Chapter 3 Cold ground

Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood or anything associated with it. I only own Trudy and the characters I made up to better the story.


I swallowed the lump in my throat and watched as Tina lapped up some of the blood drops on the floor. I was standing, barefooted in the middle of Gran's blood, beside her head. Sookie gasped and fell to her knees at Gran's feet. I just stared in shock and horror as I looked at the once beautiful woman I had loved my whole life. I couldn't believe she was gone. I couldn't see or hear anything going on around me, but I felt Bill's presence. I soon felt Sam's presence and warm arms wrap around me. I knew it was Sam because the arms were strong and warm, which left out both Bill and Sookie. I turned and buried my face in his chest, sobbing.

"Shh, Trudy, I'm here." He assured me as I let the tears fall. I felt myself moving and realized I was being led into the dining room. Sam set me down in a chair at the table and knelt down in front of me. "We're gonna find out who did this, I promise." He said confidently as he wiped the tears away from my cheeks. I just stared at him blankly with broken eyes.


A little later, Sookie was sitting next to me, just as shocked. Sam had gone to get blankets for us. When he came back, he wrapped it tightly around my shoulders and I clutched at it. I felt cold all over and I don't think I can handle talking to anyone about this. I ignored everything going on around me and just stared at the pattern in the table. I eventually stood and left Sookie and Sam and went to sit on the porch. I still had blood on my feet and a few drops on the hem of my dress, but I was too numb to notice or care really at the moment. I sat down on a step and noticed that the blood splattered all the way up to my knees and started to tear up again. I dropped my head into my hands and sobbed quietly. Sookie came out and wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I hugged her bag as I cried. I peeked up at her to see her staring off into space. I guess it hasn't fully hit her yet. I ignored Sam when he sat down on Sookie's other side. It was like I was underwater and I couldn t hear or see anything clearly.

I felt Sam's presence leave and after a while, Bill's came out and Sookie lifted me into a standing position. I was so numb that I couldn't stand straight on my own. I felt warm arms wrap around me and I felt the officers that had showed up moving out of the house. They were taking Gran's body. I sobbed again and closed my eyes. Sam must've passed me over to Bill. I was able to hear dimly what he said.

"I'm goin' to take you to your room, okay, Tru?" He asked and I nodded weakly. He picked me up bridle style and ran me up the stairs and into my room. He carefully set me down on the bed and kissed my forehead softly. "I have to go home, now, but I will come back later to check up on you and Sookie. Get some rest and we'll figure out who did this to your grandmother tomorrow, Trudy. I promise." He then stood and made to leave but I grabbed his jacket sleeve and he looked back at me.

"Do me a favor?" I whispered and he nodded. "Tell Eric Northman to stay away from me for a while."

"He's been seein' you?" Bill asked, alarmed and I nodded, turning on my side.

"I don't wanna talk about it right now. Maybe tomorrow, but not tonight." I said.

"Alright, but you will tell me." He demanded more than asked and I nodded numbly and tiredly. "I will see you tomorrow."

"Bye..." I whispered and heard a whoosh of air and my door closing, telling me he was gone.

I whimpered and tears fell down my cheeks as I curled up into a fetal position on my side. The blanket was now covering me, so I pulled it up to my shoulders and cried myself to sleep.


When I woke up again, Sookie was sitting next to me, dressed in a white lacey shirt and a baby blue skirt. I watched her silently, which she did in turn.

"People are gonna be comin' soon to give their condolences. You need to get up and get dressed." Sookie whispered as she rubbed my back. I was lying with my stomach on the mattress and my head was turned in her direction, but still rested on my pillow. "I know you want nothing more than to just lie in bed all day because so do I, but Tara and Lafayette are here and they're both determined to get us up and moving around. Lafayette said he'll come up later to help you get dressed and do your hair after you get out of the shower."

I nodded slowly and she kissed my temple before she stood and walked out of my room. I sighed and stood. I slowly grabbed my purple bath robe. I slowly walked into the bathroom across the hall from the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I sighed and closed my eyes as I placed my robe down on the sink. I opened my eyes and walked over to the shower and turned up the heat on the water. I ran a brush through my hair before I stripped off my dress from last night and slid into the shower, closing off the curtain behind me. I stared straight ahead as the water poured down on me and instantly warmed me from my frozen state. I heard a knock on the door before it opened.

