A/N A big thank you to Vane3131 for my very first fan fiction review. I'm very new and without beta so any mistakes are mine and mine alone. Hopefully my formatting works better this time. As always SVM and characters are sole property of Charlaine Harris. I just like to toy with them!
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Decidedly Un-Dead
Chapter 2
My head felt like it had been packed full of cotton and I let out a groan. I tried to move and I felt a pair of strong hands grab me. I couldn't help it, I screamed and not for the first time today. Sam's voice filled my ears "Sookie, Sookie…cher, wake up! You fainted on me." I could feel his gentle shaking as I peeled my eyes open. I was in Sam's office and propped in his old chair. There were no evil makers, no crazy fairies, just Sam.
"Sam, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me" I gave myself the mental once over. It had to be because of last night. I'd been just dandy this morning but my supernatural hang over came back with a vengeance. Finally my eyes adjusted to the light and I was able to focus on Sam's friendly face. Just for a moment, I saw a flash of colors surround Sam and I couldn't help but close my eyes and shake my head. Must be some sort of after effect. I knew I should call Alcide as soon as I could dial a phone. Sam's concerned gaze flickered over me and he rose to hand me a glass of ice water.
"Thanks Sam" I took the glass, downing it's cool contents as quick as could without my stomach rebelling on me. I licked my lips and sat the glass down on his desk. "Sam, I don't know if Jannalynn told you about last night but I think I need to talk to Alcide" I looked around the office for my purse and my cell phone. One gift I was glad I had accepted (well, there were a few more, maybe).
Sam shook his head "Yeah, I know what they had you do. If I had known before , Sook, I would have stopped it. You've got enough on your plate without vision questing for the Long Tooth pack." He sounded as weary as I felt at this moment. Maybe I wasn't the only one sick of being a pawn in some cosmic supe game.
"Well, it wasn't like I could say no." I bit my tongue " I mean, Alcide made it pretty clear I was the only choice" I pulled my phone out of my purse and found Alcide's number. I listened to it ring as I composed myself in the chair. I still felt…stoned. Everything was a bit off and every few moments I'd see flickers of colors coming off of Sam. I didn't want to alarm him, so I kept that tidbit to myself.
"Sookie, what's the matter?" Alcide's voice was gruff and I was pretty sure I'd interrupted business.
"Alcide, I think we need to talk about putting a warning label on that stuff. I was okay this morning but I got to work and fainted on Sam. I can't keep doing stuff like this for you when it completely renders me useless." I sounded pretty put out and I was. "I need to know if this stuff has any" I hesitated " side effects?"
I could hear Alcide's breathing through the phone as he contemplated this. "Sookie, to be honest, all I know is what the old Shaman told my dad. He'd feel a bit crappy the next day but nothing strange. I figured you'd had a hangover before , you could deal with it" he was being a jerk and I think he knew that.
I gritted my teeth and fought to control my temper (something that seemed to be getting harder every day) "Alcide, I did this as a favor, as a friend of the pack and you didn't think I'd have anything more than a hangover ? I'm seeing colors!" I squeaked "Not normal colors either. Sam is gold and …red" I looked at Sam, with an apologetic smile "It's like I didn't stop seeing auras yet. Does this stuff have a time limit? Cause I'm gonna be pretty pissed if I have to work and try not to read minds and see auras" I managed bitterly.
Alcide actually sounded contrite. He deserved it. "Sookie, I'll make some calls and find out. You just take it easy. Tell Sam it's all on me. He probably knows that anyway. I'll get back to you as soon as I hear anything" I heard the click signaling he'd hung up on me. I tried to stand up but the world felt all topsy turvy and I sat back down hard. Thank god, I'd regained some cushion on my butt.
Sam hovered around me , the colors shooting off him like sparklers. If I wasn't so worried, I'd be thinking how pretty it was. The red and gold brought out highlights in his hair. I giggled to myself. Sam looked at me , tilting his head like a dog and I only laughed harder.
