WARNING: this story is rated MA as it will contain adult themes; meaning lemons, violence, blood play etc. That said if that kind of content isn't your cup of tea or if you are underage, kindly please find something else/age appropriate to read.

Disclaimer: I do not own TB or SVM, the series were Allan Ball's baby and the characters and the main plot belong to Charlaine Harris, capice? Okay then…

CHAPTER 4

EARLIER IN THE DAY: STACKHOUSE FARM

Eyes closed, Sookie sat in front of her vanity - her slim body covered only by a fluffy pink towel as she gently pulled a brush through her knotted, wet blonde tresses - her heart racing wildly in her chest.

She had woken today to yet another dream that made no sense yet left her feeling breathless with the intensity of emotion it stirred up in her heart...

A tear rolled down her flushed cheek and she quickly swiped it away.

Her eyes opening, she looked at herself; evaluating the darkness of the dark circles under her eyes, Sookie looked at the small tube of concealer with a frown - she was always one of those girls who've only ever used some mascara and a light brush of lipstick - she was running out...funny, what a few crazy, scary dreams will do to a girl, right?

Setting the brush down on the vanity once she finished brushing her hair, Sookie sniffed in an effort not to cry and grabbed the container of moisturizer, fully intending to hydrate her skin like she'd been taught to do first by her momma and later - her gran but as soon as she met her on brown-eyed gaze reflected at her by the mirror, her mind mercilessly flashed back to her nightmare - to those familiar blue eyes that had so callously ended her life in her dreams night after night...

With a gasp, she sprang from her seat, the glass jar half-full of moisturizer rolling half way across the room even as its contents emptied along the way...

NOW: MERLOTTE'S BAR & GRILL

As she stood leaning on the bar, waiting for someone from her section to call on her, the bar phone started ringing, surprisingly just loud enough to be heard over the lively chatter of the evenings clientele and Sookie watched with mild interest as her boss quickly patted his hands dry on a rag that always seemed to be hanging out of his jeans pocket before hurriedly stepping over to the phone.

"Evening, Merlotte's", he spoke rapidly into the receiver, listening intently for a moment even as he stepped back up to the bar proper. "Hey Tara…"

"Not again…", the blonde waitress thought, a groan of utter consternation falling from her pink pouty lips as Sam again listened intently to what Tara had to say, "…yeah, she's right here…", and then swiftly turned on his heel and approached Sookie, his arm outstretched and waiting for her to take the phone.

Grimacing, she took the receiver from him, "…I'm so sorry, Sam. She knows not to call me at work."

Sam was quick to assure her: "Sookie, its okay. You don't abuse the privilege like Arlene does."

"Hey!", said red head exclaimed as she hurriedly bustled passed the bar, "…I heard that!"

"Well I wish you would hear that!", Sam retorted quickly and Arlene didn't even bother turning around as she sassed right back, as was common occurrence, "…please Sam, I have kids!"

With a fond smile playing on her lips, Sookie put the receiver up to her ear: "…this better be an emergency."

"I just quit my job…" , Tara went straight to the point.

"Again..?", Sookie asked, her voice belying her disbelief.

Tara snorted derisively, "…I can't work for assholes."

"Well I'm glad you can afford to be so picky miss say-hello-to-the-rest-of-us…", Sookie sassed, her disbelief mounting. It wasn't a secret Tara had a mouth on her, and it certainly wasn't a secret she had great difficulty watching what she was saying most of the time, but this…this was…typical Tara.

"Oh, shut up!", Tara huffed, "…Sam's not an asshole, and he's totally in love with you."

"Tara, he is my boss…" the blonde retorted, her voice lowering to a whisper as she did so.

"Jesus, Sookie, you need to lighten up."

Sookie pouted but did not refute her friend's claim: "…you know I hate it when you use the J word." Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, as though someone's eyes were on her, she shook her head, her ponytail swishing from side to side, "…now, I have to go."

Tara sighed: "I'm comin' over. I need a margarita. A big one."

The blonde waitress only rolled her eyes before hanging up the phone and quickly setting it down on the bar top so Sam could place it back in its cradle only to find the man starring at her while wiping a glass dry.

Giving him a nervous smile, she lowered her head and starred quite intently at the scarred bar top, intently keeping her shields down tight as she really didn't want to deal with her boss' thoughts tonight on top of Tara's crap.

The sudden "hey" as Dawn – her leggy brunette co-worker and one of Jason's many conquests – approached her, startled her into a gasp.

"Mack and Denise Rattray are about to sit down in your section."

Sookie hastily turned around and scanned the bar floor – and of course – "…there the terrible twosome are", she thought, her lips twisting into a scowl as she watched Mack Rattray slap his wife's ass.

