With Bill and Sookie...
Sookie slid closer to Bill, the water of the hot candle lit bath tub sloshing around them. The conversation had been heady topics so far, Sookie having just told Bill about her... Uncle... Bartlett. It was hard, more than hard, to re-hash those memories she would rather keep buried down. Now he knew, and he was still here, with her. She had believed for so long that if she ever did tell anyone, anyone else but her grandmother, they would either call her a liar or leave. Just like her parents had.
Instead Bill had listened, running a hand up and down her back, his finger tips ghosting the curvature of her spine. It didn't seem like much, but when thinking about what took place all those years prior, getting lost in those morbid memories, that simple touch had kept her grounded and in the present time. Stopping her from getting lost in a place and time she never wanted to revisit.
Trying to lighten the tense and sombre mood, Sookie nuzzled into Bill's wet chest, trying to convey in words how much he meant to her, but coming up short. Words were underrated really. Such simple twists and curls of the tongue that was meant to convey something as deep and complex as feelings or pain. It just didn't make sense.
"Don't ever leave me Bill."
The words fluttered along the crease of Bill's neck where it met and melted into his collar bone. Warm and minty breath heating the skin there, hackling the hairs and making him shudder slightly. A deep chuckle escaped his chest, rumbled through the water and shook Sookie slightly with the rise and fall of his chest.
"Nothing could take me away. Not even a Grimm."
Confusion clouded over Sookie's bright face as she turned his words around her head. She had never heard that word before, apart from when it was attached to death. By the tone of Bill's voice, and use of the word, he wasn't talking about death but something else entirely. Sookie's curiosity was well and truly piqued.
"A Grim? Like a Grim reaper?"
Bill chuckled once more, forgetting who he was talking to for a moment. Sliding deeper into the warm and toasty water, dragging Sookie down with him. Glancing over, he stroked his thumb across her cheek, stopping midway to pluck up a tangled, wet golden lock that had fallen into Sookie's eyes and brushed it back.
"No, not a Grim reaper. A Grimm. they're apart of old vampire folklore. Like your tooth fairy... Or more accurately your Bogey man."
Now it was time for Sookie to laugh. Out of all the things she didn't know, of things she never really thought of before, vampires having their own myths was almost silly in her eyes. What could scare a vampire? From what she knew, vampire's were the top dog of the food chain, they were the things that went bump in the night.
"Go on! You can't just say that and leave me hanging Bill. Tell me more."
Bill shook his head, half regretting about bringing it up in the first place. Vampire's were secretive, almost so much that it was ingrained in the DNA to be so. It felt wrong to tell a human anything about them, even if it was just a story, even if it was Sookie he was speaking to.
"It's only a fable meant to scare fledglings Sookie. Nothing more."
Sookie's smile dropped. That was the one problem with Bill she had found. No matter how much she opened up to him, it was always a battle to get the same from him. How were they meant to have a relationship if he knew everything about her, but she knew next to nothing about him? The answer? They couldn't.
"You know about my world Bill, all I want is to know about yours too. Is that so much to ask?"
Bill grimaced when Sookie pointed out exactly how he had been acting. The truth was he was just as scared as she was about telling him of her uncle. His past wasn't pretty, it was bloody and littered with dead bodies and ghost's. Tainting someone like Sookie with the ugly truth felt as wrong as telling all the vampire secrets to her. It didn't sit right in his stomach. But the least he could do, after all she had told him tonight, was to tell her this one little story. It was hardly important to the vampire species survival after all.
"Apparently, according to very old legend that is, the last Grimm was over five thousand years ago. It's said that a very few, very rare, vampires have what you would call a mate."
Sookie frowned deeply and Bill almost reached out to smooth it down with his fingers. Sookie, amongst other things, was impatient. But if she really wanted to know, she would have to settle down and wait. The legend was old, with varying twist's from who told it and had a hand full of missing points that was lost due to the erosion of time. Before Sookie could speak, Bill carried on.
"It's no secret that vampires, for lack of a better word, are dark creatures. They're possessive, predatory and cunning at best. At worse? Well it's not hard to imagine. You have to understand we're not human anymore, we lost that as soon as we were turned. The legend says that the gods themselves created someone to complete the beast that lurks inside all of us... For the favoured vampire that is. Someone that would fit the vampire perfectly. Who doesn't tame the beast or run from it, but embrace's who and what that vampire is and will be. The mate is meant to make the vampire stronger in a sense, how? That bits been lost over time but what I've heard is the mate gives the vampire something to be possessive, predatory and cunning over."
