CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I woke the next morning to the pattering sound of rain on the roof. I didn't feel quite like getting out of bed so I curled up and pulled the covers over my head. It was ironic that on the final day of my human life it would be wet and miserable. I had planned the whole day out to the last minute. Funny how God laughs at you when you make your own plans for your life. It was almost as if He was telling me that no matter what I tried to organise He was in charge of my life.
I recalled the morning on the roof of the building in Dallas, standing with Godric as he resigned himself to the true death. It was something he had been planning for some time... walking into the sun. He had been alive so long that he believed it was time and he was ready. I remembered Godric asking me if I thought God would punish him. I had firmly believed God was forgiving and merciful and I still believed it today.
I got out of bed and drew the curtains back. I watched the rain slide down the glass in rivulets and pool on the sill. Looking beyond the window pane, I raised my eyes to the sky and saw that the grey went on as far as the eye could see. It was as though a blanket of grey had engulfed the landscape. This rain was here to settle in. I drew my hand away from the curtain and it fell back into place, hiding the misty day beyond.
I walked over to my overnight bag that Tara had gotten from my house last night when I was on the way back from Shreveport. I unzipped the bag and pulled out the yellow sundress... I would have laughed at the irony of it on another day, but today seemed to be becoming more and more of a ridiculous joke and I wasn't in the mood for it. I got dressed and walked out to the living room. The house was quiet and I sighed, resting my hands on the breakfast bench. I guess he was still mad. There wasn't even a note.
I went to the fridge and shook my head... the only semblence of food he had was a box of leftover pizza and God only knew how old it was. I wasn't even game enough to trust it. I opened the cupboard and found some crackers. I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to get something on my way home. I heard my phone beep and retrieved it from my handbag. There was two new texts, one was from Tara, saying she wanted to spend the day with me until Eric came for me, the second was from Eric and it was a list of things I would need to do before three.
I text back Tara and told her to meet me at my place in an hour and then I put the phone back in my bag. Just at that moment Jason opened the door with some grocery bags. "Hey, you're up?" He said and I nodded.
"I only got up about ten minutes ago." He nodded as he set the bags on the bench. "I thought you may have still been mad at me." I confessed.
"Nah, I was never mad Sook. I jus' worry y'know? I guess I don' wanna lose you... you're my baby sister an' it's always been my job to protect you, but I never did a good job of it."
"Yes you did." I disagreed.
"Nope, cos if I did you wouldn't be about to go off makin' yourself a vampire."
"Jason, I'm doing this because I need to. I have to hide from Mab... this is the only way anyone knows how to do that." I had to change the subject. This was not how I wanted today to go, getting all sad and forlorn with my brother. "What's in the bags?" I asked and Jason scratched the back of his head.
"Oh, uh... I ah... got you these." He pulled out a four pack of true bloods. I had to cover my mouth to stop from laughing. It was really sweet. "The guy said O+ is the most popular, as you're not a vampire yet you wouldn't know what your favourite is." He trailed off and I hugged him.
"It's a lovely thought... thanks." I looked at my watch and sighed. "I have to go home. I have so much to do and Tara will be there soon."
"Sook?"
"Yes."
"Can I spend the day with you too?" Jason asked and I felt my heart break a little for him.
"Of coarse." I replied and Jason smiled. We got into my car and drove to my house. I packed all my clothes and set them in the entrance as Eric had instructed. I had just lugged the last suitcase down the stairs when Tara walked in. She had the biggest tub of ice cream I had ever laid my eyes on. I looked at her wide eyed and she laughed.
"You need to enjoy as much as you can today Sook. You aren't going to be able to eat this after tonight." She joked.
"I'll get some blankets. You get the spoons and Jason, you find some movie on HBO." I raced upstairs and grabbed Gran's old patchwork quilt. I closed my eyes as I buried my face in it. It still smelt like her after all this time and it made me miss her sorely. I carried it downstairs and the three of us all sat together on the couch, watching a movie about apes and gorillas who could talk and ruled the earth in some strange post apocalyptic world.
When it finished I noticed Jason was asleep on my shoulder, just about to drool on me. I shoved him hard and he woke up with a snort. "Ok, now for the part I've been dreading. I have to go to Merlotte's." I stood and stretched out the kinks in my back.
"You could just call him." Tara offered.
"I wish I could. I don't think quittin' work is something you should do over the phone, besides I'm leavin' and I don't know when I'll be back and I have to give Sam back his uniform." I went into the laundry and picked out my uniform from the clean and folded pile of laundry. I put it into a bag and collected my things. Tara and Jason tagged along and I had to admit that I felt better about having them with me. I was certain I would have backed out if I were alone.
