Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or anything else here. I'm writing purely for shits and giggle purposes. Please don't sue.
One last thing, big shout out too my totally awesome Beta, slcurwin, for putting up with me. She laughs and all the right places and makes me feel so smart. Thanks!
Chapter 20
The tension in the air was palpable when Eric rose for the evening. When he opened his travel coffin he noticed they were in a small room with two double beds instead of the suite he'd reserved. Pam's travel box was set up next to his in the tiny space. He was about to call out for Sookie, when she came out of the little bathroom.
"God, I'm so glad you're up! We have an issue to deal with, several actually."
"So I see. Was there a good reason why we are not in the suite I originally reserved for us?" Eric asked, as he climbed out of the box. It was already past seven with more than an hour until full dark.
"Well, according to management, they're overbooked and because you're not royalty, our suite went to the Nevada delegation and we've been downgraded. They also wouldn't let me in the room with you. Mr. C had to create a distraction while Sarah and I used her hide and seek trick to get a copy of your room key. They have me in a room with Gervaise's pet, while Gran, Laf and the kids are in a room together at the other end of the floor. They have Bubba in with Bill next door to this room and Trey and Bull are stuck two floors away. On top of all this, Gran's been freaking out since we got here and she's wound so tight, I'm afraid she's going to give herself a heart attack."
"First of all, I need you to sit and calm down before you go into premature labor." Sookie didn't realize how wound up she was until Eric began pushing calm into their bond. "Now tell me what Adele is upset about? I'll deal with the rest soon enough."
The room was so undersized the only place to sit was on the beds. Eric sat on the bed closest to the door and leaned against the headboard. He guides Sookie to sit on his lap and she leaned against his shoulder. After a few deep breaths Sookie began. "You remember when we first got Hunter and Gran told us she was having strange dreams about the past? Well she told me that over the past eight months she's been having dreams about things that haven't happened yet. At first she wouldn't remember the dream until the event itself occurred, then it felt more like an odd case of déjà vu. But recently she's begun remembering them before the event happens. Usually no more than a day or so in advance but the closer the event is to happening the clearer the dream. A week ago she's begun having nightmares about a building of some sort being destroyed. It wasn't until we got here….Eric she thinks the Gizeh's going to be destroyed somehow. And considering how clear the last dream was she thinks it will happen possibly as soon as tomorrow. "
"Does she remember any clear details that might help us specify when?" Eric asked.
"You believe this…seriously? You don't think she's losing it?"
"Lover, when have you ever known Adele to exaggerate or tell untruths about anything? Most psychics or seers I've heard of over the centuries, professing supernatural abilities, are con-artists. You of all people should know that anyone with a true ability has little desire to advertise it. I do know of one individual who has the power of foresight and she is highly revered in Vampire society. She was the oracle Alexander the Great sought out for advice. The Pythoness will be here for this summit, she is the one ruling over the Queen's trial. Now, are there any details we can use to our advantage?"
Sookie was stunned silent for a few moments before she began to feel ashamed of even thinking her Gran might be embellishing things or worse getting senile. She took a few deep breaths. Eric gave her the time she needed and just rubbed her back in a soothing manner. "Well there's not much to go on really. She said that first she saw the front of the hotel, as if looking from a distance. It suddenly began to leak smoke from a few floors and then the building just crumbled like the twin towers did on 9/11. She said it was very bright so it possibly happens during the day or in the morning maybe. I saw it while she was remembering, Eric. It was hard to make out details."
"You said the details get clearer the closer in time to the event, yes? Perhaps we have some time after all."
Barely half an hour had passed since Eric rose for the evening and there was still an hour left of sunlight when Eric's phone rang. He was just finishing his shower when he heard Sookie answer the call. "Hello?"
"Room 302 in ten minutes, and bring all of your humans, Northman. No guards." The mysterious caller then hung up.
