Yes, yes, I'm alive. I've missed you all. I don't wanna jinx it, but I think my mojo's back again. Ehm, I'll let you more about my last month at the bottom.
I hope you don't mind I've kept this chappy on the short side. I wanna do this for the story from now on. Maybe I'll be able to post more often like this.
I could feel Sookie's sadness in the bond. She was still feeling guilty over being the reason why we decided to blow up the bar and the house, considering she wasn't worth the trouble.
But she was. She was worth this and much more. Money meant nothing for me and I would pay whatever it was needed to keep her safe. Her happiness, I knew now, had nothing to do with material things, but with me, our relationship and the wellbeing of her family and friends.
She'd need to adjust to this aspect faster than normal, but she was already doing exceptionally.
I wondered about the abilities she'll develop. Her "dream", as she called it, scared me in a way I can't correctly express. If she were to be taken I'd search under every speck of dust and every rock and kill everyone that stood in my way. A millennia of experience meant I had many allies. Maybe it was charisma, maybe it was diplomacy, but I had considerably more friends than foes. I was feared, so that helped as well, but it wasn't just that. I was respected as well. My only enemies were the ones that wanted to take Sookie or were afraid I'd want their throne.
Political status meant nothing for me and I didn't crave it, but I would not hesitate a second to kill a regent or two if needed, regardless of the consequences.
I pulled out my cell phone and dialed a number that would set off the bomb at the house. Sookie cringed next to me and I knew it upset her even more. I could only hope she'd be more at ease about money in the years to come. I had always been careful to not keep my money in traceable accounts. I was always ready to uproot my life if the situation demanded it, like now. It wasn't like I backed away from fights and wars, but I managed to live over a thousand years because I knew how to pick my battles.
I went ahead of the group and pushed open the trap door that opened inside the shed. I levitated upwards, extending a helping hand to Sookie, Jason and Pam who was huffing and puffing about "all the dust". She may have been wearing a simple jeans, t-shirt and jacket, but I knew they were all designer. Not to mention her boots.
Sookie raised a finger to her lips, motioning all of us to shut up. Her eyes closed and her brows furrowed in concentration. While she scanned the area with her mind, I concentrated on my own, trying to find a sound or smell that was out of place. As far as I could tell no one had been in the shed since its construction, years ago. The area was full of trees and it was out of any path your regular wanderer might take. I had chosen a good location for it.
Constructing the lengthy tunnel had been a nuisance, but I knew then that it would be worth it.
"It's all clear," Sookie said, smiling as she opened her eyes.
"Perfect. Let's proceed then."
The plan became trickier when Jason became involved, but he wasn't that much of a bother, really. I understood why he wanted to be away from Bon Temps and everything that reminded him of his dead girlfriend. As far as I knew from Sookie, they were getting along well and she had been a good influence for him. Just as Sookie is for me… If anything happened to her…
I was going to be holding Jason, while Pam hugged him from behind. Sookie would be holding onto my back. Even if she fed earlier, there was no reason to test her control. Not when it was her own brother. I imagined that if something were to ever happen and she'd become lost to her bloodlust, she'd feel terrible. That feeling could only be intensified if her victim were her brother.
Jason reluctantly stepped into my arms, joking that his sister better be the only Stackhouse I was hitting on, while Pam's arms held only to my shoulders and her legs encircled the both of us, just enough to secure Jason to me. Sookie's arms came around my neck and her legs lifted to my waist, entangling with Pam's.
It wasn't the most comfortable position, but it'd get us where we wanted.
"You sure ya' can carry all of us?" Jason asked.
"Positive. I can lift your truck in one hand and throw it around like it you throw a ball. I can handle the three of you".
He didn't say a word afterwards as I lifted to the sky a few meters.
"Everyone secure?"
"Yes", they all answered so I climbed up higher. We were all lucky there was no moon on the sky, people would have a hard time explaining the sighting.
I climbed higher, and held onto them as best I could from the position I was in. We were over the state line into Mississippi, when I felt Sookie's mood change.
Although she was on my back, holding tightly to my neck, it felt like she was straying away from me. Her presence in the bond was dimming by the second and I turned my head towards her as I slowed down a bit.
"Sookie? Are you blocking our bond?"
There was no answer from her. It all happened so fast. She disappeared completely from the bond and her hands and legs slackened from the grip they had on me. Sookie plummeted towards the ground, her eyes closed and her hair flowing around her face. Her entire body glowed slightly as she got closer and closer to the earth underneath us.
"Sookie", we all shouted at the same time.
Pam gripped me tighter, pressing Jason closer as I sped towards my bonded, praying I'd reach her in time, before she crashed.
I cursed myself for not being fast enough. I pushed myself. Faster, faster, faster and it wasn't enough to reach her. I'd wasted time. I had been so shocked to see her falling. STUPID. STUPID. STUPID.
She was falling and I couldn't save her. Sookie…
Suddenly, a few feet away from her end…our end… her eyes flew open. Her hands went to her sides and she stopped. Mid air. I sped towards her and grabbed her around the waist with one hand, taking her to the ground with us.
I landed and Pam pulled Jason away as I gathered Sookie in my arms.
"Lover," was all I managed to whisper.
She was alive. In my arms. She was ok.
"What happened?"
"Shh," I urged her, not quite ready to let her go.
I held her body to mine, wrapping my arms around her tightly, urging her to return the grip. She must have felt my desperation in the bond for she held onto me, burying her face in my neck and shushing me, running her fingers through my hair.
I breathed in her scent, enjoying the fact that her sweetness passed over. It was fainter, true, but it was there.
"Please?" she whispered.
I nodded and released her from the embrace slowly.
