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In Dead as a Doornail, I met Sookie for the first time at the funeral of the former packmaster, Colonel Flood. Sookie was there with Alcide Herveaux and his father, Jackson, the then contender for packmaster. I had already been retained for the upcoming competition to determine the next pack leader of the Long Tooth Pack. I attended the funeral as a matter of courtesy, and to get a good idea of how the competition might go. My first glance at Sookie was of her talking with an older woman. I had that feeling when someone is looking at you, and I turned. There she was. She was quickly distracted by Herveaux again, so I had the opportunity to watch her. She spoke with emotion and listened with distaste and shock. Whatever the younger Herveaux was saying, she didn't like it. It was time to go inside or risk seeming rude, so as I walked up the stairs into the church, I gave her a little smile which distracted her from partner. All the better.

At the competition, it was hard to watch for her at first. But after the setup was completed, I leaned against the ropes waiting and saw her. She was with the fairies. Interesting companions. I wondered what she might be. She didn't feel like a shifter; that I had determined previously. But she had to be something supernatural to hang with this crowd. She had on red leggings, that I remember noticing. The rest would have to come later.

During the second part of the competition, I heard a voice call out. I processed it as a voice, not the words. I responded automatically. Then I saw Sookie, and she was speaking out again. She was confident and well spoken. During the ensuing pack only vote, I had my first chance to see and speak with her up close. I needed to question her, and called her to me. She cocked her head up and stalked over to me. I almost laughed. She was so proud, but then she smiled. I returned her look. Then she began questioning me, and I had to laugh. In another person, her questions would have seemed impertinent, but in Sookie... it was just her. The male fairy told me of her telepathy. I kept my focus on her, but already I had an idea.

As we reentered the arena, I beckoned Sookie over. I wondered if she could detect if the contenders were planning to cheat again. She detected no deceitfulness, however. As the fight commenced, I just got her out the door in time. I thought she'd been bitten. I took her over to a wall away from the arena, and proceeded to examine her leg for bites. I licked the blood away from her skin. Her blood tasted slightly of fairy but was all her own. It was a very arousing experience to say the least. We talked a little after, doing the official name establishing ceremony. Knowing what I did of her telepathy and her ties to different aspects of the supe world, I watched her looking at me stretching. I wondered what she saw, and told her so. Then I had to go, but I promised to see her again. Soon, I hoped.

In Definitely Dead, it's been a few weeks since that fateful day at the pack master battle. That sounded lame. Do people really say "fateful day?" Whatever. It's been longer than I'd like, put it that way. It's been a very busy time for Special Events: the biggest event being the wedding of Louisiana Queen Sofie-Anne LeClerq to Arkansas King Peter Threadgill. Huge exposure for our group. Amazingly, everything went smoothly. That's probably a bad sign…

I've kept busy traveling. A Rite of Ascension here, a witch ceremony there, keeps a guy busy. Got a phone call though from the La Queen's lawyer to request Sookie's presence in their party for the vampire summit coming up. (Kind of weird that he called me, instead of one of their own. Can't predict what those vampires will do. It's all cloak and dagger stuff with them.) Request, bah. I wonder if she knows how deep down this rabbit hole she is? My one impression of her makes me think she can handle a lot, but these aren't your typical human problems with human recourses for when things go badly. But it gives me a great excuse to clear my schedule to take a trip down to Shreveport.

I arrive at the place Sookie works right about closing time. I swung by her house first, but she wasn't home for which I'm grateful. I didn't call first and that might have been seen as creepy. At her work, she can tell me to take a hike, if she wants. I walk through the door, and several things (i.e. smells) hit me at once: drunk people, vampires, sweat, were/shifter, and … her. Her scent is something unique but not unnatural. Just her. I follow my nose, har har, to where that scent is the strongest, and take a seat.

I'm delighted she remembers me. She waits on my table, but also several others. We have brief conversations as I track her around the room, and observe her boss (the shifter) and coworkers. They all treat Sookie with a deference I don't quite get. The patrons seem to think she's retarded, but in a simple cousin sort of way. The bartender obviously wants her, but she seems oblivious to it. When it comes time for the bar to close, I wait for her, and give her my speech about needing to speak with her wherever is comfortable for her. Happily she agrees to let me follow her home. Privacy is nice.

Her house is not what I expected. It's much too big for just her, but it wasn't always just her apparently. Being inside it seems larger than from the outside. I begin the conversation, as she seems to be waiting for me. I deduce she's not seeing anyone, including the son of the loser from the pack master competition. She's adorable. She thinks things through and you can watch the expressions go across her face when she's not guarding them. She was very guarded earlier at the bar.

