Sookie's Birthday Surprise

28 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2012-01-22T06:44:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Twenty Eight

We used Anna Hita's Sumo-esque driver to take us to a helicopter on a private field right outside New Orleans. Eric must have had this all set up ahead of time because one brief phone call from him was all it took to insure our rapid getaway.

Inside the plane, sitting wide and reading sports magazines, were the Bishop brothers. Though not as young as they once were, they were still the best protection available. Next to their spiffy size fifteen shoes were two bulging duffel bags. Even when they were not changed into Bigfoot they still had big feet, I thought humorously.

I was sure the duffel bags were stuffed with every manner of weapon needed to defend us from both supernatural and human attack. They had traded in their country bumpkin look for expensive tailored suits, short haircuts and polished brogues. Robert periodically pulled on his crisp white shirt collar with a thick forefinger as if his shirt and tie was choking his beefy neck. I bet he would be glad to get back into his overalls, flannel shirt and feed store cap at the end of this gig.

I was very glad to see the Bishop brothers would be riding along. Knowing I would be utterly helpless in a titanium travel container for the hours of daylight was a strange vulnerable feeling I didn't like.

During my human life I had gotten used to the danger that surrounded me. Getting nonchalant to the danger I faced as a vampire was going to take more time. Somehow it seemed like the possibility of waking up and fleeing was preferable to being inert in a daytime coma. Of course this was fictitious, as a human I had been far more vulnerable to all manner of disaster. Yet, when had logic ruled emotions?

Although the time I was out of it would pass in the blink of an eye for me, I realized that hours and hours would go by with me as unaware as if I was truly departed. There was still a few hours before dawn. Eric and I would be traveling in separate travel containers because he rose a full hour earlier than I did. I preferred resting in a bed with him, a bed in a safe room. This would be my first time in the coffin like travel container. I wasn't eager to go into it.

After a pleasant greeting with the Bishops Eric checked in with the pilot and we took off into the wild blue yonder. Although the night sky looked inky black to human eyes, to my eyes it was a gorgeous star studded celestial blue, the color of Eric's eyes when he was loving me intensely.

Eric and I sat together, holding hands. After half an hour, at Eric's request, Richard Bishop warmed me a meal. He got a cream soda and a root beer for himself and a couple of Yoo-Hoos for his brother.

Our first stop would be the London City airport, then on to Zagreb International Airport. Linda would meet us in Zagreb. I was so excited to see her. I reminded myself to be tactful when I spoke to her about Jure. I wanted to avoid any kind of confrontation with her about her choice of companions. Lessons learned when the girls were headstrong teens came in handy for me now.

I held up our entwined hands and asked Eric, "Were you holding my hand at Anna Hita's so your ring would work for me too?"

His blond arched eyebrows rose a little in surprise at my ability to see what he was up to. "Yes, though it may not have been necessary."

"You think I can block her mind reading skills with my own mind?" I asked dubiously. I had not, in fact, even been trying to do that because it seemed futile to me. Plus I trusted Anna Hita.

"No, not really," he said, shaking his head, "But you are not the only one that can hire a witch."

He tapped the beautiful pink diamond ring on my right hand with his Dracula ring. The pink diamond had been a gift when I agreed to renew our vows once I was Vampire.

"This ring is enchanted?" I asked him in a whisper, looking at the pink tinted rainbows that shot from the stone when I turned it this way and that.

"It should be. The spells I had put on it cost more than the stone itself," he said.

"Amelia charged you a bundle for her magic?" I was surprised.

My good friend and witch extraordinaire had always done her magic for me for free or almost at cost for her materials, which were, I had to admit, sometimes quite expensive. Then again, how much would I expect to pay for something as rare as a petal from the Century Flower grown in the garden nurtured by King Alaric himself? A bundle, you can be sure.

"No, not Amelia. I wanted more power than even Amelia could bring to her spells."

"Then who?" I looked again at my ring as if I could see the name of the super witch written there. Then it hit me.

"You mean Hecate?" I was astonished.

Eric must have traveled to the Underworld to get the ring enchanted. He hated the Underworld. I did too.

He nodded. "Yes, I sent it to her residence in Lagina by courier. She needed to wait for the full moon, then she worked her spell."

"By courier?" I asked. I knew Lagina wasn't in the Underworld. Maybe it was an old name for someplace.

Eric glanced at Robert Bishop and my eyes followed his. Robert gave me a cheery little wave and smile. Obviously he had heard everything Eric and I spoke about and he had been the courier.

"That was very thoughtful of you," I said with a little frown.

Anna Hita had been able to find me coming out of the palace, had the ring done any good at all? Could she find me in a general way without being able to pick up my individual thoughts?

She had never interfered with my inner thought life, at least to my knowledge, except for the one time she instructed us all to forget about her abilities. Would she be tempted to become controlling now that the stakes were so high?

I thought it might be a little controlling of Eric to put an enchanted ring on my finger without telling me just what it was for. Was it supposed to control me as well or had Eric been counting on his power as my Maker to take care of that end of things?

Now I wondered if Anna Hita noticed her telepathy was blocked, if she felt insulted by that. On the other hand it would have been rude for her to rummage through my thoughts to satisfy her curiosity or her purposes.

Was that why she had suddenly seemed cold? Or was it merely Eric's suggestion she was unable to prevent Dracula from reading her mind? She certainly didn't want anyone knowing all her innermost secrets. Who knew what she was really up to.

Were her loyalties to Dracula and the Originals stronger than her loyalty to me and Eric? I didn't think so.

"Soon you must rest," Eric said, standing me up and sitting me on his lap, hugging me, holding me to his broad chest. "You will be safe here with the Bishops. I will see you soon and we will meet up with .."

But that was all I heard, for the sleep of the Vampire had once again descended on me like a ton of darkness.

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more to come .....(Good morning everyone! How happy I am to read your comments and see that things are looking up in your worlds. Hope all your troubles melt away like the snow in the springtime sun and the flowers of happiness bloom in your heart.

Z - nothing could make me happier than to hear you are on the mend. Like the others here I keep you in my thoughts and heart. This online community is a special place, made more special by your wonderful presence.)

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27 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2012-01-22T06:43:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Twenty Seven

"Who threatens my wife?" Eric said, standing abruptly, every fiber of his being reflexively prepared for battle.

If he had been wearing a sword he would have drawn it with a metallic whoosh that was like no other sound on earth. Like Pavlov's dogs I was conditioned to become excited at that sound, it was the sound I heard when Eric performed for me, showing his skill and quickness with his Viking blade in the moonlight.

I never got tired of seeing his arm and chest muscles become thick and defined as he swirled and cut through the night with a whisper of sound like doom, moonlight glinting off the heavy weapon.

Eric was ready at the instant to protect me with his life even though the three of us were the only ones in the room. It tugged at my heartstrings, seeing how he reacted to even the mention of some harm coming to me.

Should anyone have to live in such complete fear of something bad happening to a loved one?

Well, yes.

It is the fear every parent knows when their child is out of their sight. Even grown children.

"Please sit. The threat, if it arrives, comes from too far away for even your long arms to reach," Anna Hita said calmly.

After Eric was seated and holding my hand again she went on.

"Do you see that golden pyramid on the mantle? It can send and receive messages from our Founders."

We all looked at the amazing glowing object, now made even more exotic since we knew its true purpose.

"You mean it's like an answering machine or voice mail for space vampires?" I asked, not sure if Anna Hita would know what those terms meant. She had a secretary, Corinth, that took care of all the mundane matters like appointments and payment.

"Tabula left a message for me while I was away. He heard that you gave birth to a vampire's child. This interested him and the scientists from his planet. Their inability to reproduce is naturally their greatest problem. They believe you have overcome vampire infertility. They want to know what is unique about you, what would allow you to conceive Eric's child."

"Did you explain I used a donor?" I asked, not even daring to speak of Anna Hita's gift to us in this room.

"They have samples of your genetic material," she said. "They know the truth."

"Do you mean they have samples from all of us? Even Eric?" I asked, my voice sounding a little squeaky with panic and disbelief.

"Yes, they do not know how Eric's sterile vampire seed was able to grow within you. They believe it is something inherent in your make up that enabled you to carry his child. They want to study you, to learn your secrets."

I thought of the poor animals that were used in laboratory experiments. The Originals might need to dismantle me cell by cell looking for an answer that didn't exist. There was nothing special in my reproductive powers. I had gotten pregnant with sperm from a human version of Eric.

"Can't you tell them the truth, I mean, about how you ..." my voice dwindled off.

If they were all telepaths then they might already know what she could do. But if they did, why hadn't they tapped into her special powers to remedy their infertility? If she went back far enough in their history she could have averted whatever ecological disaster rendered the people of their planet unable to reproduce.

Anna Hita was already shaking her head, her expression serious. It would not be possible for her to tell them what she could do for the same reasons that she couldn't let anyone on this planet know. They would want to exploit her for their purposes. Who wouldn't want to alter the past to erase mistakes?

I could relate with her desire to remain free. It sounded like it was coming down to a case of either her freedom or mine. Of course, she might not have a choice about what to reveal if they took their focus off me and turned it on her. By that time I might be dead if she didn't 'fess up to save me.

"How did they get our genetic samples?" Eric asked. "Have they been here among us already?"

"There has always been one of the Originals among us, my son," Anna Hita said.

For a second I thought she meant herself. Then I realized she was talking about Dracula. Not the Bela Lugosi image I had seen, but the real hidden being behind the image projected to me. I felt it was probably a good thing I hadn't seen Dracula's real face. It might have driven me into madness.

"How did Dracula manage to get our DNA without our knowledge?" I asked.

I pictured him in his ominous black cape, hair slicked back like a raven's wing, standing over me as I slept, fixating me with his glamourous stare into near coma then taking a sample of my blood. It wouldn't have been that difficult for him to get to me and the girls, but Eric? How had he gotten Eric's DNA?

Anna Hita laughed softly. "His powers are beyond our knowledge or understanding. He can go anywhere, do almost anything. No door is closed to him, no human mind can keep him out. With his power we are all at his beck and call," she said. She sounded downright spooky when she spoke of him.

"When is Tabula going to get here?" I asked.

I knew it had been thousands of years without Tabula and Jagula setting foot back on this planet.

"He may not come at all. He has shown interest in how you conceived a vampire's child but his explorations cover vast areas, whole galaxies. I am hoping his attention towards you is just a tiny spark of curiosity. I have explained to him that you have Turned, ended your human life. That might be enough for him to surrender his pursuit of this line of thought. In case it is not, I wanted to offer you a place to hide from him until he gave up and left."

With a stubborn set to his jaw Eric said, "Any place you have in mind will not do. If Tabula can read your mind anything you knew would be instantly known to him. I will come up with a hiding place that only I will know."

"I am confident that I can block him from my mind. I can compartmentalize my knowledge and only allow access to the front room, so to speak, as my clients are only able to access my parlor, not this apartment. That is how I have kept Dracula from discovering my special abilities."

Anna Hita sat back, looking smug and proud of her mental defenses. I had to wonder, had she really succeeded or was Dracula just biding his time, using her for information she didn't know she was giving him?

"You have met Dracula?" Eric asked, fascinated.

I knew meeting Dracula was a special desire of his, though why he would want to meet such a scary powerful being was beyond me. I wanted to keep as far away from him as possible.

"Oh yes, many times. He has always been most charming and gallant," she crooned, her eyes hazy for a moment, her long lashes lowering.

She seemed a tad smitten with Dracula's charms. Were these her true feelings or had Dracula bored into her brain with his mesmerizing stare and hypnotized her to feel he was the handsome prince of darkness as the legends describe him.

"Perhaps your mental defenses are not all you believe they are," Eric said bluntly, echoing my own reservations. His ice blue eyes regarded her without their usual affection. This was new.

Anna Hita snapped out of her romantic revery and looked at Eric with an expression of cold offense in her dark almond shaped eyes. I had never seen this side of her either. The emotional climate in the room got distinctively more chilly.

"He can not look into my mind. I tell you this," she said flatly, lifting her chin in a regal way. "Neither can Tabula or Jagula, though I doubt both will come here, if they come at all."

"Can Tabula look into your mind?" I asked Eric, trying to change the topic and defuse the tension between the two vampires I loved most.

"Not if he can't find me. I will stay hidden with you," he said, putting his arm around me, rubbing my neck with his hand, making sure the Dracula ring touched my flesh.

"How will I let you know it is safe to come out of hiding?" Anna Hita asked.

Eric shrugged. He either didn't have an answer or knew she would be insulted at his response. He was skeptical Anna Hita was as impervious to the powers of the Originals as she believed. She was sure she could block her thoughts. She needed to believe this. Eric and I couldn't make a plan that depended on powers Anna Hita might not actually have.

Eric considered this. "We will come up with a sign. It requires more thought and preparation than I have time for now," he said, standing again. "I will contact you in a few nights."

I stood up too. He never let go of my hand. Was his ring preventing her from reading my mind too as long as he held my hand?

We could not come up with anything more at the moment and we were anxious to get on our way. Linda would only be at Medvedgrad Castle in Zagreb for a few more days, then she wasn't sure where they were going next. I really wanted to meet up with her.

We decided, at my prompting, that if Anna Hita had anything more in the way of news we would adjust our travel schedule, in the meantime Eric and I would just go ahead with our plans to travel abroad. I really hoped that my new status as Vampire would put an end to any mistaken notion I had the secret to vampire fertility.

I also hoped it would not come down to a case of Anna Hita or me. She might not be able to keep her powers a secret if Tabula returned, no matter how confident she was she could shield her thoughts from his scrutiny.

Once he knew the truth his focus would shift from me to her. She might really be the key to fixing their problem if she could travel into their past and stop them from ruining their planet and destroying their powers to reproduce naturally. I couldn't help but feel that any attempt to tinker with the past would lead to even greater disaster.

I gave her an extra long hug and thanked her for thinking of my safety before we left. Eric rubbed my back as I hugged her, maintaining physical contact with me. I was sure then that he was blocking Anna Hita's ability to read our thoughts, or he believed he was. How could we be sure the ring was working without asking Anna Hita directly?

I looked back one last time as we left the lovely apartment, feeling a little sad. I wouldn't want to be in Anna Hita's golden sandals for anything. She held the keys to both the future and the past of both planets. Could anything be more dangerous?

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more to come .....(Happy weekend everyone! So glad some of you were able to post a comment. It really puts a smile on my face to read your words.

Thanks to geri1602 for writing to me through the FanFiction.Net site. Clever and creative solution to the problem we were having here. I am listed there though I do not post there. I like the closeness we have here. I feel like the people that are supposed to be will find us. See you Wednesday!)

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26 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2012-01-22T06:42:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Twenty Six

"Does this have something to do with your recent studies?" I asked her, referring as obliquely as I could to her recent feasibility study.

Eric had told me the unique Scryer would travel forward in time on a nearby parallel dimension to see how the takeover by vampires - Vampire Liberation as they called it - would work out.

I knew it would be a failure, humans wouldn't be controlled no matter how benevolent the rulers appeared to be. Even with the most positive spin Eric could manage, there was no way VL was going to work except to bring on a war between vampires and humans, a war we could not win.

A new thought tickled my mind. Would it be a war I would want to win, now that I was Vampire?

Someone had to end up as the winner in every war. Would I willingly be staked or would I fight to keep my life? The question seemed to be a no-brainer. Of course I would fight for my life.

I pushed this whole issue out of my mind, hoping it would never come to this kind of choice. Eric and I were actively opposing the whole Day of the Dead thing by sabotaging Daynight.

At that thought I felt a pang of regret. I would like to be able to be around during the day, to take my little grandson to the park. The thought of peeking in at a sleeping infant as my whole experience of the baby's early life made a wave of sadness wash over me.

Again, a topic for another time. Right now I needed to find out what Anna Hita was worried about. Had she seen the future and discovered something terrible?

I felt Eric move slightly on the seat next to me, a sign he was not pleased at my bringing up the subject of Anna Hita's time travel. I felt the weird buzzing sensation on the side of my face nearest him that meant he was trying to use his Maker's influence to shut me up. It wasn't working, I could ignore the Maker vibes coming from Eric as I could ignore my cell phone when it was set to vibrate.

Anna Hita wasn't concerned about my knowledge. She knew I was aware of her powers to time travel and she also knew she could glamour me to forget anything she wanted me to forget.

She didn't know she couldn't glamour Eric anymore. His Dracula ring had been enchanted to repel all glamour, even the potent stuff Anna Hita and Jure radiated. At least that was the claim my witch friend Amelia had made for the ring. Come to think of it. maybe Anna Hita did know if she could read vampire minds as I suspected.

"The answer to that is both yes and no. We will go back to my parlor and I will explain," Anna Hita said with a quick glance at her driver, a huge Sumo wrestler type vampire man in a very well made suit.

Even though he was far away in the lengthy stretch limo, with a wall of glass between our oversized compartment and his ample front seat, he was a vampire and could probably hear everything we said. I assumed he was loyal to Anna Hita, or she could glamour him to forget anything he wasn't supposed to know. Still, best to put a lid on it until we had complete privacy.

The big car sped silently through the dark and fog until it pulled up to the curb outside her parlor. We entered through the peeling front door, down the very narrow dark hallway with decades of vampire graffiti written on the walls, through the red beaded curtain into her psychic reading room.

Vintage gas lanterns lit the room, I could smell the kerosene in the lamps, there were no windows and no ventilation. I also smelled something like a giant frog, numerous vampires and a strange incense Eric had burned once when we were at a guest cabin for a weekend. I stopped sampling the air.

We didn't sit down on the ornately carved antique wooden chairs. She pulled aside the unicorn and dragon tapestry to reveal the door to her apartment. We went from the heavy Victorian and Gothic decor of her parlor to the most delightfully lovely light gold and white room.

Her white sofas had gilded carved wood arms and legs, her huge fireplace was surrounded by a gorgeous lavishly decorated white marble mantle from France, probably hundreds of years old. The white carpet was spotless and thick, the walls a cream brocade. Glittering gold objects decorated the white marble table tops including a large eye catching golden pyramid on the center of the mantle. It appeared to be solid gold and polished to a deep buttery sheen. Discreet lighting made the room glow, both bright and invitingly cozy.

I knew this room must be soundproofed, as well as safe against all manner of attack. Under this room was a basement shrine room to Isis, underneath that a labyrinth of other rooms including the Scryer's safe room. Even a vampire as old and revered as Anna Hita had to keep herself safe from attack while she rested during the day.

I felt a moment of conflict. If Daynight was perfected all these precautions could become a thing of the past. Yet Eric and I were working against the production of Daynight, forcing Anna Hita to live a life under threat of attack.

Vampires wanted to insure that pollution, warfare and disease did not put an end to the human race, thereby putting an end to blood dependent vampires. The extinction of one meant the extinction of the other.

As glad as I was to visit with Anna Hita, I was anxious to get going, to get to Europe and link up with Linda. I wanted to see for myself that Linda was safe and not being subtly coerced into moving too fast with Jure.

I was also worried that Jure was simply using Linda as a pawn to get me or to overthrow Eric. As lovely and desirable as my Linda was, I didn't trust Jure. He had been a bachelor a long long time. His powers of manipulation to get his way was the stuff of legends.

Eric sat stiffly next to me. I knew he was feeling out of control at the moment, wanting to know what I was going to reveal about my inside knowledge of Vampire Liberation, if I was going to tell Anna Hita about our sabotage of the laboratory in the underground secret center where Daynight was being developed. I hoped Eric would give me credit for a little common sense.

Anna Hita brought me a golden jewel encrusted goblet of warm fresh blood which I gulped down like a hungry kid wolfs down a milk shake. She had given me a snow white napkin with the goblet.

I wiped the blood mustache off my upper lip, staining the napkin with blood and lipstick. I folded it to hide the stain and placed it next to the goblet on her expansive and expensive white marble table. A good enzyme detergent would restore the napkin, if not she could probably afford to just toss it. I couldn't picture the classy Anna Hita with a roll of paper towels or a stack of paper napkins.

She sat down gracefully across from us and spoke to Eric first. She indicated me with a sweeping movement of her white arm, her bracelets jingling merrily, as a television game show hostess might indicate a brand new car.

"You have done well, my son. Your Child is perfectly made. You must be so proud of her."

I didn't mind that she was speaking of me as if I wasn't there. She was addressing Eric as one Maker to another. She would also know the amount of tension Eric was experiencing due to what he must have feared would be my loose lips. Since she already knew everything I didn't think he had anything to fear. Of course he didn't know that. Perhaps his Dracula ring would prevent her from reading his mind.

Eric wanted complete control, he would even settle for the illusion of complete control. He had been so amazingly powerful for so long he was loathe to recognize that there were forces greater than himself. I knew Anna Hita did not pose a threat to either him or me. I knew Eric could trust her, even if he didn't completely accept that.

"We have made a good beginning," he allowed, meaning he hoped to high heaven I didn't screw it up by blabbing too many secrets. He took my hand in his.

He held my hand tightly but it seemed to be more from affection than his desire to control me. I recalled how Bill had almost crushed my hand when he wanted me to shut up. Not nice of him, not nice at all.

"We must now join together to protect your Child," Anna Hita said, leaning forward. "She may be in great danger."

Her words sent another arrow of anxiety into my gut. She had our complete attention.

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more to come ....(Thank you so much for sticking around and commenting when you can. It means the world to me. Hoping for your good health and peace of mind. See you Saturday if all goes as it should. Till then - hug your necks!)

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25 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2012-01-21T04:43:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Twenty Five

We didn't move at vampire warp speed to leave the palace. We skedaddled it out of there as fast as Eric's long legs and my much shorter legs could walk. We moved at our top human speed. There were motion detectors in the corridors of the vampires-only wing of the palace.

A vampire moving at superfast speed would set them off. I guessed the thinking behind that was a fast moving vampire would be up to no good. So could a slow moving one, I reasoned, but they would be easier for the numerous palace guards to catch. The security in the vampire wing of the palace was superb.

We exited by the public doors, a guard watching us like we might suddenly turn and do something bad. Out into the blessed night the thick glass doors closed automatically behind us. A heavy winter fog had settled on New Orleans, so dense the streetlights were just faint hazy glows even to my vampire eyes.

As we made it to the mist shrouded sidewalk a ghostly white Rolls Royce Silver Cloud stretch limo suddenly appeared in the haze and pulled up to the curb in front of us. The back door swung open by an unseen hand, a clear invitation to enter. I would have been startled if I didn't recognize the car and the exotic perfume of the passenger. Eric and I climbed in, the heavy fog swirling around our legs like liquid. Eric tucked our suitcase in the corner of the spacious interior.

"It is so good to see you, my children," Anna Hita said in her heavy accent, her many bracelets jangling merrily.

It was the cadence of a language that was no longer spoken from a land that no longer existed in what we now thought of as the Middle East. When she was human, thousands of years ago, her homeland had been the cradle of civilization.

Now she called New Orleans her home, living in an historic brick building in a sketchy section of town. As a vampire she had nothing to fear from the humans that walked the sidewalks in front of her psychic parlor.

Her gentle voice also played telepathically in my mind so I understood every word. I also felt the love and care coming from her. She held out her graceful white arms, each heavy with gold and jeweled bracelets to the elbows and took one of Eric's hands and one of mine. She gave them a warm squeeze before releasing us to sit down across from her. Her red jeweled dress glittered in the tiny lights that lit the lush interior of the fabulous car.

The Rolls whisked us away with just a whisper of engine noise. It was like floating in a velvet lined cocoon. The comfort and luxury was even more appreciated now that I had vampire sensitivity to noise and motion. I didn't know how the driver could see to navigate the car, all I saw outside the windows was a moving blanket of white vapor.

"It's good to see you too. How did you know where to find us?" I asked. I knew it wasn't just a coincidence her limo arrived at just the right place and time.

"I was aware the Queen wanted to see you," she answered, choosing her words carefully. "I tracked you in the palace and waited for you out here."

I didn't have to ask how she tracked us, she was following my mind, my thoughts. Eric knew she could read my mind when I was human, that didn't bother him a bit, but now he frowned as the realization hit him that she could still read my mind even though I was Vampire.

I had figured all along she could read vampire minds. Vampires chose to believe she could not read their minds and she never gave a hint that she could. Before now.

His frown didn't go unnoticed by Anna Hita. Probably nothing got by her, it was one reason I always felt so safe in her presence. She cared about me, loved me and Eric. She was almost omniscient in her telepathic and other special abilities. She was powerful enough to head off any problems before they came to a boil. At least, that was what I hoped.

She leaned forward and patted Eric's knee. "Do not worry, my handsome son, my ability to find your wife will only work in your favor. Our special connection has not been diminished by her transformation. Our telepathic bond still exists."

Her eyes twinkled with an inner joy she always had around us. They might also be twinkling with the minor mischief of allowing Eric to remain comfortable in his belief that she could not read his mind. By attributing her powers to my own connecting telepathic nature he could remain safe in his head. Or so he believed. I thought she could probably read his mind like a billboard.

His brow uncreased and he sat back, a little more relaxed. Her vampire GPS focused on me and only me, he believed. As his Maker's Maker, he knew Anna Hita had only our best interests in her heart.

"Do you know what's going on with the Queen?" I asked her.

I glanced at Eric, not sure if he knew what was happening with Queen Trinity and her Ladies. He had seen them but we hadn't discussed anything. There was always the worry that surveillance would pick up anything we said. By unspoken agreement we would only talk once out of earshot of the palace. We hadn't had a chance to speak a word in private before Anna Hita picked us up.

"Oh yes, this is not the first time a human that Turned later regretted their decision. In the beginning the joy of being Vampire is enough. Later on the thoughts of what might have been begin to intrude into that joy."

I tried to think of what my life would be like without the girls and couldn't. They gave my life direction and meaning, without them I would have to be a very different person to cope. I saw with clarity what Eric had gotten when he married me, what we both had gotten when Anna Hita brought us the gift of life, the ability to conceive our daughters. Poor poor Trinity. What could possibly compensate her for the happiness children would bring?

"Some people make it their job to be miserable," Eric said stiffly. "She has unimaginable wealth and power."

I saw he wasn't seeing things from a human woman's perspective. How could he? He had been a vampire for so long and a man for longer than that. Trinity had been smitten with the handsome and suave king of Louisiana and Arkansas, her heart had ruled her head before she was able to consider all the ramifications of her permanent decision to give up her human reproductive powers.

I thought of Linda, wondering if she was falling for Jure, wondering if I could use the Queen's unhappiness as a cautionary tale to get her to consider all her options before making a final choice.

"Are you going to help her?" I asked Anna Hita, feeling sorry for Trinity.

I didn't think the King would understand either. This was mostly a woman thing, the yearning burning fever to have a child. It could become an overpowering obsession, pushing all other thoughts from a woman's mind.

"Not as I helped you," she said quietly.

She couldn't risk another person knowing she could time travel and visit other dimensions. I understood that. I was so so grateful she had risked so much for my happiness. As her direct descendant she cared for me deeply, as I cared for her. Trinity didn't have that claim on her affections.

"I can consult with her and help her find her way past this," she said.

She was speaking in her capacity as ancient and esteemed Scryer, one who used her mediumship to allow Vampires to get in touch with their own inner solutions. I suspected she planted these healing thoughts into the troubled minds of vampires that consulted her.

She would never admit that, of course. It would be as much as her life was worth to let any of her secrets become known. Vampires guarded their privacy with deadly earnest. Her value as a consultant would not be worth the risk a vampire might feel at her ability to know their secrets.

"However, that is not why I wanted to speak with you," she said. "I believe we may have a problem."

As the car sped on through the fog I felt her anxiety twist inside me like a knife.

Maybe Eric was wrong. Maybe worry was not a thing of the past after all.

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more to come .....(Hi Everyone! Glad to have you on board. Sorry about the problems with posting comments. I know I am unable to post on my laptop for some strange reason. Fortunately my ancient desktop is running well right now. Hope all is good in your world. See you Wednesday.)

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24 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2012-01-18T04:36:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Twenty Four

"I am back, Master," I said to Eric, my voice soft and my eyes lowered in a suitably submissive way.

I have seen Pam get down on one knee, described as "old school" by Eric, therefore something that would not be expected of a vampire Turned in the current century. I didn't want to lay on the whole Master - Child thing too thick and make the King suspicious we were pulling his leg.

I was aware of Eric's relief to have me back. The corridors in the palace were like a maze. You could wander around for hours without getting to your destination. I could be off doing who knows what.

Eric gave a slight nod to greet me and show he heard me and was not displeased. He did the whole "Master" thing really well. I wasn't so sure I could pull off the obedient Child role as well but I would try.

"One of the Queen's Ladies escorted me, Master," I added, nodding deeply.

Eric made the tiniest frown showing me I was not supposed to run on at the mouth but only speak when spoken to. I needed to show the King I was a completely transformed being. Eric and I had agreed I was to act as if he had complete power over me, further adding to the story that my Turning had erased my human telepathic powers and my human nature.

I turned to pay respect the King.

"Your Majesty," I said to him, nodding respectfully.

"Sookie, you look marvelous!" he gushed in a rich Spanish accent, putting down his goblet on a black marble coffee table, or would that be a black marble blood table in this case since blood was the only thing served around here.

He walked forward in a smooth catlike way, as a trained dancer would walk, to take my hands in his. His hands felt warm too. The older vampires must generate more heat though they all felt cool to humans. He bowed his head and kissed the back of my left hand.

I knew from my extensive reading of romance novels that this was the traditional use of hand kissing. It was a gesture of admiration towards a married woman in the presence of her husband, not a seductive ploy by a man towards a woman. That was why he kissed the hand wearing the wedding ring. It was as much a compliment for the husband on his good judgement as flattery for the woman.

"Thank you, your Majesty," I said with a smile. "You're not looking too shabby yourself."

It was true. In his expensive suit, his impeccable grooming, his flamenco dancer's physique perfect for a man much smaller in stature than Eric, he would have looked royal even without the title, perhaps like a billionaire bullfighter.

He smiled a pleased little smile and gestured for me to sit down. I sat next to Eric. I tried to look more submissive, as well as cool and vampirish, less human. Inwardly I was nervous about what the King wanted with us.

"How do you find life as one of us?" Felipe de Castro asked, flashing his square white teeth. "Can I offer you a drink?" He indicated the warmed carafe of blood on the table.

I turned to Eric and he gave me a tiny gesture of permission.

"Yes, thank you," I said.

I wasn't hungry but I wanted to be a good guest. "Becoming Vampire agrees with me. Eric has been an excellent Maker."

"Ah yes, your husband has been the death of you just as I have been the death of my wife," de Castro said with a very human sounding laugh that turned into something that sounded suspiciously like a sigh.

I took a tiny sip of blood, finding it to be delicious. This was a rare blood type and at the perfect temperature of 98.6. I didn't have a reply to his remark. I didn't consider becoming Vampire death, just a different kind of life. I wasn't going to get into that with the King.

"You noticed my wife's condition?" the King asked, leaning forward as if to hang on my reply.

I didn't know which condition he referred to. Was he under the impression she was actually pregnant or was he referring to her play acting and the play acting of her Ladies?

Trinity wouldn't be the first woman to fake a pregnancy for reasons of her own. I didn't want to disclose her trick if she was faking her husband out. I presumed he knew she was play acting, yet history has shown presumption could be dangerous when it comes to the foibles of royalty.

"She appeared to be expecting," I said as coolly and neutrally as I could.

I began to see why Vampires seemed to be such impassive and remote beings, so much in their lives was loaded with dangerous consequences it wouldn't pay to put your cards on the table.

"It has become an obsession with her. She is convinced you had found a way to bear Eric's children. No one can reason with her. She will not accept that she can never become a mother. Can you read her mind and help me to find a way for her to make peace with her infertile status?" he implored, moving even closed to the edge of his seat across from me. His warm chocolate brown eyes melted with pleading, his elegant hands held out towards me wringing with anxiety.

Talk about a double edged sword! Not only was he inviting me to get involved in his intimate relationship with his wife, he was testing me to see if I was even more telepathic now that I had Turned.

I took one of Felipe's hands in mine, a gesture so not-Vampire and probably forbidden I felt Eric jump slightly as if he was tempted to grab my hand back. I was reacting to the suffering the King was experiencing. His wife was in the grip of a powerful mental obsession and he was asking me for help.

"I'm so so sorry. I can't read her mind or anyone's mind. I never could read vampire minds, now my ability to read human minds has disappeared too. I want to help you, to help her, but I can't. Have you ever thought about getting her professional advice?" I said gently.

I let go of his hand and he sat back looking forlorn, as if I had been his last hope.

"I blame myself. I Turned her too soon, before she had a chance to work through all her human issues. We were in love, we never discussed children. I believed she knew and accepted that Turning would end her chance to have a child. I was mistaken. She had never given the matter thought until recently, now it is all she thinks about. How long can I keep this problem hidden, how long will she...?"

He was talking to himself now, looking within.

He thought for a moment while Eric and I sat silently immobile.

The king slapped his hands down on the tops of his thighs, ending his deliberation. He turned his focus back to Eric and me.

"Yes," he said decisively, "You make a good suggestion, professional help. Naturally I had already thought of that and have someone on the way to consult with Trinity."

"Naturally, your Majesty," I purred, not wanting to ruffle his ego.

"Sookie and I have planned a trip. If we are not needed we wish to leave immediately," Eric stated.

He obviously wanted to get while the gettin' was good.

"Lawton will take over for me," he added.

Just as quickly as Lawton had been borrowed by the King he had been returned, like a casserole dish. Since Lawton Gregg was Eric's most trusted deputy he could ably fill Eric's shoes until our return unless something really out of the norm occurred.

"That will not be a problem," the King said standing. His brow was still furrowed.

His thoughts had most likely already moved on to the next thing on his agenda. As it has been said, 'Heavy is the head that wears the crown'.

You might add 'Anxious is the Vampire that Turns his wife'.

I didn't mop my brow and say "whew!" at the king's dismissal but I thought it.

With a few more pleasantries Eric and I were out of there. It was such a relief to be out of the King's presence.

All we needed to do was get out of the palace before something new came up to detain us. Eric led us to our room to get our suitcase.

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more to come ....(Greetings Fanpires! I too have had trouble with the posting on this site. If I ever miss a posting it will be due to technical errors or a natural event like the recent week long power failure around here.

I know you are there in my heart, even if you are unable to comment. Thanks so much for your persistence at trying to let me know you're there, it never goes unnoticed or unappreciated.

Hope everyone's health is improving and there is peace in your heart.)

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23 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2012-01-14T04:46:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Twenty Three

I stood and nodded slightly.

"Your Majesty," I said.

I wondered I was still supposed to curtsey now that I was Vampire. Whether I was or whether I wasn't didn't really matter, a nod was all she was going to get.

"Sookie, please, you can call me Trinity. We are old friends, are we not?" she asked sweetly, staring at me intensely, her eyes glowing with an eerie focus of emotion.

Apparently the nod was fine with her.

She dismissed the Ladies in Waiting standing behind her with a backwards wave of her hand, not even turning to look at them. They backed out of the room and closed the twenty foot tall pointed oak doors quietly behind them.

I wouldn't have gone so far as to call us friends. We had always been cordial to each other and we shared the common bond of having been recently Turned by our respective spouses. She was Turned more than twenty years ago, right before her wedding to the King. That was still recent in vampire years.

Trinity had been a human model with elfin features and a heart shaped face. The past twenty years had not touched her almost perfect beauty. Her right arm moved to rest on her large stomach, accenting its size and shape under her flowing empire waisted dress.

I tried not to look at her swollen abdomen as I replied. "Yes, certainly, Trinity." This answer was ambiguous enough to satisfy her.

She came up to me, closer than the usual space people kept from each other. As petite and small boned as she looked from a distance, she was actually a good five inches taller than I was. That made her about two inches taller than the King.

"You have given birth to Eric Northman's children," she stated, still staring at me.

She suddenly bent forward and started to sniff me, a startling and wholly vampire thing to do. I took a step back instinctively.

"I am married to Eric and we have children. I was artificially inseminated, if you must know. We chose an anonymous donor selected to match Eric's physical features," I said a tad stiffly.

I didn't want to offend the queen but I wanted to put an end to this line of conversation. She could not, under any circumstances, know I was inseminated with sperm Anna Hita brought back from a parallel dimension, a dimension wherein a human Eric died in battle before ever Turning vampire. Anna Hita could not allow her secret to be known. I owed it to her to keep her special powers confidential.

I knew that what was under Queen Trinity's gorgeous dress was not a pregnancy. I smelled foam and lead, probably the materials used to make the belly. An "empathy belly" it was called, if I remembered rightly from a TV show I watched years ago about avoiding teen pregnancies.

I had watched it when my girls were in their tween years and becoming a little boy-crazy. Those empathy bellies show non-pregnant people what it is like to be heavy with life. I wondered if they made one that showed the grueling last months of carrying triplets. I doubted it.

"Then they are not truly his?" she asked, the corners of her pouty mouth turned down in disappointment.

I smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, he says if you feed them then they look like you. They're pretty and blond like me."

I sounded proud of them because I was. Since Eric and I shared the same coloring it was entirely possible that the girls looked like me and an unknown blond donor.

