Disclaimer: I don't own, the Southern Vampire Mysteries belong to Charlaine Harris
A massive thank- you to my wonderful beta lauinia :)
About half an hour later, I heard the front door open and close softly as Amelia let herself into my apartment. I had managed to drag myself into my bedroom and cuddle up on my bed. At first I had pulled one of the pillows Eric had used into me, both cuddling up to it and using it as a pillow. That was until I had found something lying underneath. To say I was startled was an understatement.
That was how Amelia found me; sitting on my bed, legs folded, grasping a necklace in my hands. I saw through Amelia's eyes what I looked like. I was actually a little surprised she didn't take me to hospital, or something like it. My face was swollen, my eyes were puffed up even more and I was blotchy.
"Hey, Sook," she greeted me softly as she sat down on the bed beside me. Her arms went around me and she rested her head on my shoulders, letting me know that she was there for me.
"He left his necklace." I whispered, unable to tear my eyes away from what I was holding. I could feel her confusion.
"He bought you jewellery?" She asked, thinking that was the only way to make sense of what I had said in that tone. "It's pretty interesting, not very feminine though." She reached out to touch the charm, but thought better of it just as her fingers were about to touch the metal.
"No. This is his necklace. He left it here." More confusion rolled from her brain.
"Do you need to mail it back?" I shook my head; there was no way this was an accident. "Okay, Sookie, you're going to have to explain, hun. I'm not following." She kissed my shoulder.
"This is Eric's necklace, he's had it for quite literally centuries. He never takes it off and I mean never. There's two he has; one is an anchor and the other is an eagle's talon dipped in metal. There's no way this could have been left here without him intending to. I just don't know why." My voice was quiet and I spoke while my mind was elsewhere, running through all the possibilities.
"Well, I think hun, it probably means he loves you. If he's willing to part with something so special to him, it means you're freaking special to him too." More tears began to stream down my cheeks.
"We said that this was nothing serious and that we wouldn't let ourselves fall, or anything." I leaned into her, letting her support me.
"Well, do you love him?" I nodded my head. "Then you both obviously broke that, but were just too stubborn to say anything to each other. Which I sort of get, but don't at the same time. If you love someone you have to grab them by the ears and hold on." I laughed despite myself but it was humourless.
"Oh, God. Amelia, what have I done?" With that I buried my face in her shoulder. My throat was too choked up to speak properly.
EPOV
"Pam!" I yelled. I sat in my office and had already gone through two bottles of blood. I knew that my vampire side shone through more strongly when I was hungry. Apparently hunger was not my issue. I knew it was not but it had not stopped me from trying to quench my feelings via blood. "Pam!" I could hear her steps quicken down the hallway. She did not bother to knock on the door as she burst in. Her eyes were wide when she first stepped inside; obviously thinking something terrible was happening. When all she saw was me pacing behind my desk, her expression returned to her usual mask of boredom.
"What do you want?" She folded her slender arms across her chest.
"Have you finished the stock check? I need to get that order processed." She had the indecency to roll her eyes.
"No, I haven't finished an entire stock check in an hour. We're not out of anything, the order will be fine being placed tomorrow. Don't get your panties in a twist."
"You need to work faster. This should have been done while I was away, yet the task is still not complete." My hand gripped onto one of the empty bottles of blood. I needed to invent a vampire stress toy. I had tried many of the human varieties, yet they had all been destroyed within a few seconds.
"Fucking calm down. If you haven't forgotten, I was away with you too." Her hip popped out to the side.
"You came back earlier than I did, giving you the chance to have the task completed." She did not need to remind me that she had come back three nights earlier than I. It was a reminder that I had only had three more nights with Sookie than her.
"You will not take your frustration out on me, Eric. Just because your mind isn't here and you need to get rid of some feelings." She spat the word as those it tasted worse than chicken blood. "I deserve more respect than that."
I threw the bottle in my hand harshly against the wall. It hit exactly where I had wanted, a foot to the right of her head. The velocity had even caused her hair to move in the breeze it created. She did not flinch. When she stepped forward she moved slowly through the shards, making them crunch under her stilettos.
"I will not take this, Eric." She jabbed a finger in my direction. "You are caught up on fucking Sookie Stackhouse again. I knew this would happen. What the fuck did you do in those three nights? You were fine when I left. When you get back, this is what I get." She shrugged her shoulders, annoyance radiating out of every pore.
"She dragged me down into her human world. That is what happened." The need to cause damage swelled up inside of me. My muscles ached with the need to tense. If I had an opponent worthy enough, a good old fashioned brawl would have been exactly what I needed.
"Oh, just tell me already." Pam sat down in one of the guest chairs. She draped one leg over the other, crossing them at the knee and began filing away at one of her nails which appeared to already be perfectly manicured. "If you don't, I'll just drag it out of her."
"You will do no such thing." I went back to my pacing; at least it was movement.
