I was unmindful for not having factored in the elder Stackhouse, who now appeared more mature than his much physically younger sister, in my plans for the evening. I was under the impression that Jason would be content enough to simply sit on my couch, watch my TV, and complain I did not have anything 'yummy' to eat, as all of the food I had purchased was healthy for ensuring Sookie wellbeing. I had severely underestimated Jason's investment in his sister.
On the other hand, perhaps it was his need to not be excluded from anything.
I had expected to find him still in my house when I rose that evening. Color me surprised when I not only found no Jason Stackhouse, but I also found a note from Amelia that explained he had refused to stay behind. I wondered how much Sookie might actually miss her brother should he suddenly vanish.
I then chastised myself for even considering those thoughts. I would never do such a thing to her, but I would also never allow her brother's actions to inhibit her safety.
I needed to determine what I would do with him throughout the time we would have to be at Fangtasia, actions that would neither upset nor endanger Sookie, in either of her forms.
I made my way toward Fangtasia minutes after I rose. I did not want to Sookie to be there too long after nightfall without me. Thalia had spent the night day at the club and though she did not know why, she knew no one was to enter my office that night. They were not even supposed to enter the hallway that led to the back of the club. That was just one of the attributes I appreciated about Thalia. She took orders well and was aware of the time to ask or not any questions. Those were both vital qualities in our world.
I had trusted that Amelia would keep both Sookie and herself in the back of the club to the extent that I had not explained anything to Thalia to ensure that happened. Add in the wildcard of Sookie's brother, whom I was surprised was not at the bar, and the front of the club still looked the way it should to welcome Madden.
I nodded at Thalia in gratitude, and then I made a motion that I would return to discuss things, but I needed to make certain that the presence of Jason had not ruined any of my plans. As I moved to my office, I could hear Jason howling in despair. I quickly moved to my office door and pulled it open. I did not expect what I found.
Jason was still howling, but had collapsed and was crying into the floor. That I had expected with the noise I had heard. What I did not expect was to see Sookie gleefully dancing around her brother, exclaiming that she had won; nor did I expect to see Amelia with a camera documenting the event. I had just enough time to observe the board game sitting on the floor before Sookie jumped at me and said, "I won! I won, Eric! I beated Jason!"
I caught her as Jason picked his head up off the ground. "She did. She did beated me," he said despondently. I had little hope that Jason knew the proper term was simply 'beat.' It was an endearing coming from Sookie, but to hear it come from Jason, that was certainly not the case. "Damn melted chocolate guy," Jason said, at which Sookie admonished her brother for using a naughty word.
"What have you been playing?" I asked. I was grateful to see the board game on the floor. If I had not, I might have thought that Sookie 'beated' Jason physically, especially when I saw him on the ground as he was. I also wanted to know which game had a melted chocolate man that Jason had cursed.
Sookie, in her excitement, screamed, "Candy Land!" into my ear. The sight of the excitement on her face was enough for me to forget that I could not hear out of that ear for a few seconds. "Will you play with me, Eric?" Sookie said as she started to squirm to be put down.
"I cannot right now," I told her, but I explained to her that I would play with her later in the evening. I wanted to try to keep her distracted while she was listening in on whomever it was Madden had brought. I had planned to use coloring. It was a favorite pastime of hers and she enjoyed it. It was easy enough to change the activity to the board game.
However, I was determined to end up not on the floor like Stackhouse, no matter the outcome.
The promise to play with her later was enough to keep the excitement from falling off her face. She immediately picked up the characters from the game and tried to explain the rules. All I understood in all her excitement was that there were cards involved and, apparently, these cards determined how the characters moved.
She picked the red character for me, red for blood. At least that suggested she still accepted the role that liquid played in my existence.
After I smiled, nodded, and absorbed everything she had to tell me, I repeated that I would play with her later. I suggested another game with Jason in the meantime. The younger Stackhouse looked thrilled at my suggestion. The older one looked quite the opposite of thrilled, but my suggestion suited two purposes. It would keep Sookie busy and I hoped it would keep Jason in my office and out of the bar area.
When the two were engrossed in a game, I approached Amelia and asked her if she had been able to accomplish anything when she spoke to her mentor. Amelia had contacted her mentor, Octavia, at my behest, to try to determine if there was a way of limiting the reach of Sookie's telepathy. Even with the precaution of having ensured the humans in the club were glamoured, I did not want her mind exposed to that many minds, regardless of whether their thoughts were less than usual or drifted more toward the impure.
The spell Octavia had believed would be most helpful was one that Amelia could adjust. I had hoped to keep Sookie in my office and the humans in Pam's, which was closer to my office than the bar. My plan was to have Amelia attempt to block Sookie away from the minds in the bar area completely.
"I have already recited the incantation. She should not be able to hear anyone's mind unless they are within the radius of the offices."
"You are certain?" I asked her.
The young witch nodded. "I knew the spell. It is usually performed for listening devices. Octavia explained to me how to adjust it for our needs. It will work."
Pam was in her office, but I was the only other vampire Sookie should have been able to sense if the incantation worked. I crouched down next to Sookie who had just shown exhilaration at the card she had drawn. I took in Jason's face and it seemed like Sookie was close to being a repeat winner.
