I do not hold any ownership or claim to the main characters. I do however, enjoy putting these characters in situations, and places both fun and very dangerous. Therefore, When Will I Learn deals with some pretty adult themes, so please be advised as such. Thank you.
Strange Things Happen
Sookie came down the stairs yawning. She'd slept, but it hadn't been too rejuvenating. She felt a little achy and stiff and was longing for coffee. She got it going then used the bathroom. Because of her surprise visitor last night, she hadn't cleaned out the tub and her wineglass and other stuff needed to be put away.
She smelled the brewing coffee and quickly picked up after herself. She used the towel she'd left on the floor to wipe around the inside of the tub to remove the ring, then took it and the hamper out to the back porch where she started the washer. She sorted through the things quickly and started the first load. She closed the lid and heard the beeping of her coffee maker. It was music to her ears.
After fixing herself a cup, she noticed her answering machine's message light was blinking, well, that's odd, Sookie thought to herself. She played the message. As expected it was Bill. "Sweetheart? Are you there? I've just now finished my meeting. I'm so worried darling, there just isn't any way I can make it back to Bon Temps before dawn!" He sounded so frustrated.
"Could you please call me as soon as you can? I'll try to stay awake, if I do go completely under, just leave a message. I'll head for home as soon as the sun sets. Try not to worry Sookie, it's probably nothing at all. I love you, and I'll see you tonight."
She picked up the phone she'd had upstairs with her and dialed his number. She couldn't imagine why she hadn't heard it ring! Then it hit her… duh! She'd turned the ringer off when she got into the tub, of course… then with what had followed she'd never turned it back on or even checked for messages. She listened to the ringing phone and it was answered by an extremely sluggish sounding Bill, "Sookie?" he could hardly speak. She knew this meant he'd stayed awake long past dawn and wasn't allowing himself any real rest.
"Honey, I'm fine… just please sleep now, okay? I'll be waiting for you… sleep… I love you Bill."
"…love you too…" She could hear the relief in his voice and then he was gone.
She turned the ringer back on and carried her book and coffee to the front porch. She sat and listened to her yard. She had one leg tucked under her and she barely pushed the swing, moving it by just her bare big toe. The slight squeak of the chains, the buzzing, chirping and flutters made her smile. It was a beautiful morning and the day was hers. She drank some of her coffee and picked up her book.
After she'd read a number of chapters and finished the pot of coffee she'd made, she went into the house. She hesitated for a moment and then locked the front door. There was one part of her that said, 'It's the middle of the morning!' but the other part of her said, 'Vampires pay humans to do the things they can't during the day!' She hated feeling like this, it pissed her off more than frightened her. This was her damn house and she shouldn't have to feel afraid! Such is life. Well… such is mylife! Sookie thought as she stepped into the shower.
Once showered, she stripped her bed and decided to do the sheets from upstairs too. It made for a complete load so that made her happy. Water conservation and environmental impact was something she took seriously. Being rural, Sookie was diligent about using eco-friendly soaps and cleaning products. Every little bit made a difference overall. She hadn't always been this green… Bill convinced her of the difference it made. She smiled as she remembered their conversation… in a 173 years, he was able to say with complete honesty things were not going to end well if humans didn't start getting their act together. He would know!
She hung most of the clothes and sheets on the line to dry. It made her think of Gran and that always made her smile. She had to admit that it wasn't solely because it used less electricity… hanging clothes, especially sheets, outside in the fresh air was one of her favorite things. Outdoor dried sheets made Bill feel good too.
She was in and out all day, she puttered around the house a bit, getting the odd little tasks out of the way. She checked on the drying laundry and most of it was pretty dry. She brought her summer dresses in, along with Bill's shirts and slacks and after a moment's debate… got the ironing board out and quickly ironed the clothes that needed it. She was surprised to see it was almost eleven when she set the iron on the counter to cool and put the ironing board back where it belonged.
She was suddenly starving and raided the fridge accordingly. Moments later, a grilled ham and cheese sandwich slide onto a plate along with potato salad, some cottage cheese with a few slices of a fresh peach, a pickle and a soda made its way outside with her. She put her plate on the glass picnic table and sat down in the sunshine.
As she ate, she pondered the events of the night before. It had scared her without a doubt, but for some reason, she thought she wasn't as concerned as she should be.
True to form, she grinned as she bit her pickle and thought, figures…. I'm more concerned over how I'm thinking rather than the whyof why there was a unknown vampire peeping in her windows in the first place. Her head was starting to hurt over the whole quandary.
Various ideas ran through her mind and she had a couple different scenarios. The one she liked best was that it was a vampire that wasn't from around here and maybe he smelled Bill and was looking to see his own kind. Unlikely? Yes, but it was the one that gave her the most comfort.
Another was that maybe it had been a vampire she'd met at some time and he was just checking things out and wanted to say hello? Like say… Gustav! Maybe he came to tell her thank you. Yeah… that was sheer denial. If she'd met the vampire before, why hadn't he just knocked on her door?
She had to face the truth and she knew it. The vampire had been here to spy, harm, hurt her or all of the above. She also was certain that if that was truly the case… only one name came to mind. Eric.
XxXxX
Sookie walked around the grocery store, concentrating hard on her shopping list and working hard to keep from hearing people's thoughts. She just wasn't in the mood for general weirdness today. After last night's little fright, she was wracking her brain trying to come up with a logical explanation. No matter how hard she tried… it still boiled down to an ominous one.
When she got to the meat counter, Dickie Novak said in his great booming voice, "Sookie! Why you look fine as frog's hair! How was your vacation?"
