I Write The Songs. CONTEST ENTRY

TITLE: Winds of Change

CHARACTERS: Sookie, Gran, Eric, Pam, Jason, Lafayette, and Thalia.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything SVM related. I also don't own the song Winds of Change. The band Scorpion does. I'm just borrowing CH's toys to play with. I'll give them back soon I promise.

PEN NAME: alyanne1375

BETA NAME: slcurwin

VIRGIN WRITER : YES

MULTI-CHAPTER: NO

TEASER: Sookie has been struggling to make ends meet when Gran comes up with an idea that could change everything. AU

Chapter 1

She sat at the kitchen table staring at the pile of bills and past due notices. How was she ever going to pay off all these? She'd just gotten home from working a double shift at Merlotte's Bar and Grill and the wad of bills in her pocket wouldn't even make a dent in this mountain of debt. She thumped her head against the table in frustration and exhaustion. She should just go to bed and get some sleep for the double shift she had agreed to pull again the next day, but she just couldn't make her body move. As she sat there wallowing, she felt a soft hand brush her hair off her face and over her shoulder. She barely managed a weak smile for Gran, as she apologized for waking her.

"You never mind about that dear. Us old folks wake several time a night just to heed the call of nature." The old woman huffed softly as she took a seat by Sookie. "I hate that you're working yourself into exhaustion every night just to help me with bills. Young people like you should be sneaking in from a hot date at this time of night. Not just getting home from work."

"Oh Gran…" Sookie said, "You know that wouldn't be happening with me even if I wasn't working." Sookie hated that her freak status had pretty much rendered her a leper to the males of Bon Temp.

Gran frowned slightly, "And why not? You're a beautiful young woman with a kind heart and a giving nature. Any man worth his salt would recognize this."

Sookie shook her tired head. "You know very well why, Gran." This wasn't the first time, nor the last she suspected, that they've had this conversation. "Besides, if we don't find a way to pay off some of these bills, my dating status is going to be the least of our problems."

Gran sighed, "Well I suppose I could…." Sookie interrupted her, "No Gran. We've already discussed this. Your health is not good enough for you to start working again in ANY capacity and we are NOT selling anything! I can do this; I just need to find a way to make more money." Sookie sighed and rested her head on her arms.

Gran shook her head at her granddaughter's stubborn pride. "All you're gonna accomplish is working yourself into an early grave at this rate. It's just too bad that you can't put that gift of yours to use. I'm sure somebody would be willing to pay well to know the thoughts of others. Perhaps you could try the Sheriffs again. Maybe Andy….."

Sookie shook her head so violently; Gran thought she might be trying to sling it off. "That won't work Gran, and you know what happened the last time I tried to convince those yahoos of what I could do."

Gran sighed in defeat. That incident had reinforced Sookie's nick-name 'Crazy Sookie' and had caused the rumor mill to buzz like hornets for weeks. Sookie had all but become a recluse after that. With the exception of her job she never went anywhere. Even the grocery shopping was something that Gran insisted on doing because she couldn't stand to see the pain in her grandchild's eyes every time she set foot inside the store. All those nasty and hurtful thoughts from a bunch of close-minded, bigoted, idiots just put her back up. She wanted nothing more than to be able to give them all a good swift kick in the…."GRAN!" Sookie cried out with a shocked expression on her face.

"What? Get out of my head girl, if you don't like what you hear. I have a right to my opinion."

"I know that!" Sookie snapped. "And I wasn't in your head you're just thinking so loud I couldn't help but hear you, and I'm tired and I had a long day. Not to mention this one particular prick I had to deal with, I just don't have the energy to keep my shields up….." She trailed off as she noticed the look on her grandmother's face. "I'm sorry Gran. I didn't mean to yell. Or pry."

Gran pulled her over for a firm, loving hug. "Shush. You have nothing to apologize for. I should know better. It's not any one's fault. We're both worn out." She kissed Sookie gently on the forehead and stood to walk over to the fridge. "Now I know you haven't had anything but that horrible bar food…" She eyed Sookie critically. "…If you've even eaten at all today. So, you just tell me about this horrible customer while I fix something to put some meat back on your bones."

Sookie smiled weakly, "Thanks Gran. I did eat this morning before I left but things were so busy today with it being Friday an all…I just forgot to eat." Gran huffed as she putted around the room fixing up what looked to Sookie like a monster sandwich. "And that guy was just like any other jerk."

"Well, there must have been something he said or did or…..thought, that made him stand out from others for you to even mention him so,…out with it girl." Gran said.

Sookie looked at the back of her grandmother's head and shook her own. She knew better than to argue with her…..though that didn't stop her from doing so. She was just too weary to try just now. "He was just some business man from Shreveport passing though. And it's not that he was particularly rude….well no more so than people usually are, but it's what he was thinking that got to me."

"And that was?" Gran probed as she set the plate of food in front of Sookie and then went to fix a tall glass of milk.

"Well, first of all he wasn't even really my customer. He must have snuck in while Arlene was busy with the Ladies Auxiliary who came in for lunch after their meetin…..by the time she noticed he was even there and asked me to cover his table, he was already bitchin about the slow service." She huffed as she remembered his snotty behavior. "Then he criticized the menu, complained that the silverware and the glasses were dirty and still had the nerve to hit on me! And his thoughts were worse. Besides the usual nasty things most men think, he kept thinking that his boss would never be seen in such a 'hole in the wall establishment'…" Sookie used air quotes to emphasize. "….. and he didn't know why he was sent there in the first place. But I did see…Gran he works for a Vampire!"

Gran's eyes lit up like a kids on Christmas morning. "A vampire? Oh how exciting!" Ever since Vampires had made their existence known two months back, Gran had been chomping at the bit to meet one. "Did you get his name?"

Sookie smiled at Gran. "Better I got an address. He was thinking of dropping off some packages for his Master after he finished his business there. Can you believe he actually thinks of his boss as his Master? How archaic!" (Thank you Word of the day Calendar.)

Gran lightly swatted Sookie on the arm and said, "It's not for us to judge young lady. Did you get anything else?"

Sookie chuckled as she washed down a bite of her sandwich with the milk Gran placed in front of her. "Apparently he was there to talk to Sam. When he asked, I told him Sam was out sick." Which is why they had been so busy, the waitresses had to pull their own drinks and cover the bar as well.

Gran made a rude noise and said, "Out sick my rear end! It's no wonder with all the drinking he does and late nights he pulls…..I swear he's almost as bad as Jason!"

