Chapter 62 – American Hero
AN: Remember that no actual political figures are being portrayed in this chapter.
Last time:
Afterward we just lay our heads on each other's shoulders, panting. "I love you, my Eric," she finally said in a breathless voice.
At first all I could do was nod in agreement. Then I found my voice, "I love you so fucking much, my Sookie." I kissed her temple, her cheek, her lips. I put my hands on either side of her face and looked her in the eyes, "so fucking much." I laid my forehead against hers, and we just stayed that way for a long time.
Now:
Finally, Sookie asked, "can we go inside and maybe watch a movie?"
I smiled, "absolutely, my love. Did you have a movie in mind?"
"It has been years since I've seen 'Bullitt'. Maybe we could watch that one," she smiled. "Since we kind of lived it tonight…"
I threw my head back and laughed, "you've got it, my Sookie." I stepped out of the pool and once again offered her my hand. Again, she shivered, and I raced to get the towels to dry her off.
Once I was assured of her warmth and comfort, we headed into the den. "Let's see if anything is on the news first," I suggested.
"OK," she responded. I could tell from her feelings that she was secretly hoping for no great revelations for the news broadcasts, as least about us.
I smiled at her, "I'm not tuning in to see if there is any coverage of us, my love. I'm really interested in seeing if they have made any progress in capturing the vampire leader in Milan." She nodded. I had found the most trusted news came from the BBC and Reuters. So I tuned into BBC News America. I wondered if they might have any new information about what was happening in Europe with the possible vampire revolution, and by extension Junius Tiberius Ocella.
"Eric, what if they haven't captured him by the time we go on our honeymoon? Do you think it might be a good idea to plan to go somewhere else until he's dealt with? I am really sad to suggest this, because I've gotten really excited about going to Venice. We can always go there later, but it kind of feels like we are going to be a little too close for comfort if he's really mad at you about what happened here in America. Of if, like Victor Madden, he wants me for some demented reason I'll never understand."
I hated that she made so much sense. "Even if nothing is on the news, there may still be things happening with the hunt for Ocella," I said. Then I had an idea, "I'll contact the agents from Homeland Security and the FBI to see if they know something that Interpol may not be at liberty to report. Would that make you feel better?"
She smiled up at me, "I guess so… I was really looking forward to going to Venice…"
I smiled back at her, "and I was really looking forward to taking you there…" I noticed her looking askance at me, "what? What is it?"
She widened her smile, "I don't think I ever noticed how, uhm, rosy your cheeks were after we did an exchange." She reached up and just held one of those cheeks in her hand.
I shrugged, "they are also probably, as you say 'rosy', any time I simply feed from you as well, not only with a full exchange. We just happen to always be either in the dark or in a dimly lit space whenever that happens, so you've never noticed it before. Somehow bagged and bottled blood doesn't have that effect. I don't know the biology behind it."
I could almost see her mind whirring on some idea before she said, "huh. Well, if you are going to be going out with me during the day on our honeymoon, we should probably make sure you have a little sip beforehand. That way, you'll blend in much better. Don't you think?"
"I like how you think, my Sookie," I waggled my eyebrows at her.
She giggled and added, "so with your rosy cheeks, and if we dress you in Bermuda shorts and black socks, you will totally pass for human."
I raised one eyebrow and looked sternly at her, "oh my Sookie, as much as I adore you, there is only so far I am willing to go for our cause…" She laughed happily, and I smiled back at her.
Ultimately, we watched the news at the top of the hour, but there was no mention of Ocella or any potential European vampire uprising. There was, however – and much to our surprise, a little coverage about our wedding. They even had some of the pictures from the CNN broadcast.
Sookie was the first to comment on it, "wow. I was really hoping to fly totally under the radar on our honeymoon. You don't think this will be a problem, do you? I mean with the paparazzi and all?" She shook her head, "I was already worried about the vampire guy from Milan, and now I'm also worried about being chased by photographers…" I could feel some of that same kind of fear beginning in her that I had felt when we were in the car earlier.
I hugged her to me, "Sookie, paparazzi may be an issue no matter where we go, so don't let them change how we live our lives, OK? You saw how easily they were dealt with tonight. We will find a way through this." She still looked nervous and uncertain. "Breathe, my Sookie. All will be well. Hold on for a second."
I ran upstairs and summoned Clovache to join us. We both went back into the den, and I could tell Sookie's first reaction was embarrassment from being caught just wrapped in a towel. I turned to Clovache, "tonight we were harassed and followed by paparazzi, but I managed to evade them. Sookie is worried that it may happen again, and perhaps when I am not around." I thought for a moment, "Sookie, if you ever find yourself out in public, and the paparazzi start to make you feel uncomfortable, remember two things: first, you've got Clovache with you, and she can simply pop you out of every situation." Clovache looked at Sookie and nodded in agreement. I continued, "and second, if you feel you need to, just call the police. If you have to sit in your truck for a few minutes until they arrive, Clovache will be there to protect you in that situation as well."
