"Sounds perfect." Jason cheered.
"Don't count your chickens yet. How many other perfect plans have we had." The initial plan had fallen before it reached the first hurdle because she'd forgotten about the Arkansas vampires' massacre. The second plan looked to be going smoothly, but then Pythia told her after she saved Freyda that the queen of Oklahoma would betray her to gain Appius' favor.
They'd spent the better part of the day developing a plan to eliminate Appius and Alexei. The first plan was for Niall to teleport James wherever the vampires were held and kill them. That plan had been deemed too simple. It wouldn't take much investigating to realize the only way to have gotten to them was through teleporting. And the minute they announced their pledging, Freyda would figure out she was involved. Sookie didn't think it all that likely, but she wasn't willing to risk it. The second plan would have the vampire world on high alert over fears of the Fellowship targeting them, and that would not be good for anyone. The third would most certainly make James a suspect.
The final plan was by far the most complicated, with several moving parts, and it now involved Preston Pardloe.
"WOO-HOO." Jason's expression of delight startled all but Sookie, who shook her head in resignation.
"We can count our chickens." Sookie chuckled.
"Pythia says this was supposed to be the plan from the beginning," Jason muttered excitedly.
"Excellent." Niall clapped his hands together. Sookie realized his showing up with Fintan and Preston was the A.P's doing. Their presence had given Sookie the idea of Preston taking James' place on guard duty while the real were and Niall killed Appius and Alexei. With the new plan, killing the two vampires would take some time. James could not disappear for any length of time around the time of the vampires' death. That would surely make him a suspect. They were eliminating all supernatural aspects of the plan; at least on the outside, it had to look that way. Now, the plan was to make it look like an abduction that went wrong because the bomb meant to cause a distraction had failed to blow. The plan had too many moving parts, but apparently, it would work.
"You don't think it will work?" Eric could feel her concern.
"If the A.P says it will work, it will work, but I will only know that when I next fall asleep."
"What do you expect to see in your dreams to ensure the plan will work?" Fintan asked. He hadn't spoken to Sookie or Jason directly since he popped in with Niall and Preston.
"A clear picture of Pam and Miriam's relationship. I believe she is Pam's bonded, but I'm not seeing it clearly because Appius and Alexei are still in the way. When that is done, we can move on to Nevada. Then we will have a clearer picture of things on that front," Sookie clarified.
"Makes sense," Jason muttered. They'd been back for two days, and Jason already had a date with Michele.
"Thank you, everybody," Sookie said. "Jason, before you go, give the bracelet to Laff."
"Why?" It took everything in Sookie not to crack up laughing when he held his head as though he could keep her out by doing that. "So that your girlfriend will have the same protection everybody has." She rolled her eyes at his 'oh right' expression.
"Giving gifts already?" Pam teased.
"Shall we talk about the gifts you give?" Sookie teased.
"No," Pam interjected with a speed only a vampire was capable of.
"Oh, speaking of…" Sookie ruffled through her bag for a piece of paper. This is why she preferred text messages.
"Here." Kristy rewrote the information and handed it to Sookie.
"Thank you." She handed the paper to Tray.
"What is this?" He asked, having read the address.
"I believe she is having trouble with the tap in the kitchen. It's leaking." Sookie giggled.
"What! Brown and his guys all on holiday…" He stopped when Sookie raised an eyebrow. "Oh." He whispered when understanding dawned.
"You make beautiful babies." Sookie tossed her bag over her shoulder and strolled out of the conference room. She didn't make it far when she was lifted off her feet.
"Thank you," Tray said, whooping all the while. Sookie broke out in laughter.
Again, she didn't get far when Niall appeared. "I know."
"Oh, I don't think you do." Sookie didn't stop to speak to him. Eric followed, thoroughly amused by Niall's perplexed demeanor. The Fairy had no idea how to get out of the mess he'd gotten himself into. He shouldn't have just shown up with Fintan and whoever the other Fairy was.
"It wasn't my idea!" He exclaimed.
"I'm fully aware of whose idea it was. You may not have known me my entire life, but you know me well enough to know it was a bad idea." Sookie shouted as she stormed through the cemetery to the farmhouse.
"So, which one are you angry about?" Eric asked.
