Chapter 37:
Eric opens it and finds a mangled Sam Merlotte on the other side.
"Shifter, what the fuck happened?" He asks before the man collapses into his arms.
Eric picks the shifter up and carries him in the house. He lays him down on the couch and gets Sookie. "Sookie, do you mind if Sam stays? I think, I will call Apollo." The god pops into the room, with a flash of light. "Sorry, I can't help it." He snaps his fingers and Eric's burns heal.
Apollo heals Sam and tells them that the shifter will need to stay for the duration of the storm. "It's starting to hit the coast as we speak. Is everyone here?" Eric nods and Apollo turns to Sookie, "Sam needs a bed and some TLC for a while. He was clobbered by a big animal." Sam comes around, "They were Weres. A female Were and a small pack." Sookie's eyes narrow. "Goddamn it!" she swears.
Gervaise hops out of the way, as she goes into the hall closet and opens an ammo box. Sookie takes out a military ammo can and mutters to herself as she walks upstairs to the attic.
"Any idea what the spitfire is after, up there?" he asks Eric.
Sam answers them. "She's getting her father's guns. Jason, can you help me up to an upstairs room. There's a bathroom up there, so I will be out of the way." Jason and Gervaise latch on to the man and carry him up the stairs. "Thank you." Sam says and reclines on the bed.
"Sook, get the elephant gun of Granddaddy's. It's up there somewhere and we are going to need it. The ammo should be also. It was still good when I checked it last month." Jason yells up to the attic. They hear a grunt as Sookie lifts the gun.
"Jase, get you bony ass up here and get it yourself. There is only so much I can carry. Not only are we going to be holing up because of the weather, now we have a Were bitch with a vendetta coming to our doorstep." Sookie yells down the stairs.
Gervaise offers Sam some blood to heal. "You are a true shifter right. We might need your help."
"Fine, but I want to go on record as saying the sex dreams are murder on a heterosexual male." Sam snipes.
"They go both ways, and yes they are." Gervaise laughs. He bites his wrist and offers it to Sam.
"By the way, I have ordered that all of Sookie's friends are off limits. Sookie is too valuable as a friend, associate, employee and as wife and mate to my top sheriff and good friend. She actually said that she considers me family, after only meeting me twice."
Sam laughs. "She is like that. She has always looked out for everyone. The first night she met Bill, she walked out into the driveway of my bar and chased away some of the nastiest customers that ever came in because, she felt that he was in trouble. He was, those two were draining him. I gave her hell when she came in afterward. They didn't start dating until a couple nights later.
Because of her gift, she shied away from relationships. She was toast when he started showing interest in her. She can't hear your thoughts like she can humans. It's a little murkier, but she can read two-natured also. I don't really know what happened between them, but as much as Eric is an arrogant asshole, he is a better choice for her."
"Bill was sent to procure her for the former Queen. She had heard about Sookie's ability from Hadley, who was the queen's bed mate. She ordered him to get her on her side, no matter what he had to do. It was a quirk of fate that Sookie asked to visit Fangtasia.
Eric told me at the time about this woman that came in on Bill's arm, she intrigued him. Meaning, she did not fall for the glamour or the smarm. All she wanted was information that might help her brother. She then, saved the night by telling him of a raid that was about to happen.
Eric had to pay for killing his bartender, who was stealing from him, because the man was about to kill her, after she exposed the embezzlement.
A couple of months later, Bill carried her in and they all had to almost drain her to get the Maenad's poison out of her. Her back was torn to ribbons. Eric called me and was upset after they left." Sam flinches, Sookie had told him about the scratches, but not that she was poisoned. He felt bad for encouraging the Maenad to stay as long as she did.
"Eric had to order Bill to go in and save her in Texas. The coward was too afraid. He mended her wounds when Bill went on a wild goose chase, then took bullets for her. Yes, Eric tricked her into ingesting a tiny bit of his blood when he had her suck the bullets out. Bill hit the roof. They had not had much time together and Eric now had the newest blood in her.
Bill was needed somewhere else, we still don't know where he was, when she needed help. He said that he had to go back to Texas to discuss a deal with the Weres over helping her. That doesn't wash because, they would have contacted Eric and Stan said that he never contacted Bill over anything pertaining to the stay.
I think it was the first time that he got back with his maker, but don't tell Sookie. Eric again, came to the rescue.
When she went to Jackson with the Were, it was so that she could "save" Bill from being tortured. He had ran to his maker and almost brought his directory with him. Again it was Eric who saved her, when she was staked. He fed her blood so she could save Bill. She ended up staking his maker. She loaded him into the trunk of a car and drove him to safety. The Were's ex, some woman by the name of Pelt, tossed her in the trunk with him and when he rose, he raped and almost drained her. I hear that she has lasting damage from it. Eric saved her just in time and drove her home. Sookie broke up with Compton soon after.
She and Eric floated around each other but there was nothing doing for a while. When he was cursed, she took him in and cared for him, hiding him from the Were/witch. After he was back to himself, they skated around each other again until Noir and Night came to town. Noir wanted them to come clean and marry. After she told him what went on while he was out of it, they married."