"I see," she said and plopped down heavily on a chaise lounge.

I remained standing, the protocol when in the presence of the king or queen. Trinity's show of being exhausted with child carrying was just that, a show. She could have walked around with ten anvils strapped to her belly and not felt the strain of it. She was Vampire.

"The King wants to see you," she said lifelessly. "You may go." She made a dismissive gesture with her hand.

"Thank you, it was good to see you again," I said with another little nod, backing out of the room as her Ladies-in-Waiting had done.

She didn't answer, she just stared at the hearth watching the shadows of the fire on the white marble. She looked very depressed. I didn't know vampires could get depressed.

I left her chamber and wandered around a bit until I smelled the Ladies-in-Waiting. I followed their scent trail to a richly appointed living room where they were watching a DVR'ed recording of a soap opera - "The Young and the Pulseless" - on a 70 inch flat screen HDTV.

One of the Ladies had removed her empathy belly and had her skirt hiked up to her waist, legs askew, itching her stomach. When she saw me she didn't make a move to cover her thatch of pubic hair.

"Can we help you?" another Lady asked.

She stood up nimbly then her eyes flicked to the door. She instantly sat down and stood up again, this time struggling to her feet like a woman heavy with child.

"What is this all about?" I asked her, indicating her artificially swollen abdomen. I spoke in a very quiet confidential voice.

" 'Tis the fashion here for the time being," a red haired Lady said. She had a lovely Irish lilt.

"You all walk around looking pregnant?" I asked her.

"And acting the part too," the red haired lady said in a much-put-upon voice.

"But why?" I asked.

"That's not for me to say," she replied. "Come, I'll take you to your husband."

She waddled ahead of me for about half a mile of fabulously decorated palace corridors until we came to the King's chambers.

I heard Eric's laugh coming from inside the room.

The King said, "You know how they are."

He had that affectionate yet superior tone of voice men use when they privately discuss the erratic behavior of women.

"I do indeed," Eric said, still laughing.

Did he really agree with the King or was he going along to get along? I couldn't tell.

The Lady knocked lightly on the door. In a second the King said, "Enter."

I opened the door and saw Eric and King de Castro sitting across from each other in a modern and elegant sitting room with many shiny black surfaces. They each held a goblet of blood.

Both men politely rose as I entered the room.

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more to come .....(Thank you so very very much for stopping by when you can. Your visit and comments are always much appreciated. I'm sending good thoughts to you all for your health and the health of your loved ones.)

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22 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2012-01-11T04:50:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Twenty Two

As we dressed he admitted, "I was protecting you and controlling you. For many years your behavior seemed ..." he looked for the right words, " ... erratic and impulsive. I could not be sure you would make the right choices."

Despite his attempt at tact I felt a little annoyed, tempered by the mellowing effects of spectacular lovemaking.

"Who can be sure anyone will always make wise decisions?" I asked.

I could have brought up the fiasco Eric caused when he had continued to feed from one of his barmaids, a demon named Saytanna, but I didn't. She was safely tucked in the Underworld for now, let sleeping demons lie.

He was silent for so long I stopped dressing to look at him. He was staring at me, his eyes glowing a faint eerie blue. "You make a valid point. I will try to give you more leeway in the future."

We got in the car and went home.

Leeway wasn't his to give! He didn't own me, for heaven's sake! I kept my tongue, as Gran would have put it, "Least said, soonest mended."

I decided he was moving in the right direction so I would just be more vigilant about when and where his influence was being exerted on me and on those that interact with me. Now that I was Vampire I would have even more access to the inner circle of powerful vamps that decided things. At least that was what I hoped.

I had to admit that Eric's protection had served me well during my human years. In many ways he had done the right things. I appreciated him running interference with the King, there was no way I would have wanted to be co-opted by the Vampire King of Louisiana as his pet telepath.

These were the thoughts I was thinking when we pulled in the driveway behind a long purple and black stretch limo. I recognized the fancy gold crest on the car doors. My heart sank, this was one of the King's fleet of vehicles.

Was King de Castro himself here? Speak or in this case think of the devil, I told myself.

A court messenger, a young vampire courtier in black tights, puffy purple velvet shorts, a black ruffled shirt under a purple velvet coat with exaggerated shoulders stepped out of the limo and waited for us.

When we came up to him he said loudly, "Hear Ye! Hear Ye! King Felipe de Castro and his Queen, Trinity de Castro, command your presence at the royal court immediately." He was staring about a foot over our heads as he announced his message. Then he just stood there like a statue.

I looked at Eric. His face showed no emotion. He said to the messenger "Let us put our car in the garage and get changed then we will be ready to go."

"Very good, sir," the messenger said crisply, still looking over Eric's head.

We backed out of the driveway to give the limo room to move out into the street and let us past, then Eric pulled into our driveway, drove around behind the dark house and parked the Corvette in the garage.

"Can we make a run for it?" I whispered to him once we were in the soundproof tunnel that connected the garage to the house. I wanted to hang out at the palace like a hole in the chest.

"There is no point to that. I am an officer of the court and in favor with the King. We will go and see what the King wants. If he wants to know if your telepathic powers have increased .."

"Then we'll tell him the truth, that they were part of my human nature. Now that I am Vampire they have gone," I finished the sentence for him.

We had rehearsed this enough times. I felt confident I could pull this off. Vampires believed they were one hundred percent not human. If my telepathy came from my human side then it would make sense it was gone. This could be the end of my worry that commanded telepathic servitude was just one phone call away.

After hastily throwing a few clothing items in a suitcase we were ready to go. The limo drove us to the small private airfield where a purple and black helicopter waited for us on standby mode, its blades rotating slowly until we were inside. Then it took off into the night and whisked us away from Shreveport to the landing pad on the roof of the castle in New Orleans.

I stopped at the Donor Lounge for a meal before being taken to the receiving room to await the King. The Donor Lounge was open all night every night as the flashing purple neon sign over the arched doorway proclaimed.

It was where humans that wanted a close encounter with a vampire came to wait, hang out, and, if they were chosen, drink for free using vouchers they were given. The bar area was separate from the waiting room, making the bar perfectly legal. Private enclosed booths were provided for vampires and their donors. It was a tasteful and tasty solution for vampires and humans alike.

I forgot the name and face of the donor as soon as I fed, my mind on other things. After that we went to the reception room where a guard checked us in and called the King's office to let him know we had arrived.

A Lady-in-Waiting for the Queen came for me, just me, telling us that Queen Trinity wanted a private meeting with me. I had known Trinity when we were both human, I looked forward to meeting with her again. I glanced at Eric and he gave me a slight nod, letting me know it was alright for me to go with the Lady.

The current court fashion was the wearing of medieval garb, apparently. The Lady-in-Waiting, a red haired thirty-something vampire with sea green eyes and an impressive bosom wore a voluminous velvet and brocade deep purple dress that swept the floor as she walked. It had so many gathers and layers in it that she appeared to be pregnant. She even waddled when she walked like a woman approaching her ninth month.

I had on a tailored burgundy pantsuit and black silk turtleneck top. We couldn't have been dressed more differently. I hope my modern clothes would not annoy the Queen. No one had told me to dress like it was King Henry I's reign.

Once I was comfortably settled in the Queen's outer chamber a human servant girl in a floor length black uniform, mob cap and white apron asked me if there was anything she could get me. I assured her I was fine and she left.

The Queen's chamber was decorated in shades of blue. Wall sized light blue panels framed huge beautifully painted murals of delicate pale women in tall pointed hats, veils and long elaborate dresses sitting on thrones, walking in moonlit gardens and playing ancient stringed instruments. They were surrounded by lions, unicorns, dragons and griffons that fawned lovingly at their feet.

A gigantic crystal chandelier at least six feet in diameter fit the proportions of the high vaulted ceiling that had been shored up with hand hewn beams. A roaring fire crackled in a fireplace large enough to dance in, casting a golden light on the tapestries and very antique woven rugs that covered the mosaic blue tiled floor. The rugs were three deep in some places. Each one must be worth a fortune, their jewel colors undimmed despite the heavy wear and fraying they showed from the countless generations of feet that had trodden upon them.

This was a beautiful room filled with treasures and trinkets of gold and jewels, the sort of room a person with an unlimited income could buy. I found the carved chair I was sitting in not very comfortable. The rest of the heavily decorated furniture didn't look any more inviting.

The tall Gothic pointed doors opened and Queen Trinity walked in, followed by three vampire Ladies in Waiting. All of them wore clothing designed hundreds of years ago. Queen Trinity wore a long and regal crushed red velvet dress with draped sleeves and gold trim. Her gold crown was almost blinding with rubies and diamonds when the light hit it the right way.

That was remarkable but the most outstanding thing about her was that she and her entourage all looked to be in their eighth month of pregnancy.

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more to come .....(Greetings Fanpires! So good of you to stop by and leave a comment. I am always delighted and fascinated by the things you write. I can't believe my good fortune having you here with me.

