Disclaimer: The characters belong to Charlaine Harris, i'm just playing around.
AN: italics is thoughts, and i did try to not have so many this time. I love your comments, that helps me improve, to thanks to everybody that has helped!
Also, anyone up for betaing?
Thanks for reviewing: DD and sillyshalie.
Ch.6
Be curious, not fearsome.
Don't be scared, don't be frightened. Sometimes answers are not needed, but this was not the time. And with understanding, fear is almost always diminished. She seem at a loss for words for quite a few minutes, and I keep my barriers up as she mulls over her answer. Delia is eating a few pancakes swimming in honey maple syrup with almond oil, a special recipe from Grandma Stackhouse, but looking at her just as attentively as I am.
"Well, I just thought…" she considers for a few seconds. "I don't know, I thought that it would rise too many questions. You have seen Pam, you just have not talked to her. She comes over a few times a year. She says she just wants to reminisce with me, and I like that, but I know she is just making sure I am okay. 'The dog is treating me right' would be what Eric would call it. Bill always calls, and he never says who he is over the phone. Something about other people realizing he is still in touch with me." She chooses her words and talks slowly. "But the bottom line is, when we moved her, your father asked me to please let you grow up without dealing with vampires. Be it past or present. And I agreed with him. Most vampires are too greedy, be it for money or sex. And if they ever wanted something from me or him, kidnapping either would be a great leverage. I know from first-hand experience how that affected Quinn." She shudders a bit as she remembered how his hands have always been tied regarding his mother and sister. Stay out, I scold myself.
"But, things are changing. Sam is gone and now I have a few tasks to complete for him. I will not go down to Louisiana and play peacemaker for the panthers and wolves, i do not know well anyone in power right now. Plus, Eric would notice I am there too quickly for my liking." She explains. "After we drank each others blood, we became bonded. And it has faded a bit, but if we are close, we can feel each other. And that never turns out well." She says. I want to meet him even more now.
"Girls, I need you to finish these last two weeks of classes as if nothing has changed. Your fathers body, thanks to Bill, has already been buried," she pauses, and takes a far away distant look. I look at her attentively, I have a feeling that she wants to say something but does not know how to phrase it. "And I did not even get to say good bye" she finishes, she is trying to hold back tears. She is afraid that if she is a mess, she will not be able to keep a straight head for us in these situations.
"You should go study" she tells us and leaves the table. She is taking shallow breaths and I know she is crying freely as soon as the door closes behind her.
"I can smell her tears" Delia tells me. I nod, I cannot, but I know she is crying.
"Why is she taking this so hard on herself?" It is not her fault. I want to go out and cry with her, but I know she does not wants us to see her like that.
"Because she wants to be strong, but can't" she tells me. She is just a year older than me, but sometimes the difference is gigantic. "Dad once told me about their first date. He told me he was already too late, that she loved someone else. He did not say who it was, but I am pretty sure it is Bill." She says. "He told me that Sookie was one of the few people he decided to tell before they were outed, when the Weres decided to go public twenty years ago. He says he never felt someone that understood him quite that way" she shares. I am listening attentively.
"Their relationship has always been a rocky one, we both see them argue from time to time." I agree. "But they love each other." I am still making myself belief that, even now when I know that this is not exactly true.
"Judy, Dad loved Mamma before he even knew he did. She decided to love him when he asked her to marry her" she states with wisdom beyond her years. I nod, that is exactly what I was trying to understand but did not want to say out loud.
"Yeah" I say, a bit deflated by the knowledge.
"So, what do you think about having another sister?" I ask.
"The truth, I am scared. If she is a true shifter, she is much stronger than I am, and if she does not want to be found, finding her will be near impossible." She says. Wow, she must have already been thinking about this for a while.
I do not reply, I cannot think of the words anyways.
"I need a shower" she says and pushes off her seat and goes upstairs. I stay in the kitchen by myself, it still smells good from all the food Mamma made, but it seems that it lands on me to clean the kitchen and store the leftovers. A Ziploc ® for the pancakes and corncakes, and the eggs were all gone so that left the dishes to be done. I do then slowly and see that it must be around three already. I check the clock and notice it is actually four thirty. But I think the time was needed, so many things are just a bit clearer, but other questions have formed.
Mamma comes in when I am finishing drying the last two dishes. She smiles at me weakly, I ignore the tear streaked face because I know it would just upset her if I point it out.
"Thanks, honey" she tells me.
"No prob" I reply and want to ask her something again.
