Author's Note

Reminder...please check the "reviews" section for UPDATES, because that is where I'll put them if I feel the need. Thank you! :-)

My next crazy part...Eric's run in with some Cullen youths. Hope you enjoy :-)

Posted: Sunday, 27 December 2009 (4,260 words/10 pages in Word)

Chapter Two

They'd gone out the front, but quickly circled the small building to the back, to where their presence had been silently requested—the two blondes were standing there, stock still, obviously waiting for them.

"Who are you?" the man asked without preamble. "And why have you not made your presence known?"

Edward glanced at his family. "I am Edward Cullen and this is my wife Bella, and our brother and sister, Emmett and Rosalie."

The blondes eyed them.

"And the other one?" the woman asked. She almost looked bored, though her thoughts betrayed her.

Rosalie gave an unladylike snort and smiled. "This one's the family pet. We call him Jacob."

Jacob scowled down at her, but didn't say anything. Instead he moved protectively closer to Bella, as if she needed further protection.

"And you are?" Edward prompted.

"I am Eric, Sheriff of Area Five. And this is Pam."

Edward frowned. "I thought they were called parishes down here."

"Yes, the humans do call them that," the woman named Pam drawled. "But we have divided things up differently."

"Sookie tells us you entered this establishment before the sun went down," Eric said, clearly not interested in preliminaries.

Guardedly, Edward gave a clipped nod. The other man had decided on directness and for that he was glad, but he was still wary.

Eric looked confused. "How is that possible? You are vampire." It was not a question; the absence of heartbeat was quite obvious to any with super hearing.

Edward glanced at his family—so much for staying in the proverbial coffin—then looked back at the strangers and nodded again. "We normally try to avoid direct sunlight, but we have no problem with the sun."

The tall man, though trying to look unaffected by the news, could not help the quick flash of alarm that passed through his eyes.

"Silver?"

Edward shook his head, and glanced at Rosalie; she'd stepped forward in such a way that exposed her jewelry—a necklace with their family crest on it (she had several, this one sterling silver), her wedding ring (probably platinum, but visually it appeared silver), and an armload of silver bracelets that she jangled pointedly.

The blonde man's eyes took in the information, then went to the woman beside him, then returned to them. "Stakes?"

Beside him, Edward heard Bella giggle—she couldn't seem to help herself. But apparently it angered the sheriff because a split second later, fangs exposed, he had crossed the space and had shoved a sharp piece of wood (a branch from a tree he'd picked up on the way) into Bella's chest. When it splintered there, not leaving so much as a scratch on her marble skin (but putting a vicious tear in her top), she giggled again, then gave the man a hearty shove; he flew about thirty feet, landing on his backside in the dirt. Within a second, the woman named Pam stood beside him (her fangs extended), and the waitress, who'd come out in the middle of the incident, screamed, ran to him and knelt down. Then she turned on them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded furiously. "You can't just come here and start hitting people!"

"He did try to hurt one of us first," Rosalie pointed out with a snort at the same time that Bella said, "I'm sorry. I forget my strength sometimes."

Emmett snickered at the understatement. "Does she ever. But what can you expect from a newborn?" he said with a shrug.

Bella frowned. "I'm not a newborn anymore," she complained with a pout. "I'm years past that."

"Yeah, years," he said sarcastically. "But you're still strong like one," he went on jealously, but with full respect for her strength.

Childishly, Bella stuck out her tongue and, listening to the exchange with everyone else, Edward rolled his eyes (so did Rosalie) and waited. The waitress was still scowling, and Eric, standing again, his fangs retracted, was brushing himself off. "You are...not like us," he said cautiously. It was not a question, but Edward shook his head anyway.

"Apparently not...at least not in the traditional literary sense," Edward said as he mentally went over all the fiction he'd read in his lifetime. He was shocked to find out the stories he'd read weren't all nonsense. "But we mean no harm. We've just moved to Renard Parish...Area Five?"

Eric gave one clipped nod.

"We were unaware that we were supposed to inform someone of our presence. Actually, we were unaware there were others...like us," he said for lack of better words, "in the area."

"They claim to know nothing about Tru Blood," Sookie threw out with obvious nervousness.

Eric raised a questioning brow. "Is this true?"

Edward shrugged. "We have had...our own battles in the last few years," he said with a quick glance at Bella and then Jacob. "We honestly had no idea. But I assure you that we'd have let you know, had we been aware; our family prefers to avoid trouble when possible."

Eric nodded. "Interesting. I will consider myself informed. Five more in Area Five," he said, as if making a note in some book.

