Catalyst Ch. 08

Chapter Eight: Transformations and Confessions

Jason’s POV

“Oh, shit… Fuck… God that feels so fuckin’ good,” I am pushed up against the side of Pam’s minivan, gettin’ the best head of my entire life. I knew she was good at this from the preview she gave me last time, but now she seems hell bent on makin’ me cum in her mouth. My knees feel like Jell-O, and Pam’s kneeling on the sidewalk, suckin’ me off like we were alone in a hotel or somethin’. What’s gotten into me? I never woulda done shit like this, out in the open a few weeks ago, and that was when I was still in the middle of that five-month dry spell. Now I’m screwin’ strangers on the job and gettin’ blowjobs on sidewalks. The fuck is wrong with me?

“Fuck! Stop, I’m gonna cum,” I try and push Pam’s head away, but she grabs my ass, pulls me in deep, and starts fuckin’ swallowing around my junk! My eyes practically cross when I feel this perfect, tight rhythm all around me. Holy shit… Then I’m fisting my hands in her hair and tryin’ my best not to scream like a bitch when I come undone. Instead, this choppy, ragged exhale chokes through my throat and I just throw my head back against the van.

Pam stands back up, grabs me by the front of my shirt ’til I’m not leanin’ anymore, opens the door of the van, and pushes me in. The door’s barely closed again when Pam straddles me. She’s got my cock in her hand, stroking it with this very greedy look in her eyes that makes me get hard all over again.

When she sinks down onto me, I grab her hips and hold her steady. I’m still not used to bareback sex and I need a second to calm myself down. “God, I ain’t even touched you and you’re so fuckin’ wet, Pam,” I groan, giving a heated buck of my hips. Pam’s reply is to begin moving her hips in this crazy swivel that drives me insane. I’m movin’ underneath her, gripping one of her hips with one hand, and playin’ with her clit with the other. She feels so good, smells so good, and tastes so good. I let go of her hip, grab the back of her head, and pull her mouth to mine until I’m completely lost in her.

I think we’re both kinda lost in each other for a while ’cause all of a sudden Pam makes this real hot whimpering sound. Then she’s clenchin’ around me like a boa constrictor and moanin’ like she just realized she was gonna cum. Fuck, she’s so hot when she cums!

Next thing I know, I’m thrusting up to meet her, and her orgasm just keeps going and going until I can’t take it anymore. I’m pumping myself empty and practically sobbin’, it feels so good.

After I catch my breath, I look down as Pam starts to lift herself off me. She hovers just above the head of my cock, one of her hands holdin’ it up while the other spreads her pussy open. I watch, completely stunned, as my spunk starts drippin’ out of her and drizzling over my cock like icing. She lowers herself a bit and rubs my cock against her clit, over and over, until I’m panting and gettin’ hard before I even got the chance to go soft.

Shit! Fuck! I can’t go three fuckin’ times in a row, right!?

She’s already sinking back down on my dick, but this time she ain’t swively hips and languid kisses. She’s ridin’ me like I’m a bronco and she’s a Texas rodeo star! I actually splay my arms out and stabilize myself against the seats ’cause her moves are makin’ my head hit the door.

“Fuck, Pam,” I grunt as she pounds me from above.

Her hips are rockin’ and I can tell the van’s movin’ with us. I don’t give a shit. I grab her hips and start surging upward so we make a nice, solid collision. She reaches between her legs and starts rubbin’ herself all frantic. I can feel her body contracting around me again, and I swear I don’t have anything left to spend. I’m tapped out, but my body tries to cum anyway.

When I blink again, it’s from this sharp, brief pain in my neck, but it’s gone as soon as it started. I groan and grab Pam’s ass, squeezin’ it tight as we recover from our second fuck of the night. I think she likes biting me or somethin’. I think she did that the first time we had sex, but I didn’t see no bruises the next day, even though it felt like she bit me pretty fuckin’ hard.

“Hey,” I mumble at her when her tongue starts wiggling ’round where she just bit me, “that tickles. Stop it.”

“You don’t like it?” Pam looks at me all amused.

“Didn’t say that, but it’s real sensitive when ya bite me. Then you start movin’ your tongue over it and it tickles,” I tell her.

“Isn’t it nice, though?” she presses and starts rubbin’ against me like she thinks we’re gonna go again. She’s definitely opened my eyes about sex being over after the first time I cum, but if she thinks she’s getting me four times in a row, she’s gonna be real disappointed.

“Yeah it’s nice,” I murmur and she looks up at me slowly. Her blonde hair is wild around her face, and her eyes are large and bright. “Y’know, you’re kinda beautiful, Pam.”

“Thanks,” She rolls her eyes at me.

I realize that my statement might sound like I never thought she was pretty before and try to explain what I mean, “Nah, I mean like that rare beauty. Y’know? Like the shit you read about in those epic poems Sooks is always pourin’ over. Ladies with long plaits of golden hair, and big doe eyes that you can just see how they feel.”

“What is it you think I feel, Stackhouse?” Pam asks me, sounding ironic like she don’t think she feels nothin’ at all.