"Then just fucking tell me. Then I know what I can say that won't result in you slapping my head." Anger built up inside me once more threatening to overspill. I closed my eyes even as I continued to pace and pushed it back down. It would do no good to hit Pam, no matter how good it would feel for a moment.
"We dated." She glanced at me, telling that my words were not good enough. "I met her best friend." A best friend was a foreign term to us, we did not categorise our friendships or alliances by such terms. However, after spending time with Sookie, we both knew how much that term meant to her. "She made us go fucking ice skating." Even Pam had only ever been ice skating with me once.
"Blood?" It was only one word but I knew all of the questions she was really asking.
"Yes. I took hers on the last night. We exchanged when she cut herself. It was not intentional." I had once tricked her into taking my blood, just go get it into her system. It was not something I regretted, yet I definitely would not consider it one of the finer moments of my undead existence. "She is in my head." I could feel her blood in my veins and I was intrinsically connected to her. For example, this very second I knew she was upset. That had been the overwhelming emotion since I had left. I knew it was knowing that I was the cause of her pain that had me feeling so restless. I was not used to feeling powerless in any situation. It was not an emotion with which I wished to get better acquainted.
"You have to ride it out. It's your own damn fault."
"How can I ride it out? I hate it. I cannot stand having these extra feelings in me. There is an ocean separating us. Right now, she is upset and there is absolutely nothing I can do." Nothing that I was willing to do was more accurate. However, I understood my limitations and responsibilities in this situation. As did Sookie. She never once asked me to stay. The pen holder went flying. I had tapped into enough of my strength for the metal to scratch paint from the wall.
"Will you get a grip before you ruin this office. I do not wish to decorate it again." In all the years that we had owned Fangtasia, even before vampires came out of the coffin, the office had been redecorated once. That was eighteen months ago. "You were together with her for what, a week?"
"A little over."
"Right. You were together for a little over a week. I know you took blood. I still don't understand why you are this worked up. What aren't you telling me?" She flipped the nail file onto the desk, not caring about it at all.
"I heard something as I left." Pam continued to stare at me until I continued. "As I stepped into the elevator I heard say 'I love you'." Pam's expression didn't change.
"Again, I repeat, so? She's loved you for years, we all knew it. Everyone except you two anyway. Although even you knew it longer than she did. You loved her for awhile too. After you got over just wanting to get into her pants. You moved on." It was when she said those words that everything that I had been saying clicked into place. Her mouth gaped slightly. "You're in love with her. Again."
"Yes." There was no point denying it from Pam now that she had figured it out.
"What is it about Sookie? Women have always loved you and yet I never saw you fall for any of them. Over a century and I think the longest one lasted a month, and that was me! Then along comes Sookie." She shook her head.
"You feel it too."
"Yes. I admit, she's remarkably good fun for a breather, definitely my favourite. I just don't understand the extent of your feelings." She shook her head. I went back to wearing a bare patch into the carpet.
"She surprises me. After over a millennia that is a rare treat." I would not be able to explain my feelings to Pam. She would never be able to understand.
"Wait." I paused on my path. I had just turned around, so was essentially facing Pam as she relaxed in the chair. "Where is your necklace?" She said the words as though she already knew the answer.
"With Sookie." I had managed to orchestrate a plan to leave it in her possession. I had no idea whether she had found it yet, but she would. Of course I had not lost my driver's licence underneath her bed. It was stowed safely in my wallet and as such would not work loose from my trousers being simply thrown to the floor.
"Oh, just flippin' great. You're serious about all this." I squashed down the rage again. I did not do flippant very often. Even if I did feel like being jovial, I would not choose this as my topic.
"Yes. Do you have any helpful suggestions?" She actually snorted. "If your suggestions include anything regarding rebound, sex with another, or hunting you may as well leave." She stood up to leave. "Fine. Go and do the inventory. I expect it completed by the end of the night." She continued to walk toward the door. I really needed to let my fists connect with something. My undead life would be worth even less if I did any more damage to this office. "We have not questioned the bar tender in awhile." Since the' Sookie Effect', as it was referred to by Fangtasia staff, we regularly questioned our higher members of staff. It was nothing specific, more to check that they were not partaking in anything that I did not approve of. "Send in Long Shadow."
END EPOV
That night Amelia stayed with me, although I slept on Eric's side of the bed. It was nice to just know that someone else was there. It was comforting. She must have worked as my own personal dream catcher as I had a, thankfully, dreamless sleep. When I awoke late in the morning, it was to the scent of frying food permeating the air.
"There you are," Amelia greeted me. She was busy moving bacon around the largest frying pan I owned. I loved to cook and bake, it was partly my job, so my kitchenware was extensive. "I thought you might appreciate some comfort food." She waved her arm around, finally causing me to notice the extent of her cooking. There was a stack of buttercream pancakes, with a bottle of maple syrup next to them, a plate of sausages, eggs, tomatoes and hash browns. "There's also French toast keeping warm in the oven."
