A/N: I do not own True Blood or SVM.
Ang
THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN RE-REVAMPED!
Chapter 12
I was freezing; someone had turned the air conditioning way down…wait a minute…I am in Godric's arms! That's the first thought that came into my head as I woke. If we are going to ever spend much time together, I've got to buy an electric blanket or a heated mattress cover…or both. Ever since I started reading the books and watching True Blood I've always thought Sookie should buy some kind of heating system for her bed. It just makes sense, unless it's summer time. Then I could understand the benefit of having your own personal air conditioner in bed with you.
I chanced a glance at the alarm clock. Why the hell vampires would have alarm clocks, I do not know. They wake up when they can and not a moment before. It was four in the afternoon. I'd fallen asleep just before dawn around six that morning. Godric and I cuddled; yes I said 'cuddled' with a 2,000 year old vampire, for the remainder of the night. I averted the whole 'This is not my body' conversation by saying I'd tell him when the time is right. I don't know when the hell that would ever be…how do you tell someone that you're possessing another's body…in fiction, no less!
I rolled out of Godric's bed and stumbled to the light switch. That's when I noticed the note.
My dear little one,
When I rise I am resigning from my position as sheriff. I find that I would like to spend time near my progeny as well as others of importance. Eric has arranged a flight for the four of us which leaves at 8:00 p.m. It would be best if you and Adele have your things ready to go by 7:00. I will come to you after I have finished my business. Until then…
Godric
So Gran and I had three hours to eat, get ourselves ready, as well as pack all our things for the flight home. I was tired and prepared myself for the walk of shame. It wasn't REALLY a walk of shame; it just looked like I had spent a passion filled night with a very amorous ancient teenaged vampire. I should be so lucky…
I'm not bitter. Why would I be bitter? Maybe because I was stuck in the body of a telepathic fairy virgin and had an itch I could not scratch? Hmph.
I entered our suite and Gran was drinking a glass of tea while watching TV. I tried to sneak past her, but she's a wily old dame. "Good afternoon, Sookie dear." Busted! "Hi Gran, how are you today?"
"Oh well I'm just peachy. The question is how you are?" Oh boy. "I'm okay. I'm just gonna go grab a shower. We're leaving tonight at seven, so I need to get ready to go."
"No need to hurry, sweetheart. We have plenty of time. I ordered some sandwiches for us. Why don't we sit down, eat, and you can tell me about your evening?" Really! She can't let me just slink off to my room so I could change out of the 'sexy' wrinkled dress that I'd slept in and wash away the makeup that was a total waste? Apparently the answer is no, she can't. She had already whipped out the sandwiches and poured me a glass of tea, which I don't even like. I wanted a strong cup of coffee or an ice cold Pepsi, maybe a shot of liquor as well.
We sat down to eat with her in her nice blue dress with pink flowers and me in my red hootchie dress from the previous night. Did I mention I was actually carrying my shoes? I knew this looked bad; I'm sure I had raccoon eyes from smudged mascara, too. Lovely!
"So how was your date with Godric, dear?"
"It was wonderful…" She waggled her eyebrows again and said, "Obviously." I ignored that comment.
"We went out to eat at a lovely restaurant called The Candleroom. The whole place was lit by candlelight and the food was delicious. Then we went dancing to a very upscale night club." That was all the old bat was getting' out of me.
"Well, as long as you two had a good time…that's what's important." She smirked behind her glass of sweet tea. I don't think genteel southern ladies are supposed to smirk behind their tea! I seriously needed to escape this woman, so I scarfed down my ham sandwich as fast as I could.
I showered and changed into dark skinny jeans and a light blue top with short sleeves. I put on a pair of wedge sandals. I left my hair down to air dry and applied minimal makeup. I was crunched for time because of Gran's interrogation.
Gran and I had everything packed and were ready to go by 6:30. So I decided to have a cup of coffee and sit down to wait for Godric to arrive. We watched the local news and there was no mention of The Fellowship. It looked like another catastrophe had been averted. I mentally gave myself a pat on the back.
