Wow, thank you so much for your reviews! We are floored! And we really loved reading your kind words about Angela. I hope wherever she is, she knows that we are still thinking about her!
This is the longest chapter so far. Almost 10,000 words and over 30 pages, Holy S***!
So enjoy and we'll see you next week!
Chapter 11:
It was nearly a week later before I was ready to face the outside world again. I had needed to put Gran's affairs in order; but most importantly I had needed time for myself. Even though I had talked to my Gran again for a precious few minutes the night of the funeral, and it had lifted a huge chunk of grief from my shoulders, I still needed to come to terms with it and get used to the idea that she wasn't there for me anymore.
Then came the hard reality of thinking about my future. What did I want to do with the house? Did I want to stay in it? Of course I wanted to, at least for the time being. But did I want to stay in Bon Temps long-term? The main reason for getting a degree was to eventually get out of this redneck infested town but I would need to wait to see of what this future will bring.
Did I want to continue to work at Merlotte's? No, I wanted to quit. I had a feeling that that chapter of my life was over and that I needed to start a new one and I could only accomplish that in a new environment.
All these questions brought me back to Eric's job offer and the contract. I never had the time to seriously look it over with everything that had happened so that is what I did next.
I studied it thoroughly, researched on the internet and took notes and wrote down questions I needed the answers to the next time I saw him. Like he had said in his office when he gave it to me, it was a rough draft and it would need a lot of additions and changes but I was sure we could come to an agreement pretty quickly.
You probably guessed already that I wanted to work for him. I knew it was the right thing to do, not just because of the queen or Bill but because I somehow knew that Eric would be a huge part of my future. It was a too good opportunity and offer to pass up. I finally had the chance to prove my worth and use my talents to the fullest advantage.
That was a task for the next night though. Then I would go to him and tell him my decision.
Speaking of Bill, a few days after the funeral I found a letter in my mailbox. The letter was handwritten and on a very old-fashioned writing paper. For a tiny moment I was very curious about who would send me such a letter but when I read the return address I wanted to burn it and wash my hands with bleach, though I did manage to restrain myself at the last second.
'Dearest Sookie:'
At least he could spell my name, even if he couldn't pronounce it.
'I am chagrined that I cannot call upon you in person to continue our courtship as I must attend to business out of state for the next several days. I hope you can forgive my inattention to you and accept this note in lieu of my presence,
Eternally Yours,
William T. Compton, Esq.'
Hell yes, I would accept the note in place of him being physically present!
Seriously though, no one in this day and age talks like that anymore! Eric was ten times his age and sounded more modern than that Civil War throwback!
Yup, Bill was seriously off his rocker! Courtship, my ass!
I scanned the letter and emailed it to Eric who'd replied with 'Did he say lieu or he's full of what's in the loo?' which made me laugh my ass off for the rest of the evening.
He also confirmed that Bill was really out of state. Thank god!
I snorted at the memory and shook my head to prepare myself for the difficult task at hand: Moving into my gran's bedroom.
Earlier in the day I had stopped by U-Haul and bought some boxes, tape and markers but I was having a hard time boxing up everything that represented Gran to me. It was just too … personal I guess but there wasn't really anybody else to do it since I had only seen Jason the once since the day after the funeral and that had been when Sid Matt Lancaster, Gran's lawyer, had read her will.
Jason was not happy about the fact that Gran had left the house and property to me as long as I signed over my portion of our parents' house to him free and clear.
He had ranted and raved and paced round and round the kitchen. From his thoughts I heard that he didn't think it was fair that I got so much when he got so little. He seemed to forget that with our parents' house and property in his name only, he would have just as much property as I would with the only difference being his house was newer.
It was on the tip of my tongue to argue with him about where I would live if he had gotten Gran's house. If he would have let me live in it, would I have to pay rent for it with utilities on top of everything else? Again he seemed to only think about himself and how he could benefit from it or how much he stood to lose.
He also wasn't paying attention to the fact that anything left over after final bills and the funeral costs was split evenly between us as well.
He was hurting, bad, but that was because he hadn't quite let go yet so I just let him do his ranting and raving and pacing; there was nothing I could do about it anyway. Finally he settled down, squared his shoulders and nodded like he was confirming to himself that this was the best way and sat back down without another word.
I signed both deeds, Jason signed the one for his place and that was that. Sid Matt packed up his things, handed over Gran's will, offered his condolences again and was gone to register the deeds at the registrar's office.
Jason finished his tea real quick and left with only a quick 'thanks Sook' and I was alone again.
It hurt that Jason acted so callously towards me and I had heard through the grapevine that his tom cat ways had only gotten worse but there wasn't anything I could do for him until he was ready to accept the fact that Gran was dead and that even if things hadn't gone as they had she wouldn't have been with us much longer anyway.
Finally I decided I would start small and got her jewelry box off the dresser and sat it in front of me on the floor. There were a lot of memories in there; a lot more than I expected.
The pearl earrings and necklace grandpa had given her as his wedding gift to her: Once he died she only wore them on their anniversary.
Her wedding band, a few nice silver pieces but most of it was cheap costume jewelry which was easy to part with but I kept the sentimental pieces and the jewelry box.
The next was her closet. Most of that was easy since she was so much taller and bigger than me but I did find some of granddaddy's things which I set aside in case Jason wanted them.
