Author's Notes: I do not own the characters, they are the sole property of the wonderful Mrs. Charlaine Harris.

Chapter 4

Sookie's POV

I had finished my shift at 3:30 and got home in time to take a quick nap. After that, I washed and fixed my hair, and then painted my nails in a new color, called "Radically Red." True to her word, Claudine had left a really cute pair of jeans and a beautiful red top that fit me perfectly, showing just enough of my "assets." It was an outfit that successfully walked the line between "sexy" and "slut,"... in other words, just perfect for a night out dancing in Shreveport. I slipped on a pair of red high heels which made me feel kind of sassy. I knew that arguing with Claudine about giving me another gift was a complete waste of breath, and so this one time I decided to be gracious and just thank her. I left my hair down, trying for slightly tousled (or what my former friend Arlene referred to as the "just fucked" look). I slipped on a pair of long dangly earrings that I hoped made my neck look longer. Giving myself the once over in the mirror, I decided that I looked pretty good for a night on the town. Never let it be said that Sookie Stackhouse sits home and mopes.

At 8:00, I began to listen for Claudine's car, and so I was a little unprepared for the twin "pops" than resulted in my two cousins appearing in my living room. I was surprised because Claudine usually drives her car to get around instead of using her magic. My two "cousins" are drop dead gorgeous and smell delicious. Both of them together can be a little overwhelming, especially in confined spaces. But, they are (sort of) family and I love them…even Claude, who can be a pill.

"Hi guys!" I said, "Are we taking my car?"

Claude just rolled his eyes, but Claudine answered, "No sweetie, we decided it was time for you to try a little something with us. Are you up for a little experiment?"

I thought for a minute before speaking, a habit that I had been trying my best to acquire since I started hanging around with Supes. After I beat, I replied hesitantly, "Um…I guess?"

"Great!" Claudine said enthusiastically. She grabbed one hand of my hands and Claude grabbed the other. Before I could ask the next logical question, my ears started to ring and suddenly I felt a whoosh! The next thing I knew, we were standing outside of a small vine-covered restaurant. The sign on the front read "Charmaine's" and judging by the number of cars in the lot, it was quite popular.

"Claudine! What the heck!" I gasped, desperately trying to re-orient myself. "You could have warned me!"

"Sorry, Sookie, I thought I did warn you." The lovely fairy looked a little sheepish. "I guess I should have been a little more… informative. But honestly, we've never really tried this with you, and I thought if you tensed up it might not work quite as well. But it was fine, right? Here we are!" Claude just stood by, smirking.

"Erg… OK, I guess," I said, not wanting to be ungracious. Really, I didn't want to know what might have happened if I had tensed up. Oh, well, using magic to get around actually did save lots of driving time. I guess it just goes to show how far my life had come in the last couple of years that I didn't even think that it was really all that unusual.

"Well, let's eat," said Claude. "I'm starving!"

We entered the restaurant and I looked around. I could tell that some of the other patrons were a little "different," that is…two-natured, etc. However, the menu seemed fairly ordinary, and it wasn't long before we were enjoying our dinner. I had a small steak and salad, Claudine went with the crawfish etouffe and Claude tried out the grilled quail. While we were eating, we chatted about a variety of issues, none of them involving vampires. It was clear that Claudine knew when to avoid a particular subject. Claude had been fairly quiet, so to bring him into the conversation, I prompted him, "So, Claude, tell me a little about the band we are going to see tonight."

He replied, "Well, I heard about them from a friend of mine that owns a bar in New Orleans. They play a mix of old rock-and-roll, and some southern rhythm and blues. They have quite a following. If I like them, I think I'll hire them for our 4th of July bash." Claude might be kind of light on manners, but he does know his music.

