Edited 2019

AN: I am back! Well at least for a little while. I am on my winter break from school. I just finished my last final yesterday. So I am hoping to get caught up in writing. This chapter has not been betaed so it may have some errors. Anyway please read and review now on with the chapter.

Disclaimer: Things I own my trusty laptop, a very gassy, black cat named Neville and my imagination. Things that I sadly do not own TB and SVM.

Chapter 36

While Mrs. Hyde drove she talked about how great it was that her boy was settling down and happy she was with his choice. Godric and I stayed silent in the back seat as she prattled on. When we arrived at their house, I was amazed at how grand and opulent it was. The house rivaled Bellefleur Manor. Andy and Terry's grandmother had the most beautiful old plantation house in all of Bon Temps or so I thought. "Your home is lovely," I said looking around in awe.

"Thank you, my dear, I just had everything redone. It has all been restored to its original splendor. It has taken me five years to get it finished. The house was in such disrepair when we bought it. I am glad someone can see the beauty of it all." Mrs. Hyde simpered.

Godric just smiled and ignored the comment. "I am going to go show Sookie my room while you get dad's suit for him to change." He said taking my hand and leading me up to the front staircase. At the top of the stairs, there was a painting that made me pause. I know that I had seen it somewhere before but I could not place it. Godric noticed me looking at the painting and said "I see you spotted the Walker. Mom almost would not let it go up when dad brought it home she said that it would clash with the color scheme she had going." I stood there speechless.

"I have only ever seen one behind glass from a safe distance. I did not think that any of them were out in the general population."

"Dad is friends with a bunch of art curators in the northeast. So periodically we get a new piece from some big show." He said nonchalantly again leading towards his room. We walked down a long hallway on resplendent hardwood floors. Godric came to a stop at a set of tall double doors at the end of the hall. When he turned the handle my jaw dropped. His room was the size of the entire second floor of Gran's house. Two walls were lined with grand bookcases overflowing with books. His bed was a nice sized four-poster with linens in various shades of blue. The far wall was nothing but windows that look out onto a huge back yard. In front of the windows was a large easel holding a partially finished portrait. "Look around I am going to change I will be right back," Godric said over his shoulder as he disappeared behind a door that I had not seen.

I walked closer to the portrait and noticed that it was of a lovely blonde girl. She was wearing one of my favorite sundresses while sitting on a bunch I had never seen in a magnificent garden. The eyes of the girl on the canvas seemed to follow me as I moved. The more I studied her the more I noticed how similar she looked to me. I hastily turned away from the painting and walked toward his desk that was nestled in between another set of bookcases. It was strewn with papers and various writing utensils. Under some papers was a toppled picture of a much younger Godric and a boy I assumed to be his older brother. The smiles that graced both boys' faces told me this was a happy memory. "That was the last summer we spent with dad's family in France. Dad couldn't take that much time off of work after his promotion. We only see them at the holidays now and then." Godric said as he approached wearing a deep red dress shirt and charcoal pants. He was carrying a silver tie. "Could you help me with this? I would ask Mother, but she will just chastise me for still not being able to tie one on my own."

"Sure, I would not want you to suffer your mother's wrath," I said taking the tie from his hand and securing it around his neck.

"Thank you. How did you get so good at tying a tie?" He smiled down at my handy work.

"From many years of helping Jason, he still can't manage a half Windsor on a good day. Is there anything that I need to know about tonight?" I asked taking a seat on his bed while I waited for him to put on his shoes.

"Nothing really, just that Vic and Sandy have been dating for two years. She is going to be an English teacher when she graduates in the spring. She is a lot to handle when you first meet her but she is really nice. Vic will be his perfect self like always. He keeps getting looked at by scouts for the NFL. Dad thinks he will be in one of the top ten rounds of draft picks come April. Oh, some of his college friends might be there but I am not sure. After that, I can't think of anything. I don't know if mother invited the rest of the family or not so Arlene might be there too." He said tying his shoe and standing up. There was a knock at the door and Mrs. Hyde walked in dressed in a knee-length emerald green wrap dress.

"Godric dear you need to put on your cuff links and meet us downstairs. Sookie I have something that I think will look better with that dress then your sweater, come with me." She took my hand and pulled me along down the hall past the staircase to the other end of the house. She stopped at another set of grand double doors. The room was even grander than Godric's had been. The walls were painted in a soft green with dark mahogany trim. The huge sleigh bed was dressed in crisp cream linens with green accents. She led me into a dressing room walk-in closet combo. "I think you should dress up just a little bit more and I know that I did not tell you what you needed to wear so I will just have to help you fix that. The dress you have on is darling, by the way, you look great in blue. I think this will help with your dress and I have a necklace that I think you would sparkle in." She said handing me a cream-colored pashmina that had beaded fringe on the ends. She went over to her dressing table and extracted a glinting necklace from her jewelry box. She draped it around my neck and fastened the ends. It had a delicate chain with a stunning pendant of diamonds and sapphire.