Taking a breather and trying to gather what he had been told so long ago, Bill tried to find the right words to make Sookie understand the tale. It wasn't easy, without experiencing the vampire nature yourself, it was hard to understand it. But he carried on.
"A Grimm happens when one of the chosen vampires doesn't meet their mate. Due to timing or death of the mate, it's a big world, it's understandable with how many obstacles stand in the way. The red haze comes first..."
"But what about if-"
"This is a really long tale Sookie. I'll try and explain it as best as I can from what little I do know, which isn't a lot. But can you save the questions for after?"
Sookie's mouth clamped shut, she pouted but eventually nodded her agreement.
"The Red Haze is as it say's on the tin. A red fog starts spreading over the vampires vision, colouring everything they see, also allowing people to see a Grimm for what it is. Their emotions start to fade one by one, like candles being blown out until only anger and hunger are left to run freely. It's a slow process, but when they reach the final stage... They rampage. The last Grimm had apparently taken out a whole continent before it was stopped. The last tribe to fight it had found out it couldn't be staked, this is where legend get's sketchy. Some how, one tribes woman had managed to corner the Grimm in a cave and cut its heart out with a wooden and bone ritualistic knife. Some say her beauty just made the Grimm die and others say the Grimm couldn't bare hurting the woman, so killed 's little proof of course, some cave drawings in Africa, one Chinese scroll. Now we just think it was a tale of a warlord loosing his wife. Or maybe even an outbreak of a disease like rabies in a small tribe. Who knows?"
Sookie sat still in the bath, for once lost for words. What could she say? If that ever took place in real life, it didn't seem to be a cautionary tale to her. But one of tragedy and sorrow. Instead of expressing this, Sookie decided to lighten the mood once more, trying to joke off the unsettling tale.
"What a... Interesting story. Gruesome, but interesting."
Bill laughed and as the thick air around the evaporated, Sookie joined in with his laughter. Snuggling in tighter, Sookie decided to stop asking questions and just enjoy the quiet and peaceful time with Bill. They had talked too much and for too long about sad stories, dark themes and unhappy endings. It felt foreboding, like an omen ringing off in the distance.
Bella P.O.V
Night time had fallen slowly but deftly around Bella Swan and Jason Stackhouse as they made it to Shreveport, parking the truck in a crammed car park, a neon red light glinting and shining in the dark telling Bella where they were. She had expected many things when she had turned the idea of a vampire bar over in her mind. From leather clad BDSM seedy club to a wannabe Disney vampire teen rave. What she got was something mixed between the two vastly different themes and feelings. Fangtasia, the line leading up to the entrance of the bar showing off goth's, stripper-esque men and women and collars and chains... Lots of collars and chains. There was even one man with a... Muzzle. Yes, that was definitely a muzzle.
Bella was a little disenchanted and disappointed with what she was met with in reality compared to what her mind had conjured up. A bar for vampires had so much potential, if Bella was the owner, for one she wouldn't of set up in Shreveport of all places. Second was the god awful name. If they wanted to be witty, then surely there was better options? Build it on a pier, call it Vam-pier. Even a restaurant that would be named Anne on Rice was better than the Disney name twist they had settled on. It was... Predictable. Something Bella has learned to never associate with Vampires. Then again, maybe it was unpredictable in it's predictability. Shaking her head, Bella tried to grasp her focus back to where it needed to be, Jason, who was currently storming his way towards the queue entering the building, practically leaving a dust trail in his wake. Huffing in exasperation, Bella jogged to keep up with the blonde man.
Thankfully the queue was fast moving and it wasn't long before both Bella and Jason stood in front of a tall and imposing female Vampire. If the fangs didn't give it away, her corset, skyscraper high heels, leather pants and haughty but bored expression gave her species away straight of the bat. Nothing spoke more of a dispassionate outlook then a vampire it seemed. Funny, Bella thought, how they were the one's who always looked miserable but had the pleasure of living forever. A bit ironic too, if you asked her, but then again, mother nature sure did love that little twist.
"ID's."
The vampire woman lazily flung her hand out, palms up, waiting for Bella and Jason to drop their respective ID's into her hand. Her voice had a slight twinge of an accent, but it was over shadowed by her drawling and monotone voice. Bella almost wanted to try and rile the vampire up just to get rid of that tone... Almost. The woman... Vampire was more than a little intimidating. Still, she had that slight urge flare up to just poke at her at least once, just to see if she could get a reaction other than boredom.
Jason was the first to hand over his ID, hand tittering a little. She frowned down at the limb, Jason wasn't nervous, he never got nervous, so why was he shaking? Bella slowly followed suit, dropping hers on top of Jason's before the vampire woman could snatch her hand back to read the ID's.
