Bill was glad that he was there to drive Sookie and Arabella home. He felt somewhat responsible for what was happening to their family, noting that they were probably being targeted due to his relationship with Sookie. While he was angered that they were in danger, he could understand, somewhat, the feelings of the anti-vampire zealots, which is what he thought the killer in Bon Temps may be. For thousands of years, vampires took whatever they wanted: wealth, homes, women, men, blood, you name it, they probably took it and then some. There were never any repercussions for their actions. Now that they were out in the open, resentment towards their kind was no doubt going to seep to the surface. He had hoped that vampire and human coexistence could happen more peacefully, however, he knew there would be bumps along the way. What incensed him though was that the bumps now included his love and her family. But, why should the Bon Temps killer target the humans who congregate with vampires? Well, he thought, they would be easier prey…
Bill was also glad that he was able to move past his more primal urges and thoughts over the years. The turning point for him came from being with Emma for two years after betraying Eric. Emma, while beautiful, smart and alluring, was also self-indulgent, vicious, and mean-spirited. She rarely kept any of her meals alive, and if she did, it was only to torture them. It took the first year of being with her to figure out just how far down the path to losing her soul completely Emma was. It took the following year to figure out how to get away from her without getting himself ostracized, de-wealthed or worse, meet the true death. Since she got him involved with the AVL, he was able to secure different positions within the group, thereby having legitimate reasons to be away from her. After a while, she found another to peak her interests and stopped calling. He was relieved to say the least. He knew that Emma had to think that SHE was the one to end it, not him. In the end, it was her nature that allowed him to find his humanity again, without which he'd never be able to feel the love he did with Sookie. The love they shared was his salvation. While still not knowing what punishment he would face for protecting Sookie, he knew he would not have done anything differently. She had already saved him in a way no other could.
….
Sookie and Arabella both saw how pensive Bill was in the car and left him to his own thoughts. Arabella had hoped that Sookie would leave her to her own thoughts as well, but no, Sookie, ever the mother hen, couldn't stop fawning over her sister. Normally it wouldn't bother her so much, but tonight it really got on her nerves.
"Sookie, stop. I'm fine. Please, just give me some space." I said finally having enough of her questions and comments.
"I'm sorry Arabella, I just want to make sure you're okay." Sookie said, still feeling guilty about being unreachable all day, especially given each of their respective circumstances.
"Sookie, really, I'm okay. I just want a good night's sleep. "I replied. Truthfully, I was a little resentful that she walked away with a spa day and I walked away with a concussion, no wait, two concussions. I understood it wasn't her fault and I was truly glad that she wasn't hurt, but why did I have to get hurt? I knew I just needed a little time and sleep to just get over it. None of this was Sookie's doing. I knew that.
Bill stopped the car next to our house and let us out. He told us that he would stay with us tonight in order to make sure we were safe. It was sweet of him, really. I knew it was more for Sookie's sake, but I didn't care. It would allow me to feel safe too and in the end get the rest I so desperately needed.
As we walked into the house, Sookie and I saw all the damage done to our foyer. Between what the killer did with Tina and what the police did to secure the crime scene, our foyer was a complete wreck.
"Did they have to take the ceiling fan and leave a hole in its place? It's as if they didn't have a screwdriver and just yanked it out." Sookie asked looking up at the destroyed ceiling.
"Well, I could understand taking the fan. Trust me Sookie when I say you would not have wanted that still in the house, but why they had to put a hole in the ceiling to take it down is beyond me." I replied, looking up at the mess as well.
"Well, this is probably beyond Jason's scope of being Mr. Fix-It, and besides he's playing Cub Scout with Amy in the woods for the next few days. We'll have to call someone to come in and fix the ceiling, paint, etc." Sookie said while cringing as her attention was drawn to the blood splatter on the walls. With the blood sitting on the walls all day, there would be no washing it all clean. It definitely was going to need to be painted over.
"I think you're right about Jason. He wouldn't know what to do with this mess. Look, I know you're supposed to work during the day tomorrow, so I could make a couple calls while I'm home." I said. I would be stuck home for the next 3 days per the doctor's discharge orders. Oh man, I hope I don't lose my job at Merlotte's.
