Spellbound
I am so pleased that so many of you remembered the dream she had in the earlier stages of the story. I'm sorry that some of you didn't think that it fit but it will make sense in the long run. I'm also really happy that the last chapter was as creepy as I'd intended it to be. So without further ado, here we go.
The characters belong to CH but the as always, the story idea is mine.
Sookie's eyes were opened wide. She looked around the room expecting to be in the basement. The screams from her nightmare threatened to come into her reality. She couldn't allow that. She almost choked on them as she swallowed them back to where they belonged. When she sat up, Sookie looked at the light switch on the other side of the room and willed it into the on position. When she looked down at her stomach, her arms were where they were in the dream; protectively wrapped around their unborn child.
The little boys from the nightmare differed from the sweet and lovable little boys from her previous dream. These children were evil. They wanted to cause the baby that she carries harm but why? Who are they and what do they mean to her? Does this mean that her life with Eric will be short lived?
"No," she whispered. "No."
It was nothing more than a bad dream. It wasn't real. It'll never be real but it scared her nonetheless. Another concern for her is that she didn't remember falling asleep. The last thing that she remembered was sitting on the couch and taking off her shoes. Carson had offered to return to the Essential Café to gather her and Claudine's bags. Claudine went to get them each a cup of tea. Antony was standing in the doorway watching her. Everything was as it was before she fell asleep. She just couldn't remember falling asleep.
Without bothering to look out of the window, Sookie knew that it was nighttime. She knew that Eric had risen for the night and he wasn't with her. And it was what she wanted. She didn't need to see him right now. She needed to gather her bearings first. She needed to think things through. She was going to tell him about the dream; just not now … not yet.
"Your highness?" Antony said from the doorway.
Sookie looked in the direction of the doorway and there he stood. Almost in the exact same spot she'd seen him standing in earlier. She didn't want to see him. She didn't expect to see him. She expected to see Eric blur across the room and take her into his arms. She expected to hear his soothing and caring voice whispering in her ear. She needed to hear him say that everything is going to be alright. She wanted to hear him tell her that he loves her and only her. She wanted to hear him say that for the rest of their existence that no one but their little family matters. Eric was supposed to be at the door; not Antony.
"Are you alright?" he asked as he took a step forward.
"I'm well, thank you. Why are you here?" She may have said it a little snippier than she'd intended but she didn't care.
"Watching over you as you sleep," he answered.
Sookie said, "I don't remember going to sleep."
"It happened pretty quickly," he said. As an afterthought, he added, "That must have been some dream that you were having."
Sookie looked at him as if to ask how he knew what was happening with her. How would he know whether she was dreaming or not? Sookie didn't bother forming the thought into a question because he answered it without being told to.
Antony began walking in her direction with his hands raised. "It's not how it sounds. I wasn't spying on you. Almost as soon as we returned from the Essential Café, you went to sleep. Countess Brigant told me to keep an eye on you. The reason I said that you were dreaming is because you were doing a lot of talking and moaning. You weren't quite coherent but your panic and fear were evident. You were extremely upset and gripping your stomach. I thought that maybe you'd fallen ill. I was going to call Elvin … I still can if you need him. He would be more than willing to squeeze in an appointment for the princess." He tried smiling.
"No," Sookie said a little too quickly. She cleared her throat and repeated her answer. "No. I don't need a doctor and I don't need Elvin."
Antony was now standing in front of her. "Would you like a glass of water? Are you hungry? You never got a chance to eat today. I have some honeyed milk and some faery sweet breads in my lunch bag if you'd like some."
She shook her head no. "That is quite of kind of you but no thank you. I'll eat later. Where is my husband?"
Antony pointed over his shoulder and said, "Down the hall having a meeting with Countess Brigant and a couple of other vampires." He frowned and then added, "I also think that a few Weres are in there."
Sookie looked relieved. It is a good thing that Eric is in a meeting. Whenever he's in a meeting with his kinsmen, he blocks off the bond because those types of meetings can become a little heated. If he's thrown Claudette in the mix, he should expect nothing less than a little heat; especially if she's telling him about the attack on the restaurant this afternoon. Sookie knew that she needed to get in there with them but she just didn't have the energy to move right now. The dream; that fucking dream, it had taken most of the energy that Sookie had left.
"Your highness?" Antony said. "Can you hear me?"
Sookie looked at him and smiled. "I can hear just fine, thank you. How long have they been in his office?"
