A/N: OMG! EPIC FAIL! I'm sooooooooo sorry about leaving you guys hanging for a month! I'm so embarrassed. My muse went AWOL and I tried but it just wasn't working without her! (More on that below.)
I caught her with a mixture of lavender, honey and molasses that was suggested to me by my awesome Beta!, and she's not going anywhere for a while. I'm plying her with copious amounts of chocolate. Anyway I'll let you get to it and I'll tell you more down below!
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or anything else here. I'm writing purely for shits and giggle purposes. Please don't sue.
Chapter 6
The next few days went by in a quiet blur. Fantasia held its usual tedious clientele hell bent on gaining Eric's favor, attention, or interest. Sookie thought it was downright absurd some of the things the fangbangers thought would attract Eric's notice. Eric, on the other hand slumped lazily in his throne paying more consideration to his phone than his surroundings. He was keenly aware of the Fangbangers pathetic attempts. Alas, sadly for them, all they secured was his ire. It was Sunday, just a few hours after opening, and Eric had just finished his Sherriff paperwork and taken his position on his chair. Sookie was in the process of firing one of the waitresses in the break room for coming to work drunk and Pam was behind the bar. Eric had decided that part of her punishment would be working behind the bar for a week, which she hated because she thought waiting on the vermin was beneath her. This left Long-shadow on the door, which was not the best solution because he had a habit of leering at the vermin instead of properly carding them. Sookie had already found three underage girls he let slide because he was too busy ogling their breasts. Eric considered having Thalia man his post but decided against that almost immediately. She had a habit of breaking noses and other body parts when people got too close.
Eric was in the middle of a game of solitaire on his phone when he was interrupted by a completely unnecessary cough, "Ahem."
As his eyes lifted he took in the absurd form of Bill Compton standing with his hands resting in a military at-easy posture behind his back. He was dressed as if he was going out for a round of golf instead of spending a night in a bar. Boring beige slacks, boring green polo shirt, and were those penny loafers? Eric rolled his eyes at the outdated sideburns that completed the look. Though Eric couldn't figure out what that look was. Eric put his phone down with a sigh, "Compton. Interesting wardrobe choice for a night in a bar, tell me, do you not own a pair of jeans?" He heard Pam snigger from behind the bar as Sookie came out from the back.
"Sheriff Northman, I am checking in. I just arrived in the area and per protocol wanted to alert you to my presence and intentions of taking up residence in your area for a time." Bill drawled in that annoying accent of his that sounded so fake and exaggerated next to Sookie's natural cadence. He also purposely ignored Eric's dig at his wardrobe. He didn't care what the arrogant Sherriff thought about his clothes, he was comfortable.
Eric raised an eyebrow at the younger vampire, "Are you? And what is it that brings you to my area exactly?" Of course Eric knew he was there because of Gran's invitation but that did not include staying for any length of time.
"I received an invitation as a guest speaker in a small Hamlet near here that I lived in as a human. I have decided to mainstream and try the quite life for a while. One of my descendants contacted me and I intend to go there after meeting with you."
There was no love lost between the two vampires as Sookie observed quietly from the side of the room. Eric had been helping her get a grip on her newly expanded powers by teaching her some calming and meditation techniques just as Bull was helping her during the day to figure out not only how she zapped Eric but to replicate it as well, so far though, nada. She had learned however how to hone her focus because of the meditation. As a telepath, multi-tasking was almost second nature, she had too not only actively block out others thoughts as she grew up but also function doing day to day tasks at the same time. She wasn't always successful, which is what led to her 'Crazy Sookie' moniker. You try doing five things at once and make it look like your only doing one and see how successful you are.
During the past few days though, it felt like everything got upped to a new level of difficulty. But with it came some excellent perks. One of which was that she found it was not necessary to concentrate as hard as before to do the same things. She could easily handle twice as many thoughts as before while still going about her routine. When she was standing still observing as she was currently doing, that easily expanded to five times her original capacity. From her current position she was able to discreetly hear the conversation between the two vampires while still maintaining surveillance on the bar and all of its current occupants.
She took in the dark haired vampire, known as Bill Compton. She half snorted to herself, 'What the Hell kinda name is Bill'? If he had gone with Will as his preferred shortening for William instead of Bill, she would be able to take the geeky vampire a bit more seriously. As it stood he was rockin' the Nerdy Chic look. He was handsome in his own right and she was sure that Gran would melt all over him, but he just wasn't her type. He was too short. In her experience, it was always the short men that felt they had to live up to some greater expectation. They were normally wound tight and felt threatened around anyone taller than them, especially if that was a woman. Sookie wasn't tall but she wasn't short either. She felt very comfortable in her 5'6" frame. Bill was taller than her but just barely, possibly 5'9" or 5'10"? Nowhere near Eric's hulking 6'5" frame, which was probably why he was standing with his chest puffed out trying to look taller than the slouching giant on the throne.