"Sookie, is Sam going to be pissed that I'm going to be missing two shifts?" I asked.
"No. You were in the hospital because someone broke into our house, killed our cat, and you hurt your head. No, and even if he tried, he'd get a word or two from me." Sookie replied. She knew that Sam could be a hard head at times, but there was no way he'd fire Arabella for something so out of her control. Sookie then added, "Don't worry about it Arabella, you'll still have your job. I'll talk to him first thing tomorrow morning."
"Thanks Sookie. I'll see you in the morning." I said as I walked up to my room.
"Goodnight Arabella." Sookie said as Bill came from behind her and gave her a peck on the cheek.
….
Sookie had gone to bed soon after Arabella. She only had a couple hours sleep under belt and felt beyond tired. Bill stayed downstairs watching television to pass the time until he had to return to his own home for the day.
At about 3:00am he sensed that they may have company, so he went outside to investigate. While coming around the back of the house he saw Eric levitating outside Sookie's window.
"What are you doing Eric?" Bill asked quietly, so as not to wake the girls, but knowing Eric would hear him loud and clear.
"I'm making sure the Stackhouse women are still alive under your watch." Eric said with a smirk.
Bill rolled his eyes and said, "Shouldn't you be checking on your own pet, not mine?" He was clearly annoyed that Eric was outside Sookie's window.
"Yes, I will check on her too. Sookie's window was closest when I got here." Eric replied, happy to be aggravating Compton the way he was. Eric then added, "I have arranged for protection for the Stackhouse women. My day people will watch them from afar, so as not to attract attention to their presence, and when you or I cannot watch them, I have other vampires, trusted vampires, that will watch them at night."
"Thank you Eric." Bill said. It killed him to say, but he was truly thankful that Eric was taking the threat seriously. "I have told the girls that I will stay here tonight, so you can leave if you want." Bill added, hoping that Eric would do just that, leave.
"Yes, well, after I check on my pet I suppose." Eric said as he floated over to Arabella's window.
There she was lying on her bed without the covers on. It seemed that she had tossed and turned in her sleep because the bedspread was mostly on the floor. He was grateful for that as he was able to see what she slept in, that being a white cotton tank top and white cotton briefs, much more interesting than that moo-moo thing Sookie was sleeping in. The crispness of the white against her tan body was arousing. The tank top had risen closer to her breasts, exposing her taught belly. Her muscles were defined, making it obvious that she was athletic, or at least exercised. He liked that. So many of the ladies that came to Fangtasia lately were skinny, not because they were fit, but because they starved themselves. That always came across in their blood. They were almost undrinkable, well, almost.
"Now that you see all is well, are you staying or going?" Bill finally asked as he saw Eric staring into Arabella's room. If he didn't know any better, he thought Eric actually may have a legitimate interest in her.
"I see that you have tonight under control. I have some work to attend to before daybreak. Before I leave, though, let me tell you that you need to be available tomorrow night for your sentencing. The magistrate has been informed of your situation and has decided to pass judgment himself." Eric said, fully self-satisfied that Bill would probably be freaking out now, as he bolted into the night sky.
'Shit. I hope I'm not as fucked as Eric hopes I'll be.' Bill thought as he walked back into the house to finish the movie he was watching. He had assumed that Eric would be the one to pass judgment on him. Getting the magistrate involved was like playing Russian roulette. You never quite knew what was going to happen until he pulled the trigger, so to speak.
…
Sookie and I rose early the next morning. Even though we were both exhausted, it was hard to sleep knowing the killer was still on the loose.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay here all alone? I wish Sam didn't need me to come in so early today. But, between Arlene needing some time for her family and wedding planning and Daphne being, well, Daphne, I guess things have gotten a bit crazy there." Sookie asked, hesitant to leave her sister's side again.
"Yes Sookie, I'll be fine. Besides, I'll be on the phone trying to find someone to fix this mess, so I won't really be alone." I replied.
"Well, okay, but if you need anything… anything, just call me, okay?" Sookie said as she grabbed her purse and coffee and started for the door.