"About an hour or two," Antony answered. "Are you sure you're fine? You're shaking."
He almost reached out and touched her but withdrew his hand when she saw the look on her face; a look of surprise. He knew that he couldn't touch her. She belonged to another. She was a member of the royal family and the wife of a very powerful vampire. If he'd so much as brushed against her, she or the vampire had every right to kill him.
"My apologies," he whispered. "Concern for my princess got the better of me. Was it that bad? The dream, I mean. Was it that bad?"
She didn't want to answer him but she couldn't keep it quiet. It was as if the dream was taking her over; the ugliness, the evil, and the discontent. So she nodded her head and said, "Yeah. It was that bad."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
The memories of being in the basement of The Unknown made Sookie look around the familiar living room and take in each familiar sight. She took in every single detail. She inhaled a deep breath as she relished in the knowledge that her baby is safe, that Fintan hasn't returned to take her back to Faery and that they are home. She placed her hand on her stomach and exhaled.
"No, I don't. I'm home and we're safe."
She wanted to fully believe in what she said but the dream was so real that it terrified her. She wasn't sure if she or her baby would safe until she found out what was going on. They could both...
"Stop it," she said to herself. "Just stop it."
"Excuse me?" Antony said.
Shaking her head, Sookie said, "Nothing. I was speaking to myself … out loud."
Leaning in to him but not close enough to touch him, she said, "Don't let anyone know that your princess is nuts." She smiled at him and said, "That's an order."
Antony laughed at her joke. "Yes, ma'am," he said as he saluted to her.
She normally enjoyed a little laughter but she couldn't let go of the terror that she'd felt in the dream. The children; they seemed so real. She knew that if they'd broken that glass, they would have gotten to her and they would've hurt the baby. Tears flooded her eyes. Angrily, she wiped them away before they had a chance to fall. She didn't like the idea of the terrifying dream controlling how she felt. She didn't like the feeling of being scared and helpless. She is a Northman. She is a Brigant. She is a faery princess. Terror and helplessness were not emotions that she's allowed to feel.
"Ma'am," Antony said. He had something in his hand.
He was handing her a handkerchief. It shimmered and it smelled of the sweet lilies from Adele's Garden. An ache filled her heart as she thought of the times she shared with her grandmother in the garden. The lilies were her favorite. As she stared at the handkerchief, she had a sudden need to go to Faery. She reached out to take it but stopped herself. There was no Adele's Garden anymore because Adele was gone. There was no home in Fae anymore because Adele was gone. She didn't want the handkerchief and she didn't want any remnants that reminded her of Faery.
"No, thank you. I'm fine."
Sookie looked to her right at the guard that was sitting next to her. She looked into his pale green eyes and stared. This was the first time she'd gotten to sit down and talk with Antony. She made it a point to meet every guard that came into their home. Somehow, she'd never gotten around to meeting with him. Now was as good a time as any. "How did you happen to become one of my guards?"
"Colman recommended me. We went to through the Brigade's Training together. We were the best in the class. After graduation, we kept in touch and became even better friends. We'd go hunting, camping; anything that would enhance our skills." He shrugged his shoulders as he continued on. "Then one day, it was decided that you needed more guards while living in this realm because you'd be around more unknown vampires and taking more trips. Colman went to your grandparents and told them about me. The rest is history." Leaning close to Sookie but being careful not to touch her, he added, "Don't tell him though. He said that he would be seen as being unfair; especially since he talked for one of his closest friends."
Sookie laughed and pretended to zip her lip. She had always wanted to be a part of the hiring process when it came to her guards but Adele didn't think that she needed to be in on it. She said that Sookie needed to concentrate on more important things such as her lot in life and that didn't include selecting bodyguards. At the time, Adele was right but things change and Adele isn't here anymore. She and Eric are going to have a baby and she needed to check out each and every guard that was in their service. That's exactly what she was going to do.
"When were you sent here to protect me?"
Antony leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees as if trying to recall his first day on the job. He finally looked over at her and said, "I've been working for you for about three years now."
"And this is our first sit down meeting together? Why is it that I can recall my meeting with Carson and not you?" She didn't try to hide her suspicions.
"Well, it wasn't my choice and Carson and I weren't in the same group," he responded.
"What do you mean that it wasn't your choice? What wasn't your choice?"
Antony sat up and looked at the princess. "Meeting you," he finally answered. "Look, it's not all that important. It doesn't really matter."
