I wanted to say thanks again to everyone who's showing this story such awesome support. You all rock! Every review means so much to me, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to get back to each of you the last few days, but I am trying to get as much of this done as I can with limited time. Please know I appreciate every one.
You will be happy to know that as of today, this entire story has been completed in rough draft. Still a lot of writing to be done, and editing, but the story is fully plotted and outlined. Hope you are all in this for the long haul, because it looks like at least another 40 chapters to do justice to what I'm going for.
I wanted to apologize for the sloppiness of the last chapter. I must have been far more tired than I thought when I posted it. I have no beta, so all mistakes are obviously mine. Sorry there were so many of them!
Enjoy the chapter, and as always, I own nothing. I just like to play with Eric.
Sookie's POV
My shift flew by that evening, even though we weren't terribly busy. My thoughts had a chance to run free, and I'd finally started thinking about the Prince's revelations of the night before. I was no closer to being ready to accept the notion that I was in fact part fairy, but at least I was thinking about it all.
I was trying hard not to judge Gran for her part in all this, but I couldn't help but wonder what else I didn't know about her. All my life, she was just Gran. She was kind, sweet, considerate, wise and loving. These things I knew. I suddenly thought of that old expression about still waters running deep. Obviously, this was the case with Gran. I sighed as I thought of her. Lately, I felt as though I needed her as much as I did when I was a scared little girl.
I was at the service counter in the back, filling ketchup bottles and topping up the salt and pepper shakers when Sam came up beside me.
"Sookie?" He sounded a little odd. "Cher, there's a woman at the bar waiting to speak to you. It's kind of slow, too, so if you want to knock off when you're finished there, you can. Arlene says she can stay until close."
I looked at him in surprise. It was just after 10:00. I'd gladly take the extra time, but this was the second time this week Sam had let me go early. I wasn't going to argue, though. Lafayette had clocked out not long ago and had gone home to get ready. I was supposed to meet him after 12:00, but this would work so much better.
"Are you sure, Sam? I can stay, if you need me to." I would rather not, now that he'd given me an alternative, but I had to offer.
"No, Sook, you can go on, if you want. Or stay for your hours, but we're good. Don't worry."
"Alright, Sam, I'm going to finish up then. Who's at the bar to see me?" That was really strange. No one ever came here to see me.
"She said her name was Claudine?" Sam looked at me with a peculiar expression on his face. "Do you know her?"
Claudine. I'd almost forgotten the Prince saying she'd come see me today. Suddenly, I was really glad Sam was letting me go early.
"Yeah, she's a friend." And fairy godmother cousin, but I couldn't say that. "Could you tell her I'll be out in a few minutes?"
"Sure thing, Sook."
Five minutes later, I was done, and back out in the bar. I'd dropped my apron and grabbed my purse while I was back there, so I was good to go. I walked to the table where my fairy godmother sat, and dropped into a chair beside her. As before, she looked gorgeous again tonight. Her dark hair was styled into a deceptively simple knot on the back of her head, a few tendrils escaping around her temples and nape. She was impeccably outfitted in a formfitting sapphire blue dress, the color making her skin look even more milky white than before. The few customers left were staring at us. Sam, too.
"Hi." I smiled at her brightly. "It's so good to see you again."
"Sookie, my darling cousin!" Claudine exclaimed when she saw me. "How are you?"
"I'm great, Claudine, but if you don't mind," I lowered my voice and leaned closer to her, "could you keep it down on the cousin thing? I wish I could tell everyone, but you know what it's like. I could never explain you in a town where everyone knows everyone." All I needed was an old busybag like Maxinne Fortenberry to get a hold of this news! Lordy, she'd blow a gasket.
"I understand, Sookie. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking." She looked apologetic, and I felt really bad. No matter how confusing all this fairy stuff was, I was really happy to have a new cousin. Jason was really all I had left for family. I would have loved to acknowledge my relationship with Claudine, but right now it was just too complicated.
"It's okay. What's up?
"Are you still working, or are you done for the night?"