Her photo albums, knitting things, figurines which friends and grandpa had sent her during their travels.
Eventually I found myself sitting in the middle of the floor, tears running down my face with all those reminders of Gran laying on the floor around me when there was a knock on the door and a voice calling out, "Sookie, it's Eric."
I got up and trudged to the door, happy to see him but not really in the mood for company. There were two voids at the door though. Maybe he brought Pam with him?
I opened the door and just about fell over from shock! The melancholy I'd been in just a few seconds before all but forgotten. It wasn't Pam who was with Eric, it was, "El…" Eric slapped a hand over my mouth before I could get the whole name out.
"Sookie, I'd like you to meet Bubba, your new guard." His eyes were begging me to get the hint to not call the vampire behind him Elvis. I didn't know why but I could take a hint so I nodded.
When he removed his hand I was finally able to greet the King of Rock 'n' Roll properly, "It's nice to meet you Bubba."
"Likewise Miss Sookie. You have a beautiful home," he said in his oh so famous baritone voice: It sent shivers down my spine.
Before I could say anything else Eric sent Bubba out to look around the property.
For a moment I stared in the direction he had shuffled off to. Holy shit! I squealed to myself like a damn fangirl and had a big dopey grin on my face: I had just met THE most famous entertainer in the world! Could you blame me?
I can remember standing on my daddy's feet and dancing around the kitchen while we were listening to Elvis when I was just little and then later, when I was older, it was Tara, Lafayette and me dancing around my room to the sounds of 'Hound Dog', 'Can't Help Falling In Love' and so many more.
Eric just smirked at me like he could feel how excited I was. He seemed to be impatient as well though because he turned me around by the shoulders and pushed me inside into the living room and down onto the couch.
After I'd finally calmed myself I asked, "So, Bubba is my new guard. Why? Not that I don't appreciate this, Eric, but Renée is dead."
"Yes, he might be dead, but you said yourself that his girlfriend was deeply connected with his activities. I have tried to find this Arlene Fowler over the last week to … interrogate her about her involvement but she seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. Do you have any idea where she might be?"
I pondered that for a minute but then shook my head, "No. If she's not with her mother then I don't know. As far as I know she doesn't have any family other than her mom." I thought back to the few conversations we'd had over the last few weeks. Then I remembered something she had said the night of the meeting, "The night Renée attacked she told Sam that she has a friend who is a craftsman but I wasn't in her head at the time so I don't know more than that or who he might be. I'm sorry." I looked at him, chagrined. For some reason I felt disappointed in myself for not being able to help him.
Eric nodded pensively, "That's a start. I'll look into it. And to answer your original question: as you can see, Bubba is a very special vampire. The night he was turned he had too many drugs in his system so was already too far gone. Unfortunately the coroner was a fan and turned him anyway. Now he's brain damaged and can only be used for simple tasks.
"Bubba … doesn't like to be reminded of his human life. He becomes morose and gets out of control; that's why I stopped you before you used his real name.
"He's only loyal to me and the King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington, and is under our personal protection.
"I chose him to be your guard because nobody would dare touch him and not only because of Ms. Fowler but of Bill as well. There are some new developments I need to talk to you about: That's the main reason I came here tonight."
Uh oh, that sounded ominous so I sat up straighter on the couch. Eric must have noticed that I became tense because he took my hand, "I got a call from the Queen this week."
Oh. My heart was in my throat and I could feel tears threatening. Damn, I was really prone to tears since Gran died. And on top of everything else I seemed to have put a lot of pressure on myself to have absolutely everything perfect: So much so that the little things seemed to be the final straw for an emotional overload.
"She asked if I had seen Bill because he has been ignoring her calls. I told her that he had been punished for disobeying my orders and disregarding general vampire protocol among other things. When she wanted me to clarify I told her everything from the moment we met up to my offering you a contract." My lower lip started to wobble as I got closer to letting the tears fall; though they were mostly tears of anger. Was he about to tell me that this queen ordered him to ship me off to New Orleans? I didn't think I could handle that on top of everything else.
Panic and anger wanted to consume me as I thought of worst case scenarios like being held in chains and being passed around from vampire to vampire like a fucking dog.
Of course Eric felt my dread. He took my face in his hands and looked me square in the eyes, "Calm down, Sookie. Nothing is as it seems. She was pleased that I had gained your services and has asked when we will be free to go to New Orleans to meet with her and her lawyer."
My eyes went wide, "She really does just want me to work for her? Nothing else like for blood or anything?"
He smiled, "Just your telepathy Sookie, I promise"
I let out a long relieved breath and finally smiled at him: A big weight lifted from my shoulders.
Before he knew it I was hugging him again, "Thank you Eric! Thank you!"
I could feel his discomfort but I was just so relieved I didn't much care right then. Eventually I pushed myself back from him a little bit, even though I felt better in his arms than anywhere else, and the look on his face was priceless. He looked like he couldn't decide whether to pull me closer to him or push me to the other side of the room.
Instead of doing either he decided to grab hold of my hand again and continue the conversation, "She then had some interesting news to share with me.
"She did send Bill to Bon Temps because of you but only to find out if you had an issue with vampires and if you would be agreeable to working for her under contract."
Seething anger swept through my body as I looked at him with my mean face on, "You mean to tell me that that…," I didn't know what to call Bill that was mean enough to let my feelings be known, "that thing," I spat and swung my arm wildly in the general direction of the cemetery and Bill's house, "across the cemetery was only supposed to find out if I liked vampires and if I'd accept a contract to work for the queen?"
