Firstly, I own nothing to do with True Blood. But that's obvious hehe.
I want to thank you all so much for your endless support, it's truly lovely and inspiring to read all your positive thoughts, and it means the absolute world to me! Hoping you will enjoy this one, and the little ending twist hehe. I just couldn't resist imagining what it would be like, and I felt so tempted for a while now to go there. ;) Hopefully it explains several things.
I'm been worrying about keeping everyone in character, and I hope this chapter isn't terrible! Love you guys so much, it means the world to me, you're all so amazing and inspiring. Thank you! xxx
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I began to realize, life would be so much better in more ways than one, if I hadn't known any vampires: No Eric, no blood, no life-threatening and frightening ordeals, no supernatural creatures whatsoever. And, most of all, no Sookie Stackhouse, the Faerie. It seemed pretty much a beautiful way to live, for me personally.
Life would be just peachy. Hoyt would be my boyfriend all the same, I wouldn't be having any conflicting thoughts about liking both Hoyt and Eric, and I'd be plain and simple human. I would be a waitress at Merlotte's, I wouldn't have any Faerie skills, all I would have be concerned about, was making a decent enough wage to afford paying the bills, or whether Hoyt and I were becoming serious in our relationship.
But that was obviously never going to happen, not in a million years.
My life had already been changed, unalterably.
There was Eric in my life, no matter how much I was beginning to believe I would be so better off. And then, there was Hoyt.
Hoyt turned into a blubbering, stunned mess, once he took in the vampire standing before him, in no more than my Gran's pink robe wrapped around his body. I had convinced myself, somewhat naïvely, that all would end well. I had clearly deceived myself tonight. I didn't think anything could be anymore painful, than the way Hoyt looked, when he saw I was not alone in the house tonight.
Beforehand, I had tried to shove and prod Eric out of the house, to no avail. So, there they were, having a Mexican-like stand-off, eyeballing one another from across the room. Eric, more condescending than Hoyt, who just didn't know what to think about anything, most of all Eric. Hoyt was a wonderful person; He worked hard to avoid conflict at all times, and only when he felt it truly necessary in intervening when situations looked out of hand. Eric was clearly going out of his way to get Hoyt all riled-up, and after having endured a long day at work, Hoyt looked very near to breaking point tonight, and dangerously so. Couldn't exactly blame him, though, because I felt that way towards Eric's behaviour myself.
"Wow. Well, I can't say I was expecting this from you, Sookie," Eric said, looking Hoyt up and down like he was no more than a peice of gum stuck to his shoe. "A human... Honestly? And, here I was, assuming you were just saying all that I-Have-A-Boyfriend bullshit to tease me." I knew he was making a jab at my taste in boyfriend, and honestly, he was scaring the life out of me. Still, I wouldn't be having that in my own damn house.
I couldn't believe anything to be all the more worse, than having the two in the same room together, within close distance. Anything and everything could have basically happened at that point.
I took in a deep breath, then decided to try work my way around it to ease the tension in the room a bit. "Uh, Hoyt, darling," I said, as politely as I could manage in my fired-up state. "This here, is Eric. Eric, Hoyt." I shot Eric a very deadly warning glance. "Eric, be nice or else I'm demanding you leave again, for like the... hundredth time."
Hoyt took a step forward nervously. I grabbed his hand and held it. Being the better man, he gave mine a reassuring squeeze and held out his untaken hand.
"Nice to meet you, I guess." I thought Hoyt was being awfully calm and courteous considering how rude Eric was.
"What?" Eric looked down at Hoyt's waiting hand, but he didn't do the decent thing in shaking it. "You want to hold my hand, sweetheart?" His voice was low and laced in contempt, and it was then I truly lost it.
"Eric, I won't have you talking to Hoyt like that in my house! Leave!"
He ignored me and, rather instead, kept his eyes on Hoyt's. He appeared to be engaging Hoyt in some type of staring contest, and when I felt almost a palpable wave of energy crack and sizzle in the air then, I knew what Eric was doing.
"Don't, Eric," I said, shooting in front of Hoyt. I sounded way more frightened than I would have liked to. I knew what he was doing, I just had a hunch. He was trying to glamour Hoyt, and I could tell as much. Well, over my dead body. "Hoyt, darling, you have to leave!" Lunging up on my tippy toes, I tried with all my effort to cover his eyes. He blinked heavily down at me, dazed. I would never forgive Eric. Not in a hundred years. "Come on." I grabbed tightly onto Hoyt's hand and urgently whirled him out towards the front door. "Gee whiz, you are so hard to like," I whispered back furiously at Eric.
