Thank you again to all of you who have been reading this story. Reviews are always great! Hope you like this next chapter… and keep reading
….
I woke up earlier than usual, for me at least, to a beautiful sunny morning. I could smell the eggs and sausage that Sookie was cooking down in the kitchen and decided it smelled too good to pass up.
"Oh my God Sook, that smells amazing. You make enough for two?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen.
"Of course. Sit down and I'll get you a plate." She said as she started to put a plate together for me. I really need to take cooking lessons from her. I can't boil water.
"Thanks." I said as she placed the food in front of me and sat down to enjoy her own food.
"Hey Arabella, I need to ask if you can work on Friday night. You're not supposed to, but Sam's in a bind that night because it's Arlene's wedding rehearsal party and most of us are…" Sookie started.
"Standing up in her wedding. Yeah, I know. Sure, that should be no problem." I replied digging into the little piece of heaven before me with my fork.
"You know Arlene thinks the world of you. You're not upset that she didn't ask you to stand up, are you?" Sookie asked.
"No, not at all. I was gone for a while Sookie, of course she was gonna get close with other people. Honestly, it's okay. Shoot, given her track record, this ain't going to be her last wedding. I'm sure they'll be plenty of other opportunities to stand up for her. And besides, I've seen her last two weddings; those bridesmaids' dresses were straight from the 'how to look like a ho' catalog. By the way, good luck with that." I said with a sly smile and then took a sip of orange juice.
"Oh, you are so bad Arabella, you're right, but still, you shouldn't say those things." Sookie replied, wondering how she can make her bridesmaid dress look less whore and more bore. She felt strongly that wedding should be classy affairs, but the dress was Arlene's choice, and it left nothing to the imagination. 'Well, at least I can count on wedding sex ' she thought. She knew that Bill would not be able to keep his hands off of her in that dress.
"Hey Sook, it's such a beautiful morning. Do you want to go for a run before Alcide gets here?" I asked my sister.
"Who's Alcide?" She asked.
"He's the handyman I hired to fix the foyer. He's done a great job so far, don't you think?" I asked.
"Yeah, it looks even better than before and it's not even done yet." Sookie replied and continued, "Well, I guess I could stand to get some exercise in. Let's go in a half an hour.
"Sounds like a plan." I said as I took our dishes and washed them in the sink.
….
"Wow. I think we did those five miles in record time, don't you think Sook?" I asked my sister who was doubled over trying to catch her breath.
"The next time you ask me to run with you, remind me of how horrible I felt today." Sookie said out of breath as she stood up straighter, holding onto her side and added, "Aren't you supposed to still be recuperating?
"I feel fine. But, you were awesome out there Sook. Make sure you stretch though; so your muscles don't cramp. You don't want to be sore when Bill wants to play." I said with a wink to my sister as she was walking towards our front door.
"Yeah, I'll have to do that. I'm going to go inside to take a shower, a long one." Sookie said as she thought to herself, 'damn, I'm wishing Bill was here right now to give me his blood. Exercising should be banned as cruel and unusual punishment.'
I laughed at my sister as she hobbled into the house. I knew that she hated exercising, but it was good for her. After Sookie went inside, I couldn't bear to follow her. It was way too beautiful of a day, so I grabbed one of the blankets that was on the front porch, positioned it on the grass in front and laid out under the warmth of the hot Louisiana sun. And, that's exactly how Alcide found me when he arrived.
"Hey Arabella." Alcide said as he was standing over her. She had obviously fallen asleep on her front lawn. She was dressed in a pair of tiny black bicycle shorts and a white athletic bra which showed off her perfect abs, toned legs, ample breasts… the sweat on her tanned body accentuated everything…okay Alcide… get a grip, he thought to himself… even though she's got a great ass, it doesn't mean that you should get yours handed to you on a platter because of her; she belongs to Eric.
"Oh, Alcide. Hey. Shoot, did I fall asleep?" I asked, but knew the answer.
"Yeah. Not the smartest move when you're in danger at your own home." Alcide said, worried that she wasn't taking the danger more seriously.
"You're right Alcide. I know. I should be more careful. I'm just not used to worrying so much about those things, especially at my own home." I replied, feeling foolish that I had fallen asleep out there.
"I understand where you're coming from, but you have to be more cautious. And, by the way, speaking of being more careful, I got an interesting call from Eric Northman last night concerning you." Alcide told me.