We had already discussed all of that but it was a huge step from talking about it to having it confirmed.
Oh, that bastard! I was spitting nails on the inside.
Eric nodded in confirmation, "She never told him to give you his blood or take any other means to bind you to him. That is entirely his own doing; we already suspected that though.
"She didn't tell me at first because, as she phrased it, 'I would work better and more efficiently' if I didn't know the whole story. That way I would be able to see the whole picture and work out all the possibilities." He didn't sound very happy about not being in the loop from the very beginning but he did look like he had accepted it.
"Now comes the interesting part. Before she sent Bill to my area there was a vampire visiting her court named Hot Rain. He had told her some tale that he had heard about her interesting variety of donors. He wanted to 'borrow' her procurer who just happens to be Bill.
"When Bill returned from a trip shortly after Hot Rain left, they tried to … make him talk but he wouldn't give up anything so she decided to send him to my area because she knew I would be suspicious of him. Sophie-Ann found the personal interest regarding Bill and his strange behaviour lately too much of a coincidence, especially once Bill heard what - or rather who - his assignment was. She said he was almost too eager to leave. I believe her exact words were 'he was nearly bouncing out of his loafers' when he heard who his next assignment was to be."
I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. My life the last few weeks had been out of this world and just plain crazy. I got up and paced the room for a moment before I turned to Eric, "Can I offer you a True Blood Eric," and turned to go into the kitchen without even giving him a chance to answer.
Eric got up and followed me, no doubt wondering if I was okay. I was, it was just a lot of information to take in and on top of everything else that had been going on for the last couple of weeks I felt a little overwhelmed.
I grabbed a bottle of True Blood out of the fridge, and the new pitcher of iced tea, and popped the blood in the microwave so it could heat up while I poured myself a tall glass of my second favorite beverage.
Once the blood was warmed I took it out and shook it to evenly distribute the heat and handed it to Eric as I sat down at the kitchen table, still feeling a little lost.
Eric just sat there and let me digest the information he had given me so far. We just sat there, me staring into space and thinking over what I had just been told and Eric looking around the room and obviously trying not to stare at me.
After a few minutes I couldn't take the silence anymore and said, "So all of this really means that Bill has a hidden agenda regarding me. Either for his own gain or for someone else's.
"You said a Hot Rain asked about him? Maybe Bill works for him? We need to find out!"
"We will, Sookie. I promise you that," he said with a secretive smile.
I nodded, satisfied. Then I remembered an important question I wanted to ask him, "Do you know a good lawyer who could help me or give me advice on what to do against Andy Bellefleur?"
Eric looked amused and for a second I thought he found the idea ridiculous but then I felt the excitement and anticipation through the bond, "You want to sue him?"
I nodded, "Yes. I did some research on lawsuits and I know that I can't sue him for being the cause of Gran's death since she died naturally; the doctor at the hospital said her heart had been weak for some time. As much as I want to I can't make him responsible for that but he spoke of an ongoing investigation in a bar full of people and yes, I may have been careless about being discreet with being seen with vampires but Andy was the one who ultimately brought Renée to my doorstep. I may not be successful with that either but an officer of law enforcement is not allowed to talk to the public about details of any investigations. I can't let this slide and I have a lot of witnesses. Furthermore I gave him a tip about Drew Marshall being a suspect in a similar murder but he didn't do anything about it. He needs to be taught a lesson." I didn't want to ask our family lawyer, Sid Matt Lancaster, either. I didn't think he would go against the only Detective Bon Temps had.
Eric looked thoughtful for a second, "I do know someone. He's a supernatural lawyer and I don't know if he would even take the case but at least he can give you some advice. I'll contact him later if you want."
"Yes, thank you, please do."
He inclined his head and then reached inside his jacket and pulled out an envelope which he held out to me.
I took it and asked, "What's this?"
"Open it!"
Curiosity got the better of me and I opened the envelope … just to see a paycheck sparkling back at me. My mouth dropped open and I screeched, "$10,000!?"
I would have continued on with my little rant but Eric held up a hand to stop my it, "We talked about me paying you for your investigation and you agreed if I recall correctly."
"Yes, but not this much money! I thought maybe a couple hundred! NOT ten thousand!" I was outraged. Why would he want to give me so much money?
"Sookie, that's not just for the work you did: it's also for gas, mileage on your car for the times you drove back and forth to see me, your time in calling the newspapers and searching their archives, the long distance charges if there were any and you were injured because of my carelessness.
"Don't forget, you also saved me a fine because you warned me about the police raid the night we met. That would have been at least twice the amount."
I vehemently shook my head, ignoring his last comment because it was old news and what he'd said before was more important. How could he think my injuries were his fault? He provided protection for me. "You weren't careless Eric. You positioned a vampire who wasn't even that young in my woods for me. As far as we knew it should have been sufficient to stop a human serial killer."
Eric shook his head in frustration, "One thing I've learned is to never underestimate a vampire's deviousness. And now he's finally dead because I seem to have forgotten that important lesson. As a consequence of this the killer was able to get to you."
My heart dropped to my feet at that and a deep sadness settled in my bones, "So the vampire is truly dead?"