"What the hell, Sookie?" Hoyt sounded pissed off, and understandably so. I pulled him down the porch steps with all my might. "Why is there a fanger in your house? And what the hell did he just try to do to me?" he shouted harshly.
I closed my eyes, practising breathing in slowly. I counted to ten, wishing it all to just stop and go away. Of course, it didn't because when I reopened my eyes, he was staring down at me, his eyes fixed sharply on my face unblinkingly, waiting for a deserved explanation.
I reached out to pat his hand. Alarming me, he slapped mine away. It hurt. It felt like I'd just been brutally stung by a bee. But really, I deserved this, didn't I? "Hoyt, please," I whispered, wretchedly. It took everything within me not to sob. "I... I can't explain right now. All right? Let's please talk about this-"
"No." He looked down at his hands, saying nothing. His hands were trembling. I looked up into his face, and I saw myself kissing Eric all over again. "I deserve an explanation, don't I?" His voice was getting louder and louder by the second, and hurter and hurter. I didn't know what to say. All I could do was... stare and say absolutely nothing. I was such a bad person. He wouldn't even so much as look at me, he couldn't even stand it. I hated myself, I truly did then. "You know what, you can go to hell, all right? If you ain't gonna tell me, if we're gonna have secrets like this..." His voice cracked and broke into silence. He paused for a dreadfully long moment. He sucked in a shaky breath. And then, he lifted a hand and gripped me on the shoulder, squeezing down. "Whatever, all right? Just do whatever you wanna do. You want to hang out with fangers, then by all means, Sookie, you go right head."
He stalked off towards his truck. I stared numbly after him.
Then, he turned and looked back at me. He looked about just as miserable as I felt.
"You want to hang around with fangers, then don't..." He jabbed a finger at me for emphasize. "Don't let me be here, all right? Just don't. I don't want nothing to do with any of it." He sped off in his truck with a dusty track of rock and mud in the midst of it all.
I didn't know how long I stood out there for in the dark, after he'd left. But I felt so sick, and bad, and guilty with myself for hurting him; For having him inside to endure all of that.
I heard the porch door open and clatter from behind me. Eric.
"Well, now you know how I feel," he said obscurely, like he was no more than commenting on the late night weather. The nerve he had.
"I beg your pardon?" I hissed back at him sharply, not even bothering to turn around. I felt like my head was going to blow off... any second now. What a bastard, Jesus.
My knees were actually shaking, because I was so furious and upset. Without looking at him- and I was dead set on not even so much as giving him the satisfaction- I squatted my way towardsthe porch steps. I plopped down, buried my face in my hands.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Eric?" I whispered tonelessly. "How could you... do such a thing as try to glamour him?"
"You know why."
"Do I?" My voice came out no more than a helpless whisper. I didn't know. I didn't know one bit. "Are you tryin' to purposefully sabotage the one good thing I have in my life? Is that it, Eric?"
"You are mine, and you will be mine."
There he does again, with that 'mine' nonsense. I huffed out an incredulous laugh, beyond hysterical, because it made no friggen sense to me whatsoever.
"Right," I mumbled, in harsh dripping sarcasm. "Well, I will never forgive you for this!" Easier said than done, sadly enough. Because I'd said those words time and time again, and they never seemed to stick, no matter what he did to me, or how rude he was or... cruel. "Do you remember killing my Uncle Bartlett that night before you... changed? Is was you, right?" It unnerved me how easily I could talk so openly about a family members death. It also unnerved me to notice how unbothered I felt by the whole thing.
"It was me. And yes, I do remember clearly."
At least he wasn't outright denying it. That seemed a small step in the right direction; a miniscule bit of progress.
"I replay that night often, in fact." Though his voice was as quiet as the evening breeze, you could hear the satisfaction pouring out with every spoken word uttered from a mile off. "It felt fucking good, and if by any chance, he survived,"- Big if, and his voice stated as much- "unlikely as it may be... I would gladly do it again."
Well, that threw me in a loop. Sharp and straight to the point. Oddly enough, I liked that.
"Well, about that..." I started uneasily, faltering.
"What?"
"Well, I was wondering, why you would ever bother goin' through all that trouble in the first place?" And then, I well and truly freaked out. I was shivering violently, but it had nothing to do with the biting chill in the evening air one bit.
It was because I felt downright disgusted with myself. How could I talk about my Uncles death so... freely, like he meant nothing to me? He was a family member. My Grandmother's older brother, in fact. So, why did I feel so unconcerned by Eric murdering him the way he had? Why did I feel so... at peace? I ought to have felt sick to my stomach, I ought to have told Eric off right about then, despite how belated I was in doing so. Only, I couldn't because, all I felt... was sheer contentment that he was no longer on earth. Maybe it was because I felt Uncle Bartlett truly deserved the fate Eric had dished out on him, as ruthless as that was. Maybe I was just as bad as Eric, in excusing him from murdering my Uncle in cold-blood, like he no doubt had?