I walked into Merlotte's with shaky hands. Sam took one look at me and he got that look of his which said he was concerned and unhappy. I smiled as brightly as I could and nodded toward his office. "Could we talk?" I asked and he nodded.
"Sure." He said as he followed me out the back. He shut the door and I turned to face him, biting my lip.
"Sam, I hate to do this..."
"How much time do you need off now?" He asked impatiently.
"I'm quitting." I answered. Sam turned to face me with his hands on his hips, glaring at me.
"What?"
"I said I'm quitting."
"Why?"
"Sam, I can't get into it right now. Something has... come up and I'm gonna need to be away, I don't know for how long or where I'm goin' so I have to quit." I handed him the uniform. He looked at it and then at me. He tossed the bag on his desk and took a step toward me.
"Sookie."
"I have to go Sam. You've been a good friend and I will miss you." I bent up and kissed him on the cheek then I left the office. As I walked past the kitchen I grabbed Lafayette and hugged him in a back breaking hug.
"Hey girl."
"Hey, I've gotta go away for a while. Tara can fill you in." Then I kissed his cheek. I saw Arlene last and I hugged her. "You've been a good friend Arlene and I will miss you."
"Wait, what? Are you goin' somewhere?" She asked and I smiled.
"Yeah, I have to go away."
"You're gonna write to us ain't ya?" She asked and I smiled sadly.
"I dunno, if I can."
"Sookie we gotta go." Jason said. I hugged Arlene again and followed Jason and Tara out of the bar. I watched Merlotte's disappear in my review mirror and I felt a solitary tear roll down my cheek. I had just said goodbye to my whole life and I had to admit it hurt a little. I pulled into my driveway and shut the engine of the car off. I sat for a moment thinking. I wondered what life as a vampire would be like. It was a permanant step, one I couldn't go back from.
Did I really want this? Subjected to Eric forever or until he decided to let me go? I loved Eric and I knew I would spend the rest of my human life loving him but to live for centuries or mellennia? I didn't know what to think of that. "Sook?" Jason's voice startled me and I noticed he stood on the drivers side of the car, holding the door open and looking worried. "Everythin ok?"
"Yeah, I was just thinking." I stepped out of the car and locked it. I don't know why I locked the car, living out in the middle of nowhere it wasn't as though anyone would or even could steal the car. I guess you could call me paranoid. I went up the steps of the porch and unlocked my door. I didn't have any idea what I was meant to do for the rest of the afternoon. It was still raining so my grand plans of sunbathing were out the window. I didn't know if I could take any more movies (especially if Jason was going to be falling asleep and drooling on me). I looked around the house and sighed, tossing the keys onto the end table.
At that moment Jason's phone rang and he excused himself from the room. Tara was in the kitchen, filling the pot with water for coffee. Tara turned it on and pulled two cups out of the cupboard. Jason wandered in a moment later. "That was Terry Bellefleur." He informed us.
"Is everythin' ok?" I asked as I sat down at the table.
"It's Andy. He went to Merlotte's to ask Lafayette for V and Lafayette turned him away so Andy threatened him with jail."
"Holy fuck!" Tara said and I shook my head, closing my eyes. "Is he ok? Is lafayette ok?"
"He's fine. Sam stepped in and Andy hit him. No Sam's ok." Jason said, holding his hands up in surrender as both Tara and I started to ask about Sam. "Sam managed to subdue Andy in the office but I gotta go take Andy home to his sister."
"I'm comin' too." Tara declared.
"What 'bout you Sook?" Jason asked. I thought about it for a moment. I saw this as an opportunity. I could relax, have a long soak in the bath, read a book and maybe get a nap in. I was in for a VERY long day tomorrow and I would love to be alone.
"I think I'll just stay here." I told Jason. He bent down and kissed my cheek.
"Won't be long." Then he and Tara both walked out the back door, leaving me alone for the first time in days. I simply sat for a few minutes in the silent room. Hearing nothing more than the soft hum of the new refrigerator's motor. Finally I stood and grabbed a book, a blanket from the back of the couch and made a cup of hot chocolate. I went to the porch and settled myself on the chair swing. I loved sitting on the porch while it rained with a hot drink and a good book. This to me was what life was all about.
I set the book down beside me, wrapped the blanket tight around me and curled my fingers around the cup, letting the warmth heat my chilled fingers. That was the worst part about this weather, the cold. It seemed to seep into your bones after a while, yet I still loved the basic beauty of it. I bit my lip and for the second time today wondered what it would be like to be a vampire. I wondered yet again if I was making the right choice here. Jason and Tara both thought I was being an idiot. Eric seemed hesitant but certain this was what Claude had meant.
