A/N: I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season and new year! I am such an asshole. I had this pretty much completed (only added two paragraphs before publishing) but left it sitting there in my Evernote, completely forgetting about it since Nov/Dec. most of the major plot points have unfolded, only about three major ones left. I'm such a shit at showing not telling and subtly so everything is pretty much in your face in terms of plot but I hope you'll still enjoy it! .
Chapter 17
"That was marvelous, Sookie. Frankly, I wasn't sure you had it in you." A voice said from behind me.
I sighed. Of course she'd be here.
Sometimes it felt as if we were in a constant game of telephone; Eric would feel something through my side of the blood bond that he either wasn't familiar with or wasn't particularly thrilled about experiencing and he'd text me to see what the hell I was up to. It wasn't as if I enjoyed disturbing his peaceful existence (ha!) and deliberately put myself through the emotional wringer just for shits and giggles, but you'd think that's exactly what I did from his disgruntled messages. Everyone, but everyone, cries during Steel Magnolias. You'd have to be an unfeeling lump of dead meat (ha, ha!) to sit through Julia Roberts' final scene and come out unscathed. So when, after one particularly shitty a.m. in New York where I discovered that the host of my favorite morning show was a condescending, mysogynistic asshole, I treated myself to a double chocolate sundae from room service and settled in to watch one of my favorite movies. I'd just reached the part where Sally Field was worrying over Julie Roberts' decision to have a baby when the waterworks started. That's also when the first text came in.
Want to tell me why I just fucking SOBBED after kicking an eyeliner wearing asshole off my dais?
I couldn't help it, I giggled.
You turned me into a fucking pussy in front of my adoring fans and that amuses you?
I laughed harder and replied, Does Pam know you've upgraded her vermin to "adoring fan" status?
He didn't respond until much later when I was cackling like a lunatic from one of Shirley MacLaine and Olympia Dukakis' many snark fests. Those girls were vicious!
I don't know what's worse, having my balls cut off in front of witnesses or laughing when Thalia asked for permission to drain another tourist. Control your fucking mood swings before it gets someone killed.
To be fair, I'd shit kittens too if I were to, say, be in the middle of enjoying a nice bubble bath and
a good book when the sudden insatiable urge to fuck something or rip someone's head off, or whatever other extreme emotions a vampire felt overwhelmed me. Poor Eric was shit out of luck because I wasn't even halfway through the movie yet.
I usually responded to his crudely phrased inquiries but on the rare occasion that I didn't reply in what he deemed a timely manner, Pam would be dispatched to check on me. She was usually within shouting distance anyway, so her errand didn't bother her so much as provide her ammo for when she teased him about me.
That particular night, after ignoring a couple of his texts demanding that I stop my attempts at turning him into "a fucking pussy", he bribed Pam to take me out. Unfortunately for Eric, he didn't specify the where so when I read that Phylicia Rashad, Clair Huxtable herself, would be headlining A Raisin in the Sun, well, I just had to see it. It must've been Eric's unlucky night because Sean Combs (whom I later discovered was P. Diddy, or Puffy as he was known only a year ago) was starring as Phylicia's son, Walter, and while I wasn't too familiar with his rapping ability, I knew for a fact that Sean Combs the broadway actor sure as fuck couldn't act for shit. It was painful, torturous even, watching him on that stage. My growing frustration, and second hand embarrassment on behalf of the other members of the talented cast, must've reached a crescendo because I had twenty very unhappy messages from Eric by the time Pam and I got back to the hotel. Apparently my annoyance at the rapper turned stage actor's inability to emote was so overwhelming that it triggered Eric into instigating an all out vampire versus vampire brawl at Fangtasia. Chow was still growing back his left arm two weeks later.
That was the last time Eric sent Pam to deal with my mood swings without specifying exactly how she should "handle" me. The feminist in me knew I should've been more offended but the asshole (Eric's blood?) in me found the entire situation fucking hilarious.
On the flip side, Pam called and texted me (and most likely the guard left with Gran and Hunter if no one was around) about a thousand times every night when she wasn't there to check on Gran herself. Daddy, on the other hand, almost never bothered but he said it was because he still remembered having feelings so a sudden spike in his emotions wasn't as big a shock on the system than it would've been for someone who'd gone without for a thousand years, or in Pam's case, almost two hundred.
Which was probably why she was behind me. I bet I'd find a dozen missed calls and texts from Eric if I checked my phone.
"Not now, Pam." I mumbled and turned towards the direction of Gran's.
"Don't tell me you're having an attack of conscience."
When I didn't respond and kept walking, she stopped me and stated, "You didn't have a choice."
"No," I replied heatedly, "there's always a choice!"
Her lips curled into a snarl. "Spare me the existential bullshit. What would've happened if you didn't stake him?"
"He'd have raped me." I said, without hesitation.