"Sam, I'm still seeing auras and yours is real pretty" I said by way of explanation. "I'm still feeling a bit of the after effects, I guess. I've never done drugs so I just don't have a clue" I gave a shake of my head "Alcide is going check into it and get back to me. If it doesn't go away, I guess I'll call Dr. Ludwig" I didn't have any other clue of what to do. It's not like I could call Poison Control and tell them I drank some funky magic potion that was given to me by werewolves. Well, actually I guess I could but since I had no idea what was in the potion and Alcide wasn't any help, I'd stick to Dr. Ludwig.
Sam stopped fussing over me and helped me up "Cher, you think you can work this evening? If not , I can call Holly in."
I got a bit steadier on my feet "Nonsense Sam, I'll be just fine. Besides, if I went home I'd just be sitting there by myself. At least if I'm here, I've got you looking out for me, right?" I knew I'd worded that just right when a pleased smile spread across his lips. He liked to feel needed. And heavens knows, I've needed Sam more than once.
"Of course, I'll be looking out for you. You just let me know if you need to sit down" I didn't want to focus in on his brain but I could tell that he felt responsible for this just because he was dating a pack member. If there was ever a race on who had the biggest guilt, Sam and I would be neck and neck. I just turned and gave Sam a hug and patted his back.
"I guess I'll get to work . Don't worry, I'll let you know if I suddenly see the walls melting and Jane Bodehouse turn into a caterpillar." I laughed but the Alice in Wonderland image had me thinking about Pam. I hope she'd recovered. I know Jason had given her some blood and that would help a lot. I tried testing the bond. It was still a faint hum in the background, letting me know Eric was resting. That was good. He certainly deserved it. I grabbed my apron and headed out to pick up my first table.
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The evening flew by pretty quickly. I was able to block out minds just fine but the colors caught me off guard, causing me to drop a chicken strip basket in Jackson LeFleur's lap. He was new to the road crew and he was thinking that maybe he could get Jason to fix him up. He really liked breasts, a lot. So he just blushed and told me not to worry as I attempted to pick the chicken out of his lap. At least I knew it wouldn't affect my tip but I knew Eric wouldn't like me touching another man's ..uhmmm..crotch even if it was to remove some fried chicken. All in all, it was a colorful night. I snickered at my own little joke.
Just as Jane Bodehouse's son drug her out to the car, I sat down at the bar , pulling my cell phone from my apron. My heart sank a little as I noticed no message from Eric but there was one from Alcide. Maybe he had some insight into why I couldn't shake the magic mushrooms.
"Sookie, it's Alcide. I spoke to a pack shaman from over in Memphis. He's the closest one. He said that the potion only amplifies your ability to read people and it varied from shaman to shaman. He said it could magnify your personal magic, too. Usually it's worn off by now but then again , the last shaman weighed about 250 lbs, so maybe it's taking longer because you're a lot smaller and , well human. Call me if you have any more problems. I'll help you out all I can" he'd tried to help but the message just left me more confused than ever. Personal magic? I plopped my head on the bar as I listened to Sam count the register down. My mind drifted to Eric and right now, I wanted nothing more than to feel his arms around me. I could almost smell him and I felt a pull so strong it made me catch my breath.
There was an audible pop and I landed hard on my butt again. It wasn't the rough wooden floors of Merlotte's that I landed on but the rich, plush carpet of Eric's office. Blinking up, I saw the gorgeous blue eyes of my guy staring down at me.
"My love, had I known you were going to make an appearance , I would have had Pam clean up more" even after last night, he'd not lost his control. I was on the verge of flipping out and I think Eric could tell. I huddled in the floor and drew my legs up to my chest.
"Holy shit" I muttered, trying hard not to cry "Eric, I was working, at Merlotte's and I thought about you and" I cleared my throat "got to missing you and here I am. I just popped here" I probably didn't look as startled as I should. That's only cause I noticed Eric didn't have any pretty colors swirling around him. "Oh Eric, you don't have colors. Maybe I'm better!" I exclaimed, happy.
