A/N: FanFic won't let me reply to any reviews for some reason. So, here's my blanket "Thank You" to everyone who reviewed last chap, as well as those who alerted/fav'd etc.
Low murmuring awoke Sookie, seemingly hours later. The sun was still not at its full height in the sky, so she knew that it was well before noon. She stretched and looked around the car, finding that both Alcide and Fergus were standing outside. Fergus was leaning against it, his back towards Sookie and his arms crossed in an aggressive stance. Alcide was turned sideways, looking away from the car, which seemed to be parked in front of someone's house. Then it dawned on her – they were back in Eros and in front of Eric's – her - safehouse.
Sookie opened the car door and slowly got out, her muscles bunched from sleeping in the same awkward position for a couple of hours. "What's going on?" she asked sleepily.
"Fergus doesn't want to go in and talk with your Gran. The magic doesn't seem to prevent him from approaching, but will power does."
"T'is not that I don't want to see her. I just think someone should stay by the car while Eric is still in the trunk. In fact, I think we should find a place to safely store him, then ditch the car altogether. Surely, those wankers are looking for us by now. Once that's dealt with, then I'll make my acquaintance," Fergus reasoned.
"Isn't there a garage or some place we can put it? It's shady enough here with the tall pines, but I sort of agree with Fergus, the car needs to be out of sight, just in case. There's no way they could trace that car, is there? I've seen those LoJack commercials on TV."
Fergus shot Alcide a told-you-so smirk and then went to hop back in the car, this time in the driver's seat. "I think I can work her in between the back of the house and some of these trees. Go on inside. I'll keep an eye on 'im. And don't you worry bird, I doubt that gobshite Edgington can track much of anything besides his langer," he reassured Sookie.
She beamed with relief that Eric was in safe hands, even though she still had a bone to pick with him over the whole sunlight immunity thing. Then she shifted towards excitement at the prospect of seeing her Gran. It had only been about 36 hours since she'd left this house with Alcide, but she was anxious to see how Adele was getting along. Alcide nodded to her and she took off in a dash toward the house.
When she walked through the front door, she noticed how quiet it seemed and she panicked. "Gran?" she called, but not too loud, in case she was napping. But, there was no answer. Sookie walked towards the bedrooms and thought she heard a faint hum. When she made it to the door, she found it slightly ajar and light dancing and shifting in shadows across the room.
"Gran?" she called again, as she gave the door a push inward. Nestled in bed, with her gorgeous white-blonde hair left long and recently brushed, laid her Gran. The TV was on and she was obviously absorbed in one of her stories, a pair of wireless headphones covering her ears.
"Gran!" Sookie called louder. This time, Adele looked up from her preoccupation and her face lit up with delight at seeing her granddaughter home safely.
Adele reached next to her for a pad and paper, apparently her speech still affected by whatever ailment or curse she had.
"Sookie, dear. You are home safely. I've been worried about you," Adele wrote.
"Aww, Gran, I'm sorry to make you worry. How are you feeling?"
"Tired," was the one word she wrote.
"I'm sorry, Gran. I wish I knew how to help you," Sookie said, pausing to decide whether she should press her about the fairy connections in her family. Adele sensed Sookie wanted to ask her something and by the exhausted, disheveled look she had, the older woman knew something dramatic must have happened since she last saw her granddaughter. Sookie decided that whatever she had to say to her Gran, could wait until after she'd had some food and a shower before pushing her into revealing the true nature of their heritage. Perhaps Fergus would be able to help treat Gran's condition or at least, help her talk.
"Do you want any lunch? Do you need to get up?"
"I'm fine, dear," Adele wrote. "You look tired. Go get some rest and we'll chat later." Once she was finished writing, she slid the notepad away from her and shifted her focus back to the TV. Sookie was effectively dismissed.
Wandering into the kitchen, she decided to make a breakfast feast for herself and the guys. She looked outside for Alcide and Fergus, ordering them in for the meal. It had been over 24 hours since the last time she ate anything of substance and she owed it to herself, to indulge a little. An hour later, she had laid out bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy, pecan pancakes with caramelized bananas and honey, and heated slices of honey-baked ham that she had bought for sandwiches. She simply didn't have the time or resources to bake a real ham, even though she craved it. Sweet tea and coffee rounded out the meal.
"I can't say as I've ever had a meal quite like this," Fergus remarked.
"You do eat human food, don't you?" Sookie asked, embarrassed that she hadn't thought of that before.
"Of course! Elves typically live in wooden areas, close to streams and vegetation. So, any animal that happens by the area, including fish and beasts large and small, wind up at our dinner table. Not to mention herbs, berries and vegetables."