"So, where do we look for Clara if the last we know is that she was in Louisiana but you do not want to go there?" I ask, a bit bluntly, but it had to be done.
"Sam has a safe house in Ohio, near the border with Canada, and another one in Tamaluipa, we will check those two first, because I now Clara knows about those. If not, we will do some asking around. We will be driving, so it may take all summer long and part of fall" she tells me.
"Why not leave now?" I ask.
"Your education is important, and since I want you to lead a life as normal as can be, you will finish the year. In fall, when it is time, I will apply for you to take courses online while we are on the road." She explains. I nod slowly. "How will Compton travel with us?" I inquire.
"In the car, we will drive at night and a bit after sunrise, his car actually has a hidden hidey hole, it is most efficient. And you can sleep while we drive.
"And during daylight?" I ask. "We make stops, we investigate, we study, we prepare ourselves" she tells me.
I am so not looking forward to this anymore.
"Honey, I know I am asking for something very difficult for you, but please be nice to Bill. And call him Bill, not Compton, not ex fiancée. He cares so much for all of us, you have no idea. And a vampire that cares is a rare vampire indeed. You have no idea how blessed I am to have found Bill" she says. I glare at her, indecise.
"I'll try" I say. "But I still think he was too touchy last night" I say.
"I'll tell him that" she says, though I already did.
"I have to do my homework" I say, and move upstairs. Mamma nods and says she has to go out and run a few errands.
"I need to have some blood in the house" she explains. Oh well, I better start getting used to that, too.
Night comes to fast while I am doing my homework upstairs. At around eight, there is a knock on my door. I know that only one person would bother to knock.
"You don't have to knock, Bill" I say to the closed door. He opend the door carefully and lets himself in.
"I feel that I must explain myself to you" he asks curtly. I put down my microchip pen and let my tablet PC rest on my thighs, I have taken a preference to studying with my legs on my desk and my computer on my lap.
"Sure," I open I new page in my journal and gesture for him to sit in the bean couch I have rolled up in a wool blanket. He sits, not expecting the gravity to send him so low. I ignore a laugh, and it results in a snort.
"Sorry, did not think you had not seen one of those" I choose to say.
"That is quite all right," he offers and adjusts himself on the seat. He is more on the floor than sitting, but that is fine by me.
"I may not be your father's favorite person in the world, but we have an understanding. He knows that I care for Sookie as much as he does, and we have always respected her choices. She chose him, I stayed away." He said. "I am not sorry for being the one that came to tell you about your father, but I am very sorry about my behavior last night towards Sookie." He says the name with praise and love, I can somehow understand why they had to cut each other off. If he was around, Dad would feel that he was always in a competition for her affection.
"How much did Dad trust you? Because I know that Mamma trusts you with her life." I reply, with her life is a bit of an understatement, but it was true.
"He knew I would never lead Sookie directly into danger, never willingly, never unwillingly. I protected her from other vampires, as many as I could with my low rank and he protected her from the supes, be it the panthers and the weres. But I knew that one day, she would chose one of us. If she chose him, she would have a normal family, one she had always wanted. If she chose me, she would not" he explains slowly.
"Unlike her, Sophie-Anne Leclerq thought nothing of me. I was, still am, a young vampire, and the only use I was to her was through the vampire database I collected, and my hometown rose her attention when her girlfriend mentioned Sookie. I was under her rule and had to do her bidding, but we never really were close." He tells me. "But, Sookie was a valuable asset to all the vampires she encountered because of her telepathy. That is in part why she took you away, she did not know instantly that you and Adele were gifted like her, but she wanted your safety. I have been in touch with her carefully, as has Pam, to ensure she is still safe. There are only seven vampires living in Washington, and they are unaware of Sookie's residence here." He sighs, I think it was more a motion than a breath. "Well, they are still fighting over who should rule the state, since apparently, the eldest has a weak power the second eldest is a powerful man…. Sorry, I am getting off topic. I want to tell you that even though Sookie and I have had our ups and downs, I would give my life for her. I would meet the sun to ensure her safety. And I feel the same way about you and your sister. I know last night I was not on my best behavior, but Sookie, although she hates to admit it, is weak and emotional, I comforted her in the best way I know how. And I know she feels terrible about Sam. I do not know how true the statement about her loving me more than him is." Though he hopes it is true. "But I only want what is best for your family. And I would like you to give me a chance, please" this last was not a request, it was a petition. I can not stop a small smile from gracing my lips.
"You are sincere" I say. "I am sorry I read your thoughts so deliberately, but I was being careful" I say.