Then we chat about the vampire summit and the Queen's request for her to accompany their party and what that will entail. I learn she has a complicated relationship with the Sheriff of this area, Eric Northman. I'm familiar with him of course. There are worse Sheriffs, but her face is mighty unhappy. But she bounces back, and we decide on a date. I'd come up with some possibilities, and we make plans. Then I go into my speech about where I live, what I do, etc. It's very relaxing to not have to lie; she's a part of this world too. Then it seems like a good time to go. I don't want to rush anything. This has so much potential. I compliment her, kiss her cheek, and go.

Part Two

Our date happens later that weekend. I arrive to see she has company, but I almost didn't notice Eric Northman when I first saw Sookie's outfit. It was this dark blue pants suit that wrapped across her chest beautifully. But Eric's not a guy who takes being ignored well. I worry he's there to harass her, but her smile tells me everything's all right. I explain to Eric about the Queen's request, one cause of his anger. Then I get to listen to Eric try his vampire claim over Sookie on me to see if I'm cowed. Sookie never seemed like the fangbanger type to me. She says she's not, and we go. I watch Eric from the back of my mind as we walk to the car, but he doesn't try anything.

The play is good, though the company is better. We have an awkward conversation about who gets to pay for the date, but nothing too detrimental. Then the most bizarre thing happens. We get attacked by two naked kids. Weres and drugged by the look of it, we deduce later. Sookie is ok, and handles herself very well in a fight. The excitement of the fight heats up the romance of the evening though. A nice, unexpected benefit. Also her mind reading is really fascinating; must explore more at a later date. But we have other business…

First the police. Then I have to make sure the were community knows about this. That's the best way to keep her safe, and show them she's under my protection. My word should be good enough, unless they're stupid. Something funny happens as we get to the Hair of the Dog. Sookie can't cross the barrier. I completely forgot that would happen. Another unintentional benefit, I get to carry her for a bit. She's soft and cozy to hold. Unsurprisingly, we're challenged the moment we walk through the door. I make my presence known, and the bar goes quiet. No one stands at first as the leader here, and I think there may be trouble. But Sookie starts talking, which calls out Amanda, the bar's owner. Through talking to Amanda and Alcide, I explain about the evening's events and issue my warning that anyone harming Sookie does so at their peril. Sookie also throws down the fact about being a friend of the pack. Smart lady. Things still seem very hostile (and Alcide makes some smart remark about my taking care of Sookie), but we leave. I’m still so wired for an attack that I don't notice for a few moments that we've left the bar, but when I do, I also notice something else… we're finally alone. I jump her a little bit, but she’s into it. Until her brain catches up with the rest of her, and she stops us. That's fine. She's worth taking the time to do it right, if you know what I mean. I get her home, after some disturbing thoughts about the Were-related events of the evening. I hope our next date is less exciting and more all at the same time.

Part Three

I get a call on my cell on the way back to Shreveport. Jake's Mom says he hasn’t checked in after the New Orleans job. She's really freaked out. I say I'll go by his place in Dallas tomorrow, and see what I can find out. Jake's kind of a free-floating guy, so he may just have forgotten to check in. I have lots of fun thoughts about Sookie on the trip to Dallas. That's about as productive as I got though. Jake's apartment yields no leads after the landlady let me in. I call his girlfriend, but she hasn't heard from him either. She's worried too. That makes three of us. I check out some other local haunts of Jake's in Dallas, but no one’s seen hide or tail of him.

I call Sookie first thing Sunday morning. Thought she might have been at church, but she was home. We make plans for dinner Monday night after I get back to Shreveport. This is going awesome. Much better than my search for Jake. I'll have to try New Orleans next. He was assigned to the Queen's girlfriend, I read in his notes on the job from Special Events. I think I heard she died something mysterious. All vampire dealings are shady.

I get a hysterical call from my Mom later in the afternoon. Frannie is up to her old tricks, and it's driving mom crazy. I promise I'll talk to her, but it takes another few hours to get mom to settle down. She says she going to take some Zanex and sleep it off. I try to talk her out of it, but pills have always been her refuge/escape. And Frannie reminds her of bad times, sadly. Not her fault; just the way things are for us. I go for a run after all that drama to clear my head. When I get back, I have a message from Sookie canceling our date. On a bright note, she's going to be in New Orleans. No problemo, we'll hook up there. Something about clearing out her cousin’s apartment. Sounds nice and normal.