"Tru?" A voice called and I recognized it as Lafayette. I smoothed my hair away from my face and poked my head out around the curtain as he came into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. "You doin' okay, honey child?" He asked and I gave the ghost of a smile. He's always called me that; he thought of me as his younger sister and treated me as such. "Sookie says you haven't talked to anyone except Bill since last night." He stated as he opened up a window and sat down on the toilet seat, lookin' at me expectantly. "Come on, Trudy, talk to me. This is Lafayette that be talkin' to you." I sighed and went back into the shower.

"I know Lafayette, but I feel broken without Gran around anymore. She always brought such cheer into the gloom of the world around me and I miss her." I said hoarsely as I watched the blood that had been on me flowed down the drain with the water. I watched as the dark red changed from normal red, to light pink, to a faint pink, and finally blank. "And I know that Sookie's just puttin up a brave face for me cause I'm younger, but I just know she wants to cry as much as I have been. Lafayette, I cried myself to sleep last night. I never cry." The tears started to roll down my cheeks, but I ran my hand through my hair and grabbed my favorite shampoo that always reminded me of Gran. It smelt like a mixture between watermelon and grapes.

"Honey child, no one suspects you to not cry." Lafayette assured me as I rubbed the shampoo into my hair until I felt bubbles forming. I then stuck my head under the water and looked up at the water nozzle. "In fact, we're doin' this little gatherin' because people expect to see you cry more than any other of the Stackhouse siblin's." I chuckled grimly at this.

"So people want to see me in pain? All the more reason to stay in bed." I retorted icily and grabbed my favorite coconut body wash and sat on the floor of the shower with my razor. I rubbed some of the body wash onto my legs and arm pits to shave as Lafayette replied.

"Yeah, well, ya gotta expect this. Bon Temps ain't exactly a very subtle town and everybody knows everythin' 'bout everybody." He pointed out and I sighed. I stood and let the water run over me for a minute until I turned the water off. Lafayette stood and handed me my bath robe. I smiled and put it on, still in the shower, as he waited patiently on the other side of the curtain. I tied the sash around my waist and opened the curtain. Lafayette turned from the window that he had been looking out of and softened when he saw me. "Oh, honey child, come here." He mumbled as he opened his arms to me. My bottom lip trembled and I walked into his warm comforting arms. I cried silent tears as he hugged me and ran his hands through my sopping wet tangled hair. "I am so sorry for your loss..."

"You know why I never believed in God or Christianity?" I asked quietly and pulled back a little to look up at him. "God's never done anything for me. He killed the sweetest people I know and love; he killed my momma, my daddy, and now my Gran. If there was a God, he wouldn't have created murderers, killed so many people, or made it possible for anybody to kill someone as sweet and kind as Gran."

"I know what you mean, honey child..." He mumbled and pressed a soft kiss to the top of my head. "Now, come on. Let's go get you dressed and I'll fix your hair up all sexy like you like it." He attempted the humor and I smiled weakly. He let me out of the hug, but kept one arm around my shoulders as he opened the door and led me into my room, closing the door behind us. He then silently sat me down in my vanity stool and went to work on my hair. He grabbed a towel from a nearby hook on the wall and used it to gently dry my hair. I just stared at my reflection. I looked horrible. I had bags under my eyes and looked like I had aged ten years. I no longer had any form of life in my face and my eyes looked icy and dead. They were glazed over with grief and sorrow.

Lafayette said nothing and soon started to blow dry my hair. I winced slightly at the heat of the blow dryer, but other than that kept completely still; of course, I breathed and blinked a few times, though. When my hair was completely dried and fell around me in an untamed fashion, Lafayette smiled at me in the reflection of the mirror. He had always loved my hair and dressing me up when we had to go to a big event or just going out for some fun. His favorite part of dressing me up was my hair. He had always said my hair was a reflection of me. It was untamable at first, but after you run a brush (or a few truly sincere words and a whole ass load of respect) through it and it s easy to get along with.

I watched as probably my best friend in this whole wide world picked up a brush and ran it through my hair with care. He always took such care when he was dealing with me in any sort. He said it was because I looked so fragile, even though he knew I was anything but. He was well acquainted with my telekinesis powers. I remember once when I had been cheated on by a long term boyfriend back in high school and he had placed a hand on my shoulder. I was so upset that I had accidently sent him across the room and crashing into a wall. Now, after he regained consciousness, I apologized repeatedly and explained my powers to him. He understood, promised to never tell anybody, and accepted my apologies.

