AN: Today's is short and sweet, but it just felt right to leave this chapter as its own. I usually set out with a plot outline and then pretty much let the dialogue write itself, but sometimes it takes a few detours. I happened to like this one.
Pam was smiling again and this time there was a little fang peeping out. "Gentlemen, I know you want to take care of Sookie, but I think what she needs taken care of right now is her….less obvious needs."
Alcide was annoyed with her tone. "Like what?" Jason elbowed him to the ribs and whispered, "girl stuff…" like it was catchy.
She wasn't going to let it stop her. She undoubtedly had a goal to reach. "Do either of you know any witches?"
Jason shrugged and looked to Alcide who shook his head. "Nah. There used to be some that met near my home in Jackson, but I never had any dealings with them."
"Good. Then it's settled. I will call my witch and get some wards put up. We will stay here tonight. Since no one in their right mind would, it will be the best place to stay. Hide in plain sight. You boys will be leaving, and Sookie and I will have some peace and quiet, but most importantly man free." She was shooing them out the front door and if the words weren't odd enough the fact that both men were leaving rather docilely was enough to weird me out. She came back and sat down next to me on the couch. What do you say to your cousin's former lesbian vampire lover who is still covered in your intended's blood?
"I'd offer you a drink, but since my microwave is out of order…"
"Relax. I'll just order delivery!" She was texting away, and then giggled before she put her phone down. Shit! She was serious.
"I don't think it's a good idea to be having strangers over right now."
"Tsk. Tsk. She isn't a stranger, and think of it like crushing two birds with one fist…or maybe three in this case. If you count ice-cream, I guess four…" She was zipping around the house at vampire speed until she had covered the whole entry to the kitchen and all the exposed lower windows with blankets tacked to the walls.
"Um. Pam. I don't think that's a good enough job light-proofing." Who was I to tell the vampire, but I thought it was pretty important.
"Oh, Sookie. This is to keep out our light from outside so anyone from a distance will think it's empty. I will be sleeping in your brother's old room with you, of course."
I went to object and she just winked.
"Oh well. It was worth a try. I'll duck tape the closet doors closed from the inside before dawn. Sam will pick you up for work early tomorrow. Until then you have my full attention."
I had no idea what to do in an empty house with a vampire all night. The only things I knew about vampire activities were NOT on the agenda for tonight. "Pam, Would you mind if I showered?"
"Not at all. Call me if you need help drying off…" I didn't respond well to her leer. "Then when my witch gets here, I'll take my shower."
I walked upstairs and thoroughly scrubbed my body clean. I knew there weren't any bruises or cuts, but they were mentally still there. I felt like Lady Macbeth in the shower. After spending longer than I should have, I finally deemed myself clean enough for socializing. Not that it would matter since my house still reeked of smoke, but a girl could try.
I walked down the stairs just in time to answer the doorbell.
"Hello. You must be Pam's friend?"
She was a slight bit taller than me, and a few pounds thinner but with less boobs and booty, sandy brown hair and was wearing a sweatshirt and a pair of LSU shorts. Her thoughts were so loud that I couldn't block them out.
Pam's never called me her friend…ever…witch…bitch…fuck buddy….friend? Nope. I wonder what all the fuss is about? Pam's not usually the babysitter type.
"I'm Amelia, your pizza and ice cream delivery girl, Pam's meals on wheels, and your resident witch for the night." She handed me a brown papersack stacked on top of a pizza box. " I hope your not one of those weird picky eating women who don't really eat but act like they do…"
She was in the house and over to Pam before I could even look in the sack. There was a pint of Yarnell's guilt free frozen yogurt in cherry vanilla, two spoons, two cold diet sodas, and a copy of some DVD's.
Amelia was whispering to Pam and she was whispering back until they finally decided that might be a little on the rude side. Pam decided to make the introduction.
"This is Sookie Stackhouse. She's Hadley's cousin…..and she's mine."
Here we go again, I half expected Amelia to start declaring me hers and duke it out with Vampirella. No such luck. Amelia's mouth fell open.
"Oh, no! I'm sorry about your grandmother!"
One thing that was good about Amelia was that even though she didn't say everything she thought, thank God, she did stay honest about her feelings. She was truly sorry for my loss. I liked her already…and to be honest, I kind of liked Pam. She scared the hell out of me, but I felt better knowing she could scare the hell out of everyone else too.
Pam took Amelia back outside and discussed what wards were needed and they worked on the rituals as I got everything ready for dinner. You don't think of how important a kitchen is until you don't have one. I must have walked towards it a half a dozen times to get a glass, ice, paper towels, etc. On one of my many trips and hesitations to what used to be my kitchen, Amelia came back inside.
"Wow. That really sucks. Vamps don't get it. They don't need anything but a minifridge and a microwave, and that's only if they mainstream."
"There's vampires that don't mainstream?"