Before Sookie had a chance to put down the phone, Eric was beside her already in pants and holding his button up shirt and a tie. He almost never wore ties, 'what the hell', Sookie thought. "I'll call Adele and have her and the children meet us here in five minutes, you need to take another dose of the scent inhibitor, Lover. I'm not taking any chances."
"Who was that on the phone, Eric?"
He kissed her on the cheek, gave her a saucy wink, and a gentle push toward the bathroom. Within minutes they were on the elevator with Gran and the kids.
The Pyramid of Gizeh hotel was shaped similarly to the actual pyramids so naturally the largest floor would be on the bottom and the smallest on top. Apparently the room size was the same. When they got to the third floor, which was incidentally the third from the top, there were only four doors. Room 302 was the first door on the right and it opened as they approached.
A young girl, looking to be in her late teens, silently beckoned them into the main sitting area of the suite. It was completely dark. Eric led the now blind humans to the large and lavish sitting chairs in the room. Eric could see clearly and recognized that the 'Ancient One' was already sitting on a plush cushioned chair directly in front of them.
Eric was unsure as to how long they sat in silence waiting for the antediluvian Vampiress to speak first. It was Hunter that broke the silence finally with, "Gwan says it's wude to stare."
While Sookie was mentally admonishing him for speaking out of turn AND breaking one of the big No-No's of Eric's rules, Eric simply closed his eyes in defeat. Hunter had unwittingly given up the fact that not only did he know someone else was there but that he could tell she was indeed 'staring' at them.
He was about to apologize, when the ageless seer surprised him by chuckling. "So it is, young one, my apologizes. It has been long since I had the company of another of my kind." She had a gravelly voice and a thick accent that was hard for the humans to place.
"Dat's okay. You don't hang awound udder vampires a lot, huh? My Pa….ummm Ewic, says I'm not 'pose to talk to udder vampires here 'cuz dey mean. But you not mean."
The Pythoness was full on grinning at this point which would have been slightly disturbing to the humans, if they could see it, because the only teeth she had were her fangs. "I'm beginning to see the reason for your attachment North Man." She said his name as if it were more his title than last name, which had been the case for so long. "So little man, tell me, does it bother you to be in such a dark room?"
"No, why wood it?" Hunt said as he cocked his head to the side in curiosity.
"Most humans are afraid of the dark, yes? Especially those of your few years."
"Not me! Tings in da dark, maybe, but da dark is safe 'cuz it's easy-r ta hide. Da wite iz-care-we-ah. No pace ta hide."
'From the mouths of babes,' Gran thought.
"Hmmmmm…. Very true, if not prophetic words. I require you and your older two pets to return here before you…retire…for the day, North Man. You may leave for now."
"Yes your Grace." It was never wise to question the Pythoness.
Once they were safely in the elevator, Sookie said, "What was that about?"
"I am unsure….," he took out his phone to type a quick text, "but I want to make sure the children are gone before full dark. I have someone on the way."
"When the elevator doors to their floor opened their group was greeted by the sight of Bear and Charlie standing there in full biker leather. Bear was holding a helmet and two canvas bags while Charlie held three helmets, her own and one for each child. Bear opened one of the bags and handed Sarah a pair of shorts and plain t-shirt and told her the change out of her dress.
While Sookie helped her change quickly, Bear addressed Eric. "We need to go now, sir. There are less than twenty minutes before full dark."
As Charlie bent to strap the pink helmet on Hunter and then the blue onto Sarah, Eric put a supportive arm around Sookie and led her and Adele out of the elevator. As Bear stepped inside the car with Charlie and the children, Eric said, "If we are not there by dawn, lock down for the day."
