This is the last chapter of this fifth story. It's a little long because I wanted to get it over with. The ending is not that great because I just wanted to finish it, but I think the story is good nonetheless.
The next two chapters are already ready. They're two one-shots and I'll be posting them soon.
That's it, enjoy.
When it was around one hour before sunset, I went to sit by Sookie's closet to wait for the queen to wake up. Awhile later I heard her moving. I move quickly, opening the hiding place in a flash and staring at her open eyes.
She exits the hidey hole gracefully and kneels by my side. I move slightly towards her for a hug and she meets me halfway. She's a vampire so she doesn't feel warm in my arms. But I feel absolutely safe in hers. I hug her as tight and long as I could. She hugged me back, running her hand up and down my back. "What is going on, Hadley? Where are we?" she asks a few moments after, but didn't pull away.
"I was so scared something might happen to you" I say. "All I could think was to protect you. I ran away like crazy."
"What happened, Hadley? Why did I wake up in a nasty hole on a closet? What's going on?" she asks in my neck. I pull back and start telling her everything. She looks surprised and angry; I pity those humans when she gets her hands into them.
"You did all of that?" she asks and I nod. She leans towards me to kiss me. Her lips are soft and they taste good, as always. I feel my nose breathe out as I prolong the kiss because there is no reason to pull away from her. I both feel and hear her make a humming sound through my mouth. It vibrates through my lips, down to my stomach and makes its way throughout my body.
She pulls back and hugs me again. "I'm thankful, darling. Now I have a question" she says. I wait for her to speak. "Why am I wearing jeans?" I laugh between tears. I hear her chuckling into my shoulder. Her abdomen shakes from laughing against mine.
"I needed to cover your legs. And I was in hurry. Someone was trying to kill you, you see."
She kisses my shoulder softly and pulls back to stand up. She helps me get up and I hold on to her because my knees feel like jelly. "I need to go back and see what damage was made in the mansion" she says. "First I need to get out of these clothes. A queen doesn't wear jeans."
I smile and shake my head, then call for Sookie. She appears at the doorway a few seconds later and looks at the queen with wide eyes. "Hey ma'am. I'm sorry for what happened" she says.
"Yes, me too. Know that I owe you, your help will not be forgotten." The queen says. "Now please get me a dress, I have to go back to New Orleans. And call Eric Northman, tell him to come here immediately."
Sookie nods and did as the queen asked. After a few minutes, the queen is wearing a white dress, a little lose for her, but nice nonetheless. I sit at the bed and watch as she gets ready. She had lots of questions and I answered them as best as I could.
"So they were pounding on my safe door?"
"Yes. I woke up with the noise. They were screaming too. All I could think was that the Fellowship was taking over. I didn't know if they were capable on breaking the door, but I wasn't going to take any chances."
"I owe you my life, Hadley. I will never forget it" she walks towards me and hugs me softly with her arms wrapped around my neck. I let out a content sigh. "I love you." She says tenderly.
And I'm surprised. Because although I know we love each other, we don't always say it. At least not in everyday conversation. Sometimes there's just no need to when you absolutely know it. And there is something about her voice that makes me totally melt inside and my brain can't think straight.
"I love you too." I tell her honestly. My fluttering heart brings my hand up to her face and I lightly brush my thumb across her cheek.
We stay in the same position for a few seconds before she pulls away. "Now that we're ready let's go downstairs. The Sheriff of this area will provide me safety when I go back to New Orleans" she grabs my hand and intertwines our fingers as we walk down the stairs. Sookie was nowhere to be seen. I think she's giving us space to talk.
"So you grew up here" the queen says, looking around the living room.
"More or less. I lived in my parents' house but I came here to play with Sookie and Jason everyday" I answer. "You know I get nostalgic when I talk about my past, it's uncomfortable. It's bad enough that I'm back to Bon Temps" I answer.
"About that" she starts nonchalantly "you'll stay here when I go back".
I snort. No fucking way. "Absolutely not" I say. "I won't leave your side".
"Hadley, this is important" she says. "If there are other members of the fellowship we'll fight them. I can't worry about you while I'm fighting".
"Your majesty doesn't fight" I glare at her.
