24

It's Okay Now

I hope that everyone has had a great weekend! I want to thank y'all for the great reviews, for reading, alerting, and making this story one of your favorites. I especially want to thank y'all for making me a favorite. I truly appreciate each of you. Well, here's the next chapter. There is no Eric here but he's coming soon.

The characters belong to Charlaine Harris but the story idea is mine. Enjoy, my friends!

Jake and I left a tightly wrapped Dawn with the colonel. He had us put her in a room that was a lot scarier than the basement of Fangtasia. I say that because the room looks like the most comforting room you could ever go into. I would even think about taking a nap in this room. The lighting is bright. The walls are painted bright yellow and white. There are couches scattered throughout. There are TVs and a pool table. There are even video games hooked up to the TVs. There is a wall unit that holds hundreds of movies. There are vending and drink machines. It looks quite inviting until you make your way to the back. There are these chairs that surround a circle … these big, black, wingback chairs ... eight of them. They look very comfortable. Almost as comfortable as the couches.

But then you see the chair that's in the center of the circle.

There are no torture devices or anything like that. There's just a chair. The fact that the chair is sitting in the circle all alone is what's scary. The entire time we were in that room, I wondered what happens when someone sits in that chair. I shuddered at the very thought because I knew that later tonight, I was going to find out what happens to the person that sits in that chair. I began to wonder if I wanted to know. I think that I'd rather be oblivious.

"Whatever you're thinking," Jake said as he leaned down and whispered in my ear. "It's worse than that."

I swallowed my tongue and whatever else was in my mouth.

"Sookie," he said.

"Yeah?"

"Don't be afraid," he said.

"I won't be," I assured him.

"And, hey." He began to run his hand through his hair. "Your secret's safe with me, okay? I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks, Jake."

As he nodded, he said, "I get why Eric didn't tell anyone. You're in the supe world now. You need to keep your secrets secret." He looked down at me. "Do a lot of people know what you can do?"

All of Bon Temps.

"Yeah," I answered.

He nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been able to do that thing you do." He tapped the side of his head for emphasis.

"Since birth," I answered.

"Wow," he said. "That had to be hard on you."

"At times, it was," I admitted. "But my grandpa helped me learn to control it. When I was younger, I would blurt out what people were thinking. Mainly because it took a while for me to realize that I was reading thoughts and not hearing spoken conversations. As I said, grandpa was my godsend. If I didn't have him, I don't know what my life would be like."

"I can only imagine." He shrugged his shoulders. "Either way, I won't tell."

"Thanks, Elf."

Jake laughed before he could catch himself. "Let me get you home, Jerk."

Not just yet, I thought. I needed to see Dawn. "Where is she?"

Jake pointed behind him to a room that led to a wall of cages. "There."

Dawn was in a cage that held a cot with a very thin mattress and a very public stainless steel toilet. She looked calm though her mind wasn't. Her thoughts were going a mile a minute. She wished that she'd stayed in the safe room. If she had just kept the cameras that were in the room hooked up, she would have known that Jake and I were in the house. Surprisingly, she believed that she would get out of this and she would know not to make this kind of stupid mistake again. She would not be smarter next time.

I cocked my head to the side as I stared at her. "Do you actually believe that there will be a next time?"

Mimicking my movements, she said, "There will be a next time, Mind Reader."

"Not for you," I said. I thought that I would have felt pity for Dawn but I felt nothing. Speaking to Jake, I said, "Once we get the files on Pam's employees, we need to get her address as well. We can check her house to see what's there."

She chuckled at the suggestion. "Do you think that I gave her my real address, Mind Reader?" She shook her head. "I may be stupid but I'm not that stupid. I am wanderer. I don't live anywhere. There is nothing that you will find on me, Mind Reader. Do you think that my name is Dawn?" She slipped her hand through the bar. "Go ahead," she offered. "See what you can find out."

I saw images of her banging my head against the iron bars of the cage as she laughed. I saw her licking my blood from her lips.

Jake placed his hand on my shoulder.

I looked up at him. "I wasn't going to." This time, I smiled at her. "You may be stupid but I'm not. See ya when Eric rises."

