Disclaimer: All characters depicted herein are the sole property of Charlaine Harris and HBO.

Chapter 5 - Summoned

When I woke in the morning I wasn't sure if I was ready to face the day, but it's not like I had a choice so I crawled out of bed. This morning I would definitely need coffee – not like there were really any morning when I didn't but today I could really use the caffeine. I made myself an egg and cheese sandwich on toast and ate it at the table while I sipped my coffee. I still had a few hours before I had to be at work, so I decided to take the box of Eric's stuff over to Shreveport. I would feel better with it out of my house and it would help make my decision clear to Eric.

I got ready for work before loading the box into my car and heading out. I sang with the radio and my spirits were brightened. I got to Eric's neighborhood in less time than I imagined and security waived me through. When I got to his house Eric's new day man was taking something in from the car which made me feel awkward just leaving the box on the porch. His name was Jeffery and his was much friendlier to me than his predecessor Bobby, who had passed away only a week before.

"Hey Sookie." He called out. "Come on in. Eric is sleeping, was there something you needed?" He asked.

"Hey Jeffery. I just needed to drop something off for Eric." I told him. I was apprehensive at leaving the box out where anyone could see. If Eric was one thing it was prideful. There were only so many insults that he would bear. After the public scene in Merlotte's and his actions last night I didn't want to push him over the edge. Why didn't I just toss the stuff? I thought to myself. But I knew the answer. I brought returned his things to him instead of just throwing them away because I too had my pride. I wanted to make my dismissal of him thorough, just as thorough as he had made his claim on me.

"You know where his room is." He said, walking off into another room.

It was late morning, so Eric would be in his day sleep. As his room was light tight he slept in a bed instead of a coffin when he was at home. I walked into his room and he was sleeping on his large bed. The royal blue sheets contrasted with his luminescent white skin. Eric preferred sleeping in the nude, and today the sheet covered precious little. His long blond hair obscured part of his face as he lay on his side. I had a pang of love. I truly had loved this beautiful man, but it simply wasn't enough.

Seeing this 6'5 Viking vampire laying there as vulnerable as a newborn baby reminded me of when I began to really fall for him. He was under a witch's spell which caused him to lose his memory and with it a lot of the less-than-charming parts of his personality. It turns out the spell that had been cast was to the effect that he would be close to his heart's desire and never know it. He had showed up running towards my house with no memory of himself. I was his heart's desire. He flipped between sexually harassing me and ignoring me, but it seems he loved me, in spite of some of his actions. He had offered to give up everything to stay with me, but I knew it would never work that way, and I was right.

I set the box on the floor by the door, and resisted the urge to go to him. I looked at Eric again and before I even realized it would, a tear slipped down my cheek. "Goodbye." I whispered before turning around to walk back down the stairs and out of his home. He had offered to make it my home too.

I was in my car and on my way to Merlotte's before the tears stopped. I didn't want to hurt Eric, but I wanted more. I would never be most important to Eric, or even all that close to it. He had too much going on in his life, and after 2000 years, Eric was what was most important to Eric. How could it be otherwise? I was glad I had been with him- we had some good times. I found love with him, for a while I found contentment. He had protected me to the best of his ability – though he also often put me in as much danger as he waved me from. And let's not forget the sex, the sex was amazing. Truly though, it was time to move on. It was time for me to let go.

Sam was in his usual spot behind the bar when I walked in.

"Good morning, Sookie" He called out while refilling the ice.

"Hey, Sam." I responded. The bar would be open in less than an hour for lunch. I went right away to clock in and start my prep duties. I was stocking my third napkin holder when someone walked in from the back. I realized she must be the new girl because she was wearing the Merlotte's uniform that was a pair of short black shorts, and a white boat neck shirt with 'Merlotte's' embroidered on it. She was just a bit shorter than me, with brown hair that had a natural reddish tone. She had pulled her hair up, but it was obviously wavy. Her complexion was fair, but not overly so and she had a smattering of freckles across her cheeks. Her eyes were a warm brown and slightly almond shaped. She was a bit more plump than me though not fat, just more curvy. Overall she would never be a model, but she was very pretty.

