Summary: In a world where Uncle Bartlett went too far, Sookie Stackhouse decides to embrace herself rather than bend to the townfolk's perception of normal. Years later, she saves a dense vampire from two drainers. Slowburn Sookie/Eric.
"You apprehended the suspects yourself, Miss Stackhouse?" Andy Bellefluer asked, his voice deep and grumbling like churning cogs.
Sookie shook her head in irritated disbelief. "We've been though this already, Detective. I stopped the Rattarys from draining Bill in the parking lot last night. They woke up on the wrong side of the bed about the whole thing, flipped out and tried to ambush me tonight. Just ask Sam or Tara if you think I imagined the whole thing."
She and Andy had been in the same room for almost half an hour, and Sookie's temper was running short, sharpening her tongue. Usually, she tried to keep herself somewhat in check around Andy, Kenya and Shrieff Dearborn but between her brother's arrest and how Andy kept on repeating the same questions, her tolerance for law enforcement was low.
They had done one thing right, however; Denise Rattary was in a cell (haha!) while Mac was being treated for his dislocated shoulder.
"Kenya is checking your story with Sam Merlotte and Vampire Bill." Andy Bellefluer puffed up, like a hedgehog trying to make itself seem more threatening. "What I want to know is why you didn't call law enforcement when you 'overheard' Mac and Denise Rattary planning to attack Mister Compton."
Hands on the table, leaning back in the chair, Sookie stared Andy down easily. "It was the one night none of you were in the bar, I didn't have time to phone in and wait for you to mount a white horse."
The subtle jab at his drinking habits outraged Andy. "Miss Stackhouse," he gritted with a clenched jaw.
Before he could continue, the door opened, and Shrieff Dearborn looked in. "Have you recorded Miss Stackhouse's statement, Andy?"
"We're still going over the - " Andy started.
"I'm done," interjected Sookie, rising from her chair. Andy rose with her, looking indignant. "And unless you plan on releasing my brother, I plan on going home before my Gran gives herself a heart attack. I was expected home an hour ago."
"Your brother was released not long ago," Shrieff Dearborn told her.
Sookie was pleasantly surprised by this, blinking. "Huh. So I guess jumping up and down and saying 'I do believe in law enforcement! I do! I do!' actually works."
Andy's red face darkened to a worrying maroon, but Bud Dearborn accepted her comment with a tired look on his face. Having known her as a kid, he thought of her as more traumatized than retarded.
"What?" Andy Bellefluer blurted. "That's bullcrap! Jason Stackhouse is guilty!"
"Apparently not," Sookie pointed out, sternly reminding herself how upset her Gran would be if she gloated. Andy glared at her briefly, and she frowned at him, faintly concerned by how flustered he looked. "You should get your blood pressure checked out. It doesn't look healthy from where I'm standin'."
Forcibly ignoring her, Andy tried to 'reason' with Bud. "We got him! On tape with Maudette!"
"What?" Oh, eww. Had - did that mean - there was no way Jason would film that, would he? Who was she kidding? Of course, he would.
"Andy!" Shrieff Dearborn snapped, and Andy reluctantly fell silent, jaw clenched. "Your brother is waiting for you, Sookie."
Shaking her head in mute horror, Sookie moved past the two police men. To her surprise, Bill and Jason were standing opposite each other, clearly at an impasse, glaring at each other.
"For the record, I am not measuring anything, and how dare you ask such a thing?" Sookie declared. The two men turned towards her.
"Sookah," Bill said, looking like he was about to move to her but Jason beat him to it, thank God.
"Sook!" Jason exclaimed, rushing forward to clasp her in a tight hug. Almost able to feel his concern, Sookie smiled slightly and hugged her brother back tightly, feeling something inside of her ease. Jason didn't pull away at once, seeming to need the hug as much as she did. Not a shock. Andy Bellefluer had probably been rabidly declaring his guilt all day long.
When they pulled away, Jason held her face for a moment, brown eyes looking for any injuries. "Are you alright? Shrieff Dearborn told me those fuckin' Rats went after you."
