The New Normal Chapter 14: But What A Way To Go, a true blood fanfic

A/N: Thank you to outinritefield1, scorpiolady68, ciasteczko, Perfecta999, MsNorthman, the viking's kittykat, Melody Anderson, Nicolle1977, suzyq59, ashmo2000, shantigal, wheresmyvikingvamp and ljhjelm for reviewing the last chapter. It's very much appreciated.

The song they sing is called 'Jackie and Wilson' by Hozier. There is a link to it in my profile.

Edited this myself and again it might not be great, I'm just trying to get it out. I hope you some of you like it.

My arm was draped over my eyes as my legs quivered and I tried to find my bearings. Eric's hands were running up and down my sides as he kissed my hip bone, my arousal being left there and everywhere else his lips touched me.

"How many was that?" He asked flopping down beside me.

"What?" I turned my head so I could look at him with the eye my arm wasn't covering.

"I made you come seven times." He said so smugly I wanted to smack him. "I think it might be a new record."

"Nope, it was only six." I responded quickly trying to dull his ego.

"I got you once in the shower and then six times in bed." He rolled over and grabbed a joint and lighter from the bedside table. The smell of pot flooded my nostrils moments later. "That's seven."

I huffed and sat up. "Why are you so good at this?" I reached over the side of the bed and grabbed his t-shirt, putting it on and taking the joint as he passed it to me. "I mean every girl I've ever talked to say if they can get off once during sex then its good sex, but with you," I shook my head and rubbed my face after I passed the joint back to him, "the past two weeks have been insane Eric."

He shrugged not at all ashamed that he was naked. "Like I said, I think some people are just naturally good at things. I deal in music and orgasms."

"They should write that on your headstone." I teased.

He laughed and pulled deeply on the joint and passing it back to me "So, am I the best you've ever had?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Don't do that." I scolded leaning forward to flick him in the nipple.

"Ow," he yelped as his hand went to cover his chest. He stood quickly and bent down to grab the pyjama bottoms he came in wearing. "Sorry, I just thought I'd ask."

"It was an asshole question and you know it." I stood as well, putting out the joint and pulling on my panties. I stared at him and waited to see if he was going to change the subject. He knew he was a better lover than Bill but his male ego wanted to hear me say it. "Well, am I the best you've ever had?" I crossed my arms, challenging him.

"Yes," he said without hesitation, he turned and headed towards the door.

Blood rushed to my cheeks and my whole face went hot. He answered too quick, he was too sure and while a part of me was proud and flattered the other part was uncomfortable. He shouldn't have been so sure. "Where are you going?" I whispered.

"Food, I'm starving." He winked and left my room leaving the door open enough for me to see him run to the kitchen. He ran into one of the kitchen chairs and I tried not to laugh as he began hopping around holding onto his foot as he swore.

I turned and pulled out my songwriting notebook and grabbed my acoustic from the corner of the room, placing both on the bed.

Eric returned swiftly with two bottles of water, Doritos, cheese cubes, cut up sausage and crackers. "Is this okay? I went savoury, if you want sweet, I think there's some chocolate." He strategically closed the door with his foot.

I crawled across the bed and took the bottles of water while sneaking a piece of cheese. "This looks delicious."

"Good, eat as much as you want. I can always get more." He nonchalantly kissed me on the top of my head while his hand began rubbing small circles on my lower back. "What is all this stuff?" He asked motioning to the notebook and guitar.

"I've been looking over all the bits and pieces everyone pitched in and I think there's a song here. This little bit you wrote is amazing." I stuffed the assembled sausage-cheese-cracker he made for me in my mouth. "Is this about someone?" I asked, pieces of food flying out of my mouth.

He shook his head. "Just an idea, the ideal, the dream, I guess."

"We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson/Raise them on rhythm and blues." I smirked up at him reading the lyrics aloud. "Do you want to have kids?" I asked him.

"Maybe, I have to find someone who wants to have kids with me first." He smiled. "Here eat this." He handed me another assembled cracker. I stuffed it in my mouth. "And these." He handed me a few Doritos and a napkin.

"I'm sure it won't be that hard to find someone to procreate with you when the time comes." I wiped my fingers off and accepted the next group of food Eric handed me.

"We'll see." He whispered, his lips pushed up against my hair. "Show me what you've been writing."

