Unspoken Feelings Ch. 25

Chapter Twenty-Five: Home In Time For Insanity

Eric scooped his fiancée into his arms for the last time in an airport. The next time they met at a gate like this, she would be his wife, and Eric couldn’t wait!

“I missed you so much!” Eric moaned as he held her tighter before pulling away enough to kiss her. He felt Sookie shy away from his kiss after a moment and knew it was because they were drawing the attention of onlookers.

“Mmm,” Sookie responded agreeably as he set her back on her feet. “I missed you too,”she signed at him when she had her hands to herself once more.

Eric smiled at the quick, natural flicker of her hands. She was officially a full month without medication, and much to all of their surprise, she could still speak in private to people that she knew well enough. Dr. Broadway had said the fact she could still talk so freely among her family and friends without medication was damn near a miracle. With plenty of practice and experimentation with new social situations, Sookie could eventually overcome her anxiety without drugs. At least, that was the theory.

“Hi, Sookie,” Claudine arrived behind Eric, and Sookie paused in her reply to see her holding the hand of Eric’s former roommate, Alcide. Upon that realization, Sookie waved merrily. “How have you been?”

Sookie’s hands raised to reply, and Eric said aloud for her, “She’s happy to have me home. How about you?”

“I’m well, thank you,” Claudine answered awkwardly. She wasn’t sure how to handle Sookie Stackhouse. Even more, she didn’t know how to deal with Uncle Fintan’s new romance with Adele Stackhouse, the sister of the man who had murdered her twin.

“We should probably get heading home,” Eric told them. “Sookie’s graduation is in a few days, and I’m going to need all my willpower not to flip off every single one of her classmates as they go up for their diploma.” Sookie nudged Eric in the ribs with her elbow, making him laugh. “I’ll see you guys before the wedding, right?”

“Yeah, of course!” Alcide assured as he tugged Claudine toward where his father was waiting for them. “I’ll call you sometime this weekend.”

The couples waved goodbye, and Sookie jogged excitedly out to the parking lot to show Eric that she had driven the car herself to pick him up. It was the first time she’d been able to drive anywhere after getting her cast off.

Her fiancé smiled and headed for the driver’s door. Sookie pouted but handed him the keys to Gran’s Station Wagon. Eric unlocked the door and held it open like he usually did for her, but it was the driver’s seat.

“Ah!?” Sookie pointed to herself in surprise.

“Yes, you’re driving us back,” Eric laughed as he handed the keys back to her and made his way around to the passenger side after shutting her door. He knew how important getting some of her independence back meant to her. After getting her arm broken and then losing her footing on recovering her voice, Eric wanted to do whatever he could to make her realize she was still strong and capable.

Sookie leaned across the front seats to unlock Eric’s side before he arrived. Once they were in the privacy of the car, Sookie leaned in and whispered, “I love you. I missed you!” against his lips before giving a quick kiss.

“I love you too,” Eric smiled at Sookie and settled in for the thirty-minute drive to Bon Temps. He held Sookie’s hand as she drove, and shut his eyes. The feel of Sookie’s thumb stroking his hand was enough to broaden the smile on his face to a grin. “Have you decided if you want Fintan at our wedding?” He knew it was a sensitive topic, but after just seeing Claudine, Eric figured it was the closest chance he had at a natural segue.

“I still haven’t been able to utter a word in front of him,” Sookie confessed. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to say ‘I Do,’ with him staring at me.”

“Has he mentioned talking to his family about yours?” Eric asked, having not read a word in her letters about it since he first returned to school after Spring Break.

“He hasn’t,” Sookie scowled.

“I can’t say that I blame him,” Eric sighed, earning a quick glare from his fiancée. “I am only saying that going fifty years thinking you have no children to finding out you had two and now have three grandchildren is a shock. Plus, there’s a lot of money involved, and that can bring out the worst in some people.”

“Is this your way of saying you want a prenup?” Sookie asked woundedly.