"I'm fine, Jason," Sookie said reassuringly, allowing his worried search. "I dropped Denise before she could do more than pull my hair, and Mac didn't get anywhere near me."
Jason's face split into a wide grin. "You did? Ha! That's my sister!" he boasted proudly, kissing her forcefully on the forehead.
Bill cleared his throat quietly, and Jason's smile faded into a scowl. "Sam asked me to pass on his apologizes for leaving so soon."
"Speaking of leaving," Jason said, not addressing Bill, "I'll drive you home, Sook."
Unsurprised by Jason's reaction, Sookie shot Bill an apologetic look. She was holding off on thinking about how coincidental his timing had been. Was there an actual reason to be concerned or was she being paranoid? What did Bill have to gain by letting her fight the Rattarys? She was a nobody...with a big secret, but that was it - it was a secret.
"Thanks," she said to Jason. Bill nodded farewell to her as Jason lead her out of the station with a tight arm around her shoulders. When she looked back, he was standing perfectly still and staring at her. Good Lord, but that was creepy.
"I know I ain't Daddy," said Jason carefully when they pulled up outside Gran's house. He was clearly remembering the last time he had tried to parent her, when she was dating JB, and the epic screaming match that had followed.
"I'm not dating him," Sookie informed him in a monotone, unbuckling her seat belt, rolling her eyes. Jason looked relieved. "For Heaven's sake, why do people suddenly think I'm going to put out for him when I've been happily celebate for twenty-four-years."
Jason looked awkwardly at her. "Well, he's a vamp..."
"Exactly. He's a vampire, not Johnny Depp." Opening her door, Sookie looked back at her brother. "Night, big brother."
Jason returned the greeting, and Sookie walked into the house, hearing Jason drive off as soon as the door locked behind her. For all his faults, Jason loved her and Gran fiercely. Tina meowed loudly, and Sookie swept the cat up in her arms, catching sight of her Gran at the kitchen table.
Gran was asleep, a half-made quilt in her lap, wrinkled face peaceful. Waiting for her. A wave of warmth filled Sookie, and she smiled softly, putting Tina down to wake her Gran up before she got a stiff neck.
It was a good thing Sookie had decided to tell Gran about her fight with the Rattarys before going to bed last night because the next morning was a busy one. The door was repeatedly knocked on, bringing the 'concerned' questions of their nosy neighbours, looking for inside details of the fight last night.
Rene and Arlene came over with her kids, and Sam checked in on her. Lafayette stopped by with Tara. Lala had been in his usual sprits, wolf-whistling at Sookie's mini-dress ("Damn, Hookah! No wonder Sam was smilin'.")
In her furious worry, Tara had ended up apologizing to Gran for swearing several times. Lafayette drew her Gran into the kitchen to give them some privacy, and the two girls curled up together on the couch.
"I would lose it if anything ever happened to you," Tara admitted.
Sookie wrapped an arm around her, pressing their sides together, winking playfully. "Then I guess I'll have to do my best to make sure nothing ever happens to me - you're crazy enough without me adding to it."
"Bitch," Tara punched Sookie's arm, unable to stop the grin crossing her face. "Like Hell if I'm the craziest person between us. You went after two vampire drainers with a chain!"
"That doesn't make me crazy!" Sookie protested, dark eyes sparkling. "That makes me kickass, doll face. I hear voices in my head, that makes me the crazy one."
Tara laughed hard, leaning into Sookie's side. "Damn, Sook. How do you always make me laugh about this shit? I was so scared when Lafayette told me 'bout this..."
"It's another one of my super powers," explained Sookie, a smirk curving her mouth. She pressed her lips chastely to Tara's, her amusement softening into platonic love. "I've really gotten into the habit of scaring you, haven't I?"
"Ain't that the motherfucking truth," Lafayette declared, entering the sitting room, holding a pitcher of sweet tea for her Gran, who cleared her throat delicately. "Sorry, Ms Stackhouse."
In response to Sookie's whipping sound, Lafayette made an obscene sound of enjoyment.
