Quo Veritas?

Tuesday August 24, 2010

Oh What Rash and Bloody deed is This? Hamlet act III scene IV

I waited impatiently in Fangtasia for the sun to go down. Ginger and another human waitress were cleaning up the bar, getting ready to open. They gave me side long looks and worried expressions but said very little. I sipped the wine in my glass, the expensive Bordeaux that Eric stocked for special human customers. I lit another Turkish cigarette, from the provider of the wine and smoked meditatively. I was on a mission. A mission for the truth.

I understood many things. I understood hatred, I understood revenge and God knows, as often as I have read and seen The Godfather, my personal I Ching, I certainly understood vendetta. I wanted answers. I knew the telepath was underneath me, in the basement, where he had held Lafayette and power shagged the disappointed Yvetta. The aforementioned dancer and temporary plaything of the Big Viking was clearing away her g strings and other paraphernalia…just how many g strings did this girl have? I stopped her.

“What do you want?” she asked in her heavily accented voice.
“Just a look in your boxes,” I said.
“Fuck you,” she said.
“If you steal from Vampires, especially this Vampire, you are dead, now, turn out what doesn’t belong to you and I will be happy to return it, without a word to the proprietor,” I said. She sullenly emptied pictures she had taken of various Vampires, a disc I suspected that would go for big bucks on the fangbanger black market….they could not get enough of watching Vampires screw…and a few things I knew came out of the bar. “Stupid woman.”
“What do you know about it?” she asked.
“I know enough that if I tell Eric you are filming him giving you one of his power shags, he will have you drunk dry faster than an Irishman over a pint of Guinness,” I answered her, piling the contraband on the bar. “Now get the hell out before I get mad at you.” She didn’t waste time. She was gone in moment.

Ginger, in a fit of admiration or just dumb loyalty to the Viking poured me another expensive 20 dollar glass of wine. I thanked her and lit another cigarette. I looked at my watch. It was nearly sundown.

Eric arrived about an hour after sundown. He saw me and chose to ignore me. He went in his office. Obviously he had never heard about me…my late husband often said that if I fell in the river, I was so stubborn I would float upstream. I sat there patiently. Finally he came out.

“Aslinn, as charming as you are, I haven’t the time to spare you,” he said.
“Well, make time for me Eric, and I will leave you be, at least til tomorrow night,” I said.
“Have you been downstairs?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “I know who you have down there.”
“So, you aren’t going to save her?” asked Eric.
“You know what Eric, I am confused…do you like Sookie or are you going to fuck her over?” I asked.
“Fuck her over…that is so elegant Aslinn,” said Eric, fingering the bits and pieces on the bar.
“Well, no one could accuse me of being elegant,” I said.
“Do you care?” said Eric.
“I do, but not because of you, and not really because of her,” I said.
“Bill? Because of Bill? I thought you and Renee and the other wives would be happy,” he said. “What is this stuff anyway?”
“I took it off the Estonian hell cat you jilted,” I said. “Do you know how much a sex tape with you is worth?”
“Worried about my reppy?” he asked.
“No, but I figured if anyone should make money from it, you should,” I said.
“Thank you,” he said, unconcerned. “So, let me have it, say what you came to say and then take off.”
“Okay, here is my beef, and you take it or leave it. What the fuck is the deal with Pam? Why be mean to her…why keep her in the dark?” I asked, looking the Vampire in the eyes.
“You care about Pam?” he asked.
“Hello? Yes, I love her, she is one of us, she loves you and you are treating her like an Estonian stripper,” I said. “Pretty shabby Eric.”
“The less she knows, the better she will be,” said Eric.
“That’s bull shit, didn’t you listen to her? She loves you, as much as you loved Godric,” I said. “You freed her from her miserable human life and you made her Vampire. Don’t you care anything for her?”
“Of course I care,” he said, looking away from me.
“Then show it, tell her what’s up.”
“Aslinn, I may meet the true death, be definitely dead, don’t you care about that?” he asked. He took the Tru:Blood Ginger had drawn from the tap and sipped it at first and then gulped it down.
“You told me to trust you, I trust that you are going to do whatever you can do to survive,” I said. “But shutting out Pam, this is not the way to do it. Nor is draining the telepath.”
“Aslinn, you don’t have it in you to hate so much that you would do anything to get revenge, you don’t have the stomach for it,” said Eric.
“You don’t know me very well,” I said. “There is a person but he has already met the true death.” I was using word he understood. I would not accept his ‘don’t words I don’t understand’ bull shit.“Are you ever going to be honest with Pam?”
“Like Bill is to Sookie?” he asked.
“Someday, perhaps sooner than I like, the truth will come out. I will not uphold Bill in anything, but that is different from what you are doing. This is Pam, your child, your blood, and this is all about the blood right?" I said tersely.
“Do not get in the way Aslinn,” he said.

I got up and grabbed my bag and made for the door. “You know, I thought I could talk to you, but you are too blind to see the truth…I should have followed my instincts and not trusted you. You treat your child this way, and I expect better from you but you have failed.”
I made my way to the door but Eric beat me to it. “Failed? I have failed?”
“Yeah, the one person who has your blood, who could help you, who could be better served by your honesty, who could help you make a plan and you don’t even have the honor to respect her with the truth of your plan,” I said.

He pulled me up to him, his fangs out.

"Tell the truth, and help Pam, whatever happens, well, it happens…” I said.
“And Sookie?” he said.
“Eric, doesn’t it ever occur to you that she would help you without the bull shit? If she knew that whatever plan you have for Russell would end with his death, she would help you with whatever it is?” I asked. “All of you, so fucking dishonest.”
Eric let go of me. I reached behind my back for the door knob. “Think it over Eric. If anything is real in this life, even in your life, honesty is the best policy.”
“Keep that in mind, Aslinn,” said Eric.
“Don’t worry about me. I know the truth, even the motives behind untruths, even if no one else does,” I said.
“Why do you say these things?” he asked.
“Because…I like you Eric….Why, I don’t know why, but I do, and I want you to do what is right,” I said.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The Day’s as Dark as the Night is Long- Acrobat- U2

Fairy was making homemade spaghetti sauce and I was sitting at the computer, working on the database for Bill. I could smell the basil and oregano and garlic and onions and peppers she had cooked to add to the sauce. I told no one about the visit I had with Eric. I was rough with him, I know, but he had to know what I was thinking. I could care less about Sookie. I didn’t want her to be hurt, but I thought of it only in terms of Bill. I did not want her physically hurt, because in so many ways she was us, but I did not care enough about her to spring her from Eric’s jail. She would have to get through whatever she had to experience.

I was concerned right now with Lafayette, for whom I had a real soft spot. I had traveled a rocky spiritual path myself. I went to one church after another, always being disappointed, no creed being complete in my mind until I found the Craft and rediscovered the age of miracles and embraced it as my own. For all life is magik, as Bill had said, and we all run on it…whether you call it a soul or energy or magik, it made little difference to me. And he would have a long journey and I wondered how far it would take him and whether or not he would understand the truth.
And truth I suspected was the theme of the discussion of the group tonight. Quo Veritas? What is truth? I did not know the truth…at least as how it pertained to Vampires. How it pertained to humans was another thing altogether and we had seen many truths.