"I understand that" he says.
"Huh" I think for a second. "So my godfather, huh?"
"You can just call me Bill," he asks me with a small smile too.
"Uncle Billy?" I ask. He wrinkles his head in disgust.
"If you were five, I'd allow it." He says. "I rather like Bill, but my kids called me Billam, my youngest could not pronunciate it and they older ones adopted that nickname as a joke." He shares with me. His eyes glaze over and he looks as if he is remembering something that happened decades ago (probably true).
"Billam" I laugh. "How about Uncle Bill?" I ask.
"That suits me fine" he agrees.
"Okay, Uncle Bill" I say, feeling the name roll of my tongue. Yeah, it sounds okay.
"Thank you" he smiles. Turns out I like his smile.
"Can you tell me anything about Sophie-Anne? The way mamma described her, she sounds awesome." I try not to sound too excited.
"Well, you know how every vampire has a special trait? Well, just like all humans do, actually." I nod. "She has the power to make everyone she turns love her. Not just lust after her, but really love. She could communicate with them through their minds, and they never left her, unlike all vampires, they always stayed with her maker." He shared with me.
"Does the amount of people you turn determine you status of power?" I ask. He thinks about it for a second.
"No, not really. The more people you turn, the more blood you lose. You cannot turn just anyone, and it is a tricky business, sometimes it goes wrong." He explains.
"Like Bubba." I say. He gives me a questioning look. "Oh, I as briefed this morning in just about anything I wanted."
"Yes, like Bubba" he nods slowly. I get the feeling that he is not the type to show much emotion.
"How many people have you turned?" I ask.
"One" he says. Oh.
"Him or her?" I ask.
"Her." He says stiffly.
"Does Mamma know?" I ask.
"Off course, and she is mighty jealous of your Mother" he says, I think it would have sounded better if he laughed after saying that, but he does not.
"I think I do not want to know how jealous she was." I say, hitting the right spot.
"Right. Judith, may I borrow your computer?" he asks, he does not strick me as the kind of person who would know how to even use one, but then again, looks can be misleading.,
"Okay, you know how to use one of these?" I ask.
"I had one of these, but I got a newer one last year." He establishes. Fine, so he knows his way around electronics.
"Sure." I say. I save my work and close my web browsers, something tells me that I should close the license plate registrations and the website that only allows vampires in, which I had hacked into using the name of one of the vampires of Washington. Only the desktop was inevitable for him to see, so I let it be. It is an image I had altered of the sunrise and the sunset against the blue ocean, it is pretty neat and I am mighty proud of it. On the visitors log in, I had a photo I had personally taken of moonlight filtering through a trees leaves.
"You like photography." He states. I nod.
"I'm gonna go down for a bite, you want some blood?" I offer. He nods his head slowly, going into being one with the machine. I figure I might as well take my time.
I take a good look at him appreciating that he is not noticing my staring. He is dressed in another button up shirt, and I am pretty certain he is wearing a wife beater beneath it, and his pants are definitely in style. It is only his hair that does not look modern. Dad used to shave his head biweekly, but it always grew back fast and all over the place. Oh, this is the first time I say something about that in the past tense. Is this bad? Does that mean I am already forgetting? Do I want to forget?
I shake my head a small bit. Bill is opening new windows and typing fast, he had no idea he is logging into the website I had just logged off of.
"Judith, do you mind if I set up an account?" he asks. I blink. I want to ask what about his computer, but something tells me he will not be able to return to it.
"Sure, go ahead." It might actually be good to me in order to get some privacy. I make my way out of my room and down to the kitchen. Mamma is there, and she is reheating some left overs from yesterday and the day before. When dad is not home, there are always left overs. So. Maybe not so gone as of yet. I smile, happy that in my thoughts he still is.
I serve myself some steamed veggies and sit down with them. She glances at the bread and I wrinkle my nose.
"I ate a whole lot of pancakes for breakfast, I don't feel like any more flour will fit in my system." She agrees softly, but takes a small bite for herself.
"Bill doesn't know that I am named after Sophie-Anne" I comment.
"And he does not need to know. I understand their relationship was a bit stretchy." She says to me. I decide I have had enough answers for one day, but make a mental note to ask later.
"You okay?" I ask.
"No, not at all, but I want you to know we will get better. We will find Clara, and I think I figured out a way to make this work a bit better." I perk my eyebrows and look at her wonderingly.