"You have my word on it." I said as Sookie sipped her coffee from one hand, waved goodbye with the other and left.
After finishing my breakfast, I got the phone book out of the pantry to find someone that could fix our foyer. I flipped to the handyman pages and started at the top: Billy Albertson – no he used to look at Sookie and me funny, pervert; Hardy Cook – no he used to charge Gran an arm and a leg just because he thought he could; Bobby Hayes – just no, he's so gross. The next listing was for… holy crap… why didn't I think of that before: Alcide Herveaux Construction and Handyman work in Shreveport. I knew exactly who I was going to call.
"Hello?" Answered the man on the other end of the phone, who I assumed was Alcide.
"Hi. Is this Alcide Herveaux?" I asked, somewhat giddy. I hadn't forgotten what a good looking man he was.
"Yes it is. How can I help you?" Answered Alcide.
"I don't know if you remember me, but this is Arabella Stackhouse. I saw your ad in the phone book and we need some work done at our house." I said.
"You had to look my number up in the phonebook? Did you lose my number already?" He said sadly, thinking the girl probably had thrown away his number. She probably wasn't interested in him at all.
"No. No. I didn't. I swear. It's in a good hiding place. No, I was looking for a handyman in Bon Temps that we hadn't used before in the phonebook. Unfortunately all I saw were the ones my Gran used to use who were either creepy or price gauged us. Then, I saw your ad and thought I'd try to throw the business your way." I replied, hoping he didn't think I was a complete moron.
"Oh. Okay. I guess we didn't talk about what my business was when we met. So what kind of work do you need done?" Alcide responded happily. He couldn't hide the fact that he was happy that she thought of him.
"Well, we need to have a ceiling fixed and a new ceiling fan put in. Oh… and we'll need some painting done as well. Can you do that?" I asked, hoping he could, and shirtless please.
"Yeah, that'd be a piece of cake. I can come by today if you'd like." Alcide replied, thankful that his day was pretty open.
"Oh, that'd be great. When would be good for you? It doesn't matter to me what time. I'll be here all day." I said.
"You're in Bon Temps right? I could be there in about an hour. What's your address?" Alcide asked.
I then proceeded to give Alcide directions to our house, got off the phone with him, and ran to the bathroom to get ready. It's not every day you have a total hottie come over to your house. Now granted, it wasn't for me, per se, but he was coming anyway. A girl likes to look decent when having guests.
….
The hour had passed quickly and Alcide showed up right on time. In that time, Arabella was able to take a shower, put on some light make-up, fix her hair and put on shorts and a tee shirt. She wasn't trying to get all gussied up; she just wanted to look presentable.
The doorbell rang and she ran down the stairs to get the door. She opened it and smiled when she saw Alcide standing there on her front porch, looking like a tall drink of water with his dark brown hair, messed up just right, muscles looking good peeking out of his shirt and pants that fit… just perfect.
"Hi Alcide. It's great to see you again." I said grinning.
"Hey Arabella. It's good to see you again too, and you're not in trouble (he said with a wink). So where do you need the work done?" Alcide asked as he looked her up and down, hoping she didn't notice. She looked real good, he thought.
"Well, it's our foyer. Why don't you come in and take a look." I replied while stepping aside so Alcide could walk in and assess the situation.
"Uhhhhh, what happened here? Is that blood?" I thought you said you weren't in any trouble." Alcide said looking worried.
"Yeah, well, I'm not in trouble, at least I don't think so. Long story short, I came home to find my cat, dead , swinging around in the ceiling fan. It looks worse now because the police tore the fan out of the ceiling for evidence." I said, realizing that this probably sounded really bad.
"Arabella, let me get this straight, someone broke into your home, killed your cat in the ceiling fan, and you don't think you're in trouble. Are you crazy? You need protection." Alcide said, not wanting to see anything happen to her.
"I'll be fine during the day, Alcide. I can take care of myself. And, during the night, my sister's boyfriend is taking care of us." I replied.
"What? Is he a cop? How do you know he won't fall asleep?" Alcide asked worriedly.
"Trust me Alcide, he won't fall asleep. Bill's a vampire." I said, not knowing how Alcide would react.
