Sookie couldn't help but think Hallow should have taken Mark's advice and moved. The building had been purchased by Eric through one of his many subsidiaries. A few months ago, he had it rigged with explosives. Hallow's assertions that their wards would protect them from intruders were sadly not true. Eric wasn't risking any in his retinue, nor was Sookie, but it still bothered her.
"You are not comfortable with this, are you?" Eric asked.
"No, it feels a little underhanded," Sookie whispered. "Yes, so is their plan to get innocent weres involved in kidnapping gran, Jason, and vampires to get Eric and me to heel?" She added.
"Those vampires would have been drained before we got the chance to rescue them," Mael added.
"Even if they decided to leave quietly, we can't allow that, and you know it. I would rather this, than hear a few weeks down the line that they are responsible for lord knows how many deaths. I do not need the what-ifs plaguing me when I lay my head on a pillow. I love my sleep too much." Tomáš finished sniper rifle at the ready. Aisha, Bakare, and Patrick also had their sniper rifles aimed at the building.
Even if Hallow and her coven decided to leave, they couldn't allow that; Mael had it right. She didn't need what Hallow could do in the future on her conscience. She could live with killing them by blowing the building up. "So I do come to think of it. I don't get enough sleep as it is," Sookie mumbled.
"Can I blow this bitch up now?" Pam snarked.
"Have at it." The idea of Hallow and her coven leaving Shreveport alive and killing even one more person was not something she was willing to entertain. She would never be comfortable with taking any life, but sometimes the choice is taken away from you.
She jumped; despite the earplugs, the noise was deafening. It took a long while for the dust to settle. Unfortunately, the settling dust revealed a still alive Hallow, who stood amid the rubble, snarling at the sight of them. A noise behind her revealed another alive underneath the rubble, but Hallow couldn't care less, she growled, shifting. She never got the chance to complete her shift; a silver bullet to the head put paid to that.
Sookie collapsed on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. She could murder a gin and tonic right then. "I should get a bar." She grumbled just as a knock on her door had her jumping in fright. "Come in, Pam." She muttered after recognizing the brain signature.
"Not on clean-up duty, then?" Sookie sat up with a groan. Her back was becoming a real problem.
"Eric told me to fuck off when I started complaining about my shoes. He can be rather predictable when it comes to certain things." Pam drawled.
"I'm trying to think if I find him predictable in any way. Then again, I haven't known him as long as you have." Sookie mumbled. "Would you like a drink?" Pam's eyes lit up. "I think we have some true blood…" Sookie burst out laughing at the look on Pam's face. "Oh god, you should have seen the look on your face." Pam pushed her over.
"That was needlessly cruel," Pam grumbled, arms crossed over her chest, while Sookie couldn't stop laughing.
"Come on, I was serious about the drink. I just couldn't help myself." Sookie kicked her boots off and grabbed her fluffy slip-on from her private bathroom.
"That's one fancy bathroom. You and Eric certainly have that in common."
"Some of the best times amid nightmares was Eric's bathroom. That vampire had me desperate for his fancy shower and sex. I wasn't keen on the idea of sex until I started dreaming of sex with him. Honestly, nothing worse than waking up at three in the morning, barely able to catch your breath, wet beyond reason, and just pissed off." Sookie ranted. Pam bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"How far down does this place go?" Pam asked as they descended the stairs.
"Just two floors down. Mostly light-tight rooms, safe rooms, and detention suits. We are very nice around here." Sookie cooed.
"Oh, I'm sure you are." Pam chortled.
"There is supposed to be a storage room around here somewhere," Sookie whispered. "Ahh, here we are." Luckily, the security doors were not locked because she had no clue what the code was. She grabbed the bottle of blood and gave it to Pam.
"Where do you even get the blood from?" She asked as she eyed the bottle greedily.
"I'm afraid I am not allowed to disclose the source, at least not yet. It should be out in the market soon if they get approval, which I'm struggling to see how they will. This is human blood; I don't see many governments approving it. It was what I was given as payment for a job I did. He was just getting started and couldn't really afford my fees. So he paid me in blood. I've got a few hundred cases, a few dozen mixed with Fairy blood. It makes great gifts. This is Jesus' little project; according to him, he's perfecting it." Sookie rolled her eyes at his constant experimenting.
