Chapter 3
I had to know more. I cautiously placed the crystal in my fist and closed my eyes. I felt the familiar sparks and tried to calm myself as I shifted through the images and finally focused on one. This time I was sitting in my kitchen, actually Gran's kitchen from before the fire, and I still looked to be a young child. My brother and grandmother were seated at the table with me, and we were all laughing about something. My parents stood behind me, my father's hand resting on my shoulder. I couldn't hear anything from the scene and I struggled to recall this moment from my past. Did this really happen? I couldn't remember. We looked so happy, though; I wanted to stay like this forever, still innocent and safe, back with my lost loved ones. A feeling of peace and contentment overcame me as the image faded. I squeezed the crystal, hoping to see more, but the vision was gone.
I sat on my bed, trying to make sense of what it all meant. I was grateful for the chance to revisit the past but what else could the crystal do? I reread Niall's letter but felt helpless to understand the true purpose of his gift. Why would he have felt compelled to give me this crystal? He must have thought it could help me in some way. But how? By seeing my past? By seeing my future? It was hard to understand a fairy mind, especially his.
I thought back to the earlier image of my someday-son. Seeing myself with a child stirred maternal feelings within me that I never even knew existed. I now realized that I wanted to be a mother one day. But Eric and I would never be able to have children; in fact, the subject was never even mentioned when we talked about our future and moving forward in our relationship. Yes, we loved each other, but would that be enough? And based on my vision, did we even have a chance for a future together now? That last question left me numb. Maybe the crystal was telling me things my heart wasn't ready to accept yet.
I looked at the crystal, so beautiful and so enticing. I can't fully explain the growing power that the crystal held over me; it was like an addictive drug. I felt it calling to me to touch it and try using it again. But I had enough sense at this point to realize that I needed to distance myself from it. So I picked up the stone and returned it to the box, placing it deep in the back of my closet where I wouldn't see it or be tempted again.
I tried to rouse myself from my negative thinking and headed for the sunshine. Just being outside and away from the crystal did wonders for my state of mind. I worked on my backyard tan until noon and then quickly dressed for my 'spa day,' trying to ignore my closet at all costs. Our spa package included lunch so Amelia and I left home shortly afterwards, picking up Tara on the way. Not another word was mentioned about the crystal, which suited me just fine.
The long afternoon was a wonderful indulgence and the three of us enjoyed every moment of it. The more I was pampered, the more my earlier concerns seemed overblown. The hot-stone massage seemed to melt away my troubled thoughts about visions and their meanings. I chose a sexy shade of red for my manicure and pedicure -- I knew the color would look perfect with my new dress and shoes.
I was getting more excited about my upcoming evening with Eric. He had been hinting for weeks that this would be a memorable birthday and I really hoped he was right. Before dating Bill, I never had a special man in my life for my birthday. The summer of my 26th birthday, two years ago, Bill and I celebrated without much fanfare; he said he could never understand the modern 'need' to focus so much attention on birthdays. Lucky me. And last summer, Quinn's work schedule had kept him away for months after our time together in New Orleans, so my 27th birthday was glossed over as well. I deserved a special birthday for once, didn't I?
We stopped for birthday margaritas on the way home; after all, the spa people told us it was important to stay well hydrated after those beauty treatments. By the time we made it back to Bon Temps I was so relaxed that I needed a nap. I chose to catch a few winks on the living room couch, worried that my bed was too close to the alluring crystal in my closet. An hour later, I took a quick shower and headed back to my bedroom to get ready for the evening.
I wiggled into the new dress hanging over my door and it fit perfectly, just as I had predicted. I wore nothing beneath the dress, as per Eric's instructions, and it made me feel incredibly sexy. After my final touches with makeup and hair, I looked in the mirror for an overall assessment and was quite pleased with what I saw. I was sure Eric would be, too.
