Hey everybody, I have been missing you all! Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, or added me to the alerts or favorites. I have actually gotten quite a few reviews and messages these past few days from people who had never even read my first couple of stories saying they found them and were already on the sequels. I just want to say that I am so glad to have you guys on board!
So enough blabbering and on to our story!
An Invincible Summer
Chapter 7
Sookie
She looked up at the old house. She had missed it. She thought of her Gran outside tending her garden. Sookie expected it to be run over with weeds, but it was immaculate. The entire house looked immaculate. Sookie climbed out of the car as Jason walked over to help her out of it, and held his hand out to her.
"It looks amazin'," Jason said, "You been keepin' it up?" he asked.
Sookie shook her head and replied softly, "No, Eric."
Her vampire always took care of her. And she didn't make it easy for him either. She tended to fight him every step of the way. All he did was try to make her life easier. She smiled, resolving that she wouldn't fight him so hard. Sookie smiled, looking at her Gran's immaculate house before she went to the garden shed and grabbed some gardening shears and gardening gloves.
She went to her Gran's rose bush with Jason in tow and began cutting the best buds on the bush. Gran deserved the very best.
When she had a good handful, she gathered them up, removing the thorns with the small shears and handed them to Jason. He smelled each one, a nostalgic look on his features. Sookie didn't need to peek in his head to know he was thinking about Gran. Gran loved her garden and her roses in particular.
Sookie put the shears and the gloves back in her shed and followed Jason with the bouquet as they made their way to her grave.
As they passed their parents graves, Jason placed a single stem on their tombstone and Sookie smiled and touched the cool stone lovingly, not really pausing to stop. They finally reached their Gran's grave. Jason leaned over and propped the flowers in front of her tombstone.
He stood and they were both silent before something tingled in Sookie's mind. Someone was approaching. He was also here to place flowers on a tombstone and he was lost. It was then Sookie recognized their local florist's mind signature.
"Tom! Over here!" Sookie called out, wondering what he was doing delivering flowers so late.
Jason gave her a quizzical look, but Sookie pointed the direction Tom was coming from.
Suddenly Tom came into view. He was a nice older gentleman carrying an enormous bunch of deep pink roses...in his bathrobe. "Tom, whatya doin' out here in your night clothes?" Jason asked with a smile on his face.
"I got an urgent order placed a half hour ago," he said, panting to catch his breath.
"Who is it for? Sookie and I know this cemetery like the back of our hands practically livin' in it our whole lives," Jason said.
"Well I am glad y'all called out to me, otherwise I never would have found her. It's your grandmother that gets these beauties," he said making sure the roses were still in good condition. They were perfect.
"Sookie and Jason looked at the roses, then each other, and finally to Tom.
"Who are they from?" Sookie asked, trying to see if there was a card.
"A Mr. Eric Northman," Tom responded, looking at a crumpled receipt in his pocket.
Sookie smiled and tears prickled her eyes.
"That's my husband," she murmured, looking at the gorgeous bouquet.
"Two dozen deep pink roses, indicating thank you" Tom replied.
"Thank you?" Jason asked. "Eric didn't even know Gran, did he?"
Sookie shook her head, "I'll explain later."
Tom placed the pink roses next to the red ones Jason and Sookie had brought. She smiled at the bouquets and Tom gave a big yawn. "She was a remarkable woman, your grandmother," he said in a tired voice.
"Thank you for comin' all the way out here so late Tom," Sookie said as Jason nodded in agreement, his eyes still fixed to the flowers.
"Not at all, your husband explained the situation and was very appreciative Miss Sookie," he said.
Sookie could only imagine what "appreciative" meant, but reminded herself of her earlier resolve.
"Well I am gonna give you both some privacy and get on home to Esther," he said by way of farewell.
"Night Tom," Jason said, reaching across Sookie and shaking his hand.
Sookie nodded to Tom and watched him walk through the maze of tombstones to his car.
Sookie and Jason stood in silent reflection for a bit before Jason said, "She was a hell of a woman. I miss her."
That about summed it up, Sookie thought as she nodded in agreement.
"Shall we?" he asked after a few more minutes.
She nodded and said, "Yep, let's go."
Eric
Eric sat at his desk, typing out frantic emails and flipping through paperwork. He needed to get out front or Pam would lose her shit on him.
His phone chirped and sure enough it was a message from Pam with various threats.
At the same time his office phone shrilled and he picked up to the phone the operator voice that he had an urgent call from the Authority.
Eric rubbed his temples and waited. More bullshit.
He continued to type and move papers around on his desk as one of the lower ranking members of the Authority droned on about a message from the higher ups.
He hung up the phone and clicked his laptop shut. He stood and straightened out his outfit. Black jeans, black kick-ass boots, a black singlet, and his signature necklace.
