Dead or Undead

A Southern Vampire Mysteries Fanfiction Story

DISCLAIMER: The Southern Vampire Mysteries stories and characters are the creation and property of Charlaine Harris, and all copyrights belong to her. The author of this story does not retain any rights and makes no profit from this work.

Chapter One

"Where are you off to, Cousin?" Claude asked walking into my bedroom Saturday morning.

"Claude! Get out of here, I'm getting dressed!" I shouted. In general, supes aren't big on modesty, and fairies are no exception. Since I'm not a supe, and I was raised by a modest Southern woman, I'm not big on my cousin walking into my bedroom when I'm in my undies. Claude turned and walked off, annoyed but not apologetic for his intrusion.

I slipped into a light blue halter dress that Tara had set aside for me when it went on sale. Tara Thorton duRone was one of my best friends and the owner of Tara's Togs, so I often got the first pick of discounts at the store. However, Tara was now 6 months pregnant with twins and would soon be taking time off, so I had been by the store a bit more often lately knowing my discounts might soon be ending. Also, since my cousin, Claude's sister Claudine, had left me a large inheritance (okay, absolutely huge by my standards), I'd felt I could splurge on a few nice dresses.

I walked into the kitchen where Claude was now scavenging the refrigerator.

"Claude, I've asked you before not to come in my bedroom without knocking." He stared at me blankly as if waiting for more. "You shouldn't be seeing me naked, or anything close to it." Still blank.

"You shouldn't keep lemonade in the refrigerator," Claude changed the subject with no acknowledgement of prior conversation. I stared at him in disbelief as he closed the refrigerator door.

"The smell of it sometimes makes my skin break out, and I have a show tonight." Like all fairies, Claude is fatally allergic to lemons. Also, he's the most popular male dancer at Hooligans, the strip club he owns in Monroe.

"This is my house. Anyway, I thought you weren't staying here anymore now that–" I paused. Now that Eric drained the fairy who was trying to kill me, I thought. Claude had half way moved in to my house in order to protect me from another fairy, Colman. Colman felt I was responsible for Claudine's death and, consequently, the death of his unborn child she'd been carrying. In part, I was, since she had died defending me, and I was still grieved about it. She was much more pleasant company than Claude, but he was still family. And he had done his best to protect me, even if he never told me that I needed protecting. In the end, Eric, my vampire boyfriend (or husband depending how you looked at it), had killed Colman in what was one of the longest nights in recent memory. "Now that I don't need protection anymore," I finished weakly.

"I didn't just move in to protect you. It does get lonely being the only one left."

Huh. So there is a softer side of Claude. Who knew? "I'm sorry. I know you miss your sisters. But you can always hang out with Dermot. He's more fairy than I am." Claude looked, well, hurt. This was definitely new territory. I softened up a bit. "Claude, I don't mind if you still want to drop by every now and then. In fact, I think that would be nice. But you need to respect my privacy," I said gently. Then I added, "And my right to have lemonade in my refrigerator." I gave him a smile and he returned a scowl. Well, at least Cranky Claude is more familiar than Caring Claude.

"Also, Eric is coming over this evening, so it might not be a good night for you to stay over." Vampires loved fairies, often to death. Though Eric knew that Claude was family and, despite his charming personality, that meant he was an important part of my life, I wasn't sure testing Eric's will power was the smartest move. Especially with the current vampire political climate in Louisiana.

Claude made a longing sigh. "Do I get to see him naked?"

"Claude!" Did I mention Claude was also gay? He smiled a crooked smile that told me he was kidding, sort of.

"I was planning to crash in Monroe this evening anyway since I have shows back to back. But you haven't answered my question," he said.

"No, Claude, you do not get to see Eric naked." He just doesn't give up. Of course, if you'd seen Eric with his clothes on, you wouldn't either. He was absolutely gorgeous. Not in the ethereal, fairy way that Claude was, but in a very masculine, Viking way, which is exactly what he is – a one thousand year old Viking vampire. "But," I thought maybe I could perk Claude's mood up a bit, "I could get you a copy of the new Fangtasia calendar when it comes out." Eric's bar and primary business, Fangtasia, had made a killing on a nude calendar a while back where Eric featured prominently as Mr. January. Somehow I still hadn't found out who was Mr. February.