“I think ya feel pretty cool with me. I’m a decent enough fuck, and I guess I make ya laugh in your own ‘Pam Way.’ It always feels like you’re laughing at me,” I tell her.

“Does that bother you?” She raises her eyebrows at me.
“Nah, cause it’s not condescending laughter. It’s like fun, amused stuff,” I try to elaborate.

“You do make me laugh, Jason,” she says and starts to shimmy off me. She finds her panties on the floor of the van and pulls ’em up her long legs in an effort to end our conversation.

Arching my hips, I pull my pants the rest of the way up and start fastening them. “I ain’t tryin’ to make you think this is more than just a fuck to me, Pam. We both said it wasn’t, and if you said you changed your mind and you wanted more, I’d tell ya that can’t happen. I’m sure you’d do the same to me,” I say, buckling my belt and sittin’ up next to her.

“I would,” she confirms, but her voice is sour.

“What is it?” I ask, giving her a nudge with my elbow.

“Nothing,” she snaps back.

“What, you think because I said you think I’m fun and a decent fuck, that means I think you want more?” I ask, completely confused by her attitude.

“Doesn’t it?” she seethes, and now I’m floundering again.

“Pam,” I groan, “it doesn’t take a genius to see you’re smart, sexy, and confident. Sure, your age makes me wonder if you’re gonna try and get some claws in me, but I’d never assume to know how you actually feel.”

“It is getting late,” Pam ends our conversation. “You need to be rested for your final tomorrow.”

I sigh, climb out of the van, and head into the condo. Pam’s squealing outta the space we were parked like she can’t get away fast enough.

Well shit, I think, feelin’ a bit depressed. Pam’s a good lay, and I find myself hoping our conversation doesn’t keep us outta each other’s pants.

When I get inside, I go straight to the bathroom and shower. I’m probably gonna sleep late, and I don’t wanna be rushing to clean up before my last final. After I’m all cleaned up, I wrap a towel around my waist, go to my own room, and change into a pair of sweat pants before climbing into bed.

It’s nice havin’ my own room. At least I can change my clothes without havin’ to walk back and forth to the bathroom.

Wakin’ up the next day, Sookie’s in the livin’ room eating a waffle while watching some TV. That’s somethin’ we gotta make sure we don’t get too used to the next six weeks. We don’t have a TV at our apartment.

I go to the kitchen and make myself some frozen waffles, too. They smelled good. It’s only a little before eleven, so I got an hour before I gotta leave for campus.

Where’s the peanut butter?

“Cabinet by the dishwasher,” Sookie calls from the couch.

I frown, look in the cabinet by the dishwasher, and voila! Peanut butter.

That was weird, I think. It’s one thing when she calls me out for losin’ my shoes all over the place, but that was some paranormal, psychic shit right there. I smear some peanut butter across my waffle and then pause again. Syrup.

“Same cabinet,” she calls and now I’m starin’ at the back of her head.

“Sookie,” I call, walking toward her with my plate.

“Yeah?” she cranes her neck and watches me come sit beside her.

I look at her a long time and shake my head, “How was school yesterday?”

“Good,” She shrugs and goes back to eating and watching some documentary on dolphins and the fishing industry.

“Anything happen?” I ask.

Sookie stops eating and stares at me now. “You’re bein’ weird,” she accuses.

It’s my turn to shrug, “I guess I’m just tryin’ to put off askin’ ya about the arrangement you made with Northman.”

“Jason,” she moans, flinging her head back against the couch, “two grand a month, a car for you to drive, and a pair of cell phones. That’s it.”

“That’s it?” I look at her in bewilderment. “That’s huge!”

“Well, yeah, but you’re already tense. I thought maybe being blasé would calm ya down,” she blushes and goes back to eating.

“Fat chance,” I grumble and start eating my own waffles. “Northman told me he kissed you last night.”

Sookie’s mouth slings open and she looks mortified. “I can’t believe he told you!” she shrieks and sets down her plate on the coffee table before coverin’ her face in her hands.

“He didn’t give me details. He just said that the relationship between the two of you was romantic now, and he said that ya kissed. That’s it,” I try and calm her down. “He was just respecting that he’s in a position that he could take advantage of you, and wanted me to know what was happenin.’”

Sooks is still grimacing into her hands.

“It ain’t a big deal. Ya got kissed,” I try for nonchalant, but I can feel my ears burnin’. “Just… Y’know… Take things slow. You’ve only known him a little over a week,” I remind her.

“What, you think I’d jump in bed with him like you did with Pam?” she snarls at me.

“You know ’bout me and Pam?” I ask, shocked.

“Hard to miss a van rockin’ in front of the condo at 4:30 in the mornin’, Jason,” Sookie growls.

“Aw, shit,” I throw down my own plate now.

“I don’t care, Jason,” she assures me. “It’s just a friendly thing between you guys. If that’s all the two of you want, that’s cool. That’s how you want to live right now, but I don’t,” she insists. “I want to just be with one person, and only them. I’m not about to throw that away on a guy I’ve known two minutes.”

