**All rights belong to Charlaine Harris - just a fan story for fun**
*This is my first fanfic so any feedback is appreciated*
Chapter 1
Everything was dark. There was a low throbbing sound resonating through her head. It was music, club music. She hadn't set foot in a club in years. She tried moving her arms but her body felt heavy. Wrong, it felt wrong, nothing felt right. Sliding her fingers across the floor, everything felt different.
Someone let out a pained moan. Her throat constricted, like she was talking.
Was that her?
A cold hand wrapped around her arm and lifted her from the floor. She was placed on a leather couch. Even leather felt different under her hands.
"What...? What happened?"
Her throat and mouth moved with the words but the voice that left them was not her own.
"You are the one who is on the floor in my office, Stackhouse," a deep voice answered.
"Stackhouse?"
The lights in the office were blinding. It was a pretty plain room, with a dark wooden desk and a couple filing cabinets in the corner. The man sighed loudly at her. She finally dragged her eyes up towards the offending lights and the tall man. He had long blond hair and a beautiful face, if not slightly tarnished by the scowl that was stretched across it.
"I'm sorry, I have no idea where I am," she stammered.
"So she broke in to your office and then knocked herself senseless," a woman scoffed as she entered the room carrying a couple of bottles, "Just when I thought I was coming to understand you humans."
Now she was even more confused.
The woman squeaked her way across the room, her latex outfit moulded almost obscenely against her body. She shot the confused girl a sexy smirk when she caught her looking. The bottles she was carrying were placed loudly on the desk. The labels very clearly read out, TruBlood.
"OK," the confused girl pressed her fingers against her forehead, "Right so..."
She shook her head lightly.
"Nope, no explanation that makes any sense," she muttered, "Eric Northman look-a-like and a Pam look-a-like and a couple of TruBloods in an office that looks like it could very probably be the office in Fangtasia."
"That sounds like it makes perfect sense to me," the Pam look-a-like said.
"Except for the look-a-like part," Eric's look-a-like chimed in, "Why do you believe us to be 'fake' versions of ourselves?"
She smiled despite herself.
"Apart from the fact that they are fictional characters and I don't live anywhere near Louisiana, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't in fact be Pam and Eric."
"Fictional?" Pam grinned, she had definitely mastered the unsettling smile that was so often described in the books.
"What is your name?" Eric sighed.
She opened her mouth and it snapped firmly shut. When she tried to make a sound through her locked teeth, her throat started closing up on itself. She gasped, trying to breath around her constricting throat.
"Stop trying," Eric was suddenly beside her, he grabbed hold of her chin and forced her to look at him, "Just focus on breathing."
She gasped and stopped trying to say anything. Her throat immediately opened and her jaw was released.
"What was that?" Pam asked.
"A spell," Eric moved her head from side to side, "I've seen one like it before. To keep her from telling us who she is."
"Can you write it?" Pam handed her a pen and paper.
The moment the pen hit the paper, her wrist aggressively snapped to the side and her fingers snapped open to toss it away.
"Evidently not," the girl grumbled.
She growled and crumpled the paper in her hands before tossing it across the room.
"Perhaps we can guess it," Eric seemed amused by this whole ordeal.
"What are the odds we can guess her name," Pam sneered at him.
"It's a boy's name normally," the girl said quickly, "It's a short version of a girl's name but I just go by the boy's name. It was the name of the king of the Franks in 768."
"Charles?" Eric said.
"Or Charlie if you are using the version used by girls," Pam interjected.
Charlie grinned widely at them, both vampires momentarily stunned by the genuine happiness they had never seen on Sookie's face before.
"Yes," she stuck to the simple answer, feeling her throat swell up with emotion. She was getting worried now. This didn't feel like a dream.
"And in your world we are fictional, Charlie?" Eric shook his head to get back on track. This girl was not the southern belle that he would prefer to see that genuine smile coming from, but perhaps learning more about what was happening would be a good 'in' with the fiery blonde.
"Well not just you, vampires in general are also not real. But you two specifically are part of a book."
Pam raised a perfect brow at her maker. The tall blond did the same but turned to Charlie nonetheless.
"Sook... Charlie, look at me."
She did so.
And then he dropped fang.
She didn't so much as flinch. This already was enough to confuse Pam, who had never seen the ditzy southern belle remain stoic in the face of a vampire's fangs. Bill claimed she was his but she was still very skittish around everything Vampire.
