Hope Is the Thing With Feathers
A Let Love in side story
By Terri Botta
Disclaimer: I don't own the Southern Vampires. Sole copyright belongs to Charlaine Harris. I'm poor so don't sue.
Rating: M for later chapters.
Timeframe: Post-From Dead to Worse, Ten years after LLI
Pairing: Eric/Sookie
Summary: Eric gives Sookie a gift.
A/N: New chapter everyone. :D Enjoy. Still no progress on Soul. Still pulling it out of my head with an ice pick. *sigh*
Chapter Fourteen
Sookie wakes slowly, and she feels like she is swimming to the surface after diving deep to the bottom of a pool. She fights against the pressure surrounding her and forces her sluggish mind to focus.
Her hearing comes back first, and she hears Eric singing softly. He is singing in Old Norse, and she smiles. No one would believe Eric Northman is a singer, but he sings when he is happy or when he is trying to comfort someone. Right now he is singing to their unborn children, and she knows they are avidly listening.
As she lays there, focusing on his voice because she doesn't have control over her limbs yet, all of the events of earlier come back, and she remembers the terrible things she said. Remorse hits her and she feels her throat close as a lump forms to almost choke her.
'Oh. Oh, I am so horrible to have said such awful things,' she despairs.
'No more than you have ever been,' her mate and lover sends to her. 'At least this time you didn't call me a soul-less, undead bastard.'
'I am so so sorry,' she apologizes.
Cool lips press to her forehead and she is surrounded by love. 'There is a saying in Swedish. Älska mig, när I förtjänar least det, därför att det är när jag behöver egentligen den. Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it.'
Tears leak from her closed eyes and she can feel him licking them away gently. 'You must do a lot of that – loving me when I least deserve it.'
He chuckles and kisses her hair. "About as much as you do for me, my lover."
She sighs and the tension leaves her body as her hand instinctively reaches down to caress her growing belly. "Thank you."
"For what? For loving you? For forgiving you? For wanting to give you a mind-blowing orgasm?" Eric teases and she can hear the laughter in his voice. His lips are by her ear and his tongue flicks out to lick her earlobe.
"Hmmph. It has been four days for you, hasn't it? And you did battle today," she says.
"Mmm hmm, and you smell of fire and blood and death."
"All aphrodisiacs for a vampire."
She hears him rumble deep in his chest as he nibbles the soft spot on her throat. "Mmmm, you know me so well, lover."
"Too bad there's no fairy on me," she comments lightly.
"If there were, I would not be responsible for my actions."
"Are you ever responsible for your actions?"
"When they concern you?" he asks even as he begins to kiss her down her neck to her breasts. "No. You bewitch me, woman, with your very presence. I lose all sense of reason whenever I am around you."
"Uh huh. And that is all my fault," she replies even as she arches her back into his touch.
His hands are gathering up her nightgown and his lips are gently sucking on her protruding navel. She had an "innie" before she got pregnant, but now her "innie" has popped out. Saroyah says this is normal and it will invert again once she has given birth. She hopes so because she doesn't like it even though Eric finds her new "teat" charming.
"Of course," he purrs as he moves even lower. She sighs and gives over to his attentions, not bothering to wonder if there are ears nearby to hear them.
'Maria, Izzy, and the boy are in the house, but they've heard us have sex before,' he tells her, letting his tongue make lazy circles on her thigh as his hands spread her legs.
'I don't know what disturbs me more: the fact that we are doing this when they are in the house, or the fact that it doesn't bother me nearly as much as it should.'
He laughs and his breath is cool against her quickly warming flesh, and she gasps as the tip of his tongue finds her sweet spot. Her next answer is a groan, and she feels his exultation through the bond.
Despite her comment, and his desperation, they are quiet as they join, and Eric is gentle, being careful of her back and the babies growing inside her. Their unborn son and daughter already have ringside seats to her and Eric's lovemaking, and they have discovered that neither infant likes being roughly jostled. She feels Eric's relief as they both climax, and she feels badly for making him wait so long.