"Consider it done." Bear picked up Sarah as Charlie picked up Hunter and with the plain clothes the children were wearing it was otherwise impossible to tell the sex of the kids from a distance. The children were surprisingly good about having to wear such gender specific colors. Hunter normally hated wearing anything pink or remotely considered girlie, while Sarah would have complained about the 'shade' of blue, yet neither child said a word. When the doors to the elevator finally closed, Gran and Sookie were wiping tears from their eyes as they walked to Eric's room to strategize for the evening.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Barry was nervous, almost to the point of nausea. When he was first 'discovered' last year by the sassy, blonde, telepathic hoard (could four people be considered a hoard), he never in his wildest imagination thought he'd be at the first 'public' Vampire Summit. He was acting in official capacity as the new King of Texas' Court Telepath. So far his new job had been relatively low key. He was use to being around large quantities of 'the undead' due to his previous occupation as bellboy at the Silent Shore Hotel in Dallas. Appropriately named, he thought, considering it had been the only place he'd been able to find silence and still be around others.
So it was not the vampires that had Barry so on edge. The hotel was packed with all manner of supernatural creatures. He'd kept his shields secured during the day due to the high volume but now that the night's activities were beginning, it was necessary to lower them. The addition of the quiet the minds that the night-walkers generated, helped to cushion the racket caused by everyone else's. However, it was still overwhelming to have so many minds buzzing in his mental ears. He walked behind his 'Master' (employer really, since he had an ironclad contract that stated he was not property but would play the part in front of other vampires) and tried in vain to sort through the din.
Out of the blue came the thoughts of someone he wasn't sure he'd ever 'hear' from again. Sookie Stackhouse, the blonde whirlwind that blew into his life and threw it completely out of his control. 'Or maybe she finally gave you the control you needed so much,' he thought to himself.
'Barry? Is that you?' He visibly cringed a bit. She'd heard his inner musings. With Sookie around, he knew how other humans felt around him, weirded out.
'Jeez, it's bizarre when she does that.'
'Please, your one to talk. Besides I'm guessing we're here for the same reasons, work. So you're here with the Texas delegation, huh? '
He looked around himself realizing he'd been concentrating so hard he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings well enough. He'd been guided into a large room that had been set up to accommodate the rows of booths filled with wears from the various states in attendance. He was standing with the King at one of his state's many stalls. The room looked like a cross between Comic Con and a merchant's fair. There were artisans hawking everything from antique's to faux fangs for the 'wanna be's'. He saw craftsmen presenting their goods in the form of woodwork to swords. The difference between the 'typical Scifi convention' and here being, that these products were made by creatures with centuries of experience and bought by others that not only knew how to use them, but most likely would.
'How…how did you know that?'
'Turn around you lummox.'
When he turned around he saw a strange sight. On the opposite side of the row from him were the two booths of the Louisiana delegation. The first had an average looking vampire with old fashioned side burns selling copies of 'the first ever Vampire database', according to the spiel he continuously recited. He was accompanied by a blonde vampiress that looked like she'd rather be anywhere than where she was dressed as Barbra Eden from 'I Dream of Jeanie'. The second booth was so crowded with people it was hard for him to see what was happening at first. When he pushed through the mob to see what was going on, he finally saw Sookie. She was sitting behind a table ringing up sales as an elderly woman, a large black man (dressed like a combo of the ladies from the Moulin Rouge) and an Elvis impersonator, sold cases of a drink that at first glance looked like True Blood. There was also an arrangement of what seemed to be frozen sherbet. The older lady was busily filling orders as she chatted on about how they were thinking of branching out into 'chocolate like' candies next but she was still having trouble with the consistency.
"Wow!" He barely breathed the word in his astonishment. The clientele in question were all vampires and as most of them left with a few bottles (no more than two to a customer because of a limited supply), they were also slowly savoring bowls of the 'sherbet' mainly for the novelty of 'eating' something, anything, that most probably hadn't done in centuries.
Sookie giggled as she continued taking money, "Tell me about it. We hoped to be popular, but we didn't expect to run out of most of our stock in less than two hours. Gran's fusing about wanting to find a kitchen so she can whip up some extra during the day tomorrow." She gestured him closer to her seat, where from his angle, it looked like she was balancing something in her lap. "So, it looks like things worked out for you after all, I see nobody has stolen you to use as a 'telepathic sex slave'." When she repeated his words back to him, he blushed slightly with how paranoid it sounded.