"Eric? Why would Eric call you, about me?" I asked, confused.
"Well, it seems that he wanted to inform me that you are his and that I would pretty much be a dead man if I still saw you after this job is finished. Why has Eric claimed you Arabella?" Alcide asked, really wanting to know what was going on between her and the vampire.
"Alcide, I honestly don't know why. He made his claim after knowing me for about a minute. Look, you've trusted me with your secret, so I'll trust you with mine. My sister Sookie and I are both telepathic. Eric knew about Sookie, but she's claimed by Bill. When he met me, I think he sensed that we were similar in our powers and my only guess is that he claimed me because he thought it'd be neat to have a telepath at his disposal. Other than that, I got nothing." I replied, wishing that Eric had wanted me for other reasons, but knew that the one I offered Alcide was probably closest to the truth. Alcide didn't look to happy about the situation. Maybe now wasn't the best time to tell him that I was going on a date with Eric tonight.
"Ahhh, well that makes sense." Alcide replied now understanding why she was claimed without consummating the union. Although, Arabella was beautiful, why wouldn't the vampire try to bed her?
"Wait, did Eric actually tell you that you can't come by? Why would he do that?" Arabella asked not knowing why Eric would force that on Alcide.
"Isn't it obvious? He's worried that I might try to take what's his." Alcide answered with a roll to his eyes. He always thought vampires were so dramatic with their 'claims'. He then added, "It wouldn't be wise to piss him off though Arabella. He's smart and calculating and doesn't like to be played."
"Well, I don't like to be told who I can or can't be friends with, so here's what we're going to do. This house is old and needs some work. We'll just have to come up with projects for you to work on so that you can come by and still hang out." I replied. I was not going to have Eric cut Alcide out of my life just because he felt threatened by Alcide's presence. Oh my God, was he jealous? Noooooo. He couldn't' be. Right?
"I like the way your mind works Arabella." Alcide replied as he then turned to see my sister coming out of our house.
"Hey Sook, this here is Alcide Herveaux. He's the one who's been working on our foyer. Alcide, this is my sister Sookie." I said, introducing the two of them.
Sookie quickly hid her shocked look and said, "Hello Alcide. Nice to meet you. The foyer looks great." And then she added telepathically, 'Arabella Grace Stackhouse, where on earth did you find this hunk of a man?
"Thanks Sookie. Nice to meet you too. Well, I'll just be getting my supplies out of the truck and finishing up the rest of the work." Alcide said as he walked away from us.
"Yeah, he's easy on the eyes, isn't he?" I said to Sookie with a wink.
"Oh my goodness, he is pretty darn close to perfection." Sookie said still eyeing my friend.
"Uhhhh, Sookie, aren't you spoken for?" I said smiling at her.
"Yes, and so are you, sorta, but that doesn't mean I can't still appreciate a good looking man. I'm taken, not dead, being dead's Bill's job." Sookie said smirking.
"Yeah, speaking of sorta being spoken for… If I tell you something, do you promise not to get mad at me?" I asked hoping she wouldn't get all motherly on me with the bomb I was about to drop on her.
"Okaaaaaaay. Spit it out." Sookie said.
"Eric asked me out on a date, and I said yes." I blurted out.
"What! You can't be serious Arabella. I told you he's trouble. Why would you do that?" Sookie asked astounded that her sister would be so stupid as to agree to a date with that asshole.
"I know, I know, you've warned me about him, but there's something there, I don't know, I can't put my finger on it." I replied honestly to her, hoping she would understand where I was coming from.
"Arabella, I know you like to live a little. I get that; but you need to be careful with him. He's always got an ulterior motive for what he does. You're my sister, and I don't want to see you get hurt." Sookie said giving me a hug.
"I know Sookie, I understand, but I just have this gut feeling that this is something I need to explore." I replied.
"Okay, if you feel that strongly, then I won't get all up in your face about it anymore. But, I do reserve the right to say I told you so if he goes full-on asshole on you." Sookie said, hoping it would never come to that.
"Thanks. I hope I never have to hear those words." I responded as we walked back into the house.
…
The day passed quickly. Sookie left for work, Alcide and I came up with a plan for projects for him to work on around the house, and I got the best nap of my life. All in all a great day. I was hoping for a great night with Eric as well.