"I meant, where are you off to?" he said. Then added, "Though I would like a calendar."

"Oh. I'm going to a wedding with Sam. His brother Craig is getting married and I promised I'd go with him," I explained.

"I like your dress." I could tell Claude was bored with our conversation now, so I grabbed my keys and headed out the back door to my car before I could get annoyed with him again.

Sam Merlotte, my boss and good friend, had asked me to go with him to his brother's wedding before I began seeing Eric. Sam was now dating a girl named Jannalynn, which might have taken me off the hook. Might have, if she hadn't be a rather abrasive Were, exactly the kind that made Craig's bride-to-be almost call off the wedding when the Weres and shifters came out. So here I was, driving over to Merlotte's on my day off to meet my boss to go to a wedding.

Sam was waiting on the porch of his trailer wearing tux. My heart sped up a bit and my palms started getting clammy. Yes, Sam was my boss, but he was still a handsome man looking very 007 at the moment. I made myself flash back to Eric at Dracula night and my fantasies shifted to safer ground.

"Wow, Sookie, you look great." Sam smiled brightly as he gave me a warm hug. With his hand on my back, I could clearly hear he was thinking how much he appreciated the way the dress clung to my amble bosom. This was going to be an awkward event, I feared.

"You clean up real nice, too, boss", I said pulling back. "Shall we?" The hug was a bit too personal for the moment and our moods. Also, I was in a bit of a rush. The wedding was at 1pm, and I was hoping to be back by dark, before Eric arrived. I had seen him only a few times since the night when the fairy Colman and Eric's maker Appius Livius Ocella both met their ends, Appius by Colman's sword (meant for me, incidentally) and Colman by Eric's fangs. Eric had flown off on a fairy blood high that evening, feeling a mixture of grief and relief that his maker was gone.

On the drive to the wedding, Sam filled me in on his family tree. I knew his mom was a shifter, and since Sam was as well, that meant he was the oldest of the kids. In fact, neither of his siblings had been aware of the two-natured until the second Great Reveal, and they had been pretty hurt that neither their mom nor Sam had confided in them. Deidra, Sam's sister-in-law-to-be, had almost called things off with Sam's brother, Craig, after the family secret came out like a bullet from a gun, literally. Sam's mom had shifted in front of his stepdad, who freaked out and shot her. She had fully recovered by now, from the gunshot that is. The marriage was over. Deidra's family hadn't been too keen on the idea of her marrying into a family of shifters, but eventually they came around. Sam was pretty sure it was mostly because Craig wasn't a shifter himself and, as he finally managed to convince Deidra and her folks, that meant he couldn't pass on the gene. Deidra had even come around enough to allow Sam to be Craig's best man, but apparently that had been a huge concession.

We arrived an hour before the ceremony, and soon Sam dashed off to be in the family photos. I was ushered into place in the small church and waited, trying to block out the voices. I did pretty well, but I still got the general mood of the room. The bride's side was mostly of the mind, "she's crazy marrying into that family, no matter if he says he's normal or not," and "no way I'd risk having a litter, even if I loved him," and so on. The groom's side was a bit more evenly divided, and many of them just felt sorry for Craig for his lot. Then it hit me that people were more accepting of vampires than of the two-natured. I really would have thought it would be the other way around.

When the ceremony began, I was shocked to notice that Sam's stepdad was one of the groomsmen. I suppose he and Craig had been close, but seeing as how he'd shot their mom, I thought that might have soured things a bit. Craig waited at the alter as everyone stood for the bride's procession. He was nervous as a turkey on Thanksgiving, but as soon as he caught sight of Deidra and realized for certain that she wasn't going to bolt, his mind was pure bliss. He loved her completely. Deidra felt just the same to be marrying the man she loved so much, and for a brief moment I left my guard down to let their love wash over me. Then I picked up a stray thought, "Is it cheating if he has sex with a dog when he's a dog?" and promptly shut myself off as completely as I could before any images came with that thought.