She was still smiling when Jake and I left.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

When Jake took me to get my car from Pam's, I went right home. I wanted to take a quick nap before I had to get back to work tonight but that wasn't in the cards. I had company waiting for me. Trey and Alcide were standing by my apartment door next to a stack of boxes. Trey was smiling as he removed his hat. Alcide smiled broadly as he watched me.

Waving at them as I approached them, I said, "Hi, guys. What's with the boxes? Am I moving again?"

Trey answered back. "Hi, Miss. Stackhouse. Eric told us to bring these boxes here. He said that this was information that was going to be useful to you." He scratched at his head. "It looks as if you're going to be doing a lot of reading for the next few days."

I frowned as I stared at the boxes. "I guess so." I opened the door and went inside. I used a doorstop to hold the door open for them as they lugged the boxes inside. Six huge boxes. Each box was labeled with initials. I had no idea what the initials stood for but I figured I'd find out once I get started.

Standing in the middle of my living room, Trey asked, "Where do you want them?"

Pointing, I said, "You can set them by the couch. I'll get Eric to move them to the back room when he comes over tonight."

Alcide's smile slowly faded from view. "You don't have to wait for Eric to come by. I can help you if you need it. You don't have to bother Eric with that stuff. That's why I'm here." He then looked at Trey and said, "Him too. He doesn't do much of anything anyway."

I could see that Trey was about to use the 'F' word but stopped himself when he saw me looking at him. "Go to hell, Alcide."

I dropped my head and smiled. He may not have said the 'F' word verbally but in his mind, it was loud and clear. "Thanks, Alcide, but you don't have to do that. You're not here to move boxes. Well, not normally." I pointed at Trey and said, "Him either."

Trey laughed. "Thanks for including me."

I patted him on the shoulder. "You'll always be included," I assured him. "Hey, if you're hungry, I have some tuna salad in the fridge. I can make you guys a couple of sandwiches before you go. I have more than enough."

Alcide had opened his mouth to say yes but his partner had other plans. Trey looked at him and shook his head no. "No, thank you, Sookie." He smiled at me in an apologetic way. "We're going to go and let you get to work. The colonel wants us to set up the room for tonight's meeting." He slapped the top of one of the boxes. "You're going to be too busy to worry about making us a tuna sandwich."

Alcide laughed when he heard that. "I'm sure she will be," he agreed. "That's a lot of reading that you're going to have to do by yourself."

I agreed. "I didn't expect any of this. I kind of hope that Eric hires someone to help me go through this stuff."

Trey inhaled deeply. "I doubt that. It's vampire stuff. He's not going to let anyone that's not a vampire or you, read over any of what's in those boxes. Mark my words, Sookie. This job is all yours."

I sighed as I looked at the boxes. "I'm afraid you're right."

"I'd help you," Alcide offered. "I can stay with you until Eric rises and just sit with you. I don't have to read over anything."

Before I could reply, Trey replied for me. "No you won't," he stated. "You can smell him in her just as well as I can. She's off limits to you. Don't cross the line, Alcide. Not again. You remember what happened the last time."

Alcide has made a pass at someone that Eric was seeing? He was awfully brave.

"Yes, sir," Alcide said.

I noticed the look of embarrassment on Alcide's face so I didn't ask what Trey what he meant. I didn't want to make things worse for Alcide. I like him. I patted his arm. "It's okay, Alcide. There are going to many times when we are going to be working together. You're my guard."

He smiled slyly at me. "Thanks, Sookie."

"Sure you guys don't want a sandwich?" I asked again. "I have Lays and Ruffles potato chips. And Pepsi."

Trey laughed. "As tempting as it sounds, we need to get back to the colonel. You have Jake to watch over you while we're away but you have our numbers if you need us."

I raised my phone as I said, "I do."

"Come on, Alcide," Trey said. "Let's leave, Miss. Stackhouse alone."

"Thanks, for bringing the boxes in, guys," I said as I removed the stop from the door.

"Not a problem," Trey said. Once he was out in the hallway, he put his hat back on. "If you need us, you know where we'll be."

It then dawned on me that they are Weres. I needed to ask them about Quinn. "Hey," I said. "I need to ask you guys a question about someone that I met earlier today. I didn't think to mention what happened while I was with Jake."

