It is time
Dreams are a funny thing. Sometimes they help you know exactly what you should do. Other times they simply lead you around their confusing paths expecting you to pick up the pieces and understand the game. No one has ever had normal dreams, Sookie knows this for certain.
Tonight's dreams were around a subject that she wished she could simply forget. It had been such a long time ago that she wondered if it mattered any more. Did it? The past that she'd worked so hard to have others forget about. It was such a horrible time in her life. One that, she had no doubt, she would live to regret even if it had not been her fault.
In truth, Sookie still felt like it was her fault no matter what the Ancient Pythoness said. When you go through something like that, it changes you, shifts your perceptions and makes you wish that you hadn't gone down that road.
It had been quite a while since Sookie had had this dream, or rather, memory. So long that she had almost forgotten that the events had happened. Why they were showing up now,she didn't understand. Alright, so maybe she actually did. It was finally time to reunite with the two people who could help her. The two people who thought she was dead more than anyone else.
Shifting in her sleep, turning her face towards her window and the direction of the stars, Sookie sighed again as the memories plagued her sleeping mind.
Even the memories of her failed turning haunted her but she knew it was meant to happen. Being born Susannah had not been a hardship, but her life had been. Her birth was during a time when more people died than lived, a time of war and strife. It wasn't like she could choose when she entered this world. So she could only guess at what her true age was.
In a realm of people with dark looks she was a beacon that shone in the distance; her blonde hair shining for all to see. It was thought that she would be a gift to her parents, such a rare jewel as she was. Yet no one knew who she belonged to. The babe that was found in the swaddling clothing, lying in tall wheat stacks in the driving rain. It was a miracle that she had even survived.
Everyone that knew her knew that there was something about her, something different. She'd been odd ever since she could talk. Always answering other's thoughts and forgetting herself. In the times that she was born that was sure to get her stoned. It was only due to the local seer that she was protected. Sookie hadn't know at the time that the seer knew far more than what a normal human should. She was taken in by the woman that had turned her very father into what he was.
It was supposed to have been important that they only rekindle when she was old enough. Rather than getting to spend her formative years with her actual parents, Susannah was raised by the Ancient Pythoness until the age of twenty five. It was the way things were meant to be. So was running into her father. So was the attack on the village that would put her at death's door and force her to make a choice. A choice that would change the very fabric of the supernatural world.
Most vampires took three nights before they rose, with or without a maker present. Sookie was different. She was rising the first night, but she wasn't a vampire. No she was something else. She had risen with her father standing there with his own maker, the woman who had raised her. Seeing both of them had been hard for Sookie, not knowing what to feel.
There had been a long talk where she had been introduced to her biological father, the child of the Ancient Pythoness. Conversations which had taken them several nights, Sookie sleeping during the day simply because there was nothing else for her to do. After the discussions there were goodbyes said and Sookie spent the remainder of her life, up until a certain point, travelling with her father, the two of them working to balance each other out. Parts of him were a bit savage and she was the sunshine that drew people into their world.
It had been the two of them for such a long time. Then they were joined by a second. Her father's second vampire child and her mate. At least he was supposed to be her mate but she never got the chance to find out. They had been sleeping, dead for the day, when she had been taken. The human travelling with two vampires. She would be the thing they could use to get the answers.
Or so they had thought. What had happened was a year long nightmare that Sookie wished she could ignore. The scars still remained as a symbol of everything she had gone through, left as a reminder that she was not as durable as she thought she was. Easily bent and damaged but not broken. The blonde had, for a few scant days, thought she was broken beyond repair but she had realized that she was still alive. That made her stronger, far more determined to get back to the ones that she loved. Yet, she couldn't.
Sookie had spent the rest of the years with her bonds shut off and dead. She had been unable to restore them, and knew that they had thought she was dead, that they had moved on but never forgotten her. Now she was supposed to come back to them. To pop up in their lives after one thousand years and answer for why she'd been missing. The fact that it had been the rules of the woman that raised her didn't matter. Not in the face of her fear. Sookie doubted that she would get the true answers. The Ancient Pythoness had her own reasons for doing things the way she had, dropping the smallest of hints but never actually telling the entire story. Not yet, anyway.
It was her fear of what she knew that she needed to do the coming night that was bringing on her nightmares. Sleep would not be her friend for quite a while, and she had no way to fight against it. This, she did know for sure.