"I'm done for the night, but I do have plans in a couple of hours." I had to stay firm in my head. I'd already tried to talk myself into postponing the trip to see Eric. I was determined I wasn't going to take the cowardly way and run from the difficult stuff. I would face him. But I still had lots of time to talk with Claudine.
"Do you have time for a chat, or should I come back another time?" She asked.
"If you don't mind, we could go to my house. I was supposed to get ready at Lafayette's, but I can do it at the house while we talk, if that's okay with you?" I can't explain it, but I felt totally at ease with her. It was as if we'd known each other forever, like me and Tara and Lafayette.
"Are you going out?" She was looking at me with such undisguised excitement in her eyes, I had to laugh.
"Yes, I am. Why?"
"Can I do your hair and make-up?" She pleaded with me while I looked at her with amusement. "Please, Sookie? It would be so much fun! I used to do it all the time for my sister."
I had kind of promised Lafayette I would let him "doll me up," but looking at Claudine, I just couldn't refuse her. Besides, it really did sound like fun, and by her own flawless appearance, I knew she'd do good by me. I'd have to call Lafayette and break the news, but he'd get over it. He was too excited about seeing Eric to stay mad with me.
"Only if you promise to make me look even half as good as you!" I smiled at her. "Want to get out of here?"
"You are so pretty, it'll be easy! Where are you going?"
I glanced around the bar, taking in all the eyes and ears trained on us. This was not a conversation I wanted to have here. I nodded at the door, and she got the hint, getting up and following me out the door. I didn't answer her question until we were in my car.
"I have to go to Shreveport. To Fangtasia."
"Fangtasia? You are going to see the vampire?" She sounded more interested than concerned. It was somewhat reassuring.
"Yes. I promised I would. We have to talk about some things." I glanced across the car. "I met Prince Niall last night. Eric brought him to my house."
"I know. I'm sorry, Sookie. I told him after that he was wrong in how he approached you." She sounded indignant on my behalf. "I'm afraid he can be a bit obtuse when it comes to human sensitivity. I know it all must have been a shock for you."
I laughed without much humor. "You could say that. And I told Eric off for the exact same thing. I mean, geez! My life has gotten pretty strange lately, but that one kinda stole the show, you know what I mean? It's not like you ever expect to be told you have supernatural blood, and it just so happens to be of royal lineage. I can honestly say I never expected to met a fairy Prince. To be told he's my long lost great-grandfather kind of takes it into the realm of fairy tales, you know?"
"I'm sure you have a ton of questions, and I promise you there will be another ton you will have later. I will try my best to answer all of them. This was not how we hoped it would happen, Sookie. It would have been much easier to meet under peaceful times, but I hope you understand why Niall and I both felt it was time to intervene."
"I get that I'm in danger, but I really don't understand it all, Claudine. I'm not important enough to cause all this fuss. But I really do appreciate you saving me the other night. I wanted to say thank you for that."
"It is my duty to look over you, Sookie, but it was my pleasure to help you. I will always try to be there for you, but you must understand I will be of little help if you are in large gatherings of vampires. It just won't be safe for me."
"I understand. I wanted to ask you, though, how you knew where to find me? How did you know I was in danger?" I had wondered that ever since.
"Niall told you about your spark, right? Well, fairies use their spark for all kinds of things. It's the base for our magic. If there is a blood connection, fairies can call one another, in a sense. Since I was assigned to be your godmother, our sparks were tied closer together, as is our tradition. I can sense if your spark is threatened."
I tried to absorb the idea, but I felt particularly dense when I thought about it. I knew nothing of what I supposedly was.
"The Prince told me I might develop some fairy abilities, Claudine. What does that mean? Is my telepathy a fairy thing?" It was the so-called "abilities" that had me the most freaked out. The one I had was enough trouble, I think. Look where it's gotten me - hunted by a crazy vampire Queen. What would happen if I got more abilities, maybe something even more desirable to vampires?
"The Fae are a very magical people, Sookie, and the talents and abilities of our people are extremely varied. Our bloodline, the royal Brigant blood, has always been known to be powerful, producing fairies with tremendous power. Niall is one of the most powerful and magical Fae to ever live." She even sounded in awe of the Prince. "The basic skills you might be expected to exhibit would be to control your light, which is what I used on the vampire. It's the ability to harness your energy and direct it at will. Most fairies have this skill, but it's impossible to gauge who strong it will be until it emerges, and you have a chance to train it." She paused to let me take in what she was saying.