She gave him a pleasant smile and told him it had been great. Part of the smile was because she'd been keeping a scorecard so to speak, during her outing. The women that asked about it out loud and the ones that didn't all pretty much thought the same thing… How they wished it could have been them on a Caribbean vacation with a gorgeous man.
The men? Overwhelmingly thought about hunting trips of one sort or the other… or going to Las Vegas. Dickie was firmly settled on Vegas, where he would hit it big and make life easy. He could retire someplace warm and dry with his wife, spend vacations with his children and grandchildren… pay for his grandkids colleges, boy that would be the life! Sookie just loved the way Dickie always thought about doing things for his family.
"What can I get for you, chere?"
"Could you cut me a couple nice sirloins?"
"Of course! How thick?"
They stood and discussed meat, how it was going to be prepared and such. He asked her if she wanted him to explain how to cook to different degrees of doneness. But Sookie just laughed and said Jason would be there so he'd be in charge of the grilling.
She was standing in line at the checkout when a thought crossed her mind. This was the first time in her life she could remember coming to the store without coupons. Or for that matter, not even noticing if what she'd put in her cart was on sale!
Although there was a huge part of her that felt elated over being able to do that even if it was just this once, it also reminded her that maybe she'd spent just a little too much time in the lap of luxury at the penthouse, The Black Dagger and the Bahamas.
Sookie decided then and there… 'Sookie Stackhouse with money', needed to back off and return to 'Sookie Stackhouse' hanging on by her fingernails!
XxXxX
The space was pitch black and was very wet. Although shackled with silver the captured vampire had been able to sustain himself by being quick enough to snatch the rats when they were close enough and drain their bodies dry. He no longer had any idea of how long he'd been here. He wasn't sure exactly when he rested.
For that matter, he couldn't even be sure if he wasresting! He obviously wasn't doing well as he had the bleeds which didn't help things much either. He had been captured during his rest and trying as hard as he could, he was rendered powerless by the silver chains they wrapped him with quickly and efficiently. The idea that they were highly competent in their kidnap method, led him to believe they'd obviously done this before. His first and highly frightening thoughts had been they were drainers and he had to admit, he'd been terrified.
But the draining didn't happen. No. That wasn't the right way to look at it. The draining of his blood had never commenced. The draining of his strength however was progressing at a rapid pace. He knew that too many more days of this and it would take him years to recover. While he had no intentions of dying here in this dank, filthy place, his greatest fear was that he would. He could accept the final death if that was what this was… the only desire larger than escape from here… was a simple one…. Why was this even happening?
A rat came too near and he snatched and ripped its head cleanly off, tipping his head back and drinking the blood of the rat the way a human would drink a soda.
XxXxX
Having already talked to Jason and knowing it would work for him, Sookie called Tara and asked her if Saturday night would fit in her plans for the grill out. Tara thought it would be fine and surprised Sookie by asking her if she could bring a date.
"Whoa! When did this happen and why haven't you told me about this before?" Sookie exclaimed.
"Well, I was going to tell you before this but how much have we talked lately girl?" Tara shot back and laughed.
"Excuse me! So? Spill!" Sookie prompted.
Tara started to tell her about how she'd met Mike after almost backing into him in the Super-Save-A-Bunch parking lot. Sookie loved how good Tara sounded and she hoped this would be a good fit for Tara. She could use something fun in her life. Tara didn't laugh nearly enough in Sookie's opinion.
While Tara talked, Sookie folded the last of the laundry and put it away. She hung Bill's clothes in her closet. There were always clothes here for him now. It gave them a little extra time when he had to head off to Shreveport or other places for work. Sookie walked from room to room aware that full dark was nearly there.
Eventually, the conversation wore down and Sookie said she was looking forward to meeting Mike. She no more than hung up when her cell phone rang, she knew from the ring tone it was Bill. He didn't quite see the humor in it that she did… (It was "Hurry Sundown")
"Hi sweetie! Did you get good rest?"
"Are you in the house?" Bill asked tersely. "If not, get inside quickly!"
Uh-oh... "No Bill. I'm dancing around naked in the front yard with a big sign around my neck that's says, "Please drain me!" She punched the off button and threw the cell phone in her purse on the counter.
Then she stalked into the living room and put a DVD in and turned up the volume. Her only concession to the possibility of danger with nightfall had been closing the window blinds before it got dark. Although she did have a few of the windows open about four inches to the first locking station. As much as she wanted Bill to come straight there, she was also hoping he'd just go home. Are you in the house? What? Did he think this was her first flipping rodeo? She tried to watch the movie and finally just gave up. She turned it off and picked up her book. That lasted all of five minutes.
Frustrated and annoyed she got up and went into the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of sweet tea and sat down at the table and stared at her purse. She was so ticked off, and she also knew she should call him back. Screw that! I'll be dammed if I'm gonna…
Her heart skipped a beat as she heard all the crickets and other insects outside fall silent. Oh crap, that's not good. Even with the shades drawn, she felt horribly exposed. She also knew that if the crickets were quiet around the house, it meant that whatever or whoever it was… was very near.
She sat there frozen. Damn it! He had to be close enough to hear anything she were to say. She was desperately listening for the insects to start up but they were quiet. She was afraid now, really afraid. Good… she knew that would help. Bill would feel it. Now she wished she had called Bill to apologize. If she got killed by something in the next couple of minutes she'd die with regret… something she'd always hoped would never happen.
Suddenly there was a deep, frenzied barking and snarling by the back porch, she threw open the inside door out to the porch and hit the floods… the vampire was gone before her eyes could adjust to the sudden light. The dog followed for a few feet and then he turned and trotted up to the back porch steps. He was easily one of the biggest Rottweiler's Sookie had ever seen. Sookie stepped out onto the porch and opened the porch door. "Hi Sam, boy are you ever a sight for sore eyes!" Sookie bent to scratch him behind the ears while she reached into the cabinet by the washer. She pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a shirt and stepped back into the kitchen.