"What to wear?" I mumbled to myself as I stared at the outfits strewn all over my bed. I wanted to look good, but not like I was trying too hard. I finally settled on my favorite pair of jeans that did wonders for my backside and a light orange v-neck tank top that looked good against my tan skin and showed enough cleavage to be… interesting, but not slutty, at least I hoped that was what it looked like. I pulled my hair up into a cute ponytail and applied my make-up for a natural look. After putting on my favorite hoop earrings, I heard the doorbell. 'Oh crap, that's him', I thought. Well here goes nothing…
"Hi." I said to Eric as I opened the door. He looked impeccable in his usual attire, black jeans, black wife beater, black leather jacket. It made the blue of his eyes stand out even more. Although, it'd be nice to see him in some other color, other than black.
"Hello Arabella. You look lovely tonight." He said and meant it. Further, she looked and smelled good enough to eat; a smirk forming on his face as the thought crossed his mind.
"Thank you. You look great too." I said, but with that smirk on his face, I think he already knew that.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked.
"Yeah, let me get my purse and we can head out." I said as I reached to pull my purse off of the coatrack near the door.
After closing and locking the door, we walked over to his car, which was some sort of silver foreign sports car, a two seater. It screamed 'mid-life crisis car', but I had to admit, it looked good on him.
"Where are we going?" Eric asked as we sat down in his car. He was a little skeptical, allowing his pet pick the location for this rendezvous was not his usual m-o, but it was kind of pleasant to not have to be in control of everything for once.
"We're going to Big Bob's Bowling Alley on I-49 near Bunkie." I replied, hoping that this wasn't the worst idea in the world.
"I'm sorry, Where?" Eric asked, not believing what she had just said.
"Big Bob's Bowling Alley." I said again. Oh boy, I'm in trouble.
"Why? Of all the places we could go, why there?" Eric asked dumbfounded. In all his years, and there were many, he had successfully managed to not step foot in that type of banal establishment. He wasn't so sure that he wanted to break that run. Besides, he had money, they could've gone anywhere.
I knew I was going to have to really sell this, so here I went, "Well, I thought, we don't really know each other, so it'd be nice to talk and get to know each other while doing something, sorta fun. You don't eat, well, you don't eat food, so going to a restaurant, while great for me, might be a little gross for you. Sookie told me before about how food smells awful to vampires. While going to a movie would be fun, it doesn't allow for any talking. I don't bowl, and I didn't think you'd be a big bowler either, so we'd sorta be on even ground. It could even be fun to see who can get a better score. And, no one will know us there, so it would just be me and you there, not Arabella the human and Eric the vampire."
He had to hand it to her, she had some valid points. "Okay, let's do this." Eric said, begrudgingly, as they sped down the driveway and headed to Big Bob's. How bad could it be?
….
"Let me get this straight, you want me to put on these disgusting shoes that have been worn by how many different sweaty humans? These are disgusting." Eric said, cringing, holding up the pair of bowling shoes, that the acned teenager behind the counter offered him, with the tips of his cold fingers. Pam, with that shoe fetish of hers, would have gone medieval on these human's asses for even offering such repulsive foot apparel.
"Eric, from what I understand from Sookie, you've stuck a certain body part of yours into numerous different sweaty humans, and you seem to be perfectly fine. I think your feet will survive. Besides, you're dead, what do you think you're going to catch? And for your information, they spray those shoes with disinfectant, just in case. I highly doubt you've been spraying your, ummmm, little friend, with Lysol, and it probably could use it more than those shoes you're holding. Didn't you live through the Black Plague? You must have drank blood and had sex with some pretty nasty humans back then, probably ones that missed a bath or maybe never even took a bath, were missing most of their teeth, and for Pete's sake, there wasn't even toilet paper. I mean, really Eric, are you honestly going to stand there and give me grief because you need to put on those shoes?" I replied. Truthfully, Sookie made him sound like he was the epitome of a male slut. If he had that much sex with different women, doing the most intimate of acts, what the fuck was he worried about with a pair of used shoes?
"First of all, let me correct something… There is nothing 'little' on me. Second, is this tirade of yours because I've had sex with lots of humans?" Eric asked, trying to divert the conversation from the fact that maybe he was being a bit of a baby about the shoes.
"No Eric. You've live a long time and you're a vampire. I never had any preconceived notions that you were a boy scout or a member of the clergy. I know that you've been around the block before. I just think you're being a little weird about the shoes." I replied honestly. It didn't really bother me that he had a… past, and like I told him, I wouldn't have expected otherwise in such a long life. Now, if we begin dating, seriously, then it would bother me if he didn't curb his appetites while with me. What he did before me is ancient news though as far as I'm concerned.