Maybe I wasn't as human as I thought? Maybe I wasn't a decent, nice girl after all?
I just felt empty, and at peace, to know Eric had murdered Uncle Bartlett. But thinking over that night, of when Gran was found dead by Mr. Talbot in the kitchen, I felt such hurt and loss over it. That meant I wasn't too bad a person, right? I felt truly sad over Gran's death. I'd had few sleepless nights crying over her death, and I still wasn't over it yet.
But not once did I cry a single tear for Uncle Bartlett, not once did I find myself unable to sleep over it. All I felt, was liberated by the fact he had been murdered by Eric. I felt grateful, in fact. And yet, why did I feel that way? What made Uncle Bartlett's death so different from my Gran's? Should I have ought to felt upset? At the end of the day, he was still family. What made his murder so excusable?
Deep down inside, I believed I already knew. Uncle Bartlett was not a man worthy of being mourned over. Gran was a slice of heaven in her own right, filled with goodness in her heart. Uncle Bartlett was just a mean and perverted old man who took advantage of me whenever I came around in the Summer for a week with Jason, in touching me places I didn't feel it right to be touched for a girl my age.
I guess I believed, one less perverted person like him in the world, a happier and harmless place it would be, for all children. I had felt like a huge weight that had been bearing me down previously, had instantly been lifted, when Godric had identified that it was in fact Uncle Bartlett's wedding ring that was attached to the hand the cursed Eric had been hanging around that night in the yard. I supposed then, I was just as lethal and blood-thirsty as Eric. And, I had no doubts in my mind, that during his long, long life on earth, Eric had seen and been guilty of a whole lot of murder.
"Why'd you do it, Eric?" I repeated unevenly, when I noticed everything was freakishly quiet on his end. It took him a long moment to speak, so I made myself comfortable in the darkness by wrapping my arms around my knees, and waited it out, as patiently as I possibly could. After all, I didn't want him feeling as though I was pressuring him, even though I kind of was. It would be nice to... know things.
I felt him sit down on the step beside me, way too close for comfort.
"I suppose I felt... it was my duty to do so," he spoke tentatively through the darkness. I could tell, just by the tone of his voice alone, that it was hardly something he felt like talking to me about. Still, I appreciated that he finally had.
"And why did you feel that way?" Uh-oh. Warning bells rang off in my head, and I instantly wished I had rephrased my question. Asking Eric to speak openly in regards to his feelings, a big no-no, I'd well and truly learned over time.
"Believe it or not, I have... feelings for you. I don't even know why but they're there."
That was closest I'd ever come to hearing him admit such a thing to me, and the fact that he was his plain old self while he said it, made it hit harder. I had to stifle the big grin I knew he would see through the dark.
"Do you, Eric? Really?"
"I do." He said it like it left such a bad taste on his tongue.
"Well, anyway. I know it's completely inhuman of me to say it, but... I'm sort of glad you killed Uncle Bartlett the way you did. Now isn't that just terrible of me? Aren't I such a pitiful excuse of a human for it?"
"You are not human, Sookie. You are... more." I could tell from Eric's voice that these were meant to be very tender words coming from him. It felt anything but, though.
"I am so human," I whispered, playfully insulted. "And so are you, whether you like to see so or not. I think you're a big faker, you're a big softie, especially when it comes to children! You sure liked playing with Coby tonight," I told him giddily, feeling awfully convinced on that. "Deny it all you want, but I know the truth. I see right through it. You're nothin' more than a big, sweet baby! You feel things."
"Baby?" he repeated gruffly. Clearly, I had touched a raw nerve. He didn't like me calling him that.
Before I could help myself, I rocked back on my butt with laughter. "Baby," I teased, making good use of my new-found ammunition, pushing myself real close by brushing the side of my shoulder against his hard one. "Baby, baby, baby."
"Please don't do that," he said sternly, but also in a distinctively hungry way that felt kind of good to me. His voice made me feel all tingly, funnily enough, which was just bat-shit-crazy. I felt tingly all the way down to my toes. "It makes me feel disturbingly... sentimental."
"Oh, heaven forbid Eric Northman feels sentimental," I laughed, my voice soft. Without any ounce of control into my actions, because I felt so light-hearted and jolly by just being around him and being silly like the way I was, I thoughtlessly placed my hand on the side of his thigh.
I heard the all-too familiar click of his fangs extending, and then I removed my hand just as quickly as I had done it.