I knew that Bill was hell bent on turning me, whether I wanted it or not. At least Eric had asked me and given me the choice. I knew that no matter what I chose Eric would be at my side every step of the way. Jason and Tara had called me a fucking idiot but I didn't see them coming up any other solution. I took a long drink of the chocolate, musing over it all. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of being a vampire, was it really in me to drink human blood? I wasn't big on hurting people. I thought about what Gran would say were she here.
She would tell me to follow my heart. I knew that God wouldn't hate someone for being a vampire and Gran would agree, hell she had once. She was happy for me to date Bill, she believed vampires should be given the same rights as humans. I knew it would be tough, I would have to learn to control my urges, I would have to work hard at not hurting people. Surely I wouldn't change that much? I wondered if there were any other alternatives. I couldn't go into hiding, that much was abundantly clear.
Jason now knew that after being turned into a were panther he would live forever, he would age incredibly slow, almost not at all. That meant that in time I would age and die and the two most important men in my life would still be the same, never changing, never ageing and forced to watch me slowly die at the hands of time if not illness. I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. I was so damn conflicted. Why the hell did Claude have to show up and drop that on me?
I wondered if I could call him. Maybe there was another way? How do you kill the Queen of the fairies? Drain her? That, again, came down to a vampire. I rested my head back against the chair swing. I decided the only thing I could do was to make a list of the positives and the negatives... whichever outwieghed the other was the one I was going to go with. I got up and went to the old wooden study desk against the wall of the living room. I opened the drawer, pulled out a pen and some paper and made my list.
Fifteen minutes later I was staring down at the page. One side was longer than the other. One side had one line on it. It seemed a pretty poor reason if you asked me. I scrunched it up and tossed it in the trash, walking to the window to watch the rain beat down in sidelong sheets across the grass with the aid of the wind. It was really going to happen? I was going to let Eric turn me. Not wanting to was a poor response when it came down to it.
I had to have seen this coming. When you get involved with a vampire the only logical outcome is turning. I would damned if I was going to be old and grey while Eric was still the sexy young vampire he had always been. Damn it to hell he was not the kind of man that would stay with someone when they were decrepit. The front door opened and Jason walked in, Tara followed not a moment later, carrying bags of food.
"How did it go with Andy?" I asked and Jason rolled his eyes.
"Fan fucking tastic." He said. "He was so strung out it took five of us to wrestle the fuckwit into my cruiser. His sister says she's gonna lock him in the bathroom until the v wears off. I've been there and it ain't fuckin' fun." Jason went the the kitchen and grabbed a beer. I glowered at him as he trekked mud all through the recently polished house. "What?"
"The floor!" I snapped. Jason looked down then back up at me, smiling.
"So?" He teased. "Clean it up!"
"Excuse me? I swear tomorrow night you're gonna get it!"
"So, you're really going to do it?" Tara asked softly. Jason and I went silent and stared at her. She fiddled nervously with the bottle of orange juice she was drinking. "I had thought you might change you mind."
"Give me some alternatives to taking care of all my problems and I'll reconsider." I said. Tara was silent for a while.
"I honestly don't know."
"Nor does anyone else. I have thought about it all day, hell it's all I've thought about today. I weighed up my options and it seems to be the right thing to do."
"It's so permanent." Tara said and I frowned.
"It is." I agreed.
"You know what I think about vampires."
"You like Eric, or was that all a rouse?" I asked and Tara glared at me.
"I like Eric, yes. I saw what he did for you and what you mean to him. He loves you and I want what's best for you."
"I know, trust me I know." I hugged Tara. "I may not like the idea but I love Eric and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with him, not only that but it gets Bill off my case and Mab, not to mention the werewolves can't kill me. I'm sorry and I know this is permanent but its something that needs to be done." The other two remained silent. "Shall we eat?"
I was sitting on the couch, eyes heavy and my head lolling to the side as I drifted in and out of conciousness. I had napped early on in the evening but now I was getting sleepy again. Jason was asleep on the armchair and Tara was asleep on the other end of the couch I was sitting on. I was watching Nan Flanagan having a heated debate with Steve Newlin's replacement (he was still missing) and I shook my head. It seemed this woman was always arguing with someone. I closed my eyes and was drifting off to sleep when a cool hand touched my cheek.
I was so startled I screamed. Tara and Jason jumped up immediately and Jason drew his gun. Eric rolled his eyes and I held my heart. "Eric, you scared me." I said.
"Put down the gun." Eric told Jason and he did.
"Sorry."
"Sookie, come." He held his hand out to me and I took it. He curled his fingers around mine and turned to lead me out the house. Jason and Tara started to follow but Eric turned to them and held out his hand to stop them. "This is not something for you two. You cannot come."