"Sounds way too healthy for me! I need a Little Debbie and some hot-cross buns every now and then, just to keep me sane!" Sookie shared. "Not to mention pie. My friend Sam owns the only diner in Bon Temps, where I'm from. He makes the best pies around!" she said, as she slowly took a sip of her coffee. Then she immediately sprayed it out, covering Alcide's face and chest.
"Oh My God! I forgot about Sam and Tara! And dear Dr. Tenaka! Russell will surely kill them once he finds out I've gone. What have I done!" she cried, abruptly standing up from the table and going to stand at the kitchen sink. She was wetting a towel for Alcide and imagining what sort of horrors the king would come up with as punishment to them for her escape.
She walked back to the table in a daze, handing Alcide the towel.
Fergus was silently devouring his food, seemingly nonplussed by Sookie's dilemma. "Didn't you say your da owns a construction company in Jackson?" he asked Alcide, in between mouthfuls.
"Yeah. He does. Why?"
"Well, it's still fairly early in the day. Maybe you could round up a 'construction' crew to head on over to the mansion. They need to fix a squeaky floorboard or something – something that would require a van or two on site. They could simply waltz in, look for Sookie's friends, load them up in the vans and leave without anyone the wiser. They could drive them back to town before sunset."
Sookie looked at Fergus like he spoke another language just then. She blinked back tears of worry, then ran over to kiss him on the cheek. She couldn't resist throwing her arms around his neck in a quick hug as well. "You are a genius! Alcide, do you think it would really work? Could you get some people together brave enough to do it?"
Alcide sighed, setting his towel on the table and looking over his barely touched breakfast. "I'll go make a few phone calls. Don't you dare touch my plate, you mooch!" he said, pointing to Fergus and then to his plate.
"I wouldn't dream o' it," Fergus replied innocently, fluttering his eyelids in mock sincerity.
"There's plenty to go around," Sookie said, walking back to her seat to finish her own food.
"What did yer Gran have to say?" Fergus asked Sookie, after a few moments of silently eating.
"Nothing really. Just that she had been worried about me. I wanted to ask her about something Russell told me, but I just didn't have the courage. Maybe you know? You said back at the garage that you were my Uncle? Is that true?"
"Aye. Several times removed mind you. But, I'm a Hale, as is yer Gran. One of her Gran-da's was my brother. I think possibly her great-grand-da, if I'm not mistakin'."
"But, you're an Elf, so you wouldn't know anything about the Fairy relations, would you? Russell said I was related to some royal family called the Brigants. Do you know them?" she asked, pushing the food around on her plate, suddenly not feeling very hungry.
"What else did he tell you?"
Sookie sighed, recalling her conversation with the deranged vampire king and thanking all the powers that be, that she was now safe – at least for the moment. "He said my heritage gave me a unique ability or rather my blood. He planned on farming me as an ingredient to a special brand of synthetic blood. I suppose his goal is to control the elite vampire population by their wallets, while giving them the ability to once again walk in daylight. In essence, giving them their humanity back, at the price of my blood and their dollars."
Fergus whistled. "And he said this was because ye were related to the Brigants? How would he know so much about ye specifically and what yer blood is distinctly capable of, I wonder?"
Sookie shrugged. "Got me. I wondered the same thing. So, is it true?" she pinned the elf with a glare, noticing how he had yet to answer her questions.
"The Brigants are a royal family of the Fae, indeed. They are fairies who rule over the Sky Fae realm. But, their power doesn't lay with the sun, even though it is part of it. Their power resides in the air, the weather elements, the atmosphere, et cetera. So, if Russell told you the power of your blood came from your relation to the Sky Fae, then he's been misinformed."
"So then, it's not true? I can't make vampires immune to sunlight?"
"Well, obviously there is some truth to it. Yer vampire survived a great deal of exposure just this sunrise, did he not? Perhaps it is not because of yer fairy lineage but because of some other," Fergus suggested.
Sookie thought about his cryptic words. "Are you saying that it's because of Gran's line? The elf in us? Does she know she is elf?"
"Aye, I'm certain she knows. The elfish line of your family indeed has much to do with this little side effect. But, it's the whole of yer makeup that makes it important to the vampires. Ye see, if a vampire drinks fairy blood, it intoxicates them to a point of near insanity. They're virtually uncontrollable until its effects wear off. If a vampire catches a fairy, the poor bastard is drained dry before they can blink an eye. On the contrary, elves are not intoxicatin' to vamps nor do we even smell that great to them – nothin' more than a pleasant perfume. But, we are pure light energy. Vamps will capture us with the intent on harvesting our light. However, the minute our blood touches their lips, they are consumed with light. They wind up burning from the inside out – literally bursting into flames. And most times, it happens so suddenly that the elf is killed in the process – not much can withstand the power of the flame, except maybe for demons. I've lost many a kin and friend to the fang and so have the fairies. Anyway, the fact that you have about 1/16 elf, 1/8 fairy and the rest human, gives the vampire an advantage of a slight high when he drinks from ye and just enough light to make 'im resistant for short periods of time. However, the more he drinks and if it's over an extended period of time, then the vampire can build up the light source slowly, givin' 'im an immunity to sunlight over an extended period of time. Theoretically, for eternity, if exposed to it long enough."