"Well at least Sam can hold a job…" Sookie tried to defend her boss. She really liked Sam except when he hit on her. He was harder to read than everyone else so she only picked up things when he would 'accidently' bump into her.

"Only 'cause he owns the bar. You girls are the ones that do all the work." Gran huffed again. "Did you get why he needed to speak to Sam?"

"Not really, something about vampire business. Bobby Burnham, that's the jerks name, only knew he was to deliver a letter for the owner of the bar, not what it pertained to. He gave me the letter and asked me to give it to Sam. Well, more like demanded as he left after paying his bill to the penny and leaving no tip. Unless you count what he wrote on the envelope a tip." Sookie pulled out said envelope and showed it to Gran.

Gran took the offensive item and read what he wrote in cramped, messy writing. "You should work smarter not harder." This was followed by a phone number.

When Gran looked at Sookie, she could see that her ears were red in embarrassment. "He thought I would be better at taking other kinds of orders." She mumbled.

Gran sat for a while and thought as Sookie finished her food and cleaned her dishes. Finally Gran looked at Sookie with a wicked gleam in her eyes and said, "I think you should take his advice."

Sookie froze mid-step in shocked silence. Just as she finally regained her ability to speak Gran said, "Come sit down child. I have an idea that just might get us out of this financial hole we've found ourselves in as well as teach more than a few people a lesson in underestimating us Stackhouse women."

Two days later, armed with the envelope, a stack of papers Gran had wheedled out of Sid Mat Lancaster (her lawyer), some researched knowledge from the single computer at the Bon Temp library and as much silver jewelry they could both wear without looking tacky, Sookie and Gran piled in Sookie's old beat up car and headed for Shreveport shortly before dusk.

"Gran I'm not sure if this was a good idea after all" Sookie said as they pulled into the empty lot of Shreveport's newest attraction. 'Fangtasia' was Shreveport's premier vampire bar according to the ad's they had found on the place. Sookie chuckled to herself when she saw that particular line. It was Shreveport's ONLY vampire bar. They parked around back because they figured that's where the owner or other employees are likely to park. As they waited for the sun to fully set Gran said, "Nonsense. I'm sure that this Mr. Northman would be interested in what we have to say, especially about his employee's lack of professionalism." During their impromptu research session earlier that afternoon at the library, they had found a website with information on the new club. It included things such as the owners name, business hours and even a dress code. Gran told Sookie she was sure that if they could catch the owner as he made his way into work they could convince him to give them a moment or two. "Besides," Gran had said, "who would expect an old woman like me to come to a bar for any reason other than business?" Not to mention they were both still dressed in the clothes they wore to church earlier that morning. Sookie was wearing her favorite white sundress with red flowers on it and a white cardigan draped around her shoulders while Gran had opted for cream dress slacks and a light pink button down shirt with a matching jacket. In Sookie's opinion she had 'Don't mess with me, I mean business,' written all over her as she opened her car door to get out just as a cherry red corvette pulled into the space next to theirs.

Sookie scrambled to get out of the car to stand with her as Gran began her speech. "Excuse me, sir. Are you by any chance the proprietor of this establishment? Or perhaps maybe know where we might find him?"

"I am the owner, Eric Northman," he said with an eyebrow just slightly raised. Sookie's palms immediately began to get moist. God was he gorgeous. Then as if he could hear her thoughts he turned that sexy eyebrow onto her and added a slight smirk. "How may I help you ladies tonight?"

Gran, noticing the flirt, said "I believe that WE can help you, sir. Is there a place where we could bend your ear for a few minutes?"

He thought it couldn't possibly be any more boring than usual, and after a few moments, said, "You have ten minutes." And with that he led them through the employee entrance and down the short hallway to his office. As he opened the door, he directed them to the two uncomfortable seats in front of his desk. He then went around and took his own seat behind the desk and stretched out his long legs. After a few moments to allow the ladies to get settled he motioned for them to begin.

Gran spoke first considering Sookie was all but drooling at the handsome vampire. "My name is Adele Stackhouse and this is my granddaughter Sookie. We have come with a business proposition for you. But before we get to that do you employ someone by the name of Bobby Burnham?"

Eric's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Yes, he is my day man or what you might call my personal assistant. He runs errands for me. What did he do?"

Gran pulled out the envelope. "You sent him on an errand a few days ago to Bon Temps, correct? Where he was supposed to deliver this envelope to the owner of Merlotte's Bar and Grill, yes?"

Eric growled slightly under his breath. When he got his hands on him, Bobby was in a world full of hurt. That letter was supposed to be private. Not read by a couple of bored housewives.

Gran continued as if she hadn't heard the growl, "Well, if this is the case he failed his task. He was quite rude to my granddaughter as she waited on him and…"

Eric rudely interrupted as he leaned menacingly forward in his chair, "He stayed for LUNCH!"

Gran looked just as menacing when she scowled at him and said, "Don't interrupt, young man, its rude!" Eric looked like he'd just been slapped. Did he really just get reprimanded by this human? Gran continued, "As I was saying, Mr. Burnham made some very rude comments to Sookie and then demanded she give this letter to her boss since he couldn't be bothered to wait for his return." Gran gracefully neglected to mention Sam being 'out sick' that day. "He also wrote this on the envelope for what we can only assume was supposed to be her 'tip' since he left nothing over the check amount." Gran passed the envelope to Eric and the first thing he noticed was that it had not been opened. Then he noticed the writing and huffed out what sounded suspiciously like a snort. "He got that from my business partner and Childe, Pam. She is as lazy as the night is long, but she makes up for it in loyalty." Speaking of which, he could feel Pam getting closer. She'd be there soon.

"I know a thing or two about lazy children myself, however this is not what we came to discuss. Sookie learned a great deal about you from Mr. Burnham. Now before you get yourself all in a fluster, allow me to clarify." Eric had indeed looked as if he was about to kill something, that something being most likely Bobby. "Sookie has a special gift." At that admission, it was Sookie's turn to snort as she mumbled, "more like a curse" under her breath. Not knowing vampires keen senses, she was unaware that Eric heard her loud and clear. It caused her to shift uncomfortably when she saw him narrow his eyes at her.

Sookie had been quietly listening this entire time mainly to disguise her shock at realizing that she could not hear Mr. Northman. She had lowered her shields to get a take on how he was viewing the information but got nothing instead. She could tell he was there, in fact she could tell that another empty mind or 'void' had just shown up and she turned her head moments before Pam came bursting into the room, without knocking of course. "Eric some hideous excuse of a car is in my parking spot. I'm calling a towing service now to have it taken to the local trash heap." Pam stated reaching for the phone on the desk not seeming to notice the two women in the office.