"What the fuck!", Denise screeched loudly as she covered her stinging cheek with her hand. Mack only grinned unrepentantly and pulled the still bristling woman towards an available window booth.

Just as quickly, Sookie turned back around towards the bar, looking like someone had just kicked her poor Tina.

"Don't let them get to you, chere", Sam said upon noticing the expression on the blonde's face, "…they're not worth it."

With a tremulous smile directed to her boss in silent thanks, Sookie squared her shoulders and started towards the Rattrays table, her steps fast and measured so she could get this over and done with as soon as possible. Even so, her shields started slipping a couple of steps in, Mack Rattrays filthy thoughts washing over her like a sudden wave, making the blonde stumble before she quickly righted herself and continued on her way: "hell, there ain't nothin' on this menu ain't gon' give me the runs. Goddamn son of a—", the disgusting diatribe cutting off as soon as he noticed her approaching.

"What can I do for ya'll tonight..?", she asked, hoping they didn't dawdle with placing their orders like some nights.

"Well you can wrap your sweet pink lips 'round ma slim reaper. That's what you can do…", Mack thought shamelessly while he sat there undressing her with his eyes.

Sookie's hand tightened around the pen she was holding against the note pad, her slight frame quivering with the deep desire to either run away crying or to give in to her not-so-secret baser desire to shove the note pad she was holding up the pigs—

She took a deep calming breath through tightly clenched teeth as what came out of the man's mouth was nowhere near what he thought of answering her question with: "…why don't we just start out with a pitcher of Bud..?"

As the waitress quickly jotted the order down, he continued to molest her with his eyes, his thoughts – once again – screaming at her loudly and clearly: "…and then you can hop aboard the Mack express, and ride back all the way to heaven…"

Sookie signed the order off more forcefully than technically necessary before gritting out: "…alrighty. Anything else I can get ya?"

That's when Denise Rattrays thoughts joined the party as the woman sat hunched over next to her husband, completely oblivious to his dirty thoughts, impassively playing with a strand of her curly copper-red hair; "…what the hell is wrong with her? God, she's pathetic…"

"Onion rings, with mustard…" she said with no small amount of attitude, while her mind – much like her husbands that way – continued to broadcast: "…like a dog…that's been kicked too many times and just keeps on comin' back for more…"

Sookie tries to smile through the mental anguish the Rattrays' are unknowingly causing her but it comes out looking like one of her famed 'crazy Sookie' grins instead and – feeling embarrassed and humiliated – the usually cheery girl chirps out a quick "…comin' right up!", before swiftly turning on her heel and marching at speed towards the back bar area to hand the order over to Lafayette. And as the short order cook takes her order – and the side order of extra onion rings up off the floor – and turns away to prepare it, Sookie's face crumbles and she sniffles. "Yeah, looks like it is gonna be one of those nights…"

As Lafayette throws a bunch of frozen onion rings into a pan with oil and gives it a quick stir so it wouldn't burn, he turns back towards the blonde girl he's known pretty much all his life, thanks to his hookah of a cousin, and frowns.

Sure, tonight's not the first time some fucked up redneck with barely two functioning brain cells to rub together has said something to upset the usually extra perky girl but, damn it all, tonight the girl looks to be close to tears.

With a decisive narrowing of his brightly painted eyes, Lafayette quips: "Oh, Sookie…chika-chika-bow-rowr."

Sookie's big brown eyes widen almost comically and she tenses as she waits to hear what's going to come out of La-La's mouth next 'cause Tara's shameless, cad of a cousin has no brain-to-mouth filter whatsoever.

"You look like a porn star, with that tan and pink lipstick…you's got a date..?"

Sookie frowned. "No, when I wear make-up I get bigger tips…"

At that, Lafayette bursts out laughing, seemingly deeply amused: "…yes girl, that's it. These damn rednecks are suckers for packaging…"

Ignoring his comment, she continues: "…and I get even bigger tips when I act like I don't have a brain in my head but, if I don't – they're all scared o' me…"

Laf snorted at that deduction. "They ain't scared of you, honey child…no, no…they scared of what's between yo legs…"

"LAFAYETTE!", Sookie exclaimed, "…that's nasty talk. I won't listen to that."

Arlene, who had approached the back bar to place her own order just in time to hear what was being said, laughed. "Do you even know what's between a woman's legs, Lafayette?"

"I know every man, whether straight, gay or George mutherfuckin' Bush IS TERRIFIED…of the pussy."

"Lafayette!", Sookie exclaimed once more, her face twisting into an expression of disgust as Dawn joined the conversation: "oh, what are we talkin' about..?"

"Pussy…", Lafayette answered immediately, followed by Arlene's heated: "…hey, listen, not everybody's gay, okay? Not everybody wants to have sex with you."

