Title: Dead Lost
Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?
Pam/Sookie Friendship, Eric/Sookie eventually-like you had to guess.
Rated: M.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels.
Something in my head, a type of ringing, woke me the next afternoon, I sat up, looked around and tried to remember where I was, Pam's room. Right. The ringing in my head wouldn't go away. I blinked and shook my head trying to get rid of it.
Maybe I was really "Crazy Sookie Stackhouse". I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, went into the bathroom and washed my face, yet the ringing still continued. I checked Pam's phone, but it was dead.
"Great. I'm crazy." I told myself, yanking open the bedroom door, and walking straight into Vera, I stumbled back into the wall and Vera caught her balance on a guard passing by, "Sorry." We said at the same time. The guard continued walking his way, and Vera and I went ours.
I noticed offhandedly that Vera shirt today read, "People like you are the reason people like me need medication." I rolled my eyes and she smiled, and then began babbling on about what we were doing today.
Conducting interviews, my favorite thing to do.
After breakfast I changed and we were rushed straight to a conference room, handed a list of questions and told to get on with it. Rude Weres. I soon learned the questions were always the same and conducted monthly. So they hardly had to think of an answer, leaving me free to pick their brains while Vera questioned them.
The man never appeared in anyone's head, and in those I got to check nothing popped up, until the second to last worker came in. A younger girl with frizzy brown hair and nervous eyes, she sat down across from Vera and looked back and fourth between the two of us.
Vera was about to ask her the first question when she suddenly started sobbing and her thoughts bombarded my brain, oh god! They think I killed Linda! All because I kissed her! The queen made them think it was me! What am I going to do? They're going to kill me, oh my god it's all my fault. It's my fault Linda wasn't in the Queens rooms. Oh my god.
"Calm down!" I yelled suddenly, throwing my shields up fast, Vera shifted beside me, glancing at me from the corner of her eye, "you are not a suspect so quit you're crying!" She silenced immediately eyes wide, "alright now answer her questions and you can go. Nobody is blaming you for anything, this is a standard check."
It took a few minutes for her to calm down enough to answer, but when she did I found her brain was an open book, and she had done more than just kissed her. She was the exgirlfriend of the missing telepath, but then there was this part of her brain that was completely…blank.
I didn't find anything malicious about the girl, she just seemed like she wanted her girlfriend back, "Jenna, can you tell me a little about Linda?" she perked up a bit and babbled on for 20 minutes about the girl. Half way through Vera was thinking about breaking her jaw, I put my hand on the witches and indicated that she could leave.
She did so with pleasure.
"Thank you very much for you time Jenna, I have one more question, is there anybody here who wanted Jenna gone?"
"Yeah, the girls, and some guys, who wanted the Queen and her husbands favor." I nodded and waved her out, a few minutes later Vera returned and I shared my information with her. It was about 6pm.
"The Queen has risen?" I inquired, standing to stretch, my back popped.
"Yes, and Pam. She wishes to speak with you before we share our information with the Queen and her husband." I follow her out of the conference room and into Pam's quarter, where she's sitting in front of the mirror again.
"Did you learn anything today?"
"Yes, a woman that works here, Jenna, told me that she was the reason Linda wasn't in the Queen's chambers. Her mind was basically an open book." I paused, "except this one part, she's been glamored to forget something. I can remove it, but I would have to check with the Queen first, incase she had done the glamour. What is the policy regarding those I find guilty?"
"Of course. They are not killed. Are you wearing that to see the queen?" I looked down at the flowery tank top and tan shorts I was wearing, I shrugged, why the hell would I want to impress her?, and with that the three of us headed down to the throne room.
The Queen, whose name I still hadn't gotten, was sitting all pretty in her chair, beside her sat Eric, who looked completely bored, until we stepped in the room. His eyes danced across the three of us back and fourth.
"Ah, my little helpers. Sookie and Vera?" we nod, Pam bows, and we don't, "what have you found?"
"Nothing much, we've seen the kidnappers, kind of, a darker man, tall and big and a smaller, white man skinny and lanky." Vera replied, shrugging her shoulders, "Anything else Sookie?" she tilts her head to look at me.
"One of your workers…Jenna, she told me some things about the missing girl. And why she wasn't in your quarters when she was kidnapped on the victim, I found a block her brain. Are you aware of it?"
"No, I was not." She replies, glancing at Eric who also shook his head, but something that flashed through Eric's eyes tells me maybe he had known about it. I made sure to remember that.
"With you permission, I would like to see if I can figure out what had been glamored out of her." The Queen gave me a look, which pretty much read "what the hell can you do" but I ignored it.
"Also, could you possibly tell me where the Fellowship of the Sun church of this state is located? I would like to see if she is there." Eric gave me a look that told me he did not want me near them; I turned away from him, no sense in letting him think I valued his opinion.
"Sure. I'll get you a map before sunrise. Are you planning on visiting tomorrow?" she asked, looking hopeful that I would.