****Just a reminder for those who have recently joined us ****

~~~ I began these stories before book nine was released, therefore any changes in characters in books nine and ten - deaths and births - will not be reflected in my story. The same is true for the TV series. After season one the events are not included. ~~~)

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21 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2012-01-07T04:34:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Twenty One

I stayed in the club long enough to feed from another man whose name and face I forgot as soon as I healed him, then Eric and I left for home.

Still in love with the night, I wanted to run through the velvet blackness, lit by the energy that existed in all things. I longed to feel the wind in my hair. The freedom of being able to run like that was pure joy.

It was like riding in a speeding convertible at night but without the car. Once I was home I would change into my running clothes and put a scarf around my hair to prevent it from becoming a wind blown tangle. The woods, the night, the stars in their glory practically sang to me, calling my name.

On the way home I asked Eric if he knew Pam had wanted to be my Maker.

"She asked my permission many years ago," he said.

"I didn't know she was interested in me, I mean, in that way," I said.

"All vampires are interested in you in 'that way' if by 'that way' you mean a fairy to drink from endlessly, a fountain of pleasure that never runs dry. Your additional talents make you a powerful ally, a wonderful possession. Not that I consider you a possession, but most vampires would," he added that last bit quickly, trying to avoid offending me.

The tension in his voice and the top speed he was driving led me to believe he was a tad uncomfortable with this topic.

"What did you tell her when she asked your permission?"

"I told her she could not ask you or give you any indication she was interested in being your Maker."

I could almost hear the muscles in his jaw setting, he was sure this was going to lead to a disagreement between us.

"I forbade her," he added, as if he wanted to be sure I understood what he was saying.

"Wouldn't that have been my decision to make?" I asked gently.

Since I was already Vampire the whole topic was a moot point. Still it was interesting to know what dynamics had led me to the place I was now.

"You were Mine," he stated flatly, as if that defined everything.

Maybe it did. It also directly contradicted what he had just said a moment ago, that he didn't think of me as his possession.

He quite obviously did think of me as his possession. This didn't disillusion me, I knew how vampires regarded humans. Eric tried really hard not to act as if I was here to meet his needs. For the most part he succeeded.

Still, I felt like I needed to reaffirm my need for independence. I couldn't have Eric orchestrating my life, this was my life to live the way I wanted.

"I thought you understood that I needed to make my own decisions about things like that," I said in the most non-confrontational tone of voice I could muster. "Are there other ways you are controlling me?"

As I spoke a wave of irritation began to rise up in me. I didn't want Eric riding herd on all my thoughts and actions. I believed it was just his concern for my past human fragility that had caused him to limit my choices.

I hoped all his manipulation was a thing of the past now that I had Turned. I got a smug satisfaction that he could not control me with glamour

I recalled the one and only time he had put his hands on me in anger was when I told him I had mentioned to Anna Hita that I might consider her as my Maker. Eric hadn't hurt me but he had to leave me stranded in a car in New Orleans in order for him to get control of his fury.

Eric always knew without doubt that he wanted to be my Maker. I wondered if it was an unpleasant surprise to find out his power to compel me was very slight. I felt a glow of pride that he had very little influence on me as a Maker. I was my own person, not a puppet to be moved this way and that.

Eric pulled the car over and cut the engine. As the hot metal pinged and the sky sang the sweet magical music of the stars I regrouped emotionally. I knew what he was going to say before he said it.

"I was not controlling you, my wife, love of my life, I was protecting you. Your special qualities could have tempted another to exploit you. It was my duty as your husband to make certain you never fell into the hands of those that would use you," he explained.

"Or abuse you," he added ominously, to remind me of the threats that surrounded me.

He left out the part about him being possessive and jealous. He took my hand. It still surprised me how warm his skin felt now. He looked up, then turned to look directly at me.

"I loved you then. I love you now. I will love you always," he said simply, his unwavering blue gaze entering my very soul so I could see this was the single golden truth in his heart.

He leaned forward to kiss me, a kiss that turned into a passion only two vampires could share. As his fangs touched my skin I whispered, "I love you too. I am yours because I willingly gave myself to you. Thank you for protecting me."

He moaned with joy and pleasure at my acceptance of things as they were, then we left the car to make love under the dazzling stars, adding the fireworks of our passion to the already glorious night.

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more to come .....(Hi everyone! I love to check and see if anyone has stopped by, when I see your comment it is a wonderful confirmation I am not out here in cyberspace alone. Your enthusiasm and encouragement are phenomenal! Could there be a better group of fanpires? I don't think so! Love you!)

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20 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2012-01-04T04:12:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Twenty

"Must?" I asked. "Is this due to Eric commanding you to apologize?"

I wanted to know if the apology was being forced out of her. Obviously it would not mean much if she was being compelled to say she was sorry. Eric, as her Maker, still had some real power over her, unlike the situation with Eric and me.

She laughed gaily, her light girlish voice reminding me of just how young she was, nineteen in human terms, when she was Turned. In vampire years she was centuries old.

"No, no, Sookie. Not at all. I am truly sorry for my harsh assessment of your behavior. Master can take care of himself. If he was content with things the way they were then that should have been sufficient for me."

"But it wasn't?" I asked.

"You said I was jealous. That started me thinking about my motives. In the end I saw you were right. Jealousy was what prompted me to berate you. I am genuinely sorry for that."

Was she telling me she was still in love with Eric? Was she trying to redefine our relationship to include her as Eric's other vampire "wife"?

That just wasn't going to fly.

"I accept your apology Pam. No hard feelings. Eric is a great man, he will not treat you with any less care than he has in the past."

I chose my words carefully. I wanted to reassure her of her place and put her in her place at the same time.

"It was not you I was jealous of, it was Eric. I had hoped, perhaps I should say fantasized, that I might be your Maker. I hoped you would sense that you and I could have a special relationship, a very special relationship."

She sat back and crossed her slim shapely legs, her costly silver stiletto shoe dangling from the toes of her upper leg in a sexy way.

It took me a second to grasp what she was saying. She wanted to be my Maker?

How weird was that? As I thought I realized it wasn't all that weird. Pam had no boundaries when it came to sex partners. Male, female, old, young, I had seen her at various times with every make and model of human. But me?

"Pam, I'm flattered but surely you know more than anyone that I belong to Eric in every way. He was my natural choice as a Maker."

Even as I said this I remembered that at one time I had been worried Eric would gain too much control over me if he was my Maker. At that time I had been thinking Anna Hita might be a good choice for me.

In the end I decided it would be Eric. I trusted him utterly. It turned out he had very little control over me as my Maker, my unusual telepathic nature almost completely blocked his Maker's power to compel me just as it had blocked his vampire ability to glamour me when I was human.

"Yes, yes, however that didn't take away my disappointment at your decision. Tell me, if I had made my desire known to you would you have considered me as a Maker?" Her head tilted slightly waiting for my answer.

"I ...I honestly can't answer that, Pam. My brother wanted you to be his Maker. When you refused I stopped thinking of you in those terms."

That wasn't strictly true. I had never considered Pam as a possible Maker but I was hoping to re-introduce her to the notion of Turning Jason. He was the nearest thing to me in the human/fairy blood mix and he was very dear to my heart.

I realized that manipulating Pam this way was not a moral problem for me. Was this part of my new vampire nature or was I just still irritated with Pam for refusing to Turn Jason and giving me a tongue lashing? I couldn't tell.

"Jason ..." she mused thoughtfully. "His blood is the same as yours?"

"It should be. Our fairy heritage has manifested itself differently in us but the blood should be the same."

Jason was practically irresistible to human women due to his fairy blood and a vigorous daily routine at the gym. I didn't think my telepathy had anything to do with my fairy heritage since I was a direct descendant of Anna Hita. She was, literally, the mother of all telepaths.

"I might entertain Jason's offer since you are no longer available," she said slowly, her mental wheels spinning at this new idea. "I could always order the disagreeable elements out of his character once I am his Maker."

I didn't mention that Eric had very little Maker power over me. Unlike me, Jason could be glamoured. He might not have the same resistance to vampire powers I did.

It bothered me that Pam would want to tailor make Jason's personality to suit her, though I certainly understood why she might want to. How many times had I wished I could tone down his arrogance, thoughtlessness and self-centeredness? Too many to count. Over the years his personality had mellowed out and he seemed fine to me now that he was a husband and father.

I didn't know how much luck Pam would have as his Maker to rewrite his whole persona. In my experience glamour only went so far.

I had fairy longevity and now I was vampire. I would appear to remain in my early twenties until my final death. Jason had neither of these benefits and every day that passed grated on him. Right now he was handsome, distinguished and mature. Another twenty years and he would begin to look old. I hoped to hurry Pam along. She might have decades to decide but Jason's biological clock was ticking.

"You accept my apology?" Pam asked, returning to the original point of our conversation.

"Completely. We are good with each other. Together we can back up Eric in any situation," I said, standing.

"You can also back me up, as I would protect you," she said, standing also.

We stood there, united by our mutual Maker and our vampire bond. She smiled and I smiled back. Her fangs were out but mine were not.

We did not hug, it was not the Vampire way. I was glad.

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more to come .....(Greetings to those just joining us here, welcome and many thanks for coming. Big thanks also to those that have continued in their loyalty and kindness, without you I would just be a crazy lady writing a vampire story to myself, lol!)

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19 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-12-31T04:23:00.000-08:00

Chapter Nineteen

The four of us left the house, Eric and I using the Corvette and Adele and Lachlain in their rescue-slash-work van.

Adele offered to bring us in her van but Eric and I had the unspoken mutual knowledge that the smells in the van would probably make me sick. I looked forward to the time when my sensory filter had adjusted to my new enhanced abilities.

Pulling into the Fangtasia parking lot I could smell the hot blood of the humans inside, like standing outside a gourmet restaurant looking at the menu while the delicious cooking odors were pumped into the air to entice you in.

I hadn't brought any donor blood with me but I was sure I would find a volunteer inside the club I could take to the secret lounge where the "in" group of vampires brought their willing meals.

The lounge was in a basement adjacent to the basement in Fangtasia. The building that stood above the old basement was gone, the area paved over for parking. Underneath the lot the unknown basement served as a meeting place and hang out for Eric's vampire friends to conduct their business.

It wasn't legal for vampires to feed in night clubs so the hidden second basement was, strictly speaking, against the law. Of course they were feeding under the night club, not in it, a distinction I doubted the law would recognize.

Fortunately Eric had a good vampire friend on the police force plus a squeaky clean record as a night club owner. The undercover cops sent to keep a watch on things had dwindled down to a brief visit a few times a year, their resources better spent on more troublesome establishments.

Of course these undercover officers stood out like an ostrich at a turkey farm to vampire eyes so their presence was more of a formality than anything else.

"Let us go to the office first," Eric suggested to me as we entered the back employees entrance through a beat up gray metal fire door. We stepped into a plain and drab hallway with worn brown and tan checkerboard linoleum floors, dingy mint green paint and eye straining florescent bulbs.

This was in contrast to the gaudy vampire kitsch decor and eye popping light show in the club itself. The wall of sound and mental activity hit me and stopped me like a thick sheet of vibrating rubber until I composed myself and broke through, tuning out both the sounds and the hubbub of thoughts. All those years of practice were paying off. I knew how to tone it down to a murmur.

"You are learning," Eric said with approval, watching the process.

He could feel the tension leave my body through our bond. I could feel his admiration for my abilities.

We went in the office. The smell of blood was just about overwhelming though there was not a speck of the stuff to be seen with the naked eye. So many people had been fed on in the room over the years that the smell had soaked into the walls, couch, furniture. I felt my mouth begin to water.

Eric looked at me with narrowed smiling eyes. "You are hungry again?" he asked in a kindly way.

I nodded, not speaking because my fangs were already down and ready. I hated saying "yesth."

"Stay here, I will be right back," he said.

I noticed he locked the office door behind him after he left. To insure my privacy? Or to prevent me from going on a killing spree?

Before I had time to ponder this he was back with a fine looking human, a twenty something round faced man with a long brown ponytail and a striped button down shirt. He looked to be the picture of health and was already lightly glamoured.

"Will this do?" Eric asked, presenting the man to me with a flourish of his hand. "His name is Edward."

I sniffed Edward's neck, he smelled really delicious. We sat him down on the worn leather sofa. I unbuttoned his collar, tipped his head back, put him even deeper into a relaxing trance and fed. There was nothing like the real thing, fresh blood from a vein.

I was very careful not to get any blood on his nice striped shirt when I finished. I gave him the post glamour suggestion that he just had a great time with a pretty vampire woman.

After healing him and bringing him out of his trance I gave him some free drink vouchers, then Eric escorted him back to the main club area.

He came back with Leslie Fujikawa, his long time friend on the Shreveport police force. She looked at the new me a long moment before nodding her vampire greeting. I nodded back to my sister vampire. We had always liked each other.

Since she had been promoted to detective she no longer wore a uniform. She looked petite and elegant in a stylish navy blue pant suit and crisp white blouse. In her hand was a manilla folder.

"Leslie has some paperwork for me to fill out. While I was gone our warehouse was burgled and I need to tally the remaining contents to determine how much was taken," Eric explained.

The side of his mouth slid up wryly and he shrugged. Leslie looked down as if she was slightly embarrassed.

Eric was, in essence, apologizing for the fact that the most lethal predator on the planet was reduced to filling out forms in triplicate to get justice.

Gone were the days of simply hunting down the miscreants and draining them, then hiding their bodies in some secret place or creating an "accident" to explain their demise. The policy of mainstreaming had changed vampire culture, not vampire nature.

I excused myself to go out into the club to visit with Adele and Lachlain. I tuned out the noise, scents, thoughts and sights of the club as I pushed my way through the swinging door that separated the utilitarian part of the club from the fun part.

The song with the lyrics "Don't You Want Me Baby?" was pounding away. This must be New Wave night, something new to attract the second tide of New Wavers. Or would that be New Wavees?

As I walked through the club various men and a few women offered me their necks while singing "don't you want me baby?" to me. I could smell the sexual interest coming off some of the men in a tempting mix with their blood and hormones. I probably would want them if I hadn't just enjoyed Edward. I wouldn't want all of them, just their blood.

Adele and Lachlain were talking with Pam near the entrance to the club. She must be acting as bouncer again, if a frail icy blond in a pink taffeta dress with a chiffon skirt could be described as a bouncer. Pam was as pretty as a picture, as quick and lethal as a guillotine.

Adele said loudly, "Here's Mom now!" to Pam. They must have been talking about me but I wasn't worried. I knew Adele as well as I knew myself, she would never complain about me to Pam or reveal any of my secrets.

Pam looked me up and down and smiled a slow smile. "How is it?" she asked.

"Better than I could have possibly imagined," I replied. "I wonder now what all my trepidation was about."

Trepidation was my word of the night and I had been hoping I could work it into a sentence.

Pam turned to Adele and Lachlain. "Would you please excuse us for a moment? I owe your mother an apology."

They both said no problem and headed for the bar where Mike Malone would see that they drank free. He gave me a happy wave and a thumb's up sign showing his approval that I had joining the ranks of the undead.

Pam escorted me down to the private lounge in the second hidden basement so we could talk in private. I noticed for the first time that along with the dehumidifiers that ran around the clock down there were also several large powerful air cleaners with HEPA filters. The lounge did not smell like a charnel house, though who-knew how many gallons of blood had been consumed in here over the years.

Pam and I sat down across from each other. She leaned forward slightly, continuing to look at me. I could tell she was thinking of how to tell me what she had to say, not by using my telepathy, which was still almost a blank around other vampires, but from her slight frown of assessment.

"I must tell you how sorry I am for the disrespectful way I spoke to you," she began.

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more to come .....(Howdy, welcome and greetings to one and all! Sending happy thoughts and good wishes to each and every one of you!)

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18 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-12-28T04:19:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Eighteen

The following night we came back into the newly deodorized and renovated house. The hum of a powerful hepa filter air cleaner sounded through our heat and cooling vents. Sheila had taken all the perishable food from the old fridge and stocked the new fridge with True Blood and donor blood.

I tanked up on warmed donor blood after rising, then dressed in a deep purple floor length velvet dress for a visit to Fangtasia. The neckline was cut so low my black lace bustier showed as it pushed up my bosom like two ripe albino melons. Eric's instant fangliness let me know I had chosen the right dress.

I had been to Fangtasia many times over the years as a human. This would be my first visit as a vampire. I hoped I had the coping skills to deal with the sensory stimulation.

Eric wore a black Edwardian brocade jacket over a ruffled black silk shirt. He was trying out some new outfits for our trip to Europe. I wondered if he realized frock coats had been out of style for more than a hundred years. He wore tight black jeans and his beloved black Adidas with the vintage jacket, making the whole look retro and funky. His wild blond hair was pulled back with a dark purple velvet ribbon. He could have been the front man for some impressive rock band.

While I was human I had imagined it would seem strange coming home as a vampire. It was not strange at all. The human past of me that had lived here still enjoyed the furnishings, the memories, and the comfort of objects made dear by use. Eric had the fridge, microwave, stove and vent replaced during the daylight cleaning because he knew the lingering smells would be offensive to my new senses.

In time I would probably clean and replace everything or else I would learn not to sample the air very often. I could live with things the way they were.

The front door opened and Adele came in with Lachlain close behind her. Eric and I walked at human speed to greet them. I was actually afraid I might gag up my dinner if I sampled the air around Lachlain. If a dog was bad, how much worse would a werewolf be?

I greeted her with a big hug while making sure I did not let any air in my nose. They were both dressed up for a visit to Fangtasia to be supportive of my first night out as Vampire.

"My gosh Mom! You look great! How do you feel?" she asked.

She already knew the answer. I felt fine. Vampires didn't have variable health unless something catastrophic happened to them.

Carefully drawing in the minimum of breath through my mouth I told her I felt great and that she too looked lovely. Her dress was in a shade of purple only slightly lighter than mine.

"I see you got the memo," she laughed, indicating our unintentionally matching outfits. I wondered if she had psychically picked up what colors I would be wearing.

Eric and Lachlain nodded at each other then Eric hugged Adele, lifting her in the air and complementing her on her upswept hairstyle.

As I hugged Lachlain he laughed and said, "You're even more beautiful as a vampire than you were as a human!"

I realized then that as a vampire I could switch to nodding at him, not hugging him, reducing the amount his stink ..er ... scent he would get on me.

Curiosity got the better of me and I took a tiny tiny sip of air. To my shock he smelled very nice, a pleasing combination of outdoorsy odors.

"Lachlain, you smell wonderful!" I said, sounding as astonished as I felt.

He didn't smell edible like a human, he smelled like the forest, like leaves, like moonlight on white beach rocks.

"That's Adele's doing. She concocted some kind of shampoo and body wash she said would make me smell better to vampires. I guess it works," he said with a modest shrug.

"How does it smell to you?" I asked Eric. He sniffed the air near Lachlain and nodded approvingly. He gave Adele a thumb's up.

"My woods at home," Eric said, smiling nostalgically.

By "home" I think he was referring to Scandinavia, not Shreveport.

"Lachlain's mother said it smells like the Scottish highlands in spring," Adele boasted. "I tried about ten formulas before I got it exactly right." She put her arm around Lachlain's tapered waist and smiled up at her long term boyfriend.

"She's going to patent it and sell it online. Not only does it make us acceptable to vampires, it enables us to go anywhere and not leave a personal scent trail," he said.

I saw there might be a tremendous advantage to that for werewolves. The Shreveport packs didn't have a lot of trouble with each other, in fact they often got together for picnics and rallys. That wasn't true in other parts of the country where the fighting between rival packs could turn deadly.

I was sorry that Linda wasn't going to be at Fangtasia tonight, she was off gallivanting through Europe with Jure. Since I was planning on going to Europe in a few days with Eric I hoped we might meet up somewhere.

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more to come .....(Happy Mid-week everyone! I love that you take the time to visit especially during this season when so many demands are made on our time. I simply can't thank you enough for all the kind words of encouragement and your endearing enthusiasm. If I could bottle it to dab on during the day I would!

What would kind words of encouragement smell like? I suspect it would smell like oranges and cinnamon and a touch of clove. See you Saturday if the fates allow!)

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17 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-12-24T04:25:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Seventeen

My ability to control myself when feeding was dependent on the amount of donor blood I had before I left the safe haven of our apartment. We fine tuned my feedings over the next few weeks making sure I got the amount right before venturing forth to find live prey.

I continued my glamour experiments but didn't find the limits of my ability to glamour groups of people. We made a quick trip to Shreveport where I glamoured everyone in Independence Stadium on a relatively busy night. The place held as many as 50,000 people but that night there were only about half that.

I got them to get them to sing the second line in the National Anthem twice. Most people went along with it though many looked baffled. Was that because they weren't glamoured and felt compelled to do something they didn't understand or were they baffled because they weren't glamoured but went along with the ones who were while wondering at the strange turn the song had taken?

Without reading individual minds it would be hard to tell why they appeared confused. There were just too many brains all working at once to let my telepathic guard down. I figured my experiment wouldn't result in any harm to anyone, that was my main concern. I could work on understanding the extent of my influence when I had more time.

Eric was more excited about my special powers than I was. I was still in love with the night, the immensity, the glow, the lure. The silver moonlight trickling down the bark of the trees and pooling on the ground, my ability to focus, entering deeper and deeper into the radiant heart of each molecule, these things distracted me away from the more practical matters I would need to face as a newly Turned vampire.

Eric's blood, while no longer sending me over the moon on a high, still made me giddy and a little tipsy. I could have as much as I wanted and not get wasted.

The whole experience was wonderful, our closeness absolute. I could be by his side and keep up with him in the bedroom and out of it. In some ways I excelled his abilities like my ability to glamour whole groups of people.

Losing consciousness at dawn and waking the next night was exactly like blinking slowly. My eyes shut briefly and then it was another night. If my stomach didn't churn with hunger upon awakening I wouldn't know a whole day had passed. It felt to me as if I never slept. I was continuously energetic and wide awake.

Eric was always up before me by at least an hour. That would get better in time. Maybe a lot of time. The more ancient a vampire was the earlier they rose. Eric didn't need to wait for full dark to rise, though he usually did wait before he left the safety of our apartment.

Like most vampires he didn't miss the sun, he didn't want to see the rosy glow of sunset. He feared and disliked the sun, an instrument of agonizing death for him and all vampires.

I never gave the sun a thought for those first weeks. When I finally did think about it I could feel the presence of it like a roaring ball, a huge blast furnace just on the other side of something. I felt the cool night protecting me from the melting searing heat and I was glad for it. I wrapped the night around me like a cloak and danced with happiness.

Finally I was ready to return to my home and my past life. Some things were going to be different. I was going to sleep in the safe room with Eric during the day. He had moved a larger bed into the safe room so we could be together all the time, day and night.

I say "sleep" but it was nothing like human sleep. It was a seeming half second of complete and utter nothing, then wide awake and ready to enjoy life. No time seemed to pass, it was a seamless transition, an endless night.

I thought about the lonely days without Eric in the past, how time seemed to drag sometimes waiting for him to rise. His experience was completely different, a split second and then there I was again waiting for him with open arms. As long as we could stay safe I preferred things the way they were now.

Eric had planned to whisk me away to Europe before I returned home to finish my education in restraint and vampire skills but I had learned so fast and done so well he decided I could return home for a few days before the next semester in vampire school.

When I arrived home the elderly Sheila didn't seem to notice anything different about me but her niece Penelope and her dog King were both frightened of me. Penelope had to lock King in the guest bedroom to keep him away from me. The attack potential of the dog was not uppermost in my mind, however. It was the smell!

I took a small sip of air and just about threw up. It was like having a wet filthy dog stuffed into each nostril. I blew out all the air I could but still the stench lingered in my sinuses making my eyes water pink tears.

"That's worse than a skunk's armpit!" I told Eric when I could finally speak. We had to go outside to the porch so I could draw a breath and talk.

He laughed, his white teeth reflecting the moonlight. "That is why we do not like dogs or wolves, the smell is so offensive," he told me.

"How did you stand it all those years with Roscoe and Gordon?" I asked, feeling guilty I had tortured him with their foul odors.

"As with other sensory input, you will adjust, though I must admit the learning curve is a little steep in the dog smell department."

He wasn't kidding. It was weeks before I was able to behave normally in the presence of an animal or the smell of meat.

That night Sheila opened all the windows in the house. After that, she, her niece, and their vile smelling dog left. Eric and I stayed in the garage and used the safe room in the garage basement. The next day a cleaning crew catering to the needs of vampires would come and thoroughly clean and destinkify the house.

I looked at my old reconstructed Bon Temps bedroom and experienced it in a whole new way. I could smell Gran and Tina my cat, Tara and Bill. I could smell Quinn and everyone and everything that had gone on there over the years. I even knew that the plumber that had installed the bathroom decades ago had been sick with a liver disease.

I had stopped asking Eric how he stood the stink. He always said the same thing, I would get used to it and adjust. I thought about all the good I could do in helping to diagnose illnesses with my super powers but as with telepathy, helping mankind would take over all my life,the line for help would be eternal and endless, the stories heart wrenching and haunting.

My life would become a nightmare of listening to other people's misery and need. It would crush me under the weight of it and rob me of any kind of life with my family.

It pained me to realize I was not willing to give up my life to do good works. Painful or not, that was the truth of it, the truth of me. Know thyself was good advice even when it meant facing my limitations.

Eric had another plan for us to rid the world of some evils, one I was ready, willing and able to do.

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more to come .....(Cheers and blessings to all of you, my best best wishes for your health and happiness beam out to each and every one of you. You are precious to me. See you Wednesday the 28th as long as things are up and running around here. Happy happy, joy joy!)

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16 - Sookie Stachouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-12-20T04:45:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Sixteen

"Cheese and possum Stevie boy!" Slip the drink-buying old timer exclaimed.

"Boy can't hold his liquor," the guy in the plaid shirt agreed.

Steve groaned and stood up with help from Joey. "That ain't never happened before," he moaned. "I got to get me to a doctor, I think my shoulder's broke."

"More like dis-lo-ca-ted," the first old timer Slip said carefully to avoid slurring his words.

Maybelle turned to the toothless man sitting next to her and snapped, "Elroy you can be a real pain in the neck sometimes."

He looked startled at this weird turn in the conversation. She still had anger hormones running through her bloodstream so she was picking a fight with her table mate. Elroy saw this as one more bit of proof the old bag was crazy. He shrugged it off his skinny shoulders 'cause Maybelle was buying tonight.

I snickered silently at her reference to her pain in the neck. I wondered if somewhere deep in her subconscious she knew she had been bitten?

"Sookie, try something. Will them all to sing along with the song," Eric suggested in my ear, sending a ripple of shivery pleasure as his sweet breath tickled my neck.

I sent a thought wave to the people inside the bar, a mental picture of them all singing along with Bing.

Steve said to Joey, "Hey, could you drive me to the hospital?" He sounded whiny.

"I'm dreaming of a White Christmas ...... with every Christmas card I write ...." Joey sang, not answering Steve.

"May your days be merry and bright ....." they all sang together with boozy gusto, "And may all your Christmases be white."

It sounded nice to hear them all singing, though most were off key. The song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing in Perfect Harmony" flashed through my mind. Would that be possible with my new powers?

Of course it was the end of January, a little late to be singing Christmas songs.

"Hey, my shoulder?" Steve reminded Joey when the song ended. Joey shrugged.

Eric and I left.

Before we left the darkness outside the hotel Eric hugged me and held me tight. I could feel happiness radiating from him like warmth.

I looked up at him. "What?" I asked smiling. I knew he was thinking about something.

"You did not lose control. You are able to glamour a whole room of humans at once. You can use mind control to change the behavior of those you glamoured. Your telepathic human powers have increased tenfold until they are truly magical," he said, looking steadily in my eyes. "Having you by my side is going to be more fun than I had envisioned. There is not another vampire in the world like you. You are a sorceress, a vampire enchantress."

The vivid, impossibly bright stars dotted the incandescent indigo firmament above him and framed his golden hair. He looked like a painting on the ceiling of a famous cathedral. His true blue eyes glowed into mine with a Maker's love and pride, a husband's tenderness, a lover's desire. His big fangs slid out. Mine popped out too at the sight of them.

Didn't want to waste that.

We hurried back to our rooms so fast it was like teleportation.

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more to come .....(May your days be merry and bright fanpires! I am on my back up computer because some Grinch sent a nasty virus to my main 'puter. Hope to have it back by Saturday, if not, this will probably do. Hope to see you then!

Welcome welcome welcome to those that are new here and also just as many welcomes to those that have stuck with me through it all, your kind words, encouragement and care are like a fireplace in the cockles of my heart.)

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15 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-12-17T05:03:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Fifteen

Since my fangs were still out it sounded more like "Thtop!" They got the message anyway.

My voice sounded funny, deeper and slower, like a record played at the wrong speed. Everyone froze right where they were. A few had glasses raised, lips pursed. No one moved a muscle. They were like a living picture.

I had glamoured the whole room! I looked at my reflection in the hazy mirror behind the bar and saw my eyes glowing azure blue. A blue light framed me and ice blue sparks shot from my finger tips like they were living sparklers. I kept my hands down, not knowing what it would do to a person if I aimed it at them.

I listened. They were all breathing, their hearts beating slowly and steadily. They were fine but how long could I keep them like this?

Not after sunrise, that was for sure. How long off was that? Did I conk out right as the sun rose or before it? I looked for a clock on the wall but there wasn't one, just a fake clock that scrolled "Time for another Lone Star?" across the face. The bar would make more money if everyone could just forget about the time and order another round.

"Now what are you going to do?" a familiar voice said behind me.

I looked in the mirror and saw Eric standing there in his beat up leather jacket. It reassured me that he didn't look either particularly concerned or angry. In fact, he looked interested and slightly amused.

"No idea," I answered. I went up to him and hugged him, squeezing him until his leather creaked. "How did you find me?"

"Our bond works both ways," he said. "You saw me hiding the clicker, I saw you finding the clicker and coming over to this dive. I got here as fast as I could. I had a prisoner to get checked in and squared away first."

"Weren't you worried about me?" I asked him, stepping back so I could see his face.

"No, I know you. You are smart and resourceful. You were also full as a new wineskin. Why did you not wait for me? I would have taken you out."

Then he held up his hand. "No, you do not need to answer that. The whole world is a marvel, is it not? I remember my first nights too."

"Can you eat?" he asked me, indicating with a sweeping gesture all the patrons in the bar like a host offering a lavish buffet.

"Well, I might have a bite," I allowed, grinning at my own humor. I walked up and down the bar and chose Steve's friend Joey with the thick neck.

"Don't let me kill him," I said to Eric before I pounced.

Eric sat down on a bar stool and watched me. I was in a red haze frenzy to start but as soon as it faded I was in complete control. I finished, leaving Joey with plenty of blood in his veins. I daintily dabbed at the corners of my mouth with the small bar napkin Eric handed me.

I was pleased I hadn't gotten a single drop on my silk blouse. I had brought a box of Night Tide With Energetic Enzymes! but it was a waste of my time to have to hand wash a blouse I had worn for only a few hours. I could get another wearing out of this top.

"Good control, Sookie," he praised me. "Maybe I won't have to fight you every night as I feared. My turn," he said, striding down the length of the bar to the loud-mouthed woman. She was frozen in place with her mouth open. No surprise there.

"Wait," I stopped him. He turned and looked at me, waiting. "She's so ... unpleasant," I said, realizing it sounded silly even as I said it. Joey was a goon but he had been a fine meal.

"Unpleasant on the outside, delicious on the inside," Eric said cheerfully and instantly had her in his fangs. He fed fast taking only a few seconds since he really didn't need much blood. Maybe he just bit her to taste her.

Eric liked to bite women, that was the simple truth of it. Now that I knew how it was from my first hand experience as a vampire, that fact didn't bother me anymore.

It was like going to Big Betty's Bakery back in Bon Temps. She always had samples of her recently baked items lined up on her glass counter to try. Going to her shop with Gran was a treat. Just a tiny nibble here and a small corner of something there to try all the wonderful flavors.

As I fed I had noticed that Joey's blood contained a hint of basil, fried rice and pork chop, very tasty. His pugnacious personality didn't enter into the mix at all. Apparently stupid has no flavor.

When Eric was done we healed the bites on Maybelle and Joey. Steve was going to need to get medical attention for his shoulder on his own dime. It was his fault for grabbing me.

While they were still immobilized with glamour I told everyone that Steve fell off his bar stool and hurt his shoulder, that nothing unusual at all had happened aside from that. I used my glamour power enhanced by telepathy to implant the sight of Steve lurching off his bar stool in each mind.

Eric put a quarter in the jukebox and started Bing Crosby's "White Christmas". Eric just loved that song.

Backing out of the bar, I unglamoured everyone as we left in a flash, hand in hand. We waited near the side window, listening and peeking in, to see what would happen next.

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more to come .....(Happy weekend everyone! Hope things are going well in your lives. You are always a welcome addition to mine. See you Tuesday morning, Dec 20th. Hugs!)

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14 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-12-14T04:29:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Fourteen

Johnny Cash stopped singing and the bar went quiet. The jukebox had run out of quarters.

The old timer looked at me through a beery haze. He focused his faded hazel eyes and blinked.

Then he said, "I din't think your kind drank beer."

It wasn't judgmental or anything like that, just a casual observation.

Since my back was to the blond she called loudly, "Hey Slip, you din't think a WHORE like her drank beer?"

By "my kind" she didn't know Slip meant a vampire.

She laughed loudly, ending in a phlegmy coughing fit. She hadn't seen the fangs but Albert had. He dropped the glass he was drying and it bounced on the rubber mat that lined the area behind the bar. Sam had used a mat like that too, it cut down on broken glassware if one was fumbled.

"Hey now, hey now," Albert said mildly, holding up his hands, drying rag dangling from his left hand, "We don't want no trouble."

"If you don't want no trouble then why don't you throw that WHORE out on her for-sale tail?" the woman suggested loudly and laughed at her remark.

A few other chuckles joined her. She wanted to be the only woman and certainly the only blond in the bar. She saw me as a threat, encroaching on her territory.

"Shut up, Maybelle," the old timer next to the old timer that had bought me the beer yelled at her, "You don't know what you're talkin' about, as usual."

He too was unperturbed by the sight of a vampire. He had seen plenty in his years, he was thinking, a pretty vampire gal was the least of it.

A few of the younger men laughed. They were at the other end of the bar behind me and couldn't see my face.

I was thinking, "Go in! Snick back in!" to the dang fangs but they wouldn't budge.

"I better go," I said quietly to the old timer. "Thank you for your kindness."

With the fangs it sounded like "Ah etter ga. Hank ya or or hindneth."

I took a step back and felt a large hot calloused hand roughly grab my arm. I really hate it when a man grabs my arm. It's disrespectful bullying and it forces me to hear their disgusting thoughts loud and clear. I turned and saw one of the young guys, a big strong raven haired man in a green work uniform that said "Steve" on an oval patch over the pocket.

"She's a vamper!" he exclaimed, not having enough sense to immediately let go of my arm.

He turned back to his friends at the other end of the bar and grinned. "We done caught us a vamper gal!"

He smiled like a hunter that just brought down a ten prong buck. His grip tightened on my arm until it was painful.

"You ain't caught nothin' you idjit," the old timer said, "She could tear your arms off if'n she wanted."

Steve was thinking some mighty nasty thoughts about me.

"Yeah, you better let loose of her," another senior citizen in a crisp ironed plaid shirt chimed in. He gave a loud burp and muttered, "S'cuse me." into his beer glass before taking another sip.

"Come here for a little fun?" Steve grinned at me, then glanced back at his pals, playing to his audience.

"I never had me a vamper," he added, as if that would make his offer more attractive to me.

I found it interesting to be threatened in this way. This was the kind of brutish intimidation I had experienced many times before as a vulnerable human woman, but with the new power of a vampire there was no fear in me.

Or I should say, I was not afraid of Stevie boy. I was slightly fearful I might fly off the handle and rip his stupid grinning face off with my razor sharp teeth. So far I was in complete control.

"How about a little kiss?" he asked, leaning in towards me, reeking of sour whiskey breath.

He was obviously still showing off for his buddies. They cheered and made "woo" sounds.

Without thinking I flashed away from him as his wet lips came towards me. Unfortunately Steve didn't let go of his death grip on my arm so he was instantly dragged half the length of the bar floor. He fell at my feet, dazed. I was pretty sure his shoulder was dislocated from being jerked so suddenly. He should have let go I thought angrily. He groaned when he tried to use his arms to raise up.

One of the other young guys stood up. He wore a similar green uniform, his oval name label said, "Joey". He was bigger than Steve, a real brute with a unibrow and three day growth of stubble. He was the kind of man Sam used to call "mad at the world", looking for an excuse to start a fight.

"Hey, that vampire woman is attacking Steve!" he exclaimed, starting towards me, ham sized fists clenched. He might have big fists but I was Vampire and he was only a puny breather. I mean, human.

"She's gonna drag him out into the parking lot and drain him. Stop her!" the blond yelled dramatically.

Or maybe that last bit was "Stomp her!" Her speech was slurred so it was hard to tell. Her red rimmed eyes glittered. She wanted Joey to beat the stuffing out of me.

Fat chance, lady, I thought.

"Probably steal his wallet too," she added.

Steal his wallet? It takes one to know one just like my little nephew Brett would have said.

"We don't want no trouble in here, Miss," Albert repeated. He was slowly reaching for the cell phone under the bar to call the cops.

"Grab her! Don't let her leave. She hurt Steve!" another young guy said. "She's gonna need to pay his medical."

He was thinking that everyone knew vampires were all rich bastards from the money they stole from their victims.

Albert was just about to hit the second 1 in 911 when I mentally commanded the room.

"Stop!" I said and thought.

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more to come ....(Wonderful Wednesday Were-Readers! Hope your week is going well. You light up my life with your insights and encouragement. The star at the top is just knowing you made the time to stop by. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.

Z - Keep getting better, you are greatly wanted and adored in these here parts!)

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13 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-12-10T04:27:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Thirteen

I slowly punched in the numbers, asking myself if this was a good idea.

I answered myself.

Yes.

I had forced down that third bag of donor blood just to be extra sure I wasn't tempted by all the warm bloods out there.

Warm bloods?

Where did that come from?

I had never referred to humans as Warm Bloods before. Of course I hadn't realized how hot and wonderful human blood was. Still, I frowned at the thought. Was I developing Vampire Brains?

I would need to stay vigilant and not dehumanize people. No nicknames for them like Blood Bags, Warm Bloods, Breathers, Sun Bunnies, Pulse Ponies. I would think of them as people and treat them accordingly.

I brushed my teeth and got ready to leave. I had wanted to look as cute and non-threatening as possible. When I exited our apartment I was wearing a ruffled rose pink silk blouse, designer navy blue slacks and low dark blue heels. A navy blue jacket topped it off. Dressy, but not overly so.

I didn't need any light in the tunnel. The natural greenish yellowish light given off by the fizzing atoms that comprised everything was enough. When I got to the cement door at the end of the tunnel I realized that Eric had used a clicker thingy to open it, a clicker thingy I didn't have. I could probably force the door open using my new vampire strength but that would compromise our safety. Eric wouldn't have time to repair the heavy concrete door tonight. Defeated I went back to our apartment, punched in the numbers on the keypad and let myself back in.

Eric had multiple clickers for other things like the garage. He never had just one in case it went missing, a habit left over from the days when our three rambunctious daughters could be counted on to move everything and anything and not return it.

Maybe he had a spare clicker squirreled away here somewhere. I began to search over, under and in everything in the rooms. If I was Eric where would I hide the clicker?

I concentrated with all my might and saw my hand, no, not my hand, Eric's hand, placing the clicker in a sock and rolling it up. I saw him place the sock/clicker ball in his suitcase with several other pairs. Bingo!

This must be one of the features of our blood bond, my ability to access his memories. Sure enough I found the clicker in with his socks.

Clicker in hand I again went out into the tunnel and to the cement wall which opened smoothly and silently for me. I stepped into the garage and remembered not to inhale so I didn't barf up all the blood I had just eaten.

Quick as a flash I was out of the parking garage and into the perfectly wonderful glorious night air. My new senses automatically dialed back the otherwise chaotic and deafening sounds of the insects, traffic and hotel room conversations. I could hear each of them clearly if I wanted to, I preferred to keep them in the background. I went beyond the area of the light poles to the farthest edges of the lot where the employees parked in near darkness and lack of safety. No one was being attacked tonight.

The panorama of stars lit the sky like a billion brilliant shimmering candles. The blue loveliness of infinity glowed above me like a heavenly dome. Every molecule gave off its own particular magical kind of illumination. A sweet faint sound of mystical music seemed to come from everywhere.

There was no darkness anywhere, no silence, no coldness, no stillness, no death. I was truly one of the Undead. I spun around, my arms open, embracing all the beauty and joy the night brought to my quiet heart.

Thank you, Eric, I thought gratefully. Thank you for the gift of being able to see and experience all this.

I had smoothed on some moisturizer that gave me the appearance of a light tan. I looked a little orangey, not too bad if I stayed out of bright light. I retraced my steps and walked around the parking lot.

Taking little sips of air I could tell a lot about the owners of the different cars. The Ford truck owner had two rottweilers that rode in the cab with him, the Chrysler sedan owner wore Channel Number 5 perfume, took antacids and had some kind of a fungus infection. She liked pepperoni on her pizza.

Being vampire was kind of like being telepathic. I had the ability to know all kinds of minutia about people, yet why should I bother my head with it? Unless it affected my ability to protect myself or my loved ones it wasn't important to know who smoked pot, who washed their clothes in Woolite or who took cough syrup recreationally. My years as a telepath had satisfied my curiosity about people. There was a remarkable sameness in their seeming diversity.

I stopped checking out the cars and dashed into the mowed grassy area way behind the lot just to get away from the human smells. I wondered how Mr. Van was doing. The thought crossed my mind to go check up on him. I knew his home address.

No, I didn't want to stray that far from the hotel.

A sputtering neon light down the road caught my eye. I flashed over to it, a small dingy bar about half a mile from the hotel. The buzzing crackling bug-specked sign read "THE B R". Obviously there was a short somewhere in the wiring, a fire hazard I would think. The whole place looked like a fire trap, held together by force of habit.