I didn't have to read his thoughts to know it either. A man like that, one who hungered for power with such desperation that he'd stoop so low as to deceive a woman into thinking he loved her all just so he could sell her.. He wouldn't have taken my refusal to "pleasure him", or the fact that I was beyond his ability to glamour, well at all. I shuddered to think of what he could've done to me. I recalled the things I gleamed from his mind at Fangtasia; the anticipation, the hunger, the sense of entitlement and lack of remorse he felt, and how effortless he thought his mission to "seduce the virgin bumpkin" would be made me more than sure he wouldn't have felt any hesitation before hurting me and taking me against my will. He'd probably rationalize it too, if questioned, and claimed it was vampire biology, that he couldn't control himself, that it was my fault for smelling good or some other victim blaming bullshit. It's what cowards did, afterall.
With that thought firmly in place, a weight lifted from my shoulders and I became extremely thankful that I staked his sorry ass before he got the chance to destroy my life.
She must've noticed my change of heart by the expression on my face or something I did unconsciously because after staring intently at me, she nodded, almost proudly, then walked back to Gran's house by my side.
"I should warn you that your cousin Hadley is here, but I suspect you already know. I think it's best if we kept the bottom feeder's final death to ourselves, I don't trust her."
I nodded, "My good for nothing cousin and her demon lawyer. Why the fuck are they here?" I asked, ducking under a low hanging tree branch.
"While I do love gossip, I believe the news is best if shared by your family."
I almost stumbled upon hearing her admission. "You're actually going to let someone else announce the big news? Who are you and what have you done with my Pam?"
She arched an eyebrow but I noticed a slight pull at the corner of her lips, indicating her amusement. "Your Pam? Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, why I had no idea you felt that way about me. Had I known, I would've fought fang and nail for your delicious body instead of standing by and letting Eric piss circles around you."
I rolled my eyes. "He does not."
"I've been with him for two hundred years, trust me when I say he does."
I chewed on that for a bit. I didn't see any overt signs of possessiveness or unnecessary machismo when we were around other vampires and, other than "lover", he didn't try to lay claim to me or anything either. I wasn't sure how I felt about that; on the one hand, I was a proud and independent woman but on the other... Lorde and Taylor, I sure wouldn't have minded some Royal-ly hot and steamy public displays of affection or some declarations of "You Belong with Me!" while walking Out of the Woods after he finally popped my cherry.
But, alas, my cherry was still intact. That big clit tease.
"No," I said, forlornly while shaking my head, "he really doesn't."
"For someone who's been around vampires for over two years, you sure as fuck are ignorant to the games we play and the amount of patience we have."
I never got to ask her what she meant by that because the moment we were out of the woods, Gran's back door swung open revealing Hadley. She squealed and a millisecond later, vamped over to us, damn near hugging me to death.
"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! How have you been, girl? You're on every single channel and magazine! You have got to hook me up with a People cover too!"
Dear lord, I should've known. She was always self serving and unbelievably vain.
"Can't... breathe..." I gasped.
"Shit! I'm so sorry, I'm still pretty new to this whole vampire thing and sometimes I forget my own strength." Hadley said, dropping me to my feet and taking an apologetic step back.
"It's fine. I'm fine. How..." I searched her face and other than being a few shades lighter, she looked same as always. "How'd it happen?"
If vampires could blush, her face would've been tomato red.
"Not here. The woods have ears," Pam interjected in an ominous whisper.
Hadley nodded, "Right, right. I keep forgetting, sorry," then she held my hand all the way back to Gran's, something we hadn't done even when we were kids.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
It was some time later; after we made sure Hunter was sound asleep and that the demon lawyer's auditory disruption charm was still working (reason why noone heard my car pull up or Mutton Chop's screams), after Hadley had informed me that she was the reason I was on the Queen of Louisiana's radar, after I leapt out of my chair to stake the good for nothing bitch, after Gran thumped Hadley on the head again for being such a selfish asshole, after Hadley apologized for the fifth time and cried bloody crocodile tears for the tenth, and after I refused to accept her apology for the third time.
"Sookie," she sobbed, "I didn't know she'd send someone after you, I swear!"
I looked at her red streaked cheeks and felt nothing but contempt. We were never close as children but we were family, for fuck's sake. "You shouldn't have told her about me to begin with. My secret wasn't yours to share."
"I got scared.. She was starting to lose interest in me." She took an unnecessary breath and continued, "I overheard her telling André that she'd have gotten rid of me long ago if it weren't for the way my blood tasted and my oral skills."
My mouth fell open. I was dumbfounded. Could she really be that big of an idiot? "You did realize that the 'oral skills' she referred to were the ones in the bedroom, right?"