After a little more chatter, we all finished eating. We all passed on the dessert (my new jeans were very tight) and before I knew it we had "popped" into the line at the entrance of the club. I seemed to be a bit more prepared for the "trip", and was less breathless this time. The name of the bar was the Red River Saloon, and true to its name, it was located along the banks of the river running through town. An outdoor deck strung with ropes of lights extended out to the water's edge, giving the place a fun atmosphere. I couldn't help but think about the last club I had been to in Shreveport... and with whom. A vision of a Viking in a pair of low cut black jeans, and a black t-shirt hugging a perfectly sculptured torso floated into my mind….An intense feeling of longing and (let's face it) lust swept through me. Oh, no! Stop that, Sookie! I refused to let my night be ruined by missing someone who didn't even care enough to text me once in a while. I plastered my best fake smile on my face, and determined right then that I was going to have a good time, come hell or high water.

Apparently, Claude knew the guy at the door, whom I could tell was some sort of Were. We were waved on through the door and quickly made our way to a table near the dance floor. I looked around to take in the club's décor with a practiced eye (I was, after all, a barmaid.) There was a huge carved wooden bar that looked like it had been made in the last century, lots of round tables with high chairs, and scattered around the interior walls were low couches and chairs. The band was set up in the far back corner. The lighting was dim but provided enough illumination that you could do a little "shopping" for potential dance partners …not that I was looking. All in all, the bar was the kind of place that made you want to let loose and have a good time.

The band had already begun to play, and the dance floor was already getting crowded. Being around my cousins somehow made it lots easier to shield my mind from random thoughts, so for once I was able to relax a little. A cute brunette waitress came up to take our orders. "What can I get y'all?" She had to shout to be heard over the music.

Claudine ordered a Cosmopolitan. That sounded pretty good, so I decided to try that instead of my usual gin and tonic. It kind of went with my nails, after all! Claude went for a beer (kind of pedestrian for a fairy, I would have thought.) The waitress was back in short order with our cocktails. Dang, those little red drinks were really pretty good! We sat and sipped our drinks for a few minutes, watching and listening to the band, and then it was time to hit the dance floor. Claude pulled me out on the floor first, and the two of us were soon shaking our assets all over the place.

In spite of myself, I was really having a good time. I was even managing to keep up in the dancing department, which was pretty good given that Claude was a professional "dancer" (read: stripper). He was definitely teaching me some new moves! Before long, I had been asked for dances by a couple of different guys. I felt a little odd about that at first, but then decided there was no harm in just a little friendly dancing. I reminded myself very firmly that I was quite single at the moment... right? Right. Then why on earth was I feeling slightly guilty? Also, I could not help but compare the two rather nice-looking but ordinary men to one spectacular Viking vampire…oh, boy, not again! I refused to do that to myself, so I did my best to find something... anything interesting about my dance partners. It wasn't their fault they couldn't hope to measure up.

After a few songs, I was pretty much out of breath, and besides that I needed to take a break to visit the little girl's room. When I got back, I found another cosmopolitan already waiting on the table for me, compliments of one of the guys I had been dancing with. I was pretty thirsty, so I gulped it down a little quickly. Wow! Those pretty little drinks packed quite a punch! That band was really good! I guessed I must be having a good time!

Glancing over at my cousins, I saw them smiling at me. Laughing, they each took one of my hands and pulled me out to the dance floor. The band was playing a cover of Def Leppard's classic "Pour Some Sugar on Me." Oh, man ! I loved that song! I soon found myself wedged between the twins, making a kind of Sookie sandwich. We were twisting and gliding sensuously all over each other, and I was laughing my fool head off. I guess my drinks had loosened my inhibitions just a bit (ya think?) This was the first time in months that I felt free, and for once I was unreservedly enjoying myself. I didn't need to lower my shields to know what nearly everybody in the place was thinking about just then. I'll bet the three of us together were quite something.

Without a bit of warning, I suddenly felt something that I had not felt in weeks! Surprise, joy, jealousy, and above all LUST came barreling through the Blood Bond. I snapped my eyes open and there, standing across the room, was my vampire.