"We both know I'm not mad he brought them; I just don't like being ambushed. Jason wants to know Fintan. Having a grandpa his kids will get to know excites him. I'm ambivalent where Fintan is concerned, but we have time." Sookie felt a weight off when the clothes came off.
"And the shapeshifter?"
"Just another reminder of the naivety of my nightmare self. I am unsure if naivety is the right word, but there is a word alright." Eric chuckled at her explanation and left it at that.
"How about I tire you out thoroughly so you can slip peacefully into dreamland."He murmured.
"That is about the single most corniest sentence to have passed your lips." Sookie groaned.
"Yes, but when it comes down to it, you don't care." His voice was barely discernable, with his face buried in her heck.
"No, I guess I don't." Sookie moaned when he pressed himself firmly against her.
"SO?" Pam busts into Sookie's office.
"So what? Did you sleep here?" Sookie asked, surprised.
"I don't sleep." Pam retorted. They both knew the answer. It was the only way she could be up in Sookie's office seconds after the sun had set. It came as no surprise to find Eric mere minutes behind her.
"Did you die here?" Eric asked.
"Yes." She whined. "So?" Her attention swiftly went back to Sookie.
"Miriam is your bonded," Sookie said, a smile taking over her face. "You could have asked any of the people you run into on your way up here," Sookie added. It's the one question she'd been fielding all day. Jason had left her a message to call him immediately. Thinking the worst, she rushed to call him back, only for him to ask if the plan was still a go. She answered after threats to castrate him.
"Didn't run into anybody," Pam mumbled, making herself comfortable on Sookie's sofa.
"How many people does it take to grill a few pieces of meat?" she murmured to herself, looking out the balcony door. Apparently, it is all of them, even the vampires.
"What are we celebrating?" Eric joined Pam on the sofa.
"Welcome party for Gia and James. If you ask, it's just an excuse for Lafayette to fire up the barbecue.
"Honestly, I'd give my right arm to have this at Merlotte's." Jason practically moaned as he stripped the meat of a chicken wing in one go.
"Sam still ain't found a cook?" Lafayette asked.
"No, don't think he's trying all that hard either," Jason grumbled. "Laf, any chance…"
"Don't think so. If I owned it, maybe." He said thoughtfully. Lafayette had a lot of free time on his hands, and he could certainly run a place like Merlotte's.
"Yeah, I'd go in with you on that," Jason added.
"You could always purchase it." Sookie shrugged at their surprised look. "I'm sure I can convince him to sell. He's not going to be around to run the place." Sookie wasn't there either. "I'm sure you have a hundred thousand each…"
"It will be more than that." Lafayette, to Sookie's surprise, was very taken with the idea. Now that she's put it out there, he wanted it.
"I will make up whatever funds are needed. All I ask in return is you let me bug the place. The weres are coming out, it a matter of a couple of months. Eric and I will soon be pledged, and everyone will soon know I'm married to a vampire."
"And if anyone has a problem about it, they'd be mouthing off in Merlotte's after they'd had a few." Jason surmised.
"Arlene might quit, but in case she doesn't, I want to keep an eye on her," Sookie added. "So… do we have a deal?" Sookie asked.
"Fuck yes." Jason bellowed.
"We do, hookah." Lafayette cheered.
"Excellent."
Eric shook his head in awe at his bonded. "Keeping an ear on the neighbors. Rather astute, min karla."
"The Last thing I need is Arlene's small-mindedness riling up Bon Temps into coming after us," Sookie murmured. "I'm ready to call it a night. I have an early morning call with California." Sookie stood.
"California." Eric let that one word hang.
Sookie chuckled. "Yes, California. The very first job I got after rescuing Thea back was with California. Lorenzo recommended me to his second Catherine. A painting an ancestor had painted had been stolen from Henrique. It took me a mere two hours of reading minds to find the inside woman. It led to her boyfriend, who had it all carefully packed to be shipped to… guess where?"
"Nevada," Eric muttered in disbelief.