Sookie's attention to Pam's arrival before she had entered the office had not gone unnoticed by Eric. He was suspicious and curious to learn what this 'gift' included. "That will not be necessary Pamela. The vehicle belongs to our guests. Once they leave you can move your car." Pam raised an eyebrow at the two Stackhouse's as if she just noticed their presence and said aiming her comment at Gran, "You're a little old to be in a vampire bar aren't you?"

Gran chuckled and said to Eric, just like two adults talking over a five year olds head, "You said she was lazy but failed to mention impertinent." Eric had to move fast to restrain his childe from injuring the sassy old broad and then chuckled, "Yes, well you might add rude and impatient to that list as well, Mrs. Stackhouse. Pam, I'm in the middle of a meeting, if you can control yourself you may stay and listen from the couch." Pam stared in disbelief at Eric and then pouted with her lower lip jutting out as she stomped over to the couch and sat with her arms crossed in defiance. Sookie giggle at the childish behavior, it reminded her of when Gran scolded Jason, and earned herself a glare and scowl from Pam.

"I apologize for the interruption Mrs. Stackhouse. Now what is this about a gift? And what does that have to do with me?" Eric asked as he reclosed and locked his office door and then took a position on the corner of his desk closest to Sookie. He had caught a brief hint of her sent and it was almost familiar and very enticing.

"Please call me Adele."

Eric's smile was genuine as he said "Alright, Adele. Please continue." It had been a while since he had had a cordial conversation with a human and he was enjoying the novelty.

"I think it would be best for Sookie to explain as it is her gift." Adele nudged Sookie with her elbow and gave her a smile of encouragement.

Sookie cleared her throat and glanced up into Eric's eyes and realized just how piercing they could be. It was as if he was looking directly into her Soul. "Um…I uh...c-ca-can read minds." She managed to stammer out.

Both of Eric's eyebrows rose at this information as he asked as calmly as possible, "Can you read my mind, Miss Stackhouse?"

"No, you're blissfully quiet, very peaceful. I can tell your there…it's kinda like when Jason turns off the cable box but leaves the T.V. on. I can tell it's on but it makes no noise. And please call me Sookie." She smiled shyly at Eric having no idea that her admission just saved her own life.

Eric stood and retook his seat, "Can you hear everyone's thoughts, Sookie?"

Sookie looked thoughtful for a moment. She had a feeling she was being tested. "Most people yes. Sometimes I get just static or clouded feelings, like from my boss Sam. Except when I touch someone…it amplifies things. For instance, your staff is arriving and Ginger is the only one thinking about work. Roxie is thinking about how she hopes Pam will feed from her again tonight and Belinda is worried that her ex-boyfriend has been following her. She noticed a car that looks like his across the street from her house and she thinks he followed her here tonight. She's afraid he may come in and cause a scene like he's done before and get her fired. She likes the job. She really likes the health benefits that come with it. Wow, y'all give your employees health insurance?" Just as Eric was about to send Pam to confirm things…Sookie announced, "Another vampire just showed up and he's headed this way." Just then someone knocked on the door.

Eric nodded at Pam and she zipped over to answer the door. Her earlier childish behavior being replaced with amazed curiosity. "What is it? Can't you see we are busy and you'll have to suck it up and open the bar yourself? Or is that too much responsibility for you to handle?" Pam huffed as she blocked the view of the office with her body.

A deep male voice answered curtly, "I wanted to inform the Sheriff that there is a human apparently watching the bar from his car. I was unsure of what course of action to take since we are attempting to maintain a benign facade with the humans." Eric spoke from inside the office not moving from his chair or ever raising his voice, he knew Long Shadow could hear him, "Call the local police and inform them that one of our waitresses is being stalked. Keep an eye on him until they arrive and don't allow him in."

"Yes, Sheriff," Long Shadow said as he left to do as told. Pam closed and relocked the door staring at Sookie, this time with her mouth hanging slightly open. As she retook her seat on the couch, Sookie said, "Yep that's him…and he's mad as a wet cat! He's planning exactly what Belinda fears except…."Sookie gasps in shock as she stares at Eric. "He's got a silver bomb and he's planning on coming in as soon as it's busy and setting it off as close to you as possible. Apparently a buddy of his was in here a few nights ago and saw Belinda and you walk back here to your office and when she came back out she was sporting bite marks. It pissed him off because he's insanely jealous of other guys and broke up with her because she started working here. He didn't believe her when she said it was for the insurance benefits." Sookie huffed, "Typical man, he thinks she took the job so she could have ….um…uh…" her face started to redden as she stuttered. Eric quirked another eyebrow at her again. He found it interesting that this apparently beautiful woman was shy talking about sex. She was far too old to still be a virgin in today's society. Wasn't she?

"Sex," Eric said making Sookie's face flush a deeper red as she nodded.

"Interesting," Eric leaned over and picked up the phone and said, "Inform the police when they arrive that he is armed with a bomb." As he hung up he told Pam to go check on Belinda and inform her of the situation. Of course Pam pouted that she wanted to stay, but immediately did as told with one look from Eric. As the door closed behind her they heard "Don't do anything cool until I return," causing Eric to roll his eyes.

As they waited for Pam to return, Adele took the opportunity to indulge her curiosity. "Mr. Northman if you don't mind I have personal question to ask of you while we wait."

Eric grinned and said, "Please call me Eric, Adele, and I'll answer depending on the question."

It was Gran's turn to smirk as she said, "Where were you April 12, 1861?"

Sookie groaned, "Geez Gran, is every conversation you have with vampire's gonna include this?"

Gran slightly smacked Sookie's leg, "You hush girl, I got a moment and I'm taking it." She turned her attention to Eric as she brought out a pen and some papers from her large shoulder bag. "Well?"

Eric chuckled, "That's very specific, is the date significant?"

"Yes", Gran stated but said nothing else.

"On that date I believe I was in the middle of a war…." Gran's eyes sparkled with delight as Eric finished, "…..in Indochina, or what is now called Vietnam." Gran's posture visibly fell with disappointment. Eric chuckled and said, "We didn't hear of, as Pam calls it 'the Great American Tantrum', until it was almost over. I do however know of a vampire that fought in that war while he was human." Gran's eyes relit with hope. "He is however, a terrible bore, a nuisance and has absolutely no sense of humor."

"Who has no humor?" Pam asked as she zipped back in the office with the vampire equivalent of a bowl of popcorn.