"There are others with us. Our...mother and father...another brother and sister, and our...daughter," Edward added and, when Bella moved closer to him, he took up her hand.

Eric stared at them and Edward watched—and listened to the other vampire's thoughts. Eric assumed the mother and father were their makers (and rightly so, for the most part) and that the daughter was one that they'd turned, since that's what Bill had taken to calling the one he'd been forced to turn. Whoever Bill is, Edward thought as he filed those facts away to pass on to the rest of the family. He was mildly annoyed that Carlisle hadn't filled them in more before they'd come, but he pushed that aside for the time being. Letting Eric think what he wanted about Renesmee, he didn't correct him about Jacob either, though he assumed the man knew that Jacob was not like them.

"Ten then," Eric said with a nod.

Edward nodded.

"That's quiet a nest."

The waitress, Sookie, startled at the word. "A nest?" she whispered. Oh no, not another one.

Edward watched as the waitress moved, partially hiding herself behind the woman Pam, and he read her thoughts about the nest that had recently come to Bon Temps, raising hell and terrorizing them before being burned out by some local extremists.

"We refer to ourselves as a coven," he said. "And we don't intend to cause any trouble."

"I would like to meet the rest of your coven," Eric said.

Edward nodded. "I don't see a problem with that. Carlisle and Esme would love guests. Our house is just on the other side of the river, across the road from the cemetery."

"That's right by my house!" Sookie exclaimed, clearly worried.

Edward saw Pam's arm go around Sookie's waist and understood that the human woman was protected by these two.

"We would never harm you, Sookie," Bella interrupted. Bella took a step forward, but both Jacob and Edward moved to stop her, each putting a restraining hand on her shoulder. Neither wanted her in harm's way, though harming any one of them was virtually impossible.

"Oh yeah? Well then why was my husband knocked across this here clearing?"

Edward watched Bella and knew that, had she still been human, she'd be blushing. As it was, she was incapable. And he didn't miss Eric's surprised expression at his wife's proclamation. Clearly their relationship was strained.

"I really am sorry about that," Bella said, looking guilty.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Bell," Emmett said. He'd moved up behind Bella. "They started it." He clearly didn't mind a fight. In fact, Emmett was probably jealous that Bella had had a chance to display her strength and he hadn't. Edward would have chuckled if circumstances were different.

Bella frowned. "I know, but...I still am...sorry." She gave Edward a look and his hand fell from her shoulder (Jacob's was already gone), then she took another step in the others' direction. Sookie had inched herself around Pam and was now standing beside her.

"Sometimes reaction comes before thought." Bella frowned. "It didn't used to be this way."

"Why can't I read your thoughts anymore?" Sookie asked curiously as she took another step toward them.

Bella glanced back at Edward. When he shrugged she said, "Because I'm blocking you."

That surprised the others; they didn't even try to hide it.

"So, you read minds...like I do," Sookie said, her eyes back on Edward, "and she can block thoughts?"

Edward frowned. "It is more that she is shielding us, but yes, she can block individual thoughts as well."

"Wait!" Eric interrupted, grabbing Sookie's arm. "I thought you could not read vampire minds."

"I can't," Sookie said, then blushed; she occasionally picked up some vampire thoughts, but was still keeping that from them. "W-well, not until t-them," she stammered as she pointed with her free hand. "But they're clearly different."

Eric looked at them. "What else can you do, besides this and being unaffected by stakes and silver and the sun?

Edward shrugged. He could tell the blonde man was none too pleased by their lack of weaknesses, but there was nothing to be done about it. "We are all different."

Eric glanced at Pam and spoke in another language. This caused Edward to grin. Just like us, Eric had thought in English before speaking to the woman.

"What can you do?" Edward asked curiously.

Eric shrugged. "Nothing special," he lied.

Except fly, Pam thought.

"Flying is good," Edward quickly returned.

Eric blanched visibly.

"I read minds," Edward reminded.

"Vampires too?"

Edward nodded and the man, Eric, said, "Interesting." But Edward could tell the man was more annoyed than interested; he did not like being at a disadvantage.

Bella then moved forward, more quickly than maybe she should have, and Eric and Pam went with her, moving to intercept her before she could reach Sookie. But Bella didn't attack or do anything remotely threatening. She glanced up at Eric, studying him closely, then did the same to the woman called Pam before sticking her hand out toward the human woman.

"I'm sorry I pushed your husband, Sookie," Bella said. "I really didn't mean anything by it. I am new...ish." She grinned and her eyes, black with hunger (though she wasn't feeling it after consuming the Tru Blood), twinkled with mirth.

