Music was loudly playing from the living room, curtains open still from the pretty day and windows open to allow the sound out. Sookie and I were actually alone. Jason was still out. Niall had slipped off for something or other. Ben had to run to the motel for his stuff.

We'd started out with the girl time she needed. Bitching and crying about Bill. And I'd progressed us to a cheery mood. 'Man-hating' stage there with the confidence that she didn't need a guy. She was wearing a pretty dress that made her feel sexy, a white and red sundress. Her hair was done with curls and a flattering headband with the whole nine yards of makeup and nails.

I bounced about in the sheath like dress that I'd gotten a bit after moving in with Eric. My hair was a wild mix of curls and waves, lips painted a deep red of blood. The black dress made my eyes pop and my pale skin seem to glow. It had a deep cut in the front that showed off cleavage Sookie never dared. Stilettos on my feet with thigh highs with the stripe up the backs.

I was the dark to her pretty light. Sookie and I were dancing about the living room, not caring if we looked like fools. She held the tub of ice cream, so I wouldn't melt it. Both of us sucking on spoons as we went. Laughing without care to the world.

"I hate him!" Sookie belts out, head falling back as she lets her spoon drop in the carton.

"Hate him!" I crow out as well.

She meets my eyes, brown giving way what had this mood more than just us. The bottle of bourbon on the table was lowering, two shots lifting with my power to come to us. She titters, taking the shot from the air to loft toward me.

"Fuck it all and violent maiming to any who offend!" I call in cheer. The glasses clink.

"Here, here!" We toss our heads back.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

I look up, spoon in my mouth, happily sucking on the cookie dough chunk I'd gotten. Sookie was bopping about, humming the song blaring as she sucked on the spoon. She mustn't have heard the loud knock. She was definitely drunk.

The door swung open, leaning lazily on the frame of the door on the inside. My form stretched with a flick of eyes up the male. The spoon was slowly pulled out, eyes doing the lazy glance over of his face. A slow slide of eyes gave the second male a quirked brow and same amount of uncaring attention.

I was already radiating heat, had been for over an hour. The change was just so close, had been since I woke after the incident with Ben in the driveway. The shorter male and the taller male let their gaze slip around me at the clatter of heels on the hard wood and the music playing loud.

"Girls just wanna have fun!" Sookie sings off key as she whirls by the doorway for them to see those gold curls and the flare of the dress.

A sly grin lifts on one side, spoon cleared and popping from my mouth. The taller male looked old enough to be my father with the receding hair line of brown hair. He wore a blue suit with a lighter shade of blue for pinstripes. White shirt and a red tie to match the color of lipstick I wore. Very expensive and classy. My eyes gave the smaller one the same sly grin. It looked like an eleven year old with blue eyes and blond hair just like Jason had had at that age. Though it was the eyes that ruined the innocent look. Black suit with grey pinstripes. Pale blue shirt and tie a bit off due to being silk, but still pale blue.

"Aint this just adorable," I purr out, one heeled foot lifting to press on the frame with my shoulder. The spoon taps my cheek, eyes flicking over the little pins on the lapels of both men.

The song changed to another female singer, part of a 'Man-hating' list Sookie said we had to listen to. Something in the living space clatters, Sookie cackling out a drunken laugh.

"Fae~! I'm finishing the ice cream!"

My chin lifts a bit, gaze still upon the uninvited visitors. "Go ahead!" I call back in a lighter tone. "Have another shot while you're at it!"

"Ooh!"

"Can you turn the music up?!"

The music was louder in a few moments after drunken clattering and stumbling. The couch slid a bit on the floor as she dropped heavily to it, out of sight of the door. I waited a moment before my chin lowers and head turns a little more toward the males.

"We're not accepting guests at this time."

"You are Faelyn Lynwood?" The older male seemed to be asking for formality.

"Depends who's askin'. But, I've a feelin' it won't matter."