She was pulled out of her musings when Eric waved her over after the younger vampire commented about his new pet. Sookie hated that term. She noticed that Pam slipped silently behind Eric's throne taking up a defensive though subtle position, as she made her way forward.
"Yes, sir?" Sookie said as she took the small stool to his right. Sookie flat out refused to call Eric 'Master' and had said as much to him when she first began working there. Eric was surprisingly fine with it. His biggest concern was a show of respect not subservience. Those in his employ that called him 'Master' did so of their own volition, since he'd never stated specifically for them to do so. Only Pam was expected to call him 'Master', and even then it was VERY rare.
"Sookie, I'd like to introduce Bill Compton to you. It seems that my taking you as my documented companion has raised a few eyebrows." Well, Duh! Sookie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his lame attempt at…..whatever the hell he was going for, Sookie wasn't sure.
"Mr. Compton", she inclined her head slightly toward him in acknowledgement.
Bill studied the striking blonde carefully. She was defiantly the Vikings 'type' but he was still unsure as to why he'd keep her not only as a pet but under his official protection, if she was just a mere human. There had to be more to her. He wasn't close enough to smell her properly especially in this environment and he was eager to leave soon. He hated bars; they reminded him of his days under Lorena's thumb way too much.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss…"
"Stackhouse, but then you should already know that if you've seen the filled paperwork." She raised an eyebrow at him the exact moment Eric and Pam did the same, both with curious expressions.
Choosing his words carefully since they were not alone, "I have not seen the documents actually. I was told of the arrangement by an interested superior." He finished that sentence looking straight at Eric.
Eric caught on immediately, "I see, and does her fascination have anything to do with your current status in my area?"
"Originally? No. Currently, yes. She's always been covetous of other's shiny new things." Bill said very matter-of-fact.
Eric grinned, "She never was one to play well with others, either. Enjoy your stay in my area Compton and let me know if your plans in my area change." With that statement Bill was dismissed. He made a quick bow to Eric and smiled ever so briefly at Sookie and was gone in a blur. He truly hated bars.
"Well color me confused," Sookie said as she looked at Eric as he rose gracefully to his full height.
"Come, let's discuss why you fired Rita in the office shall we?" Eric guided her toward his office and nodded to Pam for her to join.
Sookie settled herself on the couch next to an unusually quite Pam, as Eric took the chair behind his desk.
"Ok so somebody wanna clue me in to what that was all about? And why is Pam being so quite? She hasn't said one nasty thing all night, hell she's even being nice to the customers and THAT never happens! What gives?"
"It's part of her punishment," Eric said as he leaned back in his chair and propped his massive feet on the desk. "I ordered her not to speak unless spoken directly too and she's not allowed to say anything more than a simple response. No cursing or rude facial expressions either, right Pam?" Eric smirked in her direction.
With a look of utter irritation on her face, she responded with a quite, "Yes Master."
"Wow!" Sookie said. "That's just weird. How long does she have to do this?"
"For as long as she tends the bar. But this is just phase one of her punishment. Phase two begins tomorrow night when we go shopping. Not to mention she's restricted to True Blood for the rest of the month and none of Gran's concoctions for the next two."
Sookie couldn't help but feel responsible, "I'm sorry Pam."
Pam looked at Eric, and with a nod from him she responded, "You have nothing to apologize for. I was in the wrong and I take responsibility for my actions. Eric is well within his rights to punish me and in a much more physical way but he enjoys being creative. He knows that the emotional and mental hardships will far outlast the pain of a physical punishment and it is a lesson I will not soon forget, if ever." On that final note, she sat back in her seat and waited for Eric to enlighten them on Bill's cryptic message.
Sookie wasn't quite sure how to respond to that other than a lame, "Well Ok. So, what's up with Bill?"
Eric chuckled, "Apparently his invitation by your grandmother gave the Queen a convenient excuse to send Bill to spy on the nature of my relationship with you. I've never been one to keep pets and for me to suddenly take you as one not to mention document it, sent up a red flag. She more than likely feels that if you're important enough to warrant my official protection, then you should belong to her."
"Well that's just craptastic!" Sookie huffed irritably. But before she could say more on the subject Eric's phone buzzed.
"Yes? Excellent send them both back. Pam retake your position at the bar and watch Longshadow at the door. Sookie and I will be busy for the next few hours. Call us only for an emergency."
Pam nodded, "Yes sir." As she left she also let in their visitors. Eric motioned for Sookie to come take a seat on his lap as Bull and Mr. Cataliades joined them.
