All Hell Breaks Loose

Chapter 55: Dance Magic Dance

Sookie was able to locate and put up the six foot plastic tree in the living room and put it's skirt around it before she went to work. She hoped that Jason would wait for her so they could put up the decorations together. She remembered how Jason would accompany her and Gran to Clay Montgomery's tree lot every year to find just the right tree and help pay for it. Gran wanted to get him his own tree for his house but Jason told her he was happy with the plastic one he had and mentioned how he hated having to clean up dead pine needles.

The plastic one did shed, not much, but some of the fake needles did fall of and she was able to sweep it up. Sookie can see the benefit of having a fake tree. It was easy to set up and easy to take down and put away, less mess to clean up, save money each year, didn't have to water it, didn't have to throw it out and there was no guilt about killing a tree.

Sookie enjoyed decorating for the holiday as much as she enjoyed baking for it and if she had any friends who needed help with their decorations she was always more than willing to lend a hand. She also helped Sam with decorating at Merlottes and arrived at work an hour before she needed to be.

Sam was outside putting up the lights with help from both Terry and Patrick who had a cigar in his mouth.

"Hello Sookie," Terry greeted. He had a string of lights wrapped around his arm and had just set up a ladder.

"Hi Terry," Sookie greeted back. "Sam, Patrick."

"Hello Sookie," Sam said, taking a break from using his hammer. "You're early."

"I know," Sookie said. "Came to help with the decorations."

"The three of us can take care of the lights," Sam told her. "There are a few boxes with some indoor stuff you can put up. I know you remember where they usually go."

"I do." She smiled at Patrick. "How are you feeling Patrick?"

"Much better," Patrick said and smiled back. "Past six months felt like a dream. Although going out bowling was one of the highlights."

"I feel bad for pretending to be a date," Sookie said.

"I felt it was more of a getting to know you kind of date," Patrick told her. "I want to thank all of you for your help."

"Do you know the name of the Mambo who did this to you?"

Patrick nodded. "She called her self Mambo Ivy."

"Ivy?" Sookie repeated.

"That was her name."

"It certainly fit," Terry said. "She was poison."

"Do you know where she is?" Sookie asked. She had no idea how much Patrick remembered of his ordeal.

"Don't know where she lives. I do know where she had moved everyone," Patrick said. "It's this old abandoned church about thirty miles from here."

"West by northwest?" Sookie asked as she remembered the direction that she, Steve, and Alcide had taken when they had gone to rescue Jason.

"That's the one," Patrick answered and blinked. "You have been there before?"

"On a different rescue mission."

"You don't have to help with this," Patrick said. "Terry and Arlene told me all about how you helped."

"I want to help save your friends," Sookie said.

"You don't have to get further involved," Patrick told her.

"You can ask her not to help," Sam had started. "But once she had her mind set to it she will insist on seeing it through. Trust me on this."

"We might be able to use Sookie's help," Terry said. "I think she and I get off around the same time and Tara will take over for Sam, right?"

"Pretty much," Sam said. "We will meet in the parking lot around nine."

Work seemed longer than usual. Hours felt more like days and Sookie kept looking at the clock every now and then. Work was at a medium level and many customers ordered some of the more festive drinks and treats.

Sookie was surprised to see Steve come in on his own around seven thirty. He smiled when he caught sight of Sookie and walked straight up to the bar.

"Evening reverend," Sam greeted him. "Would you like a B positive?"

"I would appreciate that," Steve said. "You can call me Steve. I'm not really a reverend any more."

"Can't you hold an evening service?" Sam asked after he had put the bottle in the microwave.

"I suppose I could, but I'm not sure if anyone is willing to listen to a sermon that is conducted by a vampire," Steve said. "Some might and possibly other vampires might attend." He chuckled for a few seconds before his eyes widened. "Wait a second."

"Hatching another idea?" Sookie asked him as she walked by.

"I believe I am," Steve said.

"Here you go," Sam said as he placed the bottle of Tru Blood down on the counter.

"Thank you," Steve said and handed him cash. "Might if I run something by you, Mr. Merlotte?"

"You can and you can call me Sam."

"I have some tickets for the carnival," Steve said and took a long drink from his bottle. "I thought you could hold a raffle, sell some tickets or give it out as a bonus for purchasing a specific drink or something like that, and on the ninth you announce the winner."

"Sure I can do that," Sam said. "I know where to get the tickets."

"Thanks Sam. I'll be here on the ninth."

"The AVL keeping you busy?" Sookie asked.

"Plenty busy," Steve said after taking another sip. "But I don't mind promoting the carnival. This time of year always has me pumped. This time and Easter has always seemed to fuel me in the past."

"I'm glad that you are better spirits. Jason told me that you are happy with being a vampire now."