"I do not know. Like I said, I'd like the location. I believe that is all we have found?" I turn to Vera, she nods in agreement, and the queen smiles, a tight smile that shows me she is annoyed with me, "I do actually have one more question, you say Linda is a fairy, because she is telepathic, but telepathy is not a fairy trait, so what is she?"
"Well, I do not rightly know, but she is a Fae and telepathic, perhaps you should bring that up with her. Thank you for that for your information. Now I would like to know what happened on your return home last night Pam." Her voice is stern, but in way that tells me it's an act. I wonder why I can see so clearly through the Queen.
"Can I leave?" Vera asked, crossing her arms over her chest. The Queen looked aggravated but waved her away, Vera smiled happily and skipped out, literally. I almost chuckled.
Pam let out an unneeded breath and then began to explain what happened to the Queen, "I was driving back here when something landed on the hood of my car. I didn't know what it was, but it had launched itself at the car, I had to make sure that Miss Stackhouse wasn't harmed but what ever it was, so I sped up, luckily the gates were open and I could skid through."
"Ah, well then. Please feel free to leave. But the telepath stays here." Pam nodded, bowed and was dismissed. I, however, was not allowed to leave; I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow at the Queen.
"Sookie, May I call you that?" she asked with a sugar sweet voice. It made me inwardly cringe.
"Of course." I answered shortly.
"Good, now I would just love to have some time to get to know you." Eric straightened in his chair, "some alone time. You seem to be quite…bold, different, I like it." The smile on her face gave me that bad kind of chills; I tried my best to appear indifferent.
"As flattered as I am, I have to decline. I am here on business only and have no intention or desire to veer from the path. Unneeded distractions will only lengthen the time I spend locating your telepath. If you don't mind I'd love to go to the kitchen and get dinner, I'm famished." I half lied, I sure was hungry. But I had plans to veer straight off that path and into Eric. Those reasons were half related to the case, and half a personal thing.
I wasn't sure who looked more surprised, Eric, the Queen or the guards. I settled on the Queen being the most, then Eric and then the guards, whose shock bordered on amusement, which they fought to keep from their faces but there brains showed the humor they found in my words.
"Of course, you may go." I smiled, turned and walked out of the room. Outside Pam waited for me, a grin on her face; she looped her arm through mine.
"Sookie, boy have you grown some balls." She laughed gleefully, I have never seen her so animated.
"Gee, thanks Pam." I rolled my eyes as we walked toward the kitchen. I guess I have changed since the last time I'd seen Pam. Aside from the fairy things, I'd come to terms with the fact I'd never have a normal life, and that I would always have some problem popping up in my life.
The kitchen was crazy, people running around, bumping into one another, yelling at one another and snatching for food. Pam and I decided to linger outside until they had somewhat cleared out.
Once they had I went in and made myself a nice dinner before we returned to her room to find Vera leaning against the wall, "I need to talk to you." She gave Pam a weird look, glanced at me and then turned back to Pam.
"Stay here." Pam opened her door and let me in before shutting it, I heard the lock click. Fan. Tas. Tic. I felt like a caged pet. With a saddened sigh I went to the small table and chair by the bed and ate my dinner.
I ended up spacing out after I was finished, and pulled myself back into the present when I heard the lock slide in the door, before the door knob even turned I knew it was Pam, I bit my lip and made sure my hair covered my ears, just as it opened.
When the door pushed open all the way Eric stepped in, I watched him silently as he shut it and turned around. His blue eyes burned with so many emotions it was hard to pick one. His mouth was turned down into a frown and his hands clasped into fists.
"I'm sorry." Two simple words, he waited for me to say something, but I never did. I just continued my staring, "You're still mad." His mouth pulls into a straight line. I blink once; he lets out an unneeded breath.
He continues to stare at me, and I bite the inside of my cheek, "Alright." He turns, "I didn't tell her about you. I just wanted you to know that. I would never put you in danger, Sookie." He unlocks the door and leaves, when the door closes I let out a breath of my own.
Stupid, stupid vampire.
I chew on my lip, tapping my foot watching the door, waiting for Pam to come back in. After half an hour I crawled into the bed and closed my eyes, sleep pulling me under quickly.
"Sookie?" Pam hissed in my ear, I jumped my eyes snapping open. After a few blinks I found staring into Pam's blue eyes, "are you okay?"
"Yeah." I rubbed my eyes and sat up, blinking to clear my vision, "What time is it?"
"9:30." She sits back and crosses her legs, "here's the directions to their churches. Sookie, I do hope you don't intend to go into one of these places. You'll be killed."
"I'll be fine Pam. If I'm going to die I'm going to die. Not going wont change that will it?" she watches me with steady unblinking eyes, "what?"
"You're not the same Sookie from a year ago." I close my eyes, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
"So you keep pointing out." I reply, taking the map and glancing at it, "what are we going to do for the next few hours?" I say this mostly to myself, but Pam is suddenly off of the bed and pulling me out the door.