Opening her eyes, and knowing that she couldn't fight the fact that she wasn't actually sleeping, the young woman sighed. She was in for a long road ahead of her. Not only did she have to explain what happened to her, and why she was back, but she had to hope to hell they would even listen to her. There was also the problem of Bill Compton and what he was doing in the area. Too many problems and Sookie hadn't had the patience to deal with with it all, not alone.
Climbing out of bed and glancing at the clock she kept there, she realized that she had slept most of the day away. It was worth it. At least she would have less time to fret about what she was going to say to the Viking and more time to focus on getting ready. To the world right now she was Sookie Stackhouse. To a select few she was someone else.
Taking a quick shower again to wash off the sweat from sleep, Sookie tried to regain her focus. She needed to think about this. There was a very good chance that Bill would show up at Fangtasia tonight; he needed to publicly check in with the local sheriff. Running into him there, before she had the chance to talk to the Viking, would be disastrous at best.
There was only so much that she could deal with and sighing, while not actually helping anything, made her feel a little better. Everything was about to change and not necessarily for the better. One of the pieces in her long life was about to fall into place and when it did, the other would soon follow. While she might have been hidden away from them, she had been able to keep tabs on those she loved with the help of the woman who raised her.
Pausing to think over what to wear to Fangtasia, Sookie got lost in her own head. It wasn't every day that she walked into a vampire bar like this one. Or that there were any close by. Shreveport was the closest one to her to begin with. Not only that but she had to walk into the lair of one of the oldest and most powerful vampires in the New World. She was walking into the realm of the known, but the world thought it would be the unknown and she couldn't actually let them think she was some weak woman.
Her clothing choice was deliberate: The white dress with the sweetheart neckline and the little red flowers. Along with a matching pair of red shoes. Yes. Deliberate. She had heard that the Viking had a progeny of his own but as she had never met the woman she doubted that she would be noticed. Looking forever twenty-five had it's perks, to an extent.
Her identity would be safe until she actually entered the establishment. Her smell alone would alert anyone within a one hundred foot radius that something was up. She wondered, however, if the Viking was anything like she remembered.
Making her way down the stairs Sookie frowned when she realized that Adele was not there. Her expected meeting wasn't for a few days, so the woman had no idea where the elder woman would be. Not that she could stop what was happening. She had to keep going forward. That was exactly what the note said on the kitchen table too. Adele's handwriting scrawled across the paper as she told Sookie to go out and find her destiny. That it was time for her to do this.
Locking up the house as she left, Sookie took one last look at the farmhouse, having no idea if she would return or not once events were set in motion. Everything that she needed she had in her bag. Her driver's licence and her phone. That was it. A little cash that she had saved while working for Merlotte's but nothing much. Sookie was currently broke and living with a woman who had very little in the means of an income, so that didn't make it easy to have a ton of things around.
Sliding behind the wheel of her tiny yellow Civic, Sookie backed out of the drive to head out along Hummingbird Road and out onto the road that would take her to Shreveport. The entire while trying to calm herself and her errant thoughts. She needed to focus but all she could think about at present were her nightmares and how badly things could go in a fraction of a second. So very badly indeed.
Shreveport was not as far from Bon Temps as a lot of people thought, and those people probably had working radios in their car. Sookie's entire drive was done in silence, allowing her time to try to come up with a game plan. Walking headlong into a place like Fangtasia was not for the faint of heart. She'd never been weak but she honestly did not know if she had the courage to do what was needed. Could she face this challenge head on? Or would she cower and hide and try to think of another way.
"You can do this!" she told herself in the firmest voice she could muster, wincing slightly at the uncertainty that remained.
Fear, no matter the root, was a great motivator to some. For Sookie, it was part of why she was so hesitant to do this. Fear of the unknown mostly. These people? She hadn't seen them in over a thousand years, she had no idea exactly how they would react. Following them through stories and little news blurbs was one thing, being able to spend time with them and actually knowing their reactions to the situation was an entirely different ball game. One that Sookie was quite sure would be interesting, to the say the least.
After what seemed like an eternity, Sookie finally pulled into the parking lot that served Fangtasia. Her nerves were at an all time high, and she was walking a razor's edge with her ability to stay focused on the task at hand. Parking her car, and then wiping her sweaty palms on the seat of her car, hoping that it wasn't noticeable, Sookie climbed out of her vehicle.