"Your brother is a godsend, and I've also fallen for Jessica. If there is a way the three of us can get married." He closed his eyes and sighed.

"I would be ecstatic if you can."

"You take care then future sister," Steve said and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "And praise his light everyone whether is light comes from the sun or the stars, praise it."

"He really does love Jason," Sookie said softly. "Steve Newlin as a brother in law?" She had to think about that one.

"Are you certain this Mambo Ivy is going to be there?" Sam asked as he drove the four of them to the abandoned church. Sookie sat next to him and read off his fear.

"Positive," Patrick answered. "She had set up this date. Still wants me to bring Terry."

"She's in store for a surprise," Terry said. "She got us and our guns."

"What about these two?" Patrick asked. What's the bar tender going to do? Throw a bunch of bottles at them? Sookie can be intuitive but there is no way she can fight.

"Can you both keep a couple of secrets?" Sookie asked.

"Sure," Terry said.

"What kind of secrets?" Patrick asked.

"Very big ones," Sam said. "I'm not exactly human."

"You're not?" Patrick asked. "I know you are not a vampire."

"I'm a shape shifter," Sam answered. "Kind of like a werewolf but I can turn into all kinds of animals: dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, owls, flies, bulls."

"All this time," Terry gasped. "You never told me."

"I'm surprised Andy didn't tell you."

"My cousin knew?"

"You were under Maryanne's spell," Sookie explained. "Andy, Sam and Jason tried to save everyone that's how they found out."

"What are you, Sookie?" Patrick asked.

"I'm part fairy," Sookie answered.

"Is that why you can read minds?" Terry asked.

"She can read minds?" Patrick asked. Great now she knows I've been picturing her in Princess Leia's slave bikini.

"You are not the first to imagine me wearing Leia's slave outfit," Sookie told him.

"Damn," Patrick said and covered his head. "That ain't going to work right?"

"Nope." Sookie had to laugh. "I also can shoot bursts of light from my hands."

"Wow," Terry gasped. "Can Jason do any of that?"

"He has recessive fairy genes," Sookie said and realized how ridiculous that sounded as soon as she said it. "He's got magical shooting abilities when it comes to guns and arrows."

"Maybe he should be here," Patrick suggested.

"It's just us," Sam said. "And no one knows were we are."

Sookie was glad she was the one with the mind reading abilities and not Sam. Tara had wondered why Sam was leaving at the same time as Sookie and Terry and she knew that Sookie knew something. She couldn't keep everything from her friend and she told Tara about their little mission.

"We'll stop here," Sam said as he pulled up along the side of the road.

"There are a lot of stickers and brambles along the way," Sookie warned.

They were silent for several minutes until Terry brought up Iraq and how he had remembered Patrick being shot and that a nurse told him that Patrick was dead.

"Same woman," Patrick said. "Mambo Ivy is nurse Ivy. Maybe I did die and she brought me back for some reason."

"Why does she want me?" Terry asked. "Why does she want Rick, Toby, John, Carlos and everyone else?"

"She wants soldiers," Patrick said.

As they neared the church Sam held up his hand for everyone to be quiet. "Patrick you go in with Terry. I'll sneak up behind her. Sookie you stay back."

"What?" Sookie asked. "No."

"We can get the element of surprise on her," Sam explained. "She is not expecting you and you can't shape shift."

"Things get heavy you come with your fairy blasts," Terry told her.

"I can't believe you are asking me to stay back," Sookie said while looking at Terry and then turned Sam. Except it was just Sam's clothes falling to the ground. "Sam?" She stared at the pile ignoring the gasps from the others.

A reddish brown mouse climbed up through the neck hole in Sam's shirt and stared at Sookie with a twitching nose. Sookie just wanted to pick him up and tell him how adorable he was but knew that it was Sam and he would say something about it later.

"That Sam?" Terry asked and blinked when Sam nodded his head. "Well I'll be damned."

Sam squeaked and scurried away from his clothes and ran into the church.

"That place is probably crawling with several other rodents," Patrick said. "He won't be noticed."

"You ready?" Terry asked.

"Ready," Patrick answered. "Follow me."

Sookie crouched down near Sam's clothes and watched as the men enter the church. She peered in through the corner of a window and watched as the two of them walk up to the pulpit that was decorated with candles, painted sculls, various jars and dead plants that were bundled together.

A thin woman with her hair wrapped in a crimson scarf and wearing various necklaces turned around. Her face had it painted to look like a skull. She smiled in delight when she saw both Patrick and Terry.

"Shouldn't there be more?" Sookie whispered to herself. She only saw six other men inside. She raised her head a little more to see what was going on.

She had no idea anyone was behind her until she felt firm hands on her shoulders.

A/N: Thank you everyone for the reviews, faves and alerts. I wish I could give you all something like llamas at DA.