I can’t tell you how disturbed I was to see to the cross burning in Bill’s yard as the two Vampires stood and watched it burn. How often had I gone under the train trestle in my hometown with the words “No N*ggers” spray painted on it and I hated it. Bigotry made me mad. Even the craziest members of my family, one who would find her way out of the nut house today would shiver at the sight of a swastika.

And for that I loved Eric Northman, the way I loved the freedom riders and Martin Luther King and Rob Roy and William Wallace and Bobby Sands and Gerry Adams and anyone who fought against those who would embrace bigotry and hate. Quo Veritas, indeed. Maybe I was like Sookie, half way to Vampire.

But , I also knew that the truth could hurt. Jason was hurting because he told Tara the truth. Bill would suffer because he had never told the truth except he loved Sookie, and after the lies, how could she trust him…I don’t think I would. Eric had never told the truth to a human, but that concerned me less than the truth he was concealing to his progeny. Jessica was telling the truth and she was doing her best to understand her nature versus what she had been. Lafayette? My brother in the Craft though he may not know it or realize it, what of him? Would he be brave enough to know the truth? Terry? What would he do? Does he understand Arlene’s hesitation? Does Jason really understand what he saw when the black cat, bone, skin, and blood revealed itself? Black magik, fairy magik, magik of the soul, would it save the ones who loved us and the ones we loved? That light that fills the world…God help me, the day was as dark as a Vampire’s dawn.

As we all gathered, one by one in the parlor, we ate the wonderful spaghetti and drank a lot of wine and chatted about what we had seen. Our adventure was almost done and we were on our way to another adventure. Raki checked the new Tru:Blood tap. She adjusted the temperature on what I could only call the speed heating feature. The tap would be ice cold but as it traveled the speed heater is was warmed to a toasty 98.6 degrees.

"Does it work Raki?" asked God Speed, looking at the tap.
"When we get a couple of Vampires in here, we will soon know," she said.
"Does foam like a Guinness?" I asked.
"A little," she said.

Bill and Jessica were the first to come in. I was stacking dishes in the dishwasher with Lina and Renee and he came over and kissed me on the cheek and kissed Renee. Raki grabbed a pint glass and drew Bill a half pint.
"Taste it Bill and tell me what you think?" she asked. The Vampire lifted the glass in a salute and tasted it. "Is it warm enough? Is there enough oxygen in the tank?"
"It tastes good," said Bill. He handed her the glass and Raki filled it up all the way. Jessica was in line and she watched Raki draw her a taste and she tasted it and handed it back for more.
"That is soooo much better than the bottled stuff," she said, taking the glass and sitting down at the bar to drink it. Scarlett came by and hugged her and grabbed the dish rag to wipe down the dining room table.
Pam come in next. Raki went through the same operation as before and she approved it. "I couldn't have a steady diet of it, but it works," Poor Pam. She looked like a Vampire with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Eric came in next and Raki gave him a pint. He sipped it and nodded, giving her a wink. "That is better," said the Sheriff.
"Did you all get the tap installed in Fangtasia?" asked Raki. They were both bar owners and they had that in common.
"Yes," he said. "We have had some new Vampires in asking for it so they will be happy we got it installed." Vampires were required to show themselves at Fangtasia ever so often so the humans will get to see them in their natural habitat. If Eric was displeased by having to put himself on display like a lion in a zoo, he never complained. I guess he wouldn't it was his pint of blood after all.

We all began to settle in for the meeting. There was so much to talk about. There was tension between Bill and Eric, but really, when wasn't there? Pam composed herself to begin the meeting. Again I could see the strain on her face.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"What was it like in Fairy?" asked the Fairy of our group.
"It was amazing. It is like our world but very different. It was amazing for me to be in the light as I talked to Claudine," said Bill.
"Did Vampires really nearly kill off the Fae?" asked Lina.
"That is what I have always heard," said Bill.
"I am not so sure that is the truth," I said. "The Fae have their own Vampiric fairies and they are constantly at war with one another and they don't breed well."
"Do you think Adele was raped?" asked Westexan.
"It could have happened. Rape is not beyond the scope of the Fae," I said. "See, we are all used to the fairy tales we see in Walt Disney. They really are not like that at all."
"Why are they so tasty to Vampires?" asked Body Guard.
"I have no idea, but I don't understand why we are so tasty to Vampires, either, except that Vampires crave what they no longer have," I said.
"Vampires have blood," observed Jen.
"They do, but they don't have the life that is in the blood," I said.

"So, Eric, what is your plan with Sookie?" asked Renee.
"I don't know yet, but she is valuable," said Eric.
"It was really unnecessary to chain her up," said Violet. "If you explained things to her, she would help you, it's in her nature to help people."
"She needs to be somewhere safe. She left the protection of her brother's house to come to Fangtasia. She is a lovely, stubborn, impulsive thing, like some of you," he said.

"Bill, we have to give you credit where credit is due. You certainly came to Jessica's aid when she woke to find that cross burning in the yard," said Barrister. "But after the work we put in on the house and to have spray paint on it burns my ass."
"It will come off," I said. I have some Kilz for spray paint," I said quietly. "I worry about Lafayette and Hey Soos, what is going on there?"

"It is very dangerous to dream walk with no guardian and under something as unstable as V," said Aolani.
"I thought Shamans use drugs to alter their senses to dream walk," said God Speed.
"They do, but as part of a whole ritual, with the safety of the Shaman. That is very reckless for them to do," said Aolani.
"Is that what I did?" asked Bill. "Lafayette and Hey Soos dream walked with V, and I was filled with Sookie's blood."
"It very well may have opened a door for you that would otherwise be locked against you because of your being Vampire. It may have been the reason Vampires sought to have Fae blood to begin with, so they could go into the other world and even be in the light," said Aolani. "Is that why you want Sookie Eric? To be able to go in the light? You understand that the light of the human world is far different than the light of the world of Fae." Eric said nothing but that silence seemed to suggest what was on his mind. Perhaps he was going to use it so he could hunt for Russell in the day? Perhaps entice him with the notion that the blood can make him able to go out in the day and scare the shit out of humans that just when they thought they were safe from Vampires in the day, who should pop up but the noonday devil.

"Jason is miserable, so so sad and it seems that for each time he tries to be good, he ends up getting his ass kicked," said Jen.
"And Tara too," said Sugar. "She turned to Franklin in her anger and he turned into a monster."
"I still don't trust Crystal," said Butter. "That girl is crazy."
"She is, and her loyalties are all over the place," said Sweet and Wild.
"So now Jason knows she is a panther," said Scarlett. "Wonder what he will say about that."
"I think he said it all, oh momma," I said. "That was a pretty slick way of handling Russell in the PR...But I think we need to hush that Reverend Newlin up. I hate people like that."
"He will get his, they always do," said Eric.

