The next morning, Sookie let herself into Eric and Tara's home with the key she had, and quietly closed the door behind her. She walked down a back hallway and eased open the door to the twins room.
Ilsa was peering through the slats of her crib at Sookie! Sookie smiled at her and walked into the room to greet her and look in on Alex, who was awake as well and kicking his feet into the air! She knew they were ready for breakfast. But first, Sookie felt duty bound to look in on the twins parents.
Sookie left the babies room, walked down to the next door. She eased open the door, as to not let a lot of light in...
She saw limbs entangled and closed the door quickly! Goddamnit! Tara had been tricked into thinking that impostor was really Eric! She didn't think she could go along with 'Real Eric' and Bill's request to hide this from her friend.
And yet, wouldn't Tara be happy to be reunited with her prince? Sookie just wished she knew what the hell Eric was really planning here! Because if his plans called for killing Tara's prince, their lives would never be the same.
The doorbell rang, just as Sookie closed their bedroom door. She hurried down the long hallway and out into the front hall. Sookie then peeped out of the eyehole.
"Yes?" she asked the man she did not recognize.
"Sookie, I'm Ben Flynn. My real name is Warlow. Please let me in. I know you know of me. We must talk."
"Fuck off!" Sookie snapped.
"Please don't be like that, my darling. We must talk about the understanding..."
"I understand that you think we're supposed to be married or something! I don't want to hear anything from you until I speak with Tara!"
"That is perfectly fair. I love you, sweet Sookie."
"Fuck off!" Sookie told him again, then watched as he turned and walked off towards the circular drive. He got into some old looking car, then drove off. Damnit! This guy was coming back tonight! And he was in cahoots with 'Prince' or 'King' Eric in there! Tara would be her only protection from 'Ben'.
She would just have to hope that whatever happened tonight, would not be as terrible as she suspected it would be.
Meanwhile, at Merlotte's, Arlene was bitching up a storm about covering for Sookie all the time. She wanted more money. Her and Sam were in his back office discussing it, when LaFayette, from the kitchen, sensed a presence.
A demonic one.
And it was looking right at him.
"Shit!" LaFayette muttered, as he slowly walked out of the kitchen and made his way over to the counter. Mr. Desmond Cataliades picked up a menu, but that was clearly for show.
"Hello, Mr. Reynolds. Clearly, you know who I am."
"Uh no! I just sensed that your ass was evil!"
"Demonic and evil don't always go hand in hand. But that is a common human prejudice. My name is Desmond Cataliades. I was Alcide Herveaux's attorney."
LaFayette said nothing to that. Mr. Cataliades continued.
"I need to speak with both yourself and Mr. Sam Merlotte. It is about Mr. Herveaux's will."
"Will?!" LaFayette said in a voice louder than he had meant to use. Arlene huffed out of the back, looking clearly unhappy. Sam followed and LaFayette motioned him over.
"Who we got here?" Sam asked.
"Alcide's lawyer. Mr. Cataliades. He's here to see both of us." LaFayette said, giving Sam a knowing look.
"Is there some place privately we can speak?" Mr. Cataliades requested.
"My office. This way." Sam said, feeling just as uneasy as LaFayette looked! The three men made their way back to Sam's office. Once inside, LaFayette sat down, as Sam closed the door and walked around to sit behind his desk.
Mr. Cataliades remained standing.
"Okay, so are you here to tell us that Alcide left us a little something in his will?" LaFayette asked.
"Yes and no. He did not leave any property or money to the two of you. All of that went to Ms. Thornton. I have to inform her of that fact soon. What I am here to talk to you about, is the ghost of Alcide Herveaux."
LaFayette almost choked! Sam sat up in his chair.
"Uh, I don't quite get you..." Sam began. But Mr. Cataliades interrupted.
"To get to the point, I am in constant contact with the spirit of Mr. Herveaux. Debbie Pelt is still a problem."
"What do you mean? Her ghost didn't die in the fire?" Sam asked.
"You mean the one that Eric Northman and Bill Compton set? No."
"There ain't no way you could know that, unless either Tara, Sookie or..." LaFayette trailed off.
Mr. Cataliades nodded.
"Or the spirit of Alcide Herveaux told me. Look, there is a problem. Or many of them. Alcide has been doing his damndest to keep Tara and Sookie safe, but now the spirit of Sandra Pelt is running loose as well. Both ghosts are out at the Pelt Ranch and they have revealed themselves to their parents, Gordon and Barbara Pelt."
"Aw hell no!" LaFayette moaned. Sam eyed both men.
"Sandra Pelt? Is she the woman that used to work for Alcide? People said she went missing too? She's dead?"
"Yes. By Tara's hand," Mr. Cataliades revealed, "Mr. Herveaux buried her body on one of his construction sites, at Mr. Eric Northman's request. But needless to say, the Pelts are very angry now."
