"I am sorry about what happened to you," Trey muttered, kneeling next to the restrained body of Sweetie Des Arts. Who glared back without a word. "Under the circumstances, we can't hand you over to the police. I am truly sorry." Terry stepped aside. Bakari delivered a bullet to the head, a quick and painless death. It was more than she deserved as far as some of the weres and shifters were concerned. They agreed to it for Sookie's sake.
"I will take it from here," Chow muttered, hurling the body onto his shoulder. Another body for the alligators.
Sam watched all this unfold from his perch in the trees, feeling increasingly angry at the turn of events. He knew his day was going to take a turn for the worse the second Trey showed up at this trailer the previous night. Sweetie Des Arts had killed 22 weres and injured 41, she could not be allowed to live, and Sam understood that. Unfortunately, it also meant he didn't have a cook. He would ask Terry, but the vets' cleaning company was doing rather well and couldn't spare the time. It was precisely the answer he'd expected when he asked.
"What! You got nothing at all?" Jason was sourly regretting turning Sookie down for lunch.
"We got no cook. Sweetie never turned up for her shift. Sam's been trying to call her all morning, and she ain't answered not one time." Not that she'd admit it but Arlene was rather pleased by the lack of a cook. Serving drinks would be just fine as far as she was concerned.
"Aight, a pitcher then." He sat back, annoyed with himself.
"I'm sure we could find some place to grab lunch later." Hoyt offered. He knew Jason well and knew he was not pleased by the turn of events. "Don't particularly feel like drinking on an empty stomach and all." Jason would take Hoyt to Sookie's office for a bite if he could. Laff always had something going on. But Sookie had made it clear no locals were allowed anywhere near the building. None of them had any idea what went on there, and Sookie wanted to keep it that way.
"I went to your sister for a job, turned me down." Arlene's tone of voice had Jason sitting up.
"What did you go in for?" He asked kindly.
"Whatever she got Holly doing," Arlene grumbled.
"You wanted her to sack Holly and hire you." Hoyt could not hide his disgust. "She got kids as well, Arlene."
"No, nothing like that; wanted a job as well." She clarified.
"Not even Sook is as good with computers as Holly is." And there was the fact that Holly could do all that magic stuff.
"Yeah, she told me," Arlene admitted reluctantly.
"Take classes, Holly did," Jason said with a shrug, effectively ending the conversation.
"That's not a bad idea," Arlene murmured as she walked away.
Sam had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing. Even if Arlene turned out to be Bill Gates with computers, Sookie Stackhouse would never hire her. Her intolerance for anything not human, made her persona non grata, and by the amused look on Jason's face, he knew it too. He had no fear of losing Arlene to Sookie. With the exception of the supe in the area and her family, no one in Bon Temps truly knew who Sookie Stackhouse was. Hell, it had taken several clues and conversations for him to piece together that Susannah Brigant was Sookie Stackhouse. As it turned out, the Stackhouses weren't Stackhouses, but Brigant, Fairies. He finally understood Jason's appeal to the women folk. Dawn was still smarting from Jason, giving her a wide berth. She was his go-to for a good long while, then all of a sudden, he went cold on her with no explanation.
If the rumors about his sister were true, Jason knew something about Dawn's future that had him staying well clear of her. He'd been tempted to ask but never did. He knew why, though; he'd listened in on a call to his sister and learned the truth.
Sookie Stackhouse had never stepped foot in his bar, and he wondered why. That, he was curious about and had asked. Jason had shrugged and said the locals had never been nice to his sister; worse, she had put up with it. Sam hadn't understood it, and he wasn't sure the conclusions he was coming to were correct either. He couldn't help but feel it had something to do with him and not just the locals. None of them mentioned her telepathy or ability to see the future. If they still remembered her abilities, they didn't talk about it. No one really knew Sookie Stackhouse, and that was by design.
He knew his day would only worsen when Patrick Furman entered his bar.
"I already said no the first time two times you asked." Sookie lifted her head from her laptop to stare at her cousin.
"Come on, you helped me in the would-be alternate timeline, also known as your nightmares," Claude argued.
"I did. That was when I wasn't running a company and making sure my nightmares did not become a reality. Sorry Claude, but I am not posing with you for you to use in a competition." He sighed in defeat. "Have you considered asking Camille?" Sookie asked, getting back to her work.
"Would that not be unfair?" He asked seriously.
Sookie stared, waiting for the punchline to what must surely be a joke. "It seems I need to remind you of the fact that you are not human. You are a Fairy. If my father and Jason are anything to go by, Camille isn't what makes your entry unfair. Ask her." Sookie dismissed him. She was desperate to get done before noon, she had a date with the sun. For the last few weeks, she had been feeling increasingly lethargic and clearly needed to spend more time outside. She had taken to working on the balcony, which was evidently insufficient. She needed to take in a lot of sunlight before Rhodes.