"Okay," Alcide said as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Have either of you ever heard of Quinn?"

The atmosphere in the room changed entirely. "How did you meet him?" Trey asked as he stepped in closer to me.

"He's a cop at the police station in Bon Temps," I said.

Alcide shook his head no. "Quinn's no cop. If anything, he's a criminal." He then looked at his partner. "This isn't good."

My thoughts instantly went to my dad. I needed let him know.

"It never is," Trey agreed. Staring into my eyes, he said, "Don't ever find yourself in a situation when you're alone with him. Quinn is no good. He can't be trusted. He is not above breaking the law to get what he wants. How he could infiltrate the police station, I don't know but we'll find out. Just stay away from him."

"I will," I promised. "Do you know who would have helped him to get there?"

"My guess is that it was a vampire. He's always worked for vampires because they pay the big bucks but he can be bought by anyone. If the money is good, he's for sale," Alcide said. "Quinn is the worst of the worst. He has no conscience. He feels no guilt. He does things that no one else would ever think of doing."

The very thought terrified me.

"Don't go near him, Sookie," Trey warned me. "You stay away from him. Do you hear me? He's no good. He's dangerous. You stay away from him."

"I will. I give you my word," I said with a smile. "Have a good day, guys. And if you need anything, water or a tuna salad sandwich, let me know. I'll be here."

Trey tipped his hat as he turned away. Alcide eyed me and said nothing as I closed the door. I took my phone from my purse and dialed my dad's number. It rang for what felt like forever. Because he didn't answer, I had to leave him a message. "Hi, daddy. I guess you're still sleeping. This is very important. You need to call me as soon as you get up. I love you. Oh. This is Sookie."

I sighed as I placed my phone on the coffee table. I couldn't do anything about Quinn until my dad called me back. I had no choice but to get to work. That's what I did.

The first thing that I did was go to my room and get my suspect book. I scribbled down the names of John Quinn and Claudine Brigant the Faery Godmother. I didn't trust either one of them; especially not Quinn. I scribbled that he could possibly be one of the people that had taken Pam. He was probably working at the police station to find out what they know and report back to his boss. They need someone on the inside to let them know what's going on. Or he could have been sent there to watch me by none other than William Compton. He told me that he's a king and he can find out many things. It may not have taken him long to find out that my dad's a detective. And if he does a bit more snooping, he's going to find out that I'm a telepath. Most of Bon Temps knows that I'm different but they don't exactly know what I am. Ask the right questions, and he's going to know.

"Dang it," I whispered. "I need to speak to Sam."

So, that's what I did. I called Merlotte's and he answered. "Merlotte's."

"Hey, Sam. It's Sookie."

"How's it going, Sook?"

"Good," I answered. "Are you busy?"

"Yeah," he said. "You know how it is on Thursdays. What's up?"

"I need to talk to you."

He was soon whispering. "Are you okay?"

"I am," I assured him. "I just have to talk to you."

"Come by in a couple of hours," he said. "I'll be waiting for you. Whatever you need, you know that I'll help you."

"Thanks, Sam."

So much for taking that nap.

After getting that done and out of the way, I went back to my notebook. I wrote a few things about Claudine but decided to save that for grandpa. He would be able to give me a little more insight to what her story is and why Niall would have her watching over me.

After scribbling a bit more in my notebook, I made myself a tuna salad sandwich and a glass of iced tea and went into my living room. I opened the first box and took a file from it. It was thicker than I could have ever imagined. The name on the file read 'William Compton'. Eric had gotten information on the so-called king of Louisiana. He must have seen my suspect list after putting me to be last night. I guessed that the other boxes had info pertaining to the other possible suspects as well as the victims of the massacre at Pam's house. I was excited to read everything I could about the people that were in our sights but come on. It was a lot to read; especially to have read alone but it was going to be worth it.

I stared at the boxes in disbelief. I couldn't imagine what could possibly be in those boxes. Talking out loud to myself, I said. "What kind of information did Eric have that required six heavy boxes? Did he expect me to read over all this stuff by myself? Couldn't he at least have sent someone over to help me read through most of it?"