I continued to eat as I showed Eric what I had written to go along with his words. I had pieced together the verses of our new song using bits Alcide and Tara had written as I played him chords that I thought would work and he weighed in while I did.

I looked up at him after sometime to see him smiling warmly. "What?" I asked self consciously. I rubbed my mouth with my hand. "Do I have something on my face?"

He shook his head. "No, you just look good, healthy and happy."

I looked around at the remains of all the food we had eaten and I thought about how we had been snacking like this every night. Large portions of snack food that usually followed a lot of sex and a joint. I gasped. "Oh my god, you've been getting me high so I'll want to eat, so I'll gain weight. Haven't you?"

"That's not not what I doing." He gave me his mischievous grin.

"Eric!" I wasn't mad, I needed to gain the weight back but I felt stupid for not realizing what he was doing sooner. I also felt comforted that no matter how much things had changed between us, there were some things that were exactly the same.

"I'm sorry, I got sick of waiting for you to look like you again and to be honest I wanted a little cushion for the pushin'." He shrugged and snagged the last Dorito.

I rolled my eyes and expect something sarcastic and snarky to come out of my mouth but I could only find sentiment. "Thanks, you know, for looking out for me." I felt myself blush, my bangs falling in front of my eyes.

"Always, Legs." He nudged me playfully as he took the guitar and placed it on the floor. "Whether you like it or not you are stuck with me."

I tossed my notebook on the floor and stretched out.

He groaned and moved towards me. "I have to be inside you one more time tonight." He said climbing on top of me kissing my neck.

"Eric, if I orgasm again I'll die." I was already sore and overly sensitive from earlier and all the other nights before.

"But what a way to go though." His hands were skimming the hem of my shirt pushing it upward. "In the event of your death what would you like it to read on your headstone? It's only fair since we've sorted out mine."

I thought on for a few moments before deciding. "How about 'unnecessary but nice' or 'killed by ice cream truck'."

He burst out laughing. "I think that can be arranged." He assured as he pressed his lips to mine and started pulling down my panties.

A week later Russell arrived.

I woke that morning to an empty bed. This wasn't unusual. Eric was a light sleeper and an early riser, plus it would look suspicious if he came out of my room with me every morning. I got up, brushed my teeth, put on a flowery sundress and went out to get breakfast.

"Morning." I sang, my whole demeanour changing the second I saw our label rep.

Eric saw me first and was hopped up over the couch to greet me. "Look, Russell is here."

"Russell." I beamed in the most fake way possible. "If I knew you were going to be here this morning I would have taken a valium or gotten drunk or something."

"Good she's awake, meeting in the conference room, now. I want to know what you've been up to over the past month." Russell rose and headed to the front of the house without even saying hello.

"Was it something I said?" I looked at Eric mildly annoyed by Russell's snub.

"He doesn't want to give you the bad news." Eric said ushering me along after Russell and my bandmates.

"What bad news?" I asked as Eric ducked down to pick up the new Us Weekly that was sitting on the coffee table.

"Tabloid bad news?" He handed me the magazine after he flipped to the story about us.

"Wasn't the point of the trip not to know any of this stuff?" I asked reading the headline.

"I think he doesn't want us to be shocked when we get back." Eric replied holding the front door open for me.

"Is Perihelion in rehab? Did Sookie Stackhouse put them there?" I looked up at Eric. "What is this nonsense?" I asked flipping through the rest of the magazine.

"They think we are in rehab since we've been AWOL lately and because you looked a little worse for wear-"

I cut him off. "They mean skinny."

"Yes, skinny and they are assuming that's why Bill left the band but mainly you." We stopped in between the house and the studio, in the sweltering heat and I kept my eyes trained on the magazine.

Of course they would blame me, they always blame the woman. I was being blamed for my own heartache, like I drove Bill away and not the other way around. I stared blankly at the words in front of me deciding if I should freak out or not.

"Sook?" Eric placed his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm five pounds away from my normal weight, we are releasing an album this year, a break-up album, those are always the best. We'll reemerge looking better than ever, tell our side and release the best album since our first. We are winners so let's go win." I trudged forward while continuing to read the magazine. "Ooohhh, Kirsten is going to be in the second season of Fargo."

"Oh nice, that's a good show." Eric said not commenting on anything I had just said but I could feel him hovering, waiting for me to break.

