(A/N: Thankyou all for the kind words and support. I own none of the characters and yes, I borrowed some scenes from the seasons but essentially the story is my own. I hope I can keep bringing the joy of reading to you all and I hope it remains interesting... onward with the story. Love Rhi.)
CHAPTER FOUR
The tires of the car crunched on the gravel drive of Merlotte's as I pulled up for my first shift back for work. I shut off the engine and climbed out of the car. I had missed this place. I didn't get to work here as much as I had used to. It seemed a lifetime ago the Bill had walked into the bar and grabbed my life by the scruff of the neck, turned it upside down and had shaken it. I missed the simplicity of it all. Sometimes I even missed how mundane it had all been. Strange. I had missed getting to work, joking with Sam and Lafayette, Tara coming in with some tirade about another asshole boss who she had told where to stick their job, packing up and then driving home to find Gran at the kitchen table, reading some new romance novel... I laughed, if only romance was as simple and perfect as in books.
I walked through the front door to find that it was an ordinary day at Merlotte's at lunch time. As predicted Jane Bodehouse was already seated at the bar, slowly drinking her way into oblivion. Tara, I noticed, had gotten right back into the spirit of things by sitting behind the bar on a stool with her feet on the lower preparation bench, reading. I walked around the bar and toward the back. Lafayette was cooking away, looking ever the entrepreneur in his bling and skin tight clothes.
"Hey, Sook." He called as I passed the service window. I grinned at him and waved.
"Hey Lafayette. You're lookin' good." I said and he winked at me.
"Ain't nothin' better for the complexion than good old fashioned fucking." He teased. Even though I knew he was only doing it to tease and embarrass me I still felt the colour creep into my cheeks. "Sook," He said as he came over to me. "When are you ever going to stop being so damned modest?"
"I'm not modest." I said as casually as I could. Lafayette didn't seem to be buying it. He just walked away, almost danced away.
"Uh huh." was the only thing he had to offer to that.
"Where's Sam?" I asked. Lafayette turned to me again.
"He out back." Lafayette nodded toward the back door where we kept the bins. I smiled my appreciation.
"Thanks." I walked into the office where we put our belongings. I was thoroughly looking forward to working a job where there was no vampires, no werewolves and no fairies. I embraced the idea of a mind numbing task. I put my bag in the alcove where everyone else's things were. Then I pulled out my apron and tied it around my waist. I quickly ran a brush through my blonde hair and pulled it up in a pony tail. I left the office, grabbing an order pad and a pen as I went. When I got to the main area of Merlotte's Terry and Arlene came in, with their new little baby.
He was as cute as a button. He was gurgling and kicking around in the pouch that Terry had attached to his chest. I smiled and knelt down to take a good look at the little tyke. "Oh, Arlene... ain't he just so adorable." I gushed, holding out my finger so he could wrap a tiny hand around it. He blew a saliva bubble and drooled down his chin. He stared at me with his deep, dark eyes.
"You can't tell what he's thinking can you?" Arlene asked. I frowned up at her at the worry evident in her tone. I thought it was odd but shrugged it off.
"Don't be silly. He's a baby, babies don't think anything." I continued to gush. "But I can tell you he's an old soul."
"No he ain't." She snapped. I finally stood and looked at Arlene. I was confused as all heck at her outburst. "He ain't old, he's new I tell you, brand new." Then she raced out the back. I would've gone after her but at the moment one of my tables called me to say they wanted refills. After that my shift went by in a blur. It became really busy. Before I knew it Sam came over to me to tell me that my shift was over. I didn't want to go home as I knew what would be waiting for me. I went out the back and pulled off my apron. I grabbed my bag and headed out to my car.
I started the engine and bit my lip, thinking about my options, where I could go and what I could do. I had heard a lot about the new business that had opened up in Bon Temps and I found myself driving over there. I got into town and pulled into a parking space out the front. I got out of the car and walked in. Gazing up at the massive menu board above the counter I had to admit to feeling a little out of my depth. What exactly was a venti macchiato?
"Can I help you?" The woman behind the counter asked and I smiled at her.
"Um... I'm not sure." I hesitated. "Can I just have a cuppucino?" I asked. I wasn't much for coffee but everyone went on and on about Starbucks. I had a cuppucino once at Merlotte's when Sam was training us and I figured it tasted alright. I paid for the coffee and minutes later the man called it out so I took it. I sat in a booth in a quiet corner, facing the street. I really didn't want to go home. I thought back to last night at Fangtasia.