When dark fell, another knock sounded. After Gran shot down her suggestions to pretend they weren't home, Sookie opened the door, and suddenly felt extremely glad she had changed into more suitable clothes.
"Sookie," Bill greeted, staring at her solemnly, like they were at a funeral. "I hope you are feeling well."
"Peachy," she answered brightly, stepping out onto the porch and closing the door behind her. Vampires couldn't come in without an invitation, and her Gran was polite enough to issue one. "What are you doing here?"
How the hell do you know where my house is? Lord, it would be just her luck to have gained a stalker.
Bill looked stung. "I came to see if you were alright after last nights events. A lady should not be forced to defend herself so harshly."
Sookie laughed at him, moving across the porch to lean against the railing. "Yeah, well, this 'lady' is a waitress from Louisiana, and she can defend herself quite well, thank you very much."
"As I discovered last night," Bill muttered, coming to stand with her. "Sookie, you wished to ask a favour of me?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Considering our conversation so far, you might be perfect for this." With such an outdated value about women and the stones to voice it outloud, Bill was either old or an even bigger asshole than she's thought. "My Gran is a Civil War nut. She and a couple of others, mostly old folk, have this club, Descendants of the Glorious Dead."
"The glorious dead?" Bill repeated, increased. "There is nothing glorious about dying in a war. A bunch of starving, freezing boys killing each other so the rich people can stay rich. Madness."
Sookie shrugged. "If thinking about the sugar-coated stories of history makes people feel closer to their dead relatives, why burst their bubble?"
Outrage dimming, Bill looked at her. "You live with your grandmother."
"My parents died in a flash flood when I was seven, Gran took me and my brother in." It was an old wound, one circumstances had forced her to heal from fast. There was only so much pain a seven-year-old could deal with at once.
"I owe her a lot," Sookie continued, not allowing the truth to seep into her voice. She wasn't about to get all weepy on a man just shy of being a stranger. "It would make her real happy, and I'd be obliged to return the favour."
If anything, Bill owed her a favour but Gran could really use the happy news, after last night.
"I will talk to your grandmother if it will please you," Bill claimed. It was obvious he hadn't taken her Never-Gonna-Happen speech to heart. Wonderful. She would have to keep him in check.
In the end, at her insistance, Bill admitted that he was having trouble getting an electrician over to his place, and Sookie promised to stop by Jesse Compton's old house with some information after work before heading back inside.
As she jotted down the orders of a table of horny, leering college jock, Sookie couldn't help but agree with Tara's rant about the waitress uniforms being too damn skimpy. Before she could step away from the table, a hand squeezed her ass.
Fury swelled through Sookie, and she swirled, reeling her fist back. Her fist smashed into his nose with a crack, and Sookie reeled her arm back in, trying to shake the pain away.
"You bitch!" the leering jerk exclaimed, hands flying to his face, blood splurting all over his fingers, drops hitting the table.
"If you can read, you should know that I'm not on the damn menu! Asshole!"
While most of his friends were frozen in shock, one of them got up and made an aggressive move towards her. He made one step before Sookie lashed out hurriedly with her foot, slamming her foot deep into his groin. He let out a cry of pain, knees hitting the floor with a crack.
As Sookie moved away from his reach, there was an echoed cry of pain from behind her. Whirling, she realized that the groper had tried to move towards her, and Rene had him in a headlock.
"Let go, man!" the groper screamed, struggling uselessly in Rene's grip. "I can't breath!"
"Then I'm thinkin' you better apologize before you pass out, yeah?" Rene said, tightening his grip, so the boy choked.
"Sorry! Sorry!" the boy gasped out.
"Apology not accepted," Sookie turned her gaze to Rene, dimly aware that a hushed silence had fallen over the bar. What a crazy week. "You should let him go. I doubt he has all that many brain cells left, and there's no need to make things worse."
Snorting, Rene released the boy after a few seconds. "I'm think you and your friends need to find some place else to eat, yeah?" The two remaining boys hurried to their feet, one of them helped up the boy Sookie had floored, and the other edged past Rene. "Don't you look at me, you."