The Bar, I supposed it had said. Not a very creative name. Since it was only an hour before closing the rutted gravel lot was mostly empty. I decided to go inside and see if I could pass for human. I did an inner check to see if I felt hungry. Not a bit. Maybe I should say 'not a bite'. I smiled to myself at my little joke then went in the bar.

Country music blasted my sensitive ears then my hearing adjusted and the music became background noise. Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your Man" played from an old fashioned bubble trimmed jukebox that played real 45 rpm records. That was a blast from the past.

The usual expected line of baggy old men in baggy old clothes sat near the door and a few young men in similar work uniforms lined the wooden bar towards the back. It didn't look like this bar had been renovated since the early 1960's. Neither had most of the patrons.

At a small table way in back a big blowsy blond sat with a thin man missing all his teeth. He wore a leather vest without a shirt under it - a good look for Eric, a bad look for this guy with his sunken chest decorated with a few straggly grey hairs and a tattoo too old and faded to make out its design.

His lady friend glanced at me then went back to her conversation, something about the water table and her trailer. I took a sip of air. The smells - beer, body odor, blood, whiskey - just about knocked me over. Wouldn't do that again.

I tuned in telepathically and got mostly things like "Whoa! Holy Cow! Son of a Blankety Blank! Look at the hot blond. She must be lost."

Several of the older patrons were three sheets to the wind, their thoughts were practically unreadable. Bars were the same everywhere I guess.

The bartender, a small skinny sober man with protruding eyes and a pronounced Adam's apple looked at me and thought, "Uh oh, she looks like trouble."

No one, as far as I could tell, thought, "Look, there's a vampire!"

Good. I liked the idea of being able to pass as human.

"Can I do you for something?" the bartender asked me amiably, wiping down a clean spot on the bar. He had a high thready voice, hard to hear over the music. Of course with my vampire senses I heard him perfectly.

Tammy ended her song and Johnny Cash came on with "Ring of Fire". They must have stocked the jukebox with oldies but goodies back in the day.

"Yes please, I'll take a Lone Star," I asked demurely. I saw another patron drinking it.

"Glass or bottle?" he asked, holding the bottle with the opener hovering over the cap.

"For Chrysler's sake, Albert," a grizzled old timer growled, "She look like she'd drink from a bottle to you? Get her a glass."

"A glass would be fine," I agreed. It would be easier to pretend to sip from a glass.

"That'll be a buck fifty," Albert said, setting the glass on a coaster and the icy bottle next to it.

That was when I realized I didn't have a penny on me. I couldn't pay for the beer or leave a tip. Yikes. I would have blushed if I was still human.

"Gosh, I just realized, I came out without any money," I said to Albert. "Sorry about that."

The grizzled old timer said chivalrously, "Put it on my tab, Albert."

He patted the empty stool next to him. The pleather was repaired with a crisscross of smeared dirty duct tape. I was concerned it would mess up my good slacks yet I didn't want to insult the generous old timer by refusing his offer. I stood there undecided.

"Oh here we go," the boozy blonde said loudly to her toothless companion. "She must be trying to drum up a little business." She nodded knowingly.

The woman thought I was a hustler! The nerve of her! I felt a wave of irritation pass over me. I turned and glared at her. She pointedly ignored me.

I turned back to smile at the old timer and thank him when the woman jeered at me under her breath. "Whore."

Rage momentarily clouded my vision. My fangs snicked down all on their own.

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more to come .....(Greetings All! Glad to see you had a chance to stop by! It means more than I can say to know you visit when you can.

Z - I was so glad to hear from you, hope your recovery is speedy and you are here to share your wonderful wit and wisdom real soon. Bless all your hearts!)

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12 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-12-07T04:35:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Twelve

On my fifth night as vampire a distressed Eric told me he had to leave me alone for a few hours while he attended to some sheriff business back in Shreveport.

This was unwelcome information he had gotten via his computer in the hour he was awake before I rose.

I couldn't wait for the night we rose together, though that might take hundreds of years. Eric was an "early riser" due to his great age. The news put Eric in a very bad mood. I felt it distinctly through our blood.

Lawton, his senior deputy, was away on loan to the King. Eric believed he was sent to a war torn region of Mongolia, too far away to call back on short notice.

Naturally the King hadn't asked Eric's permission or even considered that his request might inconvenience his Sheriff. Eric hadn't objected because he believed he had left the jail adequately covered during his absence. Things were usually pretty slow this time of year.

Eric had assigned his twin vampire junior deputies, Dwight and Ernie, to run things while he was Turning me but they had written tonight to tell Eric they were called out of town because of a family tragedy and could not wait around to perform their duties.

Their elderly human sister had been killed by a drunk driver while she was driving home from her job as a pediatric nurse. The drunk driver was unhurt. I was pretty sure the deputy brothers would fix that if they could get their hands on him.

Both brothers had to leave suddenly to be with their surviving family and perhaps get revenge. In the meantime a dangerous perpetrator from Dallas needed to be transferred for holding to the Shreveport jail and there was no one competent left to handle the transfer. Eric would need to be there himself, much to his dismay. He hated leaving me but could not think of an alternative plan.

"I should have known better than to assign brothers to cover for me," Eric grumbled in twenty-twenty hindsight, getting into his beat up leather jacket. This signaled to me that he might be expecting trouble. Not only could a prisoner be dangerous, but often the prisoner had friends that would stop at nothing to set their compadre free.

"Do you want me to come too?" I asked eagerly. "I can help now that I'm so strong."

"Uh, no. I do not think that would be a good idea. You wait here and I will be back soon, then we will go out together so that you might practice hunting."

He added, "Would you like Pam or someone to come and stay with you while I am gone?"

I was pleased he was being less controlling of my behavior. In the past he might have just had a "babysitter" show up for me without my consent. Perhaps the last little tiff between Pam and me had warned Eric off getting her as a caretaker. He wouldn't want to come back here and discover Pam and I had taken our spat to the next level.

I didn't know who his "or someone" would be. He wouldn't want to disclose our location to just anyone. The more people knew, the bigger the chance that something could go wrong. Eric always said that two could keep a secret if one of them was dead. By dead he meant really forever dead.

His expectant face looked hopeful I would go along with having a caretaker but I declined his offer. I would welcome a little time to myself to think through the last four nights.

Eric fed me two warmed bags of donor blood to tide me over until his return then reluctantly he left me to myself, carefully locking the door behind him and testing it to make sure I was sealed in. As soon as the door closed and I was alone I took off all my clothes and looked at myself in the small dresser mirror.

I seemed to have slimmed down a little more but kept my muscles and curvy figure. I was in the best shape of my life, be it a human life or a vampire life.

Next I spent some time trying to snick my fangs in and out on command, putting on different expressions using my new fangs. The only way I could get my fangs out was to think of Eric's thigh, the vein there, and the golden nest nearby. As soon as I lost concentration my fangs instantly retracted.

My mouth seemed to have gotten slightly larger enabling me to bare my fangs in a most menacing way. The greatest intimidation factor I had was what most humans knew vampires were capable of. Like a rattlesnake's rattle, the fear factor would be my greatest defense.

I tried on some of my new outfits and put on extra make up, lining my eyes dramatically. I tried dotting on a fake beauty mark but rubbed it off with my thumb. Then I warmed another bag of donor blood and drank it slowly, humming "Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes", one of my grandfather's favorite songs.

While I drank and hummed I thought about our European trip. I was sure we could hunt down and capture the people, mostly men, named in the files. But then what?

I sure as shootin' wasn't going to kill them. That was simply too heavy a burden for my conscience to bear. Scaring them wouldn't work forever. Sooner or later their inner sickness would rear up and take control as they rationalized their behavior and its consequences.

I began to formulate a plan based on my seeming ability to glamour people into a very profound submissive state. If I could implant some negative symptom with their bad thoughts then they would experience something very nasty every time their mind wandered over to the dark side. That's where the bad behavior began, in their mind. If I could stop if there I could be fairly certain it would never get any further.

Just like there was surgery to prevent over eating I could implant the suggestion that vomiting, excruciating pain and even blindness would accompany any urge, thought or desire that crossed over the line into non-consenting sex or violence. This would leave the person free to persue a healthy relationship with someone age appropriate while disabling them if they wanted to act as a sexual predator or sadist.

I wasn't sure it would work but it was worth a try. Eric had been so right in figuring out what would make my powers as a vampire most appealing to me, the ability to right what was wrong, especially wrongs against children.

As the seconds ticked by a powerful wild uncontrollable restlessness grew in me, overtaking every other thought and feeling.

It reminded me of the trapped feeling I had experienced as a teenager, stuck in a small town with no real options for a bigger better life. I paced, trying to feel calm but I grew increasingly agitated. I had to get out of these rooms, out into the immense night or I would begin tearing things apart in frustration.

I felt full of blood and in control. As long as my hunger didn't kick in I would be calm. Three bags of blood should hold me for at least an hour or two, probably more. I planned on being back here in the apartment long before I needed to feed again, long before Eric was back.

I was absolutely stuffed at the moment. It reminded me of the times Gran and I went after church service to a midnight church buffet following our big Thanksgiving dinner. I couldn't eat another bite.

Another bite, very funny.

I decided on an outfit for my first venture out by myself. After finding my shoes under the bed I went to the keypad and looked at it. Eric didn't realize I had instantly memorized the ten digit number to leave the room. He thought I was locked into an inescapable prison, a safe room that worked both ways.

I hesitated. Should I go out into the night or just wait for Eric to return? I could practically hear the swirling starlit sky calling to me. The room felt utterly claustrophobic. What harm would there be in just going out into the parking lot?

Eric had said worry was a thing of the past. I was just about busting my bustle to get out of this room. I felt an urge more powerful than any I had experienced as a teenager, a compulsion, to get out and explore the new world. Actually it was the same world, it was the new me that wanted the adventure.

My finger hovered over the seven, the first number of the sequence that would let me, Vampire Sookie Stackhouse, out into the night alone.

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more to come .....(Happy mid-week everyone! I am thinking of you all with much affection and gratitude for your support and interest. See you Saturday if the creek don't rise :-)

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11 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-12-03T04:15:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Eleven

"What are these files?" I asked.

"I thought it would be fun for you to find bad guys and drain them," he said with a boyish eagerness animating his features. "These are the files of known rapists, child molesters and murderers. The law has not been able to stop them or incarcerate them for their crimes. You can end the suffering they cause."

I thought about this. "By drain them you mean actually kill them?" I finally asked.

He must believe I could be judge, jury and executioner. I knew that wouldn't work for me. What if I killed an innocent person or one that could be redeemed? On the other side of that, what if I spared a serious offender and left him or her free to damage other lives? This seemed like too much responsibility for me. I had the power, now I needed to figure out how to use it responsibly.

"I had thought you might want to ..." he stopped, scowling. "No, I see you really do not wish to kill anyone. But we could tour Europe and you could bite them."

His face brightened again at this alternative. He almost bounced up and down on the bed with enthusiasm. His golden hair, still messy from our run from the hospital, slid forward to cover half his face, he raked it back from the temples with both hands, raising his big arms and exposing blond arm pits, something I always found oddly sexy. The male scent of him wafted over to me.

My fangs snicked out showing my arousal at his manly charms. As a human woman I never had this embarrasing problem. I suddenly sympathized with men and the way they could not hide their sexual interest. Like a man, my obvious desire was not under my control.

Eric smiled a secret little smile to himself, was pleased he could entice me. He moved his arm in a way that made his bicep bulge when he picked up a file. Since the file didn't weigh a thousand pounds I knew the bicep thing was something he was doing on purpose to impress me. It worked.

His wonderful scent came to me again. Perhaps that was the source of most masculine sexiness, a hormone laden power fragrance that was below the human ability to detect consciously.

I looked at Eric's bulging bicep and tried to keep my mind on the topic.

"Biting them wouldn't stop them from being evil," I said, "But it seems like a good idea to do something with these files. Where did you get them?"

"All the sheriffs are willing to share information about human miscreants," he said. "I can not verify that their accounts are completely accurate. We will ask the perpetrators about their conduct once we meet up with them and have them under our glamour."

He looked at me with bright eyed intensity, like a child giving a carefully and lovingly selected gift to someone special on Christmas morning, waiting for my reaction.

I realized that for a predator, bringing prey to their mate was the highest order of gift. I took the gift in the spirit it was given. I flashed on a memory of Tina, my poor murdered long-gone cat, proudly bringing me a dead bird or mouse and dropping it at my feet. I knew to praise her.

I would need to give this some serious thought. "Did you say tour Europe?" I asked, looking at more names on the index tabs.

They sounded like they might come from just about every country over there. It turned out Mr. Thibault was a resident of Paris, France, not New Orleans. Jan Wiśniewski was in Warsaw, Poland. There were bad guys all over the place just ripe for the taking. Or I should say, alleged bad guys.

Until I questioned them I wouldn't know for sure if they were doing evil or not. An accusation was not the same as evidence. Between my telepathy and my ability to glamour I could know every secret thing in their mind.

Inwardly I cringed at the ugliness I knew would be revealed in some of their souls. It was going to take inner fortitude on my part to listen in on their diseased psyches.

"Oh yes, Europe" he grinned. "I have a private jet ready to take us as soon as we feel ready to travel."

"I want to see our girls first," I said, excited about beginning this new phase of our life.

"The only problem is my inability to rein you in with my control as your Maker. I will need to come up with some way to prevent you from doing something you would later regret." He sounded worried and I didn't have any helpful suggestions for him.

Poor Eric. Maybe he had forgotten how difficult it was to have a new Child. Or maybe it was just me. Each Child is different, every parent can tell you that.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," I said, nuzzling him.

Becoming a vampire seemed to have ramped up my libido. Maybe I should say vamped up my libido. Eric exuded sexiness from every pore, literally. My fangs started to ache.

"Why does biting you get me so worked up but biting a stranger just feels like a good meal?" I asked him, licking his earlobe.

My diction wasn't very good with my new dentition but he understood what I was trying to say. My fangs were tingling with lust for him but they hadn't been connected to my sex drive when I bit Mr. Van.

"Why does hugging your brother feel like a family greeting while hugging me feels like you want to pull me down to the bed on top of you?" he asked in response. "Our bodies know who we are attracted to, who we love, who we respond to with lust."

I thought of all the times I had been jealous or worried about Eric feeding from someone else and felt a little foolish. What a waste of time it had been to dwell on those angry hurt feelings when I had had loyal Eric by my side. I had learned my lesson, I wasn't going to waste any more time getting fit to be tied over some meal. Humans were the source of food. Eric was the source of lust.

I turned to the source of my new found abilities. "You still find me desirable as a vampire wife?" I asked quietly.

That had been one of my biggest fears, that my special attractiveness would somehow fade or be diminished once I Turned.

Eric didn't tell me I was desirable, he showed me - with his hands, his lips, his fangs. If I had a breath he would have taken it away. Our fourth night together as vampires ended with a bang, a big bang, where he became my whole universe.

Then, as before, instantly all went black.

more to come .....(Saturday salutations to all the Fanpires that visit here. May all your wishes come true! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words and support. This is the best gift of all.)

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10 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-11-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Ten

While Eric went to get what he wanted to show me from the trunk of the car I thought about the last few nights.

He was right. I seemed to have taken to becoming Vampire like a duck takes to water. If I could avoid killing anyone until I got control of myself I saw that this life was going to work for me just fine. I wanted to share the good news with my girls.

Eric got back carrying a very hefty beat up leather briefcase. I told him before we looked at the briefcase I wanted to speak to our daughters. He set up the laptop computer and we spoke to all of them face to face or maybe that would be face to screen using a four way connection. Fortunately all three girls were awake though for Char, in New Zealand, it was already morning of the next day.

They were delighted the Turning went so smoothly. They said I looked beautiful as a vampire. I even managed to show them my fangs briefly, though they popped right back in.

None of this was more shocking to them than if I had decided to get a tattoo. They had been raised in close contact with vampires all their lives. A vampire was no more exotic to them than a Frenchman might be.

I didn't mention running into the light pole and bending it or almost draining Spencer Clark Little, Mr. Van's real name. I told them I didn't know how much longer I would be out of town but things were going so well I might be back sooner than I had originally thought.

The girls filled me in on what they were up to. Charlaine was doing well, feeling great with her pregnancy and busy sculpting the wife of a famous movie producer. Adele and Lachlain were going to help an exhausted behemoth that had washed ashore in Florida due to an off-shore hurricane.

Linda spoke last. She was planning a two week European vacation with Jure that included a visit to Jure's ancestral castle and the small rural village surrounding it that he actually owned.

Her chin lifted and squared as she informed us of her plans meaning she was feeling defiant and stubborn. I recognized the body language she had gotten from her father and I knew not to argue with her.

I had been gone for less than a week! It sounded to me like Linda was using the opportunity to get to know Jure better, or vice versa. This troubled me for a variety of reasons.

Was he using Linda to get to me or to get Eric in a vulnerable position? Was he unduly influencing Linda with some kind of telepathic suggestion? Would he lead her on and then break her heart?

I watched Eric as she told us her plans. He didn't seem concerned. I began to relax without letting my reservations towards Jure down.

Jure was not an out-of-control rogue. On the contrary, he took time and trouble to appear regularly at the King's New Orleans castle and interact socially with the more important vampires in Louisiana and surrounding states. It would not be in Jure's best interests to harm Linda in any way. He must also be aware that a marriage with Eric Northman's daughter would form a powerful alliance.

I hoped Jure wasn't just using Linda as a political chip to better his position here in the United States. His sophisticated and pleasant mask was hard to peek behind.

Eric spoke to the girls and asked them to call their Uncle Jason and tell him things went well, then we said our goodbyes. I didn't feel sad or cut off from my girls.

Best of all I didn't feel an iota less love or connection to my human daughters. If the human origins of a vampire eroded away in the winds of time that process hadn't started with me. I intended to be vigilant it never did.

After the call I felt hungry again. Eric warmed me a bottle of True Blood and handed it to me. After the first sip it was as much as I could do not to spit it out.

"Oh gah! That stuff is nasty!" I said. It was like chewing iron filings wrapped in tinfoil.

Still, I had every intention of forcing myself to choke it down before Eric surprised me with real donor blood in a bag. It wasn't quite as good as fresh but once it was warmed in our little microwave it was head and shoulders above the fake stuff.

I thought I could taste the plastic and the microwaves but maybe that was just my imagination. The blood lacked something I might characterize as vibrancy but it was filling and took the hunger away.

"I would take you out hunting again but I do not have the control over you I expected to have. One struggle with you a night is all I am willing to undertake," he said with a chuckle.

Secretly I thought he was pleased to see my feisty nature as a vampire chick.

I was glad he wasn't angry that I didn't obey him. It was simply beyond me to stop once I had latched on to Mr. Little's pulsing vein. At least for now. I was very grateful he provided the control I lacked.

"I know it's gonna be like getting a mule out of the cabbage patch for a while," I said, hugging him, "But I promise I'll do my best to listen to you when I can."

This is something I could have said to him as his human wife too.

"Yes, the red haze is just a phase you are going through. In time you will grow out of it," he said in a heaven-give-me-strength tone of voice, the tone a parent uses when describing their child's tantrums.

He stripped off his shirt and threw it in the corner. I took off my shoes and sat back down on the bed.

The "red haze" was a good way to describe the frenzy for blood that overtook me. I did see everything through a red mist, feel the red blood enter my body, taste the hot red flow like molten deliciousness run down my throat. I felt hungry again just thinking about it.

After another warmed up bag of donor blood Eric sat down with me on the bed and opened the battered briefcase, taking out a thick ream of manila folders and plopping them on the bed.

"What are those?" I asked, picking one up.

The index tab read "Xavier Thibault".

There was a family of Thibaults in Bossier City of Cajun descent. Mr. Henri Thibault, a widower, worked in a chicken processing plant and courted Tara's mom for a few years before he realized Mrs. Thornton was not going to change her hard drinking ways. In between her sober episodes of manic religious zeal, that was.

The next folder down had "Jan Wiśniewski" on the tab.

I never knew anyone of that name. I looked at Eric questioningly.

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more to come ....(Greetings Fanpires! Thanks so much for letting me know you stopped by.

Dearest Z - I am sending you every good thought and healing vibrations. Please let us know how you are doing. You're a vital voice here.)

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9 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-11-26T05:04:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Nine

The next few minutes went by in a sensory whirlwind, kind of like when you sit down to eat a fabulous meal and you're just about starving, only multiply that by a thousand.

A smoky red veil descended over my vision blotting out everything except the van guy. His pulse was like a dinner gong going "eat ... eat .... eat...". He smelled like a smorgasbord of everything good to eat there ever was.

He was, in a word, yummy.

Before I knew it I had that man down on the floor, my fangs sunk into his neck. I drank and drank, happy as can be until I heard Eric's voice as a dull deep droning sound in my ears, coming from the other side of the red veil.

I felt an electric tingling sensation on my back and in my chest as he spoke but I ignored it. It did not diminish my complete happiness in the moment or stop the waves of warm liquid pleasure that radiated from my fangs down to my tummy.

It wasn't a distinctly erotic feeling like it was when I fed from Eric but it sure felt good. Maybe like the difference between a good back rub and sensational sex.

Eric began to pull me off the man gently but firmly even though I tried to hang on and get every last drop. Eric shook me and the man hanging from my mouth, trying to get him loose from me.

It reminded me of Hoyt trying to teach his pup retriever to drop the bird once he fetched it. A good retriever had a "soft mouth" meaning it would let go of the bird without damaging it. I thought that I would fall into the "hard mouth" category right about now and drank harder.

With Eric slowly prying my jaws open I finally let go, the man falling limply from my fangs to land on the floor with a thud.

"Wow oh wow oh wow!" I crowed, reeling with pleasure, my fangs snicking back. "That was wonderful!"

I still sat on the floor, feeling stuffed, dazed and bloated in a good way.

Then I pointed at the unmoving man. "Is he ...?"

I really didn't care one way or the other at that moment. I watched as Eric healed the sizable wounds in the man's neck caused by my fangs tearing his flesh when Eric tried to shake him free from my death grip..

"No, he is not dead. I commanded you to let go with all my authority as your Maker but you did not let go. I had to physically remove him from you. That is distressing. I do not seem to have the command over you I should have."

He frowned, unhappy his power as my Maker was not all he thought it would be. I was still glowing, more than that I was way happy from feeding.

"Oh well," I thought merrily. "Too bad Mr. Maker Man can't just boss me around."

I started to giggle. Eric looked at me, his frown deepening. The more Eric frowned the more I laughed.

"You are blood drunk," he informed me a tad judgmentally. "Let me feed from you, remove the excess, so you do not get sick."

"Sure thing, Honeybuns," I told him gaily.

All that feeding had put me in the mood for loooove. I hopped to my feet and stood over my prey. He couldn't stay in the bedroom with Eric and me while we fooled around. I needed privacy with Mr. Honeybuns.

I dragged the van guy into the bathroom and locked him in. He was no heavier than a five pound bag of flour to me.

Then Eric and I made vampire love on the floor, the bed and the top of the dresser. Finally I could keep up with him and not tire out. As the excess blood left my system I sobered up and floated back down to earth, realizing how close I had come to killing Mr. Van.

"Thanks for stopping me," I told Eric hours later, snuggled next to him in our bed.

It was amazing how warm and cuddly he felt to me now. He was glowing pink from all the blood he had removed from me. I was all pinked up too. I heard Mr. Van pound feebly on the bathroom door.

"Let me out," his muffled voice pleaded.

I wondered if the irony of being abducted by a vampire as he was trying to abduct an innocent waitress occurred to him. His voice sounded kind of faint for such a burly guy.

"The shoe's on the other foot now, bucko," I called to him. "Quiet down, I'll let you go in a few minutes. Get dressed."

He would have to put his dirty clothes back on but that didn't bother me now that I was full.

To Eric I said, "Did I take too much blood from him? Does he need medical attention?"

"He will probably recover. To be absolutely sure I will take him to the parking lot near the emergency room and drop him off," Eric said.

He had promised me I wouldn't kill anyone, he wanted to take every precaution Mr. Van survived. I appreciated that. I kissed him to show him my deep appreciation of all his wonderfulness as a Maker.

"Why didn't I obey you?" I asked a while later, feeling completely sober.

This didn't bother me near as much as it bothered Eric. I had worried about being under Eric's control after I Turned, now it seemed like his control over me was virtually nonexistent.

"I do not know. It is possible the same quality of yours that prevents you from being glamoured also prevents me from being able to influence you as I should. Since your physiology is unique there is no precedent I can use for guidance. I will need to improvise." His right eye twitched a little. I think he was feeling the strain of trying to control me.

We got dressed and drove Mr. Van to the Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview, only about thirteen miles from where we were staying. We drove him in his van with the windows open to cut down on the smell.

A thick piece of remnant aqua blue rug covered the floor in the back, the interior was spotless. He had a gym bag with rope, duct tape, clean rags made from torn up old towels and a can of ether.

This must have been his abduction kit. I shuddered at his nefarious plans and his thoughtful preparation to ruin a woman's life.

The whole way to the medical center I glamoured him like crazy to forget meeting me, forget wanting to abduct any women and for him to bathe and launder his clothes regularly.

I rehearsed with him what he would say if he wanted to go into the medical center for care.

"I cut myself and feel weak," he muttered tonelessly. "I cut myself and I feel weak." He looked pale and sounded exhausted.

"That's the ticket," I told him, still feeling like ripping his deranged head off.

I had taken down all the information in his wallet so I would know his name and address. I also made an extremely superficial cut on his arm. Even the fine beads of blood that appeared in the scratch were a temptation to me but I resisted. Being really really full was helpful.

In the parking lot I handed him back his wallet and Eric handed him his van keys.

I had instructed the glamoured man to go through the hospital doors and ask for help if he awoke feeling poorly. Then I had him lay on his thick piece of rug and put him into a deep sleep, planting the suggestion that he would awake feeling relaxed, refreshed and completely cured of any need to attack women.

After he was out like a light and snoring in the back of the van, Eric disabled the engine. I grabbed the gym bag containing the abduction kit and we left, running through the night, moving so fast we were almost invisible to human eyes, not that there was anyone around to see us since we stayed clear of the road.

I followed closely behind Eric so I didn't run into anything. It was more exhilarating than I could have imagined, being able to run through the glorious night like that.

We stopped to throw the abduction kit in the big dumpster behind the hotel, then we went into the parking garage to our secret entrance. When we were back in our safe apartment I told Eric, "We're going to need to check up on him. Glamour won't change his basic messed up nature."

I sat down on the bed and tried to run a brush through my wind-whipped hair. I was going to need to remember to pull it back into a pony tail or chignon if I was going to run at warp speed, otherwise it was like riding on a motorcycle without a helmet.

Of course it would return to its big curly style during my daytime rest but I wanted to look pretty for Eric tonight, not like I had styled my hair with an eggbeater.

"He will respond to intimidation," Eric assured me, sitting down behind me, taking the brush and helping me untangle the back. "Cowards do not like to be on the receiving end of brute force."

He went on, gently brushing out my tangles and changing topics. "I have something to show you. I was saving it, thinking you might need more time to adjust but you seem to have become a competent Vampire immediately."

"You still need guidance," he added as warning against overconfidence. His worried frown was back.

I could see him behind me in the small mirror over the dresser. His tawny mane could do with a good brushing too.

"Yes sir, Mr. Maker sir," I said with my most Southern down home accent and a smile. "Guide me, Master."

I turned around and bowed my head to him briefly. I could afford to act submissive since his actual control over me seemed to be slight.

When I looked up he was grinning fangily.

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more to come ....(Wonderful weekend Moon Maidens, hope you are well and peaceful. I am happy to have you here, happy to share my vision with you. I seem to be in a Wednesday - Saturday posting pattern so that will be the plan unless something untoward pops up, in which case I will let you know of the change. See you Wednesday, I hope :-)

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8 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-11-23T04:27:00.001-08:00

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Chapter Eight

The van guy's drug hazed brain was a cesspool of hate, misogyny, prejudice and malice towards all. There was a strong refrain of self pity and blaming others too. He thought pretty women were stuck up, that they deserved whatever they got for not being available to him.

He had stalked the attractive petite waitress for weeks, parking his van next to her car and waiting patiently for her to come to the dark edge of the lot where he could grab her.

He had no plans on bringing her back. The reason he focused his sick plans on her was because she had smiled at him and made a comment about the weather late one night when he stopped in to the hotel coffee shop for a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Her friendly smile had sealed her fate.

Until I came along. He hadn't counted on a vampire in the parking lot. Or maybe he knew that vampires rarely interfered in the affairs of humans. Or maybe he didn't know what hit him.

"What are we going to do with him?" I asked Eric.

"We?" Eric asked, his blond eyebrows raised in amusement. "He is your prey. Do with him as you will."

I suddenly realized that with one hand I could snap this man's neck like a twig. As soon as I thought of his neck I heard the blood flowing there. The man's grooming might be a hot mess but his blood was good. I bent to get a closer look at his neck.

The stench of his lack of hygiene was layered over top of another smell, the smell of food, my food, his vibrantly delicious blood. His eyes fluttered and opened. As he realized a vampire was hovering over him he tried to scoot backwards but he was already backed up against the tire, there was nowhere for him to go.

"No, no," he said, feebly. "Stay away." He held up his grimy hand as if that would make any difference.

I looked him in the eye and asked, "Is this the first time you have grabbed a woman?"

I felt very focused on him as if he and I were the only ones in the world at that moment.

He went slack, staring unblinkingly into my eyes. "No. I took another one but she got away before I could get her home." His voice was a monotone.

"How did she get away?" I asked.

"She jumped out of my truck while I was driving," he said without inflection.

I realized that I had glamoured him without even knowing that was what I was doing. It seemed like a perfectly natural thing to do. I briefly wondered if I could have glamoured people when I was human. I had never tried, but glamouring came so easily to me now I wondered if I had always had the talent.

"Did she get hurt?" I asked.

"I don't know. Maybe. I was driving pretty fast. She was just a whore," he said woodenly.

"Are you going to do this again?" I asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Yes," he said dreamily, a small smile lifting his lips at the thought of the next victim.

"Stay there and don't move," I commanded him.

I turned to Eric. "He's going to grab another woman if we don't stop him," I said. "What should I do?"

"Does it trouble you that he is going to attack another woman?" Eric asked, leaning back against the caved-in van door in a casual pose. He knew me, I was sure he knew what I would say.

"Yes! Yes! It troubles me very much! I have to stop him," I exclaimed.

Even as I spoke I knew what I was saying. To stop him I would have to kill him. He wasn't going to change his evil ways just because I told him to, glamour or no glamour.

I shook my head no.

"I can't kill him, Eric. You promised me you wouldn't let me kill anyone," I reminded him. I sure enough wanted to kill him, though. I was glad I hadn't killed him already.

"True. You could feed from him while we decide what to do with him," Eric said, thinking.

"He's too yucky," I protested. My stomach rumbled. Under all that grime was my next meal.

"That can be fixed," Eric said, throwing the man over his shoulder like a sack of rotten potatoes. "Follow me but watch where you're going," he cautioned.

At a little less than warp speed Eric went back into the parking garage. I followed, managing to miss hitting anything on the way.

We went back to our hideaway and locked the door. Eric went right into the shower and dumped the man, clothes and all, on the shower floor. He looked up blinking, but didn't make a move to run away.

"You have a great ability to glamour," Eric praised, observing how docile the man was. "Tell him to undress and clean himself."

I used a commanding voice and told him to undress and thoroughly scrub and shower himself. I stood outside the bathroom door while he showered, trying to think of what to do. Nothing came to me.

Eric saw me struggling with the whole thing. "Do not worry, Sookie. Worry is now a thing of the past. Feed, then I will take care of him. He will not abduct any more women," Eric assured me.

"Are you going to kill him?" I asked. That would hardly be better than if I killed him myself.

"That will not be necessary," Eric said. "I will intimidate him after we release him. That should be enough to scare him away from his plans."

If anyone could scare someone straight it was Eric.

"And you won't let me drain him?" I asked, hearing the shower stop.

"No, I will make sure he leaves here alive," Eric said, giving me a hug. He most likely thought this was endearingly kindhearted of me.

The bathroom door opened and the dazed robotic man walked out. He looked and smelled squeaky clean. His skin glowed pink from the hot water and all the scrubbing.

I was glad to see he had a towel wrapped around his waist.

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more to come ... (Wonderful Wednesday All! It is raining here but the sun shines in my heart from all the love we are sending and receiving. I send good thoughts for your health and happiness.

Welcome to the new readers, so glad you found your way here! My next post will be on Sat Nov. 26th. Happy Thanksgiving to those that celebrate turkey day. I give thanks for my dear readers. Without you I would just be talking to myself, lol!)

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7 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-11-19T04:38:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Seven

The scream ended abruptly but before it faded I was on the move. It had come from the far side of the parking lot on the other side of the hotel. Moving at vampire warp speed I left the field, raced across the black top and zoomed around the illuminated building.

WHAM!

I found myself on the ground. In front of me an industrial aluminum light pole was bent almost to the ground, the light still glowing feebly. Eric helped me stand, shaking his head at my collision. My head had pain shooting through it, then the pain went away. The sound of the impact still rang in my ears. Then I was fine.

"Sookie, you must not .."

"Help!" a faint voice cried out.

"I have to go," I said to Eric, already on the move. I moved more slowly through the maze of cars, listening.

I took a breath of air and sampled it, among the symphony of other fragrances I found fear and male lust. The fear was like smelling acid, the lust was from the hormones given off by a randy man, similar to a guy's gym bag crammed with weeks of unwashed clothes. That was something I knew about from Jason's days as an athlete in high school.

I followed the scent, Eric by my side, until I saw a man dragging a much smaller woman dressed in a pink waitress uniform into a van.

I was there in a second, prying the man's hands open and taking the woman away from him.

Eric stood back, letting me handle this. I saw him just behind the van on the other side, out of range of the abductor's sight line.

The burly brown haired man was clearly on some drug, unwashed and angry. His work clothes were filthy, his boots covered with dried mud.

"Who the fuck are you, bitch?" he snarled, lunging for me. He seemed unsteady. He stank to high heaven.

"I am a lady. You will speak to me with respect," I told him sternly, shoving him away from me. "And you reek."

He hit the side of the van with a little too much force and sank to the black top, unconscious. I knew he wasn't dead because I could hear his heart. The side of the van was caved in, probably cushioning his impact, maybe saving his life. I literally didn't know my own strength.

"Are you alright?" I asked, turning to face the woman.

She stared wide eyed at me, the realization of what I was making her go pale, her work worn hands flying up to her throat.

"Yes," she gasped, wrenching herself from my grasp. "Are you a vampire? Are you going to kill me?"

Her eyes were round and white-edged with terror. She was more afraid of me than she was of the man!

"No, of course not. I heard you call for help," I explained.

"Uh, uh, thanks," she said faintly, backing away from me slowly.

I knew she was going to make a run for it. I could see her muscles tensing. I was also able to read her mind but it was like listening to sound under water. I was only able to pick up some of what she was thinking. Her terror made her thoughts disjointed and hard to read.

She had come out to her car to get her cell phone. The man was not someone she knew. Her shift was beginning, she would be late if she didn't go back to the hotel. She wasn't going to report this. She hoped I wasn't going to drain her dead. She hoped I drained her attacker.

I was sympathetic to her need to get to work, I had been in her support shoes back when I worked like a horse for very little. Like most wait-staff she was forced to park at the very back of the lot where it was poorly lit and dangerous.

"It's alright, you can go. I'm not gonna chase you or anything," I told her in my most kindly voice.

I didn't want her to break an ankle trying to escape from me. It must have seemed like "out of the frying pan into the fire" to her right about now.

She kept backing away, then turned towards the hotel and walked rapidly. Her heart was just about beating out of her chest. About halfway across the lot she stopped and turned towards me.

"Thank you, I appreciate you helping me out like that," she called, her words dying in her unbitten throat as she spotted my large male companion. Eric had silently moved to my side.

She gave a little shrieking gasp. She turned and walked at top speed back into the brightly lit building, praying with every step we wouldn't come after her.

"My goodness, Eric! She was plumb frightened out of her wits at the very sight of me," I said, dismayed. "Maybe even more than this guy."

I nodded towards the unconscious man on the ground. I wasn't used to having anyone be intimidated at the sight of me.

Eric shrugged. "Many humans react that way. So many horror stories have been told throughout the years about the blood thirsty vampire. They believe we are mindless killers that will drain them dead if given the chance. You have dispelled that notion in her mind, I hope. She was rescued by a vampire tonight, maybe that will modify her perception of us."

Us. That was a big word coming from Eric. We had been an "us" before, but now we were even more of an "us". I was going to need to remember that other people, ordinary folks, might just be scared spitless at the very sight of Vampire Sookie Stackhouse. The notion made me laugh.

"What?" Eric asked, a smile touching the corners of his lips.

"I just thought of how it's going to be with people scared - of me! It's ridiculous!"

"Sookie, you must realize, you are now one of the most powerful and lethal creatures on earth. You have the power to kill a person like you used to be able to swat a fly. She is right to fear you, you held her short life in your hands. Now you must decide. What do you want to do with this one?" he asked, pointing to the man on the ground, giving his mud-caked work boot a slight kick.

The man groaned and moved a little, still semi-conscious. I entered his mind.

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more to come .....(Hope you are all on your way to a good weekend. I appreciate your visit here more than words can say. My next posting will be on Wednesday Nov 23rd. I like to post my chapter on a day when I have the time to read it before I put it in front of you. Bless you!)

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6 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-11-16T04:28:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Six

What a revelation biting Eric with my new fangs was!

I had been thinking of them like long pointed teeth. They were much much more than that. They were as exquisitely responsive as the most sensitive place on my body. Instantly I had an orgasm, then another. I was bucking around so much it was hard to feed, like trying to drink a milkshake with a straw while riding a rodeo bronco.

Eric moaned and laughed at my reaction. "Yes, yes! Do not hold back," he encouraged me.

I couldn't have held back if I tried. Holding on was more my problem.

I hugged his thick thigh with my arms and wrapped my legs around his calf, clinging to him as I drank and climaxed, my fangs like two tiny sex organs bathed in the warm flow of his delicious honeyed blood.

When I was done I flung myself away from him for a second, gasping and shrieking in amazement. My fangs neatly snicked back into their sheathed position. They still throbbed with excitement.

"Oh my goodness!" I exclaimed, "I had no idea it was like that. It's like I have a whole new way to have sex!"

I ran my tongue over my retracted right fang and moaned. Was this considered masturbation? I didn't care. Eric had seen it all.

"Let me," Eric said, rolling on top of me and kissing me deeply, stroking my fangs with his tongue. They popped out, then in, then out, then in.

The whole time I just kept kissing him deeper and deeper, moaning all the while. I tasted his blood again on my lips and hoped I wasn't really hurting him though I knew his lips would heal immediately.

We made love like that, his mouth on mine, his tongue stroking my exquisitely sensitive fangs until I simply couldn't stand the intensity. I was full, satiated and my head was bursting with all the new sensations.

"I need to do nothing for a while," I told him. My thighs were still shaking. "I'm getting a little overwhelmed."

"I understand. Let us lay quietly for a moment," he said in his older wiser tone of voice, pulling the covers over us. We didn't need covers but he must have thought I would find it comforting, a leftover from my human preferences.

After laying there for ten seconds I jumped up and said, "I want to go out! I want to see the night sky."

I suddenly felt claustrophobic being shut into this apartment.

He laughed and got up too. "That is a good idea. You must do what I tell you."

We got dressed in a split second, then Eric punched in the numbers on the security keypad that opened the door. I saw the combination and remembered it. That must have been one of the benefits of my newly enhanced vampire brain.

I had always wondered if vampires were smarter than humans since vamps were stronger and healthier. The answer seemed to be that we are not actually smarter but we can recall things with greater accuracy and detail.

Our super senses of hearing, smell and vision give us additional information to base our decisions upon. Those super senses were a double edged sword, however. The moment the door opened the thick gagging smell of gasoline and car exhaust hit me, making me retch.

"I have the air in our apartment run through HEPA filters before it enters to cut down on the pollution and smell. Try not to breathe, it is not necessary," Eric advised.

That was when I realized I was still breathing. Could I really stop? I tried and held my breath for a long moment, not needing to take another breath to replace it. For the first time in my life the mighty unceasing bellows of my lungs stopped. Some other form of metabolism had replaced it.

"Why was I still breathing?" I asked, worried that my Turning might not have really worked.

"Habit, body memory. It will linger for a while but eventually you will just forget about it and only draw breath when needed to talk or test your surroundings."

Eric was a fount of information. He knew it and loved his role in my tutoring. Vampire 101.

We walked hand in hand through the unlit tunnel towards the parking lot. On the way in to our apartment, while I was still human, the tunnel had seemed filled with impenetrable darkness.

Now the fizzing glow of energy from each atom shed its teeny tiny light making the tunnel as bright as day. I could see every ripple in the concrete. The limestone and sand used to make the concrete had individual smells, the water used to mix it was from a local well that was slightly alkaline.

I could hear the sound of a car engine, the night creatures scurrying, chirping, squeaking and eating. A plane took off from somewhere nearby, maybe that little airfield we stopped at on the way here. I could hear hearts beating, breathing, coughing. I could hear a jumble of conversations, I could hear ..

"Sookie, stop it! Sookie!" Eric said urgently, shaking me a little.

I could see his concerned face clearly in the ambient light given off by the molecules in the air around him. Eric and I both seemed to glow too. This was something I had observed about vampires while I was still human.

"What happened?" I asked. I felt dazed and confused.

"You went into a trance. Try not to listen to each sound, try not to identify each smell. You will not be able to function or protect yourself if you are engaged in too much sensory stimulation," he warned.

I saw that being a vampire was a lot like being telepathic. Concentrating on the thoughts of others without a reason just made my head hurt and distracted me from being in the moment. I had a lot of experience in tuning things out. I did that now, allowing all the noises and sensations to recede to a white hum in the background. Suddenly I felt aware, focused and fresh.

"You're right. It's fascinating but too much listening is bad. Let's go," I said, running ahead of him.

He opened the concrete panel and I flew into the empty parking garage. I heard the door close behind me.

I had taken a small whiff of air and could smell the sweet fresh night air just ahead. We went up the parking levels and out over the turnstile quick as a flash.