"Of course I know that! I'm not stupid, you know. I panicked and tried everything I could think of. I bought expensive lingerie but she just ripped them right off. I ate only chocolate for a week so my blood would be sweeter, but she didn't even seem to notice! I even got my tongue pierced for her and caught an infection! Do you know how she thanked me?"
I let out a sigh. I really didn't want to know.
Pam apparently did because she quipped, "She thanked you by coming again and again and again?"
Daddy looked sick - or as sick as a vampire could look - but Gran seemed oddly fascinated by it all.
"She called me a backwater imbecile and wouldn't let me anywhere near her until the infection went away and the hole closed. The worse part is, she let other vampires-" Hadley suddenly let out a sob and buried her face in her hands.
Son of a bitch. It didn't matter that I was so mad at Hadley that I could spit nails. No one messed with my family. No one pimped my cousin out. Especially not after what she suffered at the hands of Bartlett. Sophie Anne was going to pay for this if it was the last thing I did.
"I didn't think Sophie Ann was capable of that, not after what her own maker put her through." Pam said, eyeing Hadley warily.
Hadley shot up from her seat on the couch next to Gran, indignation written all over her face. "Are you calling me a liar?!"
Pam looked her straight in the eyes and replied, "Yes, though she did order for Sookie to be procured by that sad excuse for a vampire. I also have no doubt that Sookie's blood would have eventually been taken against her will since glamour doesn't work on her. However, you're forgetting two very important details in your story; glamour did work on you and, while Sophie Anne can be a tyrant and an insufferable bitch, she doesn't punish with rape. What aren't you telling us?"
Hadley hesitated, indecision marring her face. She was formulating another lie in her tiny brain and was about to feed it to us. It was fucking embarassing how useless of a vampire she was.
I rubbed my temples. I really didn't have the time for her shit. I had to pack and catch the five a.m. flight to New York for another interview.
"Don't bother," I said, standing up, "grab your things and go. I'm done."
She glanced anxiously at the lawyer, as if for permission. He gave the briefest nod, and she let out a breath of relief. She really was a shitty vampire.
"I don't work for Sophie Anne. I mean, she is my maker but I have no loyalty to her. Even the maker-child compulsion doesn't work on me, I have to fake it when she orders me to do things."
Daddy cocked his head to the side and seemed to study Hadley, making her squirm. "How," he demanded.
She glanced at the lawyer again. He gave her an indecipherable look. She nodded and he made a go ahead gesture with his hand.
"I was in a tough spot after I had Hunter. I couldn't handle his..." she looked at me apologetically, "his quirk, so I left and went to New Orleans with this guy who'd always been sweet on me. He told me he was gonna take real good care of me, he promised I'd be dripping in diamonds if I stuck with him." She shuddered as if remembering something horrible, which she probably , "Once we got there, he changed. Started cussing at me and beating on me cause we didn't have enough money for rent and food. Then one day, after accusing me of cheating on him, he said he might as well get paid for it if I was gonna be giving it away for free. He handcuffed me to the bed and left. Came back an hour later drunk as a skunk with three guys and they..." She took another unnecessary breath and continued, "they took turns raping me for hours and when they left, they thanked Billy-Joe and paid him saying they'd be back with friends. I.. I tried escaping but he kept me cuffed everytime he left the apartment. A few days into it, I tried to kill myself with the razor blade from his
Gran hugged Hadley, cradling her head against her chest, "Shh.. Shh.. It's alright baby girl, it's all in the past now. No one's going to make you do anything you don't want to again, I promise you that."
Hadley cried, genuine, tortured, from the soul sobs into the safety of Gran's arms. My anger deflated in the face of her anguish.
Pam patted my hand knowingly and said, "Hadley, I'm not trying to be insensitive here. Oh wait, I am. Can you get to the point? Sookie needs to leave in an hour."
Gran shot Pam a scathing look that promised a whack in the head later, or harsh words at the very least.
The lawyer glanced at the auditory disruption charm on the coffee table, then spoke for the first time that night. "Adele, may I break confidence?"
Gran did a double take, as if just realizing who he was. "Ye-yes, go ahead. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you until now, Desmond."
He inclined his head, "My apologies. I wore a spell that made human minds reject what your eyes saw in order to protect you from having to lie to your kin."
Gran shook her head, "They already know."
They? Know what?
The lawyer nodded again, "Very wise of you." He turned his attention to me, "what I have to say will take but ten minutes of your time, Ms. Stackhouse."
"Go ahead,"
"I am Desmond Cataliades, forth in line to the royal demon throne. I was also your grandather's closest confidant when he was alive, and as such, I bestowed his blood a boon upon learning of Adele's pregnancy; telepathy."
So he was the demon Gran told us about two years ago. The one who gave her a drop of his blood in a cup of mead.
