Chapter 4 – Playground

I don't know much about hiding
I don't know much about playing tings safe
I don't know much about you
But I know there's a playground inside you

Lethal Bizzle - Playground

- BEEP! -

"Lafayette Reynolds, you answer this phone, right now! Call me back as soon as you get this!"

Sookie huffed loudly as she hung up on Lafayette's voicemail, for the third time in the last half hour. Sam had not said a work since Eric made his declaration, and Sookie knew it was best to just leave him in his head right now. Sookie needed Lafayette, and he ass wasn't picking up! She closed her eyes and breathed in deep. It was the middle of the day. The vamps had retired to Fangtasia and Sam had crashed as soon as he hit the pillow. Sookie couldn't switch off her mind, too much was going on. The worst image of the evening was burned in her memory. Bill's face as he had left to bed down for the day at his home across the way. He had looked at Sookie and Sam together, and his usual stony facade broke, for the briefest of moments, into all consuming, broken, pained and bleeding raw sadness and regret. Sookie saw, and he shielded his gaze behind his porcelain mask once more. But she had seen, and he knew she always would see straight through into his soul, if he still had a soul. Even if she was not in love with Bill, she would always hold a place in her heart where she still deeply loved the vampire.

"Sam, are you there?" Sookie waved a hand across his face and yelped as he went to bite at her fingers. Full moon fast approached and he was extra tense. New drama would never help with this sort of thing. He snapped out of it remorsefully, muttering his apologies profusely and looking utterly ashamed and disgusted at his own actions. Sookie reached across for his hand and he pulled it away, so she stood and grabbed him into an embrace as he buried his face into her bosom and took a long, steadying breath.

"My mate. Mine."

The finality and surety in his voice told her everything going on in his mind, she didn't need to be a telepath to have an idea what was going on.

Sookie let go and went over to the percolator, pouring them both a coffee, placed them in from of each other and took a long sip, letting the bittersweet taste warm her bones.

"Why do we have to help?"

Sam looked in her eyes with despair and confusion written across his face, his hair hanging shaggy over his face. Sookie sighed heavily.

"Baby, I don't know why things happen round here. We've had five years of quiet and I loved every second with you. But we can't pretend our bubble is all that's out there," her voice dropped as she reached her hand, palm up, across the table. Sam took it, running his rugged thumb across her knuckles. She sighed again, this time with relief.

"Sometimes I wish it was our world, but it's not."

She swallowed the lump in her throat made up of both his and her pain and fear and smiled, it never truly reaching her eyes.

"We'll get through this, you'll see. Also, I've always wanted to see the land of my ancestors. We talked about London...". Sam quizzically looked at her.

"I've changed my mind, I meant Canada."

He smiled weakly and she felt the cool sweep of calm as he warmed before her.

I was at that pivotal moment when both were on the same page and moving forward, the gravel of the drive was viciously disturbed at speed, and the yard was suddenly full of hardcore gangster rap blaring from a high end stereo system. The engine cut with the hi-fi and Hurricane Lafayette had arrived. The worst part was, by the way his hips swished with that touch of extra sass and his just opening up the door and coming in without invitation, making a beeline for Sookie who was sitting directly in his eyeline, he was hella pissed.

-o-

It had been another rough night for Lafayette Not that he chose to complain about it. Honestly, he really didn't give a rat's ass. He filled his bed and emptied his load, no thoughts or feelings involved. And so what if he was a homewrecker? He didn't chase the men who fell between his sheets. They hunted him down sought him out, so how was it up to him and his fault? Lafayette knew what the guy in his bed was, what he always was, what he always would be. Just another joke of a jock so far in the closet he was in Narnia being rimmed by a centaur. Lafayette had a 'no fuck's given' policy, and he enjoyed the freedom of just living. He needed to breathe, he needed to find some way to feel again, feel anything but the numbness. He had come to contemplate on the idea that somewhere there was a universe where he died right at the start of the story, and this life role he was cast for was a TV show remake barely following the original story any more. He was, in essence, clawing his way back into the story. Truth be told, he missed the drama of it. He missed the thrill of being the 'good guy' and the feeling of redemption for ever being the bad guy. The soul's acceptance of this was infinite, and it was the best high he had ever felt. He was the good guy, and his magic made him special. He had reached this point with his magic where he could summon objects, train his mind and read thoughts, or close his mind completely. He didn't even need to use words to get to where he wanted, where he needed to be.