"Wow. How did you find all this stuff here?" My cupboards were usually well stocked for baking, but I didn't keep much of a normal food reserve, preferring to eat fresh.
"I brought it with me last night and stashed it." She finished with the bacon which I was very pleased to see was streaky and cooked to just the right amount of crispiness.
"You're a life saver. Have I ever told you I love you?" I asked as I gave her a quick hug around the middle. Next, I moved to my plates, pulling two out.
"You may have mentioned it. I couldn't find any Hershey's chocolate, or your peanut butter stash. So if you want those for pancakes, you'll have to dig them out." Amelia didn't like her pancakes with anything more creative than maple syrup, even that had taken some persuasion at first. I did indeed grab the items from my baking supplies cupboard and joined her in cramming food onto a plate.
"What are you doing with today?" I asked her as we settled down on the sofas.
"Keeping you company. Book club is tonight, do you want me to take it?" She offered.
"No. I'm not going to mope too much, hopefully. I need to keep doing stuff. I think keeping my mind occupied will help." The bacon was divine.
"In that case, you won't mind helping me with an article I'm working on."
"Not at all."
That set up the day. I spent the afternoon helping Amelia write the article, which didn't take much. Through that, I decorated the cake I had created. The large section was covered in orange, self coloured, regal icing. The edges were covered in frosting that I managed to get the same shade. I then added details such as place names and even the main highways, written in icing. I finished it all off by writing Louisiana diagonally across it in an elegant, scrawling script. Of course, I had nothing to do with the cake except make it the focus of a blog post and post photos on the internet. It would probably go down to the shelter.
I finally grabbed a shower before we headed out for the book club. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I had Eric's necklace around my neck, the chain so long that the anchor fell between my breasts. I didn't care. This way, I could keep it private. The bite marks on my neck were still present but healing rapidly, thanks to both the nature of the bite and the small amount of Eric's blood I'd taken into my system last night. I couldn't ignore the connection that the small amount of sharing had caused. I had known the instant he had fallen into sleep this morning and I knew I would feel it when he awoke for the day. I both hoped for and dreaded the day when it would wear off.
Book club wasn't too bad. It was another book that I had read many times; Great Expectations. The book had also only been introduced last week so the members were only expected to get so far. There wouldn't be too many in-depth questions. Amelia agreed that I held my own.
When it came time to leave, Amelia offered to spend the night with me again, if I needed it. I managed to convince her otherwise. I needed to get back into the swing of things quickly. She hadn't acted like this when I broke up with my ex a few weeks back. Hell, I hadn't reacted like this when we broke up.
By the time I made it back to my apartment, I was dead on my feet. Tina was already curled up on my bed, waiting for me to snuggle apparently. Once alone I admitted how much my body seemed to physically ache for Eric. Even I thought it was a little ridiculous, yet. You feel what you feel. When I was in bed, darkness consuming my bedroom, I pulled my phone out. He wasn't awake yet, given the time difference it was only mid afternoon, but I still texted him.
Thank- you. I received your gift. It means more than you think.
After that, I turned my phone off, not wanting to keep checking my phone for a reply that wouldn't come for several hours if it came at all. Instead, I switched on my iPod and started a mellow playlist so that I could fall asleep. Focusing on the lyrics might keep my brain from wandering into dangerous territory.
I awoke the following morning, when I switched my phone on, to a text message from Eric. It got the first smile out of me since he left. However, it was only one word long, 'Remember'. I wasn't entirely sure what he was telling me to remember. As my eyes stared at the word on the screen, my fingers gripped the anchor hanging around my neck.
I remember. Is there anything in particular you want me to recall?
And so it all began. It was impractical to call each other across an ocean, we had time differences, different schedules and it was just plain expensive. Yet, we texted everyday and emailed when we felt like chatting properly. Our texts were reserved for special little moments. It all stemmed from that first communication after he had gone back. He still hadn't told me what he specifically wanted me to remember, I guess that might have been the point. However, with every exchange we retold a memory of some sort. Some were stories that we'd heard from mutual friends, or just from our separate lives, but they were all memories.
During that first week, I caught up on everything that I had missed while Eric had been here. I got sucked into writing, adding another couple of chapters to the piece of fiction I was working on along with my blog. I also had an article pending, based upon the finest places in London to get ice cream. I made a date with my friends to go out together to my favourite cold treat spot, since the bill would be on the website. I also got a chance to Skype with Gran.
"Sookie!" She called out as soon as she saw my video pop up on her screen. Jason was standing around in the background, messing with something. He waved a quick hello and then gestured that he would be back in a bit.
"Hey, Gran. How are you?" I gave her my brightest smile and I pleasantly surprised to find that it did make my eyes shine. I really did miss Gran. It felt like I was missing an awful lot of people these days.
"Just fine. How are you? You've been ignoring me these past two weeks!"
