Wednesday Feb 17

Wednesday February 17

It was three hours before sundown and I was sitting in the parlor curled up on one of the chairs by the fire. God Speed was at the computer working on the forum and Scarlett Harlot was reading the Bon Temps Herald. A Vampire was asleep on the couch. God Speed found him at his day time rest this morning when he came in. I covered him with a throw.

“Why cover him up? He doesn’t know he is being covered up,” said God Speed looking at Eric lying there on his back, his eyes closed and still.
“It makes me feel better to think he is just having a nap and not….” I said.
“Dead?” he finished.
“Yeah,” I answered. “But confess God Speed, if your Jessica was here you would throw a blanket over her.”
“I would,” he agreed. About that time, Val came in.

“OOooooo a Vampire!!” she said. She lifted the corner of the throw and frowned. “Dang, he has clothes on.”
“Leave him alone,” I said, swatting at her.
“Why is he sleeping here? Why isn’t he home?” she asked.
“I have no idea,” I said.
“What are you guys doing?” said Val.
“I am working on some stuff for the forum,” said GS
“And I am doing some research,” I said.
“And I am hiding out from work,” said Scarlett.
“Think he would mind if I made a pot of coffee?” asked Val.
“I don’t think he would mind if water buffaloes tap danced on the coffee table beside him,” I said. “I dropped my tea kettle a little while ago and he didn’t even flinch.”

Val set the coffee to perking and she ambled over to read the paper over Scarlett’s shoulder. “Where did you get the paper?”
“It was on the coffee table,” she said. “Eric must have brought it in.”
“Anything interesting?” she asked. Scarlett nodded.
“There was an article about a gang moving into Bon Temps,” she said. “Recon they are the Weres we have been hearing about?”
“Could be,” she said.

About that time Jen came in and flopped down on the couch. She must have just come in from a shift at the hospital. She looked over at the man asleep on the couch. “What is he doing here? Why isn’t he sleeping at home?” she asked.
“No idea,” said Val. “God Speed found him there.”
Lina came bustling in with grocery bags. “Why is it dark in here? Open up these shutters!”
“NO!!!” was the resounding chorus. “We have a guest sleeping here,” said Jen nodding her head at the sleeping Sheriff.
“Why is he here?” she asked. “Is he hurt? Is he wounded?”
“Not that I could tell,” said God Speed. “He’s just asleep.”
“Good,” she said. “Well, I thought I would make something for the meeting, some goulash.”
“Sounds good,” I said. I closed the book and gathered up all my note cards for the mythology essay I was working on and grabbed the small pile of books and began to replace them in the shelves. I put the cards on the computer table to be typed up later.

Folks came in and out of the meeting room all day. Some for a cup of coffee, some for a bit of conversation, some came just to look at the Sheriff sleeping on the couch. It was 15 ½ weeks til the new adventures and we were getting more and more antsy. Each person who came in was startled initially by the Sheriff’s sleeping presence in the room, but he was soon forgotten or at the very least left alone. It was hard to pry Fairy from the Big Viking when she noticed him and I noticed that she checked on him as if he were a baby.

“Checking to see if he is breathing?” asked God Speed.
“That is not funny God Speed,” said Fairy, miffed. “He can’t help it if he doesn’t breathe.”
“It is a little funny,” said GS. Fairy frowned at him.

Soon we were gathered around the table and the bar and scattered around on the chairs and couches except for one. (Really, they should keep a coffin here if they plan to sleep over from time to time.) The food was good and there was very little discussion except for grunting requests for condiments or another glass of wine. I looked at the clock. It was nearly sundown and that is when the Sheriff of Area Five decided to raise up and stretch.

“Well, look who’s up, it’s Sleeping Beauty,” I said sarcastically to Eric. He smiled at me.
“Good evening Aslinn,” he said, ignoring my barb.
“Peckish?” I asked.
“I could sup a little dinner,” he said. Fairy appeared as if by magik with a bottle of warm True Blood for the Sheriff. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down and kissed her on the mouth.