"Umm…No, actually I called that lawyer you recommended and he helped me negotiate a very good contract with the new king. Thanks for that, by the way." Their last meeting had been less than friendly on his part and he was grateful for the information she'd given him, once he calmed down and pulled his head out of his own ass. He'd discovered that very few vampires or supernatural's went to the extreme of 'stealing assets' anymore. It was much less of a hassle to just employ them. A happy telepath was an honest telepath. "So what have you been up to? Besides cornering the market on ice cream for vamps, that is." Sookie finished the sale she was currently doing then slid off the stool she'd been perched on. When Barry was able to get an unobstructed view, his eyes went wide, "Holy Shit!"
Sookie sighed, "That pretty much sums it up."
"What…how…well I know how, but I thought you and that scary big vamp were…he doesn't seem like the kind that shares." Barry could only blame his shock at seeing Sookie's swollen belly for his lack of coherency.
"He doesn't share, at all." She said a little louder than necessary and shooting icy stares in the direction of the other booth. 'It's a long story that I really don't want to get into right now but the Official story is…' "After two years of raising other people's children I began to want my own. With my Master's permission, I went to the local sperm bank and made a withdrawal. I'm due next month. The reason I resemble a beached whale is because I'm carrying twins."
There was no reason for Sookie to lie about that; with the exceptional hearing all vampires had any of them could detect both heart beats. Eric had reassured Sookie that if pregnant women were really that attractive to all vampires, then the human race would be close to extinction. She and the babies were fine as long as she was well dosed with the smell inhibitor.
Barry didn't know what to say to this. He knew that there was more to it than she was saying because he could 'feel' the lie in her thoughts, but she was much better at compartmentalizing her mind than he was. She had plenty of practice around other telepaths to be able to scan the crowd and still conceal her own thoughts. And her mind wasn't telling him squat.
'Stop prying, I'll tell you the truth later, for your own safety. But vamps gossip more than Mrs. Fortenberry back home, so I'd rather wait until we are alone.' He wasn't sure who Mrs. Fortenberry was but he knew how quick word spread in the supe community so he simply nodded his head in acceptance.
Stan Davis and the rest of his entourage joined them at the table shortly after that to sample the 'highly advertized' concoctions of the Louisiana booth and to speak to Bubba. It startled Barry a bit to realize that the 'impersonator' was actually a vampire, which added to everyone's amusement. He really needed to work on his poker face.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Pam was torn between emotions at the moment and couldn't settle on which she was more. On the one hand she was pissed that she got stuck in the booth with the vampire equivalent of 'Winnie the Pooh', obsessed with just one thing and only stuffing between his ears. She lost count of the number of times he'd glanced, peeked, and outright stared at Sookie while he was supposed to be attempting to sell his own product. She had wanted to go with Eric as he and the other Sheriff's escorted the Queen around to mingle and attempt to gain support for her trial. Instead of being able to shop…erm… browse the other booths, she'd been ordered to wear this ridiculous costume and babysit the antebellum techno nerd.
On the other hand though, she was more amused than she'd ever been at one of these things. Between watching the puppy eyes coming from the moronic Mongoloid and the ingenuous enthusiasm coming from the throngs of vampires at Adele's booth it was genuinely painful maintaining a straight face. She knew Eric could feel her amusement and her ire which just worked in his favor. Presently, Pam was watching Stan Davis shamelessly flirt with Gran in an attempt to get more than the two bottles per customer limit and subtly try to convince (glamour) her into moving to Texas. Luckily, since Adele gained the ability to read minds, glamour has had no effect on her. In fact, Lafayette was the only member of their 'family unit' that was susceptible to its effects and Eric had personally glamored him to not accept the mind manipulations of anyone other than him. This would work as long as another older and thus move powerful vampire didn't undo it. Younger vamps such as Compton and even Pam would not be strong enough to override his instructions. Even so, Laffy was keeping his sunglasses on and his head down.