The waitress stared at the proffered hand in surprise (because the Bon Temps type of vampire didn't display such pleasantries), then slowly extended her own. "I suppose it's all right. Eric can, after all, take care of himself. And...he's not really my husband."

Eric scowled at this and, his fangs extending again, his words came out a growl. "You are my wife."

Still holding Bella's hand, Sookie glared up at him. "Only because you tricked me," she accused. "And it's not legal in Louisiana anyway."

"You are mine."

Sookie scowled. "Okay, Bill!"

That clearly bothered Eric because he looked away and didn't say anything else, but Edward noticed that Pam was smiling—and not bothering to hide it.

"Plus, he did try to kill you, so I guess you're even," Sookie said, her eyes back on Bella.

Bella giggled her new-ish bubbly giggle. "I have been through worse."

Sookie smiled. "Me too."

Edward got brief flashes of some of the events Sookie had faced in the last couple years and understood her wariness. New things didn't tend to make the waitress's life easier. If only Jasper was here to calm her, he thought.

"Everything okay, Sook?" a voice asked from the direction of the bar. They all turned to see the bartender approaching.

"Ahh, yeah Sam," Sookie said. "I think so."

"Apparently we have another nest."

"Coven," Pam corrected Eric, her tone flat.

The man called Sam walked toward them, looking between the two groups.

Great! he thought. Just fucking great! Just what Bon Temps needs, more vampires!

Stopping behind a bright red Corvette, Rosalie halted and crossed her arms over her chest. "And you call my car ostentatious?"

The others, a few steps ahead, stopped at her words. "How do you know this car belongs to Sheriff Eric?"

Rosalie's brow raised and she pointed at the car's plates. "Who else would advertise?" she asked, clearly disgusted.

Everyone looked down to see 'BLDSKER' on the tall blonde man's license plate.

"Why am I not at all surprised?" Emmett said with a laugh. "If he wasn't such a dick, I might like him."

"Damn it!" Bella cursed, gesticulating angrily. She hadn't stopped walking with the rest, but she was stopped now. "Look at what that Eric did to my shirt. Alice just bought this; she'll be furious!"

Edward smiled. Alice spent an inordinate amount of time and obscene amounts of money on their wardrobes, but it was only Bella who complained about it—mostly. Bella hated all the fashion advice, and probably received more of it because she despised it so.

"Want me to disable the bloodsucker's vehicle?" Jacob asked with a wide grin at Rosalie. Normally she'd scowl and there'd be words between them, maybe even some mild violence—especially with his choice of words—but right now she was grinning at him. Then she held out her hand, and a bunch of wires she'd removed from the other vampire's sports car.

"What do you think?" she asked. "Think he's capable of car repair?"

Jacob laughed loudly, then held up a hand to receive Rosalie's high five. "I doubt it! Nice job, blondie!" Jacob winced when Rosalie struck his hand harder than he thought she would, but continued to grin.

"Nice going, babe," Emmett laughed.

Eric and Pam stood outside Merlotte's next to Sookie's car when she came back out. She'd expected them to be gone and was surprised to see them. Eric had said something about returning to Shreveport, or taking Pam back there—or something, Sookie couldn't remember—and, sure he was upset with her about her denying their relationship, she figured they'd be long gone in the twenty minutes it had taken her to go back inside, finish things up, then be ready to leave.

"Wife, we require a ride in your vehicle," Eric said with a look of disgust at her crappy little car.

Sookie didn't miss the possessiveness of his wording, or the cut on her car. "What's wrong with yours?" she asked, ignoring both.

Pam grinned. "It seems to be inoperative at the moment," she said with a flip of her blonde hair.

Sookie stared at them. Pam seemed far too cheerful and Eric, well he just looked colder than usual. With a sigh, Sookie unlocked her car and got in and they followed suit.

"Why won't you let me buy you a decent mode of transportation?" Eric said as he glanced around with repugnance.

Sookie snorted. "Tell me how your really feel," she said under her breath as she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

Eric's gaze slowly molested her car's interior. "This car is a rusty piece of tin. And dangerous."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "If you're worried about danger in my life, then you ought to take yourself out of it."

Eric went on as if she hadn't commented. "It is too small and too old. And it is yellow." He shuddered as if the mere thought of the color offended him. "Further, it rattles and squeaks and, what is that smell?" he asked with disgust.

Sookie glanced at him with a frown. "I don't smell anything, Eric."

