Sookie's bafflement at his request had him shifting uncomfortably. "Okay, why do you want to kill him?" She finally asked after several minutes of silence.
"In your nightmares, when gran was killed. Tell me Compton had nothing to do with it?" The question stumped her.
"Hi, I am Sadie; I will be your waitress for the evening." The interruption gave Sookie time to think.
"I will have a gin and tonic. Make that a double," Sookie mumbled.
"I will have a beer, whatever you have on tap." Jason's eyes remained glued to his sister. "You can't, can you." He groused the second the waitress was out of earshot.
"Jase…" Sookie found herself at a loss for words.
"You had him and let him go. Why?" His voice was barely above a whisper.
"I didn't figure it out until gran died, and even if I had known then, I would not have killed him for something that didn't happen." Sookie could tell nothing she said would change Jason's mind about wanting Compton dead.
"Except he showed up, and were it not for your gift, that is what would have happened." He continued to argue. "He had you beaten to within an inch of your life so he could get his blood in you. He had gran killed. He raped you. The piece of shit does not deserve to continue existing whether it happened or not. How can you not see that." He slammed his fist on the table. "Death is too good for him, he deserves to suffer. I will take what I can get; killing him will suffice."
With those words came a eureka moment. Of course, Compton should suffer, and suffer he will. "What is the worst thing you can imagine happening to someone?" She asked just as the waiter returned with their drinks. "Two of your hundred and thirty dollar steaks, medium rare." She ordered. Considering how long it had taken to get their drinks, she wasn't about to waste time.
"Of course." She never got the chance to hand them the menus.
"You can do better than that." She chuckled at his thoughts. His ideas were juvenile at best. "I would not have killed Compton because the horrors that are about to befall him make killing him merciful. And William Compton gets no mercy from me." In her nightmares, Compton had gone on to create a video game that made him wealthy. That was not going to happen in this reality.
"How bad?" Sookie chuckled at the thoughts running through his head. "You haven't even scratched the surface of the shitstorm that is about to become his existence. And the pièce de résistance, it's self inflicted."
"So he gets himself in trouble?" The gleefully maniac smile on Jason's face had Sookie laughing. "How?" He leaned forward, eager to know.
"That's just it. I'm actually not sure. I know Sophie-Anne had him kicked out of the state. I don't know how it happened, but he got her into trouble, and his actions killed one of the twins. Then he moved to Mississippi or Indiana because I saw both Russell and Bartlett standing over a coffin as he was dug out. They then told him he was not welcome in their states. I only saw him because of other vampires in my orbit, as I was working for them. The last time I saw his future was when he showed up at the farmhouse the night we returned from London. I then saw him hiding in an old closed gulag in Siberia, feeding on rodents. Then, some kids get abducted, and I got a call. IIt didn't matter where he went, trouble seemed to follow. At a point, no monarch wanted him in their state or country. Even I felt sorry for him then." Sookie murmured.
"But not sorry enough to actually help him." Jason gave his sister a stern look.
"Oh, fuck no." Sookie snarled.
"Good." Jason nodded. "That is exactly what he deserves." He added.
"Shame it wasn't Andre that gets killed," Sookie murmured.
"You don't like him, do you?" Jason sat back, taking a sip of his beer.
"No, he's a two-faced piece of shit." She snarled. "I know you don't like Sophie-Anne, and I can understand where you are coming from. She sent Compton, but I understand trying to secure an asset in your area and one that could make you rich. Her mistake was sending Compton instead of asking Eric, whose area I lived in. But as much as I was an asset, I was an asset that lived her life and was not locked in a glided cage. Andre, on the other hand, wanted me tied to them. When he needed my help, he was all bows and kisses, and then when he got it, he tried to force a bond with me to control. Andre's action was one of the reasons the Fellowship succeeded in blowing up this hotel in my nightmares. Had he left me alone and not forced my bond with a vampire who, at the time, I had conflicting feelings over. I would have focused on my earlier feeling that something wasn't right. Instead, I was more concerned about what the bond would do to me, and when I finally got down to investigating, it was too late. The only upside was he died in the bombing." Sookie grumbled.
