A/N: Sorry this is out later than I planned. I got sucked into Meg2's posting of her sequel, "Scenes from a Marriage 2". If you haven't read any of her stuff, you should definitely check her out. She is amazing AND she posts whole stories at one time! Love it!! You can find her under my Favorite Author link in my profile. But first, read the next chapter here and don't forget to leave me some love. It keeps my muse fed and she loved all of what you gave her last time! But she could *always* use more!
Disclaimer remains the same. Mistakes are mine. xox
The rumble of the landing gear coming down broke the silence of the cabin. Even though the flight was only about an hour long, it seemed to drag on forever. Worry consumed Sookie's thoughts. She had to return to the Queen in about a weeks' time, to perform telepathy services before, during and after the Revelation and do so without Eric. He would have to stay in Shreveport and supervise how things were going in his area. Since Area 5 covered many smaller towns, it was likely the news of vampire's existence wouldn't go over too well, something about change, no matter how big or small, always seems to be taken hardest in small groups.
The flashing lights on the runaway as they made their final approach made Sookie wonder how they were going to go about announcing it to the world. Would there be paparazzi lined up outside of certain buildings to take photos? Could vampires even have their picture taken? Would they go on TV or maybe broadcast something across the Internet to let everyone know? Would they go on Oprah or Larry King Live!, Sookie wondered.
It was amazing to her that they were even considering it as a collective group. From what she learned during the flight, what actually prompted this momentous event was the invention of synthetic blood. Some Japanese scientists, who actually work for the company her great-grandfather was highly invested in, created it. Sookie thought that was strange – why would a fairy encourage research in something that seemingly benefitted one of their natural enemies.
The company's PR claim was that its creation was the result of trying to resolve the donated blood shortages that have plagued emergency aid organizations, like the Red Cross and hospitals, for years now. Not only would it solve the shortage problems, but also production of it was simple. There was no need for testing for diseases, no worries about tainted blood and no wastefulness of throwing out blood. That saved time and resources.
The vampires PR claim was going to be that they would no longer pose a threat to humans, because they could rely on synthetic blood to meet all their nutritional needs. Eric, Pam and Maxwell Lee seemed to doubt that. Sookie wondered if the company or the organized league of vampires pushing the outing, actually held taste tests for vampires and what companies were actually going to sign up for distribution. Was there going to be a Coca-Cola brand of blood? Yuck.
The screech of the tires and the slight bumpity-bump of the plane touching down made her think about her brother. Where could he be and more importantly, if someone had him, who could it possibly be and what were their motives? Thinking of motives – she was also equally concerned about Hadley and Bill. She was praying that Hadley wouldn't be caught spying on the Queen or Andre for Niall. Bill made her uneasy at his abrupt switching of sides. She wondered what exactly Niall offered him in order to go against his Queen. For that matter, what was Eric's reward in all of this?
A rush of jet-engine fuel and stale warm air swarmed the cabin of the plane as the flight attendant opened the door. Sookie watched Pam and Maxwell Lee get up and swiftly exit into the private hanger, while Eric stood up and stretched unnecessarily. She got a quick peek at his abdomen, a true nearly twelve-pack of muscle and it made her feel all tingly. Eric smirked down at her and offered his hand. While she grabbed it and left her seat, she started thinking about the blood bond they now shared. Apparently, they could sense each other's emotions now. Therefore, if she were happy, angry, sad or horny, Eric would feel it. If Eric were angry, angrier still, even furious, or perhaps randy, she would feel it. Those were the only feelings she thought he had anyway. She couldn't imagine him with any other feeling. She was curious to know if they would feel each other's pain or hunger even. Weren't they emotions as much as feelings? She smiled to herself thinking of Eric sharing in her PMS and menstrual cramps once a month. That would be a treat!
"Lover, you are obviously in great turmoil over something. I've been feeling it and seeing it cross your face for most of the ride back. What has you so troubled?" Eric asked.
Sookie sighed, "Too many things to discuss now. All I want to do is eat something hearty and collapse in bed and sleep for a week. I have never felt more emotionally exhausted in all my life. This whole week has finally caught up to me and I'm not sure how much more of your guys' kind of excitement I can take."
"What do you want to eat and I'll stop and get it for you," Eric replied as he sauntered over to a cranberry red '67 Corvette, convertible of course. He hopped in like he were Bo from the Dukes of Hazzard.
Sookie stopped short and looked at Eric, "I'm not hopping in that way. Please tell me the door actually opens."
Eric smiled a genuine smile before leaning over and opening her door for her. "Cheer up Lover, everything will be alright," he said, running his hand from the top of her head, down the length of her hair and then squeezing her shoulder. Then he fired up the engine of the heavy metal beast and they roared out into the night, tires squealing as they went. She almost yelled out a "Yee-Haw!" just because it felt right in the moment…almost.