Clovache decided to add, "nothing will happen to you on my watch, Sookie. I give you my word." She looked over at me for a moment, and then she looked back at Sookie, "I am the very best at what I do." I smiled at that statement because I had paid extra to get 'the very best' Britlingen to guard my love, and Clovache knew it.
"See, Sookie, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to your safety. I will never let anything or anyone hurt you," I smiled.
Sookie shook her head and chuckled, "I appreciate that, Eric, more than I can say. I don't suppose you have any way for me to deal with the annoyance factor, eh?"
Clovache smirked at that, which made me think that she might have a few ideas about how to deal with that; unfortunately, however, they were probably not ideas we could actually implement – legally, anyway. I said, "thank you, Clovache." She turned and returned to her room.
I sat back down on the sofa and pulled Sookie up next to me, "all will be well. Now, do you want to see if I can find Bullitt?"
"Actually, can we just go to bed?" she asked. Instead of answering, I swept her up into my arms and dropped her bouncing onto the bed before she could take her next breath. That had her laughing merrily, which was one of my favorite sounds in the world. I whipped the towels off of both of us and climbed in with her.
Sookie pushed me down onto the bed and threw her leg over me, "so how do you feel, now that you're an old married man? It has been more than a day since the ceremony…." She slowly lowered herself onto me. I brought my hands up to hold her, but she grabbed them with her own, linked her fingers through mine, and pushed my elbows into the mattress. She then pressed against my anchored, upraised hands to raise and lower herself on me very slowly. She had never quite taken complete control like this, and holy gods but it was a turn-on.
"Well, if this is what happens when you're an 'old married man', I say bring it on," I responded. She smugly gave me a closed-mouth chuckle. I watched in fascination as she did all the work, feeling myself grow more and more hard inside her. She continued her movement and showed no signs of tiring from it. We both began breathing harder. It would never cease to amaze me how my beautiful wife could do that to someone who doesn't even need to breathe. After a while her hands slid out of mine, and I sat up to grab her and hold her tightly to me while we finished together. We both sighed rather loudly afterward. "I love you, my beautiful wife," I managed to whisper.
She sighed again, "the most beautiful sentence I've heard in my life." I couldn't help the big smile that crossed my face at her declaration. She pulled back from our embrace and looked at me, "I love you so much, my Eric. Just as I thought that first night I met you, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me… that ever could happen to me…"
"I feel exactly the same way, my love," I answered as I laid back down. She was still on top of me. Soon she rolled off and turned onto her side to look at me. "Are you tired?" I asked.
"A little. I know I had a lot of sleep today, but it was quite the mad dash up to the wedding. And we have big travel plans tomorrow, so I think I would welcome sleeping again," she smiled.
"Are you all packed for the trip?"
"I am, I did it earlier this afternoon," she yawned.
"Then sleep, my Sookie, I want you to enjoy this trip," I told her. She rolled onto her back, and I leaned down and kissed her. I then settled in laying there with my face propped up against my fist as I watched her fall asleep.
I watched her sleep for a short while, and then I looked over at the clock and saw that it was 3:34 a.m. For a vampire this was the shank of the evening. I got up and made sure that I was also packed for the trip. I had already sent the details of the itinerary to all involved, but I sent a reminder email about the airplane departure time.
I kicked my heels up onto the corner of my desk and turned on the television with the sound turned so low that only I would hear it. I searched until I found Bullitt streaming, and I watched it. It really hadn't aged as well as I had hoped. Even the famous car chase sequence seemed far less climactic than what was being created in movies today. The faces of the chase-scene 'pursuers' in the Charger were hilariously stoic, as if they were on a boring Sunday afternoon drive around the park. I found myself chuckling more than a few times.
After the movie, I checked the news feed on the Internet; there was still nothing about Ocella. Happily, there was also nothing about the paparazzi incident earlier in the evening. Finally, at sunrise, I climbed into bed, grabbed Sookie to me, and joined her in blissful slumber.
We awoke mid-afternoon, and just enjoyed each other's company for a few hours before we headed with Clovache to the airport. We arrived at the Anubis hangar to find that surprisingly Godric, Rasul and Pam were the first ones waiting for us. I guess that made sense, since everyone else was coming in from Bon Temps. Soon, Lafayette and Jesus pulled up to the hangar as well. Finally, a limousine with Adele, Jason, Thalia, and Batanya arrived. So we made an even dozen. I looked at Jason in question.
