Spooky Tooth was in the kitchen, stirring the chicken chowder, checking on her corn bread. We had seen a lot in the adventure I had given the epi deeper thought. I was still a little mad at the Viking, but I was trying to take a little of my own medicine. And that was to stop judging. It was what Sookie did and I never want to be accused of doing what she does.
Aolani was right, Eric was confused and angry and hurt, though I think he would rather meet the sun then admit it. For a proud man like Eric to go from being lost, experiencing all that and then to remember everything, and I mean everything, must have been a shock to the system, especially when he had been soooo over humans for so long. I knew I would not get a chance to speak to him privately, at least not until after the meeting and maybe not even then. But it was a talk I craved to have with the Viking.
I had not spoken to Bill either. I was confused about my feelings for Bill. I did like the fact he had more responsibility, but I did not like the fact it created distance between us. I loved Bill, and I loved Eric. But I knew Sookie had changed the game and the game was going to be a dangerous one for both the Vampires in our lives.
"So, do you think Alcide will come tonight?" asked Westexan.
"I think so," said Renee. "That whole thing with Debbie, that must have been hard. You know, once your pack turns their back on you, there is nothing you can do to make it up them. They just turn you loose in the world and for the two natured, alone is a terrible thing to be."
"So, does this mean Alcide is the new pack master of Shreveport?" asked Barrister. I shrugged. I had to admit, I did not know as much about Werewolf politics as I did Vampire.
"I can see where that will happen," said Aolani. "Whether Alcide wants it or not.
"Do you think Pam will be here tonight?" asked Linzy.
"I don't know," said Violet. "I really felt sorry for her. She was so desperate."
"Do you think Pam was looking to kill Sookie?" asked Westexan. "I mean, she is not that happy with her at the moment."
I laughed. Barrister smiled at Westexan. "What gave it away?" he asked.
"Gash in a sundress?" she said, a bit taken aback with the vulgarity.
"That might do it," I said.
"But man, wasn't Jason great though," said Renee.
"He was," said Linzy.
"Yeah, taking on more responsibility has really changed Jason," said Aolani. "Everyone has changed this year."
There was the sound of the door knob turning and in walked Alcide. "Am I still welcome?" he asked.
"Sure you are," I said. "Come in, supper is about ready."
The big were came in and ambled over to Spooky Tooth who was cooking her pot of chowder. He sniffed the smell and tasted it in his own enhanced way. "Smells good," he said.
"Well sit down over there," she said. Alcide went and took a seat at the big table.
As we were eating, the four Vampires walked in. Spooky Tooth looked up and smiled. "Well, if it isn't the Vlad Squad." Jessica laughed, a delighted sound. She walked over to Barrister and gave him a kiss. Eric sat down in the parlor. He was not a happy camper and Pam looked uncustomarily sad. I hate sad Vampires. A sad Vampire is a confused Vampire and just as dangerous as an angry Vampire. So here we were, with two of them on opposite ends of the room, not speaking to one another, both of them trying their best to ignore one another. I sighed..This Team Vampire thing sort of blows. Because I thought for moment that Team Vampire was all about Bill and Eric and only about those two boys, but if you are going to be team Vampire, you have to include all the Vampires...and that included Pam and Jessica.
I finished my supper and scraped my plate and poured another glass of wine and helped Violet warm up bottles of Tru:Blood. Fairy sort of rushed in, breathless with the effort. "I am so sorry I am late, I had to finish at school and drop things off at the house and run some errands and boy am I tired." She sat down next to the Viking and he palmed her head gently and kissed her on the temple. She put her hand up to his cool face and he closed his eyes for a second to savor it.
Vi brought Jessica and Bill their bloods and I brought Eric a blood and handed Pam hers and sat down by her. She looked a little uncomfortable but I patted her hand briefly. Pam did not like to be coddled.
"Can we get on with it please?" she asked, sadly. I could tell the Vampire was unhappy to be in the same room as her maker.
"Alcide, you have abjured Debbie?" asked Bill.
"Yes," he said.
"So what happens next?" asked Violet. "Are you the Pack Master?"
"I am not sure of that," he said. "I may have a problem with the other pack members."
"Do you want to be a pack master?" asked Renee.
"I never have," he said. "I always went my own way."
"Of course you know this places Sookie is a precarious situation," said Linzy. "Debbie may be after her. She sees Sookie as the root of her troubles, whether that is true or not."
"I will keep an eye on Sookie," said Eric. He looked at Bill.