"Yep, I couldn't confirm if de Castro had anything to do with it, but it was going to a vampire because when I found the so called buyer. She had been glamoured to within an inch of her life regarding whom she was buying the painting for. Henrique made his feelings known then. Reading him, I knew I could tip my hand. I told him to be patient and that the perfect time to strike will reveal itself. Unless the A.P calls and says to change my plans, which I doubt because this has been my plan for de Castro from the get-go. He will send Madden, who I am certain will come with Bruno and Corinna. He will tip his hand as to when he will show up, because Heidi will come ahead of him. That arrogant ass might not call and show up. That might work in our favor, especially with no evidence of his being in the state. We need a solid plan in place for that." Sookie murmured.
"Well, we are watching for the tracker," Eric murmured. It was a solid plan, and he would go a step further and take out certain vampires vital to Felipe's organization.
"I believe a conversation with Bakari and his father is due. We need as much info as we can get." Sookie said, picking up on Eric's thoughts.
"Felipe de Castro is very much like Alessia; in the end, you will be the very thing he targets. He will see you as the instrument to getting what he wants. He will more than likely think the way Andre did. Take someone you hold dear." Eric said.
"That is what I believe too. As much as I'm doing this for Pam, the more I think about it, the more I believe eliminating him now is in our best interest." Sookie intoned.
"Good afternoon, Sookie." Holly greeted.
"Can you give me an hour, and then we can go over the schedule," Sookie said as she practically ran to her office. "Dr Ludwig, thank you for coming." Sookie had called her just before Rhodes and left a message. The woman called her ten minutes ago, saying she was waiting in her office.
"How could I not after the message you left." Ludwig stared at Sookie.
"The end of my nightmares, considering what I'd lived through… even the fact that I had survived it all was more than I could have asked for. I was married with kids, and if I'm honest with myself, it is what was perfect for that Sookie. That girl wanted as human a life as she could get and got it in the end."
"You don't," Ludwig concluded.
"I gave up on the idea of having any kind of human life a long time ago. I made peace with it, so much so I didn't even tell Eric about it. He knows that Sookie got married, but I never mentioned her having kids. Now, I'm having dreams of our children. How?" Sookie had moments of sheer happiness at the prospect of having children with Eric, to utter dejection that her dreams might just be wishful thinking on her part.
"I wish I had an answer for you. I have been looking since I got your message and found nothing I could substantiate. Magic is the prevailing theory of such a thing being possible. The conversations I've had with those I could trust only yielded one theory that, in truth, I doubt is even possible. How in touch are you with the Fairy side of your family?"
"They are very much a part of our lives." Sookie wondered if Niall had anything to do with this. The Fairy had made no secret of the fact that he believed any children she had would possess the spark and be very gifted. Something he believed even more after he met Hunter and heard Jason's daughter Marie would also possess the spark. And now Dermot was sniffing around Holly like a dog in heat. Sookie would be pissed if it wasn't for the fact that Holly was also very much interested. Which reminded her that she needed to warn Dermot about treating Holly right.
"Ever heard of a Cluviel Dor?" The smile that took over Sookie's features had Ludwig sitting up straight. "You have."
"My grandfather left one for my grandmother. Uncle Desmond still had it, as Fintan hadn't died. I gave it to my grandmother and explained its significance in this lifetime. She wished for us to succeed in anything we turned our hands to. It would seem even dreams of having children." Sookie barely managed.
"I know the magic is powerful. Powerful enough to allow a vampire and a part Fairy to produce children? Honestly, Miss Stackhouse, I do not know. This might well be it, and if it is, I am offering my services as your OBGYN." That had Sookie chuckling.
"Offer accepted." Where else was she going to go.
"Child, you continue to shape our world, and it's one most of us welcome. The rest… don't worry; they will soon fall in line, especially when their own kind turns on them for refusing to adapt to their reality."
"Would one of these trusted conversations be with Pythia?" Sookie asked. At that moment, she realized that Ludwig's mind was utterly silent.
"Child, all my conversations are conducted with the assurance of strict confidentiality." The seriousness in which the words were uttered had Sookie smiling.
"Next time, just say no. Your non-answer was effectively a yes." Sookie's merriment had Ludwig's upper lip twitching.
"I will talk to you soon. One more thing, have you considered having this talk with the Being responsible for your dreams?" With that, Ludwig disappeared.
"For fuck sake Sookie." Without thought, she teleported out of the office.