He smirked and shrugged, "I thought let's make this first class all the way." I could only shake my head.
"Is everyone here?" Sookie asked. I looked around and then nodded. "Are we waiting for anything in particular to board the plane?"
"No, my love. This is a charter plane scheduled just for us. So let's check our bags with the on-site porter and all board, shall we?" I suggested.
When we were all on the plane, and the flight attendant had done her pre-flight announcements, we were off. During the flight, we all enjoyed each other's company as if we hadn't all just seen each other two nights ago at the wedding. When we arrived in Washington, there were three SUV's awaiting to take us all to our hotel. Godric decided to ride with Sookie, Clovache, and me to even the number of passengers in each vehicle, which left Rasul and Pam sharing with Lafayette and Jesus. I smiled because I was pretty sure that Pam would find Lafayette as hilarious as I did.
Meanwhile, I enjoyed Sookie looking out of the windows taking in Washington DC. She especially got excited when we got nearer the monuments. Since we'd flown into Dulles Airport, it was over an hour's drive to our hotel near the heart of the capital. By the time we arrived it was nearly three in the morning. We all piled out of the SUVs and into the lobby with our luggage. The staff had been expecting us, and they were very accommodating in taking us swiftly to our rooms. Sookie and I had a two-bedroom suite (as I'd requested to accommodate Clovache), and it had a beautiful view of the Washington and Lincoln Monuments, as well as the large reflecting pool between.
The three of us were enjoying that view from our floor to ceiling windows. Sookie turned to Clovache to explain, "Clovache, honey, this is our nation's capital. In other words, our government is headquartered here, and there are monuments and museums all over the place." She looked at Clovache and surmised that she didn't really get the importance of our location, so she continued, "the laws that govern us are all introduced, debated, and passed here. America is arguably the most powerful country on earth… this realm. So our president, the one who is going to give Eric a medal tomorrow is also arguably the most powerful man on earth." She smiled and Clovache simply nodded.
Clovache tilted her head to the side before she asked, "this president is a human, yes?"
I snorted, and Sookie looked askance at me, "yes, he is. So the designation of 'most powerful man on earth' isn't about his personal strength. Rather, it refers to his ability to command the most powerful nation… and its resources."
"Ah," was all Clovache replied with a nod. I could see a look of… consternation on Sookie's face as if she didn't know how to explain the situation sufficiently, in terms she would understand, to her.
"Bottom line, Clovache, is that it is not only a huge honor to meet the president, but also, and more importantly, this award that he's giving Eric is the highest award our country gives to non-military people," Sookie concluded. And then she added, "most people in this country have never, NEVER, met a president."
Clovache looked puzzled, "so this president stays hidden most of the time?"
Sookie chuckled, "oh no, he give speeches to large crowds all the time. Plus, he's on television nearly every day. But there's a huge difference between attending a speech in a crowd or watching him on TV, and actually meeting him." She smiled, "I just wanted you to kind of understand the monumentality of our situation…"
Clovache looked at us, and then her eyes cut to the left, and then to the right as she mulled over the information that Sookie had shared with her. I thought that she might be calculating how her bodyguard job might be figuring into this information.
"Clovache, I'm pretty sure that this is nothing you need to account for. Sookie was just trying help you appreciate what we are here for," I told her.
She looked first at me and then at Sookie, and then she smiled, "thank you, Sookie, for sharing this information with me. I will make sure that I treat it with the proper respect." She paused before she continued, "and congratulations on your award, Eric." I saw Sookie smile.
Well, what do you know? Clovache understood the concept of common courtesy. I smiled at her and nodded. Then she bowed her head to us and retired to her room.
I grabbed Sookie to me and wrapped my arms around her as we stood facing the windows overlooking the monuments. She was the first to speak, "did you ever think you would be standing here the night before getting such a prestigious award?"
I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped, "my Sookie, I can honestly say that it is truly something that never occurred to me… It is still a little hard to take in…"
She sighed, "you saved the world, Eric."
I laughed, "not quite the world, Sookie. America is just one country in the world, after all."
"Yes, but if Victor Madden's plan had succeeded, the rest of the world would have soon followed." She chuckled, "you know, I think most Americans forget that we're not the only country on the planet. But you've lived all over, so you don't, right?"
I nodded, "yes, my Sookie, I am most aware of the other parts of the globe."
"If I forget to tell you afterward, I just want you to know how proud of you I am…. And how proud I am to be your wife…" she added with a huge smile. "I can't believe I'm in the Capital!" she squealed. "This is so cool…"
I couldn't help but chuckle with her. "Is there anything you want to do before we go to bed?"