A moment later Sam stepped into the kitchen. "Want something to eat?" she asked.
"Sookie. Sit down." Sam said.
She did then she looked at him, "Did you recognize his scent?"
"No. I've never smelled this one before… but I'm actually more concerned about the smell of the guy in the woods. The scent was very strong he must have been there most of the day."
Sookie barely made it to the bathroom in time. When she was done being sick she rinsed her mouth and then brushed her teeth and used more mouthwash.
"Sook? You okay?" Sam asked from the other side of the closed door.
"Just a sec, Sam." She held her stomach for a minute, trying to quell her roiling insides. The woods… dear God in heaven. She'd been outside most of the day! That thought sent her reeling back to the bowl.
Sam went and sat in the kitchen and listened to Sookie throw up. He scrubbed his face with his hands. He didn't know what to make of this. Bill had called him and told him she'd gotten angry with him, then he'd felt her completely afraid. Bill was sure she needed help. He looked at the clock on the stove. Bill would be here within the hour, or sooner. Sam had told Bill he'd stay with Sookie until Bill arrived.
Judging by Sookie's reaction, something nasty was going on again. When was it gonna end? He thought about how she had just told him about being done with 'vampire shit' yet here she was… although her reaction was pretty much a first for him. Quite frankly it scared the hell out of him. He heard the bathroom door open and she slowly walked down the hall to the kitchen and gingerly took a seat across from him. She was pale as milk and that was pretty telling, considering how tan she was.
"You okay?" he asked, keeping his voice light. He touched her hand and she grabbed hold of it with such force he said, "Oh Sook…" sadly and she just put her head down on the table and held onto his hand like he was going to float away from her if she let him go. Sometime later, he heard Bill's car turn off the road and he said, "Sookie? Bill's here…. I'm gonna go okay?" She didn't move she just opened her fingers and he slipped his hand from hers.
By the time Sam walked down the steps Bill was getting out of the car. Sam told him what had taken place and Bill thanked him profusely. Sam smiled sadly and said, "I haven't even thanked you for the grill yet…"
Bill held his hand out to Sam much to his surprise. Sam shook it and admitted to himself that this was a serious moment between them. He waited until Bill walked into the house and shut the door. When the flood lights went off Sam pulled off the clothes and folded them and put them on the steps. Then he changed to his more comfortable shift, a collie and sprinted away towards home.
XxXxX
Bill stepped into the kitchen locking the door behind him. Sookie sat at the kitchen table, her face turned sideways, her cheek resting on her hands. Tears left trails down her face. They flowed copiously yet she was not sobbing. Bill ached inside when he saw her, he had to admit right there in that moment he was not quite sure what to say to her.
Slowly she slid one of her hands from under her face and slid it palm flat across the table toward him. He sat down and placed his hand over hers. She turned hers palm up and they interlaced their fingers. They sat like that for a long while. Neither of them moved. Neither of them spoke. They just sat there, each lost in thought and both not having the slightest clue as to what they should do next.
XxXxX
Bill wasn't sure what time it was when he knew that Sookie had fallen asleep. He carefully picked her up and in a few seconds was putting her in his bed. He was glad Jessica was home and Hoyt was with her. He knocked softly on her door. Jess opened the door and immediately gave him a hug and said, "Come on in!"
Bill hesitated and Jess took his hand and said, "Come on!" and tugged him into her room. Hoyt was sitting on the sofa in front of Jessica's entertainment center. He could see they had a game paused, he didn't know the name of it but there was a lot weaponry involved.
"Hey Bill!" Hoyt said with his usual welcoming smile. "Wanna play?"
"Uh no, actually I need your help Hoyt."
Hoyt became instantly serious and said, "What's up?"
Bill explained that they weren't sure what was going on or why but he told them about the strange vampire and more importantly the man that had evidently been keeping Sookie under surveillance. Bill asked Hoyt to act as Sookie's body guard during the daylight hours and told him he would pay him.
Hoyt immediately balked and Bill stopped him short. "Hoyt, I know that you would do this because of what Sookie means to you, but I need you to perform some very specific duties. I will set up the appointment and make Sookie aware. I'll need you to take her to Shreveport tomorrow and I want you to use my car, depending what we are able to figure out I might have you stay there with her… maybe for more than one night. Jess, I'm sure you'll be welcome if it interests you."
Jessica said, "Nobody or thing will hurt Sookie while she's with us!" Both Jess and Hoyt had very determined and serious looks on their faces. Bill reached for his billfold and removed a sheaf of bills counting it quickly. He considered for a moment and said, "Jessica… do you have your credit card?"
"Yeah… can I use it?" She was a little excited.
Bill took her hand and said gently, "Yes… but you must use it for expenses or emergencies."
Jess's face fell a little but then Bill said, "However, you can use say, "$200.00 on fun things. But no more! Can you promise me that?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Thank you Bill! I promise!" She was bouncing with excitement and threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. She drew away and got serious again, "Nothing will happen to her Bill, I swear."
Hoyt said, "Goes double for me… she'll be safe."
Bill nodded gravely, "Thank you… both of you." Then he turned and walked down the hall to his bedroom. He entered as he shrugged out of his suit coat. He pulled his tie loose and pulled it from around his neck. He went to her side of the bed and his heart broke.
Sookie's tears fell even as she slept.
Road Trip, Kinda
Bill showered and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Sookie was sleeping soundly and he was relieved to see her tears had stopped. He watched her sleeping, thinking of the first time he saw her… more so, how she looked the first time he realized how deeply in love with her he was.
