One

Opening a Pandora Box

That black haired head moved around in front of the fridge.

Sookie carefully took out her gun from her bag. She did not know any man with black hair, except Lafayette, but the last time she had seen him, he had gone red: wearing red clothes, red shoes and dyed his hair red. Even if she knew that black haired man, she did not appreciate that he was foraging her fridge without her permission. James had promised to come home today, and Sookie had spent the little time that she had with baking a pie for him.

She knew it was possibly an overacting thing to do to carry around a weapon in a small town such as Bon Temps, but since what happened to her fifteen years ago, she did not want to trust the quietness or the size of Bon Temps anymore. She had been shot, hospitalized - twice, tricked and dragged into an old rotten tunnel. Short word, anything could happen. Just because it did not happen yet, it did not mean that it would not happen.

Besides, it had not been an easy time for her and James. He had met Eric two weeks ago, and sadly, it had not gone the way he had imagined (assuming that he had ever imagined about meeting his father). As far as James knew, his father had died. He never had any hope to meet him. From time to time, he had told her his wish to have a man in the house; a father figure, but that was just about it. He never asked her whether she had a boyfriend or not; and Sookie appreciated it very much.

Then, Godric had asked her to return to Bon Temps. Sookie knew, she should have not returned to Bon Temps. Returning to that place was like opening a Pandora box. It was just one disaster after the other. The next thing she knew, Eric had returned to life, and James had been mad at her, at Eric and at every body. He had accused every body had been lying to him. He felt he had been treated unfairly.

She should have been following her instinct and stayed in Baton Rouge, but James had been very excited about the house and the possibility of staying closed to Pam and Lafayette. All his excitements were blown up in the air after he had heard what Eric said, or in this case, what Eric did not say. James wanted to hear that his father loved his mother when he had been with her. He wanted to know that he was a child of love and not of one nightstand, or of circumstances.

Sookie remembered how James had cuddled himself tight all the way back to her old house. Not a single word came out from his mouth. He did not even bother to turn around to see the house for one more time. Somehow, she wished, James would have done that because from her rear mirror, she could see Eric's tall figure standing in front of the door, watching them, until her car had turned and she could not see him anymore.

The next morning James told her, he needed time by himself to think, if he wanted to stay in Bon Temps or returned to Baton Rouge. He wanted to stay with Lafayette, to clear up his mind.

Sookie always thought James had grown up too fast, not only physically, but also mentally. He was only 14 years old, but he was already six feet tall. His body was not yet built; but day by day, he looked more and more like Eric. Moreover, living without a father figure forced him many times to take decisions on his own, including this time. Sookie had not always agreed with his decision, but she tried her best to respect it, especially this time. She could not see the sadness on his blue eyes. If only she could, she would do anything to see those blue eyes filled with spirit and laughter as usual. Even when it meant, she had to go to Eric and asked him to say those words James was dying to hear.

"Don't worry, Hon." Lafayette had hugged her tightly, when he had picked him up. "I'll take care of him. Give me time, a week or so, he will come home to you."

And that time was today. Two days ago, James had called and said that he would come home. Somehow, he missed her.

Now, this stranger had entered her house and wanted to steal something from her fridge?! Beware, if you steal James' pie!

That black haired head closed the fridge and turned around. "Jesus, Mom! What are you going to do with that gun?"

Sookie's jaw dropped. "James? What did you do to your hair?"

"Cool, eh?" he said, shovelling his spoon inside the pie that he was holding in his hand. "I've got tired with the blond. You like it?"

Sookie put her gun back in her bag. The black hair made his pale skin paler and his blue eyes brighter and bluer. She did not like that combination, to be honest. It reminded her strongly to Francesco Allevi, to Daniel Wilson. She shuddered. Everything that reminded her to that name always made her shudder. "As long as it's not purple or acid green," Sookie tried to push away the memory of Wilson.

"Laffiwentuduit," James said with the pie in his mouth.

"Sorry?" Sookie said. She hated when James did that, speaking with his mouth full.

James swallowed the pie. "Laffy wanted to do it. He wanted me to have green hair, actually. You know…more techno than Gothic, but Joey said Gothic suited me better."

"I bet they did," Sookie said sarcastically.

James sat down. "It's okay if I eat this pie like this, isn't it? Or you want some?"

Sookie shook her head. "No, you go on eating. I made it for you." She put her bag on the table, and then sat down opposite to him.