She smiled again and shook her head, "no, my Eric let's go to bed in our deluxe hotel suite provided by the government of the United States of America. We owe it to the other citizens of this fine country who have paid for this…"
I looked at her, at first in question, and then I just cracked up, "very well, fellow citizen…"
We climbed into the bed in our suite. Did we make love? Well, duh…
We both woke up about the same time, and she ordered breakfast from room service, in spite of it being the middle of the afternoon. Apparently this hotel was familiar with mid-afternoon breakfast requests. I went to the mini-bar and helped myself to a Royalty blended. This suite was designed to be light-tight, but obviously we hadn't even bothered with the window coverings. It was a bright sunny day, and we had a beautiful view of the Capital Building and several of the monuments, and I just stood there at the window taking it all in, my 'breakfast' in hand.
The award ceremony was scheduled for 9:00 tonight. I had to respect the president's nod to the nocturnal nature of vampires. He wanted the remaining vampires of America to join in the celebration of the award, which was very smart on his part. We may be a small representation of US citizens, but we were so much stronger than our neighboring humans. I smiled as I contemplated how publicly 'soft' I had allowed my image to become because of my Sookie. Anyone who fell for that illusion would do so at their own peril. I was still very much the badass Viking vampire. I was simply trying to play the assimilation game for the good of all other vampires in America. But I could still as easily remove heads from shoulders, human, vampire, or otherwise, at a moment's notice.
I knew that Godric was the same. In fact, there were times when we had been in public in the past few weeks, that I had noticed his subtle smile at me, signifying our mutual understanding of our… 'roles'. I was completely confident that all vampires who knew us would know that was exactly what we were doing and trying to accomplish. However, I wasn't at all trying to pull a 'fast one', as they say. I was being truly, and legitimately, myself. My actions were intended, more than anything else to: first, protect Sookie, and second, insure the future of vampires in this country. I shook my head and internally chuckled at any vampire who actually made the potentially fatal mistake of thinking that either Godric or I had gone 'soft'.
Sookie came up and hugged me from behind as I gazed out at the capital, "you seem awfully pensive, my Eric. What are you thinking about?"
I smiled as I placed my free hand over her arms around my waist. "I was thinking that this president was smart to schedule the award ceremony late enough for vampires across the country to see it on television." OK, that was a slightly edited version of my true thoughts.
"When is the first time we need to be somewhere?" she asked.
"Everyone is supposed to meet in the hotel restaurant at 7:00. We'll all have dinner together, and then at 8:15 the cars will arrive to take us over to the White House."
"So I need to be ready to go a little before seven. Got it," she smiled. "We've got a couple hours to kill, did you want to do anything special?"
"Well, I can't exactly go out sight-seeing with you, can I?" I smiled at her in return.
"Yeah, I guess that would place the daywalking cat firmly outside of that bag… So, we'll just hang out here and go see some sights after the ceremony," she nodded.
"That sounds like a plan. I will make a call to see if we can assure that some things will be open that late at night," I suggested. I called the number for Ms. Easton who had sent me all of the plans for this trip. She answered right away, "Ms. Easton, this is Eric Northman."
She let out a small gasp, "hello, Mr. Northman, I hope your travel to Washington was pleasant and uneventful."
"Yes, it was, thank you for providing the arrangements. I have a question. My wife , as well as other members of our family, I'm sure, would like to see some of the monuments tonight after the ceremony. Will that be possible?"
She hesitated, "well, your return flight tomorrow isn't until in the evening, couldn't they see them during the day tomorrow?"
"I guess the humans could, but there are also five vampires in our party. Daytime tours might be a little… uhm… messy," I chuckled.
I could hear a nervous titter of laughter from her, "of course, Mr. Northman. Let me make a few phone calls, and I'll call you back."
"Thank you, Ms. Easton," I said as I hung up and looked at Sookie. "She said she was going to make some calls."
So I sat down on the sofa with Sookie, and we turned on the television. I handed her the remote, and she just flipped the channels until we landed on something called The Food Network. She seemed to want to leave it there. I looked sideways at her, and she looked back at me smiling. "You want to learn to cook more than breakfast?" she asked. I just raised my eyebrows at her. "Obviously not," she giggled.
But then I thought better of it, "no, leave it there. It might be interesting. And I'd like to learn more about the food you eat."
"I was just kidding about watching this, Eric, we can find something else," she responded.
"I'm not kidding. I want to understand human food better," I just looked at her.
She just cracked up laughing, "uhm… OK?" She put the remote down on the coffee table and leaned back against the sofa. I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her to me and started watching them cook something called 'chicken pot pie'. I became fascinated by what they were doing, and soon Sookie was giggling again. "You are so intense," she shared.
