AN: I hope you enjoy, acknowledge the spoilers and review!
Disclaimer: These characters are the creation of Charlaine Harris, I'm just taking them out to play.
Chapter 7
"What's in it?" Sookie thought she controlled any waiver in her voice quite well, but Eric's look indicated that he had heard it.
"Open it." Sookie got up and walked over to Eric, taking the packet from his hand as if it were a bomb about to explode. She walked over to the table in the room and sat down. Sighing, she opened the envelope, and poured the contents on the table. A clove of garlic, a wooden stake, a lemon, a necklace of iron and another of silver, silver bracelets, a sprig of hemlock and a book all fell out. Surprised, Eric hissed and took a step back, and Bill, regarding from the bed, sucked in a deep breath. Sookie looked over it all.
"How did they fit all of that in such a small packet?"
"Sookie, you should know in the magical world that nothing is as it appears. The envelope was clearly enchanted. What I find intriguing is the difference between what emerged when you opened it, and what emerged when I did."
"Why, what did you find?"
"A small scrap of paper that stated you were in danger, but it's not in there now." Sookie shuddered, and then began to catalogue the artifacts.
"Why would Mr. Cataliades send me this?" Sookie wondered aloud. Bill decided to answer the question.
"Well, the garlic, the stake, the silver and the hemlock all work against vampires. The hemlock works against anything with a hint of supernatural power and most humans too, though the usage with humans is a bit different, they actually have to ingest it. The lemon and iron works on Fae; the silver works on Weres; essentially, you have a kit that will protect you against any attack. I wonder what prompted him to send it to you. What is the book?" Sookie looked a little taken aback, and then reached over and opened the book. There was no title, and it appeared very old. She opened it and a scrap of paper fell out. She picked it up and read aloud.
"Sookie, if you are getting this, the Fae war is over and either Claude or I have perished. We had already decided, as you know by the letter you had doubtlessly gotten earlier this week, that if one of goes to the Summerland, the other one will head back to the world of the Fae, and you will receive anything. Without either of us here to protect you, I decided to make for you a kit that will allow you to protect yourself. Eric is good, you can trust him. He loves you. Bill, if you can forgive him, will make a good friend. He, too, loves you. Sam has you at heart, always, and, with such people around you, you will never be alone, even if I am not there to help you. This book, little cousin, details the Fae side of your family that you have yet to know. It also tells of the powers you will come into when you open yourself to them. This book puts you in incredible danger, but, I believe, it will also offer some comfort to you. While you may not have the opportunity to be here with us, we are always with you. In the human world, we live on in you. We love you dearly, and hope that you manage to stay out of trouble as much as you can." It was signed "forever, Claudine" but Sookie was crying too hard by the end to finish. Eric pulled her into his arms, and offered what comfort he could through the bond. He looked up and nodded at Bill.
"I am going to take her home now, I'm sorry to cut your visit short, but I will bring her back sometime next week."
"Thank you, Eric," Bill said, with a touch of sarcasm. Eric and Sookie were out the door and taking off, packet firmly clutched in hand, before five minutes had passed. Sookie sobbed, clutching Eric both for safety and for comfort, and he held her together, keeping her safe in his arms.
As he was flying, Eric reviewed the night in his arms. Cringing, he remembered Freyja's warning and internally wondered how he would speak with Sookie about yet another familial disturbance when she was still broken over the last. A few minutes later, they touched down on the ground in Sookie's front yard. Listening for a moment, Eric could tell that nothing was amiss, and he carried Sookie inside. He paused at the bed, for here something was wrong. Sookie's bed was made, neatly, and there was a rose sitting atop her pillow, a chocolate atop his. Sookie noticed his hesitation and looked up at him.
"What's wrong?" She asked wearily. She then glanced out and saw the display of her bed. "Did you do this?"
"No, but I will find out who did in just a second." Eric put her in the chair, and then took scent of everything. Just as he was about to announce his conclusion, Pam came out of the closet, kissed a startled Sookie on the mouth and bowed to her master.
"As co-partner of the bar Fangtasia, I am here to inform you that we, we being all of the employees at the bar, have decided you need the week off. As a gift for your marriage, which has yet to be celebrated – don't worry, we're changing that – we are requesting that you take the time off, and have convinced the shifter of the same." Pam said all of this with a smile, and ended with a quick wink at Sookie. "We do, however, request your attendance at the bar a week from Monday, if that suits you, Master." Eric paused, torn between laughing and exerting his pent up frustration more destructively. He settled on a laugh.
"We'll be there Pam. It's been a long night, I'll see you around."
"Hopefully, you can make the night longer," Pam whispered to Sookie as she left. Sookie broke down and started laughing, near hysteria. After a few minutes she took a breath and looked at Eric, who was now resting on the bed in a very suggestive pose. Noticing her attention, he shifted from pose to pose, causing her to begin laughing again, though this time her giggle was more restrained, sharing emotion with her desire.
"You should have been a stripper."
"I didn't think you would have shared me…?" Sookie smiled, and headed over to the bed. She snuggled up to Eric, and he decided to tell her a story.
"I know that you are strongly Christian, but do you mind if I tell you of the gods I worshipped?" he began, seeing her nod he continued to depict Odin and Frigga, Freyja and Óðr, and all the other gods and goddesses.
Very quickly, she was listening in apt attention, enthralled by his theogony and mythology. As he was finishing the story of Freyja's violent response to the offer of marriage by the giants, he heard Sookie begin to laugh.
"That sounds like something I would have done, provided I had the power that she has." She said, giggling. Eric was taken aback when he admitted to the truth behind her words. He smiled, and continued to tell stories of Freyja, depicting her beauty, kindness, determination and vengeance. Sookie listened, interested, until it became clear that, though he was mentally involved in the conversation, his body was happily responding to hers. She rolled over and kissed him.
"Since we have a week together, could we continue the stories tomorrow, and cap off tonight with…?" Her hands drift down his body finishing her statement for her. His mouth goes dry and he nods, pulling off her shirt and relishing in her moans.