So much to think about, so little left....

Of Secrets and Lies and Propaganda

I sat back in the quiet of the parlor and lit a cigarette. I was reading some of the journals that had been written by Markingham, the half brother of the Magister, both now in their final death. I thought of the secret world which had operated unknown to us for centuries and still operated though they now lived among us.

The very sociopathic coming out of backward thinking Vampires with the on camera murder perpetrated by Russell Edgington had put our Vampires in a dangerous position. Their friendly face was compromised and I wondered seriously if they would be able to get it back. I rubbed my eyes and exhaled the smoke form the sweet turkish tobacco Eric kept the parlor stocked with and I thought about our own Vampires and what we know, which is a lot and what we don't know which is likely vast.

This void in our knowledge was the thing that made us angry and fearful and confused about the things we saw and the things we read and the things we believed about what was right and wrong. We shouldn't really judge them with the same yard stick as we do other humans. Their motives are different and their thought processes are cloudy and their allegiances are foggy. They have operated in a secret society for so long they know no other way. They are stealthy and cunning and manipulative because that is the way Vampires have been and still are for centuries.

I picked up the newspaper Eric had left behind. I wondered sometimes if he did it on purpose so we would either fall for the propaganda or perhaps he was saying "This is the reality my friends and lovers, this is our true face." I read the headlines of the USATonight Vampire version of USAToday. The headline was about Russell and his shenanigans and the official reaction of the AVL and the Vampire community. They were ranging from outrage to support and it scared me. Warning taken Eric.

But then I thought about them, this new minority. Were they really any different form any other cultural or ethnic minority group. No one wants to show their "white trash side" and I am sure that applies to the Vampires. Bill Compton tells Sookie lies because he does not want her to know the extent of the Vampire world without all the make up and Sunday go to meeting clothes because he knows that the Vampire World is ruthless and mean and it uses humans and other supernaturals to their own advantage. The Vampires see humans as food and assets to be had and won and used and thrown away. And this was the primary reason for Bill to return to Bon Temps, to acquire Sookie because she was one thing or another or both at the same time, a useful snack and plaything and tool for a spoiled petulant queen he owed fealty to and to charge the queen with any such crime, even as petty as lying to a Vampire's lover would be a death sentence. And the fact that he loves her does not negate the fact that what will be known will be a very painful betrayal indeed. The fact that certain truths were to be told reinforces the notion that honesty is sometimes the only policy and ignorance is never bliss.

Then I thought of the twisty double dealings among Vampires themselves, the politicking and the castle intrigues that sucked our Viking into an oscar, or at least an emmy winning performance as a devoted toady who would do whatever he had to do to get what he wanted and that was revenge. Everyone became a pawn: Talbot, Bill, Sookie...yes, Sookie. Eric used her to distract the king, to drive a wedge between Talbot and Russell because he would want to collect her as a part of his cortege. And perhaps his own, because he did call in Bill's maker to control him so he would not interfere with Sookie and Eric could be that much closer to "assetting" her himself. The fact Eric would really not allow anything to happen to her does not negate the fact Sookie was on her own and had to design her own escape and Bill's.

The weres were no different and their social existence is still a secret to the outside non-supernatural world and in the Connection's version of the world just as fraught with nuances and secrets and pledges of duty and honor which surpass the social code of human society. Sookie gets sucked in on more than one occasion to put her very special skills to work and she always gets clobbered in the end. Run Sookie, run far away, where there are no supernaturals, no Vampires, no werewolves, no shifters.

But it is getting harder and harder for them to live a separate shadow world apart and independent of the human world. They are out in the open. But how do you break the habits of a thousand years or more? Or just a couple of centuries? How do they trust that which was for them food and sexual objects to exploit? How do they avoid making emotional ties to humans and when they do, how they balance being Vampire with being a friend or lover or colleague, for they are all that on some level. And how do they trust? How do they declare independence from the old system of separate but edible and fuckable and become...human...without betraying what they are? I know that when Native Americans gave up and became assimilated into white society they were called Apples, red on the outside but white in the inside...you know the other titles for other races who bend to the notion that one race has a supremacy over another. None are pretty.

And can you ever really assimilate? I think Nan Flanagan proves that. She tells Eric that she lives solely on Tru:Blood but she doesn't. Hypocrisy at its most elegant and basic. She is still a Vampire, going against her own PR. How can we ask the same from Bill or Eric or Alcide or any of them? We can't not really. So we accept them. We accept the fates written for them in the stars, on the printed page, on the screen, and what happens in our own parlor.

What is left is what we feel for each other because we share in this world and we have adventures a plenty but really, as Bill said, "We are not of the same clay," and as Eric said, "You are cute but tasty, like cows," or like Pam said, "Vampires first," and expect only what they can give us, and they can only give us what is given them. We can love them, trust them with our own motives and we can have our adventures with them, but we have to keep in mind, what happens behind the closed doors and pulled curtains in a Vampire's house is private world and perhaps one where we are not supposed to comfortably fit.

I lit another cigarette and sat up and stretched. But really, what fun would it be if we did?

Wednesday August 18

Tuesday Evening

Pam was the last person I expected to see in the parlor when I went in, my arms loaded down with books and papers and note cards that made up the collection of things I was working on for the forum. I figured I was going to be able to get in a little computer time. It was a cool and cloudy evening and the rain was soft and intermittent. I was looking forward to it. But my quiet was not to be had.

Pam was sitting on the couch. The first thing I noticed about the Vampire is that her impeccable clothes were wrinkled and her hair, long, lovely and blond was hanging limply on her shoulders. She looked tired and very pale, which is really something to say about a Vampire. I sat my stuff in the computer chair and laid my big bag of crazy on top of it and went over to the couch.

“Pam honey, you alright?” I asked.

“Men are so stubborn,” she said.

“I could not agree with you more,” I said. “Any man in particular being bull headed?” I knew damned good and well it was Eric Northman, the Viking Vampire Sheriff of Area Five. Eric was a very single minded individual and he was known to be ruthless when pursuing whatever he had his sights on, whether it be a crown or a woman or an enemy. On the other hand, he could be tender too, and I suspect this was also affecting Pam.

“Don’t be coy Aslinn, you know who I am referring to,” she said, her voice always sharp and succinct and correct.

“Yeah,” I said. “I do. But no matter what, Vampire, Werewolf, Shifter, Witch, Fairy, all the men of any species are stubborn. It’s not a characteristic exclusive to Eric. They come complete with it when they get their testicles.” My bluntness made the Vampire laugh.

“Women are so much more reasonable,” said Pam. She sat up a little straighter and smoothed the skirt she was wearing in vain. It was wrinkled for the evening.

“Want a Tru:Blood?” I asked. “I was about to pour a glass of wine.”