When Lafayette was done with my hair, he turned me around and got to work on my makeup. He seemed frustrated when he finished and I turned to see that I still looked sorrowful and dead, but my face looked like it had before Gran s death. The bags under my eyes had disappeared with some coverage and I felt a little better to see that I didn t look ten years older anymore. Gran had always loved my young and childish face and never wanted it to change.

As I thought on all this, Lafayette had grabbed some clothes. I noticed that it was a pair of comfortable baggy blue jeans and a purple short sleeve shirt that had a strange darker purple design on it. He left the room for me to change in peace and I stood. I pulled a black bra from my drawer, along with the underwear to match and let my robe fall from my shoulders. I slipped on my underwear and clipped my bra into place before I shimmied my way into my pants and pulled the shirt over my head, careful of my makeup and hair. Lafayette would have my ass if I messed up either. I looked at myself in my full length mirror and sighed. I just couldn t seem to find any happiness anymore. I sat back down on my vanity stool as Lafayette walked back in and handed me my Converse and went to get me some socks.

"Come on, honey child." He pleaded as he knelt down in front of me as I slid my socks on and he untied the shoelaces on my shoes before he slid them onto my foot. "Sookie's lookin' for you. She hasn't been able to get a hold of Jason and she needs at least one family member by her side today." I nodded numbly and he helped me to stand.

I was getting that numb feeling again as Lafayette led me down the stairs and people immediately started to say sorry and things like 'sorry for your loss' or something along those lines. It didn't mean anything to me. None of these apologies were gonna bring Gran back, so what's the point?

"Oh, you poor child." Mrs. Fortenberry said as she approached me, wearing bright pink. I frowned and narrowed my eyes as she looked at me in pity. "I am so sorry for your loss. Adele was a great-" Before she could finish and I could knock her teeth out, Lafayette pulled me away with a scowl towards Hoyt's mother. He led me into the kitchen and tried to calm me down by humming 'Not Good Enough for Truth and Cliche' in my ear. He knew it was my favorite song and it always calmed me down when I was in a pissy mood.

"Yeah, cause nothing says I'm sorry like a tuna cheese casserole." Tara said sarcastically as she joined me and Lafayette.

"Another one?" Lafayette asked as I sat down in a chair and he started to rub my tense shoulders. He looked around. "I ain't seen Jason. Is he here yet?" I looked up at this question.

"How the hell should I know?" Tara retorted as she dipped down to give me a quick hug. "I ain't his keeper." She then walked off to the other side of the kitchen, towards the fridge.

"Bitch." Lafayette mumbled and I cracked a small smile.

Sookie walked in and immediately came to me, taking over for Lafayette and knelt down in front of me to give me a gentle hug. "Oh, sweetie, thank you for comin' down here to help out." I just nodded numbly as I stared at where Gran's body had been. There wasn t any blood, but I could still see it. Sookie must've cleaned it up when Bill had ordered me to go to sleep.

"Trudy, do you want anything?" Sookie asked, trying to get me to look at her. I just continued to frown and stare at the floor. "I could get you some hot tea or some coffee if you're feeling sick." She offered and I looked back up at her.

"Tea, please?" I asked in a quiet tone and she looked like she was just about to burst into tears. I felt what she was feeling. She felt guilty, angry, and sad all rolled into one; it was easy to determine where she focused these feelings on. She felt guilty because she couldn't protect me from seeing Gran like that. She was angry at whoever had done this to such a sweet woman. She was sad that she couldn't do anything to help me be myself again and Gran was dead. She didn't know what to do.

She nodded, her bottom lip trembling slightly, and stood to go to make the tea. I stood to straighten out my shirt when I was suddenly hugged by a familiar redhead.

"Oh, Trudy, I just can't believe it." Arlene said quietly with tears running down her cheeks as she held me at arm's length and I looked at her blankly. "Are you alright?"

"Do I look okay to you?" I thought spitefully and growled mentally before I answered. "I'm fine, Arlene. Thanks for comin' for me and Sookie."

"Of course, honey. It's the least I could do. Oh, you poor thing." She said in her motherly tone that she used on Coby and Lisa as she brushed some of my hair out of my face. "I can't imagine what you're goin' through." She chuckled shyly and I just stared at her incredulously. She instantly became serious again. "Now, if you and Sookie need help with moving or anything at all-"

Sookie cut her off as she came back to us and she handed me a black mug. I sat down at the table and started to bob the tea bag in and out of the water, like I had done only two nights ago.

