Thank you guys so much for all your wonderful reviews. I have been planning this chapter for a few days now, but I have been coming home from work feeling like death warmed over. Feeling a little less zombified tonight so here is chapter ten. I hope ya'll enjoy it.
This chapter is mostly Quinn's surprise for Sookie. There will be very little from his actual POV and the girls will be having a little fun too. Once again thanks for sticking with me, babes.
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He was already aggravated that he had to endure not only the embarrassment of a full post-9/11 body check at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas but that their flight had not one but two layovers. The last of which saw him sitting at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) for four and a half hours.
His plans to surprise Sookie early in the morning were now diminished. It was nearly three in the afternoon when he walked into Merlotte's Bar and Grill. A little too close to sunset for his taste, but Northman was locked up in Vegas and from what he heard Compton was as sick as a dog. He smiled to himself.
He knew that the owner, Sam Merlotte, knew he was there. Shifters have an excellent sense of smell. Many heads popped up at his appearance, it is not often that a hulk of a man such as himself strolls into a hick town bar.
He took in a deep breath as he approached the bar. She had been here and recently. Sam stood quietly drying glasses, never taking his eyes off the were tiger.
"Hello, Quinn. Been a long time since we've seen you in these parts. How ya doing?" Merlotte asked him with a wary edge to his voice.
"Just on vacation. Thought I would stop by, have a beer."
He knew that Sam knew he was lying. Despite this, Sam poured him a glass of Budweiser from the tap. He decided to make small talk with the shifter. Sam was known for his quiet intelligence so he would have to tread carefully.
"So, how are things in Bon Temps?" He asked as he took a long pull from the icy beer.
"Good. And in your neck of the woods?" Sam asked.
Any stranger could tell this "friendly banter" was tense and forced.
"You know how it is. Business is booming for E(E)E."
The two men exchanged a silent stare, before Quinn slowly scanned the bar.
"She's ain't here, Quinn. She's got the day off. " Sam told him as it was obvious what he was looking for.
"Oh well then, I'll just go over to her house. Thanks for the beer," the tiger stood to leave, throwing a five dollar bill on the bar.
Before Quinn had taken five steps, Sam piped up.
"She ain't there either." He was smiling hugely now.
"Alright, Merlotte. Let's quit playing games. Where the hell is she?"
"Leave her be Quinn, she's with Northman now. It would be best for all involved if you just moved on."
"Really, Merlotte? Is that what you think? The voice of reason aren't ya? What you don't know is that she isn't as "with" that bloodsucker as you think." He poked his large index finger into Sam's plaid covered chest.
Sam was visibly pissed now.
"Quinn, please remember that you aren't the only one that can pull a tiger out of a hat here. Also, this is a family establishment. I will ask you to leave my bar, immediately!"
"This ain't over Merlotte. You and me—just you wait!"
Quinn huffed enraged out of the bar.
Sam chuckled and continued wiping glasses. "Looking forward to it, Quinn."
In all the commotion, no one noticed the tall red-headed man stealthily leave the bar.
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Quinn walked out of the bar his fists clenched so tightly that they hurt. He wanted to punish something or somebody. At last his eyes laid on the handicapped parking sign post in front of a ludicrously painted van of electric blue with a giant tiger painted on the side. Just as his large hand wrapped around the pole about to rip if from its concrete base, a voice cleared somewhere near him.
He turned, expecting to see Merlotte. This soon, well okay, come and get some shifter.
Instead he came face to face with a man almost as big as himself. The red-haired stranger stuck out his hand to Quinn.
"Truman Yates, werewolf, formerly of Alcide Herveaux's pack. I think I know something that you want to know."
Quinn was intrigued. He grasped the man's hand and gave it a hearty shake.
"John Quinn."
"Oh, your reputation precedes you Quinn. So, I couldn't help but overhear that you are looking for Sookie Stackhouse. I happen to know where the little bitch is staying."
"Don't call her a bitch. I really want your information but not enough to keep from impaling your sorry ass on that sign post."
"Whatever man. All you guys seem so hung up on her. Little too curvy for me, anyway."
Quinn raised his eyebrow. He was not amused. Sookie would be his woman in a very short time. This fucker was pushing his luck.
The wolf seemed to sense the fragility of his situation because he immediately stopped.
"Can you take me there?" Quinn asked, calming now.
"Five thousand dollars," the wolf responded.
Quinn just laughed at the redneck. He made more than that is a week in Vegas working for de Castro. Of course he didn't carry that much cash on him. He explained as much to Yates, who agreed to let him direct deposit the sum. After phoning his bank and confirming the transfer, they were on their way.