"Well, would you look at that, Jason Stackhouse. You don't know a Sookie Stackhouse by any chance?"
Jason cast a quick glance around him, as if expecting Sookie herself to pop out at the mention of her name. However when no blonde tornado blew their way, he simply reached up and scratched the back of his neck, speaking quickly as he looked over the woman's shoulder to the club inside, obviously itching to get inside. Bella however, was more than a little cautious, wondering how this imposing woman knew her cousin, her sweet, southern bell of a cousin. They obviously didn't run in the same circles, they couldn't be more different... So then how?
"Yeah, yeah. She's my sister."
Jason made the mistake of looking directly into the woman's eye's and Bella watched avidly as the woman's stare seemed to lock him into place like a viper. Bella felt something twinge in the back of her skull, almost like a bungee cord pulling on her brain. Bella knew that feeling all too well. The vampire woman was about to do something not quite normal.
Instead of turning away, trying to pull back her need to watch and copy like she had done so many times in the past, since she was ten, Bella swallowed down the dread slinking its way up her gut and forced herself to watch. Renee's and Charlie's voice mutedly voicing their derisions and disgust of her in the distance of her mind. She had to do this. It could be useful, she had promised herself she wouldn't be unprepared again. She wouldn't let Nana's end come as a first act. Not when she could do something about it. What ever this vampire was going to do could mean life and death in another time, another person... Another dear family member.
"And are you special like your sister?"
Bella could feel it, see it, smell it and taste it. Yet at the same time, she saw nothing, felt nothing, smelt nothing and tasted nothing. Her gift was a hard thing to describe, it was like seeing the world for the first time with fresh newborn eyes and simultaneously becoming nothing. An abyss that took in everything it encountered, absorbing it, adapting it, pulling it into the nothingness to become a part of it.
This time, it was like watching the vampire woman's energy invade Jason, pushing his own back as it took over. But it only happened in one part, his head. When Jason answered the vampire back with a robotic voice, the conclusion clicked and Bella realized what she was witnessing, what she was absorbing to use for herself. Fucking mind control. If before she had the passing thought that Bill's kind was, or could be, more dangerous to a human than a cold one, this, actual god given mind control, sealed the deal.
These vampires were lethal. And she was walking into their den... Jason, big, 'loud mouthed, spoke before he thought and he often didn't think' Jason, was walking into this den too. Fuck. However, this could be the card that turned the game to her favour if she placed it down at the right time. Mind control, if used correctly, could have saved Nana. It could save Jason, it could save Sookie if the need ever called for it. So, despite her gut churning and apprehension, Bella soaked it up, soaked it in and locked it down. On the downside, if used at the wrong time, it would lead to her death. But what was life without a risk or two here and there?
The woman gave Jason a sardonic twist of her lips, pulled back and jerked her head in the direction of the open door, silently ordering Jason to go through and leave her presence. Thinking the invitation extended to herself, Bella followed Jason's lead, sliding around the woman who still stood in their way to get through. However, Bella realised too late that it was only for Jason as a hand shot out and wrapped around her bicep, halting her in place with an iron grip. Bella's head jerked to her side and locked eyes with the woman, who was smiling at her, one eyebrow raised high on her forehead as she took the smaller and younger woman in with appreciative eyes. She had a strong grip, Bella would give her that, after all, she shouldn't have expected anything less from a vampire, even if this was a whole other brand of vampire Bella had not ran into before or had any dealings with. Fuck indeed, she was well out of her depths here. She felt like she was treading water in the ocean, exhaustion slowly setting in on her limbs, making them grow heavy, bringing her closer and closer to her watery and spluttering death.
"Now don't you smell just divine. I haven't heard of the name Swan, not in these parts before... What are you doing with Stackhouse?"
Bella could feel it again, could smell it again, could see it again. The woman, this vampire was trying to put the mind ju-ju on her. That angered her a lot more than it should have really. It reminded her of Edward... Or was it Edwin? It didn't matter what his name was, what mattered was she had been on the receiving end of mind games before, and like hell would she allow someone else to put her back through that, even if it was for as little of time as a minute or two. Though, down right denying the vampire would do two things, annoy the woman who was currently holding her and ten times stronger than she was and two, give away that her mind fuckery didn't work on her, either piquing her interest or wrath.
So that left Bella with two options, try and run for the hills before the blonde could catch her, or two, hit back with what she was getting hit with. The only problem was she had never tried this thing before, not once, and having just 'learned' it, it could go horribly wrong on her first try. Although, there was never a time like the present to give it a go, and if she played her cards right, she could find out why this vampire woman was so hung up on her cousins. Was the risk worth the possible disaster that could follow? Yes. When it came to Sookie and Jason, every god damned risk was worth it in Bella's eyes.