'You are heavy and tired and uncomfortable. None of these things make you feel amorous,' her husband tells her as they snuggle in the afterglow.
'Thank you for being so understanding.'
He kisses her hair and chuckles into her temple. 'That's me, Mr. Sensitive.'
'Prick.'
'Why yes, I do, and it's a very nice one, or so you have told me.'
She groans and half-heartedly smacks him. 'You. But your butt is still better.'
'I suppose you are entitled to your opinion, even if I must disagree.'
She snorts but snuggles close, letting his contentment and joy flow into her.
'Eric…' she asks after several moments of silence. 'What happened after I… got knocked out?'
She had no illusions that someone had done something to her because she was cut off in mid-tirade.
'Maria gave you Dreamflower pollen. It causes the breather to fall immediately to sleep. And the survivors were sent off with their memories altered, the dead were disposed of, and the dangerous ones were sent to an alternate dimension by Izzy,' Eric explains.
'How many?'
'Dead or dangerous?'
'Both.'
'Ninteen dead, including the ones I drained afterwards, and four dangerous ones who will be waking up in a place where they will learn what real demons look like,' he answers.
She frowns, but nods. She doesn't like it, but the Fellowship sealed their fate when they attacked her and Eric.
"I have contacted our lawyer and the AVL. They will be handling any fallout from today's altercation," Eric says. "The Kansas vampires have been alerted and efforts are being made to rescue Dr. Kalas and the other doctor they are holding prisoner."
"And the house in Shreveport?"
"Vincent says the damage is minimal. Someone is already inspecting it for repairs, but we will have to stay here in the interim, my lover."
"Oh, like you hate staying here," she teases.
"I do admit to having a certain fondness for this bed and the attached shower, if only for the memories it invokes," he replies with a sly smile.
"Uh huh, and you like fucking me on this bed."
"I like fucking you anywhere, dearest, but this bed does have its charms."
She laughs and lets out a deep sigh, one hand stroking her womb and the other clasped lightly around her vampire's forearm.
"I love you," she whispers.
"And I love you, my lover. Always."
"I know. You love me even when I don't deserve it."
"I love you always," he repeats softly as she feels his lips kiss her temple tenderly, and she fights back the tears that well in her eyes.
"Damn hormones," she complains, wiping her eyes quickly.
"I believe Maria has ice cream for that."
"Oh yeah, like I need ice cream. I'm fat as a house already."
"In my day a fat woman was worshipped. You should be proud of your curves, and your swelling belly."
"I am proud to be having your babies, Eric, but I'll be glad to get my figure back. I would like to see my feet again," she says seriously.
"Soon enough. Just another twelve weeks and we will see our little ones in person."
"Both Saroyah and Dr. Marconi say I might go early," she reminds.
"Not if I have anything to say about it. Our babies will stay right where they are until they reach forty weeks even if I have to tie your legs shut to keep them in."
"What a comforting thought," she replies drolly.
He chuckles and shifts to pull her closer against him. Post-coital Eric is still cuddly Eric, but she has no complaints. She likes to feel protected in his arms and soon she is drifting to sleep again, lulled by his deep crooning as he sings to her and their unborn children.
Her next moment of awareness comes several hours later. It is well past sunset and she has been awakened by the buzzing of Eric's cell phone. He's put it on vibrate, but the low humming of the phone, and her mate's quick answering of it, jar her out of her light sleep.
"Speak," she hears Eric say into the receiver, his voice irritated that they have been disturbed.
She waits quietly, listening in on his thoughts as he converses with the vampire on the other end. The vamp is calling to tell Eric that Dr. Kalas and Dr. Garner have been rescued and they are more or less in one piece. Both have been admitted to a hospital in Topeka and are under heavy protective guard, but it appears that the truth of Eric being the father of Sookie's babies has gotten out and damage control measures will need to be put into place. Her mate makes the appropriate noises of understanding, then punts to the King.
"King Felipe de Castro is aware of the situation. Forward all requests for information through his office," Eric commands. "Let it be known that I will kill any member of the Press who tries to accost myself or my wife. We will prepare a formal statement and release it for general distribution. That will be all."