Grodric arrived at exactly 7:00 with Eric in tow. I went to the kitchenette to put my coffee cup in the sink. As I walked past Eric his nostrils flared and he cut a glance in Godric's direction. I guess he'd assumed that Godric and I would have had copious amounts of hot monkey sex. No such luck. It was rather creepy how he could smell what we had (or hadn't) been up to, though. I just smiled real big and grabbed my bags.
Gran looked at Godric with a knowing smile. "Did you enjoy your evening with my granddaughter, young man?" I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
"Yes, Adele, we had a lovely time." He smiled right back at her, not giving anything away, one way or the other. We made our way to the Anubis shuttle and headed for the airport. Eric kept looking at me from the corner of his eye. I don't know what he was thinking, but I felt kind of uncomfortable. I knew he'd had designs on Sookie himself, but I also knew he wouldn't interfere with his maker and me. He should be grateful his maker wasn't suicidal anymore and had someone special in his life, if that was indeed what I was to Godric. For all I knew, he could have fangbangers galore as soon as we reached Shreveport. I KNOW they put-out.
I doubt Eric had ever had a special someone in his entire vampire life except Pam. Perhaps he would learn a thing or two by watching Godric and I interact. That way, when (or if) Sookie comes back he could possibly have a chance at a relationship with her.
Speaking of Sookie coming back, I wondered when she would be back and what would happen to me? I was already head over heels for Godric and wanted so much to spend the rest of my life with him, learning everything about him. I wanted to know the good, the bad, and the ugly. Two thousand years is a long time; he must have so many stories to tell, it would take a lifetime just to hear them all.
Gran chatted with Godric most of the flight to Shreveport. She was fascinated with him and I think he felt the same about her. He hadn't had a motherly figure for at least two thousand years, how could he not love her. It sounds ridiculous, but I believe he needed mothering. I left them to it while I contemplated my situation.
I knew I wanted to tell him the truth about me, but I had no idea how to go about doing it. Would he even believe me? No one knew that I wasn't really Sookie Stackhouse. I wanted him to know the real me. I wanted him to worship MY BODY like he had Sookie's. I wanted him to look into my chocolate brown eyes and run his fingers through my chestnut hair.
The way he kept calling me "little one" made me feel like he knew something, but I knew there was no way in heaven or hell he could know. I was a good few inches shorter than Sookie. I also didn't have a Jessica Rabbit body. I had curves, but they were nowhere near as sultry or luscious as hers. He had stressed to me that it wasn't the shell that he desired, but the woman within.
Maybe everything would work out okay in the end. That is, if I was still here in the end. My worst nightmare was that I'd wake up to my eggplant walls one morning and I would have to go back to reading fanfiction about Godric. I could write a fic about my time as Sookie Stackhouse. I didn't wannabe Sookie anymore.
When we landed in Shreveport I knew Gran and I couldn't just go straight home. There was a maenad in the house and I couldn't just call Pest Control. "I'm gonna make a quick phone call. I told my friend I'd call to let him know when we landed. He's such a worry-wort." I walked a few paces away from the group, but not so far that Godric and Eric couldn't hear everything that was said. I called Lafayette because he didn't get involved with the whole Maryann situation until Sookie got him involved.
"Hey Lafayette, our plane just landed and we'll be home in an hour or so." I hoped he wouldn't question where we'd been. That would blow the pretense of the phone call. I shouldn't have worried about that, though; he was freaking out.
"Hookah you cannot go to yo house! You stay the hell away, baby girl. They's all kinds of craziness goin' on. The whole town's gone bat shit and Maryann's taken over yo house! Everybody in town's got these crazy-ass black eyes and they done loss they minds! Just stay where you is, girl!" Godric's and Eric's eyes widened, but just barely, which I took to mean complete surprise or shock.