"Oh, touching," he grunted out, surprised.
"Whoops," I giggled uneasily. I'd never felt so embarrassed in my entire life. I really had to get my head straight. "Sorry, that was totally out-of-line."
How stupid of me. I had half-heartedly expected him to call me out on it, and pull me back into gear with my inappropriate touching, only he hadn't. It never came. I got to thinking, just maybe he wouldn't mind me touching him? But then, that was kind of... wrong. Plus, I had a boyfriend. Well, I didn't even know if I still had one. Eric and Hoyt had met, and I knew how swell that had turned out, sarcasm fully intended.
God, why did I have to like Eric in that way, even while I was in the early ages of a great relationship with Hoyt? I wondered, exasperated. And yet, why couldn't I stay mad at him long enough? He deserved it, after all. It wasn't fair.
Nothing would ever happen between us, even if he was different now. He was more vocal about... fucking me and all that other gross stuff, sure, but he was most likely just playing. Why couldn't I get over my stupid teenage crush already? It sure would help move things along a lot. I shook my head roughly and sighed. I was over thinking everything, my mind just wouldn't quite swirling.
"I thought that in over a thousand years I'd already experienced all there was," he said quietly, breaking me truly out of my thinking, his tone darkly musing. "Clearly not. You, Sookie Northman, make me feel as if I am young again, dare I say it. You entertain me, and never fail to continue. That is a rare quality I find in a breather and, usually by that time, they are already dead."
Though I ought to have found him saying that a little intimating to digest, I just found myself truly flattered.
"Well, you, Eric Northman," I said, tagging along, hardly skipping a beat, "Make me understand what its like to both want to sharpen some stakes and get them into stabbing position, and yet not want to hurt somebody all at the same time." He laughed at that; A short, bubbling amused chuckle.
The atmosphere was getting unbearably sweltering all around- at least on my end, anyhow- and I realized, though it was mighty stupid of me, I wouldn't have minded being kissed again, like we had in the ladies bathroom at Fangtasia. But clearly, some part of my muddled brain was working straight, because I removed myself appropriately from the situation before anything could even so much as start. Not that it was even looking possible it might have. I clutched onto his rock-hard shoulder and pushed myself up onto my feet.
I got myself wondering what it would be like to have Eric as my boyfriend. And then, I laughed and smiled to myself broadly because... really, dream on. I didn't believe a vampire would make a good boyfriend in the slightest, with all those fangs, and blood, and murder. Eric, most of all, was hardly fitting boyfriend material. Besides, I had Hoyt. Hoyt was everything I needed and more.
At least, I tried to convince myself so.
0
Work went slowly the next morning, and as the afternoon dragged on, I was becoming seriously worried.
Hoyt hadn't shown up for his nightly round of beers after work, which made me in an incredibly bad mood. When I recognized one of his fellow workers from the construction company he worked for, the man revealed, with unconcealed worry himself, that Hoyt hadn't bothered to show up for work that morning. It was very unlike him. I couldn't help dwelling. Hoyt usually wasn't one to go absent, least of all miss out on a full day of work.
I had two ideas in my mind, into the reason of why; Either Hoyt had caught himself a serious influenza bug, or he was frightened and keeping in hiding for some reason. Frightened of what? I hadn't the slightest clue. Perhaps Eric had well and truly frightened him off last night, or perhaps maybe even I had. I sure hoped not.
While I drove home from work in Gran's rusted, clanging Ford, I took a swift detour and drove past his Mama's house. Confirming- and somehow deepening my fears- his truck wasn't in the beaten-down driveway at the side of his Mama's house. That threw me into a major panic. I couldn't stop picking at my fingernails with my teeth after that.
It was just completely unlike Hoyt and, if he wasn't with his Mama, then where could he have possibly went off to?
When I got home, I put good use of my cordless phone and gave him a few calls. All three of them were unsuccessful; All I reached, was his answering machine, telling me he was busy so could I please call back later. Hoyt hardly missed the chance of chatting to me on the phone. Something really wasn't right with him, I gathered then, and I loathed not knowing for certain just what it was.
All the not knowing and stressing was doing my head in, so I forced myself into doing some washing and the general housing duties Gran would have expected of me, had she still been alive. I lost count of how many times I'd peered at the phone, wondering when Hoyt would ring me back and confirm that he was safe and sound.
I just didn't know what to do with myself. I felt utterly helpless with worrying.
I attempted to watch some cheesy soap opera on T.V, but that was hardly distracting enough, and the acting was so bad, I laughed deliriously most of the way through it. When night slipped in, the waiting grew worse and worse by the minute. I just didn't know what to do. I considered calling Eric, but then I didn't exactly want to have to see him afer what happened. Plus, last thing I wanted, was to come across as a ditzy damsel in distress to him.