Eric snorted. "Of course you don't!" he almost growled. "This car is beneath you, Sookie. Any wife of..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...any wife of yours should ride in style," she said, her voice full of sarcasm. She heard a snicker in the back seat, but ignored it and glanced at the man beside her. "I've heard all this before, Eric." She paused, then turned to look out the windshield before continuing. "Besides, you've never offered to buy me a car."

He frowned. "You could have asked if you needed one."

Sookie sighed. "I don't need one."

Eric eyed her profile. "But you want one?" He didn't wait for her response. "I will get you one," he said with a nod. "Something sleek. I know just the vehicle."

Both Sookie and Pam rolled their eyes. He was talking to himself, of course.

"This car runs just fine," Sookie protested. She'd love to have a new car, or just a newer one, but she didn't want to be any more beholden to Eric than she already was.

"It wouldn't start that day that Cajun man tried to kill you," he pointed out.

Sookie frowned. "Only because René disconnected something."

"Why do you resist when I am trying to be nice?" he asked.

Sookie sighed. "Because you always expect something in return when you're being nice, Eric? And I think you take enough from me already."

"Do I not give back equal to what I take?" he asked. "I always compensate, do I not?"

"That's not the point. You take without asking, and give me what I don't want. You force things on me and take away my right to choose. You are highhanded."

Eric nodded. "We have established this already."

Sookie sighed. "I don't like it. It's not fair."

"Life is not fair."

Sookie glared at him. "And what would you remember about being alive, Eric?"

Eric's eyes flashed in Sookie's direction, but he didn't say anything; Sookie was right, of course—he remembered nothing about life.

Pam nodded. "Sookie is right."

"Fine then, I will not purchase you a new vehicle," Eric growled. "And Sookie does not need your help, Pam. She does just fine on her own," he grumbled as Sookie pulled onto the main road.

Looking in the rearview mirror, Sookie saw the twinkle in Pam's eyes and smiled.

"Sorry about your car," she finally said.

Eric shrugged. "Our new friends had a hand in this. I assume they will correct it."

Carlisle had closed himself in his study by the time they arrived back at the house and Edward, though he would like to have had a word with him, did not intrude. Esme wasn't in the room when they entered either, but Jasper sat in the living room and Alice pounced on them upon entering—she was nearly bursting at the seams.

"Bella, let me see your top! Oh! I just bought that."

Bella nodded. "I know, that's what I just said."

Alice grinned, thinking that Bella might finally be interested in clothing. "What were they like? Tell me everything," she said, turning to face the others.

Rosalie rolled his eyes. "Alice, you already saw everything."

Alice pouted. "I'm sure I missed something."

"They were the traditional literary vampire," Edward put in with a shrug.

"Fangs and everything," Alice said with a grin as she reached up and ran a finger over her own sharp, but not pronounced teeth. "I saw. Amazing! And fast...just like us."

"But not as strong," Emmett put in proudly as he plopped down on the couch and proceeded to turn on the video games. "You should have seen the man bounce off Bella." He paused. "Oh, I guess you did," he said with a sheepish grin.

Alice grinned back, her dark spiky hair bouncing as she nodded.

"But you didn't," Emmett said, his eyes swinging to Jasper. "You should have seen how far Bella tossed him that guy. It was classic." Emmett howled with laughter. "He actually tried to stake her. As if!"

Jasper frowned. "Alice, you didn't tell me they attacked Bella," he said worriedly. He'd been sitting on the couch, but now stood beside his wife.

Alice waved a hand dismissively. "There was no danger. They are...not as strong as us."

Though they all trusted Alice implicitly, Jasper didn't look so convinced. "Bella?"

"Other than ruining my shirt, there is no damage," she said flatly. "But he was rude. I didn't like him much. I did like the women though. Pam is interesting and has a sense of humor. And Sookie is protective of them...even though she is human."

"Sookie is not completely human," Edward put in.

Everyone turned to stare at him.

"Apparently she is part fairy."

Jacob, who'd dropped into a chair, gaped in silence for a moment, then found his voice. "Fairy? As in, Tinker Bell?"

Edward shrugged. "I don't know about that. Other than reading minds, I wouldn't have known there was anything different about her."

Just then Alice grabbed Bella's hand, raised it to her nose and took a big whiff, then shrugged. "I can smell her. Sweet, like you used to be, Bella," she chirped. "But...just another human."

Jasper reached out then and gestured toward Bella's hand. "May I?" he asked politely.

Bella smiled and extended the hand that had touched the waitress. "Of course."

