Sookie would have been more surprised had their evening gone undisturbed. Sookie hadn't wanted to interrupt Eric and Pam's conversation, but the two were making a mountain out of a molehill. They walked over to the armoire in the living room, behind the sofa the pair occupied, and pressed a button, which revealed an electrical panel. She entered a six-digit code, revealing another door behind the armoire. "It's a light-tight safe room, turn off the lights, and it plunges the room into complete darkness. You can change Miriam here if you don't want to go to ground. But, if you want my advice." Both Pam and Eric nodded. "Go to ground, where we did the protection spell to combat Hallow. The grounds on this property is saturated with Fairy magic. If you ask me, there is no better aid in ensuring everything goes well. Above all else, there is an impenetrable ward for added protection." Sookie said, leaving the two alone after that.
Where Miriam was concerned, Pam was a nervous wreck. Sookie suspected that despite all she'd done, Pam knew Miriam was supposed to die. If Sookie was honest with herself, despite having seen Miriam as a vampire, she feared the likelihood of Miriam not rising as well.
"She's going to use the grounds. She's going to dig the hole now. At dawn, she and Miriam are going to ground." Eric mumbled, his fears evident in his features. He knew the joys of having a bonded mate and wanted the same for his child.
"Good, I see no reason to wait any longer," Sookie whispered. Sookie knew none of them would rest easy until the pair rose. "Help her dig." As it was, their plans for the evening were awash.
"I already offered, she refused. She feels the need to keep her mind occupied." Sookie looked out the kitchen window and found Pam digging at a human pace.
"I can see that," Sookie murmured.
Desperate to keep her mind occupied as well. "I want to run something past you." She sat at the dining table with a piece of pie and a cup of coffee. She was surprised it was still in the fridge, considering Jason had been there earlier in the evening. It was obvious that the renovation work at Merlotte's had worn him out enough to miss the apple pie.
"Yeah, sure." Eric joined her with his own glass of blood.
"The company responsible for that blood, Jinhong. Their CEO is Jee Mangjŏl. He has just informed me that the AVL is blocking the production and sale of his blood in the USA." Eric nodded, not in the least bit surprised.
"The Yakonomo Corporation funds organizations like the AVL to keep their product the only ones on the market. If Jee Mangjŏl's blood came on the market at a competitive price, Yakonomo would see their sales drop. True blood alone does not sustain a vampire. This will." Eric informed her.
It's what Jee said. The markets selling his products have seen a drop by as much as ninety percent for True Blood. They are losing ground and fast."
"With the money they pump into AVL, I am not surprised the AVL is blocking all competition, even though in the long run, this will be better for all," Eric groused.
"Can they stop a U.S.-based production company," Eric's eyes lit up, making Sookie smile.
"Is Jee Mangjŏl willing?" Eric asked, sitting forward. This was something he would happily invest in.
"It was his idea. He would send me the mix they put in the blood, but we have to source the blood ourselves as the AVL will block all shipments of blood. With their mix, any blood is made viable." Sookie explained.
"Not an issue; we can start by making deals with existing blood banks to send us the blood they wouldn't normally take. It will mean more funds for them, and in time, we can open our own banks across the USA, starting in the South." Sookie smiled at Eric's enthusiasm.
"Can't the council interject?" Sookie asked, taking a bite of her pie.
"I'm afraid not. The Council has no authority over individual nations' vampire bodies. The AVL has been instrumental in getting vampire rights in America moving forward. The Council will not interfere when an organization has been solely responsible for the rights of vampires moving in the right direction. I can assure you they will not be happy with an alternate drink being blocked but will not interfere.
No, the best course of action is to get it in production and on sale as quickly as possible without the AVL knowing," Eric muttered thoughtfully.
"Wouldn't the sudden increase in blood purchase alert them?"
Eric's sigh said it all. "It would."
Sookie focused on her pie, annoyed at the AVL tactics and the Council's refusal to intervene. Wouldn't real blood and superior blood to what was in most people's veins also move things forward. A true statement that vampires no longer needed to feed from humans to quench their thirst. Eric only drank from her when doing a blood exchange because he drank Jee's concoction. He almost always had a glass with him.
An idea hit Sookie then. She raced upstairs to grab her phone, Eric right behind her. "Claude, how much can say ten of you teleport from South Korea to Bon Temps?" Eric smiled, seeing where Sookie was going. This would bypass all blockades the AVL could put up.
"We could move an entire block if need be," Claude said with an air of arrogance you could hear through the phone.
Sookie rolled her eyes at his egotism. "I need to make a few phone calls, but I will need that many of you to teleport some blood for me."
"Call me when you are ready." He ended the call then.
"He was such a manipulative and conniving piece of shit in my nightmares," Sookie murmured.
"Min karla, it's no wonder the A.P offers you such protection." He lifted her off her ground, soundly kissing her.
While Pam was in the ground with Miriam, Sookie, and Eric kept their minds focused on getting their substitute blood into production. The property Eric had initially intended to house Jason and Lafayette's bar would now become the production facility for their blood substitute.
"The Fairies had not teleported the ten thousand hundred liter drums full of blood, but three of Jee's employees. They currently had no facility to store the blood, so it was agreed the facility would be built first before that happened.
The trio was teleported to oversee the renovation of the building and the facilities needed. They had spent two days reviewing the building and drawing up the required plans. Thanks to a little glamouring, planning permission for the site was due any day now. Within a week, work would start.
Jee had sent over a new product specifically designed for newborns. Miriam had the honor of trying it first. "Wow," she moaned as she emptied the first bag. Eric thought the bag instead of a bottle was genius; newborn strength easily shattered bottles. "Is this what blood tastes like?" she asked, already on her second bag.
"No." Both Eric and Pam answered simultaneously.