Standing in the parking lot the young woman took a deep breath. I can do this. She thought to herself. She could and she would. There was no questioning that. The line was already winding its way around the building and for a moment hiding in the crowd seemed like the thing to do. Maybe she could be with the part of the crowd that didn't actually make it in that night. Would that excuse work? She doubted it would fly with anyone that knew the situation.
With her car parked and no more excuses that she could think of, Sookie started the walk to the front door when a voice stopped her. She had honestly hoped that he wouldn't show up, that he would wait a few more days. Yet here he was, once again in the same place that she was.
"Sookie?"
"Yes Bill?" she inquired.
"What is a nice young woman like yourself doing at a place like this, and without an escort?" His question was both accusatory and cautionary. As if she should be ashamed for thinking of coming here but hoping she would see the error of her ways.
"What I'm doing here is none of your business Bill. I'm here to meet someone, a contact if you will. Not that it matters. I don't need an escort but since I doubt you will actually let me walk in there without one, let's go." Her tone was acrid.
Sookie was far too old to stomp her foot like a child but that was exactly what she wanted to do. That, and stick her tongue out at Bill. Where did he get off thinking he could do this? That he would be her knight in shining armor or anything of that sort of hogwash.
"A gentleman always escort's a lady. You won't be safe here. Please stick close to me and let me do the talking until we get to your contact." His voice had changed. It lacked the same oily quality as before but it was still enough to make her want to gag and run away.
Sookie saw one advantage to going into the club with Bill. She could bypass the line. Going in on the arm of a vampire was a sure-fire way to skyrocket past the waiting line. So she nodded, reluctantly, and started walking beside him. She refused to let him touch her in any way. That was just wrong on so many levels. The nearness of him now made her skin crawl.
As they approached the door, she once again took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. Given her history, this would rattle anyone but it had to be done. Standing in the doorway of Fangtasia was a blonde. Tall, busty and one that oozed power. Clearly a vampire.
"ID please" the blonde said in a tone of sheer boredom.
Sookie doubted that she'd enjoy door duty either and wondered, in a way, if this was a punishment or if there was a reason this particular vampire was guarding the door. Handing over her license she made the required amount of small talk as she waited to see if she would be let in. What didn't surprise Sookie in the least was that the woman seemed to know Bill and he her.
It was quite clear that there would be no pleasantries exchanged between the two. From Pam's tone and attitude it sounded as if she hadn't bought Bill's mainstreaming lie either. Who would? It was utter bullcrap. She'd yet to hear about a vampire that could live solely off of that synthetic blood.
Sookie smiled when she was finally allowed to enter into the club. Not that she had any doubt she would. Her name on her license read Sookie Stackhouse but that was not the one she had handed Pam. It only looked like it from afar. The one handed to Pam was the one that showed her true name and her true age. It also listed her maker, a name that many vampires feared. It was why she was allowed in, even with Bill following.
Moving to the bar, hoping to avoid Bill for longer, Sookie sighed when he followed her trying to convince her that this place wasn't safe for her. Not that she cared honestly. She had chosen to come here. Fangtasia was like Disney World if vampires ran it. It didn't bother her. It was flashy and showy and perfect for that sub-culture of the human world. She had no desire to be a part of that, she was past looking at it.
The bartender, whose name she only learned due to Bill's big mouth, handed her the drink she had ordered and she felt him push his glamor. Smiling a fake smile up at him, Sookie turned away and scanned the bar. One obstacle down, with Bill yammering in her ear. Did he not already understand that she knew what she was doing?
At first, Sookie was sure that she had missed the body lounging on the throne, but then how could she? His long golden hair hung in exactly the same way it had when she'd last seen him, curled up by his side with her father on the other. His arctic blue eyes still held the same emotions that she was quite sure he had pushed down into the very depths of his soul. Those same arctic eyes that she remembered in her dreams were now staring right at her.
The woman from the door was standing behind him, whispering something in his ear but he didn't need the information. He would know who she was on sight. As soon as their eyes met the same electric shock that she had felt such a long time ago was back. Her bond with him was still dead and would remain so until they exchanged blood. She could not change that. The magic had forced it to be that way.
"Noticed him did you?" Bill's voice broke into her staring contest with Eric.