"I think I'd really like some crawfish étouffée. It's kind of comfort food for me. There must be a seafood restaurant around here that we can get take out from. But then again, you don't eat, so maybe it would be safer to get a chicken basket from the Dairy Queen. You've heard of that right?" Sookie didn't even bother to look at Eric and just rested her head back against the soft leather seat-rest and closed her eyes. She really was exhausted.
Suddenly the car flew around a corner so fast, it threatened to tip up on two tires. "Slow Down!" Sookie screamed. Either Eric was eager to show off his driving skills or there was some sort of threat he was trying to avoid.
"Sorry, Lover. Someone is following us. A couple of someones actually. Two cars behind us, both black SUVs and tinted windows. Hold on tight and try to just trust me," Eric said.
"Remember, I'm mortal. If you wrap us around a tree, only one of us is walking away, and I think you know who that will be," she said, panicking.
"I think about that often," Eric absentmindedly responded.
The high-speed game of beat-the-red-light through the streets of Shreveport had been worrisome enough, but now they were racing through the winding residential neighborhoods and Sookie was about to lose her mind. "Where are we going, Eric?"
"Driving crazy through the suburbs attracts unwanted attention. The thing we have going for us is that I have several properties around town. We are headed towards one. I'm counting on someone taking their civil duties seriously and calling the police on us. The advantage we have is that we can switch cars and head back to the tower, while whoever is following us will most likely be discovered by the police or forced to call off their pursuit." Eric explained.
"You get chased often?" Sookie half-laughed.
"I am over a thousand years old, Lover. There isn't much I haven't done or seen."
"Right. Are we going to be there soon because I'm either going to be sick from this roller-coaster ride or pass out from low-blood sugar," Sookie complained, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. She heard a strange crunch noise and then Eric's right arm against her lips.
"Drink. My blood will give you strength until we can get you some real sustenance," Eric commanded. Sookie's eyes snapped open and took in the sight of Eric's wrist, all oozing with blood and getting ready to drip onto her lap.
"Can I have too much of your blood, I mean without becoming one of you? It seems I've had an awful lot in the last couple of days," Sookie asked, trying not to sound to accusatory, but of course she was.
"I'll know when it's too much. Just take one long pull off of it and you'll feel right as rain. Quickly, before it heals," he said, staring at her.
"Eyes on the road Buddy!" she squealed as she realized they were careening around a corner way faster than they should. She grabbed onto his wrist and did as he told her and she instantly felt much better. She even felt calmer, that was until she felt a jolt of anger pass through her.
"Buddy? Buddy?" Eric said in a pissy tone. "I am not your buddy."
Sookie rolled her eyes. Leave to him to get upset over some harmless name calling. She doesn't get all bent out of shape when he calls her 'Lover' in front of everyone. "Just get us out of this mess please. We can argue about pet names later," she says defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest and shooting him dirty look. Their little stare down was broken up by the sound of sirens and flashing lights coming up fast behind them.
"Ahh. Luckily for them, we are here," Eric stated as they pulled into a lengthy driveway that stretched all the way across the front of a very long, brick house. The path hooked back around the west end of the building, where a double garage was neatly tucked away, not visible at all from the road. He killed the lights of the car and then hopped out to punch a code into a panel hidden within frame of the doorway. As if by magic, the garage door started to open, revealing a very tidy inside with painted floors and cabinets lining the walls. A sleek, shiny black car with no visible markings on it was parked on one side, while there was a convenient empty spot left open for this one. Eric swiftly returned and pulled them into the garage, the door closing behind them.
"It would be best if we hung out here for a few moments. Come, let's go inside and see if there is any food for your noisy belly," Eric smirked as he hopped back out of the car.
They entered into a rather sprawling ranch style house that looked as though it was built in the seventies, complete with olive green appliances and linoleum flooring. The dark wood paneling on the walls and mustard color carpeting made Sookie feel like she had stepped into the Brady Bunch household. She half expected a housekeeper named Alice to come around the corner with an apron on, holding a sheet of fresh baked cookies.
Eric strolled over to the fridge and whipped open the door. It seemed to be pretty well stocked with stuff, considering the house was owned by a vampire. "It's part of the charade, Lover. If someone were to come here looking for me, they would find nothing out of the ordinary. Just a well kept home whose owner was apparently away. Help yourself to whatever. I need to go make some calls," he said, sweeping his left arm in front of him, to direct her towards the opened icebox.
She found enough fixings to make a very nice sandwich and a tall glass of milk that was luckily unexpired. While she was finishing up, Eric returned with a frown on his face. "What is it?" Sookie asked.
"Well, Pam tells me that there is a visitor waiting for us back at the penthouse. Chow informs me that our contacts at the local precinct has four Weres in custody for reckless driving through a neighborhood about three blocks from here," Eric said walking slowly towards her, expression unchanged.
"And there is something you aren't telling me, isn't there? What is it Eric? Tell me," Sookie stared at him, waiting. He completed the distance between them and embraced her in a tight hug.
"Bill has informed us that Hadley has been sent to her final death," he whispered into her hair.
