Chapter 10: To Love Is To Bury

The next morning, I found both Sookie and Sam at the table in the kitchen. Sam was eating and Sookie was looking through the phone book. "Good morning," I greeted.

"Good morning," they echoed, then Sookie nodded her head towards the stove. "Food's in the stove."

"Thank you," I said as I reached in and grabbed the plate. I sat down across from Sam and dug in, hungry as can be. "So, what are you doing?"

"I remembered," Sookie replied with a slight smile. I raised an eyebrow at her to elaborate. "In my sleep, I remembered the picture in the killers mind. There was a girl that had an apron with a nametag. Her name was Cindy and she worked at Big Patty's Pie House."

"So, you're going down there to see if you can find anything on the killer to get a step ahead," I concluded for her. She nodded. "At least tell me that you're taking someone with you. If not, I'll send one of the boys."

"I'm going with her," Sam cut in. I nodded satisfied. "I already called Arlene to cover the night shift, so I need you to cover the day shift with Amy."

"Got it," I replied still eating. We all fell into a comfortable silence as we ate breakfast.

*Queen of the Wolves*

I got to work just in time to hear Lafayette ask Terry to work for him that night. "And where do you think that you're sexy ass is going Chocolate Thunder?"

I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and his arm automatically came around my waist. "Oh, White Lightning, I've got something goin on with a two-faced son of a bitch," he replied in a purr, but I could hear the anger in his voice. "But I heard that I'm not the only one. You're not gonna be here either. May I ask why?"

Sighing heavily, Lafayette gave me a concerned look. "I'm fine Lala," I smiled reassuringly. "Just an unwanted business trip."

Everyone that know about me knew that when I said business trip, I meant supernatural business. Lafayette nodded to me, and I went to the back to put my stuff down and get ready for the lunch hour.

*Queen of the Wolves*

That night, I put on a black crop top with mesh sleeves and a pair of high waisted ripped flare jeans. I threw on my favorite pair of lace-up high heeled ankle boots with belt buckles on the side. I wasn't sure why I was dressing up at all, but for some reason I was compelled to do so. Something told me it was the mating call, and it was getting stronger.

I had gotten a call from Leo about a young wolf from his family's pack in Dallas, Texas. Apparently, he found his mate in a vampire and the pack was being a bit cruel to him. The young wolf and his mate were coming over for a bit of advice. Leo and I were meeting them in Shreveport at Fangtasia so his mate would feel better about meeting me. She was told that she wasn't allowed to tell anyone about where she met me though.

I understood making her feel comfortable, but I was dreading going to Fantasia. I grabbed a small black cross body purse and tossed in my wallet and my phone before grabbing my keys. Going downstairs, I found Leo dressed in a pair of black ripped jeans and a plain black t-shirt. His light blue eyes met my green eyes and he smiled at me. "You look great Teddy," he complimented.

I smiled at him. "Thank you, Leo. Ready to go?"

He nodded to me and followed me out to my car.

*Queen of the Wolves*

When we pulled up to the bar, I turned to Leo. "After this, she'll have to meet GG," I told him. "We need to know her intentions are good."

Leo nodded solemnly. "I know, but I think that you'll like her. She's a part of Godric's nest."

I nodded at that, and we got out. As we walked in, I was about to pull out my ID as Leo handed his to the bouncer, but Pam came zipping over. She smirked at me and looked at me up and down. "Theodora," she purred. "It's good to see you again. I didn't think I would see you so soon. Who's this?"

"Pam, this is Leo Ransom," I introduced. "Leo, this is Pam. We're just meeting friends tonight, Pam. Are we allowed in?"

Pam nodded and I pulled Leo behind me as she watched us. I stopped by the bar and ordered a bourbon, feeling as if I'm going to need it tonight. Leo ordered a beer and looked around the room looking for his friend. I noticed a wide smile cross his face and he took my hand, leading me towards the booths.

He let go of my hand to greet a young black man with short hair and a scar over his left eye, which was a murky brown. He looked to be in good shape, but he also had a wide smile on his face as he gave a bro hug to Leo. Standing behind him was a young-looking woman with tan skin, pitch black hair in large curls, dark eyes and a soft smile as she watched the boys. I smiled at the loving look in her eyes. I was pulled out of my thoughts as Leo took my hand and pulled me towards his friend.

