From Life in Forks to Death in Bon Temps

Chapter 2: Meet

Sookie's POV

I like my job. I like my job. I like my job. That was my mantra (word of the day on the calendar a few days back) for the day. I really did like my job, just not on days like this. Today wasn't the day I wanted to work the lunch shift, the dinner shift, or any shift for that matter. I'd much rather be in my lawn chaise in a bikini, listening to the radio play Tanya Tucker and Vince Gill, and sipping on some ice cold sweet tea. Instead, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, serving this person and that, all of whom think of me as "Crazy Sookie" or, less nicely, the "Vampire Whore." Some of them even thought the first was connected to the second because a girl like me just didn't know any better. They all loved my gran and didn't blame her for how I turned out. Of course, none of the great patrons of Merlotte's Bar and Grill would ever say this to my face, but they sure would think it good and loud.

I loved this little town. This was my home. This was where Gran raised me, and by God, she raised me right. That's the only thing keeping the biggest controlled grin I can muster plastered on my face today instead of beginning to yell all their little skeletons in the closet to the public. Oh, I bet that'd take their thoughts off me. But it'd also take my job off me. Even as good of a friend as Sam Merlotte is to me, he'd have no choice but to fire this telepathic barmaid, and I wasn't going to give these people the satisfaction of seeing just how crazy "Crazy Sookie" could be.

"Sookie, you can take a break if you want. Arlene can cover your tables for a few minutes," Sam said. He knew I was stressed, and he knew it was partially his fault. Arlene gave him a long, irritated look from where she stood down the bar. Arlene was a good friend and a good waitress, but she didn't marry the two.

"It's all right, Sam. I can handle it. Just a bad day is all," I smiled an almost real smile at him. He at least felt sorry for making a big deal out of something that wasn't his concern. He nodded his head and let me get back to taking the Diet Coke I had been refilling for the fourth time for Hoyt's mama. I liked Hoyt well enough, and he was a good friend to my brother even when Jason didn't deserve a friend in the world. But Hoyt's mama always put me in a sour mood. She was the one thinking of how disappointed Gran would be to know I took vacations with vampires, unwed at that. Not that such a thing was possible in the great state of Louisiana. Biracial couples were frowned upon enough, much less dead-undead relations.

Of course, Hoyt's mama was referring to my upcoming "vacation" to Rhodes with Louisiana's undead royalty. I asked Sam for the time off earlier this morning, and apparently some faithful Merlotte's employee overheard and spilled the beans either to or in front of a customer. The news spread like wildfire in a drought through this sleepy town. It seemed everybody picked Merlotte's at lunch just so they could look at me while they judged me, like a visual would prove something to them. I'd been trying for the life of me to figure out who opened his or her big mouth, but whoever it was felt no guilt whatsoever for telling business that wasn't theirs. No surprise there. This is Bon Temps.

This morning I came in, laid my purse in Sam's filing cabinet like I always did, and asked for a moment of his time. He agreed, easy enough.

"Sam, I'm going to need a few days off at the end of next week. Is that all right?"

"Sure, Sook. Can I ask why?" He asked.

Now, I could've said "no" since it really wasn't any of his business and Sam didn't exactly like me hanging around vampires. I knew it was just because he cared, but I still didn't see that he had any right to tell me what to do. You'd think he'd understand, being a shape shifter and all. But I decided to take the high road and just tell him since he was kind enough to agree to let me off. Maybe he'd surprise me and take the news well. Maybe he'd just shrug and wish me a safe flight. Maybe he'll change into a flying pig on his next run through the woods. Flying would be faster.

"Well, I've been invited to attend the vampire summit in Rhodes." Invited was a nice way of saying I'd been ordered to go.

"Sookie," Sam scolded. "You can't possibly go to that thing with that many vampires. It's just not safe. Be reasonable, Sookie."

Now, normally I'd try to be polite, but that went out of the window after he scolded me and tried to tell me what I can't do. That's just not a way to get a girl to listen, especially this one.