James smiled. Phew! I thought she was going to be angry! He thought, but he said, "How many hours did you spend for this?"

Angry? Why should she be angry? Of course, he looked different now. He looked neither like her nor like Eric anymore. People would not think that they were relative if they did not pay attention. But she was not going to be angry. If that was the way James wanted to deal with his feelings, by removing any resemblance to Eric, she would support him.

"Oh, shut up!" Sookie said, smiling. She tried not to show any sign that she could hear what James thought.

"It had been more than five hours and three trials, actually," she said which made James grinning. After the last try, she had enough and gone to bed. She did not cook, period. She had tried and she failed. She admitted it. It was not a sin if a woman could not cook!

"Mom, can I have a dog?"

"What?" Sometimes Sookie amazed how James' mind worked. It jumped around like flee! A moment ago, it was about his hair, and then pie, and now a dog.

"I saw a collie in front of the house when I came home. I think I have seen him around Laffy's place. I have a feeling he has been following me around. I think he likes me. He looks like a stray dog to me, so I guess I can keep it, right?"

Sam had been here. Sam Merlotte - the shifter, who liked to shift his shape into a collie. Sookie had not seen Sam since she returned to Bon Temps. She wondered how he was now.

"Don't you think you should concentrate on your school first, before you want to have a pet at home?"

"Do I have to stay here, Mom?" James asked. "Can we just go home, to Baton Rouge, I mean?"

"We don't have to stay here if you don't want to, Honey," Sookie said. "Look, you are still on holidays and I don't find the right building for the office yet, so everything is still possible."

It was a lie. Her office had been running since last week. She liked the office actually. It was located not so far from the town park. The building was an old building, which had high rooms. The atmosphere inside was calming and elegant. It was Grace's choice and Sookie loved it.

James' face was hard. He repeated the same question on his mind, whether he should ask her or not. Sookie waited nervously. She could imagine what James would ask and she was afraid she would not have any answer for it.

Then, "Did you love him, Mom?" finally James asked. "I mean, did he tell you that he had a wife or something?"

"It was his wife, who hired me, James." Sookie said. Aude's face flashed in front of her eyes. "She wanted to divorce your father and set him free, you know, to find another woman. You see, they had been married for more than 50 years. Aude – his wife; had been dying and she wanted to see Eric falling in love again."

"He did not say that he loved you," James said. His eyes were watery again.

"No," Sookie said, giving him the most convincing smile she could master. "I am not sure if I ever said the word either, but yes, Darling. I loved your father. I had never thought that I would have you, but the moment I knew that I have been pregnant with you, I wanted you. And I love you."

"Do you think….he wanted me, I mean, if he ever knew about me?"

"How could he not want you?" If he dares saying otherwise, I will stake his heart with my own hands. Sookie thought.

"I don't know. His reaction was weird. As if I was nothing. I mean, isn't he supposed to be happy, to know that he has a child?" James shrugged his shoulder, then continued spooning the pie. "Maybe I should stay around a little bit longer. You know, to see how he would react toward you…and me."

He is a Stackhouse, Sookie thought. He has a heart of a Stackhouse's and thank God not a Northman's.

Sookie looked at him fondly. He was willing to give Eric a second chance; to get to know him better…No Northman could have a warm heart like him. If he had been a Northman through and through, he would have had a stone cold heart! How Aude had been able to stand Eric and to love him the way she had done was a mystery to her. That manipulative, selfish, arrogant, cold monkey, how could he ignore the fact that he had a son?! Two weeks passed by and nothing happened. Not a phone call, not a message via Pam or Chow. Nothing. Zip. Nada. If she ever had a chance to lay her hand on him again, she would make sure that Eric would never forget it!

Sookie cursed herself for thinking about Eric, even now, when her own son needed her attention more than before.

Bum, bum, bum!

A loud noise shook her door. Somebody was hitting her door strongly. Didn't that person know about doorbell?

Open it, now. NOW!

Sookie heard him screaming in his head.

James stopped eating and wanted to open the door, when Sookie asked him to sit down. Sookie ran to the door and opened it.

A man pushed the door and hastily closed it again. "Sookie, tell Alcide…" Then, he fell to the floor.

After a while, Sookie recognized who that man was. It was Simon Black. He was covered with mud and blood. A huge wound was on his shoulder; and he was buck-naked.

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