Amused but keeping her stern expression, Sookie waited until the boys were out of the way before widening her eyes playfully. "Huh, you know you and me make a great team, Rene. I got dibs on Batman." Dropping the sarcasm, Sookie smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks for gettin' involved."
Rene grinned at her fondly, crossing his arms over his chest. "From where I was standin', you didn't need my help. You're a feisty girl, Sookie. 'Minds me of my baby sister, hm." His arms uncrossed to tuck a blonde curl off her face. The gesture was soft but a shadow passed through his brown eyes. "And I hope to God somebody stick up for her if some asshole does her, even if she don't need it."
The rest of her shift was a nightmare - shaken up by the feel of a forceful, unwanted hand on her body, Sookie ended up responding to Arlene's thoughts, then she ended up being issued an open invitation to his mind by Sam, who didn't seem to understand her at all, then there was the news about Rev. Newland and his family. Not even Lafayette could cheer her up when most of Bon Temps seemed to think Rene was cheating on Arlene with her.
All Sookie wanted to do was curl up in bed with Tina and a book, but she forced herself to head on over to Bill's.
Reluctant as hell described her mood as Sookie parked her car and trecked up the stairs to the front door of Bill's house. Pausing, she could faintly detect music, and her spirts lifted slightly. If Bill had company, it gave her an excuse to hurry home.
Wait. Hold the phone. Bill had company. Vampire company, judging by the blissful silence. She wasn't naive enough to assume all vampires were pro-True Blood, nor was she small-minded enough to believe that all vampires were soulless monsters. Bill seemed too self-righteous to hang around with the second type.
Conflicted, Sookie hesitated on the porch before turning away, moving towards the stairs. Behind her, the door opened, and Sookie whirled around to face a tall black woman wearing very skimpy clothes, propped up in the doorway.
"Well, hey there, little human chick."
Sookie's instincts prickled warningly, telling her very plainly that these were Type 2 vampires, and oh, yeah, that she was screwed. Or maybe that was common sense. Regardless, Sookie smiled crazily at the vampire, playing it cool. "Evening. I'm Sookie Stackhouse. I've got some information here for Bill Compton. Is he inside?"
The woman arched an eyebrow at her composure, as a man came from behind her. He was scrawny with a silly goatee and greasy brown hair in a messy tail.
"She smells fresh." His fangs clicked down, white and sharp, as did the woman's. The sound was copied from behind her, sending a sharp note of fear racing up her spine, but she didn't dare glance around.
"As a dasiy," Sookie said dryly, standing stiffly. She felt vulnerable, surrounded on all sides by malicious people hungry for her, and hunted. It was a horrible, rattling feeling that Sookie was not a stranger too. Damn Uncle Bartlett.
"Maybe you ought to come inside," the male vampire purred, giving her an intense look, dark eyes moving hungrily over her body.
"Maybe you ought to go fuck yourself," Sookie fired back recklessly, shrugging her shoulders sadly.
There were three clicks as fangs were withdrawn in shock. "What?" a male voice demanded from behind her. "Malcolm - "
"I can't glamour her," Malcolm said, frowning. "What are you?"
Tray Dawson had told her about glamouring, but he hadn't said anything about other (probable) supernaturals being able to resist it. A wave of intense relief swept through Sookie. Since discovering vampires, glamouring had been her greatest fear. Being controlled...being forced into doing something and being totally helpless to stop it yet again...
"Tricky question," Sookie answered, riding the high of her relief. "I can tell you that I'm not a were or a vampire or a witch. But hey, maybe I am just Plain Jane human, and you just suck at gl - "
Malcolm and the woman were pushed aside, and Bill zipped to her side at vamp speed, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Sookie," he said urgently, glancing at the vampires. "You must leave."
"Aw, but we weren't done having fun with her yet!" For the first time, Sookie looked at the whining vampire behind her. He was big and bald with tattoos, and something tugged at Sookie's memory.
