So my lovely readers, I am a totally fucking spaz. I saved this chapter to edit but posted it instead so now that you have read it and waited for the next one I'm sure you'll be thrilled you get to read it again (ducks from rancid fruit flying at my head) I am begging for forgiveness that you must read this again and wait for the next chapter also...(ducks quickly to avoid rotting meat thrown at my head) I'm very sorry , life in the way, blah, blah, blah. Here you go. No excuses. I'll try harder not to fuck this up again. And I'm really sorry about the crappy first chapters full of errors. They make my eyes bleed. Well on with the show... Oh um not mine, don't own nuthin' never made nuthin' up 'cept this here story from my own imagination using characters created and misused by CH, further misuse from AB. Love ya...OH um a wonderful reader messaged me and asked about warnings for abuse. Very thankful to her for pointing that out and again apologize for any uncomfortableness I caused. (Looks away in shame) So lots of child abuse, verbal, psychological, emotional abuse. Sorry about triggers. Okay go read, enjoy.

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I jump in my car and am on the road back to Shreveport with lightning rushing through my veins. I'm totally amped that this is , my dream, finally becoming reality and I couldn't be more sure of my decision to go with J&H Design. What Hunter came up with, his vision for a kid, is ten kinds of awesome. I mean they have family, cousins, uhh what was the name? Ah , yes, Crane. They worked with Pam in Dubia. I seen it in Nola and on every major motion picture for the last 5 years. Crane Technique INC. I'm not shitting you Daniel-son. They do set design but use reclaimed urban salvage and repurpose it for movies, TV shows and commercials or anyone who can afford them. Now I have an in. Sweet balls this is fucking wax-on-wax-off awesome.

While ruminating over my JR designer's vision I realize I pass up the Grab It Qwick. Damn. Now I have to go to Walmart. Ugghh. I fucking hate Walmart. Not the store but what's inside it. Desparate housewives and agressive skanks. One would think a single man, a fucking good looking single man would love to have this kind of attention, but as my partner in crime, Pam, says ' just beacause it's free doesn't mean it's good'. Of course she also says that organic is the way to go, that's why she shops at Whole Foods, you are what you eat and she is always looking for fresh and additive free. She wasnt talking about food.

I sigh and pull in to find a parking space. Wish they had a drive through. Wish I had taken Jason up on his offer for steak an' beer but I have a meeting in the morning with my laywer to sort out my Farfar's estate in Shreveport. He bought it when I was supposed to move here. Just me and him. Will's are a bitch and my Dad's was a festering bag of assholes. An amendment was miraculously found last minute and I was carted off to his 'business partner' whom I never met and was to be my 'guardian'.

It stated me and all my worldly possessions now belonged to one Albert Oclaudius Lewis. Seriously it screams pretentious, demented, delusional and greedy. My lawyer could not have the amendment proven false so at 11 I became a prisoner. Lewis, as he ordered me to call him, removed all my luggage, my furniture, my life and locked me in a small bedroom in the corporate apartment were I was left alone to live. I was never allowed to leave. He forbid any access to the outside world including the mandatory visit from NOLA to Shreveport to see my Grandfather, my FarFar stating I did not want to see him. Only I could refuse It will be hard to walk inside that place and see all that he provided for me, to finally come home. To remember what I actually lived with till I was 18. Not going there. I can't. Focus Northman. The Bar.

I grab a cart and venture into the land of cougars, skanks and tramps Oh my.
I'm heading down the meat case after extracting myself for the third time, from an over 40 something 'woman' wearing Miley Cyruse's latest fashion don't on her not pre-pubesent body, think a sausage wrapped in wire, covered in a pound of make up and eu de skank. She grabbed my ass like she was re-enacting Cliffhanger and wispered with ciggarette and cock breath that she wasn't wearing any underwear. Fuck I just about vomited again thinking about it. I'm not in the mood for food anymore but I got to keep my strength up to start working on the inside of my club. Yes focus on my club.

I'm choosing some steak when I'm bumped into from behind. I'm about to throw in the towel and just go with whats in my cart when I hear a very feminine voice with a sultry southern accent say excuse me. I turn and am met with beautiful emerald eyes attached to a very gorgeous woman. She's about my hieght, very slender with long blond hair.