She smiles to herself at his threat as she hears him hang up. The Freedom of the Press and the First Amendment mean nothing to her overprotective mate.
"Hmmph. Let them try to get a picture of you now. I will shove their cameras up their asses right before I rip out their throats," he growls.
She laughs. "Now that is something I'd like to see. It'd make a great news spot on a vamp gossip show."
"Vamp gossip show?" he repeats, confused, as he settles next to her again, his arm coming around her to pull her close.
"You know, like those shows with paparazzi who follow celebrities around, only with vamps instead."
"Ah. I think I may have heard mention of such shows, but I have never seen them."
"Since someone doesn't want me to work, I've been watching a lot more TV," she complains sulkily.
"So it's my fault if you get addicted to soap operas and Dr. Phil?" he replies, one eyebrow raised.
"And Oprah, and People's Court," she adds.
"Right. I think I need to get you a new hobby, lover. You have too much idle time on your hands."
She pats her belly. "Pretty soon idle time will not be a problem."
"True, but you will have Saroyah to help you, and me. You will not be alone," he promises.
"I know. Thank you."
She feels his fingers play with her hair as he moves closer. "Anything for you, my lover."
She sighs, letting her eyes scan the room lazily. It hasn't changed in over a decade. The wallpaper is the same, the furniture the same, even the linens and curtains are the same delicate floral pattern. The room is familiar, comforting, and she smiles to herself as she absently rubs her belly.
"I wish Gran had lived to see her great-grandchildren," she says wistfully.
"So do I. I would have liked to have known your grandmother."
"I think she would have liked you."
"That is good to hear. I would have held her in high regard."
"She would have been happy for me when she heard the news. She was the one person who never judged me or my choices," she confides with regret.
"She must have loved you very much."
"She took me and Jason in and raised us when she didn't have to. She could have let the state take us instead."
"She would not have been a woman worth her salt if she had. From all that I have heard, your grandmother was a strong and honorable woman," Eric replies.
"She was."
She frowns a little, the grief of loss still touching her even more than a decade later, and she feels Eric's comfort come into the bond to soothe her sadness. The sharp edge is off her pain, but it is still there, a dull ache that hits her when she least expects it. The memory of Adele Hale Stackhouse is especially close in this room, and she knows what she wants to do. She hopes Eric will not object.
"Eric…" she begins softly.
"Yes, my lover?"
"I want to name our daughter Adele."
"For your grandmother?"
"Yes."
"Then she shall be named Adele. A strong, beautiful name for a strong, beautiful woman," he agrees with finality.
"Thank you," she says with a smile. She should have known that he would understand.
His face is millimeters from her own, and she can see the amusement dancing in his blue eyes.
"Did you think I would object? To be honest, I expected you to name our girlchild after the woman who raised you."
"Am I that predicable?"
"Only to me.
She laughs and moves her head to fit under his chin. "Do you have any preferences for what we should name our son?" she asks.
"I have given it some thought."
"And?"
"I am conflicted. I do not wish to name the boychild after me, but at the same I want his name to reflect his heritage."
"You want to give him a Viking name."
"Yes."
"So… any suggestions?"
"Hmmm… well I was considering Agnarr after my younger brother."
"He was killed in battle," she says softly.
"As were my other brothers, Geirr and Örn, but I was closest to Agnarr. He was only a year younger than me."
"It must have been terrible for you to see them die."
She feels him blanch and instinctively clutch her closer. "Yes. I wanted to die, too, but that was not my fate."
"I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. If I had died, then I would not have lived to find you, and I would not know the joy I know now. Nothing compares to the happiness I have with you, my lover. I would not trade it for the Halls of Valhalla itself."
"You always know the right things to say," she says with a happy sigh. He always did make her feel valued and loved.
"I've had lots of practice."
She chuckles. "I guess you have."
"Oh yes," he breathes, his breath blowing cool across her sensitive earlobe as his hands wander lower. "But as they say, my lover, practice does make perfect…"
She moans as she surrenders to his attentions and lets him bring her to the halls of their own personal Valhalla.
