To all who have stayed with my story… I am sooooo sorry for the delay. Life got incredibly busy. Updates should be more often moving forward. Thanks for staying with this! Reviews are always great too!
…
"Are you going to wear that stupid look on your face all day? He took you bowling for goodness sakes, not to Paris. And to be honest, I'm surprised you made it home in one piece, let alone at all, with that jerk." Sookie asked me as I walked into the kitchen. Normally, she'd have breakfast going with a smile, but this morning she was all piss and vinegar, while on her hands and knees scrubbing the black and white checkerboard floor like her life depended on it. She obviously had gone from dejected Sookie to angry Sookie. I don't like angry Sookie, especially not in the morning. But, at least the kitchen never looked better, and more importantly, I didn't have to clean it.
"Yeah, I was thinking about it." I replied. It wasn't like I could get rid of it anyway… but added, "Sookie, I'm real sorry that you and Bill had a… misunderstanding… but I have a right to be happy about my date. It's not like I get asked out all the time. And, for your information, Bill stopped by last night, with the most pitiful look on his face that I've ever seen. He wanted to explain about Jessica, but you were already asleep. He said it's strictly platonic and that he would explain it to you tonight. So can you quit being such a bitch this morning?
"He stopped by? Why didn't you wake me? Wait, did you say her name is Jessica? Do you know anything more about her?" Sookie asked frantically as she got up from the floor holding a sponge and bucket.
"Sookie, come on, last night you were a mess. You really needed to calm down before talking to Bill. Plus, you were exhausted. I don't know if I would've been able to wake you anyway. As for Jessica, that's all I got, besides that it's platonic." I responded.
Placing the cleaning supplies in the sink and then leaning against the counter with her arms crossed, Sookie said, "You're probably right. I was really in a state last night, wasn't I? I guess I'll just have to wait until tonight to find out more, but thank you for calming me down. I'm sorry I made your date end early, well, maybe not so sorry about that, it was with Eric after all, but I am sorry for being unpleasant this morning."
"I know that you love Bill a whole heck of a lot and that's why you went bat shit crazy last night and this morning. Don't worry about it Sook." I replied with a smile.
"I haven't been that crazy… have I?" Sookie asked.
"Uh, yeah, but we all have those moments, right. Some more than others…" I said with a big smile.
"Oh no, you are not going to stand there and insinuate that I'm a loon, are you?" Sookie said while standing up.
"Well, if the straight jacket fits…" I replied grinning.
"I'll show you crazy…" Sookie exclaimed as she charged after me to start a tickle fight… just like we used to when we were little kids, only this time I didn't pee my pants like I did when I was three.
…
Sookie and I were both working the afternoon shift today, which was good for both of us, for different reasons. She needed to get her mind off of Bill… and Jessica and I needed to get a bit more grounded thinking about my date with Eric. Sure, he was great, the date was great, yada, yada, yada, but everyone else who knows him says he's dangerous. I don't know what to make of the situation yet, so it probably would be wise to take a breath and not make too much of it, or at least try to.
"Hey hooker, you're looking good today. Um Um Um. Who put that big ass smile on your pretty little face?" Lafayette said to me while twirling his spatula through the air in circles around my head as I grabbed my apron and order pad to start my shift.
I didn't know if telling Lafayette the truth would be good or bad, but seeing as he didn't live the most normal lifestyle, I figured he'd be the least to judge. Leaning in over the high counter that separated the kitchen from the serving area I replied, "Well, if you must know, I had a date last night… a good, no, a great one." I was barely able to contain my giggles of happiness. Boy, I have it bad…
"Ooooohhhh, child, did you get yo-self some action last night?" Lafayette asked while pulling his arms backward and thrusting his hips forward several times, you know, the universal sign of having sex.
"Almost. I mean, I don't know, we might have if our date didn't get interrupted. Well… I'm not sure if we would have, but he was a great kisser." I replied, again having a hard time controlling the giggles. Okay, how old am i?
"Well, your date didn't get any, but it looks like he done got your panties in a big ole bunch seeing as you're having such a hard time speaking. So, does Mr. Great Kisser have a name? And please hooker, do not tell me it was any of those crazy red-neck idiots out there right now, because they are so not worthy of your pu-say." Lafayette said with his flair for the dramatic.
"Uh, no. Lafayette, please, some of the guys out there don't even have all their teeth. No, it's not any of them. His name is Eric, Eric Northman." I said with a big grin.
"Um, Eric Northman, as in big, bad-ass viking vampire Eric Northman? " Lafayette asked me with a sudden onset of seriousness that I wasn't used to from him.