While Pam was still deliberating about her emotional state, she was also paying close attention to details, which is why she noticed the young red-headed woman paying a bit too much attention in Sookie's direction. She was a stunner that's for certain, besides the flaming wild curly, hair; her skin was almost alabaster in appearance with perfectly red lips and nails. Pam caught the flash of the Pythones' symbol and assumed she was most likely one of her handmaidens keeping tabs on the coming and goings of the Summit to report back later.
About the same time an argument broke out three rows over. Normally this would be nothing of consequence, but when the confrontation is between a vampire queen accused of murdering her husband for his state and the Lieutenant of that state who had brought up the charges to begin with, well it was like Jerry Springer for the undead. Every vampire in the room stopped moving in order to eavesdrop on the conversation. Pam did her best to stay where she was and not zip to her Maker's side, but she knew the minor irritation he was feeling now would be nothing compared to how he'd react if Pam left Sookie for even a moment.
"You backstabbing bitch!" Jennifer Carter seemed to be the one yelling. "You will meet the sun for your crimes against my King!"
The queen sighed heavily and spoke in a much lower and calmer voice, "Jennifer, dear, the trial isn't until tomorrow night. Do you think we could save the dramatics for then?"
"Not with you prancing around acting all somber and innocent you vicious cow! I refuse to let you flounce around this Summit gaining support with your woe-is-me act when you blatantly murdered my King!"
"I refuse to discuss this, Jennifer. It is clear that you have not received the full story. My sorrow is not an act, as I am in mourning for the children I lost while in defense of my crown. The details will be disclosed tomorrow evening until then…."
There was a sudden movement from the corner of Pam's eye, she saw Adele freeze and a moment later Sookie screamed, "Arrow! Everybody down!" There was the unmistakable whizzing of wood through the air and a shriek as ever vampire in the room hit the floor. Sookie took that moment to sprint in Eric's direction and Pam had no choice but to follow the foolish girl. She was quick for someone so pregnant, yet she stopped so suddenly upon turning the corner Pam nearly knocked her over. The sight was enough to make Pam gasp.
There, not fifty feet in front of them, lay the queen, covered protectively by Sigebert, next to a pile of ashes, a wooden arrow, and Eric nowhere in sight.
A/N: FYI, I was just as surprised by this cliffy as you probably are and just as annoyed with the lack of details. My muse is being a coy and zipped lipped bitch. The next chapter is in the works but it's been a rough week for me so I'm not sure when I'll update again.
Besides my brother's 'baby mamma drama', I am dealing with the loss of my best friend. My beautiful, soft and fuzzy, four legged, odd ball cat of 15 years had to be put down this past Friday and I think I'm still hanging out on 'De-Nile' cause I refuse to think about never seeing her again. She's been sliding down hill health wise for a little over a year and a half and it finally came to a head over the holiday's when she stopped eating any of the dry cat food I'd give her and have a nasty case of the runs (while refusing to use the litter box) whenever I fed her anything soft like tuna or can cat food. The final straw happened Thursday night when she peed on my bed and I had to wash all my bedding (for the 3rd time in 2 days) including my quilt 10:30 night. My father was kind enough to take her into the vet while I was working the next day. I just couldn't be there in person.
Anyway I also wanted to let you all know that I'm going to take this story to it's completion, however long it is or takes, and I'll try to keep up a fairly regular update schedule. Thank you so much for all your kind reviews and encouragement from last chapter. It does help to know that a few somebodies out there really does like this.
Now, lastly, I'm feeling in a teasing mood soooooo if you'd like a sneak peak at what's coming up next chapter you've gotta review and let me know. My love and thanks to all.