"What?! How?! By who? Sophie-Anne? Does Niall know?! Omigod," Sookie gasped and slumped against Eric's embrace. "Could things get any worse?" she sobbed.
"Apparently one of Sophie-Anne's favorites, an interesting Albino fellow named Waldo, got a little jealous of her and Hadley's sudden closeness. He tricked her into going out hunting with him and he staked her in the St. Louis Cemetery, right in front of Marie Leveau's tomb site. Sophie-Anne had sent one of her guards to follow them, just in case and he witnessed the whole thing. Before he could react though, she was gone. Sophie-Anne is quite distraught and wants to know if you want a hand in this Waldo's punishment. I know it's a lot to take in right now. I've contacted Niall, but I'm sure Bill also has, in light of their newly found partnership," Eric said in a conspiratorial tone.
Sookie just stayed in Eric's arms, silently sobbing, mourning the loss of her cousin. It wasn't that she was particularly fond of Hadley, but she had certainly been helpful last evening and this evening as well. Her family numbers have diminished significantly in the last couple of weeks and now with Jason missing, she was feeling very much alone. "Any news on Jason?" she asked as she pulled her wet face away from Eric's chest.
"I'm not sure, as I said, there is someone waiting to speak to us upon our return. They may or may not have some news to share on your brother's whereabouts, so why don't we finish up here and head out," Eric said, looking down at her.
"Oh, Eric, look at your shirt. I've made such a terrible mess of you, I'm so sorry!" Sookie blurted out, crying a little harder now, as she took in all the smeared mascara and snot from her nose displayed across his chest.
Eric pulled it off quickly and used it to wipe her face and runny nose, like a father would his small child. "I would gladly buy a thousand new shirts, to never see you cry like that again, Lover," Eric said gently. Then he kissed each of her cheeks, just beneath her eyes and then the tip of her nose. "Now come, let's see what else awaits us on this very long evening," he grabbed her hand and turned them to leave out the door, leading to the garage, shutting the lights off behind them as they went. He led them to the black car and they left, in a much more casual pace than what they arrived in.
Sookie couldn't resist ogling him with his shirt off as they drove silently through the maze of streets, making their way back to downtown and the high-rise building. It stirred a little bit of lust in her, but she tried to tamp it down by reminder herself that she just learned that Hadley was finally dead and the her brother was still missing. "Eric, what do you think I should do about Hadley's killer? What would Sophie-Anne have me do? Stake him in return or something?" Sookie asked, voice wavering just a tad.
"That's probably exactly what she would do. I wouldn't worry about it right now. The Revelation is coming. She'll hold him until then. Perhaps the delay in learning his fate will be even greater a punishment for him," Eric said, grabbing and squeezing her hand gently. "I am sorry that you are having such a traumatic go of things lately. I certainly never anticipated things would get so out of hand when Niall approached me regarding your protection. There's certainly never a dull moment with you around," he tried to lighten the mood a little and it earned him a weak smile from Sookie in return.
"Did I just hear you say 'sorry'? I didn't even know that was in your vocabulary!" she squeezed his hand in return and giggled softly. If felt good to have some other emotion other than worry or sorrow, even if for a brief time.
"Don't tell anyone, it would really ruin my reputation as a murdering badass, you know?" Eric chuckled.
They turned into the parking garage attached to his building and parked away from any entrances. He led Sookie out to a walkway that led to a courtyard of sorts. "Come here, wrap your arms around my waist and hold on. Actually, close your eyes as well, we're going for a little ride," Eric ordered. Sookie complied, not needing to be asked twice to cozy up to Eric Northman, especially without his shirt on. She took a deep breath as she hugged him tight to her and closed her eyes. His scent always made her so calm and peaceful, like a very erotic security blanket. Before she knew it, they had launched up into the night sky. She could feel the cool night air blowing through her hair and the force of gravity creating a bit of wind resistance as they sailed towards the sky, but she didn't dare open her eyes.
They touched down only a second or so later, on the rooftop of his building. "I didn't want to have to deal with everyone and the elevators," he explained, peeling her off his body. "You can open your eyes now, by the way," he chuckled.
"You know what? I think I'm fine right here. Can't we just stay like this for a few minutes before I see what else fate has dropped at my feet tonight?" Sookie asked refusing to open her eyes or completely detach herself from his cool hard chest.
Eric responded by pulling her tight against him again and kissing the top of her head, before resting his cheek there. "I would like nothing more than to stay like this all night, Lover, but this person has been waiting around all evening and I think it would be in all our interests to see what's going on." He could feel all of Sookie's emotion zooming through her; nervousness, desire, fatigue and loneliness, all of which he could identify with. He experimented with pushing feels of strength and courage towards her to see if she would respond. This bond thing was going to take some getting used to, he thought.
She immediately responded, pulling away and straightening her posture. "You are right, let's get this over with. The sooner the better." She grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her. "I have no idea where, I'm going. Hopefully in the right--- wow! You have a pool up here! Why didn't you tell me before? I would love to come layout by the pool some day," she said excitedly. But then she felt sad, because he probably didn't tell her, because he couldn't protect her out here during the day.
