A/N: I do not own any characters or the world of True Blood, but I do like to play in it.
Mixed reviews on whether or not Sookie should have worn the dress Alcide gave her to the party. All I'll say on this is that Sookie has only had one relationship before this one so she's bound to be hit and miss sometimes and in the books she tends to push Eric away when he gets too high handed with his decisions where she is concerned. Lord knows she's no stranger to bad decisions, there's a doozy of a communication failure with Eric in the latest book over a snap decision she makes without talking to him first. (I won't say more, don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't read it yet) So we'll see where the consequences of taking that stand take her.
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "It's not like I never thought about it before, but there's so much that's unknown. What if it doesn't work? I mean I'm not all human. Have you ever heard of a faerie being turned into a vampire?" What if it made her turn into some kind of hybrid monster? Okay so she probably wouldn't turn into a sci-fi movie monster of the week, but it was enough to give her pause.
"No I have not, but that doesn't mean it can't be done," he answered soberly and she could see that it was something he'd already thought of as well.
"I wonder if I should ask Claudine if it's possible?" Sookie wondered aloud.
"Then you are thinking about it?" Eric's eyes blazed with warmth.
"Whoa, hold your horses now," she pressed a hand to his chest. "I just want to know if it's a possibility before I get too deep into thinking about it. No sense in borrowing trouble if it's not even doable, right?"
"As you wish, beloved. Now, let me share a taste of the pleasures that await you should you decide to join me in eternal bliss." His wolfish grin held no doubt as to what he had in mind as he swept her up and whisked her down to their bedroom in the blink of an eye.
Oh yeah, Sookie was all kinds of familiar with those particular perks, but she let him do a little more convincing until the arrival of dawn sent them to a deep sleep, where her dreams were overrun with vampire paparazzi; their fangs glistening as bright as flashbulbs as they chased her into the night.
Eric's awareness kicked in the moment the Were walked into the club, though he gave no sign that he'd noticed his arrival at first. Instead he waited for the shifter to approach and pay his obeisance, slight though it was. For a moment he toyed with the idea of making him wait, but Eric decided to take advantage of Sookie's preoccupation with the new waitress they'd hired to gesture for Alcide to follow him back to his office. Once inside, he took a seat behind his desk but did not invite him to sit. Best to keep things in perspective.
Without preamble, Eric wasted no time on pleasantries. "You've made a point of being generous to my wife in the past. I trust that such generosity continues?"
Clearly that hadn't been what Alcide was expecting to hear and the Were shifted from one foot to the other. "Uh sure…"
"Good," Eric nodded briskly. "Then you will do this one thing for me in Sookie's best interests."
"What's that?" Alcide's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"You will take care of your errant pack member Debbie Pelt once and for all."
"She ain't a member of our pack."
"Be that as it may, you will kill her for me." Eric's tone was mild, but there was no mistaking the steel behind the statement. It was not a request.
Visibly disturbed by the idea, Alcide looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but in the room with Eric. "You don't know what you're asking me to do…"
"Don't I?" Eric's eyes glittered dangerously. He would teach this man to tread lightly where Sookie was concerned, one way or another.
"She's already been abjured," he protested.
"That means nothing to me," Eric waved away the reply.
"You really want me to kill her?" Alcide looked like he'd been forced to swallow something nasty and he wanted nothing more than to spit it out.
Eric gave a regal nod. "I would not see her cause Sookie a moment's distress. She has already suffered much at the bitch's hands."
"I'll have to run it past the pack leader."
Eric sat a little higher in the chair. "You said she wasn't a member of the pack any longer. This is private business now and should be handled as such." He could see the hesitation in Alcide's eyes. "Have I chosen poorly for this task?" The menace was thinly veiled, Eric was starting to lose his patience.
"I'll do it for Sookie."
His brows rose in surprise at the audacity. "I trust that you're not harboring any mistaken idea that you will somehow steal Sookie's heart away from me. I keep what is mine."