Eric gave a slight nod of acknowledgement to Bull then leveled a steely gaze at the daemon lawyer.
"Good Evening Sheriff Northman." It seemed the Daemon lawyer was getting straight to business as he began unloading his briefcase while he spoke. "Allow me to apologize for not getting together with you sooner. I understand you feel as if I've broken the client-lawyer trust in alerting Miss Stackhouse's Fae relations to her new status. As you know however once official papers are filed they may be viewed by any interested party with direct relations to the parties listed in the documents, thus allowing her Fae relations as well as your Queen to be well within their rights to view the documents. That being said I did alert the head of her Fae relations as to the filling of said documents due to a prior arrangement between myself and her paternal grandfather. I did not disclose any information about said documents just that they needed to be viewed. Conclusions were jumped to on their own I'm afraid."
He didn't even take a breath as he continued on like a bulldozer, "I have the papers you requested for Mr. Shannon's employment by you and I feel it is also necessary to note that I am also connected to him by way of blood and family as he is my nephew, which he tells me you are already aware of. I assure you my connection to your new employee will in no way hinder either of our professional responsibilities to you and yours." He placed the contract and a copy in front of Eric and then Bull as he continued seemingly without end. "I also have a letter for you of the utmost importance. It is also for your eyes only. There have been spells placed upon it that would render it unreadable if any other than you attempt to read it, plus it must be read within the next 24 hours or it will destroy itself."
Sookie couldn't help the giggle as it sounded very Mission Impossible to her but she suppressed any further laughter with one look at Eric's expression.
Eric took the envelope from the lawyer and upon noting the seal he said, "The usual precautions then?"
Cataliades nodded, "Yes."
"Is there anything else?" Eric stated calmly though Sookie could tell calm was the last thing he was feeling.
"One last thing, if I may have a few moments alone with Miss Stackhouse. I have some private affairs to discuss with her and I'm afraid I must insist as her Sponsor that they be just between the two of us." Sensing Eric's disapproval he quickly finished with, "If however, she wishes to disclose them to you afterward it is her business."
After a few tense moments, Sookie placed her hand on Eric's arm and said quietly, "I don't mind Eric. I know you won't be able to hear because of the sound proofing but you'll have Bull with you. He'll alert you if anything other than talking occurs." Eric remembered Sookie telling him when she first began working there that there was no such thing as 'soundproof' to a telepath. "Besides it'll give you time to read your letter."
Eric gave the Daemon one last warning look and then turned his attention to Sookie. "No, I must read this elsewhere. It will keep." He buried his nose in her hair and then kissed her temple. He lifted her easily off of his lap and then placed her in the newly vacated chair. Without another word, he and Bull left the room.
They sat in silence for a few minutes until finally Sookie broke the tension, "Um, so what did you need to tell me?"
Catalades chuckled, "I believe it is you that has something to ask me. I know you're curious as to what a sponsor is and how I came to be yours."
Sookie sat straight-faced at his words but inside she was scrambling. How in the world did he know what she had been wondering during his brief exchange with Eric?
"I'll begin by saying I was a close friend of your grandfather Fintan Brigant. He and I had known each other for many years." He had a faraway look in his eye as he continued. "He was quite a prankster, always playing jokes or tricks on others." He chuckled with fondness, "He was also quite the ladies man. He had a reputation with women much like the Viking. I suppose that by today's standards he would be considered a bit of a womanizer but believe me the women didn't mind," he chuckled again. "He had a fondness for women, especially women with the spark which your grandmother has. This has become very rare in humans during the last few centuries, so when he met Adele he was instantly enthralled by her. I had the pleasure of meeting her when she was in her prime," he had a wistful look on his face. "She was a rare beauty indeed, smart, charming, and tenacious. He once told me that he 'cared deeply for Adele', which for Fintan was as close to a declaration of love as you'll ever get from a fairy. Suffice it to say, Fintan was completely smitten, alas, she was already married to Mitchell Stackhouse."
Sookie found herself irritated on her grandmother's behalf. "So he tricked her into having his kids with his magic?"
It was Cataliades turn to bristle indignantly, "He did NOT trick her. He was able to give her what Mitchell could not, children, and she desperately wanted a family. They made a deal. He gave her children and she gave herself to him freely. She did however, refuse to leave her husband, though I can't imagine why. Compared to Fintan he was dull as dry toast."
"He was NOT dull. My Grandpa Mitchell was quiet and he had a kind heart but what's most important was Gran loved him! Not Fintan. Besides Gran told me that after Aunt Linda was born she asked him not to come around anymore because she couldn't handle the guilt of what she was doing to Grandpa, but we have proof that he didn't leave. He kept coming around and used his magic to disguise himself as Grandpa Mitchell!" Sookie said emphatically.