"Jenaveve, thanks for coming in." Sam greeted her with a smile. "Sookie, this is Jenaveve." He called over to me. "She's going to be working here now." He explained. I walked over and couldn't help but smile, hers was infectious.

My first day! I'm so excited! I hope I do alright. I've never been a waitress or hostess or anything, but I think I'll be ok. I hope everyone likes me. I can only do my best, and be me though. That should be enough, hopefully.

I heard from her mind. I could hear her eagerness to please; she wanted to prove to Sam he didn't make a mistake with hiring her with no experience. I smiled at her and shook we shook hands, "Nice to meet you Jenaveve." I said.

"Nice to meet you too. It's Jena for short." She said warmly. "Will you be showing me around?" She asked.

"Sookie, would you take her under your wing today?" Sam asked. "I want her to learn from the best." He told me giving me a wry smile.

I laughed, "Of course Sam, anything for you!" I was still smiling when I rolled my eyes. He laughed too. "Well Jenna, come with me, we'll finish prepping before the customer get her." I told her. She followed me back to the table I was at and we prepared for the day ahead.

The day was pleasant and went by rather quickly. I was able to keep both my shields and my mood up. Jenna was a fast learner – far from perfect, but hard working and honestly friendly. Her smile was truly infectious and nearly the whole bar was in a good mood.

I learned that she had just turned 21, and moved to Renard Parish a month ago. She wanted to get out on her own, so she moved here and lives in one of the duplexes Sam owns and rents out. She was the youngest of five kids so she wanted to step out of the shadows of her siblings by making a life for herself. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life, but she knew she didn't want to be compared anymore to the doctor, lawyer, alcoholic, or beauty queen, who were her 3 older brothers and sister.

Our shifts ended at the same time and once our replacements arrived we each went our separate ways. I had really enjoyed talking to Jenna today. She was really sweet and seemed mature for her age. We seemed to click and so far we got along well. I needed more girl friends, especially human ones, so maybe this would be more than just having a new co-worker, maybe I could gain a friend in the bargain.

On the way home I stopped at the grocery store. I decided that I wanted to cook something special for myself tonight. I got a wonderful looking steak that was on sale, a potato, a green and red pepper, and an onion. I figured I would roast the vegetables together and broil the steak. I had some wonderful steak rub at home that Jason had brought over the last time we grilled at my house. I even got myself a bottle of wine, though tonight it was fruit girly wine – strawberry Arbor Mist. I know it's silly, but sometimes that's just what I wanted.

I was in a cheerful mood when I pulled down my driveway toward my house. Because it was already dark my security lights were on, making it much easier for me to carry the groceries in. The light was blinking on the machine, so I hit the button to play the message as I put the wine into the fridge and emptied the bags onto the counter.

"Hello, lover." Eric said in a voice that could only be described as seductive. Had his glamour worked on me, it's possible just hearing those two words would have made me jump into a car and race to him. As it was, they made my heart flutter. "I see you came by today. You only brought the one box." He said playfully dismayed. "If you let me help you this would go much faster. But if you're choosing to move in with me one box at a time, I will just have to be patient." The message said. "Of course I would have preferred waking to you in bed with me, but waking with your scent in my room was intoxicating. Come to me, lover." And the message ended.

I stood at the counter gaping for a moment. This was unexpected. Did Eric really not get it, or was he just changing his tactics? I was incredulous, but I snapped myself out of it. I wasn't going to let Eric agitate me right now, I was in too good a mood. He wasn't here, it was just a message, so it was easy to dismiss. I laughed. Eric- the unstoppable force of nature. I laughed again and returned to making dinner.

The food was good and the wine was sweet. I let myself relax and realized that I hadn't been truly relaxed in a long time; not since Eric's maker Appius and his 'brother' Alexei had appeared outside my bedroom window. Was it just weeks ago? It felt like much longer. I stopped myself. I was not going to think about them tonight. Tonight was for me to just be me. When I had cleaned the dishes I grabbed the mystery I had been reading, as I wasn't quite ready for anything in the romance department, and settled into the couch. A few chapters later I was ready for bed, and I was glad that I had a nice quiet night at home.