A guilty blush spread up my face. I hadn't called her all the time Eric had been here. I had always hated those girls that put their significant other before anything else and it seemed I had become one of them. I hoped it was a genuine excuse to say that it was only because we had such a limited time together. "Sorry, Gran. I was a little busy." I started out, but she cut me off from saying anything else.
"Yes, I know. You said in your emails which were few and far between as well, girl! Now, tell me what you got up to. I now that Eric was there, the dear. I need to live vicariously through you. Jason is rubbish for gossip, he won't tell me a damn thing about himself."
"Gran!" I gasped. She hadn't actually sworn but she hardly ever used the word 'damn'. It seemed she was a little more ticked off than she was letting on.
"Oh shush. I'm not as old fashioned as you think I am. Is Eric back on the scene?" She sat expectantly, peering intently into the webcam. It was true that Gran had loved Eric. I think it helped that she really hadn't liked Bill, except for his intimate knowledge of the civil war, so anything was good by comparison. Add to that the fact that Eric could charm the socks off anyone when he wanted, he could do no wrong in Gran's eyes.
"Not really, Gran. It's complicated," I hedged. I hated sounding like a cliché.
"Well, I've got all day and you owe me some time."
So I told my Gran the entire tale, although a skimmed down version. There was a definite lack of details, yet enough about the dates we'd been on to keep her entertained. In my edited version, I was also not drunk when Eric surprised me. She knew I drank and that I enjoyed it, she didn't need to know how much.
"You silly kids." I stifled a giggle at Gran calling Eric a kid. He may look young enough to be her grandson, but he was older than her by over a millennia. "When will you get your act together. I could see it while you were still with that Bill." She practically spat his name.
"I know, Gran." It was easier than arguing with her and honestly, I was beginning to think she was right.
"Now, I have some Christmas gifts for you, and one for little Tina too. When do I need to post them?" At the mention of her name by a familiar voice Tina jumped up onto my lap. She was immediately cooed over.
"You can send them now, Gran. It'll be easier than worrying about customs and such. You can trust me, I won't open them. Won't even rattle them, apart from when I collect them from the door and place them under the tree."
"You better not young lady! You'll ruin the surprise if you do. Now, cover Tina's ears a minute." I did as instructed rather than ask why. "I got her some catnip with her present. Can I actually send that? Or will they think it's something else?" She was completely serious and I couldn't hold back my laugh.
"I have no idea Gran." I began to lift my hands down from over my cat's ears. At her frantic movements I quickly returned them. Tina wasn't impressed. "How about, I just grab some the next time I go to the pet store and pop it in the present. She'll never know the difference."
"Oh, thank- you. That would save the headache. I think you can uncover her ears now. Is there anything you want sending over in a care package?"
"Peanut butter M&Ms," I replied instantly.
"I already have a pack for you, dear. You know this would be a lot easier if you could come home for the holidays." Gran had been mentioning me coming back for the holidays for about three weeks.
"I know, Gran. We have been over this. It's just not feasible for me to get time off work during the holidays. We'll all Skype as a family on Christmas. It won't be so bad. It's not my first holiday season away from home."
"I know, I know. You can't blame me for wanting my grandbaby home." From that point, our conversation was pretty much over. It wasn't possibly to get her back onto good topics once she started going down the path of wanting me home for the holidays. I knew it was tough for her; she had lost so many people in her life, people she should not have had to suffer through losing. She felt it the most during the holidays. Having me away from home just made it that much worse.
I had told her the truth. It was really difficult to get time off work during the holidays. The vampire clubs were packed with people celebrating, so they wanted me to scope out places more than usual. Restaurants wanted more reviews to get people in, which meant more reviews and articles were coming my way. Added to my other jobs which didn't stop, it was a bit of a nightmare. This year I'd also signed on to run a book workshop for kids on some Christmas specials such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Crap, I still need to prepare for that.
My chat with Jason was the usual catch-up and general nattering. Gran said he didn't like to gossip, however, when I spoke to him, he loved it, just not about him. After talking with Jason for an hour, I felt like I hadn't missed anything that had happened in my little home town in the past month or so.
Three days later, I had spent more time in my kitchen baking than I cared to admit. I found baking therapeutic and it helped keep my mind occupied while allowing enough time during washing up to let me think a little. It was during one of my cookie baking sessions, I was trying out raspberry and coconut, that I realised that Amelia had been right. Eric must think very highly of me if he left me his necklace. Perhaps even love me.
I had been forced to call Amelia, who had turned up at my apartment with a large bottle of vodka and a couple of bottles of cola to act as a mixer. She didn't bother bringing anything to snack on, knowing that I still had ice cream in the freezer and that there would be plenty of baked goods to eat.