"I respected Fintan greatly and his friendship meant more to me than even he knew. I was.. distraught, after I learned of his passing and spent years hunting his killers. It was through one of my excursions in Fairy that I uncovered a very ugly truth. Niall, Fintan's own father, had him killed to gain sympathy in his war against the water fae."
Gran gasped and clutched Hadley even tighter.
Desmond turned to Gran, "I'm sorry I never told you. I thought you'd be safer not knowing."
"But that's changed." Daddy stated more than asked.
Desmond nodded, "I'm afraid so. My people have always known of a prophecy. It is said that the the heirs to all thrones will bleed when the gates are open." He looked at each of us gravely, "the gates are now open,"
Everyone spoke all at once, our voices blending into each other turning into a cacophony that gave me a headache.
Desmond held his hand up, "Yes, Adele, heirs of Fairy which includes everyone with the essential spark borne of your and Fintan's blood."
Gran glanced at me and looked faint. Hadley must've noticed because she stood and laid Gran down carefully on the couch.
Desmond continued, "Yes, Pamela, that includes the vampire monarchies as well. Although the Northman's line should be safe as long as Sophie Anne doesn't abdicate the throne in favor of him."
Pam reached for her cell, most likely to share the news with Eric.
"No, everything that needs to be said must be done in person. We are being watched, all of us." After making sure Pam didn't go rogue and call Eric, he continued, "Corbett, I'm afraid you'll just have to take my word for it although I'm sure your Pythia has already begun placing her chess pieces on the board. I wouldn't be surprised if the players and pieces alike have received messages from her."
Daddy grunted. It was apparent he was doubtful of Desmond's words. You'd think after becoming a vampire, he'd have less difficulty believing in something like a prophecy. I didn't blame him though, since I wasn't entirely sure I believed. Too bad it was the lawyer I was distrustful of and not the existence of a prophecy that foretold the potential danger in my future.
"Adele, Hadley, your concerns are both very real. Both Sookie and Hunter must be protected until the prophecy has come to pass."
He then looked at me and something shifted in his brain, allowing the mirror to turn liquid and giving me a glimpse of his thoughts.
Your brother is alive, but he lacks the spark.
When I opened my mouth to speak, to ask about Jason's whereabouts, he thought to me,
Do not ask for more. I've already revealed too much. Do not speak of this to anyone.
I swallowed my questions, my frustration, and closed my eyes. I won't. Thank you. And with those words, his mind solidified into a mirror again, reflecting every attempt I made to penetrate it.
"After learning of Niall's duplicity," he continued as if we hadn't just spent five minutes shouting questions at him about the demon prophecy, "I returned to your realm as quickly as possible and sent my nieces to Bon Temps. By then, Michelle's transgressions had already come to pass and I was too late in protecting Jason and Sookie from that woman's madness."
"Do you.. Are you.. Are you saying Niall made Michelle do those things to my grandbabies?"
He nodded.
I felt sick. Glancing at Daddy and Gran, it was obvious they felt the same way.
"Although Hadley lacked the essential spark, she had enough of the fae allure to make me worry for her safety. I had someone watching her but unfortunately, the human lost track of her after she left for New Orleans."
"Because he knew we were being followed. He said so on the highway, and said he was gonna shake off the tail." Hadley spoke quietly.
Desmond looked truly regretful when he continued, "By the time Diantha found Hadley... Suffice to say, I did Fintan a disservice by not protecting his kin."
Hadley shook her head, "You saved me and gave me a fresh start when I thought the only future I had was to piss one of those dirtbags bad enough that he'll finally put me out of my misery."
Pam, never keen on sentimentalities, interrupted as she asked Desmond, "How did she end up as part of Sophie Anne's harem?"
Hadley replied, "After rescuing me, Diantha told me I had two options: Go home and continue living my life of destruction or stay with her and finally do something meaningful for once in my life. I chose to help our cause by becoming a spy. A witch spelled me to forget my real mission and to be completely loyal to Sophie Anne in her presence but the second she's in her daytime slumber or more than a hundred feet from me, I remember everything. Desmond also has the safe word to snap me out of Sophie Anne's control."
"So you did sell your cousin out," Pam surmised.
Hadley hung her head, "I did, but I regretted it the second the sun came up."
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
It was kind of weird, not hating my cousin anymore but I was happy for her. She really turned over a new leaf and I knew Daddy and Gran were both relieved and proud of her. The best thing to come out of the meeting, other than Hadley relinquishing all rights to Hunter and giving Gran the green light to officially adopt him, was learning that Jason was still alive.
In the years that he'd been gone, I'd imagined countless scenarios of what happened to him. Now, knowing everything that I did about the prophecy, the demons and fae, I wondered if he wasn't out there still trying to protect me somehow. Somehow, the thought didn't comfort me.
It was then, as I rode in the back of the taxi in New York City contemplating my brother's whereabouts when it finally hit me. No one asked Desmond what "the gate" actually was.