Sookie sat stunned for several seconds, contemplating everything Fergus had said. "This is all so incredible and not in a good way," she said, taking a sip of coffee. "Is that why Eric has been protecting me – because he tasted the light in my blood? Could he have somehow sensed it, the minute we met?"
"I doubt that."
"Which part?"
"Both. He is not protectin' you just fer your essence. At first, I thought that was the case, especially when I heard Bill Compton, his investigator, was set to meet with yer great-grandda Niall Brigant's, enemies. However, after I met him fer meself and saw how worried he was that you were gone and at what lengths he was willing to risk himself to get ya back, I quickly changed me mind. I've never seen a vampire, especially one of his age, disregard his own safety time and again, for another – especially a human, or part human. He really seemed surprised when he put it together about the effects of your blood on him, which tells me he didn't even realize it, until we started puttin' together why the King o' Mississippi wanted ye so badly."
Sookie nodded, relieved somehow that Fergus was defending Eric. She had wanted to believe he was good, despite his past and what he had become. "Wait a second, if I have the right combination of lineage, than my brother Jason and maybe my cousin Hadley do too! They are in danger just as much as me! We need to warned them! Protect them!"
"Naw. I guess I forgot one part. You, my dear bird, have the essential spark! And lucky for them, they do not."
"What the hell this that? Is it because of my light? It sounds like I might explode or something!"
Just then, Alcide returned from making his calls. "It's done," he proclaimed, dropping into his chair. He immediately starting shoveling food into his mouth, as if someone would steal it out from under him at any moment.
Sookie stared at him wide-eyed. "What do you mean? Are they free?" she asked excitedly.
"Not yet. But, I've been able to arrange a crew to head to the mansion. They're all Weres, so they should be able to handle any trouble. Plus, I figured they might be a little short handed considering Fergus and me took out about four of them this morning, and not to mention the contingent probably out searching for us. I'm wondering if anyone is even manning the guard shack."
"How will they get in then?"
"Simple phone call. I figured if we told someone at the mansion there was a gas leak detected nearby, that'd alert the staff enough to let in a crew to check things out. Nothing freaks a vamp out more than an explosion – well except maybe a stake. Not much can survive an explosion, 'cept maybe a demon."
Sookie laughed aloud. Fergus had just said something similar not five minutes before. Fergus shot her a wink. At least she had confirmation that part of what he was telling her was the truth. Although, her intuition told her, he was definitely sincere in his explanation of things.
"It's like a Herveaux Trojan horse! I love it!" she said excitedly.
"It should work. One of my guys has a brother that works for Atmos Energy, the local gas company. They're going to show up in a couple of borrowed vans, pretend to search the estate for possible natural gas leaks. They may even bring in an ambulance to escort some 'victims' of gas poisoning to the hospital. I told them to use their imagination and any resources they had. We'll have to pay them a pretty sum after it's over, but it'll be worth it, to save your friends. Besides, I think the Sheriff may have a need for your Dr. Tenaka."
Oh-no. "What do you mean by that?" Sookie asked, instantly peeved that Eric planned to take advantage of the helpless scientist.
"Jaysus mate!" Fergus shot Alcide a dirty look. "He means that in order to keep Russell Edgington from comin' fer ye agin, we have to do somethin' that takes away his motivation. If someone else comes up with the formula for synthetic before him, then he really can't use ya fer his diabolical plan, now can 'e?"
"So Eric is going to fund Dr. Tenaka's research?"
"No. But, there is someone we know that has the money and resources who can and Eric is supposed to meet him at sunset."
"Who?"
"T'is not my business to say." Again, Fergus shot an angry glance at Alcide. Eric planned on meeting with the Prince himself tonight. Fergus didn't want Sookie to know, because she would insist on meeting him herself. Of this, he was certain, because all Fae are naturally curious and stubborn to boot. He wanted to be sure that never happened, for once Niall met Sookie, he would have a hard time keeping away from her, which would put her in further danger.
"Wait. If what you told me earlier is true, is Eric going to hand over Tenaka to another vampire? Is it really safe for me, to have him doing the negotiations on this? I mean, what's to stop some other power hungry asshole from wanting to accomplish what Edgington will hopefully fail to do!"
"What do you propose then, bird? Ye want to do the negotiations yerself? Ye have to trust somebody, sometime and I think now might be that time. Let the thousand year old vampire do what he's experienced at, being twisty and deceptive and above all else, shrewd with a dash of pragmatism."
"So you know who he's negotiating with." It wasn't a question. Sookie was just stating the facts as she saw them.