Bill turned the light down to the 'half-moon light' setting. He didn't want her to wake and not know where she was. He left the room quietly and padded down the stairs barefoot. He went to his study and flipped open his briefcase. He retrieved Joe's card, sat down in his desk chair and dialed the number.
Joe answered on the first ring, "Bill! How nice to hear from you! I trust all is well?"
"Actually, things are far from well." Bill ran his fingers through his hair and as Joe asked for specifics, Bill supplied them.
A half hour later, Bill and Joe had a plan in place and Bill felt greatly relieved. Of course, he thought with a wry smile, that's if Sookie doesn't pitch a fit. He zipped up to the bedroom and stuck his head in, she was breathing deep and evenly. He returned to his study and got some work out of the way. He was a little surprised when the phone rang around one a.m. then he saw Fangtasia on caller ID. Great.
He answered and it was Pam. As is the norm in vampire conversations, Pam wasted no time on pleasantries. "Mr. Garth's men were just here looking for Eric. Do you have him?"
"No Pam, I do not. Are you implying he's missing?"
"I'm not implying anything. He's missing."
"Do you have anything to do with the vampire and a human that's been watching Sookie?"
"No! Why would I be watching Sookie? I'm trying to find Eric!"
"Surely you must feel him."
Bill was taken aback when Pam said, "That's the bad part Bill. I don't feel him."
Bill frowned, "You felt nothing as if…" He didn't even want to finish the sentence.
Pam said, "If Eric had met the true death, I would know."
"Of course you would. He'll show up Pam. He's probably just off sulking somewhere because of all that happened."
"That isn't Eric."
"True, then again when was the last time you saw him bested?"
"Never." She answered icily.
"My point exactly. He lost, Pam… to a human. He's angry. He'll show up."
"He better."
Pam hung up and Bill slowly replaced the phone in its base. He had to admit, this was not like Eric… but then again, Sookie got one over on him. He must be wild over that and ready to exact some type of payback. Yet he didn't believe Pam was playing a part assigned by Eric. He wondered if Eric devised, who knows what kind of plan, and was keeping Pam out of the loop on purpose.
Too much to worry about at the moment… his only worry was upstairs warming his bed, and it was time to join her.
XxXxX
Bill was taking his jeans off when her voice whispered, "Are you coming to bed?"
He hesitated for a second then turned and stood at the foot of the bed, naked. "I was, would you rather I didn't?" His voice wasn't cold but it had an edge.
"I deserve that," she said softly. "If you want me to go home I will." She was holding her breath and Bill knew instinctively that she wasn't aware she was doing it.
He walked to her side of the bed, the low light him making seem almost ethereal in appearance. "Sookie there's only one thing I want and that is for you to be safe."
She exploded toward him from the bed, catapulting herself into his arms. Her arms wrapped around him like a vise. "I'm sorry, I was so stupid…" her tears ran down her face in rivers.
"Sookie, Sookie…." He smoothed her hair and murmured for her to calm, with a steady stream of, "Shh… Shh…shh…" He picked her up and turned around to sit on the bed with her in his lap. "Okay, darling… shh, shh, shh…"
Her breath began to hitch and Bill said, calmly and softly, "Hush darling, settle yourself." He stroked her hair and cradled her. He reached over to the nightstand and snatched a handful of tissues from the box and handed them to her and she wiped away her tears and blew her nose.
Bill stood up and laid her back on the bed. Her eyes looked stricken, but he she traced a finger down her jaw line and said, "I'll be back in a minute, just relax sweetheart."
She curled up in a ball on her side and Bill went to the bathroom. He started the water in the tub and lit the numerous candles. From the linen closet he got out soft, fluffy towels and put them near the tub, then added some soothing lavender bath salts to the water.
He went to the bedroom and he picked up the remote and turned the surf sounds on. He pulled Sookie into a sitting position. He undressed her like a child that had fallen asleep on the ride home, rather than disrobing a lover. He picked her up in one swift movement and carried her into the bathroom. He had her test the water with her foot to ensure it wasn't too hot she nodded her okay.
He leaned over to steady her as she moved from his embrace and into the tub. He joined her, but quite surprised her. Rather than pulling her to him so she had her back to his chest, he got in so he was facing her. He reached over and turned off the water, the sudden quiet seemed odd.
Bill looked at her impassively. After a moment he began to speak in a very calm voice he said, "Sookie, we have things to discuss and it requires your full attention. Furthermore, you willwait until I have finished speaking because I have something important to say. You seem to forget from time to time that I deserve a great deal more respect than you sometimes feel you need to give."
Bill could tell that she didn't care for his words and was about to speak when he said, "Sookie, please be quiet and listen." He gave her a unwavering glance and it shocked her a little. She just nodded and moved back a little in the water.
"Three things are going to happen tomorrow. The first is that Hoyt will be taking you to Mr. Garth's pent…"
Sookie immediately began to protest and Bill held up a finger and with a harsh look and tone said, "Hush!"
Sookie was so startled by this, she closed her mouth instantly. Her eyes wide.
Bill continued. "There are forces at work here Sookie that we've yet to sort out. With you at the penthouse, I know you are completely safe and out of harm's way. While you are there, you will only go out during the day with Hoyt… and at night, both Jessica and Hoyt. She'll join the two of you there tomorrow evening."
Bill could see that Sookie was getting angry and it was time to really make her understand his concerns for her safety. "The man Sam smelled in the woods just watched you all day today… do I have to spell out what the dire possibilities could be if tomorrow he's instructed to do you harm? Sookie, you slept with the Glock next to you last night. Where was it today when you were home alone?"