"So, Quinn. You are like a star in the shifter world. You could have any woman you want, you probably have to turn down more pussy than a porn star. Why do you want the little bar maid?" Yates asked, ignoring the coolness from the purple eyes.
Quinn drove, they agreed that Yates would shift and leave. It wasn't long before they were pulling up at the unassuming farmhouse. He immediately recognized Sookie's old car in the drive.
"Well, Yates, thanks man. I can take it from here."
The man quickly transformed and loped off into the woods.
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QPOV
I was nervous. I killed the ignition in my truck and gave the large, red wolf running through the pasture one last fleeting glance. I felt like I had just made a deal with the devil, but oh well at least I would see Sookie soon.
My boots made contact with the gravel driveway and I easily closed my truck door, no need to startle anyone.
What a dolt! Here I was, about to see Sookie for the first time since the takeover and I didn't even bring a gift. I quickly glanced around and discovered a wild rose bush not too far into the tree line. Quickly, I gathered a half dozen roses in my big hands and attempted to remove most of the thorns.
I took the short staircase to the porch two steps at a time and rang the doorbell. Glancing down, I saw a doormat that read välkomnande. What the fuck did that mean?
Impatient, I pushed the doorbell again. I could hear footsteps inside, so I knew that someone was home.
"Just a second. Really who is calling all the way out here?" I heard a somewhat familiar voice from inside the residence, but it wasn't Sookie.
Finally the door opened and I was face to face with Amelia Broadway, the witch from New Orleans.
"Hello, Amelia. Is Sookie here?" She gasped and slammed the door in my face.
After a moment of initial shock, I raised my hand and knocked on the door. I could hear more than one person in the house now. The door opened once again. I could smell Sookie, time to think happy thoughts.
"Quinn, what a—surprise. What are you doing here?" Sookie asked as she opened the door.
"Well, I am on vacation and I wanted to see my favorite girl. How ya doing, babe?" I smiled at her. God, she really is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Fuck that vampire.
I picked her up and pulled her into a huge hug, spinning her on the porch. Something was different.
She was as curvaceous as ever but the softness of her arms was now replaced by hard muscles. That wasn't the only thing that was hard. Her blue eyes were full of questions, but she did not forget her manners and invited me in.
"Wow, Quinn. Won't you please come in? Would you like a glass of tea?" She said all of this in under a minute.
"Sure, Sookie. Thanks. Amelia, I am sorry if I startled you. It is nice to see you as well."
"Yeah, hi Quinn," the witch responded before walking out of the room. Just as well, I wanted to be alone with Sookie anyway.
"So Quinn, what have you been up to?" she asked as she handed me a glass of sweet iced tea.
"Well, I've been working a lot. Since the takeover, the King has had me working on some pretty heavy stuff. Of course, he doesn't fit me into everything. I always feel like he is hiding something from me, but I guess vamps and weres won't ever fully trust one another. We've been getting a lot of human events too. We had Donnie and Marie and the Lion King. There was a show called Zumanity, part of Cirque de Soleil. Those guys are freaking amazing! So, I've been pretty busy. How about you?" I finished, hoping that I had not thrown up any flags.
"I'm still working for Sam and I've been helping Bill out a lot. You've probably heard he's a little under the weather right now. And Eric and I have been dating." She took a sip of her tea.
She was baiting me, hoping to catch a thought of Northman. Brick wall, brick wall, think of a brick wall.
"Hmm. I was hoping to hear that you had dumped the bloodsucker by now. That is interesting…" I hedged.
"No, I'm sorry Quinn. You will always hold a special place in my heart, but I love Eric. By the way, did you check in with Eric before you came here? I wouldn't want to get you into trouble."
Damn it. She was on to me. Ok, time for some defensive maneuvers.
"Nope. And I don't plan on it either. Sorry, babe, don't want to ruffle any feathers but I don't think that I should have to answer to 'Sheriff' Eric."
"Alright, Quinn. Ya know it is good to see you again. I can keep a secret. Hey, are you hungry?"
Maybe I was wrong, maybe she really didn't see through me. This was nice.
"Sure, babe. I can always eat." I smiled and stood to take off my jacket. I pulled the sleeves down extra slow, making sure to give her an adequate look at the goods. She wanted me once, she could again.
"Well, Amelia and I were gonna throw some steaks on the grill out back. We're waiting for one of our other girlfriends to get here. You wanna get the meat out of the fridge? I'm just gonna go wash up."
"No problem, babe."
I was feeling pretty good about my current state of affairs. I found my way to the kitchen and there was indeed a plate of the prettiest steaks I've ever seen in the refrigerator. I placed them on the countertop, drained the last of the tea from my glass and began to wash my hands in the sink.