"I'm Roman Zimojic. This is Alexander Drew." I quirk a brow at the stiff nature of both. But the small one had a hint of a grin. He looked like he had eaten the canary whole. My gaze shifts to pointedly rest on him. "We are with the Authority."

"Mm. Nope."

I shift from the frame, spoon tossing blindly toward the stairs. It clattered loudly. Sookie let out a small bark of surprise, having fallen asleep.
"Fae?"

"No sleeping!" I call toward the living room, frowning as I face down the men now. My hips were cocked to the side, stance firm. "Party's not over!"

"Fae!" She calls out in a loud whine.

But I hear her shift up on the couch, music changing suddenly. She had to have picked up my phone to play on it. Roman spares a glance toward the living room.

"Perhaps we can speak in a more private location."

"Not happening." I shift my weight to let my hands rest at the swell of my hips and chin lifting. "I'm in the middle of something."
"The matter is of some import," the boy, Alexander, speaks up. Formal little thing.

My gaze rests on the boy. "Cute. I don't deal with vampire business without Godric or Eric."

"The business is with you. Not your boss and his maker."

I lean a bit in, elbow resting on the frame as I remained just within the realm of safety the home offered. I was mocking a bit as I let the dark mockery in my eyes and the wide, toothy smile.
"See. That's the thing. I'm against politics. But my buddies are rather good at the loop holes and hidden traps vampires love to do." I let the fingers of my hand splay at the side of my face, leaning on it. A finger rests shy of my lip, eyes tracing over the face of the older one almost as if checking him out. But it was a different thing. A smell to him that had me near purring out while trying not to salivate. "I'd rather the whole of you shoved off and left me be, honestly. I've a life of my own."

He uses a motion of his chin toward the living space. "With your family?"

A playful, flirting wink is given. "How smart of you."

"And when you stop aging and they die all around you?"

The breath in my lungs stopped. Pain sharp as a spike to the chest had my eyes water almost. The thought of Sook and Jason old and wrinkled. Both dying while I stood by, young as now, and unable to do a thing to save them from a natural death. My eyes burn, change snapping forward with a low growl and baring of teeth. The razor sharp teeth like a shark drew their gaze, and the little one was very focused on this change. But the older one looked to my eyes and the claws that broke skin. The flesh healed before a drop of blood could spill.

"You didn't know then."

The younger one gave a little grin, so proud of himself. Claws pushed into the wood of the frame with a sudden shift of stance from me. I arched, both hands grasping the inside of the frame, talons digging in easily. I bared my teeth at the little one, eyes burning as I felt the heat radiate from me higher than before.

"I will rip your head off and feast on you flesh," I hiss, voice already changed to sound like I'd been sucking at a chimney. I hardly knew where that came from. But I'd noticed the pointed looks he'd been slipping around me toward the living room. "You so much as look to my family, and I will ensure you understand the full force of my wrath."

"We wish to ally," Roman cuts in an appeasing tone. "We wish to help you."

My form snapped up, looking up toward him from just in the invisible line that was protection.

"I'm no pet."

"No. You are more than that. Much more."

I shift back, neck giving a pop as I roll it and push off the change. And the burn fell away. Shaken off like one would a shiver. The man looked pleased as he looked over my human self again.

"We can help you. Protect you."

"I refuse to be a broodmare. I'm not a donor."

"Nor will you be."

He gives a glance to the younger male, seeming to share a thought with the look. His gaze shifts back up. "Mr. Compton has told us what he could of your situation. I'm to understand that you were raised mostly under the care of one of our kind."

"Antony," I admit with a lightness of heart at the thought of the man. "And Thomas murdered him."

"You have proof."

"I hardly need the proof. I slipped out just as the man was attacking our home. Only Antony and Thomas were in the home when I heard Antony's final cry."

"And you ran."

A breath leaves me, eyes closing for a long moment while turning a bit away. "I did as Antony said. I left the state."

"Thomas wanted you for…" Drew speaks up, leaving the opening that he expected me to answer.

My gaze snaps to him, fury easily seen with the sneer. "What you are?" Roman helps supply.