That angered Sookie. How dare he tell her what's important and what does and doesn't matter. He was presumptuous and arrogant. "If I ask you then it is important and it does matter, don't you think? I would think that you would know this since you are my employee. Don't take it upon yourself to decide what's good for me to know. I am your princess. You are my underling. I hope that I've more than made things clear enough for you."
Antony stood up from the couch and said in his most professional voice, "Yes ma'am. Forgive me, ma'am for my blatant disrespect and disregard of your question."
"Now answer my question. What did you mean?"
Still standing, he answered her. "I was in the group that came before Carson's. When we were first brought here to the compound to see you, you turned us away. As we stood lined up before you, you ignored us. You acted as if we weren't there. You told the Werewolf Marco to tell us that you didn't want to meet with any new guards. You said that you didn't have the time to 'entertain the help'. You said that you had more important things to do and we weren't a part of your important things." Clearing his throat, he said, "Those are your exact words, ma'am."
Sookie felt like shit. She remembered that day because she'd snapped at everyone that approached her; including Claudine. The only difference with Claudine and the guards is that Claudine told her about her 'fucked up attitude. Don't take your shit out on me!'' Her fucked up attitude was because of Eric. Back then, it was always because of Eric.
They were supposed to meet up with Claudette and Lucian at her grandparent's vacation home just on the outskirts of Faery. They were supposed to spend two glorious weeks in Jasmine. The scenery was romantic and Sookie wanted to use the trip to take them back to where they were when they'd first met. She was beyond excited to be able to go there with Eric; especially when he told her that he'd come. They were supposed to spend two weeks there together. Needless to say, Eric never showed up. He never called. He never gave her an explanation. She took her anger out on anyone and everyone that was close to her.
Antony remained standing. "I didn't want to tell you what you'd said since you're in such a delicate state. It wasn't that big of a deal … to me, I mean. It isn't a big deal to me. We all understood that things with the vampire …"
Standing quickly and looking the fae guard in his eyes, Sookie said, "He is never to be addressed as the vampire. He is my husband and you will show him the utmost respect. You will call him Mr. Northman or Master. If you ever show him disrespect again, I will not be as nice as I am right now. Am I understood?"
"Yes, ma'am. Forgive me."
"Continue on," she ordered.
He cleared his throat and said, "We all understood that things with Mr. Northman weren't exactly as they appeared to be in the public."
Taking a step back, Sookie asked, "How would you know this?"
"The guards that served you before we came let us know what your relationship was like within the walls of the compound. They said that the public persona differed from the private."
She was even madder than before. Her guards were gossiping about their marriage to each other. That was never going to be acceptable. "Let the other fae guards know that we are to have a meeting first thing in the morning. Our marriage is not to be gossiped about."
"I'll tell them. Ma'am," he started. "May I say something?"
"Yes."
"I only mentioned the gossip because it is no secret that you love him and because of his treatment of you, I understood why you were on edge." He gave her a small smile. "I understand how you must have felt; to be in love with someone and to have them not notice you. I've been in that situation before. Sometimes love isn't as easy as we'd like it to be."
Sookie looked into his friendly green eyes and smiled. She took in his warm and friendly smile. He looked nice enough but she wasn't going to let the image betray her. She had to make sure that she could trust him around her husband and her growing family. She placed her hand on his sleeved arm and began to read him. Everything that he'd told her was true. She saw nothing deceptive. She removed her hand from his arm. Even though she saw nothing, she still wasn't going to let her guard down.
"There's no excuse for my past behavior. I apologize for my treatment of you and the others but I stand by my word when it comes to my husband and our marriage. Our marriage is off limits."
"Thank you ma'am," he replied. "We will respect Mr. Northman and your marriage."
"I hope that you enjoy working here."
"Friends?" he asked.
She didn't throw the word friend around too lightly and she wasn't about to start. She didn't know him very well but she was willing to give him a chance. "We'll see," she answered.
He offered her his hand and before she could decline his friendly offer, a voice stopped her. "I thought that I heard your voice." It was Pam.
Sookie's entire mood changed. She was happy to see her new friend. She walked over to Pam and hugged her. In that one hug, Sookie felt safe. She felt Eric. She closed her eyes and rested her head on Pam's shoulder. "It's so good to see you."
Pam closed her eyes and bathed in her friend's scent. "I know. I have that affect on people. It must be because I smile too much." There was no smile on her face.