Sookie's bubble burst quickly. The anger seeped away as she absorbed his words. She couldn't be angry… every word he said was true. Instead of keeping the gun with her, it was upstairs on the night table next to the bed where she'd left it. All day. Speaking out loud at this point might wouldn't be a good idea, she'd sound pretty shaky if she did.
"Something else you should know is that Eric is missing."
Sookie's head snapped up at that.
"I've spoken to Pam and she has no clue to his whereabouts. She says she's felt no indications that Eric has met the true death… still she can't feel him at all."
"Second, I have spoken to Joe and he is currently pursuing any leads as to the identity of the ones that have been watching you. He and Rose are extremely happy that you will be near again. He also asked me to mention if you would be interested in any way, he would have a project for you to consult on if you'd like."
Sookie smiled a little at that.
"Furthermore, he will be informing Mr. Garth of the problem and he is fairly certain Mr. Garth will want to speak with you directly about it as well, so anything, any details… write them down if you have to, Mr. Garth may be able to pinpoint something out of any recollections. Something we may find insignificant, could be of use to him."
Sookie raised her hand a little, her eyes imploring him to let her speak. "Can I just say something that may be really important about the guy in the woods?"
Bill couldn't help but smile slightly, "What is it dear heart?"
"I never heard him."
"No? You… didn't… did you?" This was a noteworthy fact.
Bill worked this information through his mind and was unable to completely make sense of it. If someone was there, clearly fixated on observing Sookie… his mind should have filtered into her consciousness at some point. Was he wrong? Was the man there for some other unknown reason? No. No matter how Bill approached it, it made no sense. The thought that the man could have been part demon and had masked his mind had him wondering if Sam would have picked up on that.
"That is very strange." Bill's face was dark with concern. What the hell were they dealing with now?
While Bill was deep in thought, Sookie reached over and turned the faucet on to add more hot water, Bill acted much like an ice cube in the warm water, after the water changed, she always added more hot. When the water was more comfortable, she turned it off. Bill looked at her, Sookie's eyes met his and the ever-present spark between them flared.
He pulled her to him and her legs wrapped around him. She placed her forehead on his and their eyes asked unspoken questions. "I'm sorry, Bill." He pulled his forehead back then gently brought it forward again to bump hers slightly.
"Sookie… you have to remember, when I'm far away from you, I am only thinking about your safety. We don't have any idea how old that vampire is. When I called there was a chance he was already near. I certainly never meant to imply you weren't smart, Sookie. Which, by the way, I would have explained to you if you'd given me the chance."
She dropped her eyes. Then said, "Bill?" very softly.
"Yes?" he bumped her forehead again and she returned her eyes to his.
"Am I forgiven?" She moved herself slightly and her most sensitive self brushed his enticingly. She reached into the water and slid his length to her delicate opening.
He pushed his hips forward and entered her. She gasped at the feel of it and he just smiled and said in his low, most sensuous voice, "Oh yes."
Later, curled up together leaning against the headboard, Sookie said, "Bill, what was the third thing?"
"Pardon?"
"You told me there were three things you were going to tell me about?"
Bill thought for a moment then chuckled, "I almost forgot about that. Hoyt will drive you there in the morning with my car. Jessica will join you and the two of them will stay with you there until this gets sorted out. I have explained the circumstances and be aware that Hoyt will not leave your side, so reconcile it to yourself before you get upset about it. The other more important issue is that Hoyt, can't become aware of what Joe and Mr. Garth are."
Sookie frowned. "Oh yeah… seriously. I can't imagine how much that would freak him out." Sookie said. "It's still freaking me out from time to time…"
"Also, I'm sure that Mr. Garth will most likely meet with you privately and I will make sure Hoyt and Jessica expect this."
"Does Jess know about them?"
"Not yet, I will explain it to her privately before she leaves. Oh, I've instructed her to use the credit card for all expenses. I've also given her permission to use to two hundred for 'fun things'."
Sookie laughed.
"What?" Bill looked down at her face.
"Bill! I'm surprised at you! You've got to let her use at least five hundred if it's going to be fun!"
"Five! No, that's too much!" Bill said stubbornly.
"Bill, let me ask you this, when you went to buy her clothes at the mall, how much did you spend?"
Bill said nothing, then with a little growl said, "Fine. I'll tell her tomorrow she may use five hundred. But no more!"
"You're a good dad, Bill."
"Funny." He said dryly.
"You know for the most part it'll be a moot point. You know between Mr. Garth's generosity and Joe and Rose…" Sookie trailed off.
"Yes, I've also told Hoyt he will be paid for this, but you might want to prepare him for the way things might be. There's no guarantee they'll be as generous to Jessica and Hoyt as they were with you."
"Wait. You told Hoyt you'd pay him? He agreed to that?" she was quite surprised.
"He didn't want to but I wouldn't allow him to do this without payment. I also told him to carry the Glock, so don't forget it when you go pack. I would also think it would be good for you to explain to him that even though he's being paid, not to be surprised if Joe doesn't have one of his people with you at all times as well."
Sookie smiled, "John."
"Most likely, yes."
Just then Sookie yawned. Bill chuckled and moved so the two of them slid further down in the bed to a prone position. He kissed the top of her head and said, "You need to get some sleep sweetheart."
"Mm-hmm… Bill?"
"Yes?" he replied as she snuggled closer to him.
"When will I see you?" she was flirting with the edge of complete sleep.
"Soon. I'll be moving some meetings to Shreveport so I can be near."
"Good…" the word ended as a sigh and sleep claimed her.
Bill gathered her closer to him and breathed in deeply. He loved the smell of her, after they'd been in the bath. He laid in the dark and held her and wondered if Eric was behind this. There was so much that seemed to point his direction but his disappearance, if in fact there was a disappearance, was troublesome.