I checked the time and hurried to my closet to put on my new 'screw-me' heels. Before going out in public tonight, I would need to test walk around my bedroom to avoid falling flat on my face. But as soon as I opened the closet door, the temptation to see the crystal was overwhelming; I simply could not leave it alone. I brought the box out and sat on my bed, promising myself that I would only try using it one more time before I put it away for good. It would be wonderful to see my departed loved ones again, I convinced myself. And I would talk to Eric tonight about the crystal. Period.
So yet again, I went through the motions to make the images appear in my head, determined to finally see one through to the end. I could feel more control this time; I was able to slow down the visions enough to 'pick' which one I wanted. I chose one randomly but realized too late that it was a terrible scene; I immediately regretted my decision, yet felt powerless to stop myself -- the crystal made me keep going.
In the silent vision, I was bound and gagged in what looked like some sort of empty warehouse. I didn't appear hurt but my fear and frustration were evident. In the shadow of a corner lurked my assailant; he was hiding, waiting. Suddenly the door burst open and Eric ran in, anger blinding him to the actual situation. I could see myself struggling to warn him of the trap, shaking my head and gesturing to the corner but it was too late. The man leaped from the shadows, throwing a silver net over Eric to weaken him, and then began plunging a knife into my Viking over and over again as I helplessly watched in horror. Eric crumpled, covered with his own blood, and then I started screaming. It took me a moment to realize that it was not the future Sookie but me, the here-and-now Sookie, who was hysterical and crying. I opened my eyes, dropped the crystal and continued to sob and shake as I collapsed on my bed.
Within moments, Amelia was beside me, hugging me and trying to calm me down. I had worked myself into quite a state and it took a few minutes to get control of myself again. The heartache I felt from what I had just seen was unbearable. I needed to see Eric now to know that he was, in fact, safe and alright. And I needed him to hold me and soothe my fears.
"What was it, Sookie? What did you see?" Amelia asked quietly when I finally seemed calmer. I told her the vision and she shook her head in disbelief.
"But you don't know the whole story, right? And you don't know the outcome, either. Eric is a vampire, Sookie. He recovers from things. It takes a lot to kill a vampire. He didn't get to be his age without learning a few things about survival, right?"
Amelia was being a good friend and trying to say the right things but the truth is I was scared. And I felt responsible for bringing this future calamity upon Eric. Because he was trying to save me yet again, he was going to be in this fatal situation. If being with Eric was going to endanger his life, should I even continue to be a part of it?
"Sookie, I know you're upset, but try not to think any more about it," Amelia said. "It's your birthday, remember? Special day… special night… Look at what you've been through because of that stupid crystal. Get rid of the thing! Honestly, what was Niall thinking?"
True. What was my great-grandfather thinking?
After a few more minutes of roommate consolation, Amelia excused herself to go upstairs, probably in search of more literary works to illustrate my foolishness. Before she left my room, though, I asked her to box up the crystal and place it back in the closet since I was afraid to touch it again. She helpfully suggested placing the crystal in the Bon Temps garbage dump instead, but I knew I would never get rid of something so magical, no matter how much it scared me. It was a gift from a fairy prince, after all. And it was the only thing I had to remember Niall.
I looked in the mirror and cringed at what my tears had done to my makeup. It was almost 9:00, so I tried to freshen up and pull myself together. From our connection, Eric would know I was upset. I didn't want to ruin the special evening he had planned for us so I tried to keep my emotions in check and my head clear of negative thoughts. Easier said than done. I was tense, nervous, and anxious about what Eric would say tonight but even more so about our future together.
Suddenly my tension and anxiety vanished, replaced by sheer happiness and contentment. It came from the only force in the world more powerful and more addictive to me than the strange, magic crystal buried in my closet: my blood-bonded.
Eric was here.
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A/N: Thank you for patiently sticking with this story! So many reviewers are anxious to know what Eric has to say about the crystal and I'm sorry that it has taken me a few chapters to fully set the stage for this. But I promise that the next chapter will be an insightful one. Thanks for reading and reviewing! VL1
