Chapter 2
As Sookie readied herself for her shift at Merlotte's, she pondered the past year of her life and how difficult it had been. Losing her Gran had definitely been the most painful.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts and put her mental shields in place. Walking into the customer area, she found Arlene so that they could go thru the necessary steps for shift change. She quickly found her groove and the night seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye.
Sookie got thru her closing duties and did a double check of her stations. Spying Tara behind the bar she called out a good night and headed out the door. She saw Sam Merlotte standing outside near her car looking into the trees.
"Hey Sam, what's up?" she questioned, seeing nothing in the trees.
Sam held his arm up and she snuggled under comfortably, hugging him.
"I guess nothing Cher. I felt like I was being watched but it must be the long nights in the bar, there's nothing here" he replied with a wry smile.
"You do need some time off" she stated giggling. "Imaginary stalkers are never a good sign Sam. Get some sleep and try to take it easy" she said as she hugged him close and released him to walk away.
Sam watched her drive off, hoping he was wrong. 'Why would something be watching me?' he thought to himself. 'This is a quiet backwoods town with good people, nothing of interest for supes here' Sam had deliberately picked this town because it was so far removed from the cities and he had grown fond of the people, Sookie especially. He had been trying to identify her for years, ultimately deciding it didn't matter, he was simply too fond of her to care.
Glancing around to make sure he was alone, he shifted into his collie form and trotted off into the woods to see if he could get a scent of what had been watching his bar tonight.
Sookie made the 10 minute drive home blasting the radio. She needed to sing to take her mind off the fact that she was returning to an empty home.
As she pulled up behind the house, she rolled her windows up, locked her door and slowly walked up the stairs to let herself into the house. She had a date with a smutty romance novel and a hot bubble bath, and she didn't intend to miss it.
Turning on the kitchen light, she dropped her keys and purse on the table. Grabbing a cold soda from the fridge, she kicked off her tennis shoes and walked upstairs to the bathroom. She started the water pouring bubble bath under the running water.
Sookie danced into her bedroom, peeling off her t-shirt and shorts, "don't leave me this way, I can't survive… baby my heart is full of love and desire for you… only your good lovin' can set me free….." She hummed stripping down and walking back into the bathroom with her book.
She giggled over her addiction to disco, as she sank into her deep bath tub, submerging her head completely for a few moments. She emerged with a sigh and grabbed her towel roll to use as a pillow and opened her soda, taking a sip, she set it on the floor and opened her book leaning back. As the tub filled, she stretched her foot up to turn off the water.
She relaxed for a few minutes losing herself in her book. Sookie was getting to a particularly hot passage when her mind took over…..
'His hands reached for the soft pink nipples that were exposed' Sookie read morphing the situation in her mind.
His tongue trailed the edge of her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Her mouth opening slightly as she licked her lips. His hand came up to touch her cheek, but she turned her head slightly taking his finger in her mouth. Sucking and licking gently, with her eyes closed, he growled in her ear.
"My Sookie, when are you going to come for me?" the voice whispered in her ear
His cool hand reaching for her breast, as she continued sucking on his other finger. Pinching her nipples into hard nubs. She moaned, releasing his finger that he plunged into her dripping core.
"Cum for me Sookie, show me your ready for me" the voice commanded.
BANG BANG BANG
Sookie shrieked tossing the book in her hands into the hallway.
BANG BANG BANG
"Sookie open the damn door" Jason, her dim witted brother, called from downstairs "I forgot my key for fucks sake"
Sookie jumped out of the tub, glancing at the clock noticing somehow an hour had flown by.
"Just a minute, Jason. Quiet down, you're gonna wake the whole damn town" she hollered as she quickly toweled herself on and thru a robe on to cover up.
Kicking her book into her room, she ran down the stairs to find out what her brother was doing at her house this late at night.
"What are you doing here so late Jason? Its after 2am!" she stated opening the door.
"I'm in real trouble sis." Jason said as he walked thru the door.