Suddenly I was outside in the night. The parking lot lights were blindingly bright, I looked away from them. We ran, fast as the wind, into the swampy fields behind the hotel. I was able to mentally turn down the volume of the noise made by the myriad of creatures surrounding me. I looked up into the night sky and saw a breathtaking sight. If I still had a breath to take, that is.

The stars were no longer just individual twinkling dots in a black sky. The whole sky was an illuminated silvery haze of stars, ever more distant and dim, into what seemed like a celestial blue infinity.

I thought I might have heard the faintest threads of music coming from the universe, a beautiful harmony of angelic singing. I felt the sky starting to spin and knew I needed to look away to avoid sensory overload again.

"My heavenly stars!" I said to Eric, literally, burying my face in his chest, hugging him to celebrate and ground myself, "Who knew there was so much more.."

At that instant I heard the scream.

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more to come ....(Wonderful Wednesday Were-readers! I think of you all everyday and welcome you here with open arms! Thanks for letting me know you stopped by. My next posting will be on Saturday Nov 19th. Look for me then...)

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5 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-11-12T04:19:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Five

The next two nights passed by as a kaleidoscope of images, sensations and disjointed fragments of thoughts and words.

At one point Eric commanded, "Yield to me" and I did, letting go of the last wispy vestiges of my human life.

It was like putting down a heavy burden and finding myself feeling light and free to swirl ever further away to the farthest reaches of the glorious dazzling universe.

His powerful blood was like a drug, altering my perception of space and time, lifting me higher than fear or worry could reach. I floated among the pink and blue clouds, zoomed around other suns and other galaxies, peaceful, awed, and content. When he embraced me I rose to the top of uncharted peaks of pleasure and excitement.

In between was the absolute nothing of the daytime rest. I was like a bulb that had been turned off as the sun rose. I was as one who had died.

I could see why even the ancient vampires had believed they were the walking dead. I knew I wasn't any more dead than I was when I was fully human. I was just different in the way my body manifested life.

From our blood exchanges I saw the world through Eric's eyes, felt his experiences, knew his mind. A thousand years of hardship, trial and change had forged his iron will like a hammer relentlessly beating on an anvil made of time.

Time had stripped him of the comforts of delusion, hope and belief, given him only himself and the wisdom gained from his experiences to rely on. He was a hard man because he had to be a hard man, anyone softer would have eroded away to nothing by now.

There was no jealousy in what I learned of his life of adventure. I sensed a hollowness, an unquenchable inner loneliness in even the most wanton excesses. It was, in fact, an almost desperate desire to find meaning and purpose in his everlasting life that had driven him for centuries.

Constant movement, insatiable lust, pillage, plunder, every manner of war, these had been the core of his desires. It wasn't enough. As soon as he attained his goal it turned to dust, meaningless.

The endless cycle of movement and achievement began to look and feel like madness to him. He was unable to tire out physically but emotionally his inner weariness became a millstone he carried around his neck.

I discovered that to know all was to understand and forgive all. With my almost God-like panoramic view of Eric's thoughts, experiences and feelings I began to understand how a divine creator could love us despite our many grievous flaws, imperfections and trespasses.

Eric had finally come to realize that his heart yearned for someone to have as his one love, his center, a blazing emotional hearth he could come home to and would warm him. His freedom had become a prison.

That was when he decided to become a Maker, a responsibility he had avoided until he reached some kind of inner rock bottom. Pam hadn't worked out in the long run. Their physical relationship hadn't become the emotional connection he longed for. It just wasn't in her nature to want to settle down with one man. Maybe she was still too young, as a vampire, to limit herself in that way. Maybe she just wasn't cut out for monogamy.

As in a magical mirror I saw myself through Eric's eyes. I was a golden delicious enchanting woman that made all other women pale in comparison. I felt how Eric had wanted me from the second he met me, how he had schemed and plotted, even planning to kill his friend Bill at one point, just to have me.

I felt his frustration with himself and his torment at loving a fragile short-lived human, his will to live dwindling to almost nothing. He had believed he was beyond such folly. Love reared its head and bit him, just like it happens for humans.

Finally I felt how his knowledge I would live a very long time revived him, his joy at our daughters, his contentment with our life. I was able to rejoice at my Turning as he rejoiced, knowing nothing much could separate us now.

When we were not exchanging blood or making love he wrapped himself around me like a living protective cocoon. I fell asleep in his arms and awoke in his arms. Our closeness was absolute.

On the fourth night I rose fully vampire.

Eric's ancient blood flowed through my veins like liquid fire. I had feared being a vampire would be so utterly depressingly dark and cold. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Life, the very essence of life created a warmth that glowed from within. The same forces that ignited the sun also shined forth from every atom and molecule. I had never been so alive, so aware, it was like having a passionate affair with existence itself.

I could smell everything - the dyed wool rug fibers, the paint on the walls, the wood in the furniture. I could smell Eric, his maleness, his blood. I could see tiny motes of dust in the dim light, which wasn't dim to me. There was a glowing quality to the air that illuminated everything. Or perhaps everything had its own inner illumination. Light seemed to fizz from everywhere like carbonation in soda water, warmth radiated from the movement of atoms.

I must have been looking around wildly because Eric enveloped me in his big thick arms and said, "Do not try to identify every scent, every sound, every movement. Your brain will be able to sort everything out by itself after a short while."

"You feel so warm!" I exclaimed, snuggling up against him.

He did, he felt very comfortably warm to me. That meant I must be a little colder than he was, though I did not feel cold at all. I breathed in the smell of him, familiar and intoxicating. His scent made me instantly aroused. I wanted to bite him, to ingest him, to possess his essence and have it flow through my veins. These were the thoughts and feelings of a vampire, I realized, yet they seemed so natural to me.

My next thought sent me hurtling out of bed to the bathroom mirror. I moved too fast and crashed into the wall next to the bathroom door, turning a section of drywall to dust.

"Good heavens!" I exclaimed, "Sorry about the wall."

I brushed drywall plaster out of my hair and off my shoulders.

With a fond little smile Eric said, "If you do not concentrate when you move you will not have control over your speed for the first few nights. Where are you trying to go?"

"I want to see if I have fangs," I said, moving deliberately and slowly, putting one foot carefully in front of the other until I stood looking into the bathroom mirror.

I bared my teeth, disappointed to see they looked normal. Then Eric raised his arm in front of my mouth. His bluish veins, pushed to the surface by the hard striated muscles underneath, protruded from his pale skin. His blood gave off a smell like warm honey made from wildflowers and sage. I felt myself fill with lust of many kinds.

Snick!

I had fangs - nice big ones. They just popped out on their own. My skin, white as a pearl, had that beautiful silvery glow I saw around vampires. I was gorgeous, if I do say so myself. Eric had been right. I made a wonderful vampire.

I grabbed Eric's wrist. I wanted to bite Eric really really badly, he looked like the most delicious man that ever walked the earth.

"Let us go back to the bed. Then you can try out your new fangs on me," he invited, looking very pleased at the idea.

He didn't have to ask me twice. I moved towards the bed a little too fast and shot over it, landing against the wall on the other side. At least this time I didn't make a big hole in the plaster.

Eric laughed his big deep growly laugh. "Your eagerness is most flattering."

Instantly he stood in front of me, lifting me to my feet. His super fast movement was no longer a blur to my eyes. Carefully I walked to the bed and got in.

"Fwow da ya taak wif eese?" I asked him, touching my fang tip with my finger.

Yow, they were sharp!

"I believe you're asking me how I talk with my fangs out?" he asked me, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

I nodded.

"Your facial muscles will need to learn to move differently. Again, do not think too much about it, your enhanced brain will be able to adjust in a short while."

While my enhanced brain adjusted I pointed to Eric's arm meaning should I bite there. I was hungry hungry hungry and ready to feed.

He pointed to the inside of his thigh. I couldn't see the vein there. I made a little whine of frustration. I didn't want to bite holes all over him looking for the right spot. With his hands tangled in my hair, guiding my head, I ran my fangs gently over the area like I was dousing for blood, like a well-digger searched for water with a willow wand.

Bingo! I sensed the molten flow just under his skin. Mr Happy waved merrily near my cheek, not wanting me to ignore him. I feared my fangs were too sharp and I might hurt Eric. I would have to figure out how that was going to work later, my focus at the moment was on getting a bite to eat

With Eric's hands helping to steady me, I pushed my fangs gently against his flesh, feeling them pop through the skin like biting into a sweet sun warmed tomato right off the vine.

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more to come .....(Your presence here is a full moon shining on my heart. Thank you so much for coming! I'll be back Wednesday Nov 16th with chapter six. See you then!)

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4 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-11-09T04:44:00.001-08:00

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Chapter Four

I awoke sick to my stomach. Eric was already up, naked, sitting on the side of the high four poster bed, smiling at me.

I got out of bed, looking around for the bathroom.

"I feel sick," I moaned, clutching my tummy. I hated to be nauseous worse than just about anything.

"You will be sick only once, to get rid of what is left of your human digestion, then you will be hungry," he explained, placing his strong arm around me.

He helped me into a plain all white bathroom off the bedroom, not as well appointed as the master bath in our house in Shreveport and comforted me while I heaved all my residual stomach contents into the toilet.

It reminded me of the one and only time I drank way too much right after I graduated from high school. It was just as miserable this time as it was the last.

When I was done I rinsed my mouth, brushed my teeth and looked in the mirror to see if I was growing fangs. My tongue felt like it was wearing a fur sweater. I brushed it too.

Already the dim bathroom night light seemed way too intense. I could see minute details of the paint on the walls as if I was looking at it through a magnifying glass. The sound of the water coming from the faucet was like standing next to a mighty waterfall. I could smell Eric's enticing natural vampire scent. I could also smell my not-so-enticing aroma. Ick.

"I can hear and see much better than before," I said in a wonder.

I suddenly felt as light as a feather. I tried to levitate but I couldn't. At least not yet. Since Eric could fly there was a remote possibility that I would inherit his talent.

"It will take a while for you to get used to the intensity of the experience. You will adjust, I promise," he said, giving my shoulders a hug.

"I need a shower," I told him, turning on the water in the builder's basic shower. I was pretty sure I hadn't needed to tell him that.

"Yes, you do," he agreed with a laugh, never one to candy coat the truth.

He got in the shower with me and lathered me up. I noticed he used unscented soap, not my usual moisturizing brand, probably to prevent assailing my newly enhanced senses with too much input. How did he stand it? He must have gotten used to it, just like he said.

While Eric sensuously shampooed my hair I recalled a story Gran used to tell about a school friend of hers that had married, moved away from Bon Temps and lived next to the tanning factory where her husband worked. When Gran visited her the stench from the factory was eye watering when the wind blew the wrong way.

Gran had asked her married friend if the smell didn't drive just about her crazy.

Her friend had looked genuinely puzzled at Gran's question and replied, "What smell?"

Gran's friend was so used to the obnoxious smell of the tannery that she didn't even notice it. I hoped that happened to me, otherwise my head might explode if I walked past a garbage can in July.

After the shampoo was rinsed from my hair I told Eric about Gran's story. He nodded but didn't have a story of his own to add. He seemed to be intensly concerned with my physical state, not my words.

He lathered me a second time from head to foot, slowly and sensuously. My new vampire senses were able to experience extra pleasure too. He dried me with a big white fluffy towel. I could smell that it was new and had been made in Egypt.

After that Eric and I didn't talk much. For once I didn't have a million questions or things to say. I knew what we were doing and I knew why we were doing it. I was extremely focused on my inner processes too. Did I feel like a vampire yet? Did I thirst for blood? Would a hot fudge sundae still appeal to me?

The answer to all those questions seemed to be "no". After Eric dried me off I waited for the hunger he mentioned to hit me, but it didn't. I wasn't the least bit hungry for either human food or blood. Now that the nausea was past I felt fine, better than fine. I felt like I could run for miles, clean the whole house in an hour, dance like crazy all night. I felt wonderful.

We went back to the bedroom. Even in the faint light of one votive candle I noticed that the sheets were spotted with minute dots of blood so we changed them. I still had a little shame about leaving blood on a sheet, something that must have been a knee jerk reaction left over from my early training. Of course this wasn't that kind of blood. Still, it was better for me once the new sheets were on.

As I put the soiled sheets in the bottom of the closet I noticed that they smelled fabulous, a combination of blood and sex. It made me feel erotic and hungry at the same time. That was when I realized I really was changing. My senses were leading me find food and sex, the two top items on every vampire's wish list. That, and darkness when the sun was high.

That reminded me of something I wanted to ask Eric. "Did I just fall asleep last night or was I in a vampire coma?"

"It was deeper than human sleep but not yet the depth of our daytime rest. I did not try to rouse you though I could have. It came on you very suddenly. Usually you know when the sun will rise and have time to find a proper place. It is because your Turning is not complete."

"Tonight and tomorrow night ought to do it?" I asked. "I mean, change me over completely?"

Now that the process had begun and I saw and felt what it was I didn't have any more reservations. I was still the same Sookie Stackhouse in my mind and feelings, that was all that had ever really worried me about changing.

"Oh yes, lover," Eric said, his words no louder than a sigh. "That will most certainly do it."

With a fanged caress he lifted the new clean white sheets for me and I slipped into the bed with him. I felt completely ready for whatever he had to offer.

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more to come .....(Wonderful Wednesday All! Thanks for coming along on the new part of their journey. Your presence here makes all the difference for me. The next posting will be Saturday Nov. 12th. Looking forward to seeing you then!)

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3 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-11-06T04:55:00.000-08:00

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Chapter Three

He was actually shaking as he kissed me, his entire body pressing rigid against me with his excitement. I felt his fangs tenderly stroke my lips, my chin, my neck.

"This is it," I thought to myself, "This is how it ends and how it begins."

"How long I have waited for this moment," Eric said in my ear, his voice thick with his ancient Scandinavian accent and his desire.

He wrapped his arms more tightly around me, I could feel him begin to shake harder. We stayed like that for a few long moments, nothing happened.

"Is everything all right?" I asked in a worried whisper.

"I must wait a moment until my arousal subsides. I am almost beyond control," he rasped. "I want to be gentle," he said in a not-gentle-at-all harsh sounding voice.

I moved back a bit to look at him. His eyes were glowing a beautiful ocean blue, his fangs were dripping a clear liquid. A drop hung off his right fang. I touched it with my finger.

"What's this?" I asked, smelling it. It smelled sweet, like melon.

"It is a lubricant and anti-coagulant. When a long exchange is needed my fangs will stay moist with it to keep the flow going. This is almost too exciting, I need to calm down," he admitted.

I must have wrinkled my brow because he added with a reassuring smile, "I know what I am doing. It is just the excitement, the years of anticipation waiting for this moment to arrive."

For the very first time I wondered if vampires masturbated, if they had fantasies of Turning humans that they used for arousal like a human man uses the centerfold in Playboy. Maybe there was vampire porn I never heard of that appealed to the Maker in every vampire.

"Now I am ready," he announced quietly. Ever so lightly he kissed his way down my body until he found that particular place on the inside of my thigh he loved to feed from.

"Ah! My! The smell of you, how I love it," he gasped, and that was the last thing he said.

His lips started a vortex of pleasure swirling from my thighs to my groin as he moved from one side to the other, stopping in the middle to bring me to a higher lever of excitement.

Like a roller coaster ride I went up, up, up, slowly, inexorably until I reached a peak, the highest peak imaginable and there I hovered on the tippy top, somewhere in outer space, floating and rising until suddenly, the momentum took me back down, rushing towards a climax that felt as exciting as free falling.

Like someone on a roller coaster ride I screamed and laughed, calling for Eric so that I might cling to him. He rose between my thighs, his fangs stained scarlet with my blood and entered me in one smooth move. He put his punctured wrist to my open mouth and I fed from him, his blood hitting my empty stomach and going right to my head.

Always in the past I had been very aware of how much of his blood I took. I needed to exercise caution, that need for moderation increased as the years went along. I became more and more vulnerable to Turning with every exchange. I had my responsibilities as a mother or my fear of beginning to accidentally Turn in my mind, dampening my enjoyment of what Eric offered me.

Now nothing stood in my way. I sucked his blood with the reckless abandon of a vampire, the taste and thickness of it becoming the most wonderful thing on Earth. I felt all the shackles of worry, fear, and even death fall from me as I entered the enthrallment his blood gave. This high was what those addicted to vampire blood would do anything for. This high was the doorway to the next life, the life of the vampire.

On and on it went, the sex, the blood - hugging and caressing until I was unable to tell where he left off and I began. We became one. At some point I felt must have had as much of his blood in me as I had of my own. My whole body tingled, super sensitive to his touch. The tip of his fang or his tongue could send me into convulsions of pleasure. It was a swirling happy madness. It was a place I never wanted to leave.

Then, without warning, it stopped. Everything went dark.

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more to come .....(Super Sunday my Supernaturally Superior Sorority - It feels so good to be posting again and back in Vampire Land with you! My next posting will be on Wednesday Nov 9th. See you then....)

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1 & 2 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

2011-11-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

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Chapter One

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Eric's red Corvette took about forty minutes to get near to the location where my Turning would take place. For anyone else the trip would have taken over an hour.

We took the I-20 toward Dallas, crossing over into eastern Texas, then exited to 135 and finally to 271, which concluded in a dead end. Across the street from the dead end was the Gladewater Municipal Airport.

Eric stopped and looked at the airport for a few minutes through the bug speckled windshield.

"Is this the place?" I asked, nervous tension making my voice sound hoarse.

"No," he said, but didn't elaborate. He nodded as if pleased at the sight of the airport.

"I plan to use this airfield to get us on our way after ...." He didn't finish the sentence, as if mentioning my impending Turning might jinx the whole thing or scare me away.

He pulled away from the airfield, seeming to double back towards Louisiana for a few miles. After a couple of turns he pulled into the parking lot of a big fancy Holiday Inn Express. The front of the place was lit up like the White House at night.

"I'm going to Turn vampire in a Holiday Inn?" I asked incredulously, staring out the windshield at the impressive facade of the motel.

Eric didn't seem to be listening, he was searching his pants pockets for something, not an easy task when your jeans are as tight as can be, your thighs are like tree trunks and you're wedged into a vintage Corvette..

I could see the advertising campaign now. A well-groomed wholesome vampire in a dark green Holiday Inn uniform would say, "Have a human you want to Turn into a vampire? Then the Holiday Inn's the place for you! We guarantee privacy, room service and as much True Blood as you need." Then he would give the camera a charming fanged smile and wink.

Eric leaned towards me and opened the glove compartment, which, to my knowledge, had never once contained gloves. I caught a whiff of his cologne, Midnight Rendezvous, his shampoo, Gee Your Vampire Smells Terrific and his natural woodsy vampire scent. Heavenly.

He rummaged around wildly, dropping the insurance card, my bottle of antibacterial hand gel, a tattered map and the car manual on the floor. Due to the small space in the car I wasn't able to bend over and pick them up. I probably wasn't ever going to need the hand gel again, vampires were impervious to germs.

Was Eric nervous about Turning me? Did he remember how after all these years? Maybe it was a lot more stressful when you were going to Turn someone you knew and cared about.

"Ah!" Eric said victoriously, holding up a small black beeper of some kind.

Then he looked at me, focusing, and said, "What did you ask? Am I going to Turn you in a Holiday Inn?"

He looked startled at the question as he repeated it.

"No, of course not," he said, putting the car in gear and pulling into the parking garage next to the hotel.

He swiped a card to get through the unmanned automatic turnstile, then he drove into the underground part of the garage. There were no cars parked in the entire garage though the open paved lot outside was almost full.

"How come there's nobody parked in here?" I asked.

"There is a problem with natural methane gas leaking up into the garage from under the ground. Until that is remedied it can not be used."

"Is it safe for us to be here?" I asked, alarmed. I didn't want to blow up.

"There is actually no gas leak. My company built this parking facility. I wanted to keep it empty until I am done using it. The gas leak will be fixed when we leave."

He made air quotes around the word 'fixed'. Being the one in charge of a building gave him a lot of wiggle room to create undisclosed structures.

He drove to the lowest level, then forward to a plain gray section of rough concrete wall. He aimed the clicker at the wall and hit a series of buttons. A large section of the wall pivoted back into a black tunnel. Eric drove into the dark tunnel a little ways, stopped, and aimed the clicker out the back window. The concrete door closed, leaving us in pitch blackness.

Eric started to drive. Since I couldn't see a thing it was like he was driving through absolute darkness, though I knew he could see. I must have made a frightened noise because he said, "Sorry." and turned on the headlights.

He continued on through a plain concrete tunnel with a low ceiling for about half a mile until he came to a dead end. He stopped the Corvette in a parking area big enough for one car to turn around in.

"We are here," he said, turning off the car and the lights. It was utterly dark again.

"We are where?" I asked into the inky void, my head turned in his direction.

"Here," he said, a disembodied voice in the darkness.

He must have used the clicker to turn on the lights because suddenly the parking area and a bright red door were bathed in bluish LED lights.

Instantly Eric opened the car door for me and I got out of the car. I was tempted to pick the stuff up off the floor and cram it back into the glove compartment but I didn't. I would get it later. Maybe.

He went to the red metal door and used the clicker to disarm the lock, then we went in. The door was silent on its hinges and I got the impression it was a heavy duty security door. This was our secret place, the place where I would leave behind my human body and take on the form of a vampire.

He turned on the hall light, then the rest of the lights using a switch right in the entrance hall. I took a big breath and looked around.

Chapter Two

I couldn't believe my eyes. Eric had recreated my Shreveport living room here in this underground bunker in Texas. On closer inspection I saw that the furniture was very similar to what I had at home, not truly identical, as were the window coverings, lights, the nick knacks and the rug.

The one thing that was very different was the sconces. At my home I had plain cast iron sconces that held candles. Beautiful crystal sconces like the ones I had seen in the apartment of the Elf Queen were lighting the walls next to the fireplace and a large chandelier, like a crystalline rendition of a frozen waterfall hung from the center of the room. The room smelled showroom new.

"Are these Ailine's sconces?" I asked him. I would have thought they were crushed under the same rock slide that ended the Queen's reign.

"No. I found out who made them for her and had some made for here. Hers were much too large for this space," Eric explained.

I saw he was right. The proportions of her rooms had been on a much grander scale than these normal sized rooms. The fancy sconces didn't really go with the homey style furniture I preferred, however I appreciated Eric remembering my mention of them. He was trying to put something special in this home away from home.

We hung our coats in the hall closet. Eric led me into the living room and we sat on the couch. I felt as nervous as a young girl on her first date. The place felt chilly and unused, like a basement newly tricked out to be a living room.

"Unfortunately the fireplace is only electric, will that do?" Eric asked, picking up a clicker to turn it on.

"Sure, that'll be just fine," I said. I had to clear my throat to get the words out. My hands were shaking slightly and my stomach was tight.

After turning on the fireplace Eric also went over to the thermostat and adjusted the heat which came up from the floor as radiant heat. I slipped my shoes off and enjoyed the soothing sensation of warmth.

He sat down next to me on the couch again.

He looked at me, waiting to hear what I had to say but for once nothing came to mind.

"Let's just get it over with," I finally said, realizing as I said it that it would never be over with because I was going to be a vampire for a very long time.

"Then let us retire to the bedroom," Eric said, standing.

We walked through a door at the far end of the living room into our old Swedish bedroom, the one we had before the bomb caused a fire that forced us to remodel our original room.

"How did you do this?" I asked in wonder.

Everything I remembered from before the fire was there, the tapestries, the colorful embroidered throw, the blue and white side draperies on the four poster bed. He even had a duplicate of our Swedish chair, something that had survived the fire. The floors were different in this apartment, a light sanded wood that almost looked white-washed. It gave the room a clean bright look.

There were closed deep blue woven draperies over the windows, windows I was sure looked out to nothing. This was a safe room, no hint of sunlight could reach us. Neither could bombs, fire or any other kind of destructive force. It was both a haven and a tomb, depending on how you looked at it. There was no wall of mirrors in this room. I found that to be sort of ominous. What didn't he want me to see?

"I have been planning for this for a long time," he admitted. "I wanted everything to be nice for you."

I looked in his face and saw how much he loved me, how hard he had tried to make everything special and lovely. Tears of many different emotions came to my eyes. He stood looking awkward, not sure of how I would respond.

"Hug me?" I asked.

He hugged me, then very tenderly he put his fingers under my chin, tipped up my face and kissed me, first with affection then with passion. I tried to get into it but the knot in my stomach and the shaking in my cold hands just wouldn't let up.

"Come to bed, my Sookie, my lover. I will show you pleasures you never dreamed of," he whispered in my ear. His voice shuddered with the power of his emotion.

A sudden wave of heat rose up in me as his words went straight into my heart and then ricocheted to other places in my anatomy. Gently he undressed me and got me settled under the snow white lace trimmed sheets. The bed was already warm, he had remembered to put a heated pad on the mattress.

He slowly undressed, letting me watch. As often as I saw him undressed I never got over the surprise of how beautiful he was. His ageless perfection was only emphasized by his pale white skin, the tiny yellow hairs on his muscular body seeming to give him a burnished sheen like pure gold on moonlit silver. I hoped that I was also in the best shape of my human life, something I had worked hard at.

"You look so good, Eric," I said, my voice thick with the many emotions I was feeling on this life changing night.

"You look like a lush valley, like a peaceful river, like a field of intoxicating flowers that will never fade," he said, looking down at me. "My eyes want to see only you."

He lit some small votive candles in red holders, then turned off the light and got in bed with me.

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more to come ....( Woohoo! I just got my power back and rushed to post my story before the next thing could happen to prevent it! Thank you so very much for sticking around and all your kind words and encouragement. You have warmed my heart. My next posting will be tomorrow if the creek don't rise. Hug your necks!)

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103 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-08-17T04:44:00.000-07:00

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Chapter One Hundred and Three

I got Eric to laugh when I asked him if I was going to have to kneel down to him every time I displeased him like Pam did. I had rinsed my glass and was wiping the table where he and I sat, though obviously he hadn't eaten anything.

"No, Sookie, no," he laughed. "That is old school. She was Turned back in the day when that was the only acceptable kind of response. She is too set in her ways to change. It is a comfort to older vampires to stick with the way things were done traditionally."

"If you displease me I will simply spank you," he leered, grabbing me and pulling me down onto his lap

"How about if you displease me?" I asked, laughing with him, putting my toned arms around his neck.

"That could never happen," he said, kissing my ear.

"I admire your confidence," I said breathlessly.

"Confidence is my middle name," he said, smoothly picking me up and carrying me out of the kitchen. Eric Confidence Northman - it had a nice ring to it.

I managed to throw the dish cloth in the sink and turn out the lights on the way out of the room. Years of living frugally on my own had made me ever mindful of the light bill.

Eric and I did what we do best, laughed, loved and talked, the days slipping by one by one until there was no time left.

Everything was in place. Eric and I had visited Charlaine one last time so I could see her as her human mother. She was just beginning to show, a single baby bump. She didn't want to know if it was a girl or a boy.

"There are so few surprises in life when you're a telepath," she explained. "Waiting to see what the baby will be is one of life's big treats."

To myself I wondered if the baby would have any supernatural powers like the ability to read minds or the ability shift into a were-gator like Darren. I knew the were-gator talent wouldn't become apparent until puberty, a long way off, but the telepathy would be there from the start.

During our visit Eric and Darren talked business until the wee small hours when dawn was getting ready to appear. The new computer and search engine was due to launch in a few months, then the baby would be born. I didn't want to miss the arrival of the child. Eric had assured me I would be safe to travel by then.

While we were in New Zealand we were notified by Lars that there had been a devastating electrical fire in the research center. It had resulted in data being lost, crucial equipment being destroyed and part of the center being closed for rebuilding. Fortunately no one was hurt.

Eric told Lars he would be there to give his crew directions in a few days. In the meanwhile the demolition of the destroyed section of the lab could begin.

I never asked Eric if he was responsible for the electrical fire. I thought he was, with the help of one of the VL dissenters. I also thought it was clever of him to be in charge of the repairs. If there was a way for him to make a little extra for his efforts he would see to it. Maybe he was splitting the profits with Edison. Right after blood came wealth in the vampire list of favorite things.

As soon as we got home Eric went to the research center to give Jason directions on how the reconstruction was to proceed. Eric wouldn't be available to run things, he would be cloistered away with me in a secret location. When I emerged, like a creature from a cocoon, I would be transformed. I would be Vampire.

I packed the clothes I would need for a few weeks into boxes for Eric to take to the place he had prepared for my Turning. I knew it had to be nearby because he was back in few hours for another load.

Sheila was coming to stay in the house the day after next with her niece Penelope. I told them it would be alright if they brought Penelope's dog King, a big gray German Shepherd - Huskie mix. I hope King wouldn't trash the house but it was better to have someone living here than to leave the house vacant for weeks.

Sheila was no spring chicken so I didn't expect her to perform any housekeeping duties. Penelope would see to the things that needed doing and make sure Sheila turned off the stove when she was done making tea.

I called my daughters and my brother one last time during the day before the night I left the house. Then I walked from room to room, looking around at the familiar furnishings, the momentos, the unlit fire place with the pictures of the girls on the mantle. I walked through every room, mentally saying goodbye.

With a cup of coffee I sat at the kitchen table and watched the rectangle of sunlight move across the kitchen floor, slowly heading away until the sun was down behind the trees.

I admit I cried at the last sunset. I tried to dry my eyes and look cheerful for Eric yet I couldn't prevent my heart from being heavy at the loss of so many human things. I knew there would be vampire things to compensate, I just wasn't there yet.

Eric, when he rose, lifted my chin and looked in my eyes. I saw tenderness and concern on his face. He kissed me, giving me all the love in his big silent heart.

Amelia's voice rolled through my mind, "The only time it isn't too late to say no is afterwards".

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked later, after he was showered and dressed.

I searched in my heart and saw there was only one answer that made sense.

"Yes," I said simply. I put my purse over my arm, ready to go.

I looked around my human home one last time, then Eric turned out the light and locked the door.

We walked down the porch steps, got into his red Corvette and sped off into the night towards our next new beginning.

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This ends part one of "Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future".

I will be back with part 2 on Halloween, October 31st, 2011. I can't thank you enough for your continued interest and the effort you make to comment and let me know you're here.

I apologize for the changes in my posting schedule, it was not possible to continue to post every day. I'm not sure what the fall will bring but the story still writes itself every time I have an opportunity to sit at the keyboard.

I hope very much that you stay well and have peace in your hearts. I also hope to see you on Halloween, the start of Sookie and Eric's next great adventure. Bless you, hug your necks!)

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102 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-08-13T04:35:00.000-07:00

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Chapter One Hundred and Two

After a few moments of silence on the ride home I said to Eric, "I know I haven't been the most considerate wife ..."

"That is not for Pam to discuss," he said flatly.

I noticed he didn't jump in with "Oh no, you have been the greatest wife anyone could ever ask for."

I let that go.

I tried to figure out the meaning of what Pam told me.

"Pam said..."

"It makes no difference," Eric said, speeding up as if he could drive away from this conversation. Unfortunately for him the conversation was right here in the car with him.

"Please slow down. You might be crash-proof but I'm still human," I reminded him.

He slowed down to the speed limit, his face immobile with irritation.

"It makes a difference to me. She said if I knew what you had done for me I would fall down and kiss your feet. You know I appreciate all the many wonderful things in my life, most of all you and our daughters. Was that what she was referring to? Was there something more?"

I asked this in a kind way and placed my hand on his leg to make a physical connection with him. Eric responded better to my questions if he felt connected to me.

"She is referring to my negotiations with the King," Eric said, looking over at me then back at the night swishing past the windshield.

"And what would that be?" I asked.

"In order for him to leave you alone, to give you time to raise our daughters and live at our home in peace I have had to make certain concessions, do favors," he said, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Are you referring to my telepathy?"

I had always wondered why the King hadn't pressed me into his service. Every vampire ruler liked to boast of having a court telepath just as rulers of old liked to have a jester. We were probably just as amusing to the vampires too. Since telepaths were as scarce as hen's teeth we were a hard-to-come-by commodity.

"Yes. He believed you might be a benefit in his negotiations with humans. You might have been of some small use."

He glanced at me, still not looking happy.

He looked back at the road and shrugged. "With our ability to glamour we are able to get any information we want. It is slightly more cumbersome and risky to glamour someone, not a real problem. The real problem was that the King was not happy his every whim was not catered to. I have performed some extra duties for him as a concession for his tolerance."

"What kind of extra duties?"

"Assignments not usually expected of a Sheriff such as the rescue of Lingza," he explained.

I knew there was probably a whole lot more but I didn't press him on it. He pulled into our driveway. I still missed the sound of Roscoe barking joyously when he heard us return home. Like Gran said, the past never goes away. Or maybe it does when there is no one left to remember.

I undid my seat belt, leaned towards him and kissed his cheek. "I appreciate you looking out for me."

I added, "Our daughters are grown now. Is he going to come after me?"

"Not if I can help it," he said with a genuine smile, unbuckling his seat belt and turning to kiss me properly on the lips before we went into the house.

Once inside I asked him, "What's going to happen once I Turn?"

I didn't want to sit at the King's feet as his telepathic lap dog for the next dozen centuries. I couldn't stand to live in the Palace, it was like living in a fish bowl. I needed my privacy, my time to myself.

"I think I have a plan to deflect him. We will tell him the change has erased your telepathic ability. You will be the first telepath to Turn as far as anyone knows. No one can predict what effect your transformation will have on your talents."

He hung up both our coats and followed me into the kitchen while I blenderized my last protein shake of the day.

"I think Pam is having a problem with you Turning me," I said, sitting down at the kitchen table.

How many more times would I sit and eat before that part of me was no more? I tried not to think these thoughts, they made me gloomy and a tad frightened.

"I agree. It has happened before. The original Child becomes unwelcoming of the Master's new protégé. Or protégée, in your case. I will speak to her about her attitude." His face was like something carved from stone.

"She was also worried I would mess up your head by not Turning when the time comes or by being such a loose cannon I bring problems for you. She was looking out for you," I said.

I went on, thinking about it as I talked. "But I also think she might be jealous. That isn't something to punish her for, that's something we have to help her with. Or I should say you have to help her. Spend some special time with her, reassure her she'll always be your first Child, tell her how she can help you to get me to maturity, that you could use her help because she's so smart and resourceful," I suggested.

Eric frowned. Then he stopped frowning and looked mildly surprised.

"I see what you are saying. Berating her and punishing her will alienate her further causing more acrimony. It will confirm her fears that as a vampire you will be a troublesome interloper. Being supportive and kind towards her will win her to our side, keeping her as a close and trusted friend."

"That's right," I beamed, proud that Eric saw things in a new light.

Actually I was quoting from an article in Parents magazine on what to do if you were going to have another baby. That hadn't happened for me but I had wanted to be prepared in case it did. Maybe my advice was a consolidation on a few articles.

"You should be the Queen," he said with enthusiasm. "With insight like that you could disarm an enemy and make an ally. You will make a truly great Vampire."

"Thank you," I said modestly, not bothering to mention how I acquired this kind of insight.

This was basic human interaction 101 to me. Eric had dealt with things as a vampire for so long that using human psychology was not second nature to him. He had taken a psychology course at a college somewhere along the way. I could help to remind him of the principles as long as I didn't lose my humanness.

I prayed that wouldn't happen.

Would I be able to pray once I Turned? And if I did, would the prayers of a vampire be heard? Some said no, that vampires were unnatural creatures not meant to exist in creation. But I thought like Gran did, if it was here then it was part of some larger plan.

I thought of a bumper sticker I saw once - "Of All The Things I've Lost I Miss My Mind The Most". My most basic question was this - Would I still be Sookie Stackhouse once I grew fangs?

I guess I would know in a month, the time I had left as a human.

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more to come .....(Super Saturday Everyone! Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me know your thoughts. I will let you know when my next posting will be, but for now twice a week seems to be my best bet. My next post will be Wednesday August 17th. See you then!)

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101 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-08-10T04:35:00.000-07:00

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Chapter One Hundred and One

Our original date scheduled for my Turning had been January 1st of the new year but that needed to be rolled back to the fourteenth. I got my affairs in order, worked out with Halder like a maniac and spoke to all three of my girls every single day.

They were very excited for me, Linda most of all. I think she was waiting to see how it went, what I was like on the other side, possibly because somewhere deep in her heart she also wanted to become Vampire and live with Jure.

I didn't ask her about it because she needed to work things out for herself. I had very mixed feelings about both Jure and her Turning, if either ever came to pass.

I worried most about Charlaine. Her pregnancy would be progressing while I was cloistered away for a few weeks adjusting to my new body. She was doing well, continuing to sculpt and feeling great, still I worried.

Eric assured me we could talk face to face on the computer, then travel to New Zealand to see her as soon as we left the secret location he had made for us to "go to ground", an archaic vampire term meaning to stay enclosed until the Maker-Child bond was fixed in place.

I thought of this interlude as similar to a new mother needing time to bond with her infant, establish a good feeding schedule and begin the lengthy process of teaching the infant about the new world she had been born into.

When I told Eric about these thoughts he told me that was a beautiful way to describe it. He had never seemed happier, it was like a tremendous burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

We were very close in those last few weeks, spending every moment we could with each other and talking, talking, talking about everything we needed to say while I was still human.

He reassured me again that I would not lose my appeal for him once I was vampire, on the contrary, we would be together on a level that was impossible for us now. He also promised me he would not allow me to accidentally kill anyone in those first days.

He helped me fill out the reams of paperwork, ran interference when the King wanted to congratulate me at the palace saying I was unable to travel. Eric was so trusted an employee of the King's that the King didn't insist, didn't try to dig for more of an explanation, didn't demand a letter from a doctor stating I was home bound.

Others reacted to my decision in a variety of ways.

I sensed my old friend Amelia was less than pleased that I had decided to go ahead. She kept telling me the only time it was too late to change my mind was afterwards. I assured her I knew that and thanked her for her concern. She was as supportive as she could be. I knew that change was hard for people.

Jason tried to sound happy for me. Knowing him as I did I could tell he was jealous. He had been waiting for years to find someone that would Turn him. Pam had laughed when he offered himself to her. The offer he had outstanding in the vampire community had not been taken up yet. There was still time for him though each day that went by must have seemed to be one day closer to the time he would be too old and it would be too late.

Pam was oddly cold to me - formal, helpful and pleasant yet lacking any kind of warmth or support. She had never been Miss Warm and Fuzzy but I felt she could have seemed more welcoming to my new status as a vampire-to-be.

I finally asked her about her attitude one night while we were alone together in the office after the club had closed. She was counting up the receipts from Fangtasia's busy overpriced bar with the speed of a machine, her beautifully manicured hands just a blur as she sorted the bills into stacks.

"Do you really want the truth, Sookie?" she asked me, her cool ice blue gaze fixing on me and sending a chill down my spine. She put down the jumbled heap of cash on the cluttered office desk.

"Yup, I do. We're going to be bonded by Eric's blood for a long time. I don't want to feel you resent me for sharing that with you," I said.

She gave a short harsh laugh, her lovely lips twisting into a sneer. She was so very pretty but could come across as incredibly cruel and hurtful at times.

"I do not resent you for your decision to do what the Master has been wanting for years. I resent you for being a flake - a fickle and self centered human with no idea what is at stake here. Eric has loved you, protected you, walked through fire for you. What has been your response?"

She made a scornful snort and used a high-pitched Southern belle voice to mock me. "Yay-ess, No-ah, Yay-ess, No-ah. Oh Lordy gracious me almighty, little old Sookie just can't make up her fucking empty-headed maah-nd."

She fluffed her hair back like an air-headed Valley girl and giggled in a very ugly way.

Her parody of me was grotesque but accurate enough to make me blush to my hairline.

"That's not fair Pam. I had a lot to take into consideration ...."

"Consideration?" she interrupted, standing up and walking briskly around the desk on her four inch stilettos.

She came right up to me, invading my space. "Do you even know the meaning of the word?"

Her breath smelled sweet like clover. Her crisp British accent was becoming more pronounced as she became more agitated.

She looked down at the rough, worn, wooden floor, shaking her head in disbelief, then back up at me, a bitter little smile curving her crimson lips.

"If you had even the slightest clue of what Master has done for you, is doing for you, you would fall down and kiss his feet. You live in your protected little bubble in that fancy house he built for you like the bloody Queen of the May. Meanwhile Eric sheds blood and tears to keep you from harm. You have been inconsiderate of him, his status, his generosity, his worry over your mortality."

"I do not understand my Master's judgement." She put her hands on her hips, shaking her head at Eric's folly. "The mighty viking Eric took a lowly bar wench and raised her up on a pedestal. I could shed rivers of blood when I think of how the once majestic warrior, a god among men, waits and waits to get a no-brainer decision from you about the greatest gift anyone could offer you. You, a mere human girl with a little seasoning of fairy blood. What does that make you? A tasty snack. Nothing my Master should .."

"THAT WILL BE ENOUGH!" Eric roared from the doorway. He was furious, his eyes shooting turquoise flames and his body elongating. I feared he might actually physically attack Pam.

I stood in front of her, trying to block her from his sight. "It's all right, Eric. I asked her to level with me. We needed to clear the air before I Turned. I wanted her to tell me exactly what she thought. She loves you and doesn't understand why you put up with all my human foolishness. Sometimes I wonder about that myself."

I gave a little self deprecating laugh, trying to defuse both the situation and some of the hurt I felt inside at what Pam said.

She was right in some ways but not all. I would think about what she had said and own what was mine. The rest would be buried or burned away in my transition from human to vampire. Maybe now that she got all that off her chest she could begin to feel better about me, especially once she saw I was really going to Turn this time.

I looked back to see what Pam was doing. She was down on one knee, her white blond head bowed in submission, not daring to look directly at her Master.

