Whoa, whoa, whoa. Everyone, take a deep breath in of calm and exhale panic and frustration over this Quinn thing (who I didn't much care for either to be honest). I want to remind everyone this is an Eric and Sookie story, but there is a road to our favorite couple and I give you this promise: Quinn and Sookie don't make it past the next chapter. So everyone take a deep breath and chill out. Sookie is about to get some serious knowledge dropped on her in this chapter. So enjoy.
Chapter 14: Driveway –Great Northern
Sookie
A few days passed and Sookie was fretting over whether she was jumping into this dating thing again so soon after…well after everything that had happened to her since she met Bill Compton. Sookie was cleaning her home. Annabelle was coming over for a session tonight and thank goodness for it. She really needed to talk to somebody about all of this.
Sookie was scrubbing her bathroom floor when she heard her doorbell ring. It was daylight, so it ruled out vampires, and Lafayette was working the lunch shift today at Merlotte's. Maybe it was Jason trolling for lunch? If that was the case she would definitely take a break from cleaning.
She stripped her rubber gloves off her hands and ran for the door. She swung it open and was mortified. Standing in front of her was the man she had just been thinking about. John Quinn.
"Quinn?" she asked. Then she remembered she was wearing junkie super short shorts that ready 'Juicy' across the butt that also had bleach stains and holes. To go with the masterpiece outfit was an old baseball tee of Jason's. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a not-cute messy bun. She was a mess.
He smiled and his eyes lingered on her legs, which she attempted to hide behind the door. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"You said I knew where to find you," he said. "Can I come in?" he asked. Sookie internally groaned, simultaneously wishing he would and wouldn't, but she held open the door and motioned him inside while keeping her backside averted.
"I am sorry, I am such a mess. I thought you were gonna be my brother. I was in the middle of cleanin'. I am gonna go and change into something less embarrassing."
He waved his hand and said, "No don't, it doesn't bother me. I am actually here on business."
Sookie sat, crossing her legs. "Just business?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.
He smirked and said, "Since you got me fired from my last gig, I have been asked by King Compton to come and formally ask you to attend a vampire summit. Apparently your particular gifts are required by the state there. It will be in two weeks and all travel expenses will be paid. You will also be paid a handsome figure for your services."
He then reached into his jacket pocket and extracted a document. He handed it to her and she looked it over. Included was also a brochure for where they would be going and information on what a vampire summit was.
When she got to the part on how much she would be paid, her eyes practically popped out of her head and her mind raced with everything she could do with that amount of money.
For one week of work she could make $65,000, not including travel costs. Sookie couldn't believe Bill hadn't mentioned this before now.
She looked back to Quinn and said, "Wow, I didn't know anythin' about this. It's a shock, is all."
He nodded. "Yes, to be asked to go as a part of the King's entourage is a great honor and you will be considered a much respected member of the state. You should take advantage of the opportunity."
"Do you know what my 'particular gifts' are?" she asked him.
He shook his head, but she got a flash in his head that it was some kind of courtesan to the king. Sookie flushed angrily and she stood. "What I am is telepathic, not some kind of whore to the king. I think you should leave, Mr. Quinn."
Quinn stood, looking extremely apologetic. She didn't care. She was tired of being thought of as some kind of fangbanger.
"No, I will not be disrespected in my own house. And I would like you to leave."
He put his hands up in a calming way. "Sookie, I am sorry. I truly am. I didn't mean to offend you, really. Will you please accept my apology?"
Sookie inhaled deeply and his purple eyes pleaded with her, looking ashamed of himself. Sookie pursed her lips, but she nodded and sat back down. "Fine, I accept your apology. And you can tell Bill I accept his invitation to the vampire summit."
Quinn looked relieved and he sat back down. "Now that the business is concluded, I really was hoping I could make a plan to see you socially."
Sookie was still a little sore over his earlier insinuation, but she said she forgave him and she did. "Sure. When would you like to go out?"
He said, "Tomorrow evening work for you?"
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and she said, "Boy, you don't waste any time do you?" she laughed out.
He shook his head, "No, not when I know what I want."
She blushed and he smiled widely at her. She ran through her schedule and said, "Sure, I don't work, so tomorrow would be fine."
He smiled and said, "Good. Eight work?"
She nodded, "Eight is perfect."
He stood then and walked to the door. "Really, not one look at that juicy butt?"
She stood and said, "You are just gonna have to wait for that Mr. Quinn," smiling lightly.
He chuckled and nodded, "See you tomorrow, babe."
Sookie internally ruffled at the term of endearment. Babe? Not sure how she felt about that.
Sookie nodded and shut the door behind him. She walked back to the living room and she was surprised to feel relief at having him out of her house. What was that about? Yet another thing to discuss with Annabelle.
