Thank you all once again for the encouragement. This update practically wrote itself and I had to give Miss Cleo her own voice. There are many obvious spelling and gramatical errors but that's just the way she talks. And now, without further adieu, I give you the ectoplasmic reconstruction.

*Not mine. I'm just playing*

Chapter 21

"Hey Sook!" Amelia called as she and Holly sprang from her Bug. I smiled and bounded off the porch steps while the Town car's doors swung open.

Bob exited first, grinning and giving a little wave. His thoughts revealed he wanted to help if only to thank me for being such a gracious hostess during the time he'd spent as a four legged room mate. The large pay check didn't hurt either.

"Hi Y'all!" I said, just as Miss Cleo stepped out and I got my first glimpse of her.

She was tall and big. In Gran's time, she would've been referred to as a broad in that she had a chest and backside like mine but linebacker's shoulders. She was dressed in a crisp, white suit, complete with what I would call a pimp mama hat. It complimented her coffee colored skin perfectly. Her shoulder length hair framed her thirty something face which radiated both wisdom and power and her dark brown eyes twinkled.

"Cleopatra Fant," she greeted. "You muz be Sookie." She offered her hand which I immediately shook. The only thing I heard was singing and took it as a very good sign.

"Pleased to meet you Miss Cleo," I replied sweetly. "Thank you for coming and I'm sorry about your mom."

Miss Cleo grinned. "Thank you Baby but Mama and me, we good. She neva fa away. Now, how bout chu tell me what we lookin' fo?"

I appreciated her no nonsense, let's-get-down-to-business attitude and knew Eric would too. Never one to shirk my hostess duties, I invited the group inside for some tea both to get further acquainted and to stall long enough for my viking to rise. It would be very soon. I could already feel him stirring.

We climbed the porch steps where Mustapha opened the door and Miss Cleo looked him up and down, commenting. "Ain't you a fine piece o' hot chocolate. Who you?"

Amelia and Holly couldn't contain their giggles and Bob merely rolled his eyes and shook his head thinking as much as he admired his mentor, he wished she had a better mouth filter.

"Mustapha Ma'am," the Were replied and I could swear I heard a low, approving growl. "I'll be your security this evening."

"Mama tol me it be a good night. Mama don' lie," Miss Cleo replied sashaying past Mustapha whose eyes followed her all the way inside.

"Yo house sho' is nice Miss Sookie," she complimented, settling on the couch as the witches gathered in the living room. "They lotta histoee he-ah."

"Thank you," I replied. "It's been in my family over two hundred years. My husband had it refurbished while we were on our honeymoon."

"He make you happy," she remarked as she reached into her purse, pulled out her sunglasses and put them on. "Very happy. You glowin' girl."

We all eyeballed her and she shrugged. "Her aura blindin', like lookin' at da sun. You don' see it?" she asked the others who shook their flabbergasted heads. Even I self checked to make sure my light wasn't leaking. Everything was as it should be so I excused myself to get my guests their refreshments. Once I'd handed out the beverages, I took the seat closest to the hallway and Miss Cleo again asked why I needed the spell.

"Someone broke into one of my houses. You must find out who," a deep voice replied and my body tingled all over as Eric's giant hand rested on my shoulder. "Good evening Lover," he said, leaning down and inhaling my hair. His fangs snapped to attention and he smirked. "You've seen your cousin today."

"Briefly," I nodded. "Sorry I didn't have time to shower."

"Don't apologize Dear One," he said, leaning further and licking my neck. "You smell divine." The love between us intensified as our lips joined and his tongue invaded my mouth. There was a time I would've been mortified but now, everyone else faded away and it was just me and my husband until someone cleared their throat. Eric straitened and acknowledged the others with a nod.

While Amelia and Holly returned the gesture, Bob nervously inched closer to his mentor, thinking she'd better not screw this up. Miss Cleo, on the other hand, merely surveyed Eric, much like she had with Mustapha, and remarked. "Ain't you a sweet bag o' suga. No wunda you happy girl. DAMN!"

"This is my husband, Eric Northman," I said, easing the tension coming from the other witches. Evidently, they all thought their head witch just signed her death warrant. The tickles I felt told me Eric found Miss Cleo's comments rather amusing though when I glanced up, his features didn't convey the same message. He eyeballed her with a raised brow and asked.

"You are familiar with the spell we need Witch?"

"I can do dat spell in my sleep," Miss Cleo replied, matching Eric's stare eye for eye. I had to give her props. Not many humans had the balls to stare into a vampire's eyes, not that Eric was planning on glamouring anyone.

"Good," Eric said and in a blur of movement, was seated in my chair with me on his lap. No one outwardly said anything. Amelia, Holly and Mustapha were used to it while Miss Cleo just wanted the details she needed and Bob silently repeated. "Don't fuck up."