He closed his eyes and dozed off and on. He could have gotten up to work a little more but he wanted to be where he was, with Sookie in his embrace and safe. The sound of the surf flowed over them and Sookie dreamt of the beach.
XxXxX
The chained vampire no longer had the strength to capture the rats. Then he heard footsteps. Other than the rats, it was the only sound he'd heard in what he assumed had been days. A heavy sounding lock turned and he was aware someone had entered. "Clean him up first."
Two sets of strong hands lifted him from the floor and dragged him out of the cell and into a lighted hallway. The vampire's eyes burned with the sudden change. He was unable to suppress a groan of pain. A deep voice laughed and said, "You think this is bad? Wait… the best is yet to come!"
The vampire's hopes faded. He actually wished for the true death.
XxXxX
Sookie was in the shower, rinsing her hair. She turned the water off and reached for the towel, she flipped her hair over as she bent from the waist and wrapped it up. She straightened up and grabbed the other towel, dried her skin and then wrapped it around her body. She stepped onto the bath mat, then went to the sink. She used her face cleanser, then applied moisturizer.
She brushed her teeth and shook her hair out from the towel. She carefully ran the wide -toothed comb through it to gently comb out the tangles. Once her hair was tangle free, she got the hair dryer out and got most of the wetness out of it. She opened the vanity drawer and sorted through her various hair clips. She decided on one and fixed her hair accordingly.
She moved from the bathroom and into the door that led directly to the large walk-in closet. She went over to her dresser and grabbed under things and as she dressed she considered the clothes hanging on the rod. She finally decided on a pale blue sundress with little white flowers on the bodice.
Once dressed she walked back into the bathroom and shut the exhaust fan off. She applied her makeup, and giving herself a quick once over, was satisfied with what she saw and left the room turning off the light. As had become her habit she walked to Bill's side of the bed and gently brushed his hair back from his forehead. Smiling, she bent and kissed him lightly.
She left the bedroom and could smell the coffee that had brewed. She walked into the kitchen and saw Hoyt sitting at the small table. He saw her and stood, "Hey Sookie! How 'bout some coffee?" He was already taking a mug from the rack.
"Thanks!" Sookie gave him a smile and turned to the apartment size refrigerator and removed the carton of cream. He held the mug toward her, she poured some in and while she returned the cream back to the refrigerator shelf, Hoyt filled it with coffee. He put it on the table and she thanked him and sat across from him.
"So… are you sure you don't mind doing this?" Sookie asked.
"Are you kiddin'? You're like my little sister! A course I'm gonna keep ya' safe! He gave her a big, loving Hoyt smile.
She patted his hand and took a sip of her coffee.
"Did Bill or Jess talk to you about where we're going?" Sookie smiled and said, "Wow Hoyt! This coffee is delicious!"
He grinned wide and said, "There's a couple crushed hazelnuts in with the grounds."
"It's good!"
"Thanks! Yeah, Bill set the GPS up before he went to bed, he also gave me a bunch of cash… he didn't need to do that Sook."
Sookie tilted her head and looked at Hoyt's open and gentle face. "You're right, he didn't need to… but both of us want you to be paid for your time and effort, especially me… it really means a lot to me that you're helping me out this way."
Hoyt blushed deeply and looked at his hands. "Oh… okay then."
Sookie smiled brightly and said, "Well… why don't we put this in travel mugs and head over to my house so I can pack. Then your place?"
"Yup, I'm ready to go."
Sookie turned off the coffee maker and took travel mugs down for herself and Hoyt. She poured the coffee she had, then filled up the remainder, then did the same for Hoyt while he rinsed out the pot and dumped the grounds into the save pail. Bill would add it to the compost bin out back later.
Hoyt quickly washed the pot and their cups and left them to dry in the dish rack. Sookie handed him his mug and said, "Ready?"
"Sure am!" was his enthusiastic reply. They left, setting the alarm and locking the door behind them. Once Hoyt adjusted the seat, he started the car and headed to Sookie's. "This is amazing!"
"What is?" Sookie said a little confused.
"This car! I can't believe I'm driving a Mercedes!" his voice had a kind of, 'kid-alone-in-a-candy-store' quality to it.
Sookie gave a little laugh and said, "Oh I know, right? The first time I drove it I don't think I went over thirty-five the first few miles!"
When they got to her house, Hoyt made her walk behind him as they entered. He quickly checked the entire house, and he came walking downstairs carrying the gun from the nightstand.
While Sookie packed some clothes she used one of the suitcases she'd received from Mr. Garth. She was deciding if she should pack for two or more days when she remembered the grill out. Crap!
She called Tara and without explaining everything, put the plans for Saturday on hold. She called Jason next and left the message on his voicemail. Finally, she called Sam. When he picked up she explained what was going on and he said he'd keep a close eye on things. He told her he'd taken a "run" earlier and hadn't come across any strangers in the woods around her house but he did say the scent was definitely where it afforded the best view of her place.
That chilled her so she quickly finished packing and asked Hoyt if he'd be so kind as to take the garbage out. While he did that she grabbed her cell phone charger and checked for messages. She was surprised to see there was a message waiting. It was from Pam, "Eric's missing. If he contacts you will you call me?" She got the dial tone. Pam was a big fan of short and sweet. Sookie erased the message as Hoyt carried in the garbage can. They locked up and left for Hoyt's place.
Sookie had brought along one of the smaller suitcases for Hoyt. He'd told her he didn't have one. She suggested he bring along some nice clothes as Joe loved to go out to eat. This presented a good opportunity to bring up inevitable possibilities. "Hoyt, I've got to tell you that these people can be very generous. If they want to take us out and pay for dinner, please just allow it."