"Oh shit, I never knew half of that." Sam swears to himself that he will make it up to Eric one of these days.
"She was staked again, a few months ago, right in the abdomen. It completely ruined her chances to get pregnant. So she is better off with a vampire husband, than any human or shifter." Gervaise nods to Sam and returns to the downstairs. Sookie and Jason are set up against the doors, with shotguns and the vampires are loading more just in case.
Sam trudges down the stairs and snaps the elephant gun and ammo up. Sookie hugs him and he tells them that it was fifteen Weres in all. He walks up to the attic window and sits sentry.
At the looks that she was getting, Sookie explains that Sam used to be in the army.
"That man can shoot. I've been to the range with him and Terry. From the stance and range, Terry guessed that Sam was Special Services or something. He said that Sam must have been a sniper." Jason tells them.
Once everyone was quiet, they heard the howls. Sookie makes a last ditch effort to call Alcide. This time he answers. "Is the whole pack accounted for?" she asks him.
"Yes, even Dawson is here. Why?"
"Because I don't want to kill any wolves that I know." She angles the phone so he could hear the howls. Alcide curses. "We'll be there as soon as we can, are you protected?"
"Yes, I have my husband, seven other vampires, Jason, and Sam here. Not to mention, enough arms to remount the Invasion of Normandy. I think I am fine. Gotta go." She hangs up and mutters about male chauvinistic attitudes, making Pam and Cleo laugh.
When the wolves comes out of the trees, growling and sniffing, Sookie chambers a round. "They are chasing Sam's scent." She growls and fires, she drops one with ease, as does Jason. The elephant gun's blast is heard and four are taken down. Sookie and Jason shoot again, dropping two more each. Another blast is heard from the attic and four more are on the ground. All that is left is the leader.
The lone wolf changes back and Jason whistles lowly. "Jase, she is jail-bait. Aside from the fact, that she has attempted to have me kidnapped and killed, she sent Tanya also." That changes Jason's outlook considerably. Sookie concedes that she is a good looking girl. Even if she is Sandra Pelt. Sookie puts the gun down and calls Alcide.
When he answers, Sookie growls. "I want you to know that I hate Debbie and her family. If you want to still be friends with me, you better get your furry ass over here pretty damned soon. I am just barely holding onto my sweet southern nature."
"What do you mean, what does Debbie have to do with the situation?"
"Sandra blames me for Debbie's death. I guess she has a right to, other than the fact that, her sister tried to kill me a few times."
"I'm pulling in your drive now. Holy shit, it's a massacre out here." Alcide walks in the front door and up to Sookie. She turns around and raises her eyebrow.
Eric walks up and takes the gun from Sookie. "I glamoured Sandra about Debbie. Either it broke, it happens sometimes or this is about something else." He leads Sookie away. "You don't want to hurt him, let the wolves work it out."
Patrick Furnan walks out with Alcide and Night. "What is the reason to hunt down a shifter?" Night asks.
"I will hunt down any friend of Sookie Stackhouse, until she comes out and dies by my hand." Sandra cries.
That answers the question of if the glamour had broken.
"Then there will be nothing in between me and my target." She leers at Alcide. Sookie starts laughing and walks outside.
"I told you, you delusional kid. He is too old for that. Plus what makes you think that an honorable man like Alcide, would want to go to jail for bedding a puppy like you."
Alcide was horror struck. "Even if I didn't think of you as my little sister, I would never go to bed with you, Sandra. I don't want to pass my genes on to another generation. On the other hand, you are way too young. Debbie was close to the age cut off as it was."
The young wolf sneers. "She's dead because of Sookie, Alcide. You should be angry about that."
"I cannot be angry; I abjured her for trying to kill Sookie, participating in torturing a vampire that she knew we were looking for and for cheating on me. Your family are cancerous to the two-natured."
"Well, Sookie will die tonight. She killed my sister and I will kill her." Sandra leaps for Sookie. Sookie just makes it back inside.
"Oh Fuck! Night's going supernova. Everyone take cover." Sookie yells. He must have warned Alcide and Patrick, because when she looks again, they are just standing up. Sandra is gone, as is the bodies.
Night walks in, still the wrong side of alright. He walks up to Sookie and pulls her into his arms. "She will not be after you, ever again." He turns to Alcide, "I think we have found who our assailant was. Some of those bodies had a scent of murder on them. Sandra would not have gotten her hands dirty, unless it meant killing Sookie directly. I am sorry Alcide, but it is time to move on. You need to grieve for your would- be mate and your pup."
"Pup?" Alcide walks outside and into the woods in a daze. A few minutes later, a mournful howl rises above the sound of the wind. Sookie, runs out of the house.
Eric shakes his head at her retreating figure. "She can never let her friends hurt. I feel bad for him. It's always a mind fuck to hear that your child didn't live." Eric is joined by some of the other vampires in his statement. He walks outside and tracks Sookie and Alcide down, with the bond. The two of them are seated by the pond. Eric sits down next to Sookie and reaches over to pat the large wolf on the back.