The reception was on the lawn out back with fold out tables and chairs and a grand gazebo with a band and dance floor. Once Sam found a break from his best man duties, he pulled me up onto the dance floor with him.

"It should be you up there one day, cher," he said.

I smiled at him. "Who knows, Sam. But I think Eric might have a problem with a daytime service."

Sam sighed. "I'm not talking about him, I'm talking about you. You should have all this. A life, with a future and . . ." He racked his brain for the right word, "and possibility. You shouldn't be stuck in the dark like you are."

I knew Sam wasn't a big fan of me dating Eric, but he'd never quite put it like this before. I wasn't sure what to say. I had wanted this, since I was a little girl, but given my handicap or gift or whatever you want to call it, I never thought it was a real possibility. But hadn't I had a shot with Quinn? And maybe Alcide, too? Maybe I could have a husband and kids and . . . I cut the daydream short.

"Sam, I love Eric. I'm happy with him, honest to goodness happy. I'm not ready to give that up for some silly dream that may never happen."

"Don't ever give up on your dreams, Sookie. It could happen." He smiled and pulled me closer.

"If you hadn't noticed, my dating prospects are a little limited to the supe community. Besides, I haven't exactly had any offers." Technically, that was true. I was married to Eric in some vampire sense, but only because he'd tricked me into it without asking, so that didn't exactly count.

I could see an offer forming in Sam's head then. He was walking back down the aisle, but not as a groomsman this time. Then he turned to see me walking down after him, long train and veil and all. It was a sweet sight, but it wasn't right.

"Sam," I begin.

"Just think about it, Sookie. Just please promise me you'll think about everything he's making you give up to be with him."

"He's not making me do a damn thing. It's my choice to be with Eric, Sam. I know what I'm doing." I pulled away.

The song ended and I headed off for a drink before the conversation got any more uncomfortable. I knew Sam was only trying to look out for me, but he'd hit a real nerve that I didn't even know I had, and I wanted time to sort through that on my own.

As I got my ginger-ale (I'm not a big drinker since I see the unpleasant side of alcohol every day at work), I heard someone calling my name. It was Luna Garza, a woman I met under some unfortunate circumstances in Dallas a few years back.

"Well, Sookie Stackhouse, you're looking good. I love the dress," Luna said.

"Luna, it's so good to see you, again," I said warmly and gave her a brief hug.

"How come you're with Sam instead of that tall, blonde deader you were with in Dallas? Not that I'm saying you should choose a dead man over a shifter, but he was one hunk of handsome."

"Eric? Oh, I wasn't with him then, but I am now. I just came with Sam as a friend"

She smiled, "Honey, you may not have been with him but he was certainly with you." She winked and then her date appeared at her side. He was with the bride's side and clearly had no idea that his girlfriend turned into a bat at the full moon. Luckily for him, he seemed okay with the idea of weres and shifters, but you really never know how you'll react until it's someone close to you. I felt his chances were pretty good though.

I spoke a bit more with Luna as the afternoon wore on, and got in another dance with Sam, this one with a lot less chatting but a lot more tension. After the bride and groom made their grand exit, complete with flying rice and cans tied to the limo, Sam was saying his goodbyes and we were heading back to Bon Temps.

"Don't you sometimes think you're missing out, Sookie?" Sam asked a little after we'd left.

I knew what he meant. I'd never have a real wedding, not with Eric and certainly not in the day. And I'd never start a family with him, either.

"To be honest, Sam, I never really thought it was an option for me, so there isn't much to miss. And I really do love Eric, you're just gonna have to accept that."

"Sookie, I know you like him a lot, but he's no good for you. He's so wrapped up in all his vampire politics, and from what I hear, that could be getting serious soon. You have a future, please don't throw that away."