"Aye."
"And you refuse to tell me who this mystery person is, even if it means messing with my future?"
"If I thought for one second that his decision was the wrong one, I would do whatever needed to be done to prevent that."
Sookie sighed, not wanting to argue with the elf any further. She'd put some thought into it and if need be, she'd demand Eric include her in the negotiations or whatever plans he had with this mysterious benefactor. She got up from the table and began to clear away all the dishes. Amazingly, there was not a single leftover and she felt bad, thinking that maybe Gran would have liked to have a biscuit or maybe a pancake with some honey on it.
She poked her head in on Adele and found she was fast asleep, so she went back to clean up. It always amazed her how the time for prep and cleanup took twice as long as the actual eating. Her thoughts were interrupted about two hours later, by a muffled sound of a cell phone ringing. Alcide had decided to crash on the small couch in the crowded little family room. Fergus had disappeared outside, doing God only knew what.
Alcide patted around in his front jeans pocket briefly, with his eyes still closed, before locating the item creating the offending noise. "Yeah," he answered groggily. Then he sat bolt upright. "Is that so? Great! Just great. Bring the scientists to the agreed location just outside of Shreveport. The friends get dropped at the other place until further notice."
Sookie was impatiently waiting for him to finish his call. "Well?" she said, fidgeting. She couldn't keep still, not knowing whether their plan worked or not.
"They're all out and on their way to safety. No one was hurt, with the exception of a couple of humans, trying to be heroes. Oh, don't worry, they'll live," he added, after seeing Sookie's reaction. For a girl that runs with vampires, she sure was sensitive to violence.
"Yay! Thank you so much, Alcide!" she said, giving him a big hug, albeit a quick one. She wasn't much for physical contact, because it amplified her ability to hear people's thoughts. She held back a snort thinking how she'd been giving out a lot of hugs and kisses today. "Why is Dr. Tenaka's group headed to Shreveport, while Sam and Tara are going someplace else?"
"It's because of what Eric had setup. I'm assuming, without having the advantage of talking to him during the day, that he'll want the doc and his crew to go with him when he meets up with the person responsible for taking over the funding of Tenaka's research. Your friends are being put up at another safehouse, in case Edgington tries anything in retaliation. Even if Eric doesn't need the science nerds, it's best not to keep all your eggs in one basket."
"That makes sense," she thought, stifling a snigger at her friends being referred to as eggs. "So, do you know who Eric is meeting with?"
"No. I don't know him."
"But you know it's a him."
"Stop fishing, Sookie. All I know is there's a meeting setup and your not invited, OK? Haven't you been through enough the last couple of days to just lay low for awhile?"
Sookie sighed. "You're right. I think maybe I'll hop in the shower and go to sleep. Two hours in a car was definitely not enough. I'm so relieved everyone is safe for now. Thanks again for everything, Alcide."
"I see your game and I'm not falling for it. Go to bed, Sookie. We'll wake you when something comes up."
"Hrmphf!" she huffed and stomped out of the room. She really needed to learn how to be more manipulative, especially when it came to men. If it were Dawn wanting information, she'd have Alcide singing it to her by now. Instead, she focused on taking a long hot shower to relax herself. She spent time doing some serious personal grooming and moisturizing her skin when she was done. If she couldn't use her charm to get the information she needed, maybe she could use her other assets to persuade Eric into revealing his source. Once she was finished primping and polishing, she drew the heavy curtains covering the one window in the room that faced towards the north and crawled under the soft sheets of her bed. She fell asleep in just her bra and panties, hardly ever doing that because it made her feel too vulnerable. But, she just didn't have the energy to search through the bags of stuff her and Eric had brought with them the other night, for a proper sleep shirt.
For a long time, she tossed and turned, sleeping restlessly. Her dreams consisted of a mash-up of all the violent and chaotic encounters she had experienced over the last several days, keeping her from fully relaxing. Finally, around sunset, she unexpectedly sunk into a deeper sleep - an overwhelming feeling of peace and safety enveloping her.
What she didn't yet realize, was that a very powerful Viking vampire had snuck into her bed, just as the sun was setting. He had been feeling her agitation for the last hour that he was stuck in the trunk. As soon as he felt it was safe, he simply muscled his way out of the vehicle and made his way into the house. Alcide and Fergus were there, talking with Adele and her physical therapist, in what seemed like flowery small talk. He didn't take the time to say anything to them, for his newly formed bond with Sookie was pulling him towards her. He striped out of his bloody, tattered clothing and slid under the warm, soft sheets, pulling her into his arms. Niall Fucking Brigant could wait.
A/N: Surprise! Another update so soon! This was actually cut from the chapter I just posted, because otherwise it seemed too long and didn't flow as well. Thanks for reading and if you get a chance, let me know your thoughts. Cuddly Viking Hugs