Folded Time Chap 3 An Old Friend

Sookie entered the house tired and forlorn. She was shell shocked and terrified. She knew Bill told her not to tell anyone but she knew this was something she couldn't handle on her own. She walked up to her Grandmothers room and knocked on the door. "Gran are you up? I really need to talk to you!"

"Come in Sookie… Oh my Goodness what happened to you?" Sookie stood in the doorway, her hair was a mess, falling out of the bun she wore to work, her clothes were bloodstained and torn and she looked terrified.

"The worst thing in the world Gran…" She ran to her Grandmother's open arms and burrowed in. "Oh it was horrible Gran. I was assaulted after I got off work" she dissolved into tears as her Gran held her tightly.

"Are you hurt baby girl? Is this blood yours? I don't see any injury" but Gran was only met with tears and sobs. "You've got to tell me what happened baby girl. I can't help you if I don't know" Gran held her until the tears subsided and with gulping breaths Sookie told her what had occurred.

"A vampire came into Merlotte's; he seemed ok, if a little scary." Sookie ran her fingers through her hair and took out the bun. "He went off with the Rattrays and I found them draining him in the parking lot. I drove the Rattrays away with a chain that I got out of Jason's truck, and then they almost ran us over." She avoided her Grans eyes… she couldn't believe how stupid she had been. "He offered me the blood that they drew, but of course I refused it"

"Well of course you did. I hear that vampire blood is like a drug… addictive" Her grandmother said slowly as she hugged Sookie

"He made a couple of rude comments that should have warned me off, but he was a civil war veteran and I so wanted him to come talk to you…" she gulped and steadied slowly. "He asked to meet me after work to discuss him talking to you." Sookie stopped and closed her eyes. She knew if she had been smart she should have not met him. "I went out after closing, all the others had left… but he wasn't there like he told me he would be."

"You met a vampire after closing… oh Sookie what on tarnation made you do that?" Adele asked gently.

"He was a civil war Vet. I thought he could come tell you about the civil war…" she hiccupped and closed her eyes. "I heard a mind voice that was wondering what the Rattray's were up to... but their minds were fuzzy, unthinking, and next thing I knew, they were beating the crap out of me and hitting me with something."

"What were they hitting you with?" Adele swallowed nervously. From what she was describing, Sookie should have been far more damaged than just dirty, bloody clothes.

"I don't know, a pipe, a baseball bat. I never saw it, just felt it. Someone was punching me in the face and hitting me while another was kicking me, I felt my ribs break and after one big kick I couldn't feel my legs, I had blood in my eyes, it was blinding me" Sookie looked at her grandmother who was looking at her in confusion. Sookie didn't have a mark on her. "The all of a sudden, they were pulled off me and the vampire was there throwing them around. They ran off." Sookie took a deep breath and continued. "Sam came up and warned the vampire away, he knocked Sam out." He then forced me to drink a lot of his blood. He said it would heal me. I thought I was dying, so I drank"

Adele had a very bad feeling about this. "He gave you his blood? It healed you? That is why you don't have any injuries?"

"Yes I healed almost immediately. First I felt the cuts and bruises fading then I could feel my feet eventually I could breathe again. I had been coughing up and vomiting blood." Sookie lay down besides Adele. She knew it was right to be telling her Grandmother what occurred together they would figure this out.

"Then he tells me we formed some type of bond and that I was "his" and he owned me mind, body and soul!" She took a deep breath.

"He didn't!" Adele exclaimed

"Yes he did. Seems he knows I am a telepath and he said we would be bonded. For the humans, he plans to date me, engage me, then marry me. He plans to come over later tonight for the second level of bonding, and then the third time he said would make it permeant. He said that he would take me to the Queen's court in New Orleans and use it to progress in court by having me serve the Queen. He also said some horrible things about lending me out for my body and blood to superiors. He said such horrible things Gran, terrible things. He said he would kill you if I tried to run away. He would kill you in a horrible manner and he would always be able to find me no matter where in the world I would run. I can't run away. If anyone interferes with his plans, he will kill them." She broke down in tears. "I don't know what to do Gran!"