It was during that evening, that I had admitted everything. I told her how I felt and, what I had come to realise that I had been feeling when I had been back in Louisiana too. She found out about the blood sharing, our dates and just about every gory detail she could stomach. She took everything in, only asking questions for clarification. At the end of it all she had hugged me tight and then told me I had gotten myself into a right mess. After that she had let me cry it out. Due to the mix of too much sugar and a lot of alcohol, her comforting me turned into her holding my hair back while I worshipped the porcelain gods.
After I got rid of my hangover the next morning, I found myself feeling surprisingly better. It was a relief to have everything off my chest. The only thing I found disconcerting about the entire thing was Amelia trying to convince me to tell Eric everything. I absolutely refused. The last thing we needed was a declaration of love while there was an ocean between us. Neither of us could move easily and I just didn't see something long distance working out. Besides, although I thought Eric might love me due to that necklace, it wasn't all that much to go on. I wasn't brave enough to put myself out there that much.
With Amelia's encouragement, I did throw myself into life. I let work, which I honestly enjoyed, take up a lot of my time. All of my free time was spent hanging out with friends or planning for the Christmas workshops I was going to be running at the book stores. I had plans to spend the actual day with Amelia. I was apparently very welcome when I said I would cook. There would actually be an entire gang of us.
While I was out shopping for people, well everyone that was on my side of the Atlantic, I ended up back at Winter Wonderland. I still had that ticket for the photographs that had been taken during our time on the ice rink. I even sent Eric a text telling him where I was. He probably wouldn't get it for another eight hours but I still sent it. However, when I reached the photography desk, I was severely disappointed.
"Hello, I would like to have a look at these, please." I handed over the little ticket with the number written in red ink across it. The lady smiled at me brightly and then quickly got to work searching for the photos.
"I'm sorry, Ms, but there aren't any photos for this number."
"What do you mean? They were taken here only a couple of weeks ago. The photographer said they'd be ready to collect any time that Winter Wonderland was open this season." My heart began to race as panic rose in me. I hoped that I hadn't misunderstood and missed the opportunity to get the photos.
"I'm sorry. Someone has already bought some of the photos and a digital copy. Once they've been bought, we don't store them anymore to make more room on the server." She smiled at me sadly. I knew from her mind that she could see me panicking and had no idea how to help.
"Can you tell me when?" There was only one other person who had this ticket and he hadn't been anywhere near here since the night the photos were taken. The young woman clicked through something on the computer.
"Four days ago." I had no idea what was happening and it was sending my head spinning.
"Can you tell me any other details? I need to know. Those photos are really important to me." I had only been able to resist buying them before now because I hadn't been back. I knew it would hurt to look at me but I also thought that it might just be a good hurt.
"No, sorry. All I know is that a lot was ordered, the bill was over a hundred pounds. Other than that, I'm not allowed to disclose any information. There isn't a name attached anyway."
"Oh, okay." I thanked her quietly and made my way back to the tube. My shopping trip was over since I couldn't concentrate on anything. Our photographs were gone and there was nothing I could do about it. I of course contacted Eric about it. He didn't answer since he was dead to the world for the day. I had felt him slip away as I always did recently. He never actually replied to that message. It even took me awhile to realise.
That was the day that I found out about the difficulty Eric was facing back in the states. It wasn't just him, but the entire state. The King of Oklahoma was making trouble for them. Essentially he was making a power play on the state. He wasn't interested in making a marriage with the Queen to unite the two states, no he wanted them both to himself. Eric, as Sheriff and one of the most powerful vampires in the Queen's arsenal was busy. Busy was probably a massive understatement.
Christmas arrived, just over a month later. Plans had been elaborated to include a small part on Christmas Eve with me staying at Amelia's house for a few days. I left my apartment early on Christmas Eve, bag upon bags of baked goods accompanying me, for her house. Tina was even coming for the ride. She hated being in her carrier, and I did feel bad for her but it was better than leaving her in the apartment alone. It didn't help that I knew she would also hate it at Amelia's with the unfamiliar surroundings.
Christmas itself was easier than anticipated. With so many friends around and so much to do, I barely noticed the ache in my heart. It wasn't just for Eric, although he was the major part. I missed all of my family and friends back in America. It had hit me last Christmas too. As ridiculous as it sounds, it really does feel a lot worse around the holidays.
It didn't help that communication with Eric took an even bigger nose dive on Boxing Day. I felt him awake, by this point it was barely a twitch as the blood was fading fast. Then I got a couple of text messages, as was pretty standard, and then nothing. I didn't necessarily feel anything wrong until the next day. Something was just off. I tried contacting Pam, but she was very vague on the subject. Hell, I even called the bar when no one was responding to me. That continued for two days. Two days of me worrying and trying to keep it covered so that I wouldn't ruin any of the festivities for my friends in London.
It was ridiculous o' clock in the morning, after two days of no communication when a bleary eyed Amelia slouched into my room. I had taken over her spare room, which she used as a study. Her hair was all over and she seemed sluggish, yet her eyes were wide awake. I was fully awake instantly. I could tell there was something wrong, the situation and her brain were telling me that. Yet, because I was so used to blocking our her mind, I found it difficult to read her.