“I know,” I run my hands through my hair and groan. “I know you’re a good girl, Sooks… It’s just, Northman-”

“Call him Eric, Jason,” she pleads. “You’re tryin’ not to like him too much, and I want you two to get along. Maybe even be friends? You both like each other. Why are you tryin’ to distance yourself?”

“Cause he wants to date my baby sister, and if it doesn’t work out, I don’t want a shred of myself to be on his side over yours,” I tell her truthfully. “I can’t keep a guy in line if he thinks he’s my friend, Sooks.”

“Eric doesn’t need to be kept “in line”, Jason,” she tells me confidently. “And you should know that if he did pressure me, I’d just as soon walk away from him and his money. You and I have proved we can limp our way through this crap and make it to the other side. We’ll suffer, we’ll hurt, but we’ll make it. Right?”

I let out a long sigh and nod, “Yeah, you’re right. We can make it.”
“But let’s still let Eric in, okay? He wants to help us, and I think it’s actually him now that wants to do that. Let’s just enjoy life for the first time in a really long time,” she begs, and I can’t resist those eyes she gives me. All I ever want is her to be healthy and happy. She can’t be happy if I’m starvin’ and workin’ myself into a grave. She can’t be healthy if I ain’t workin’ myself into a grave neither.

“Okay,” I finally reply.

“Okay?” She looks at me again with those big eyes and I sigh, nodding. “Yay! Then we should all go out and do something fun! Or… Oh! We should have them over for Christmas Eve!”

“Sookie, we’re livin’ in the dude’s condo. Technically, they’d be havin’ us over,” I point out and she laughs.

She sticks her tongue out at me, and we finally lighten up enough to finish our breakfast. I practically shove the whole thing in my mouth so I can leave on time for school.

I can swallow my pride for you, Sooks. If all you really wanted was me this whole time, I woulda found a way.

Pam’s POV:

I do not like the way Eric is looking at me.

Instead of replying to his curious, amused look, I glare instead and wander around the light tight chamber, waiting to escape from being his entertainment.

Since arriving back at the hovel he calls ‘the farmhouse’, ‘pig sty’ would be more accurate in my opinion, he has been giving me this knowing look. He knows that I care about Jason Stackhouse. Obviously not in a romantic way or any particularly needy way. Merely, I would be very unhappy if he died.

Stackhouse was accurately navigating my feelings for him last night, and it pissed me off to the point where I kicked him out of my vehicle and tore off to Eric’s place before sunrise rather than use the lightproof room below the condo. Now I am to deal with my nerve-searing Maker staring at me for several hours on end, waiting for me to break.

With a resigning groan, I tell him, “I would be greatly displeased if Stackhouse died.”

“I see,” is all Eric offers and I glower at him angrily. “You expected more?” he asks, eyebrow nearly to his hairline.

“I expected more gloating,” I confess.

Eric rolls his eyes at me, shakes his head, and flops back against the mattress, “Pamela, there have been several humans that I was unhappy to see die. That does not mean very much. The difference is you are the only one I bothered to turn. Do you feel that way? That you would be so terribly unhappy if Stackhouse died that you wish to keep him forever?”

“I am too young to take on a Child,” I snap.

“I would not stop you,” Eric sits up and is staring at me again. “Sometimes the worthy ones appear when we are least prepared. If Stackhouse is someone you do not wish the world to lose, then that is your decision to make no matter your age.”

Coming over to the mattress, I sit down beside my Maker and stare at my hands, “I wish to keep him, but he has too many important attachments to this world,” I confess. “I do not want to bring him over carrying regret.”

Eric stares at me strangely before sighing and uncharacteristically patting my back. “I know how you feel.”

“Sookie?” I guess.

“She is so earnest and good,” Eric tells me. “She is challenging enough to be entertaining. She is smart, beautiful-”

“And that aroma!” I add, making Eric nod. “Her brother tastes delicious as well, but Sookie smells even better than Jason tastes.”

“She cannot be glamoured,” he tells me and I look at him in shock. “We cannot slip up in front of her, Pamela. There is no recovering from exposure. I would urge you not to do anything that might lead you to requiring to glamour her brother. If he has the same immunity, we will be in trouble.”

I nod before considering this even further, “Perhaps that would be a good thing,” I comment. “The Great Revelation is only another five years from now. What would telling her early really stir up? Hell, if she knew, she might just want to be a vampire.”

Eric shakes his head, “I do not think so.”

“After you are through wooing her? I do not believe I’ve ever seen you in this level of self-doubt,” I confess.

“It is not self-doubt, Pam,” he insists. “She does not have the temperament for vampirism. It would take decades, if not a century, to chisel her attitude into a viable progeny. By then, the Sookie I enjoy would be nothing but a shell that looks like the creature I…” Eric’s brow pulls together, and his jaw forms into a scowl.

“Please do not tell me ‘love’ was the final word of that declaration,” I groan.

“No, it is not love,” Eric assures me. “I was merely surprised that I actually want to keep something sweet and loving. That is what she is, I believe. I think she is Love.”