“Ozzie and Harriet,” said God Speed grinning.
“Whatever,” I said. “What are you doing so far from home?”
“I was doing a bit of reconnaissance work and got caught out. I figured I was safe in your keeping,” he said.
“Well, you were safe from being staked or exposed to sunlight, but your dignity was in danger of being violated,” said Renee.
“How do you mean?” asked Eric. Damn him, he knew what she means, the Vampire just wanted his ego stroked.
“Well, let’s just say there were a lot of ladies here who were disappointed that you sleep fully clothed,” said Linzy, one of the disgruntled peepers.
“I shall have to remedy that,” said Eric, leering at Linzy. I rolled my eyes.
“Oh no you won’t!!!” said Renee. “You may be heap big Vampire Boss man out there, but we have a young girl in our group and it would not do for her to come in here with innocent intentions of doing her homework or fixing a cup of tea and find you all laid out like a Christmas turkey without the dressing.”
“Oh mother,” said the Kid. “Really.”
“Your mother is correct dearest,” he said. “But our time will come.”

Before Renee could leave and get that all important ash stake, Pam slowed down just in time for us to see her close the door of the room. “Eric, really, you should have left a voice message telling me where you are if you are sleeping away from home.”
“I couldn’t help it Pam, I was caught out and this was the safest place for me,” he said. He looked over at GS and me. “You were here the whole time, defend me.”
I stood up to put my plate and Renee’s plate in the kitchen. “Yeah, whatever,” I said.

“Yeah, yeah, he was safe,” said GS.
“True Blood, Pam?” I asked.
“Thank you Aslinn,” she said.
“Any particular flavor?” I asked.
“O neg, please,” she said.

The next to come in were Bill Compton and Jessica Hamby. In tow was Sal, holding the young Vampire’s hand. She came in and leaned over and kissed God Speed’s cheek. I had decided to heat a second bottle of O neg and brought it with me. I gave Pam her drink and brought Bill’s bottle.
“Thank you Sweet heart,” he said, kissing my cheek.
“Did you and Violet have a good Valentine’s Day?” I asked.
“It was lovely, we enjoyed everything,” he said.
“That’s what she said,” I said winking at him. He went over and sat down next to Renee, whom he kissed on the lips. She smiled at our “husband”. It was all a very cozy relationship.

Val came over and got the throw from the floor where the sheriff had tossed it and folded it up and laid across the end of the couch and sat down next to him. He was bracketed by both she and Fairy. Westexan, Butter, Jen and Scarlett Harlot and anyone else in attendance sat down and got ready for the meeting to begin.

“What did you learn Sheriff? On your mission?” she asked.
“The Weres are here. They are all out of towners, but some are here for Bill’s bit of bother and some seem to be here for trouble with our saloon keeper, Sam Merlotte,” said Eric.
“How bad do you expect it to be?” asked Dude.
“Pretty bad,” said Eric. “Unfortunately, I will be gone for some part of the adventure, helping Sookie,” said the Sheriff. Bill looked uncomfortable.
“Sam will have to brave things out on his own for a while,” said Sal. “That and deal with some whiskey tango elements of his family.”
“The whiskey tango elements, as you call them, are of no concern of mine,” said Eric, using the military expression for white trash as if he said the words every day of his life. “But I do not like trouble in my area.”
“Particularly when you have so many other irons in the fire, with the queen and whatever you are up to with her,” said Bill.
“Are you picking a fight?” asked Eric. Surprisingly, Pam and I exchanged identical eye rolling expressions at the male Vampire posturing before us.
“At any rate,” I said, interrupting the gracious plenty waving going on in the room. “What do you think will have to be done?”
“The Pack Master will have to be brought in,” said Bill.
“Has he been found yet?” asked GS.
“Unknown,” said Bill. “We, the Vampires, cannot have a supernatural war in this town. We already dodged the bullet with Godric and with the Maenad.”
“It was not Godric’s fault,” said Eric.
“I don’t think he meant it like that,” said Val. Eric’s hackles smoothed for the moment.
“How organized are the shifters and the Were’s,” asked Jen
“Not as well organized as we are,” said Eric. “You all know something of the organization we have and this organization you know is just the tip of the iceberg.”
“I tell you who I really worry about and that is Arlene,” said Scarlett. “She was so anti-Vampire and she will become increasingly so.”
“I care less for the waitress except where it concerns mine and Bill’s mutual friend in Bon Temps,” said Eric. Bill stiffened at the mention of the other woman in his life.
“If you guys are going to hiss and spit all the time, you guys need to go outside and work it out,” said Westexan.
“Very well, I will behave myself,” said Eric, though he didn’t look very sincere.
“I concur,” said Bill, looking only a little more sincere.

I sighed. This was going to be a very long 15 ½ weeks.