Adele hugged Sookie and ran her fingers through her hair. "Well let's just look at what we know.. he's a vampire."

"Yes he is. I saw his fangs and when he hit Sam, Sam flew and went down with one punch."

"Somehow, he has found out you are a telepath." Adele continued.

"Yes I don't know where or how. I certainly never told him" Sookie replied as she thought through the activities of the night

"He obviously is someone in the power structure of the vampires since he planned to take you to court to further his own agenda." Adel was seeing the pieces and didn't like the picture they made.

"I know but I don't know about this bond he is talking about... how he can find me if I run…" Sookie bit her lip.

"Well You said the mind you heard outside was curious what the Rattrays were doing… but the Rattrays didn't seem right, maybe vampires can control people? Maybe he made them attack you so he could give you his blood for this bond?" Adele sounded it out as she thought of it. "Somewhere I read in an article that vampires can glamour a human to do what they want… that is how they fed all these years before that synthetic blood was created."

Sookie looked surprised, and then thoughtful. "He tried something when he was looking into my eyes, which made my mind itch, like there was a scratch I couldn't reach. He seemed surprised when I looked away. I didn't even think about it then"

Adele nodded. "I bet he tried that glamour thing on you and when it didn't work, decided to go with threats and this bond, or did it as a part of it. I bet he glamoured those Rattrays to set you up."" Adele sighed. It had been many decades since she had been involved in the supernatural community to any degree, but it may be time to start calling old acquaintances to deal with this.

Sookie nodded. "I think so. I don't know how he learned of me being a telepath though Gran. He said he had just arrived today!"

"Well that's water under the bridge. There is nothing we can do about it now. And if he knows, only God knows who else in the vampire community might know." Adele sighed. "I thought being in a small town like Bon Temps would protect you from this sort of thing."

"What do you mean Gran?"

"Well Sookie, with your ability, there was always a possibility of someone trying to take you and make you use your skills for their own uses. You have been very good in hiding it, and very few people even know beyond family."

Sookie nodded. "Only family knows, and Tara and she promised never to tell anyone"

"Well as I said that's water under the bridge, somehow, a vampire learned of it and now he wants you for your telepathy and he isn't caring who he hurts to get you." Adele sighed

"What am I going to do Gran?".

"Go take shower then a soaky bath, I need to contact someone I think who might be able to help us if I can reach them."

"Who would that be Gran?"

"I would rather not say, if I can reach them, then they may be able to help us. But I must maintain their privacy if they are unable to help us. I hope you understand. It was someone I knew many years ago, before your father was born. I don't even know if I can reach them" Adele swallowed hard. This would not be easy.

"OK Gran, I trust you, I will go take a bath… I will see if I can get some of this blood off of myself. Ugh, I have matted blood in my hair. Therese clothes are ruined. I am just going to throw them away." Sookie stood and slowly walked out the door. She wondered what another old person like Gran would do to help her. She went into the bathroom, stripped and threw her clothes in a pile to discard, and then stepped into the shower. She wasn't going to bath until she was clean.

Adele waited until she heard Sookie in the shower. She then went to the book case and removed an old book. Inside, pressed between the pages, was a lock of gold spun hair. She picked it up and touched it to her lips. How many years had passed since she had touched the head this came from? She stood lost in her thoughts for a few minutes, then steeled her nerves and quietly walked down the stairs and out of the back door and down the creaking steps. She walked a little ways into the woods next to the house until she came to a natural clearing. She took a lighter she usually used to light candles and burned the hair. She nervously waited. Did she do the right thing? She had been given this hair to use in case of disaster. Not the usual "disaster" of failed relationship or joblessness… but horrific disaster. Well if Sookie being claimed by a blood thirsty vampire wasn't a horrific disaster, only God knew what would count. She felt a change in the energy and then a light spiraled as there was a blurring… it cleared and standing before her was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He didn't look that he aged a day in the decades that had passed. He stood nearly 6 feet tall, his hair spun gold, his eyes sapphire blue. "Hello Adele... I assume you have need of me?" His voice was melodic.

"Hello Fintan"