"I am more than willing to be his guinea pig," Pam interjected.
"I'm afraid Mael and Zoe already beat you to it, and nothing will have them vacating that position," Pam grunted in annoyance at the news.
"For the first few weeks, I believed they were nightmares and nothing more. After all, a world with vampires, were creatures, and Fairies could not be real. Then, the revelation about Fintan happened, and I asked. I truly expected gran to ask who Fintan was.
We didn't speak for four years; it was easy to do when I was never home. For a long time, I felt her decision was callous. She watched me suffer for so long when she knew help was out there. She could have gotten me that help without revealing the truth." Sookie's voice was barely above a whisper. "It took me a while, but in the end, I realized it was fear. She'd lost so much already and was afraid the truth would cost her more. It took the A.P's intervention to help me see that." Sookie admitted.
"You two are okay now?" Pam asked
"Yes, we are great; if anything, we are all much closer… all three of us." Her smile was radiant.
"What of your grandfather?" Pam asked.
"From my nightmares, I know he decided to keep us at a distance and instructed Niall to do the same. When I contacted Niall, I effectively rendered that edict null. I know he visited soon after Niall first did. I have no idea what happened between him and gran, but he's never stepped foot on this realm again." Sookie uttered, her voice almost devoid of emotion.
"But you can guess?" Pam gleaned from the telepath's mood.
"Fintan fell in love with gran, and gran used him to have the one thing her husband couldn't give her, children. I think he hoped he could fill some void in our lives after Earl Stackhouse died."
"But with her determination to keep her secret, that wasn't possible." Pam speculated.
"No, it wasn't. I believe Fintan turned up with the belief that now that the secret was out in the open, he could have some semblance of what he'd wanted all these years. I might be wrong." Sookie shrugged.
"Do you think she turned him away because of your anger or because so much of the suffering your family endured could have been prevented?" Sookie stared at Pam, awestruck.
"Both." Sookie groused. "My mother was obsessed with my father to the detriment of ignoring her children. She was all about my father. Of course, knowing what I know about Fairies, it all makes sense now. Even worse when it came to me, but I doubt many would have acted differently knowing their child could read their every thought. Gran's acceptance of me and belief in me always amazed me, and then I found out why. She knew exactly why I was the way I was. While my parents were in the dark. Despite all their faults, I would rather have them and Aunt Linda still here with us. Who knows if Bartlett Hale would ever have had a chance to lay a finger on anyone if he had just kept an eye on his family, even from a distance." Sookie sighed.
"Secrets are the bane of every relationship; in the end, it's not the secret that causes damage. It was the keeping of it." Pam murmured.
"Very apt," Sookie said.
"I can't take credit. It is one of Abby's, of the famed "Dear Abby many pearls of wisdom." Sookie nodded with a grin. She had forgotten about Pam's obsession with "Dear Abby".
"Has anyone requested your services for Rhodes?" She was hoping Sookie would go with them.
"Rhodes will be postponed several times, it will take place in September." Frankly, that was better for Sookie. She certainly had more time to deal with the Fellowship.
"Yes, Eric told me what you revealed about Rhodes," Pam murmured. Were it not for Sookie, it was unlikely any of them would have survived Rhodes.
"The A.P requested my presence, so yes, I will be there. I have a few things to deal with as it is. At least, this time, no one from our end is in trouble." Sookie muttered, relieved.
"Yes, Eric mentioned the plan regarding Oklahoma." Pam placed her glass on the ground next to her feet. The two hadn't ventured out of the storage room. They both settled down against the wall. Pam, this time, was slowly sipping her blood. "Will it work?" She asked.
"If Jennifer Carter does as I expect her to do, then I see no reason why it shouldn't. Without my help, Oklahoma will meet the true death. Sophie Anne and Russell will likely be offered the two states. Either way, Alexei will meet the true death, but Appius becomes a problem." Sookie murmured.