Hoyt looked a little uncomfortable and Sookie said, "I know what you're feeling Hoyt… I felt the same way at first but it's something they enjoy and they are not trying to act like big shots… they just love sharing good food, pleasant conversation and they don't mind paying for things we think is mind-boggling. They're not snobs Hoyt, they're just really sweet people. Okay?"
He nodded then looked at her intently, "They aren't gonna laugh at the small town hick like me?" Sookie heard clearly that he was afraid he'd make a stupid mistake and embarrass her.
Sookie gave him a big smile and said, "Hoyt, once you meet Joe and Rose, you'll see what I mean. All finished?"
"Yeah… I guess. Oh! My dress shoes!" he ducked back into the light-tight bedroom and returned with them in his
hand. "That would have been good… dress clothes and my old boots. Gees…"
Hoyt was becoming more and more tense and his worry about not being able to fit in was really starting to ramp up. Sookie walked to where he was slipping the shoes into the suitcase and took his large calloused hand in hers. She was rocked with the full effect of his worry. He looked at her in surprise. "Hey!" She reached up and put her other hand on his face. "There isn't any reason to feel out of place buddy… they really are awesome people and they'll love you! If for no other reason than me telling them you're just my 'other' brother! Now, let's head out. Did I tell you this place could double as a palace?"
"Oh gees…" Hoyt moaned as they walked onto the porch and toward the car.
XxXxX
The vampire sat in a chair. He was no longer shackled but it didn't really matter. He had the strength of a kitten. Before him was a table and he'd been surprised to discover a number of warmed bottles of TruBlood. He'd grabbed one the second they pushed him in the chair and downed it in one continuous gulp. He moved onto the next and by the third he was feeling something other than abject hunger.
Water dripped from his hair and onto his fresh clothes. They'd cleaned him up by shoving him in a shower stall and turning a fire hose on him. The force of the water had knocked his feet out from under him and he'd fallen hard. An indication of just how weak he truly was. One of his captors had helped him up and told him to strip.
He was glad to as the stench from his confinement was unbearable. Even a vampire was aware, when one was as foul as he was. He was surprised when they led him naked to a shower room. There he was able to shower and clean himself. There was even shampoo and he was grateful for it. Once clean, they told him to dress and then led him here. He was fairly certain he was being watched electronically. He didn't care as he cracked the seal on another TruBlood.
He just tipped the bottle to his lips when he heard the key inserted into the lock. He looked toward the door as it swung open and no longer wondered why he'd been captured and held.
XxXxX
Hoyt had told Sookie they were supposed to go to Joe's office. They pulled up to the gate of the parking structure and the guard took one look at the car and stepped out. Hoyt put the window down and the security officer said, "Good morning sir, please follow the signs to the eighth level and you'll be met there by another officer. He'll direct you from there."
"Thank you." Hoyt said, and the man answered, "You're welcome sir!" and opened the gate.
"Wow…" Hoyt said with awe in his voice. As they navigated the parking structure, Sookie recognized where they were going.
"Take the next left, then there'll be another gate."
He did so and then Sookie said, "When we get there, they'll tell us which door to go to and someone will take the car and park it for us. I'm fairly certain we'll be using the limo from now on."
It was exactly as Sookie said, and she was glad she'd forewarned Hoyt. He was pretty blown away even though she'd told him what was going to happen. His mind was trying to process and it dawned on Sookie that she'd felt the same way. She was also a little happy that it hadn't just been her!
Standing there waiting for her by the huge glass door stood John with a bright smile. "Miss Sookie, it's wonderful to see you again!" Sookie extended her hand and after a second's hesitation he took it and squeezed it very gently. His mood was heartfelt joy when she offered him her hand. That made Sookie happy.
He released her hand and she wasn't too surprised when his mood was a little darker toward Hoyt. Thinking she needed to nip that in the bud she put her hand on Hoyt's arm and said, "This is Hoyt Fortenberry and for all intents and purposes he's like my other big brother. If not for him I don't know if I would've made it here safely."
Hoyt stuck out his hand and John shook it and said, "Pleased to meet you." Sookie was glad to feel John's mood lighten immediately. He opened the huge glass door and Hoyt's jaw didn't drop, but his 'inner' jaw did. She gave his arm a squeeze and a big smile. The elevator door opened into the familiar luxury elevator.
"Have a nice visit Miss Sookie, Mr. Fortenberry." As the doors closed, he bowed his head slightly.
Once the doors shut Hoyt let out a low whistle. He barely touched the cypress wood walls and said, "Look at this! Do you know how rare this is?" excitement and wonderment in his voice. "Just look at this Sookie! This is all cut from one tree! They're perfect matches, do you know how incredible that is? They haven't been allowed to bring down trees this size for years! It had to be recovered!"
Sookie smiled broadly and said, "Trust me… you ain't seen nothing yet!" She thought for a moment and her brow knitted a bit, "What do you mean recovered?"
"They're only allowed to bring them up from the bottom. They sank like a hundred years ago and now guys bring 'em up from the bottom. They're only allowed to bring up the ones that were cut by hand a hundred years ago. If they pull one up and it hasn't been axe cut they gotta put it back."
"Why?"
"If it's natural they can't harvest it. It's illegal."
Sookie was about to ask something else when there was a muted chime and the doors slid open. Both Joe and Rose were waiting for them. Hoyt stepped aside to let Sookie step out.
"Sookie my dear! How are you!" He kissed both her cheeks and gave her a hug, right alongside him, Rose did the same. She released Sookie and looked into Sookie's eyes and whispered with an apologetic look on her face, "Are you all right?" Sookie just shook her head yes and turned to make introductions.