'He's sober, what on earth did he do now?' she thought to herself.
"Well calm down and tell me what couldn't wait until morning? Did you get busted with your flavors again?" Sookie said. She refused to call the girls he 'dated' girlfriends. She preferred to call them flavors, after Baskin Robbins 31 flavors. Jason could give them a run for their money.
She peeked into his mind and caught a recent argument with Crystal, just before he spoke interrupting her train of thought.
"Its Crystal - hey, why are you in a robe with wet hair?" Jason said noticing her standing in the kitchen.
"I was in the bathtub, soaking and relaxing, before you very rudely interrupted. Make it good Jason or I am gonna let the air out of your tires" Sookie retorted. Walking over to the fridge, she reached in to grab a soda to offer to him.
Jason took it, opened it, and downed it in a swallow.
"Its Crystal, she says she's pregnant and its mine" he replied with his eyes closed.
"Didn't you wrap it?" Sookie asked rolling her eyes "Wait, I don't want to know" she said holding up her hand to halt his explanation. "Do you think she is lying?" she asked.
"I think she is telling me the truth" Jason said looking down, too embarrassed to meet her eyes directly.
"Well then you need to figure out what you are gonna do" Sookie stated. "But why are you here instead of with her? I can't help you figure out what to do at 2am Jason"
"I didn't know who to talk to Sookie and I couldn't not talk to anyone until tomorrow. I'm not going to be a good Dad. All I'll do is screw up this poor kids life" Jason said sitting down at the kitchen table putting his head in his hands.
"You're gonna have to talk to Crystal, Jason, seriously talk to her and work this out with her. There is more than you to take into consideration now."
"I know Sook, but I don't know nothin' about bein a Dad" he replied shaking his head. "Hey did you hear about Dawn? They found her this mornin' in her trailer - dead as a doornail" he said finally meeting her gaze.
Sookie shook her head trying not to roll her eyes 'from a baby to a murder' she thought, 'only Jason'.
"Jason, focus, you are gonna be having a baby, I think that takes priority right now, don't you? Why don't you head over to Crystals and see if she is still up and talk to her?"
"Yeah" he said slowly, "That's a good idea Sooks. Thank you" he said rising from his chair. He kissed her cheek and walked towards the door.
"I know I ain't been the best for you Sooks but I've always loved you. I always will" he said looking at her.
As Sookie opened her mouth to respond, he walked out the door and shut it quietly behind him. She blinked a few times, struggling to recover from her shock, feeling a bit guilty over being so hard on him. She heard his truck start and pull away.
She locked the door, and turned off the lights in the kitchen and walked thru the living room, checking the front door, and glancing out the window beside the front door. Screaming and jumping back from the glass, dark eyes were peering back in at her.
She leaned against the door, closing her eyes, reaching with her mind to identify who was on her front porch looking in at her. She found nothing but a void. 'That's odd' she thought to herself, trying to get herself under control. She got her nerves under control telling herself she had imagined it. She looked outside again, turning on the light, finding nothing. 'must have been a reflection of my eyes looking out' she reasoned walking away. She made it to the stairs and shrugged her shoulders, looking at the front door again. She walked up the stairs, leaving the outside light on.
Sookie walked back to the bathroom and pulled the drain plug on the bathtub. Sighing, she watched as her relaxing hour went down the drain with her bathwater. She reached for a towel to dry her hair and attempted to brush it into some semblance of normal. It didn't work, but she at least managed to get the tangles out of it and got it partially dry. She threw her, now wet, robe over the door and grabbed her big sleep shirt and a pair of sleep shorts for the night.
As she crawled into bed, she sighed. Hoping for a relaxing nights sleep, she rolled onto her side and cuddled up. She slowly drifted off to a very tense sleep.
Bill stood outside, looking at the red sign.
'Fangtasia' he thought.
He knew he had his work cut out for him. His Queen had been thorough in her instructions, even going so far as to rehearse lines and scenarios with him.