"She's my sister."
"You cannot come." He said more firmly.
"It's ok, I'll be alright." I raced over to Jason and held him tight. "I'll see you tomorrow night, make sure you got those true bloods ready for me." I whispered in Jason's ear. He nodded and squeezed me.
"At least the ground will be all nice and soggy for you." He teased, I knew it was him trying to allieviate his tension and I smiled.
"Mud, just what I love."
"Mud bath is good for the complexion." Tara interjected. "Celebrities spend all kinds of insane amounts of money for them."
I grabbed Tara and held her tight. I tried to hold back the tears that were threatening me. I was determined not to cry as a vampire... bloody tears were so not cool. We hugged for a few moments and then Eric took my hand again.
"We need to go, dawn is coming." He tugged me gently away from Tara. I waved back at them as we left the house. I had expected that we would go to ground in the graveyard but Eric scooped me up and sped off into the night. After a few minutes he stopped and put me on my feet.
"Why not the graveyard?" I asked. Eric smiled.
"Because I don't want Bill to know what we're doing."
"That makes sense."
"Sookie, when the moon arises tomorrow a lot of things will have changed for you. You will be hard for the fairies to detect but I want to be sure that it is really difficult for them to find you. I have arranged for us to fly to Sweeden in a few days, I haven't been there in many centuries but I think you will fit in perfectly there. There is also one other thing I think would make it harder for you to be found."
"What's that?" I asked curiously.
"Your name."
"You want me to change Sookie?"
"No, not your first name." Eric dropped to his knee and pulled a green, velvet box out of his pocket. I felt my heart excelerate.
"Yes." I said and Eric raised an eyebrow.
"A bit premature don't you think?" He smirked and I felt the colour creep into my cheeks. "I didn't ask you yet."
"Sorry."
"Sookie Stackhouse, will you marry me?" Eric asked.
"Yes." I replied and Eric kissed me. He opend the box and I sighed at the ring. It was simple but beautiful. It was a princess cut diamond about the size as my middle fingernail with a smaller princess cut diamond on either side. The diamonds were set into a gold band. I held out my left hand and Eric slid the ring onto my finger. He stood and bent down, kissing me passionately til I was out of breath. Only then did he pull away.
"Eric, is that what you talked to Jason about last night?" I asked, Eric raised his eyebrow and smiled. "Did.. did you ask Jason't permission?"
"Sookie, Jason is your brother, the only member of your family left and the only male at that. I may be over a thousand years old but I still have a sense of propriety. Of coarse I asked Jason." He replied. I felt my heart swell at the sweetness of the gesture.
Eric took my hand and led me a little further through the trees. After a minute or two we came to a clearing. Pam was standing next to a hole that was big enough for two people. Eric kissed my hand as he sat on the wet grass, pulling me down so I was sitting beside him. "I'll get a wet skirt." I said.
"That's the least of your worries." Pam quipped and Eric glared at her. She continued anyway. "You're about to go to ground in mud."
"PAM!" Eric warned and she smiled.
"Yes. I'll be quiet."
Eric kissed my lips and then my jaw and along my neck. When he reached the artery in my neck he nipped it. He ran his tongue along the vein and I sighed, closing my eyes. Eric kept kissing and nipping. Then he unsheathed his fangs and bit into my neck. I was used to Eric feeding on me by now and so I thought nothing of it. I started to feel strange, almost sleepy and the primal part of me took over. I tried to push Eric away but he growled in his throat and held me tight.
I felt a wave of panic wash over me and I tried to shove him away. Eric didn't budge, he just kept drinking. "Sss...stop." I managed to breathe out. I heard Pam chuckle but still Eric kept drinking. I felt my heart start to stutter, it missed a beat here and there. It was at that point where I really panicked. I had to get him away from me... had to stop him. He was killing me. I was going to be too weak to drink from him and he wasn't stopping. I didn't think he would actually kill me.
I reached my hand up and tried to use the light on him to get him away from me. I concentrated but I failed. The only thing that happened was that my hand lit up slightly. I had no energy left and my hand dropped to the grass. My head lolled back but Eric put his hand under my head to support it. I felt my pulse slow and I felt a cold, darkness creep in around me. Eric pulled away with a gasp, his mouth was covered in my blood.
I didn't even have the energy to be mad or appalled. I saw Eric bite his wrist. He held his wrist to my mouth and tilted my head back. I didn't even have the strength to suck, all I could do was swallow when my mouth was full of his blood and it was starting to slide down my throat anyway. "Good girl Sookie." Eric said as I drank. I closed my eyes as the darkness threatened to overtake me.
"I guess I'll tuck you in." I heard Pam chuckle as everything went black...