Instead of lifting Bella's hand to his nose the way Alice had, Jasper slowly lowered his nose to her hand the way a gentleman might do if he were to bestow a kiss upon the hand of a lady. But instead of kissing it, he slowly turned it over and breathed deeply. "I smell nothing different about this human," he finally said.

"Regardless, she is part fairy," Edward repeated. "And we have invited them over to meet the rest of the family. I hope that will be okay with Carlisle and Esme."

Alice grinned at this and nodded, then dashed upstairs and back. "I have already printed the invitations," she sang as she descended the stairs, wildly waving an envelope for all to see. The prospect of planning any kind of get together put her in her element—she was positively giddy.

Jacob groaned. "I wish you guys wouldn't do that; it makes me dizzy when you move so fast."

No one paid him any mind. Instead, Alice whipped an invite from its envelope and handed it to Bella. "What do you think? Will Sookie like it?"

Bella, not one keen on parties, gave the invitation a cursory glance, then handed it back to her sister with a nod. "It's nice, but...do you think that's necessary? We just spoke to them."

Alice pursed her lips. "Of course it is, Bella. We have to do this right since we're new in town and all. And look, I've already addressed them." She grinned as she held up the rest in her other hand, fanning them so everyone could see that there were several cream-colored, gold-trimmed envelopes. "And get this, Eric owns some place called Fangtasia," she said with a giggle.

Rosalie snorted. "How original!"

"I found the place online. It's a vampire bar. Can you believe it? We'll have to go there sometime," Alice went on excitedly, then paused briefly before nodding. "Well, I've already seen use there, so...yeah."

"Why so many invites, Alice?" Edward asked. In a blink his hand whipped out to confiscate what his tiny, bubbly sister held, but she'd seen it coming and darted behind Jasper, then shook a scolding finger at Edward.

"I'm sending one to Eric Northman, at Fangtasia, and another to Pam...also at Fangtasia. I didn't catch her last name," she said with a frown, then shrugged when the others shook their heads. "And here's the one for Miss Sookie Stackhouse, of course." She held it up with a grin. "And her brother Jason; I can hardly wait to meet him. Very different! And Mr. Sam Merlotte," she went on as she slid the envelope behind the rest. "He owns that bar you were at and he's...a very interesting man." She grinned at Jacob, then giggled. "And this one is for Bill and Jessica."

Rosalie frowned. "Who are Bill and Jessica?"

Edward shrugged. "Friends of Sookie and Eric, apparently."

Alice shook her head. "Not really, but I saw them here, so...invite! We have to go shopping, Bella," she exclaimed as her eyes raked over Bella's ruined top again. "Something more durable than silk, I think."

Edward rolled his eyes and Bella groaned. "More shopping, of course!" Bella said with completely undisguised disgust.

Alice pouted. "Bella, we have to be presentable. Plus, there's that Tru Blood to pick up," she said with a clap of her hands. "I wish you would have bought some home for me." She pouted again, then waved a hand dismissively. "No matter."

Just then Renesmee, her bronze-colored curls bouncing, bounded down the stairs and straight into her mother's arms. "You're home!" she squealed as she placed her hands on Bella's cheeks. Alice told us we have new friends coming over.

Bella nodded. "Apparently so."

Renesmee grinned, then reached out and touched her father. Will I have to eat human food?

Edward smiled. "We will discuss it later, Nessie...after we talk to Carlisle and Esme."

Renesmee nodded. She ate human food, but preferred blood—but she rarely argued with the family if they told her to eat something. Yawning, she leaned, indicating that she wanted Jacob, and seeing this, Jacob stood up and took her in his arms.

"I'll take her up," he offered lovingly as the girl's tiny arms circled his thick neck.

Leaning in to kiss their daughter, Edward and Bella smiled and nodded a thank you, then watched as Jacob left the room with Renesmee, her head on his shoulder and her breathing already slowing rhythmically toward sleep.

Author's POST Script

Why can't I seem to get the things I want centered to stay freaking CENTERED! Grrrrr!

Further note (added 12/29) that my story starts kind of, sort of after book nine (Dead and Gone), though I'm not exactly sure where that ends (month-wise), but obviously you'll see that things aren't exactly the same. Has anyone read Charlaine Harris' preview (on her site) for book ten? Well, my Sookie isn't as injured as hers is because...well...it doesn't suit my storyline...if I even have one? I am going to get rid of Amelia (just because that's another character I'd have to keep track of and don't want to), so if she just disappears (she does…never talk about her after just mentioning her), assume she left because she couldn't stand the absence of Tray Dawson (and if you don't know who he is, go read the fabulous books).