"It's heated too. Perhaps later this evening or tomorrow evening, we can venture in," Eric said, thinking back to what that pool used to be used for, prior to her coming here and wincing. Pam and he really went all out to make this a livable human space. If he ever sold this building, the renovations that he made just up here would make its value nearly twice what he paid for it.
He led Sookie to a set of doors with a keypad and thumb scanner on it and with a series of quick maneuvers they were inside a small foyer that had windows on either side and carpeted in bright red. There was another set of doors a few paces ahead with more security features. "Geez, Eric. I feel like we are in Fort Knox or something with all this security. But I guess it's all necessary, huh?"
"It is now, even more so, that you are here," he said smiling at her. Then they were walking down a short flight of stairs to a final set of doors that actually led into the penthouse, just outside the kitchen and dining area.
"I never realized this hallway was here," Sookie stated looking around. There was a door on either side.
"That's the laundry room," Eric stated, pointing to the right side of the hallway. "And that's an office I really don't use too much. I would stay out of there for now. We don't want any accidental information leaking out as to your whereabouts, should you try and place a call or use the Internet," he said. Although it was weird, because it was almost as if he was implying that she needed to know that stuff was there, in case of an emergency. Sookie wasn't sure why she thought that, it was either something in his expression or an emotion she felt. It was just the tenor of his comments. So she just nodded in acknowledgement and they moved on through the dining room.
Instantly the smell of fairy hit Eric and his nostrils flare and pupils dilated. He squeezed Sookie's hand tighter than he should have and she yelped a little. Within a blink of an eye, a gorgeous, very tall, blonde woman was standing before them, dressed in an incredible emerald green wrap dress and high heels that made her about as tall as Eric.
"Sheriff. Please let go of my cousin's hand, before you hurt her," Claudine Crane said in a sing-song kind of voice. Eric immediately let go of Sookie's hand and walked around to the kitchen area, to put some distance between them.
"You apparently can't suppress your scent the way your grandfather can. It was very dangerous of you to come here, to a building full of vampires and Weres. You must have something very important to say," Eric commented, holding himself back with all the restraint he could muster. His fangs were fully extended and he looked very much like a dangerous, hungry vampire at the moment.
"You are my cousin?" Sookie asked, taken aback by the woman in front of her. "You are a full blooded fairy?"
"Yes. I'm Claudine Crane. Niall is my grandfather, making us second cousins. You must be Sookie. I could tell as soon as I saw you that you were a Brigant, even if only a little bit," Claudine said, moving closer to Sookie. "Do you mind if I hug you?"
"Well, I don't know…The last time I was hugged by a fairy…ahh, things happened," Sookie blushed a deep shade of red and glanced over at Eric.
"Claudine, can I trust that you will bring no harm to Sookie? Give me your word and I will leave you to discuss whatever it is you came for. I'm not sure how much longer I can restraint myself and I really don't want to cause any more pain to Sookie tonight by accidentally draining her cousin in front of her," Eric said.
Sookie remembered Eric telling her that fairies always kept their word. If she hadn't known that fact, she would wonder why Eric would simply require Claudine to promise that no harm would come to Sookie. That wouldn't be very good protector logic.
"Oh! I give you my word that I am here in no way to harm my lovely cousin. I have word regarding her brother and I've come to ask a favor. Can you stay long enough to hear me out? I can simply pop away if it becomes too much for you," Claudine stated.
Eric nodded, his jaw tightening, a sign of the struggle he was having maintaining his distance.
Sookie and Claudine moved over by the bank of windows overlooking the city. Claudine took Sookie's hands in hers and looked sadly into her eyes. "I am one-third of a set of triplets," she began. "Me, my sister and brother all live in Monroe. My sister and brother work at Hooligan's, that stripper bar in town, you know it?" she asked. Sookie just nodded, steeling her resolve for what she surely felt was more bad news.
"Well, a couple of nights ago, your brother came to the bar with a bunch of his friends. Claudette, my sister, was working the door, collecting the cover charge and checking ID's. She noticed right away that your brother was a Brigant.
"We fairies just know these things, especially when it comes to relatives," she paused, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Well, Claudette was real curious now, because several weeks ago, Niall had asked us to investigate the murder of an Adele Stackhouse. He never explained why and we are not in the position to question the Prince, so we just did it.
"So, seeing Jason's ID made the connection for her between Jason Stackhouse and Adele and realized that Adele must have been either a lover of Niall's or one of the other Brigant men. So, later after the bar closed, she went to Jason's house to ask him about what he knew about us and Niall," her breathing hitched a little, but she continued, "But when she got there, his front door was wide open and she smelled the scent of panther or some type of were-animal.
"When she turned to go, she was ambushed by someone and was killed!" Claudine said, letting a little sob escape her throat. But then she squared her shoulders and continued on, "My brother Claude and I found out about you and that you are a telepath, aside from being fairy and obviously having the essential spark," she said, eyeing Sookie up and down, "Yes, definitely. Anyway, will you help us?"