"I am going to as a friend to tell me if he knows of any other family Sam might have had, they were a bit close. Either way, if she turned to her mothers family, that would be easier to find since they are settled and not drifters like Sam." She tells me.
I get the feeling that we are drifters too, we have moved from Louisiana to Florida, to Nevada, to Ohio (probably that was the safehouse we were going to) and to Nicaragua, but that was more like a very long vacation, even though I went to school.
"And what are the odds that we will be followed?" I ask.
"Pretty low if we stay off the radar." She says. I try not to interpret that too much.
"Okay." I say. "Has Delia eaten yet?" I ask.
"Yeah, she came quite a while back and took all the very rare meat we had in the fridge." She supplies. I laugh a bit. I do like meat, but not that rare.
"It is wise to encourage her to have raw meat?" I ask.
"I think it is healthy." She replies.
I guess it is. So I just shrug in response.
"Did you talk to Bill?" she asks, hope in her voice and doubt in her head.
"Yes, he seems to be quite good at explaining himself when he is given the chance." I reply. She shivers, something tells me she did not let him explain at least once. Or twice.
"Yes, he is quite good at that." She says. "Apologies, explanations." She says, disrupting her dreamy state. I roll my eyes behind my eyelids.
"I have to read a chapter for school. Excuse me" I say and wash my plate. I take a bottle of blood before leaving the room. Mamma does not question me.
I notice a tear in Mamma's face as I leave the room. I tell myself she is crying over Dad and go upstairs. The heavy Marilyn Manson song made me turn my head towards Delia's room, and my body followed.
"You talking with somebody?" I ask as she turns her head towards the door to acknowledge my presence from behind the screen of her plasma screen computer, her digital book is thrown on her bed.
"Yeah, this honey bear in Vermont that thinks we have a lot in common." She giggles. There is a rough sound coming from her earplug muffler that I can only imagine is laughter.
"Oh, what's his name?" I ask. I did not like big guys a lot, but Delia does.
"Ethan." She says. "Ethan says pleased to meet ya." She says. I look at her computer. She does not have the webcam on; she is just on the phone. Phew.
"Can you lend me your digital book?" I ask.
"Why?" she asks.
"Cuz Bill asked nicely for my computer and I want to finish reading a chapter from out World History book." I explain. She gives me a go ahead with her hand and continues with her conversation with the bear.
"I like fish a lot too!" I hear her say into the mike that comes out of her earplugs. Something tells me that they like to hunt fish, not eat fish.
I go to by room again, Bill is still in front of the computer screen. I smile politely at him and perch myself by the window with the digital book. That is the advantage of having my tablet, I did everything in it, while Delia reads in her digital book, types and chats in her computer and talks through the phone. I had it all in one.
I tap the screens a few times and get to the chapter I want to read. I get submerged fast into the Inquisition and Colonialism of America, I still find that the amount of cultures that were destroyed is disgusting. But the historian, regretfully, always has a point of view.
I huff when they describe the capacity of the Aztecs and Incas was destroyed by the cannon. Bill looks up.
"Something wrong, honey?" he asks.
"I hate that my history book is completely one sided." I say.
"What are you reading on?" he asks. I do a quick math and know he was not around for that time.
"Imperialism and Colonialism in America, The early fifteen hundreds" I explain.
"Hmm" he makes a weird sound, I wonder what he is thinking but refrain myself from entering his mind. Then he starts clicking and typing again, a bit faster I might add.
"Found it." He says, as if he finished a though essay.
"Found what?" I ask.
"A vampire from that time, an Aztec by the name of Jade Lily" he tells me.
"Listen, this chat is closed off to vampires only, so one of two, pretend you are a vampire attending college and studying that, or if you are informed enough pretend to be from that time." He asks me.
"College vampire" I say. He types in a few words.
"Screenname for this session?" he asks.
"The Historian?" I make a joke about a literature book I had read a while back. He types it in. "No, no, that was a joke. How about frustrated college girl?" I say. "And dash it" I ask. He obliges.
"There" he says. "Don't stay in there too long. And be polite, not all vampires are keen on sharing their history, but she is in that chat, so maybe she will be useful." I nod.
"Thanks a lot" I tell him. I do not have the heart to tell him that I had hacked that private vampire website months ago and had been listening in to interesting conversations months ago, though I used them the least to do homework.
"You are welcome" He never uses contractions, does he? I guess that is how they spoke in his time.
"I shall be downstairs if you need me. Thank you for allowing me to use your computer." Which I suggested your mother was a great device for you to have, he ends in his head. I push back a laugh.