Now he looked at me like I'd sprouted a new head. "You were working for the shifter and appeared here, like I did when I was cursed?" he pondered this "Colors?" he pointed at his indigo t shirt "I am wearing colors" he picked me up and pulled me to him. I couldn't be more grateful for anything else. His arms just about fixed anything. I snuggled against him, just so grateful for the chance to hold him after last night.
"Sookie, you must explain this." He carried me over to the sofa, sitting me down, even though I clung to him like a howler monkey. He tipped my chin up "What else has happened besides the death of my maker and the fairy?" he asked.
"Well, you know, Alcide had me to act as shaman for his pack last night. That's why I wasn't quite right when we got to your home last night. Then all the other stuff happened " I babbled, really not wanting to rehash the details " I had to drink this potion that made me see auras and stuff and ..well it's never worn off. And Alcide called another shaman in Memphis and he said it was because I was smaller and human.. Oh and it could magnify my personal magic. But my telepathy seems pretty ok. I just can't stop seeing all the colors around people. It's bad enough I hear their thoughts, now I see them too!" I wailed, getting tears on yet another of Eric's shirts. Oh well. "And now I 'pop' here just like a fairy."
Eric seemed to take this much better than I did. He looked thoughtful before licking the tears off my cheek "So sweet" he murmured, his mouth next to my ear "But I think you have your answer, your personal magic has been amplified, boosted, enhanced if you will. Hopefully it is just a temporary side effect" He moved to place a soft kiss on my lips "Now my dearest, would you mind if I had Pam take you home? I have some" he paused "pressing business to attend to and I know your aversion to vampire politics"
I shouldn't have felt so deflated but I did. I understood Eric had much to take care of since last night and here I was popping up in his office. I just thought he'd be more concerned. I'd just appeared in his office, all wild eyed and goofy and he was ready for Pam to send me home. I heard him call to Pam and she peeked around the door "Why Sookie, you never fail to surprise." she didn't look half bad, paler than usual ,which was saying a lot. Normally she was nearly ghostly. She had a few bruised looking shadows under her eyes. I guess she'd not had a lot of time for makeup this evening.
"Pam , you look good" I got up to hug her and she hugged me back. She sniffed me "You still smell like Fae" she whispered and Eric gave a little growl "Pam, just take my lover home please. And no eating her houseguests" he commanded . "Sookie, I will call you later this evening and let you know how I must proceed" He got up to give me another kiss, this one a bit more promising. And he had the gall to smack me on the bottom (the now quite sore bottom) and wink.
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Pam's minivan doesn't handle like the Corvette but don't tell her that. And you'd never know by her driving. I tried to take my mind off the buildings flying past way too quickly.
"So Pam, how are you feeling? And what does Eric mean by how to proceed?" I hoped to sneak that one in there. I needed to find out what was going on. I might have hated vampire politics but I hated being in the dark even more. We stopped for a red light and a few drunken college boys stepped into the crosswalk. Their auras were blazing with orange and red as they shouted a cat call at Pam. I just hoped she wouldn't run over them.
Pam gave a dissatisfied 'Hmmph" as she waited for them to cross "Well, my telepathic and now teleportational friend, my Master must contact the Council as to the death of his maker. Thankfully, it was not at his hand. But it was at the hands of your attacker. Alexi was a necessity as I am sure they will see. As for Appius, I just hope the council doesn't take offense that so many vampires have died because of you. You are quite the Typhoid Mary for vampires" she laughed and I felt like crying. "Oh Sookie, please don't start leaking. Appius had to die. I am only thankful none of us must bear the burden. You are such a delight! You spared my Master, saved our lives and all because fairies. It's really quite delicious" She patted my hand and I just blinked back tears. No leaking.
"So that means Eric is safe, right? I mean since Appius was killed by a crazed fairy, he can not be blamed? And you are all healed so everything is good" I was mentally giving myself a pep talk, it just happened to be aloud. For some reason, I felt that stage of giddiness you might get after two or…. ten gin and tonics.
"Well, Eric is a bit concerned about De Castro and Madden finding out about his lack of maker. They might think he is positioning himself to become King of Louisiana. He has always been a threat but now that he is maker-less, even more so" mile markers flew past us at a high rate of speed but I couldn't seem to manage a panic. Before I knew it, we were at the Bon Temps exit and I had not thrown up, passed out or poofed. I counted this as a successful thing.