"How deep in the shit are you guys gonna be with this little thing with Nan Flanagan?" asked Renee. "I mean, she wants the true death for the both of you. That was what you were talking about you and Eric."
"Something like that," said Bill.
"Are you in big trouble?" I asked. Eric looked at me and nodded. Pam said nothing. I admired her ability to keep still...and then it dawned on me Eric may be ordering her to keep still.
"Now, Lafayette," said Aolani. "Lafayette and Jesus are still in trouble."
"Yeah, this is bad. Why doesn't Jesus do some sort of protective spell?" asked Fairy.
"That would be sort of like locking the fox in the chicken house," said Barrister.
"True enough and I think Lafayette will have a hard time with this experience, I think it will hurt his relationship with Jesus," said Barrister.
"And then Andy...what is that all about?" asked Renee. "Are the fae trying to create an entrance into this world by mating with Andy?"
"I think it is possible," said Aolani. "If they can create a relationship on earth, they have a bond, a doorway. They had that with Sookie, but now...Claudine is gone."
Eric had nothing to say about this. He really could care less. But Bill was only a little concerned.I sighed.
"Okay guys, we have talked about everything of importance except you guys...We have been tip toeing around it and now we can't go anywhere else but forward," said Linzy. "We have to talk about this shit that has happened."
Bill and Jessica sat up a little straighter and Pam looked down and Eric was staring straight ahead. "Eric?" said Fairy. "You have to participate in this."
"Eric, what are you feeling?" asked Aolani.
"I don't want to talk about my feelings," said Eric.
"We have to," said Barrister. "We can't have you and Pam at odds. We can't have you feeling uncertain. And this has only a little to do with Sookie."
"It has everything to do with Sookie," said Eric.
"Eric, it has to do with you," I said.
"You are mad at me, why are you speaking to me?" he said.
"I may be mad at you Eric, but I still care about you," I said.
"Me too Eric," said Renee.
"Just like you care about Pam but you are angry with her right now," said Aolani. Pam looked a trifle uncomfortable.
"Don't," he said.
"Eric, you have to," said Linzy. "Talk to us lover."
"I have nothing to say," he said.
"Okay, so let us say them and you will have to be the one to correct us. If you don't, then everything we say is true," said Aolani. "We can either put words in your mouth or you can speak for yourself."
We waited, willing him to speak to us.
"I can't imagine what it was like for you to be yourself one minute and the next being a blank slate and you lost everything you were in the twinkling of an eye and you were cold and lost and alone. You didn't even remember us," said Aolani.
"And of course you were so different, so gentle you didn't want to come back," said Westexan.
"Then you had the shock of remembering everything, not just about the way you were before but the way you were with Sookie and I think it was a tremendous shock," said Barrister.
"But, I think quite possibly, you have always been that way, gentle and innocent, but you had to tamp it down to survive as a Vampire, you have to be strong and loving someone is a weakness in your world," said Violet.
"Seeing Sookie confused didn't help you any either," said Linzy. "The fact she is confused aggravates you because you are so sure of what you feel and she isn't, because she is human and she loved having you a little not yourself because then she could sort of pretend you weren't a Vampire, that you were just this strong, gentle man who loved her. But now, she is reminded you are Vampire and she is disappointed."
"That is because she can't accept the fact you and Bill are Vampires and though she knows in her heart that Bill is every bit as violent and savage as you, she has never seen him do anything like that, and she has seen you do it and it is sooo different from what she has come to know of you and to see that part of you in all its honesty and brutality, it is hard for her to accept and say...That's the truth of it, he isn't human, he is Vampire, and he does what he does because that is in his nature to do," I said.
"And that hurts you too," said Renee."Because you want her to accept you, every part of you. You pledged yourself to her, and that meant every part of you, the light and dark, the gentle and the savage, and I don't know if she can really accept that."
"And you love Sookie, and anything threatening her or endangering her scares you, and when Pam shot that RPG at the building, you simply reacted to her, and when Pam tried to apologize, you were angry with her, and maybe you would have hurt her in a fit of rage and so you sent her away from you and said you would kill her because you wanted her to go away but I know you still love her," said Barrister.
"I think you should apologize to Pam, Eric, and I think I owe you an apology, I spoke before I thought about things, and I just...I took Pam's side. This does not mean I am not on Pam's side now, because I am, but I am on your side too, because I know that you are having trouble and I should have been more empathetic to you," I said.
"And could you guys not offer to kill one another the next time?"asked Aolani. "Cuz, a world with you guys, well...let's just say a bit of glamour would be gone from our lives."
"Amen," said Jessica.
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