"Surprisingly, this tastes better," Pam murmured, her smile never once fading since Miriam woke up. The mood in the office had been nothing short of jovial. Of course, the humans kept their distance; there was no need to tempt fate.
Pam and Miriam were occupying one of the light-tight rooms in the office to be close to the blood supply. Eric intended to spend the first night in the room next to the pair to ensure nothing went wrong.
"She interrupted our night, and now I am forced to listen to her fuck all night." Sookie bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"It can't be that bad," Sookie said through stifled giggling.
"I have a hard-on to end all hard-on," Eric grumbled. He knew Sookie was imagining it, if her whimper was anything to go by.
"I am more than happy to take care of that hard-on. Surely, they will be fine for a few hours." Sookie moaned.
Eric considered it for all of half a second. "Fuck it, I'm on my way."
"Rey's House." Sookie finally managed to say it out loud. "Why?" She asked.
"I have no idea," Eric mumbled. "I still maintain my idea to use my place is still better." He couldn't help but add, even though that site was now a nearly completed facility for The Real Deal. Sookie still thought the name was silly, but it wasn't marketed at her.
"For a vampire, you can bitch with the best of the human population." Sookie quipped.
"Rey's House," Hunter mumbled, coming to stand next to Eric. He took Eric's hand and sighed in relief.
"Sweet, sweet silence." Sookie sighed, the warmth of the evening enveloping her like a blanket.
"It's the month for peculiar names," Sookie mumbled, her words barely disturbing Eric's focus on the crowd inside. Sookie had Barry and Justin inside to do the heavy lifting tonight. There were only two vampires present, vampires she trusted.
"I'm sure someone will elucidate the peculiarities of the name before the night's curtain falls." His hands found the door to the new and apparently improved local hangout.
"Huh." Was Hunter's rather astute response to Eric's use of the English language.
Sookie simply laughed in response. "Okay." She murmured. Not much had changed, décor wise, just freshened up. The walls had been painted, the wood cladding sanded and refinished. The most significant changes were the new bar and kitchen. Lafayette had given himself a kitchen he would clearly enjoy working in. The furniture was new, and the deer head and wheel lighting was gone. Large framed pictures of Bon Temps hung on the walls. The lighting fixtures were more modern, in keeping with the place. It was understated and well done. "You could certainly take a leaf out of their book when you decide to breathe new life into Fangtasia." Sookie's lip curled in a smirk tinged with mockery.
Eric's response was a low growl, a rumble of playful retort. "A few hours ago, you could barely recall your own name." He reminded her.
"That was a few hours ago." Sookie shot back in equal fervor.
"Sook."Their banter cut shot by Jason's booming voice. "So, what do you think?" He asked, his countenance eager for her approval. His eyes held a hopeful glint. Her approval clearly mattered deeply to Jason.
"She was just telling me I could take a leaf out of your book if I ever consider redecorating Fangtasia," Eric interjected smoothly.
"Indeed. This is downright perfect, Jase." Sookie pulled him into a hug.
"Thanks; we wanted to make the place look more modern without losing the stuff folk recognize." "If you were aiming for that, you nailed it." Sookie praised with genuine admiration.
"Thanks, Sook," He turned his attention to Hunter. "Hey bud, come here." He lifted Hunter into his arms.
"I'm only allowed to stay for one hour." Hunter protested with a pout.
"How about I get you a Lafayette burger and a shake?" Jason offered a compromise to soothe Hunter's limited time at the gathering.
"Okay." Hunter acquiesced quickly, his resolve melting like ice cream on a hot summer day.
"Come, there is someone I want to introduce you to." Sookie guided them through the crowd over to Mael and a human he did not know.
"Sookie." He greeted her cheerfully, pulling her into a hug.
"Hi, Daniel," Eric smiled, finally making the connection.
"Eric, this is Daniel Vashist, Daniel, Eric Northman, my bonded." Sookie introduced.
"Pleasure to meet you." Daniel greeted warmly without the formality of a handshake; he knew better
"You too," Eric returned the sentiment with genuine warmth. Daniel Vashist had done so much for Sookie and continued to do so. He had wired the place and was instrumental in the plans to rid him of Appius and Alexei. "I owe you a great deal," he added.
"I've done nothing yet. Thank me when it's all said and done.
"Excuse me," Sookie excused herself from the trio to grab a drink. "A gin and tonic, please," she ordered, her back to the bar, her gaze sweeping across a sea of familiar faces. All of Bon Temps, it seemed, was there. Happy to have the local focal point back in business. "Hey, Jase, what's with the name?" she finally asked, her curiosity having finally worn out.
"Reynolds and Stackhouse," he revealed. After a beat, Sookie nodded in agreement. It was a seamless melding of names. As it stood, she couldn't think of anything more fitting. "Nice," she whispered in approval.
"You are Sookie?" A voice from beside her asked.
Turning to face the voice, Sookie knew the face from her nightmares, Dawn Green. "Yes, I am."
"I'm Dawn." It was obvious the name was meant to mean something to Sookie.
"Nice to meet you," Sookie replied with an air of confusion.
"You have no idea who I am, do you?" Her confusion mirrored Sookie's own. For the first time that night, Sookie dropped her shields.
Ahh, Dawn resented her for Jason abruptly cutting ties and giving her wide berth. Yet, Sookie stood there entirely unaware of Dawn's existence.
"No, I don't," Sookie admitted with an apologetic shrug.
"Nah, it's fine. Clearly, I got the why wrong," she whispered as she walked away, a forlorn look aimed at Jason as she departed.
Jason caught Sookie's eye and offered a knowing smirk before returning to his bartending duties. "Didn't come here for a fight," Sookie whispered.
Her enjoyment of the evening did not last long, a single text message draining every ounce of positivity from her being.
'They are here.'