"Yes, Pam found his remains in the woods not far from here. We put our best tracker on it and he tracked the trail back to Monroe to a vampire nest. Liam, Diane and Malcolm - or the 'Disco triplets' as Pam so eloquently calls them - received an email, apparently from me, that they needed to dispose of the vampire that specific night at a specific time in order to get back into my good graces. That's why they didn't cover their tracks; because they thought the request came directly from me."
I shook my head sadly. And all of this just because someone wanted to get at me. "Can you prove that Bill was behind this?"
Eric chuckled humorlessly, "The little weasel is clever. I know he's behind it but he covered his tracks perfectly. The email is impossible to track because it was sent through different servers all over the world. While I had him in custody I tried to … encourage him to tell me the truth but for being such a young vampire he's hard to crack, thanks to his crazy maker most likely. Not that I put a lot of effort into it anyway. I have a much better plan," he said with a gleeful voice as he looked at me with shining eyes and a secretive smile.
I nodded and shuddered to myself. I didn't want to know what kind of effort he had taken and I didn't want to ruin his boyish playfulness. Though I've recognized his hesitance a few times already where he didn't want to say the word 'torture' for my benefit. I wasn't naive enough to know that he meant that word.
I had just opened my mouth to ask him about his so called plan when Bubba burst into the house making me yelp, "Miss Sookie!?"
I turned and stared at the vampire who had just burst into my kitchen, "Bubba! I don't recall inviting you in! That's just plain rude and you know it," I scolded him mainly because he startled me half to death.
He stopped in his tracks and looked down at the floor, ashamed of the fact he had forgotten his manners, turned around and walked back out the door, closing it behind him.
Once he was outside he turned around and knocked and waited for me to answer the door, "Hello Bubba, won't you please come in?"
He shuffled in, apparently still embarrassed by his lack of manners, "Thank you Miss Sookie. I'm sorry for being so rude Miss Sookie, it won't happen again." I had to hold back a chuckle because he just looked too damn cute with the sheepish look on his face and the boyish behaviour.
"My momma would have whooped my butt for doing such a thing back when I was human and, apparently so would Miss Adele."
I stood there, mouth agape, stunned at what had just happened.
Not only had Bubba just walked into my house without an invitation but he knew someone named Adele!
It took me a moment to gather myself before I was able to respond, "Thank you Bubba. Can I offer you some True Blood?
I turned to get another bottle out of the fridge but before I even touched the door handle he replied, "No, thank you, Miss Sookie, I prefer cats," rather enthusiastically.
I recoiled in horror. Did he just imply … did he say that he drank cats' blood? I shuddered, disgusted. I thought Eric had said, they were not the 'Twilight Guys'? I took a closer look at Bubba … nope, not sparkling.
And maybe it was a good thing that my poor cat, Tina, was already gone. I looked at Eric with wide eyes and I could see the grimace on his face. Even a real vampire seemed to find that disgusting. Oh yeah, I could sympathise.
"As you just heard, Sookie, Bubba has a very … special diet. You don't need to worry yourself with that. I will take care of his nourishment."
Thank god! I shuddered, because much like an earworm, the image wouldn't leave me alone. Don't ask, Sookie! Don't ask! I swallowed the question that desperately wanted to come out of my mouth and shook my head to get back on track.
I turned back to Bubba, swallowing a retort about how disgusting I thought his 'diet' was and asked, "Who is Adele, Bubba? I used to know a wonderful woman with that name." I could feel my eyes tearing up but I refused to let the tears fall: The time for mourning was apparently over.
He finally looked up at me rather sheepishly, "Miss Sookie it's your Adele I'm talking about. She asked me to remind you to check out that old desk in the attic, it'll answer a lot of your questions."
Shocked, my knees simply gave out and I would have crashed to the floor if Bubba hadn't managed to catch me. Unfortunately that caused Eric to go all caveman and start growling and stalking towards us.
It reminded me once again of a lion that had spotted an intruder and wanted to defend his territory - me being his territory.
Cookie sprang into action for the first time that day and prowled around my legs, purring loudly. Geez, does she get turned on every time Eric makes a move these days?
'Sookie, you should know by now that anything Eric does arouses me.' Purrrrrrr.
Holy! What the…? Did Cookie just answer me?!
Cookie thought that was absolutely hilarious and her laughter was ringing inside my head, 'Sookie, just check the desk, a lot of your questions will be answered once you do'.
Bubba must have realized what was going on with Eric because he gently sat me on the floor and slowly backed away with his hands extended in front of him, almost like he was trying to protect himself, "I'm sorry Mr. Eric, really. It was just a reflex and my Momma raised me to always protect women and children. With Miss Sookie being so pretty and all, well, I'm sorry anyway."
Bubba suddenly got this faraway look in his eyes and started speaking softly, "Yes Miss Adele, I told her." He paused a moment, still with that faraway look, "Yes Ma'am, I'll tell them." His eyes seemed to refocus on the room and us, "Miss Sookie, your Gran said to tell you that you're still her baby girl and she loves you.
"Mr. Eric, she said to tell that hunk of a vampire to knock it off or he'll be getting his own come ta Jesus real soon if he don't."
I just sat there on the floor like an idiot, too stunned to do much else. Bubba was talking to Gran? My Gran? First Lafayette and now Bubba? My heart soared at the thought that I might not have to spend the rest of my life without the only person who had ever accepted me as I was.