Eric couldn't really argue her point. She was right. With all he's seen and done in his lifetime, the shoes really were the lesser of the evils. So, he rolled his eyes, took the shoes to their lane, sat down and said, "Fine. I'll put the shoes on."
I couldn't believe that I just won that argument. Yeah me! Okay… need to not gloat here. Something tells me gloating right now would be bad.
"I'll set up our score sheet on the tv screen so we can get started." I said to Eric as I added our info into the computer at our table.
Eric noted that Arabella had not rejoiced about winning their little squabble. No happy dance, no boo-ya, no in your face. She just let it drop, like he wanted. Sookie would have rubbed it in his face in a heartbeat. He knew that from all the times he'd seen her with Bill. Sookie was not above emasculating Bill, to say the least. How Bill put up with that bullshit from his pet, Eric didn't know. All he knew was that he would not tolerate it. Somehow, Arabella had enough shrewdness to stand her ground in an argument, and enough understanding to know how to win gracefully.
"Okay, I go first." Arabella said to Eric while he was in thought.
"And why do you get to go first?" Eric asked playfully, with his eyebrow raised.
"Well, from what I understand, usually it's ladies first, but more to the point, I've actually done this before, have you?" Arabella responded with a smirk.
"No. Proceed." Eric replied, sitting back on his chair and taking in her form as she bent down to pick up her ball. She really did look good tonight; great jeans.
"You know the basic gist of the game, right? Knock down as many of the pins as you can. But, let's make this more interesting. No powers." Arabella said to Eric. She didn't know if that would even be possible for him, being that he'd been a vampire for so long; it was probably second nature to him. But, if he could suspend his powers for the game, and she used her telekinesis, she may actually not look like a slouch during the game. He, of course, wouldn't know because she was pretty good at hiding her ability, or so she thought.
Eric thought about this for a moment. Why not? It would make it more interesting, he supposed. "Okay, no powers." He said.
So they started bowling and it didn't suck (no pun intended) Eric thought. But, during the gameplay, something caught his eye… was she cheating? Eric noticed that one of the balls that Arabella had thrown down the alley seemed to be heading for the gutter, only to have straightened itself out and rolled right into a strike. Now, he knew, from seeing bowling on tv once, that this was not an uncommon occurrence, however, that combined with her concentration on that ball and her hand movement corresponding with the movement of the ball, now that was more than coincidence. He resolved that he would have to watch her more closely during the game. Sure enough, after the next round, something similar occurred. Interesting. He decided that he would let her bring it up when she was ready.
"So, why is it that I didn't know about you until recently?" Eric asked Arabella, wondering what her story was.
"I had been gone for two years, travelling all over the US with my friend Jessalyn. We had a blast. We saw and did so much." I responded wistfully while getting ready to throw my next ball.
"What were you running from?" Eric asked. He had seen many girls, especially at Fangtasia, who were trying to run from some trauma in their lives. It was weird; Arabella didn't strike him as the type.
"I wasn't running from anything." I replied, wondering why he would think that.
"Then why were you travelling for so long?" Eric asked, honestly wanting to know why.
"Well, growing up, we weren't poor, but we weren't rich either. We lived with our Gran because our parents were killed in a flash flood when I was three and a half. She was the best. I loved her so much, but she was older, and going on vacations was not really an option, especially not with three small kids. I know you've seen Bon Temps. It's small, stiflingly small. Everybody knows your business. It's the same things to do day in and day out. I just wanted to experience something… else. My friend Jessalyn and I both felt the same way, so when we turned eighteen and graduated high school, we decided to go road tripping across the US. We took odd jobs along the way to pay for food and shelter. It was one of the best experiences of my life." I replied.
Eric was impressed, and that was not easily done by a human. Here, this young girl left everything behind, everything that was safe and nurturing in her life to experience life. So many humans were pathetic in that they lived their lives in a twenty block radius, never venturing outside that circle. She also seemed resourceful in that she figured out how to pay her way along the way. It took some new vampires years to learn that skill. Those vampires often had to resort to stealing, killing and glamouring for basic survival. He'd seen it.
"So, where's your friend now?" Eric asked, as he had not heard of this, Jessalyn, before.
"She met a guy out in California and is living with him now." I said sadly. I missed my friend.