"Yeah. That'd be the one." I said as I caught a flash of thoughts from Lafayette. I saw him with another vampire, an overweight, middle-aged, sweaty-looking guy sitting in front of a tv. Eddie, Eddie was his name. He was letting Lafayette take blood from him with a needle and tubing. It looked consensual; at least I thought it did. The vampire was rubbing Lafayette's head lovingly. Oh my God, I knew Lafayette dealt drugs; that was a pretty open secret. Only the morons in the Bon Temps police department didn't know about his source of extra cash. Even so, I never would have thought, not in a million years that he'd be dealing V. Oh, I wish I didn't know this…
"Hooker, do you know that man could eat you up and spit you out, and I mean that literally? Baby girl, you need to end this before it starts." Lafayette said, pleading with his words and eyes. He didn't want to see anything bad happen to his friend.
"Lafayette, I've heard about him, from numerous sources, and they all say the same, but he's different when he's with me. I can't explain it. But, I promise, I'll be careful." Then in a hushed tone I added, "But, speaking of being careful, Lafayette, you need to be too. I didn't mean to see…"
"Oh no girlfriend, you did not see anything. And, what you think you just saw, if it did happen, it ain't happening no more. Trust." He replied quickly, and I could tell from his thoughts that he was telling the truth. His mind wondered to the vampire he had an arrangement with. It seems that he went missing and it scared the crap out of Lafayette.
"Lafayette, I won't tell anyone, but please promise me that you won't do that again." I said to him to reassure him that I wasn't going to blab his secret.
"Thank you baby girl. I promise. That shit is so not worth the hassle." Lafayette said as he then turned to stir his chili.
"So, you went on a date with a vamper?" Rene asked me out of the blue. Shit, where did he just come from and was he listening the whole time?
"Uh, oh, hi Rene. I didn't see you there. Yeah, I went on a date, but it wasn't a big deal." I said, trying to get out of this conversation with Rene. I didn't know why, but he sorta gave me the heebee-geebee's.
"Oh, you need to be careful there, ya know. I'd hate to see anyting happen to you." Rene said before he was summoned over to the pool tables by Arlene and Hoyt. Okaaaaay. That was a little creepy. Oh well, time to go wait on some tables, I thought.
….
"Hey Chere, how are you feeling?" Sam asked walking towards me as I was getting a drink order from Tara.
"Pretty good, considering. The house is looking better too. Hey, I've found a great handyman. I can pass his number along to you. I know that you needed some stuff fixed here at Merlotte's." I replied to Sam as I wrote down Alcide's number on my order pad and handed it to him.
"Thanks Chere. Yeah, the back storage shed has been hit one too many times by drunk redneck's and their trucks. I'll probably call him today." Sam said as he took the number from me.
"Hey Sam, do you get any weird vibes from Rene? I haven't known him as long as ya'll have, but he sorta is giving me a case of the weirds." I asked Sam once Tara walked down to the other end of the bar. I loved Tara, but she had a big mouth and I really didn't want to broadcast that question.
"Naw. He seems like a stand-up guy; treats Arlene and the kids really good too. Why you ask? Did he try something with you? Did you hear something?" Sam asked. He was one of the few that knew Sookie and I had our 'gift'.
"No, no, he didn't and I didn't. It's just a weird feeling. Oh well, I must just be imaging things. I don't want to start a fire where one doesn't need to be, especially when Arlene and Rene are about to get married in a couple weeks. Tomorrow's their engagement party, right?" I asked Sam.
"Yeah, oh and by the way, thank you for working; pretty much everyone else is in the wedding. Daphne will be working with you though." Sam said as he looked happily over at Daphne who was just about to spill a drink on a customer. "I think I better help her out." Sam continued to say as he tried to get over to the now drenched customers to do damage control. 'Oh goody, I get to work with Daphne', I thought, that should be fun.
Sookie walked over to me and said while shaking her head, "Oh my, that girl must be really good in bed, because she sucks as a waitress."
"You ain't kiddin'." I said and laughed as I took the drink order to my table.
….
"Oh honey, you know I love ya, right? It's just I had already asked all those girls and if I asked you then we'd be off on our count for the guys side and…" Arlene said to me drunk as a skunk while I was taking a break at the bar by Tara.
"Arlene, honestly, don't worry about it. I'm sure you have plenty of other things you need to worry about for your wedding, this is not one of them." I said with an honest smile as I gave her a big hug. I would much rather be a guest at her wedding then a bridesmaid, hands down.