"Yes, you were," Bill snapped, keeping his front to the other vampire, and a hand on her shoulder as she moved down the steps. "This is my house, you are guests! Go back inside!"
With jeering laughter and a derisive comment or five, the three went back inside. Bill turned on her the moment the door closed. "You should not be so bold - "
"Don't start!" Sookie snapped, jerking her arm aggressively out of his grip. "I'm not naive. I know they would have drained me - and only that if I was incredibly lucky, and that isn't how my life rolls - no matter what I said or how I acted, so don't expect me to sit quiet and wish them all well while they do it to me."
She had made that mistake once before - and never again. Shoving the information into his chest, Sookie yanked her car door open and drove away.
As it was her day off, Sookie slept in late, barely waking up in time to have breakfast with her Gran before heading outside to sunbath and get her thoughts in order, mostly Sookie found herself thinking about how the chain had wrapped around Mac's neck.
Her telepathy was the most blatantly supernatural attribute to manifest, but there was no doubt what had happened was not simply dumb luck. And her immunity to being glamoured by those creepy freaks over at Bill's last night added weight to her theory.
Around 11, her cell started to ring, and checking the caller ID, Sookie answered it with reluctance. It was Sam, asking her to check in on Dawn. After agreeing, Sookie hurried inside to change into a denim skirt and a blue top, and then drove over to Dawn's.
The door was unlocked. The house was quiet. Calling out to Dawn with no response, Sookie checked in the bedroom.
Dawn was laying on the bed, beautiful dark hair splayed over the light sheets. A sheet covered her form, bruises colored her neck, and a fly buzzed around her body.
All her breath left Sookie's lungs in a shocked exhale, and she inched closer to Dawn, already knowing, but having to be sure. Eyes stinging, mouth falling open, Sookie looked at Dawn's bright blue eyes. They wide open and staring blankly up at the ceiling, no life, no spark.
For a split second, Sookie was numb with shock, and then a feeling of aching emptiness dawned. Barely aware of her own actions, Sookie moved the sheet to cover Dawn more modestly - and her eyes fell on a vampire's bite mark. Instantly, her mind flashed to Bill's guests.
"Oh, sweetie, what did you get yourself into?" Sookie said softly. And why did she get the feeling that question could cover them both?
Sookie heard her brother's painfully unaware thoughts before his footsteps, but it was a moment before the thought flashed through her mind - he didn't need to see this - and by the time it had, Jason was already standing in the room, and a vase shattered on the floor.
If one more person trash-thought her brother, Sookie was going to lose it and start a killing spree herself. Jason was a selfish manwhore but he was her big brother, and if she loved him enough to get into a cat-fight in the middle of a church because she'd overheard his 'pregnant' girlfriend thinking about how she'd faked said pregnancy, she loved him enough to do this.
Fangtasia, a vamp bar in Shreveport. The name made Sookie want to bang her head against a solid surface, and Bill's reaction to her request to take her there made the desire even stronger.
Sookie gazed at herself in the vanity up in her bedroom. Her lips were painted red to match the pretty red flowers on her tight white dress. Her blonde hair fell below her shoulders in loose curls, hiding her silver earrings from view.
"It isn't a date," Sookie told her Gran, who was standing in the doorway with a smile. "I'm doing this for Jason. I couldn't pick up on any thoughts about what happened with Dawn, so Plan B."
Gran smiled sweetly and agreed, though Sookie could sense when she was being humored. She gained the exact same expression from Bill around the time he called her 'Vampire Bait' while trying to avoid her questions about Fangtasia. Condesending SOB. To make things worse, Pam and Long Shadow seemed to have gotten the same impression.
At this rate, Sookie was going to need 'I'm not dating Bill Compton' engraved on her damned gravestone.
"What do you think of the place?" Bill asked, wry amusement in his voice.
Sookie glanced around pointedly at the red and black color theme, the half naked vampire dancers, and the human beings...Lord, their thoughts made her skin crawl with disgust and pity. It was a wonder so much desperation and ugliness could fit in one room.