I turned again to Eric and saw that he had returned to normal. Her submissive posture seemed to appease him.

"She had no right to speak to you in that way," he said flatly, speaking to me as if she were not even there. "I am most displeased with her attitude. My decisions, my personal life, are not her concern. She has over stepped her bounds and there will be consequences for that."

He turned and stomped out, leaving Pam still kneeling on the floor, her silky hair flowing forward to hide her lowered face. As I watched a tear of blood fell to the floor in front of her, then another, then another.

I patted her shoulder and left, following Eric through the back hall out to the car in the dimly lit rear parking lot.

I felt sort of sorry for Pam, change is never easy, especially when things have remained the same for over a century.

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more to come .....(Greetings Fanpires! Thanks for showing up and leaving a comment, it really adds something special and wonderful to my life. Hope your lives are full of good things. I'll be back Saturday August 13th with the next chapter. See you then!)

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100 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-08-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

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Chapter One Hundred

I woke the next morning with the crystal clear understanding that I had to Turn.

Sometimes that happened to me. An issue that was confusing or ambiguous at night suddenly became obvious and understood the next morning. I thanked my subconscious mind for whatever work it had done while I slept. My mind was made up. I was going to Turn, the sooner the better.

Gran had said I would know the reason to Turn it when I heard it. Eric's silence when I thanked him for saving my life had been the reason, what I heard in his silence was the echo from the deepest well of despair in him.

No matter what he did, how he tried, my mortality was too fragile a thread for him to hang his hope on. If a Jello ring could abduct me from my brother's house, then where or when would I ever be safe?

Turning was the only thing that made sense. As a vampire I would be much more effective to protect my loved ones and fight by Eric's side. The many human considerations that had weighed so heavily on me before just melted away in the laser like intensity of my new understanding. I got it. The only important thing in my life was my husband and my family. Nothing else really mattered.

Because Eric could renounce his vampire loyalty to champion human freedom meant to me that I could renounce my human life to join him as a creature of the night. Together we would turn the crazy out-of-control idea that was called Vampire Liberation into something that benefited all beings on this beautiful planet.

I caught myself humming "It's a Small World After All' to myself while I showered and dressed until I scolded myself to stop. That song could get on your nerves after a while.

Once I knew I had decided I couldn't wait for Eric to rise. I did all the girly things I knew how to do to fill the time. By the time the sun was setting in the sky I was as primped and pretty as the prize winning pony at the 4-H fair. I waited just outside his safe room.

"You look especially beautiful," he said to me as he stepped from his safe room. "Are we going somewhere?"

His black silk pajama bottoms had worked their way down his long lean torso right to the top of his golden nest. He hitched his pajamas up but they slid right down again. The elastic was probably wearing out.

He came to me and kissed me. I kissed him back with a wild passion I had buried inside me, the passion of surrender, of really becoming his in a way only a vampire could impart.

"Sookie, Sookie, what is it?" he asked me, little crinkles appearing around his eyes in both amusement and puzzlement. Tonight his eyes were that deep midnight blue you only see in a young baby.

I was usually responsive to his kisses, this new level of intensity within me was something he had never experienced. A barrier, a partition that had kept me from him had crumbled, leaving me naked, vulnerable, open and very excited.

"Come upstairs, I have something to tell you," I said breathlessly, tiny butterflies of nerves flitting through my stomach.

I was excited and scared but absolutely certain I was doing the right thing. I took his hand to lead him.

I sat down in the living room, a room so familiar and comfortable. Would I want to redecorate when I saw the room through vampire eyes?

"Would you like a fire?" he asked before he sat. He knew I was often chilly in the fall and winter and tried to offer me warmth whenever possible.

I nodded. He used the clicker to put on the gas fireplace. I loved the way he looked by firelight.

He sat down next to me on the couch. "Now, what do you want to tell me?"

His beautiful handsome face was so loving and open to me I just wanted to grab him and kiss him a million times. That would be later. I wanted to tell him the good news first.

With a mischievous twinkle in my voice I looked him in the eye and said, "Yes."

He looked puzzled. "Yes?"

Then, as he looked at my beaming smile, the light dawned within him. "Do you mean ... yes?"

He waited still as a statue for my answer.

"I mean yes yes yes! I know for sure now. I want to join you, come with you into the night, be your vampire wife," I told him, practically jumping up and down with happiness.

"Det här är .... allt," he said passionately, momentarily lapsing into his native tongue as he did when he was overcome with emotion.

Then for my benefit he translated, "This is everything,"

He laughed and growled at the same time, pulling me to him and engulfing me in his super-sized loving embrace.

Everything that had come between us melted away in the white hot passion of his unconditional love for me and the red hot molten surrender I felt deep within me. Like the lava from two volcanoes our desires merged and became a mighty unstoppable flow.

We were one blood, we would be one blood and together we could make good things happen for us and for the whole world.

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more to come ......(Super Saturday my Supernatural Sisters! Hope you are all well and at peace. Thank you for stopping by and for letting me know you're here. My next post will be on Wednesday August 10th. See you then, I hope.)

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99 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-08-02T04:05:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Ninety Nine

I made as if I was going to get in the car then I ran to the other side while screaming "ERIC!" at the top of my lungs.

Stuart ran around the car to grab me but I ran as fast as he did, circling the car to keep him on the other side. He wasn't any faster than I was!

I had played this game around various cars and trucks with my brother since I could toddle. I was an expert at keeping to the other side of the vehicle. I continued to scream when I had a second between feinting and darting around.

In a flash Eric stood between Stuart and me. I backed away looking for something heavy I could pick up and bash Stuart with. Eric was susceptible to damage or death by fire. I didn't want the demon to get his burning hot hands on my husband.

"Leave now and nothing more will come of this," Eric warned the yellow creature.

Eric's eyes were already glowing turquoise, a sure sign he was going to become lethal soon. Stuart's eyes flashed orange and crimson like all the fires of hell burned inside him. Maybe they did.

"You killed my love. I will take yours in revenge," Stuart rasped in full demon mode, leaping forward towards Eric.

Eric spoke to me without looking back at me. "Stay clear Sookie."

Then he reached towards Stuart's neck. He grabbed nothing but air.

I looked around wildly but saw nothing. Out of the corner of my eye, right under the dim street light, I noticed a golden maple leaf falling gently, swaying from side to side, coming from the nearest tree behind me. It must have been the last leaf on the tree because all the branches were bare.

Suddenly I understood.

"The leaf!" I shrieked. "He's turned into a leaf!" I pointed.

I remembered Stuart had told me he could change into other forms. Maybe he could only turn into yellow things.

Eric flew past me, grabbing the leaf in mid-air and taking off with it. He headed for the pond. I saw a small fire explode in the sky, then darkness.

After that there was nothing, just the chilly night and the few insects that still chirped this late in the season. And my pounding worried heart. Had Stuart blown up and taken Eric with him?

I waited for a long time until Eric walked out of the blackness and into my arms. I sobbed against his chest. He smelled like smoke and charred meat.

"I am all right," he reassured me.

I stood back to look at him. He held one arm behind his back.

"Let me see," I asked him, terrified to see what he hid.

He brought his hand around. It was fine, but the sleeve of his suit and his shirt were burned away to the elbow. His gold watch was melted to his skin, the band incinerated. He peeled it off his wrist and put it in his pants pocket. The red welt it left faded as I reached for him.

I touched his cool hand and kissed it, so happy to see it had already healed. Whatever dreadful pain he had just suffered was in the past, he wouldn't dwell on it. Neither would I.

"I waited for it to mend," he explained. "It took a few minutes."

He had to weight the fright and horror I would feel at seeing his burned hand and arm against the fright and horror I would feel at waiting to see if he survived. I thought he made the right choice. I didn't want to see him injured again. The memory of his ripped throat still haunted my nightmares occasionally.

"Thank heaven you're alright!" I hugged him again, now joyous at his return.

"Or thank my vampire blood," he said dryly.

His tone stopped me. I looked up at him. He looked down at me steadily with his intelligent blue eyes, waiting for me to understand what he was saying.

"Where's Stuart?" I asked, quickly changing the subject. I was too emotional to make any decisions right now.

"He is in the lake, either extinguished or drowned. I will notify his employer when we return home. In either case he will not bother us again. He will be recalled if he survived."

Eric had used a lot of energy flying and fighting the demon in the air, then healing. He didn't have enough power left to fly us home to change. We were going to need to leave the party. He waited in the car while I went back to Jason's house to say our goodbyes.

I told Angellica and Jason and my two inquisitive daughters I would explain tomorrow where we disappeared to. I asked to see the catering staff.

As I suspected the young woman that carried the Jello mold from the truck into the house was not among them. She must have been someone Stuart enlisted to help crash the party. Things were winding up so after a round of goodbyes I went to the car and got in.

My feet were killing me. I slipped my shoes off after making sure Eric felt well enough to drive us home.

He did feel well enough. After I told Eric about being abducted by the Jello mold and all the things Stuart had said I felt emotionally exhausted. I was glad Eric didn't press me about anything. I needed more time to think.

He told me he had been unable to scent me because the sulfur smell was so pervasive. Stuart might have had some supernatural ability to cloak our location. Finally a frantic Eric had heard me scream.

Once home I heard Eric leaving a message with Jessica for Asmodeus. Jessica still worked in the Underworld as a social worker part of the year when Persephone, her female mentor, worked there.

Persephone was married to Hades part time and lived with him during the fall and winter in the Underworld. The rest of the time Persephone and Jessica were here on this plane though I seldom ran into them.

Jessica had started out as Bill's Child but he hadn't really been Maker material. He gave over his parental responsibilities to Persephone when Jessica began to run wild. It had worked out well all the way around. Now Bill and Jessica had a good relationship.

When the phone call ended we showered together then went to bed. Eric needed to feed and I needed to feel him in my arms, safe, whole and well. He had saved me, saved my life, and I was grateful.

"Thank you, thank you," I whispered against his ear.

He didn't answer.

I knew he was thinking there was only one way I could show my gratitude. Though I kissed him and cuddled with him, I felt the chasm of my indecision about Turning threatening to separate us in more ways than one.

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more to come .....(Howdy everyone! I am so happy to see when you stop by, it makes me very glad. My next post will be on Saturday August 6th. See you then.)

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98 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-07-31T05:17:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Ninety Eight

I felt the Jello arms pull me through a squishy center and then a void. I held my breath for a few seconds before I sensed the movement of cold air against my face.

I landed with a plop on a pile of dry leaves. It was dark but there was a feeble old fashioned street light, the kind with a big clear bulb and visible filament that gives off a weak glow, on a dead tree turned light pole. A single wire threaded from another tree to power the bulb.

Between the street light and the moonlight I was able to see see once my eyes adjusted. Stuart the demon stood next to a very old, rusty and battered red Yugo. I stood up and brushed myself off. His eyes glowed red in the night, his yellow skin shone like gold.

"Don't make me grab you, the burn will go right through to the bone," he threatened, wiggling his long bony fingers which began to shoot tiny blue flames from the tips before they died out.

"That was you? You were the lemon Jello?" I asked him, beginning to understand that he had somehow abducted me from the anniversary party right under the watchful gaze of Eric. I needed to keep him talking until I figured out what to do.

"Yes, I can briefly appear as something other than myself," he said.

There was a hint of a scary deep raspy demonic voice just underneath the normal human sounding voice he was using.

"What do you want with me?" I asked, looking around surreptitiously.

We were next to a rutted dirt road. I thought it was the path that ran behind Jason's house next to the pond. In that case I was within shouting distance of the house. Could I get in a scream before Stuart could grab me? What if he put his flaming fingers over my mouth to silence me? I shuddered to think of the damage to my face.

"I am taking you hostage to make your husband suffer as I am suffering," he said, his voice cracking into demon.

"Why are you suffering?"

"My love, my beauty, my goddess Ailine has been smashed like a bug under tons of rock," he said, becoming agitated. "Your husband Eric Northman is to blame."

A tear of red lava dripped from his eye and fell to the ground. Fortunately he was standing on a patch of dirt and gravel. If one of those tears fell on the dry leaves that surrounded us he could set the whole woods on fire.

"I heard about that," I said soothingly and sympathetically. "It was a terrible unfortunate rock slide but Eric didn't have anything to do with it."

"LIAR!" he thundered at me. "DIRTY FILTHY LIAR!" His beady eyes blazed red with rage.

He seemed to grow larger and a rim of blue fire surrounded him. His sulfurous breath scorched my face.

"I am a demon, I know a lie when I hear it!" he rasped, his true demon voice coming through. "My boss is the father of lies."

He must have been referring to Asmodeus, a name everyone seemed afraid to say.

"You're right, I don't know exactly what happened," I temporized. "I wasn't there. I'm very sorry for your loss. I was under the mistaken impression that she was cruel to you."

"Oh she was cruel, more than cruel. She was cold, indifferent and critical of my every move. Nothing I did was good enough. Sometimes she would beat me with a whip or throw ice water on me, which burns me like molten metal. It was .... perfect. The suffering was exquisite. If only I could have found some way to please her, though I do think it made her happy to revile me."

His voice had taken on a dreamy tone reminiscing over his kinky love of punishment. To each their own. At least he was in a better frame of mind. But not for long.

"Get in the car, liar," he ordered. He opened the door, making the handle glow red hot for a moment.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, taking a tiny step back, wishing I had worn flat shoes instead of heels.

I knew from reading true crime books that you should never get in a car with an abductor and allow them to take you to another location. Of course none of those books discussed what to do if your abductor was a fire spewing demon. Would I survive a struggle with him? Could Eric heal me with his blood if he got here? How long could I stall before it came to a show down? Where was Eric? Why didn't he miss me?

"Gathas, Infernus, Tartarus .... call it what you like. It is a place of endless fire and torment." He opened the door a little wider and moved back, inviting me to get in his hooptie Yugo.

"You're gonna drive me to hell in a Yugo?" I asked, still stalling for time.

He probably knew of an entrance to the underworld he could drive into. Once down there I would be nearly impossible to find.

"Yes. Your husband will not come and rescue you. He will not want to risk the wrath of my oppressor. Face the truth, for a vampire as old as Eric Northman you and your fancy fairy blood and your brood of human girls are just a whim, a passing fancy. He would have tired of you soon anyway. It is no loss to him," he said scornfully.

"Does Mr. A know you're doing this?" I asked.

I knew Stuart was wrong about Eric. I was the love of my husband's life, he told me that many times.

"That is none of your concern," he said, his eyelid twitching with nervous tension. "Get in the car."

His voice was all the way into the demon range now.

"If Eric is going to lose interest in me then what good is abducting me? How will that punish him if he can just write it off as a minor loss?"

I was gearing myself up to scream and then make a run for it. If I was going to die then I would die fighting.

"He will suffer briefly, then I will think of new ways to bedevil him, to make his existence unbearable," he said getting more agitated with every word.

"NOW GET IN THE CAR," he roared, flames shooting from his mouth, his ears and his eyes. "GET IN THE CAR!"

I drew in my breath to scream. It was now or never.

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more to come .....(Greetings Fanpires! Hope your world is right. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. My next posting will be on Tuesday August 2. See you then!)

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97 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-07-27T04:23:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Ninety Seven

Linda was right where I saw her last, standing next to Jure. His deep bass voice was saying, "I told him that the castle was mine and the woods were mine but the birds flying overhead belonged to Bačka."

The enthralled group around him exploded into laughter. Jure even cracked a slight smile at his joke. Since I only heard the punchline of his story I couldn't join in.

My nephew Brett sped by yelling "Hi Aunt Sookie!" as he chased the neighbor's little girl through the house. They both had silver heart shaped helium balloons tied to their wrists and were red-faced and laughing with their exertions.

"Mom!" Linda said, finally tearing her eyes from her date's handsome face and seeing me. "How long have you been here?"

She wore a slinky red dress and black lace stockings, very sexy, though her true attractiveness came from her radiant face framed by her wild tangle of honey blond hair. She was as sunny and wholesome as Jure was deep and mysterious. They made a striking couple.

"Not long," I told her. "I went back to the kitchen to see how the caterers were doing. I was thinking about using Petunia's Perfect Parties for our renewal party. Aunt Angellica said they arrived an hour late so that's a strike against them."

"It looks like it was worth the wait," Linda said, indicating the crowds gathered around the tables. Everyone was loading up his or her plate with all the appetizers offered.

"Be right back," I told her and went to the nearest table for a look.

I took a hot nacho chip and dipped it into the salsa verde. I was amazed at the flavor. The chips were right out of the deep fryer, the salsa could not have been fresher. I decided to rethink PPP's for my party. With food like this who cared if Petunia and Ty fought like cats and dogs before the event?

I turned to go back to Linda and stopped. She was whispering in Jure's ear as he bent down so she could tell him something privately. He was smiling and nodding. They looked happy together, they looked, for want of a better word, normal.

I had given a lot of thought as to what my approach to their relationship was going to be. I had decided against confiding in Linda that Jure once glamoured me and had sexual and blood contact with me when he was newly arrived in this country. He didn't remember it because his memory of it had been erased by his Maker Anna Hita. At least that was how he was presenting the situation. Whether he actually did remember our time together was anybody's guess. I hoped he didn't.

There was nothing to be gained from telling Linda about the intimate details. Jure had not known the protocols for life under American vampire rule. He had been behaving as if he were still the most powerful vampire in Europe, taking what he wanted without regard for anyone else.

I believed I was following the lead set by Gran. Bill told me once that he and Gran had a "moment" together in a cemetery when she was freshly widowed. I took that to mean they had a one time encounter that was never repeated. Gran must have recognized Bill when I brought him to our farmhouse to meet her but she said nothing about her previous encounter with him.

At the time I was happy to have a boyfriend and Gran said Bill seemed to be a decent person. If she had thrown a monkey wrench into my romance by telling me she had a fling with him I think it would have broken my heart.

Unfortunately Bill ended up breaking my heart anyway when I found out he had been assigned by his Queen to woo me and get me under his control but that was a different story. Gran had kept her little moment with my Bill to herself, if it had really happened, and I appreciated it. She let me find out what was what on my own. With my headstrong ways that usually turned out to be best.

I honestly didn't think Jure was evil, just old, powerful and a little too full of himself to suit me. He seemed to please Linda just fine so I was going to butt out and let the relationship run its course, where ever that led them. If there was something wrong with Jure it was up to Linda to find out what it was. She would not gain by having me try to ruin what they had going.

I rejoined Linda and Jure. Soon Eric came along, then Adele and Lachlain. I noticed there was no tension between Jure and Eric. Vampires had to learn early on how to let bygones be bygones because they were compatriots for so many years. No one wanted to be in the position of seething with resentment and malice for centuries, or worse, killing a fellow vampire and being tried for it. They treasured their long lives, to cut another vampire's life short was an unpardonable crime in vampire culture. The prudent attitude was to work things out and then let go.

We made party chit chat, circulating to speak to the other guests, until it was time for Hoyt to begin his speech about how perfect Jason and Angellica were together and what a wonderful child they had.

We toasted their future happiness, their past accomplishments and their wonderful child. I wasn't used to drinking champagne so it went right to my head. I had a bite of everything to check on the food. It was all delicious.

When the catered buffet was done the servers came to clear away the remaining food and set up the dessert. I was still on the fence about hiring PPP so I headed out to the kitchen to watch them unload the truck and see just how plastered Ms. Petunia Pickles was as the party wound down.

The kitchen, modern and brightly lit, was bustling with activity as the young attractive servers covered the buffet pans and put them back on the catering truck. The food that wasn't eaten would be taken to a Shreveport homeless shelter, something that was important to Angellica.

I felt a stab of guilt at the good works my sister-in-law found time to volunteer for, she was always thinking of others. If I hired PPP I could be assured the uneaten food would go to a worthy cause. That was one big point in their favor.

Petunia looked a little frazzled but not significantly the worse for wear. She knew how to time her drinking to remain a little tight but fully in control of her mind and actions. She was what Sam used to call a functional alcoholic, dependent on the sauce yet able to maintain her role in her community. It was a high wire act I wouldn't want to live with day after day.

When the last of the hot food was on the truck the desserts began to appear. Cupcakes in a wondrous variety of designs, large cookies, frozen layered glass dishes and a fruit platter were unwrapped and dressed up with curls of dark and white chocolate and sprigs of mint. The smell was glorious. A large three tier chocolate cake with "Happy Anniversary Angellica and Jason" written on the top in bright green writing was inspected closely by Petunia before it was cleared for presentation.

The servers streamed out of the kitchen holding their trays and platters up high in a professional manner. Petunia followed them out to supervise the placing of the desserts. The servers were obviously well trained and carefully selected but Petunia wanted to leave nothing to chance.

A lone young woman in a uniform that looked much too big for her emerged from the truck and carried in a covered platter. She set it down on the center island and went to close up the truck. I decided to lift the metal lid and take a peek at what was underneath.

It was a very large molded lemon Jello ring. Even though I was part fairy I was very fond of lemon Jello. Not only didn't it bother me, it was actually one of my favorite flavors.

I couldn't imagine who would want to eat so much lemon Jello unless it was spiked with booze. I saw two shiny red berries imbedded closely together in the Jello. Just two berries? What kind of caterer put in just two berries?

I looked closely. Suddenly two nearly transparent yellow lemon Jello arms shot out of the mold, lifted me up and pulled me down into the center of the ring of Jello before I could make a sound!

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more to come .....(Wonderful Wednesday Were-Readers! Hope you are having a good week so far. Thanks so much for stopping by. My next posting will be Sunday July 31st. Hope to see you then!)

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96 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-07-23T03:49:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Ninety Six

When I had been in a fearful state of panic about VL I hadn't been looking forward to Jason's anniversary party.

Now that Eric was back and I knew he would be working behind the scenes to slow the development of Daynight while rallying other powerful vampires to end the crazy idea of a vampire-run world I was really excited about seeing everyone and celebrating my brother's successful relationship.

I picked out a light blue dress with a matching bolero sweater and my blue patent heels. I tried holding my hair back with a blue ribbon but I looked a little too much like Alice in Wonderland.

Although I was twenty on the outside I was much older on the inside. The look I preferred now was stylish but conservative. I thought about how Pam dressed, expensive sweater sets and designer cashmere slacks, and smiled to myself. She was a an eternal nineteen year old that dressed like a fashionable British business woman.

After putting up my hair in a loosely made French twist, I slapped on some make up and shazam! I was done. Eric came out of the bathroom naked, drying himself with a fluffy white towel, the kind he preferred.

"You look good enough to eat," he kidded, an oldie but goodie.

He had fed from me just the night before so I knew he wasn't really hungry yet. How strange it must be to only need to eat every week or so.

"Too much blue?" I asked him, turning so he could zip up the back of my dress.

"If you wore as much blue as the sky it wouldn't be too much," he said, kissing the back of my neck.

I moved away from him before we began the slide down the slippery slope that would end up in bed. I didn't want to have to fix myself up all over again and I especially didn't want to be late to Jason's and Angellica's party.

"Do you have the gift card?" he asked as I gathered my handbag and a jacket in case the night got really cold.

"Yup, right here in my purse," I said, patting my medium sized bag.

For their anniversary we were giving them a trip to Disney World. It was something the whole family could enjoy. Or at least Jason could enjoy seeing Brett and Angellica enjoy themselves. Jason had never been too big on amusement parks, preferring the company of men, cold beer and a big screen TV set on a sporting event instead.

Eric finished tying his blue tie and turned to me for approval. I approved. His light gray suit and whiter-than-white shirt were set off by a tie that matched his blue eyes. He rubbed his cologne between his palms and applied it to his muscular neck and pale cheeks.

"You look great and you smell even better," I told him, beginning to think about how late we could actually be before it would be a social error.

"I look forward to our return home tonight," Eric said, smoothly leading my mind back to where it should be - going to my brother's house.

"Will Linda be there?" Eric asked as we left the bedroom and turned off the light.

"Absolutely. Adele is bringing Lachlain, of course," I said. I wondered if Linda was bringing anyone.

We took the Corvette to Bon Temps. I was in such a mellow mood I didn't even cringe when the speedometer hit eighty on the straight stretch. Eric was a masterful driver. If the cops didn't catch us then this was just some harmless fun.

The party was in full swing when we pulled up. There were at least two dozen cars in the drive and along the roadside. We had to park a ways down the road.

Before I could grumble about having to walk in my heels Eric swept me up in his powerful arms and carried me in a blur of movement to Jason's front porch. The whole front of the house was decked out in little twinkling lights, including the trees on the front lawn. It turned Jason's ranch house into a magical place.

Eric set me down gently on my feet. I smoothed my hair, laughing about the great entrance we made. All heads were turned in our direction and conversation momentarily stopped.

When they saw who it was they waved or said "Hi" and went back to what they were doing. A vampire moving at warp speed was nothing unusual in this eclectic gathering of supes and humans.

Jason came out to see me. He looked nice in a tan suit, denim blue shirt and dark brown tie. Angellica was right behind him in a matching blue and tan dress, her honey brown hair worn loose in a shiny and silky pageboy.

"Hey Sis, look at you!" Jason said, coming to give me a hug.

He nodded at Eric, respecting his vampire dislike of handshaking. Angellica gave me a hug too and invited me into the kitchen to see the spread the caterer was laying out before the hungry hordes descended on the food.

"I'll be right back," I told Eric as Angellica hooked her arm through mine and whisked me away.

Music started up on the built in speakers, some kind of romantic crooning from the 1950's. It could have been Dean Martin. Over the din of conversation it was hard to tell.

We walked through the living and dining rooms which had been cleared of most furniture except chairs and tables set out for the food. I saw thick white candles in tall clear glass hurricane lamps on all the tables. On the way past the sunroom I spotted Linda.

She was here with Jure, hanging on his arm, looking up with rapt attention into his brooding face as he told an amusing story to a small group.

He had on a jet black suit to match his hair, which was pulled back with a velvet ribbon at his nape. His shirt was blood red, his tie had the same dragon insignia as the tattoo on his bulging bicep. Rubies or red sapphires flashed from his earlobes as he moved his head. I had the impression he knew I was passing near him though he gave no sign and did not turn directly towards me.

I had asked Angellica if I could check out the caterers and see if they were an efficient and well organized team because I was going to need to hire someone to cater my renewal of vows celebration.

Angellica knew Quinn's sister had attacked Eric so she never even considered Extremely Elegant Events, the company Quinn worked for, to cater her parties. Tonight she was using Petunia's Perfect Parties, a new company that advertised a double refund if your party wasn't a hit.

Petunia Pickles, her real name, was in the kitchen assigning the various platters of food to either the buffet table or the tables in the living and dining rooms.

She was a forty something woman with straight bangs that touched her eyelashes and jerked when she blinked which was often because her hair was in her eyes. That would have driven me nuts. I longed to trim her bangs for her.

She had stiff sprayed dyed brown big hair and the kind of puffiness around the eyes I associate with someone that regularly drinks too much. I saw a lot of that when I was a waitress.

I checked into all the minds of the staff and aside from some mental cursing about low wages and heavy platters, the boozy bossy boss, and tired feet, the staff was all on the up and up.

Petunia was thinking about sneaking into the ladies room and taking a hit from the little flask of vodka she had in her smock pocket but she was postponing that until the truck was unloaded.

Large platters loaded with sliced meat and baked chicken and ham were being placed on the center island. Whenever a party included a lot of carnivorous shape shifters the refreshments were heavy on the meat, light on the vegetables and fruit. The appetizers and snacks were taken into the front rooms where the guest were hovering, drinks in hand, waiting for food.

"They were an hour late," Angellica lamented to me.

She had probably been apologizing to her other guests for the last hour. It must have been an anxious time for her, all the guests and no food.

"But they're here now and everything looks wonderful," I told her, calming her worries as the hostess. "Besides, everyone likes a chance to have a drink or two before they start eating," I reminded her.

She had worked as a hostess in Fangtasia for a while so she knew the preference of most folks for the alcohol to the food at the start of any social occasion.

"I hired "The Bar's Open" to handle the booze," she said. "I'm very pleased with them."

Petunia's young staff in tidy black and white server's uniforms bustled around removing plastic wrap from the platters and bowls, placing sprigs of fresh parsley and putting the food out where it belonged.

I checked into Petunia's mind for the reason she was an hour late and saw her mind was filled with angry thoughts towards her husband Ty. A big argument right before she was due to leave had slowed her down. He constantly objected to her drinking, she constantly drank to get even with him for criticizing her. A perfect arrangement for an alcoholic and a co-dependent spouse.

I just about crossed Petunia's Perfect Parties off my mental list as a possible caterer for my celebration. I didn't need the drama of depending on half of a disfunctional couple.

After a few more reassuring words with Angellica, I went to find Linda and see how she was doing with her date.

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more to come ....(Good morning everyone! Thank you for your loyalty and for adjusting to my sporadic schedule. Thanks even more for taking the time to leave a note if and when you have the time. My next posting will be Wednesday the 27th. Hope to see you then. Meanwhile, be happy and well.)

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95 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-07-21T04:16:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Ninety Five

"Who?" I asked.

It seemed to me that Eric must have already been thinking about bailing out of VL before I found out and gave him what for about it.

"For years Edison has made similar arguments to yours about the problems we would inherit with a take over. He has refused to put his knowledge or talents in the service of the Council. He would help me to undermine the whole project. I also know Tesla is opposed to VL, though he acts as if he neutral, " Eric told me.

I remembered the many weird and powerful inventions Tesla had talked about. He had even brought a duplication ray here to the girl's classroom, accidentally duplicating Eric. Tesla would be an awesome ally for Eric. So would Edison, though I never met him or even knew he had Turned.

"That's wonderful! You said the American vampires are lukewarm on the idea of taking over?" I was feeling really encouraged about how things could turn out.

"Over the years, since the Great Revelation, the fervor to get the upper hand has cooled. No one wants to miss out on their piece of the world, therefore the rulers all continue to attend the Conferences to assure their place should VL come to pass. It is obvious that the rulers from the enlightened countries are bored and do not see any great benefit to them. In the repressive countries vampires are in even more peril because the whole population now realizes they actually exist. The effort to find and kill them has become non-stop. Most of the vampires from those countries have emigrated to friendlier countries. Understandably they want their home land back. VL would be the way for them to return home."

I knew that many countries were not going to accept vampires in their midst. That gave the vampires from those countries a choice, sneak out and ask for asylum in an open minded country or stay and become even more careful of discovery. A hard choice, one that would make many of those vampires angry and vengeful.

"So maybe, if someone could just begin a campaign to stop the whole VL ball from rolling any further, the idea might catch on?"

"It might. However we are all waiting to see what the Lightning brothers have to say. They were summoned by Marconi in 1897 when it became obvious what problems the Industrial Revolution would bring. Since then worry about ecology and weapons of mass destruction has escalated. That, more than the desire for power, is the compelling reason most vampire rulers continue to plan for the Day of the Dead. The destruction of this beautiful world would be the end of us all."

From 1897 to now was a long time to wait to hear back from someone. Vampires were nothing if not patient. Still, I would begin to wonder if the mothership was ever going to return.

"Why didn't the Lightning brothers just take the newly made vampires to a new planet where they could rule twenty four seven?" I asked, trying to understand how things were in the beginning.

"The same problem with neutrinos. Just as there are abberant neutrinos that destroy vampires, there are also neutrinos vampires here need to survive. We are stuck on this planet for better or worse. The Lightning brothers seem not to be interested in our planet with all the problems it presents for vampire survival." He shrugged his shoulders in acceptance.

I suppose if you have the whole universe to gad about in, one little blue planet would just be an insignificant speck on the horizon.

"You have done all right," I reminded him.

"Yes, my day time rest has become primarily an inconvenience at this point. I do miss having the time with you. When I awake my only hope is that you have survived the day without me," he said sincerely.

Did this mean that every dawn he went to his rest not knowing if he would find me waiting for him? What a lousy way to end the night.

"Eric, I'm so so sorry you have this worry hanging over your head," I told him, hugging him. "But I'm real careful."

I was trying to reassure him while thinking guiltly of my trip to visit my nephew without a guard.

I told him about my visit with HoloGran and about seeing my brother and his family. Eric didn't ask me if I took Aleksis or Kinnan, he probably already knew the answer to that. Again I felt guilty.

"I'm sorry I didn't take a guard when I went to see Brett," I said.

He straightened his back, his version of sighing and said, "I realize you are going to want to leave the house during the day. A guard can be burdensome."

He was trying not to jump on me with both feet over my poor decision making. If I was going to stay human then I would need to really take my security seriously at all times. Otherwise I was torturing Eric with worry. I felt bad again.

"All this has made me realize that I need to tighten up my act too. No more trips anywhere without Kinnan or Aleksis," I vowed.

"Or me," Eric said, gathering me in his arms again, pleased I had understood the importance of my safety to him. He was infinitely patient with me, something I really appreciated.

"Or you. Mostly you, I promise," I told him, sinking back in his ready embrace, feeling like my world made sense again.

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more to come .....(Terrific Thursday Fangirls! Thank you ever so much for stopping by. I always love hearing from you when you have a chance. My next posting will be Saturday July 23rd. See you Saturday!

betesha - Welcome welcome welcome! You can read all my stories from the beginning by looking at the left hand side of my blog page and clicking on the earliest posting way back in 2008. Than, at the bottom is a link marked "Newer Post" - by clicking on that it will take you to the next post, etc. Let me know if this works for you.)

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94 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-07-16T04:41:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Ninety Four

Eric stood up towering over me. I stood up too.

"Wife of my blood, please put this on." He reached in the velvet bag and took out the tiara, holding it out to me.

"Should I leave my clothes on?" I asked, taking the sparkling crown from his hand.

Our fingers brushed and I felt the shock of excitement at touching him I always experienced. The wonder at my good fortune, whatever brought the amazing Eric into my life and caused him to want to be with me, well, that wonder never left me.

I had on a short denim skirt and a white lace blouse. Usually when I wore the tiara I wore nothing else. We were also usually in the bedroom. Tonight I hadn't wanted to go there and risk getting swept away by Eric's enchanting presence.

He chuckled a little, the lines that accentuated his smile making slight commas around his mouth. "Yes, you may leave your clothes on."

I placed the tiara on my head, fastening it with the little sliding combs on the sides. It was as light as a feather yet worth a small fortune. It was more valuable than that to me for the sentimental value.

Eric got down on one knee, the second time in a month. The first time was when he re-proposed to me in New Zealand. I looked down on the golden untamed mane of his hair, the breadth of his shoulders, the unfathomable ocean of his ancient eyes.

He put the fist of right hand over his heart, looking up at me with utmost seriousness. "I pledge my allegiance to you, Queen of my Life, Wife of my Blood. I renounce my loyalties to all others. I consecrate myself to your cause. I ask only to die with honor in your service. I swear this on my blood."

I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. My knees felt a little weak at the enormity of what he was saying. He was turning his back on his vampire community and siding with the humans.

"Do you really mean this Eric, you'll stand with me and help me stop the vampire take over?" My voice was faint.

He answered less formally, "Absolutely. I can sign an oath in blood if you wish. I did not have time to get vellum."

"That won't be necessary. Stand up so I can hug you," I said, my heart beating about a hundred beats a minute. My eyes blurred with tears.

He said in a quiet voice, "Put your right hand on my head and say, 'I accept your allegiance'.

I put my right hand on his silky hair and said in a tear-filled voice, "I accept your allegiance, all except for the dyin' part. No way are you going to die in my service."

He stood up and we hugged for a very long time, then we kissed, then we barely made it to the bedroom. My husband, my hero, my vampire, had finally shown his true colors. My Eric was back.

Later I sat up in bed and saw myself reflected in the wall of mirrors. I was wearing only my tiara, which I had completely forgotten I had on. It was crooked, I straightened it.

"Eric, this is like a dream come true. You're going to help me to stop the vampires from carrying out their plans?" I asked.

He sat up too, his thick muscles sliding smoothly under his pale skin. He had on his bad boy smile. He liked an adventure, a challenge, a fight.

"Yes. Who better than me? I am trusted and allowed everywhere. I can sabotage the Daynight experiments. Because I know how all the security systems work I can shut down the research center. When Anna Hita returns we can convince her to tell the Vampire Alliance that the idea is unworkable."

"I had thought of the same thing about Anna Hita," I said, hoping it was all right to trust him with my plans to thwart VL. This couldn't all be an elaborate ruse to trick me into staying my hand, could it?

I wiped the thought from my mind. I trusted Eric. If not him, then who could I trust? Without Eric I was defenseless against unstoppable powers.

"The only thing I ask is that you not turn over the information about Valerian to anyone. The hate groups can not be trusted with that knowledge," he said.

He was right. They wouldn't use it in self defense, they would use it for attack and annihilation of vampires here and all over the world.

"This means it's just you and me against all the most powerful vampires," I said.

"Not all. Some vampires of great age have remained neutral, declining to attend our conferences or champion our cause. Jure is such an ancient one. Lingza is another, though I do not know if Lingza understands the full scope of the plans we have been making. The American vampires are not very enthusiastic about this change. Here, in this young land, we have done very well for ourselves."

"Is Anna Hita neutral?" I asked.

"Yes. She has never expressed any interest in the council meetings. Her in-person feasibility study is cloaked behind a supercomputer program that is running all the possible outcomes. The computer study is actually being supervised by Tesla. The real results are going to be based on her observations. Neither she nor Tesla know I am aware of her unique talents."

"Then how did you figure out what she's doing?" I asked. What if she was on some other kind of time travel trip that had nothing to do with VL?

Eric smiled confidently. "I am an excellent investigator. I can put together the evidence and arrive at an accurate conclusion."

I took him at his word. If they were going to make him the Sheriff of North America then he must have the creds.

"What about the shifter opponents like Quinn? It's hard to believe we could be on the same side as someone that tried to kill you," I shuddered.

"Quinn and his sister have gone into hiding. He is part of a handful of shifters that oppose supernatural rule. The others have been promised so much by the V. A. council their greed has made them supporters. They agree that the supernaturals should have the upper hand. Or paw," he added with a wry smile,

"Does Bill go along with the take over?" I couldn't imagine the laid back Bill Compton choosing to upend the whole social structure of the world.

"No. His computer records have been invaluable to locate and assign every known vampire of stature a part of the world."

"Did he know that was what they were going to be used for?"

Eric shook his head. "He thought he was helping his Queen compile a record of vampires in her jurisdiction for her taxation plan. She wanted to sell the pertinent records to other monarchs for an additional amount so that they could also levy taxes in their kingdoms."

"Sooner or later they're going to suspect someone of sabotage at the center. Do you think they'll figure out it's you?"

I was getting more apprehensive. How could one lone vampire bring down the whole house of cards and not get crushed in the process?

"There are others who have spoken up and said the plan is folly. I did not think our Great Revelation and subsequent mainstreaming would go as well as it did. Although the backward thinking countries still actively hunt and kill vampires, the advanced societies have made a place for us.

He put his arms around me, "Even before you expressed your objections to VL I had begun to have doubts about the need or wisdom of our plan. A strategy based on past grievances is not going to be a forward thinking plan."

"You also didn't expect to get involved with a mostly human woman," I reminded him.

"That is true. If you were not the most unusual woman on earth I would have found a way to avoid an emotional entanglement," he admitted.

"When will Anna Hita be back?" I asked, snuggling into the security of his embrace.

"Truly I do not know. She gets off track sometimes if she decides to visit her past life," he said.

I recalled she missed our wedding rehearsal because she was visiting her human children of the past in a nearby dimension.

"We have a great expanse of time before any action needs to be taken. I will halt the Daynight experiments temporarily," he reassured me.

"How are you going to do that?" I asked, sitting up again.

"There are many volatile chemicals used in the labs, an explosion would not be suspicious if used correctly," he said.

"Eric, you don't know anything about chemicals. How could you rig something without blowing yourself up or someone in the lab?"

He smiled. "I have someone I know will help me."

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more to come .....(Super Saturday Sisters of the Supernatural! I'm glad to see you made it back and very grateful if you find the time to leave a comment. My schedule is still topsy turvy so the next posting will be on Thursday July 24th. Hope to see you then!)

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93 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-07-13T04:30:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Ninety Three

The next day passed by through a mental fog, my mind totally preoccupied with last night's conversation. I kept rehashing and adding to the things I should have said to Eric.

At the top of my list was "I love you" and "We can get through this together." I regretted my anger and threats when Eric was just trying to be reasonable. I would try to do better in our next conversation, if there was one.

To distract myself I chatted on the phone with Angellica about the plans for her anniversary party and with Amelia about what stage of enchantment Linda's and Adele's rings were at. They kept fiddling with the formula whenever they got together for one of their sporadic witchcraft lessons.

"I know we have longevity and they tried invisibility. Adele's ring worked for a short time, Linda's didn't work at all," she said, thinking about what spells had been cast.

I didn't know what good invisibility would do them anyway. Supernaturals could hear and pick up scents far beyond what humans could, just being invisible wouldn't do you any good if the shifter or vamp could still hear you and smell you.

"Thanks for helping them out with their spells," I said, not sure if there was some kind of spell they should be working on to ward off the take over by the vampires. Nothing came to mind, but it was good to know I had Amelia in my corner if it should come to a showdown.

Eric showed up almost as soon as the sun set so I knew he had to be staying somewhere nearby, maybe at Pam's condo. That didn't worry me, whatever Eric and had Pam had going between them had died out before Gran was born. I was just glad to see he had made it through his daytime rest safely.

I met him in the entrance hall, my arms folded over my chest. I suddenly realized I was still irritated with him for just walking out again. My annoyance began to overwhelm my resolve to speak nicely and gently.

"So you're going to stomp out every night now?" I began, deciding that I might as well confront him early on and get whatever hissy fit he was planning on throwing over with.

"No, I am not," he said, removing his creaking black leather jacket and hanging it in the hall closet just like usual.