"Uh, we're...are we movin'?" I asked, curiously and confusedly.

"We aren't movin', sweetie." Sookie assured me as she set the jar of sugar down in front of me, along with a spoon.

I looked up at Arlene, who looked disgusted. "But, honey, with it happenin'...right here." She said it like it was obvious and I scowled, slamming my fist down on the table.

"Arlene, we've had way more happy and good memories in this kitchen than we've had bad." I snapped and she smiled nervously as the room started to shake slightly. My powers were connected to my emotions and if I get too emotional over something, I can't control them.

Arlene knew that when I get mad that she should run. The last time I got mad at her when she had accidently said I was getting fat when we were younger, I had cut her hair off on one side of her head and she had to cut the other side off to match.

"Oh, what a good way to look at it. You know, you really are smarter than anyone gives you two credit for." Arlene said and I raised an eyebrow with my mouth agape. She did not just say that shit to me, did she? "Oh, sweetie, I didn't mean it like that!" We all paused as we heard the fridge door open and we turned to see Mrs. Fortenberry with Gran's last pie in her hands. She was peeling the clear see through wrapping from the top and Sookie and I both stood at attention.

"Maxine Fortenberry, you put that pie down right now!" Sookie yelled and she jumped, looking up at her in surprise. I growled as Sookie stormed over to Mrs. Fortenberry and snatched the pie away from her. A few people poked their heads into kitchen from the dining hall and I glanced at them as I poured some sugar into my mug and dropped the spoon into it with a loud clang. "This is Gran's pie!"

"Well, I'm sorry. I was just makin' some room..." Mrs. Fortenberry mumbled and Sookie started reading minds by the look of her face. Eventually, Tara came to Sookie and started to lead her out of the kitchen as Lafayette came to calm me down. I was just about ready to get the rifle gun we kept down and shoot Hoyt's mother right between the eyes.

"Calm down, Tru." He pleaded as he picked up my tea and started to stir it for me before he pulled something from his pocket and waved it in my face. My eyes widened when I saw it was chocolate. He held the cup out to me and started to lead me towards the stairs.

"Come on, Lafayette!" Tara called from the stairs and Lafayette wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he led me up the stairs. When he reached the top, he led me down the hall to Sookie's room and we walked in. I sat down beside Sookie and leaned against the headboard of her bed, cradling the hot tea to my chest. Lafayette handed me the chocolate as he lay down beside me on the bed and Tara sat in front of Sookie.

"I shouldn't have lost it like that." Sookie mumbled while I just stared straight and sipped at my tea.

"Don't feel sorry for yelling at that snoopy old bitch. She's been stickin' her nose where it don't belong for years." Tara said.

"Say it. I mean, if she talked any more shit, she'd be shaped like a toilet." Lafayette joked, hoping to get us to laugh. Tara and Lafayette laughed, but we just stared ahead with no emotion. "I'm sorry."

"Gran's gone." Sookie said like she just realized it. "She's really gone."

"Yeah, she is." Tara mumbled as she looked down.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Can't even think straight." Sookie said sorrowfully and I felt guilty. I wasn't really helping out all that much either. I wasn't even trying to comfort her about this. I was just dead inside. I might as well be a vampire. I feel and look like the walking dead.

"Of course you can t!" Tara exclaimed. "How can you, with all these circling buzzards?"

"Mm, hmm." Lafayette hummed in agreement.

"You know you're not their entertainment. You don t have to dance for 'em. You just gotta feel whatever you're feelin'."

"All I feel right now is numb." I whispered, but they all still heard.

"Numb is good." Tara said.

"Yeah." Lafayette agreed.

"Numb is probably what you need right now. And stop worryin' about being so damn appropriate, Sookie. This is not an appropriate event."

"Thank you for getting us out of there. Haven't had a single minute of silence. Can't seem to block anything out right now." Sookie thanked.

"You want me to tell 'em all to shut the hell up?" Tara asked seriously.

"If only it were that easy." I scoffed.

"It is." Lafayette assured as he dug through one of his pants pockets. "Your wish..." He pulled out a plastic bag full of pills and I blinked. "...is my command."