"Compton. Pam did you speak to Belinda, and what are you doing with that vile stuff?" Eric pointed to the bottle of True Blood in her hand that had what suspiciously looked like a Twizzler sticking out of the top.

"Yes, I left her with the police when they finally arrived and I heard that it doesn't taste as bad when you suck it threw this candy straw….I thought I'd try it. And why in the world are you talking about that boring ass William Compton?"

Sookie and Gran's eyes almost bugged out of their head when they heard his full name. Noticing this and ignoring his childe's inanity he said, "Do you know him?"

Sookie spoke since for the first time all day Gran seemed gob-smacked, "He's buried in the cemetery next to our house and his descendant lives in the house next door."

Eric decided to give this more thought later. "So ladies, as delightful as this conversation has been, what is this proposal you have for me?" Eric had an idea but waited for them to answer.

"Well, um Mr. Northman…."

Eric interrupted with, "Please enough with the formalities, call me Eric," as he leered slightly at Sookie.

Oblivious to the leer, she continued, "Well, Eric I was wondering if you would be willing to hire me. I could work in the bar while I listened to minds and give you warnings of threats, underage patrons, or anything else. I've been working at Merlotte's since I was 18 and I'm an excellent waitress…." She trailed off as a loud slurpy suction sound came from the couch.

Eric scowled at his prodigy. "Pam, could you be more annoying."

"Possibly but it would cost you."

"It already has," he murmured as he glowered at Pam.

"You know Eric this actually quite good," she stated ignoring him and smiling, the picture of contentment.

Eric refocused back on Sookie and Adele, "Well, I see that you ladies came prepared. Am I to assume that the stack of papers in your hand is a contract of some kind?"

Adele, finally coming out of her trance, said "Yes we went to our family lawyer and asked him for a general outside contractor employment contract." She pulled a thin file folder containing the contract out of the mass of papers and handed it over to Eric.

For the next two hours Sookie, Gran and Eric negotiated and haggled over the particulars in the contract while Pam flitted in and out checking on the bar and handling minor conflicts between the vampire patrons. She insisted on staying close so that she wouldn't miss anything.

Finally shortly after 11, they came to an agreement and Eric and Sookie both signed the contract. "I'll get my lawyer to finalize these and clean it up a bit and I'll have the final draft to you by tomorrow night. If you're not busy Sookie, we can meet then to discuss a working schedule and the particulars of your new job such as when you'll begin. Perhaps we could turn this into a business dinner with an option for desert." Eric nearly purred out the last sentence as Sookie began to turn slightly pink and Gran chuckled a bit. "Umm… Sure that sounds, uh fine?" She didn't mean for it to come out sounding like a question but she couldn't help how nervous he made her when he looked at her like that.

Eric chuckled as he began to walk the two women out while he placed a large hand on the small of Sookie's back. "Excellent. I truly enjoyed meeting you both….." he trailed off as Sookie froze just before reaching the back door. She turned with wide eyes and looked at Gran and said, "Jason's in the bar."

Gran blinked at Sookie, "What? No, he's at home, he has work in the morning and Sarah is with him."

Eric and Pam looked at each other then at the two women and watched as both began a heated and comical looking debate. Eric was interested in finding out whom this Jason was since he had heard the name a few times that evening and wondered what his relation to the Stackhouse's were.

Sookie was beginning to fume as she 'listened' to her brother while talking to Gran, "No Gran he's here and he's with Dawn. I don't know about Sarah 'cause he's not thinking of her." So that's how that works, Eric thought. Very interesting to know she only knew what someone was currently thinking about.

Gran huffed and said, "Well if that idiot wants to arrive at work hung-over and half drunk tomorrow he'll have to deal with Catfish. Meanwhile, I want to know where Sarah is!" And with that the three of them watched in wide eyed astonishment as Adele made her way into the bars main room drawing curious stares as she looked for her wayward grandson. Spotting him, she marched up to the seat at the bar he was sitting at and grabbed a fistful of ear and hair and pulled.

Jason yelped in shock and then pain as he was pulled out of the bar and into Eric's office for a butt-chewing of epic proportions. Eric, Sookie and Pam had led the way into the office and seated themselves on the couch in eager anticipation for the show to begin. Eric found himself suddenly holding a True Blood with a Twizzler in it as he noticed Pam had another one for herself and was gleefully slurping away.

"Where's Sarah?" Gran demanded the instant she was in the office with the door barely closed.

"Owwww! What? Gran geoff!" Jason slurred.

At that point Sookie shot out of her seat so fast Eric could have sworn she had used vampire speed. She slapped her brother so hard he literally spun once in a circle before he landed in a heap on the floor. This had Eric and Pam giggling like school children until they heard Sookie scream at the top of her lungs, "YOU LEFT HER ALONE AT HOME? JASON, SHE'S ONLY TWO!"

"Damn it Sook! What the hell you screamin fo! She's fine. I made sure she was asleep before I left. I'm not an idiot." Eric and Pam both lunged for Sookie to keep her from beating the living hell out of her moronic brother but neglected to think about Gran. That is until Jason started screaming bloody murder as his 75 year old grandmother grabbed the heaviest thing she could find off of Eric's desk and proceeded to beat the living tar out of him. Jason had indentions of a stapler all over him before Pam was able to pull her off of him. She didn't even mind when Gran swung to hit Jason in the head and got Pam's arm instead. But, it was like a glass of ice water for both women as they were suddenly silent.

Gran slumped down onto the couch as pale white as Eric and Pam. "Eric would you mind terribly if we impose on you a bit further this evening. Someone needs to drive Sookie to her brother's house to pick up Sarah and her things and take them back to our place. And I think I need someone to take me to the hospital." She was panting by the time she was done speaking.

There was a moment of absolute silence in the office before three things happened at once. Eric grabbed Adele and flung open the door barking out orders, Pam grabbed Sookie and sped off after Eric and Long Shadow and another vampire arrived in the office to detain the village idiot.

As Eric raced outside at top speed, he ran straight for Pam's car depositing Adele in the back seat gently just as Pam tossed in Sookie and they both were in their seat and out of the bar's parking lot in less than a minute. It took less than 10 minutes for Eric to get them to the nearest hospital. Within seconds he had Gran out of the car and in the Emergency Room placing her gently on a gurney still barking orders but this time to the hospital staff that looked as if they might shit themselves because of the angry vampire yelling in their faces.

Pam was a little more productive when she came in with two doctors hot on her tail. Sookie was just making it into the room when she saw Eric calmly walking toward her stating, "Pam will stay and see to the details….We need to get you to Bon Temp and get your niece."