"Bill. Like Bill Compton?" Alcide asked.
"Yeah. My sister is dating Bill Compton." I replied, hoping it wouldn't be a problem for him.
"He's not the worst of them, I guess. He seems decent enough. I've done some work for him at his house. He's got a huge renovation going on there. It's hard for vamps to get subcontractors to come out, especially at night. Vamps often rely on other supes to get work done." Alcide said.
"Well, I think he's pretty nice and he treats my sister like gold, so he's okay in my book. They've been together over 5 months now." I replied.
"I'm glad that you have him around, but if you need protection during the day, you can always call me." Alcide said sincerely.
"That's a nice offer Alcide, but don't you have a business to run?" I asked.
"Well, I could always move things around, especially for you." He replied, a little smile creeping onto his chiseled face.
"I wouldn't ask that Alcide, unless I really needed to, and right now, I think I'll be okay. What's not okay though is this foyer. What do we need to do to fix it?" I asked. I also wanted to change the topic.
"We'll need to go to the hardware store to pick up some things, like a new fan, paint and some other supplies. You should probably come in order to pick out what you'd like." Alcide said while looking over the mess.
"Okay, I'll get my purse and we can go." I replied. I wasn't really supposed to leave the house, but I felt fine. Besides, it made sense for me to pick out the paint color and fan, not him.
…
Most of the day had passed between going to the hardware store and Alcide working on the foyer. Around 3:00pm, Alcide finally decided he was done for the day.
"Arabella, I think this is as far as I can go today. I'll need to do a second coat of paint, but this first coat is taking forever to dry in the humidity. I'll come back tomorrow, if it's alright with you, to finish up." Alcide said, looking over his work.
"That'd be fine Alcide. I can't believe you got as much done as you did anyway. You look like you could use a bottle of beer though. You didn't even stop for lunch." I replied.
"No. Once I get in the groove, I just keep going. But, you're right. A bottle of beer sounds great." He said.
"Okay. Why don't you take a seat outside on one of the rocking chairs and I'll bring out some beer." I replied as I turned around to walk into the kitchen.
Walking back out to the porch with his beer and lemonade for myself, I saw Alcide changing from one shirt to another. WOW was all that came to mind.
"Oh, hey there. I just wanted to change so I didn't smell so bad." Alcide said as he noticed I had come back out.
"Perfectly alright by me." I replied smiling and handing him the bottle of Blue Moon beer I brought out for him.
"I'm glad I'll be able to come back tomorrow. It's been awhile since I've been in the company of a nice girl." He said.
"Yeah, even though I'm technically paying you to come back tomorrow to spend time with me… ohhhh…. That kinda makes you sound like a gigolo." I said chuckling.
"Wow. My family would be so proud." Alcide said, faking a hurt look on his face and placing his hand over his heart like I had offended him, but then adding a smile.
"Well, my family would just think I'm desperate because I'd have to pay for the company of a man." I said while adding, "Truth be told, I haven't been asked on a date in a real long time."
"Really? I find that hard to believe." He replied.
"Yeah, well, it's true." I said, wondering why I was so undatable.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, my last girlfriend dumped me and then her new guy tried to kill me." Alcide said, bitterly.
"Okay, you've got me beat. I did hear about that though. Your uncle Fernando told me. I'm real sorry Alcide. Nobody deserves to be treated like that." I replied as I placed my hand on his arm. "She isn't worthy of you."
"You know, Debbie wasn't always like that. She used to be a real nice girl. That asshole that she's with now, he got her hooked on drugs, at least that's what it looks like. She's not herself. She used to be so sweet, kind… caring…" Alcide said sadly.
"Well, hopefully she'll find her way out of the situation she's in, but in the meantime, it's probably better that you don't see her like that." I said, trying to find an upside of a bad situation.
"Yeah, you're right. I don't want to see her like that. We grew up together in the same pack. It's just hurts so much to know what she's become…. I'm sorry to dump this on you." Alcide said and then finished his drink.
"Alcide, it's okay. That's what friends are for, and I consider you my friend now." I said taking the empty bottle from him.