"Yeah, I'm glad she's doing well, I mean, I never liked her but I'm glad she's doing well after her time in rehab." I opened the door of the studio and propped it open with my foot, waiting for Eric to enter. "Is she still with that Garrett guy?" I asked following him in.

Eric shrugged. "I'm not sure. We really haven't talked since we broke up eight years ago."

"Hmmm, I hope so, that guy's handsome." I walked into the conference room and took one of the empty chairs.

"He's not that handsome." Eric mumbled taking the seat next to mine.

"Did you tell her?" Russell asked Eric like I wasn't even in the room.

"You mean, did I do your job for you? Yeah, I did." Eric reached forward and grabbed one of the bottles of water that had been placed in the centre of the table.

Everyone was staring at me like I was about to melt. "I'm fine, we have all been shit on by the tabloids and press before. We survived it then and we'll survive it now." I soothed, taking the bottle as Eric passed it to me.

Russell smiled with delight realizing he wasn't going to have a fight on his hands. "Wonderful!" He rubbed his hands together. "Have you written any songs during your time here?" Russell asked.

"We've written about five." I said picking at a dent in the wood table.

"Can you play them for me?" Russell asked hopefully.

"We can play you some but I'm not sure all of them are ready to go right now." Eric said firmly trying to keep control, trying to be civil.

"Play me what you have. I need to tell the high-ups something. They are getting worried." Russell said fretfully as he stood heading towards the studio. "Also we should call your significant others. I want to see how a laymen responds to the music."

Alcide stood and picked up the phone calling down to the house.

"And I must say Sookie you are looking incredible." Russell complimented while standing following us to the recording studio.

"Yeah, well gaining 20 pounds will do that." I rolled my eyes as I passed Russell and entered the recording space.

"20 pounds?" Russell sounded appalled. "That makes you what? 140? Is that healthy?"

I heard my bandmates make a noise of disgust as his comment. "The last time you saw me I was 95 pounds. That's why the media thinks I'm a drug addict." I slung my guitar over my shoulder.

He stood expressionless in front of me. "Well, are you going to gain anymore weight?"

"Seriously?" I said through gritted teeth.

Before the situation could escalate Jesus pushed passed him. "Oh my god! Are you guys seriously playing new music." His eyes were wide with excitement.

"Yep," Alcide smiled, tuning his bass.

"And I'm going to get to hear it before everyone else."

"That's right!" Tara reassured.

"Because no one has ever heard it before?"

"That's what new means, baby." Lafayette chuckled.

"Do you want me out there or in here?" Jesus questioned.

"Oh, it doesn't matter." I said playing a few chords from our song 'Striptease' as he pushed me out of the way, sitting in the corner of the room. He looked so happy you would have thought he had just won the lottery.

I looked over at LaFayette who could only shrug at me.

"Okay, how many are you playing?" Russell asked from the control room.

Eggs was batting him away as he tried to set levels. "You want me to record it?" He asked.

Eric nodded. "Yeah and we are going to play three." He turned his back to everyone still in our circle formation. "'All These Things I've Done', 'Blood Hands' and the new one, what are we calling it?" He asked looking over at me.

"Jackie and Wilson." I kicked off my sandals and stretched my toes.

"Okay, lets do this." Eric said nodding to Tara who led us into the first song.

We had already preformed the first two songs so many times they were beginning to feel like oldies but by the time we got to our newest song we were a little more unsure.

"Okay, so this one we've never actually preformed all the way through so if it sounds weird that's why." Eric was saying for Russell's benefit.

"You guys ready to 'ooooo and aaahhh'?" I asked tuning my guitar for the final time.

"I was born to 'ooooo and aaahhh'" LaFayette winked at me.

"You know the words, babe or do you need the lyrics?" Alcide handed Eric the sheet of notebook paper we had the lyrics written on.

"I know 'em." Eric took them Alcide and stuff them in his back pocket and looked at Tara who smacked her drumsticks together four times before I began strumming the opening notes of the song.

So tired trying to see from behind the red in my eyes,/No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight./So deep in this swill with the most familiar of swine/For reasons wretched and divine.

She blows outta nowhere, roman candle of the wild/Laughing away through my feeble disguise/No other version of me I would rather be tonight./And, Lord, she found me just in time

The song felt good, a bit like back to basics. It had a country root but a rough rock polish and our vocals were on point. I would never, ever, not ever get sick of the feeling I was feeling at that moment, the feeling of creating something great. Something that wouldn't just be important to us but, hopefully, to others as well.