"This is interesting," I replied. "Hmm… I thought pies were sweets for desserts."
"There are all kinds of pies, actually. Dessert pies like apple, pumpkin, lemon meringue, for example, but there are other kinds, too, like this one or shepherd's pie or Frito pie, which isn't really a pie at all, so I don't know why they call it that."
I looked at her because I hadn't really understood a word she had just said. My confusion must have shown either on my face, or in my feelings through the bond – or both, because she just started laughing again. "Eric, if you really want to learn about human nutrition, I will happily teach you. I think I can break it down for you a little better than this show which pre-supposes that the viewers already know a thing or two about food."
Slowly a wide smile crossed my face, "deal. Teach me about human nutrition." I picked the remote back up and handed it to her, "please find something we will both enjoy."
Instead of taking the remote, she reached up and pulled my lips down to her for a passionate kiss. Pretty soon the television was totally forgotten, as we pulled each other's clothes off and made love, slowly and passionately, right there on the sofa. When we finally came up for air, they were making something called Yankee Pot Roast on the Food Network. Sookie giggled and called it appropriate for the occasion. I didn't quite understand her meaning, but I shrugged because all I could tell was that both dishes we'd seen them preparing had the word 'pot' in the middle. Whatever that meant. There may have been other meals between the two 'pots', but I was otherwise occupied and didn't notice.
My phone rang, and Ms. Easton told me that she had arranged something for after the ceremony for my party. Excellent.
We decided to hop into the shower together, which was fun, then we got ready for dinner and the ceremony. Sookie had put her hair up into a beautiful updo, and she wore a flattering pale yellow dress that was very fitted and stopped just at the top of her knees, which she had matched with a turquoise necklace and earrings. She looked lovely, and I was very proud that she was my wife. I wore a black suit with a crisply starched white shirt, red tie, and a red pocket handkerchief. I could feel her pride when she looked at me, too. We both just smiled at each other. Clovache emerged from her room dressed as an earthling, as Sookie would call it, in a smart black dress and heels.
I reached out my hand for Sookie's, and then the three of us headed out to dinner in the hotel restaurant. When we got there, I looked around at our assembled group. I noticed that Pamela looked lovely in a red dress gathered at the waist, and even Godric was wearing a suit. We were quite the handsome company. Most surprising was that Lafayette had on a proper navy blue suit and tie, with no false eyelashes. He noticed me looking at him, and he smirked while he lifted one of his trouser legs revealing his chartreuse and fuchsia striped socks. I spared him nod and a smile for his fashion subtlety. He responded by winking at me.
All of the non-vampires enjoyed a lovely meal, while the five vampires each drank a Royalty blended. During the meal, I informed all of them of our special tour of monuments after the award ceremony. After dinner, we made our way back into the lobby, where we were met by the president's public affairs officer, Major Lewis. "Mr. Northman?" he said to me.
I stepped forward holding Sookie's hand, "yes?"
He looked around at our group, "your party is larger than I thought it would be…"
"Is that a problem? These are all people that my wife and I consider our family. I had let Ms. Easton know how many were in our party," I responded.
He shook his head, "no, no, it's not a problem; it's just more people than I was expecting, that's all. I was kind of wondering why Ms. Easton had requisitioned so many vehicles, and now I know," he chuckled. "We have several cars waiting to take you to the White House." He gestured toward the hotel entrance.
We walked out to find the dreaded paparazzi lying in wait for us. Major Lewis seemed very surprised by this development. I found that puzzling. He was the president's public affairs officer, and yet he didn't seem to know much about what was going on.
Sookie whispered in my ear, "he's been really occupied with dealing with the aftermath of the almost vampire apocalypse."
I looked at her, "OK, now that's just weird. I swear to the gods that you can read my mind."
She just shook her head and smirked at me, "simple deduction, my dear Watson, simple deduction."
That was hilarious, and I cracked up laughing. The flashes from the cameras increased at that. Major Lewis showed us all to a vehicle, and we were off to the White House, and he was sharing this vehicle with Sookie and me. Clovache rode in one of the other cars.
"Have either of you ever been to the White House?" the Major asked us. We both just shook our heads. "Well, this ceremony is being held in the Rose Garden in honor of your wife's profession, Mr. Northman. These were the special instructions of the President himself."
Sookie smiled, "that is so thoughtful. I can't wait to see it up close."
"It was first set up as a colonial garden by First Lady Edith Roosevelt, and then turned into an actual Rose Garden by First Lady Ellen Wilson. It remained a small private garden until First Lady Jackie Kennedy turned it into a splendid, more public garden. I hope you will like it," Major Lewis informed us.