"Don't worry, Lala. We'll stay safe. You just worry about yourself and stay in your house. I think I know what's going on and I'm gonna see what I can do to fix it, okay?" I didn't think I needed to worry about him. He'd barricade himself in his house.
"Yeah I ain't leaving my house fo nothin', baby girl. You be safe now." With that, he disconnected.
I turned to Godric to explain and hoped he could help me get rid of an ancient Greek mythological creature. "I assume you heard that?" He nodded and stayed silent for me to continue. "Maryann is a maenad. She and her freak-show have taken over our home. She has turned the townspeople into raving lunatics. She's very dangerous, but she shouldn't be able to affect me or vampires. Gran however is human and she could easily take over her mind. Could we stay with you two until I figure something out?"
Godric looked to Eric. Eric rolled his eyes and said, "You can stay at my home for a few days." He didn't look too happy about it. Godric looked to Gran and me with a reassuring smile.
"You are correct when you say a maenad is a very dangerous creature. I am glad that you and Adele will allow us to protect you in Eric's home." He's so sweet and I was sure he knew what he was talking about. He had to have run across all kinds of creatures in two thousand years.
"We'll stop at a market on the way. I doubt Eric has human food. You can get a good night's rest and we'll come up with a plan tomorrow evening to deal with this maenad." I wished I could peak inside his head because there were definitely wheels turning in there. I could count on him to help.
We stopped at Wal-Mart and picked up the basics as well as some fruit. Godric picked up some strawberries and added them to the cart. That reminded me of our dinner at The Candleroom and the orgasmic faces I made while I ate the strawberry and chocolate dessert. I gave him a shy smile. Gran picked up a jug of pre-made sweet tea while I grabbed a Pepsi.
We also made a quick detour to the arts and crafts section. Gran bought red, white, and blue yarn as well as crocheting needles. She said it was to occupy her time while we took care of Maryann. I was glad; I'd hate for her to feel neglected.
When we arrived at Eric's house I was reminded of The Brady Bunch. It was a brown1970's bi-level home in a suburban neighborhood. It wasn't upscale, but it wasn't shabby either. The lawn and landscaping were understated but very clean and well kept. The interior of the house needed some serious updating. Everything was orange, mustard yellow or dull green. The carpet was rust colored shag.
Godric helped me put away the groceries. I had to explain what was to be refrigerated and what went into cabinets. I noticed Eric had pots and pans; I figured it was for appearances only. I assumed he'd owned it before the Great Revelation; maybe he bought it when it was new.
Eric showed us to our rooms. I noticed he didn't give Godric and me the same bedroom and I was grateful, for Gran's sake. Although, with her reaction to today's walk of shame (which wasn't really a walk of shame), she probably wouldn't have said a word, except for teasing. I believed she knew there would be some late night sneaking around going on (even if it was only spooning and smooching). One could hope there would be anyway.
I baked Gran and me a quick frozen pizza, which we ate at the kitchen table. Eric had disappeared; I assumed to his secret lair in his basement somewhere. Godric sat with us while we ate. I hoped he wasn't hoping for more sexy sounds coming from me because number one: Gran was sitting right in front of me and number two: it was frozen pizza, not exactly moan-worthy fare.
As we ate, I explained what was going on in Bon Temps to Gran. I told her what a maenad was and what was likely happening to our home. "How do you know so much about this, Sookie dear?"
"I read about it on the internet, Gran. I saw it on Wikepedia." I really hoped she wouldn't question me on that. She seemed to accept it. Godric on the other hand knew it was total malarkey. His look told me we'd be having a heart to heart later. If he only knew…
We finished eating and cleaned up our mess. Gran yawned and said, "I'm going to turn in, dears. You youngsters don't stay up too late, ya hear?" She said that with a smirk and a waggle of her eyebrows. Cheeky woman. I'd never seen or read about this side of Gran before. It was actually quite hilarious and reminded me of my mamaw a little. When she saw a handsome man or a cute boy, she'd say, "Hoohoo!" I took that to be a kind of cat-call. I never heard her whistle, so maybe that was her alternative. It was so damn cute! This little old roley-poley lady making cat-calls a good lookin' men.