She looked around one last time to ensure she had everything when the knock came. "Come in." She grumbled, bag over her shoulder, keys and phone in hand. "Whatever it is, it can wait." She said pointedly, just as Barry opened his mouth to speak.
"Hear me out, at least until you get home. I can walk with you." He bargained.
"I can do that."
"So, I wanted to change my vacation days. I checked with Justin and Camille, and it wouldn't clash with any of theirs." Due to their limited number and large number of clients, she couldn't afford two telepaths away simultaneously.
"Sure, when?"
"First two weeks in September, I will be back a week before Rhodes. An old friend from Dallas is coming down and I want to take her to New Orleans." Sookie knew the lady in question, the only person outside of Barry's family who knew of his telepathy.
Unfortunately, the first two weeks of September in New Orleans is the aftermath of one major disaster she could do nothing about. Hurricane Katrina. "I wouldn't recommend it," Sookie said with a look they'd all come to know. She'd had the same look when telling Holly to keep Cody out of school. Holly, who'd known Sookie a short time, hadn't questioned it, and neither would he.
"Take her to London; you have enough frequent flyer miles, money, and free accommodations." Barry smiled at her suggestion as he walked back to the office.
Sookie's attempt to get through Robert Ludlum's original Bourne trilogy proved difficult. Between work and Eric, it had taken her a hell of a lot longer than it usually would to get through a book. Eric had gotten through it in one night while he waited for her to finish her job in Monaco. Thankfully, that job had taken mere hours, the embezzler in question thoughts had been loud enough to reach her before they even got out of their SUV. He'd folded like a piece of origami paper when confronted with evidence found in his room. Why he'd left it on his laptop was anyone's guess. As Terry said, he simply wasn't a thief, just a man caught in a series of unfortunate circumstances, though of his own making.
Monaco had been wonderful, she and Eric had completed the bond. They talked about having a pledging ceremony, which they had to time to perfection. That would happen after Alexei and Appius' demise. Until then, their relationship would have to stay a secret. The A.P had sent one of her handmaidens to tell them it was imperative they did not reveal their bond until then. Their pledging ceremony was to be a grand affair, with the creme de la creme of the supe world invited. Neither she nor Eric liked the idea, but they both understood why. It didn't change the fact that they loathed the very thought of it. The news hadn't diminished their time together or their enjoyment of it.
It was a week of revelations, the most prominent. Sookie did not know Eric, despite the nightmares, the Eric that Sookie would have known was a far cry from the vampire she now knew. It was obvious why. This Eric trusted her, simply because she trusted him too. With that trust came an openness that she hadn't witnessed in her nightmares. This Eric revelled in his bonded trusting him, and working with him to secure their future. Sookie wasn't doing all she was just for Eric, her future and happiness depended on it too. Her future was with Eric, and to have that, the likes of Appius, Freyda, de Castro, and their cohorts needed to be firmly put their place. For some, that meant the true death.
She abandoned her book and opted for a few hours of shut-eye in the sun. She wanted to spend a night very much energized and alert when Eric dropped by.
She was throwing on a bathrobe when Eric landed in her backyard. "I can smell the sun on your skin from quite a distance." His nose trailed along her neck the second she was in his arms. "Fingers deftly untied her bathrobe with a finesse expected of a thousand-year-old Viking. His hand snaked around her back and pulled her closer, not that there was as much space between them to begin with.
"Let's try and keep it PG. Gran is in the kitchen." Sookie stepped back and giggled at his disgruntled look. "Later, Viking." She bent down to grab her book, only to earn a pinch to her cheek. "Hey." She shot back up, glaring at him. He chuckled in return, especially hearing Adele laughing in the kitchen.
Sookie wasn't surprised in the least to see Jason stuffing his face. On the other hand, Pam sitting at the kitchen table with glass of blood, did come as a surprise. "Pam, I'm going to start charging you for the blood." Sookie grabbed a plate from Adele, joining the two at the table. Eric grabbed a glass and poured himself some blood, much to Pam's displeasure.
"Do you know how much groveling I had to do before Jesus gave me a bottle?" She growled.
"A bottle he had no right giving," Sookie grumbled.
"Sookie, you have enough blood to feed an army. Pam, drinking a bottle here and there ain't going to make a difference to your stock." Adele cut in.
"Gran, this is precious stuff. It's not as though there is an unlimited supply." Her grumbling fell on deaf ears.
"Well..." Jason slaps his elbow joint teasingly.