"There's vegans and carnivores with vamps too. They like each other about as much too." I had to laugh. I couldn't imagine Pam or Eric sipping a bottled blood. "Yeah, my grandma lived in her kitchen…"
I hadn't realized that I was still fixated on the blanket blocking my view of the kitchen.
"Yeah, Gran was a great cook. We spent a lot of time at that old stove. It just won't be the same."
"Nope, but this one will be yours. Maybe you can teach your grandkids how to cook on the new one. I hear you've caught the eye of some of the least eligible bachelors around." I wasn't too surprised to find her thinking of Alcide, but I was shocked to see Quinn, Calvin, Sam, and Eric in her thoughts. Before I could correct her, Pam was back from her shower.
"All done." She was dusting her hands off like they had been dirty and looking expectantly at us. "Well, are we going to watch these movies or not?"
Amelia hopped to and loaded up the first disc as I sat down at one end of the couch and Pam took the floor so Amelia could sit next to me with the food on the coffee table in front of us.
The movie was one we had all seen before, but it didn't matter because it had Daniel Craig in it. A girl is still a girl no matter her orientation. Amelia stroked Pam's hair and every now and then they'd whisper. I wondered if this was what having girlfriends felt like…of course they were girlfriends, but you know what I mean.
"There is something so deep about his blue eyes. He'd be enough to make me reconsider." Pam was pointing at the screen.
Amelia snorted, "Yeah, right! You live with Mr. Tall Hot and Cranky. If that isn't enough for you to root for the blue team than nothing is." I laughed too, and that got a poke from Amelia. "You're not one to be laughing Miss Thing. Hell you slept with him the first night you met."
"I did not!"
"Did too!" Pam retorted.
I shook my head in defeat. "Semantics."
Amelia moved on with her questions, "So where is Master this evening. Will he be gracing us with his presence tonight?"
Pam shook her head. "No. It's girl time tonight. I think he needs another night to recover from Sookie."
I blushed bright red. Why? I have no idea. I hadn't so much as shaken hands with him….except for in my dream, and then our hands had better things to do. I was starting to get warm all over, and Pam decided to change the subject. While Amelia and I dug into the frozen yogurt.
"So you and the wolf….again?"
I nodded my head. "He's giving up being packmaster for me."
Amelia and Pam's mouths fell open.
"What?" I looked behind me to make sure there wasn't something I was missing.
Amelia piped up, and from her thoughts I could see that she had recently started dating a Were named Trey. It wasn't any of my business so I didn't ask any questions, but it was nice to know if something came up that I had someone else I could ask. "That's huge, Sookie. Like big big."
"Yeah, I guessed that."
"I heard he was the packmaster." I could tell there was some fright in her thoughts. I could identify Trey who belonged to the Longtooth pack and who I guessed was Marcus, and some other chick who had a horrible hair cut.
"He is, but he's taking applications."
"Not for the positions that want filled." Amelia snorted and Pam laughed.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. It's just that there's a girl in the pack..a real skank, who has had her eyes set on being the packmaster's mate for a while now. She's caused a lot of uproar. Alcide pissed her off when he told the pack he wasn't interested in dating her again and that he was already seeing you. Then the old packmaster was killed."
"Killed?"
"Yeah. Now she's interviewing other packs and is in talks of transferring to another. Good riddance to bad rubbish."
Only today would someone's murder not be the focal point of the discussion. "What about the packmaster?"
Pam elaborated. "He was older, but he had been an excellent leader. It hasn't been ruled a murder yet."
"Oh."
The movie ended and Amelia got up to put on another, but when she tried to return to her seat, Pam was already in her place but patted the empty cushion between us. They snuggled up together and giggled along through the newest romantic comedy. It was funny. It was about a girl who stole some pennies out of a magic fountain and all the men who had wished with them fell in love with her. Maybe it was a Fairy Fountain?
Midway through the movie, I had fallen asleep until I heard a soft moan from the other end of the couch. I looked over before I thought about it, and wished I hadn't. Not because I was grossed out, but because I felt like I was intruding on something private.
Amelia was pressed against Pam with her hand on her thigh while Pam was gently kissing the arc of her neck. It took me a second to realize that she wasn't just kissing her. She was feeding, but Amelia was moaning as if she enjoyed it. A quick tour through her mind and I found that she was…immensely. Good to know. I knew Pam had already drained a fairy tonight so I was surprised that she was still hungry, but it seemed like fairy had a different effect on vampires. Claudine said they found them tasty. It looked more like ecstasy, and I didn't guess that drugs filled anyone up very well.
I went to look away but Pam saw my movement. Her eyes sparkled in the light from the television and then she released Amelia's neck and started gently licking and kissing the wound clean. Then they settled in next to each other like nothing had happened.
I tried to pretend that I was still asleep for Amelia's sake until I actually did. When the second movie was over, Pam and Amelia woke me up to get me to go upstairs and sleep.