"So… Agnarr, huh?" she says after he has given her pleasure and taken some of his own.
"It is the name I am most gravitating towards," he confesses.
"It sounds like a good, strong name."
"It is."
She nods in understanding. "Could we make his middle name Corbett, for my dad?"
"Agnarr Corbett. Hmm. I have no objections. Can we name Adele Adele Etta for my little sister?"
"Adele Etta. I like that. Etta is a pretty name."
"Yes."
"So Adele Etta and Agnarr Corbett it is." She rubs her womb, feeling the life inside her turn towards the pressure. Both of their babies are awake and as aware as unborn children are in the womb. "What do you think in there? You like those names?"
Their minds are devoid of coherent thought, but she senses no distress from them. Their world consists of darkness and water and the muffled sounds from the outside.
"I think they will be fine with them."
She huffs. "I hope so. You have no idea how much fun it was to be named Sookie. And half the time the people weren't even commenting about it out loud."
"Sookie is an unusual name," he admits.
"You think?"
"Well… no more than, say, Norbert or Percy," he says lightly.
"Norbert?" she repeats with some offence.
"It was much more popular in the 1900's."
"Uh huh, and how many Sookies have you known?"
He smiles and the smile lights up his whole face. "Just one."
She smiles back, brushing her fingertips across his cool flesh. "Good answer."
He gives her a little shrug as if he already knew that and kisses her forehead. Her stomach growls in the following silence and her husband frowns.
"You are hungry. We must get you something to eat."
She crinkles her nose unhappily. "That would mean getting out of bed, and I just don't have the energy to move."
"Normally I'd be able to take responsibility for that, but in this case I think we must blame it on the little ones," he quips.
"I dunno. I do think you might be a contributing factor."
He laughs but sits up, reaching for a robe at the foot of the bed. "I will see what there is to eat in this place. I am sure Maria has cooked something. I can smell some sort of food."
"But there might not be any left. Vincent is here,' she reminds, watching him as he prepares to leave the safe cocoon of their room.
"If there is none, then I will make a call out to your shifter's bar and order out."
'There's plenty. Mia's made corn chowder soup and sourdough bread,' Izzy's mindvoice interrupts.
'Oooh, corn chowder sounds delicious,' she answers.
'I'll make up a tray for Eric to bring in.'
'Thank you.'
'No problem.'
Having been privy to the conversation, Eric has no need to ask her what Izzy's said and he is already moving to go get her food.
"I'll be right back, lover."
"Thank you, Eric," she says from the comfort of the bed.
"Anything for you, dearest."
He slips from the room as silently as a vampire, leaving her to stare at the ceiling of the old bedroom and let her mind wander. She remembers all the days and nights she spent here, both before and after Gran's death. She remembers her time with Bill, and then with Amnesiac Eric that fateful New Year's night when she found him running on the road. Had she loved him even then? Now, more than ten years later, she can admit that yes, she probably had loved her Eric during those few nights they'd had together, and it was that love that gave rise to the love she felt now because she saw in those nights the man Eric could be.
'I do not know why you continue to reminisce on that time and refer to me as someone you think I am not. Your Eric? Have you not learned that he and I are one and the same?' Eric chides as he returns with a tray laden with hot soup, steaming bread and herbal tea. 'I have, and have always been, your Eric.'
He gives her a reproving look as he places the tray down on the bed and begins arranging the pillows to support her back. He fusses like a mother hen, and it makes her smile.
'I'm sorry. I'm just maudlin,' she apologizes.
Normally he would put the tray on her lap, but since she has no lap to speak of, he sits next to her with the tray in his lap and begins to feed her. It's very, very good, but then she has come to expect no less from Maria. The soup is perfectly seasoned and the bread is soft and flavorful as he dips hunks of it into the soup and presses them to her waiting lips.
'I can feed myself, you know,' she complains even as she obligingly opens her mouth for another bite.
'I know, but I like feeding you. I like providing for you and helping you. It shows that I am a good provider and a good mate.'