"Bless your heart Arabella, thank you. I'm so glad you came back home. Hey, Rene told me that you went on a date with a vampire. Did he, you know, bite you?" Arlene asked while unconsciously putting her hand on her neck.
"No Arlene, he did not bite me. He was actually a perfect gentleman. I know that probably would surprise most everybody here, but it was a really nice date. And no, we didn't have sex neither." I responded, a little more harshly than I had intended, but honestly I could hear her thoughts. Rene and his big mouth. With Arlene knowing about my date now, I could count that everyone in a five parish radius of Bon Temps would know. God that woman could gossip.
"Sweetie, I'm sorry to pry. I'm just worried about you; Rene too." Arlene said sincerely.
"Arlene, it's okay, I know you don't mean nothing by it. Look, I need to get back to my tables and Rene looks like he misses you, so we'll talk later, okay." I said as I got up to get back to work.
"Oh yeah, sure sweetie. Talk to you later." Arlene said as she stumbled back to Rene's table.
"You know, the old me would have had a million things to say to that old gossip hound, but not anymore. Maryann has taught me to get rid of all that negative energy and to focus on the positive." Tara said after Arlene had left while wringing her hands as if it would send all the negative Arlene vibes right out of her body.
"Focusing on the positive can be just as tiring." I replied back to Tara, kinda wishing she was the old Tara with her nasty, but witty comebacks as they usually took the edge off of annoying situations.
….
Soon enough, day had turned to night and I had wondered if Eric would call. I didn't want to be one of those girls, you know, the ones that sit by the phone waiting impatiently for THAT call from a guy, but he stirred things in me. I guess I just wanted some sort of confirmation that I did the same for him. I knew that Sookie was going over to Bill's tonight and the thought of going home… alone… after my shift just sounded… lonely.
"You ready to head out?" Sookie asked as she walked over to me while slinging her purse over her shoulder. I could tell that she was anxious to find out about Jessica. I had to be honest, I was pretty curious about that situation too.
"Yeah, let me get my bag. Oh, Tara wanted a ride over to Maryann's house. She's got a hot date tonight with Eggs. She seems really happy with him, you know. I'm glad that she's found someone that makes her happy. Anyway, let me go get her too." I replied back to Sookie.
So, after I got Tara and my bag, the three of us walked outside towards Sookie's car. That's when we ran into Detective Bellefluer ranting and raving about his car.
"I swear I'm going to kick the shit out of whoever took my car." Andy yelled as he kicked some dirt and stones up from the parking lot with his cowboy boots, nearly falling over with the movement. It was obvious that he had one too many tonight.
"Tara, how could you let him leave to find his car like that? Couldn't you see that he was too drunk to drive? Thank God he can't find his car." Sookie chastised Tara.
"Yeah, but I thought Sam was looking out for him. Stupid Daphne; probably got his attention by tripping on air. Shit. Let's go get his keys." Tara said slightly pissed that she had to deal with drunk Andy. This was keeping her from her date with Eggs. "Andy Bellefluer, you give us your keys right now. You ain't driving home like that, no sir." Tara yelled over to Andy who was still looking all over for his car.
"I'll call Portia to come get him." I said to Sookie and Tara as I walked over closer towards Merlotte's for better cell reception. After making the call to Portia, who was soooooo excited to have to come and pick up her drunk screw-up brother, I saw that I had gotten a message from Eric. He texted that he had a great time last night and that while he would have loved to continue where we left off, he had work things to do tonight and would call tomorrow. I was bummed that he was busy, but excited to know that he was thinking of me. Yeah me! That's when I heard the screaming.
"Holy shit! Oh my God, that's not Lafayette, is it?" Tara screamed as it turned out the three of them found Andy's car, halfway into some trees, with a body lying in the backseat.
"No, it's actually a real female, but, holy crap, her heart's missing, like someone reached in and grabbed it right out." Andy said with as much tact as a loud drunk-ass could.
"It looks like we're going to be for a little while. Sookie, I'll call the police. Why don't you call Bill and tell him you're going to be late." I said evenly to Sookie while dialing the cops. Everyone else was panicking and freaking out… I knew someone needed to remain calm. Plus, I hadn't seen the body yet.
"Yeah, I should do that." Sookie replied quickly and then dialed Bill's number on her phone. He answered immediately. "Bill. It's me Sookie. Look, something real terrible's happened here at Merlotte's. I'll tell you about it when I see you later." She said to him in a panicky voice.
"Are you alright? Do you need me to come? I can be there before you know it." Bill said on the other line, clearly worried about her.
"You know I always need you, but honestly, you don't want to get involved with this. Shoot, I don't even want to be involved with this. Knowing that I'll be seeing you later will give me something to look forward to though." Sookie replied after having calmed down a bit at hearing his concern and care for her.