Alcide's chest puffed out belligerently. "I reckon that's up to Sookie isn't it?"
"I almost forgot how charmingly naïve you pups can be sometimes," Eric smiled with genuine amusement. "Make no mistake, Sookie is mine and I will not allow you to come sniffing around her." The Were flexed unconsciously, the hairs standing up on the backs of his arms, but Eric continued, undeterred. "I merely tell you this because I know my wife is fond of you. I would hate to see her upset should anything unpleasant befall you. Do we have an understanding?" He simply waited, there was no need for a demonstration of his superiority, the wolf knew he was outmatched.
A low growl rumbled from the back of Alcide's throat, but he held his position, eyes never leaving Eric's face. "We do," he muttered darkly.
"Good. I expect to receive word of her demise within the week. I will forgo the usual requirement of her head in the spirit of cooperation," Eric offered a toothsome smile.
"I won't forget this," Alcide's eyes did their best to bore a hole through Eric's skull, but the vampire remained composed.
"Neither will I," Eric promised.
Alcide left without another word, not even sparing a backwards glance to Sookie who passed him in the hallway on the way to Eric's office.
"What was that about?" She asked, stepping into his office.
Eric rose from his seat and pulled her in all the way, shutting the door behind her for privacy. "Just conducting a little business, Beloved," he replied nonchalantly.
"What kind of business?"
"The kind I would rather you not sully your pretty hands with." He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips."
Her head canted to one side as she regarded him warily. "Why does it make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when you say that?"
Eric gave her a lopsided grin. "Because you love me?"
"I do but… you're not asking Alcide to do anything dangerous are you?"
"I am asking him to take responsibility for something that he should have a long time ago, that is all," he said diplomatically. It was the truth after all.
"Okay," she replied a little dubiously and he could see the wheels turning behind her lovely eyes. "You're not still mad about the dress the other night are you?"
"I hadn't given it a second thought," he replied easily, though his eyes told another story.
Before she knew it, the Gathering was upon them and Sookie had no time to think about anything but logistics as kings and queens from all over the world gathered in one place. Not for the first time she wondered as to the prudence of so many important figures in the vampire community collecting in one location. It seemed like a tempting opportunity for their enemies to strike at them, but Eric seemed confident in his security arrangements.
Arrangements that kept Eric busy from dusk til dawn and Sookie found Rob as her ever present shadow until one night when Pam showed up at her door instead of her usual bodyguard. "You're not Rob…" Sookie blinked in surprise.
"Not the last time I checked, no," Pam drawled, barging her way in without waiting for an invitation. One of the vampire perks for staying in a hotel. "Is that what you're wearing tonight? Hurry up and change." The vampire strode past her to the bedroom of the impressive suite to rifle through the clothes that hung in the closet.
Sookie looked down at her clothes in dismay. She'd thought she looked nice in a heather gray pencil skirt with a navy blue blouse. Capable. Professional. Eric certainly hadn't objected to her mode of dress since they'd arrived for the conference. Though perhaps he was still touchy over the subject of her clothing since their previous spat on the night of their engagement party? Pam seemed not to share that reticence though, selecting a slim fitting black dress that was both elegant and not overly revealing. Another purchase she'd made during the brief but expensive shopping spree after arriving in Florida.
"This should do, now hurry or we'll be late," Pam tossed it on the bed, crossing her arms expectantly.
"Late for what?" Sookie frowned, already unzipping obediently at the urgency in her voice.
"King Bakareh's court. He's asked for an audience with you in particular, so make it snappy. Don't you have any good jewelry?" She frowned, picking through the pieces strewn out on the dresser.