"Oh, no, we don't do drugs." Sookie said quickly and I sipped some more of my tea.

"Sook. Relax! This is not drugs. This is just a Valium." He assured as he took out two pills that looked the same and held them up for us to see. We just stared. "Well, I tell you what: put it on your nightstands..." He said as we both took one of the pills. "...just in case you change your mind. I'm gonna go and check on the circlin' buzzards." With that, he stood and turned to leave. Sookie picked up Gran's pie from the middle of the bed.

"Lafayette?" She called and he turned back.

"Yes, ma'am."

I took the pie from Sookie and held it with love as I held it up for him. "Could you take this back downstairs carefully?" I whispered and he took it carefully, just as I had asked.

"I will guard it with my life, honey child." He promised before he turned and left.


After a while, Sookie, Tara, and I all decided to lie down while we talked. Sookie and Tara were on the stomachs and I was lying on my back, looking up at the ceiling between them. Tara had her arms crossed under her head and Sookie had a pillow. I don't remember who, but someone had put on some soothing music for the background.

"Do you want me to call anyone?" Tara asked, looking between us. "Your cousin Hadley?"

"No one's heard from her in about a year; she ran away from the rehab Gran paid for her for. We don't know where she is or how to get a hold of her." I answered dully as I nibbled on the chocolate bar Lafayette had given me. He always gave me chocolate when I was sad; it's my comfort food.

"What about Bill? You wanna invite him?" Tara asked Sookie, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Tara, he can't go." Sookie stated. Oh, we're currently talking about the upcoming funeral. We were trying to figure out who we should and shouldn't invite.

"Oh, right." Tara said, like she just remembered. The funeral's during the day.

"It's not like you've known a lot of vampires." Sookie mumbled. "It kinda takes gettin' used to."

"I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it." She admitted and I turned to look at her with Sookie with the chocolate bar in my mouth still. I probably looked extremely like a child. "What? Not everyone is as open-minded as you two. Shoot me. You should hear the things people are sayin'."

"I do. Sookie said with a louder voice than before and Tara and I looked at her wide-eyed. "Bill did not kill our grandmother!"

"Don't get all mad at me. Nobody's blamin' Bill...exactly. But didn't you tell me he had scary-ass friends?"

"Yeah, Eric and Pam are scary." I nodded but Sookie scowled at me.

"Not all the vampires are like that and you know that, Trudy. That's just Eric and Pam."

"I'd fuckin' lose it if anything happened to you two. You know that, right?" Tara asked us and I nodded, going back to staring at the ceiling as I bit off a chunk of chocolate with a satisfying clicking sound.

"Tara, last night was so horrible. I don't know how I would've gotten through it if it weren't for Bill. I don't know how to explain it, but-" I cut her off.

"You probably would've handled it the same way I had and gone into a comatose state." I stated before the door to Sookie's door was thrown open and I jumped up in surprise and in a fighting position. Oh, I had also taken about ten years of Taekwondo, karate, and free style boxing. I relaxed my position when I saw that it was Jason as Sookie stood.

"Jason-" Whatever she was about to say was cut off when he slapped her hard across the face and my eyes widened as Tara ran to stop any further of this. Jason then turned on me and stalked towards me. I shrunk back in fear and let out a whimper before Tara got a hold on him and pushed him away from me.

"What the fuck?" She yelled.

"It's both your fault!" Jason yelled as he pointed at us both. "Gran is dead cause o' you!" Sookie sat up from where she had landed on the bed and cradled her cheek in her hand. "It should have been you two!" He yelled and lunged at me again, but Tara grabbed him. I started to tear up in fear as I back up into a wall and slid down it to a sitting position on the floor.

"Don't you lay your hands on her!" Tara yelled and he looked back at Sookie.

"She's fuckin' a vampire, Tara, and she's friends with him." He said as he motioned towards me and walked over to the bed. "A fucking vampire!" He shouted as he turned towards me again. I flinched but Tara got between us again.

"Yeah, and that vampire was here for them when you weren't! You oughta be ashamed of yourself! Is that how your grandmother raised you? To beat on your sister and scare the shit out of the other one? Look at you! I don't even recognize you anymore! Get the hell out of here!" She pushed him away and I started shaking as I moved onto the bed and Sookie wrapped her arms around me. "Get out! Get out!" She pushed him out of the room and closed the door behind him. She then came over to us as we both began to cry and sob. "You two okay?" She asked as she sat down and looked at Sookie's cheek. We both looked at each other before Sookie reached to her nightstand and picked up the Valium pills and handed me one. We both swallowed them dry.