Part Four

I spend Monday wrapping up things in Shreveport and checking in with my other partners in SE. They're all planning for the Vampire Summit. I go by Sookie's place Tuesday morning just to see if she got done quicker than expected. She's not there, but someone has obviously burned a demon in her front yard. The house looks ok, no sign of a break in. I head on to New Orleans. I call down to the Queen's place when I get checked in, but find out the Queen's not there. I speak to Security, but they didn’t really notice Jake having been around or absent. Must have been the Arkansas people. That place is a cluster f*ck waiting to happen. Sookie said her cousin's place was on Chloe Street. I drive around until I see the Queen's car parked out front of a place. This must be it.

I walk in to a palpably tense situation. The Queen is there with her personal guards, her escort, the King's personal guard, her driver, and a whole bunch of humans plus Sookie. I ignore everyone and go straight to Sookie. She looks so relieved to see me I consider kidnapping her up the stairs, but that would probably be rude… and unhelpful. Though fun. I notice her arm's gotten hurt somehow. Maybe I should assign someone to be her bodyguard…

She shocks me with her story of what happened to Jake. I don’t process it at first. This is so unbelievably bad. The Queen speaks to me, but I’m too caught off guard to process it appropriately. Shit. Sookie also explains about the demon burning: Gladiola, the Queen’s messenger. Double shit. I say something thoughtless about a lot of people seem to die on her property, but I don’t hear how she responds. My mind is clicking with how this will affect Jake's family, his pack, Special Events, and Jake himself. This all sucks. Damn vampires.

While I’m distracted, the Queen and her escort, Andre, go upstairs to presumably Sookie's cousin's apartment, whom I realize now must have been the Queen’s girlfriend. Small world. I visit with Rasul, who’s ok for a vamp. Meet the witches. A lady named Amelia owns the place. She seems very self-assured. While the Queen’s away, the witches depart. The threesome returns down the stairs, and immediately I notice something’s off. Sookie's not wearing shoes and her hair’s all mussed… what the ?!?!? She comes close and I smell the vamp on her. Can't freak out now. Wait for the Queen to leave. As soon as they’re gone, I turn to her. "How?" I ask her. She should have known I'd help her if only she’d called out. But she surprises me. This is another vamp cloak and dagger game. I search her eyes to be sure, and she seems wholly sincere. I decide to try my luck and see if she's up for some fun later. And kiss her. We’re kissing and it's great, and then my ever-loving phone rings. Damn communication devices. It's Jake. He's finally come to his sense and realizes what a pickle he's in, to put it mildly. Crap. I'll have to go see him. She still seems dazed from the kiss, good sign. I ask her if she would have said yes. She tells me a speech I've heard before from most women worthy of being with. I can see whatever she’s been through the last couple days has taken a lot out of her, and she’s not sure of herself. This can wait. I assure her this is not a one night kind of thing for me, and make a grand exit.

Part Five

Jake's a mess. The vampires seem to shun him though they're doing their job, their responsibility to him as a new vampire. It's their fault after all he's like this now. He can't go home again. I pity him. I go back to my place in NO, and think morbid thoughts the rest of the evening.

The next morning, I arrive at Sookie's cousin's place with coffee and beignets. Damn it all, there's someone there. Nice guy, Everett something. One of these days, we will be somewhere without people or cell phones, I swear. It's a fun morning though, helping Sookie. We banter; I love her humor and unselfconscious mannerisms. She doesn't get how beautiful she is, and she's more so for it. While she's off in another part of the house, I get Everett to leave with some bags. Good man.

We do some more flirting around the apartment, and finally it happens. I sneak up on her, and start kissing her. She doesn't pull away or tell me to stop. This is still early for us, so I don't try to take her clothes off. These clothes are pretty thin anyway. I do remove her bra though. They looked so restrained. Her body is amazing, and she's so sensual. We finish, so to speak, and it's awesome. We're putting ourselves back in a sense of order when we're attacked… again.

Just big dudes. No match for my claws, but there's too many of them. And one of the MFs has a stun gun. Not a fair fight, but I've known those for a while. I'm carried downstairs. I see Sookie. She's alive but beaten too. My girl's a fighter though. We're put together in the back of a van. Sookie reminds me I can think to her. We get my phone out and manage to call the Queen’s place. I tell them Eric Northman can track her, and try not to think too hard about what circumstances followed that he's had her blood. We're caught. Kidnappers harass us some more. Search us, and tie us up better. Damn it all. I'm so pissed now, it's hard not to change. I'm not protecting her. I'm failing. That SOB touched her. He will not live. But then I notice Sookie's upset. I comfort her, but I'm starting to change a little and my voice and tongue aren't quite human. We work some more on getting free, which hurts her more, and I hate that. Sookie, the brave, stabs the driver with a screwdriver, which wrecks the van. We escape and run into the woods and the swamps.