And then I hit the floor.
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~Sookie ,Amelia and Pam~
"How much of that shit did you put in the tea, Amelia?" I asked my friend as we surveyed an unconscious Quinn lying on Eric's kitchen floor.
"Well, it's been years since I used it. The doctor prescribed me to take five milligrams when needed. I would always take one pill and it put me right out. I figured that Quinn has to be on the heavier side of 250…" Amelia answered nervously.
"How many did you give him?" I was freaking out, after all we didn't want to kill the asshole.
"Ten, okay? I crushed up ten of them and put it in the glass of tea you gave him. Oh shit, Sookie what are we gonna do?"
Oh, good. Now Amelia was freaking out. I had no choice, I had to call poison control.
"Poison control, what can I do for you?" came the voice of a bored operator.
"Um, yes. My,um, neighbor—I just found my neighbor passed out in his house. He had a bottle of pills lying next to him that says Zalepon/Sonata. He is visually impaired, and I think he took too many. What do I do?"
"Alright, calm down ma'am. How many pills you think he took?"
"Well, the prescription was filled on the eighth and today is the twenty-eighth so ten maybe." I was really getting good at this lying thing.
"You think he took ten pills. How old is he, ma'am?"
"About 31."
"And around about how much does he weigh?" the operator asked.
"He is a pretty big guy, I would guess 250 or 260."
"Is he relatively fit?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am, he is in real good shape. He don't smoke and I have never seen him drink."
"Okay, I have looked up the information for that prescription. Studies have shown that doctors have prescribed up to 60 milligrams at a time. Given his weight, I don't think that you should have a problem. Can you grab his wrist and tell me if you feel a pulse?"
"Yes. His pulse is strong, and steady."
"Well, he is gonna be out for a while but he should be fine. Make sure he drinks plenty of water when he wakes up. Watch him and if his pulse slows or he starts having seizures or something call an ambulance. Have a nice day."
The dial tone rang into my ear.
"Quinn isn't going to die—yet. Now we just have to wait until Pam gets up so we can move his big, heavy ass."
"Oh, I heard my name. But I also heard about a heavy ass and since mine is divine and Amelia's is mine, we must be talking about Sookie." Pam appeared in the kitchen at just the right time.
"Bitch." I playfully replied.
"So what are our plans tonight and what smells like stray cat in here?" she asked. As she walked around the corner, she pulled up short.
"Oh, hello kitty. Sookie, Amelia, why is there a dead were tiger in my master's kitchen?" she coolly asked.
"Pam, he's not dead you know that. And well, he showed up today unexpectedly and we kind of drugged him. We need to ask him some questions. " Amelia's nerve had worn off slightly. She kissed Pam, while I politely turned away. Jealousy overwhelmed me. I wondered if Eric could feel that so far away.
"Is there somewhere here we could put him till he wakes up? Where he can't get away?" I asked, almost afraid to know the answer.
"Well of course, we can take him up to the attic. There is plenty of space up there and I believe a cat carrier."
Fine, we all looked down at Quinn's hulking figure. Should we draw straws?
"Okay, okay. I will pick it up. But the next time you drug a man, can you at least make sure they are more manageable? If I break a nail, picking his stinking ass up off…" her diatribe faded as she lifted Quinn under his armpits and drug him toward the hallway where Amelia had opened the door and lowered the ladder.
She gracefully backed up the steps to the attic, while poor Quinn's head hit every rung. She stopped to smile with each dull thud.
"Okay, Pam. Let's stop playing, shall we?" I scolded, although he totally deserved it. Who just shows up without calling first? Oh yeah, every single Supe in the world. Hasn't anyone heard of Southern hospitality?
When we were all finally in the attic, Pam threw Quinn's now limp body into a menacing looking chair in the farthest part of the room. There were straps on the arm rests and straps at the ankles. Pam took great pleasure in tightening the restraints on the were tiger's limbs.
"There, kitty is all safe and strapped in. Now, what?"
"Now, we wait for him to wake up. Then we get some answers." I told my friends.
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We went down to the kitchen and proceeded to cook our steaks. While preparing the meal, I noticed the light blinking on the answering machine. It was Sam.
Sook, pick up the phone. Come on. Okay, Quinn was here today. I didn't tell him where you were but he's sneaky. You call me if you need me.
I really need to check that thing more often.
The evening continued in a pleasant way, we cooked our steaks and waited for Quinn to wake up. Finally after nearly four hours, we heard movement upstairs. We ascended the ladder to the attic, with Pam in the lead.
Quinn's head was drooping and swaying slightly. Oblivious to his restraints, he began frantically searching for me as he regained control of his faculties.