There was knock at my door.

I smiled. "You were wrong, Trey. Maybe he did send someone over to help me read what's in the boxes." I did a little jig after I jumped up from the couch and went to the door. When I opened it, I expected to see Jake or maybe a human that Eric trusted enough to help me read over the information. I was in for a huge surprise.

"Mom," I said.

She stared at me as she straightened her posture and tucked her purse securely under her arm. "Sookie," she said. "Your brother told me that you had your own place. I wanted to come by and see if there was anything that you needed."

I shook my head no. "I don't need anything."

We stared at each other … not knowing what to say. At least, I didn't know what to say.

Clearing her throat, she said, "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

I stepped to the side and said okay. "You can have a seat in one of the chairs if you'd like. The boxes are in the way and there's only enough for me to sit on the couch." I hurriedly said, "I can make room."

"No," she replied. "I can sit in the chair." She came inside as I closed the door behind her. She looked around the apartment but said nothing. She made her way to the chair and sat down. She still didn't say anything.

"So," I said. "How have you been?"

"Fine."

Short answers. Cold and hard posture. That's nothing new when it comes to my mom when she's dealing with me. I wanted to read her but I didn't do that. I'd vowed to never read my mom's mind again. I've heard hurtful things before from the customers at Merlotte's and the kids in school but they don't compare to what I've heard in my mom's mind. "Why are you here, mom?"

She settled deeper into the chair before speaking. Her eyes were still looking over the things in my apartment. "Jason told me how well you are doing and I just wanted to see for myself. He was right. You appear to be doing very well." She stroked the arm of the chair. She eyed the big TV that hung on the wall. She looked at the couch that I was sitting on. "Your things seem to be of high quality but there's not much here." She shook her head and said, 'No. You don't seem to have a lot things. Your apartment is quite basic. Like you."

"I don't need a lot of things." And yes. I ignored the insult.

Finally looking at me, she said, "You never did."

Okay.

"He said that your dad has your address. Your dad and your grandparents."

"They do."

"I didn't have your address."

"You didn't."

"Why?"

"You know why," I answered.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I've heard of your meetings with your dad. I know that you see him on Fridays. I heard that you two normally meet at Merlotte's. I know this because of the town gossips. I also know this because when he comes home from seeing you, he's very happy. He speaks of you the entire time. I just wanted to let you know that I know. It's okay."

"He's my dad."

She smiled at me and said, "There's no denying that. What I mean is that I haven't stopped him from seeing you because I know how much he needs your skills. If he didn't need you, I would cut this relationship off without a thought to the consequences."

I think she expected me to cry because the young Sookie would have. I would have let her say whatever she wants to say to me and let it go. I would just chalk it up to her being afraid of what I am and what I can do. I would have forgiven her and never mentioned what's happened to her again. We would never talk about how she treats me or how jealous she is of the relationship that I have with my dad. I would have smiled her insults away. That's what I would normally do.

Not today.

Instead of crying, I sat cross legged on my couch and looked down at my hands before speaking. I stared up at her and said, "I feel sorry for you, mom."

"You feel sorry for me?" she asked. "And why is that? There is no reason for you to feel sorry for me. I don't need your pity." She looked disgusted at the very idea.

"But you do," I assured her. "I don't know why but you're threatened by me when it comes to dad and I don't understand it. Is it because we're close? Do you feel that I'm taking him away from you? Am I infringing on your time with him?"

She laughed outright. "I have no reason at all to feel threatened by you. I am his wife. You are just his daughter. You are nothing more than his daughter."

"Mom, since I was a little girl, you've always hated me." I sighed.

Her mouth feel open from surprise. "I have never hated you. I have always …"

"Hated me," I finished. "I know, mom."

She closed her mouth when she realized how I know.

"Why?"

She didn't say a word.

"When I was a little girl, I used to want you to notice me the way you would notice Jason." I stared at her as I shared a memory with her. "This one night, you were supposed to read Goodnight, Moon to us but you told me that you didn't feel like reading it. You said that you were tired from cooking and cleaning all day." Tears trickled down my face. "Do you remember that night?"

When she looked down at her hands, I knew that she did. I remember the argument that she and dad had after he'd realized what she'd done.

