PART THREE

To Tell or Not

As Sookie welcomed the crowd and the distraction they offered, she quickly learned that no one had suspected the decadent sins her and Preston had partook from in Sam's office. "Thank Jesus," she breathed.

Holly, who she thought would be cross, smiled at Sookie and asked her if everything was okay. Sookie assured her that her and Preston had straightened things out. Holly was relieved. She had been worried for Sookie. Man troubles weren't something Holly or any woman for that matter cared for.

As Sookie plunged herself into her work, the many facets that had forged her sense of morality, old and new, collided. She had just broken one of her biggest rules ever; never have sex in your boss's office; especially if he's a shifter with a keen sense of smell. She made a mental note to open the window and burn some incense.

A sinful smile spread across her face. She felt naughty.

As soon as the crowd started to dwindle, Sookie excused herself for a few minutes and went into Sam's office. She opened the window and pulled out some incense. Holly kept some in the office for the bathrooms, which could get pretty funky sometimes.

Sookie lit the incense and remembering that Eric's box was still on the floor under the desk, she picked it up. Inside was a knife, but not any ordinary knife. Sookie recognized it immediately. It was the ceremonial knife Eric had used when he married the King of Indiana and the King of Mississippi.

"Why would Eric send this to me?" she wondered. Especially since Bobby told her she was supposed to bring it to the sit down and give it back to Eric. Was he not supposed to have it? Sookie got a twisting sort of uneasy feeling in her gut. "What are you up to Eric Northman?"

Eric was in his day time resting place, dead to the world until night fall. He was expecting Victor Madden at Fangtasia that evening for his usual inspection. His visit provided Eric the perfect opportunity for Sookie to bring the ceremonial knife to him. As long as she didn't question him or handle the knife irreverently when she presented it to him, Victor would buy it. And Sookie would finally be his.

What Eric didn't know, and wouldn't know for several more hours, was that Sookie wouldn't be coming to Fangtasia that evening. There were several reasons why she wouldn't. Among them, for one, she had a bar to run. Two, it rubbed her the wrong way to be summoned without any explanation. Third, she was going back to Baton Rouge with Preston after her shift.

Sookie took the knife, placed it back into the box, and stored it in Sam's desk drawer. She wasn't sure how she would manage it, but she needed to return it.

Pushing aside all thoughts of the box, she left Sam's office and returned to her tables; filling up salt and pepper shakers, ketch-up bottles, and napkin holders.

About this time, outside in the parking lot, Claudine pulled her car into Merlotte's and parked her car. A few rumors pertaining to her little cousin had reached her. Claudine stepped out of her car, activating the car alarm.

Under any other circumstances she wouldn't have put any stock in the rumors, but civil war was brewing in Faery. And since her little cousin attracted trouble to her like a bear to honey, she figured it would be sensible to check things out for her self.

Claudine walked through the parking lot and toward the entrance to Merlotte's. She could sense Sookie's presence inside, and a smile automatically lit her face. That is until she touched the door-handle of the door into Merlotte's. There was magic at work, but not just any sort of magic; fairy magic.

She didn't recognize any of the tell tale signs of who the owner of the magic surrounding Merlotte's belonged to. With fairy speed, she pulled out her cell phone, flipped it open, and dialed Claude's number.

"Hello," answered Claude.

"You better come," said Claudine. Her voice lacked any semblance of her normal cheery disposition. Claude immediately picked up the change in her voice, which alerted him that there was trouble.

"I'll be right there," he said remembering where Claudine said she was heading when she left their house.

Claudine closed her phone and slipped it back into her pocket. It took Claude only a minute to excuse himself and teleport to Merlotte's. Though teleporting was the quickest way to get around, mainstreaming meant living like other mortals, which meant they refrained from using their abilities unless it was an emergency.

Using their magic in their daily lives, over a prolonged period, made them sloppy and the chance of discovery more likely. It was cumbersome business having to erase evidence of their existence. If it was only one or two humans that witnessed their true nature, the damage control was manageable, but if it involved dozens of humans, the damage control would have required more work.

"What's wrong?" asked Claude, appearing in the parking lot. He pulled down on the hem of his shirt.