"Wait, how do you know all of this if Claudette was killed at Jason's?" Sookie asked, obviously feeling like she missed some detail. "And what do you need my help with? I kind of have enough going on in my own life at the moment – not that I'm not saddened to hear yet another relative of mine is dead, but, you know, I'm just a bit overwhelmed with everything that's going on…"
"Well, Claudette came to us in spirit form and told us so," Claudine said, "It's a chance for us to bid a final farewell before moving on to the Summerlands."
"So if she told you all of this after she was killed, what do you need my help for?" Sookie asked.
"Well, she didn't exactly tell us everything. We knew what she was up to, that she had gone to Jason's. She came to us when she died and so Claude immediately drove us up to Jason's house, where we smelled the were-animals ourselves and found her dust.
"From there we were able to catch several of those foul beasts and we have some in a house not far from here. We were hoping maybe you could read their thoughts for us, find out if they know anything about her death? Can you read 'were' minds?" Claudine asked.
"So Jason was already missing by the time Claudette got to his house you think? Or you are just assuming all this because of what you found when you arrived at his house?" Sookie asked, avoiding answering Claudine's question just yet.
"Well, when we got there, Jason's front door was open. We found Claudette's remains out back on a deck that surrounds the pond. So, we are assuming since she was out there and not inside, that Jason was not home at the time and she was looking around the property for him," Claudine said. It made sense to Sookie.
"Eric, what do you think? I don't even know what were-animals are. Have I read any of them in front of you, without my knowing?" Sookie turned to look at Eric. He was now visibly shaking from trying to restraint himself.
"Yes. The night I brought you here, my driver was a Were and you read him, remember? I think with the help of my blood, you would definitely be able to read them.
"Claudine, bring them here. I have a room downstairs, we can use to get the appropriate information out of them. I'll make sure that only my non-vampire guards are around and I'll keep myself and the rest of my contingent nearby in another room, so you should be safe from us.
"We might be able to find out who has your brother Sookie, as well as who murdered your cousin. And in return, you can do us a favor, Ms. Crane…" Eric proposed.
"What's that tall, blond and dead? You want some of our blood or something?" she asked, a bit irritated that Sookie looked to him before answering her.
Eric disregarded her blatant dig at his being vampire, "Perhaps you could provide some daytime coverage for Sookie, should she need it? You do realize that Niall has put her under my protection for the time being. And now that we are bonded, I am even more vested in her well being. It would serve Sookie well, if she could move among the living and during daylight, now and then. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Oh! Most definitely. I would be honored to watch my dear cousin on my days off. I'm sure Claude would agree too, if she can help us get justice tonight.
"Boy, you guys moved fast. Bonded already?" Claudine said, waggling her eyebrows. That made Sookie blush again.
"Long story. Anyway, yes -- do whatever y'all need to do to get these things, men, whatever they are here and I'll try my best to read them for you. As for the bonding, it really wasn't either our choice, but that story is for another time. I suggest you go before poor Eric breaks the kitchen over there," Sookie said, letting go of Claudine's hands and stepping away.
"Oh! Thank you, thank you, dear cousin. I knew you'd do it!" Claudine said, giving Sookie a suffocating hug. "I'll call you, Sheriff, when we are on our way back. Oh, this is just wonderful," she said, as she stepped back away from Sookie and 'poofed' away.
"Well, they sure know how to make an entrance or exit, huh, Eric?" Sookie said, looking over to the kitchen, but Eric was no longer there.
"OK. Apparently he does too…" she said shaking her head and going over to the couch and plopping down. This had seriously been one hell of an evening. She kind of felt that feeling was on repeat with everything she had gone through the last few days. From the moment Eric walked into Merlotte's, each night has been progressively getting more entertaining and not in a good way. No one would believe her, if she told them of all she had seen and been through.
A few minutes passed before Pam arrived. "Sookie, the Master has requested you be brought down to the meeting room. What have you gotten yourself into now?" she asked.
"Oh, Pam. I don't think we have enough time for me to get into it…but the short of it is, that I'm supposed to read some 'Were's' to find out who killed my fairy cousin, Claudette and hopefully find out who may have my brother in the process," Sookie explained.
"You seemed to be losing family member's left and right, Sookie. You all must be living wrong," she stated in that bored Pam tone.
"Geez. Thanks for your sympathy, Pam," Sookie said, rolling her eyes, as they stepped off the elevator and headed for same room she read Long Shadows employees the other night.
Eric was there, looking a little rosier than he had earlier. She wasn't sure what to make of that, but walked in and greeted him. "So where are you all going to be while Claude and Claudine are here?" Sookie asked, trying not to make eye contact with Eric. He was giving off a weird vibe.
"We'll be right next door. You should have nothing to worry about. Fairies are quite fierce and should be able to handle anything. Besides, I'll sense by your emotions if something is going wrong. Were's are tough, but nothing any of us can't handle, even in our weakness moments," Eric said with a grin. Mister confident, Sookie thought.