"I'm goin' to my room, guys. Wake me when there's a point to it." I muttered as I stood and hugged them both as the tears continued to pour. I walked out of Sookie's room and down the hall. I went into my room and closed the door behind me. I instantly pulled my jeans and shirt off. I reached into my pajama drawer and pulled out a baggy black button up shirt that I had stolen from an old boyfriend on a whim. I slid my arms into the sleeves after I took my bra off and kicked the clothes away. I buttoned the shirt up but kept the last two buttons undone. I then closed my curtains that led to the balcony and was about to crawl into bed when I noticed that there was blood on the sheets where I had tossed and turned in my sleep. I sighed tiredly and stripped my bed of its sheets and threw them in my dirty clothes basket. I walked into my closet and pulled down some extra blankets and sheets and put those on my bed before I climbed into my bed and cuddled into the warm comforter. I still felt extremely cold and dead. I stared at the wall in the dark. I was then glad that my curtains were a dark red because it kept my room dark when I wanted it to be.

I felt the Valium kick in as my muscles relaxed and my eyes felt heavier. I yawned and pulled my blankets up to my shoulders as I slowly drifted off to a peaceful dreamless sleep.


I woke up to a loud tapping at my window that led to my balcony. I groaned, already knowing who it was, but stood none the less. I guess Bill hadn't had time to tell Eric to back off for a few days. I walked to my window as I scratched the back of my head and I was amazed that my hair was still perfect. I moved a curtain aside slightly to see the tall blonde, looking like he usually did; dressed in all black and looking bored until he caught sight of me and smirked. I let the curtain go and sighed, taking a deep breath before I opened the door.

"Why, Trudy, I had no idea you wore such scandalous things to bed." He commented with a broader smirk as he looked me up and down and I blinked, staring at him blankly. He seemed confused at my lack of reply. "What, no witty retort or a 'get the hell away'?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and I felt the tears that the Valium had stopped starting to come back. His eyebrows furrowed as I stepped out onto the balcony and let the tears fall. "What's wrong, Trudy? What happened?"

"Why do you care?" I whispered sadly as my tears fell. "It doesn't matter to you, anyway."

"Please, just tell me." He begged and I sobbed.

"My Gran was murdered last night." I informed him and his eyes widened a fraction. "Her funeral's in a few days, my sister's worried I'll go into a depressive state and I'd go so far as to cut myself, and my brother wants to kill us both."

He seemed to hesitate for a second before he held his arms up with a sincerely sorrowful look on his face. I also hesitated for a second before I walked into his arms with my own arms cradled to my chest in agony as I sobbed more. He wrapped his arms around me and led me to sit down on the couch. He sat down beside me and kept his arms around me as I cried into his black tee-shirt. He didn't say anything and just ran his hand though my hair and rubbed comforting circles in my back. After a while I had calmed down and I looked up at him. He was looking down at me, too, and he wiped away a stray tear with the pad of his thumb.

"What, you're not going to say 'I'm sorry' and hand over a tuna cheese casserole?" I whispered hoarsely and he frowned.

"Why would I give you a tuna cheese casserole? Now, I haven't eaten food in over a thousand years, but that doesn't sound all that appetizing. And I won't say sorry."

"Why? Everyone else has today." I frowned in confusion.

"Because I know it won't change anything. She's gone and apologizing isn't going to bring her back." He shook his head as I laid my cheek against his chest again and sniffled. "I've learned from experience over the years."

"I just don't know what to do. It's always been so easy for me and lately, it's been nothin' but trouble. I've got vampires popping up on my balcony at all hours of the night, my sister's dating a vampire, and my brother looked like he was about to kill me this afternoon." I mumbled and I swear I heard a low growl coming from his chest. I just shook off even that possibility when he responded.

"I'd tell you to continue with your life like you had been, but that didn't work, did it? I was talking to Bill early and he had talked to your friend, Tara, and told me that you've been in a comatose state all day. Is that correct?" He asked and I nodded, still sniffling. "You feel numb and have no idea what you should do. The walls feel like they're closing in on you. You're always cold and your friends and family look at you like you're about to do something crazy, am I right?"

I slowly looked up at him with wide eyes. "That's exactly right. How'd you know that?"