Pam returned the hug but didn't take her eyes off of the fae guard. She didn't like him. She didn't trust him and from the way that he watched her, he felt the same way. She was going to have to keep her eyes on him. "You've got some shit with you," Pam said to the guard.
Sookie released Pam from her hug and stood beside her. She took Pam's hand into hers and looked at Antony. "He's okay, Pam. I didn't get any bad readings or images from him." Not yet.
Pam looked at Sookie and then back at the faery. The look that she gave him was blank and emotionless. Sookie's assessment didn't change Pam's opinion of him. She didn't think that he was okay. She turned to look at Sookie and the blank and emotionless look was gone. It was easily replaced with a smile.
"As always, it's good to see you." Her gaze quickly returned to Antony. His eyes remained trained on Pam.
Sookie didn't like the looks that they were giving one another. This wasn't going to be good. "You may go," Sookie said to Antony. "Be sure to let the guards know of the meeting tomorrow morning ...all of them."
"Yes, your highness." Before going, he asked, "Am I done for the evening?"
"Yes you are; thank you. My husband's awake."
"Anytime," he replied. Antony bowed and vanished from the room.
"Fucking faeries," Pam said after he'd left.
A surprised laugh escaped Sookie. "Excuse me?"
Pam's face was expressionless when she turned to face Sookie. "You look different."
"Yeah, well," Sookie said. "What do you mean 'fucking faeries?'?"
"Just as I said; fucking faeries," she repeated. She let her gaze fall back on the spot that was once occupied by Antony. She walked over to where the faery once stood. "You can't trust them. They're sneaky and underhanded. They are always hiding something; especially him. I don't like him."
Sookie walked over to where Pam was standing and tapped her shoulder.
"What?" she asked as she looked over her shoulder at Sookie.
"I'm a faery."
"I'm not talking about you." Using her head to point at the Antony spot, Pam said, "I'm talking about him and some of the others that I've met. Fucking faeries."
Sookie giggled. "Insulting all of us is not a very smart thing to do; especially in front of the faery princess that is married to your maker. Now I will admit that your description of some of my people may be true but the least that you can do is try and not to see all of us in such a negative light. I'd never consider you be the exact replica of your sister."
Pam turned slowly to face Sookie; a smirk on face. She placed her hand on her hip and said, "He finally told you. Good for him. Do you forgive him?"
"There's nothing to forgive."
"Even though he was protecting Freyda … or so he thought?"
"Yes because he wasn't protecting her. He was standing by his word."
"Hmmm," Pam said quizzically. "How does your cousin feel about it?"
"Does it matter?"
Pam threw her head back and laughed. "You're not going to tell her?"
"Does it matter?" she repeated.
Pam draped her arm over Sookie's shoulder. "Come on, my new friend. Let's go and talk to your husband about what happened in New York. We need to get this straight. We need to find out who's behind this thing."
Sookie draped her arm over Pam's shoulder and the women left the living room. As they walked to Eric's office, Pam closed her eyes and inhaled.
"Damn, you smell so sweet! You're much prettier and shinier than I remember."
Sookie laughed. "I look shiny?"
"Yeah," Pam said. "And you know what? So does Eric. His hair is different. His eyes are different. He's different. I can't believe he's not a fucking grouch after what happened to you today. He's as calm and as logical as ever. What have you done to him?"
"I've done nothing to him."
"You've done something. I guess it doesn't matter. I'm just glad that you didn't leave him. It scared him, you know? To have to live without you; it scared him. He doesn't want to know that life anymore, not since being with you. Happiness looks good on both of you. Before you, he didn't know happiness. I don't think he wanted to know it." Pam's face was a blank as ever.
"Me either," Sookie answered. She didn't know that to be true until she'd spoken the words aloud.
"I love him, Sookie and it pleases me to see him this way. I am in your debt."
"Don't be silly. You don't owe me anything."
"Good," Pam said quickly. "I hate owing favors."
Both women filled the hallway with laughter. "You're funny, Pam."
"I'm a very humorous vampire. That's a rare trait in our kind. Good company does that to me."
"Thank you." Sookie smiled as she leaned in to kiss Pam's cheek.
"Fucking pervert," Pam replied.
Once again, Sookie's laughter filled the hallway.
Pam glanced at Sookie as she laughed and said, "Even your eyes are bluer. There's something really different about you."
"You have no idea," Sookie answered as they continued the walk to Eric's office.