Yet, within the space of a moment, it was all gone and he was back to his 'normal life'. Or at least the life he had led before everything changed. Before he fought in wars against gods, men, light and darkness itself. He had loved, lost and lived a thousand times over. His heart was broken in so many ways and into so many pieces he knew he never could mend it alone. He could never get back to who he once was and, if he was really honest, he didn't want to be that guy any more. He was older, yes. Wiser, he hoped so. But he wasn't happy. He had been damned if he was ready to let anyone put him back together again just to be broken again. It would need an army of men to fully put together Lafayette Reynold's shattered, blackened little heart.

-o-

"Hooker, you done interrupted me when I was in the middle of a good morning fuck, you better seriously consider how important it was the get in my business for me to drag my black ass from the trailer for y'all cracker-ass drama queen's!" Lafayette snapped, his hands fastened to his hips, his lips pursed into a thin line and his anger dripping from him, emanating into the atmosphere and almost suffocating Sookie in it's wake. His eyes were black and endless, and Sookie knew that was not good. Sookie noted that, aside for all his flim-flamming, he was still immaculately dressed in an ensemble of denim short-shorts that were scandalously rhinestoned, his deep aubergine purple vest cut to show chest and shoulder perfectly and his long scarf perfectly tied around his head, matching the overall outfit. It made him look all the more intimidating, but she would be damned if she let Lafayette come up hollering in her house like he owned the place when she needed to talk to him. She stood from her seat and matched him, stance for stance and stare for stare.

"Well, good morning to you too Lafayette. Yes of course it's important, did you think I called you so darn early if it wasn't? Come up in my my grandmama's house talking like that! You better apologise right now, shame on yourself! Where are your manners?"

Sookie realised, in that moment, she was becoming her Gran. The scariest part was how okay she as with that thought. Her Gran had been a phenomenal woman of great strength and conviction, who lived by her morals and admitted to no one her mistakes, choosing to live and learn by them instead. Sookie wished to be her one day, as above all her Gran had always been happy. With Sam, she knew she was, and that made her break into a loving, genuine smile that made Lafayette drop on hand and roll his eyes.

"You know, when you smile like that you look just like Big Momma Stackhouse. She smiled at me like that when I stood in this kitchen and tried to shock her by saying I like to take it up the ass."

Lafayette relaxed completely and smiled genuinely, too. He remembered how much he loved Mrs Stackhouse and wished she were his Gran too, and to be reminded of her in that exact moment had always been her way. Even after death he could see her sitting by Sookie's shoulder, keeping her afloat. His anger washed away from him quickly, and he suddenly slumped, showing how tired he really was.

Sookie, observing the change in Lafayette, knew this was her chance to get through to him when he was in this sort of mood.

"She cussed you so bad, not for the news, but because of your language and tone. Even fretted with a slipper if you dare come up in her house cussing again."

Sookie let out a melancholy chuckle as Lafayette looked at the kitchen floor.

"She never did tell my mama."

"That's because she knew she was only gonna ever holler at you. She wasn't sure your mama would be so...controlled."

Sookie reached out with her mind and soothed Lafayette, holding out a hand and placing it on the back of the vacant seat beside her.

"Grab some coffee and bacon and sir, I've got to tell you what happened last night, then you need to decide what you want to do."

Lafayette, full of hesitation but lacking the strength or will to fight, took the offered seat, ready to hear the news. Sookie braced herself, but didn't have time to start before Sam, who had been silently watching the whole scene, turned to look at Lafayette.

"I know what you've said before, and you you described yourself in terms of the magic within you. You don't believe it's true worth, or it's value. You're almost running away from it. You're not just some junk yard gypsy peddling quick tricks and small bursts of elemental magic, no matter what you want to tell people. Eric came over last night..."

Sookie saw Lafayette's body tense briefly. She remembered what Eric had done to Lafayette, and could see the scene replay across Lafayette's skin. She explained what had happened, how it had all gone down. She explained that there would be another meeting here tonight, and that Lafayette should really be part of it. He needed to know some things, and Sookie had a theory that would blow him away. Her final words rang in his ears and drowned out the everyday noises of the world outside of his mind, and Lafayette used every inch of himself to keep from sinking into the ground as it opened up beneath him. Sookie was confident in her ideas, she was sure, and she knew he needed to know so he could get ready. 'Be prepared', as both Sookie and her Gran always said before any major decision was made. He agreed to come back later, to meet with the vampires, to discuss the action plan, and even to go with Sam and Sookie to England, but he still couldn't digest the news. He couldn't shake it off. He climbed into the cab of his truck and put his head against the cool plastic of the wheel, no amount of hip-hop shielding him from what he had just heard. The conversation had gone on for a good hour before he took his leave, but those words were still crashing around like lightning in his mind's storm. Never relenting, never ceasing, no eye of the storm in sight. He took a deep breath and repeated them, aloud and alone, and let the pieces fall into place.

"You're a wizard, Lafayette."