"So, Rasul, how would you like to be king?" Good thing vampires only breathe when they want to smell or speak, or there'd be quite a few choking blood through their noses. I'd finished eating, the bar had been cleaned as much as possible and we were all sitting having a drink.
"Excuse me Mistress?" I recoiled.
"Oi! None a that shit you! I'm not yer Mistress or yer Queen and the Pythoness is the only one called 'Your Grace' so call me Maya or find something else." I growled. (My accent becomes strange and a little hard to understand when I'm feeling high emotion.) Bloody vampires and their bloody propriety.
"Again, how would you like to be King? You've basically been running the state anyway since she was off her bloody rocker pissing money up the wall left and right," He looked utterly baffled bless him, I wasn't sure if it was my question, the whole situation or just me that had him confused, but his computer was most definitely saying 'No'. "Look, you know the state, you know the finances, you know the Sheriffs, you've kept the state from multiple takeovers on every level, you've basically been King without the benefits, so why not step up? Everyone knows the work you've been doing and no one will accuse you of killing the Idiot because there's a dozen witnesses that saw me do it, not to mention security footage, that we'll be sending to the Pythoness tonight to let her know of the change in management."
When a full two minutes had gone by and Rasul still hadn't answered, Eric huffed, pulled out his phone and dialled the other Sheriffs.
"Sheriffs, the Queen was ended tonight in my club, I nominate Rasul for King, those against," silence "those for," a chorus of 'ayes' "thank you. More information will be provided in due time." And he hung up. "Rasul, it is done, you are now King of Louisiana, long may you reign, because like fuck do I want to deal with anyone else." Dazed, Rasul just nodded, while Andre issued muffled protest from his position bound and gagged on the floor, that is until he received kicks from multiple directions to a bored chorus of "Shut up Andre."
The next few months were spent weeding out traitors, securing Rasul as King, enthralling the 'bangers and training. Pam was predictably upset there wasn't enough shopping, but there just wasn't the time. There was barely enough time to educate Pam and Eric on the joys of old fashioned photography, particularly on the abstract uses of all the silver content on certain pain in the arse spoilt brat vampires with assistance from a nice electromagnet. I think the new ways to play appeased the Shopping Goddess.
Training consisted of lessons in everything, and I do mean everything, traditional weapons both old - swords, daggers, throwing knives, archery, spears, axes, hammers and more - and new - hand guns, shotguns, rifles, sniper rifles, grenades (I had no idea so much training went in to pulling a pin and throwing!) mines, RPGs, tanks and helicopters (?! Apparently "I was told to teach you everything, so you will learn everything, whether or not you think it relevant." Well alright then.) and more - to the downright strange - case in point, a paper clip. Basically, if someone somewhere used it to kill someone or something, I learnt to use it. I thanked every deity and higher power I could think of for Fintan giving me photographic memory. If he hadn't, no way would I have learnt everything and eaten and slept. I also thought of more ways to use my powers, though it was harder to conjure than in the Inbetween Forest (I had to call it something!). We discovered the powers were like muscles, the more I used it the easier it was and also the stronger and longer lasting. The power was tied to my emotions, which made me the happy winner of two bets, Eric and Pam didn't think I had any emotional control what so ever. Ha! My gorgeous new car and motorbike said differently (I was confident, so I bet big, so what?).
We had a funeral for Sookie to stop any enquiries about her, we said she died in an accident saving a child. To Sam, we said she had been claimed by her Fae kin and was living in Faery, where she could easier control her telepathy. Adele assured him that it wasn't a selfish decision, that she had practically pushed Sookie through, knowing a life in Fae was infinitely better for her. It took a few hours and several attempts at a raging argument (quickly shut down by Gran) but he eventually agreed.
Eric, Remy and Gran discussed and agreed, Remy would be paid as caretaker to update and otherwise refurbish the farmhouse, while living there with Hunter. Remy was happy to have a steady job that kept him with his son, a great house to live in and people to support him as Hunter got older, Gran was happy the farmhouse wasn't empty, I was happy Hunter was close by for me to train, without taking him from his father, and amazingly Eric and Jason were both ecstatic that they had a little boy to dote on, though of course Eric bared his fangs and started fighting with me when I called him Uncle Teddy Bear.
Pam was getting miserable and restless feeling left out, so she and I were going to take a weekend to London (under the radar of course) for a little well earned R&R when Godric decided it was time for him to fuck it all up and mess with the bloody Fellowship.