"See for yourself," said Claudine gesturing to the door. Claude touched the door-handle and instantly felt and tasted the magic. "Who is it?" asked Claudine. Her brother had a special gift, he was clairvoyant. He could touch an object, even enchanted objects, and learn its history. For Claude it was like turning pages in a book.

"They've tried to cover their identity, but it's an earth fairy," he answered confidently. "I'm positive," said Claude, "A decadently gorgeous fairy," he thought if his memory served him right. Unlike sky fairies that tended to be bare chested, earth fairies had the perfect amount of body hair on their chest and a little running straight down toward their manhood. Not too much and not too little; just enough to tempt a lover. Claude felt his libido surge at the image. He loved a little bit of chest hair on his lovers.

"Do I know him?" asked Claudine.

"You met him once," said Claude. "Remember Dorian?" Claudine's eyes lit.

"Yes," she purred softly. For a time, she thought Dorian might have wanted to mate with her, but he preferred her brother. "What about Dorian?"she asked.

"It's his cousin," said Claude.

"Which one?" asked Claudine, because Dorian had many cousins.

"Forget it," Claude nodded his head side-to-side, "He's a good fairy."

"What's he doing putting up a spell around Merlotte's?" Instantly she answered her own question, "Sookie."

Claude opened the door and gestured for his sister to go in first. "This was going to be an interesting visit," thought Claude. The small door bells chimed when Claude opened the door. It took only a few seconds for Sookie's gaze to meet theirs.

"Sookie, you're okay," Claudine greeted her with an affectionate hug. Right away she registered the trace pheromones that marked Sookie.

"Why wouldn't I be?" asked Sookie.

Claude followed his sister's lead and hugged Sookie from behind. He inhaled deeply. "Seems you've been busy," purred Claude. The suggestion in his liquid voice didn't escape Sookie's notice. Like his twin, he recognized the scent marking his cousin.

"We have to talk," said Claudine.

"Ok," said Sookie. She wasn't sure what to make of the expression on her cousins' faces.

"Privately," said Claudine. Sookie glanced around. The lunch crowd had thinned out considerably.

"We can talk in Sam's office."

The twins waited as Sookie told Holly she would be a few minutes. Everyone left in the bar, watched Sookie disappear into the employee hallway with her two mouthwatering guests. Earlier that afternoon, after her and Preston's escapade she had pulled her guard down and never put it back in place. Now her mind was bombarded with fantasies involving, one or all of them.

In a small procession, Sookie in the lead, Claude at the rear, they walked down the hall and into Sam's office. Though Sookie had opened the window in Sam's office, traces of her joining with Preston still lingered. But all Sookie could pick up was the incense she had burned earlier. She also wasn't aware how keen fairy senses actually were. Instantly, Claudine and Claude picked up the faint traces beneath the incense.

"What's up?" confidently asked Sookie as she closed the office door. Turning around she saw the twins staring at her. Their combined beauty was awe-inspiring. She immediately prepared herself. Together, the twins could be overwhelming; irresistible, which was not good when they wanted information from her.

"You're sleeping with an earth fairy," stated Claude. Claudine threw him a disapproving look. Though she clearly picked up the same scents Claude had, she preferred to take a gentler approach. "You really should close your mouth," Claude gave Sookie a raised brow.

"There's fairy magic at work here," Claudine said, arching her eyebrow, "And I smell him all over you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sookie lied. "Oh boy," she breathed silently. The more comfortable she and Preston grew with each other, the sloppier they were becoming at keeping their relationship a secret. Sookie cringed. She wanted to stand on the rooftops and declare to everyone that she and Preston loved each other. Instead, she had to keep it a secret, and she hated that the most.

"Liar," snorted Claude, "We could charm you into telling us the truth."

"You wouldn't dare," Sookie's eyes narrowed. "Maybe it won't work on me," she quickly added. After all, she was immune to vampire glamour and to a maenad's mind tricks; maybe she was immune to the fairy version.

"There's no need for that," calmly said Claudine. "Whoever he is, his mark is all over you."

"Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea," thought Sookie, her back stiffened. "What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"Sookie, he's marked you as his mate," said Claudine. "You need to be careful," she cautioned. "There's trouble in Faery." Sookie noticed Claudine's usual peppiness gone. "The situation is dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Sookie didn't understand what being marked by Preston had to do with the troubles in Faery. "How am I marked?" she feigned ignorance.