As Eric ushered her back out to the car, Sookie began to tear up. "Is Gran ok? Was it her heart or a stroke? Oh God, what am I gonna do without her!" She wailed as she began to sob into her hands.

Eric felt completely useless. This he did not know how to handle. Crying women were his Kryptonite. "Sookie," he said gently taking her small hand into his much larger one and kissing it gently. "Please don't cry. The doctors are with your Gran and most importantly Pam is there to make sure she is kept alive."

"How?" Sookie sniffled trying to calm down and getting the hiccups in the process.

Eric continued to talk softly and calmly as he sped like a bullet down the highway, "Vampire blood has healing properties. If at any time your Gran seems to be in a life threatening condition, I have instructed Pam to give her blood." At Sookie's sudden panicked look Eric clarified, "She won't be turned Sookie. That process is much more involved. She will just be healed of any current issues. Her life won't be significantly extended because the amount will be small and Pam is still quite young and her blood is not as potent as those older than she."

As Sookie absorbed this information they reached the exit for Bon Temp and with a few directions they were pulling up Jason's drive in no time. They were just pulling into the drive when Sookie gasped out, "Hurry Eric. She's awake and terrified."

It felt like an eternity passed before Eric had the car stopped and Sookie was rushing for the front steps. It felt even longer for Eric as he watched Sookie fumble in her purse for the key and then she scratched the hell out of the lock before she finally managed to insert and turn the damn key. Eric thought it would have been so much easier just to kick it in, and said as much. But Sookie said it would just scare the baby more.

As Sookie slowly opened the door, Eric saw a small child staring up at them both, with wide blue eyes and a tear stained face. Sookie grabbed the little girl and pulled her into what looked like a bone crushing hug. They stood for a moment just being until Sookie gently rose and walked around to the sofa where they both sat.

After a half an hour of cooing soft reassurances to the child, she finally drifted off to sleep in Sookie's arms. "Eric," Sookie said in a whisper, "I'm going to take Sarah and grab a few things from her room, we'll be right back?" Eric nodded and watched, still standing at the door, as she set off to get what they needed. Ten minutes later they were outside at the car when Sookie said, "Wait, Eric we can't leave yet. We need her car seat. Check the garage, Tweedle Dumb usually takes it out before he goes anywhere." Eric nodded again as he wondered off to find the seat when it dawned on him the pure absurdity of his evening. From finding…no scratch that…having a Telepath literally hand herself over to him, to rushing old ladies to the hospital for medical care, to looking for an infant's car seat. He didn't even know they made special seats for them. He was lost in thought when Sookie came up behind him and startled him. Startled. Him. Eric fucking Northman, Bad Ass Vampire Sheriff of Area 5 in Louisiana just got startled by a small woman holding a child. Thank God Pam wasn't here to see this. He'd never live it down.

Sookie smiled softly and said, "Sorry it just dawned on me that you probably don't know what a car seat is let alone what one looks like. Here if you'll hold her for a moment I'll look for it and install it in the car, K?" He again felt struck dumb as she gently placed the child in his arms, and all he could think of was how long it had been since he'd held a child and realized the last child he had held like this was his own over a millennia before. He had no concept of how long he stood there until Sookie's soft touch led him over to the car. He set the child gently into the seat and watched as Sookie worked the complicated straps to lock her in position. It wasn't until he felt Sookie's thumb gently wiping his cheek that he realized he was crying. Again he found himself astonished when he noticed he must have been doing so for some time because there were blood stains on the child's clothing. Sookie guided him to the passenger door and took the keys gently from his hands, "I'll drive back," she said quietly.

Before she got too far Eric stopped her and looked deep into her eyes and said, "This didn't happen." Sookie looked back, blinked, and said gently, "Stop that, it's not the time for macho bullshit. Don't worry Eric, your secret is as safe with me as mine is with you." You could have knocked him over with a feather.

His glamour didn't work. How the hell did HIS glamour NOT work? In fact, he had questions about several things that had happened this night. Eric stared at Sookie from the passenger seat as she slowly drove back to the farmhouse. "We need to talk. I have questions." Eric stated rather bluntly.

Sookie raised an eyebrow of her own as she parked the car around the back of the farmhouse. "Alright, so do I. I'll trade you."

"Trade me what?"

"I'll trade you an answer for an answer," she said as she got out of the car. She met Eric on the other side as he unstrapped the still sleeping child and carried her limp form, up the stairs to the porch. As she opened the door and walked in Eric was stopped at the threshold. "Uh, Sookie…."

"Yeeeesssss….." she smirked coyly at him from inside the house. "Oh that's right! Vampires need invitations…." She smiled wickedly at him as she batted her lashes at him. "So if I invited you in can that invitation be revoked? Inquiring minds wanna know."

Eric blinked at this sudden but welcome change in Sookie's mood. He grinned widely at this glimpse of cheeky Sookie. He also noticed that she had taken the lead by asking the first question. If he wanted answers he was going to need to play along with this beguiling human. "Most humans don't think to ask that, but yes if you invite me in, that invitation can be rescinded. However, most vampires would insure that once invited, their invitation could not be withdrawn." He leaned on the door jamb still cradling the child as if she were made of spun glass.

"Good thing I'm not like most humans. And you are most definitely NOT like most vampires. Please come in Eric. Even though it's August, we should get her out of the night air."

As Eric followed her down a hall to a small bedroom he asked, "Why do you say that? You barely know me. What is it that makes you so sure you can trust me not to harm you?" Eric felt as if he was asking himself this question tonight more than her. Wait; was that really his first question?

Sookie just smiled as she quietly took the sleeping child from his arms and tucked her into the small bed. Eric made note that the room seemed to be already set up for the child. Hmm, that was curious. Yet, what really had him reeling, as she left the door open a crack and signaled Eric to follow her into the kitchen, was that he was truly curious and he felt himself actually caring about a human's welfare that he had not considered since he himself was human. As he sat at the table and she began to fix a snack she explained, "It's for a few reasons really. First, I can tell by all of your actions tonight, you have integrity and a well developed sense of justice. As a leader, you don't do anything without a reason and probably one that has been well thought out. You know better than most that there are consequences to ones actions. Being responsible for others makes some people keenly aware of this. Second, man or vampire the best way to judge someone's true character is to see them interact with children or animals. The way you reacted to Sarah tonight both before and after you met her left no question in my mind. Lastly, I just have a good feeling about you. I trust my instincts."

Eric was frozen in shock. He didn't think he'd been surprised so much by one human especially in such a short time frame in…well, ever. This would require more thought. He put it away in his mind to ruminate on later.

