Hey Everyone! I feel so proud of this story as the ideas are racing through my head and I have to write them down so I don't forget them! I aprreciate all that reviewed, you made my morning and you are amazing! Here is Chapter 2. Enjoy!
Sam hadn't been exaggerating about how busy Merlotte's was. I was pleasantly surprised when I came to the front of the bar, after stowing away my purse in Sam's desk. Sam was behind the bar with Kennedy, busy filling drink orders while Holly and Danielle hustled to get the drinks and food from the kitchen distributed. It was Friday afternoon, and Bon Temps was winding down for a lazy weekend.
Pulling my apron strings tight and chugging a glass of water with some aspirin, I hustled to my section and got to work. It was nice, and the chatter among the patrons was lively and familiar. It felt like old times, and all of the employees, especially Sam, were in a good mood. I smiled to myself, trying to lighten my mood. If anything, knowing that business at Merlotte's would improve and that Sam didn't have to close the place because Victor was stealing all his customers, put a little spring in my step.
I had loaned Sam some money to help him out through the dry times at the bar, a sizable gift left to me by Claudine. My fairy godmother not only tried to take care of me physically while she was alive, but she wanted to help me financially even after she had gone to the Summerlands. For all her love and devotion in trying to keep me safe and protected, she would always have a special place in my heart and I was thankful for her generosity. I figured that I would be generous as well, especially for a friend in need. That is why I gave Sam the money.
The day passed quickly amid questions from customers wondering if the waitresses at Merlotte's would start wearing the skimpy outfits the girls at Vic's Redneck Roadhouse wore. I had to laugh, glancing at my black shorts and white tee, which were more than tight enough on my curvy figure. No way in tarnation was I ever going to wear hot pants and a half tank with my breasts peeking out. No way, no how. I had my dignity and so did the rest of the girls at Merlotte's. I couldn't see us running around giving the male customers a flesh show while serving beers and fries. I had no problem if girls wanted to do that job and were fine with it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.
The steady stream of customers continued throughout the day, and Sam asked if I could stay til ten. I agreed, considering that my shifts had been cut back because of the shortage of customers and the fire bombing by Sandra Pelt. I needed the money.
I was on my way to grab a pitcher for a table of four when Jannalyn walked in. My step faltered slightly, but I kept on walking to the bar and asked Kennedy for my order. Kennedy was in top form tonight, smiling pretty for the customers while making eyes at Danny, who sat in the corner at the end of the bar.
"Hey Sookie, isn't this great! All these customers makes for good business!" she chatted, pulling the lever and filling a pitcher with beer.
"It sure does," I agreed, sliding my eyes back to Jannalyn as she walked toward the bar. She was dressed to kill (no pun intended) in a black leather mini skirt, a black tank top and come screw me black high heels. Her hair was pulled back tightly from her face and she had the earrings on that Sam had given her. I had had the good luck since the death of Sandra Pelt of avoiding Jannalyn, but I guess luck lasts only so long. I knew, in my gut, that I was going to start having problems with Jannalyn. Call it a sixth sense, but the way she looked at me made me feel like a deer being hunted by what she was; a wolf.
Jannalyn was the Shreveport Pack Enforcer, which was a pretty title of saying she kicked ass and maimed anyone who so much as pissed on the wrong fire hydrant. I was considered a friend of the pack, but I wasn't so sure of my status of late, considering I had found the Pack Master, Alcide Herveaux, snuggling in my bed about a week ago. I had always considered Alcide a good friend, and had been attracted to him at one point, but his attitude has changed since taking the post of Pack Master and I don't like the change it has brought.
I still needed to talk to Jannalyn about her orchestrated set up, telling Alcide that I had broken the blood bond between Eric and myself, giving him the false hope that I would be back on the market for him to pounce on. I shook my head, still unbelieving that he had the nerve to sleep in my bed as though he had the right to be there.
"Is Sam around?" I heard Jannalyn ask Kennedy, snapping out of my reverie.
"Yeah, he is in the back getting some more beer. Would you like me to get him?" Kennedy offered, passing me a pitcher for my tray.
Jannalyn glanced at me, and her lip curled slightly. "No, I'll wait here."
I gave Jannalyn a good hard look, giving as good as I got. I was not going to be pushed around by her, I refused to. She might have the advantage of shifting into a wolf with superior smell and speed, but at least I had the common sense the Good Lord gave me and I was going to nip this in the bud. I had already had two female Weres go Alpha on me, it wasn't gonna happen again.
"Jannalyn, when I get a chance, could I speak with you? I have a break coming up, I said, pulling my tray towards me and balancing it so no beer slopped over the sides.
She looked me up and down, as though assessing if I had any weapons on me. "I suppose."
Great, she sounded thrilled. Turning, I hurried toward my section and delivered the fresh pitcher. Taking off my apron, I decided perhaps talking out front would be a better alternative than talking out back, where perhaps Sam would hear us from the store room. Motioning for Jannalyn to proceed me, she surprised me by going first, showing a degree of trust that I wasn't going to stab her in the back with the pen that I take orders with.
Just to the right of the front door to the bar, was a wooden bench. I decided this was the best place to sit and have a conversation; at least I would still be within screaming distance if something were to happen.
"So, what do you want, Sookie?" she asked, crossing her arms and kicking her left hip out. Okay, way to get the ball rolling.