I make a gagging noise in the back of my throat, “That is disgusting.”

Eric laughs at my response, “Aside from that one despicable human that tried to mug her, have you seen a single individual who has yet to dislike her?” he asks me.

His inquiry makes me shrug because, to be honest, I do not spend enough time with Sookie Stackhouse to determine whether or not she is all that likeable. The stories my Maker shares about her keep me entertained, but he could be embellishing to keep me interested enough to pay attention while he goes on and on. “Perhaps I should spend this evening with her instead of you,” I suggest. Eric glowers and I laugh, “Or perhaps not?”

“If you wish,” He shrugs, unperturbed by my suggestion after recovering. “Maybe you could take her shopping,” he continues.

I snort at the proposal, knowing that he is merely trying to tempt me with access to his credit card. “From what you have said, she is putting weight back on. I think a shopping trip should wait.”

“It is a Wednesday, she is off work,” Eric tries again. “I am certain you could find something to entertain a seventeen-year-old girl.” When I raise my eyebrows suggestively, he growls, making me cackle. “Pam,” his voice is a warning.

“You are certainly jealous enough to be in love,” I retort humorously. “Oh! Mani/pedis! I have not had one of those in so long!”

“That will give you girls plenty of time to chat and get to know each other,” Eric nods in approval, and I push his phone into his hand to force him to make the call to Sookie and then my usual salon. I indulged so often in body treatments for the five years I had stayed with Eric, purely to get the hell away from him during his mood swings that he ended up setting up an account with my spa.

I wait impatiently for him to call the condo, and listen as Sookie answers, “Hello?”
“Sookie, it is Eric,” my Maker announces. “Pam was hoping you would be interested in having a “girl’s night” this evening.”

“She wants to hang out with me?” The girl sounds surprised. I don’t blame her. She and I have never really interacted.

“She wishes to get her nails done. You would be doing me a great favor accompanying her and saving me from my own manicure,” Eric responds easily enough. I have, in fact, dragged him with me to the salon before.

“I could paint her nails for her. I got a pretty steady hand,” Sookie offers.

“Tell her I want an airbrush,” I hiss in Eric’s ear and he bats me away with a wave of his hand.

“Apparently she wishes to have something more ostentatious than a simple coat of paint,” he tells the girl.

“Like what?” Sookie sounds entirely confused. “I think they sell press ons at Walgreens-”

I snatch the phone out of Eric’s hand and snap into it, “Have you never gotten a mani/pedi in your life!? What the hell kind of person do you think I am!? Do you see me walking around with those tacky pieces of shit glued to my hands!?”

Eric yanks the phone from my hand and apologizes, “As you can see, my sister is quite particular about her nails.”

Sookie is whispering self-consciously when she asks, “Are mani/pedi’s more complicated than puttin’ polish on?”

Oh, I think with bemusement, she has no idea how to do her nails.

“I think you will enjoy it,” Eric assures her. “Pam will make sure you have fun.”

“Okay… Tell her I’m sorry for bein’ presumptuous. Our family never got stuff like that done. I ain’t ever been to a salon. Gran always cut my hair, and I always cut Jason’s. So, nails were never anything more than somethin’ ya cut from time to time,” she is still whispering shyly.

I am seething now, and rip the phone out of Eric’s hand once more, “Prepare yourself, Little Girl! You will respect the art of cosmetology by the end of this evening! I will pick you up at six!” With that, I press the ‘end’ button on Eric’s cellphone and hand it back to him. He is shaking his head in amusement.

“Well, it would seem my night is clear,” He sighs and looks at his watch. “You will have to fly like a bat out of hell to meet her up at six.” He begins scrolling through his phone and finds the number for my salon, making appointments for Sookie and I. Admittedly, I am actually excited. Though I am certain I will need to hold little Stackhouse’s hand throughout the evening, there is always an extreme pleasure introducing a young woman to the splendor of luxury bodyworks. Currently I am ticking off all the treatments I will subject her to, choosing what will be the least shocking, but balancing it with necessities. There is a slew of uncomfortable procedures that bring results well worth the annoyances. Perhaps if little Stackhouse does not annoy me too much this trip, I will schedule her a beauty regimen. It might be nice having someone other than Eric accompany me to the salon.

Not soon enough, I am able to leave. I hop into my Odyssey and make my way to Shreveport for my mission.

Sookie is ready and awaiting my arrival. I have barely parked when she runs out of the condo and to the passenger door. When she sits down, I frown. “First,” I tell her, “we need to get you something nice to wear. We have enough time before our appointment.”

“But-”
“Trust me, after what they do to you, you will appreciate having a nice set of clothes,” I insist.

“But-”

“You do not wish to get your hair and nails prettied up, and then be showing them off wearing your brother’s clothes, correct?”

“But-”

“Of course you don’t!” I slam my foot onto the accelerator and cut off another motorist. Sookie grabs at the handle of the door and the center consul as I weave through traffic in a way no minivan has a right to.

The girl does not have enough time to acclimate my driving before I pull up to the mall. I am around the vehicle and yanking her toward the shoppers’ haven before she can utter another protest.