"Well lucky for me, I don't put too much stock into what you think." That wasn't a whole truth or really even half of one. I did care what Sam thought, just not what his opinions were on certain undead matters. I was just playing dirty and delivering a low blow to hurry this fight along so I could get to work and be mad at myself all day.

"I guess that is good news then. I have half a mind not to give you the time off!" Sam yelled.

"Sam, don't you go being overdramatic and controlling. This isn't your choice, and I've been a good, solid employee for years and I hardly ask for time off. If you don't want to give me pay for my vacation because you want to bring your personal prejudices into this, then that's fine by me. I would hate to take your money if I didn't earn it. But I am going with Eric and Bill and Pam and whoever else wants to go because I'm a grown woman, and I can do as I please." I was a little out of breath after that rant, and both our voices were raised.

Sam had the decency to look sorry for a second. "Sookie, you are a grown woman. Do what you want then. I'll give you your paid vacation."

He walked out to the bar after that. Well, I got what I wanted, all except it wasn't what I wanted. Yes, I may be a grown woman, sure, but this isn't how I'd choose to spend my vacation, and I sure didn't want to go spy for vampires. Sam's right. That isn't safe, but what choice did I have?

So, a fight with Sam, a nosey fellow worker, an even nosier and judging town population, and Hoyt's mama's eighteenth diet coke later, here I am walking around the bar with a fake smile and a chip or two on my shoulder. I didn't want to go to Rhodes. I didn't want to be at work. I didn't want to fight with Sam. I just wanted to crawl into bed and try again tomorrow at this point.

On top of all that, I was fighting myself on where my feelings were. I shouldn't have them for Eric since he doesn't remember our time together when he was cursed. I shouldn't have them for Bill after all he's done. I shouldn't have them for Quinn, or Alcide, or even a little for Sam. I was a wreck in the romance department. I couldn't decide between vampires, weres, or a shifter. I was just throwing myself a big ol' pity party in Sookieville today.

I was leaving for the summit on an Anubis flight in a few days, and I was bound and determined to be professional and do what was asked, my personal feelings be damned. I just needed to make it through this thing in one piece and preferably without fresh bite marks, even any on the inner thigh by an ex-Viking. I sighed a little then. This was going to be harder than I thought.

I was making myself busy with mundane things nobody really wants to do, the inglorious side of being a barmaid. I filled all the salt and pepper shakers, hot sauce bottles, ketchup bottles, and napkins. The bar had died down after the lunch rush and just a few customers straggled behind, mostly old men with nothing better to do and Jane Bodehouse who was already a six-pack in. The nice weather had diminished and now it looked like it was going to rain, which just added to my already fabulous day.

I looked over my section to see that it was spotless and was about to take my break when two couples walked in that I'd never seen and sat in one of my tables. I was a little unhappy about postponing that break, but it's not everyday people I've never seem waltz on in Merlotte's. Maybe at least these people had never heard of me or my reputations.

As I walked near their table, I realized how beautiful they all were. On one side of the table sat a tall blonde guy with his hand in the lap of a tiny dark-haired girl that looked almost like I should offer her a booster seat. I looked to the other couple to see the guy hiding a half smile. It really was charming. He had unruly auburn hair and a brooding stare, which he relaxed a little then. The girl next to him seemed timid, but she was lovely in, a understated way. She had long dark hair, big dark eyes, and she was fair- skinned, in fact they all were. Now, my tan is legendary, but if I thought I could pull pale off that well, I might even consider it. I began to wonder what they thought of their arriving waitress and focused in on their thoughts. They were the first minds I'd wanted to hear all day. I had been blocking out all the others with their rude commentary. I focused on the table and heard… nothing. Not a single thought. I focused again and still, goose egg.