After a while, I started getting this dismal thought inside my head, that hurt like all hell to even consider.
Since it was so uncharacteristic of Hoyt to leave me hanging, what if something truly terrible happened to him? What if... Eric did something to him, and something not all that pleasant either? It was all my fault, and I had hurt Hoyt someything terribly. I wanted to apologize, and yet I couldn't even have that. I couldn't figure out where he had gone off to.
What if Eric had stolen Hoyt, as some sick and twisted mind-game to get back at me over the fact I had a boyfriend in Hoyt? It didn't really seem like the indecent thing Eric would ever try to do to me. Sure, he had hurt my feelings all throughout the years, he was a pain in the backside, but... surely, he wouldn't dip so low as to hurt Hoyt. Would he? The fact I didn't know panicked me a tad.
Because Eric was a vampire, he could do whatever he liked. He probably had multitudes of power I never in my right mind even dreamed of. I still didn't think he would do something so hurtful to me. He cared about me, surely? And while I didn't know just how much that was in length, I had to put at least some amount of trust into him not doing something so beyond him, in kidnapping my boyfriend or even so much as draining him.
Again, I didn't know for sure. And that left a nasty, sour taste in my mouth.
I decided to head to Fangtasia and investigate into it myself. I could easily judge when people were lying and, no doubt, with Eric, it would have been much the same.
Pamela was occupied in carding a few fangbangers from outside the door.
I guess Eric liked to keep her on her toes. She scanned me intently, when I strode forward briskly through the parking lot, determination in my stride, slinging my handbag securely around my shoulder. She gave me a cool nod of acknowledgment before getting back into routine of carding a few in attendance with business-like fervor. She let the group slip inside, satisfied, and turned to look at me again.
Her skin was eerily pasty white in contrast to the tight black leather corset she was wearing tonight, with leather pants. Obviously, she was going for the leather-combo look, and hamming up the fact she was a vampire. Just like Eric, she held herself with a sense of haughtiness, which wasn't doing her any favours, considering the lethal mood I was already in. She was wearing a pair of black, slinky pumps with pride to complete the look. Well, good for her.
"Ah. So the Faerie returns at last," she said, by way of greeting. She eyed me up and down, then licked her lips. "All is right in the world of Eric again. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit this fine evening? Correct me if I'm wrong, but... don't you already have something of a human boyfriend to satisfy?"
Pam mentioning Hoyt so bluntly was like a sock to my stomach, but to her credit, she surely didn't know what was going on. I found it surprising she knew about my 'human boyfriend', regardless. Did Eric confide in her about him, or something?
"Where is he?" I said fiercely, not at all in the mood for good-natured pleasantries. Poor Gran would be so revolted in my behaviour.
Pam looked down at me with some surprise. "Who?"
"You know very damn well who, Pam," I said stubbornly. She opened her mouth, about to ask it of me. Luckily, I cut her off soon as she started, my patience worn thin. "And don't you dare think of carding me. You know very well what I'm here for!"
Her eyebrows rose in interest, halfway to her hairline. "Well, well. Aren't we in a shitty mood today? Care to talk about it? Eric does, and often. You should have been here to see him throughout the years, PMS-ing like a whiny girl, all because you were."
"Pam, please," I pleaded exhaustedly. "I need to see Eric this instance. I'm not very happy with him at all."
I put my hands on my hips, silently waiting in simmering silence.
"Oh, you mean the Master, of course." She laughed, showing me her set of glistening fangs. She stared down at me in artful consideration. Then, by jerk of her head, relented. "Well, alright. But, just so you know, he's... occupied." What was that supposed to mean in vampire terminology? He's occupied? What?
And I learned quickly enough, when she commanded I follow her through the bar and we slipped into a closed off entrance. Something about the entire place gave me the jeepers; Maybe it was the fact Pam and I were alone, and I wasn't all that certain whether I could trust her to the moon and back, or not. Then again, she was with Eric. If I couldn't trust one of Eric's closest vampire buddies, then who could I trust?
I learned that while she was trustworthy in her own right- in the sense of her not intending to cause me any harm- she sure liked to get me into dangerous and sticky situations, most likely for her own amusement. I treaded down a flight of concrete stairs, clinging onto the steel side-railings with my hands for dear life, because the steps looked slippery and wet, for some reason or another.
I really ought to have found something significant with that expression on Pam's face, when I whirled 'round the steps and got an eye-full directly in front of my pair of innocent and unsuspecting eyes.