I continued. "You said that you would read it to us the next night. You sent us to bed. You patted me on the head but you kissed Jason's cheek. You patted my head." I wiped the tears from my face. "I'd gone to bed like you said. I always did what you told me to. I did my best to stay in your good graces even though it never did me much good." I chuckled as I shook my head. "I was a kid. I didn't know that it wouldn't have made a difference."

Her cold blue eyes stared into mine.

"Anyway, I woke up a little later to go to the bathroom and I could hear you talking. You were sitting on Jason's bed and you were reading him Goodnight, Moon. I stood at the door and watched you. You turned and looked at me and you smiled. I thought that you were going to tell me that you were no longer tired and you'd decided to read the story after all. I thought that you were going to tell me to come in and listen to the story but you didn't do that, did you?"

My mom's face hardened.

"You told me to go back to bed," I reminded her. "You didn't want me in there. I cried as I walked back to my bedroom. Dad came home a few minutes later and he heard me crying. He also heard you reading the story to Jason and he knew what was wrong with me. He came into my room and hugged me to him. He told me that it was okay. He said, 'I love you, Sunshine. Daddy will always you.'. In that house, daddy was my only comfort. You know that," I said to her. After wiping the last of the tears from my face, I eyed my mom.

My mom tossed her hair back as she sat impossibly straighter in her seat. "You were too needy … clingy. I had to try and break you from that. I didn't want you to be weak." She turned her nose up at me. "I see that I failed in what I was trying to do."

My eyes widened in surprise. I couldn't believe her arrogance. I could see that I needed to explain things to her in a more detailed way. "Do you think that these tears are a sign of weakness? Do you think that these tears are for you? Because I want a relationship with you?" I began to shake my head no as I chuckled. "No. That's not it all. It's seems that you don't realize that I don't need you or your approval. I'm not that little girl anymore. I'm crying because it took you putting me out for me to see that I'll never be a priority to you. I stayed with Gran and grandpa for a couple of months and not once did you call me. You didn't come by to see me. You didn't care to know how I was doing or feeling. I'm mad at myself for expecting anything of you. Those tears were for me. I haven't cried over you since that night. I was five years old. That was over twenty years ago. I don't cry for you. Not anymore."

For a brief second, I saw something in her eyes. "Your dad stood with me when I put you out. Shouldn't you be saying these same things to him?"

I shook my head no. "Dad has to live with you," I said. "You are his wife and he loves you. I don't know why but he does. I can only imagine the grief you would have given him if he'd stood up to you. You gave him hell when he'd try to defend me when I was child. Dad has always been passive when it comes you. He's always tried to be a peaceable man. So, no. I shouldn't say this to my dad. This was for you."

She said nothing.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "It feels good to tell you that." I opened my eyes and looked at her. "I don't need you in my life. I've never had you in my life and because of it, I realize that I am much happier. It's okay now. I'm okay now."

A knowing grin appeared on her face. "Are you saying that you hate me?" She laughed. "I can't believe that Sweet Sookie hates anyone."

I chuckled at her words. "Mom," I began. "I'm not you. I don't hate you. Did you hear any of what I said to you? I love you because you're my mom but I don't need you in my life. You've taught me that I don't need you. I don't want you in my life. I'm at peace with the way things are with us. I prefer that our relationship stays where it is." I stood up from the couch and walked towards the door. I pulled it open and waited. I held the door open. "You may not believe this but I'm glad that you came by. It was nice seeing you but you need to go. Goodbye, mom."

She got up from the chair and walked past me and out the door. With her back to me, she said, "Regardless of your feelings for me, I won't stop your dad from seeing you. I know that he needs you and you …"

Cutting her off, I said, "I've seen dad every Friday since you put me out and he hasn't once asked me for help. Don't think that you can hurt me by saying that he's seeing me because he's using me. It won't work this time. I hope that you find happiness in your life, mom. You need it."

She turned to look at me just as I closed the door.

I locked and chained my door before going back to my work. And you know what? I haven't felt this good in a very long time. It felt good. It felt right.

Flopping down on the couch as I picked up a file, I said, "Okay, Eric. I'm all yours."