"Shame you couldn't find a way to let the bombing happen and kill just him," Jason mumbled.
"Actually, he didn't die as a direct result of the bombing. The guy I was dating at the time hated my bonding to that vampire and killed him. We found him in the rubble. He would have been perfectly fine with a bit of blood. He knew if Andre lived, he would not leave me alone, so he killed him. Even now, he's looking for a way to tie me to him." Sookie loudly slurped on her drink, earning a laugh from Jason. "By this point, the queen only had one kid left. Hadley was killed by Waldo. Wybert was killed in an attempt to take over the state, leaving only Sigebert, who somehow survived the takeover. Funny enough, in this timeline, he will be the first of her children to die thanks to Compton." Sookie said thoughtfully.
"There was a takeover?" Jason sat up, not at the information, but their food had arrived. Sookie would admit it looked worth every cent.
"I don't think we will finish this," Sookie mumbled.
"Speak for yourself," Jason grabbed his steak and what looked like an unlimited number of side dishes. "So, the takeover," Jason asked as he cut into his steak. "Jesus Christ of Nazareth, this is the best thing I have ever put into my mouth." He moaned.
"I think we have just found the equivalent of Fairy blood to vampires." Sookie concurred.
Their conversation ended abruptly as the two ate their way through every piece of their steak and side dishes. "I could murder something chocolatey right about now," Sookie mumbled.
"This coming from the woman who didn't think we could finish the steak." Jason laughed. "Okay, take over." He suddenly remembered.
"Oh yes, there was a takeover. The queen got injured in the bombing, she had only one child left, and the state was slowly recovering, then boom, taker. No one saw it coming, not even Eric. That shit fucked up all our lives. So many vampires died because they put up a fight instead of surrendering. The months after the takeover were just one of a constant fight for survival."
"It's not going to happen this time with your gift," Jason called over the waitress.
"Unfortunately, none of the monarchs I will happily aid in a takeover bid are interested," Sookie said with a shrug.
"You will help?" Jason stared at her with his mouth wide open.
"If the proposal presented was one I found to be in favor of the state. Not someone looking to bleed Louisiana dry. Right now, the number of spies in Louisiana will make your head spin." Sookie said as the waitress arrived at the table.
"Two of your best chocolate desserts," Jason ordered.
"What could they possibly offer you to allow a takeover?" He asked. He'd had conversations with Mael, Pam, and Tray about takeovers, and he knew they were a messy affair that ended in a lot of deaths.
"Wouldn't know until I hear it." She shrugged.
"Sook, don't me wrong, I really don't fucking like her, but ain't it better the devil you know?"
"We have to take the chocolate to go. Russell invited me to his pledging, and that's happening in… shit, a few minutes." Sookie stood.
"You go, I've got this. I'm charging them vamps an arm and a leg for my stuff. Someone got to pay for the blood, sweat, and tears." He grumbled.
"The blood and sweat I can understand; where do the tears come from?" Sookie questioned.
"Ever had sweat drip into a cut? That shit will make you cry." It took her a second to react, and when she did, she had to hold onto the table as she laughed.
"No need to rush. The ceremony has been pushed back an hour," Tray informed her as she left the restaurant.
"I wonder why." She murmured, barely managing to keep the smile on her face.
"Oh, I think it might have something to do with your conversation with Jason. With just a small room separating the restaurant and the conference room. I think it's safe to say they heard you." Tray thought at her. "Beats me, I'm sure someone will explain soon enough." He said out loud, barely containing his smile.
"Thought you had a pledging to attend." Jason came out of the restaurant to find the two standing there.
"So did I, but it has been delayed." She murmured.
"Well, here is your chocolate cake." He handed her a small paper container.
"The best chocolate dessert they have is a cake." He frowned, opening the box. "This a chocolate fondant with…" She had a taste of the accompaniment. "Chantilly cream." She said with an eye roll. "Sometimes, the backwoods just come out of you despite all the time you spent with Jago."
"It took me more than a year to understand half the shit that demon said with all his big words. I still don't know what nincompoop means." Sookie had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, and only because coming toward them was the Louisiana contingent. Pam was lagging behind and looked just as amused as Sookie; her wink damn near sent Sookie over the edge.