"Oh, you would be surprised, Arlene. People you know. That's all I'm saying…", La-La retorted with a sassy gesture of the hand.

"Well, I don't want to have sex with you…", Dawn quipped, her tone playful as Arlene huffed although a grin could be seen pulling the corners of her lips.

"Uh-uh, me neither", Arlene was quick to agree with her fellow waitress, her grin growing.

"Shit…you bitches don't know what you're missin'. I got six gears on these hips…", Lafayette retorted, slamming his hips repeatedly into the work table to help emphasize his point.

Dawn – as usual – was quick to catch on to Lafayette's little game when she saw him throw a quick, inconspicuous look at the blonde while humping the kitchen worktop. Grinning mischievously, she threw her head back and started moaning in sync to the flamboyant cooks thrusts: "…no, baby. You don't know what you're missin'…"

Swiftly turning and walking away from the bar, she made a show of swinging her hips, free arm thrown back as she slapped her own ass: "…you can watch her walk away. Make you wanna slap it, make you wanna slap it!"

"Everybody knows that!", La-La retorted as he watched the curvaceous brunette saunter away, "…everybody been there. Hell, Big John's been there…"

"I'm slappin' it! Take these, baby. Peaches and cream", Arlene was next to leave, cupping her own breasts as she continued the friendly but rather dirty teasing game.

"I'll give you a little cocoa, lil' cocoa", Laf retorted, watching the red head walk away too before turning his gaze back on Sookie: the blonde looked clearly flustered, if the blush spreading on her cheeks was any indication. "Them bitches could do with some cocoa between their legs…ain't that right, Sook?"

Eyes widening and her blush spreading, Sookie muttered something incomprehensible before quickly fleeing to the relative safety of the bar floor to the sound of Lafayette's laughter.

While Tara – who'd gotten to Merlotte's shortly after Sookie escaped Lafayette's clutches – sat at the bar, nursing a large margarita, the blonde waitress could be seen flitting about the premises, busying herself with collecting used dinner plates and long since empty beer jugs and when her arms where finally full, she quickly made her way over to the bar proper where she proceeded to drop off her load.

"My life sucks", Tara complained to her friend as soon as she approached the bar.

"Oh, Tara, don't you be feelin' sorry for yourself. That's just lazy."

"Well, why can't I keep a job then?", the dark skinned girl whined with a pout forming on her lips.

"Maybe, that's 'cause you can't seem to keep your mouth shut..?", Sookie retorted.

"Bitch, who asked you?", Tara groused with attitude before winking at her friend. Sookie chuckled and Tara joined her, the two girls just enjoying the moment while it lasted.

"Jesus, she's so pretty when she's laughin' just like that. Man, I wish she'd just go out with me…", Sookie groaned as the familiar thoughts of her boss – Sam Merlotte – assaulted her mind. It wasn't completely hiss fault though; mind reading isn't exactly common – as far as she knew – and so everyone's entitled to their thoughts but it was getting late and she was tired and distracted…it just…slipped through, to her eternal annoyance – she just didn't feel the same for him. Plus, he'd had countless chances to make a move and he'd never done anything about his little crush, choosing to instead continue mooning over her from distance and while at first the blonde was flattered and entertained an occasional 'what if?', that ship has long since sailed for her and most days, she found herself wishing Sam would just move on already…

Sighing wearily, she quickly turned away from the bar – before he could find some silly reason to approach her – and scanned the now half-empty premises; the evening rush was done and over with, only a few tables in her section remaining occupied still – such as one of the window booths, where the Rattray's were parked, nursing their third jug of Bud…

Lip curling with anger and disgust as she glared daggers at the foul-mouthed couple, she failed to notice as the bar's door opened and in stepped a pale, slightly disheveled looking man with dark hair and eyes that seemed even darker, ensconced in shadows as he was.

The immovable void of silence that his un-dead mind was seemed to finally reach the blonde girl as she quite suddenly and forcefully ripped her gaze away from the pair she'd been glowering at so intently, only to meet the deep, dark and penetrating gaze of the stranger before her; a gasp fell from her full lips as she took him in – from his wind-swept dark brown hair, to his somewhat cold gaze that seemed to be glued to her for some reason, to his pale skin and…and that not quite natural, almost ethereal glow about him that no one else seemed to be able to see…

It was that thought that brought her to the quite sudden realization: he was no ordinary man, oh no…he couldn't possibly be human at all, which could only meaN one thing…

"Vampire…", she whispered under her breath and then she smiled.

A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Edited 22/12/2023 and this is OFFICIALLY the last original chapter! After this, it'll be new content only.

To guest reviewer: your words for chapter 3 have damn near melted me into a puddle of goo, lol. Thank you :)

Merry Christmas and a very happy and prosperous New Year 2024 to you all. I'll be back with a new chapter for you in January ;)