I heard a low chuckle and when I looked over at Eric his chest was shaking because he was holding most of his laughter in, "Well, I guess that answers that question.
"Bubba, why have you never told me that you could speak with the dead?"
Eric helped me up off the floor and over to the table as Bubba explained, "Mr. Eric, I didn't know until I wandered into the cemetery over there," he gestured out the window towards the backyard and the cemetery beyond.
Eric looked thoughtful for a moment, "Vampire gifts don't always appear right away so it is quite possible that this is the first time it's happened. Has anything else out of the ordinary happened to you lately Bubba?"
Bubba shook his head, "No Sir Mr. Eric, just the no invitation thing and now being able to talk to the dead."
I looked at Bubba hard; he hadn't had an invitation into the house, had he? He was a very special vampire indeed if that was the case.
What Gran had said about the attic reminded me that it had been mentioned three times already and it made me spring into action. I was very impatient all of a sudden to get up there. "While this is all very interesting, Gran did mention that old desk in the attic just before she died." I looked around at Eric who had retaken his seat across the table from me, "Would you please help me with that? It's been up there forever and with all the humidity and heat in the attic I'm sure the drawers are all swollen and hard to open."
He smiled at me indulgently as I stood up and turned towards the stairs, "Of course Sookie, lead the way."
With each step I took towards that attic the more excited I felt but I was also dreading it. What would I find? Yeah, I knew I would find answers but what kind of answers? Did I really want to know? What were the questions I needed the answers to anyway?
"There's nothing here," I exclaimed, frustrated and disappointed. We'd been up there for nearly an hour and the humidity was getting to me. At first we couldn't even see the desk. There was so much junk in there we had to clear a path to get further into the room. When we had finally found the desk my Gran was referring to - of course it had to be in the furthest corner possible - I was already sweaty and grumpy. Then we had to get the desk away from the corner but thank god for Eric's vampire strength. After 15 minutes of fruitless searching I was toying with the idea that my gran was going senile and had maybe meant the desk in the living room instead of that old thing.
"No, Miss Sookie, it's still in there. You just need to open your eyes wider."
I looked at Bubba, who was standing in the doorway, strangely. Why the hell did he say it that way? "What did you say? Can you repeat that please, Bubba?"
"Your eyes Miss Sookie, you need to open them wider."
I blinked. I needed to open my eyes wider? What does that mean? My eyes are wide open. I stared at the damn desk in consternation and befuddlement.
I sighed and closed my eyes, rubbing them because they were strained from the dim light up there. While my eyes were closed I got a picture in my mind of the desk's construction; the right side drawers weren't as long as they should have been. Something was behind them!
I opened my eyes and walked up to the desk and knocked all along the top and sure enough where the drawers were sounded kind of hollow while at the very back it sounded really solid!
I tried to pull the top drawer out but it wouldn't budge. I didn't know if it was because the wood was swollen or because I didn't have the key but I just looked at Eric. I didn't have to say a word, he just took hold of the handle and gave it a good yank, then the next drawer and the next until all four of them were on the floor. I stuck my hand in and felt around; there was definitely something solid back there and it wasn't the back of the desk because I was only in up to my elbow.
I felt around for a way to grip it but couldn't seem to find anything.
I pulled my arm out and stood up, sighing, "Eric, my eyes aren't good enough to see what's in there and I can't feel a pull or anything, could you…?"
I didn't even have to finish my sentence before Eric was down on his knees and peering into the hole created by the missing drawers. He looked at me with a smile on his face, "There is definitely something there Sookie. I don't want to destroy such beautiful craftsmanship to get at it though.
"Why don't you go down and get something to drink and cool off while I examine this a little more closely to see if I can figure out how to spring the hidden compartment?"
I sighed in relief and smiled at him as I turned towards the door, "You done good Miss Sookie, Miss Adele's right proud of you." Bubba was grinning like an idiot but right then I was just glad for the confirmation that I was, indeed, on the right track.
Once I'd walked downstairs and cooled myself down with another glass of sweet tea, my spirits lifted considerably. I heated another True Blood for Eric but got frustrated once again when I remembered Bubba's 'diet'. My southern manners desperately wanted to offer him refreshments but I couldn't.
As I sat down at the dining table Bubba shuffled in behind me and was humming a tune that sounded eerily like a part of 'Love me Tender'. A lump formed in my throat, Gran had loved that song. But it also reassured me because I knew then that she was still with me somehow, I just couldn't see her.
That got me back to what we had just found up there in that dusty old room. What kind of answers would I get? What kind of secrets would be revealed? What was so important that it had to be hidden in an old desk? What would that mean for me? Did this have something to do with my real grandfather, whoever he may be?
Damn, what was taking Eric so long? The uncertainty was making me stir crazy.
Just then there was a whoosh and Eric zoomed back into the room. He had a solid looking, wooden box in his hands as he sat down next to me at the head of the table. He carefully put the box down in front of me and looked at me expectantly.
"What," I asked, confused.
"Do you know what this is?" His voice was husky, almost reverent, like he had found a long lost treasure and couldn't believe he finally had it in his hands.
I gave him a look that said 'duh, of course I don't!' but I took a moment to take a closer look at the box. It was a kind of wood I'd never seen before. The grain of the annual rings seemed not of this world. They were curly and wavy; I couldn't imagine what the tree must have looked like. The box itself was beautiful! It didn't need any ornamentation because the workmanship itself was so detailed, so beautiful that it was the ornamentation. I don't think human hands could have accomplished something as fine and detailed as that box was.
