Sleeping Arrangements

Once we've left the coffee shop, we were both quiet. There was so much on my mind and I was trying to process everything. Finally, Pam disturbed the quiet by asking if I would want to stay with her, and I just nodded my head. We would get things sorted out tomorrow when I had an answer, and I wouldn't have to be alone tonight. I knew I would drive myself crazy. Pam pulled out her cell phone, called Karin, and gave her directions for our captives. "Karin, take the prisoners to the warehouse. Sookie is staying with us tonight. "Should I pack some clothes for Sookie? How long will she be staying? "Yes, pack enough for a week. We'll figure out the rest once we hear of Eric's decision."

" I will be there in an hour. Call if anything comes up. "Pam put her phone away and I could see as she glanced at me from the corner of my eyes. I turned to look at her and asked her what she was thinking.

"I was wondering if what you said was true, that you would move from Bon Temps for good, no matter what Eric might decide." She inquired, without a bit of snark.

"Yes, Pam. I was serious. At this point, there's really nothing there for me. My friends have their own lives, my brother has his own family, and although I love being an aunt, they won't really need me. I won't be able to work as a waitress my whole life. Even if I was part-owner all that meant was that I was responsible for doing the paperwork and that got boring real quick.

So yeah, I'm done. I'm going to have to put the bar up for sale whenever we figure out what to do with Sam. He can't pay me back, so it looks like I'm full owner now. As for my house, I'll see if Jason wants it. His house is too small for a family but mine would be perfect for one, and he could be happy in Gran's house. I would be happy knowing that a Stackhouse still lived there," I informed her in total honesty. Pam nodded her head and we were silent for the rest of the drive for which I was grateful, considering all the things I had that were running circles in my head. Twenty minutes later we pulled up in front of Eric's house and I just sat and stared at it for a minute. I hadn't realized we were coming here because I wasn't paying any attention to where we were going. I was quite I wasn't sure if I could go in; it would so weird, was I supposed to stay in the room he had arranged for me again? That would be too much. I don't know what Eric would want. I feel as if I would be trespassing if he decided that he was happy and no longer wants me. I was just about to tell Pam what I was thinking, but she cut me off and stated, "He wanted you safe and you're in the safest place right now." Pam was right, I knew she was, but it wasn't making it any more uncomfortable .Once we were out of the car, we finally walked up to the house and I took a deep breath before I entered the one place I never thought I would again. I removed my shoes and went to the kitchen for a drink of water. I then found a place to sit and wait for Karin's arrival. I knew that it would be a long night spent waiting, but tomorrow I would have my answers, and then I would figure out the next step.

Since it had been such a long day, I knew I would need to sleep. I asked Pam what room I should take and she pointed toward my old one. I nodded my head and walked toward the door. Pam put her hand on my shoulder, stopping me, and I looked in her eyes knowing what she wanted to say. I nodded my head and thanked her with a hug. She released me and was gone in the blink of an eye. I went into the adjoining bathroom to do my nightly routine and was amazed to find that all of my stuff was still in the exact same place it was over a year ago! This was what finally brought the tears to my eyes as I stepped into the shower and allowed the water to wash them away. Once I was finished, I climbed into bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. It had been a long night.

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The next morning when I awoke, I initially panicked when I saw where I was, and then I remembered everything that happened yesterday. I rolled over to look at the clock on the night stand and saw that it was 11:30 a.m. I wasn't sure when Mr. C. would contact me and hoped that he hadn't already tried. I grabbed my cell phone and saw that he had not. With a sigh, I got out of bed and started my morning routine. With that completed, I was off to the kitchen to see if there was any human food.

When I entered the kitchen, I noticed that someone must have gone shopping because there was a ton of groceries bags piled by the garage door. I made a huge breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast along with a large glass of orange juice. I stood to eat at the counter because I was far too nervous to actually sit down and enjoy it. When I finished, I cleaned up my mess and went into the living room to see if there was anything on TV. I stopped on a reality show about housewives and watched that for about twenty minutes when my phone rang. It was Mr. C.!

"Hello, dear. How are you today?"

"I'm nervous to hear Eric's reply so I know where to go from here and get started on the next chapter of my life. Were you able to speak with him privately?"

"Yes, as his lawyer there are expectations of privacy and no one has the right to deny privacy, even supernatural royalty,"

"That's good. Did he give you an answer?"

"He has, but he wrote it in a letter and asked that you be the only person to read it. Can you meet me at some point today?"

"Yes, please tell me where and I'll take one of the cars and meet you,"

"How about the same coffee shop as last night?"

"That's fine. What time?"

"How about 2:00 p.m.?"

"Thank you, Mr. C. I really do appreciate this!"

"Not at all, dear. I will see you soon. Goodbye,"

"Goodbye,"

I looked at the clock and saw that it was only 12:45 p.m. so I had time to kill. I also knew that it was taking everything I had to not drive right there! I decided to see if I could find a set of keys for one of the cars. That's when I found the note on the dining room table. I picked it up and saw Pam's neat script and began to read.

I had Karin stop at a grocery store to buy you human food. She left the keys to her car in the garage. It is the same code as before so that should be easy for you. Please make certain you lock everything up before you leave and put in all the proper codes to keep Thalia, Karin and myself safe while you are gone. Do try not to get into any trouble today, my telepathic friend. It will take us so much longer to find you without having had your delicious blood in any of us vampires for so very long.

I do hope you get your answer today, Sookie. Best of luck.

You're Friend,

Pam

I put the letter down and went to the garage to check for the key. I did as Pam asked and locked the house up tight behind me, and as I stepped outside I lowered my shields to see if anyone had followed me. When I sensed it was all clear, I climbed into the car and drove straight to the coffee shop.