"Okay, take your time and be careful." Bill replied, hoping that she would actually not take her time. With all that was going on lately, he worried about her safety.
"I'll see you later, for sure. Bye Bill." Sookie said as she hung up with a sigh and wrapped her arms around herself. This was going to be a long night, she felt.
After getting off the phone with the police, I walked over to the car and looked inside. The scene was gruesome to say the least. Backing away, trying my darndest not to puke, I turned towards Sookie and Tara asked, "The cops will be here in a few minutes. Do either of you know that lady in the car?" We had all looked at the body in the back seat of Andy's car now, not out of some morbid curiosity, but rather just to rule out that it wasn't someone we knew.
Sookie shook her head no. It was clear that she never saw that lady before in her life. I hadn't either. That poor soul. There she was just lying there in the back seat in a floral housedress that was torn with a big ole hole where her heart used to be. Her eyes were still open, which freaked me out, to be honest. She had a look of absolute terror on her face. I suppose you would if someone just ripped your heart out. There was so much blood all over the back seat. I knew that most would blame a vampire for the attack, but with all that blood, I had my doubts. I didn't think that anyone who survived on blood would allow that much to be wasted.
Hearing the squad cars pull up, caused my attention to turn to Tara, who looked like she just saw a ghost. At first I thought it was just her reaction to seeing the body like that, but after a moment I realized that she knew the lady somehow. So, I opened up my mind and listened in on Tara's thoughts.
"Oh my God, that's the lady that my Momma used for her exorcism. My Momma's gonna freak when she hears about Miss Jeannette." Tara thought to herself.
"Tara, did you know that lady?" I asked her, knowing the answer, but wanting to give her a chance to come clean.
"No. No. I've never seen that lady before in my life." Tara said with her lip quivering and pacing back and forth nervously. I knew she was lying, but that was Tara's usual way of self-preservation.
"Tara, come on…" I said as Sookie looked at me and then at Tara. Sookie must have read Tara's mind too because she added, "Tara this is me and Arabella, you don't need to lie to us."
"Shit. You two said you wouldn't read my mind. Fuck. That lady was the one who did the exorcism on my Momma." Tara said to us defeatedly. We knew that Tara didn't do this, but she had been in trouble with the law in the past, so she knew she'd probably end up at the station answering fifty billion questions tonight. 'So much for that date with Eggs', she thought.
"We're sorry Tara, we really are, but you know that you have to tell the cops about her, right? It probably would help identify her at least, seeing as it doesn't look like there's a purse or wallet or nothin' back there with her. She probably has family that should know about this." Sookie said to Tara, wanting her to do the right thing.
"Yeah, I know. Shit. Who knew that turning over a new leaf and trying to do good would be such a pain in the ass?" Tara said as she walked over to the cops who had arrived and now were assessing the scene.
Lafayette, who had been in the kitchen until now, finally heard the hoopla outside and walked over to Sookie and I to find out what the ruckus was all about. "Hookers, what is going on out here?" He asked, confusion all over his face.
"Andy was looking for his car, but once we found it, there was a dead woman in it. Her heart was ripped out." Sookie answered still a little shell shocked over the events of the night.
"Holy shit. Do you think his ole drunk ass did it? He does get mighty fight happy here when he gets to drinking the hard stuff." Lafayette asked.
"No, his thoughts are all about who could have moved his car and done this. Plus, he was too busy sitting in the bar drinking his life away since noon today. I never saw him leave but to go relieve himself." I answered.
"Well, you two should not be alone tonight, and for that matter, I shouldn't either. Can one of you hookers help me take the trash out? I don't really want to do it alone back there with all this shit going on, if you know what I mean." Lafayette asked with a worried look on his face.
"Sure Lafayette, I'll help you. I think the cops want to ask Sookie some questions first anyway." I replied as I followed him out towards the back of the restaurant to take the trash out.
Once we got to the back door, we grabbed the bags and started to load them into the trash receptacles. Unfortunately for me, one of the bags burst open and spilled the contents onto the ground. "Uhhggggg! I can't believe that just happened. Lafayette I need to get another bag to clean this up. I'll be but just a second." I said to him while heading back inside the restaurant to get a new bag.
"No sweat baby girl, I'll take care of these other bags. Be quick though." He said while loading another one into the receptacle.
When I got back outside to clean up the mess, Lafayette wasn't in sight, but I heard him say quickly from way back in the parking lot that he was sorry to leave me with the rest of the garbage, but that he had to rush off to a date; didn't want to be alone, you know.