“Pam,” Sookie whines as we arrive in front of our first shop, “I’m still puttin’ weight back on. This is a terrible time to buy clothes.”

“I could not agree more,” I reply. “That is why I will buy you a size that fits you now, and the next size up. You do not plan on turning obese on me, do you?” I glower.

“Of course not! I-I just weighed myself after Jason left for work, and I’m at 117 again,” she tells me.

I stop dead in my tracks, “You put on fifteen pounds in a week? Show me your stomach!”

Before Sookie can comply, I yank her shirt up in the middle of the store. There is a small pot belly greeting me. God, I love a good, little pot belly on a woman!

“Oh, look at that,” I grin.

“Stop it!” Sookie whispers frantically, trying to push her shirt back down as several customers look at us with confusion.

“Let me see…” I cinch her shirt tightly to see her dimensions better, “We will get you a two and a four in pants.” I stare intently at her breasts a moment, gauging how much of her weight gain has been stored there. They are considerably bigger. Apparently her body likes to store fat in generous areas. “And my goodness, those titties will need a C!” Her face turns a bright crimson and I turn away laughing to myself, and begin searching through the store. I am an efficient shopper when necessary.

I come back to Sookie with four pairs of soft, denim jeans that I can tell will hug her returning curves perfectly and six different tops that are made from a material that will stay tight around her torso, but will expand to accommodate her breasts. Top heavy women with narrow waists are usually slighted by blouses in this regard. However, I have become a master of determining the proper garments to adorn such bodies when I am forced to buy off a rack.

“Here, put these on,” I thrust a pair of size two jeans and the cream colored top into her hand. While she is in the dressing room, I run across the mall, purchase a bra from Victoria Secret in her size, and come running back to throw it over the top of her changing room, “And that!” I yell.

“What the heck, Pam!?” Sookie yells at me, but I am already at the counter paying for her purchases. When she emerges from the stall, I want to pat myself on the back.

“I knew these would look perfect on you,” I announce proudly, bustling around her and yanking off tags and stickers. The saleswoman comes over and takes the security tag off the hem of her pant leg, giving me a good view down her blouse. Yum… I wonder if I can convince Jason into a threesome? Shaking my head at the distraction, I turn back to Sookie, “Let’s go to our appointment.”

“But-”

“It is all paid for. Let’s go. We will be late,” I start pushing her toward the exit.

“But-”

The saleswoman is looking at me, stunned, still crouching near the floor from where she removed the security tag. I do not believe she has sold so much in such a short period of time.

“How do you like the clothing?” I ask as I am still guiding her out of the mall.

“I have no clue,” Sookie seems shell shocked by the abrupt and almost violent manner in which she was redressed. “I thought you were just throwin’ me in there to make sure everything fit. I didn’t even look in the mirror,” she confesses.

“Perfect!” I crow. “Now you will get the master effect once you have had your hair and nails done!”

“Hair, too?” she asks in alarm

“Yes,” is all I reply.

“Pam, I need my hoody back,” she says before I shove her out into the December air.

I snake my hand into the bag and pull out the worn leather half-jacket I found in the store. It is a pleasant enough quality without being too expensive. I throw the jacket over her shoulders and almost want to lick my lips. She looks sweet and delicious in this! Images of her straddling a motorcycle, her arms wrapped around my waist, flit through my head, and my cell phone begins ringing.

“What, Eric?” I snap at having my fantasy interrupted.

“Pamela, what are you doing?” Eric asks coldly.

“I wanted Sookie to have a few nice clothes to go with the new look she will have,” I explain innocently.

“I do not like the level of arousal you are experiencing. Is one Stackhouse notched into your bedpost not enough?”

“You cannot blame a girl for dreaming,” I tell him. “That notch is all yours, Eric,” I assure him.

“Cut it out,” he seethes.

“Yes, Eric,” I try for contrite, and Sookie looks at me in shock. Oh, she has never seen me play nice. “Perhaps you should meet up with us after our trip and you can tell me what you think of my handiwork.”

“I may do so just to be assured that the poor girl is still able to articulate a full sentence after being subjected to you for such a long period of time, not to mention your driving,” Eric snarls.

“No need to say such cruel things, Eric,” I am shoving Sookie into the passenger’s seat again. “I must go now, or we will be late for our appointment.”

“I will drop by at ten,” he tells me.

The trip to the salon is a memorable one. Sookie chats at me animatedly, talking about tests and finals. She is surprisingly bright about many things, not just books. Her insight on human behavior is inspiring even. She is courteous in drawing out my end of the conversation, asking questions without being nosy.

When she is asked about the treatments she wants by the nail technician, whose accent is so thick I am forced to speak with her in Mandarin just so we can communicate at all, Sookie gives me a wide-eyed “what did she say” look. I quickly tell the technician all the treatments we are wanting done. Sookie looks back and forth between us, completely stunned into silence.

I prompt and explain everything as it is done to her, and she leaves the nail side of the salon with perfectly shaped and painted French tips. The hair stylist is an American named Ashley, and when Sookie asks for nothing but a trim, I quickly interrupt and give new instructions. Ashley looks at me, and then Sookie, who shrugs.