"What is it?" I asked. Just as I finished speaking, I saw she was holding a phone in her hand. I glanced to the desk and found that my phone wasn't in its usual place.
"Phone for you. Pam." My heart lurched at the mention of her name. I didn't know the time but I knew that she couldn't have been awake for very long since it was the middle of the night here. I grabbed the phone from Amelia.
"Pam? What's wrong?" Amelia sat down on the bed and took my spare hand in both of hers.
"It's Eric."
"What do all of these mean?" I was lying on Eric, unceremoniously using him as a massive pillow. He wasn't complaining. If anything, I think he liked it although I doubt he would admit it. My fingers played with the charms around his neck. There were three of them there today. Two of them were always present, on separate chains, but the third had been tagged on today.
"Hmm?" His eyes opened slowly to gaze at me. I had been watching television at his apartment while he snoozed, or did whatever it is that vampires do when they go still. His eyes dropped down to the charms held between my fingers. "Which one do you want to know about?"
"This one first." I held up the miniature stake. This was the one I classed as the third, it wasn't always present. The pendant in question was about an inch long and slender, although it also seemed as hard as metal. The tip was sharpened to a point like a stake should be.
"That is a symbol of my mortality." When I quirked my eyebrow he continued quickly. "Technically,I may be able to live forever. I just highly doubt that will be the case. The wood is encasing a small core of silver. It does not bother me as it is wrapped in wood but it still serves to remind me that I will not be here forever." It was strange to hear such words coming from Eric. He always seemed so powerful and strong. I never doubted that he really could be the immortal vampire, despite his enemy list it seemed like he would be able to deal with everything. "It could also serve another vampire their mortality if necessary." That seemed more like Eric. "Now, I have a question for you."
"I'm not done yet, I want to know about all of them." I let the stake fall back onto his chest as my attention turned to the other two.
"I will answer. After my question." I smiled, letting him know that I agreed to his question. He let his hands slide down slightly, so that they were resting on the dip of my lower back rather than my waist. "Why do you want to know now? You have seen them before." It was true.
"I've never had the proper opportunity to inspect them. I've always been intrigued, but I haven't even always known what they were, such as this one." I held up the talon; I still didn't know what kind of animal it was from.
"That is an Eastern Imperial Eagle's talon, moulded in bronze." I gently ran the tip of it across my skin so that it drew a white line.
"Why an eagle's talon? It's freaking huge." I mused as I continued to turn it over in my fingers.
"I remember watching them fly. They still have a home in Europe. I chose an eagle because of their majesty, but also because of what they symbolise; freedom and power, yet also authority and dominance."
"It's beautiful. And it suits you." I smiled and finally placed it gently back down on his skin. I turned my attention to the last pendant. At least I knew this was an anchor. "This one?"
"My oldest token. It symbolises hope and it serves to remind me of the sea which I grew up beside." The metal on this one was rougher, almost as if intricate tools of carving the metal hadn't been used. If it was anywhere near as old as he was, it could be that they weren't even invented. It was a simple anchor, a large stem with a curve blade at the bottom. Another small bar went across the stem near the top. It was as beautiful as the others in its own way, even if it was a little rough around the edges.
"This one's my favourite." I returned that one too. Eric was still smiling softly yet I wasn't entirely sure why. "What?"
"Nothing. I just want to do this." He tilted his head down and as soon as I realised he was leaning down for a kiss, my face turned up to meet him. It was gentle and sweet. He had taken in the past few weeks to kissing me like that on occasion. I knew he wanted more and I had to admit, I was ready for more now too.
Tray navigated through the rather empty streets of London with his GPS set up for Heathrow airport. Amelia sat with me in the back. We both had our phones out, talking quickly with airport staff that seemed to be quite desperately trying to help us out. It seemed the fastest way to get to Shreveport would be a flight to New York then down to New Orleans airport, from there it would probably be easier if I drove.
Amelia's hand never left my grasp as we got closer to the airport. The sky was still pitch black with not a star in sight. I found myself saying silent prayers that I had my passport with me. I was never without it, or my visa, when I went anywhere. I was quite paranoid about having to fly home so it never left my bag when I stayed out overnight. I would need some more appropriate clothes from somewhere. The weather in Louisiana was averaging out in the low sixties while in London it was a cheery freezing. My sweaters, heavy boots and coat were likely to be a little over the top. I would worry about that later.
It wasn't too long before Tray pulled into the drop off point car park. He waved a quick goodbye and good luck over his shoulder as I vaulted from the car. I don't think I'd stopped to tell him what was happening and it was doubtful Amelia had. Knowing her she would have just woke him up and told him to drive us to the airport. We raced into the terminal building, heading straight for where the only people actually gathered at this time were heading. When we reached the check in desks, I quickly gave the reference number I had been given over the phone and pulled out my credit cards. This was going to be painful on the wallet, but nowhere near as painful as everything was on my heart.