"Sam, I love him." I saw Sam sink a little at that declaration. Well, too bad. "And what do you mean, getting serious soon? What have you heard, Sam?"

"Just rumors among the two-natured." Sam squirmed a little in his seat. He was back peddling fast, and I wanted to know why.

"What did you hear?"

"There's been some talk that Eric might not be Sheriff for too much longer, that's all."

That's all? That's all? "That's all? Sam, what does that mean? You have to tell me!"

"Sookie, I'm not too sure what it all means. Jannalynn let something slip one night that maybe the vamp hierarchy around here is about to get a shake up. She didn't know any of the details, just that the Were community was on alert, just in case."

My anxiety should have continued rising, but just then I felt a lot calmer. I looked out at the dark sky and realized the sun had just set. Eric was awake. Eric and I were blood-bonded, since we'd swapped blood more than three times. This meant that we could tell each other's general location and mood. When Eric was asleep, I was still aware of him, but much less so than when he was awake. We were pulling in to Merlotte's which gave me just enough time to get home before Eric.

Sam came around to open my door and pulled me into a hug. "I don't mean to worry you, Sookie. Just be careful."

"Thanks, Sam," I said, hugging him back.

Then I realized Sam was still entertaining the Sookie-Sam-Wedding fantasy, which I was reading all the more clearly when we were this close. That made me more than a little uncomfortable.

"Thanks for coming with me today, cher," he said.

"I was glad to do it, Sam", I said, carefully pulling out of the embrace. "Actually, it was a lot of fun. You have a nice family and it was good to see so many people so happy for a change." He had let me pull back, but his hands were still on my shoulders.

"Sookie..." he said, and I saw it coming just in time. I turned my head and Sam kissed my cheek instead.

"Sam, I have to go. Eric's waiting." Sam walked me over to my car, thinking wooden daggers at Eric the whole time. I got in and drove home wondering if Sam was still dating Jannalynn after all.

I had just walked in the back door and put my purse down on the kitchen counter when I heard the front door open. A moment later Eric was in the kitchen with me sampling the air, his fangs half extended. Then his mouth was on mine with such force that he knocked all the air out of me. Not that I cared about silly things like breathing when he was kissing me like that, but after a few seconds, my survival instincts overcame my sex instincts and I pulled back a little. His mouth moved down to my neck to allow me to breathe, however raggedly.

"The fairy was here." He sounded a bit ragged, too. Well, that explained the attack. Fairy blood was just about the best aphrodisiac (ironically, today's Word of the Day) for vampires. Eric began kissing up the other side of my neck making his way back to my mouth when he stopped suddenly. "The shifter kissed you?" It wasn't really a question, and it definitely wasn't an aphrodisiac.

"Just a peck between friends." I tried to move past the moment by locking my lips back on his, but he stood up straight as I moved in. Even in my heels I couldn't come close to the top of a 6'5" Viking, so I knew I was foiled.

"Why were you kissing the shifter?" I felt his anger rising through the bond.

"Eric, it was just Sam. We went to his brother's wedding today, and he gave me a kiss good-bye. It didn't mean anything." Well, it would have to Sam if he had not been deflected, but no good would come from telling Eric that.

Eric took a step back. His mood was getting dangerous and I wasn't entirely sure why. I know vampires are possessive – okay, they wrote the book on it – but this was making a mountain out of a mole hill, right? Eric's anger was flowing into me through the bond and I had to work to keep myself calm.

"Calm down, Eric, it was nothing."

"Calm down? My wife goes on a date with a shifter, kisses him, and tells me to calm down? Is this why you're dressed like this? For him?"

I felt my own fear rising and my voice came out shaky. "Eric, it wasn't a date." Not from my point of view, anyway. "Sam has a girlfriend," maybe, "but he couldn't take her because she's a Were and his family had a tough enough time with the revelation." I could feel his rage subsiding a little.

"Don't be afraid." That was unexpected. Just as unexpectedly his rage was gone and we were calm. "Sookie, you cannot even appear to go out with someone else. You are my wife." Only according to some cooky vampire custom whereby I gave Eric a knife and suddenly we were hitched. For once I decided not to voice that particular thought. It angered Eric, and hurt him a little, when I belittled our marriage, as he called it.