'What the hell? Didn't he just say he didn't want to be left alone out here doing this and then he turns and leaves me alone to deal with the garbage? ' I thought to myself as I started to clean the mess and throw away the rest of the trash. I do not get paid enough to deal with this crap. I couldn't believe that he just left me high and dry like that. Well, it was Lafayette though, he could be flighty at times, and then there were the drugs he frequently took… Oh well.
….
When Arabella walked into the restaurant to get another bag, Lafayette had started to throw the rest of the garbage out, but before he could finish, he felt a swoosh of air rush by him and then saw the menacing gaze of a very pissed off Eric Northman looking at him.
"You are coming with me and you will not scream." Eric said as he grabbed Lafayette and flew him to the tree line at the back of the very dimly lit parking lot. He had been watching Lafayette and Arabella out at the back of the restaurant and was waiting for a moment when he could grab Lafayette without Arabella knowing. He didn't want her involved, at least not just yet. She did look beautiful out in the moonlight, he thought…
Eric was quickly brought out of his thoughts of Arabella as Lafayette asked, "Wha, wha, what do you you want from me?" He was scared out of his mind as to why the vampire in front of him was taking him.
"You have done harm to one of my kind and I need answers. But, for right now, I need you to yell out to Arabella that you have a date and need to leave." Eric replied, but added, "And I would advise that you say that, and only that, because if you try to say anything else or let her know what's going on here, your time on this earth would be cut very short. Am I clear?"
"Yes, as a crystal." Lafayette replied with a gulp and screamed out to Arabella just as Eric requested. He hoped that if he complied with Eric, that he would live.
After Lafayette yelled over to Arabella, Eric soared into the night sky with one very scared fry cook to Fangtasia. 'Shit, vampires can fly?' Lafayette thought as he prayed that Eric wouldn't drop him.
….
Once the two landed at the back door of Fangtasia, Eric ushered Lafayette into his office, where he placed heavy shackles on his wrists and ankles.
"What the hell?" Lafayette exclaimed as the iron restraints were placed on his body. If he wasn't scared before, he sure as hell was now.
"You will sit in that chair over there… quietly. You are lucky that I didn't just kill you outright for what you've done. You're only a pathetic human with no intrinsic value to me, but… you seem to hold regard with some that I know and that is the only thing keeping you alive right now." Eric said as he pointed over to a chair at the back of the room.
Lafayette was still confused about why he was there, but he knew he didn't want to rock the boat, so he did as Eric requested and hobbled, as best he could in those shackles, over to the chair that the vampire pointed to and sat down, as quietly as possible.
"Eric, if you make me deal with that newbie any longer, you are going to owe me a new wardrobe. She is wearing my last nerve." Pam said as she barged into Eric's office. Jessica was evidently more hassle than the two of them wanted to deal with at this point. Helping Bill with his progeny was really becoming a pain in the ass, and they didn't even have her full time.
"We'll take her back to Bill's now. He's had more than enough time away from her and truth be told, he's got to learn how to deal with her. She's his problem, not ours." Eric replied and then added, "Lafayette, you will stay in this office, in that chair, without making so much as a peep. You will follow those orders if you want to stay alive, understood?"
"Yes." Lafayette replied simply. He knew that even if he got out, Eric was a very old and crafty vampire. It wouldn't be hard for the Viking vampire to find him, not with his resources. And shoot, if he was pissed now, how pissed would he be with an escaped fry cook. Nope, Lafayette decided it would be better to just wait this out here and see how it played out. Still, it'd be nice to know what got him here.
"Good. Pam get the redhead and let's get her back to her pathetic excuse of a master." Eric said to Pam as the two vampires left Lafayette sweating it out in the office.
….
As Bill was playing golf on his Wii, he heard a knocking at the door. He paused his game and walked over to answer the door hoping that it would be Sookie finally arriving.
"Hi Daddy." Jessica said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes and as she gave Bill the middle finger. She was dressed in some sort of goth-slut-princess get-up that no doubt Eric and Pam put her in. While the outfit contained lots of silver colored spikes, the color black, and netting, it conversely contained very little material to actually cover her up. This was not how Bill envisioned his new child dressing, in the least.
As Bill sighed at the sight of his child knowing he may have a long road ahead of him with training her, he saw Eric and Pam walking towards him to enter his house.
"Bill, there are favors, and then there are favors. This one was going above and beyond the call of duty." Eric said to Bill.
"She is really rather annoying." Pam said while adding after looking over Bill's place, "By the way, who decorated your home, Better Horrors and Gardens?"