Speaking of which, it was almost sunset. Gah! She needed to get the cleaning done and then clean herself up. She rushed through her housework and then set out an outfit. She jumped in the shower and quickly finished. She didn't dry her hair, but infused her hair with curling mousse. She the tousled her hair and then threw the outfit she had selected on.
By the time she was ready, she had just enough time to throw together some fried chicken, potatoes, and greens together for herself. She called Lafayette at work, and after gossiping like schoolgirls, Lafayette said Terry had called out and he was going to work a double for him, so she put a plate aside for Lafayette aside in the fridge and cleaned up just in time for the doorbell to ring.
She checked the signature and she found a blank void, meaning Annabelle was here and right on time too.
Sookie rushed to open the door and she welcomed Annabelle into her home.
"Oh Sookie, I can tell you will have stuff to tell me. Your house reeks of were."
Sookie nodded and said, "Yes, I do have a lot to tell you."
She welcomed Annabelle into her living room and asked if she needed a True Blood. Annabelle thanked Sookie, but declined, wanting to get right to it.
"Well, when I last saw you I was going to the cemetery with Laf and Jason because it was six months since Tara had passed. But while we were there, I found a man there, who worked for Bill."
Annabelle looked surprised and interested at what she was saying. Sookie continued, "So I approached him and asked him what he was doing watchin' us and found out that he was hired by Bill to guard me, but never to let me aware of the situation. Watch from a distance."
"Oh my, how did you respond? Never mind, please finish your story, and then I will ask questions."
Sookie nodded and she said, "I told him I didn' need protection and that I certainly wasn' Bill's human, which he said was his understanding from what Bill had told him. But when he found that out he asked me out. And I said yes. Today he came by, which I assume is the were smell you are smellin'."
Annabelle was looking down at her pad of paper and she put her pen down.
"So, I assume that you confronted Bill?" she asked.
Sookie nodded and said, "Yes, and I was able to clearly establish that we were never gonna be anythin' and that I was under no circumstances, his human. I also told him that I was gonna see Quinn."
"John Quinn? The were tiger?" she asked in shock.
"Tiger?" Sookie gasped.
"Sookie, we have a lot to discuss, and with your permission, I would like to extend your session."
Sookie nodded, but her face was crinkled in confusion.
"I also want to tell you that I think highly of you, but I will probably be bringing some things up that you won't like hearing."
Sookie suddenly felt dread. Annabelle had always, always given it to her straight and whenever she said she wasn't going to like what she heard, Sookie knew it was true. But the worst part was that Annabelle was always right.
Sookie sat back and waited for Annabelle to let loose.
"First of all, I want to address this Bill situation. I think you will agree that we are in the similar pattern where Bill is doing anything in his power to control you. This is the first issue we must discuss. Now I know that you and Bill have a history, but I must point out that it is a history riddled with lies, manipulation, deceit, and betrayal. You yourself have finally acknowledged you didn't feel love for him, making everything he did to you a hundred times worse."
Sookie nodded in complete agreement as she continued. "Yet you continue to find redeemable qualities in this person that don't exist, even as he now tries to deceive and control you. He doesn't love you Sookie, because if he did, he couldn't do those things to you. Could you imagine hurting someone like he hurt you if you loved them? Sookie, Bill is vampire and responds to no laws except those belonging to vampires. I think you need to find a vampire that you do trust to claim you as human so that Bill will finally understand that he has truly lost you."
Sookie thought about it and said, "I only trust one vampire and that's you."
"Now we both know that isn't true. Not only that, but I must admit that I am weary of claiming you as my human for many reasons. Once a vampire claims a human, they become responsible for the human and protecting it at all costs. They themselves become a target by claiming a human. You would be a particularly difficult person to claim, because you are so coveted by our kind. I could very well be killed so others could attempt to claim you. I am unwilling to take the risk, though I care for you greatly."
Sookie nodded in understanding. "So you think Eric?"
Annabelle remained silent and said, "I can't answer that because I don't know. You need to feel complete trust with them though and they need to be willing to protect you from Bill, and from all other threats. The vampire who takes this challenge will not take it lightly."
Sookie nodded, "So far I don't mind what you are sayin'. Which is that Bill is absolutely no friend of mine and that I need to look into becoming a vampire's human. What if I simply renounce Bill continually until he gets the message?"
Annabelle was shaking her head even as Sookie spoke. "Sookie, please understand. Bill had tricked you many times in taking his blood. More than even you know, I think. Not only did he have the Rattrays beat you nearly to death, but he forced his blood in you after the Maenad attack when the doctor was well on her way to healing you, and then when he drained you almost dry and then replaced almost all of your blood with his own, saying he 'couldn't help it'. And I know this is maybe a stretch, but I think it is suspicious that the night that Eric was taken under Antonia's control, and you were shot, that Bill was magically able to swoop in and give you his blood."