She grins. "Yes I do, I just choose not to. I'm a thousand years old darling, I've been through everything you can imagine".
Before I could voice my disapproval, someone knocks at the door. Sookie opens it and they exchange a few words before a tall blonde vampire enters the room. "Your majesty" he says, bowing a little. It was funny because he's very tall.
"I need you to take me back to New Orleans" the queen orders. "Have you already gathered your underlings?"
"Yes majesty. I've closed the bar for the night, all vampires in my area are alerted" he says. So he's a Sheriff. I wonder which number this area is.
"Well then, let's get going" the queen says. I fall into the sofa, my arms crossed. "Go wait for me outside" the queen says to the vampire and Sookie.
Sookie and Eric leave the room and go outside. The queen moves and sits at my lap. "I'll take your cousin, so she can read the humans minds" she says. I open my mouth to protest but she rises up her hand, stopping me. "I have to know which humans are on my side and which ones are not. I have no problem with taking her to danger, Eric will protect her. But I won't let you in danger, you've done enough. I'll get Bill Compton to stay and look over you" she says. I sigh and nod my head in approval.
I kiss her cheek softly. "Fine", I wait a minute. "I love you, Sophie."
I rarely call her by her name. She looks at me with sparkling bright blue eyes.
"I love you too Hadley." She says quietly. My arm wraps tighter around her and my fingers rub her stomach gently. I think she purrs.
We stay there for a while longer, no words between us. None needed. Eventually she gets up and with a small smile she disappears from the room.
I hear Eric's car driving away, and the house falls into complete silence. Then, without having anything else to do, I cry.
****************
I must have fallen asleep at the couch because I wake up with a phone ringing by my side. I reach for it and mumble a hello, not really awake yet.
"Hadley, it's me" says the queen's voice, and I'm awake in a flash. "Did you fall asleep?" she asks.
"Yeah, I'm exhausted" I answer her. I search for a clock and find one over the fireplace. 3am. "How did things go? Is the house ok?"
"It's being taken care of" she responds. "There are still things to do. Your cousin is staying here to interview all of the humans. We have plans for the traitors". I don't even wanna know what kind of plans she's talking about. "I'm staying at a hotel for the night. I've arranged for someone to bring you back to New Orleans tomorrow afternoon. Right now you must go back to sleep and not worry about a thing. I have everything under control, I promise. I'll tell you everything tomorrow."
I nod even though she can't see me. "Alright. I'm glad things are ok".
"As I said, everything is under control. There are a few things lost, but nothing unfixable" she says. "Go to sleep now, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Ok" I say.
"Goodbye darling" she says and I hang up.
I'm still sleepy and since there's nothing better to do, I go to Sookie's bedroom to get some sleep. I fall in the bed and sleep takes over me quickly.
I wake up with the sun shining. It's been weeks since I've seen the sun. I eat something in the kitchen and check the time. The car would come for me shortly so I went outside to enjoy the sun while I wait. The car I came with the queen is in the same spot I left it yesterday. I wonder what's going to be done with it. Minutes later I hear a car coming up the driveway. It comes to view and I freeze. It's not one of the queen's cars.
It stops behind the other car and two men step outside. "Hadley, correct?" one of them says.
"Yes, that's me. And you are?" I ask. Maybe I could out run them to the living room. There was a shot gun there if I'm not mistaken.
"We are sent by Mr. Eric Northman to take you to Shreveport and then to a private jet to New Orleans" he answers. "Ted and Phil" he continues, pointing to himself and to the other man respectively. "Phil will take the other car, you can come with me if you're ready to go."
Well, I have no other option. If they're some FotS members I can't really do anything to stop them. "Sure" I reply, and get in the back seat of the car.
The ride to Shreveport goes smoothly. I relax, because they're not assassins after all. Ted talked to me during the ride, he was a really funny guy and that made the time pass quickly. Once I'm in Shreveport Ted drops me off at the airport, and before I know it I'm on a jet to New Orleans. It's not the first time I've been in one, the queen uses her all the time, so I relax in my seat and end up falling asleep. I wake up as the plane is landing, and as I step outside I'm met by a familiar face.