'Cause with my mid-youth crisis all said and done/I need to be youthfully felt 'cause, God, I never felt young

I stepped up to the microphone to support Eric during the chorus watching him as he flashed me a movie star grin. Everyone else leaned forward getting ready to support us both.

She's gonna save me,/Call me "baby"/Run her hands through my hair/She'll know me crazy,/Soothe me daily/Better yet she wouldn't care/We'll steal her Lexus,/Be detectives, Ride 'round picking up clues/We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson,/Raise 'em on rhythm and blues.

Lord, it'd be great to find a place we could escape sometime/Me and my Isis growing black irises in the sunshine/Every version of me dead and buried in the yard outside./Sit back and watch the world go by.

Eric looked good as a leading man, after four weeks in this place he was truly finding his rhythm. He was handsome, strong, commanding and most of all talented.

Happy to lie back watch it burn and rust/We tried the world, good God, it wasn't for us.

Cut clean from the dream at night let my mind reset/Looking up from a cigarette, and she's already left/I start digging up the yard for what's left of me and our little vignette/For whatever poor soul is coming next

Eric's presence was starting to effect me physically now. I wanted him and now that I knew what it was like to have him the ache I had in the pit of my stomach was bad. I wanted to be the one who ran my hands through his hair.

The notes died away and we all turned to face Russell. "So?" I asked resting my hands on the neck of my guitar.

"It's good. Really good, the label will be pleased. You just need to write more and faster." He stood.

"Don't rush us or you'll get crap." Eric warned.

"You guys don't write crap." Russell praised. "Even your shittiest album is better than 95% of the stuff being pumped out there. I know we have our differences but I scouted you for a reason all those years ago. I saw something in you then and I still see it now."

We were silent as we shifted uncomfortably. Russell never talked to us like that and none of us knew how to react to his kindness. "Thanks Russ, that's a really nice thing to say." Alcide finally said.

"Yes, well." He rubbed his hands together again. "I'm assuming you all want to leave the island by now? Go into Rio perhaps?"

"Yeah that sounds great!" We all said in unison.

"Great, how about Friday night?"

"That's the night before most of us are going home so it sounds perfect." Debbie piped up beside him.

"Luna and I will probably sit this one out if it's all right." Sam told us.

"Yeah, man. Whatever you guys want." Eric took a step closer to me and put his hands on hips exposing the deep V indentation at his hips. I took a deep breath and could smell him, all musk and soap and sweat. I felt arousal pool between my legs.

I was silent all the way back to the house trying to think of a way to get Eric alone that wouldn't raise suspicion. Every option was a dud and I just ended up excusing myself to take a shower in hopes of pleasuring myself or at the very least cooling off.

Not long after the spray of the water began cascading down my body I felt hands glide over my stomach. "Wanting it during the day is not an easy task, Sook." Eric whispered into my ear, his front to my back, his erection pressed against my ass.

I jumped slightly but managed to keep a scream from emerging. "Eric!" I scolded. "You scared the shit out of me." I tried to smack him but my arms couldn't reach around like I wanted them to.

"Sorry, I just figured you wanted sex and you going to have a shower was code." His hands ran up over my breasts as he kissed my neck.

"It was code, sorta, I just didn't think you'd be able to sneak away and get in here." I spun in his arms to look at him. "How did you get in here?" I asked running my hands over his chest.

"I said I was going for a run and then went in through your bay doors." He stuttered slightly over his last word when I wrapped my fingers around his length.

"How did you know I wanted sex? I mean I could have just needed a shower." I pumped him in my hand slowly.

He rested his forehead on mine. "You had a shower this morning, so you were already clean, you kept biting you lip while looking at me and crossing your legs together, you also went silent after our playing really well together. I figured either something was wrong or you were horny and cause of all the leg crossing and lip biting, I guessed horny." He shuttered as I increased my pace.

"What are you fucking Sherlock Holmes?" I joked while pushing him forward towards the back of the shower.

"I know you Sook. You're an open book to me." The back of his knees hit the marble bench and he wobbled before sitting down.

I straddled him. "Oh yeah, what am I thinking now?" I teased lining myself up with his length.

"Right now, not a clue." He breathed out as I lowered myself onto him.

We spent the rest of the week sorting out the arrangement for the two other songs we had written and spent time writing a new one.