'You've always been a good mate.'
He gives her a wicked smile. 'I know.'
She swats at him and he tsks at her. 'Now, now, is that any way to treat the man who has your dinner?'
'Is that any way to treat the woman who's been your dinner?' she quips back.
He laughs and gives her another bite. 'Why do you think I take such care in what you eat. I am protecting my own food supply.'
She snorts and shakes her head. There is no arguing with him.
'And see, it has only taken you ten years of marriage to figure that out.'
She tries not to choke on her swallowed laughter as he spoons more food into her mouth. She loses the battle when he winks at her, and her giggle earns her a smirk. She tries to be difficult by closing her mouth for the next bite, and he raises an eyebrow as he makes little circles with the spoon, aiming it at her tight lips.
"What is it… here comes the airplane?" he says with amusement.
She gasps out a laugh and shakes her head. "Airplane?"
"Isn't that what you do for a recalcitrant toddler who does not want to eat? Or was that a train? I get the two confused."
"A train?"
"You know choo-choo," he replies, shoving the spoon into her mouth before she can snap her jaw shut. Luckily she doesn't choke on the soup.
"Where on earth did you come up with that?" she says when she can speak.
"I was watching parenting videos Pam downloaded to help me learn what to expect after the Little Ones are born."
"Pam downloaded parenting videos for you?" she blurts.
"Well, it's been centuries since I've had to deal with children. She thought it best for me to be prepared." He makes more train noises as he tries to feed her another bite.
'I am not a recalcitrant toddler,' she argues, but eats mostly because she is hungry.
'Are you sure?' he counters with a wry smile.
'If you want to get laid anytime before our children are toddlers, I suggest you change your tune, buster,' she threatens.
She sees his eyes widen, but the smile on his lips spreads. 'Now why would you deprive yourself of my attentions for such a long time just to spite me?'
'Don't underestimate yourself, dear.'
'You mean I'm not the best lover you've ever had? That's odd since I can recall a number of times when you've screamed just that.'
She rolls her eyes. 'It must have been a lapse in judgment or sanity,' she replies, opening her mouth to let him give her two more bites in quick succession.
'Well, you have said you were crazy to bond with me, so perhaps the last ten years has been a decade of mental delusion?'
'Oh I am sure one of us is delusional for sure,' she quips.
Eric roars with laughter, then kisses her swiftly, making tingles run down her spine. Even heavily pregnant and worried for her safety, he still has the ability to move her down to her soul.
'Eric…'
'My lover…'
'If you two lovebirds are quite finished, are you decent enough to receive visitors?' Izzy's amused mindvoice interrupts.
'We are never decent, but we are not indisposed,' Eric replies, giving her a wink as he pulls away. She snickers.
A moment later, the room is invaded by Maria, Izzy and Vincent. Vincent smiles and takes a seat in the chair near the foot of the bed while the two women stand beside it.
"While the two of you were otherwise occupied, we got a call from one of our contacts in Colorado," Izzy says with a sardonic smile. "He says they have received reports that the research facility in Boulder has been raided. There is evidence that the Fellowship of the Sun is behind the attack, and years' worth of data and research has been destroyed."
"Damn," she whispers, lowering her eyes. "But no one was hurt, right? No one was killed?"
"To the best of our knowledge the facility was attacked after hours, and the only people there were the night guards," Maria assures her. "There were no fatalities."
She grips Eric's hand tightly, and he squeezes back.
"That still doesn't change the fact that the Holy Rollers now have the names of all the test subjects and their results. Today's attack was only the beginning. They're going to be gunning for you even more now," Izzy warns.
She shivers because she knows it's true, and her heart bottoms into her stomach. There will be nowhere safe, and her friends and loved ones will be in danger because of her. She hates it, hates the reality of hate and what it makes supposedly good people do. Izzy levels her with a serious look, and she knows she is not going to like what the woman says next.
"Given the delicate state of your condition, it would be wise for you to relocate to a more secure place, at least until the babies are born," Izzy states.
"No," she replies automatically. "This is my home. My family is here, my friends are here. I will not be chased away by a bunch of zealots."