"I'm sure we will," Sookie responded, again with a smile.
We were taken to what I presumed to be an entrance onto the grounds that wasn't open to the public. When the cars parked we all were herded into the front row of the Rose Garden audience seats. The rest of the rows were all filled already. There was a bank of media cameras behind the chairs that started flashing their cameras as we entered and were seated. Sookie and I were in the middle of the row, and Adele was on the other side of Sookie, and Pamela was next to me. Clovache and Batanya were on the seats on either end, which I figured was a strategic decision on their parts. We didn't have to wait long until Major Lewis crossed to the podium and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please rise for the President of the United States."
The President entered from within the White House and crossed directly to the podium. "Welcome to the Rose Garden, and thank you for joining us on this joyous occasion." Everyone then sat back down.
The President continued, "as you are all aware, our nation recently dodged a bullet which could have forever brought down our democracy and our very way of life. But for the heroic actions of a two exemplary law enforcement officers and especially one brave private citizen, we mightn't be here at all tonight. I would like to call the Director of the FBI, Elliot Shafer, to the podium please."
A distinguished man in his late fifties walked up from the front row to the podium. "Thank you, Mr. President. Good evening. This is the best part of my job; recognizing an agent of the bureau for service above and beyond the call of duty. In the previous weeks, Agent Paul Langford was assigned to the case regarding the abduction attempts on Jason and Sookie Stackhouse. During the course of that investigation, a plot of apocalyptic proportions was uncovered, and Special Agent Langford was instrumental in helping this country avoid utter catastrophe. For that reason, the Bureau is proud to present its highest award for meritorious service to Agent Paul Langford. I now invite him and his wife Dorothy up to the podium." The audience arose in applause for him, as he and his wife crossed to the podium.
Sookie whispered in my ear, "did you know they were also getting awards?" I shook my head. "Well I think it is wonderful…" I smiled at her and nodded.
The FBI Director continued, "Special Agent Langford, on behalf of a grateful nation, it is my honor to present you with the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award the Federal Bureau of Investigation awards its agents. Thank you for your service to your country." He pinned a medal onto the lapel of FBI's jacket while the audience applauded. Afterward, the Director shook FBI's hand, who in turn kissed his wife on the cheek before they turned and sat down.
The President returned to the podium, "and now allow me to introduce the Director of Homeland Security, Declan O'Hara." The President stepped back to give the podium over. A man in his early to mid-forties walked up to the microphone, "thank you, Mr. President. Even though the road through this investigation was at times a little bumpy…" Sookie giggled at that. He continued, "we are proud of Agent Tom Pettigrew of Homeland Security for the spectacular job he did in preventing the largest terrorist act ever even contemplated against America. I am, therefore, proud to present the Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal to Agent Pettigrew." He gestured to Homeland Security to come to the podium. He arose from his seat in the front row and walked up to the podium. The audience again rose with applause.
The Director turned back to microphone, "it is customary on these occasions for the person receiving the award to be accompanied by their closest family member. However, Agent Pettigrew is single, and therefore alone… Or is he?" He paused and Homeland Security turned and looked at him. The Director turned back to the microphone, "being the Director does have its advantages," he smiled. "Ladies and gentlemen, service to the country appears to be a family tradition with the Pettigrews. While Agent Pettigrew is not married, his son is a Marine who has been in Afghanistan for the last four years. And I'm told that it was three years before that since they've seen each other. However, I pulled some strings and managed to get Captain Aaron Pettigrew brought stateside just for this award ceremony, Captain Pettigrew…" he turned and gestured toward the President's White House entrance, which opened to reveal a Marine in full dress uniform coming out of the door and walking toward the podium. The shock on Homeland Security's face was evident, and the two men, father and son, embraced each other tightly.
The crowd erupted in cheers as they leapt to their feet. I looked over at Sookie, and she had a tear rolling down her cheek. A look to her left, and Adele had tears streaming down her face as well. I grabbed Sookie's hand and squeezed it. "Oh my God, Eric, this is so beautiful," she sniffed.
I leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I thought you didn't like him."
"I didn't… for quite a while, but he came through in the end. But witnessing him seeing his son after seven years is so emotional…"
When father and son parted, the Director pinned a medal on Homeland Security's lapel, "Agent Thomas Pettigrew, it is with great pride that I award you this Distinguished Service Award. Thank you for your service to your country." After that, Homeland Security and his son walked down to their seats.