"Holy Mary, mother of Jesus," I gasped, closing my eyes just right at the perfect moment, when Eric stepped out of a shiny, luxurious white coffin, his muscular thighs and shins on show to me.
My predicament with Hoyt missing: Virtually non-existent for the shortest time being.
He was naked. He slept in that coffin full-blown naked. If Pam had told me as much before I unknowingly invaded into the downstairs room that was closed-off from any of Fangtasia's regulars, like a decent woman ought to have, I would have willingly waited outside. I hadn't turned away in time enough. I saw way more than I would have liked. Oh, hell. I saw a heck of a lot that was kind of nice. My breathing increased and my heart started racing like a wild thing. Not a good reaction at all. My body was such a traitor.
Why was I always inviting myself into awkward situations like this, situations where I stumbled in on Eric's body? Either he was shirtless, or covered in a bathrobe- like he was in my Gran's several nights ago much to my flustered dismay- and, sometimes, like right now, not so much at all. Everything was far too tempting. It was so degrading.
I heard the soft rustling of wispy fabric somewhere in front of me.
"Open your eyes now, Sookie," he ordered throatily, in a way I didn't quite trust. But when I opened my eyes a fraction, I was mighty pleased to note he had himself all covered up decently, in a tied, crimson robe of his own. Thank the Lord for that. "I take it Sookie insisted ruthlessly on seeing me, Pam?"
"She did," Pam said, wryly. "What can I say? Her Faerie blood is overpowering. I couldn't resist letting you get caught in an uncompromising position and witness firsthand what her reaction was to it. Isn't she such a delicate and pristine little thing?" I could almost hear her fangy smile in the air. "You'd almost think she'd never seen a male's glorious body before."
"Well, I'm sorry I'm not like you, Pam," I retorted snarkily, before I could manage to stop myself.
All she did, was laugh. Glad I amused her then, over my lack of experience with the opposite sex's anatomy.
"Pamela," Eric said meaningfully, a seconds in from her laughing. That made her quit it super fast.
"All right, I get it," she murmured, in a huff. "I'll leave you two lovebirds to it. Try not to make her scream too loudly, will you? You might throw the patrons into a sudden lusty haze once they hear her pleasured moans while you fuck her."
I gasped, shocked. Language.
At that, she tossed her flowing blonde hair over her shoulder, laughed wickedly, then sauntered off with her heels clacking loudly in her wake. Heels. The woman clearly had a high-heel fetish, but it was understandable. They sure did look good on her.
"Thank you, Pam," I called loudly up at her, basically just to be nice. It was somewhat refreshing to know I still had those manners my Granny taught me firmly in-tact somewhere.
"So, Sookie." Eric crossed his arms over his chest, turning his gaze onto me with interest. "What brings you to Fangtasia on such short notice?"
"As you're already most likely aware of, being the sneaky ass you are... Hoyt's gone missing," I stated bluntly. "He never showed up to my house tonight, or at my work like he usually does, and when I called, I only got his answering machine. His truck wasn't in his Mama's driveway either, and I believe you had something to do with that." Boy, what a mouthful.
"Well, I didn't and you're mistaken." He turned away from me, looked elsewhere around the dank and dimly lit room. I knew then, he was lying. He was so lying through his teeth. I knew a whole lot about body language, and when people were lying to your face, they tended to avoid your eyes at all costs. Exactly like Eric was doing. I could so see through him. "Believe it or not, I have my own personal life to attend to, Sookie. Why would I waste valuable time in interfering on yours? I have more... productive things to do with my time."
"Oh, I'm calling bullshit," I snapped tartly. "I know you had something to do with it. Because, isn't this all awfully convenient for you? I mean, Hoyt decides to magically go missing in action, right after your little game. Do you really expect me to believe that you had nothin' at all to do with my boyfriend's disappearance? You really think I'm that much of a dumb girl? Seriously!"
"Perhaps your human took a midnight stroll and found himself falling headfirst into a ditch that he couldn't climb out of?" He looked like he wanted to laugh at that. "Surely, it isn't rare for your human kind. I'm sure it happens all the time. A human goes for a walk, and forgets their surroundings. Next thing they know, they've misplaced themselves and can't remember how to reach home."
I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. He was unbelievable.
He was lying through his teeth, and I could tell as much. I didn't need a scientist to figure that one out. He wouldn't even look me in the face, and that was reason enough!
"Yeah, and maybe if Hoyt was older and forgetful, I could see that as a slight possibility, Eric," I muttered, trying to keep myself from yelling. It was difficult, though. I could hardly restrain myself from wanting to slap him, as if that would be effective enough to rouse at least some valid answer out of him. "But that just doesn't happen for people my age and a bit older. I know you had something to do with this and, if you care for me at all, like you said you did, then... you'd tell me straight up."