He smiled with no humor. "I felt the exact same way when my family died in front of me." I was about to ask about his family when I yawned and he helped me to stand. "You should go back to bed." He led me back to the doors and kissed my forehead, lingering for a moment and I heard him inhale my scent. "Good night, Trudy."

"'Night, Eric. I replied tiredly and formally before I turned and walked into my room. I closed the door behind me and crawled back into bed, falling asleep immediately.


At Gran's service, I was sitting between Tara and Lafayette. My hair was down and around my face and I wore a black sundress and my black leather jacket with my Converse. My tears were falling freely and Lafayette held my hand reassuringly. On Tara's other side sat Sookie who sat next to Jason. I was still too scared to sit anywhere near him and chose to stay away. Someone was singing the hymn 'Softly and Tenderly'. There was scattered sobbing while some people were just motionless and looked dead. The woman singing soon stopped and the minister stepped up to the podium.

"Lord, we gather here today to remember the life of Adele Stackhouse. To celebrate the time that she enjoyed here on earth." The minister started and I heard the sound of wheels turning. I turned my head, the same time Sookie did, and gasped at who I saw, tightening my grip on Lafayette s hand. He winced in pain and looked to see what was wrong. He instantly frowned and glared at the man in the wheelchair. "And to thank you for each precious moment, the family, the friends, the community. But even as we grieve, we shall be comforted, knowing that she is in peace now in Lord's Kingdom. And there shall not be more death..." He continued on, but I stopped listening.

I watched as Jason greeted Uncle Bartlett with a pat on the knee in absolute horror.

"Uncle Bartlett, what are you doing here?" Sookie asked sternly, but the old man just nodded.

"She was my sister." He replied and I glared.

"You sure didn't act like it." I spat.

"Tru, come on. Give the guy a break." Jason pleaded and I looked at him with my most powerful death glare, along with Sookie.

"Sookie Stackhouse has prepared a few words." The minister said but we kept glaring at our brother. "Honey?" I snapped out of it and elbowed Sookie in the ribs. She looked at me and I motioned for her to go up to the podium. She looked up. "You wanted to say a few words?" She nodded, grabbed her purse, and stood to walk up there.

"Sookie, you okay?" Tara asked quietly, but Sookie just walked past Jason, Sam, and Uncle Bartlett to the podium. Our uncle was parked beside Sam, who was seated behind Jason. I watched as Sookie stood behind the podium and rummaged through her bag.

"Ah, Tru?" Lafayette whispered in pain and I looked over at him questioningly. "Hand. Cutting off circulation, here." He murmured and I instantly loosened my grip on his hand. "You okay?" I know he's a bastard, but you okay?" I nodded wordlessly as a lie and looked forward again as Sookie started to speak.

"I will be speaking for both my sister and me. Adele Stackhouse was everything to me and Trudy. She wasn't just our grandmother. She was our parent, our teacher, and our best friend." She paused and got that faraway look in her eyes. I frowned. "To say she'll be missed...just didn't cut it, 'cause...I can't even imagine a world without her in. She was always there, with a kind word, and a hot meal, and a shoulder to cry on. Not just for me, but...for everyone who knew her." She paused for a long time and I furrowed my eyebrows as I caught waves of fury and anger coming off of her. "Shut up! All of you just shut the fuck up!" She suddenly yelled before she grabbed her bag and ran off. I quickly stood and ran after her. I heard Jason stand and follow after us, which only made me run faster.

"Sookie! Trudy!" Jason yelled as we ran through the cemetery. "Sookie, Trudy, just hold on a sec!" He yelled and Sookie stopped running. I ran right into the arms that she held up for me and hugged her as Jason caught up with us.

"Why? So you can hit me again and scare the shit out of your little sister?" Sookie asked angrily. "Go ahead; tell me it's all our fault. Tell us how you wish it were us in that coffin. We deserve it."

"I'm sorry." He apologized as he walked towards us with his arms up. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't touch us!" Sookie yelled, moving us away from him and pushing me behind her.

"Now I didn't mean to hurt you or scare Tru. You gotta know that."

"You invited Uncle Bartlett!" I yelled, stepping out to stand beside Sookie. "How could you do that after everything he did?"

"He has a right to be here! Look, I know he and Gran had their problems, but whatever they were, it don't matter no more. 'Cause that's what family does. We forgive each other."