The President returned to the podium once again, "on behalf of the American people, I thank you both Agents Langford and Pettigrew." He paused, "and now, I am very proud to be presenting the United States' highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom. Most presidents only get to award a small handful during their terms, so we hold this award very sacredly. I am pleased that this particular award goes to an 'unusual' citizen. By 'unusual' I mean that this will mark the first time in the history of this country that this award is going to a non-human citizen, and I hope that all of our law-abiding vampire citizens will now feel even more like a part of our great democracy. America was under an overwhelmingly dire threat from vampires, and yet it was a vampire who uncovered this heinous plot, and he informed Agents Langford and Pettigrew the very night he discovered it. He then led the efforts to prevent it, in spite of great danger to himself in doing so, from not only the vampires directly involved in this conspiracy, but also especially from the previously draconian rules under which all vampires in America suffered, unknown to the government of this country."
For the first time this evening, he made eye contact with me. He continued, "because of his efforts, we have managed not only to save America from an overthrow of our government, something that most of us had believed unthinkable and unimaginable, but also we have managed to liberate our vampire citizens from the virtual slavery of their covert and obscene monarch system." He paused again, "ladies and gentlemen, it is my extreme pleasure to award the Medal of Freedom to Mr. Eric Northman from the great state of Louisiana. I now invite Mr. and Mrs. Northman up to receive this award."
I stood and offered Sookie my hand. The rest of the audience arose as well, in a loud round of applause. We walked together to the side of the podium. The President turned toward me, "Eric Northman, on behalf of a grateful nation and for the future generations of the United State of America, it is with great pride that I present you with the Medal of Freedom, our nation's highest honor." He then placed a ribbon festooned medallion around my neck. "Thank you, Mr. Northman for what you have done for America." He shook my hand, and then he turned back to the microphone, "and I understand congratulations are in order, as Mr. and Mrs. Northman just got married a couple days ago." He then extended his hand to Sookie and shook it as well. I bent down and gave my Sookie a chaste kiss on the lips. And that action was followed by several 'awwwws" from the audience.
Sookie and I returned to our seats. The President continued, "thank you, gentlemen for preserving our way of life. Thank you to Special Agent Paul Langford of the FBI, Agent Tom Pettigrew of Homeland Security, and Eric Northman from Shreveport, Louisiana. And thank you, America, for joining us in this celebration of our American heroes." The audience stood again and applauded, and the President nodded his head and then turned and walked back into the White House.
Sookie leaned over to me, "I sure hope someone got a picture of me shaking hands with the President."
I smiled at her, "don't worry, Sookie, I know how to do a screen capture from a video…"
She looked up at me and smiled, "cool… because I would like to frame that picture."
"And so we shall," I told her with a smirk. "Excuse me a minute, Sookie." I said and then walked over to FBI and Homeland Security, "congratulations gentlemen, I'm very pleased that you were given these medals. They are very deserved."
FBI answered, "thank you, Eric. And congratulations to you as well. Also very deserved."
"I was wondering if there had been any news of our friend in Milan?" I asked them.
Homeland Security, "just a little. It seems he has flown the coup. In other words, Interpol thinks he may have fled Italy. We've discovered that he has vast land holdings in Argentina, and we think he may have gone there." He smiled up at me, "we'll get him, don't you worry."
"Please keep me apprised, will you? We have our honeymoon planned for Venice is less than a month, and Sookie is getting worried and a little scared about him," I told them.
FBI smiled, "well we can't have that, now can we? We'll keep you in this loop, Eric."
I nodded at them, "thank you for all you have done for us. And again, congratulations." I returned to our party.
Just then a woman approached me, "Mr. Northman, I'm Patti Easton… We've spoken on the phone?"
"Of course, nice to meet you in person, Ms. Easton," I told her. "May I introduce you to my wife, Sookie?"
Ms. Easton extended her hand, "so nice to meet you, Mrs. Northman." Sookie shook her hand. Ms. Easton continued, "Mr. Northman, per your request, I've arranged for a tour of the monuments, as well as a visit to one of our museums. I would have loved to arrange more museums, but time was short, and this is by far the most popular museum on the mall, and is, in fact, the hardest to get tickets for."
"What do we need to do for this tour?" I asked.
"I will be leading you, Mr. Northman; it was the only way I could get this late-night access," she answered with a smile.
I gestured, "thank you very much, and lead on, Ms. Easton." I turned to our group, "if I could have your attention please." Everyone in our group turned toward me. I looked at Ms. Easton to indicate that she should speak.
"I've arranged a tour of our most popular monuments and the run of the most popular museum. If you will follow us to our vehicles to take us there," she gestured toward the White House gate we had entered from.
Several hours later, after seeing impressive representations of American democracy, and enjoying the relatively new and amazingly impressive Museum of African American history, we returned to our hotel rooms. Actually, it was fairly near dawn by then, and we all went to our separate rooms. As usual, Clovache retired immediately to her own room.