"Yeah, in the case there," Sookie replied distractedly. If there had been more time she might have asked Pam to step out of the room, but it wasn't like Pam hadn't seen her wearing less in the past and Sookie tried not to notice the appreciative gleam in the woman's eyes. The Child King wanted to see her? What the heck for? Silently she wondered if Seraphine's report to her king had been favorable or not? Just how much did they know about her? There wasn't much time to worry about it though as she was hustled out of the room as soon as she'd tugged her shoes on, and she had to struggle to keep up with Pam's longer stride. "Will Eric be there?"
"No, Bakareh made sure to ask to see you at the most inconvenient time," Pam muttered.
"Should I be worried?"
"Of course not honey, I'll keep you safe." Pam's smile was saccharine.
Something in Pam's voice just didn't sit right with her. Maybe it was the total lack of sarcasm in her tone or maybe it was the use of the familiar "honey", but suddenly Sookie's sense of self preservation kicked in. Extending her senses toward the enigmatic vampire, she tried to get a better read on what Pam was actually thinking.
*he'd better not expect me to go up against a vampire thousands of years older than me on my own, that'd be worse than a suicide mission, I don't care how much he cares about this one* Pam thought agitatedly. *hopefully Bakareh just wants a look at the little cream puff as a curiosity and nothing more. God knows she looks absolutely edible in that dress, that skin…*
Sookie pulled her thoughts away before she followed too much farther down that stream of consciousness, her cheeks flaming scarlet.
"Are you okay?" Pam asked with rare concern. Probably only because she was responsible for Sookie at the moment.
"Yeah I'm fine," Sookie flashed her an overly bright smile. "Just a bit nervous is all." Minus the bit… There was no time for further pleasantries as they arrived at the suite of rooms set aside for Bakareh and his entourage.
"Showtime…" Pam murmured before fixing a placid smile on her own face. The doors opened without knocking and a pair of girls dressed similarly to Seraphine's boys greeted them, each looking as though they might be no older than fourteen or fifteen years old. Without a word they were ushered back to a sitting room that had been laid out as a throne room of sorts. The Child King himself sat nestled atop a small mountain of ornate pillows, reclining majestically. Dressed even more elaborately than Seraphine had been, his chest was bare save for an abundance of jewelry, revealing smooth skin that matched his clean shaven head.
Pam dropped back to stand slightly behind Sookie and to her right, clearly she was to be the focus of this visit. Unsure if she should speak or wait until she was spoken to, Sookie waited long moments as the silence stretched between them before she couldn't stand it any longer. "Howdy do. Welcome to America." Sookie gave a reasonable facsimile of a curtsey, at least the best she could do in the slim fitting skirt.
"Howdy do," Bakareh tried the words out as though they were a foreign language, though he clearly spoke English flawlessly, his accent slight and hard to place.
"How do you like it so far?" She inquired politely, sticking to safe subjects, or so she thought.
"I do not like it here," he replied in a bored tone; his voice high like the child he'd been when turned.
Sookie resisted the urge to tell him to go back home then. "Sorry to hear that. What is it that you don't like exactly?" Her smile stretched wider.
"Your people taste strange to me. The blood is impure; I do not like it."
Well of all things… "Uh, sorry about that. Maybe a little synthetic will tide you over until we can send out for something else?" It appalled her to talk about human beings like take out, but she wasn't sure what else to say. Was that why he'd summoned her? To complain about the food?
"No. I will not drink that vile substance," he replied petulantly.
"Then maybe you shoulda packed something from home if you've got particular tastes," she replied a little hotly. Honestly, he was like someone who ordered fried pickles and then complained that they tasted greasy. Sookie had little patience for it at Merlotte's and it pricked at her temper now.
Bakareh's brows drew together. "I am not a child; do not be fooled by my appearance."
"Then don't act like one," she scowled crossly, instantly regretting the outburst, but there it was. Her teeth caught at her bottom lip as she waited to see what he might do next.
The Child King's eyes narrowed dangerously but then he laughed, tittering in a high pitched giggle like a little girl. "You are delightful, I can see why the Viking tolerates you."