“Sure,” she said.

I went to the fridge and got Pam a bottle of A- and I grabbed a glass and the bottle of burgundy already opened in the fridge and poured the glass. When the microwave went off, I reached in and got the bottle and gave it a shake and went back over to Pam. She accepted it without a word and took a sip.

“So, is the AVL and the Authority going to help Eric now?” I asked.

“Eric needs to help Eric now,” she said under her breath. “You know, I think that for the first time in a long time I am actually afraid for Eric.”

“I am too,” I said. “But I worry about everyone.”

“He never told me how his human family died,” said Pam. “Why didn’t he?”

“For exactly what he said to you. That is some pretty emotional stuff Pam, seeing you family ripped apart. Maybe he didn’t want to get emotional in front of you and appear weak in your eyes. He has a lot of love and respect for you. Those things are not always mutually exclusive,” I said. “I don’t know how that Vampire Maker/ Child thing is supposed to be, what the perimeters are, the rules and nuances are. But they seem pretty complex and I for one find it interesting.”

“So it was just to be ‘strong’,” she asked.

“Hey, Eric is a man, never forget that Pam, he has all those notions about what makes a man all tied up in what makes a Vampire. And the two, the expectations are really high. Thing is, I don’t know if it was such a good thing for you guys to come out of the closet. Now you will have every Tom, Dick and Jane looking for a Vampire to turn them…like it is some sort of fashion statement, like carrying those little mutts in their purse. Thing is, when fangs fall out of fashion and Vampires are just another social group, you can’t drop your Vampire self at the pound or give it away and be human again. Dead is dead.” I said.

“So how are you going to handle this next episode?” said Pam. “Eric is going to force Bill…”

“I have already accepted it. There is nothing to be done about it. Frankly, I don’t care. I don’t think our telepathic friend is good enough for either Vampire,” I sipped the wine and brushed back Pam’s hair. “You know, better than I do that Eric is very clever. He will figure this out.”

“Yes, he will,” said Pam.

“Do you guys love each other?” I asked. “You and Eric?”

“I do love Eric. He is my maker,” said Pam. “You love your father don’t you?”

“Of course…I want to strangle him sometimes, but I love him,” I said. “So you have never made a Vampire?”

“No,” she said. “I never was interested much in making a Vampire. Frankly, I just never wanted to be tied down to the training and care of a baby Vampire.”

“Jessica is coming along,” I said. “Thanks to you.”

“If she survives to see her fifth birthday she will be the toughest little Vampire around,” said Pam. “I imagine there are a lot of young Vampires now, not under the control of their masters, slipping the tradition of staying with the Maker a while to learn how to do all the things a Vampire must be able to do.”

“They don’t have much of a chance,” I said. “I haven’t noticed a flux of homeless, vagrant Vampires panhandling for Tru:Blood. I recon they die don’t they?”

“Die or are staked,” she said. “Or drained. Even baby Vamp blood is priceless on the V market.”

“Are you going to?” I asked.

“You volunteering Aslinn?” she asked.

“No, just a question,” I said. I have to admit that when Eric or Pam or Chow asked that question it was a little creepy. It reminded me just how controlled those Vampires are. “I met some human Vampires once.”

“I have met people like that, humans who pretend to be Vampires. They have very silly notions about what is Vampire,” said Pam.

“I am sure they do,” I said. “We should sit down some time and you can help me work on a comparison of human Vampires and true Vampires.”

“That would be lovely Aslinn,” she said. She tipped the bottle and finished it off. “I think Eric should install a tap here for Tru:Blood. It really is better than the bottled stuff.”

“Whatever you desire, Pam, it is your parlor too,” I said. I stood up and took the empty bottle and went to the kitchen and rinsed it and put in the recycler. I went to the computer desk and sorted my stuff and sat down and began to work and Pam sat back and began her ruminations again.

Wednesday

I was looking at the menu from Wong’s Chinese Carry Out. God Speed was giving the menu a dirty look. Chinese food was scary to God Speed, all those veggies and sauce didn’t appeal to him, but the menu said “You Ring, We Bring” so we were giving the kitchen a rest and ordering out.

“GS, you could call in a pizza or something,” I said.

“Oh, I will, don’t worry about me,” he said. “What are you getting?”

“I am getting something I think you would actually like GS, I am having sweet and sour pork with fried rice and eggroll,” I said, writing my order down on the note pad, under Renee who had chosen the General Tsoa’s chicken. “You know, you may even like something like Teriyaki Beef on skewers and some fried rice or lo mein noodles.” GS looked a little dubious. “Barrister sweety, what do you want from Wong’s.”

“MSG and peanut oil and a cup of salt and sucrose,” he said, grinning at me. I gave him an evil look and he leaned over me and looked at the menu and pointed to the beef and broccoli combination. “And add some wonton soup to that.” I wrote down his order and passed the menu and writing pad to Aolani and she and Body Guard looked at it and made their selections. It took a while for us to get our order together and for the delivery guys to bring in all the food. We ate and chatted, as we were wont to do and cleaned up our mess and got ready for the counselors to come. We had a lot to say. The adventure had not been uneventful.

Bill and Jessica came in first. Jessica was smiling and happy. She kissed Scarlett and God Speed and settled by the Kid for the meeting. Renee gave the young Vampire a look and she sighed and went to where Raki was standing at the microwave warming up Tru:Bloods. Violet was waiting for Bill’s bottle to pop out.

Alcide came in next. Eric was a big man, fair of hair and skin but we were quite accustomed to seeing him. Alcide was his polar opposite. The only thing they had in common was size. Alcide was dark of skin, hair and eye and he seemed bigger because of it. He sniffed the air, taking in the smells of Asian cooking.

“I don’t recon there is any of that for me to sample?” he said.

“I think there are several containers in the fridge,” said Jen. “Let’s see what you might like to taste.” She took the werewolf’s hand and led him into the kitchen where she showed him the collection of containers and their contents. GS was giving the were the hairy eyeball and I was sure that Eric would be doing the same since Jen had a date with the were.

Fairy came in a little late, a couple of pecan pies in her hands. Barrister, a new connoisseur of southern cuisine was up in a flash, hoping to be the first to sample the authentic pecan pies. Fairy rewarded him with the first slice and he dug in.

Pam was the next Vampire to come into the parlor. She looked better than she had on Tuesday and I was glad. These were stressful times coming up and I knew she wanted to show just as brave a face as Eric. I settled down with Bill and Barrister and Bill kissed my cheek and slid his arm around Renee. The next episode in our little adventure was going to be rough for we Bill girls, but we knew that things would have to work out this way and we were prepared for it.

Eric came in and gave Alcide the patent evil Eric glare and went to retrieve the warm bottle of Tru:Blood Aolani had warmed for him. He kissed her warmly and they went and sat down together on the couch where Lina was saving them a space. Fairy came over and kissed him on the cheek and sat down behind him on an ottoman. Pam began the meeting as she always does, by asking us what we thought about he adventure.