"The last human I knew to occupy the house left between seven and seven thirty last Sunday evening," my viking recounted.

"And the next door neighbor told me a moving van arrived around midnight," I chimed in.

Eric gave me a little squeeze and a jolt of confidence. "You must find out who was in the vehicle that subsequently cleaned out and cleaned up the house. Pay extra attention to whatever happened in the master bedroom's closet."

"Is we solvin' a murda?" Miss Cleo asked, bending forward, now obviously intrigued.

"That remains to be seen," Eric answered, rising from the chair and setting me gently on my feet. He zipped away only to return with a briefcase full of cash and divvied up half of it into four equal stacks. Everyone except Cleo gaped as he continued.

"This is your down payment. You will receive the rest when the spell is complete. Do you have everything you require?"

"Don' chu worry bout a thing Suga," Miss Cleo replied as she stuffed her stack inside her purse. "I a true witch. My people from Haiti. Mama's Mama's Mama was a voodoo priestess. We find what chu lookn' fo."

"There is just one more thing," Eric said, wrapping his arm around me. "Recently, the area has experienced many abductions, both human and vampire. My wife needs protection. This home requires safety wards."

"Against anyone or anythin' inpaticula?" Miss Cleo asked as she stepped back onto the front porch with her makeshift coven in tow.

"Against any who would do myself, my wife or her friend harm," Eric replied, taking my hand and we joined them.

"Shoot Baby. Dat easy."

Miss Cleo quickly sent the others to the south, east and west corners of the house while she took the north. They all closed their eyes and lifted their outstretched arms to the sky while their high priestess began chanting. It sounded like Creole only more ancient and within five minutes, there was a distinct shift in the air, like someone had buckled an invisible seat belt around the house. Even Mustapha lifted his nose, apparently smelling the magic.

The witches regrouped on the porch, Miss Cleo smiling. "It safe now," she said proudly. "Anyone lookin' to cause trouble, gonna get a nasty surprise."

"Well done," Eric praised, pulling another wad of cash from his back pocket, though how it fit inside those jeans, I'll never know. "Now go quickly," he ordered. "My progeny will be waiting."

"Just follow me Ma'am," Mustapha said as he opened the town car door for Miss Cleo.

"Such a gentleman," she smiled, sliding behind the wheel. Amelia and Holly placed their supplies in the trunk and climbed into the back seat while Bob got into Mustapha's sedan. I looked up at Eric who swept me into his arms and planted a kiss that left my heart in a tizzy.

"Good luck Lover," he whispered softly against my ear as his embrace tightened. "I wish I could be with you."

"I'll call you as soon as we're done," I said but Eric pulled back and shook his head.

"Elsa will attempt to keep me at Fangtasia so Pam will notify me when the spell is finished and will implore me to join her. No vampire has the authority to keep a maker from his child and Elsa is no exception. I'll be here waiting when you return."

"Sounds like you're sneaking out of your parents house Honey," I giggled.

"I find it demeaning as well," Eric replied seriously.

I smiled and filled the bond with adoration as I reached up and touched his cheek. "Don't," I said coyly, using my other hand to grip his butt. "For once, I feel like the bad girl. If it makes you feel better, you can think of all the dirty things I'm going to do to you later."

"I love you, my feisty fairy," Eric said, his swagger returning.

"I love you too, you big viking. Now get going before that vamp ho sends out a search party." Eric chuckled and gave me one more kiss before taking to the sky and I locked up the house and hopped into the waiting Lincoln.

"He fly too?!" Miss Cleo remarked as I buckled in and nodded. She shook her head and smiled wider. "Damn girl. You gots it all. Now lez get this sho on da road. Somethin' tell me, he don' like waitin'."

"Oh, Eric's more patient than you think," I said slyly. "After all, he puts up with me." Laughter erupted from the back seat as I turned and winked. Both vehicles' engines roared to life and we were on our way.

The conversation flowed freely throughout the ride. Holly gave us an update on her wedding plans and I got to know Miss Cleo a little more. Born and raised in New Orleans, she'd been practicing magic as long as she could remember. What hadn't come naturally, her mother and grandmother had taught her. She'd never married as she hadn't found a man strong enough to handle her gift but she still held out hope for a family. As she shared, I saw an image of Mustapha and smiled. These two were perfect for each other so I listed all the Were's positive attributes while making a mental note to give him a little nudge in the romance department.

The neighborhood was dark and quiet as we pulled into the driveway and parked behind Pam's mini van. She zipped out of the house while we exited the cars and her fangs snicked as she greeted me.

"Sookie, you smell delish!" she said, a little to close for comfort.

"Thanks Pam," I replied, taking a step back. "You think you could check your fangs?"