"It's not finished being remodeled yet, Pam. It's hard to get contractors to work here at night. You should know how that is." Bill replied, irked at Pam for calling him out on his unfinished home. While it didn't look like much now, he knew it would be impressive once finished.
"Yes, well, it looks like shit now." Pam purred back at Bill. She wasn't one to sugar coat anything.
"Yes, and you would know what shit looks like since your always up Eric's ass." Bill replied, clearly riled by Pam's attitude.
"It's nice up there, you should try it sometime." Pam countered with a smirk.
"Look, as much as I would love to continue this conversation, I have more pressing matters at hand. Bill, we're done babysitting. Time to man-up and actually be the master you technically are now. Pam." Eric said as he motioned to Pam for them to leave. A second later they were gone.
"So, is there anyone good to eat around here?" Jessica asked as she plopped down on the couch in the sitting room, placing her combat-boot covered feet on Bill's antique brass table.
"That table is older than you. I would appreciate it if you didn't manhandle it. And no, there is no one here for you to eat. Jessica, we need to go over a few rules…" Bill said to his progeny, but was quickly cut off by her.
"Rules? Rules; those went out the door when I became a vampire. My human daddy had rules. He didn't like it when you disobeyed his rules. I won't live like that again." Jessica replied defiantly to Bill.
Bill knew that Jessica probably didn't have an ideal childhood based on her comments, but he couldn't have her running around town acting like she could do anything and behave anyway that she wanted. That was a surefire way to get herself staked. He knew he would have to be caring, yet firm with her. She needed to understand that his rules were there to teach her the fundamentals of staying alive. She lived through one death; the next would be the true one. "Jessica, while you are under my roof, you will follow my rules." He said to her in a fatherly way.
"Whatever." Jessica responded rolling her eyes again.
"Your bedtime will be 4:00 am and not a moment later. And, hunting is completely forbidden."
"Like I'd even be able to find someone good to eat in this back-ass, bumble-fuck town. Are we even in a town? Shit, where are we?" She said aimlessly looking around.
Bill continued, ignoring her comments, "We recycle in this house; True Blood and other glass items go in the blue container, and paper products go in the white container."
"Are you seriously talking about recycling? We can kill and eat anyone we want, run super fast and glamour people to do our bidding, and you're talking about fucking recycling? Jessica asked dumbfounded that the guy her turned her, her master, was so fricking lame. Who was he… the Martha Stewart of vampires?
"Yes Jessica, I'm talking about recycling, and bedtimes, and rules. Do you know why? Let me tell you. Because I want to see you continue to survive. I want to make sure that the horrible thing that I did to you, taking your life, taking you away from all you know and all those you loved and loved you and forcing you to live this way doesn't end with you facing the true death in less than a week because you don't know the fundamentals of basic vampire living. You want to kill and fuck and run amuck in this town. How long do you think it would be before the townsfolk would have enough of you and send a lynch mob to kill you? Let me tell you that it wouldn't be that long. You need to learn the basics of this life before you can do anything else." Bill said, hoping he could finally get through to her.
Jessica sat there for a moment. He had a point, or two. She had gotten so caught up in her new-found freedom from her family life, that she hadn't considered all the ramifications of this change. "Okay, what else do I need to know?" She finally said, somewhat defeated, but curious about what the next steps would be.
Bill smiled. "First off, you need to take off that horrid outfit, if it can even be called an outfit, and put on something more appropriate. You look like a lady of the evening. There are clothes waiting for you in the first bedroom upstairs on the right.
'I look like a whore… cool!' Jessica thought but then quickly decided to follow Bill's order. Truthfully, she didn't mind changing. The outfit was actually kinda chafing her anyway. She had let Pam dress her in that outfit because she never would have been able to wear something like that as a human. She also liked the looks she got from the guys, both human and vampire, at Fangtasia, but the uncomfortable factor was outweighing the pleasure factor right now. So, she ran up at vampire speed to, well, her bedroom now, to change.
…
When Jessica came down a few moments later, Bill was sitting in front of that antique table with several bottles of True Blood before him.
"Binging, are we?" Jessica asked as she sat down next to him.
"No. We need to find out what version of True Blood is acceptable to you." Bill said as he handed her an A-negative bottle.
Jessica took a sip and immediately spit it out. "Oh my God, that's supposed to pass for real blood?" She said as she then tried to scrap the remaining drink off of her tongue with one of the hand sewn silk throw pillows on the couch.
"No. It's a substitute, and it will not taste like the real thing, but you are too dangerous to go hunting right now. Jessica, you need to keep your strength up. I bet you didn't know that 2/3's of new vampires don't survive their first year." Bill replied, while taking the pillow away from her. That's going to be pricey to dry clean, he thought.