"Teleporting is a common skill, as well, but it doesn't always appear in less than full-blooded fae. Your spark, though, is one of the strongest we've detected, even for a full fairy. It's impossible to predict, but it is possible you could have this ability, as well. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how useful this power can be. There's also transformation, telekinesis, and of course, much of our powers are rooted in our ability to perform powerful magic. The ability of affect the elements is a Brigant trait, as we are descended from the Sky Fae. There is much more, but I don't want to overwhelm you too much!"
Holy crap! I can't imagine being able to click my heels and pop away. Sure would save on gas, though!
"Your telepathy is not a fae trait, no. I have never heard of a truly telepathic fairy. Empaths, though. It's a somewhat common trait in our bloodline, but only in females."
Oh, my God! I couldn't imagine it. Hearing everyone's unsolicited thoughts was bad enough. I couldn't imagine having the ability to feel others emotions, too. Feeling Eric's emotions through our bond was strange enough. Oh, damn! Damn, damn, damn!
I could feel Eric, even though I didn't think I shouldn't be able to. Did that mean I could be empathic?
"Claudine, what do you know about vampire blood bonds?" I asked quietly, not able to look her in the face.
"Just the basics, really, Sookie. I knew nothing of them until fairly recently, when Niall asked me to do some research for him. They are rare, especially full blood bonds, which is three mutual exchanges of blood. One exchange is a bit more common, as it gives the vampire a sense of your emotions and location. For years, vampires would use this low level control type bond to control their human out of necessity. A second exchange will give the vampire more control, the ability to send emotional messages through the bond. A third is considered permanent, and allows the human to feel and sense the vampire, as well."
"Only on the third exchange? It never happens earlier, for the human to feel the bond?" I asked.
"Like I said, I don't really know. There's not much information out there. But as far as I know, that's the case. Why?"
I turned in the driveway and drove up to the house. I turned off the car before I answered her.
"Because I've only had Eric's blood once. And I can feel him."
Eric's POV
"What's happening with Sookie, Eric?" Pam, blunt as always, blurted her question out as soon as her ass hit the chair.
"What do you mean?"
"Have you made your decision yet? Are you going to bond with her?"
"Yes." As much as I tried to kid myself, there was no choice here. What I felt for this human, this frail, mortal woman, frightened me to my very core. It was an unaccustomed feeling, and one I fought against daily. But I knew I would do anything to protect her. If I could keep her alive, if I could keep her from harm, perhaps this would end. As apprehensive as I might be about tying my existence to another being - a human, at that - I will do it to protect her.
"Yes, you've made a decision, or yes, you are going to go through with this?"
"Yes to both."
"The meeting with Brigant went well, then? She has agreed?" Pam asked.
My thought flew back to the night before. I had thought the meeting was progressing decently well, but my perceptions might have been off. Sookie's attitude towards me after Brigant departed had contradicted any thought of her taking it well. I had followed her until she reached her destination last night, curious about her date with tequila. I don't think anyone had ever used that phrase around me before. I cursed my obligations at Fangtasia, but I'd had no choice but to return. My preference would have been to stay and watch her all night, perhaps learn something about this bewildering female. Instead, I returned to Fangtasia and attended to Area matters with a tightly disciplined manner.
I hadn't planned on returning to Bon Temps. I'd thought she'd be asleep by the time I was free. But the tsunami of emotion I was receiving from her all evening dictated a change of plans. Most of her emotional turmoil was a mystery, as always. Knowing her feelings was one thing. Interpreting them was another. It's been a very long time since I have let emotions rule my existence and feeling hers rampaging through me didn't make me an expert. I was feeling a pull to go to her, and I couldn't be sure if it was just me, or whether our blood tie was influencing me.
Either way, I took to the sky for a second time that evening, heading for Bon Temps. I did not expect what I found.