Alcide looks up and can't believe that the vampire came out to sit with him and Sookie.
This man has been a thorn in Alcide's side. Not only did he order the wolf around whenever he could. He also married the only woman that has stuck by him and lived to tell the tale. Sookie was the only woman that he loved, but never had a chance to find out if he could be with. She has always stuck by him and his pack.
"Alcide, I am sorry that you had to find out that way. I am here if you ever need to talk." Sookie tells him as she rubs his back. Eric can feel her concern.
"It is a sad event whenever you lose a child, even if you don't know about it." Eric says. "My former wife and I lost five, while I was still alive. We mourned for each one. It is a sad event, even if you don't love the other parent.
Aude was my brother's wife. He died while we were out rampaging. I was made to marry her, to keep the alliance between the two clans. We ended up having five children, but we lost about the same number." A bloody tear runs down Eric's face at the thought of his children. He leans back and closes his eyes, he feels Sookie wipe the tear away.
"Thank you Eric. It actually means quite a bit that you would share that with me. I will get past this, but it was a shock." Alcide hangs his head and a slight whine escapes his chest.
Sookie looks at the both of them, suddenly feeling sad.
Eric had children in his past; a vampire child in Pam. Alcide has the possibility to have them, once he meets another woman. Jason, will most likely have some in the near future the way that he is going.
Sookie on the other hand, does not have the chance, even if she was with someone who could give her a child. Sure Pam has commented on her mothering the vampire, and she basically fussed over the whole of Hot Shot, but she will never be able to do that with her own. Tears start pouring down her face.
Eric feeling the despair, gathers her into his arms. "It's alright Sookie, I know." Sookie was finally feeling the repercussions of the damage done to her. He nuzzles her and holds her close as she sobs into his neck.
"What's going on?" Alcide asks him, worried about Sookie. He had never seen her cry like this.
"Sookie was probably the worst one to come out here for you. She just took off after you, when we heard your howl.
When Bill raped her in Jackson, he did a lot of damage. More than any of us imagined, Sookie never mentioned that she was that injured.
A couple of months ago, she was staked again, but this time in the lower abdomen. The healer was able to treat her but told us that combined with the damage from the rape and this last stabbing, she would be unable to carry and bear children.
This is the first time that it seems to be hitting her completely." Eric explains.
The wolf's cry is heard from the woods again as Alcide reacts to the news. "If you had not married her, and all this was found out. I would have still taken her as my mate. She is one of a kind."
"Enough talking about me like I am not here. Thank you for that Alcide, but Eric is my choice. If he and I were not practically fated to be together, than you would be the next choice."
Eric raises an eyebrow. "Oh my dear wife and wolf friend, I think that Mr. Merlotte would try for you too. I am also willing to bet, that two regents would look favorably on gaining the famed Sookie Stackhouse, as their wife. I was just the lucky bastard that beat them to the punch."
Sookie laughs and places her head against Eric's shoulder. "Sam, I believe. We had a date once; sadly it was the night that my Gran was murdered. I also heard the crash from his office, the night that we told the bar about us being married.
By the way, thanks for the nice tip Alcide. I would have understood if you had not left one at all, you were pretty tore up that night.
Now who are you talking about with the regents?" she turns to her husband.
"If I had not snagged you, I am pretty sure that you would have gotten an invitation to move to Dallas, while we were at the Summit. Stan is greatly enamored with you my dear.
As for the other one; one of my reasons for not accepting the throne this time was that in the eyes of some of the other regents, a king married to a human just is not done. So I passed, because I am not going to give you up for any reason.
Gervaise had a similar problem with Carla. But you being fae royalty, means that you are above the humans, heck in the eyes of some, you are above the two natured. So he would have been apt to propose a union."
Sookie laughs, "Until I saved him, the king was unsure of my use to him or anyone, for that matter. It doesn't take telepathy to know that."
"Yes, but Stan had already witnessed that. As for Gervaise, his eyes were opened when he learned that it was you that the Queen was so unrelenting about acquiring.
One thing about Sophie-Anne, she was discriminating. You had to be special, if she sat up and took notice of you."
Alcide took the two's bantering in. He actually had never been around them without something stressing going on; Bill's capture, Eric being cursed, etc. Thinking back, he now sees why Eric was so insistent about her safety, because he was taking care of the vampire's mate.
"Why didn't I see it before? I am sorry Eric. You defiantly had a claim in there before any of us thought about it. She was your mate, even if you didn't see it at the time."
All three stand and walk back in the house, noticing that the wind was starting to pick up.
"Here it comes." Sookie mutters as she latches the porch door.
She closes the kitchen door and locks it. Patrick stands and both men decide that they should stay the night at Sookie and Eric's. There is plenty of food and rooms. It would also allow the pack leader and the King time to work out a deal. Eric turns to Sookie, she nods and they go upstairs to stow what stuff they have.
Night pops in later, to tell Patrick that his kids are fine and situated at Amanda's.