"Sookie," I said as she stuck her tongue out at her brother. I would have corrected her behavior, but that would have been difficult to do seeing as Jason himself returned her gesture. It left both Amelia and me shaking our heads.
"Yes, Eric?" Sookie said as Jason drew his card. This one did not excite her.
"Do you remember how you said that my head was like a hole when you tried to listen to it?" I received a nod of her head as my answer. "Do you remember the other game we are going to play tonight?" I asked her though I hated having to do it, but I received another nod in response. "Will you try to listen now? How many holes can you find?"
I knew that Thalia and Felicia were currently in the bar. If Sookie could not detect them, but could only sense Pam and me, then I would know that Amelia's spell had worked. If she could find other holes, I might have had to suspend the entire mission.
Sookie closed her eyes and scrunched up her little face. I had no idea if I should have felt relief when she said that there were only two holes. On the one hand, that meant the spell had worked and the protections I had in place for Sookie were working in every way possible. On the other, the fact that they were working so well meant that I lost my justifiable reason as to why I was even doing this.
Sookie looked at my face after she told me she could only sense the two holes. "I'm helpin' you, right?" she asked. She sounded uncertain. I nodded. "With your bosses?" Sookie must have always been perceptive and that was just one of the many things I most enjoyed about her, though sadly it was also one of those things I still found objectionable. "You don't want me to help," she said glumly.
"I would not like it if you were hurt," I corrected her. I truly believed I was doing all I could to protect her, not for that night, but in all ways.
"I don't want you getting' hurt neither," she said while she came over to give me a hug. "This is something I can do and how I can help. You and me can work together to keep everybody safe."
I wrapped my arms around her tinier than usual frame. This was something I had begun to realize, but to have heard it in her little voice, to have seen the logic of it all in her sweet little face, I felt like a fool for not having seen it until that moment.
"Together," I repeated while I continued holding her in my arms.
"Yep! Together," she repeated as well before she squeezed my neck, and then let go.
Was it really so simple? It was a simple concept, at least in theory. The actual presentation was what made it so complicated, but was it really? Or was it just that I was under the mistaken belief that I knew best, therefore, no other input was required? was Again, I would look forward to further exploration of this topic once Sookie returned to her adult form, no matter how long that process might take.
"I will be return and we will play the game," I told her. "We will listen to the inside voices if you are still willing," I added after hesitating for a moment.
"Okay, Eric! We can do both," she said just as she informed her brother that she was going to beat him again. I then made certain that Jason knew he was to stay in my office, or in Pam's, for the entirety of the evening. He surprised me when he quickly agreed by informing me that he was there to protect his sister.
The sister in question and her earlier words echoed through my mind while I left my office and made my way to the bar. Madden was due to arrive shortly, and I wanted him left with no question of any excuse to try entering the back offices.
I knew we were in danger the moment Madden entered the bar. To be more accurate, when I laid my eyes upon the two humans that accompanied him into the bar was when my anxiety emerged although I remained stoic. These were humans whom I had seen before, with whom I had dealt before. They were humans employed by Desmond Cataliades.
I no longer doubted that this was nothing more than a mere coincidence. I was just uncertain what it could mean.
Armed with that realization, I also knew that it was a test of some sort. I did not know if Cataliades and I could be considered friends, but others might, and we could most certainly be considered acquaintances. The two of us most certainly enjoyed a pleasant working relationship. We worked together often as we both had important roles within Sophie-Anne's retinue. It was possible that Madden, and, by extension, de Castro wanted Sookie to read these humans simply due to their connection to the demon attorney, possible, though not likely. What was more likely was that this was some type of a setup.
I was not at all positive of just what they were attempting to set up.
Madden found my gaze almost immediately, and the glint in his eyes was the confirmation I needed to verify that this farce was about more than Sookie listening to these human minds. Any information they knew regarding Cataliades could have been obtained through a simple glamour. I might not have been aware of their end goal, but I knew I needed to tread very carefully, much more so than I had even planned.
I began by moving toward Madden rather than waiting until he came to me. I addressed him by his title of Regent, which was a surprise to us both. I saw a look appear on his face and knew exactly what it meant. Vampire politics are often about whose side presents the best show, and who was the more determined to better play the game. My show of respect, however forced, was a sign that I was willing to play whatever game Madden brought. him. He viewed it as a win.
I would not concur, though I trusted I was not playing right into his hands.
"Northman," he said in acknowledgment before he made a show of looking around. "I had hoped to see your wife. Though it is clear she is…" he said, making a gesture of scenting the air.
"She is in my office," I told him. We agreed upon that previously. Sookie and I would spend the night in my office, undisturbed.
"I must stop in and greet her," he said as he turned and started toward the hallway that led back to our offices.
I was in front of him before he could take another step. "Sookie is still not feeling too well, but she was determined to assist the new monarchy," I told him, forcing the words out of my mouth. "I would not want you exposed to that."
"Unless she has an illness that endangers our kind there is no risk."
Of course, there was no risk. Few diseases existed that humans could pass on to vampires that might offer us danger. Sookie was not even sick; she demonstrated no risk to our species.