Eric noted how sad she looked in talking about her friend, but glossed over the fact that her parents were dead. "Why is it that you look more disheartened about not seeing your friend than you do about your parents being dead?" Eric asked. Even after all these years, he'd give anything to have his family back. He didn't understand her response.
"You know, when my Gran died I was beyond heartbroken. Like I said, she raised us kids. And, if anything were to happen to Sookie or Jason, it would kill me. I love my family. And yes, I miss my friend Jessalyn too. We're practically like sisters. My parents though… I wish that they could still be alive. I wish they could have raised us, you know, see the people we've become. But I was so young when they died that I really don't have any memories of them that I can truly say are my own. I'm supposed to love them, I know that, but I only know them through pictures and stories. Sookie , Jason and Gran all used to talk about them so much and they have these great stories about them, but me, I had none of my own. I feel horrible that I don't really feel that much about my parents. Everyone expects that I should, even you, I can see it on your face, but without memories of my own to cherish, it makes it hard, real hard." I replied, turning my face to avoid looking at Eric, since tears were threatening to fall down my face. I had never had to explain this to anyone else before and it made me feel horrible, like I was a terrible person for having these thoughts.
Eric understood now her lack of emotion about her parents. Being that young when they were killed, she wouldn't have remembered them. Well, this wasn't how he wanted the date to go. His goal was to bed her and get his plan further in motion, not make her upset. So, he gently turned her face toward him with his hands, and upon seeing the tear that fell from her beautiful blue eyes as she then quickly looked down, he took one of his fingers and wiped it away. She looked so vulnerable right there. It made him feel uncomfortable… feel human… it made him feel. He wanted to make that all go away, so he did the only thing that he could think of to stop the tears. He pulled her face close to his and gently placed a cool, light kiss on her wet cheek. Seeing that she was receptive to the kiss, he placed another light kiss on her other cheek. Encouraged by her body language; her warm breath escaping from her now open lips, her body leaning in closer to his, her heartbeat pounding faster in her chest; he resolved that the next one would be placed directly on her waiting lips. He had been looking forward to this moment for a while, but just as he got within millimeters of her lips, they were interrupted by Billy Ray and his cohorts.
"Hey you two. I'm Billy Ray, and this here is Bo and Luke. Please don't make any Dukes of Hazzard jokes, they've done heard them all. We'd like to know if ya'll would like to place a friendly wager on a game, say about $100.00?" The idiot, Billy Ray, asked the two of us as Eric was about to kiss my lips. Honestly, right now?
He was going to kiss me. He was so close. His lips were perfect; cool to the touch, but sending hotness throughout my body. Ahhhhhhh! I can't believe that I started crying though. Not good first date material, but I couldn't help it; talking about my family like that just got me emotional. I'm actually surprised that he responded to my crying by kissing me. I would've thought that he would've just ended the date there and drove me home. It didn't seem like something he'd be into, you know, emotions.
Eric removed his hands and moved his face back from Arabella's, disliking the distance and hating the stupid humans standing before them that were causing it. He saw the three idiots were looking for a response. "Boys, that's a mighty fine offer, but me and my (he was going to say pet, but knew that would be unwise here)… girl are on a date." Eric said calmly to the country bumpkins while internally he was seething.
"Yeah, well, you two are the only other people here tonight and we're really itching to play." Billy Ray replied. Can't this guy take a hint that we're not interested?
"Can't you play without us?" I jumped in, not really wanting to deal with these guys.
"We could, but it's way more fun when there's a bet on. What, you guys chicken?" Billy Ray said while adding chicken noises and flapping his arms like a bird. Oh yeah, he went there.
"Boys, can you give me and my boyfriend a second here. We'll join you in a moment." I said to them. Thankfully they got the hint and walked down to a lane far enough away where I could speak to Eric without them hearing us.
"You aren't seriously considering spending any time with those fools, are you?" Eric asked. He really wanted to continue what they had started a minute ago.
"Yes I am. I hate those types of guys. They probably saw us and figured we were ripe for the picking. Well, nuh uh, we're going to beat their asses at their own game. You use your powers. I need a new pair of shoes." I said smirking.
Eric liked this side of her. He had to admit, beating those fools at a round of bowling did sound like fun. They'd never see it coming. He thought that Pam would like this side of her too. Pam did have one hell of a shoe fetish.
"Oh boys…" I called over to the fools… "Let's get this started."
….