"Oh um excuse me..." She giggles and smiles a familiar smile.
"Claudine. Claudine Crane. Nice to meet you.." She holds her hand out for me to shake. its warm and soft.
"Eric Northman nice to meet you to." Her eyes light up when she hears my name. Curious.
"Oh my goodness your Eric Northman. The club... ah bar in Shreveport right?" She says excitedly. Wow not even open and people know about it and me, huh?

"Yes that's right. How do you know of it?" She smiles widely and dimples appear. Very familiar dimples.
"Oh yes my cousin Hunter emailed me and told me all about his first real client. It's so good to meet you and you won't be sorry. He really is very good. Some of Jason and Hoyt's past clients have been less receptive to Hunters involvement. And some had tried to steal his ideas after hearing them while claiming they were not in sync with their vision. He's been through so much in his short life so it's quite wonderful that you are taking him seriously. You are right, taking him seriously? He's been burned in the past."

She started out so excited but ended with anger, a threatning look then sadness. Wow familiar in deed. The cousins he mentioned. And what the fuck is this about assholes snubbing Hunter. The kids got insight. He's fucking brilliant. I didn't even think of half the stuff he came up with. VIP fob key chains to restricted VIP only areas to cut down on unwanted activity. He said if I tell them it's for safety and not spying then they'll cave. Well he said, 'You'll catch more flies with bullshit than sweet honesty' fucking A right.

" Please, Ms. Crane I can..." I started to reply.
"It's Claudine please." she smiled.
"Claudine, I can assure you that I'm taking him very seriously. He's the first out of a string of hack design companies that completely understood what I'm trying to achieve. And his ideas, wow, that kid is gonna be famous. He thinks outside the box while keeping in mind everything that I want including how I want things done. I'm all about repurposing and only using local products."

"Yes that's why he emailed me. Well our company. My sister, brother and I are triplets and cousins to the Stackhouse's, we're Crane Technique INC. We specialize in decoration, window and set displays and designs, photo shoots, movie sets,department window displays, corporate and private home seasonal decorating. We do fabrication but mostly it's refurbished, renovate and repurpose using any and all materials from the state of Louisiana. We just finished a period piece for Edgington Elite Productions. It's about the Civil War staring Bon Temps own Bill Compton and Edgington's husband Talbot Nickohlaus. So we cleared our schedule when Hunter requisitioned our services for the next three months. We are supplying a new up and coming entrepreneur in Shreveport." She winked at me and I blushed. I'm also stunned that they, that Hunter has got connections like this, even if it's family. I've heard about Crane Technique. They did Pam's window display for her boutique opening in Dubai. They worked miracles with what they had to work with. Which was fully covered mannequins. Her store sold out in a week and they are still backordered through the end of the year. In fact that is where she is now till a few weeks before the bar is opened.
"I'm grateful that you accepted his request. I have heard about Crane Techniques. You did a window display for my friend Pam's boutique opening in Dubai. Your work speaks for itself. Very impressive. I have an awesome JR designer that knows his shit and I trust him with mine and my partners money 100%." She tearing up a bit at my accolades for her cousin. I wonder what he has been through but its none of my business. If he or any of the family tell me then that's fine. I won't pry. I don't like talking about my painful memories either. No one knows or can relate to what you are or what you went through "Your really a great guy Mr. Northman. This means alot to him and to us. When his parents were killed, well this really is not the kind of place for that conversation. Would you like to get a cup of coffee? I need to pick up the twins in an hour so I have time."

"Sure I'd like that. I need to run my groceries home so I'll meet you in 20." She nodded and gave me the address to a local coffee shop a couple of blocks from my hotel. We said our goodbyes and picked my steak, got my champange and checked out. It took me a good 15 minutes speeding from the Walmart in Monroe. I put everything away in the suites mini fridge and freshened up abit making it to the coffee shop with no time to spare.
I found Claudine sitting next to a tall, thin man with long wavy dark brown hair and green eyes. He had on some dark jeans and a white button up just as Claudine was wearing. They stood with welcoming smiles and Claudine leaned in for a hug and introduced me to her husband Colman Ayers. We shook hands, sat and he motioned for the waitress to take our orders.
"Colman's a lawyer at Brigant Cataliades and Ayers Law Group here in Shreveport." My eyes widened.
" Brigant?" I questioned. Did they know my uncle. He's not my real uncle but that's what I've called him for years. He was Farfar's best friend and legal and financial advisor. He's also mine. Small world.