As I pulled back the covers to get into bed, I thought I saw someone in the woods. Bill to be precise. I went to the window, but no one was there. I sighed, and climbed under the covers. I wondered when Judith was leaving. Maybe I would visit him once his company was gone. I snuggled into my pillows and was asleep within minutes, and didn't wake until morning.

It was a few nights later when I saw Pam again. She was waiting by my car in the parking lot of Merlotte's. I sighed. I knew the last few days wouldn't last forever. It was a wonderful few days of being blissfully human. I was Sookie Stackhouse by day, barmaid by night; with no Vampires, Weres, or Fairies, and the only shifter in my life being Sam. Knowing it would eventually end didn't mean I liked it.

"Hello Sookie," Pam said blandly.

"Pam." I responded somewhat curtly.

"We have to go to Fangtasia tonight." Pam said. It was not a request or a demand, but a simple fact of life. She sounded almost bored.

"I'd really rather not." I told her, honestly.

"Your absence has been rather, conspicuous. Victor has been in town, and hasn't seen you with Eric." She told me.

I didn't see how that affected me, which I told her.

"Sookie, Victor has heard rumors that you and Eric have had a, what would you call it, a falling out. As Eric's wife, that should be impossible. No vampire would stand for that behavior from a human. If you are not protected by Eric, he will kill you. Even if he were to believe it would not hurt Eric, he would kill you as payback for Bruno and Corinna." She explained as if talking to a child. Maybe I was acting like a petulant child, but this whole situation still bothered me.

I sighed, accepting the truth of her words. "I need to go home and change." I told her, without much excitement.

"No need; I have a gift for you from Eric." She told me, handing me a large box.

"I'll be back in a minute." I told her, taking the box with me as I walked back into the bar.

"Sam, could I use your office for a minute to change?" I called.

He grinned at me. "Sure thing. You got a hot date?" He asked with his eye brow raised.

"Business visit to Fangtasia." I explained.

Sam's grin fell. "You want some company?" He asked. I could feel from him that he was worried. I couldn't hear his mind like other people because he was a shifter, I got wave of thought/feeling from him instead of words.

"I'll be alright." I smiled at him, almost my true smile. I walked into his office and opened the box. The dress was light purple, a shade too pink to be described as lavender. It was silk, sleeveless and had a plunging V-neck. When I removed it from the box I realized that Eric had included underwear, shoes, a small box that looked like it contained jewelry, and an envelope. I laid the dress on the back of Sam's chair, and opened the envelope.

"Lover- The dress is to show the world how lovely you are. The lace is for me to see tonight, though not for very long. –Eric"

There was no point in being exasperated, though I was. I would not have changed my bra and panties just for spite, but the ones I was currently wearing weren't really the kind to be worn under such a beautiful dress. I slid the dress on, and the cut was tailored. Though not overly clingy it wouldn't allow for too much movement. Or that's what I thought until I saw the rest. There dress ended an inch above my knees and there was a slit up the right side that was nearly 6 inches high, so I should have no problems walking. The shoes were strappy white heals, and I was glad that I had given myself a pedicure yesterday. I hadn't noticed before, but Eric had also included a vial of perfume. 'Obsession' I put it on, feeling better as I no longer smelled so much like smoke and hamburgers. I opened the jewelry box last. It had white gold diamond stud earrings, and a white gold Y necklace that had a diamond on each piece of the Y, and one tear drop shaped diamond that hung at the necklace's lowest point. The dress already offered a bit of a view of my ample cleavage and the necklace just accentuated it, the tear drop resting between my breasts, just inside. I thought about not wearing it, but I had to admit to myself, I looked good and the necklace was the icing on the cake. I pulled the elastic from my hair, brushing it out so that it was down but tidy and then I was ready to go.

Sam looked a little shocked when I walked by. I think he wanted to say something but he wasn't able to get anything out by the time I had kissed him on the cheek and darted out the door.

"Nice." Pam said, her lips turning up in the corner. She opened the door to her car, and waited for me to get into the passenger seat.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was in for, but it seemed I was on my way to find out.