"I really need to be heading off. I could be back here tomorrow at 9:00 am. Is that okay?" Alcide asked while standing up.
I replied, "Yeah, that'd be perfect. I'll see you tomorrow then."
"See you tomorrow." Alcide said as he walked toward his truck and left for the day.
I walked back into the house and noted how much better everything looked. Not only did Alcide look good, but he did good work. Sookie will be happy to see so much progress done, I thought as I went upstairs to take a nap.
…
Around 5:00pm I heard the door open. I cautiously went downstairs to make sure it was Sookie. It was. She was bringing in some groceries when I walked into the kitchen.
"Hi Arabella. How are you feeling?" Sookie asked.
"Oh, I'm fine Sook." I replied, noting that I hadn't felt any repercussions from the knocks on my head today. I must not have hit my head that hard after all.
"Good. I'm glad to hear it. I hate to ask this, but do you mind if I go back to work tonight? Sam's still short-staffed and I could really use the extra cash. Not to mention, I'd like to pay him back for you not being able to work. He was real sweet about it when I told him what happened, asking how you were and such. He wasn't mad at all." Sookie told me.
"I'm glad that Sam's okay with me. But Sookie, you don't have to work a shift for me." I responded feeling guilty for the resentment I felt the night before.
"No, it's okay sis, I really do need the money." Sookie replied.
"Well, in that case, no, I don't mind, but is Bill going to be on watch tonight?" I asked, not really wanting to be alone just yet at night.
"No, Bill can't. He said something came up that he needed to attend to tonight, but you won't be alone. Bill said Eric told him that he'd send others to watch over our house at night." Sookie replied.
"Oh, okay. You think the people Eric has are… okay?" I asked. Sookie seemed to really dislike Eric, I wasn't sure if this was going to be a good thing or not.
"If Bill is okay with it, than so am I." Sookie replied truthfully. She knew that Bill would not sign off on it if he thought that Eric wouldn't be true to his word on keeping them safe.
"Okay, well, when are you leaving?" I asked.
"Now. I just came back to drop these groceries off and talk to you." Sookie said while putting everything away.
"Well, I'll see you later then." I said to Sookie as she said goodbye and left.
….
Around 6:00 I heard the doorbell ring. I wasn't expecting anyone, but then I remembered that Eric was sending someone to watch us, so I thought maybe it was that person wanting to let me know they were there. So, I went to answer the door. As I opened the door, I was a little surprised to see Eric standing there, looking utterly amazing, wearing black clothing that hugged his body just right. I was glad that I still looked halfway decent from earlier in the day.
"Oh, hi Eric." I said with some surprise.
"Expecting someone else?" Eric said while looking past me and at the foyer.
"No. But I wasn't expecting you either." I replied truthfully. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, is that anyway to greet to someone who just paid thousands of dollars of hospital bills for you?" He said smirking.
"No. I didn't mean it that way. I am truly grateful that you paid those bills. I don't know how I will be able to repay you." I replied. I had planned on thanking him, but didn't quite know exactly how.
"Well, I can think of some ways." Eric said while looking me up and down, slowly. It made me feel like I was naked and sent chills up my spine.
"Can you think of some other ways, because I'm not a whore? I don't trade my body for cash." I said looking him straight in the eye so that he would know I wasn't that type of girl. His smirk only got bigger.
"No, I don't suppose you are. Why don't you invite me in so we can discuss further some methods of repayment?" Eric asked hoping he'd get the invite he wanted.
"No. I'll come outside. It looks like it's going to be a beautiful night. "I replied. I didn't want him to have access to my home. Not yet.
"My loss." He said while turning to walk to the rocking chairs. "Why does it smell like dog here?
"Dog? We don't have a dog. Well, wait. There is this one dog that comes around every-so-often, a Border collie, or English Shepherd, maybe. I'm not sure 'cause I'm not real good with telling what kind of breed a dog is. But, I don't think I've seen him come around in a few days." I replied absentmindedly looking around.
"Did you have any visitors today?" He asked knowing that the smell he smelled was no real dog, but rather something supernatural.
"The only people here today were Sookie and Alcide." I replied.