"Teddy, this is my friend Deshawn Riley," he introduced us, motioning to his friend. He then motioned back to me. "Dez, this is Theodora Stackhouse."

"Your majesty," he muttered and was about to bow but I stopped him.

He looked at me confused and I smiled reassuringly at him. "That's not who I am tonight. Just call me Teddy." I then held out my hand to him and he shook it hesitantly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Deshawn."

Slowly, a comfortable smile slid onto his face. "The pleasure is mine Teddy." He then turned to the woman behind him. "This is Sorina Ilica. Honey, this one of my best friends Leo Ransom and Teddy Stackhouse."

She shook Leo's hand with a shy smile and turned to me with the same smile. I held out my hand with a welcoming smile. She shook it hesitantly and I motioned for us to sit down. Sorina slid in one side with Deshawn while I slid in the other side, across from her and next to Leo. I took a drink from my glass and noticed that Sorina was fiddling with her bottle of TruBlood.

"Sorina, you need to relax," I told her, reaching across and placing my hand on hers. She looked up at me in surprise and I smiled softly at her. "I'm not here to judge you. I'm just here to give you advice on your situation. You don't have to be nervous."

She nodded shyly as I took my hand back. "I've just heard so much about you. From Deshawn and even from Isabel and Godric."

"Isabel still talks about me?" I asked in surprise, and she nodded again. "Wow. How are they by the way? I've been so busy recently that I haven't been able to call."

"They've been good," she said with a smile. "Godric's been bringing me with him when he goes to the pack, and most of them have been welcoming."

"That was how we met," Deshawn cut in with a large smile and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Godric brought her over for a meeting. The first time we shook hands, I just knew that she was my mate."

Sorina sent him a loving smile while leaning into his embrace. My smile widened at the scene, and I felt bad about bringing down the mood. "You told Leo that some of them were being cruel to you two," I commented. "Who were you talking about?"

They both looked hesitant, and I took another drink in order to keep from sighing. "Look guys," I said putting my drink down. "You're not gonna get anyone in trouble here. But I do need to know who to make sure they won't be a problem and to look out for them in the future. I've been talking with the VA, and I want to be sure to watch out for them."

Deshawn sighed, his shoulders dropping before he looked to Leo. "Your parents are the main ones," he told us. "But it's most of the older members that are cruel."

Leo huffed with a frown. "They've always been more traditional than others. They might be influencing the older members to be cruel. As far as I know, my parents are the only ones that would have a problem with this. But Willow wouldn't put up with this."

I thought about the options while taking another drink. "It's true that your sister wouldn't put up with it, but I think they might be using the fact that they're your parents to their advantage. With Willow being Alpha and you being in my personal pack, they may be abusing that power. Do you think that they could cross the line?"

Leo looked conflicted. "I want to say no because they're my parents and I want to believe that. However, I haven't been around them in years so they could have changed. I honestly can't say one way or the other."

Leo looked rather upset to have to say that, but I appreciated his honesty. Placing a gentle hand on his arm, I gave him a reassuring smile when he looked up at me. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But in the meantime, both of you should keep your heads up and be patient. We should have a more definite answer from the VA soon."

At that moment, a female vampire stopped next to our table. But there was something different about this vampire. She had auburn red hair that was messy and covered in dirt. Her blue eyes were wide and wild. The light blue dress she wore was dirty, stained and had a rip on one side that went up mid-thigh. The female was looking directly at me and had a wild smile. "You smell different," she said offhandedly.

We were all stunned at what she said when someone shouted for her. "Jessica!" Then Bill came into view, and I nudged Leo to get up. "You can't just go running off and say things like that!"

It looked like he was going to apologize to us, except he had to catch me as I practically tackled him in a hug. "You're okay!" I then pulled back to smack him on the arm. The action made him jump a little, clearly not expecting it. "Don't you dare scare me like that!"

"I'm sorry that I made you worry Theodora," Bill said with some amusement in his voice.

I looked back over to the girl that was still staring at me with interest. "Aren't you going to introduce us Bill? Or did you lose your manners since you've been away?"

Bill rolled his eyes with a fond smile while the red head giggled. "Theodora Stackhouse, this is Jessica, my progeny."