"Why would your brother need to fear dealing with an aquatic animal at work in the morning? I am not aware of any local fisheries." Wait, Fuck! Another asinine question? What the hell was this girl doing to him?

She giggled as she nibbled on something he didn't recognize as food and said, "Are you talking about 'Catfish'?" When he nodded dumbly she clarified, "Shirley Hennessey is the mindless monkey's boss on the road crew, but he prefers to go by the nick-name 'Catfish' for obvious reasons. The brainless wonder is on thin ice with him because of coming into work still drunk in the past."

Eric wondered just how long she would keep referring to her sibling in such colorful terms, but refused to use this as his next question. As he opened his mouth to ask another one, Sookie tsked at him and said, "Nope, it's my turn. Why did that other vampire tonight, refer to you as Sheriff?"

"I am unable to explain to you the majority of vampire politics; however I can say that my position in this Area of Louisiana is that of Sheriff. It puts me in charge of all vampires' in the north part of the state including Shreveport. This Area is known as Area 5." He couldn't say why he decided to divulge this information to her except, that as part of his retinue and a possible supernatural, she needed to be as informed as possible to keep herself and consequently him out of danger. The fact that he was beginning to like this girl was completely immaterial.

Again, as Eric opened his mouth to ask his next question, Sookie interrupted with, "As interesting and informative as this conversation is and yes, I do want to continue it; I need to make arrangements for someone to watch Sarah and I need to take a quick shower and freshen up before I go back to Shreveport to check on Gran. I also need to deal with the moronic minion."

Eric stopped himself just before he responded with another ludicrous question. "This is acceptable. May I state, you have many interesting monikers for your brother."

Sookie snorted, "Fishing for information without actually asking a question, is very cleaver and sneaky of you. I'll have to add it to your list of attributes. But, I'll be nice and tell you about the giant turd anyway." She was quite for a few moments as she cleaned her dishes. As she was hunting in an address book for a number she said, "Shit for brains has been a walking nuisance since the day he was born, at least to me, but for some unknown reason Mom and Dad always liked him best. They thought I was the trouble kid until I wizened up and shut up about what I was hearing. They thought I was creepy and after a while pushed me onto my Aunt, which didn't last long because of my equally retarded cousin Hadley. So I came to Gran when I was a little over five. We did very well just the two of us until I was about ten and my folks were killed in a flash flood. The nit wit, believe it or not is three years older than me, so he was just hitting max stupidity when he came to live with Gran and me. Aunt Linda wasn't an option anymore because her health was declining and Hadley was starting young in her pursuit for a Darwin award. Since then it's been one stupid thing after another. Thankfully, the instant he hit 18 he moved back into our folk's old house. He's selfish with a since of entitlement that can only come from our folks spoiling him like an only child until their deaths. He's a liar and a thief. And he could con an Eskimo into buying air-conditioning for an igloo. He gets by, barely, on his good looks and silver tongue. Besides being the designated village idiot, he's also the village man-whore. And just like Wooderson from 'Dazed and Confused', he loves high school girls so much so that he knocked one up about two years ago. We're not sure who she was, and when I mean we I included dumbass in this, but we know for sure Sarah's his because she's just like me."

Eric's head jerked in surprise at this revelation. Sookie continued with, "Whoever the mother was knew enough to leave Sarah, in a basket, newborn, on our porch really early one morning. She didn't even ring the bell. Thank God and all the Saints in heaven that Gran's a light sleeper and an early riser or else God only knows how long the baby would have been out there in the early morning air. There was a note stating the baby was his and that she knew we were good people and would take care of her proper. She also asked us not to look for her because her parents didn't know about the baby and if they did Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee would both be as good as dead. No name, no birth certificate and no clothes, Sarah, we named her after Gran's mamma, was wrapped in a blanket with an umbilical cord that hadn't fallen off yet. She couldn't have been more than a few days old if that but there is absolutely no record anywhere of her birth. We think the girl had her at home or somewhere alone and brought her straight to us. Gran forced the bungling buffoon into growing up a little bit and taking responsibility for his actions. And it was working for the most part, until tonight."

As Eric absorbed this massive amount of information, Sookie called a few people until she finally hit pay dirt. "Lala, I need you!" she pleaded into the handset of the antiquated phone.

"What's Mr. Brilliant gone an dones this time?" A deep and obviously male but slightly effeminate voice said from the receiver.

Sookie actually growled her answer which began to stir the monster trapped in Eric's pants, "He left her ASLEEP, ALONE, in the house while he went to a bar with Dawn in Shreveport! When Gran found out I had to admit her into the hospital after she overexerted herself beating the devil out of his sorry ass."

"Where are you now?"

"At the farmhouse with Sarah."

"I'll be there in 10." And with that he hung up.

Sookie looked at Eric. "Give me 10 minutes to clean up and we can head back to Shreveport. Lafayette is a friend and a bit odd. So if I'm not out when he gets here, please don't kill him when he comes in like a whirlwind. He has a key, a loud mouth and NO filter." She immediately turned and hightailed it up the stairs to just come back down less than a minute later with an armful of clothes and ran through a door in the hall he concluded was the bathroom after he heard water running.

Eric sat at the kitchen table, ruminating about what he'd just learned about Sookie and her family. Her aroma had been haunting him since he first got a hint of it earlier that evening in his office. It was equal parts familiar and alluring to him. He had noticed that Pam also found her scent appealing yet she didn't seem to be drawn to her like Eric was. He noted that her moronic brother also had an enthralling aspect about his odor but it did not pull at him the way his sister's did. What possibly troubled Eric the most however, was the child Sarah. After holding her for so long he could still detect her bouquet on him and though it was sweet it wasn't quite as captivating as Sookie's yet it too had a familiar pull at him. He felt protective of both females for an unknown reason. This concerned him in particular. The only creature he had ever felt this for was Pam and she was his, so of course he felt protective. These Stackhouse women however, had him entranced in a way only one kind of supernatural had the ability to do. How could that be though? He had taken a deep inhale of Adele as he had carried her into the hospital and she was most definitely human. Attractive in her own right, but fully human in fragrance. For Sookie's smell to be so potent the source had to have come from a grandparent. Now he just had to figure out which one. He had noticed some family photos in the hall way earlier so he went back for a closer inspection.