Sookie's reaction, though annoying and amusing, was the usual one. This girl had said vampires were fictional where she came from - and yet had less of a reaction than humans who had had time to acclimate to the idea. All she did was stare for a moment, furrow her brows and raise a hand only to stop halfway towards Eric's mouth. She mumbled an apology and started to move her hand away but this only amused the tall blond, who grabbed hold of her wrist and pressed her fingers against his fangs.
He retracted them slowly and snapped them out quickly - letting her fingers slide against them.
Again no reaction other than a raised brow that pleased Pam greatly.
"Are you having fun?" Charlie smiled, "Aren't those supposed to be an erogenous zone?"
Both vampires' smiled widely at this.
"I'm not sure who Charlie is but I already like her more than the Stackhouse girl," Pam leered.
"I'm sure you shouldn't be making a girl with a head injury blush," Charlie leered right back.
"I wish you would, I miss the delicious smell of the southern belle's flushed cheeks," she smirked.
"Alright," Charlie stood quickly, "I'm there with you on the tasty blushes but now I'm getting a little freaked out."
Her dress fell around her legs.
A dress.
Not her first choice of garment. She ran her hands along the fabric of the light sundress, sliding all the way up to the very impressive breasts on her chest.
Her groping hands received another round of smirks from her fang bearing company.
"Want some help?" Eric said.
"A mirror - please," Charlie answered.
Pam immediately vanished and reappeared in front of her, a mirror in her manicured hands. She was disappointed to see that the girl did not flinch yet again. All she received was a smile and a thank you.
Sookie Stackhouse looked back at her in the mirror.
"I..." Sookie's mouth opened and spoke the word.
All the blood drained from Charlie's face, and Sookie's face blanched along with hers.
"OK... That's not my..."
She put the mirror down and sat next to it for a moment. Ignoring the two very interested sets of eyes that were watching her every move. She ran her hands through her hair and clenched it in the back, the sharp pain did nothing to stop the bizarre situation.
A few minutes later she let out a loud sigh and slapped her hands down on her knees.
"Right, I don't know when we are in the timeline or if you even follow any timelines I know of, but if it's at all a possibility to ask for your help to reverse... whatever it is that has happened to me. I would greatly appreciate it." Charlie said.
"You want our help?" Pam smiled, "What are you offering in exchange for our generosity?"
"Well tall glass of water over here wasn't calling me lover so I feel like you guys aren't close to Sookie yet." Charlie started.
"If you would like me to call you lover, I would be more than willing to make that a reality," Eric grinned.
"I think she is trying to find out if we are aware of Sookie's special talent," Pam smirked.
"Of course she is," Eric sneered, "We are aware that you are a telepath. And Sookie is aware that she is my 'future lover'"
"Right," Charlie stood and walked over to the door.
Her mind was bombarded with thoughts the minute she even got close to opening it, having left the bubble of the two vampire voids. She faltered in her step and quickly paced back next to Pam. The droning minds settled back down to an ominous and aggressive hum - the same hum that she had thought was a migraine from a head injury. This was not going to be fun.
"That's definitely still a thing then," Charlie looked like she was going to be sick.
"You are not going to throw up in the office are you?" Pam said.
"I don't throw up," Charlie scoffed, "At least not if it isn't entirely necessary."
Eric laughed at this.
"I'm guessing offering her telepathic services free of charge until we can switch us back would be a good trade?" she started, "But I can't promise I will be as good as she is at it."
"It would be a start," Eric said, "I would also like to hear more about this fictional story we are supposed to be part of."
"Oh sure, yes," Charlie waved that off, "That's a given. I don't know how much will be useful considering there is a TV show and a book that have different storylines and in neither of those is there a random girl that takes control of Sookie's body. But I can tell you what I know."
"How is that a given?" Eric asked.
"Well you two are my favourite characters," she explained, "Why wouldn't I want to give you the best chances to take control of your stories?"
Pam's grin became almost crazed at that point.
"Oh I am in danger of liking a human. Can we keep her, please?"
"I need to get a promise from you two however," Charlie said quickly.
"You are not in a position to be bargaining," Eric said, a frown settling back on to his face.
Charlie bit her lip, "I think these are some reasonable terms."
Eric raised a brow but nodded.
"I can't give any of Sookie's blood or take any blood from a vampire. It isn't my body so I don't really have a right to offer that. No interrupting!" Charlie shot the disgruntled Eric a glare when he opened his mouth, "And no getting angry with me when I know things about you that you feel uncomfortable with me knowing."