"When was the last time you were in close proximity to a sick human?" I asked him. "It is not exactly pleasant."
Madden wrinkled his nose at my words, but I did not know if they would be enough to deter him from insisting upon seeing Sookie. When he did not press the issue, it left me thinking over just what he expected to accomplish tonight. Was it simply a coincidence of his bringing these humans who worked for Cataliades? Was he really just looking for Sookie to listen to their minds, hopeful that they would offer some insight as to the location of the demon or any information they had learned through him?
My agitation grew as Madden looked toward the hallway leading toward the back offices. It did not seem as if he would, but might he insist on seeing Sookie? What could I say if he did? I may not have known what to say, but I knew there was no way he would get any closer to Sookie than where he stood. I would have ended him, consequences be damned! However, the vampire shook his head once and he returned his focus to me.
"These are the two humans we need the telepath to listen to, that is, if she is still able," he added unnecessarily. I was not fully certain exactly what it was that gave him the idea that Sookie was no longer telepathic. I definitely had no appreciation of what he was insinuating. It sounded as though he was questioning if there was something preventing Sookie from using her telepathy, almost as if he had known that something had happened.
I did not hesitate to inform him that Sookie would have no problems using her abilities. "What information are you hoping she will be able to find?"
"We have been trying to locate someone. We believe these two humans have knowledge of the person's location."
"The person for whom Sookie should be listening is?" I asked, but I was positive I already knew.
At my question, Madden smiled, and said, "Let's see just how strong her abilities are," before he turned around and began to make his leave of Fangtasia. That statement proved to me that he had more to his agenda than Sookie discovering information from the minds of the two humans. It also proved, once again, that he was an asshole.
"I will return an hour before sunrise to retrieve the humans and discuss whatever information has been found." Well, at least for tonight, he was an asshole that I would not have to tolerate for the entire evening. That was something.
I stared after him until he left Fangtasia, and then I turned around and moved toward the back of the club. I did not have to look behind me to know that Thalia was there with the two men. I went one direction while she took them in another. I hesitated, took an unnecessary breath, and then I continued into my office where I found Sookie as she celebrated another win over Jason.
"Is it time to listen to the inside voices?" Sookie asked. I told her it was. I hated it. I did not tell her that, but it was clear she recognized the look on my face.
"It'll be okay, Eric," she told me. I hoped that she was correct.
I was to spend the evening in my office with Sookie. Pam would be fielding calls about Madden's location this evening and knew to warn me if the situation called for it. The two of us planned to be in constant communication. Thalia also offered information while she spent the evening in the front of Fangtasia.
Amelia was kind enough to take Jason and move downstairs. I made certain there was a safe area for them, well, for Amelia, downstairs the previous evening while I worked with Sookie. Before I asked her any questions, we started our game.
I picked up a card with one colored square on it as I asked Sookie if she could sense any inside voices yet. I thought the sooner we found the information Madden was seeking, the sooner Sookie could return to the safety of the walls of my house. She again closed her eyes before she told me that she did in response to my question.
"Can you tell me what they are saying?" I asked her. Pam was with them and was prompting as Madden had suggested. I would let her know to stay on that concept, or move to the next one based on what Sookie heard.
"I don't know," she told me while she took her turn to pick up a card. I was angry, not with Sookie, but with the entire situation in which I found myself. I asked her questions, but beyond that, there was no way for me to help her navigate the minds of these individuals.
"You cannot make out what they are thinking?" I asked as I tried to understand what she attempted to explain.
"No. They are thinking a word, a big girl word." I was not sure what a big girl word was. I was about to question her when she said, "It sounds like a kitty."
It took me only a second to understand. "Cataliades?" I asked her. It was already clear that would be where Madden's focus lay, at least to me.
"Yeah. That's it!" she said, reminding me that it was my turn.
"Can you tell me what they are thinking about him?" I asked while I moved my character the designated spaces.
"That he might be coming here, to you!" she said excitedly. "But they don't think they will see him for a long time. It sounds like he is far away. Like on a vacation."
He was far away, but not on a vacation. I had to decide what I would do with the information. I could attempt to keep it from de Castro and Madden, as I did not want them to know anything about Cataliades' location. If they learned that he was in other realms, they would start to question why. That was something they could never uncover.
It would have been a risk to keep it from them as well. From what Sookie said, it sounded as if these humans had been glamoured, but there was no way for me to determine who had done so. Madden and de Castro could have already known everything. Whether or not Sookie heard it, or I shared the information, might have been the test, or the two could have been clueless about the situation and if I told them, I could have given them vital information.
I had a decision to make and it was not an easy one.
Well, that could have gone worse. Now, it's just a question of what does Eric tell Madden. Decisions, decisions.
Many, many thanks to MsBuffy with her help on this one.
This is the first time I've been able to upload here at FF in months as you can see. I got this one and the next chapter one up. Just a reminder that this story is complete over on WP and my next one is a good 11 chapters in. I will finish this one here (if anyone is even still reading it) but it will likely be the last complete story I do here - simply because of the upload issues. I hate to keep you guys waiting.