March 31 Meeting

“They will not like me being in here,” said the Barrister in his proper London accent. I took his hand and pulled him into the parlor.
“C’mon you,” I said. “Everyone else is excited you are here.”
“But, I thought you and I agreed that I would not attend meetings til July,” he said
“You aren’t attending a meeting, you are visiting with me while I work on the forum and making some lasagna,” I said. The Barrister’s bright green eyes looked at the sumptuously appointed room and he noticed the wicker coffin.
“Is that…” he asked.
“It is,” I said.
“Is there anyone in there?” he asked. I looked at the latches and saw they were undone. “Yeah.”
“Who is in there?” he asked.
“Most of the time it is Eric, but sometimes it is Bill or Pam,” I said. “They go to bed here when they are caught out.”
“Can I peek?” he asked.
“Close the shutters, they won’t wake,” I said.

The Barrister leaned over the coffin and closed the heavy shutters, making the room go dark and he carefully lifted the lid. In it lay Eric, covered in Minnie’s quilt.

“Are they really dead?”
“Yeah, they are really dead when they go their rest…not like mortal death, but they are pretty much out,” I said, standing beside him looking down at the sleeping sheriff.
“Does he know we are standing over him, looking at him?” he asked.
“He might, if he does, he doesn’t seem inclined to let us know,” I said. “Jessica would not wake up at all but we could wake Eric or Bill if we had to.”
“And they could move around?” he asked, a bit nervously.
“If they had to, but it would be a chore to have to move them around,” I said. “They are really sluggish.”
“I suppose so,” he said. Finally he shut the lid on the coffin and left the Viking to sleep his sleep.

“Sit down,” I said. “Fancy a cup of Earl Grey?”
“Sure,” he said, sitting down on the couch. He reached over and picked up the copy of NY-Lon Fanged and began to peruse it, curious about the Vampire world in Europe. I put on the kettle and fixed a cup with tea bag and got the sugar and cream and set it out. I went over to the computer and looked at the screen. 9 ½ weeks into the hiatus and we were really feeling it, that and the lack of news and the painful bits of teasing AB was doing to us. Damn him, the old hell devil. There had been a few seconds of video of the aforementioned Sheriff of Area Five perhaps being shot and then there was a scene of Sam having a gun held on him by an uncertain young man who didn’t know whether Sam should not move or get out of the car.

And there were speculations about who was going to die this year. Hey this was True Blood, and there are always definitely dead people in True Blood (you never counted the Vampires among them) and there will always be blood, the Tru kind and the real kind. Hello??? Vampires and Werewolves.

Speaking of werewolves, I had a brood over what Eric was suggesting, there would be someone new joining us. Of course it confused me somewhat, why would he invite The Mutt (aka Alcide) to be a counselor? Especially since he knew that a couple of his ladies had cast their eyes long enough at the amazing wolfboy to make the Viking long for his blood. Could it be Sam? That would be cool. I liked Sam, and I sort of wished he would take Sookie off Bill’s hands so he could concentrate fully on his spirit wives. Perhaps it was Calvin or Colonel Flood? Maybe someone else.

The kettle whistled and I went and poured the Barrister a cup of tea and added a dollop of cream and two sugars and brought it to him. He accepted it. He took my hand and pulled me down to sit next him. “Will Bill be able to tell I was here? I really have no desire to have an angry Vampire after me.”

“He will know you have been here, but Bill won’t do anything, I have already spoken to him about you,” I said. Eric enjoyed that little bit of tension between me and Bill.
“And what did Bill say?” he asked, rubbing my hand with his fingers.
“That you better be nice to me,” I said.
“I think I can arrange something like that, though I will be very jealous of him,” he said.
“Well, Bill will be called away for a while. What about me though, you are a Jessica boy,” I said, brushing away a lock of his dark hair from his lovely Anglo-Irish face.
“Very true,” he said.
“Of course you may have more worries from Sal, Dude and GS, they are Jessica boys too,” I said.
“That could be tricky,” he nodded, kissing my hand.

Scarlett walked in, said something by way of a greeting and went to get a cup of coffee. She walked back to where I was and that is when she noticed my friend. “Oh, hey, you must be the Barrister!”
“I am,” he said.
“Barrister, this is Scarlett,” I said by way of introduction. “She is my very dear friend and one of my partners in crime.”
“Wonderful to meet you at last,” he said. Soon they were chatting like old friends, smoking Eric’s expensive imported cigarettes. Renee came in and the scene replayed itself with introductions and greetings. A few others wondered in and out and they all met the Barrister. Finally we were alone again and I was almost finished with what I was working on.

“Well, love, I am going to take off,” he said. “I will call you.”
“You better,” is said. Barrister planted a warm kiss on my mouth and left.

Later, as the members began to file in for supper, I cut up the lasagna and the bread and Raki poured the wine. Everyone was discussing the new posters, now proudly displayed in frames. One was a coffee pot with what appeared to blood with the legend “There’s nothing like a good cup of Joe” and one with a bright red background with the letters VILF in white. If you don’t know what that is, ask Renee, she will tell you.