Claude chuckled finding the whole situation funny. Claudine on the other hand was beside herself, and Sookie seemed clueless as far as he could see.

"What's so funny?" she asked frowning at Claude.

"You reek of his pheromones," said Claude, "It's a territorial thing fairies do. It lets other fairies know who their mates are. Don't worry, it's a pleasant scent."

"I…" Sookie's doe eyes made Claude wonder how it was that humans had become the dominant race. Sookie's own thoughts raced. If the twins could pick up Preston's mark, she was sure that Naill would be able to.

"By the strength of it," Claude glanced around the office tasting the air, "I'd say it happened a few hours ago…right here." He pointed to the desk. Sookie's gaze trailed to the desk and her complexion flushed. Images of her and Preston flashed across her mind.

"You need to be careful," cautioned Claudine.

"Why would I need to be careful?" asked Sookie.

"Breandan's fairies are moving about in this world," said Claude.

"Bren-dawn?" asked Sookie. She'd never heard of the name before.

"He's grandfather's enemy," said Claudine. Sookie nodded her head. "He believes humans with fairy blood should be exterminated."

"That would mean…me," Sookie spoke the words slowly.

"It means, if you see any new fairies," said Claude, "Run." Sookie's gaze fixed on Claude.

"There has been some whispering," said Claudine, making sure to choose her words carefully. She didn't want to offend Sookie or pry unnecessarily into her cousin's personal affairs.

"Rumor had it you've been screwing some supe," said Claude. He found it exhausting skirting around a subject. Claudine threw him a sharp glare. "What?" softly asked Claude. "I'm just pointing out the elephant in the room. By the taste of the spell on Merlotte's I'm guessing it's an earth fairy named Preston."

"How did he know that?" silently asked Sookie.

"No sense in denying it," smirked Claude. "We can smell him all over you."

"You can't tell Niall," blurted Sookie almost instantly.

"Then it really is true?" asked Claudine despite the evidence before them. Hesitantly, Sookie nodded. In a blink Claudine pulled her into another hug. Her expression beamed with joy at finding out that Sookie's lover was a fairy, but not just any fairy – it was Preston, Dorian's cousin.

"You know that if grandfather asks," said Claude, "We can't lie to him. It's impossible."

"Why don't you want grandfather to know?" asked Claudine. Her brilliant smile turned into a pout. She was immediately concerned that such wonderful news as Sookie capturing the heart of a fairy would be a bad thing.

Over the next several minutes Sookie quickly gave the twins the abbreviated version of how she met Preston and how Niall had forbidden him from contacting her.

"This is not good." Claude's hushed tone made Sookie nervous.

"We're not hurting anyone," pointed out Sookie. Claudine's bright eyes were filled with melancholy. "What will happen?"

"Disobedience is not treated lightly," said Claude. "He could be executed." Sookie's eyes widened. She felt the floor beneath her feet disappear. She knew Preston wasn't supposed to see her again, but he never explained that he could loose his life for being with her.

Sookie's stomach filled with the sensation of hard knots.

One thought after the next ran wildly across her mind. Did Niall think it was too demeaning for a fairy to be with her? Was that why he prohibited Preston from seeing her again?

"He would be at grandfather's mercy," said Claudine. She silently struggled to understand why Niall would have maneuvered things so that Sookie's path would cross with this fairy and then forbid him from seeing her again. It didn't make sense to Claudine.

"It would be better if grandfather hears it from you than from someone else," Claudine encouraged Sookie.

"I…just…" Sookie's voice faded. Her mind jumped to the worst possible outcome. The blood in her head rushed down; she began to feel dizzy. She didn't want Preston to die. And yet every thought that included her and Preston together all led to his demise.

She struggled with the idea that in order to save Preston, it would mean she had to give him up. The realization of never being with him again, never seeing him again, Sookie felt herself being torn to shreds.

The twins went out of focus. The room began to spin.

"Sookie," Claude caught her in his arms. "Breath," he frantically shook her. Sookie gasped for air, filling her desperate lungs. She hadn't realized she was holding her breath.

"Why would Niall do that?" cried Sookie, her voice trembling.