" I stand corrected. There is Jason Stackhouse." Sookie took a bite of her chicken, glaring daggers at him.
"A Korean company just started distributing real filtered blood in a bottle with a long self life. Unfortunately, there is no date for the Americas." Eric gleefully emptied the bottle when Pam moved to grab her purse from the living room.
"Oh, you..."
" Not in this house," Adele warned, cutting off whatever choice words Pam had for Eric. Sookie burst out laughing and couldn't stop for several minutes. She'd managed it but then a glance at Pam's rather proud look and start again.
"I sometimes forget you can hear vampires." Pam was now nursing the blood left in her glass.
"Are you planning on selling your blood?" Eric asked as a thought occurred to him.
"Something like that." He was surprised she even offered that. "We are going to need the money." She mumbled he didn't need the bond to know her mood had plummeted.
"We might be able to help." Pam offered.
"No one can. Even if by some miracle you could, I am not allowed to interfere." The room descended into a quiet. It wasn't uncomfortable; it was worse.
"Hey Sook, Sam's cook up and quit without a word; you couldn't help, could you?" Thank heavens for Jason's stomach.
"She's dead. She was a serial killer." Jason did not disappoint with his reactions.
"You let me go to Melotte's when a serial killer was cooking. How could you?" He actually looked hurt.
"You weren't a target, you nincompoop. She was killing the two-natured because a bit one bit her."
"Like how I would have become if I'd gone after that Crystal girl," Sookie could tell he was tempted, especially knowing she turned into an animal.
"You go anywhere near her, and you are on your own." Suddenly, his attention was solely on his food. The rest of the table failed miserably at hiding her merriment.
"You'll meet the one meant for you," Adele interjected.
"Yes, he will." Jason head's shot up.
"You've seen her." He asked, looking hopeful.
Sookie smiled." I have, and she's just perfect for you. Your kids are fantastic, and both of them will be telepaths." Neither he nor Adele made any effort to hide their tears.
"This ain't you messing with me, right?" Jason whispered.
"No, of all the jokes to play on you, this isn't one of them." Sookie's earnestness was evident
"Okay," Jason mumbled. "What's her name?"
Nice try." Sookie laughed.
"I don't know if knowing is better or worse," Jason muttered.
Eric stared for a long beat as they stood on the porch, Pam in the car waiting not so patiently. "Strange coming from me, but min karla you need more sun. The scent of the sun usually lasts for hours on your skin. This dissipated in mere minutes after we got indoors." That said it all.
"I'm trying, but… actually, we've got nothing coming up in the next few weeks. We can at least take a week somewhere sunny." She did a quick mind check of her list and had no fires to put out.
No Quinn. No Jason turning to tell her Crystal had lost the baby. No Pelts and Tanya. She'd already told Holly to keep Cody out of school on the appropriate date. No Calvin Norris. No Alcide. Gladiola was alive and well. No trip to New Orleans because Hadley was still alive. The queen didn't marry Threadgill. If things went according to plan, Threadgill would soon meet the true death, and Oklahoma would be the one on trial.
"How about Dubai? August is one of the hottest times of the year?" He asked. "Don't worry, they welcome even the likes of me; I am too wealthy to piss off." Both he and Sookie chuckled.
"Okay, Dubai it is." Sookie cheered. "Come back after you drop Pam off."
"Will do." He left a quick kiss, which was far from a quick kiss until Pam intervened.
"Got just under an hour until the sun rears its ugly head," Eric growled.
"Hey, don't knock my source of power." Sookie's attempt at indignation fell woefully short.
"Well, your source of power is my source…" His words trailed off. "Sookie?" He groaned. Her fear and anguish damn near crippled him. She bolted out of the bedroom, with him seconds behind her. He realized what had happened before she fell to the floor near her grandmother's bed. Adele Stackhouse was dead.
Sookie had seen the fragility, the early nights and the late mornings. The increased difficulty in getting the mundane done. Adele Stackhouse had slowed down considerably in the last few weeks. Despite all that, she did not see this coming. "Can you get me my phone?" It was in her hands in mere seconds. "You have to go, the sun will be up soon." She whispered. She was shutting down, and he could feel it.
"I'm so sorry." He whispered. He wasn't sorry simply because she was her grandmother, a woman she loved. He was sorry because he knew and loved Adele Stackhouse too. "I will see you tonight." He added. He'd never hated the rising of the sun as much as he did then.
Jason hadn't even managed to put on a shirt; it hung loosely in his hand. He took one step, his legs wobbled under him, and he hit the floor. Sookie sat on the edge of the bed, holding the cold, stiff hand of Adele Stackhouse. The little composure Sookie had managed to hold onto shattered when Jason let out a gut-wrenching cry of anguish.