"Ha! That was the easiest $100.00 I've ever made. But what was priceless was their faces as we schooled them." I said happily while using the cash to fan myself as we got into Eric's car.
"I believe that I made that money. After all, I did use my powers, just like you asked." Eric said while smirking. He did use his powers, but he noticed so did she. He was curious if she would come clean about them now.
Shit. I used mine too, but I didn't want to tell him about them. So I replied, "Yeah, you did, but you wouldn't have even played them if I didn't talk you into it. And, I think I held my own in there as well."
"Yeah, you did. But, I thought you weren't a bowler." Eric said, trying to get her to come clean by calling her out on that.
"No, I'm not. Just was lucky I guess. Why don't we split it down the middle? Here's half." I said as I tried to hand him half of the winnings.
"No. I don't need that. You keep it and buy yourself something nice, preferably naughty as well." He said while giving Arabella the once over.
"Ummm, thank you. I think I have the shoes in mind already." I said dreamily as I recalled a pair of heels I saw in one of the catalogs I had at home.
Eric thought she looked beautiful with that content smile on her face. He didn't want the night to end just yet. "Since you surprised me with the bowling, I'm going to surprise you with where we're going to next.
I have to admit, I was a little nervous. Who knew where he would be taking me. But, he'd been a perfect gentleman so far, so I figured I'd just go with it.
"Okay, I'm game." I said looking at him and his beautiful profile as he drove us to God knows where.
….
"Eric, it's beautiful here." I said as he stopped the car by a dock overlooking a lovely pond illuminated by the moonlight and framed by weeping willow trees. The magnolia trees that were there as well scented the air and the subtle sounds of nature made the scene… perfect. He had pulled a blanket from out of his trunk and laid it on the dock so we could sit comfortably.
As they sat down on the blanket, Eric said, "I like to come here sometimes to think. It's isolated from everything else going on in my world and allows me to regroup, refocus. Not to mention, the beauty of nature here is only rivaled by your own." He then, gently, removed her hair from the pony tail it was in allowing it to cascade down her back in slight curls. Releasing her hair sent a powerful rush of her scent into the air. He took a small bundle of her hair in his hand and lifted it to his face, sniffing it and brushing it against his cheek. So soft…Perfection, he thought.
"Eric… I…" I had started to say, something. I was nervous, to say the least. I had been worried that he would do exactly what he was doing now. How far would this go? How far was I willing to go? My God, this was a first date. But he's just trying to kiss me, right? That doesn't mean I have to sleep with him. Oh, but the naughty girl in me categorically and emphatically wants to do real bad things with him.
Eric didn't let her finish her words as he reached up from behind her head, at the base of her neck, to tangle his hand in her hair and lead her mouth to his. He had waited far longer for this moment than he ever did before for a woman, especially one he'd claimed. It was worth it though; she tasted even better than he imagined she would, like strawberries and cream, vanilla and sunlight all rolled into one. The kiss started out slow, with him savoring her flavor. Each of them seemed to enjoy exploring the other's mouth, but then, as the passion building inside both of them began escalating at a rapid pace, the kiss became more frenzied and urgent. Both of their hands were all over the place, touching each other and trying to pull the other's clothes off.
"So whatcha whatcha whatcha want, whatcha want…" My Beastie Boys ringtone was going off on my phone. Who would be calling me now?
"Ignore it." Eric said as he started to place light kisses down my neck, causing my breath to hitch.
For a moment, I seriously considered letting the call go to voicemail, but it was really late and with everything going on around me these days, oh like a murderer on the loose, I knew I couldn't live with myself if it was Sookie or Jason or anyone else I knew calling for help. So, I reluctantly pulled away from Eric and said, "Eric, I'm really, ummmm, enjoying myself here too, but if someone is in trouble and calling me I couldn't live with myself knowing that I ignored them because of my libido."
"Hello?" I answered my phone.
"Arabella, he's shacked up with some red-headed floosy." Sookie screamed, crying into the phone so loud that I had to hold it away from my ear.
"Sookie, calm down. You're going to make me deaf. Who's shacked up with a red-headed floosy?" I asked her.
Eric rolled his eyes. He knew the "floosy" was Bill's new progeny. Looks like Bill fucked up telling his pet about his punishment for protecting her.
"Bill! I can't believe I trusted him this whole time. She's living there. She said so herself. I went over to Bill's and there she was wrapped in a towel and a smile and nothing else." Sookie told me absolutely heartbroken.