Turning slightly to acknowledge Bill and hearing the growl from Eric, all the way to where she was, Sookie smirked a bit.
"Well, yeah. I mean he's sitting on a freaking throne. Who is he?"
She wanted to kick herself for the act but to tip her hand right now would be disastrous. No, Sookie needed to pretend a little longer. She wanted to get Bill close to Eric before he realized who she was.
"That's Eric. He's the oldest thing in this bar, and it looks like he's summoning us."
Actually Beehl, he's not the oldest thing in this bar.Sooke thought but couldn't let herself actually say. Instead she set her drink down on the nearest table and walked with a confident stride to the Viking sitting on his throne. Why was she not surprised at all?
"Bill Compton. How's that mainstreaming working out for you?" the lilted voice of Eric broke through Sookie and she almost sighed in pleasure. It had been far too long since she had heard him. The accent of his people still fresh as the day he was turned and yet had become much more refined over the years. He sounded more American because to survive meant that one must adapt over time.
Neither person really paid much attention to Bill's posturing, their eyes locked on each other in a silent battle of wills. Sookie knew that she had to do something that she had never done but to him once before, and her father. It was a sign that she was who he thought she was.
Kneeling before Eric was the first step, her words the second. Sookie knew that there was no other way. She could hear the gasps of the vampires around her as she knelt at the feet of their sheriff, as Bill stared at her as if she was crazy. No human ever bowed the way she as at the feet of the Viking and they certainly didn't speak in his dialect by happenstance. Not backwoods humans like her.
"Jag, Susannah av huset av Gallien, dotter till döds själv, gör härmed lovar mitt eviga lojalitet till den för hus Nord Man. Till min kompis. Min beskyddare. Min kärlek. Må han ta av mitt blod och få veta sanningen om mina ord. (I, Susannah of the house of Gaul, daughter to Death himself, do hereby pledge my undying loyalty to that of the house of the North Man. To my mate. My protector. My love. May he take of my blood and know the truth of my words. )
Keeping herself in the kneeling position she offered her wrist to the Viking, it was all she could do from where she was. This was a test. Either he would remember those words that she spoke not too long after his rising or he would ignore her.
What she didn't expect was to find herself being lifted off the ground and settled onto his lap, his nose nuzzling her neck, scenting her as he spoke. It was in his language at first, but all of the vampires around knew that she was special. That there was something about her that stood out.
"Min kärlek, jag har saknat dig alla dessa år. Ingen kompis till mig kommer att knäböja vid mina fötter. Nej hon kommer att sitta på min tron eller vid min sida hela tiden. (My love, I have missed you all these years. No mate of mine will kneel at my feet. No, she will sit upon my throne or by my side at all times.)"
The near quiet gasp from Pam told her that the woman understood the situation. Watching for a moment, Sookie was shocked to see Pam bow to her before dropping a smile and then vamping off to do something around the bar. The other vampires had inclined their heads to her but they had not made a move. Not until Eric said something officially. They would, however, protect her from the vampire that was now currently making a spectacle of himself.
"What the hell is going on here? I demand to know what is going on."
Turning her gaze upon Compton, Sookie spoke, in English this time.
"I don't think you truly do need to know Beehl. I will enlighten you, however, so that you can leave us. I am Eric's."
That was all she was going to say on the subject. She couldn't feel the emotions of her Viking but she wanted to. So badly did she want too. She needed too. They were around too many humans but she had no doubt that when they were alone the questions would come. Right now she was simply waiting to see what Eric's next move was.
Eric Northman, sheriff of Area 5, Louisiana was her mate and she knew that now that he had seen her, and once tasted her blood, he would not be the only one there for her. She was about to open such a large can of worms that it would take the three most powerful people in the New World to fix it.
Bill continued his stream of complaining and arguing until Eric had had enough. With a growl, he had stood, deposited Sookie onto his throne and summoned Pam to take Bill to the basement. They would talk later. It was time to close the club and no one questioned that.
Once Pam returned upstairs, after securing Bill downstairs, the three of them left the dais and headed to Eric's office. It was time for Sookie to give information but the question became, how much did she give. Standing in front of the closed office door the blonde gulped and once again tried to steady her nerves. So far, Eric had taken all of this well. She had no idea the inner struggle that he was having or the fact that he had already called for her father to make it to his side posthaste. No that would come later, after they had been convinced she was who she claimed to be.