I decided there was no time like the present to have a talk with Godric. I was going to come clean and explain how I really knew about Maryann. "Can we go somewhere more private? I need to talk to you, but I don't want anyone else to hear what I have to say." He didn't seem surprised by my request.
"Of course, let's go to your room. Eric is in his day room and shouldn't hear us." We went to my room and I shut the door and took a deep breath. "What I have to say to you, Godric, can go no further than this room. I don't want to change anything that shouldn't be changed. Do I have your word?" I was being cryptic, I know. He considered what I had said for a moment then agreed. I sat down on the bed with him and began my tale.
"I asked you last night if you would still want me if I looked completely different." He nodded. "That's because I do look completely different from what you see now. This body really is just a shell to me. In my reality I have brown eyes, brown hair, and I'm a few inches shorter than I am now. My name is not Sookie Stackhouse. It's Janie Graham. I'm twenty-four years old and I wait tables in a bar. In my spare time I read fan fiction. Do you know what that is?" I have found that a lot of people don't know what fan fiction is, even though it's pretty much self-explanatory. He nodded so I continued.
"My favorite stories are from a TV show called True Blood and a series of books which that show is based on call Southern Vampire Mysteries. I read it constantly when I'm not working or sleeping."
His brow furrowed slightly then returned to his usual look of patience and understanding. "Where I come from there are no vampires, fairies, shifters, or demons that I'm aware of. So you can imagine my surprise when I woke up one morning in my favorite TV show, True Blood, whose main character is named Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie's a telepathic part fairy barmaid from Bon Temps, Louisana.
She became involved with a vampire named Bill Compton and her life was filled with danger and heartbreak from that point on. When I came here I didn't think it was real and decided that since I was stuck in this world, I'd right some wrongs for my favorite fictional character. And that's exactly what I've done so far. I thought it was just a game.
In the show Gran was killed by a serial killer who murdered women who associated with vampires. He went to Sookie's house to kill her, but she wasn't home. However, Gran was and he murdered her instead. There was a whole series of events that followed Sookie's involvement with the vampire named Bill Compton. I changed her circumstances by not getting involved with him.
I've stopped a lot of horrible things from happening. Do you follow me so far?" He sat perfectly still, as only vampires do, and waited for me to continue again. I wondered what he thought, probably that I was bat-shit crazy and needed to be in a padded cell.
"Because of all the changes I've made things have happened here that didn't happen in the TV show. Gran didn't die unexpectedly, so she had the opportunity to explain Sookie's fairy heritage. She showed me a letter from Sookie's grandfather, Fintan Brigant, son of Niall. Fintan and Niall aren't even in the TV show; he's only in the books. Anyway, in the letter he explained some things about the fae and Sookie's essential spark.
I think this is some type of alternate reality from mine. Either that or this is an extremely vivid hallucination. Maybe none of this is real and I'm in a coma or locked up in a psych ward somewhere." I paused here to give his mind time to process everything I've told him up to this point.
He was silent for what felt like an eternity. Then he looked me right in the eye and said, "I felt all along that there was something different about you. I cannot say for certain what that is, exactly. You don't seem to be unstable or damaged in any way. Believe it or not, but stranger things have happened. Yours is an extraordinary tale."
I knew it! He didn't believe me. I might as well kiss his cute pasty ass goodbye. Tears gathered, unshed, in my eyes. Then he spoke again.
"What a wondrous thing, to be sent from one reality to another. You and I will figure this out together…Janie."
Relief washed over me and I felt the tears that had been building roll down my cheeks.
A/N: What did you think of Janie's confession and explanation? I hope I did well. Next chapter, they'll deal with the maenad. Tomorrow's Election Day and I'm going to cast my ballot for Barack again. It's a close election, but I hope we Dem's pull through.
As you can tell by the above author's note, this chapter was first written in November. It doesn't seem that long ago.
Ang