"Bill, you must be able to get thru this without fucking it up. Failure will not be tolerated, I will torture you and then kill for fucking this up" Queen Sophie Anne said with impatience.
"Your majesty, I will do my best" Bill replied.
"Not good enough! Eric Northman is a Viking. He will question, and demand answers to his satisfaction for your entry into his area. If you give him answers he doesn't like or trust, you will fail, and he will send you back to me in pieces. I want this girl, I must have her, the prophecies are definite in her power. I need her here before others discover who and what she is."
They had rehearsed countless scenarios to ensure Bill was ready for whatever Eric may ask or demand.
Bill sighed, an unnecessary action for him, but one that made him feel better none the less. He took a deep breath of the air, smelling the alcohol and lust permeating the area and people around the bar.
The line to get in the front door stretched around the building. Bill bypassed the line, walking straight to the front door. His eyes meeting those of the pretty blonde checking ID's.
"Bill" she stated flatly.
"Pam, what a pleasure, how long has it been now?" he replied
"Really? You are here and you want to make idle human chit chat?" she asked drolly.
"I need to meet with Eric, I need to register for the area" he replied evenly, attempting a charming smile.
"He's inside, enthralling the vermin on his throne" she stated, dismissing him with a wave inside.
As he walked thru the doors, he was practically knocked down with the smell of body odor, sex and blood. He scanned the crowd, noting the other vampires as they gazed at him, recognizing him immediately as one of their own.
He found Eric staring at his phone, sitting on his throne, coldly ignoring those staring at him with adoration and lust. Bill approached slowly nodding his head as he caught Eric's gaze.
"Sheriff" Bill greeted.
"Bill Compton" Eric replied slowly, full of boredom. "Are you here to pay homage or register?"
"I'm here to register" Bill stated quietly
"Follow me" Eric stated, rising and walking down a hallway.
As Eric walked thru the door to his office, he settled himself in the chair behind his desk.
"Where will you be staying while you are in my area?" Eric questioned as Bill walked thru the door, shutting it behind him.
"I plan on returning to my human residence, in Bon Temps. My descendents are gone, the house is empty. It has memories for me." Bill answered sitting in the chair opposite Eric, holding his gaze as the Queen had ordered.
"Your human residence?" Eric replied barely holding a chuckle in. "Why, on earth, do you wish to return to your human residence?"
"I've been mainstreaming -" Bill started
"Mainstreaming?" Eric interrupted, not holding his laughter in this time. His head tilted back as he laughed. "Make sure Pam has your address and all contact information on file. You will be required to appear here, at Fangtasia, 4 times a month. Consider it your tithing."
"Yes Sheriff" Bill replied, rising from his chair and leaving the office in search of Pam.
Several hours later, Pam stood leaning against the doorway. Arms folded across her middle.
"He is lying, keep an eye on him and reports his comings and goings to me. I want to know why he is here, Pam" Eric stated without looking up from his monitor. He was finalizing the monthly earnings.
"Yes Master" Pam answered. Their eyes met with understanding.
"He is up to something. You don't leave the Queen's court to mainstream. He is either here and up to something, or she sent him here and he is up to something, neither is good."
"What would they be up to in Bon Temps? It's a swamp" Pam replied with questions in her voice.
"That, my lovely child, is what you are going to find out" Eric replied, leaning back in his chair.
"I have dinner for you" Pam purred, flashing her fangs with a grin.
"What is tonight's flavor?" he asked, raising his eyebrow, his fangs dropping in hopeful anticipation.
"You'll see, she's waiting for you in the bar, I figured you would want to exit, before indulging"
Eric rose, walking out the door, growing hard as he saw the blonde standing at the end of the hall. He could smell her arousal as he approached. Disappointment raced thru him as he saw she had been marked already. Pondering his disappointment briefly, he decided to think of it later. He had other things to occupy his time for now.
Softly touching her arm he guided her out the door. Eager for the release her body would bring. At least she was clean.