My future lover was quite delightfully drunk, her date with tequila clearly going well. Looking the very picture of innocence, her face was scrubbed free of makeup, her hair still bouncing in it's ponytail. She was dressed in a pair of striped pink pajamas, and her matching pink tanktop caused a lump to rise in my throat, as well as in my pants. Adorable. Sexy, beautiful, enticing, yes. But adorable described her appearance best.
The words flowing from my adorable angels mouth, though. They worried me, they shamed me, they excited me. I listened closely, watching through the window as she talked with her friend.
"The only thing you needs to be concernin' yourself about, Sook, is this vampire of yours. Do you want him?"
"I think so."
"You's got to better than that if you gonna tie yourself to him forever."
"I know! But, Lala, I just don't know! I'm so damned confused. I mean, I don't even know him. I think I do, but I don't. I know the Eric I dream of. This Eric is a mystery." I smiled at the mention of her dreams. I'd wondered if she'd been dreaming of me. Now I wondered what she dreamed.
"Does he want you?"
"He wants me, sure. I think so, anyway. But what about after he's had me? How long can I possibly hold his attention, Lala? He's old as the hills, he's probably had thousands of women. THOUSANDS, Lala. And he's so gorgeous, I'm sure he's had his pick of every beautiful woman he wants. How can I compete with that? I'm still a virgin, for cripes sake!"
"First of all, baby girl, you's beautiful as anyone of them women. Even more hot cause you don't even know it. Second, everyone's a virgin in the beginning. Most of us go tumbling around with all the wrong people and learn nothing. If I'd a had a shot with a sex god vampire for my first time, oh, baby! I'd a taken it in a heartbeat."
"Yeah, well, you didn't have to hear what those damned fang bangers were thinkin' of him, Lala! It's like he's had sex with all of them. All of them, Lala. Sometimes more than one at a time! How can I ever live up to that? He's obviously never goin' to be satisfied with just one woman. How could he?"
It hadn't occurred to me what she must have heard at my club. She was right - I had been with many. And two wasn't out of the question, sometimes it had been three or more at a time. I cursed myself as I thought about it, an odd sense of shame fluttering through me. Perhaps I should have Pam glamour some of the wilder ones. I didn't want Sookie to hear these things every time she visits the bar.
"Oh, baby girl. Oh, Sooks, don't you's be worrying bout that. Vampire or not, your man is still a man, honey. And a man will take what a man can get. Don't mean we's all don't want no better. You, sugar, you's as good as it gets. He'd be the lucky one to get you, not the other way around, no matter how hot his ass is."
"Easy for you to say. You haven't seen his ass."
"Tell me all about it, hookah. I's all ears."
She laughed at him, and I could feel her amusement pulsing through the bond. My mouth dropped when I heard the words.
"Lala, if it were only the ass, but it's just so much more! I mean, it is spectacular. If there were an international butt competition, Eric would win, hands down or cheeks up, so to speak!"
She started laughing all over again, bending over holding her middle. I was concerned for a moment. Her heart rate was excessive and she was struggling to breathe. But eventually she regained her control and continued. Her words made me incredibly hard, as did the pulses of lust I felt through the bond. Those were emotions I had no problem identifying. Her lust was intensifying mine.
"He's sooo tall - he's got to be six four or six five. And he's big. I don't mean regular big, I mean gigantic, fearsome warrior huge. His shoulders are so wide, I'm sure I could sit on one side alone! His arms are as big as my thighs, and his chest? He's like one of those Greek statues - it is like someone carved him out of marble! His legs are so strong, he's just nothing but muscles everywhere. Honest to goodness, Lala, they're like damned tree trunks. And, of course, he has huge feet."
She started laughing again, presumably at the look on her friend's face. I would be amused also, if I weren't so fucking distracted.
"And you know what they say about big feet, don't you Lafayette?" I knew what they said about big feet. And hands. I had both. I grinned at her playfulness.
"Sookie Stackhouse, what have you been doing? And just how big are his feet, and by feet, you's knows what I mean."
"Let's say it's a gracious plenty, Lala. A very gracious plenty." A gracious plenty. Well, then. I smirked to myself and gave the gracious plenty a squeeze.