"Now that they know everything." Sam said. "But what does that have to do with us?"
"First, Mr. Herveaux is requesting that you both get Ms. Thornton and Ms. Stackhouse someplace safe. Now with the live Pelts and their ghostly daughters on the loose, frankly, no one is safe. Not even Ilsa and Alexander Northman."
"Okay," Lafayette conceded, "I get that. But now that we know these ghosts can move, I can't keep a look out 24/7. I mean I don't know what you want Sam and I to do?"
"Tara Thornton and Sookie Stackhouse, need to hide in different realities until the Pelts are dealt with. Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Merlotte, both of you need to accompany each woman to another reality."
"Whoa!" LaFayette yelled. "Now I don't know what all this 'other reality' talk is all about, but Tara has had enough of that for a lifetime. She can't go down that road again."
"She has to." Mr. Cataliades said firmly. "And Mr. Herveaux is specifically requesting that Tara not return to the one, where in which she met and coupled with a royal version of Eric Northman. Apparently Ms. Stackhouse is in danger of being taken to that same reality, by some fairy prince that has arrived."
Sam stood up!
"Okay, this is a little too much information to process here! I can't just up and leave my business behind here!"
"Besides, " LaFayette added, "we don't know how to just jump to another reality!"
"Luckily, Chancellor Kibwe does. And he hates Eric Northman's guts. He only hates Bill Compton's slightly less. You will have one day to decide and get your affairs in order. Please keep in mind, that time is of the essence. The Pelts not only want their daughters to have their revenge, they would also like to claim Tara Thornton's twin babies as their own." Mr. Cataliades reminded the men, before turning to open the door of the office. He glanced back.
"One day." he repeated, before stepping out into the hallway and closing the door. LaFayette shook his head. Lord! It didn't sound like any of them had a choice!
But Sam folded his arms.
"Running is not the answer here. You can see ghosts, LaFayette. We have to find both of those bitches and stop them from hurting Tara or Sookie."
"And keep her parents away from them as well." Lafayette reminded him. He then thought of something. Something that had to do with the Pelts and the 'ass for pills program'. Hmmm...
"I have a plan," LaFayette said, "as to what to do with the Pelts while we deal with Debbie and Sandra."
"What about Debbie and Sandra?" Sam asked. "Any ideas on how to get rid of them?"
"Yeah. We're going to do that goddamned exorcism we never got the chance to."
That evening, Tara was more than a little surprised to find Eric still asleep. She leaned over to kiss him softly on the mouth, before getting up, showering, getting dressed and readying herself to relieve Sookie from baby duty.
But when she found her friend, there was someone else in the room.
Ben/Warlow.
Tara folded her arms and looked at Ben.
"Uh, I thought we decided that I was going to introduce Sookie to you." she said to Ben in a clipped tone.
"I know who he is, Tara." Sookie answered instead. "And I can't believe you were just going to try and sicc him on me."
"Sookie, that was never my intention! He told me a lot of shit that I knew you wouldn't be cool with. I just wanted to see how receptive you were to meeting him. That's all." Tara said, now glaring at Ben! What the fuck was he thinking coming up in her house like this? Had he told Sookie that he killed her parents?
Ben now answered.
"We agreed not to tell Eric. Eric knows."
"Eric knows?" Tara asked. "Since when?"
Sookie looked at Ben, who's thoughts suddenly swam into her head-No, Sookie, now is not the time. It is the King's place to tell Tara...
"Fuck that!" Sookie snapped. She then turned to Tara.
"Tara, that is not 'Eric' you spent the night with. Your prince is back and Eric and Bill are hiding or something!"
Tara just stared at Sookie. She then looked at Ben. That made no sense!
"Ben? Do you understand what Sookie is talking about?"
"Yes, he does." King Eric said, getting up. He was now wearing a robe. He looked around.
"Where are my children?"
Sookie could feel that the usual arrogance coming from 'Eric' was extra annoying. Meaning yeah, he probably was this 'Prince' or 'King'.
Tara turned to look at Eric.
"Look at me! Sookie is saying that you're really Prince Eric. Is that true?"
"Tarayan, if you have to ask after last night..."
Tara gasped and moved backwards! She looked at Sookie!
"And you knew this?!"
"Yes, Tara. The REAL Eric knows it too! This creep and 'Ben' had him in some kind of prison, which I got him out of! He's keeping away thinking you need to get this out of your system!"
Ben stepped forward.
"I helped bring your Majesty into this reality. Tarayan, Ilsa and Alexander belong in another world. Your Highness is their true father. Sookie, you are my betrothed. We need to leave as well."
King Eric could see that Tarayan's reaction was not one of clear happiness. He looked at Ben.