Both vampires tensed at this.
Eric snarled something in Swedish and Charlie snapped her mouth shut. Pam whispered back quickly, her fangs coming into play at the same time as Eric's.
Charlie could understand enough of the language to know that they were deciding whether it was safer to kill her or to take advantage of the free telepathy. Eric seemed to think the deal was less sweet without Sookie's coveted blood. Pam argued that maybe Sookie would be more willing to give up her blood when they helped her back into her body - this train of thought seemed to calm the tall blond slightly.
"If it will give you both some peace of mind, you can have someone keeping an eye on me 24/7. Hell, I could stay away from everyone Sookie knows. Stay at one of your places, Eric. I can be your live-in air freshener until you get into Sookie's pants." Charlie offered.
Eric visibly brightened at this.
"You would stay at one of my residences? And stay under surveillance at all times?"
"A live-in air freshener," Pam muttered smiling. Charlie grinned back.
"I mean I would rather stay away from Sookie's family and friends. I don't know them. Let's be honest here, I don't know anyone. Who am I going talk to even if I wanted to?"
"Would you agree to wearing a device that gave me your location at all times?"
"Sure," Charlie shrugged, "Just nothing injected or something intrusive like that."
Typical Eric, she thought, as close to a blood bond with Sookie as he could get.
Pam spoke in Swedish again, suggesting that it wasn't a bad deal at all. Eric snarled, but he was agreeing. His anger was probably just a ploy to see what else Charlie would offer. She just sat there quietly, raising a brow when Eric hadn't said anything for a few minutes.
"This is acceptable," Eric said.
"Maybe Ludwig will be able to help me?" Charlie offered.
"Earn your keep first," Eric snapped.
"Fair," Charlie nodded and stood.
It was Eric's turn to be surprised at the ease the girl showed in the face of his anger. It was one thing to not respond to their vampiric quirks, but to be so calm in the face of his temper was unprecedented for a human. Even Sookie Stackhouse had the decency to smell slightly of fear, and arousal. This girl was neither afraid nor aroused. Something that Pam didn't fail to mention a few times during their argument.
The look the girl gave the door now, was probably the closest the two vampires had seen to fear since she had appeared in the office. She chewed her lip some more and glanced over at Pam.
"You've always wanted to cop a feel with Sookie right?"
Pam nodded, showing a bit of fang at the very idea.
"Want to give a girl a hand?"
"My pleasure," she simpered as she wrapped an arm around Charlie's waist.
Eric watched on, a frown still marring his handsome features.
"Don't be upset," Charlie shot back at him, "You're just so old and powerful. A void that massive isn't going to help me get better with using this quirk."
Pam laughed brightly and even Eric smirked.
"We have to be careful with this one," Pam said.
"Agreed," Eric shot Charlie a dark look, and for a split second she looked slightly uncomfortable.
So she wasn't completely rid of sense.
They walked out together and Charlie focused on Pam's blank mind to try and build the walls that Sookie always explained in the stories. Block everything off. She imagined a box, and visualized her thoughts inside of it. It helped a decent amount but she wasn't sure she could let go of Pam and keep them up. She slid her arm around Pam in turn, worried about the effect the main area of the club would have if the vampiress released her hold on her.
"I might not want to help you out of this predicament if you continue," Pam whispered in her ear softly, squeezing her lower hip and pressing their bodies together.
"Help me be myself again and maybe I'll press up to you even more than this," Charlie winked.
Pam's fangs ran out once again, making Charlie wonder why she even bothered putting them away at this point.
She couldn't help but feel pleased at having such an effect on one of her favourite characters. Though Sookie's body was probably the deciding factor. Charlie's real body would probably not provoke such a positive reaction. She sighed internally.
They made their way to what she could only assume was Eric's booth.
The ridiculous club was as gaudy as the books made out, much more than the show - she filed that away under things that are similar to the books. Pam's height and visual age was also a nod in the book's direction.
Charlie wasn't a fan of clubs to begin with, she had a preference for dive bars or pubs personally, but Fangtasia was almost so ridiculous that she could imagine that she was on the set of some kitsch B-movie which made the whole experience more amusing than irritating.
Pam managed to manoeuvre them into the booth without once letting her grip on Charlie's waist loosen. The girl was just as impressed as she was amused, an amusement that seemed infectious as the people around the booth all brightened upon her arrival. The reaction from the humans was watched with interest by Eric as made his way to the throne at the centre of the room. Sookie had always had an air about her that attracted the attention of the supernatural, it seemed that this Charlie was having some kind of effect on that power.