My eyebrows rose at that. "Progeny?"

Bill sighed. "I was forced to make her as my sentence for killing Longshadow.

'Oh dear,' I thought. Sookie was not going to like this. She had been swinging back and forth between anger to regret to being compliant. I wasn't sure I wanted to be around her when she found out about this. "Hello there Jessica," I smiled at her. "You can call me Teddy, if you like."

"Really?" she said in astonishment. "Like a friend?"

"Yeah, why not," I smiled and shrugged.

"As long as you don't eat her," a familiar deep voice said, and we all turned to see Eric standing there with a smile on his face. He looked me over with his smile widening before he met my eyes. "It's good to see you again Theodora. I must say, this is a good look on you."

Leo stepped out from behind me with a glare at Eric. Eric's smile vanished as he just stared at Leo. I rolled my eyes at the both of them. I smacked Leo's chest to get him to look at me. "How about you ride with Deshawn? They can stay at the house tonight."

"Are you sure about that?" Deshawn asked as he and Sorina stood from the booth.

I turned to them with a smile. "Of course, you can. There's even a space for Sorina so you have nothing to worry about. Leo will drive you there, and I'll be along later, okay?"

Sorina smiled at me and stepped forward to pull me into a hug. "Thank you so much," she said, her voice thick.

I hugged her back and gave her a gentle squeeze. "You're one of us now. So don't hesitate to call me if you need it."

She let go of me so I could give Deshawn a hug. When we pulled back, I noticed that Leo went back to having a stare off with Eric. I smacked his arm this time and he jumped, looking at me. Noddin my head to the side, I was silently letting him know to go. Leo huffed a bit, sent one last glare at Eric and then led Deshawn and Sorina from the bar.

We all watched them go, and Eric approached us. Bill turned to me with a frown on his face. "I didn't know that you had a boyfriend, Theodora."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes at him. "One, it's really none of your business who I see. And, two, Leo's not my boyfriend. He's just a friend."

"The way that you put your hand on his arm suggests otherwise," Eric commented.

I turned to look at Eric in confusion at his tone. I noticed that the muscle in his jaw was twitching. "Leo is simply a friend Eric. Who already has a serious girlfriend. I was simply comforting him during out discussion."

"What was this discussion?" Bill asked.

"A private one," I shot back with a slight smile. "Now, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you have gone to Sookie?"

Bill hesitated and Eric stepped up to his side. "Bill was just dropping off Jessica in order to do so," he explained putting his hand on Bill's shoulder.

I frowned slightly at Bill putting his burden on someone else, especially my mate, but I could see that he was worried about her. Bill looked a little annoyed that Eric would throw him under the bus like that. Sighing, I shooed him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go to her."

Bill apparently didn't need any more prompting as he left using his vampire speed out of the bar. Eric then turned to me with a smirk. "Pam," he called, not looking away. Pam practically materialized by his side using her vampire speed. "Take Jessica and show her how to feed properly while I talk with Theodora."

Pam nodded and went to pull Jessica away, but Jessica came over quickly to give me a hug. "Bye Teddy," she said as she let me go. "I hope to see you later."

I smiled at her. "Of course. I'll see you later."

After they disappeared, Eric gestured for me to follow him as I picked up my purse. I followed him to his office where he closed the door to his office. I watched him as he moved to perch on the edge of his desk. "So, what did you want to talk about?" I started. "If this is about what I am, I've already told you, you have to earn it."

"I have thought about that," he acknowledged. "As much as I would love to make a deal with you, I think that you would shut me down."

I raised an eyebrow wondering where this was going. "Of course, I would."

"Then, the only course of action I have is to gain your trust," he admitted. He then stood from leaning against his desk and walked in front of me without breaking eye contact with me. "There is one thing that I should say to that though. If you are ever in need of help, you know what the price is."

"Is knowing what I am that important to you?" I questioned not backing down from the stare he was giving me. "I'm sure that a Sheriff such as yourself has better things to do with your time. You shouldn't be this invested in little old me."

Even as I said that, my wolf was basking in the attention that he was giving to us. She was also growling at me for trying to dissuade him from being interested. Eric, on the other hand, simply looked into my eyes. He reached up to tuck a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. His fingers brushed against my cheek, and it set fire to my skin, despite his skin being cold.