All the significant others were packed and ready to leave but were excited to go to the club Russell had recommended. He had flown back to New York the day after he came to see us stating that he had all the information he needed and he didn't need to supervise us. He had also given us the name of his contact on the mainland so we could arrange any outings we wanted from there on out.

We would only ever arrange one.

I woke on Friday morning to the clattering of pans, the chit-chattering of my friends and the pulsing of music. I threw on some shorts and a tank top and headed to the kitchen.

Every single person in the house was either, frying, chopping or helping set the table. Eric was buttering pieces of bread, while Tara and Eggs were making bacon and eggs. Debbie was icing cinnamon buns and Jesus and Lafayette stood in front of the iPod speaker deciding what to play after the current song had finished. Sam and Luna were arguing about which side of the plate the fork went on.

"I'm telling you it's the right." Said Sam as if there was no way he could be wrong.

"I had Ms. Manners training when I was a teenager. It's the left." Luna said switching all the forks and knives Sam had laid. She smiled when she saw me. "Sook, does the fork go on the left or right?" She asked.

"Sorry Sam, it's the left." My mouth skewed in an apologetic smile.

"Damn." He groaned.

Luna started giggling.

"What is all this?" I asked.

"It's the last day on the island for everyone but you and members of the band, we figured we make the last day count." Sam smiled the same warm Sam smile he always had.

"Awe, that's so sweet. It smells delicious too." I said walking over to Eric sitting down on the stool beside him. "Why didn't anyone wake me up? I would have helped."

"We wanted to let you sleep and you will help, you get to clean up." He bopped me lightly on the nose with a grin.

My nose scrunched in disappointment. "I hate cleaning up." I muttered just as the opening notes of 'Uptown Funk' started to play.

"Holy shit, I am obsessed with this song." Debbie shouted in delight moving away from the cinnamon buns beginning to dance.

"Have you seen the music video?" I asked Eric.

He nodded as he started to move his body to the beat.

"They do this thing where they move their bodies in time with the song and it looks so simple but I can absolutely not do it." I got up to try and show him but failed miserably.

"You mean this?" He asked as he moved his body exactly how they did in the video, not missing a step.

"How did you do that?" I asked trying to copy him and still not succeeding.

He laughed. "Sook, I told you, I know how to dance." He was moving to the song a little more aggressively, as was everyone else.

"Bruno Mars literally cannot release a dud." Alcide said with a hint of jealously in his voice.

"Technically this is Mark Ronson and it's a rip off of a bunch of different funk songs but everything is a rip off of everything else so, whatever." Tara chimed in with shrug.

"Not a fan, Tara?" LaFayette asked.

"Apparently I am the only one." Tara looked around the room as all of us were dancing, some well, some not so well.

Eric was still trying to teach me the dance moves but it was all in vain. "How are so terrible at this? I've seen you dance before."

"My body just won't move that way." I said with some mild frustration.

He moved behind me so his chest was to my back. "I've seen your body move in all types of ways." He whispered seductively, wrapping his arm around my front.

"Not the place," I scolded in jest, letting my head fall back and rest on his shoulder.

We finished the song all laughing and dancing together enjoying a stableness that had been building but finally plateaued, reaching our new normal.

A normal that didn't last long.

The song changed to the newest Rhianna single and we all separated to bring the food to the table. Just as I placed the buttered toast down a familiar voice rang out behind me. A voice that had whispered to me in the dark, a voice that had pushed me to be better, a voice I had trusted. It was a voice that now made my blood simultaneously boil and run cold.

Bill.

"I could be wrong but it seems like none of you missed me at all." He smiled smugly pushing his sunglasses up on his head. He looked good, better than he had in some time. He was wearing a white linen button down and lose fitting light wash jeans.

None of us moved except for Eric who was slowly moving towards me. I stared at Bill, my breathing becoming shallow, my cheeks were flushed and my hands balled into fists.

Bill looked around at all of us like our reaction to him being there was nuts, like he had't just appeared after disappearing for six months. "What's wrong with you guys? It looks like you've seen a ghost." He dropped his bag on the floor.

The sound of his bag hitting the marble floor snapped me out of my daze and before I knew it I was heading towards him and my vision went red.

The Kirsten Eric and Sookie are talking about is Kirsten Dunst.

Please review if you have a moment and thank you for reading.