"I have something I want to say to you. Come to the bedroom so that we may talk," he said.

There was something going on with him just under the surface but I couldn't tell what it was. Maybe he thought he could sweet fang me into seeing things his way.

"We can talk just fine right here," I said, holding my ground and crossing my arms around myself tighter. Eric's charms in the bedroom were a slippery slope to my resolve.

"I must retrieve something from the safe room," he said and walked at human speed towards the basement door off the kitchen.

I went and sat on the sofa in the living room.

He returned and said, "I wanted to do this the correct way."

He had the black velvet pouch in his hand that held my diamond tiara. Was he taking back his costly gift to me? Two of the big diamonds in that tiara were mine, bequeathed to me by a queen I helped. The third diamond was a gift from Eric.

He sat down in the wing chair across from the sofa. He set down the bag on the arm of the chair and placed his big pale hands on the knees of his black jeans as he leaned forward to talk.

"I have given much thought to all you said," he began.

I remained silent but I was glad he listened to me.

"You make a compelling if not unassailable argument for the unworkable problems in the plan. We have been seeing the malleability of human nature in the short run, you have pointed out, correctly I believe, that in the long run human nature will find a way to thwart and undermine our efforts at every turn. I agree that the maintenance of peace and order in such a population would be an onerous or impossible task."

I still didn't say anything but I was all ears.

"You also make a good point about the need for some aspects of life to remain wild and free. Although many problems exist in human society those problems could be overcome with the right research and efforts."

I jumped in to reinforce his right thinking. "You're right, Eric. Vampires have a lot of experience and wisdom and a lot of brain power from all the smart scientists you Turned. If you applied yourselves to solving the many problems you foresee maybe all this can be turned around."

He nodded in agreement. "That is a distinct possibility. This planet with the strange sun has given humans an advantage that allowed them to hunt and stake vampires throughout history. That has caused bad feelings and desire for revenge among us, especially among the European and Asian vampires. Although there are legitimate reasons we might feel our guiding knowledge would improve things, I see that much of our desire to rule is simply to have the upper hand."

"That's understandable. That's what causes wars. Each side develops a grievance and seeks revenge. It only escalates and never gets better until one side is wiped out," I said, feeling excited inside that Eric was beginning to see the light of reason.

"All these arguments you make are good, yet you did not make the most compelling argument." He sat stock still, looking at me as if he was waiting for me make that most compelling statement. I couldn't think of what I should say.

"What would that be?" I asked with a hesitant smile, feeling a little slow on the uptake. I used to feel like this in school a lot.

"Yourself. Many times I have told you that you are the wife of my blood. I am also the husband of your blood. That precious blood of yours is human and fairy. When I married you I swore our blood would join as two rivers becoming one. Yet in my heart I have believed that would happen the night you Turned. I did not embrace your status as human."

"I did embrace your fairy blood," he added, looking at me with a hint of humor and vampirey hunger.

He just loved my fairy blood. As he was laying it all on the line I saw regret move behind his eyes.

"What if I never decide to Turn, will you be the husband of my blood then?" I asked. I needed to know now if his love for me was conditional on my Turning.

"That was what I needed to decide. Where are my loyalties?" he asked.

I knew from the determined set of his jaw that he had come up with his answer.

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more to come .....(Greetings Fanpires - Thank you so much for all your thoughtful comments and adjusting to this new posting schedule. I will continue to post a few times a week for now until I find the time to post more often. The story is alive and well and still moving ahead. Having you here with me means everything. My next post will be on Saturday July 16th. I so look forward to seeing you then. In the meantime, kisses and hugs.)

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92 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-07-09T04:43:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Ninety Two

Eric spoke in a thoughtful tone, weighing both sides of the issue. "However, if the new group was able to glamour us to believe we wanted to follow their leadership, that we were loyal to them, then my sword would have been in their service. I would not have known my loyalties were elsewhere."

He didn't sound as confident of this as he had as the "make Earth a paradise" part of his plan.

"Are you sure of that? You mean you and all those other battle hardened Vikings would have just followed along like good little sheep where ever the new shepherd led you? Don't you suspect that inside you a voice would have been saying 'This is all wrong, I am my own master'?"

He looked down, then back up at me. "I can not honestly say how we would have reacted, I have never encountered that situation. When Anna Hita glamoured me to never speak of her ability to time travel I had no recollection of it until Charlaine told us what she did."

"True, but that's just one little moment in your life. What if she had told you to leave me and your daughters, told you to forget about us? What then?"

Even as I spoke I thought I might have made a mistake in my example. Ailine did just that and Eric complied, believing it was his idea to walk out on me.

"It has happened in the past. I have met with forces able to take hold of my mind. But it did not last. You are right. My own volition seeped back in. I began to question, finally rejecting the magical forces binding my will. Soon I was free. I have always thought of myself as extraordinary. Perhaps humans would not have my inner fortitude."

He said this with a straight face not realizing he was exposing his supersized ego. I wasn't about to pop his bubble. In some ways I thought he was correct.

"If there were only a small percentage of the population able to come around and realize they were being bamboozled they would tell the others and soon everyone would know."

He actually shifted his position. I knew I had made a valid point. Would it mean anything?

"I do not know all the aspects of our plan, perhaps safeguards will be put in place to prevent that from happening," he said uneasily.

"Sure. They could use telepaths to make sure all the humans were thinking the right thoughts. Now where would they get a telepath they could enslave to screen the human population?" I asked sarcastically. "Oh I know, the wife of the sheriff of North America would fit the bill nicely."

"I told you that your position and that of our entire family would be secure," he said, a tad irritated now.

"And you can take that to the bank because vampires never lie or trick anyone, do they?" I snapped.

He stood up. "It is obvious you have made your mind up against me. Nothing I say is going to change your perception."

He started towards the door.

This was the old 'stomp out and leave' tactic pigheaded men have always used when they are on the losing end of a discussion.

I chased after him. He opened the door.

"You're accusing me of being close minded because you can't admit you have been plotting some crazy plan for so long you have ceased to ask the basic questions. What would you get out of it? How would your life improve? How hard will it be to maintain? It's like some mass psychosis you old time vampires have all joined in on. I'm telling you flat out it's not going happen. I won't let it happen! I know how to stop it!" I shrieked at him.

Oops. Me and my big fat mouth.

He turned in the doorway and said, "Are you threatening me? Are you threatening to betray me, the husband of your blood?"

His voice was icy cold and his eyes glowed turquoise. He was becoming dangerous.

It would have been a very good thing if I could have stopped my mouth right then but of course, me being me, I just couldn't.

I said snippily, "Take it how ever you want."

He took a step towards me, then stopped. The glow in his eyes died out.

"I must leave," was all he said, then he was gone with just a blur of movement and a whisper of noise.

For pity's sake! I was getting mighty tired of him walking out on me I thought as I slammed and locked the door behind him.

Who knows? Maybe I would get used to it.

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more to come .....(Good Weekend Were-readers! Glad to have you here and especially fascinated by what you have to say. Thank you for your stalwart loyalty and for being able to accommodate my new posting schedule. It's a real blessing. My next post will be Wednesday July 13th - see you then.)

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91 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-07-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Ninety One

"It had to be done," Eric stated flatly. "She might have told someone about her conversation with you. She was so very needy she would have talked to anyone that showed an interest in her. She was like a rudderless ship."

"You mean you killed her to prevent her from telling anyone I know about VL?" I asked, horrified to my bones.

"I did not kill her. I caused a rock fall in her chambers," he said.

"That's splitting hairs Eric and you know it."

"Your safety was only part of the reason. She was a danger to the entire blue elf community and the vampire community. She had lost her boundaries, anything was permissible to her way of thinking. She had to be stopped."

"Aren't the blue elves going to retaliate, you killing their Queen?"

"Not at all. The Elven Complaint Board authorized me to take her out. Alfdis called me and told me I had full permission to terminate their Queen. Ailine had gone mad from the Gorgon's bite. Like a rabid dog she had to be put down. If I hadn't done it the elves would have taken care of it."

"Then why not let them take care of their own?" I asked, perhaps a bit too sharply.

"I am the one she made a clown of," he stated. "I had to avenge my honor."

I could understand that. Eric was used to being respected, in control, on top of things. Ailine messed with the wrong vampire, pure and simple. Eric, being Eric, could not let it go, especially when the Queen was slated to be taken out anyway. Alfdis probably gave Eric this favor as part of their non-disclosure contract. Eric's silence about what happened to him for the license to pull down tons of rock. It was probably cathartic for him.

What's done is done and can't be undone, as Gran would say. It was not how I would have handled things but the decision wasn't mine to make.

"What about Stuart?" I asked, remembering the yellow demon.

"He was not there. Ailine was alone when the rock slide happened. She will have a grand royal burial and lie in state at the Diamond Palace. No Elf Queen could ask for more."

She could ask to stay alive, I thought.

"It wasn't her fault, getting bitten," I protested, though hashing over her culpability was pointless now.

"She was bitten trying to steal the Gorgon's mate. She brought it on herself," Eric said, tiring of the topic. "That is the past. Now we must speak of the future."

He looked at me steadily, waiting for my response to his vision of life under Vampire rule. He was back to that topic.

"I have plenty to say but I know you're not going to like it," I warned.

"I am prepared," he said, his jaw set.

"I think the whole plan is crazy and unnecessary. Humans are well aware of being in danger from pollution and weapons of mass destruction, they're working on the solutions for a sustainable energy source and peace negotions."

Eric snorted in derision. "They work and negotiate while the sky and waters fill with poisons and the stores of weapons grow."

"Still they're working on it. We just need more time to figure things out," I said.

"How much time?" he asked.

"I don't have an answer for that. What you are proposing is unnatural. It won't work and you'll regret it sooner or later," I warned.

"How is it unnatural for a superior species to take top position over an inferior species?" he asked.

"You already have top position. You can do what you want as long as you move cautiously and try to fit in," I pointed out.

"What I want is for the earth to return to the world of my youth. The air was fresh and clean, the water clear, people respected the land," he said.

"You don't even breathe the freakin' air!" I exploded. "What difference does it make to you?"

"It smells bad. And it flavors the blood," he said with a grimace.

He wants organic free-range humans! I thought wildly. I had no response to that. I changed directions.

"Having control of humans would allow you to quarantine the ones with Fang's disease, too," I shot out. "You could cull the humans that posed a threat to the enjoyment of feeding. Eliminate the disease by eliminating the carriers."

He rocked back. His eyelids lowered slightly. "How do you know of Fang's disease?" he asked quietly. His gentle tone was deceptive. I knew him, the quieter he got the more dangerous he was.

"Does it matter? The point is I know about it, about how it makes your fangs soft. You try to sound all noble and ecological but you-all have a dog in this fight too, don't you?" I said heatedly.

It took him a few seconds to figure out what I meant, then he smiled a slow half-smile. "Yes, I do have a dog in this fight. So do you. Does not the superior dog deserve to win?"

"That would be true if we were all a bunch of dogs. But we're not. We're analyzing and feeling beings."

I felt a little desperate to get my point across to him. "Eric, think about it. Why don't we cut down all the trees in the forests and plant them in nice tidy rows? Why don't we bull doze all the mountains and make the land flat as a flap jack? It's because we need a certain amount of wildness, uncertainty, chance. Humans will not thrive in a bland predictable society, they will continue to try and break out of the mold. Or they will lose heart and die from boredom and lack of opportunity."

"There will be opportunities to assist vampires for certain humans. Even better, a chance to become Vampire for the very select few," he said a tad defensively.

"Oh big whoop de doo! A vampire lottery. You haven't been human in so long you forget that having a good time, raising a little hell, breaking a few laws is the spice of life for most people. Conforming, obeying, monotony - no human society is going to work on those principles. Even in prison, where the inmates are watched like hawks the prisoners manage to get drugs, drink and kill each other. In your human life what did you do when you had a chance to get into a village to relax?" I asked.

His eyebrows knitted together in thought.

That was one of the things I loved best about Eric. If I asked him to think about something he actually stopped and gave it a real good think. There weren't many folks you could say did that.

I could see his mind turn inwards, a thousand years ago, when a human Eric strode the earth as a golden Viking god. "By Thor you are right about that. I spent all my time having ...." he stopped. "That is to say, I enjoyed the company of my men and a drink or two."

"Or three or four. Can you imagine how you or your men would have reacted if some other group came in and started to run everything, to boss you around? You would have had your swords in your hands before they could finish their first command."

He was nodding in agreement as I spoke.

For the first time I felt hopeful that Eric was getting my point.

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more to come ....(Howdy Fanpires! Thanks for your continued interest, your wonderful comments, all the love and encouragement and your patience. My next posting will be on Saturday July 9th. See you then!)

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90 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-07-01T03:58:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Ninety

I went to my brother's house and visited Brett and Angellica the next day. Angellica and I took him to the park, then to the Frozen Frisbee for an ice cream sundae served in a mini-Frisbee.

Back at Jason's and Angellica's house Brett showed me his rocket ships, his books about dinosaurs and his live bug collection, which Angellica made him keep out back in the screened gazebo.

I didn't take guards or carry a gun on my visit, I just drove over to my brother's house like any ordinary person would. If my days as a free human being were going to be numbered then I was going to enjoy them to the fullest.

Angellica and I admired every aspect of Brett's charm, good looks, intelligence and energetic goofiness over coffee and fruit and cake. He made us laugh with his antics and once Angellica had to scold him when he began throwing the grapes up in the air to try and catch them with his mouth and he wouldn't stop. Angellica was afraid one might go down his windpipe.

Later when my brother returned home from work we sat on his old fashioned but newly built wooden front porch watching the big fiery ball of sun go down and making small talk.

Angellica cooked dinner with Brett as her helper, then she called me into the kitchen and showed me how to make bread pudding with bourbon sauce. Now that my girls were old enough to drink I wanted to make something special for them the next time they were over.

We had a lovely dinner of ham, black eyed peas, green beans, salad and of course bread pudding. Brett had a Klondike bar instead of the pudding, his second ice cream treat that day. Good thing he had a fast metabolism and could burn it off. Then we played word games like "I Spy" and "Twenty Questions" with much laughter and silliness, then it was time for Brett to hit the hay.

With a lump of sadness in my heart I wished my brother's happy little family a fond good night, telling them I would see them that weekend at their anniversary party. They had never technically married. The date they picked for the start of their common law arrangement was from the day Angellica moved into Jason's house.

I was sad because I knew all over America, probably all over the world, families were gathering around tables to eat, pray, discuss their family business, play funny games. Would all that change under vampire rule?

I hugged them each for a long time before I left. I hugged Jason so long and hard he finally pulled back with a little crooked smile that made the corners of his Stackhouse blue eyes crinkle and ask, "Everything all right, Sis?"

"Yup, right as rain," I lied glibly, once again falling into the need for deception.

Apparently local shifters like my brother and his small were-panther pack hadn't been sent the memo about the coming Day of the Dead. What role would these small annoyances to the lofty vampire sensibilities have in the brave new world Eric proposed?

They probably wouldn't fare as well as humans, though I was sure Eric would be quick to reassure me that Jason and his family could have a mansion overlooking the Potomac if they wanted it. Kill the current owners and move my brother and his family right in, no problem.

As I drove home I talked sense to myself. That thing about my brother getting a mansion was probably just crazy thinking. Eric said that VL wouldn't happen for a long time. When a vampire says "long time" that translates to a really really long time. Brett might be grown and have children of his own, or even those children might have children before any of this took place.

If there was no need to panic, then why did I feel like panicking? Because the whole idea was so wrong headed, so world changing I had no way to wrap my mind around it.

First things first, I told myself. I needed to set things right with Eric then find out exactly what stage Daynight was at. King Soprano's flaming golf game might be a good sign if that was due to the latest formulation of the stuff.

That night I took a long soak in the tub, did my hair, shaved everything that needed shaving and painted my nails. The rituals of grooming were soothing and relaxing to me. Finally, when my polish was dry, I slept.

The next day passed in a blur. Halder, library books returned, high protein snacks. I awaited Eric's arrival with both anticipation and a touch of dread. I had had my differences with Eric before but never on a topic of such magnitude.

How were we going to work things out between us? Agree to disagree? That wouldn't even begin to cover it.

Around midnight I heard the front door open. I was in the living room trying to read. Eric came in, suitcase in hand. He had on worn jeans and an old Nirvana tee shirt that looked like it came from the rag bag. With his long untamed hair I thought he looked like a rock star tonight.

"Come sit by me," I said, smiling. "I have something to tell you."

He sat down. "I missed you," he said, taking me in his arms and kissing me like he missed me.

I hoped he would still want to kiss me after I admitted I spilled the beans to Adele.

"Long story short, I told Adele about the dangers of Valerian and about the dangers of knowing about Valerian and about how it would be fatal for you to be exposed to it," I blurted out. Full disclosure.

Eric sat very still, thinking. He went into these mini-comas sometimes in order to process every single aspect of a situation. I let him be.

When he stirred he said, "I think you made the right decision. She would have persisted in her experimentation and continued to tell people about it. Demanding she stop without an explanation would have irritated her. She is intelligent and trustworthy, the secret will be safe with her."

"You couldn't even glamour her to forget it," I added.

Both Adele and Linda were immune to Eric's glamour. They might be susceptible to the glamour of Jure or Anna Hita, but I didn't trust Jure and Anna Hita was still off on her errand.

"That is for the best. I never wanted to glamour our daughters to control their behavior. That would have been a slippery slope," he agreed.

I was relieved Eric saw things the way I did.

He asked, "Did you have time to think about the possible future I proposed?"

"Where were you?" I countered, completely ignoring his question. I didn't want to get into it with him until I found out where he was.

In answer he got up and went to his suitcase. He got out a folded news paper and pointed to small article on page three. It was written in some language I didn't recognize. He sat down next to me.

The headline read, "Jordskred!"

I looked at him. "I can't read this. What does it say?"

"I forgot you do not read Danish. It says 'Rockslide!' It describes a collapse of a major magma tube and vault on Litla Dimun. It describes the island as uninhabited and says that no one was visiting at the time. No one was hurt."

"But somebody was killed, weren't they?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

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more to come .....(Greeting Fangirls! Thanks for stopping by and being understanding of my choppy schedule. As much as I would like to post daily I will just not have the ability for a while due to circumstances beyond my control. My next chapter will be Tuesday July 5th, see you then!)

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89 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-06-27T03:09:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Eighty Nine

About an hour before dawn the phone rang. It was Eric.

"Hi Eric, we need to talk," I said without preamble.

I needed to get the information I told Adele about the Valerian off my chest. I was starting to get sick and tired of all this subterfuge, all these secrets. Eric and I were going to need to level with each other, put all our cards on the table or else we were going to have a meaningless relationship.

"I agree. However I am not available this evening nor will I be able to come tomorrow night," he said.

I thought I heard the sound of an airplane engine in the background.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"I will explain when I see you," he countered.

"This upcoming weekend is Jason and Angellica's anniversary party. Will you be here for that?" I asked, a slight edge to my voice.

"Definitely. I had not forgotten," he said.

"I heard about what happened to King Soprano," I said, just to get his reaction.

"It was most unfortunate and horribly horrible," he said blandly.

It was then I knew that someone might be listening to our conversation. Eric wasn't going to say anythng that could get either one of us in trouble on the phone. I felt a connection to him with his veiled reference to our conversation about what horrible thing could (and maybe should) happen to King Soprano.

"I have a question for you," he said. "Has the VEP received their payment from our settlement yet?"

"Yes, they sent me a thank you email today. Apparently this quick payment is a show of remorse for the defendant."

I didn't want to say Queen Ailine's name if Eric wasn't mentioning it. Vampires had super duper hearing. If any were nearby they might find out something Eric didn't want them to know, especially because he had signed an agreement that he would not disclose the breach in ethical behavior of the blue fairy queen to the vampire community if the conditions of her sentencing were carried out.

Ailine was the first blue elf to ever behave that way. The elves didn't want their reputation as fine legal representatives sullied. Eric believed the elimination of blue elves from the lower court vampire legal system would lead to chaos, pandemonium and excessive violence. Having seen some purely vampire proceedings myself I had to agree with him.

The higher court was governed by a very ancient mysterious blind vampire, the Ancient Pythoness. On rare occasions she was called on to rule in major cases, usually when vampire royalty had a beef.

"That part is settled then. My money also arrived and has been placed in an account. I will see you in two nights, then you can talk to me," he said.

Not very warm or loving but I got that he had ears on his conversation. No kissing noises or "I love you" to embarrass him in front of his cronies, I guess.

Maybe he was overseas attending to our finances. He never kept all his money in one country or even on one continent. He always wanted the option to set up a new life somewhere else if need be, a holdover from the days when a vampire would surely be staked or burned if he or she was discovered.

"Great," I said lightly, "I'll see you then."

"Sookie ....." he said, but then he didn't say anything else. He didn't have to. That one word was filled with love, longing and regret.

"I know, Eric. I'll be here waiting for you."

The connection ended. I put the phone down and walked around the house, thinking about how empty it seemed without Eric. We had been happy here, raised our three boistrous daughters here, made and been in love here. And all that time Eric had been plotting to enslave the human race under tyrannical vampire rule. Didn't he make the connection between how I would react and this nefarious plot?

The answer was obvious, of course he did. That's why he didn't tell me. If only he had gotten me to Turn before I found all this out I might have reacted in a different way, or so he thought. I didn't think so. I couldn't imagine growing so far from my human origins that human feelings, human life, would be a matter of indifference to me.

Yet even with those loyalties I had to admit I didn't walk around wringing my hands about the conditions in so many bad situations humans found themselves in. Would it be such a stretch to carry that indifference to all humans? Especially when the mess many of them found themselves in was unnecessary, a result of human greed, pride or sheer cussedness?

No one, to my knowledge, had ever been able to solve the mystery of why humans chose to do wrong when they could do right. Vampires wouldn't be able to change that but they could weed out the bad ones and scare the stuffing out of everybody else to stay in line.

Like a shepherd each ruler would watch over their flock of humans, culling out the sick and the worthless, maybe breeding the ones with the extra good blood. Sure the sheep would be protected from predators but the biggest predators of all would control every single aspect of their lives. Nobody asks sheep if they want to be sheared or slaughtered.

With a sigh I went to read a good book and try to stop cogitating on all this mess, I wasn't going to solve the questions of the ages tonight.

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more to come .....(Good Monday Everyone - Just a heads up - my next posting will be on Friday due to my schedule this week. See you then!)

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88 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-06-26T04:14:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Eighty Eight

After a nice high protein lunch Adele had to leave to attend to a garden gnome with arthritis.

"It's the damp from all the watering, it gets into their joints after a few years," she said sadly.

I called Amelia and asked her if the potion in the mayonaisse jar would work to charge a second ring. She said it would but the effect wouldn't be long lasting, maybe under ten years. That seemed like plenty of time for Dr. Pattaya to do his tooth extractions, if he agreed to do it and if the teeth didn't keep growing back. So little was known about Gorgon bites.

Amelia knew I had planned on Turning in a month or so, now that seemed to be on hold. I told her that.

"I have to admit, Roomie," she said, "I was having a hard time picturing you as a vampire."

What did she think I would look like?

I pictured the same little old me but more pale. I had already given up tanning in the sun due to the aging thing. I now used a bronzer, something I might continue to do after I Turned. Maybe I wouldn't need to do so much exfoliating to prevent looking streaky. I kidded about becoming the first tanpire, now I might not do that.

"I have a hard time thinking about making such a drastic change. Maybe a compelling reason will appear," I said dubiously, recalling what HoloGran had said, that I would know it when I saw it.

After a half hearted workout with Halder I went to take a nap, though I wouldn't need to be awake tonight for Eric. He was staying somewhere else on businees and to give me time to think.

I tried to think of the positive aspects of the vampire take over, I truly did, but all I came up with was a sense of horror, a feeling that this time Eric was coming down on the wrong side of the issue. I could not back down on this one, he was just plain wrong even if he had been drooling over the day he would rule for at least five hundred years.

Should he have told me about all this Vampire Liberation stuff before we married? I could see why he didn't.

After so many years of disappointing attempts to discover the secret of daywalking he probably thought of it more like a fairy tale. All those conferences dividing up land and power must have become just so much palaver without a real way to be present during the day. It was only after our trip to the mine to rescue Lingza that the possibility seemed to come into focus and that trip was after our marriage.

Now Daynight was progressing, Tabula and Jagula were expected and Anna Hita was checking into the results other vampire take overs had in alternative universes. Maybe I could talk to her when she got back and convince her to tell the vampire planning board or whoever that it just wasn't an option. She might listen to me and my reasoning.

Could I talk Eric into changing his mind? Even if I did that nearly impossible feat it wouldn't change what all the other vampires had planned. Eric alone would be unable to defeat every vampire that chose to go ahead and take over. If Quinn was against VL maybe he had an organization that backed him. Would Eric join forces with the werewolves against his fellow vamps?

Maybe Eric would fight shoulder to shoulder with the werewolves and the Fellowship of the Sun against vampire rule.

No, that was ridiculous. Of course Eric wouldn't turn against his own kind. Vampires first.

What about humans first, my own kind? I knew of a weapon that could be used to immobilize and even kill vampires, something that would leave humans unharmed. If I went to the Pentagon or something maybe I could turn the secret of how to defeat vampires over to them. They would need to launch a pre-emptive strike, spray and stake the vampires before the Lightning Brothers showed up with their world wide glamour power.

The only problem with that plan was that I would never do that. It would be a death sentence for Eric. I needed to find some other way to stop VL day from happening. The imperfections in Daynight would be a deterrent for a while longer. And Anna Hita's feasability study might show that it would never work out well for the vampires. The Lightning Brothers might never show up, or they might show up thousands of years from now.

Would the vampire-run world Eric outlined really be such a bad place? Maybe they did hold the key to world peace, a green and healthy planet and world wide prosperity. Looking at it from a purely rational point of view it might be a big improvement. Would humans, left to their own devices ever fare as well? If there was a scale big enough to measure human suffering would a vampire totalitarian government result in more or less human suffering?

I pondered all these imponderables until my tired brain finally shut down and I slept.

When I woke up I had a clear idea of what I should do next. That happened to me sometimes after a sleep. I needed to contact Eric and let him know I told Adele about the Valerian. We were her parents, we needed to be on the same page. I also wanted to let him know that we could make a beguilement proof ring for Dr. Pattaya. The only problem was I didn't know how to reach my husband.

I tried his cell phone and got the hated "Out of Range" message. I wished I had thought to get a number where I could have reached him before he left last night.

It was full dark out. With a sigh I called Fangtasia and asked whoever answered the phone if I could speak to Pam.

Here we go again, I thought wearily.

"Sookie, so good to hear from you. How may I be of service to you to you tonight?" Pam said cordially.

For a second I worried that I was still asleep and just dreaming I was making this call. But no, the phone in my hand was real.

"Hi Pam. Is Eric there?" I asked warily.

"I'm very sorry to say he is not here at the moment, but if at first you don't succeed, try, try again," she chirped.

"Do you know where he is?"

"No, but the most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."

"Do you expect him in later?"

"It may be little, it may be big, but surprises happen when you least expect them. Take what life gives you, delight in it and enjoy it," she quoted from somebody or other.

"So, I take it that's a no. Could you give him a message for me?"

"More bliss can be gotten from serving others than from merely serving oneself. Let me get a pencil and paper so I might get your message exactly," she said and left before I could stop her.

I heard the booming music in the background for a few beats, then Pam was back. "All right Sookie, I'm ready to take down your message."

"The message is - 'Please call your wife'," I said. Maybe I should have made up something more elaborate since Pam went to all the trouble of getting writing implements.

"Got it. Is there anything else I can do for you tonight? Perhaps you could use a break. I could come by and watch the girls while you take a little time for yourself," she offered.

I actually held the phone away from my head and looked at it. Could this really be Pam on the other end?

I put the phone back to my ear. "Uh, thanks Pam, but the girls don't live here any more, remember? They're twenty two now so they don't need looking after. Thanks anyway."

"Oh yes, I quite forgot. They grow up so fast. If you can think of anything else I could do to help ... perhaps I could give you a call later to check up and see how you're doing ...?"

"No, that's all right. .... Pam, I notice a real change in you tonight. Is there a reason for that?"

"Frankly, yes. The Master was very displeased at the way I behaved towards you the last time he left you. He said I was rude, cold and uncooperative, that I was disrespectful of his wife, therefore I disrespected his blood. I merely thought I was covering for him as he would have wished but he made it clear that I was to be supportive and helpful to you in the future. How am I doing?" she asked anxiously.

"You're doing great. I'll be sure to tell him when I speak with him," I assured her.

With vampires the blood was the symbol of everything meaningful including familial relationships and respect. Telling Pam she disrespected his blood was like telling her she as much as spit in his face.

"Thank you. Remember this is the first night of the rest of your life. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It's always darkest right before the dawn. The only thing we have to fear is.."

"Thanks again Pam." I interrupted her inspirathon, "I appreciate you being so nice to me."

"I wish you comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, love to complete your life.” she recited.

"Thank you, Pam, that was beautiful." I said.

"Bye," I added quickly and hung up before she began a new series of quotes on beauty.

Even though she was making an effort to do Eric's bidding I found her kind words moving and helpful. I liked the new improved Pam. I would have to remember to thank Eric for her when I spoke to him.

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more to come .....(Howdy Fanpires! So glad you were able to stop by!)

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87 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-06-25T04:43:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Eighty Seven

"What is it?" I asked, almost afraid to find out anything else.

"Have you heard of Hep D?" she asked.

"Yes, I believe it's a strain of hepatitis virus that doesn't have much of an effect on those that contract it," I said, being less than fully forthcoming, as usual. No wonder Adele screamed at me.

"It may not harm humans but if a vampire bites a human with Hepatitis D it will weaken them, maybe even make them sick," she told me.

I already knew this from an experience I had at Bill Compton's house back when I was first getting to know him. One of his friends had a male human boy toy with Hep D and Bill was going to bite him. I read the man's mind, Jerry I think his name was, and warned Bill before he got infected.

"You know, I think I may have heard about that," I allowed. Liar liar pants on fire.

"Anyway, the virus has mutated. Dr. Fang discovered a new strain of the disease that is very much worse for vampires. It weakens all their hard tissues like their bones and even more significantly, their teeth. Dr. Fang has named this new strain "Fang's Disease" after his own name. Ironically it also is a disease that softens vampire fangs."

"How widespread is it?" I asked, suddenly worried about Eric. Was his business trip to China? Did he know about Fang's disease?

"It's limited to a remote area in Northern China right now but you know how these things go, they can spread easily and quickly due to air travel. The testing kits for regular Hep D will not pick up this new strain. Dr. Fang is working with the center to come up with a new test kit," she said.

"How come you know this?" I asked her.

"I worked with Dr. Vay to treat a slaveling's pet, a Rüzgar Tayi with a bad cough. The slaveling was from Inner Mongolia and he had Hep D. I picked up the information about the new strain from Dr. Vay's thoughts," she said. "She was thinking she was glad the slaveling didn't have Fang's Disease. I looked it up on her computer when she left the room."

Dr. Vay was a doctor that was part vampire. She worked with Dr. Fay, my fairy ob/gyn at their clinic.

"What's a Rüzgar Tayi? And I thought slavelings were illegal," I said, remembering how angry the King had been about Preston, a slaveling that was made by an out-of-control vampire named Adrijana many years ago.

Eric had taken the criminal vampire Adrijana into custody. For his service Eric had been awarded the slaveling, a partially turned vampire, to completely Turn and keep for himself. Eric was underjoyed, to say the least. Like most vampires Eric found slavelings to be repulsively imperfect, a flawed image of the powerful and almost invulnerable true Vampire.

Preston's final Turning hadn't completely taken and Preston remained impaired as a vampire. He lived on insects instead of blood. Charlaine had called him a "Renfield".

After an under-the-table deal between Jure and Eric, Preston ended up living in Jure's house across the lake. Jure liked him, treated him well and over the years Preston gained more function, a result of being given some of Jure's powerful blood, I suspected, though of course I would never ask him about anything that personal.

"Yup, slavelings are illegal. This one arrived in a shipment of vampire refugees from China. No one would admit to creating the slaveling and he was too confused to tell anyone what happened. A Rüzgar Tayi is a wind colt, a small flying horse that runs on the desert plains of Mongolia. She was the pet of the slaveling before he was created."

"Does the slaveling have a name?" I asked.

"Yes, he is called Kuku by the other vampires. The little wind horse is named Lungta. She's very sweet. If they settle down near here I'll take you to meet her. It's believed to bring good fortune to stroke her mane," Adele said.

I sure could use a little good fortune right about now. I wondered if the wind horse was related to the unicorn but I didn't ask my supernatural veterinarian daughter.

More than anything I wanted to make sure Adele was clear about never ever mentioning Valerian or using it around a vampire.

She assured me she understood with her pained "I know already" voice. Then she added, "I'm still going to be sending some to Char for her and Darren to have when they go out during the full moons. They believe you're super allergic so they'll be careful to keep it out of the house."

She added, "It was pretty cool how Daddy got rid of that Tony Soprano guy. Char was shocked when I told her what happened to him."

"What did happen to him?" I knew he had rushed back to the States to be part of the ongoing clinical trials of Daynight.

Adele said, "Daddy didn't tell you? King Soprano insisted on going out in the day time and playing golf with his old mob friends. He was supposed to stay in the special housing provided for test subjects. Maybe he was showing off. Anyway he went out without any support from the center. He has an unreasonable prejudice against werewolves so he refused to have the werewolf orderlies attend him. Things went well to begin with, then on the ninth tee he suddenly burst into flame. The sun was too much for him. His buddies, all human goodfellas tried to put him out and drag him into the shade but King Soprano was very badly incinerated before he was rescued."

She observed, "Werewolf orderlies could have gotten him help much faster because they are so much stronger. King Tony wasn't having it. He called them "mutts". It's going to be months, maybe years, before King Soprano heals. Already his head honchos are jockeying for his vacant position. New Jersey vampire politics is a mess right now," she concluded, not sounding too put out by the King's misfortune.

I knew she would take King Soprano's prejudice against werewolves personally because her boyfriend was one. I knew how Adele thought, she would think it was his rightful comeuppance for being a werewolf hater and in a very real way she was right.

This must be the horrible accident Eric mentioned. Maybe they gave King Soprano a defective dose of Daynight, or maybe they just knew he was the type of person to ignore safety measures.

However it happened, King de Castro had gotten rid of a major thorn in his side and Darren was safe from King Soprano returning any time soon to bully his way into Darren's business.

There was no more reason for us to stay in the sound proof tunnel. We headed back to the kitchen for lunch.

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more to come ....(Super Saturday! Love reading your comments, thanks for stopping by.

Z - Hope your eye is better super fast!)

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86 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-06-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Eighty Six

I thought about talking to her in the kitchen but I was still so paranoid that someone might overhear us I insisted we go down into the soundproof tunnel.

Sometimes the girls, and especially Adele, felt that I was excessively cautious. This secret was one I had kept for more than two decades, it wasn't something I was going to have an easy time sharing with Adele, especially since I hadn't discussed it with Eric.

Well, Eric was gone, leaving me to think about things for myself. This was one of the things I thought about. I would tell Eric after the fact and let him deal with it.

Tit for tat, I thought resentfully, then scolded myself for being petty. That wasn't the reason I was telling Adele, I was telling her because she was in danger if she stumbled into a situation with a vampire armed with her Valerian spray.

"Adele, you have come up with a spray to repel those yawhoos, a spray that contains Valerian," I began, not telling her anything she didn't already know.

There was no echo in this tunnel. The corrugated inner surface seemed to absorb the sound of my voice as soon as it left my lips.

"I know Mom. No worries. I'll be sure to keep it away from you," she said, sounding like that would be the end of the conversation.

"I didn't tell you the truth. I'm not the one that is allergic to it .."

"Then why did you break out in spots?" she interrupted.

"I didn't. I ... uh, drew those on with a lipstick pencil. The real problem is your father..."

"Daddy is allergic to the Valerian?" she interrupted again. "Why not just tell me that?"

"It's much more serious than an allergy. Valerian will kill him if he's exposed to it. That's why he had to leave us to fight the yawhoo ourselves. He crawled away from the area because he was so weakened by the spray. All vampires are extremely vulnerable to Valerian, it paralyzes them, sickens them, makes their fangs fall out. A second exposure would probably be fatal. I accidentally sprayed your father with it many years ago and he almost died. He wouldn't survive a second time."

"Why the HELL didn't you tell me that, Mom? I could have KILLED Daddy! What's wrong with you? Why is everything always such a big secret?" she shouted.

Her words stung. Though the sound proofing foam swallowed up the loudness of her words, making them less strident, I got what she was saying. Growing up in a household like ours meant there were things that could not be disclosed. I tried to bridge the gap between what had to be kept under wraps and what I felt they should know. Sometimes I fell short, like now.

She was almost hyperventilating she was so upset with me.

"I understand your anger. I promised your father, swore to him, that I would never reveal this weakness vampires have. In the wrong hands it would enable hate groups to immobilize and stake vampires without them being able to defend themselves. Large areas could be sprayed rendering all the vampires in the area weak and unable to eat. Daddy never ever wanted anyone to know. In the past vampires have taken drastic measures to prevent anyone from knowing."

"Surely I can't be the first person that stumbled on this herb. It's a very common herb, you can get it in any health food store."

"No human alive knows this except you and I," I told her firmly. I didn't want to come right out and tell her that she could be killed. Then I changed my mind, she should know it all. "They will kill you to keep their secret. You must never mention Valerian, never let anyone know about the spray."

She stood there for a moment taking it all in. "Does Daddy know you're telling me this?" she finally asked.

"Not yet. I plan to tell him when I have the chance. We're having a little rocky place in our relationship right now. I needed to tell you right away before you accidentally mentioned it to someone that would want to silence you," I said.

"Is Daddy going to want to silence me?" she asked in a small voice.

"No, honey, no no no! Daddy loves you, he just wanted to protect you. I thought you were in more danger not knowing about this. He'll see it that way too," I promised her, hoping that would be the truth.

"Are you and Daddy splitting up?" she asked, changing her direction and focusing on what I had just said about our marriage.

"Oh no, not at all! We just needed some time to work out a few issues, time to think things through." Like who's going to rule the earth, I thought. "All couples go through some rough water."

"That's true. Lachlain gets on my last nerve sometimes. He knew what I did for a living before we moved in together, yet he has the gall to complain sometimes when I have to travel to far off places to help the creatures that need me," she pouted.

"The nerve of him!" I exclaimed in mock horror.

We both laughed about it. We both thought Lachlain was a great guy. It was understandable he would get a little tired of globe trekking on occasion. Adele realized that too and let him stay home sometimes when he needed to tend to his father's trucking business.

Then she said smugly, "Well, I know a secret too. And it's something the vampires at the research center don't want anyone to know."

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more to come .....(Fabulous Friday Fangpires - Thanks so much for your interesting and insightful comments, they make my day!)

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85 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-06-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Eighty Five

I did hang on, even managing to get a few hours of fitful sleep sometime after the first faint rosy light of dawn came through the window. Then I got up, washed my face, brushed my teeth and made a pot of coffee.

After a power bar and a cup of coffee I went out to the back yard near the tree line to the area where HoloGran's grotto of ivy leaves appeared. Sometimes she showed up, most times recently she didn't.

When I asked her why she didn't always show up she said she wasn't called. I took that to mean that my need wasn't great enough to bring her from where ever she was on those occasions.

Today my concerns were almost frantic. As soon as I arrived in the right spot the light green shoots of ivy sprouted out of the ground, rising and twining like leafy serpents around, over and under until a structure about the size of a single car garage had been woven.

Inside a silvery haze of magic shimmered and HoloGran appeared in a blue flowered housedress covered with a worn pink ginham apron. She was sitting at her old wooden kitchen table, pitting cherries into her big sky blue ceramic bowl, the one I accidentally chipped the time I tried to snatch my glass of chocolate milk away from Jason. She put the pits in a matching smaller blue bowl from the same set. It was chipped too, though I didn't do it. Gran was probably fixing to make a pie.

She looked up and smiled, motioning me in.

"Sookie, my dear child, how good it is to see you again! Sit down and we'll have a nice talk," she said, her voice so familiar and sweet to me it brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes.

I sat down and saw that, yes, the chips were still there. That bowl and the smaller one had been destroyed in a kitchen fire at the Bon Temps farmhouse years many years ago, yet here they were, chips and all. I found that comforting and creepy at the same time.

She dried her hands on the dishtowel she had hanging from her apron pocket, then patted my cold hand with her warm, blue-veined grandmotherly one. Her finger tips were stained red from the cherries. Then she went back to pitting cherries with her little paring knife.

"Gran, I feel like my whole world is being turned upside down," I began uncertainly.

She stopped pitting and looked at me over the top of her wire rimmed reading glasses. "It wouldn't be the first time life has thrown you a curve ball."

She removed her glasses and placed them on the table. "What's troubling you so?"

"I have more than one big problem. The first problem is that I was having second thoughts about Turning vampire. I was going to do it to assure Eric that I wouldn't die of human diseases or accidents. Now I'm not sure if I want to give up my human life for the life of a vampire."

"Would things be so different?" she asked.

"Sure. I'd have to give up eating, give up daytime, give up being human," I said.

"Doesn't sound very appealing. Don't vampires feed on blood?"