“So has Russell Edgington gone completely out of his skull?” asked Lina

“Will Jason find out the deal with Crystal?” asked Linzy.

“Will Bill tell us what Sookie is and will Claudine ever come out of Barbie’s Playhouse and be in the human world?” asked GS

Pam held up her manicured hands to settle the barrage of questions and we did calm down. There was so much going on, we could not wait to chat about it.

“Eric, will the Authority help you guys out now?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” said the Viking. “I would imagine I will be hearing from Miss Flanagan soon.”

“Are there Vampires who are really living just on Tru:Blood?” asked Body Guard. “Or are all of you getting little sips and nips.”

“The notion that there are Vampires living solely on Tru:Blood is pure AVL propaganda,” said Bill, his southern voice making me shiver a little. “As much as we would like to say Tru:Blood is our substitute to human blood, I don’t think I have ever met a Vampire who is existing on it alone.” Bill’s blue eyes flickered toward his child. He knew it was useless to try and put her on a diet of just Tru:Blood, but he hoped that the new T:B on tap would change things and it would not be such a struggle to get Jessica to drink the synthetic blood between her little sips and nips with her lovers.

“Russell pulled such a boner that night, what a disaster,” said God Speed. “Does he really want to rule the world? Overtake humans?”

Eric nodded. “He does, but like Hitler, like Stalin, like Napoleon, and Nero, his blind belief in his radical cause will blind him to his insanity and will be his undoing. He has shown the world there are Vampires who are backward thinking and a very dangerous.”

“Do you think there will be a lot of backlash?” asked Minnie. “Are you guys safe?”

“I don’t know,” said Bill. “I think there will be backlash and there will be trouble to come. This will fan the flames of hate for Vampires. Edgington may very well be pushing us back into the coffin.”

“Stan was the same way,” I said. “He thought the Great Revelation was the biggest mistake the Vampires ever made. I have to say…I agree with him.” There was uproar of dissent. “Wait, wait, Vampires were safe in the shadows of their myths. So long as humans believed these guys were just horror stories, they could hide in plain sight. They were governing themselves; there were no public deaths attributable to Vampires.” I picked up and copy of the Bon Temps Herald. “There are three deaths in New Orleans alone directly connected with Vampires. They say it right there in black and white. And not to mention there has been deaths among your own kind. And that never gets the same amount of press when a human commits a crime against a Vampire. So yes, I think that as much as I care about you guys, maybe you should have stayed in the coffin.”

“Franklin is dead,” said Renee. “And funny as he was sometimes, it is good he is gone.”

“Alcide, what will the weres do while this Vampire thing is going on?” asked GS. “Will you guys get involved, because you know Edgington will gather up the last of the renegade weres with his brand on them and recruit even more to do what he wants to do?”

“I don’t know what they will be doing,” said Alcide. “I know that the ordinary were and shifter communities have done their level best to stay out Vampire stuff for centuries. So long as the Vamps don’t bother us, we don’t bother them. But recently, since the revelation, there are more and more occasions where we have to deal with Vampire politics. And I don’t like it.”

“We don’t like having to deal with you either,” said Eric succinctly.

“Okay, okay, you don’t have to like each other but you have to play nice in here,” said Body Guard.

“Now Bill, what was it like in Faery for you?” asked Vi.

“It was incredible. It’s not like a place on the map, it is this world but from another…point of view…” said Bill.

“Did you like it there?” I asked.

“I did,” he said. “But, it would not be good for Vampires to be there. It is in our nature to chase down the fae and feed from them.”

“The last full blooded fairy I drank was in Germany,” said Eric. “He was divine.”

“I remember that,” said Pam. “Very yummy. Fairies are just too great a temptation for any of us.”

“Bill, had you ever drank a fairy?” asked Aolani.

“I have,” he said. “But til now I didn’t understand what I had. I just thought it was a particularly tasty type of blood. But now, I know I had a fairy.”

“How can you not know?” asked Lina.

“I had never been taught about the fae, presumably because Lorena did not know about it. That was why she was fascinated with Sookie when she bit her. I always heard about fairies of course, from other Vampires, but I thought it was mythology, like the maenad,” said Bill.

“How is it that you guys are like that about other supernatural creatures?” asked Butter.

“Well, you have to look at it from our perspective. We were once human. Weres and shifters are humans, and we have always known they exist and vice versa. Fairies to ill informed Vampires like Bill would be like stories of dragons and unicorns . They would be allegories, and symbols of something else,” said Pam. “If we had not come out of the coffin, would you have thought we existed?”

“No. probably not,” said Barrister. “Or the Witches. What the bloody hell is Lafayette getting himself into? Is this bloke for real?”

“I have no idea,” said Aolani. “Perhaps he has good intentions but he is not powerful enough to know if they are in danger. He could be inadvertently be leading Lafayette into a very dark world of powerful and dangerous magik.”

“Do you think he could be a shifter?” asked Minnie.

“He could,” said Aolani. “The tattoo is significant. But he is of Latin heritage; the jaguar is a very powerful symbol with many energies and influences.”

“I have some stuff for the mythology threads, I just haven’t been able to put it up yet,” I said.

“And finally Crystal. She has done a terrible thing,” said Body Guard.

“In what way?” asked Jessica.

“Well, we in the were and shifter community tend to look after our own, keep track of them and their children. If a child becomes abandoned or alone for some reason, we tend to care for them ourselves because no one can know we exist. Placing those children in the system, if they are what we suspect they are, is dangerous. Not only to them but the foster families they go to,” said Body Guard.

I sat there for moment. “We have one more thing to consider? Is Andy going to start using V?”

We all looked around at each other. That was something we would have to consider.

Tit for Tat

The night was sultry and the cicadas had finally stopped their alien buzzing drone. The streetlights made pools of light on the quiet black top street. He landed easily on his feet and walked silently like a cat. He jumped the chain link fence and landed on the dry yard and walked over to the small gazebo. He was so tall he was bent quite low under its shelter as he sat down gracefully in the Adirondack chair. He stretched out his long legs on the blanket box the residents of the house used as an ottoman. He put his head back and closed his eyes and waited for her to wake up.

Something woke me up, a faint feeling of anxiety. I slid out the warm circle of my lover’s arms and went to the window and saw someone sitting in my gazebo. I went to the bed and grabbed my robe and slid into it and padded down the stairs to the living room through the kitchen. I unlocked the back door.
The July heat had made the grass dry and it crunched under my bare feet. August would surely finish it off. The figure turned and I knew it as Eric. It frightened me to see the Vampire.