"What is this? An investigation?"

"We are looking for justifiable reason for Thomas' actions," Drew primly replies.

"Did he want you for your species?"

I scoff, looking derisively at Roman. "Hardly. That's only started surfacing since I began working for Northman. I was under the protection of the Sheriff of the area, Antony. A legal claim in your kinds ways. Thomas didn't care and tried either way. Thomas killed Antony, another crime to your kind. Thomas then tracked me down, when I'd taken refuge with Northman. Northman claims me. So Thomas comes with a lie. The King wouldn't ally with Louisiana for me. The King doesn't need or want me. He has my mother."

"And is your mother like you?"

"In a way. But not the way you're thinking."

"Fae?" Sookie sounded sad again, pouty.

My head whips around to look toward the way of the living room.

"Yeah?"

"Can you get me more ice cream?"

A smile instantly softens the frown I'd had for the vampires. Man, I loved that woman. The kitchen gives a light clatter, freezer opening and snapping shut. A carton of ice cream shot high in the air from the kitchen across the entry way and into the living space. Sookie happily cooed.

"You're the best!"

"You better remember that!"

I waited a long breath, listening as she opened the carton. Then and only then, did I look back to the men. Drew looked to have discovered gold. Roman looked sharp and calculating. I shift back, arms crossing and taking a stubborn stance more inside the home.

"That was you," Drew speaks up.

"Maybe. Look. We're expecting people who hate your kind. Best be off. Contact Godric or Eric when you've drawn up what ever it is you want."

"And how do you feel of our kind?" Roman was testing, eyes narrowed a little as if ready for hate.

"I've nothing against your kind as a whole. People too. Good with the bad. I just happen to hate a number of the ones I've met because they're terrible people. Tell Compton to keep clear of me and mine. Or, yall be lookin' for a new leader of state."

I shut the door after a false cheery smile at the both of them.

"Fae! Dance with me!"

A male voice had started with a different kind of music than the pop with female singers. I watched the men look at me through the glass of the door before vanishing. I'd hardly took up Sookie's hands before the door was opening and two men stepped in.

Sookie and I danced with clasped hands and twisting, the coffee table moved behind the couch. Ben paused to lean in the door way as Niall gave a small smile at the both of us. Sook was flushed from drinking, both of us holding huge smiles as we moved about to the 80s rocker.

The ice cream was lifted from the side table by Niall, using an abandoned spoon to help himself to the chocolate sweet. Sookie laughed, staggering back to fall into the couch breathlessly.

I swung my hair around, bouncing about as I rocked to the newer album by the man. A fist was in the air, lip singing the words with full emotion. Niall and Ben spared a look over the room and us. The mostly empty bottle and the actually empty bottle were still on the table behind the couch. We were still dressed up like we planned to go out.

Sookie was playing on my phone, lounging back as I continued to have fun moving about the space to the eclectic mix. She shifted music again. My hands lifted, raking hair back to give a huge goofy grin toward Niall lowering to sit in the wing back chair with the ice cream. Ben smiled as he watched me lightly starting to dance to the country Sook shifted on.

My hands extended out toward him, beckoning. He shrugged from the wall, moving forward to take my hands. We danced about, laughing and enjoying the light mood in the home. Jason slipped in while Ben and I danced about the space. It was a simple and innocent type of dancing, but we were grasping at the other no matter. There was no lack of touching.

Sookie finally passed out, phone resting with a hand at her chest and her short heeled feet hanging toward the mantel. Jason cut in after getting his stuff put down and helping himself to some of the bourbon.

There was a deal of play as we danced, jabbing elbows and laughter. The pop song made it great. This was a style I knew better than the country he stuck to. I made point of showing him some of the moves, dramatic flair added just for the fun.

My eyes met Ben's as I shifted around, Jason. A heated gaze and a wide smile before I was slipping to Jason's front again and leading the dance. When it was back to the country song, Jason was leading me in the motions to it.