"Dawn, hey". Dawn is one of the queen's maids. She's been working at the mansion for years. I always talk to her when I have time, and she has always been nice to me.
"How are you, Hadley?" she asks as we enter the limo. "The queen sent me to get you. She said you'd feel better seeing a known face."
"Well, her majesty is never wrong, is she?" we both chuckle. It ends up that Dawn also woke up when the take over was happening, and she alerted the guards and the police. Some of the guards were not with the FotS and were able to contain the others. Unfortunately, it wasn't soon enough. The Fellowship members burned the queen's quarters and almost all the mansion, but the cops and the firemen got there before they could do anymore damage. But even so, half of the mansion was gone.
I fought back tears. I really liked the mansion, I've been living there for two years now. The queen is probably very upset, the renovations of her day room were made not even two months ago. Her mansion was her home, and now she was homeless. Of course she's upset. I'll say more, I bet she's fucking pissed off. Balls-out crazy.
"Dawn, how's the queen?" I ask.
Dawn sighs. "I was there when she saw the mansion, but you know her majesty, she can hide her emotions really well. I work for her for more than 10 years and yet I know very little about her. She only opens up to you, Hadley."
True. But not so true. The queen talked to me, yes, but not about everything. Most of the time I want to know everything there is to know about her, but there are times that I don't. She's too old, she must have gone through everything there is to see.
We chitchat for most of the way to the hotel. Once I'm there, Dawn takes me to my room and gives me fresh clothes then leaves. I take a bath and get dressed, then walk to the queen's room. The bodyguards tense as I walk closer but once they see it's me they relax and Ed even smiles at me.
"Great job at taking care of the queen, Hadley" he says. "We're all very proud."
I chuckle and he lets me in. The queen is sleeping. I flick the lights and sit by the bed to watch some TV while she's still sleeping. I'm watching something really interesting on TCM when I feel a cold hand in my shoulder and I jump in surprise. The queen laughs, delighted. She enjoys sneaking up on me and making me jump. She does it a lot at home. Well, did, 'cause now we're homeless.
I turn to look at her and she's smiling, and I can't help but smile back. Her smile turns into a full on wide-mouthed, nose-crinkling, dimpled grin when our eyes meet each others. Her eyes are sparkling at mine and I can't help the butterflies that explode like a bomb within my stomach. "I really hate when you do that" I tell her.
"It's amusing" she replies with a shrug, but her smile gives her away. "When did you get here?"
"A few minutes ago" I answer. She leans in, cupping my face, and kissing me sweetly. I kiss her back, never wanting to stop. When we break apart we are looking each other and sporting the same stupid smiles.
"How are you?" I ask. We sit in Indian style, in front of each other. "Tell me everything".
She stays quiet.
I sigh. "Well, I'll tell you how I feel. I'm pissed that those motherfuckers messed up our home" I tell her. "And if I could I would crack their necks one by one". I figure showing her my anger will make her open up. "Don't you feel the same?"
She laughs out of nowhere and I frown. "Oh honey, you're so amusing" she's still chuckling when she leans in and kisses my lips quickly. "I'm angry for the same reasons, of course" she starts "but you don't crack their necks, dear, you crack one bone at a time. The fun is in the torture, not the instant kill" she finishes, smiling as if telling a children's story.
"Have you found them already?" I ask.
"Some, yes" she smiles again. She's all smiles tonight, it's strange.
"I'm sorry, but I thought you'd be more upset" I say.
She nods. "Oh, I'm upset. I'm angry, pissed off, sad, hurt and all those feelings you humans like to name. But the important is that my queendom hasn't been taken over, there are no signs of any rebellion or vampire take over. The house was burned, yes, but it won't take long to build another one. We'll move to a temporary house while ours gets fixed." Did you notice she said ours? Cause I sure as hell did.
"So basically you're hurt because the house was burned but you're happy that the queendom is ok?" I ask and she nods. "You're so odd". She laughs again and hugs me tightly.
"I'm glad you're ok" I say in her neck. With this, she takes her cheek from mine and puts her face close to mine, eyes wandering around my face and then resting on my eyes. It doesn't matter that our house is burned to the ground, or that I went through hell to get her to safety. All I see in her eyes is love. And that's all I need.