From his research Eric had some suspicions of what Sookie might be. But who - or what - was Charlie?
It took Charlie a few hours before she started to relax against Pamela. The walls were getting easier to understand and manipulate. She had successfully managed to hone in on specific peoples' thoughts and block out almost all the voices. She even got so bold as to let go of Pam a few times. She could only do so for about three minutes at most.
She pointed out four underage teens and one feeding in the bathroom. Pam texted Chow to get everything dealt with. It was a smooth operation. Eric watched everything with a practised look of boredom, but Pam felt how pleased he was with the current situation.
"Sorry," Charlie murmured to Pam softly, pressing her face against the vampire's shoulder as she slumped against her.
"If you were anyone else, or should I say in anyone else's body, you would be dead," Pam smirked.
"You're too sweet," Charlie smiled into the latex.
Pam didn't want to admit how much her touches were pleasing her. Charlie had been sliding her thumb in small circles across Pam's fingers, pressing expertly into pressure points and sliding gently and tantalizingly along her skin to rub away the pressure. Pam was having trouble not imagining what those hands could do to her in other places.
"You are enjoying yourself far too much," Eric appeared near them.
Flashing him a defiant look. Pam pressed into Charlie and flared her nostrils, taking in a long whiff of Sookie's scent. Eric growled at her, grabbing hold of Charlie's hand and hooking his other hand under her arm. He proceeded to lift her effortlessly up and over the booth table. His brows shot up in surprise when she let out a little squeal and a girlish giggle, grabbing hold of his shoulders quickly.
He grinned at her.
"Sorry," she giggled nervously again, "No one's ever lifted me up like that."
"No strong men in your life?" he winked and placed her hand on his arm.
"I don't think anyone would ever try to lift me like that, strong or not," Charlie chuckled.
Eric stayed silent, but she could feel him watching her intently as they made their way outside.
The thick Louisiana air was like a slap in the face. She had never been too good with warm weather, and humid heat was probably the most sweltering. Breathing was difficult, her entire body felt like it was covered in a fine layer of sweat instantly, and there was a smell to the air that she couldn't quite place but she did not appreciate. She wondered how the vampires could stand this place, even if it was an easy place to lie low. Maybe that was the price of being left alone.
"You look disgusted," Eric laughed.
"I'm not used to this kind of... place? I guess it isn't hell because I've still got that pesky heartbeat," Charlie scrunched up her nose and took hold of the Corvette's door.
Eric slapped the offending appendage away and opened the door for her.
"Don't want my fingerprints all over your door?" Charlie snarked as she slid into the car.
"Can I not just be a gentleman?" he feigned hurt.
"My poor poor Viking, I apologize, but no," she smiled prettily.
"Perhaps you do not know me as well as you think you do," Eric said - entering the driver's side in a blur.
"Believe me, I would be more than pleased if you surprised me," Charlie answered, "As we humans would say. Bring it on."
She exaggeratedly mouthed the last three words and Eric's eyes locked with her mouth. Charlie backed off quickly. She kept forgetting that she was in the desirable form of Sookie Stackhouse. It was too easy to relax around the characters she had a fondness for, but she could definitely not afford to let Sookie's body be taken advantage of.
Eric took her physical cue and sat straight once again, though she could see a little fang peeking out from his upper lip.
They set off with a roar of the high powered engine.
"The residence we are going to is my main one," Eric explained.
"Want me to wear a mask or something?" Charlie asked, holding a hand out already.
Eric raised a brow but produced the mask and the girl slid it on without so much as a complaint. If he learnt nothing else this night, at least he knew that the woman had a practicality to her. She responded well to logic and liked to give options, even when she had been calling out people in the bar; she not only pointed out the underage teens and illegal activity but also pointed at the patrons more willing to spend money or who were well on their way to making terrible decisions. Or good decisions for Eric. He could work easily with someone like this.
She missed the combativeness of the real Sookie, but then again she was fearless even where Sookie would have been afraid. She cut him off and spoke over him whenever she felt like it.
He glanced over at the girl. The blindfold firmly in place over her face, her lips were alternatively pressing into a thin line or pushing out into a soft pucker. After a few moments, her lips slowly curved up into a slow smile.
"You looking at me, Mr Northman?"