“Eric honey, are you okay?” I said cautiously.
“Come speak to me,” he said softly. I ducked down a little to avoid the wind chimes. Eric, a large Vampire, took up a large amount of space in the gazebo. I felt like the proverbial field mouse compared to him.
“How are they?” he asked.
“The sister wives? Some of them are…confused,” I said.
“I imagine they are,” he said. “Have you ever hated someone so intensely you felt like you could kill them without a thought?”
“Sure,” I said. “I hated this one man so much that when he died I was very happy.”
“What did you do?” he asked.
“I went to confession. My priest made me pray for him every day for a year. You know I still pray for him,” I said. “But he didn’t kill my family, so it really wasn’t the same.”
“You can’t imagine what it is like. One minute you are holding your baby sister, fighting with your father…”
“Shagging the goat herder,” I added.
“Yes, that too, and the next minute you see your mother dying, your little sister in a pool of blood, your father fighting beasts and everything you love but not quite appreciated is dead and you swear with their blood on your hands to get vengeance,” he said. He growled the last word and it startled me. He looked at me. “I am sorry Aslinn.”
“No, you are entitled to feel whatever you feel,” I said. That sounds ridiculous. It was like the old joke… where does the man eating lion sit? Any fucking where he pleases.
“What would you have done?” he asked.
“Well, as a Christian I am supposed to forgive. And I could do that for most things. But something like what happened to you? They could not dig a hole deep enough,” I said.

“And the other?” he asked.
“The seduction? Well it tells me you are dedicated. I wouldn’t want you as my enemy,” I said. “Your enemies come at you with smiles. You know the mafia calls it doing the business, when they whack someone. It’s an old euphemism for sex.”
“You like that movie don’t you,” he observed.
“Well, The Godfather is the I Ching,” I said. “So…you killed what amounts to the king’s family. How deep in the shit are you Eric?”
“Let’s just say I had better keep my mouth shut,” he said. I laughed.
“Did you do ….IT Eric?” I asked.
“Well, if you paid close attention to my body placement, my hips and torso were turned almost 180 degrees away from Talbot and while I am blessed in that way, I’m not that gifted,” he said quietly. “But it bothers me my wives would be so unobservant.”
“Well, your physical beauty is so distracting,” I said shrugging my shoulders. “Give them time.” I reached out and squeezed his huge hand.

“Are you my friend Aslinn?” asked Eric.
“I guess so. I am trying to be,” I said. “You were so good when Bill was away and we saw those things he had to do. You gave me a good ass kicking and pep talked me…I hope this does alright by way of one for you.”
“Think you and I will ever sleep in my bed Aslinn?” asked Eric, his lopsided grin was his true smile, not that grimace he was giving the king and Talbot.
“Oh gee Eric, I don’t have the strength for Bill and Barrister and you,” I said. I stood up and leaned down and kissed the Vampire briefly on the lips. “Good night Eric.”
“Good night Aslinn,” he said.

August 4

August 4, 2010
We were excited. The counselors would be back after being absent from our meetings. I woke at the Compton house to a note from Bill, saying thanks and he would see us all at the meeting. I was relieved and as I left his house with Violet that afternoon, I looked back at the stairs and the door at the top where I knew the Vampire was sleeping, his first day rest in his refurbished home.

There was still plenty to do, but I knew we could work on it over the hiatus. We were over the hump and we were now moving downhill toward the end of the adventure, but I knew that we were in for more excitement. Westexan was waiting for us to come out. We were going to go and have lunch at Merlotte’s as we made our way back to the parlor and set things up for the meeting tonight. Renee was fixing chicken fried steak and gravy and mashed potatoes and green beans. Minnie had a huge spice cake waiting for us I could not wait to sink my teeth into.

Merlotte’s was not crowded and we parked in the front and got out and went in. I wanted a Burger Lafayette and fries. Sam nodded to us in greeting and motioned for us to seat ourselves. He was drawing a couple of cold beers. Well, I wasn’t driving, so I decided to have a cold one. Arlene, a bit frazzled, came up.

“Hey Arlene,” I said. “Give me the Burger Lafayette, fries and a cold beer.”
“I’ll have the chicken strips and fries and a little garden salad, ranch dressing and sweet ice tea,” said West.
“I’ll have the…chili and a garden salad with ranch and some…corn bread on the side,” said Vi. “And I’ll have a cold beer too.”
“I’ll be back in a minute with your drinks,” she said, smiling a little weakly. I lit a cigarette and looked around the bar. Andy was at a booth, reading a newspaper; Hoyt was at a booth with his new GF who was talking at him as he eyeballed Tommy, bussing a table recently vacated by a lunching couple. Uh oh… that could not be good. Sam brought us our beers and West’s iced tea.

“Hey Sam, how’s Sookie?” I asked. I genuinely liked Sam. He was slender built, a little shorter than Bill with a ruddy, friendly complexion and strawberry blond hair with a little grey at the temples. He had an easy smile and a slow way of talking with just enough twang to make him what he was, a good old southern boy with southern good old boy manners. He was carrying a couple of beer bottles in one hand and an iced tea, the house wine of the south, in the other. He carefully set Westexan’s tea in front of her and my and Vi’s beers in front of us.
“Hey Aslinn, Vi, Westexan,” he said. “Well, according to Lafayette, Bill healed her, and she is going to get come home real soon, but they are still puzzled about that thing with her blood.” We nodded at him but said no more. We knew things that Sam didn’t need to know. “I was thinking that she has had a lot of Vampire blood. Do you think it could effect her blood type? “
“I would not be surprised, Sam,” I said. “How’s your brother?”
“He’ll be okay,” said Sam.
“Yeah, we all have whiskey tango elements in our families Sam,” I said.
“You all enjoy your lunches,” he said.

“Okay, so what do you think will come out of all this?” asked Westexan. “Do you think Tommy will be able to settle here in Bon Temps?”
“I have no idea,” said Violet. “Dog fighting….did you see the way poor Tommy looked when they shot that poor dog and then threw him on that pile?”
“Barbarous practice,” said Westexan.
“Like the gladiators in Rome,” I said. “But I liked how Sam threw down with Joe Lee and Melinda that was great. And did you see the way Tommy was looking at him? It was like he was thinking ‘I got a big brother’ you know?”
“I hope things work out for him,” said Westexan. “I wonder how Pam is?”
“I think she will be okay,” said Vi. “I was so surprised when Russell moved so fast to chain up the Magister.”
“Is that because he is so old?” asked West.
“I would say so,” I said. “That means they will have to be very careful with the king. Eric is still in danger. Now that he has Pam back and presumably safe, he will be focused on this thing with the past.”

We stopped our discussion when Arlene brought our food. We salted and peppered our food and dug in for a bit, getting a few good bites in and contemplated the next thing to come out.
“So what is the deal with Lafayette’s mom? Did she bust out?” asked West.
“She must have. This thing with Jesus must be serious. You would think Lafayette would be more wary about him,” said Vi.
“I don’t think Lafayette is falling in so soon into this thing with Jesus, but I think he will definitely have to think things over with his mom coming to him to warn him. Of course I don’t think he will consider his mother a reliable witness to anything, being who she is,” I said.
“I feel sorry for Lafayette,” said Vi. “He is so open to the world of mysticism, but he doesn’t trust anything.”
“I think he could be getting into this,” said West, swizzling a fry in a glob of ketchup. “He seems to reach into his soul and pull things out, like when they got Tara out and he recited that bit from the Bible and then prayed that Inuit prayer. Lafayette is listening, he just has to hear.”
“Hopefully, he will be listening carefully about Jesus,” I said.