"Well excuse me if I don't like it. It tastes like shit." Jessica said crossing her arms in front of her and added, "You know, Eric and Pam let me feed on a really cute guy with tattoos and nipple piercings."
"I am not Eric, and I am especially not Pam." Bill said agitated.
"Yeah, you are soooooo not them." Jessica replied as Bill pushed another bottle of True Blood into her unwanting hands to try another blood type.
"Okay, this one isn't as bad as the first, but it still isn't that great either." Jessica said after taking a sip.
"What about this one?" Bill said handing her yet another bottle.
"Not bad. Not good either." She replied quickly, wanting to get this taste test over with.
"Sometimes when the bottles are mixed they can taste better. Try the last two that you could tolerate together and let me know how that works." Bill said, hoping that would work.
Jessica followed Bill's suggestion and found that the combination was actually tolerable. "I guess that's not that awful. I could probably drink this if I had no other choice." She replied, half-heartedly, but honestly.
"Great. Okay. So that was two parts O-negative to one part B-positive. You'll need to remember that." Bill said, happy to find a solution to the feeding issue.
"Jessica, I need to tell you that we are going to have company tonight." Bill said, hoping that Jessica would be somewhat behaved when Sookie arrived.
"Ooooh, can we eat them?" Jessica asked enthusiastically.
"No, you most certainly cannot eat her." Bill replied quickly and firmly.
"Her? Who is she? Your girlfriend?" Jessica asked inquisitively.
"Yes." Bill said, getting a little uncomfortable talking about his dating life with his… child.
"Is she a vampire?" Jessica asked, wanting to get the 411 on this chick.
"No." Bill replied.
"Do I have to be nice to her?" Jessica asked playfully.
"Yes." Bill replied, sighing.
"Great…" Jessica said, sinking into the couch wondering how boring the rest of the night was going to be.
….
"He just left you out there, by yourself, with the garbage?" Sookie asked me after I finished out back with the work that Lafayette ditched me with.
"Yeah, something about a date. It was really bizarre, but you know Lafayette can be in his own little world at times. And, we both know that he's used that trail at the end of the parking lot with his dates, so to speak." I replied. Lafayette was known to have trysts out in the back of the parking lot. He was definitely not shy about getting his freak on, that was for sure.
"Well, he shouldn't have done that with a killer, or two, on the loose now. I'll have to give him a piece of my mind when I see him next. I don't want you to go home alone tonight Arabella. Come with me to Bill's." Sookie said while pulling her keys out of her purse. We were both done with the police questions and were ready to leave. Poor Tara was still talking with Officer Kenya. She was going to be stuck here a while. No date for her tonight.
"Sookie, no offense, but I don't really want to tag along on your night with Bill." I replied. As lonely as it would be going home, I didn't know that I wanted to intrude on their time alone, especially when they had things to talk about.
"Look, you are my sister and I will not leave you alone when all this stuff is happening around us. Bill will understand. And besides, I know you're just as curious about Jessica as I am. This way we'll find out together." Sookie said, knowing that she'd get her sister to go with her.
"Well, I guess. You sure you really want me to go with you?" I asked.
"Yes. Now let's go." Sookie replied as we got into her car and drove to Bill's.
….
We arrived at Bill's in record time. I guess Sookie really couldn't wait any longer to find out about Jessica.
"Hi Bill." Sookie said as he answered the door.
"Hello Sookie… and Arabella. I didn't know you'd be coming as well." Bill said with a slightly surprised expression on his face.
"I hope you don't mind Bill. I don't mean to intrude on your night." I responded hoping he wasn't too upset.
"No, no, it's quite alright. You're always welcome here. Please, both of you come in." Bill said as he moved out of the way so that we could enter.
The three of us then walked into Bill's sitting room where Jessica was waiting for introductions.
"Jessica, this here is Miss Sookie Stackhouse, my girlfriend and her sister Arabella Stackhouse." Bill said while pointing us out to Jessica.
"Hi." Jessica said to us with a smile. She was just happy to see other people besides Bill.
"Hi Jessica. It's a pleasure to meet you." I said to her.
"Yeah, you say that now." Jessica said playfully.
"Jessica!" Bill exclaimed, slightly embarrassed that he still had little control over his child. And now, deciding to bit the bullet and just get it over with, he added, "I am sorry for her lack of manners. Sookie and Arabella, Jessica is my progeny."