“Whatever,” Ashley utters and gets to work.

After the styling is finished and Sookie’s hair is falling in soft, cascading layers, I have to admit that my mind’s eye has been spot on this evening. Sookie looks like an entirely new girl. She looks healthy, sexy, and well kept.

Per my instruction, Ashley kept Sookie’s line of sight out of the mirrors and I stand Sookie up, take her to a full length mirror, and stand her in front of it.

The shock on her face is all the praise I need. Now, if only I could have gotten some make-up on her face! Although her skin is quite beautiful, and she is still young and capable of going natural. Amazingly, she has no pimples or blackheads, which leads me to believe she takes some interest in her appearance.

“Now that is a beautiful girl,” I whisper in her ear, causing Sookie to blush and look down at her feet. I nip her chin, forcing her to look back at her reflection, “Say it, Sookie.”

“That’s a beautiful girl,” she mumbles and looks back at her feet.

I laugh, “You will get used to it.”

Once we are back in the van, Sookie sits quietly for a time before saying, “I hope I didn’t annoy ya too much tonight. I just didn’t know what they were askin’ me or tellin’ me to do.”

“You were fine,” I assure her. “I had a very good time. In fact, I was hoping you would accompany me again next week.”

“Hair and nails don’t grow that fast,” she reminds me.

“No, but there are plenty of other treatments you could have done. We could have your eyebrows cleaned up, get you waxed. Then you would not need to shave all the time,” I explain.

Sookie’s blush returns at my suggestion. “I don’t know. Ain’t it real expensive? Gran and Mamma always used to say, “why spend money on somethin’ ya can do at home?”

“Your mother could do this,” I point at her hair.

“Well, no,” she mumbles in embarrassment. “But, Pam, y’all aren’t gonna be wantin’ to throw your money at us forever… And Jason and I wouldn’t want ya to. I don’t wanna get used to this. It was real nice to try it out and get the new experience, but… I-I don’t think it’s a good idea to rely or expect or-”

“Sookie,” I silence her, “that statement alone makes me wish to give more to you. What if we just did this once a month? Girl’s night out,” I suggest.

The girl looks at her hands, and I see her finger itching to pick at her fresh manicure. I slap it in warning.

“It feels wrong,” Sookie whispers. “Graspin’ at the hand that feeds you. Wantin’ more like that… Jason and I haven’t been ones for luxury, y’know?” She looks up at me, probably hoping to read understanding in my expression, but all I give her is indifference. “I just don’t want to be greedy.”

“Eric and I have more money than we could hope to spend. Our tastes are not nearly as lavish as you would think. We do not hold large estates. Our additional homes, while there are many, are usually small, and merely for function when we travel. We have our indulgences, of course,” I stare out at the road a moment, smirking at the thought of some of our indulgences. “The point is,” I shake myself from my line of thought, “we could give and give to you two, and it would never affect us.”

“I don’t like it,” Sookie admits. “It’s scary.”

“Because it is too easy to get caught up in the lavishness?” I guess.

“Yeah,” she murmurs.

“Then give back in your own way,” I shrug. “Become teachers like you two planned. Shape the future minds of the world. Donate extra time to students who need it. Hell, donate your damn paychecks back to the school!”

“Pam,” she moans, “I only just agreed to let Eric help us out the next eighteen months! Stop tryin’ to make this a lifetime commitment!”

I pout a bit petulantly. Of course she is right, but after only a single evening in her company, I want to spend more time with her. She is sweet and sexy in that girl-next-door kind of way, and she has absolutely no idea! Part of me is excited to show her just how beautiful she is, and amazingly, it has nothing to do with desiring to get in her panties. I bet they are white cotton. I swoon at the very thought before quickly batting it from my mind. I feel as though I could have a true “sisterhood” with this girl, and that is neither something I have sought out nor yearned for in the past. Eric was right. She is a girl you cannot help but fall in love with.

When I pull up to the condo, Eric is standing, leaning casually against the building. As he sees me park in front of the curb, he goes to Sookie’s door and opens it for her. She looks up at him in surprise and blushes in that same adorable way I have enjoyed all evening.

“Sookie,” he gasps in surprise when he takes her hand and she steps out of the van, “you look breathtaking!”

Her eyes cast down modestly, and Eric cups her chin, kissing her gently on the lips. This is the first time I’ve seen him give a closed mouth kiss! It’s unnatural.

Eric pulls away and holds her arms out to take in her new clothes and hair. She is biting her lip bashfully, but finally attempting to meet his gaze.

“Look at you!” he laughs, drops her arms, and kisses her again. His tongue briefly touches her lips before he pulls away again, and Sookie’s face turns several shades of red before she bows her head once more.

Fucking adorable, I think ruefully.

Jason’s POV:

I’m dog tired.

By the time Pam drove me home, crowing the whole time about how she took my sister out to get “prettied up”, fucked my brains out, and I finally crawled into bed, I was spent. So, wakin’ up Thursday mornin’ and feelin’ like I ain’t slept in a week is kinda why when I walk into the living room, I scream, “WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!?”