"I'm torn," Sookie stated, sipping her Gin and Tonic warily. Not too terrible. "This place is either a very tacky ride at Disneyland or a new layer of Hell. I haven't decided yet."
A flare of light bounced off a head of golden hair, and Sookie's eyes followed the unexpected flash of color. There was a man slouched on a large throne. His hair was a pale shade of blonde, reaching his collarbone, hiding most of his undoubtably handsome face from her view.
His form was built for intimidation. Even sitting down, she could tell he was incredibly tall, and he was built like the comic book version of Thor, only dressed in tight black leather pants and a black shirt, hotter than hell. An air of power and control surrounded him. He looked like a fallen god, raw power radiated from him, both sexual and physical.
Sookie didn't go for bad boys or tough men or sexually aggressive men. It was too threatening. She preferred light-hearted and fun men, like JB. But she felt a strong stab of lust, shortening her breath, especially when she noticed the man had a pair of light, icy blue eyes. How did she know this? His eyes were turned towards her. Sookie looked away first, absently noticing a weedy man was walking up to Throne Guy.
"Noticed him have you?" Bill sounded petulant, like a pissy child.
"Bill, the man is sitting on a throne and built like William Wallace's buff twin, I would be seriously worried if I had managed to miss him."
"William Wallace isn't too far off. He is the oldest thing in this bar."
Sookie's eyes flitted back to the man. It was impossible to be sure, but he did look Norse. "Viking?" she murmured questioningly, just as the weedy man placed a hand on Throne Guy's thigh - bad idea, she knew instinctively, wincing - and then the weedy man was flying across the bar with a cry of pain, smashing into the wall with an awful thudding noise.
Startled, concern bursting through her, Sookie went to stand up to help him, but Bill pulled her back down. Reacting to the feel of his uninvited hand on her bare skin, Sookie jerked her wrist viciously out of his hold with a hiss, "You really need to stop grabbing at me, Bill Compton, before I test how a boot to the groin effects vampires."
Bill looked alarmed, slightly angry. "I apologize. I was simply trying to tell you that there is no need." She followed his gaze to where a half-naked woman - vampire - was helping the weedy man up from the floor.
"That happens a lot here," he added, trying to dispell the tension in Sookie's form. Bill smiled at her, and she could read the hurt behind that forced gesture. Usually, she would try to make amends but Sookie didn't handle being grabbed well - even Jason knew to give her some kind of warning these days. Mortification set in, but Sookie stubbornly refused to let it take root. "Still think this is Disneyland?"
Remembering the times she had been forced to put a customer in their place, Sookie shook her head and glanced down at her drink, avoiding his gaze. "I think that was actually the most normal thing about this place..."
Bill looked disgruntled by her opinion, like he expected her to be swooning and shrieking at the show of violence (has he even been anywhere near the South in the last fifty years?), and she hitched up an eyebrow, staring coolly across the table at him. Bill glanced away, eyes flitting to the direction Throne Guy was in, and then snapping back to her her.
"Uh-oh."
"Did you just say uh-oh?" Sookie asked incredulously, arching her eyebrow for all its worth. Oh no, she could understand, but who actually said uh-oh? Then when the meaning behind those words set in, she felt a flash of panic. "Wait, wait, wait - why uh-oh? Don't leave me hanging here, Bill."
"Eric is looking at you. He's about to summon us."
Sookie looked over at Throne Guy - Eric - with her eyebrows raised. He lifted a hand, and crooked a finger enticingly at her - like a sexy version of come and play. Wisely ignoring her first instinct which was to crook a certain finger back at him, Sookie returned her gaze to Bill.
"Uh-huh, and why, exactly, would he be able to summon us?"
Standing up, Bill replied, "Eric is Shrieff of Area Five - Louisiana. As a vampire in his area, I must obey him."
"I said us, not you," Sookie reminded him though not rudely, remaining seated, frowning at him. "I'm not a vampire, of Area Five or otherwise, so why would this 'summoning' deal include me?"
I am a cruel bitch, aren't I?