"Pam, we need to go by Merlotte's. I left my purse, my car and oh god, Sam. He must be worried sick." I gripped the dash as she swung wide and cast me a mischievous look. Pam didn't seem too worried about anything and that just served to damp down my urge to panic. Hopefully Sam hadn't done anything rash. It's not like you could call the cops when someone just vanishes right in front of your eyes. But I'm sure he was fit to be tied. He certainly didn't need anymore stress and apparently, that is what I was good for.
We pulled into Merlotte's and the lot was empty . I could see the lights on in Sam's trailer and knew he was probably pacing the floor. Pam parked next to my car and I hopped out only to be bowled over by a red, gold and yellow flashing Sam. He grabbed me and looked at Pam. "Do I even want to know what happened?" he asked, inspecting me from head to toe.
Pam laughed and patted my shoulder "You know our Sookie, always full of suprises. She managed to teleport herself to Fangtasia. Apparently, she was thinking about my Master and off she went." she seemed to think this was some sort of supernatural love connection thing.
"Sam, it's some sort of side effect from the were drink" I was so calm , I scared myself. "I'm sure it was a one time thing" as I spoke I saw his halo of colors quiet down to a nice warm glow. Well, at least now I didn't even have to read minds to figure out someone's mood. I could just read colors! Somewhat dazed, I laughed. " I'll just get out of your hair. Pam, thank you for bringing me back and all. Oh and tell Eric to call me if he gets a chance" I probably sounded needy but I couldn't help it. I wanted to know what that Council, Madden and De Castro could possibly do to us now. I knew after the last attempt on my life that Victor had to die. Funny, that thought didn't even leave me cold, it just made me feel practical.
"Sookie, wait" Sam followed me to the driver's side of my car as Pam peeled out. Looks like a soccer mom ,drives like Nascar, that's our Pam." Your cousin Claude was by , he had that" he lowered his voice to a whisper, even though there was no one around "fairy with him that looks like Jason. Is everything okay?" Sam's lips were a tight line and I could tell the toll the last year had really taken on him. Some of that was my fault.
I strapped on my seatbelt, giving Sam a reassuring smile. It might have come across a bit like Crazy Sookie cause frankly, I felt pretty crazy right now. "No worries Sam. They are both staying with me for the time being. I can't say no, seeing as how they are family and all." I didn't add that they were extra protection and thanks to them last night went better than I'd hoped. Besides, I needed to ask someone just what magic I might have and those two had answers. I patted Sam's hand before I closed the door and I sped off, leaving him staring at my taillights.
When I turned onto my dark little stretch of road, I got the strangest feeling. It was like when an electrical storm is coming and the air just hums with energy. I rolled down the windows, thinking maybe I could smell the storm brewing but the hum seemed to be coming from inside the car. I felt wound up and by the time I pulled into the driveway, I felt keyed up enough to run ten miles. I bounded up the back steps only to be greeted by a worried looking Claude. Worried Claude is a bad thing. Especially since the only thing that seemed to worry him would probably kill me.
"Cousin, where have you been. Your boss told us about your" he paused looking me over. What is it with people looking me over? Are they so afraid I'm mortally wounded or will come in dragging a corpse or something? Wait, they probably do. "Your boss told me you simply disappeared. We thought perhaps you'd been taken. Although I really can't see a fairy threat." He sniffed me. Once again, if people weren't looking me over, they were sniffing me. If I weren't so nice I'd probably get pissed. Instead, I stood and bounced on the back step.
"Claude, I'm fine now would you please let me in my own house?" I peered over his shoulder, seeing Dermot keenly eying me from the kitchen table. I love it , it's "stare at Sookie night" apparently.
"Sookie wait" he put his hands on my shoulders and suddenly there was a blast of electricity, knocking Claude through the doorway and leaving him sprawled in the floor. Dermot stood and gaped at me "Fairy magic" he said as he pointed at Claude.
"Well, shit" I just plopped down right there.