"What is it," I finally asked. Cookie stirred inside me as if she was excited and I felt her … recognition?
"This, my sweet Sookie, is the symbolism of your Fae heritage."
My Fae heritage, I thought as I gently picked the box up and turned it this way and that in my hands; it was heavier than it looked but no so heavy that I couldn't lift it.
It wasn't very big, only about 10 inches long, 8 inches wide and 3 inches deep but it was beautiful.
I ran my fingers along the edges but couldn't feel any hinges or anything else to indicate how to open it.
I sat there perplexed for a moment until I remembered Bubba's words from the attic, 'open your eyes wider'. It had worked with the desk, so why not with this, I thought. I closed my eyes and pictured the box in my mind and sure enough I saw what seemed to be a blueprint or drawing of the box and how it was put together. It seemed to be some kind of puzzle box but much more complicated than that. If you didn't know how to open it, you wouldn't be able to open it at all, other than destroying it. And I had a feeling even that was an almost impossible task.
With my eyes still closed I felt along the edges until I felt a tiny depression in the wood; I pushed on that depression lightly and the lid sprang open like a spring had pushed it from the inside.
I opened my eyes … and my breath caught in my throat as I looked inside.
There was the creamiest coloured material lining it. The material was so smooth it almost felt like silk but it wasn't any type of silk I had ever encountered.
Nestled in the material were what looked like several pieces of paper, a greenish coloured round object and a ring.
The ring looked to be made of silver and Eric's hiss when I picked it up confirmed that for me.
It was too big for my small fingers but it didn't look big enough to be a man's ring and there was some kind of raised design on it.
I sucked in my breath as a memory suddenly sprang to the surface:
I was sitting on an older gentleman's lap. He was beautiful with silvery hair and pointy ears and he was letting me use the ring to stamp pretty designs in my Play Doh while he talked to my Gran.
I looked over at Eric, about to tell him of my memory when Bubba spoke again, "Miss Adele hasn't seen that ring since you were tiny Miss Sookie. She says it belonged to your Fairy Grandfather Fintan."
I startled in surprise. Still looking at Eric, I barely realized that he wasn't really surprised at the revelation. He just looked at me with an intensity I'd never seen on him before. Though I wasn't able to think about that. My head was still reeling from the word, "Fairy?" I squeaked. I was at least part Fairy? With fairy dust and wings and all? Did they even exist?
Bubba laughed quietly, "Not like you're picturing Miss Sookie. Them's but fairy tales meant to entertain children. Real fairies are beautiful," his voice was almost wistful, "they have pointy ears, sharp pointy teeth and they are people sized, not matchbox size. They do turn into dust when they die though."
I looked at my new guard; I didn't know if he knew this information because he had seen one or Gran was telling him but I was grateful. "Thank you Bubba," I said as I looked back at Eric. He still regarded me with these knowing eyes. Did he know about all this? But how could he?
Shaking my head, I picked up the shiny round greenish disc.
Holding that disc made me feel almost as peaceful as being in Eric's arms did. It made me feel … connected? Maybe? Like I was home?
Cookie decided to make her presence known again after being quiet for almost two hours, 'That, Sookie, is a 'cluviel dor', the rarest and most magical of artefacts from the land of the Fae. It is a portable portal. Once you come into your powers all you will have to do is picture where you want to be and hold onto it and you will be transported to that place.'
I gasped at Cookie's words. A portal? Really?
'Yes Sookie, really. There are a few restrictions on how it can be used and where you can go but you have time to learn about that.'
I felt something wet land on my hand, a tear. I was crying again, not tears of sadness though, tears of happiness and … relief? Why would I feel like that?
I reluctantly set the portal down, even though I desperately wanted to keep holding it, and wiped the tears from my face then dried my hands on my shorts before I picked up the papers.
They felt different: Not smooth like I was used to, more like they were homemade from all those bits of paper I had put into water and molded into a sheet of paper in science class in middle school.
Each one had my name on it, or at least I think they were my name. The writing was so curly and small I couldn't be sure.
"Miss Sookie, Miss Adele says Fintan wrote that top one for you himself and that is your name in the language of the Fae.
She also says there's a letter in there from her and a business card from your sponsor."
My head snapped up at that, "My sponsor? What's that?" I asked. That night was getting stranger and stranger. Fairies? Sponsors? Portable portals?
I looked at the portal and thought: like Alice down the rabbit hole strange. Like White Rabbit strange.
Eric decided it was his turn to enlighten the newly initiated, "Sookie, a sponsor is…," he looked at Bubba, "Bubba, what's the word I'm looking for? Someone to look after her if something should happen to her parents."
Bubba looked thoughtful for a minute, "Mr. Eric, I think you're looking for Godparent. That's someone who vows to take care of a child if something should happen to its parents before the child comes of age."
Eric nodded, "Yes, thank you Bubba.
"Sookie, as you just heard a sponsor is responsible for you in the Supernatural World. He or she is meant to teach and guide you, much as a parent would.
"That role should have fallen to Fintan. Perhaps one of the letters will tell us what happened to him."
"You don't know," I asked, voicing the suspicion in the back of my mind.
He just smiled knowingly, "No, I don't."