"Oh, Sookie," said Claudine taking her from Claude and rocking her in her arms. "Shh….shh," Claudine's hand stroked Sookie's back. She looked up at her brother and caught his gaze. He understood her unspoken words and went to the bar for a glass of water.

"If you let grandfather know how much you love Preston, everything will work out," said Claudine.

"You said he'd be at Niall's mercy," Sookie's voice caught in the back of her throat. Claude returned with a tall glass of water.

"Thanks." Sookie took the glass from him and drank it. She noticed the twins exchange a knowing look as if they were debating on how much information to share with her.

"Don't underestimate grandfather's love for you," said Claude leaning against the edge of the desk. A flash of Preston and Sookie raced across his mind. He jerked away from the desk earning several strange glances from Claudine. Claude pulled up his guard, similar to what Sookie did when blocking out unwanted thoughts. The images were gone. Cautiously, he leaned against the edge of the desk again.

"What do you mean?" asked Sookie. Claude glanced down at Claudine waiting for a nod from her before continuing.

"Niall has always preferred his half human sons," pointed out Claude. "He loved Fintan very much." Sookie still didn't understand how this could help save Preston.

"It's true," said Claudine, "Niall didn't live happily with our grandmother. It took him a very long time to love our father."

"He loved his human wife," said Claude. Sookie assumed it was Einin he was referring to. Her forehead wrinkled. She had never associated what Niall and Einin had with love; much less that they were husband and wife.

"But he seduced her," she pointed out. Claude huffed. Quickly she knew she'd have to readjust the picture she had had of Niall and Einin.

"Niall preferred Einin over our grandmother." Sookie watched the twins closely.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Sookie asked.

"It means that your happiness is very important to Niall," said Claudine. "If you tell him of your feelings for Preston, he'll consider your happiness first."

"He would?" Sookie still felt trepidation in revealing her relationship with Preston to Niall, the very person who could end Preston's life.

"He loves us all," stated Claude, "but he loves you most."

"He does?" muttered Sookie.

"There's nothing Niall wouldn't do for you," stated Claude. Sookie's gaze darted between Claude and Claudine. She searched their faces for bitterness, something other than acceptance and love.

"And what if he has Preston executed?" asked Sookie.

"The worst outcome would be short of death," said Claude bluntly. Claudine threw him a hard look.

"I don't know," Sookie back-peddled.

"It will fare badly for him Sookie if Niall discovers your affair from someone else," pointed out Claudine. "There's whispering among the vampires that you've taken a new lover. If grandfather hasn't heard by now, it is only a matter of time."

"Grandfather is always interested in any news concerning those related to him," stated Claude. "If we heard about it, I'm sure he has. As we speak he more than likely has someone working on confirming the report."

"I'll help as much as I can," said Claudine. Sookie's thoughts were overlapping each other. She knew that Niall once offered to kill Eric if that was what she wanted. "Maybe?" she wondered. If Niall was willing to end a life by one word from her, surely he would spare Preston's life with just a word as well?

"I'll think about it," said Sookie.

"Don't wait until it's too late," said Claudine. "And please be careful. If Preston hasn't received news yet, let him know that Breandan's fairies have been seen wandering this realm." Sookie exhaled loudly.

"What do they want?" she asked looking at Claudine.

"They want us dead," said Claude. "That means you too."

"Great," breathed Sookie. That's all she needed was a bunch of fairies trying to kill her and the twins. "You be careful too," she pleaded with her cousins.

"You might want to think about keeping a low profile," said Claude.

"Low profile?" Sookie gave him a skeptical look. "I don't think I can get any more low profile."

"If we heard about you having a new lover," pointed out Claude, "Then you're not keeping a low profile."

"Good point," said Sookie. Secrets were hard to keep in a small town.

"If you need anything," said Claudine, "Let me know."

"I will," Sookie assured her. Her head was still spinning when the twins left. So much was happening; Sam, Preston, Eric, the twins, Niall, this Breandan enemy fairy thing. Sookie just wanted to go back to bed. Instead, she took a page from Scarlett O'Hara, "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow."

So Sookie drew up all her strength, swallowed the foreboding she felt, and returned to work. ~

A/N: Click below and leave me a review. They do wonders in motivating and energizing a person.