"Your progeny? For how long? Why am I just finding out about her now?" Sookie asked Bill angrily. She didn't hold secrets from Bill; this was something pretty major to keep from her.
"Sookie, I didn't want to change her, I was forced to. There are ramifications in the vampire world for destroying another vampire. Changing Jessica into a vampire was a condition of my punishment for the one I killed protecting you." Bill replied not realizing immediately that this would be the first time that Jessica would hear why she was changed. Now he had to worry about not only how Sookie would take the news, but Jessica as well.
"You're the reason why I'm a vampire now? This is all your fault?" Jessica asked in an eerily quiet tone.
Sookie stood there shocked for a moment. It was a lot to absorb; knowing that you are the reason why someone's life was taken from them. She felt sick. She had questions. "Jessica, how old are you?"
"Seventeen." Jessican answered.
"Oh my God. Do your parents know where you are?" Sookie asked further, feeling even more sicker.
"Is she always like this?" Jessica asked Bill who didn't respond.
"So Bill, you killed her?" Sookie then shakily asked Bill.
"Yes, well, no, not entirely." Bill answered, not knowing exactly how to answer the question.
"But you obviously did something to her; so what then, you bit her? Sookie continued.
"Yes." Bill answered again.
"You drained her?"
"Yes."
"Did you have sex with her?" Sookie asked, afraid of the answer.
Funnily enough, both Bill and Jessica answered with an, "Ewwwwwwww, NO!"
Tears started to fall from Sookie's face as the guilt she felt over Jessica's turning overwhelmed her coupled with the other events of the night. I put my arms around her, not really knowing what else I could do. I've never been in a situation like this before. Awkward was an understatement.
For as immature as Jessica had been acting since her turning, Bill was about to see another side of his child, as she walked over to Sookie and me and offered a hug as well. She then said, "Sookie, I'm just getting used to all of this, but it doesn't look to me like you had an active hand in this. And to be honest, you look more broken up about it then I am. "
Sookie let out a surprised laugh through her tears and gave Jessica a big ole bear hug, saying over and over again, "I am so sorry for any part I had in this. You have to believe me."
Jessica didn't harbor any ill will at Sookie, but at the same time, really didn't want her crying all over her either. She glanced over at Bill for help.
"Jessica, I think it would be best if you retire for the evening. My sleeping quarters are beneath the stairs, you may stay there until we figure out other arrangements." Bill said to a grateful Jessica.
"Yes, well, if I must. Sookie, Arabella, it was nice meeting you both." Jessica said before running off at vampire speed to freedom from the cry fest in the sitting room.
Once Jessica had left, Sookie stopped crying and turned towards Bill and said, "Bill, you lied to me when you said that you wouldn't be in any trouble over Longshadow. In fact, didn't you say you just had a slap on the wrist? I don't think most people would say having to turn someone into a vampire was a 'slap on the wrist'."
"I was trying to protect you." Bill replied sadly.
"Do you think that I'm not strong enough to handle things? I'm plenty strong Bill Compton. And, I've not kept things from you. You know all my secrets, good and bad. Do I not command the same respect from you?" She asked indignantly.
"Yes, of course. I just don't want to cause you alarm if I don't have to." Bill said. He had lived a solitary life for so long, having to keep so much secret, that opening up was very difficult to say the least.
"Bill, if we are to continue as a couple, you have to be able to lean on me like I lean on you. Relationships are a two way street. Now, as for Jessica, if she's with you, and I'm with you, then she's with me; a package deal. " Sookie said while picking up her bag.
"Are you leaving?" Bill asked worried about her state of mind.
"Yes, Arabella and I will be heading home now. Between the dead body at Merlotte's and finding out I'm partly responsible for a very young girl being turned into a vampire, my plate is full. I need to get a good nights' sleep and start over tomorrow." Sookie replied tiredly.
"Wait, someone was killed at Merlotte's, tonight?" Bill asked anxiously.
Knowing that Sookie was pretty much done, I replied to Bill's question, "Yeah, there was a woman found in Detective Bellefluer's backseat with her heart ripped out. It was one of the most gruesome things I think we've ever seen."
"Does anyone know who did it?" Bill asked.
"Unfortunately no." I replied.
"Well, I'm going to watch over you two tonight as well." Bill said, leaving no room for argument. Not that I was complaining. If he wanted to watch over us, so be it. It would make sleeping a lot easier, at least for me tonight. I don't know how much sleeping Sookie was going to do.
So, Bill informed Jessica to stay put at his house, after which he came with us back to our house to protect us.
Wow, what a night, I thought as I put on my pj's, slipped into bed and tried to not think about all the craziness going on so that I could fall asleep.