I nodded and looked at the letters. They seemed to be folded over on themselves but I couldn't see any way of opening them.
'Say 'oghe' and pass your hand over them Sookie.'
"Okie?" I said as I passed my hand over the letters which only made Cookie laugh. 'Oooogggggghhhheeeeeee', she said, making sure I could hear each sound.
I sighed and tried again, "Oghe," as I passed my hand over the letters again. 'Much better,' she said as they fell open on the table in front of me.
I picked up Grandfather's letter first and began to read. He had beautiful handwriting.
'My dearest, darling Sookie,
I am sorry I wasn't able to watch you grow and learn. I'm sure you are a remarkable young woman.
If you are reading my words rather than hearing them from my lips it is because the fight I am going into tonight was my last. My father's enemy finally managed what he has set out to do; I have passed on to the Summerlands so am unable to come to you any longer.
The ring you are probably holding in your hands is now yours Sookie. It is mine and I put it in here so you can prove to those who knew me that you are my blood, my kin.
Since you've found the box and its contents it is time to tell you who you really are:
You, my dear Sookie, are part Fairy. You come from the House of Brigant and this line is one of the most powerful in the Fae race. My name is Fintan Brigant and I'm a half Fairy. You are the only one of my descendants who inherited the 'Fae spark'. That means you have dormant Fae powers inside you and that makes you more Fairy than human. The powers could become active when you reach fae maturity at 25 human years. Though they could take longer than that before they manifest.
There is really no way to know since your human ancestry is the wildcard and could hold things back or speed them up.
I'm sorry but I cannot tell you what most of those powers are since they usually vary from Fairy to Fairy although there are some which we all have.
I can tell you that your powers will mostly be related to the sky and air since we are of the Sky Clan.
You might also be able to do things like teleport, conjure things and read and speak different languages since most Faeries can do so.
My father is Niall Brigant and my mother was his human wife Einin. My father is the ruling Prince of the Sky Fae Clan. That makes you royalty, Sookie. You are a princess.
I must warn you though against seeing Niall. He has powerful enemies who would use you against him to gain their own ends and, while he is my father and I love him dearly, I'm afraid he would use you as well.
If he ever tries to contact you it would be for the best to deny him. He may be your family but he's also a Fairy and Fairies are crafty, devious and vicious creatures, even more so than vampires.
A Fairy cannot straight out tell a lie but be wary, they will rarely, if ever, tell you the straight truth either.
One last warning before I go onto other things: Never thank a Fairy. If you do they will think you then owe them a favor in return. I know this is not how you think but it IS how they think so just be careful, if you should ever have a conversation with one of us, to never thank them.
Now, on to other things.
Sookie, I know life has been difficult for you, more so than even most Fae children since telepathy is not a Fairy trait.
Your telepathy comes from my dear friend, and your sponsor, Desmond Cataliades. He's a demon lawyer who, at the time I wrote this, was a lawyer for the vampire Queen of Louisiana: A Sophie-Anne LeClerq.'
I held the letter up to Eric and pointed out the name, "Have you ever heard of this man?"
Eric sat up straighter and raised his eyebrows into his hairline and looked perplexed as he looked at the letter before he looked back at me, "Sookie, that's not written in English. Only you are able to read it. Can you tell me the name please," he asked with a secretive smile on his lips.
Huh? Not written in English? Of course it's written in English. It's the only language I can speak other than the few Cajun and French words I picked up over the years. And I'm the only one who can read it? Was he bullshitting me?
I looked at him strangely but humored him, "Mr. Ca…cat…atal… aw hell! He's a demon lawyer who works for the Queen!"
He looked stunned for a second, "You mean Desmond Cataliades?" He looked at me for confirmation so I nodded, "I know him quite well actually. He's my lawyer and of course the queen's. Desmond is the best and most trusted Supernatural lawyer out there and he's the one I was referring to earlier. Why do you ask?"
"He's my sponsor," I said.
Eric sat back in his seat and looked at me open mouthed before he let out an astonished laugh, "All this time," he said quietly, most likely to himself. "All this time we've known each other and he has never mentioned you once." He chuckled and seemed to have a faraway look on his face.
I read the rest of the letter while Eric was lost in his thoughts:
'She is one of the few vampires you can trust Sookie. Don't be fooled by their good looks or the fact you cannot read their thoughts.
The fact you can't read their thoughts should make you more wary of them. Please, be careful.
In this box you should also find my shares of the Pharmaceutical company my father started several years ago. It mostly deals with products for those Fae who live on this side of the portal. We are deathly allergic to lemons and iron so they make products which enable us to live here without too many harmful side effects.
There should be two other stock certificates, Desmond's business card and a letter from Adele.'
I looked at the other papers which fell open when I passed my hand over them: There were three.
One was 33% shares in the pharmaceutical company, another was for something called NorCroft Industries and the last one was SABB Consulting.
My eyes teared up when I saw Gran's familiar handwriting. I traced my name on the letter and I let my thoughts linger on her for a moment before I passed on to the largest business card I'd ever seen!
Desmond Cataliades
Supernatural Lawyer
1-504-555-1212
'In closing, dear girl, please know that I loved you very much. Please be safe and know that you have a Fairy Godmother watching over you every step of the way. She will reveal herself when the time is right.