I was standing at their table before I realized it, trying to get a read on them. I got nothing, just blank voids just like I do with vampires. They were all four nothing but negative spaces, black holes, in my mental universe, but it was daylight. That's impossible. I stood there, looking at each of them. They were all pale and Shorty and the boys had golden eyes like you'd expect to see on a harmless cat, but I was beginning to think they weren't so harmless.

I looked around to count the bystanders in the bar. There were 3 customers eating, a tipsy Jane Bodehouse, Arlene, and Sam. Sam was here at least. I turned back to my customers and plastered on my famous smile.

"Hey, ya'll. What can I get you to drink?" I asked as I turned to Shorty.

She almost seemed dazed in front of me, and I was beginning to wonder if the reason I couldn't read any thoughts off them was because they didn't have any. Mr. Hair of the Year snickered a little before clearing his throat. There might be a hamster turning a wheel under that hair, afterall.

"I believe I'll have a glass of water," said tall, pale, and blonde.

"What about you, Alice?" He asked Shorty, who I should probably start mentally referring to as Alice.

"Yes," she said. Then she seem to snap out of her trance and answered, "Water, I mean. Water sounds lovely." She'd obviously never seen the water in Bon Temps.

"And what about you?" I asked the other girl. One thing I've learned from all my years of being a barmaid and listening to people critique your work in their heads is that you always address the females first. Otherwise, they'll think you're flirting with their men, and sometimes the men think so too. That's not exactly something you want to get tied up in.

"A coke, please," she said. Well, at least they were a polite group of potential supernatural beings.

"And you, sir?" I asked Mr. Shampoo Commercial.

"Water is just fine, thank you," he said. Well, whoever raised them, raised them right.

I walked behind the bar to get their drinks and asked Sam, "When you look at that table of customers that just walked in, what do you think?"

"Well, I think they look a couple of nice young couples. Why'd you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," I said. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Maybe they're just unique human beings that just so happened to sit in my section. Maybe they're harmless as the kittens their eyes remind me of. Maybe I've been around vampires too long that I can't trust seemingly human beings. Or maybe I've learned a thing or two and I just can't trust them for a reason.

"Here's your drinks. Can I get ya'll anything to eat?" Upon my question, they all looked at the girl whose name is not Alice. She looked up at the hair model and the other two before meeting my eyes.

"Oh, um… I'll just take the chicken strips, I guess," She said. The Merlotte's menu was a basic one, so her choices were limited.

"And for you?" I asked Alice in Wonderland.

"Oh. Maybe some…" She began before Mr. Pantene Pro-V interrupted her.

"Alice, not now."

She stuck her tongue out at him, while her boyfriend smiled and the other girl looked thoroughly confused. I felt her pain.

"You know, I'm really not that hungry," Alice answered.

"Same here," said her boyfriend.

"Me either," answered Sweeney Todd's wet dream with an amused smile.

"Oh, you guys. I don't have to eat. I'm not all that hungry, really," Cousin It's girlfriend said. I was having entirely too much fun thinking of things to call this guy. I could swear he mumbled something but I just couldn't understand what.

"Oh, Bella. Don't be ridiculous. You haven't eaten today, and the chicken strips sound… delicious," Alice said. Everyone cocked an eyebrow at her, including me. They were good, yes, but delicious? That's probably an exaggeration that Bella would tell her about later. I suppose Bella was a fitting name for her. She was beautiful.

"Alright. One chicken strip basket coming right up," I said with a smile in Bella's direction. She seemed almost nervous, poor girl. Maybe she had heard of my reputation.

I placed their orders and pretended to busy myself behind the bar so that I could observe my table from afar. They were all engrossed in very quiet conversation when Arlene came back in from her break.

"Sook!. Who's that sitting at your table?" She asked.

"Oh, just some kids from out of town, I reckon."

"Well, they sure are a good looking bunch. Too bad those two young men didn't seat themselves in my section," Arlene said with a little too much desire for men who were probably a decade or so younger.