"Please leave. I need to speak to my wife alone."
Ben nodded and looked at Sookie.
"Sookie, may I escort you home? Please, I want to tell you everything."
Sookie didn't answer right away. She glanced at Tara.
"I should stay." she said. But Tara walked over to her.
"Sookie, Ben took good care of the twins and I in Paris. I have a sense about him. Maybe you should hear him out." Tara said softly. Sookie looked from Tara to Ben.
"Okay 'Ben' or whatever your real name is. I will meet you for lunch TOMORROW. Then we can talk."
"Why not tonight?" Ben asked.
"Because I don't want to look at your face, that's why!" Sookie snapped. She was suddenly very aware of how many men had lied to her recently. She just needed alone time right now.
Ben nodded, kind of sadly, and then disappeared in a fluff of light! Sookie and Tara were kind of surprised by that, but clearly King Eric wasn't.
Sookie looked at the King.
"Eric isn't going to just step aside here. You might as well accept the fact that Tara isn't going anywhere with you."
Tara hugged Sookie.
"It's alright," Tara whispered, "I'll handle this."
Sookie reluctantly let her go and left the house.
Tara and King Eric were now alone, save for their children sleeping in the next room.
"Tell me that you knew on some level, that it was me you were with the other night?" King Eric asked. Tara raised a brow.
"I heard you married Sookie."
"You were gone. Alcide had perished. I needed a queen."
"And you don't need one now because..."
"Sookie died during childbirth. Both the child and her are lost to me."
Tara folded her arms.
"And so I'm the next best bet?"
"Tarayan!" King Eric snapped. "You had disappeared! You were lost to me! I never thought there would be a chance of seeing you again and then Warlow appeared. He was a trusted advisor from a royal family that had all but perished! He offered me a way to be with you and I took it! I became a vampire to see you!"
"You became a vampire to impersonate Eric." Tara corrected him. "I don't hate you. I'll always love you but I accepted the fact that I would never see you again. Eric is the twins father..."
King Eric suddenly grabbed Tara by the shoulders!
"THAT is not acceptable! You are my queen! You were supposed to come to me in Northland when I sent for you! I will not leave here without you and Ilsa and Alexander! And before I left you, you loved me and only me! Tell me that has changed? Look me in the eye and tell me that you want a life with that beast that is so indifferent to you, that he would willingly let you be with another man!"
Tara didn't try and fight him.
"Your Highness, one of the main reasons I could not be happy with THIS Eric, was because I couldn't forget you. But if my relationship with him is ever going to work, you need to let me go. You need to let Ilsa and Alexander go. I know it's a lot to ask, but you have to do it."
"I don't HAVE to do anything." King Eric said calmly. "And that man beast that had the temerity to pose as a father to my children, and husband to my true wife, will die if he tries to stop us from being together."
"I can't deal with this! I can't! First I'm forced to forget about you! Then just when I think I've found a man to love that's not you, he's killed! Then just when things are finally settling down with the man I love, I find out that he's not that man!" Tara cried, now lurching away from him. She began hurrying towards the front door!
"Where are you going?" King Eric asked.
"I need some air! I can't think! You need to watch the babies...I can't think!" Tara now yelled. There had been a time when all she wanted, was for her prince to return and sweep her off of her feet, and out of this reality.
But the 'reality' was, that she and her children lived in this one. And she wasn't ready to give up the idea of having a life with the Eric Northman of this reality. Where was he? Why would he just leave her here alone with King Eric? He had to know how weak she was when it came to him.
King Eric, using vampire speed, grabbed Tara as soon as she had cleared the porch and swept her towards a tree at the edge of the woods.
"You don't need air. You need me. And that man beast you are married to was wrong. He can give you all of the time you want, but I will never be out of your system. We both know that."
Tara nodded weakly, as they both hurriedly discarded the clothing they had on, before King Eric welded her to that tree. A torturous moan escaped Tara's lips as King Eric clamped his mouth over hers in a brief, sensuous kiss, before sinking his organ into her enfolding flesh!
Tara began moaning into his mouth, as King Eric raised her with his first thrust, off of her feet slightly, while still pinning her to the tree. He soon began a ferocious rhythm of raising and lowering Tara by way of the extension of his manhood. Soon, 'Tarayan' began meeting his thrusts with her own and in that moment, nothing else mattered. Nothing.
Eric calmly sat in his office at Fangtasia and tried to shake off the feelings of pleasure, he could feel Tara experiencing. He had decided that he wasn't going to give Tara time to get that King fuck out of her system after all.
He stared at the couple that sat across his desk from him.
Gordon and Barbara Pelt.
"Mr. and Mrs. Pelt. I think we could be of enormous help to one another." Eric said smoothly.