"Where are we going?" she doesn't answer as she drags me to the human quarters and pounds on Vera's door, when she opens the door Pam pulls her out and closes the door, dragging up both down to the parking garage.
"Pam! Where are you taking us?" Vera demanded, as Pam pushed us into the back seat, she wouldn't answer. She pulled out and went down the road, the opposite direction of her store.
I glanced at Vera nervously, she returned my glance and then looked at Pam in the rearview mirror, "Where. Are. We. Going." She demanded, Pam rolled her eyes and sped up, the car practically soaring over the roads.
"Pam! Slow the hell down!" I screamed, slowed down and rolled her eyes once more, "where are we going?"
"Well, for starters away from the guards tailing us. Put your seat belt on Sookie. You too Vera." We did as the said and she sped up once more, I closed my eyes and pretended I was anywhere but in that car.
I was in a nice, warm, safe, house. Sitting in front of a fire place reading a book, lying in the sun, waiting tables, anywhere but in the car swerving on the road. I couldn't keep my mind off of the speed car, I peeled my eyes open just in time for Pam to jerk the wheel left, cut off 6 cars and almost flip the car.
When I turned around the guards were nowhere to be seen, Pam slowed down and parked the car, "come on." She pushed the door open and stepped out, Vera followed her and I slowly trailed behind them both.
There were lights everywhere, I could hardly tell it was night time except for the dark sky and moon. Shops as far as the eye could see, movie theaters restaurants and arcades, "I decided this would be a good place to discus things, I mean to anyone looking we're just out for a night of fun. When the guards catch up that's what they'll assume."
"Good plan Blondie." Vera teased, "Let's go in here." She grabbed my arm and yanked me into a comic book store, Pam followed us in.
"So what are we really doing here?" I asked, feeling totally left out of whatever the other two girls were up to.
"We're discussing some private matters. About the…case we were hired to solve. Pam, scram." Vera demanded, the vampire disappeared, "I know you're going to want to go to one of those churches, the hunters are always out here surveying everyone. Once we leave this area they'll spot us and know we're not with Pam, that way we wont be killed right off the bat."
Vera squats down to the bottom shelf to find some comic, I follow in suit so I can hear her talk, "The Queen is up to something. I don't think that Linda was really what the Queen has told everyone. There is no way those vampires would be able to stand her, maybe she was a little bit, but not full blown. The queen would have killed her."
Vera stops, picks up a comic book and smiles, she grabs two more and drags me over to the counter, pays for the books and then pulls me out of the store, "so where to next Sookie?"
I look around at all the bright lights, the stores and everything. I spotted a few book stores, a lot of clothing stores and an arcade just in the area we were, "Let's just walk until we find somewhere to go in." I reply.
We walk down the sidewalk, slowly, gazing in every store front window, "so like I said, something is going on and I'm itching to find out what it is. That woman is planning something."
"She has to be, that girl was alone in the kitchen. Have you seen the kitchen in the mornings? It's always swarmed!" I paused and sigh, shaking my head, "Have you found anything out?"
"No, but I'm going to. Would you like to help me after we visit the church?" I nod, and we continue down the streets, dropping into a book store that was run by a man and his wife, who I later found out were part of the fellowship of the sun, they came over and started chatting us up.
Vera and I played along, and though upon first glance at Vera, they turned there attention directly to me, they soon opened up to invite Vera, who they were picturing as a poor girl who had been neglected in her childhood.
The next morning we took a car from the mansion to a hotel, called for a taxi and got a ride over to the church. Vera was in nicer clothes today, a blue dress with a flower pattern and stockings that covered the tattoos. She took out all of her earrings and her other piercing's, she also tied her hair up into a neat pony tail.
I wanted to ask how old she was, because she looked so young, but I knew that it was not the time to be asking, seeing as we were pulling up outside the church, I paid and then slid out of the taxi behind Vera, looking around widely for the two who had invited us.
Vera spotted them first; she grabbed my arm and dragged me over to them, "Hello! Glad you could make it!" Mark, the husband, said enthusiastically.
"We're glad we could too!" Vera replied, returning the wife, Lisa's, smile. I smiled back at them, and then they led us inside, sitting in the 3rd pew from the front. It didn't take long for the church to fill up and the reverend began to talk. I ignored him for the most part, he was preaching about vampires and their sins, it held none of my interest.
Instead I let my shield down and dug through the brains of some of the humans assembled, the ones that looked the most involved. Nobody was thinking about her, and nobody even had any thoughts about her.
They seemed to be more into talking about vampire sins and rallying then kidnapping, sacrifice and murder. It was oddly comforting and I felt myself relax into the pew, most of the minds around me were thinking about what they were doing later, picnic, bar-b-q and other calm, normal things.
After it was over Vera and I got another taxi and then went to our car, "okay, something is going on. They don't have anything to do with her disappearance. So, next choice, someone in the house did it?"
"I think so." Vera nodded, "the question is, who?"
And just like that, I knew.