything while living in his area.
"They were originally 472 dollars a month, but I talked them down to just under 300. It's not like Godric's going to have access to their pool or fitness center, considering it closes before he can use them," Sookie states, thoroughly impressing Eric with her business skills. He then runs through the photos once more, before making a few calls. The moment he gets off the phone with his contractor, Pam enters.
"Her majesty requests an audience with you," she announces, clearly annoyed, and confusing Sookie. There's royalty in the building?
"Wait here," Eric says, and then heads out of his office. He's not surprised that Sophie Ann showed up, considering the conversation they had the other night. She was none too pleased with being outranked by Eric's maker. The minute Godric realized that Eric was selling vampire blood for the Queen of Louisiana, he commanded his progeny to halt all operations. Sophie Ann can't override a maker's request, and she can't just kick him out of her territory without a valid reason. If the magister finds out that she's behind the increase in V being sold…
"What can I do for you, your majesty?" Eric asks as he leans on the doorframe. Sophie Ann is not in the mood to keep up false pretenses.
"Don't play coy with me, Northman. You know why I'm here," she states, and Eric lifts his brows in mock confusion.
"I thought that matter was already addressed, no?" He asks, causing Sophie Ann to growl.
"Cute, but I will not be toyed with. If you think you and your maker are going to be calling shots in my state, you have another thing coming. A lady always has a backup plan under her sleeve," she counters, and right on cue, Sookie steps out as though it was planned. Immediately, Sophie Ann's eyes flash, before she walks over to her. It isn't lost on Eric.
"Ah, Miss Stackhouse, what a pleasure to finally meet you," she coos, confusing Sookie.
"You know me?" She asks, and then looks over to Eric, silently asking for guidance. His face remains stony.
"Of course, I know you. As the Queen of Louisiana, it's my duty to know all of my subjects, vampire and human alike. Allow me to formally introduce myself. I'm Sophie Ann, but you can call me, your majesty," Sophie Ann states casually, further surprising Sookie.
"There's a queen?" She asks Eric, which causes the female vampire to laugh.
"Of course! You didn't expect our great state to be run by a man, did you?" She counters with a smile and a wink, causing Sookie to beam, pleasantly.
"Nice to meet you," Sookie replies, extending her hand. Sophie Ann accepts it, but holds on for a few seconds too long.
"Tell me, how are things between you and Bill?" She asks, and Sookie's smile fall. At first, she thought the new vampire was pretty and pleasant, but now she is cautious. So is Eric.
"Bill and I are just fine, for the most part. But, how do you know of our relationship? Why do you care?" Sookie asks in suspicion. Sophie Ann isn't bothered by it.
"For the most part, huh? Hmm…" she says to herself, before realizing she was asked a question.
"I am his queen. I know all that there is to know about him, even who he's keeping company. I like to keep the males in my area on a short-leash, make sure that they are being perfect gentlemen. He has been a perfect gentlemen, right?" She asks pleasantly, somewhat disarming Sookie because she senses no malice.
"Always," she answers firmly, and Sophie Ann flashes a full smile that lights up her eyes, highlighting her youthful appearance.
"Good," she replies, before addressing Eric.
"We'll discuss things at a later time, ta ta," she states, before escorting herself out. Eric hears the threat loud and clear, but isn't concerned with it. Something else has his interest.
"I'm not sure I like her," Sookie finally announces, uncertainly.
"Good," Eric responds with narrowed eyes directed towards the door. Something is up, and he's going to find out what.
"Allow me to walk you to your car," he adds after a moment. Whatever is going on, Sookie's at the center of it.