"Sookie, there's got to be some sort of explanation. Bill loves you; it's all over his face when he sees you. Did you let him explain?" I asked. How could he have been seeing Sookie for over five months and she never have seen this girl before? Some part of the story was missing.
"No. I was too upset and angry. I need you to come home Arabella. I don't want, no, I can't be alone now. Not tonight." Sookie said, now crying quietly into the phone.
"Okay, I'll be home soon." I said as I said goodbye and hung up. I couldn't leave her alone like that.
"Wait, you want to go home, now? " Eric asked unenthusiastically. The night was getting so good. Leave it to Sookie and Bill to ruin it for him.
"Yeah. I'm sorry Eric. She really needs me. Could you take me home now?" I asked Eric quietly.
Eric could see in her eyes that she didn't really want to go home; that she was just as sorry that their 'fun' was about to end, but he couldn't berate her loyalty to her sister, her family. Loyalty was something he valued in a person. He was glad to see she had it in her. "Of course. We'll have plenty of time to pick up where we left off." He said while placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
….
When we pulled up the driveway, Sookie ran out of the house crying. She practically knocked me down with a bear hug once I got out of Eric's car.
"Oh, Arabella, I'm glad your home. You're always so good at making me feel better." Sookie said to me, while ignoring Eric altogether. I think she was having a 'screw the vampires' kinda night.
"Eric, thank you for tonight. I had a really nice time." I said smiling as I turned to face him.
"The pleasure was all mine." He said to me with a smirk through the open window before driving off.
"It looks like you two had a good time… not too good I hope." Sookie said, hoping her sister was smart enough to not go there with Eric.
"I didn't sleep with him, if that's what you're getting at Sook." I replied, not adding the part that I might have. "We went bowling."
"Bowling? You went bowling… with Eric? And he agreed to that?" Sookie asked floored that Eric would do something like that.
"Yeah, and I made $100.00 bucks doing it. Let's go inside and I'll tell you about it." I said to Sookie as we started to walk into the house.
….
Eric drove back to Fangtasia, hungry and horny. Thankfully, the club was still going strong when he walked in, filled with lots of willing… blood donors. He spotted Pam immediately at the bar and walked over to her.
"So how was the 'date' with your pet?" Pam purred to Eric. She found the situation entirely amusing.
"Surprisingly not dull, at least until it got interrupted by the drama between Bill and Sookie." Eric answered, frustrated that he wasn't able to get further with his pet tonight.
"Well, I'm not surprised there. In fact, Bill and his progeny are sitting in your office as we speak." Pam said with a bored look on her face, inspecting her nails.
"What? Why? And, why did you not inform me earlier about them?" Eric asked Pam, slightly annoyed with her attitude when it came to managing things in his absence. He knew he was entirely too lenient with her and she took advantage of it.
"What, and spoil the good time you were having, for that hot mess?" Pam said with an innocent look on her face. She didn't always feel the lust off of Eric when he was with a conquest, but tonight, through their bond, she could feel that he was very into Arabella.
Eric thought about it for a minute, she was right, he would've been pissed to end the night even earlier for this shit, so he finally said, "Well, how long have they been waiting?"
"Long enough to get their panties in a bunch. Have fun. Bill wants to talk with you." Pam said, already bored with the Bill talk.
When Eric walked into his office, he saw Bill sitting there with his head in his hands and his progeny, what's her name, bitching and moaning about being bored.
"Eric. Thank you for seeing me. I need your help. I need you to take Jessica for a short while." Bill said, pleadingly to Eric.
"He doesn't let me do anything. I want to kill and fuck and kill and dance and…" Bill's progeny said as she was walking all around the room restlessly.
"Why do I need to take her? She's your punishment, not mine. What's in it for me?" Eric replied. This night just keeps getting better, doesn't it, he thought sarcastically.
"Excuse me mister rude, but I can hear you." Jessica said to Eric. She obviously didn't know the chain of command around here.
"She won't listen to me. She's out of control. It's going to take more time to teach her obedience than I have right now. There are matters I need to attend to urgently." Bill replied to Eric.
"Sookie Stackhouse matters? Honestly Bill, you can't handle one little girl?" Eric said, knowing the trouble the red-head had caused earlier in the night.
"If I lose Sookie because of my inability to explain the situation, you would be…." Bill started.
"I would be what? I would be what Bill? Eric said menacingly to Bill, letting him know exactly who was in charge.