It’s when my sis looks up with wide, surprised eyes that I realize Pam hadn’t been stretching the truth.

“Oh, God, Sooks!” I can’t stop starin’ at her. “You look so beautiful!” She’s got on a pair of jeans that actually fit, and this pretty blue shirt that looks nice on her, but ain’t too revealin’.

“Thanks, Jason,” she laughs, stands up from the couch, and gives me a spin.

“Your hair looks good,” I compliment her.

“Thanks. Pam told the stylist what to do,” she explains. “I thought they was makin’ up words.”

I chuckle and take her hands in mine, holdin’ her arms wide to really look at her, “Did you put on more weight?!” I ask excitedly.

“Back at 117!” She grins up at me and I lean down to hug her tight. “Wow! I never thought you’d get all excited over a haircut and a new set of clothes!”

“You just look so good!” I’m startin’ to cry, and I squeeze her even tighter. This huge fuckin’ boulder is bein’ lifted off my chest, seein’ her look so healthy and beautiful. Maybe it’s because we’ve just been fading away slowly these past three years neither of us noticed we were about to disappear, but seein’ her with her hair cut so nice, and wearin’ clothes that actually fit, and all them smiles and good stuff makes me so thankful. Thankful for Eric Northman. My baby sister is healthy and happy at last. The thing I’ve wanted so badly the last three years.

I know I made her happy a lot of the time, but I’ve also caused her guilt and concern. I know I ain’t looked too good neither the past few years. I seen myself in the mirror and watched my muscles turnin’ soft. I’ve felt my clothes slidin’ down or swallowing me up. It had to have been just as hard on her to watch me fading away as it was for me to see the same happenin’ to her.

“It was,” she whispers in my ear.

“What was what?” I mumble back, sniffling back a wave of snot at tryin’ not to sob.

“Watchin’ ya fade away. It was real hard,” she’s real quiet now. I almost can’t hear her.

I pull back, wipe at my eyes, and look Sookie straight in the eyes. She looks guarded, scared almost.

Suddenly all these things start clicking all through my head… It’s like my life’s flashing before my eyes, but it’s all Sookie stuff.

All the unasked questions bein’ answered. All the times I’d bargain with her over chores as a kid, makin’ her pick a number between one and ten, writing it on a paper, and then her always guessing the right number till I gave up and started flipping a coin. Always knowin’ when my shoulder needed ice. Always never sayin’ the wrong thing unless I really needed to hear it. Tellin’ me over and over how proud she was about doing well on a test or assignment when Daddy only praised me for my sports. Shit, if it weren’t for Sooks, I don’t know I’d have done so good in school. Probably woulda just focused on sports thinkin’ it was the only thing that mattered, or the only thing I was good at.

These things are flying through my brain a mile a minute until I finally stutter, “Sooks, can you really read my mind?” Sure, it’s been an ongoing joke between us, but now it don’t seem so funny, not with her lookin’ all scared and upset!

“Everyone’s,” she replies. “Well, almost everyone. There’s a few people I can’t. Like Pam and Eric. I think it’s genetic or somethin’… But I ain’t ever cheated on a test, I swear! Or-or used things I hear to hurt or embarrass anyone! I promise, I only ever used it to protect myself. I can mostly ignore it, and I don’t listen to-”

“Shh, Sooks,” I put my hand over her mouth to stop her rambling. “It’s okay. Okay?” Her eyes are big as she nods, her mouth still hidden by my palm. “Anybody else know?” She shakes her head negatively. “Let’s try and keep it that way then. Just you and me on this one, Sooks,” I tell her. She nods again and I take my hand from her mouth. “I don’t think we should say another word about it… Just cause you don’t know who’s listenin’ right?”

I start thinkin’ about the government takin’ her away. What if they think she’s a security risk? Worryin’ about some asshole stealing her and takin’ her away to Vegas or underground poker tournaments. It’s all crazy cloak and dagger shit, but the sort of thing my sister can do is just the thing that could inspire a criminal.

“You aren’t scared or angry?” she asks all quiet still.

“’Course I’m not. I mean, maybe in some weird part of the back of my head I suspected. You always just knew what and when to say things,” I shrug. “I mean, I never thought all that much about it, but when you did what you did just now, all these things kinda clicked in my head.”

“So, even though I hear things from you I shouldn’t sometimes, you aren’t mad?” She’s sniffling now and I pull her up in my arms again.

“No, I ain’t,” I assure her. “You’re my Sooks,” I tell her, kissin’ on the top of her head over and over. “Nothin’ changes that.”

“You ain’t mad I never told you before?” She wants reassurance that I’ve thought about everything.

“No, I ain’t,” I continue to assuage her worries. “You told me when you thought you could. Honestly, I couldn’t’ve dealt with it when we were kids. I probably woulda been all paranoid and shit. Then with all the shit with Gran and Social Services and… God, so much shit, Sooks… Now was the time. Now was good. We’re finally good… I’m just so sorry you’ve had to hide this so long. It’s been your whole life, hasn’t it? I got memories of when you couldn’t’ve been more than four or five. God, how did you hide it even back then?”