"It is not coincidence that he has used the 'Sookie is injured and must be healed' ploy to get his blood into you multiple time. Yet you have been buying it each time, even thanking him for it. Now think Sookie. That night you were shot, who had guns that night? Tara? From the relationship you have described to me, she never would have shot you, especially considering she made the ultimate sacrifice to save you from such a fate. Anybody else with a gun that you can remember?"
Sookie pondered a moment, not liking where this was going at all. She remembered that night, holding Eric's hand and being surrounded by Bill's armed guards. She thought back to Antonia's people, and besides Tara, they had all been holding odd silver items like serving trays, goblets, crosses, and jewelry.
"Bill's people held guns," she whispered in horror. She really was stupid. And blind.
Sookie's eyes welled at the knowledge. She had been tricked again by that bastard. How ignorant and naïve could she be? Really? Sookie placed her hands over her face and cried into them. Annabelle walked to the couch and sat next to her rubbing her back.
"Sookie, you mustn't blame yourself for his behavior. You have a good and trusting heart, which is rare in this world. I also must remind you that it was just my theory that I thought about looking at all the other times he fed you his blood."
"No, now that you have pointed it out, I know it was him. He did do that. I even instinctively knew that at the time too. Alcide said I refused to drink, but it never made sense to me then."
Annabelle had zipped away and came back holding a box of tissues to her. Sookie took them and Annabelle resumed her seat across from Sookie.
"Sookie you have a trusting heart, which isn't bad, but it also isn't good because it leads you into trouble. Regarding this John Quinn situation, I fear you have made a terrible error in judgment. His having anything to do with Bill should be raising alarm bells in your head. Not only that, but I feel that you are jumping to the next person in order to deal with the combined grief, loneliness, and post trauma you have suffered over the Russell situation."
"You are allowing Bill to bring you back into his web of deceit. He has control over that were and now that you are considering a romantic relationship he has control, and in some part over you."
Sookie nodded in complete agreement. Although she had been hearing things that she was horrified about, she hadn't yet heard anything that she didn't necessarily like.
"And Sookie. I also think that a part of you is still attached to the attention and drama you get from involving yourself in all this…supernatural crap. I recognize that you are oftentimes dragged into it, but looked at your assignment for Bill you agreed to without even really considering it. It is a lion's den that you are willingly being led into by Bill nonetheless. From what I remember of the summits I have been to, there will be some there who will assist in protecting you, but they will be limited in what they can do should things escalate."
Sookie felt dread as she realized that Anna was right. About the summit at least. "I agree about rushin' into my decision about the Summit. I was an idiot to accept it, knowin' Bill was behind it. However I don't agree or understand how you reached the conclusion about me being drawn to the drama and attention bit. I really made my decision based on the money I was offered."
Annabelle looked at her skeptically. "Really, there is not any part of you brave enough to admit you like all the attention you get from these two vampires that are in your life? Come now Sookie. You are one of the bravest women I know. You can't fear the truth, especially if it involves yourself."
Sookie stared at Annabelle and crossed her arms like a child, but she did think about what Annabelle was suggesting to her because she had been right about pretty much everything else tonight. She thought about how she had strung these vampires along for years now. She was lucky to have come away alive from it. She had gambled and she had paid the price. But she had also felt thrills knowing she had even a little bit of attention from these powerful creatures.
Annabelle was right. When Sookie looked up at Annabelle, she had a 'told-you-so' look on her face and Sookie looked ashamed. "You are right. To some degree, I find myself relishin' in havin' attention from such powerful creatures."
Annabelle nodded and even chuckled. "It can be intoxicating having that kind of power over people. But Sookie, it is wrong to abuse it. Especially when it endangers people, including yourself."
Sookie's eyes welled as she thought about all the people she had hurt and even lost because of her and what she now realized was her abuse of that power.
Sookie looked to Annabelle for answers and she nodded. "I have told you how I suggest dealing with the Bill situation, but only time will tell when you are ready to let someone in like that. It may take a while, and while it is time sensitive issue, you must be sure."
"About Quinn, I think you need to confront him about what we have uncovered today. It's going to be hard, and I don't envy the situation you are in. But it needs to be done if you are serious about ending Bill's long standing control over you once and for all."
Sookie nodded and Annabelle smiled at her in relief when she saw her determined and gloriously stubborn personality shine through.
Annabelle stayed for a while and they talked about other things that had happened in the last few days.
Sookie had felt both exhausted and relieved, like she always did when Annabelle was with her. She had knowledge and she now had a plan in dealing with her very real problems. Sookie smiled gratefully at Annabelle and she said, "I don't know what I would do without you, Annabelle."
"You will never need to find out, my dear."
Okay? Is everyone feeling a bit better? Annabelle to save the day. What do you all think about what she had to say to Sookie? Too harsh? Or not harsh enough?