"You would be without her services." Bill answered meekly, standing down from his earlier threatening stance. He knew he couldn't win a fight with Eric, not here and not like this. That wasn't what he wanted right now anyway. He just wanted some help.
"Well, if she wasn't yours anymore, I do believe that she could become mine then, isn't that right Bill?" Eric said with a huge grin on his face. Bill looked horrified.
"Eric, you've claimed Arabella, why would you want Sookie? Besides, you can't glamour them, how would you convince Sookie to betray her sister like that?" Bill replied, hoping this logic would dissuade Eric from pursuing this any further.
Eric thought about what Bill said for a minute. He was right, to get Sookie to become his, now that would need a more nuanced tactic.
"If you could take Jessica, even for one night, I would be in your debt. I would return the favor." Bill offered.
"Yes, yes you will." Eric replied and then spoke to Bill's progeny, "Jessica, how would you like to learn how a real vampire feeds?"
"Oh, yes sir, I would sir. Can we do that tonight?" Jessica said starry eyed at the blond vampire and then added flirtatiously, "You're kinda cute. Can I sit in your lap?"
"No, but Pam (who at that exact moment had entered the room) would be more than happy to show you the ropes." Eric replied.
"Yessss, it would make my life complete." Pam said rolling her eyes as she took Jessica by the arm and guided her out to the bar to find Jessica's first meal. Bill gets this girl as his punishment and somehow I'm stuck trolling for bloodbags with her. Abso-fucking-lutely great, Pam thought.
"Now if that's all Bill, I have other matters to attend to." Eric said to Bill in order to get him to leave. He knew that the faster Bill got to smooth over things with Sookie, then the faster he could continue what he started with his pet.
Once Bill left, Eric walked out into the bar and sat on his throne. He was still hungry and horny, especially while replaying the night in his head, thinking of those lips, her scent… He scanned the crowd for a substitute for the night, finally finding a blond, similar in build to Arabella that would have to do. He summoned her to come with him as he guided her back to his office. There he quickly got down to business with her. She was more than willing, which was a slight turn off for him tonight, but he still needed to get rid of the sexual frustration he was feeling and feed. After a quick fuck and suck, he couldn't help but feel unsatisfied. This girl smelled like tanning lotion, cigarettes, and bad luck; nothing like Arabella. Her blood was barely drinkable as well. It would have to do for the night though. He kicked the girl out when they were done. She didn't look like she cared about that though, these fangbangers never seem to. It appeared that the only thing they cared about was being able to say that they were with the great Eric Northman; chosen by him. Pathetic. The surprising thing about his pet, was that she made him feel like she had chosen him, not the other way around. That was as unsettling to Eric as it was arousing. He didn't know what to make of it, but figured he'd just go with it for now.
….
After leaving Fangtasia, Bill went directly to Sookie's house and rang the doorbell.
Sookie and I had gone to bed after I was able to finally calm her down by filling her in on the date. She couldn't believe how, normal, it all seemed. To me, the date was as perfect as it could be. I wondered if Eric thought the same; if he would take me out again. While deep in these thoughts, I heard the doorbell ring. Better go see who it is…
"Bill. Ummmm, this is sorta unexpected. I heard about the red-head who moved in with you. Sookie's just about had a conniption fit over it." I said to the most forlorn looking vampire I'd ever seen.
"Yes, I understand that it was very upsetting to Sookie. I need to explain some things to her. Is she available?" Bill asked hoping to get this out of the way tonight as he didn't know if Eric and Pam would watch Jessica another night.
"It took a while to get her to stop crying and calm down. She just fell asleep a little while ago. It probably would be best if you talked to her tomorrow night Bill. I'm sorry. I don't think she has much left in her tonight." I replied honestly.
"I understand. Please let her know that I love her and will return tomorrow night to explain… Jessica." Bill responded.
"So, her name is Jessica, huh. Is this platonic Jessica, or red-hot mama Jessica?" I asked, wanting to get a little bit more of the story, so I could prepare Sookie.
"Oh my God, definitely platonic. Please let Sookie know that it's not what she thinks." Bill said.
"I didn't think so anyway, but thought I'd ask. I know how much you love my sister Bill." I replied smiling.
"Thank you Arabella; that is kind of you. Well, I'll let you get back to sleep then. Goodnight." Bill said as he then left to go back to his own home. It saddened him to know that Eric was just using her. She was a good sister, a good person. He hoped that when Eric was through with her that she would still be that same person.