He didn't care about looking good for anybody but his lover and wife, but Pam would kill him if he wasn't able to turn on the breathers and/or drop fang. He had been doing both since the 10th century.
Eric strut out to his club and the entire bar fluttered at his presence. He sat on his throne and scanned the room, seeing Pam at the bar with Chow and Ginger. He motioned for her to come to him and he also motioned for Ginger to come with her.
As he waited for his child and the brain addled Ginger to come to him, he checked the bond with Sookie. She was happy, feeling sentimental, and extremely grateful.
Eric always felt like he was never close to a major part of Sookie's life because he had never been acquainted with her Gran. But in some ways he swear he could see parts of the late Adele Stackhouse shining out of Sookie's eyes, or in her quirky sayings, or in her little polite mannerisms.
Eric didn't know if Adele Stackhouse would approve of him, but he knew he liked her. Sookie was a product of her love and affection and now Sookie was now bestowing her heart to him because of the upbringing and goodness of Adele Stackhouse. For that Eric, would be forever grateful to Adele Stackhouse. Hence the deep pink roses he had delivered tonight to her grave.
The competent florist was infuriated by the late hour in which he was calling, but Eric explained what he needed and why he needed it tout de suite. And when Eric said he would pay more than a country florist made in a month he was more than thrilled to help Eric find the perfect flowers to say thank you for Adele Stackhouse.
Eric said, "True Blood, any type," to Ginger, who scurried off to get his order, then beckoned Pam to sit by his side.
Pam obediently sat down and her eyes held their eternal look of boredom as she stared at the crowd of twitchy humans attempting to attract the two fair haired vampires.
The truth was that Eric always enjoyed this time with Pam. It was a chance for them to monitor their bond together and to sit, sometimes in silence, just enjoying each other.
Pam enjoyed it too, though she would never openly say it.
Eric admired his child's profile. She was beautiful, smart, deadly, cunning, and witty. They always joked that she was the female version of Eric. But Eric knew that his child was even better than he. She would do great things in her long life. And when the time came, she would become maker to vampires that would be worthy of his and Godric's blood line.
Eric thought of the child Sookie would have made. She would have rivaled the greatness of Pam, which was saying something. And he would have been right by her side for the whole of it. To be honest, he mourned the loss of her as his child. Sookie would have been his magnum opus. She would have been a stunning immortal of the night.
But he was telling the truth when he promised her that he would be with Sookie one way or the other for the rest of his existence.
And he knew Pam was worried about this and not just for him but for herself. She worried about an existence without the protection and companionship of her maker. But like Eric when Godric met the sun, he knew she would. She would likely feel the similar empty ache inside of her, calling out for her maker for some time, but that too would fade.
"Den är upptagen ikväll (It is busy tonight)," he remarked. She only nodded and looked towards the line out the door.
Business was once again booming. Apparently the bombing and the horrendous acts of Russell Edgington on television cancelled each other out in the minds of humans. Or they had simply decided to "toe the line" and look for a little danger.
The truth was that Fangtasia was actually quite safe. For patrons, at least. There were rules enforced for and by the staff at Fangtasia. And Eric was a strict enforcer.
Eric felt Sookie traveling in the general direction of their home between Shreveport and Bon Temps and he sighed in relief.
Pam looked to him and said, "Nervös är vi (Nervous are we)?"
He only glanced at her and then down at his phone expecting a call or text from Sookie to let him know she was home.
Pam chuckled and murmured, "Som ett possessivt lite skolpojke (Like a possessive little school boy)."
Eric only scowled her way and then back at the darkened face of his phone.
She was driving him mad. YES! The phone lit up and he anxiously loaded the message, which was apparently a picture message because it was taking longer than usual.
It was a picture of Sookie naked, covered by a white sheet from the waist down. The rest of her was bare. Her breasts were so lovely. He growled and looked to Pam who was giving him a quizzical look.
He looked back to the picture. Her face was playful and teasing and he smiled when he saw her blushing cheeks. His Sookie had never done something like this before. It was then he saw her message, See you at home, Mr. Northman.
Eric was completely hard in his jeans. It was too much. "Titta på det ansiktet! Och det erektion! Har Sookie skicka en stygg text (Look at that face! And that erection! Did Sookie send you a naughty text?)?"
Eric's fangs snicked down into place causing several patrons hearts to flutter.
"Ja, ja, ja. Jag svär, den tjejen vinner min respekt långsamt varje dag (Well, well, well. I swear, that girl is gaining my respect slowly each day).
"Pam I am going home for the night," he said in a low dangerous voice.
He needed out right now. And not just out of the club, but his jeans as well. Out of his jeans and right into his wife.
Alright so up next is more plot advancement and a little smut! The perfect combo! So stay tuned. And remember to hit the review and drop me a line. I need to hear from y'all to get a good feeler on how you like it so far!