"Lover… perhaps we should think of the Little Ones safety…" her husband tries reasonably, but she is in no mood to be reasonable.
"No. Our babies are being born right here in Louisiana. I refuse to be run out of my own home. No," she refuses vehemently.
"I get what you're saying, I really do, but it'd be a hell of a lot safer for all of you if you were to go to Isle Elena until after the birth," Izzy says.
She can't explain why she feels so strongly about it, but she just can't bring herself to agree. The very fact that she and Eric could be forced out of their home and her children born on unfamiliar soil galls her. Yes, she loves Isle Elena, and she knows she and Eric will be safe there, but it isn't home, and she wants to be home.
"No. I don't care what we have to do, but we're staying here. Why the hell did we spend all that money to hire Saroyah if we were just going to run like rabbits? I'm already followed around by an armed guard 24/7. What else can anyone do?" she answers firmly.
"And today proves that not even that formidable force is impenetrable," Izzy counters. "If we hadn't gotten here in time, there is no telling what would have happened."
"But you did get here in time, so we'll never know," she snaps angrily.
"Next time, we might not be able to get here so fast. You were lucky we were near a portal that got us here quick."
"And I'm grateful, but…" She looks at Eric, her eyes pleading. "Please, Eric, I don't want to do this. Don't make me do this. Please. I want our babies to be born here."
She sees him close his eyes and drop his shoulders in defeat. "Lover… you don't know what you are asking. You are asking me to keep you in a war zone, and I…"
"So? Make this place a fortress like the castles in medieval times. Build a moat. Hire archers. Do whatever you have to do to make sure no one can get in."
Eric shakes his head, his face pained. "You would be a prisoner here for months, my lover. You would not be able to leave these grounds without an armed guard and a police escort. Our businesses and properties would be targets for attack…"
"They already are targets. Fangtasia and Stackhouse's have been on the Fellowship's hit list for years. There's no difference there," she argues.
He sighs and she can feel him gathering his thoughts to formulate a response. "I know, but now they have even more reason to want to hurt us, to break us."
She looks at him seriously. "Eric, if they make us move and chase us from our home, then they will have broken us. We're stronger than that."
"Sometimes it is better to cede land to an invading force with the intention of seizing it back later," he responds equally seriously. "We must not forget what is most important, my lover: your safety and the safety of our little ones. Everything else can be replaced."
She shakes her head, her heart breaking. "Eric… I can't. It goes against everything I believe in. I'm sorry."
He sighs. "You always were a woman of conviction even to the point of belligerence…"
"I am not belligerent," she argues.
He casts her a long look, one eyebrow raised, but she just juts out her chin… belligerently. He closes his eyes and she can hear him praying for patience. She waits, trying not to be petulant and cranky, and realizes that he has shielded his thoughts from her, probably because they are violent and involve her slow, agonizing death.
"If you insist on staying here in the line of fire, you will need another one of us to insure your safety," Saroyah interrupts, her large frame taking up most of the open bedroom doorway.
"Another Britlingen midwife?" she asks.
Saroyah crosses her arms. "No, that is my duty. You would require one of us who specializes in personal protection and combat."
"Like Batanya and Clovache in Rhodes," she breathes, remembering the muscular bodyguards.
"Yes. You would need a trained warrior to ensure your safety," Saroyah replies.
"Why? I already have you and Vincent and Eric and the Vampires of Area Five and the Shreveport Weres, plus Quinn and Sam and Amelia's Coven. If all of them can't keep me safe, how can adding another Britlingen make any difference?" she questions, trying not to sound petty.
"Because a Britlingen would not concern herself with your human laws and customs," Eric answers gravely. "A warrior Britlingen would attack and kill anyone or anything that got too close regardless of whether or not it was a threat, plus she would have no reservations about performing what you call a preemptive strike."
Saroyah nods. "Yes. One of them would have taken out the higher level leaders of the Fellowship months ago to throw the group into chaos."