"Anytime." I say, ignoring the thought that he managed to push towards me.
He unnecessarily shuts the door behind him.
I talk to Jade Lily for about forty minutes, loving every second she tells me about her life before and after being turned. I tell her I am taking a course on Colonialism and Imperialism in my history class and that my textbook only has the European point of view, maybe she can help me with the other perspective. She is glad to make her original culture sound good. I found out more than I ever thought I would.
True, I had done this a few times before, but the fact that Bill did this kind of favor to me and had given a good apology earlier. That about put him on my good side.
"Where are you studying?" Jade Lily asks me after a few really good explanations. Oh, shit.
"University of Louisiana" I lie quickly.
"Okay. If I am ever around I shall look you up."
"That would be nice" I write, does that sound vampirey?
"Must be tough going to night lessons." I read and nod.
"Yes." I type in.
"Well, I must entertain tonight, but it was great talking to you." She texts twice.
"Same here, I have to go out and feed at some point too." I write. Did that just come out naturally?
I log off. That was a close call. I go downstairs and walk in on Bill and Mamma talking, a good distance between the two. Or rather chess game between them.
"Does the University of Louisiana give night courses?" I ask Bill as I settle on Mamma's side of the table.
"Yes" I nod.
"Good" I reply.
"Did you lie?" he asks. I shrug. "A lot?"
"Not really, she asked me where I was studying and then said that night lessons must be tough. She said she had to entertain and then I told her I had to go feed at some point anyways. She told me she'd look me up if she was ever in Louisiana." I said with a tempting grin.
Mamma is shocked I lied so easily. Bill was laughing, or at least I think he was.
"My congratulations to your resourcefulness." He says. I take that as a compliment.
"I cannot believe you got her in" is the only thing Mamma says.
"She said she did not like that her textbook only tells one side of the history. I agree with her. The Civil War to me is nothing like what the Northern States describe it in their books." Mamma rolls her eyes.
Mamma, move the knight to the left and then make him target your pawn, you have it straight for the tower to go the queen.
"You two are tricky" Mamma says. Bill smiles warmly at her and winks at me. I grin too, but rather let snuggle to her arm and find the most innocent tone I can.
"Uncle Bill was thanking me for lending him my computer." I said in the sweetest tone I can. It came out a bit bittersweet, but I made it squeaky just for mamma.
"Uncle Bill, huh, is that right?" she asks looking between the both of us.
"Sure beats Billam." He says and moves. It does not affect the course I had thought for her to win. To my surprise, Mamma follows my advice.
"Who called you Billam?" she asks.
"My children, when my youngest could not pronounce it. They had it for like a half a year before I left to war." He says.
"Oh, Bill, I'm sorry" she says. He gives her a certain look that I am not able to decipher.
"You have nothing to be sorry about." He says, and then moves.
"Honey," Mamma says and moves to grab his arm. "You did not have to go there." She says.
"I did not realize I was until I had done it." He says.
"Still." She pushes on.
"Let it be, Sookie." He asks. Mamma looks down at the chess pieces for a small while. You are right, he has to take my pawn if I move it that way. She makes a deeper face of concentration and then moves the pawn.
Initially not bothering with the pawn, Bill looks at the board planning his next move slowly.
"Sookie, I am sorry, but I will take that last pawn of yours." He says. So what? She's about to win.
"Oh, dear." She says. I've never beat him before, she tells me excitedly in my head, but her expression remains hidden.
He moves his knight to take the pawn, leaving the queen completely unprotected.
"Oh my, is that what I think it is?" Mamma asks. She is being playful. I smile a bit.
"You can check mate" I tell her. Bill looks at the board. What? How did I miss that? He looks at the board to see if there is anyway to stop it. But he has lost.
Mamma takes the tower between her index and fuck finger, and moves it slowly until she hits the queen slowly and she rolls to the side. She's grinning at him.
"I have to keep my promise of what I will do if you ever beat me." He says. Something tells me that I do not want to know about it.
"Okay, good night, Uncle Bill, good night, Mamma. I take that as my cue." I say and float up a second later and hustle to my room. I hear a giggle. I rummage my desk for my remote and turn on my music. Unlike Delia, I like soft and old music. I had in a disc from early Italian baroque. It is quite soothing, and I read my history chapter at ease, knowing a bit more about the other side.
Maybe this whole Bill thing would not be so bad.
Hi, I don't know if posting sooner or later is better or not for reviews, but i will deal with that later. Meanwhile, i would love it if you reviewed! Thanks for reading!