A few minutes passed before the chicken strips were up, and I began my approach to my unusual table. I just felt like something was off about these people. As I neared the table, I began to feel calm and relaxed, and slightly silly for looking at these people that way. I've really got to stop spending so much time with underhanded vampires.

"Here are your chicken strips. Can I get ya'll anything else?" I asked politely, hoping they hadn't noticed if I acted off before.

"Could you direct us in the direction of the restrooms?" Alice asked, motioning her tiny fingers between Tall and Blonde and herself.

"Oh, sure. Just walk through that door right there and you'll find a his and hers," I said, hoping I made a point that they should attend separate facilities in case they had any extracurricular activities in mind.

Mr. Herbal Essences coughed a little before asking Bella how the food was. Everyone turned to stare at his cough like it was a strange occurrence. They were a bizarre table. Seconds after Alice and the blonde excused themselves, the sun glimmered through the windows to shine where they had been seated on their booth. It had been such a dreary afternoon that I stared at the light with a little hope that it wouldn't rain after all. It was fleeting thought as the thunder rolled and the clouds returned just before Alice and her sweetheart made their way back to their seats. In their absence, I noticed Bella send me a few nervous glances before looking out the window. Her beau leaned over and whispered something to her that she reacted to with alarm. He met my eyes then. I went back to dusting the bar I'd already dusted several times today. I just couldn't shake my feeling about these people. Now, I'm hardly ever wrong about my feelings. Being a mind reader makes you a pretty good judge of character. That's what I like to think anyway, minus a serial killer and a few vamps whose minds I can't read anyway.

"Sam, are you sure you don't notice anything… off about those people?" I asked. I said "off" with emphasis that clearly meant not human.

Sam's eyebrows lifted, but he focused on the table. I followed his gaze to notice a crease of worry beneath a head full of messy hair as he leaned in to tell the other couple something. Bella's chicken strips lay long forgotten in front of her.

"I'll go smell them out, but they look fine to me. I'd know if they were like me, and it's daytime so they can't be vampires," Sam said. I noticed Bella glance at me again with that same nervous look before staring at Alice, who in turn was staring off into space.

I couldn't tell what Sam told them, but they all smiled tight smiles and made polite gestures. I assumed he'd introduced himself as the owner and asked how their food was, the usual. When he walked back over, he stood beside me with his back to them.

"Well, the long-haired girl is definitely human. The other three, I'm not sure. They smell different, sweet kinda. I've never come across anything like it. They're so pale and their eyes are strange, but they can't be vampires. It's the middle of the afternoon. They seemed harmless enough. Nice kids, really," Sam shrugged it off.

"Thanks, Sam," I offered. I really wasn't ready to give up this mystery. Maybe it was my lack of customers or the fact that my day really couldn't get any worse, but I just wanted to know more. They were unnaturally pale, undead pale. Their eyes were unusual, and three of them with the same color eyes couldn't be a coincidence. What troubled me most was knowing Bella was human and wondering why she looked so nervous. Was she afraid of them? Was she in trouble? I had assumed the guy next to her was her boyfriend, but what if he wasn't? I just had to know she was okay. I walked back to the table to take Bella a coke and give them their bill.

"I hope ya'll enjoyed everything. Here's your check. I brought you a fresh coke," I said, as I went to spill it on her while making it look like a complete accident. I decided to spill it on her and drag her to the bathroom to help her clean up so that I could ask her if she was okay. Just as I was about to hand it to her, the man next to her reached over and took it from my hands in one very swift, very inhuman motion. I was shocked, but I tried to hide it well. Bella wasn't so good at hiding her surprise. Did she not know how fast he could move? He seemed to be giving everyone at the table a significant look as he pulled folded dollar bills out of his wallet, more than enough to cover the meal five times over. He didn't even look at the money.

"Are you sure I can't get ya'll anything else? Dessert? Maybe, some True Blood?" I asked sweetly.