"Alcide Herveaux? What was he doing here?" Eric asked. Thoughts quickly started going through his mind: So Alcide was here. Why? How does she know Alcide? That dog better not be going after what is mine. While he didn't really care about this girl, no vampire ever wants to be in a position where their pet is taken by someone else, especially not a werewolf. That would be the ultimate in embarrassment for a vampire.
"He's the handyman I hired to fix the damage to our foyer." I replied, now finally figuring out why I was getting grilled. Eric smelled a werewolf, Alcide. Huh, vampires and their sniffing, I thought. Small world though, Alcide knowing Bill; Eric knowing Alcide.
"Why hire someone from Shreveport? There has to be someone that could do the job here in Bon Temps." Eric said, wanting to know why she hired Alcide.
"Well, there are, but Gran used most of them before. Let's just say they weren't worthy of a second call. So, when I looked in the phonebook, Alcide's number was next in line, and the rest is history. He actually did a really good job. He's not finished though. He has to do a second coat of paint tomorrow." I responded.
Eric saw that she wasn't lying and was content with her response, so he let it go. He would be having a conversation with Alcide, soon, about what was his.
"You still never answered my question though. Why are you here?" I asked wondering why the gorgeous vampire sitting next to me was paying me a visit.
"I wanted to see how my pet was doing. And, since you seem fine, I request that you come to Fangtasia tomorrow night." Eric replied. He noted that she had no signs of any trauma, external or internal, from the blows she had received recently. He thought to himself, she must have some sort of accelerated healing, interesting.
"I don't like you calling me 'your pet' Eric. I'm not a dog or cat." I responded, annoyed at his choice of words to describe me.
Eric didn't understand this girl. Every other female he knew would love to be called his pet. It was the appropriate title for her: one taken under his protection who was of lower standing (because of her being human). However, he could play this game with her, to a point, so he responded, "I understand that you do not like that term, so when it is just you and I, I will not use it. However, when we are in the company of other vampires, I will call you my pet. It will tell others that you are mine and protect you."
I considered his words and came to the conclusion that this was the best compromise I was going to get from him, at least for now, so I said, "Fine. But why do you need me to go to Fangtasia? Do you need me to read someone's mind again? I'd like to know, because I'm still recovering from the last time." I said, not really wanting to get involved in his dirty work again so soon.
"No. This visit would not be for work, but rather… for play. I want you to come and see my club, in a more positive setting." He said wanting her to buy in so he could put his plans into motion.
"Like a date?" I asked, hesitantly. I hadn't been on a date in so long; the thought of one was exciting. But, the thought of a date with Eric, as thrilling as it may be, also sounded a bit terrifying.
"Yes, I suppose you could call it that." Eric replied.
"Well, if you're asking me on a date, couldn't we do something else? I mean, I know your club is nice and all (I didn't really think that, but didn't think it wise to insult his club), but it's still your business, where you work. That doesn't sound very date-like to me. Also, if you're there, I could see where it may be difficult to not get caught up with what was going on in the club. I've seen that happen to my boss Sam." I responded, a little surprised by my bluntness.
Eric pondered her request for a moment. He was an old vampire, and as such, did not get questioned on many of his requests. Not to mention, he did not have to take his pets on dates. They usually were already begging him to bed them by now. So, he said, "I think going to the club would be fine."
Arabella looked at Eric and realized something. "Eric, when's the last time you've been on a date? I don't mean been with a woman, I mean an actual date."
Eric looked at her and wanted to respond with a smart-ass remark of some kind, but in the end he had nothing because she had him. While he bedded, who knows how many women, he never had to actually take them on dates. Usually he met them at places or at his club, and they were either mesmerized by his looks or charm, and after coming out of the closet, the fact that he was a vampire was usually enough to get in some girl's panties. Women begged to be with him. Here sat before him the first, other than Sookie, to not fall at his feet begging for a chance to be with him. She wasn't turning him down though either not like Sookie at least.
Not wanting to sound lacking, he responded, "Fine, where would you like to go?"