So Bella edged closer to the woman, her nose nearly pressing into the others if she was tall enough, stared deeply in her eyes, and tried her best to copy what she had seen. Unlike Jason however, the woman's aura flared and fought back momentarily, before collapsing in on itself and letting Bella's in, likely not used to being on the receiving end. She supposed the vampire was used to doing the mind trick, instead of having it done on her, but that meant if she had to do it again, for whatever reason, she would put up more of a fight and maybe, just maybe, it might not work. Although, with the woman's upturned face turned slack, She would be lying if she said she wasn't going to enjoy this even a little bit.
"Don't ever try that trick on me again. Never. Now, take your hand off my arm, back away and tell me why you're so interested in my cousins?"
The woman had that same blank look that had disturbed Bella so much when it was on Jason's face, and her voice copied that same monotone drawl Jason's had flowed to as her arm dropped from her arm and flopped uselessly to her side, taking a single step away from Bella as she did so.
"My maker has taken interest in what Sookie Stackhouse can do. He finds it useful, he wants to have that ability available to him if he needs it. That means getting Stackhouse on side..."
Bella's eyes clamped shut as she realised what this meant, these vampires, this woman in front of her and this 'maker' knew what Sookie could do, and they wanted that. Jesus Christ, the vampire bar Sookie had visited, Bella would place all her bets on that bar and this one being the vary same building. Bella was jolted out of her wondering when someone shouted out from behind her, telling her to hurry the hell up. Stealing her spine and straightening out, Bella gave one last ditch effort to keep and take something good from this night, equally not wanting these people to find out what she could do. If they wanted Sookie for mind reading, what the hell would they do to someone like her?
Kill her. That's all Bella could think of. She couldn't be controlled and she was a liability. Someone who could turn their gifts against them, use them against them, these vampires, the cold ones, anyone really, wouldn't put up with having someone like that walking around freely. No, the safest option for them would be to kill her, take her out of the equation all together. She wasn't going to die. Not today at least.
"Back off from Sookie. And don't ever, and I mean ever, speak to anyone of what I did, or what I can do."
Bella pulled herself back, pulled away from the woman and snapped the connection shut and marched into the flashing building, determined to find Jason and try and selvage any situation he had gotten himself into. Because he had, there was no question about it, this was Jason, you leave him in a padded room in a straight jacket for five minutes alone, you could be sure as hell when you got back the door would be cracked and the room on fire.
However, as Bella wiggled and slipped into the crowd of bodies in the building, Pam snapped back to herself and stared incredulously after her. Did that small human... Did that girl... Did she just fucking glamour her? Then a slow but sly grin slithered onto Pam's face, tweaking the corners up. Now, that was an ability that was interesting, not this fucking telepathy thing her maker was so hung up on. Think of all the shit they could do with a human on side that could glamour vampires? Actual vampires without having the need for a maker bond in place? She needed to tell Eric.
This Bella Swan was good, Pam admitted, but had nothing on the experience Pam had gathered on glamouring people. It all fell to how you worded things, how the person being glamoured took those words. If Bella had ordered her not to ever tell anyone, then Pam's hands would have been tied behind her back. However, the brunette had said speak, Pam didn't need to speak to Eric to tell him of this discovery. She just needed a pen and paper.
And that is exactly what Pam did as she waved off the line, ordered Ginger to take over, grabbed a pen and paper and made her way to Eric's office. Almost vibrating in excitement to tell him of the little spitfire that had, what others and many had failed to do before, surprise Pam. And in that short time, despite what had taken place, the little woman had yet again did something many had failed before her. Earn her respect. Oh, this was going to be fun.
NEXT CHAPTER: Eric saunters into the picture, a clash and someone goes missing...
A.N: I am one of the worst fanfiction authors, I know, you don't need to tell me. However, I haven't had life intervene for a while now and while it's peaceful, I will hopefully be catching up on my stories. To all those who have stuck and waited for this, THANK YOU so much, you lot have the patience of a saint, no exaggeration. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. No Godric yet, but he is coming, I promise, I'm just building up to it, trying to place Bella well and firmly in the frame before that take's it's course. When he does come, trust me, it's hopefully going to be explosive...
Please be gentle, I have no Beta, so all mistakes are mine.
To all those who have reviewed, favourited and followed, I wish I could do more than say thank you and send a virtual hug, but alas, technology hasn't gotten that far yet, so THANKYOU.
As always, please leave a review, they make me feel all warm and tingly. Until next time- Sparks94