Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Southern Vampire Mysteries universe.
A/N: Sorry about the delay. I had serious writer's block with this chapter. It's still not my favorite, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.
Theme 18: Rainbow
POV: Sookie
Rating: T
Rainbow Connection
As the car wound up the narrow lane, I found myself more nervous than I would have expected. Eric sat next to me in the driver's seat, smirking. He knew exactly what I was thinking, damn him, and he found it amusing.
He glanced over at me, "How are you doing, Dear One?"
"As if you don't know," I sassed back.
"What are you nervous about?" he inquired, "It's just a house."
I shrugged. The fact was, it wasn't just a house we were going to; it was HIS house; or one of them. It was my first time visiting Eric's house as a simple guest of his. It was my first time visiting any vampire's house without a war to plan or information to gather or some other similar mission. I really had no idea what to expect. Scratch that. I knew what was likely to happen tonight, but not what to expect of the house itself. It appeared I wouldn't have to wait long to find out. Eric pulled up to a gate and punched in a code.
The house was easy to see as it was well lit. It was not your stereotypical vampire dwelling. While the house was on the large side, it was a simple colonial style. What really surprised me was that it appeared to be painted in a light lemon yellow. I smiled, "Yellow? Really?"
Eric shrugged, "What? Pam is the only vampire allowed to like colors other than red and black?"
I laughed as he pulled the car up into the garage, "Of course not. If you recall I've even seen you wear pink before. I just somehow didn't expect such a typical suburban color."
Eric merely laughed as he parked and opened the door, leaping out of the car and around to my door before I even had a chance to reach for it. He pulled me out of the car, acting like an eager child about to open presents on Christmas morning. He practically dragged me through the door and into the house, by way of the kitchen.
"Don't they make houses without kitchens, specifically for vampires, these days?"
"They do," confirmed Eric, "But, I bought this house before the Revelation. Also, it is safer for vampires, especially those in positions of power, to live in standard houses. Houses without kitchens are only sold to vampires. This way, it could be anyone's house. I even keep the kitchen fully stocked."
"So I see," I answered, glancing around the room. It was a beautiful kitchen, done up in country blue and oak. It was the kind of kitchen you would expect to see in a magazine, "What do you do with all the food? You can't just keep it forever."
"No, every Thursday, I send donations to local food banks and buy more. Helps keep up the charade, regularly having grocery bags and receipts stowed away. "
"Food banks?" I asked, incredulously, "You mean you actually do something charitable toward us mere humans?"
Eric pretended to look offended, "Of course I do. I have to take pity on such lesser beings. Besides, you, my dear, are not a mere human, if I may remind you."
"That may be true, but I'm still more human than you are."
"But I was once more human than you are," Eric retorted. I stuck my tongue out at him and he grinned, "Very mature. Now, come, I will give you the grand tour."
As Eric led me through his home, my amazement grew. I shouldn't have been so surprised that someone with such a vibrant personality would surround themselves with color, but I was. Every room seemed to be a different color. A deep red living room, a mossy green in the laundry room, a library in rich orange and brown, colored more so by the fact that it contained, so many books, and the biggest surprise a small bathroom downstairs was painted a delicate lavender ("To help keep the front of the typical suburban home," Eric informed me.)
We headed upstairs and he stopped in front of a particular door, seeming uncertain as to what he should do next. This peaked my curiosity, for Eric was usually so confident it was ridiculous. I pushed my way past him, teasing him as I went, "What? Is the might Viking afraid to show his girlfriend the bedroom?"
The smile was wiped off my face and replaced by a look of awe as I entered the room. I knew as soon as I opened the door that this was the only room in the house decorated with white paint. In that room there was no need for paint. It was a very sparsely furnished room. A single, cushiony chair sat against one wall and the opposite wall held a huge, blown up photograph depicting a rainbow arching down into a silvery lake.
I turned around to face Eric, full of questions and not knowing which one to ask first. I didn't need to. Eric decided to answer before I could form a single word, "I keep that here for many reasons. I existed for many years before the Revelation. In those years, we vampires were forced to live in darkness. As you know, we can see just fine in the dark, however, our ability to distinguish colors is still impaired. We don't see in gray as humans do, but all colors appear faded and muddy in the darkness. I keep this picture and paint my house in such a manner as a way of turning my back on obscurity."
I nodded my understanding. Eric was a champion at adjusting to what his existence threw his way. That was why he has been able to survive for so long. But still, Eric's personality is not one that could easily be reconciled with having to live in the shadows for so long, "That's one reason. What are the others?"
"I will tell you only one other reason tonight," he said, "The rest are insignificant. But I keep this as a reminder that some things seem to remain the same no matter how the world changes around us. In a thousand years, I have seen many changes. Climates change, countries, allies, industry, technology, even pictures I see of sunsets look vastly different than they did a thousand years ago. Rainbows, however, look the same. Granted, each one is a little different, but the keep the same shape, the same colors, that they have always held. It is a reminder to keep certain parts of me the same, as well as a reminder of how much I need to continue to adapt with the times."
I stared at Eric for what felt like an eternity. I have heard him give deep speeches before, but it has always been when one or both of us was in danger. Hearing him speak like this now, it threw me for a loop. I tilted my head to view him from a different angle and he suddenly smiled at me. The spell was broken. I could notice the world around me again and Eric was once again his usual self.
As if to prove this point, he stepped towards me, pulled me back to the door and said, "Come, now, Lover, we've been in here long enough. Don't you want to find out what color the bedroom is?"
I returned his smile. He already knew my answer.
A/N: Next theme is "Gray."