"Well, Jannalyn, we haven't seen one another since the incident at my house, and I just wanted to apologize for the whole fiasco. I did not know that Sandra was gonna go so far, taking ya'll hostage, and I wanted you to know that I do appreciate your help...in the matter." Hmmm. Hallmark doesn't make Thank You cards yet for killing psychos. If they do in the foreseeable future, I would bet my house a Vampire patents it.
Jannalyn looked at me carefully. "You re welcome. Is that it?"
Taking a deep breath, I barrelled ahead. "No, I wanted to talk to you about Alcide. Why did you encourage him to come over to my house and play Goldilocks in my bed? You do realize that even though the bond between me and Eric is broken, we are still together, right?"
Jannalyn stiffened, her arms uncrossing and coming to lay still at her sides. I unconsciously wanted to scoot further down the bench, away from her. I forced myself to sit still and be brave.
"Sookie, I'm glad you brought this up, because I have wanted to talk to you about this as well. You say that you are with Eric, yet you break a sacred bond that Vampires consider an honor to even bestow on a human. Then you give Alcide indications all the time that he might have a chance with you and then you have the nerve to give MY boyfriend money, for his bar! Just who the hell do you think you are? You can't have your cake and eat everybody else s as well!" She was getting louder, and my temper was soaring.
I stood up quickly, blood rushing to my head. I was dizzy for a moment and it felt like the air around us crackled slightly, as though a storm was coming. "Don't you assume for a minute that you even understand the depths of a Vampire Bonding! I will not explain myself to you, Jannalyn, but I will say this. At one point in time, there may have been an attraction between Alcide and I, but that is long in the past and I have never given him any hope, except in helping him out as a friend. If he can't read the writing on the wall, then that is his problem. And as for Sam, I have known that man for years. He is a friend who has helped me on countless occassions, and I found myself in a position to help him, so I did. End of Story."
Jannalyn was breathing deeply, yet so was I. I inhaled, trying to calm myself. "I don't need to be a telepath to know why you sent Alcide my way, Jannalyn. Don't you think that if there was anything between Sam and me, it would have happened long before now? There is nothing going on, and I do not want to steal him from you. I want him to be happy, and if you are what makes him happy, it makes me happy." I smiled at her, shock clearly written on her face.
And she shocked me, by gasping, a sob escaping her painted red lips. "I'm so afraid that I'm losing him! I can't lose him! Years of horrible relationships, of being beaten and treated like dirt. Sam is the man that I have been waiting for. He is everything that I have wanted, for so long!"
She wrapped her arms around herself, in a protective gesture. Mascara was running down her cheeks, and in that moment, I saw the vulnerable woman that was Jannalyn Hopper, who hid herself with brutality and her werewolf heritage. I understood her in that moment. Sometimes a woman could only take so much.
Instinctively, I reached out and pulled her into a hug. She grabbed me and sobbed into my shoulder. "Sweetie, you are not losing him. I have never seen Sam so involved in a relationship before. You just need to tone it down a bit more, show him THIS side of you, the vulnerable, the gentle and sweet. Don't you know men wanna be knights in shining armor? They can't be when the woman is kicking everyone s ass!"
Jannalyn let out a choked laugh, pulling back. Wiping her face, she looked at me with a grateful expression. "I love him so much," she whispered hoarsely.
"I know that love. It s all consuming and it damn near drives you insane at times. But in the end it is so worth it." My mind turned to Eric as the words left my mouth.
"Everything okay out here?"
Jannalyn and I looked over at Sam, who had walked out to check on us. He looked hesitant, his blue eyes piercing and worried. He probably had half expected to find Jannalyn chewing on my femur bone like a chew toy.
"Yes," I replied, giving Jannalyn a moment to compose herself. "Jannalyn and I have come to an understanding."
Sam looked relieved. He had felt the tension mounting between the two of us, and had been expecting a bad outcome. So had I.
"That s good to hear. You ready, Sweetheart?" Sam asked Jannalyn, reaching out his hand to her. She nodded and smiled beautifully, and with a wave and a new respect in her eyes for me, Sam and Jannalyn headed around the side of the bar in the direction of his trailer. I assumed Terry Bellefleur was working the bar now in Sam's place.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I was proud of myself that I had spoken with Jannalyn. As much as I had dreaded it, the end result had turned out well. Now I had one less knife aimed at my back.
I sat on the bench a moment longer. Night had fallen. I concentrated, wanting to feel the life force that had always been there for so long, humming away in the back of my mind. I had always been able to tell when Eric had woken for the night. It had felt like a light switch going on. But of course, the bond wasn't there. Eric wasn't there.
I regretted severing the bond now. I was angry with myself that I had believed that the bond was responsible for how I felt for Eric. I was always fighting my feelings for Eric, ultimately afraid of how mind wrenching, how all consuming the love that I had for him was. It was more than I could bear at times. And now here I was, alone in my mind and body without any interference of any other life force, and I had never felt more alone in my life. I wondered how I had survived these last twenty seven years without the bond.
Wiping away the tear that had fallen from my eye, I stood and stretched. Time to get back to work.
Well, I hope you guys liked what I did. With Debbie and Sandra Pelt gone, we know that Jannalyn was Were number 3 that was gonna make Sookie's life miserable. I dedcided I was gonna skip the drama in light of the things to come and give Sookie a break. In season 4 of TB, I was amazed that I had actually LIKED and felt for Debbie Pelt. She was humanized, and I was sad to see her die. Since in the SSN, Debbie is dead, I want Sookie to have a were friend that she can start to rely on, and I chose Jannalyn. She is a warrior, and I want to like her. Working on chapter 3. Will post soon. Thank you all!