"Eric, it wasn't anything. Please be calm. I just went as Sam's friend, that's all. I can still go out with my friends." The last bit came out a little more forcefully than the first.

"This is a dangerous time for us, Sookie. You are my wife, whether you acknowledge it or not. If you appear to be running off with a shifter or anyone, it makes me look weak and vulnerable. If Victor senses any weakness from me," he hesitated, "that would be very dangerous for both of us right now." I hadn't thought of that way.

"What's going on, Eric?" I asked. Victor Madden was Eric's boss. Felipe de Castro, King of Nevada, Louisiana and Arkansas, had appointed him to oversee Louisiana and, consequently, Eric. Apparently Victor's ambitions were greater, though, and he saw Eric as an obstacle. He had already tried to take out Pam and myself, and lost his progeny Bruno in the process. Of course, we had to play dumb on this fact in the usual vampire fashion. I guessed that Sam's vague warning was very closely connected with Victor's latest scheme, and I was worried.

"I'll get to that in a minute. Right now, you must understand the severity of the situation. You are my dearest, but that also makes you my weakness. We cannot afford for anyone to doubt my ruthlessness at this time. You cannot go around with shifters or Weres" he paused, then added "until this is resolved." I could feel his jealousy start to dislodge his calm.

"Eric, I am yours." I reverted to my previous calming strategy and stepped into him. "Every single part of me," I placed my hands on his chest, "is yours." I slid my hands up his body then around his neck. "Only yours." I pulled myself up onto my tiptoes as I tried to pull him down to me. That did it.

His calm was gone but it wasn't jealousy or anger that replaced it this time. His mouth was back on mine and he reached down to pull me up. I obligingly wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling his jeans bulging into me. I was no size queen, but Eric, he was definitely king in that department. He carried me towards the bedroom but we didn't make it past the living room.

We landed on the couch and he moved on top of me. He slid the straps of my dress down enough that he could uncover my breasts and his mouth latched on. I reached down to pull his shirt out of his pants and move it towards his head. Understanding my intent, he whipped it off, then his fangs were back at my nipple before I'd even registered they'd left. He bit down, just enough to break the skin, and sucked. I gasped and squirmed in arousal. My hands moved down his broad back around to the front of his jeans and I began to fumble with the buttons. Seriously, whoever invented button fly jeans should be shot. Twice. Finally I pushed his pants down over his world-class ass to free his king-sized asset.

He pushed my dress up and slid his fingers under my panties to make me squirm under him. "I'm yours," I gasped as he kissed my neck on the way back to my mouth, "Make me yours." And then he did. He didn't bother removing my panties, he just slid them aside and then pushed into me. I cried out before his mouth reattached to mine. He pounded into me over and over while I groped at him pulling him closer.

He raised his head and uttered "Min fru" before sinking his fangs into my shoulder and sucking hard. I lost a few minutes then as I felt euphoria exploding through me. He must have had his release as well, because when I finally came to (har har) he was lying still on top of me. We just lay there, sated, for a few minutes gently stroking each other.

Finally he pushed himself up a little and said, "By the way, I like your dress."

I laughed out loud. "Yeah, it's a real crowd pleaser. I think I'll have to take it to the cleaners now."

"Just send me the bill."

"Don't think I won't."

"It was well worth the cost," he said, rising off the couch entirely now, bringing me with him. "Come, my wife. I think you need a shower, you still reek of shifter. And then we need to talk."

The shower took a while as he thoroughly washed away foreign scents and replaced them with his own. As showers go, it was definitely one of my favorites, though it still didn't top the first one we had together. Clean, dressed and even more relaxed, we walked back into the living room. He stood beside me while I reconstructed the couch (how did the back cushions get across the room?) so we could sit.

"So, what's up?" I asked.

"Victor is poised to become King of Louisiana."

Oh shit.