They all seemed to freeze at my question before Alice began to snicker and then laugh loudly. The blonde who had placed an arm around her shoulders began to laugh as well. Even Mr. Wigmaker's Inspiration cracked a smile. Bella just stared at Alice in shock of her laughter. I guessed she wasn't in on the joke.

"Alice! What could you possibly be laughing at?" Bella scolded her. Well, huh, that's unexpected.

"Oh, several things really!" Alice spoke as she laughed. Then Bella began to smile a little too. Even I felt myself smile, but I had no idea why.

"It gets better, trust me," Mr. Bedhead said.

"My name is Edward by the way. I'm not related to Cousin It, nor have I ever been in a shampoo commercial or a muse to wig maker, and I don't use Pantene Pro-V or Herbal Essences,"he said as he ran a hand through his perfectly imperfect locks. I just stood there speechless. I never said those things out loud, did I?

"No, you didn't say them out loud," Edward said in a slow voice, gauging my reaction.

"Wait, she thought those things about you?" Blondie asked with a hoot.

"Well, she didn't know my name so that's what she referred to me as. She doesn't know your name either, you know," Edward looked purposefully at him.

"My name's Jasper, by the way, ma'am," he said with a light dip of his head. How polite.

"It's hard to surprise a psychic, but really she's more fiery and observant than I ever realized. This is not how this was supposed to happen," Alice sighed. "We were supposed to come back over the next few days, maybe bring Carlisle and Esme one day, maybe pretend to eat so we didn't look so conspicuous. We could've brought Rosalie and Emmett for as well as we blended in. He's going to have a field day with this. He'll never let us live down how he could probably look just as normal as we do."

"I hate to burst your bubble, but none of you blend in that well," Bella added.

"Yes, maybe so, but we thought that was just you. You are a strange human, Bella," Alice said with a smile.

"So, I've noticed," she answered back, much less enthused.

"But I wouldn't have you any other way," Edward placed a sweet kiss on her forehead, and Bella melted a little. "But I think Sookie here has probably come up with several questions she'd like to ask."

Damn right Sookie would.

"How'd you know my name?" I asked.

"Besides the fact that you're wearing a nametag and I can read your thoughts, Alice has been having visions of you for years," Edward said.

"Wait, what?" was my brilliant answer.

"I see the future," Alice shrugged. "I started having visions of you a while back. I know what you've been through with Bill and Eric. I could see the pain and the danger you were put in, but I couldn't interfere. I wanted to! Oh, I wanted to! But every time we decided to save you, our interference would somehow result in your death. I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth. Oh, Sookie, you should really be more careful. You've had me worried sick a few too many times!"

Now, this was all new to me, so I was at a loss of a brilliant response.

"Say what?" I asked the table. I actually asked the table because I couldn't decide who to direct my genius question at.

"It's a long story, but there are things you need to know. So so many things," Alice said. She was a very animated little person.

"You have no idea," said Paul Mitchell Jr., I mean, Edward.

"Thank you," Edward responded to my inner name calling.

"You are rather creative with the names. I'll give you that," Edward said with a smile.

"Did she do it again? What was it this time? 'Hair of a Leprechaun' or 'There's Something About Bella' or…" Jasper started.

"Or 'Shedward' or…" Alice interrupted.

"I'm so glad you two are enjoying those," Edward said sourly.

"Oh, but we have to give Emmett new material. You know he needs something new to make fun of you about now that you're not a…" Alice began.

"Alice!" Bella stopped her mid sentence and turned bright pink in the process.

"Actually, I was thinking Paul Mitchell Jr., but those are clever." I told them.

"Love it! I knew we'd all like you! I really did know, but now it's a fact," Alice said cheekily.

"Uh huh," I said.

"So, you probably have quite a few questions," Edward changed the subject sneakily.

"Actually, I do though they're just a jumbled up mess," I said.

"Well, lucky for you I happen to be a mind reader," Edward said.

"Yeah, lucky me." My day just got a whole lot weirder, and that's saying something in the life of Sookie Stackhouse.