During his perusal, he identified Sookie, Adele and Sarah with a majority of the pictures without Jason. The few he did appear in he had a scowl upon his handsome face. There were two that caught his attention the most however and the difference between the two was so slight that you had to know what to look for or it was over looked. The first was a wedding photo of Adele and who he assumed was her husband. The second appeared to be a family photo with Adele, her husband and two young children he took for Sookie's father and Aunt. This was the photo that had caught his eye. The man standing next to Adele was not the same from the wedding picture. They looked almost identical, so much so he had suspicions that the family had never noticed, but the feet on the man in the second photo along with a certain look in his eyes were alarmingly different. That look he'd seen before. In the eyes of a successful hunter after a kill, it was triumph. He needed to speak to Adele about this. He was just tucking the two pictures into the inside of his jacket, minus their bulky frames of course, when the mysterious Lafayette made his dramatic début.

He came sauntering into the kitchen dressed in tight, almost Spandex looking, black pants, a leopard print shirt, and a purple rag tied tightly around his head and said "DAYYYYYUM! Aren't you the picture of sin? Yous wouldn't mind letting me take ya outs on a test run now would yous?" He was wriggling his brows in what should have been seductive, but looked more comical to Eric instead. Before he could drop fang and put this fool in his rightful place, he heard a cackle coming from the hallway.

"Back away slowly before I put a hurtin on you Lala…this one's mine." Eric wasn't sure whether to laugh at this small fireball of a woman threatening the rather large and intimidating black man or groan in pain as the strength of the zipper on his pants was being severely tested, when she claimed him. The pout that Lafayette sported was exactly the same pout Pam had earlier that evening. "Aww, Sook yous get all the good luck," Lafayette licked his lip as he leered at Eric. It was then Eric dropped fang and leered back at him, "Are you sure you could handle me," he purred, as he slowly stood to his impressive 6'5" frame, which was about four inches higher than Laf, "Holy Shit! Sook did you know you had a vamp in yos house!"

"Yes I did, now back off before you get hurt," she chuckled as she slid up beside Eric wearing some worn jeans and a tank top that was severely testing the limits of his self control. "Now, I'll call when I get to the hospital and let you know if I'll be back before dawn or not. Either way you know the drill. And if somehow that colossal pain in my backside comes anywhere near this house…."

Lafayette smirked, though still a little un-nerved by Eric, "The shotguns in the front closet behind the coats…..yep I gots it. Now you go on 'n bring Gran back here in one piece and inform her she's on house arrest fo the next few days fo scarin us so bad."

"HA! Yeah, good luck enforcing that!" Sookie knew it was highly unlikely that anyone could get Gran to slow down. As she led Eric out the back door towards Pam's car, he zipped in front of her and took the keys. "I'll drive. It'll be dawn before we arrive if you drove," he quipped. Since it was just half past 1am, she very much doubted it but the night was beginning to take its toll. "Fine, just use the headlights this time please."

As they headed back toward Shreveport, they were both so quietly absorbed in their own thoughts that when the haunting whistled tune began to float through the speakers, she felt goosebumps rise on the back of her neck. She hadn't even realized the radio had been on the whole time. In fact the sound was so low that the lyrics were hard to pick out. She could make out the chorus, and that lingering tune replicated almost perfectly by the electric guitars. But that whistling…., "I think that's an appropriate sentiment considering the eventful night we've all had. 'The winds of change' have certainly blown threw tonight," Eric stated as he flipped off the radio, interrupting Sookie's thoughts.

"How in the world can you and Pam hear that? I didn't even know it was on until just now. What do you guys have, like bat hearing or something? Oh! Ya'll don't actually turn into bats do you?" Sookie asked.

Eric smirked, "I believe since it was my turn, this entitles me to two answers from you next."

Sookie opened her mouth to protest, but thought she'd be best off to pick her battles with this one. And it was her mistake in the first place. She was mature enough to own up to that at least. "Alright, fair enough," she relented.

This did make Eric's eyebrow rise at the fact that she was conceding so easily. However, he chose to dismiss it for now, "Vampire's have exceptionally heightened hearing. In fact, all of our senses are more acute. And though some of us are blessed with 'something extra' from time to time, that whole myth about bats, was propagated by a suicidal 'shifter'."

When Sookie looked confusedly at him, he explained, "Apparently, he felt slighted because one of his chosen mates had been claimed by a vampire. So in an attempt to expose us in revenge before the world was ready, he changed into the form of a bat in front of the entire village while impersonating a vampire. Luckily the local vampires were able to contain the problem before the chaos spread as more than just a rumor. And that in the end just became yet another PR tool for my kind to manipulate to our advantage."

Sookie was gob-smacked, which would be why she blurted out the next question in her head before she could think better of it, "What's a shifter?"

"That's three." Eric stated easily as he continued, "I'm surprised you have to ask that considering you work for one."

"SAM!" Sookie was startled by this revelation as the pieces began to fall in place. His late nights, being 'out sick,' that now that she thought about it, was always the day after a full moon, her difficulty reading him, they were all giant red flags that had been smacking her in the face and she choose to ignore.

"Well not for much longer…..that lying ass!", Sookie huffed out.

Eric chuckled, "Shifter's by their very nature are duplicitous creatures however, it has been argued that vampires are sneaky and manipulative, again a necessity of nature, but then most Supernatural creatures are. Let's take your genealogy for an example." This was a gamble but he had to be sure.

Sookie's eyes bugged, "There's more? Well of course there's more. Why wouldn't there be. Next you know you'll be telling me that Tinker Bell is real. Wait what do you mean MY family? We're all human…..well except for the curse…. OH MY GOD! YOU THINK I'M NOT HUMAN?" She was beginning to hyperventilate.

Even though they were very close to 'Fangtasia', Eric pulled over, and placed his large cool hands on either side of her face, "Calm down. I know this is a lot to absorb in such a small amount of time but you and I need to know what the other in you is. And since the only person in your family that smells completely human, that I've met, is your Grandmother, I believe she may have answers that she's not even aware she has. For the moment, we need to get to the club and deal with your brother, and then we need to get back to the hospital and speak with Adele. If my suspicions are confirmed we may need to add a few clauses to your contract for your own safety." He took a moment to stroke her cheek with his thumb before he let her go and pulled back into traffic to only pull into 'Fantasia's' still full lot, not five minutes later.

As they made their way out of the car and into the bar, Sookie looked at him sideways and said in almost a whisper, "You're very good at that. It's another thing to add to the list."

"And what would that be?"

She smirked, "Taking charge, and we're back to two."