Sookie gasps. "But how could they do that? Someone would see her and know she was responsible…" She stops herself, remembering with a shocked gasp how Batanya and Clovache could make themselves invisible. "Oh," she whispers, rubbing her abdomen for comfort.
"I can make some inquiries as to who is available if you would like," Saroyah offers.
"No!" she says a bit too quickly, feeling a surge of panic. "No, thank you, Saroyah, but I don't think that will be necessary."
"Our only other option, my lover, is to put you under house arrest," Eric states. He's playing hardball, and she resents it, but she knows why.
"I can put up another Level 9 shield, but that means the only ones who could get through would be those who had a key," Maria says. "I could link it to the Dragon's Tears and cover the whole property."
"That's a good place to start," she agrees. "Thank you."
"If you insist on staying here where people will know where you are, then you will need a powerful shield," the Gypsy reasons.
"What would you do if you were me?" she asks Maria, one mother-to-be to a mother she respects.
The small woman gives her a little shrug. "If it were me, I would disappear. In many ways, I did disappear. After I found out I was pregnant with Zolan's child, I went into hiding. The only ones who knew where I was were Izzy and the midwife Izzy found for me. Other than those two, I cut off all ties with both the human and the demon worlds."
Sookie gulps and looks away. "And you think I should do that too."
"It was easier for me. I had no family to speak of and no home to miss. My family disowned me years ago. Izzy is my only family, and she was with me. She sacrificed everything for me to make sure I was safe," Maria says.
Sookie glances at Izzy, her face grim. In the ten years she has known the two women, she has learned of some of the things Izzy was willing to do for Maria and the terrible cost of some of her decisions.
"So you have a choice," Izzy states in a cold, practical tone. "You can restrict your movements, and allow yourself to become even more heavily guarded than you already are, or you can relocate to a more secure location. Either decision involves sacrifice. You need to decide what you're going to give up."
The message is clear: 'You're being a brat, and you need to put on your big girl panties and deal with it.' Izzy isn't one to mince words or sugar-coat things. Her life has been hard, and she has no time for the delicate sensibilities of a wilting Southern flower. No matter what Sookie chooses, she is going to have to make a sacrifice, and there is no way of getting around it. Izzy knows better than most what someone will be willing to do protect the ones she loves.
A tiny part of Sookie's brain rebels at the older woman's blunt words. She wants to counter that she's already given up a lot, that she gave up any hope of a normal life when she bonded to a vampire, that her life has been a series of losses and compromises and could-have-beens. She wants to snap that if she'd bothered to marry a human man, and bear a human child conceived in the usual way, none of this would be necessary. She wants to rail against the plain truth of it, and the unfairness, but she feels her husband's pain however briefly he lets her feel it, and she knows that she is being unkind.
The even more blunt and plainer truth is that she was never meant for "normal" no matter who she married. She was never going to have a white picket fence, and 2.5 kids, and a husband who worked 9-to-5. She was never going to be the PTA mom or the hostess for the auxiliary club. She'd been born a telepath. She'd been called Crazy Sookie decades before she met Bill Compton. Her great-grandfather was a fairy Prince.
No, the lack of "normalcy" in her life wasn't Eric's, or any Supe's, fault. It was simply a consequence of her own circumstances. And really, could she have done better? She had caught the eye and heart, and soul, of a 1,000-yr old immortal being who re-defined the word "devotion." She had paired with a man who was willing to literally bend the laws of nature to give her the babies that now grew inside her, simply because he knew it would make her happy. He was loyal, and loving, and faithful. He put her happiness above his own. He had proven time and time again that he would do anything and everything for her.
What more could she ask for out of life, and would she really trade what she had for the illusion of normalcy? If she did, then the joke really was on her because it would be the stupidest thing she's ever done.
She looks at Eric again and is humbled. He looks back and gives her a small smile as he silently accepts her apology. She sighs and knows what she must do.
"Alright," she says, gathering her resolve. "Tell me what I need to do to make all of this work."
TBC
So… I am taking votes coz I am unsure what to do next. Should they stay in LA, go to Isle Elena or opt for a third choice instead? Any suggestions?