"You spaced out. I could feel you in the bond. And then you were gone. The bond went blank and your arms and legs got untangled and you fell. You stopped when you opened your eyes."
"Ow, shit. I better learn how to time this thing up. I dreamt again."
"What'd you dream, Sook?" Jason asked as he approached us. I was amazed he'd been able to stay away so long, and I knew I'd have to thanks Pam for that later on.
"It was actually you", she said and that earned a raised eyebrow.
"Me?"
"Yeah, I guess. You were changed… full panther. And you were on top of someone, a vampire's my guess. Your teeth were all bared and you were getting ready to rip his head off."
"Did you see where it happened?" I asked, knowing that could be of importance.
"I think it was Bon Temps, actually. It looked like Jason's front porch."
"I guess he'll be getting his revenge then", Pam offered and I nodded.
"So back to the second part", Sookie said. "I was falling, right? How did I stop?"
"When you went out of the trance and your eyes flew open, you stopped falling. Your hands went to your sides and you just stopped," I offered.
Sookie was still puzzling over it when Pam huffed. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest and she rolled her eyes.
"What?" I prodded.
"Another bitch that's gonna rub in my face that she can fly," she hissed. Yep, she was still sour she didn't get that gift from me. She was blaming me, like I had done something wrong with her change. Now that Sookie inherited the gift, she must have thought it only validated her theory.
"Fly? Me?" Sookie asked, not at all offended by Pam's snark. If I were being honest, her poker face was better than mine. While I couldn't keep the smirk away from my face, Sookie was deeply amused and hiding it perfectly.
"Yes. How else to explain it? There are a lot of things faeries can do, but flying isn't one of them, even given your ancestry."
"Wow, that's cool. Give it a try, Sook," Jason said, looking every bit like the age his mind was stuck on.
I held onto one of Sookie's hand and rose a feet in the air.
She was biting her lip and looking at me, doubt in her eyes. "How'd I do this?"
"Close your eyes. Empty your mind and feel your body, feel everything that surrounds it. Feel the magic within you and feel the elements around you. Let your center of gravity lower into your feet and push upwards."
She let out a sigh and did as I instructed. She managed to get as high as I was and then her eyes flew open and she shrieked, a sound somewhere between surprise and fear, before falling back down.
"OhmyGod!" she breathed out, a smile spread on her face.
"Great," Pam's bitchiness came with an eye roll. I could feel her pride in the bond though, so she could say whatever she wanted, I knew she was excited for Sookie.
"Don't lose your focus. It'll become as easy as breathing in time, but for now you need to keep focused. Can you do that?" I asked her. I didn't want to sound offending, but new born vampires' minds aren't usually as calm and calculate as when they were human. Sookie seemed to be the exception of the rule.
She simply smiled and rose by my side, hovering smoothly.
"Want to try for more?"
She didn't answer me, her smile gracing her features constantly. Sookie simply rose higher, pulling my hand after her. We went higher and higher, enjoying the wind on our exposed skin. We were feeding our excitement through the bond and even Pam looked slightly drunk when we came down.
"I think you can control it pretty good. You amaze me, Lover. I was only able to really fly when I was about 100 years old."
"Really? Well, give it to me to be a freak even after death," she snorted and Jason puffed out a laugh along with her. The fact that he'd accepted her change so fast was astounding to me.
"You may have felt like a freak, but your gift is unique and valuable. Not in a capitalist kind of way, either. It's valuable because it gave you incredible insight in human and supe psychology. I understand that you've suffered while growing up, but the world is at your feet now. You're no longer a freak, disabled or any other bad word you've attributed to your telepathy. I've lived a thousand years, Sookie, and you're the first telepath to enter my path. You need to really understand how much good you can do with what you're given," I raved, finally having had enough of Sookie calling herself a freak.
I realized just then that my mood had more swings than hers.
Her eyes were wide and there were red tears gathering in the corners, but a smile played at her lips. She nodded and stepped into my body, wrapping her arms around me. The love that filled the bond in that second was like nothing else. I felt like my entire skin was warm, like the blood in my veins started moving along with my heart.
"Thank you," she breathed out in my chest.
"It's just the way it is, Lover. Come, let's go. Russell is excited to see you," I smiled into her hair.
"Shall we change the set up?" she asked as she stepped out of my embrace. I could feel her excitement in the bond. She wanted to spread her wings. She wanted to try her new power and she was excited to be able to do something she could control. These dreams she was having weren't something she knew how to control or where they came from, or even what they meant. Were they dreams or were they precognitions?
"You hold Pam, I'll hold Jason. Whatever you do, don't let go of my hand, though," I instructed. If another vision were to "drop by", I'd be able to catch her before it was too late.
I really didn't want to think what would have happened if she didn't come back like she had.
Pam smiled as she came forth and wrapped her arms around Sookie. She whispered something in her ear that I couldn't hear, but they were both feeling all warm through the bond, so everything was good as far as I could tell.
Jason came and wrapped his arms around me as I returned the gesture. My hand linked with Sookie's and we both took to the air, flying slowly at first, until she got her bearings and then we sped off towards Edgington's compound. He may be a nut job, but he was a very powerful ally that thought of Sookie as a friend.
So... I'm sorry for the last month. I've been busy with work, my muse has been fucking with me and my hormones are off the wall. Most of you know, after reading Songs of our Life that I have PCOS. Well, I've quit birth control and gone on another treatment. Hopefully sooner rather than later, baby number one'll be cooking.
I'm sorry that all this has kept me from updating this story. It's not like I've been completely idle, though. For those of you who haven't noticed - I posted a one shot a few weeks ago - Infatuation. I just couldn't get that idea out of my head. I don't plan to continue it, though.
Enough rambling.
Leave me some love,
xoxo
Gaby