He groaned at his slip-up and opened the door to his office. The sight before them, made them both gape open mouth and then burst out in un-suppressed laughter. Thalia, the second vampire Eric had called to watch over the troglodyte, was standing watch over Jason as he lay passed out on the couch, black and blue from head to toe, via the beating he took from Gran, trussed up like a Thanksgiving Day turkey and naked as the day he was born. Eric thought the apple in his mouth was a nice touch, and Sookie was just glad he was lying on his stomach. "Bring a pitcher of water." Thalia nodded and was back with it within moments.

"So, Ms. Stackhouse, shall we call for a progress report before we deal with the trash?"

"Yes, please Mr. Northman I'm anxious as to how Gran is."

Eric picked up the phone to dial Pam and put it on speaker, for Sookie's benefit, when Pam answered. "That's it Eric. I'm keeping her; I don't care what you say. I'll even trade my Louis Vuitton's for her." This was a first. Pam didn't mess around when it came to shoes.

"How is she, Pam?" Sookie asked concern etched in her voice.

"Perfect. How much do you want? I'm seriously considering adoption."

"NO PAM!" Eric said a little too forcefully, and made Sookie jump.

"But Eeeeeerrrrriiiiicccccc….." the whine was true Pam.

"We will discuss the matter when you both return. I'm sending Thalia to retrieve you," and he hung up glancing at Thalia. "Inform Long Shadow to close early, and make sure the place is empty before you bring them back here."

Thalia left with a nod of her head.

"Eric, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, yet, but I'm afraid my childe might have taken an unhealthy interest in your Gran. Adoption is code for turning."

Sookie stood up and started to pace as she said forcefully, "Well, that's just too DAMN BAD for Pam! Gran is MINE!" She had worked up to a good mad by the time Thalia arrived half an hour later with Pam and Gran arm in arm giggling like naughty children.

"Pam, you need to back the hell off of MY Gran! I don't care how much you like her Damn It All, you can't have her!"

Gran snickered, "I told you so," she sing-songed.

The pout was back and in force. "But Eric said I could when I found someone worthy. Did you know she makes her own clothes, Eric? She's truly gifted! Just look at this jacket! Its stain proof! Something about what she treats the fabric with before she sew's it. It could cut our dry cleaning bill in half!"

Eric was shaking his head in repressed laughter at his childe's ridiculousness. "How are you feeling Adele?"

"Oh, Pam gave me a drop or two of her blood and I'm right as rain. I feel almost 20 years younger. Now girl, don't get your tail feathers all in a ruffle, we were just pullin your leg a bit. Pam made the offer but I'm quite happy as I am, for now." Gran pulled Sookie into a tight embrace and kissed her head softly as she gazed at her trussed up grandson. "What do we do with him?"

Eric grabbed the pitcher of ice water and doused the inebriated redneck with it. Jason jerked and squirmed in his position on the couch, turning a wild eye on Sookie and Gran. He tried yelling but the apple in his mouth was making it almost impossible.

"Mr. Stackhouse," Eric began using the full force of his intimidating authority. "It is my understanding that you have been less than cooperative with your kin, despite numerous chances, making life for anyone associated with you hard and miserable. Were you a vampire, I could easily punish you by pulling out your teeth and tossing you in a silver lined box and loosing the keys for several years. This is the typical punishment for neglectful treatment of a child. Unfortunately for me, you are not a vampire. So I find myself in a quandary as to what to do. Perhaps you might have a suggestion?" Eric nodded to Thalia and she removed the gag, allowing Jason to attempt to defend his actions. "Well, I woulda called my family to watch Sarah but Sookie 'n Gran weren't home and the only other family we got was Uncle Bartlett but Gran done run him off for no good reason years ago and I don't know where to find 'im."

Eric noticed Sookie turn pale as Gran stated hotly, "After what he did to Sookie and your cousin Hadley, he's lucky I didn't take off his manhood with your granddaddies shotgun. And if you ever let that child molester anywhere near Sarah, that's exactly what I'll do to both of you!"

"Awwww, Gran! You know that was just a pack of lies Sookie was shovelin' to get attention. Just like all the other weird shit that comes out of her mouth! Mamma and Daddy both said as much. Why do you believe her over us?"

"Because your Mamma was a bigoted bitch and your Daddy was a fool and you lie more with one statement than your sister has her entire life! The only one alive who still believes your mendacity is you!" Sookie wasn't the only one who paid attention to that Word of the day Calendar.

Sookie was still visibly trembling, so in an uncharacteristic move, Eric scooped her up and set her on his lap as he parked himself in his large comfortable office chair. She immediately eased and rested her head on his shoulder. Eric glanced at the curious stares coming from the three women, "Mine." He wasn't sure why, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt this statement was true. "Now as too your punishment…"

"Punishment! If anything I should be rewarded for putting up with that weird little brat as long as I have! She's just as creepy as Sook….."

"ENOUGH! Eric roared, startling both Jason and Adele but interestingly not Sookie. She looked peaceful and happy cradled in his arms.

"I believe one does not truly learn the value of what he has until he no longer has it. Therefore, as punishment you will be taken to your home to pack ONE bag of clothing and nothing else. You will call your boss and quit and you will be taken to the airport where you will be given a one-way coach ticket to Alaska. Your house, vehicle, and any other worthy possessions will be sold and the profits put into a trust for your child to use upon her maturity, which I fear will come before yours. And to insure that you don't cause any future 'weird little brats' to be a burden to your family, Thalia will be taking you to be neutered before you leave."

Sookie was giggling into Eric's shoulder while Gran scowled first at Jason then at Eric, but she kept her mouth shut, for now. Pam and Thalia were both looking equal parts impressed, amused, and reverent, as Jason blanched, looking as if he might throw up whatever was in his stomach. Eric stood, still supporting Sookie as he loomed intimidating over Jason's cowering form, "Hear this. Sookie and Sarah are MINE! If your shadow ever darkens their doorway again, there will be no learning from that mistake! I WILL END YOU! You may keep up correspondence with Gran but by mail only! You shall never step foot in Louisiana again and you will NEVER speak another derogatory word toward your kin again! Do you understand?"

Sookie snorted, "He doesn't know what correspondence or derogatory mean."

Eric rolled his eyes at the buffoon, "Thalia will explain things as she makes sure he is gone before sunrise." With that statement, Thalia hauled his bare ass over her shoulder and headed to do as told when Eric stopped her with one last comment, "And Thalia, I want him to remember this night in its entirety, so no glamouring unless absolutely necessary."

"Yes, Sheriff," and she left.

Eric retook his seat with Sookie firmly in her equitable place.

"Now, Adele, I believe we have a little issue to work out concerning your grand-daughters."

The End…..maybe.