"You have no idea of what you're talking about!" Sookie snapped back.

"Sookie, please? I mean, we're all we've got." Jason pleaded.

"We've got nothin'." Sookie glared as I turned and ran again. We somehow ended up stopping at Bill's grave and I gave Sookie a moment of silence with his grave and started to slowly walk back to the funeral. My arms were crossed over my chest, my head was bent to look at the ground, and I was moving sluggishly.

"Trudy?" A voice whispered and I looked up to see Lafayette standing there. "You okay?"

"You know everyone's been asking me that lately and I always answer with the same thing even though I feel absolutely horrible." I replied as we started to walk at a normal pace. I don't know if and when I'll be okay, Lafayette."

"It'll all work out in the end, honey child." He assured me as he wrapped an arm around me and hugged me to his side. "You wait and see; it'll be a'ight."

"You know, I hope you're right, Lafayette." I responded with a ghost of a smile.


When Sookie caught up with us, Lafayette left to check on Tara and we watched silently as Gran's casket was lowered into the ground. I stared blankly and ignored everything going on around me until Sookie gently took my hand. I looked up to see she was arm and arm with Sam and he was nodding his head in the direction of our house. I nodded and looked back at the grave one more time before I let Sookie lead me away, who was being led away by Sam. I stared at the ground emotionlessly until we reached the house. I stepped up and waited as Sookie dug through her bag for the keys.

"Listen, how 'bout you two take a bath and I find us some stupid movie on TV?" Sam offered. "Somethin' with aliens." He added, knowing how much watching a good hokey alien movie made me feel better sometimes. We just stared at him and he looked between us. "Romantic comedy, then?" He joked and I sighed.

"Sam, now's not really a good time." I whispered. "I think we just need to be alone for a while." He looked down and nodded as Sookie opened the door and we turned to look at him.

"Thanks." Sookie said before we walked inside and closed the door behind us. I sat down at the table and Sookie went to the fridge. She pulled out the pecan pie Gran made and grabbed two forks from the drawer. She then came and sat beside me. I silently removed the plastic wrap from the pie and picked up a fork. We both silently ate the already half eaten pie. About three bites into it, we both started to sob and eventually broke out into tears, but we were both determined to finish the pie. When we finished the pie, I walked upstairs and slunk into my room.

I changed into a loose V-neck black shirt and a pair of black running pants. My feet were bare as I sat outside on my couch on my balcony. I sipped at some hot chocolate that Sookie had made for me. I know she tried to make it exactly the way Gran had, but it wasn't quite right. I watched quietly as the sun slowly set. I sighed and closed my eyes. I knew that Eric would be here to check on me soon enough. He's kinda made a habit of it and I was getting used to it, even if I didn't want to see him. Like last night, I didn't want to see him, but he helped me. I was hoping he could do that, too, tonight.

I opened my eyes and looked at the sky to see the sun had already set. I settled back and rested my legs on the couch as I laid my head on the arm of the couch. I felt the warm breeze ruffle my hair and smiled slightly as I sipped at the cocoa. I waited for about five minutes until I felt a cold hand caressing my cheek. Opening my eyes, I looked to my left to see Eric kneeling down beside the couch.

"Hello." He greeted and I smiled weakly. He frowned and stood straight. He came to sit down on the couch and let me rest my feet on his lap. "How'd it go?" He asked quietly and I sighed, lying down again.

"My brother tried to apologize, but he invited the man I hate the most in the world to Gran's funeral." I informed him as he started to play with the hem of my pajama pants and I stared at the starry sky.

"I thought you hated me the most." He said in thought as he raised an eyebrow in my direction. I smirked and closed my eyes.

"I hate this man more than you." I replied.

"What did he do to make you hate him so much...?" I sighed and told him all about what had happened.


Okay, I'm not gonna put in the whole 'Uncle Bartlett's a child fantasizing rapist' or whatever the hell he is because I thought it would complicate things too much. Plus, Sookie's Trudy's older sister and wanted to protect her at that time since Trudy is four years younger than her. Also, Trudy was most likely a toddler back then. I hope Eric's not bein' to OOC and if he is, please inform me of it. I don't want to to be like one those stories where the girl changes the guy's whole way of dealing with things. I always found that to be a horrible way to write a story and I hope that I'm not doing that. Tell me if I am, though, so I can fix it in the next few chapters.

Anyways, Review Please?