"Nope, uh-uh, bitch! You's can't stop there. Just how gracious and plenty are we's talking about?" The look on his face was priceless.
My adorable, innocent angel blushed prettily, but held up her hands to approximate the length of my gracious plenty. She was close, but probably underestimating a little. She hadn't truly been up close and personal with it yet. It made my impossibly hard cock even harder, pulsing and jerking in my pants, seeking release from the torment her words and unexpectedly erotic actions had wrought.
"Shit, hookah. You's serious bout that? That's a hella lot more than gracious, baby girl. You's going to tell me how your virgin ass knows about Mr. Sex God's junk?"
Her friend, who I could only assume was gay, was reacting in a quite amusing manner. He seemed to be having difficulty controlling his jaw. It fell repeatedly.
"Nope. It's none of your beeswax, Mr. Nosy. Some things are just between me and Eric."
"Oh, you's going to tell me, hookah. One day, you's going to be telling me all. I can wait. But just one more question, Ms. Thang. Does the width match the length?"
He winked at my adorable blushing angel.
"Cause if it do, baby girl, you's got to get you's some of that!"
I stayed for a little longer, until I was sure she was asleep for the night. I watched as her friend picked her up from the floor and placed her on the couch, placing a pillow under her head and wrapping a blanket around her sleeping form. It gave me an uncomfortably wistful sensation as pinpricks of jealousy touched me. I wanted to be the one caring for her. An unexpected desire, to be sure. I had never truly cared for anyone in that manner.
The flight back to Shreveport left plenty of time for reflection, but provided little in the way of answers. I knew she was affecting me differently from any of the others, but I'm not sure why. There were marked differences this time around, and I had to wonder whether the fates had finally aligned. Perhaps this time it would be different. None of the others had shown any sign of being anything but human. Sookie was clearly more. Her telepathy set her apart, as did her royal bloodline. She considered herself a broke telepathic barmaid from a hick town, but the truth was, her official title and position in the supe world outranked me, outranked any monarch in our hierarchy. She was of a truly royal bloodline, while our monarchies were attained either by political appointment, or by the cold steel of a sword.
Before the vampires came out, this situation wouldn't perhaps have been as dangerous as it might now become. Vampires have long lived by tradition, and these traditions have stood us well over the course of time. Since the Great Reveal, it had started to shift, imperceptibly at first, but my contacts across the country were confirming my suspicions. Being able to live in public for the first time in our history has made some of our kind, some of our royalty, greedier than before. Power is the most lucrative commodity to humans, and vampires were no different. In the quest for money and power, a hungry vampire monarch trying to negotiate through complex human business negotiations could seriously benefit from having a telepath at their disposal. In the past, claiming her as my own would have been the final word on the subject. I fear our kind are evolving too rapidly now for this to be as effective as in the past. Many would hesitate to take me on, my age, strength and reputation making me a formidable adversary. But there are always others who felt above the laws, those who are too stupid to weigh the risks properly.
As I went to my daytime rest, I wondered again if bonding would be the magical difference. If I could keep her alive, it would be more than I've ever accomplished in the past. Would it be enough to break the cycle of reincarnation and failure? There was no way to be sure, of course, which worried me more than I would ever admit, but there was enough hope there for me to seriously considering forming a full blood bond for the first time in my very long life. If Niall was correct in his assumptions, blood bonding might provide enough of a catalyst for Sookie's Fae side to emerge. There was no guarantees she would develop any powers, but it would be worth the risk to try. If she were able to better protect herself when I wasn't able to watch over her, the chances of her staying alive and unharmed were greatly improved.
I wanted to believe this would be enough to change the fates, if indeed it was fate messing with me. I wanted to believe keeping her alive would be enough to atone for the sins of my past. I needed to believe it. There were enough differences this time around to make me hopeful. Perhaps my approach in the past towards this girl, the versions that came before Sookie, had been flawed. I had never shared blood before, never created the bond that might have alerted me to danger. I had lead a couple straight into the path of danger, and had inadvertently been the cause of death for a couple more. It was clearly time to try a different approach. A wise man had once told me he defined insanity by ones ability to continuously perform the same task the exact same way and yet expect different results. I'm not sure that was truly insanity, but it certainly wasn't recommended.