"Are you okay? Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Amelia asked once everything had been sorted out. I was set to depart for New York in just over an hour. He hands were resting on my shoulders so that I didn't have much choice but to look at her.
"No, I'm not, but that's not going to change anytime soon." Her hands squeezed tighter as she gave me her support. "I'm not dragging you across countries in the holidays. But thank- you for the offer, it means a lot." It really did. She was genuinely offering and I didn't need to be a telepath to know that. I folded my arms around her, pulling her in for a tight hug. "I don't know what I'm doing." I whispered into her shoulder, not daring to speak it any louder.
"You're going to go a get your man back. You'll rescue him and he'll be all pouty because a woman had to rescue him, but he'll get over it because it's you." She laughed although it was a little hollow. I smiled in return.
"Thank -you, for everything." I hugged her tighter for a second and then let her go.
"No problems, now go. And don't forget to eat!"
"I won't, mom!" I called back over my shoulder as I rushed toward the security check point.
Traversing an airport in the early hours of the morning, although by this point it had become a much more respectable hour, was easier than during the busy hours of the afternoon. I did indeed get food, although it was a chore to choke it down my throat. My stomach did not want food in it. I knew I had to eat though, I needed my strength. I didn't know what was waiting for me in Shreveport, but I knew it would draining. Once I was at the gate I called Pam.
"When are you getting here?" She didn't bother with a greeting. I gave her my plans and the rough times of when I was expected to get in.
"Okay. You'll be getting here during the day. You'll have to stay at Fangtasia until I get up."
"What's happening Pam?" I asked her, letting the shock go into my voice so that she would hopefully answer.
"I can't tell you yet. But it's a power play from Arkansas. I'll tell you everything when you get here. We have a plan but we need you, Sookie."
"You've got me. I'll be there as soon as I can."
I spent the next fifteen hours travelling what felt like, and might well have been, half way across the world. I never once relaxed; I was too scared about what my subconscious would show me if I dared to close my eyes for more than a second. By the time that I breathed in the familiar Louisiana air, I was dead on my feet. Whereas my body was falling apart, my brain wouldn't even slow down. I walked as fast as I was able to and collected the car from the long stay parking lot.
I have no idea how I managed to get from the airport to Fangtasia. I was moving completely on autopilot. All I know is that I was thankful that I remembered the way since it had been so long. It was during the drive that I began to feel slightly guilty about not letting my family know what was going on. Hell, I hadn't even thought about them until I saw a sign on the highway stating the exit for Bon Temps. They would have to wait until this had all been sorted out. By that time, I would hopefully have a good cover story for turning up randomly. I knew I would have to keep my presence in Louisiana quiet until I could go and see them. They just wouldn't understand me not seeing them at the earliest chance.
Fangtasia stood lonely in any empty parking lot, just down the street from the strip mall. From the outside, it appeared that nothing had changed. The red neon sign that declared Fangtasia was switched off for the day, so the logo appeared more bleak than anything. I pulled into a parking spot close to staff entrance. I hoped that Pam had remembered to warn Ginger that I was coming. She hadn't been exactly the most together person when I had known her and I couldn't imagine another eighteen months of working for the vampires had helped her much.
I knocked loudly on the door and waited. It was strange to be back after all this time. I had always intended to return to Louisiana at some point I think, and not just for a visit. These were definitely not the circumstances that I had ever imagined would bring me back here. The sun beat down on my back as I continued to wait. As I had thought, my London winter clothes were going to be a little excessive.
"Hello?" A high raspy female voice called out from the other side of the metal door.
"Hey, Ginger. It's Sookie, can you let me in?" The door opened then to reveal a Ginger that didn't seem to have altered, except perhaps for a few more lines around her eyes. "Hey." I greeted her again not that I could see her.
"Hello, Sookie." It was nice to hear my name said with a Southern accent again in person. She pulled the door open wider and let me in. The door was quickly bolted behind me. "Pam says that she'll be here as soon as she can." Considering that it was already nearing five, that wouldn't be too long. "I got some blankets and a pillow together for you; they're in Eric's office." She began to lead me down the hallway as if I didn't know the way to his office by now.
"Thanks, Ginger." I walked into the room and was surprised at what I had found. The room had completely changed since I had last been in there. The walls were a darker shade of cream and all the furniture was now a mix of dark wood and black material. Previously it had been much lighter. This seemed more Eric's style. His desk was bigger than ever and a luxurious office chair was placed lazily behind it, as though he hadn't been bothered to put it back under the desk.
"Do you want something a little cooler? You look like you're dressed for snow!" I looked at her tiny frame and smiled dubiously. I doubt she had anything that would fit me. "We have some Fangtasia stock you can have." I smiled brightly at that. I had been stuck in these clothes for close to twenty four hours and hadn't had access to a shower in closer to forty eight.