"I do not see how Freyda will not seek your assistance," Pam said with conviction.
"I don't either," Sookie admitted.
"I still don't see how it solves the Appius problem," Pam murmured.
"If I'm right about Freyda, she will kill Appius." Pam looked at Sookie in disbelief, and then she seemed to get it.
"If you are thinking, what I'm thinking…"
"I am." Sookie chuckled.
"You know, a small part, and I mean a minuscule part of me, feels sorry for her." The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"Thank you. Eric has been desperately thinking of a deal with Oklahoma. Then you two start talking, and now a solid plan is in place." Pam's relief was palpable.
"I did nothing. I just gave Eric a small piece of information that helped. It was rather impressive how quickly he formulated that plan." Sookie praised.
What are you two doing hiding down here?" Eric looked thoroughly pleased himself as both damn near got to their feet with how high they jumped.
"You did that on purpose." Pam glared at him.
"Of course I did," Eric admitted gleefully. "You two should have seen how high you jumped." He chortled.
"And now my back is killing me." Sookie grimaced in pain as she tried to stand.
"When did that start?" Pam asked, concerned.
"Chicago, trying to negotiate with a vampire to release his human captive. Things escalated, and I was thrown against an old cast-iron furnace." She groaned. It was time to consider seeing a masseuse. She recalled Jason dated one for a while; she was outstanding, according to customer reviews.
"Can I have a bottle?" Eric asked as Sookie hobbled out of the room. "No, and you can fly me to gran's." He knew better than to argue.
"I spoke to Salome, and the girl is now free of Mickey. I made it clear that crossing you was not in her best interest if Mickey had any more interactions with the girl." Eric landed softly just beyond the porch.
"Thank you. I wasn't sure how Tara would react if I personally intervened. Tara is not very happy with me, not that I blame her. I know how successful she will become with Tara's Togs; it will be a good investment." Sookie winced, just climbing the stairs.
"You know I spent the better part of a decade mastering my skill as a masseuse, that and my blood, and you should be right as rain." Eric implored.
"I have had your blood twice since then, and the pain only seems to be getting worse," Sookie grumbled.
"Hence the offer for the massage." Eric retorted.
"Okay." Sookie acquiesced; she didn't have much to lose after all; she had planned on getting a massage.
Eric wasn't kidding when he said he'd spent a decade mastering his skills. He spent the better part of an hour on her before giving her blood and, to her disappointment, leaving her to sleep.
Unfortunately for him, his night wasn't over. "How is she?" Pam asked, he wasn't surprised to still find her out there.
"Good, we will have a better idea tomorrow." His car was parked outside Sookie's new offices. The place still didn't have a name. He noted her business didn't have a name either, not one widely used. Her card was a simple purple with black highlights and a number.
"How many more were still breathing?" Pam asked.
"Nearly all of them. Their position meant only the roof caved in on them. Luckily, there was enough material to knock most of them out. Chow and Clancy are disposing of them; the alligators should be well-fed tonight." He paused at the sight of Camille, Trey, and Porter, who were lions. Both Porter and Trey looked thoroughly amused, staring between Eric and Camille.
"Hello, sheriff." She greeted him as though the last time they met, she hadn't intended to turn him into the latest in a long line of unwilling V suppliers.
"Camille." He growled, getting into his Corvette. Pam stared at the woman in question for a beat too long. "Pamela." He bellowed. "Get in before I leave behind." She wouldn't mind getting left behind if she was honest with herself. The wink the siren threw her didn't help matters either.
"So… that's Camille," Pam muttered with a nonchalance neither was buying. "I can see why you ignored your every instinct. Hell, her gift doesn't work on me, and it's taking everything in me to stay in the car." She looked behind her, even though there was nothing to see.
"I will be more than happy to kick you out if you wish," Eric grumbled as he sped towards Shreveport. "Now, give me the rest of that bottle, or I will kick you out." Eric threatened.
"I am more than prepared to jump out," Pam said, the bottle securely braced to her side.
Eric glared at her for a long while; with a growl, his eyes moved back to the road. "Wait until the next Dolce and Gabbana collection comes out." He grumbled.