Sookie turned to me, "oh my God, Eric, this was a once in a lifetime experience!" I smiled at her. I knew that this whole award/trip-to-the-nation's capital meant a lot more to her than it did to me, but I had to admit that it all felt really special to me as well.
"Did you see everything you wanted to see, my Sookie?" I asked.
She paused for a long time before she said, "I guess…"
I could tell immediately that she wanted to see something that she hadn't seen tonight. "What else do you want to see?"
Again a pause before she answered, "well, I would really like to see the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian. But maybe sometime in the future…" She shrugged.
"My Sookie, if that is something you really want to see, take Clovache with you tomorrow and go there," I said. "I only wish that I could go out in the day and visit it with you."
She looked up at me, "maybe Gran, Jason, and Lafayette will want to go. That way we'll have Clovache, Batanya, and Jesus with us if anything, you know, comes up."
"I think that's a very good idea. Why don't you call them and arrange that now," I suggested. "I'll inform Clovache while you do." She smiled up to me and retrieved her phone to begin the organization of the outing.
I walked to Clovache's door and rapped twice on it. I could hear the television inside switch off and then she answered the door, "Yes?" she asked.
"Clovache, Sookie wants to go to the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution tomorrow during the day, and obviously I cannot go with her. She is inviting others in our party to go with her, so you, Batanya, and Jesus should accompany them as their guards."
She nodded, "do you anticipate trouble?"
I shook my head, "I hope not, but the paparazzi have gotten more determined and aggressive lately. I want to make sure that nothing happens to her or her family. Please take care of them, will you?"
Again, she nodded and added a small smile, "as I said before, nothing will happen to her on my watch."
"Thank you," I nodded in return. She shut her door, and after only a moment, I heard the television in her room turn back on. I stood there and listened for a moment and realized she was watching an episode of 'Seinfeld'. I chuckled a bit at that and wondered briefly if she realized that this was a show that was famously about 'nothing'.
I returned to the living room area of our suite, and Sookie was just hanging up her phone. "Jason and Lafayette are in, but Gran just wants to rest tomorrow. So it will be three guards for three people. I think that's best." She pulled a slick paper map from her purse and opened it up. "I think we'll walk over there because it's only a few blocks," she showed me her map, "see, here's our hotel, and here are the Library of Congress and this is the Smithsonian."
"Where did you get this map?" I asked her.
"From the rack in the lobby; it's a map of the monument mall and the surrounding blocks," she shrugged.
"Promise me you'll be careful tomorrow," I caressed her cheek. She nodded and hugged me from the side as we sat on the sofa. "What time do you leave for this excursion?"
"We're meeting at noon in the lobby. We're going to stop along the way to grab a bite to eat, and then onward to see our sights!" she joked.
By now the sun was rising in the east, "then I think we should go to bed so that you can rest up for this." She yawned, and I took her hand and led her to the bedroom. Of course, I wanted to make sure she would sleep well, so I may have made sure that she was just a little more tired. I fell asleep right along-side her.
When I woke during the day, she was gone. I checked into our bond to determine her status, and she seemed fine. I looked at the clock, and it was nearly 5:00. I must have needed the sleep as well. I hoped she wasn't too tired to enjoy her outing. I didn't know what time she would return, so I made sure that we were both packed for our return flight. I then went into the living room and looked out the windows. For a moment I briefly scanned the streets below to see if I could see my love down there, but I didn't. I took a deep breath and contemplated my good fortune. Yes, it was good indeed to be Eric Northman.
AN: OK, as this story is working its way to its conclusion (possible sequel, notwithstanding) full disclosure/confession time: I've never actually seen the movie Bullitt (although I watched the famous 10+ minute car chase which is available on YouTube; you should watch it yourself and see if my description is apt), I've never seen a Nascar race (and I have no plans to see one in the future), and I knew absolutely nothing about muscle cars or night-blooming flowers until I researched them for this story. You can research anything on Google and YouTube. However, all of the Louisiana stuff – I know ALL of that from first-hand experience and knowledge… I was born in central Louisiana, went to college in southern Louisiana, and my grandparents lived in Shreveport.
And a special thank you to all who reviewed! All of you inspire me to continue writing. As of 10/7/20: Lbot1979, Asami's clown, jazzma18, Duckbutt, MaryAnnieValentine, April4evr, EricFan71, 16, whitetigerwolf, ciasteczko, VAlady, msbuffi, The Vikings Succubus, Perfecta999, monsterakers, jackie69, evasmomforever, bttrflybelle, Mermaidmom, cloud9angel12