Your grandfather,
Fintan'
I reread the letter before asking Eric, "What is NorCroft Industries and SABB Consulting?" He looked at me questioningly so I explained, "Fintan left stock certificates in here for those companies as well as a pharmaceutical company Niall owns." I extended the documents over to him while I spoke.
Eric grinned, "NorCroft is the company Pam and I started about 30 years ago; it's the parent company for all my other interests. Your grandfather held similar interests so he, Pamela and I each put in funds to start the company."
I looked at him in surprise. For one, because he finally answered my question about knowing Fintan; and two, I'd thought the bar was his only current business.
Then I shook my head at myself. I shouldn't have been surprised at all. At the time we've met I thought him to be a crafty businessman. I never got around to do research on him, which I need to rectify pretty quickly.
"You didn't think Fangtasia was my only business interest did you," he asked. Frankly he sounded quite amused by the prospect. I took the little jab because I was amused at myself.
I nodded embarrassed, "Sookie, I have many business interests including hotels, casinos, medical research and environmental research to name just a few.
"You will be quite a wealthy woman in your own right once Desmond executes Fintan's will, and that's without the income from SABB which is the queen's company."
I think my mouth was hanging open from the shock, "What do you mean, I will be wealthy?" Of course I understood what he was saying but I couldn't comprehend it.
Eric indulged me by explaining, "Once Fintan's will is executed and everything is transferred to your name, yes, you will. You have inherited a large part each in three successful companies."
Oh my! What should I do with that much money? What could I do with it? All the things I always wanted but were out of my reach and all my dreams seemed to be in arm's reach all of a sudden. For a moment I only saw dollar signs before my eyes. But then I slapped myself for even thinking such things. Money has never been important to me.
'Don't count your chickens before they hatch Sookie. Wait until you see exactly what those stocks are worth before you make any plans.' Was Cookie channelling Gran now too? I don't know how many times she told me that through the years but it always stuck with me.
I picked up Gran's letter to try and distract myself from where my thoughts wanted to go:
'My dear, sweet girl,
If you're reading this I've either told you where to find Fintan's box or you managed to find it on your own after I passed on.
Baby girl, there's no easy way to tell you this so I'll just say it: I had an affair, with Mitchell's knowledge and permission.
If I hadn't you wouldn't be here because your Daddy wouldn't have been born.
I met Fintan while I was out hanging the laundry and he took my breath away.
He was gorgeous! He was tall and thin, he had long silvery hair and he was polite! Oh my was he polite!
He said he had been out walking in the woods and was thirsty so he asked for a glass of water which I gladly gave him.
We sat and talked for hours that day; I've never met anybody since who was so easy to talk to, Sookie.
Any way, he would come by every few days. Sometimes he would help Mitchell with whatever work he needed done and other times the three of us would sit and talk.
One day we talked about children and how desperately I wanted them. You see, your granddaddy Mitchell couldn't give me any children because he had measles at the wrong time.
Fintan said he could give them to us so with Mitchell's approval we made it happen.
Except for those few times I was with Fintan I was always faithful to your grandfather Sookie but oh how that knowledge shames me even now!
I loved Mitchell with my whole heart but I loved the idea, and then the reality, of children even more.
In my heart it doesn't matter that your granddaddy knew and approved of my infidelity because the day I married him I promised to be faithful and that is the one promise I was unable to keep and that knowledge burns baby girl, it burns like the fires of hell deep in my soul.
I never regretted Corbett or Linda, only the means we took in order for them to be.
Fintan stayed in his childrens' and grandchildrens' lives as long as he possibly could, especially once you were born, until one day he never came back.
He had warned me that … well, I never saw him again after he hid this box away.
He made this box for you himself Sookie, with his own hands.
He said the wood was from a tree in Faerie.
He started it the night you were born and worked on it as often as possible and finished it shortly before I last saw him.
When you were born, Sookie, Fintan was so happy because he could feel that you were special. Neither of his children nor the grandchildren before you developed any Fae traits.
Until you came along.
I'm really sorry you find out this way. Fintan had forbidden us from telling you anything until 'the time was right'. I didn't know what he meant by that. But after he disappeared there never seemed to be the right time to tell you.
I know this letter doesn't answer all your questions but I don't have them, I'm sorry my dear.
I love you, baby girl, never forget that!
Gran'
"I love you too, Gran," I whispered and wiped away a tear or two which were rolling down my face.
I sat there for a few minutes mulling over what I had just learned but finally stopped when I felt that little pain right behind my eyes that told me I was overthinking things.
Eric regarded me with an intense look, "You want to talk about this?" His tone was soft which sent shivers down my spine.
I sighed and thought about going through things with him from beginning to end but then I realized that I couldn't. It was too much for my brain to handle at the moment on top of everything else that had happened recently. I needed time to digest the information I received the last few hours for a few days and only then would I be able to go through it with a clear head.
So I shook my head and said, "No, not yet, but I'll fall back on your offer in a few days, if you don't mind."
Eric agreed and I tried to clear my head. I knew the only cure for that was by distracting myself, "Could you and Bubba help me move my things into Gran's room please?"
He looked at me in surprise, "Are you sure you're ready for that?"
I nodded uncertainly, "I need to finish going through her things, that's what I was doing when you got here, and I at least want to finish that before I go to bed."
They helped me box everything up and set it in the living room for someone from the church to take the next day and then they helped me move my clothes and other things to Gran's, well my new room, before they said good-night two hours or so before sunrise.