Eric's cell phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. "Yes? Perfect," he said, snapping the phone shut. "They are here. We'll head next door now," he motioned for Pam, Maxwell Lee and Chow to vacate the room. He moved to kiss Sookie on the forehead, but she abruptly turned her back to him and walked away. She couldn't put her finger on what it was, but she suddenly felt like Eric had betrayed her in some way and it made her uncomfortable. He was still sending out that weird vibe to, that she swore was guilt.
She heard the door click shut and then a minute later, knocking at the same door. She walked over and opened it, her eyes widening as she took in the group assembled before her. First in line was who she assumed to be Claude, because he looked nearly exactly like Claudine, except that his hair was just a little bit shorter and his shoulders a little broader. Claudine had said they were triplets, but it didn't occur to Sookie that they could have been identical.
In either hand, he had gripped two men that could have passed for long-haul truckers or any other manual laborers, with their flannel shirts rolled up to their elbows, grease-stained jeans and steel toed boots. They had been bound with nylon cord and gagged. Next was Claudine, in her pretty dress and heels, holding two more men, in a similar fashion, both bound and gagged and oddly enough, wearing the same type of clothing.
Sookie stepped back from the doorway and let them all in. The 'were's' were tossed into the seats that had been arranged for this meeting. Sookie looked from them back to Claude and Claudine.
"So, this is the one, huh? She doesn't seem like the vamper type. And she's so trusting," Claude said to his sister.
"Sookie, this is Claude, my brother," Claudine said by way of introduction.
She held out her hand and surprisingly, he took it and shook, smirking a little. "Well, let's get on with it, shall we? I don't necessarily like being in a building full of vampires, you know?" Claude stated.
Sookie walked over to the first were and yanked out the gag. "Do you know what I am?" She asked him, curious if telepaths were as common as the rest of them seemed to be.
"Well, you ain't no vamp and you don't look like one of them, so no and I don't right care, neither," spat number one.
Sookie nodded and put her hands on either side of his face. It helped focus his thoughts, so that she was just hearing his and not the others in the room. Oddly, his mind was red and snarly, like static on a TV, but she could make out things if she concentrated enough. "Did you killed Claudette Crane – the fairy?" Sookie asked point blank.
She immediately got an image of another woman, who could have been Claudine, but she had wavy hair and had way more makeup on then was necessary for such a beautiful woman. She was also dressed a bit more provocative than Sookie would have, but being that she worked at a strip club, it sort of made sense. So, number one had definitely seen her.
"Was she with Jason – Stackhouse when you saw her?" Sookie asked, thinking that if she brought up her brother's name, he might think something about his whereabouts. But she just saw a flash of Claudette standing out back by the pond and two shadows approaching her from behind. They looked like large cats or something. She immediately dropped her hands, stuck the gag back in his mouth before he could say anything to her and moved to the next one.
Number two, she didn't bother to ungag. She simply put her hands on his face and repeated her questioning, "Did you kill Claudette, the fairy?"
This one was definitely one of the cat shadows, because he was thinking of how he grabbed her by the back of her head and pulled her down, while the other cat grabbed her legs. Sookie wondered why she hadn't just 'poofed' at that point, like Claudine did earlier. Then she saw a third shadow appear out of the woods. It was a man. She couldn't tell if he was a vampire or a fairy or what, but he had a large knife in his hand. It slid through her like she was warm butter. Then the cats let her go and she immediately started to fade into glittery dust.
She moved to number three and repeated all the same processes, except this time she asked him a couple of different questions. "Why didn't Claudette just poof when she was knocked down? And who was the man with the knife?"
He showed her through his memory how the man with the knife insisted the two chosen to attack her, eat and rub themselves with lemons. They bathed themselves in lemon juice and chased shot after shot of what appeared to be more juice, making sure it was saturated in their mouths. Then she watched with amazement as they shifted from man to beast. So that's why they were called were-animals, huh. Who would have thought! She guessed that's what Sam looked like too, since Eric told her he was a shifter.
She moved on to the last person and repeated the same process for a final time. She asked, "Who was the man with the knife? Why were you all there in the first place?" She saw the man closer this time, in the were's memory and he was definitely vampire. She saw a hint of fang, when he spoke to the group of weres. Then he flashed to a photo the man held up of Jason. So obviously they were there looking for Jason, but found a fairy to kill instead. How did they know to come prepared with lemons, she wondered? So, she asked him and he started to mumble instead of thinking the answer, so she pulled his gag out.
"We were told the kid we were looking for was part fairy and that fairies were allergic to lemons and iron, so the guy came all prepared, just in case he gave us a hard time. We weren't supposed to kill him, just rough him up a little and bring him to a meeting point in Shreveport. But he wasn't there…" the guy panted, obviously afraid of what was going to happen next.
Sookie put the gag back in his mouth and explained all that she had learned from these guys to the twins. "What will you do with them now?" Sookie asked, not wanting to be responsible for someone's painful death.