"That would be brilliant. Do you still have a shower here?" I let my bags drop to the floor by the plush black suede sofa.
"Sure. Everything is still where it all was. I'll go and get you some clothes and I'll pop them into the changing room." With that she turned around, disappearing from view. In the quiet that descended at being left alone, I quickly stepped into movement. It wouldn't do well to let my thoughts take reign here.
Twenty minutes later, I sat on the sofa, dressed in the clothes that Ginger had gotten me. It was a red Fangtasia, 'life begins at night' t-shirt. She had brought me some more t-shirts and even a vest, but for sleeping this would do fine. I had pulled on my pyjama pants that I had brought with me.
Eric's scent clung to the room. Either that, or my imagination was running wild. It was just so him in here that it was hard to imagine that he was being held somewhere against his will. I closed my eyes and leaned back into the cushions, letting them comfort me.
"Sookie." I heard my name being called and cool hand carefully shook my shoulder. My eyes darted open. I stared up at Pam's beautiful face. Even wracked with worry and no makeup, she was breathtaking. "The sun is down. I need to tell you everything." I sat up at once and wiped my hands over my face, rubbing the last tendrils of sleep away. I was surprised to find that my face was damp. As I traced the damp path up I found that I was still crying. The tears I hadn't been able to shed while awake had come forth in sleep.
"Okay." I wiped the tears from my face. "Where are we going?"
"Nowhere, everyone is meeting here in a few hours. You better get comfortable, this may take awhile." I leaned back against the sofa and hugged the pillow to my chest. I didn't know how long I had been asleep, but my body was already telling me that I needed more. I was running on empty.
"Then you better get started." I stared at her, bracing myself for whatever it was she would tell me.
"Arkansas has made a power play for the state of Louisiana. They're not interested in a marriage to Sophie-Anne, which she might just have agreed to. They do not wish to share control. It started a couple of months ago. Vampires from out state were tempted over to Arkansas, swearing fealty to a new King. There were a few fights and thinly veiled threats to make out life difficult."
"What do you mean?" I clutched the pillow harder.
"They began attacking humans, making it obvious that it had been vampires and planting the corpses near known vampire businesses and hang outs. We had one left in the parking lot here by some day slaves for the Arkansas lot. What they hadn't contemplated was Eric's strength and that he leaves here only just in time to make it back to his apartment before dawn. He found the body and managed to hide it, so we were saved from trouble."
"Oh, God." Bile began to rise in the back of my throat at the callous actions. It never ceased to surprise me how low some vampires could stoop; killing humans for their own fun just to frame another group of vampires.
"Yes. Then messages were sent directly to the Queen, telling her to back down or it would be war between the two states. When she did not surrender her state, we didn't hear anything for two days. On the third night, we realised Eric had been taken. Without him. the Queen's power is severely diminished. He was the most powerful vampire in the state by five hundred years. If it does come to any form of fight, we are weakened. We need to get Eric back."
"Fuck." I had known that Louisiana was in some trouble on the vampire front, I just hadn't known it was so much. "What do you have planned? How do I come into all of this?"
"We plan to get him back and that is how you come into all this. We need you to find out where he is being held." Pam looked completely serious as she sat on the edge of the desk, he long legs extended out in front.
"How?" I had no powers over vampires at all.
"The Arkansas vampires don't have a head-quarters like we do. They plan everything out of businesses they own. Every one is run by humans during the day, some of which are their day men. We need you to get inside their heads and figure out where he is." Her steely gaze settled onto me again. She was willing me to help. She needed Eric back as much as I did.
"Okay." There were still so many questions I had. "What could happen if we don't get Eric back, or if we do?" I fiddled with the seam of the pillow, keeping my fingers busy. My body was thrumming with nervous energy at the prospect of what was laid before me.
"When we get him back, we take out as many vampires in the establishment as possible. Hopefully the King sees that we aren't as weak as he originally thought without our main Sheriff and he gives up on Louisiana for a while. If we don't get him back, we will eventually fall to Arkansas rule." She shrugged her shoulders as though there was nothing more that she could do about it.
"Well, this sucks." I threw the pillow to the side and got up so that I could pace.
"Yes, Sookie it does." A shadow of a smile passed over her lips.
"How are we going to pull this off? I know I have to infiltrate, get into the heads of some humans." I continued to pace. It was nine steps from one wall to the next.
"We have a small list of the most likely places they are holding him. We know he must be bound in silver, be far enough away from people that they wouldn't hear him and be around enough vampires to make sure we don't try to get him back." She pulled out a sheet of paper that had writing scribbled all over it.
"Please tell me that it's a small list."
"Yes. But we better get started right now."
So what did you think? Thanks to everyone that reviewed the last time, especially the guests who I couldn't reply to.
Sorry I've been quiet for a couple of weeks, but I haven't had internet access. I'm currently half way up the country on my road trip from London to the Northern tip of Scotland. See you in a few weeks. Hope you like the chapter :)