"Oops. Sorry," she shrugged and the pointy tips disappeared. Now that they were gone, she looked just like a soccer mom, dressed in a pink track suit and white sneakers and her hair was pulled into a pony tail. It was so disarming, I had to remind myself that underneath that facade, was a cold blooded killer. Quickly, I made the introductions and she greeted everyone except Amelia with a nod. My friend got a kiss and a fangy smile instead which caused the blood to drain from Bob's face. I thought for a moment, he might pass out.

"Sookie Dear, I have plans this evening," Pam said, her eyes never leaving Amelia. "Are we going to stand around all night?"

"I'm not in charge of this party Pam," I replied as Miss Cleo stepped up next to me.

"We ready Baby," the witch assured. "You read lips?"

"Only the ones I like," Pam fanged and I rolled my eyes.

"Can you reign it in for just a little while Pam?" I exasperatedly asked. "We really do need to start. I have plans too you know."

"Of course," she nodded, turning to Miss Cleo. "Carry on."

"First, we hide," the head witch said, sending the others to various points around the property. As they began chanting, it felt as though we were being surrounded by an invisible wall and when the spell was complete, they gathered their supplies and proceeded to deposit them throughout the house and on the carport.

Candles were lit in every room and placed next to small pots which Cleo filled with various herbs, plants and other things I really didn't want identified. When everything was ready, they split up. Amelia took the front door and living room, Holly was in the kitchen, Bob was sent to the carport and Miss Cleo stood inside the master bedroom's closet. She began the chant and one by one, the others joined in. Within minutes, Mustapha said he could see a moving van and Pam and I headed to the car port. Sure enough, a ghostly U-Haul was backing up and when it parked, Arlene got out with Whit's twin henchmen, the ones I'd dubbed the tweedles. I was PISSED, to say the least, but held my temper as Arlene "unlocked" the door and stepped inside, her posse closely behind.

"Looks like he's gone," Pam said, reading my former friend's lips. "You boys start packing and I'll get cleaning. Whit said there can't be no trace of him."

So Bobby had planned on disappearing all along. Well, he'd certainly gotten his wish, though I doubt it was what he'd had in mind. The "film" continued and we watched the minimal furniture leave the house along with several trash bags. Under normal circumstances, this was like any other move but after another half hour, I began to get antsy. Finally, "Arlene" stepped into the master bedroom and began vacuuming. When she opened the closet door, her face morphed into a mixture of revulsion and triumph.

"God damned vamps! Think they're so superior!" Pam relayed, her fangs dropping, clearly annoyed. Arlene looked around before standing in front of the back wall. What she did next was tacky, crass and low by anyone's standards. She dropped her pants, reached between her legs and pulled out a very used tampon. Smiling to herself, she began writing the infamous message Mustapha and I'd found. "This'll teach that vamp," she said to the wall, stopping periodically to "refill" her bloody pen.

"What are you doing?" one of the tweedles asked, appearing in the doorway and catching Arlene literally with her pants down. She righted herself, turned and smiled wider.

"Framing a vampire," she said. "Bobby worked for him and when the police see this, he'll be the prime suspect."

"I should have drained her!" Pam said lividly as Arlene finished and the group left without a trace. I had nothing to say because frankly, I agreed. It was one thing to be a bigot but quite another to try and pin a missing person on an innocent vampire. MY innocent vampire. Arlene was lucky she wasn't really here or she'd have a mouthful of fist right about now. I was shaking by the time the images faded and we heard a resounding THUD as all four witches collapsed.

Mustapha rushed to Cleo's side, helping her up while Pam aided Amelia and I took care of Holly and Bob. Though they were clearly exhausted, they did some sort of cleansing spell then packed up their supplies. Pam was already on the phone "begging" Eric to meet her. She hung up the phone and grabbed Amelia's hand.

"I'll make sure she returns home safely," she said coyly. "Get going Sookie. My master is already on his way. Amelia leaned against Pam who tenderly guided her to the mini van and buckled her in. It was actually sweet to see and I figured Pam's company, and blood, were just what Amelia needed.

"You take my car Miss Sookie," Mustapha said, handing over his keys and turning to Miss Cleo. "Allow me Ma'am."

"Thank you Baby," the witch yawned, gratefully settling in the passenger side while Mustapha got behind the wheel. Holly and Bob were already fast asleep, their heads resting comfortably against the back seat.

"See you at the house," I said as the town car pulled out and I quickly followed. I was anxious to talk to Eric but even more so for tomorrow to arrive. I only hoped Claudine and I would find even more damning evidence against the Fellowship so we could stop them once and for all.

Ok, what did you think? Gross right? I assure you, there is a method to my madness. Just hang in there as I start tying up the loose ends, like who the mystery vamp is. I'd love to hear what you think. Did you find Cleo as awesome as I do? How about a potential love match betweenher and Mustapha or Pam's unexpected tenderness towards Amelia. I know Bob wasn't vocal but he was meant to be a back ground witch. Be kind and please leave a review.

Peace!

Hippychik