Moments later, they were all seated on the couch and chairs in Joe's office, drinking coffee and chatting like they'd been friends for years. After a few tense minutes for Hoyt, he was naturally a little shy as it was, Rose and Joe put him at ease and he was beginning to relax. Sookie, hoping to ease things for him a little more said to Joe, "Hoyt and I were noticing that incredible cypress in the elevator, Hoyt mentioned it was recovered?"
Within seconds Joe and Hoyt were busy talking about the wood and the like and Rose asked how Bill was and if he'd be joining her. They talked about Bill's juggling some meetings, the VRA and then Rose quietly told her they had someone 'working' in the woods near her home. Sookie interpreted this as meaning a tracker of some sort and that was, in fact, what she discovered when Rose opened her mind to her a moment later. She asked also asked Sookie if Hoyt knew, she gave a small shake then out loud Rose asked when Jessica would arrive and Sookie told her Bill was bringing her at dark.
The men's conversation reached a lull and Joe said, "Sookie, should we take your friend here to your favorite lunch spot?"
"The Superior? Oh absolutely!" The men stood and Rose lead the way through Joe's office to the private elevator. Hoyt was feeling a bit overwhelmed again so she said, "Wait until you try this Quail appetizer… Unbelievable!"
"Do you like steak, son? There's no place better in Shreveport!" They reached the parking level and as they exited the elevator John held open the glass door to the waiting limo. Sookie felt Hoyt's mind take in the limo and was glad that she'd warned him of this. As they entered the limo Hoyt sat next to Sookie and she patted his hand. He gave her a small smile and then started to take in the limo with wonderment.
Later, when Hoyt got his first look at the menu his mind let out a bit of a stutter when he saw the prices. He desperately began to scan for the least expensive thing he could find and Sookie reached over and put her hand on top of his, "I know how much you love steak… Joe what would you suggest?" Hoyt looked at her then realized what she was trying to tell him.
"Boy, I sure could use some help with deciding! I've never had so many choices!" He gave her a quick smile and Sookie asked Rose what she was going to have.
XxXxX
Mr. Garth walked into the room and sat in the chair Frank placed before the table. "Vampire, have you enjoyed your meal?"
Eric looked at Mr. Garth and tried to smile. His face had lost a great deal of its tone and his cheeks had sunk in deeply, the smile was far from his usual and he managed, "Yes, thank you."
Mr. Garth looked at Eric for a long moment, Eric lowered his gaze within seconds. "Do you know why you are here?"
"I can only assume I have offended you in some manner, sir." He said barely above a whisper as that was all he was capable of producing.
"Yes, that's part of it… can you guess the rest?"
Eric just shook his head no. Even that made him feel weak.
"I am going to ask you a question, if you do not answer immediately and honestly, you will find yourself chained in silver for the next decade. Do you understand this?"
"Yes, sir."
"It has come to my attention that someone had a day walker and a vampire watching Miss Stackhouse. They frightened her quite badly. As you can imagine, I was extremely disturbed when I received the news. This is your one and only chance, vampire. Are you behind it or do you know who is?" Mr. Garth's threat evident, in his voice brought about sheer terror in Eric.
"I swear to you, Mr. Garth!" he whispered, croaking, pleading to him, "I know nothing of it, sir I would not bring harm to Sook…." Mr. Garth's lips peeled back in an ugly way and Eric stammered. "Miss St-Stackhouse… Miss Stackhouse! I know nothing of any wrong doing! I swear!"
Mr. Garth studied Eric's face for what Eric thought was an eternity. Then he said, "While I'm not 100% sure… I believe you are telling me the truth, as you believe it to be, but understand this vampire. If I discover a scintilla of an idea that you did know anything? There will be nowhere for you to hide. Not even here."
He stood then and turned to leave the room, he paused at the door turning back to Eric, "You should be grateful vampire… Alan will be spending the rest of his life in prison on death row. Yes… it was a tragic thing. It seemed that he was not only embezzling from me, but he was also partners with othersthat thought they could cheat me."
"He made the mistake of hurting Miss Stackhouse. A very, very stupid thing. We had to rescue her from him. Sadly, Joe ripped apart a werewolf foolish enough to assist him. Alan confessed to murdering him and tearing up the body with a chainsaw…"
Mr. Garth took a few steps closer to Eric and he couldn't stop himself from cringing in terror. "This is something you need to understand without fail vampire. If it were not for the surveillance system in my guest apartments I may never have known about your deceit with Alan. I also understand you did not like the fact that keeping this information from me meant her ties to you are forever severed. Therefore, you owe me $10,000.00 to replace my sofa. I expect it by tomorrow. Consider yourself very fortunate that thus far this is all the punishment you will receive over this incident with Alan."
Eric thought. If the most venomous snake in existence could speak it would have sounded just like Mr. Garth. "For whatever reason vampire, she showed you great mercy. She simply wanted to be free of her obligation to you. So she held op her end of the bargain and for that you will honor her wishes. If you so much as think a bad thought about her, I will feed you to the sun inch by inch, day by day until I tire of hearing your screams. As you know… I dearly love screams."
With that he turned and left the room and Eric slumped to the floor in relief, bloody tears running down his cheeks, to join in the blood streaming from his ears and nose. There was a loud banging sound and suddenly a panel in the ceiling flew open. Sunlight streamed into the room, Eric's skin began to smoke and though he barely had voice to scream… he did. Then the panel dropped back in place and Mr. Garth's voice filled the room.
"Do we understand one another vampire?"
Eric lay on the floor, curled in a ball chanting, "yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes…."
To be continued...