As I was loading the dishwasher with Butter and Minnie, Eric decided it was time to crawl out of bed. With the sweep of his right hand, he opened the coffin and stood up to his impressive height and stepped out of the coffin, letting the lid drop carefully closed. Fairy was up and warming him a Tru:Bood and he stopped a moment to kiss Butter and rub her belly. He stopped in front of me, my hands wet.

“What?” I asked.
The Viking looked at me. “Did you peek at me today? I certainly sensed your voice as I rested.”
“Take it easy big fellah, I had my friend in the parlor and he was curious about the coffin so I let him look in on you,” I said.
“I was hoping you were perhaps checking on me,” he said, smiling that lopsided grin.
“Well, if I check on you Eric, I will be sure to have something pointy, heavy and medieval in my hand,” I said, with the ghost of a grin on my face. A smirk, really. Fairy came up to the Viking and he took the bottle and favored Fairy with a long soul kiss. Renee brought me a wine glass and I mouthed “get a room” and rolled my eyes at the Viking. When he sealed his kiss he licked his lips and looked at me.

“So you had your friend in here today,” he said. “Bill will not be pleased.”
“If you keep aggravating him, he will not be pleased,” I said. “But if you leave Bill alone, he will get over it.”
“Point taken. I will leave Bill alone, then,” said the Vampire.

About that time, Bill and Jessica came in. He kissed Renee and asked after Chris and then hugged and kissed Vi and shook hands with God Speed and pecked Jen on the cheek. Bill was a very friendly Vampire in his own way. Unless you have very close physical contact with him, you would not really know he was Vampire. Which is what Bill wanted. Acceptance was important to Bill, and all the Vampires at varying degrees. Jessica was chatting with Sal, who was a bit down in the dumps. GS gave the two a look, but let it go.

Vi was warming Bill a bottle of T:B and he came up to me and kissed me. “How are you today sweetheart?” he asked.
“Pretty good,” I said. “Getting anxious for the new adventures.”
“They will be here soon,” he said.
“My friend came to look at the parlor today,” I mentioned casually.
“Did he like the room?” he asked.
“He did, and he met most everyone,” I said.
“That is very good,” he said.
“I thought I should tell you before some other Vampire told you,” I said, looking over at Eric who was standing in front of the bright red poster. He was looking into Scarlett’s face as she explained to him what the letters meant and he broke out in his hearty laughter. Vi brought him his blood. God Speed came over and heated a bottle for Jessica and brought it to her. She accepted it and began sipping it, fighting not to make her disgusted face. Pam came in last, dressed in a black skirt and black and white horizontal stripe blouse and very high heels.

“Sorry I am so late,” she said. She looked at the poster and rolled her eyes and accepted the T:B Nicky brought her. “I hate that poster, really Eric, we should have Nan lodge a formal complaint.”
Eric sat down and looked at his child. “Why would she want to do that?” asked Eric.
“We are continually being objectified in the press, we are more than objects of sexual desire,” she said. “Besides, if a Vampire magazine had HILF in an advertisement, humans would come out of the woodwork to complain.”
I rolled my eyes at Bill and we went to join them, Bill sitting next to Renee and I sitting down next to him. Eric was laughing a little.
“You really should look at things with more of a sense of humor,” said Eric. “Besides, the other poster pretty much objectifies the humans.”

“But you have a peculiar sense of humor,” said Pam. “At any rate, what do you think of the search for the witch?” asked Pam.
“The search for Holly is pretty important. It suggests the continuing adventures,” I said. “It also means the witches are coming into place.”
“Apparently,” said Eric, looking a little less than happy. But only a fraction. No one really knew how that was going to play out and what it would mean.
“Eric, did you ever discover the identity of Lafayette’s V connection in Dallas?” I asked.
“No, I have not, and I do not know if I discover it this summer as well,” said Eric. “I would apply more pressure on the go-go dancer if I could do so without disturbing Sookie, but as it is, I must play this carefully.” He looked at Bill who tensed up with Eric’s words. I put my hand on his arm and he relaxed only a fraction.
“I think we will find it out,” said Fairy. “I have definite ideas of who it might be.”
“Who do you think it might be dearest?” asked Eric.
“I think it is Steve Newlin,” she said.

“That damned preacher,” said Eric. “It is only for Godric that he is alive, for I would have drained that man of every drop had it not been for my maker.”
“Hypocrites,” I said. “I hate people who use religion to prop up prejudice. Like that strange little man who protests military funerals and says that God killed them because America is Godless.”
“Yes, the one named Phelps,” said Pam. “The American Vampire League has a file on him.”
“You wait, he will get to you guys,” said Westexan. “He hates anyone who is not like him.”

“Is the American Vampire League going to be more active this year?” asked Linzy.
“Yeah, I joined a week or so ago,” said Lina. “I got my tee shirt today.”
“Very good dearest,” said Eric, winking at her.
“And Sam, he is going to have some real trouble,” said Dude. “Is that his brother?”
“We haven’t mentioned the little flicker of the future for our lead counselor,” mentioned God Speed.
“So, tell us,” said Bill. “What do you think and what do you know and what do you think you know.”

We began to talk at once and it sounded like a storm brewing. Brewing and about burst June 13.