"Gran is dead, and you didn't think to tell me." Hadley raged. Every ounce of joviality left Sookie instantly; she glared at Hadley, eyes glowing. "Tell me something, Hadley. When Sook came to New Orleans and told your queen to leave her the fuck alone and that we knew about you, did she tell you?"
"Of course, she told me." Hadley's snobbish attitude only managed to enrage the siblings even further.
"So then I take it, in the following months, you visited gran, called or wrote to her. After all, her address ain't changed. That old phone might be all fancy now, but guess what… the number ain't changed either. For months, she thought you'd come visit, call or write, anything. But you just proved to be the selfish, inconsiderate little bitch you've always been. You didn't care when gran was alive, why would we think you would when she's dead." Hadley showed some contrition for the first time, but as far as Sookie was concerned, it wasn't enough. "I've got a stall to man." He shoved past her, grumbling under his breath.
Sookie's glowing eyes remained on Hadley, who was promptly pulled back by the queen. "When I think of the trouble I went to keep Waldo from killing you…" Sookie let the sentence hang. "By the way, Hunter is a wonderful boy." Hadley let out a loud intake of breath. Sookie, though, wasn't paying attention to her cousin anymore, so much had suddenly fallen into place. "Of course." She whispered, looking up, and it came as no surprise when she found Thea keeping an eye on Jason and being rather obvious about it. The message was loud and clear. Jason Stackhouse was under the protection of the Ancient Pythoness.
"Miss Brigant." Shit, she was not yet prepared to deal with Andrew.
"Andrew, we aren't scheduled to meet until tomorrow." She was still scrambling for a way to save her future with her bonded.
"She's changed her mind. Jennifer Carter and the Arkansas vampires were all killed earlier tonight. She believes your services are no longer needed."
"I have been wondering, why didn't you stop it?" Pam interjected.
"You knew it was going to happen?" Andrew realized.
"I saw it a few hours after I agreed to testify on Oklahoma's behalf. The minute my name made it to the witness list, the vampires that put her up to it could not afford my seeing their involvement in her mind." Sookie bluffed. "I didn't stop it because this is where Jennifer Carter and all the Arkansas vampires died. This was their end, and I don't play God."
"Shit, what is going on here," Andrew whispered.
"She thinks she's on trial for ending Threadgill. It is so much more than that. Without me, she meets the true death. Sophie-Anne is given Arkansas, and Russell will take Oklahoma. He will move all of Oklahoma to Mississippi and Indiana. Oklahoma will become the second state without any vampires."
"I will talk to her, but her mind is made up," Andrew mumbled.
Sookie simply shrugged in response. "It's no skin off my nose. I can take you after, but you must leave your firm. I don't employ anybody with divided loyalties." With that, she sauntered off.
Tray, Eric, and Pam got into the elevator with her. They rode in silence until the doors opened, and Sookie suddenly pulled her into a hug. "You are fucking genius." Sookie laughed.
"The minute he said Jennifer Carter and the Arkansas vampires were all killed earlier tonight. I realized he had no idea you'd forgotten, and I remembered that even if you had, you could not have stopped it. I realized if you had remembered, you would have simply bluffed. I knew if I mentioned why you didn't stop it."
"I would have realized I could not have prevented their deaths in the first place," Sookie murmured with a mile-wide smile.
"You can stop deaths that affect you," Eric said.
"But I didn't know Freyda would change her mind until they died, so I would not have stopped it even if I knew. Pam called it… perfectly. Thank you."
"Told you it changed nothing." Eric piped up with a grin.
"Jesus, when we return, give Pam a crate of blood. Add a few surprises." Pam's loud cheer had everyone cupping her ears, not that the vampire cared.
Eric's pride in Pam nearly drowned out Sookie's own emotions. "As positive as I was, if I were human, I would have had the runs," Eric whispered as he closed the door behind them. Sookie fell on the bed in hysterical laughter.
"Oh, that was too much," she said breathlessly after a few minutes. "The last thing I needed in my head with the night we have ahead of us."
"I take it you figured out what the A.P. wants from your brother."
"Yep." She murmured, shaking her head in equal parts awe and annoyance at Pythia's machinations.