We paid our checks and tipped Arlene and headed out to the parlor.

God Speed was sitting at the computer and Minnie and Renee and lo and behold Spookie Tooth, my mom, was in the parlor. A true devotee to our adventures but a technology illiterate and content to remain so, I had started her own thread so she could put down her responses on what she saw in the show and many of the members of the True Blood Anonymous group enjoyed her observations. She pestered me about attending a meeting and was pleased when I told her she was more than welcome.
Barrister, his left hand carefully wrapped in gauze was reading the latest offering of The American Vampire League’s magazine The Blood Bar: Vampire Legal Issues. I went over and sat my big bag of crazy, a large nylon bag from Eric’s Tru:Blood distributor, down on the large coffee table and I leaned over and kissed him. I then walked over to mom.

“Whatcha doing mom?” I asked.
“Just baking some biscuits for supper,” she said.
“Welcome to your first meeting,” I said.
“So when do the Vampires get here?” she asked. She was champing at the bit to see real Vampires, though she was one of those people who did not like being bitten. Still she was interested in Eric in a way that irritated me and I knew she was especially interested in meeting the Vampire Sheriff of Area Five.
“When the sun goes down. You know they can’t go out in the sunlight,” I said.
“Did you see Bill?” she asked.
“No, but he is there, he left us a note that he was home,” I said. I poured a glass of wine and looked at the hazy hot day outside…I was wondering when it would rain. I was just about ready for fall to come, but not yet, not til our adventure was done.

Supper was called when the biscuits came out and I prepared Barrister’s plate, cutting his steak for him and bringing it to him with a big glass of honey wine Raki had brought in. Renee was sitting next to Spooky Tooth and they were chatting away like old friends with Jen on the other side. God Speed sat next to her, chatting with Body Guard and Aolani across the table. Westexan, Scarlett, Bella and Vi were filling out the rest of table. Fairy sat one end and the other werewolf Alcide was sitting at the other. I liked that were, he had helped with Bill and he could not help but be ignorant of Bill when he and Tara kicked him out of his truck.

Lina and Linzy and Butter and Minnie were in the parlor with Sweet and Sugar. We took our time eating and drinking and when supper was done, we cleaned the kitchen and put the dishes to washing and Minnie brought out the cake while GS put the coffee on. It was while we were eating our dessert that Jessica came in, slowing down so we could see her. Scarlett got out five bottles of Tru:Blood and began heating them. She sat down by me.

“Mom, I want you to meet Jessica Hamby. Jessica, this is Spookie Tooth,” I said. Jessica snickered at the screen name and held out her cool hand. My mom took it and shook it, marveling at the cool hand in hers. Scarlett brought the red headed girl her blood and she took a drink of it.
“Wow, you really are a Vampire,” she exclaimed.
“Yes ma’am,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, I am really excited to meet one at last,” said Spookie Tooth. I patted her on the back and left her to chat with the young Vampire. Kellie came in, late, and greeted her mom and went over to speak to her fanged bff and make my mother’s acquaintance. She had some stuff for Eric on a disc. Kellie was Eric’s personal secretary of sorts. I didn’t know what she was doing but I understood it entailed long phone calls and a few late night meetings between the two I did not think Renee fully approved of.

Pam came in next. She was greeted with cheering and clapping and she stopped for a moment to acknowledge us and walked up to Scarlett and kissed her on the mouth and accepted the blood from her. She was introduced my mother by Scarlett. My mom was getting her fill of the fanged set this evening. But I know Eric was the one she really wanted to see.

She was rewarded when both Bill and Eric came into the parlor together. Vi ran up to Bill and hugged him. He held her to him for a long time as Eric made his way to the counter where mom and his child and Jessica and Scarlett were chatting.

“Hello there,” said the tall blond. My mother is not short for a woman, but she still looked up into the Vampire’s face. “I am Eric, and who are you, dearest?”
“I am Spookie Tooth, I’m Aslinn’s mom,” she said.
“Aslinn’s mother, excellent,” he said. “Welcome to our group.”
“Great to be here,” she said, breathlessly. “I can’t believe I am finally meeting you after all the things Aslinn has told me.”
“I hope she gave me a favorable endorsement,” said the Viking, pouring on the smarm, I mean charm.
“She did,” said mom.

While the Sheriff was charming the white cotton bloomers off my mother, (Eric, I better not find fang marks on my mom) I walked up to Bill. He took me in his arms and kissed me softly. “Do you like your house, Bill?”

“It is beautiful,” said the Vampire in his soft southern voice. “Thank you so much.”
“We all did it,” I said. “These six weeks have been long and rough for us without you.”

“Can we please get on with our meeting?” asked Pam. She always started the meetings. We all took our places in the circle. Eric presented my mom with a premium seat the Vampire seated himself by Butter and took the little monkey out her arms and cuddled him to his silent chest and gave him a cool finger to clutch and even put to his rose bud lips and sample. He laughed a little at the pink bundle.

“Okay,” said God Speed. “Eric, you are holding out on us, who is The Authority?”
“It is true we have not been forthcoming about the Vampire world, but since Russell has made it an issue out in the open, I can tell you that The Authority is a Vampire power structure who installs all our royalty and marries the kings and queens and writes our laws.”
“We figured that much out,” said Body Guard. “What specifically are they?”
“We, that is Eric and Pam and I, have decided to let you explore that as you get through the adventures,” said Bill. “I would like to take a moment to thank all of you for working on my home. It was very generous of you.”
“Not a problem Bill,” we said.
“So, the King and Sophie Anne are married. Will the Vampire community accept their marriage? And how much authority does Russell have?” asked Barrister.
“Considerable, even if it is in the interim. He can force Sophie Anne to issue edicts in her name, make money, gather minions to himself,” said Eric. His mouth had that straight determined set to it and it made me worry. Eric was a calculating and deliberate Vampire, stubborn and head strong when it had to do with what he wanted. And he had waited 1000 years to get this prize.

“What will happen when it is found that the Magister is dead, and given final death in your bar Eric?” asked Fairy.
“What do you think will happen?” asked Eric. “I want to hear your opinion.”
“Well, if Sophie Anne really wants your help and you want to get out of any culpability, you could kill Russell Edgington and then to get out of the situation, you could swear fealty back to Sophie Anne and then it is a matter of getting your stories straight. I mean who was there really? Just you and Pam and Russell Edgington, and the Magister himself,” explained God Speed.
“This is true,” said Eric.
“How far do you intend to go to get your revenge?” asked Body Guard.
“I will do whatever I must to get what is rightfully mine,” he said.