"I already have, Sookie." Finally, I had gotten some kind of identifiable reaction out of him. I had him all irritated. "As I clearly stated and which you fail to hear, I did not have anything to do with the fact your human fucking boyfriend is missing. Any other incriminating theories you would like to throw at me, or do I have to repeat myself?" He turned to look at me, anger burning through those eyes of his.
All I could manage, was a quick jerk of acknowledgement with my head into his words. I felt so furious and lethally upset, not to mention downright stressed, I could hardly find my voice to verbalize anything else. My life just kept going from one bad end, to the next, and the next. Just when I was starting to feel like everything had fallen into place, that I was normal and that living life daily as normal human was possible for me... something else would happen that would instantly throw my life into a stink-hole, time and time again.
"And you swear to me whole-heartedly, that you never did anything to Hoyt at all?" I asked slowly.
"I swear on Pamela's fucking life," he hissed, without a second's pause, his voice strong with conviction. I guessed then, that he was being sincere and true. If he wasn't, then how could he swear on Pamela's life like that? She was clearly important to him, and you wouldn't really swear on somebody else's life in vain. At least, I hoped he wouldn't. Surely, he was better than that. Still, I was reluctant to believe him because, really- who else could it have been that was responsible? No one else would dare to hurt Hoyt or steal him away, unless they held a personal resentment towards him. And surely, Eric had, if their altercation last night was anything to go by.
"Then if you don't have him, if you're not the one behind all of this, which I still believe you are in some way, then... who is?"
"Now is hardly the time to base foolish conclusions," he told me, ever the rational one. "I suggest you take the day to ask around all the human's you know and enquire into his disappearance. If he isn't with you by at least sundown tomorrow, I will enquire into answers myself."
Well, that was no good to me at all. I needed answers, and I needed them now. I could feel a dangerous meltdown was coming on.
"Mr. Compton, then?" I tossed at him mercilessly. "You think maybe... him?" Oh, God. I sure hoped not. Maybe I should have let cursed Eric kill Bill Compton while I had the chance?
Eric considered for a thoughtful, dead-silent minute, before nodding slowly. "Possible theory, given the obsessive attachment he demonstrated towards you. I wouldn't put it past him to want to jeopardize any relationships you do have."
A bout of sickening light-headedness crept on so suddenly, I had to clutch onto my thighs with my hands for support before I staggered. If Mr. Compton did in fact have Hoyt, then who knows what he would do to him? What if Hoyt was already dead and buried by now? I wheezed out a strangled breath, struggling to regulate my fast breathing. Oh, boy. That definitely wasn't a good way to think. I had to stay positive, for Hoyt. And for my own well-being and sanity, also.
"You wouldn't be in this position had you willingly pursued a vampire," he remarked coolly, sounding oddly enough accusing. What the hell was he accusing me of here? How rude.
I tilted my head and blinked up at him rapidly, trying for a glare. Was that supposed to be him comforting me? Because he was super wrong in saying such a cruel and careless thing to me.
"All I am simply saying, Sookie, is that human's are more susceptible and vulnerable, especially when it comes to being abducted by vampires," he explained, shrugging indifferently, rubbing it all in harmfully for good measure.
"Thank you," I breathed sourly, inclining my head to avoid his eyes. "That's exactly the reassuring thing I need to hear right now, Eric. Butt-wipe."
"No need to cry over it," he whispered, sounding somewhat helpless. I hadn't even realized I had started to, until he brought it well and truly to light. It was hardly something I wanted to do in front of Eric, even though I'd done it plenty of times before. No biggie, really. I felt wet and warm tears trickle down my cheeks. How mortifying. "I am merely signifying the glaringly obvious truth here." As if it was any consolation to me, he went on quietly, "If I were caught in that hazardous position, I would be able to defend myself like a champ-"
"-Enough, Eric," I spat out between my teeth weakly. "You've said enough, all right? You've made your damn point already! And look, I know you don't exactly like Hoyt, with him being a human and all. But I assisted you in finding Godric that time. I assisted you in finding someone very... special to you. The least you could do here, is help me out in the same way by helping me find him and ensuring he's safe. Is that too much to expect from you, if you could just help me as much as you can so that I can find him, and have him back?" If he'd still even want me, of course.
But Eric owed me this. He owed me this after what happened.
I eyed him desperately.