"That name is not common here in the states." I spoke quietly digesting what this could possibly mean for me. Could Niall have pulled the strings to have my inheritance frozen pending fraud and embezzlement charges brought on Lewis which lead to me being emancipated at 16. Of course because of legalities I was to remain were I was but at least I could have visitors, unfortunately not my Farfar. Uncle Fin had shown up everyday with letters from him and my favorite foods to eat. By the time of the ruling three years later, well I still missed him.
"Why yes. You know Niall?" Colman questioned.
"Ah no. Well I've met him once at my grandfathers funeral. I know Fintan." They shared a look and then turned to me and grinned.
" Fintan is Niall's son. Our father is Fintan's twin brother, Dillon. There are three actually. Triplets. Uncle Dermot is in England running his own pharmacutical company. Grandfather was not happy about that. Dermot always wanted to be a doctor, but Niall forbid it. Dad is the new director of The Great Alexandria Egyptian Museaum and Library in Cairo. He always loved art. You can imagine Niall when not one or two but all three son's broke free and persued thier dreams. He was not happy about a lot of things." Claudine sighed sadly.

Fuck. Uncle Fintan told me his father was dissapointed in him and the choices he made in his life. "He told me, after a particularly painful meeting we had before the case went to trial, that to never give up on my dreams, fight for what I want in life because we only get one to live and there are no do overs. It helped me greatly and I'm doing things I have a passion for and I'm happy."

"Yes that is what he told us when we were starting our company. My father always wanted to be an artist but grandfather made him go to law school. When he rebelled and left to attend university in France, Niall entrapted him in an arrainged marriage passed off as a business deal were his mother, Grandma Enin would be left destitute if he did not follow through. His hands were tied so he followed through with the marriage but would not go to law agreed as long as Dillon produced an heir. Which was cruel because our dad is gay.

"He never loved our mother but granfather forbid divorce. They separated when Fintan left the families law practice in England to comfort his very close friend when his wife died. While here he discovered what grandfather was doing to his brother and us. Naill had us seperated at 5 years old and sent to different boarding schools. He had our mother sign over her parental rights when he offered to 'fix' our dad. She came to reunite with him here in Louisiana believing everything was different. Grandfather had lied and she realized she signed over her children to a monster. She could not stand the guilt and after a very heated fight with dad she flew home and hung herself in our empty nursery.

"We were seperated for ten years before we saw eachother again. It was a battle but Fintan fought Niall hard and finally won. It was a picture of our mother in the morgue. She was laid out on the cold metal table clutching our baby picture. They had to leave it. Rigor mortis set in by the time they found her and the mortition would have to saw off her fingers to remove it. Niall came himself to each school to bring us home. We did not speak one word to him until he was on his death bed." Claudine finished somberly.

I remeber the pictures of my mothers broken body twisted in the metal of her car. A lime green Baraccuda she called 'Hulk' because he was my favorite comic book hero. Lewis made sure I had new pictures delivered with my breakfast every morning. Her autopsy picture was the worst. The only recognizable thing was my baby hand print tattoo above her heart. Which was circled in red marker by Lewis. I had stopped opening the envelopes by the third day but he would tempt with the possibility of a letter from my Farfar. Cruelty of children at it's finest. A mark was never left upon my person but the scars run deep.

Shit heavy ass topic and no matter how much I don't want to discuss painful private matters I can't help the kinship I feel with this family seeing as how the similar our circumstances were but I'm getting to know my suppliers and we are closer due to our mutual relationships and hardships. I can't believe how closely our pain was inflicted. My father too was 'disappointed' in me and my choices even though I was a child. He was also very jealous of my relationship with his father. He could never have the opportunities my life would afford me and he wanted his father and me to pay. He made sure of it. I'm brought out of my musings by a throat clearing by our table. I look up into very familiar green eyes.

"Welcome child. Welcome home and welcome to the family my boy."

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So my special window licking self posted an un-edited chapter thinking I'm ahead of posting. Sorry for that. I blame incompetence but I'm also training for a new job and I'm excited. The only fucking thing I hate but kinda love is the hours, 4am-2pm. So I've been zombified for the past two weeks. But back on track now I hope. Sorry for the errors.