Even as I sat here with Pam, calmly discussing creating a permanent magic bond between us, I wondered if I had always been too dense to see one important fact. Almost without exception, every single time this creature has appeared in my life, it has been her involvement, willing or unwilling, in my life that has led to her demise. I felt certain the blood bond was necessary, something inside me urged me towards it. But I had to wonder if I should perhaps take a step back, and let the girl lead the life she was meant to before vampires politics disturbed her life. The bond will be enough to offer protection, and awareness of any danger she faced, but I had to consider the fact that a personal relationship might not be the best idea. If I were truly going to break the cycle, perhaps I needed to completely change my patterns with her. No matter how attracted we were to each other, my chances of keeping her alive would undoubtedly be better if I could keep her away from the intrigue and infighting that inevitably surrounded vampire politics. It had been the cause of her death too many times before to not consider it now.
"I'm not sure I would classify the meeting as going well, necessarily." I tilted my head back and stared at the ceiling. "She hasn't given me an answer yet. She said she would talk to me tonight."
"She's thinking it over?" Pam was a little incredulous at this idea. To her, an offer of my blood was an honor, a privilege. A human hesitating over accepting said honor was puzzling to her. Apparently, Dear Abby had never covered this issue in her columns.
"She's had a lot thrown at her. I'm not surprised she's taking some time." I shrugged as if it were no big deal.
"I suppose." Pam looked and sounded uncertain. "Would it help if I spoke with her?"
It was my turn to look surprised. "Why do you think that would help?"
"Damn, Eric. I forget sometimes just how out of touch with humans you really are!" Pam shook her head at me. "She's a girl being approached by a boy who's asking her to agree to forever with him. Forget everything else, all the danger and vampires and fairies and magic. It all boils down to the same thing. She's a girl and I'm sure she would be reassured by another girl telling her the boy - you, in case you're not keeping up here - is worth knowing, and is worth taking a chance on."
I stared at my child, letting her words sink in. She was right, of course, as she often was.
"If she comes in tonight, Pam, I will be speaking with her first. We'll see how that goes first. If she doesn't come in tonight, I will go to her tomorrow. I can't put off notifying Sophie-Ann of Bill's confinement any longer than that. We have a few days at most to present my claim on Sookie."
"She's unusual, isn't she?" Pam's expression was pensive. "For a breather, she's not bad." High compliments from Pam. She might be more in touch with human lifestyles, but she wasn't known to love them. Admitting she liked her, as she's just done in a round about way, was a major step for her. She was, after all, my child. I had raised her to control her emotions, to not become attached to the humans around us, just as Godric had taught me. "I think I might enjoy getting to know this one, Eric. She seems...spunky."
"There is something about her. But I've been thinking about this, and I think it would be best for all of us if we limit her exposure to vampires as much as possible. I think it would be best if we tried to restore her life as close as possible to what it was before she got dragged into this mess. She still can lead a normal life, I can always have her watched from a distance." She wasn't aware of it, but I had her under constant surveillance now. I wouldn't hesitate to keep it up for the rest of her life. "There has to be a way to make Sophie see reason. I wish I didn't have to consider revealing her Fae connection, but it may be the only way."
'What do you mean, Eric? From a distance? Do you not want to claim her as your own?" She was shocked. My attraction to Sookie was no secret between us. "How do you propose to do that, sharing a blood bond? Have you thought about this?"
Actually, I had given it a great deal of thought. It would be difficult to maintain my distance from her. I knew that. I couldn't remember if there was ever a woman I was attracted to as much as Sookie. My dreams of her were even changing, morphing from the violent, bloody dreams which usually plague me, into highly erotic, sexually explicit dreams. In my dreams, we were always clearly together as committed lovers. We were happy, comfortable, and wild for each other. I suspected the bond was responsible in some ways for the dreams, much like I thought my blood was responsible for her dreams. If the bond were completed, I know my attraction for her would never die. Instead, I would be forced into a lifetime of feeling her presence inside me, but be unable to hold her, to slake my desires for her.
If it kept her safe, I was willing to do it. No matter how miserable it made me.
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