The meeting with Bill pretty much went exactly the way I had suspected. He had fought with Eric about my protection, about how he still wanted me and how I had to have added security at all times, now that I had three different kinds of supes after me. It had been decided that during the night I would have either Eric, Bill or Pam with me at all times and during the day I would have Jason, or if Jason could not be there that I would have Alcide. I gasped as the relisation hit me. I was meant to be having dinner with Alcide. I looked at my watch and grabbed the coffee.
I raced home at super speed. When I got to the drive I was relieved to find that Alcide was not there yet. I unlocked the door and ran up to my room. I picked out a cut pink dress and threw it on. I pulled my hair out of the ponytail and ran a brush through it. I didn't have time to style it so I found a cute pink head back with fake pearls stitched onto it. I hardly had time for make up so I simply used mascara and pink lip gloss. I then stepped into pink platforms. I stood in front of my mirror and decided I looked presentable.
Then I heard the doorbell. I skipped downstairs and threw open the door. Alcide looked handsome. He was wearing a green button-up shirt and jeans. He looked very cowboy, but still ruggedly handsome. He took one look at me and smiled. "You look lovely Sookie." Then he handed me some flowers. I grinned and thanked him. I put the flowers in a crystal vase that had been Grans and then grabbed my going out purse.
"Nice fridge." He commented. I turned around and noticed that Eric had been true to his word. He had replaced the old one. On the door a note had been stuck saying 'The other one is in the laundry room.' I tossed the note in the trash and walked up to Alcide.
"Shall we?" I asked. I had to admit I wanted to get out of the house quickly. The sun was starting to set and I knew Eric or Pam or Bill would be there soon and I wanted to be as far from vampire's as possible right now. Alcide and I climbed into his truck and drove to Merlotte's. There wasn't much in the way of fine dining in Bon Temps and Lafayette was an amazing cook. In hindsight I suppose Merlotte's was not the best place for us to eat but at the time it was a good idea. We walked into the bar and Arlene sat us down at a nice booth.
Tara caught my eye and I smiled but she shook her head. I turned my attention back to Alcide and smiled at him. We ordered our meals and while we waited we talked. Alcide talked about what had happened the past year and what had changed in that time. "I'm sorry about the attack." Alcide said and I placed my hand over his.
"I don't blame you, its not like you sent them after me to kill me."
"I heard one ripped open your neck." He whispered, I could see his eyes shift to my neck as though he was searching for any tell tale signs of the attack. "I see though that didn't happen." I didn't respond to that. I merely looked down at the table. "Oh." Alcide said. "What happened?"
"It did bite me. It ripped a chunk out of my neck but Eric saved me."
"Eric to the rescue." Alcide snorted. "Bet he loved plaing the hero."
"It wasn't like that." I replied. "I was dying, he had no other choice."
Our food came out and I took one mouthful when the door to Merlotte's burst open and a very tall, very pissed off vampire stood in the middle of the room, snarling with his fangs out. Everyone in the bar was nervous and afraid. They didn't know what to make of the situation. I had to admit that I felt nervous also. Alcide stood and faced him. "Eric." He said calmly. Tara was holding the post of the bar and looked from Eric to Alcide and then finally to me. The look on her face seemed to say this is your fault.
Sam chose this moment to come in from the back office. He always tried to mediate and negotiate potential hostile situations. Probably because this was his business and he felt obligated to protect every one of the patrons in the bar. "What's going on?" Sam asked and neither Eric nor Alcide answered. "Ok, guys come on why don't we take this outside?"
"Stay out of it, Merlotte!" Snapped Eric.
"Eric!" I breathed. How could he be so rude? Then I thought about it and came to the conclusion that for Eric it would be rather easy, he did, afterall, only care about himself.
"Sookie, not now." He hissed. I narrowed my eyes. How dare he snap at me.
"She's not yours." Alcide replied. I saw Eric narrow his eyes and I knew I had to defuse the situation before it got too out of control. "She can have dinner with whomever she wishes."
"Alcide." I pleaded, knowing he was walking into trouble. "Stop, he's gettin' real angry."
"I'm not afraid of him Sookie." He said down to me. "Beside's you're worth it." That had to be the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me and I felt a twinge of school girl embarrasment and joy swell in my heart. Big mistake. Eric felt the appreciation in me and he snarled. It was that moment that poor Alcide made the biggest mistake of all. He reached his hand to me and lightly ran the backs of his fingers along my cheek, smiling down at me in admiration. It was too much for Eric and he struck.
He closed the distance in the time it took a heart to beat and he grabbed Alcide by the shirt and flung him across the room. Alcide landed on the pool table which shattered into a hundred pieces, the patrons nearby all scattered in fear from the table. He hit the ground with a thud and I heard him grunt as the air was pushed out of his lungs. Eric was livid and snarling. Alcide reacted much the way I had expected him to. He ripped his shirt off and I watched in morbid fascination as his bones cracked, popped and snapped as he transformed from man to wolf. Eric grinned fangily, like he wanted nothing more than to fight.