"Sookie, Sookie where are you?" he called anxiously.
"Quinn, calm down. I'm right here." I snapped my fingers in his direction.
"Sookie? What the hell is this?" he asked, as he finally registered what was happening to him. He struggled to free himself from the straps at his hands and feet.
"I wouldn't count on that, tiger. You still have those lovely drugs in your system and I tied you down pretty well. Just stay put!" Pam quipped in her bored voice.
"Fuck you leech! Sookie, let me out of this chair right now. What are you doing?"
"I will let you out. But I have some questions to ask you first. Will you answer my questions?" I asked him, pulling a chair up to sit in front of him.
"You did this? You drugged me and tied me up, and you think I am answering questions? I always hoped that those vamps wouldn't get to you, but apparently they did. You are just as ruthless as they are."
"Don't tell me about ruthless, John Quinn. I know why you are here, and it won't work. I am Eric's now. And speaking of Eric, I want to know what de Castro is doing with him. I know you are in on it. "
"Fuck you, Sookie. You are dead to me."
I reared back my hand and slapped him hard enough to draw blood. He bellowed in pain.
"Oh, that hurt didn't it? Notice anything different about little Sookie, do you? I've had enough of all of you Supes running over me, stealing from me, and generally fucking with my life. It's over, do you hear me? Now you will tell me what I want to know, or I'll let Pam drain your furry ass right here and right now."
He began laughing the maniacal laugh of someone who knows he's been caught.
"You want to know what is happening? Okay, de Castro has Northman locked up in a cage. He is going to marry that chick from Georgia, who is pretty hot for a vampire, and then he is going to kill your precious bloodsucker. And up until tonight I was elated, because I thought that I could come in and clean up the pieces of your broken heart. But I'm glad because I don't want Northman's sloppy seconds."
I hit him again.
"Where is he being held? Is it in Vegas?"
Silence, Quinn was trying his best not to be heard.
"Pam, can you glamour his ass? I am not ready for him to die tonight and I don't want de Castro's little bitch running to tell him he saw me.
Pam walked in front of Quinn and tried to get his attention. It wasn't working. He was fighting her tooth and nail.
All of a sudden, his giant head whipped up facing Pam, his eyes wide open as if they were being held in place by unseen hands. I turned to look at Amelia who was muttering some type of incantation under her breath. This maneuver left Pam free to cast her glamour.
"Quinn, you will tell Sookie anything that she asks you to tell her. You will not fight her. You will not insult any of us here or my master. Do you understand me, Quinn? When we are done you will get in your truck and go home. You will not remember anything that happened tonight. Nod your head if this is sinking in."
Quinn looked at her as if she was the only being in the universe. He nodded his head in a lolling manner.
"Quinn, where is the King holding Eric at?" I asked him, keeping my voice soft and gentle.
"He is in Las Vegas at the Hotel de Sangre in a cell in the basement," he answered me, like a child.
"Good boy. And what is de Castro planning on doing?" I continued.
"The King is going to marry Agatha Regenta on Halloween. It is a costume ball. I am not sure what his immediate plans are for Northman, but I know that he plans on killing him and his maker."
"Is Eric okay? Has he been hurt?" I queried.
"Just his pride. He is physically okay. I don't like that vampire, Sookie."
"I know Quinn. But you need to lay off of him, or very bad things could happen to you. Do you understand?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Alright, I'm done with him. Let's get him out to his truck. Is he still under the glamour Pam?" I asked as I began to loosen his restraints.
"Until I release him." Pam said.
"Well, hold him until we can get him into the truck."
We led the massive man out of the attic, through the house and out into the yard. Pam took him to the truck, just in case he snapped out of it.
Amelia and I stood on the porch and watched as Quinn started his truck and obediently drove away. It wasn't until she was on the front porch that we noticed all of Quinn's clothes clutched in Pam's arms.
"Pam! Did you send him away naked?" I asked, fighting back a fit of giggles. Amelia stood with both hands clapped to her mouth, pure joy stamped across her face.
"Yes, he is for a rude surprise when he gets home. I surely hope he doesn't get stopped." she feigned a worried look.
She dumped all the clothes in the trash can and began to walk inside.
"Come on , girls. Let's go inside. These fucking mosquitoes will drain you dry."
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A/N: I am so sorry it took me a while to update. I hope to get another chapter out in a day or two. Thank you for sticking with me. I have been watching the new season of True Blood and have a whole new love for Pam, they really could not have cast her better.
So, please review. I hope I didn't ruffle any feathers with this chapter but I felt like cocky Quinn needed to be knocked down a peg or two. Thanks!