We're just running, when she asks to help me, and I lose it. She should not be helping me. I should be saving her. That's what I do. Protect. Save. Keep from harm. I'm a fighter. This is so wrong. I kill a snake without thinking. She's tired so I carry her, and that helps my mood. We find a cabin and regroup. I'm completely stressed. Frustrated by my inability to protect her, annoyed at the vamps ties over her, and there's that other guy… Alcide. I ask her about him and why the policeman said he'd thought they were engaged. She starts to explain, but then has an epiphany. She explains why we were kidnapped and attacked that night at the theater. We form a plan. I love a good plan.

Part Six

I decide to change fully to get us through the swamp more efficiently. She likes the sight of me naked, which is heartening. We get to the house. Communication is hard, but there's going to be a fight, so this is second nature for me. She goes into the house while I dispatch my good friends from the van who were outside. Fun for me.

I finish up, change, and come inside to find Sookie berating Eric by saying something about fairies. Never cared much for fairies, I tell her, and put my arm around her. I love how she relaxes when she sees me. We take care of the clothes situation (watching her strip is a delight). She hugs me for the dry clothes. Some women want flowers, others dry clothes will do. I prefer the practical. And now for the show. It'’s Sookie's ballgame, so I'll watch from then sidelines 'til she needs me.

We all learn about some whacked out were named Debbie who nearly killed Sookie, but Sookie got her first. Hence the ensuing revenge sequences from her family members. They all promise to be good (yeah right), but they're allowed to leave. Still thinking of having someone watch out for Sookie when I'm not around. I take her back to the apartment on Chloe Street, and head back to where I'm staying. I need clothes and showering after all those swamp adventures. Tomorrow will be an exciting day.

Part Seven

Thursday morning I close out Jake's employment record with Special Events, and call his mother and girlfriend for him. Least I could do. I pick up a tux from a rental place in town that specializes in weres. Basically that means they don't really expect it back… I pick up Sookie, and she looks amazing. She must have some deal with gravity that keeps her in that dress. It was green and there was more of her than dress is what I remember. She's very aloof though on the drive over. I wonder if she's nervous about being in a place so full of vampires.

We note the added guards and their ridiculous outfits on our way into the Queen’s complex. We meet some of the Queen's guards on the way in, including the driver from yesterday. They all know Sookie and chat with her easily. Strange for vamps.

Sookie has a hissy fit over them checking her purse. I'm not sure why she didn't think they would, or what she could have to hide that would make a difference. I reckoned she was embarrassed about the tampon I saw, but she really didn’t seem the type to get upset about something so normal. Then she hightails it to the bathroom, and I know something is weird here. I corner her as she returns, but she’s not ready to spill. She instructs me to distract the King while she speaks to the Queen. This is so not good.

I do as she asks. It's easy to distract the King; he's so afraid of seeming like a fool. Vamps. I don't catch what Sookie says to the Queen. I keep the King’s gaze fixed on me so he doesn't notice them. I move her away after we're finished.

She explains about the bracelets and Hadley's theft. There are so many ways this could have and could still go wrong; I'm holding my breath as the King and Queen take the dance floor. Another couple comes over, and we meet and greet. I'm watching for signs of anyone coming too near Sookie, especially that dark haired vamp that eyed us on the way in. I’ve seen him around the Queen before, I think. Bill something…

Sookie catches my attention as she introduces me. I don't recall ever telling her my name. Maybe her telepathy? We dance with the royal couple and a few others. She starts to slip out of her dress a little, and it's so distracting. I whisper to her someday soon we will get to be together without interruptions. I start to go on, but a head whizzes by. It's begun. My instincts take over, and I back us against a wall for spotting enemies. But then we get separated. I change and kill a few vamps, then track Sookie’s scent outside. I find her with the Queen and her escort. I help Sookie over the wall, and her boobs fall out. YES! As I'm changing back, she rights herself, or someone does. She's kind of out of it.

We get back to her cousin's place on Chloe Street, and I invite myself to stay. Car's back at the Queen's anyhow. But we're both exhausted from the fight and flight to enjoy it. She starts to protest about my tail, so I go to the bathroom to practice my relaxation techniques. Poof, it’s gone! I climb into bed. I'm about to be totally asleep when I feel her head against my chest. Perfect. Got my Goldilocks.

I wake up before her and figure it's best to slip out while it's still kind of dark, and I have no clothes. I leave her a note saying I'll be on my way to Huntsville, I'll call when I get there, and that the green dress wardrobe malfunction was a highlight of the evening I won't forget. Do hope she gets to keep it ...

In All Together Dead, COMING SOON!

In From Dead to Worse, COMING SOON!