"I couldn't, this is too nice." I stammered looking at myself in the mirror.

"Oh, I insist. It brings out your eyes. Now we must be going, we have to pick up Godric's father at the office, so he has time to change. Sookie dear could you grab the garment bag for me from the chair." She said as she fastened her own necklace of pearls. I did and we headed downstairs to the car. Mrs. Hyde talked some more during the forty-minute drive to Mr. Hyde's office. We pulled up to a towering office building. "We need to hurry; we still have a thirty-minute drive until we get to the restaurant. Godric dear, take your father's suit. I just hope Bart is out of his meeting. Come along." She said as we exited the car. We walked through a cavernous lobby, Mrs. Hyde's clicking heels echoing off the walls. She came to a stop in front of a bank of elevators and pushed the up arrow button. With a ding, we stepped through the opening doors. We rode up to the thirty-second floor. When the doors opened again we walked past the receptionist and strait to the back of the office. Mr. Hyde was sitting at his desk working on paperwork. He smiled when he saw us enter. He stood and embraced his wife. Mr. Hyde was extremely tall, he towered over his family. He had the same dark hair and gray-green eyes as Godric.

"I am just about done. I will go hand this off to Franklin and change so we can go. I will be just a minute." He gathered up his papers and went across the hall to the adjacent office. He talked with his colleague for a few minutes. He was smiling when he came back. He took his suit into a private bathroom at the back of his office. When he came back out he finally spotted me. "I seem to have been so distracted that I missed our guest. I am Bart Hyde pleased to meet you." He said offering me his hand.

I shook it and said smiling up at him. "Sookie Stackhouse and the pleasure is mine, sir."

"Well now that we are introduced let's get going. I am sure Sandy and Victor will be waiting at the restaurant." He picked up a briefcase and headed to the door. We followed him back to the elevators and out the car. I sat in the back with Godric as his parents talked. On the ride to the restaurant, I zoned out watching the scenery out the window change. Godric nudged me when we came to a stop in the restaurant parking lot.

"You ready to meet my brother and his fiancée." He offered me his hand to get out of the car. I accepted and kept hold of his hand as we walked in. His father talked to the hostess and we were all lead to a large private dining room. Several people were milling around with drinks in hand. I noticed Arlene standing on the other side of the room with an older woman I assumed to be her mother. Godric's parents lead us over to the couple of the hour. Victor was just as tall as their father but he looked more like their mother. His hair was a redder version of Godric's and a bit shaggy. He was wearing a chocolate brown suit with a cream dress shirt. Sandy was standing next to him in a flowing magenta cocktail dress. Her long blond hair was braided in a side ponytail.

Godric's mother introduced me to them. "Victor, Sandy this is Sookie Stackhouse. She is Godric's friend, stand partner and the JV captain for the dance team."

"It is nice to meet you Sookie, I am glad that you could come to our party. I hope we see more of you." Sandy said as she gave me a hug.

Victor stepped forward and took my hand and kissed the top. "I am glad you came. Godric has told me a lot about you." I blushed a bit. Victor smiled and then called over the crowd. "Well, now that we are all here, I think it is time to start. I want to thank you all for coming tonight to celebrate Sandy and I's engagement. We will be having dinner shortly but before we do, I would like to say a few words about my beautiful fiancée. When I first meet Sandy, she could not stand me. She thought that I was mindless, stuck up jock. It took me six weeks to persuade her to go out with me on one date. I am so glad that she gave me a chance and she has made me that happiest I have ever been when she agreed to marry me. She is my everything and I am stunned every day when she still puts up with me. I love you." He lifted his glass in salute and took a drink. Sandy kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you too. Like Vic said thank you for coming. I hope all of you have a wonderful evening. I am starving so let's eat." We all took seats around the huge table. Godric sat on my left and his mother and father to my right. Dinner was a decadent five-course meal. By dessert, I was stuffed. Victor and Sandy again thanked everyone for coming and we said our goodbyes.

"Sookie thank you for coming. I have not seen my son smile so much in a long time. I hope this cheered you up some." Mrs. Hyde whispered as we walked out to the car.

"It really has. I had a lovely time, thank you, for inviting me and lending me your necklace." I replied.

"I am glad it got some use. I never wear it and it looks wonderful on you." She countered admiringly. I removed the necklace and returned it to her. They drove me home and Godric walked me to the door.

"Thank you for coming with me tonight." He stood there smiling at me. I kissed him on the cheek and said goodnight. I walked into the house and was greeted by a couple of disgruntled faces.