Arabella smirked slightly knowing what his lack of response to her question translated to. Somehow, it made her feel better that she wasn't the only one not dating. Well, Eric was definitely not lonely, at least probably not in bed, but he wasn't dating either.
"Oh, I know what we can do, but I'll keep it a surprise. I don't have a car, so if you can pick me up tomorrow at 7:00pm, that'd be great. You can wear something similar to what you're wearing tonight." I replied finally, hoping he wouldn't think my date idea was lame.
"Tomorrow night at 7:00pm it is. I shall see you then." Eric replied, surprised that he was actually, but only just a little bit of him, looking forward to tomorrow night. It had been a while since someone had surprised him like Arabella. It was refreshing.
At that moment Pam and another vampire appeared, as if out of nowhere, on Arabella's front porch.
"Holy shit!" I exclaimed while backing up against the house, not knowing where those two had just come from.
"Vampire speed takes some adjusting to. You'll get used to it after a while." Eric responded.
"If you say so." I said to Eric and then turned to face Pam. " Hi Pam."
"Well hello there yourself. Glad to see you're in one piece still, as opposed to your cat who I heard was used to redecorate your walls." Pam replied, surprised that she was actually glad that this human was still alive.
Even though Pam's comment was somewhat rude, I knew that she meant no ill will and said, "Well, thank you, I guess. Who's the other guy?"
"That's Chow. Chow – Arabella." Eric responded and added, "Chow will be watching over you and Sookie tonight since Bill, Pam and I have other matters to attend to."
Somewhere in my gut I had a feeling that this 'matter' may have had to do with the killing of Longshadow. I had wondered if Bill was going to be in trouble over killing him. I didn't know anything really about vampire politics, but it did occur to me that Bill may have to pay, in some manner, for killing another vampire. I didn't want to ask Eric whether my suspicions were correct though for two reasons; one – I didn't think he'd answer the question and two – if he did, and the answer was bad, I didn't want to be the one to have to tell Sookie.
"Hello Chow." I said to the average looking vampire standing in front of me. It surprised me how average he looked, because really, he was just so non-descript. Even Longshadow, while greasy, had a certain vibe to him. Chow was just, Chow.
"Hello Miss Stackhouse. Do you have a Wii?" Chow asked hoping she did so he could better his golf score while babysitting this human.
Before I could answer, Eric said in a foreign language, "Chow, if you or anyone else so much touches one hair on her head, you will meet the true death. She is mine. Am I understood?"
Replying back in the same foreign tongue, Chow said, "Yes I understand, she will not be touched."
Eric replied back in English, "Good. Well, goodbye my pet." And with that, Eric and Pam shot into the night sky.
"They can fly?" I asked Chow dumbfounded by what I had just seen.
"Yeah. Not all vampires get the same abilities. I can't do that." Chow said somewhat sadly. He would have loved to be able to fly.
"Oh, well, it's not that cool." I said, clearly lying, but trying to make Chow feel better.
"Thank you Miss Stackhouse, but I know it is." Chow replied with a smile.
Switching gears, I said in response to his earlier question, "I'm sorry. We don't have a Wii."
"That's okay. I brought my PSP just in case. I'll just set up shop here on your porch then." Chow said as he sat down in one of the rocking chairs. Those chairs were really getting used today, I thought.
"I have some new games on my I-Pad . If you would like, I could bring that out here." I said to him.
"Yeah, that'd be great." Chow replied.
"I'll be back in a jiffy." I said as I ran inside to get it.
….
A few hours later a surprised Sookie came home to find me and Chow playing games on the front porch.
"I thought you were supposed to be resting." Sookie said looking at the two of us.
"Well, Eric stopped by with Pam and Chow. Oh, by the way, Sookie, this is Chow. Chow is watching over us tonight." I replied.
"Nice to meet you Chow." Sookie said as Chow nodded to acknowledge her greeting, but didn't actually look up as he was in the middle of an intense game.
"Well, I'm beat. It's been a long day. I'm going to head to bed, and really, you should too." Sookie said to me.
"Yeah, you're right. Goodnight Chow." I said.
"Goodnight Miss Stackhouse." Chow said, still not looking up from the game.
And with that, Sookie and I went inside to go to sleep.