"Yes, that seems really yucky to me," I said, though I had taken tiny amounts of Eric's blood many times and enjoyed it.

"A baby drinks from the breast. Not the way I would want to be nourished but when you're a baby the breast is a little bit of heaven," she said.

I recalled my own girls as babies, how they loved to nurse. Their eyes would roll up in their heads as they latched on to my nipple and the first sweet warm drops of milk filled their pretty little eager mouths.

"I see what you mean. If I was a vampire I would love drinking blood. Maybe a little too much," I said, looking down.

"Are you afraid you're going to kill someone?" she asked, sounding surprised. "You're the most tender-hearted person I know. Land sakes alive, you wouldn't even let me set a mouse trap back home!"

She laughed, shaking her gray head.

"I'm afraid becoming a vampire will change me, make me cold and cruel," I admitted.

"Not a chance of it," she affirmed in her "that is that" tone of voice.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway because Eric and I have irreconcilable differences," I said, beginning to cry. "I just found out he's been planning to do something awful."

"Planning isn't doing," Gran said. "Does he know it's awful?"

"No, that's just it. He thinks he's going to be doing something good."

I hadn't really thought of it that way, as his attempt to do good for mankind. Was it, or was that just the sugar coating put on a ruthless take over?

"Sounds like his notions are mistaken. Maybe he could use a guiding light," she said, putting her glasses back on and picking up the paring knife.

A guiding light. That was what Eric called me when he proposed we renew our vows. Was that my role in this, to guide him away from the ideas he had been cultivating for centuries?

"How Gran? How do I lead him away from the wrong path? And it isn't just him, there's a lot of powerful vampires in on it with him," I said, feeling hopelessness wash over me. All the important vampires in the world were not going to heed my words.

"You know what I always say dear, when you're doing the right thing the way opens up for you. Just be prepared for a surprise," she said plopping a halved cherry in the big blue bowl and a pit in the smaller one.

"Should I do it, should I Turn?" I asked her, sensing our time together was drawing to a close.

"If you have a good enough reason. You'll know it when you see it. Good bye darling Sookie. I'll see you again soon," she said, beginning to shimmer then fade out with static and a faint crackling noise.

I stood up and left the grotto. I watched while the vines unentangled themselves and returned to the ground leaving no trace of their ever having been there.

"Mom!" a voice called from the house.

I turned around and saw that Adele had arrived for our talk.

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more to come .....(Greetings Fanpires - Thanks for all your thoughts and encouragement, you're the best!)

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84 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-06-22T04:23:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Eighty Four

"You've given me a lot to think about. Maybe once the initial shock wears off I'll be able to think about your plan more objectively," I said neutrally.

My mind was already saying "No way, no how" but I needed to keep the lines of communication between us flowing. The enormity of the problem we had here just boggled my mind. Vampires have been fantasizing about the Day of the Dead for centuries. It was like a mass delusion.

"You do realize you must not breathe a word of this to anyone, not even our daughters. Any human that has learned of our plan ... Sookie, there are no humans alive that know. That was the main reason I did not tell you, this information is dangerous for you to have. I know I can trust you."

"What about all those websites? There's plenty of people online that think you're doing just what you're doing," I pointed out.

"They are crackpots, easily written off as paranoid conspirisists. No one of import pays any attention to them," he said scornfully.

That's what I had done, written off their ideas as the ravings of an unstable mind.

"Eric, tell me, would you really be so unhappy if you just left things the way they are?" I took his hand.

He obviously felt his life was not all it could be, a feeling I could relate to. For so many years growing up I felt like my miserable lonely life ran parallel to the wonderful life I could have had if I hadn't been born telepathic, if my parents hadn't died when I was young.

If Eric knew of other civilizations where vampires ruled the roost he must feel his vampiric rights on this planet had been derailed. I couldn't imagine things different than they were, but he could.

"I have accepted things the way they are because I knew that in time, the fullness of time, they would be different. Now that the time grows closer I feel excitement about the new world. I can end the madness humans have generated for millenniums. I can make a difference."

Here his smile faded. "Naturally my joy is tempered by the realization that you do not positively envision the world I described. I am also sorry that you have serious misgivings about Turning. My hope is that you will be persuaded to see both things differently."

I replied, "There's no point fighting with you about this. Your mind has been made up for centuries. It was a dream for the future you never shared with me. I think that's because you knew how I would react. Maybe you were going to tell me about it after I Turned? Is there anything else I should know about? Anything else you're holding back to spare me from upset?"

I tried not to sound as sarcastic and exasperated as I really felt, though some of it leaked out in the tone of my words.

"Sookie, I realize this must all come as a big shock but understand that it will be many years, maybe centuries, before anything changes. In the meantime our leaders will continue to negotiate, define and solidify the order things will take. I will keep you informed from now on about any changes or progress in our plans. Once again I must caution you, absolute secrecy is required."

"Nobody would believe me anyway. You vampires have everyone fooled into thinking you want to be part of human civilization. Eric, it's like I never really knew you, never really knew what was in your innermost heart."

He looked sad and a little angry. "I never made a secret of my loyalties. I have always said 'Vampires first'. But if you want to know what is in my innermost heart all you need to do is look in a mirror."

He stood up. "You need time to think all this through. I am tempted to stay here and try to convince you. That would be unfair and futile. There is some urgent business to which I must attend. Now would be the ideal time for me to take care of it. This will give you time to consider the benefits of rational rulers. Let me know when you wish to see me and we will talk again. Always remember I love you, I love our daughters. That will never change."

On his way out of the room he said, "Do not worry about me, this business trip is not dangerous. I will keep myself safe until you are ready to see me."

He went to our room and packed a few things, he said softly at the door, "Good bye Sookie."

Then I heard him leave. His car started up and drove off, a replay of the night he walked out on me for Ailine.

Only this time things were much much worse.

I sat there numb for a while. Then I decided to try and figure things out, but not tonight. Everything would look different in the morning. I just needed to hang on until dawn.

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more to come .....(Wonderful Wednesday Wonder Women - Thank you so much for keeping the faith and sticking with this story. Gran is going to show up soon, let's see what she has to say about this.)

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83 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-06-21T04:27:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Eighty Three

I thought for a moment. "You know, the root cause of many bad behaviors is a bad upbringing. Some of those people can be redeemed with treatment. How would you address that issue?"

He nodded. "Intelligent question, one we struggled to resolve. We will issue parenting licenses. Only those that are qualified will be allowed to reproduce. Only those doing a good job will be allowed to keep their children. Humans do this to a degree now. A child in a bad home can be taken into a foster home for their safety."

"What if somebody without a license gets pregnant?"

"That will not be possible. All humans will be kept on birth control hormones until they get their license."

I feared Eric had greatly underestimated the power of religious and cultural beliefs around this subject. I told him that.

"This has been a subject of much debate at our conferences. Some behaviorists insist humans will not change their beliefs. I see you agree with them."

"I do, not only that but the hormones you mention have serious side effects for some people. They would be unable to stay on them."

"Those people we would sterilize. If they qualify they could become foster or adoptive parents."

"Eric!" I exploded, "You would be playing God in their lives! Some decisions are up to the individual. They might be flawed, they might be messed up, but it's their life! That's human nature, you're never going to change that!"

"We also plan on developing better ways to control fertility, that is why Hector Lee specialized in human gynecology. We also have a doctor in urology studying a pill to control male fertility," he said hopefully.

He knew I had a "What's good for the goose is good for the gander" mentality and he was hoping this balance of mad science would appease me.

"Can't you see this is all crazy, honey?" I asked in a kind way.

Eric looked at me steadily for a moment. "I realize this is a lot to take in. I must admit that none of these plans have a date for execution. We are waiting for the Lightning brothers to visit and advise us. Also, Anna Hita is doing a feasibility study. In some nearby dimensions vampires have taken control of the planet. She is evaluating how well the take over has gone."

Ah, that explained her long absence. I relaxed, she would see that humans couldn't be kept as pets or food herds. It would all go terribly wrong somehow.

"You seem opposed to the idea even though what we propose would be the end to poverty, pollution, disease and discord. Why is that?"

His confusion didn't sound quite genuine to me. I was sure he was beginning to see things from my human point of view.

"It's human nature. We need to be free, even free to make terrible mistakes. I think things are going to get better. You think things are going to hell in a hand basket. We don't see eye to eye on this. Eric, your daughters are human. Their children are going to be human. You want them sterilized, controlled, threatened with death for any infraction of the rules?"

"No, of course not. As my family you would be exempt from the rules governing most humans. That is why I have made myself so visible in these proceedings, to assure our family will have all the benefits of being the rulers."

He frowned trying to understand where I was coming from. Obviously he thought I would appreciate his efforts on our behalf and see the benefits of vampire rule to humankind.

"That's another thing you don't seem to understand. Humans have empathy, at least the good ones do. How could I or the girls enjoy freedom and privilege if others are denied those things?"

"Sookie, all over the world people don't have one one-thousandth of what you have, yet you enjoy your wealth, your freedom, your benefits. I doubt if you give it a thought. What would be different about the benefits you would obtain under vampire government?"

He had me there. He was right. I didn't give all my money to the poor or worry about how other people lived. Did that make me a bad person? I could see how my objections would look hypocritical to Eric.

"You make a valid point. My point is that whatever mess we've made of things, it's our mess to clean up and fix. Remember when Adele had a messy room? She didn't want anyone to clean it up for her. She resented anyone even offering to step in and fix things. It would have made more sense if she let me or Sheila into her room to clean but it went against her psychology. Haven't you talked to any human psychologists about this idea of vampire rule? They can tell you it just won't work."

"It works on every other planet. Vampires are naturally the superior life form, they rule everywhere they establish a core group. Only here on earth are vampires restricted in their power."

"Why is that?" I asked, feeling he was about to tell me something central to his plan.

He gave a bitter little laugh. "Our sun is different than almost every other sun in the universe. Our sun creates a rare type of neutrino that interferes with the vampire life force. Direct exposure causes our atoms to disarrange, collide and by colliding eventually ignite. This problem has plagued us from day one. Our inability to be present during the day would give clever humans time to find us and destroy us. Now that we are getting close to solving this problem we can begin to think about the next step."

"How long have you been working on all this?" I asked him.

"We have been working on the plans since the mid fifteen hundreds. Of course back then a cure for our daytime sleep was just a dream. We had alchemists working on it but that came to nothing. Now, with modern science, it is coming close to a reality." He looked almost intoxicated with his vision of the future.

Talk about keeping secrets!

"Eric, how come you never told me about this before now?"

"When you think about something for hundreds of years it has the quality of a dream, a fantasy. It has only been since the research center was established that we have been able to find out what is holding us back. As the obstacles fall we will have a clear path to power."

A clear path to power. Wasn't the road to hell paved with good intentions?

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more to come .....(Terrific Tuesday Temptresses - What very thought provoking comments! Thank you so much for reading along and giving me your valuable insights, they are much appreciated.)

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82 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-06-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Eighty Two

"Anna Hita's husband?" I knew that was how she described him, from beyond the stars.

"No, unfortunately Z'acab is unable to come. I am speaking of the Lightning Brothers."

He looked at me expectantly.

I slowly shook my head as I went over everything I could think of that might apply. I came up with a goose egg.

"Sorry ... I don't know who they are."

He looked puzzled. "Are they not in your holy book?"

"Not as far as I know, though I don't know everything that's in there," I admitted.

I vaguely recalled something about Satan falling like lightning but I didn't think that was what Eric was referring to.

He said, with a dismissive wave of his hand, "It does not matter. The important thing is that they have the power to glamour everyone on the planet. They are the source of our ability to glamour humans."

I was having trouble following what he was saying. "How are they the source of your vampire glamouring abilities?"

"Because they are the original vampires. Five original vampires came here - Mava, Z'acab, Tjabuinji, Jagtjadbulla and Dracula. Mava was killed by one of her Children. Z'acab, Tjabuinji and Jagtjadbulla returned home."

"What about Dracula?" I asked.

"He did not return to his home planet. It is believed he has remained here. No one knows where he is or why he stayed."

"So this Tjabuinji and Jagtjadbulla are the Lightning brothers? They Turned some humans and that started the line of vampires here?" My speech stumbled trying to wrap my mouth around those strange names.

"Exactly! All the five original vampires began lines of descendants. That is how they reproduce, by Turning beings on other planets. You may call the Lightning brothers Tabula and Jagula as we do."

"So they don't make babies on their planet, they just make vampires?"

"The story I was told many years ago goes like this; before the earth was even formed, the Originals had children as humans do. An accident in one of their power plants poisoned their world, gradually reducing the number of people that could reproduce. They worked on a way to save their race and discovered the means to inject and combine their DNA into other living beings. Those that were injected changed, making them nearly immortal as were their Makers. They also learned how to change their own DNA. By modifying their genetic patterns they developed the ability to grow fangs. They passed that trait on to us along with our abilities to withstand most things that would kill humans."

"Why didn't they modify your DNA so you could go out in the sun?" I asked.

"Lack of interest I suppose. These beings cover vast areas of space, we are only a speck to them."

"Didn't there come a time when everyone on their planet was a vampire? How did they eat?"

"They have the ability to travel quickly through space using black holes. They can visit other planets and feed any time they want. On most planets with intelligent beings they begin a core population of vampires to carry on their DNA. Any vampires those vampires Turn pass on the DNA. The original vampires found a way to reproduce that doesn't require sexual mating."

"That means there are vampires all across the universe," I said.

"Yes, though they do not all look like humans. They conform to look like the intelligent life on the planet they visit," he explained.

"One more thing," Eric added. "Your ability to read minds comes from the mixing of extraterrestrial vampire blood with human. Anna Hita's husband Z'acab was a telepathic vampire but he was one of the few that also retained the ability to reproduce sexually. She became telepathic after their first blood exchange. All the children subsequently born to her and Z'acab were telepaths. After she was done having children she Turned and her telepathic powers grew. You are a descendant of hers. You have the blood of one of the original vampires in you."

He said this last with a measure of awe. I thought that it must be pretty diluted by now after all those generations but I didn't say that. I could see that the thought of my original vampire bloodline really appealed to Eric.

"What do Z'acab and the others look like?" I asked.

"No one really knows. They project images of themselves to look attractive to the natives of the planet they are on. Anna Hita said Z'acab was the most beautiful man she ever saw. Since you are one of their descendants I would have to think she was right."

Eric was being charming. I wished I was feeling charmed.

"I appreciate you telling me all this," I said. "Let me see if I understand. Tabula and Jagula are coming to glamour all the humans into a trance. Then what?"

"Then vampire leaders step into the roles held by human leaders now. The cultures of the countries will remain the same, commerce will continue, people will do what they have always done but under the watchful eyes of vampire sheriffs."

"Eric, that isn't going to stop bad people from being bad. Countries that have always hated each other are still going to hate each other. Religious zealots are still going to believe that their religion is right and everyone else's is wrong."

"True, but the troublemakers will be dealt with immediately by a world council. The population must be thinned anyway, why not remove those that spread hate, violence and discontent?"

"By remove you mean kill?" I asked.

"Of course. I remember public executions, they were a deterent to future crime. Our courts can decide in a moment who is at fault. Under glamour the guilty one will confess. Soon the only ones left will be those willing to live peacefully."

He spread his hands open as if offering all the riches of the kingdom.

He said, "When resources no longer need to be channeled into police, armies, and weapons, those resources can be used for the health, education and higher living standard of the peaceful humans that are left. A new day will dawn, peace will reign, cures for diseases will be found, pollution will end. Earth will become a paradise."

His face glowed with his vision for the future.

How could something that sounded so good be so impossibly wrong?

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more to come .....(Marvelous Monday Mermaids of Mental Mirth - As always I am delighted to see you stopped by and left your thoughts. I feel like you do, so many things can happen, so many issues to resolve. Sure hope all this works out. I type whenever I get the chance to try and stay ahead and see what's around the next bend.)

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81 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-06-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Eighty One

I changed out of my good brown suit when I got home, let down my hair and padded to the kitchen in my slippers and robe to get a cup of cocoa and a high protein power bar to keep up my intake of calories and protein. Slowly and carefully I was putting back on some of the weight I lost.

When I was done I went in our living room where Eric had a fire going in our gas fireplace, sitting across from him so I could see his face as he talked.

"Go ahead," I said, my guts clenching in fear.

Eric looked up towards the ceiling for a second then he began speaking in a calm gentle reasonable voice, looking at me with a determined expression.

"Even in your relatively short life you must know that humans have mismanaged their affairs at every turn. Wars, squandered resources, cruelty, violence - these have been the norm. No true enlightenment has changed human nature. I have seen unspeakable human atrocities over the years, so many that I have become indifferent to them."

He waited for me to respond.

"I can't argue with you there, it's been a mess from the beginning," I agreed.

"In the past the capacity for human mayhem was limited but as technology advances the ability of humans to destroy themselves and this planet grows. The ever increasing population has put an intolerable strain on the ecology. That will have dire consequences over the next centuries. Our scientists have created projections of where things are headed. Sookie, it is only a matter of time before the human race devastates this world and wipes itself out in the process. A thousand years is a long time to come to a mortal human. To a vampire it is a fact in our inevitable future."

No humans, no blood. That would wipe out the vampires too unless they were content to keep themselves alive on artificial blood. From the reactions I had seen no vampire would willingly live on the fake stuff indefinitely.

It wasn't even sure if they could live on the fake stuff for extended periods of time. In the long term voluntary tests that were conducted it was only a matter of time before the artificial blood test subjects broke free and bit someone. The ones that were locked up in prison trials went mad and were never right in the head again. They were so dangerous they had to be destroyed.

This decision to take over humankind wasn't altruism, it was enlightened self interest.

"I can see where those scientists might think that but people can learn and do better in those years," I said, wondering as I spoke if that was really true.

"You have taught me that the greatest predictor of future behavior is past behavior," he pointed out.

I learned that from Dr. Phil. I couldn't discount what Eric was saying, he hit the nail on the head when it came to how we humans behave.

"So to fix things you're going to wage a war with humans that will probably end up in humans destroying every vampire on the planet, including you?" I asked, leaning forward. "There's a lot more of us than there is of you."

"Is that your concern, for the vampire's safety?" he asked, surprised. He leaned forward too.

"Of course that's one of my concerns. Your daughters are human, that's another concern. My biggest concern is you-all starting any kind of war. Nobody will win, but I can guarantee you that when the dust settles there won't be a vampire left alive."

I was sure of that. Ordinary humans would take up arms to defend their lives against vampires. I pictured those scenes in old movies where a mob of angry villagers descended on the vampire's lair with torches and pitchforks.

"What if I told you that there would not be a war, that all humans would become compliant and accept vampire rule?" he asked.

"There aren't enough vampires to glamour everybody, Eric."

Was this his master plan, to run around glamouring people left and right?

"Besides, humans don't stay glamoured. Once the effect wore off they would come to their senses and fight you."

Glamour worked for a while until the person began to feel a disconnect between what they were told and what was really true. Then they snapped back into their old reality. It might stick for little things like a few missing moments on a moonless night, for major life issues it was short lived.

He sat back smiling. "Then I have good news for you. We have the means to glamour everyone on the planet simultaneously. Not a drop of blood would be wasted."

"How? Who? Anna Hita?" I asked, naming the most powerful vampire I knew. Would she really do something like that, even if she could?

"No, someone much more powerful. Someone from beyond the stars," he said.

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more to come .....(Tranquil Sunday All! Glad to see were able to stop by, I always always appreciate it.

Sophie, I hope things are better for you today.)

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80 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-06-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Eighty

Taryn, Lingza, Eric and I walked into the research center together. Tonight the entrance was through the underground parking area of a small mall. They moved the entrances and exits periodically so no pattern of activity could be discerned.

Many of the scientists lived at the center. There was also a small army of people - vampires, humans and supernaturals - that came and left on a regular basis. Not attracting attention had allowed the research center to operate undetected for decades.

Lingza looked like he usually did, only spiffier. Tonight he had on a vintage reproduction Mitchell & Ness 1934 Cardinals Dizzy Dean jersey, Armani diesal jeans and Adidas Run DMC shoes.

I know this because Taryn proudly explained each article of Lingza's urban outfit. I could tell she loved dressing him, he was like her Neanderthal hip hop doll. Lingza smiled his scary sweet fangy smile. I was glad to see he didn't look as down in the dumps as he had been.

Taryn explained she had on an outfit by Sean John, though to me it just looked like a cropped black hoodie, white v neck baby doll tee and black pants. They made a nice looking couple. When Lingza didn't smile they looked like they could roam the streets with their posse.

I noticed a small brown chipped tooth in a gold setting hanging from a chain around Lingza's neck. This wasn't just some bling, this was the tooth Linda told me about, the one he found in the cave in France, possibly the only remaining trace of his long gone child Tun.

It made me sort of sad to see it. His thick hand reached up and touched it as Taryn talked. I hoped the little tooth brought him some peace, a sense of connection. His loss was unimaginable. I tried not to think about my own future.

When Taryn was done talking Eric nodded to her and we walked through the tall clear glass doors into the main entrance to the research center. It was modern and spare with shades of gray and tan the dominant decorating feature. The tan stone floor was polished to a shine, my low heels made a crisp sound as I walked. Numerous small ceiling lights illuminated every step of the way.

Lars was talking to Adele in the lobby. From her body language it looked like she was telling him about the struggle with the yawhoo in New Zealand. I hoped she hadn't mentioned the Valerian spray.

I wanted to tell her the truth about it, not the lame story that I was allergic. I knew Eric would be against her knowing so I hadn't made a decision on how to handle it yet.

Lingza and Taryn's vibes made it seem like they had gotten closer. They weren't holding hands but Taryn stood close to him, looking at him often with a smile. Could romance be brewing between them?

They spent a lot of time together, sometimes that was enough to form a bond. Propinquity was the word for it, I think. It had been the word on my word-a-day calendar last Monday. That would be wonderful, if Lingza found someone to fill his empty lonely heart with love.

"Adele!" I exclaimed, hoping to derail her narrative before she got to the part about using the Valerian spray. "Don't you look lovely tonight!"

I went up to her and put my arm around her. She did look lovely in a light orange ruffled blouse and dark brown skirt, her blond mane in a stylishly messy French twist. "Is Lachlain here?"

"He's at the buffet table. Honestly, he just had dinner an hour ago and now he's eating again. If I ate like he did I'd be as big as a house and lot!" she laughed.

Eric greeted his boldest daughter with a hug, nodded at Lars and then nodded again at Lachlain as he walked up to us holding a paper plate loaded with cold cuts.

It was only a few days until the full moon, shifters and werewolves always ate more meat around that time of the month. I've seen Jason eat a whole rotisserie chicken in one sitting right before his change. They burned it off during their transformation.

Lars said, "Adele was just telling me about your trip to New Zealand. It sounds exciting."

He didn't exactly look excited, but then he never did. Lars was the security for the research center, a big bald headed man with an impressive bushy red beard. He had been like an uncle to the girls in their childhood, he still filled that role for them now.

"It was. There were birds and trees all round that I had never seen before," I chattered inanely, trying to dominate the conversation.

I decided at that moment I was going to have to tell Adele the truth the next time I could get her alone. She was in more danger not knowing what she knew than knowing.

"Where's Linda?" I asked her, though I figured she was probably in the big conference room with Hector Lee.

"Let's go find her," Adele suggested, to my relief.

Arm in arm we walked off leaving Eric, Lars and Lachlain discussing something that involved Lars pointing at the corner of the ceiling, probably the planned upgrade to the security cameras.

Linda spotted us as we entered the conference room. There were about fifty people standing around in small groups, talking. Most of them were vampire. Many were scientists in lab coats or outdated suits that were once worn by learned men. Among the usual familiar faces were some new ones I didn't recognize. They stood in little clusters discussing whatever it was learned men of science discussed.

Hector Lee, the graduate from medical school, stood at the center of one group. He had an Asian name because he had been adopted by Asian parents but he was obviously not Asian. Blond haired, blue-eyed Hector looked to be of German or Scandinavian descent.

With him were his mentors Dr. Fang and Dr. Mellen, and his Maker Dr. Frank Clark. They looked as proud as Hector's human parents would have looked if they hadn't been bigots that had disowned their son when he Turned vampire.

Dr. Banger, a noted sex therapist and Dr. Vay, a part vampire ob-gyn were there too. From the way Dr. Banger smiled at Dr. Mellen I thought there might be something going on between them.

Linda brought us over to congratulate Hector. I called him Dr. Lee and he almost blushed - almost, but not quite because vampires didn't blush unless they had just fed.

"Where are you going to practice?" Adele asked him, one supernatural medical person to another.

"With us," Dr. Vay said. "Didn't Hector tell you? He specialized in gynecology." Dr. Vay smiled at Hector and patted his arm as a kindly aunt would.

I saw Linda draw back a little, then recover and paste on her version of the famous fake Stackhouse smile.

"That's wonderful, just wonderful. I'm sure he'll be a wonderful gynecologist," she said warmly.

Who was he going to gynecologize? As a vampire he would not be allowed to treat human women. Each species of supernatural had their own special doctors. Dr. Fay treated the fairies. I had seen her when I was expecting because of my fairy heritage. Vampires didn't need any kind of medical attention, as a rule.

Hector Lee still looked like he was barely seventeen. I thought about how unsettling it would be to be his patient, to lay on the examining table and see such a young man down there poking around.

It was obvious to me that Linda wasn't going to want to take her relationship with Hector to another level, both because of his chosen career and because she was continuing to grow older while Hector would look seventeen forever.

With Hector out of the picture that left more room for Jure to monopolize Linda's time and attention. I racked my brains trying to think of other eligible men she might take a liking to. Nobody came right to mind. At least we still had Calabim the handsome djinn in the running.

After circulating through the room and some more chit chat with various folks, I got Adele alone and told her I absolutely needed to speak with her in private. She offered to drop by the house the next day in the late morning.

Right after Eric entered the big room and joined me the ceremony honoring Hector Lee began with informal speeches praising Hector's achievement made by his Maker Dr. Clark and the center's director Dr. Mellen.

The high point of the ceremony was a visit via webcam from the King congratulating Hector followed by polite applause and the room singing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" to Hector. A True Blood or champagne toast was hoisted in his honor at the end of the song.

Then the party was over. I always found the brevity of vampire social gatherings to be a relief after the never ending quality of Louisiana polite leave-taking, which could take several hours as it inched towards the exit.

When Eric and I were in the car leaving the parking lot he said, "Can we go home and talk?"

I said sure and off we went, hurtling through the crisp fall night towards a conversation that might change our relationship forever.

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more to come ....(Super Saturday Supernaturals! Wishing you well and happy to see you stopped by!)

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79 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-06-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Seventy Nine

"I don't think you're rushing me into Turning but I think you're too happy about it. You're just seeing the benefits to you and to me, you don't see the downside to it," I said.

He thought about this before he answered. "It is true I am happy about your decision. To my way of thinking it is the only rational decision for you to make. As unfortunate as it is, your childbearing years seem to be over ..."

I wasn't sure why but I felt a flash of hot anger at him for saying this.

I interrupted him. "No! They're not over! It's just that it might take me another hundred years to conceive."

He nodded. "I see. The possibility of having more children appeals to you. Do you wish to wait until your fertile time comes back?"

I tried to dump this on him. "Don't you want more children?"

"I would treasure more children as I do the ones we have. It is the ongoing risk to your human life that troubles me. I can wait until you bear more children. Is that what you want?" he asked, his head tilting to the side as he tried to understand what I was saying to him.

His head could tilt until it fell off his shoulders but he wasn't going to understand what I wanted because I didn't know what I wanted. If I waited to conceive again my own girls could be long dead from old age by the time I glowed pink.

Would I really want to start the whole thing up again? Living through the aging, decline, and death of Adele, Linda and Char seemed to be beyond my powers of coping. Adding more children that would grow old and die in front of my eyes just seemed to multiply the misery and grief.

How did Eric stand it?

I wanted to scream "NOOOOO!" at the universe it all seemed so unfair.

And that was exactly what Eric was fearing. I had the security of knowing he was almost indestructible. He would survive car crashes and lightning strikes. He had zero security about my own continued existence except for the longevity my fairy blood gave me. This wasn't all about giving up the hope for future children.

"Eric, I don't know what I want. This isn't about having more kids exactly, though that would have been nice. This is about giving up all the things that make me human. It's taking a leap of faith that what awaits me on the other side would be worth the sacrifice. I would be doing it for you, to make sure I'm here for you. I wouldn't be doing it for me. I'm willing to take my chances as a human," I said, uncertain of what I was saying even as the words left my mouth.

Was that really the truth? Was I willing to risk having my life cut short when I could guarantee myself a disease free, accident proof future? What if I didn't live to see Char's baby? What if my girls needed their mother but I wasn't around to help them out? Their vampire Mom could bring the big guns to protect them if need be. Their vampire Mom could even babysit at night.

His face looked grim. "I see now. You would be giving up your human existence only to prevent me from suffering should I lose you."

He tenderly touched my face. "How much you love me."

He shook his head slowly from side to side. "It is humbling. That would not be enough, Sookie. My peace of mind would not be enough reason. I know that and you know that."

I waited for him to extoll the benefits of becoming Vampire, but he didn't. He said, "I feel your confusion. Your fear is almost a taste in my mouth. This is not the start to our new life, this is a tragedy waiting to happen. I have too much invested in the outcome to advise you. Is there no one you can talk to about your decision?"

I hadn't talked to anyone because I hadn't wanted to be talked out of, or into, a decision to either Turn or stay human. Now it looks like I had done both all by myself. I really did need to sort out my feelings. Eric was right, he couldn't help.

Suddenly I had a thought.

HoloGran! I hadn't been able to get her to appear for a while, maybe now that I really really needed some advice she would come and I could get her perspective on things.

Eric wasn't crazy about HoloGran. He didn't know who or what she was and that made him uneasy. I didn't know what she was either. In the past she had been nothing but kind and supportive, as she was in life. She didn't seem to have any supernatural knowledge like what was going to happen in the future, she was just willing to have a nice sensible chat with me. Who could ask for more?

"I think I have someone I can talk to," I said. "I'll continue this discussion after that. I don't know what I'm saying anymore. I seem to be of two minds. Can we stop talking about all this now? My head feels like it's going to explode."

"My head does too. I have not felt so overwhelmed since the Baltic Crusades. Still, I am glad we had this talk. There must be no secrets between us. I can cope with whatever is in your heart but you must tell me. Unlike you, I am not telepathic."

I thought I detected a hint of reproach in his tone. Then he started the car and we continued on to the research center. Eric turned on the radio to fill the silence that had settled between us.

It was the Fine Young Cannibals singing, "She Drives Me Crazy".

Eric snickered.

I giggled.

Then we both laughed until our sides hurt. Eric was laughing so hard I was afraid he might veer off the road. If we weren't already late to the graduation party I would have made him pull over again.

In the research center parking lot, still laughing at ourselves, we kissed passionately until someone pulled in next to us, honked and yelled "Get a room!"

It was Taryn in her vintage yellow Cadillac Seville with Lingza sitting right next to her.

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more to come .....(Friday at last! Greeting Ghoulfriends! Thanks for your insightful and thoughtful comments when you have the time, and for just stopping by and reading when you don't.)

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78 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-06-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Seventy Eight

It didn't sound like all this VL stuff was going to happen right away but now I knew for sure Quinn was gunning for Eric. I had to warn Eric and tell him everything I knew.

I wasn't going to fight with Eric about VL. I could learn more if I pretended to keep an open mind. If I listened and learned everything, I might be able to talk some sense into Eric.

I would also be able to accomplish more if I Turned vampire. My main concern was protecting my girls, my brother and his family, Amelia and all the other humans I loved. I wanted to stop VL from happening altogether. If I couldn't, I would fight to rescue those I could.

I paced around until Eric rose, too jittery to sit still.

He raised an eyebrow at my agitated state. His cool Nordic features and steady heavy lidded gaze gave him an almost haughty look. I knew that was just the way his face was structured and the erectness of his posture. To me he was emotionally available and concerned with my happiness. He just needed to tell that to his ultra Scandinavian face.

"Your talk with Ailine did not go well?" he inquired.

He went to our room to get dressed. I needed to pull something on for the graduation party too. I looked like I felt, disoriented and distressed.

"I learned some very upsetting things. Could we sit for a while and talk?" I asked him, going over to the sitting area in our room.

"Of course," he said, changing direction.

He was still in his black silk pajama bottoms, naked from below the belly button up, the golden hair dusted on his stomach growing more dense as it descended.

"I learned that Quinn is the one that set Ailine up to take you. He was fixing to have her bring you to a place he arranged in Arizona so he could get to you. He was the one that set Frannie on you too. Quinn's trying to kill you," I said, making sure Eric understood he was in danger.

He looked thoughtful but not surprised. "Do you know where he is?" he asked.

"Me? No! I haven't seen him ..." I trailed off remembering I hadn't told him about seeing Quinn in Darla's Deli parking lot.

"Since your late night meeting with him in the mall parking lot?" Eric asked. His blue eyes regarded me without accusation.

"You knew about that?" I asked, surprised.

"Of course. You had both Aleksis and Kinnan there to protect you. That was good," Eric said.

I should have realized they both reported to Eric. "How come you didn't ask me about it?"

"I thought you must have a reason for keeping the meeting to yourself," he said calmly.

"I did. Quinn was saying a lot of stuff about how the vampires were planning on taking over the world. It sounded crazy to me. I wanted to find out if he was telling me the truth," I said.

"Was he?" he asked with a slight smile. He already knew the answer.

"Well, Ailine as much as said he was. She talked about it like we were all on the same team. I guess she thought I was right in there with the rest of you, plotting to take over."

"And now that you know it is true, how do you feel about it?" he asked. He was remarkably calm for someone that just had his master take-over-the-world plot exposed.

"I think it's a big big BIG mistake! There's way too many humans for a handful of vampires to fight and glamour them all into submission. Once people get riled up about an enemy they aren't going to rest until every last vampire is staked. Call it off before you unleash a problem you can't fix," I said heatedly.

So much for pretending to keep an open mind.

"There is so much I want to tell you, so much I need to tell you. Unfortunately we do not have the time right now. Promise me you will hear me out before deciding our plan is crazy," he said, taking my hand. "I am relieved to have this out in the open. I do not like to keep secrets from you."

"I don't like keeping secrets from you either. Right now I don't know what to think. I'll try to keep an open mind," I said, not sure if I could.

No matter how thin you sliced it he was talking about taking over the planet. Right now I couldn't even fake having an open mind.

"A hearing is all I ask," he said.

"How soon is this Vampire Liberation going to take place?" I asked.

"Not for a very long time. Things have to be in place before we make our move. I will explain it all later tonight," he said, standing.

We got ready for the graduation party without speaking a word to each other.

In the car on the way to the research center I asked, "Is our renewing vows going to be a vampire arrangement this time? I mean, a hundred years and no real commitment?"

I spoke into the darkness, both the darkness in front of the windshield and the darkness that was overtaking my heart.

He stopped the car, pulling into a little cut in area next to the dark country road that led to the county road that led to the state road that took us to Shreveport. He shut the car off but left the dashboard lights on so we could see each other.

"Is that what you have been thinking? I am using this as a way to modify our relationship?"

"I don't know what to think anymore Eric. Every time I try to understand one situation a new one comes up that is even more incomprehensible. I just want a simple answer. Do you want to impose a time limit on our marriage?" My voice was without inflection. I already sounded as dead as a vampire. I continued to stare out the windshield into the black.

"Look at me," he said gently.

I did. I unfastened my seat belt and turned in my seat to look at him. He was the familiar beautiful Eric I loved with all my heart. He was also a dangerous vampire, a stranger that was planning to turn humans into cattle. How could I reconcile the two?

"Do you know me?" he asked seriously. He unhooked his seatbelt so he could turn in his seat too, as much as his long legs and the Corvette would allow.

"I thought I did. Then Pam told me you could turn your feelings on and off like a light switch," I went to take a breath to continue on about the whole VL project but Eric answered immediately.

"Pam knows what she has seen me do, how I have behaved. She has drawn conclusions from her experiences with me but her conclusions are not always accurate. She can not see into my heart. She can not read my mind. Only I know what my intentions are and what I am capable of doing. I tell you now it is not my intention to leave you, not in a hundred years, not ever. If I ever leave your side it will be because I have been taken from you by an enemy or by my final death. Can I make myself any clearer?" His intense eyes never wavered as he looked into mine.

I let his words sink into my mind, then into my heart. I felt the truth of them. I checked that problem off my growing list.

"I absolutely believe you, Eric. I just get afraid, you know? Afraid of the future, afraid of losing you, of having to live my life, my very long life, without you. I think losing my parents at an early age taught me that someone you love and need more than anything in the world can just be taken and gone in the blink of an eye. It's hard to believe that I can have so much, that my life can be so good. The more I have the more I can lose."

"I agree, the more we have the more we have to lose. We have to work together as a team to insure our future and the future of our children and grandchildren. I need you by my side protecting what needs to be protected. As a vampire you will have the power to do what must be done," he said.

I hesitated, then told him the truth. "I have a lot of doubts and fears about losing my human life and Turning. Every time I think of it I feel sick inside with the enormity of it."

His face looked so loving and tender as he took my hand, the hand with my wedding ring on it. "Why have you kept these feelings from me, my beloved wife? I can understand how you might feel this way but not why you did not come to me and tell me? Do you feel I am forcing you, rushing you into Turning?"

Good questions. I took a deep breath before I answered him.

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more to come .....(Terrific Thursday Fangirls, hope your week has been peaceful. What a marvelous community we have here. I grow more grateful every day!)

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77 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future

2011-06-15T04:17:00.000-07:00

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Chapter Seventy Seven

"You picked Eric up at the most recent Vampire Alliance Counsel conference?" I asked her.

"Yes, after a night of hot and heavy negotiations even the mighty Eric was tired. He was easy to beguile, easy to put under my spell," she bragged.

"Things weren't going smoothly at the conference," I said.

She chuckled, "When it comes to dividing up the world each ruler wants to get more than the others. It's like greedy children after a pinata is broken. The arguments and debates are endless."

A pinata of death I thought. What did vampires have as weapons? Guns, death rays? I thought of Tesla and his inventions. This would be war on a scale the world had never seen. I almost couldn't get my breath I was so upset.

"I sure do hope Eric gets his fair share for all he's done," I said lightly.

"Oh no worries there. He will oversee the sheriffs in all of North America, not a bad piece of the pie," Ailine said. "He probably didn't want to brag."

"No, that's sure like Eric, keeping his accomplishments on the down low," I chuckled along with her. Just two gals amused at how cute it was that Eric was going to rule America.

It occured to me that Ailine might be feeding me a line of bull. Quinn wouldn't admit to her that he attacked Eric, not if he wanted to finish Eric off.

"I don't know how you got Quinn to tell you what his plans for Eric were," I said with an admiring laugh. "I can never get anything out of the big guy."

"Oh, I have my little ways, as you know, of getting what I want. But shhhhhhh, I won't tell if you won't." She winked at me, like we were both in on this together.

Obviously she felt free to beguile anyone she wanted to, her being the Queen and all. She wouldn't be the first ruler that thought she was above the law. I didn't think she was going to be rehabilitated any time soon, if ever. Maybe Eric was right, maybe she should have been terminated.

"How soon do you Turn, if you don't mind my asking?" she inquired in a friendly way, breaking into my thoughts of her sudden death.

"A little over a month," I told her, sick to my stomach at the thought of it.

"Oh then you'll have years and years of boring conferences where every tiny issue is talked to death," she said with a sigh.

"Yup, can't say I'm looking forward to it," I said truthfully.

"Who is? At least my sentence will keep me out of the loop for a few years. I can really use the rest, regroup, establish some new goals," she said, thinking about her future.

"Tell me," she asked, girl to girl, "Do you think I would look better as a blond?"

"If that's what you want, go for it," I said absently, not thinking at all about her hair color.

"That's just what Quinn said," she replied with a smile.

Alfdis appeared in a third embedded screen. "Time's up. Did you get the answers you sought Mrs. Stackhouse?" she asked me.

"Yes, ma'am, I surely did," I said. "Queen Gormlaith was real generous with her time and answers," I said.

I wanted to keep Ailine as an ally in case I needed to pick her brains again.

"Mrs. Stackhouse has been most kind and gracious. I cannot express how sorry I am that I trespassed against her," Ailine replied.

"Then I will wish both of you a good day and conclude the online conference," Alfdis said. "I remind you, Queen Gormlaith, the restraining order is still in effect. Any violation will be dealt with harshly."

After a few seconds of static the screens went blank.

I sat there stunned by what I had learned. Everything Quinn said was true. My mistake was in thinking that only one or maybe a few vampire rulers were hatching this crazy plot. From what Alfdis said, all the vampire rulers were in on it, coordinating their roles and buying off the other supernaturals with promises of wealth and power.

My whole world as I knew it looked like it was about to be turned upside down. Supernaturals on top, humans low down in the pecking order.

When Halder showed up I sent him away telling him I had a belly ache. It was the truth.

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more to come .....(Wonderful Wednesday everyone! I always read every comment carefully and take them to heart. Thanks so much for taking the time, when you have it, to stop by and leave your impressions.)

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