"Yes well, like I said, he liked his practical jokes, and I suppose that was rather naughty of him. But I do know that there were more reasons keeping him away from his family than just Mitchell. He knew they would be in danger if other Fae ever found out about them. That was why he didn't even tell his father about them until after he was killed."
Sookie was getting pissed, "Naughty?! Are you serious? You make him sound like a child caught cheating on a test instead of a grown man, fairy, whatever, purposefully misleading and manipulating someone he supposedly 'cared for'. It was deceitful and underhanded and just typical behavior I've come to expect from you…..wait. Did you just say AFTER he died? How the Hell does that work?"
The rotund lawyer was looking a little shell-shocked after Sookie's small tirade. So it took him a moment to respond to her sudden question. "After a fairy or a person of Fae decent dies, their essence, or what I suppose you would call a soul, appears to the next oldest member in their line before passing on to the Summerland. I was under the impression that you were visited by your great grandfather. Did Niall not explain this to you?"
"No, he did not." Sookie responded flatly. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the information she was getting.
"I see," Cataliades said, and after giving them both a few moments to regain their composure he continued. He open his brief case again and took out a small black pouch alongside another envelope with a seal but this looked much older than Eric's since it was yellowing in the corners and sides the way paper does after time. "This letter is from Fintan for your Gran along with this," he placed the pouch on the desk between them on top of the letter.
Sookie reached for the pouch and when she touched it, it felt warm. "What is it?" She felt the need to open the pouch and pull out the contents but Mr. Cataliades stopped her from opening the pouch.
"It may be best if you wait to open this with your grandmother as it was meant for her. As for what it is, that would be a cluviel dor. It is a fairy love token. It will grant one wish to the one it's given but the wish must be based on love. I would advise you to keep the knowledge of this memento between yourself and Adele. It is a very powerful tool and could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. It would be coveted for its magic by ALL supernaturals."
"Are you telling me NOT to tell Eric about this? Why? I don't keep secrets from him."
"My dear, secrets are the way one survives in the supernatural world and you will need to learn this fast if you wish to endure. Do you believe that Eric informs you of everything he knows? Certainly not! I can assure you of that. There are some things that it's safer NOT being in the know, as they say now a days."
Not knowing what to say to this she stays quite and lets the lawyer continue.
"So I suppose that brings us back to the original question. I am actually not just your sponsor but your families' sponsor. Fintan requested I give a gift to his and Adele's offspring and stand as their sponsor. Unfortunately not all of you could accept the gift. In fact you were the first to develop it because you were the first of their descendants to have the essential spark."
Sookie blinked. She suddenly got a nasty knot in the pit of her stomach as things started to fall into place. Dr. Ludwig's mention of her having daemon blood, his apparent ability to 'hear her thoughts', all of the little clues began to click and she found she was having a hard time breathing, but she did manage to say the next sentence just to clarify her understanding. With teeth clenched she asked, "What gift did you give?"
With a grin that would make the Cheshire cat envious he almost crowed the following words, "Why, I gave a thimbleful of my blood to both Fintan and Adele – in wine of course – so that any offspring from their union with the essential spark, like Adele, would be blessed with the gift of telepathy! Just like me! I thought it would be an excellent present so that you could hear the thoughts of your fellow humans and never be caught off guard or unawares. You would always know the thoughts of others and never have to be surprised or hurt by unknown actions or thoughts." He seemed to just beam with pride at his so called 'gift' and completely missed the growing anger on Sookie's face until it was too late…for him.
A/N: Dun, Dun, Duhhhhh! Hehehe, I finally get to give my revenge in the form my own little cliffy for all those mean writers that kept me hanging for days, weeks, sometimes months on end! On that note, again I apologize for my EPIC FAIL for making you guys wait a month for an update! My muse decided to split town just after my birthday and run off to the Olympic Games! BI-ATCH! I'd used my last banked chappy too so I was left with nada! Thankfully she's back with gusto and I'm currently writing chapter 8 so with luck y'all will get Chapter 7 on time next Sat/Sunday night.
I wanted too add one last HUGE THANK YOU ! to everyone involved with the I write the songs contest which was the reason for this story in the first pace. I WON! For best virgin writer! How awesome is that?! I was in shock for the first few days and when my muse showed up we both squeed like teens at a Bieber concert! I also want to give an extra HUGE THANK YOU to DazedRose wherever you my be for making my prize banner! I love it! Wish someone would show me how to do that! And I hope you don't mind I used it (Well most of it) as my Image for this story.
Again Thank You everyone for the reviews and votes and a big cyber hug to my awesome Beta for all her help!