"Uh, thanks." Her feathers ruffled a bit over the assumption that Eric merely tolerated her, she breathed an inward sigh of relief that she hadn't inadvertently caused an international incident thanks to her temper. "There's plenty of things to do here in America, you know. You should try a couple, see if you like it," she suggested helpfully, trying to smooth things over.
"I have long wanted to visit Disneyworld. Make the arrangements, we go tomorrow night," he replied after a moment's thought.
Was such a thing even possible? They'd have to keep the park open special to allow a bunch of vampires free reign over the magic kingdom. "Of course your Majesty," Sookie replied hastily. If it couldn't be done, well then she'd get Eric to deliver the news, or maybe Seraphine. Rob seemed to be in all cozy with her, let her do the dirty work.
"Where are my manners, I have not offered you refreshment. Would you care to join me for a drink?" With a wave of the hand, a pale girl rose from the corner of the room and knelt before him, slicing open her breast with a quick flash of metal.
"Sweet Jesus in heaven!" Sookie started forward to press something to the girl's wound, but Pam's hand on her shoulder kept her in place. She'd seen excesses at the hands of vampires before, but nothing like this open bloodletting. Bakareh's face showed no sign that this was out of the ordinary for him and neither did the girl whose face was bland almost blank. "No thank you," she managed weakly.
"Fine. We'll speak more later then. You may go," Bakareh waved the girl forward and Sookie beat a hasty retreat before she had to watch what came next. There were just some things you could never unsee and she'd rather not add to the collection of them in her mind. As they made their departure, it struck her that she had wasted an opportunity to read the King's mind, but after a moment's thought, she figured that it might not be such a bad thing to stay out of there.
"I'll say one thing for you, you like to live dangerously," Pam smirked as they reached the hallway. She took Sookie straight to Eric's makeshift office, barging in there just as she had to their room. Eric sat behind a small desk; his face pinched as though what he was hearing on the phone was not to his liking.
"I thought you would have seen to this by now. Don't make me regret my decision to entrust this to you."
Sookie remained silent, waiting for him to finish the call but Pam slipped out of the office after throwing a little half salute to her maker.
"You see that it does," Eric replied, hanging up the phone, offering Sookie a tired smile. "So, what did you think of Bakareh?"
"I think he's bat shit crazy," she replied honestly. "You gotta keep him on a short leash Eric before he does something nuts. He is just trouble looking for a place to happen."
"And how do you suggest I leash a vampire that is easily three times as old as I am?" He raised a single brow. "The best I can hope for is to keep him happy and distracted while he's here and hope that he goes home without causing too much of a ruckus. Then he's Seraphine's problem."
Sookie went to his side, insinuating herself into his lap, knowing that he drew comfort from being able to touch her. "Are you really gonna let him go to Disneyworld?" Her thoughts went back to the girl who had spilled her own blood, wondering if it was out of being glamoured or devotion. He wouldn't be able to pull something like that in a public place. Did he understand that? Or was he too convinced of his divine right to do as he pleased?
"I have made inquiries into privately opening the park for our delegates on Wednesday night," Eric nodded, sifting his fingers through her wealth of blonde hair.
"You think they'll go for that?" Disney didn't seem to go hand in hand with bloodsuckers.
"You'd be surprised how motivated even the most squeamish can be by money. Or failing that, it might necessitate a visit in person to grease the wheels."
"You mean compel them into agreeing."
"It is less messy than the alternative," he shrugged.
"Which is?"
"We kill the gate guards and storm the magic kingdom," Eric grinned, extending his fangs for effect. Sookie joined him in laughter, mostly convinced that he was just kidding about that last bit. Mostly.
A/N: I know I broke with canon in having Alcide have to kill Debbie, but I thought it would be an interesting consequence of Eric and Sookie's disagreement over the dress. I couldn't resist throwing in the Disneyland bits. Can't you just picture Eric invading the happiest place on Earth?
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