“Well, according to the Connection, also known as CH, Sophie Anne does kill her hubby and this drags her before the Vampire tribunal,” said Spookie Tooth. “What if the Source is reaching that far into the future and bringing things a little closer into the adventure?” I looked at my mom, amazed and then my eyes darted to Eric who had a strange look fleet across his face and then disappear.
“That would not be difficult to imagine,” said the Vampire at last.

“And what about Debbie? Alcide, you should have dealt with her,” said Lina. “She is just going to get in the way and try to cause more havoc.”
“I just could not bring myself to do it,” said the were. I understood. How could you kill someone you cared about?
“So now we come to it,” I said. “Sookie’s lineage. So now you know.”
“Who says I know?” said Eric.
“C’mon Eric, don’t be coy,” said Fairy. “You know.”
“And why are you getting all up in this thing with Bill and Sookie?” asked Renee.
“It should be apparent why,” said Eric. He smiled his lopsided grin and his eyes flickered at Bill, who looked murderous.

“And Lorena is dead,” said Barrister. “Will Sookie be held responsible? Will more of Edgington’s weres appear in Bon Temp for Sookie for some twisted notion of justice because she killed Lorena while trying to rescue Bill?”
“Bill won’t let anything happen to Sookie because of this,” said Linzy. “I think that is why he is getting Jessica ready, to get ready to be a useful if they have to have a war with him and his weres.”
“You won’t let anything happen to her will you Bill?” asked God Speed.
“I will try my best to keep her safe,” he said. “I am well aware of my short comings as a Maker.”

“Is Franklin still alive?” asked Minnie, our quietest member.
“She did not stake him or cut off his head or expose him to sunlight or drain him. As you can see, from Bill, a Vampire can be nearly drained and still survive,” said Pam. “It may take him a while but he can be healed.”
“Yeah just long enough for Tara to relax a little and then when she least expects it, he pops back up,” said Butter. She leaned over and caught a curl of the baby’s hair and rolled it around her finger to train it to curl.
“Yeah like a scorching case of herpes,” I said. “Will you guys be doing something about him, please?”

Bill seemed to look guilty. He had to walk away from Tara when she was brought to Mississippi by Franklin and she was taking it pretty hard.

“Coot is dead,” said Sweet. “Which is a good thing. But what happens now?”
“I think we will see someone become packmaster,” said Body Guard.
“Do you think so?” said Westexan.
“You know, Debbie is so mean, what if…” My eyes cut to Alcide. I was thinking about the possibility that Debbie would do anything to Alcide to hurt him now, perhaps even harm his mom and dad, the mother who she helped plant tomatoes and the father who she played horseshoes with. I closed my eyes and prayed that she would not go that far. “Alcide, why do you not want to have children? Do you hate being a werewolf?”
“It ain’t that,” he said. “Being a kid is rough enough without being a were. It gets rougher with every generation. I just ain’t sure that would be the best thing.”
“What if you all came out in the open?” asked Sugar.
“We could, but we don’t think we would get the same reception as the Vampires. We are afraid we would be put in ghettos and made zoo animals and circus freaks. Vampires just get to be sexy and famous and rich,” said Alcide.
“As it should be,” mumbled Eric to no one, except maybe the baby he was holding, the baby now asleep in his arms.

“Bill, I want you to know that we, that is the group, understand that you would not have harmed Sookie had you been in your right mind,” said Barrister. “We can’t begin to understand what that is like, but we can try to understand.”
“Thank you Barrister,” said Bill.
“Well, we have to get some things finished before we go to ground,” said Pam. “Excellent work this evening.”

It was good to have our Vampires back with us, but I worried about them still. They were still in danger, our Vampires, our Werewolf and shifters, our telepath and her friends and family. Five more weeks of adventure to go.

The Light that Fills the World

I went by them unseen, the humans. To them I was no more than a dusty little bit of wind that seemed to come out of nowhere. Down I traveled the roads I knew as a young man so changed now with the passage of 174 years.I think again on all my small adventures. Now for the first time in my existence since I met that virago who stole my human life I am free…but at what cost? My fears, those small ones that seemed so big haunt me. I nearly drained her dry and though I did come to her to give her my healing, I know things will never be the same.

She screamed at me, like the bride before the monster and I felt my dead heart break. I can feel my bloody tears drying now on my cool skin and I hate what I am. But had I not been made as I am, I would never have known her. She is all the vital things I had to get and reach. I am guilty of many things. Some things began before I ever knew her or even suspected I could love again. And that is the great thing, the only thing. And I know that I will have to answer for that, as I will for so many things when I come to that great day that dawns. Will it dawn for me too? I have never seen so much daylight in my existence. I have been as I am now for much longer than I was ever human, and in the past weeks, I have never had the experience of so much sunlight. Is that a portent?

I stop now in front of my home and I barely recognize it. It is fresh and new and clean and I marvel at the capacity of these humans to know me and accept me. I walk in quietly and there on the couch are my sweet sister wives, sleeping in the heat with a fan blowing on them. I go to the place where I rest, my child and I and I find a note written in an ornate hand.

Bill,
Go on up to your room, we have made it light tight for you. Have a nice rest,
Aslinn

I go up the stairs and I step into the bath room and strip off my filthy clothes. I can still smell my maker on them, the reeking stench of her blood is still upon me. The soil of my grave is still on my skin and feels grainy. I run my fingers through my hair and feel the dirt there in my scalp. I get into the shower and run hot water. I stand under the spray, and feel the water pounding on my skin. I reach for the soap and begin to wash. I scrub myself very hard but I fear I am forever tainted with all my sins. Like Pontius Pilate, I cannot wash away the blood of my innocent bride that I nearly drained. I will myself not shed anymore tears. I rinse off in the hot water and get out. I run a tub of water and I slide into it. I lay my head back and feel the heat going into my skin, making it pink and warm. How I wished I were truly brave enough to face the final death. But I cannot. I must try to discover if there is a part of me worth redeeming. Something worth all the pain and misery and vileness that was my existence.

Can she ever forgive me? I cannot say I would rather be dead than have hurt her, because I fed from her, nearly to death. But it would never have been my choice if I had control over myself to have done her harm. My hunger was so blind and she tasted so sweet that I drank and drank and drank. And I fell asleep beside her, like a child sated from a glut of his mother’s milk and I would never have known til perhaps too late had I not been wakened out of my stupor by Tara.

And what of the girl brought to me for punishment? The one I made and abandoned. What would happen to her if I were to go to the final death? I have to do something for her. This is not what I wanted for my life and I never would have done this to her.

Dawn is approaching and I must go to my rest. Still, I feel the dark approaching us all, blotting out all life and seeking to overtake the order designed to keep us safe. In hindsight though, how safe were we? Safety is an illusion and my heart, unbeating and dead as it is troubles me as I dry off, and lie down in my bed with its sun dried sheets and pillow cases and close my eyes with the dawn, the dawn of that great day and the light that fills the world.