Sookie shrugs and pulls away to wipe at her eyes, “I don’t know,” she admits. “I guess even then I could tell the difference between which I was hearin’,” she points to her head, then to her mouth. “I just knew never to acknowledge this,” She points to her head again.

“Well, whatever it was, you’re one strong, brave little lady!” I laugh and pull her in for another hug. “So is that it? All our secrets are out? Nothin’ else you need to tell me you been holdin’ back?” She shakes her head against my chest and I sigh. “Then we can really have a good eighteen months, Sooks. The best.”

{†}

It’s Saturday. The eve of Christmas Eve. Sooks and I were super-stoked to find out one of the Christmas holidays fell on a Sunday this year because it was the day we got to spend the most time together. I called Pam and Eric, askin’ if they wanted to spend some of it with us and they agreed to come by around 6:30 to celebrate. Eric’s planning on stayin’ over at the condo for a while so Sooks will have someone to hang out with. I said he had to leave when Pam did, and he laughed, but agreed.

It’s crazy to think I only got seven more days of workin’, and then I’m done for the next year and a half. I think I’m gonna get a bit antsy at first with all the down time, but I might slip into a coma to catch up on three years’ sleep. Every day since I learned of the arrangement, I’ve gone back and forth about tellin’ Eric I just can’t do it. Only, every time I pick up the phone, I see Sookie in my head. Her hair all pretty and smooth, her body healthy and full of life, and that big ass smile on her face. It makes me put the phone back down every time. Seein’ my baby sis like that is worth swallowing a boulder size of pride any time.

A hard knock at the door makes me jump outta my thoughts, and I hop up to answer it. There’s a moment I’m starin’ at the wall across from me, but then I feel a bump at my legs and little Dr. Ludwig is shoving her way into the condo.

“I take it you forgot about your follow-up?” Ludwig snaps at me.

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” I mumble guiltily. “It’s been a real crazy week,” I tell her.

“Fine, fine,” she waves off my excuse. “Take off your shirt. Let’s see that shoulder.”

I strip my hoody off, shove the coffee table against the couch, and sit on it. Ludwig crawls onto the couch and starts looking my arm over.

“Good, it looks like you’ve been putting on weight… Impressive…” she’s mumbling to herself. “That serum did wonders for this.”

“Yeah, it ain’t hurt at all, but I’ve been makin’ sure to favor it so it could heal up proper. Was that the right thing?” I ask her.

“I am sure it helped accelerate the repairs,” She nods and hops off the couch to stand in front of me. She takes out a clipboard and a pen. “Now, a few questions before you receive your next series of injections.”

“But it doesn’t hurt anymore-”

“Shut it,” she snaps at me. “I told you this was a three series treatment. You will get another dose next weekend, too.”

“Sorry, Doc,” I mumble.

“Now, have you been having any strange dreams since last week?”

“Nope.”

“Any changes in senses of taste, hearing, sight, or smell?”

“Nope.”

“Paranoia?”

“No.”

“Difficulty sleeping or eating?”

“Nah, the opposite actually.” She nods and scribbles that down. “But we got food in the house now, so that might be why I’m eatin’ more, and since my shoulder don’t hurt, it’s not wakin’ me up all the time,” I explain why my habits might have changed other than her miracle drug.

“I see…” She looks concerned by my explanation, but I shrug. “Increase in sex drive?”

I blush, “Yeah, I think I got that one.”

“How often are you having sex?”

“Um… Maybe three or four times a night, sometimes every other night,” I confess and my face feels hotter and hotter.

“How often have you been masturbating on top of that?” Doc asks, and I swear I could fry an egg on my face.

“Like, once or twice if I get laid. Maybe three or four if I don’t,” I tell her and put my face in my hands because I just can’t look at her anymore. It’s like talkin’ to a shorter, sterner version of Gran.

“Have you found you can lift heavier objects with little to no effort?” she asks.

“I’ve been tryin’ to go easy on my shoulder,” I remind her.

Ludwig frowns, digs through her big ‘ol bag of medicine, and pulls out a weird contraption with a thick ass spring. She looks around, goes to the fireplace, and hooks the device into the ember screen mount.

“Give this a tug,” She points. I take the bar in my hand, pull, and Ludwig writes down some notes. She looks happy. “Excellent! It seems as though this treatment is working well for you!”

After she has her happy moment, it’s time for the moment I’ve been dreading. She does her three sticks, I do my best to man up and not throw up. We both accomplish what we set out to do.

I don’t feel any relief after the shots this time. The pain from the injections fades super quick like last time, but other than that, there’s no life altering experiences like the first treatment. That’s more of a relief than not, cause I think it means I’m healing up real good, and the pain and injury is gone.

I thank the doctor and walk her to the door, lockin’ it behind me before going to my room and passing out until my shift at the stadium.

As I start to fall asleep, thoughts of football, fun, and Sookie are my lullaby.

On to Chapter Nine!