"If your weren't moving around your lips so much without the need to do so, perhaps I would not be so distracted."
She pouted her lips out.
"Naughty vampire."
He chuckled.
Eric's house was just as impressive as the books and show had made it out to be. It was modern and sleek on the outside, but tastefully decorated and almost homey inside. There were bits and pieces of Eric's history strategically placed on walls or displayed in cabinets and on side tables, all accompanied by sleek modern furniture that tastefully straddled the line between rustic, refurbished chic and modern design. Charlie studied every piece like they were at a museum and Eric could not help but offer information about the provenance, and tell her small facts about when he collected them.
Her rapt attention only served to bolster his want to share a bit of information about everything. Her eyes would light up with curiosity and she would offer small comments or even ask about origin and time period that the objects came from. Charlie, he was learning, was a history buff.
"The painter of this one was very infatuated with Pamela. He created many pieces that hang in her houses. This piece was one he made when he asked me for my sister's hand," Eric laughed, "It represents his love for her."
"It's beautiful," Charlie sighed.
It depicted the silhouette of a woman from behind walking into a sunlit garden. Her blonde hair was just starting to catch the light.
"Did Pamela find it sad?" she asked.
Eric looked surprised.
"Why would you think that?"
"The sun," Charlie whispered, moving her hand inches away from the painted rays, "Just out of reach. For eternity."
Eric stayed quiet, watching her as she studied the painting.
"I imagine the perfect painting of Pam would be her staring straight into your soul. Blanketed in pinks and flush colours. Probably in a bed."
"Yes, that painting is in her house," Eric said.
Charlie laughed, the soft notes of Sookie's voice ringing in a carefree manner. Eric had never heard that voice so relaxed. It made it easier to disassociate her from the southern belle.
"We must talk," Eric urged her towards the living room.
"Could I potentially get a drink?" Charlie asked quickly.
He was in the kitchen and back by her side in the blink of an eye. She thanked him smoothly and he saw no suspicion in her at all as she sipped the proffered water greedily. He led her by the small of her back and they made their way to the couch.
"First of all, where do you come from?" he started.
"Similar world, same kind of history," she said, "But there are no supernatural beings. Or at least none that are out of the coffin - and TruBlood is a TV show based off of a series of books centred around Sookie."
"And these are where the stories of this world are written?"
"Yeah, but the TV show is quite a bit different from the books so I don't know how useful any of this might be. You are already surprising me with your openness tonight." Charlie gestured back towards the hallway and rooms with all the items they had discussed.
Eric was silent for a moment.
"It is something about you," he said finally, "You set those around you at ease. It would seem I am not unaffected."
Charlie looked startled and then upset.
"You think something's wrong with me?"
"How would you get that from what I have just said?" Eric laughed.
She smiled despite herself, "I mean you think I'm supernatural as well."
"It could be, there must be a reason you find yourself in Sookie's body of all places," Eric looked thoughtful, "Perhaps Godric can shed some light on this. He is travelling at the moment but I will find some way to contact him."
"Godric..." Charlie looked stunned.
"Yes, he is another vampire. He is ancient and has more knowledge about the Fae than I do."
"Godric... As in your... maker?"
Eric's brow rose, she felt him go rigid next to her and she could almost see him jumping between the want to kill her and the want for... Whatever it was he wanted from her.
"He is."
Charlie slumped back in her seat. More than a little relieved.
"Thank goodness."
"This is a relief to you?"
Charlie looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.
"Godric's maker was Appius right?"
Eric looked shocked, only managing to school his features after Charlie had gotten the full blown show. She decided to talk before he could yell at her.
"In the books, Appius is your maker."
"There is a story where Appius was my maker?"
Charlie glanced at the tall vampire but he was looking away, focused off into the distance somewhere.
"Yes," Charlie said, "Unfortunately."
He looked back at her. Searching for something.
"What of Godric in that reality?" he said.
Charlie bit her lip.
"He must have not been turned."
She stared up at the tall man, he was obviously distraught, he really did love his maker very much.
"I'm sorry," Charlie chewed her lip firmly.
He was silent for at least ten minutes, Charlie knew this precisely since she had nothing better to do than count, and her lip was getting some serious chew time. She almost jumped out of her skin when a cool hand took hold of her chin. He pushed his thumb down over her lip, releasing it from her teeth.
"Explain more of what you know about both versions of my history. You have noticed that some things here are similar to both - so tell me," he growled.
Charlie settled in and started telling the story.