"There's something about you," Eric said in a soft voice, one that I was not used to. "Something about you makes me want to figure you out. But more than that, to make sure that you can't leave."

My breath caught as he said that, and my wolf howled in delight. The mating pull wasn't just on my end, it was affecting him as well. That didn't happen too often, even if they are vampires. "Well, I look forward to you trying to earn my trust," I whispered back.

Eric's eyes flicked down to my lips before looking back to my eyes. He started to lean down, and my heart rate sped up. He was getting closer when there was a knock on the door to his office. We both jumped a little, but Eric's eyes didn't leave mine. "What?" he called out with annoyance in his tone.

"Jessica is wearing on my nerves," Pam's voice came through the door. "You need to be out here if you're supposed to watch her."

"I'll be out soon," he called back to her. Her footsteps faded as we stared at each other.

"I should go," I whispered. "Sookie will be wondering where I am."

With that, I walked out of the office and Eric didn't stop me. I walked quickly, only pausing when I heard a crashing noise from the office. I picked up my pace again, giving a wave to Pam as I left. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding once I closed my car door. I put both hands on the wheel, leaned my forehead on it and then growled to myself for acting the way I did.

Eric almost kissed me, and I just ran away from the whole situation. I sighed, letting my shoulders drop. I sat up and put the key in the ignition. Turning the engine over, I drove out of the parking lot and back towards Bon Temps.

*Queen of the Wolves*

NO ONES POV

Eric watched the security camera of the parking lot and of Teddy driving off back home. He almost had her. He was so close to kissing her, feeling as though he should have. Destroying one of the chairs in anger, he had sat down to watch her leave the building. "Pam, Chow," he said without looking away from the screen.

The two of them walked in without a word and Eric barely looked at them. "When Theodora Stackhouse is here and the door is closed, do not disturb me for anything. Is that understood?"

"Yes," the echoed. Eric nodded and waved his hand to dismiss them. Chow left but Pam stayed and got closer to the desk. "What makes her so special?" she asked him. "I've never seen you like this with anyone before."

Eric finally looked away from the screen to see Pam. "I do not know," he admitted. "She interests me, and something tells me not to let her go."

*Queen of the Wolves*

I had called Zander on the car ride back, telling him that I was going to Sookie's tonight. And to let Sorina and Deshawn know that I would be back the next night. He all but demanded what had happened, but I just dodged the questioning and then hung up. I didn't want to tell him what happened and have him blow up at me. I spent the rest of the drive trying to forget the almost kiss and just getting angrier at myself for how I handled it.

By the time that I got to Sookie's house, I was pissed off more. I walked into the house and felt my jaw drop at how destroyed the front room was. Both Sookie and Sam were cleaning up the glass pieces and wood. "What the fuck happened?" I demanded. Sookie went to speak with her hands on her hips, but I cut her off with a glare. "I'm not in any mood for your sass tonight, Sookie. You don't get anything from me until you explain all this."

Sookie sighed and dropped her hands. She began to explain what happened that day, then with Bill coming in and finding her and Sam kissing, then the ensuing fight. I looked at her as if she was stupid.

"What the fuck is wrong with you Sookie Stackhouse?" I growled. Sam went to say something, but I turned my heated glare at him. "I will get to you in a second Sam Merlotte, so wait for your turn." Turning back to Sookie, she flinched as I could feel my eyes glowing silver in my anger. "What does love mean to you? Do you really just throw it away just because you're angry? Then just move on immediately after that.

"Bill did his best to come back as soon as possible, but instead of trying to work it out, you just throw it in his face." I then turned to Sam. "And you. You need to think with your brain and not your dick. You should learn to have patience when it comes to things like this. I can't believe either of you would act like horny little teenagers instead of the adults that you're supposed to be."

I growled at the end of my rant and they both took a step back from me. "I'm going to bed. I don't want either of you to wake me up at all."

With that, I turned and stomped up the stairs. Going into my room, I angrily got changed for bed and took off my make up. I laid in bed still angry and tried to take deep breaths. I slowly counted backwards from ten and an image of Eric appeared in my head. Slowly, my breathing evened out with that image lodged in my head.