"Besides, you said..." I sniffled loudly. My nose felt all clogged up with snot, and no doubt I looked just as pitiful as I felt. "You said, I was obliged to help you over this whole pledge-thingy. Doesn't that mean it's the same for you? Aren't you obliged to help me as my..."- My face scrunched up, , and I couldn't quite bring myself to say it because I was so ill-at-ease, darn it. But I pushed myself, and hard. "As my... my husband. I mean, isn't that the way this whole vampire... thing works? You do something for me, I do something for you? Giving and taking, you said. Remember that?"
Obviously, I had done a convincing job on letting him know how much so that I needed his help right then. It took him a while to respond, and I knew he was carefully deliberating on the whole thing. He paced around the room, and after what felt roughly five minutes had ticked by, he turned to glance at me.
"Only because I dislike seeing you suffer like this," he agreed, very reluctantly. And, I knew then, I had him on my side all over again.
But really. When did he ever start caring whether I suffered or not?
"Thank you." The relief spilled over intensely in my words, and my whole body lifted.
"As for now, I believe I have something that might take your mind off all of this." At first, I thought he was going to suggest something improper and gross, but Eric was just one startling surprise to the next. "Come," he beckoned urgently, and I faltered mid-step, instantly suspicious and wary of him. "I believe there is someone here that you would enjoy being reacquainted with."
After an uncertain moment of indecision, I decided to follow him. I swear I caught him smiling as he strolled along the left of the room. There was another narrow entrance in the underground area, that led to another room. This room, was brightly lit, and I could tell as much with my own eyes, considering the light that was bursting through a blood-red, dangling door-net curtain. A shimmer of very pleased voices erupted next from behind the curtain, and it was only when Eric pushed it aside roughly with his hands, did I see what was contained inside the private room. A group of vampires, women; ranged in their early forties and above. They were all seated around an in-built blackjack table.
"Draw the cards already," one elderly woman said brusquely, snatching at another woman's fingers while she held a deck of cards between her spindled, arthritic fingers, with a pair of liver-spotted, wrinkled hands. "I'm tired of waitin' 'round on you gals, so fucking tardy."
"Language," a very familiar elderly woman's sweet voice said, full of scolding. "Oh, Mr. Northman!" She cried out in delight, rising very fluidly from her chair, which was a very difficult sight to swallow, considering how old she looked for her age. "Is my Sookie and Jason here yet? I do wish to see them again!"
I was left standing with my mouth wide open. Soon, I was on the edge of even more tears.
And then, she looked right at me. Her dear old face scrunched into pure excitement, and I didn't know whether to feel afraid of her, or whether she was intending me harm or not.
I got my answer hardly a second later, when she came rushing over to me.
"Sookie," she cried, laughing gleefully. "Oh my Lord! My sweet, sweet darling! Oh, how I've missed you so!"
It was the most strangest moment I'd ever experienced, in seeing Gran's form as an elderly vampire, while she looked back at me in delight, her fangs extended.
"Gran?" I croaked, feeling breathless. And I didn't know whether to laugh in pure exultation, to cry, or to scream in sheer helplessness. My dear, lovely Gran, Adele Stackhouse. Coming with a pair of fangs. This just had to be all Eric's work, and I knew it, damn straight.
"Oh, we have plenty to catch up on, dear," she said, embracing me into a hug that put an old lady of her delicate frame to shame.
"But Gran... I... I thought you were-?" I felt queasy with shock. The whole thing was too damn much for my mind to take in, and fully process all at once. I thought she was dead. I had even told Jason so. No wonder Eric hadn't so much as mentioned where he placed Gran's body. After all this time, she was roaming the earth after dark.
"Oh, but I was, dear," she smiled, tenderly reaching out to touch my face. "I am, of course. But in a different way. I am a living undead! Of course, Mr. Northman here saved me, just in the nick of time. Isn't that truly wonderful, Sookie, sweetheart?"
"Eric made you into a vampire?" I asked, puzzled. I shot him a less than happy look. I just couldn't believe my eyes. Gran! She was here! A vampire, standing right before me and cupping my face! Holy hell!
"Well, not quite. It was the lady friend of his who did it. Pamela, I believe, dear." Pamela turned Gran into a vamp? I think about very nearly fainted. Not that I wasn't super pleased she was still with me, after all.
"You've got to be shittin' me," I wheezed out.
Without further ado, Gran gave Eric a stern slap on the arm, as far as she could possibly reach.
"Now, Mr. Northman, you assured me you were taking good care of my girl! Where did that filthy language come from? Sure wasn't me, I did not raise her to speak in such an improper way for a lady!" Well, vamp and all, Gran still hadn't changed a single bit. Aside from the fangs, of course.
I'm so so sorry about this chapter. Really bad, wasn't it? :( I'm sorry!