"We'll kill them and eat them," Claude said with a menancing smile. It seemed he had very sharp, razor like teeth, upon closer inspection. Sookie shivered a bit and shook her head.
"Can't you just turn them over to the police?" Sookie asked, unnerved by her cousin's scary appearance.
"And how would we explain this all to the humans, silly girl?" Claudine said with a laugh. "We'll handle everything from here. You just worry about finding where your brother ran off to," she said to Sookie, giving her a hug. "Now off we go, you guys," she said cheerily to the weres, who she lifted up without so much as a grimace.
"Sookie, do you mind being a dear and getting the door for us? We'll be out of your hair now. And Oh! I almost forgot…I'll call you later this week and we can go for lunch and a little shopping, how about that? We'll get to know all about each other!" Claudine beamed.
Claude smiled an awkward smile at Sookie and said his thanks as they walked out the door.
Sookie was left standing alone in the room. She wondered what she was supposed to do now. She leaned out in the hallway, looking to her left and to her right. She didn't see anyone, so she headed to the elevators, pushing the up button. It arrived in a blink of an eye, but it occurred to her that she didn't have the credentials to get up to the penthouse.
She stepped in anyway and looked at the control panel. This car had a hand scanner and a button marked P and L. She figured P meant 'penthouse', so she hit it and placed her hand on the scanner. Instantly the doors shut and the car shot straight up, sending her stomach to her toes.
The doors briskly opened and she stepped off into the foyer. Huh, well, I guess that worked. I wonder how they got my hand print scanned in, she thought.
She walked with a heavy heart over to the bedroom dresser drawers, looking for some pajamas to slide into, then she headed over to the bathroom and proceeded to take a heavenly shower. When she was finished, she crawled into the very plush bed and feel into a deep, deep sleep.
When she woke, the sun was shining in through the bank of windows. It occurred to her that this was the first time she had seen this space during the day. Day! I wonder where Eric is? Probably in his resting place…I hope. It made her a little sad to know that she wouldn't see him until the evening and that they didn't sleep together. This was the first time since she'd been there that she hadn't stayed with him in his resting place.
She got up, stretched and tended to her personal morning routine. Then she headed to the kitchen, excited that she could actually have a normal meal, at normal hours. She found a note on the counter, in a very elegant scripted print.
Lover – You didn't wait for me downstairs and when I arrived, you were sound asleep. I have made arrangements for you to have daytime guards if you wish to go outside today. Please do so cautiously. I trust my selection in security, but they don't have the same vested interest, I do, so use your daytime wisely. They will call you on this phone to let you know their availability. You will not be able to make outbound calls, so don't get any ideas.
-- E.
Sookie found the cell phone underneath the letter and looked at it to see if she'd missed any calls, which she hadn't. Then she went about making her coffee and breakfast. She was thinking over everything from last night and she still couldn't help but feel something was off with Eric. And she was a bit annoyed at his high-handedness over the guards and not allowing her to make phone calls. She needed to find out what happened to her brother and she wanted to know how her house was…if her cat was being fed, how Sam and the bar were. She missed all of that stuff, even more now that things had gotten so out of control.
As she was washing up her dishes, the cell phone started vibrating. She picked it up and answered cautiously, "Hello?"
"Ms. Stackhouse, this is Alcide Herveaux. I am one of your daytime guards. Would you be needing our services today?"
Sookie really hadn't thought about it, but it sure did look nice out and there was that great pool on the roof. "You know what, I was thinking it would be nice to get some sun. Maybe lay out on the roof by the pool. Would you have to come guard me, for that?" she asked, not sure of the protocol.
"Oh yes, m'am. Anything that requires you outside of the residence, must be covered by guards. We'll be up in 10 minutes. Please expect us."
"OK," she said, wondering if she could find a swimsuit to put on. She threw the phone back on the counter and ran to the dresser draws again, looking through the various sections until she came up with a very skimpy royal blue bikini with matching sarong. Then she ran to the bathroom to change and look through the closet in there for a beach towel and lotion. She hit the jackpot including a pair of designer sunglasses, that kind of reminded her of Jackie Onassis.
When she emerged from the bathroom, two large men with dark curly hair and emerald green eyes were standing there, nearly towering of her, like a wall of muscle.
"Oh my! Hi there! I'm Sookie. You must be Alcide?" she asked, a bit taken by his incredibly good looks.
"Yes and this is Cal Myers. Nice to meet you Ms. Stackhouse," Alcide said, as they both took a little too long staring at her breasts, before meeting her eyes. Men, she thought.
"Please, call me Sookie. Can I get you anything before we head out?" she asked, playing the southern hostess.
"No. We're fine, thanks," Alcide replied. Sookie wondered what they were. She could sort of read their thoughts, but they were a bit snarly like the weres from last night. Maybe they were weres too.
She walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water to add to the book, lotion and towel she already had in her hands and walked towards the doors Eric had brought her through last night. When she reached them, she realized she had no idea any of the security codes and she couldn't handle them anyway, with the mess she had going on in her hands.
Alcide stepped forward and got the doors open for her. Apparently, being her bodyguard, he was privy to the codes to get in and out.
Sookie made her way to the pool and found several comfy looking lounge chairs spread around that she hadn't noticed last night. Huh. She chose one and performed her ritual of rubbing tanning lotion over her before spreading out her towel and lying back to relax. She noticed that Alcide and Cal stood in the shade but never took their eyes off her. She caught a bit of Cal's thought, thinking that this was the best job he'd ever taken for vampires before, but wondered what was so special about her, other than her rack, that warranted daytime guards.
Part of her wanted to tell him exactly why, but she realized the less people knew about her, the better off everyone would be.
After a while of sunning herself, reading and swimming, she dozed off. She was having quite a heated dream about her Viking vampire when a cough woke her up. Apparently, she had moaned some in her sleep and was getting the guys aroused with her antics. How embarrassing!
She quickly gathered up her things and told them they were dismissed for the day, as they headed back inside. It was late afternoon anyway and she probably would just shower, eat lunch and wait for Eric to rise.
As they were walking back into the residence, she caught Alcide thinking that perhaps Eric had asked her to lay outside so that he could smell the sunshine on her skin. She hadn't thought about that, but that was a great idea. So she decided she wouldn't shower until after he woke up. Maybe they could resolve whatever it was that went on between them last night. She didn't want to go on feeling like she couldn't trust the one person she had, up to this point. It was too lonely a thought.
She dozed off again after lunch and woke with such an ache for Eric that she felt compelled to try and make her way to his resting place. It wasn't until she got to the first secured doorway that she realized she would never make it there on her own. She sunk down to the floor and started to cry. It was probably another thirty minutes to sunset, but she ached everywhere for him. What was wrong with her?
The next thing she knew the doors were bursting open and Eric was picking her up in his arms and kissing her for all she was worth.
"Lover, what is the matter? What are you doing here? Did someone hurt you?" Eric asked, anxiously looking her over for any signs of physical harm.
"No. I don't know, I just woke from my nap feeling so disturbed that you weren't there that I needed to see you, no matter what. I know that sounds crazy. I feel crazy for thinking it, for crying about it. What's wrong with me?" she sobbed.
Eric knew exactly what was wrong with her. It was his feelings she felt. He rose earlier than sunset, panicked that she was not by his side, until he remembered that she was asleep when he came up to get her last night. She looked so peaceful that he didn't want to wake her. Especially after her horrible day. And he was feeling guilty about the fact that he took another's blood after Claudine's visit.
Chow had a 'donor' that had just serviced him and Pam and was walking her out the door when Eric arrived. He needed to vent his frustration out on someone and she was the unlucky one. He couldn't understand why he felt so guilty once he saw Sookie, but it felt like he had dishonored her somehow by taking another's blood. He didn't say anything to the others, he was vampire afterall and taking blood was how they lived. He could just hear Pam calling him 'Pussy Whipped'.
When he woke, he missed her terribly and ached to have her warm body curled next to him. He paced in his room cursing the day he was made, because it was preventing him from being with her. The bond must have projected his feelings into her, causing her to become an emotional mess.
They reached the upstairs just as the sun fully set. He placed her on her feet and took in what she was wearing. She was still dressed in her bikini and sarong from earlier, wanting to give him the full affect.
"What are you wearing? Were you out in the sun today?" Eric asked.
"Yes. Alcide and Cal came by and stayed outside with me while I got some sun. It was so nice to feel the warmth on my skin and the pool was awesome. We should definitely try it this evening, if you have time," she said timidly, feeling again that something wasn't right between them.
"You let the Weres see you dressed like this?" Eric asked in an angry tone.
"Yes. That was what they were instructed to do, right? Escort me anywhere outside the suite?"
"So I paid them to stare at my half-naked bonded all day? What-the-fuck, Sookie?!" Eric roared.
Sookie was scared now. She backed away slowly, not wanting to be near him, when he was like this. His eyes actually started to glow a little red from his anger. "You're mad because I was outside in the sun or because I was wearing this bathing suit? You know it wasn't my choice. It was what was in my dresser. I just wore what you have provided for me. What's wrong with that?" Sookie stammered still walking backwards, while Eric stalked forwards.
"What's wrong is that you were outside, showing your assets to god knows who. You are mine!" Eric growled.
"Hold on a second buster! Where is all this possessiveness coming from? I knew I should have changed before you woke up! But I was trying to give you a gift…to let you smell the sunshine on my skin, to let you know that I thought about you all day, especially while I was out by the pool. I even had a naughty dream about you. I wanted you to get the whole picture, but instead your throwing it in my face! How dare you?!" Sookie turned. She didn't want him to see her shed another tear over this. She ran to the bathroom and slammed the door, locking it.
Silly Sookie, locked doors never kept a vampire from what they desire.