"NO!" I cried and tried to step in between the two but Tara grabbed my arm and tugged me out of the way. "I have to stop them!" I cried to Tara who didn't release me. "Tara!" I cried and she gave me a look.
"They could kill you. Remember when I told you once I would lose my shit if anything happened to you? Not to mention Eric would kill me if something happened to you and I didn't protect you. Let the boys slug it out, I ain't havin' you get caught in the crossfire. No fucking way, no thankyou Ma'am."
I was crying... it was all too much. I didn't want them to get hurt. I heard Alcide roar and he streaked across the floor toward Eric. "STOP!" I screamed. "PLEASE ALCIDE... DON'T HURT ERIC!" I held my hands to my mouth as soon as the words had left my mouth. Everything stopped in that moment. The white wolf stood stock still, its rib cage heaving in and out as he caught his breath. Tara let go of my arms and Sam was staring at me wide eyed. Everything slipped away at the moment when I looked at Eric.
He was staring at me. He had blood all over him, whether it was Alcide's or his I had no idea. He retracted his fangs and the whole room was in silence. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. I had not meant to say those words. I refused to think about what they implied. Nothing happened for endless moments and I regretted my actions. I shouldn't have said what I did. I opened my mouth and closed it again. I had nothing to say... the damage had been done.
Eric stalked over to me and grabbed the back of my head, I had fully expected it to be rough and possessive, yet Eric slowly lowered his mouth to mine and lightly brushed his lips against mine. The kiss was gentle and caring... could it be possible? Could Tara be telling the truth. Did Eric love me? I reached up and pulled Eric in close, kissing him deeper, kissing him the way I had wanted to and denied myself for so long. I heard a cough and my eyes flew open. I remembered where I was and stepped back from Eric.
I dropped my hand to my side and hung my head. I was such a hypocrite. Here I was spouting off to Tara and Mab that I was done with vampires, I was going to have nothing to do with them... any of them. Yet here I was on a date with a sweet, kind, caring and generous werewolf, but all I could care about was the safety of the one vampire I had sworn to spend the rest of my life hating. I turned to Sam. "Could you call Jason to come and get me?" I asked and he nodded.
"I'll take you!" Both Eric and Alcide said at the same time. They glared at each other. I noticed that Alcide had returned to his human form and had dressed, he was just finishing the buttons on his shirt. I managed the best smile I could muster and shook my head at both of them.
"I'm not going home." I said and Eric snapped his head around to glare at me.
"I beg your pardon?" He asked and Alcide came to stand at my side.
"As I am your escort for the night" Eric snarled at him but he was unfazed "it is up to me to see you safely escorted home. I would be honoured."
"I just bet you would." Sneered Eric. Alcide growled a warning at Eric who returned in favour.
"Both of you!" I snapped and they reluctantly drew their gazes from each other to me. "I need some time to myself. So much has happened in such a short space of time for me. I just need to get myself together. I have a LOT to think about." I gave Eric a knowing look and he nodded.
"I will see you tomorrow night." He said and I shook my head.
"I need time... I have work tomorrow night and Sam can look out for me." Sam nodded and Eric stared at Sam for a time, before looking at me again.
"He can only look after you while you're here."
"So I'll stay with Jason. I'll get him to drop me off and pick me up if it makes you feel better?" Slowly, reluctantly Eric gave in. I could see the war in him. Finally he seemed to make the descision that I needed this and he agreed.
"Jason goes with you everywhere." He said, it was an order. I wanted Jason's company and I agreed, besides as long as Eric believed I was getting Jason to babysit me then he'd be appeased. "Take your time." He grinned sardonically. "I have all the time in the world."
"I'll call you when I'm ready." I replied. "Go." I nodded to the door and he looked torn. I could sense that he didn't want to leave me but he knew me well enough to know I needed my space. He bent down and kissed me then he was gone. Alcide walked up to me and half smiled down at me.
"I'm sorry tonight didn't go the way I had planned" he apologised. I half smiled back and patted his shoulder.
"So am I. If I had ANY brains then I would be attracted to a man like you." Alcide nodded and kissed my cheek. "Are you sure you don't want me to wait with you?"
"No, thankyou." He nodded once and turned and walked out. I sighed and leant against the bar. Tara was smirking. "What?"
"Nothing..." she snorted with laughter. "Sworn off vampire's huh?"
"Shut up!" Jason couldn't get there fast enough.