Eric laughed at Sookie’s suggestion, “No, I don’t want a prenup. I’m only trying to explain that having so much money divided amongst the family, especially with the head of the family legacy so old, springing this information on them is delicate.”

“I thought your parents didn’t bring you up on money?” Sookie frowned curiously.

“Just because we weren’t spoiled with money doesn’t mean we thought we were poor,” Eric laughed. “Our father had to pull our mother back from time to time on her spending. I remember one time she totaled her car and bought a new one hoping he wouldn’t notice.”

“Why wouldn’t she tell him? Accidents happen,” Sookie tried to defend Eric’s mother.

Eric chuckled, “It was the second car she totaled in two years, and she was at fault again. Of course, the insurance still had to pay for the damage to the other car, and the VIN changed on the insurance policy along with the number on the odometer. It’s wasn’t a very well thought out plan.”

When the couple arrived at the farmhouse, their previous conversation about prenups forgotten, Sookie groaned at the vehicle in the driveway. It was Fintan again.

The older gentleman was leaving through the kitchen door when the younger couple pulled up. Sookie saw him give her Gran a quick kiss before he practically skipped down the stairs. The granddaughter had to suppress a scowl as she passed him in the driveway.

“Good evening, Sookie,” Fintan greeted. “I just came by to tell Adele that I’m talking to my family next Saturday about all of you-“

Sookie’s expression turned sour, and she stormed into the house with Eric on her heels.

“Sookie!” Gran glowed happily. “Fintan’s finally telling his family about all of us!”

The young woman paused in her fury. More subdued, Sookie nodded, “Great,” and took Eric’s hand to drag him to her room.

“I take it,” Eric started to speak once the door was shut behind him, “you didn’t want your graduation marked by all this?”

“It’ll make Gran happy,” Sookie flopped onto her bed.

“What if we go back to my house after graduation. That way if anyone shows up, you won’t have to deal with them?” Eric suggested as he sat beside her on the bed and began to squeeze her thigh.

“I’d really like that,” Sookie confessed as she turned onto her back and looked at Eric with a pout on her lips. “Can I stay with you after school tomorrow?”

Eric grinned, “I’d like that. How about I pick you up in the morning and drive you and Pam to school like the good old days?”

“I don’t want you to have to lug my overnight bag around tomorrow,” Sookie frowned.

Her fiancé’s response was to layer his body over Sookie’s and kiss her deeply, “Just bring a toothbrush. Nothing else.” Sookie giggled at his statement. “I’m serious, Sookie. You have no idea how much-“

“Sookie?” Gran’s voice interrupted Eric’s declaration.

“Yeah, Gran?” Sookie called, her cheeks warming at the sensation of Eric hardening against her.

“I’m so sorry, Sookie, I didn’t realize next weekend was graduation when Fintan told me. I was-“

“It’s okay, Gran!” Sookie called as Eric’s hips began to rock against her own.

Adele seemed to realize something private was going on behind closed doors because she gave a brief, “Alright, Dear,” and was soon shuffling back to the living room.

Sookie groaned softly as Eric’s hips pressed tighter against her.

“Eric,” her voice was a warning.

“Please, Sookie?” Eric kissed her neck. It had been over five months since they had made love, and he was not above begging her.

Sookie moaned again when his hands reached up to squeeze her breasts. “Ah!” She jerked when a nipple was tugged. “Gran’s just downstairs,” she protested weakly.

“I’ll be quiet,” he promised.

“I don’t think I can,” Sookie confessed, but her resistance was failing.

Eric’s response was to press his mouth to Sookie’s as his hands opened her legs to wrap around his hips. Her cry muffled as his rigid length stroked between her folds, separated only by their clothing. Eric pressed harder against her and Sookie broke away from their kiss to pant needfully.

“Ah, okay!” she succumbed and had to hold back a laugh as Eric quickly began pulling her clothes out of the way. Her skirt was flipped toward her chest, her panties pushed to the side, and Eric did little more than unzip his pants to find freedom.

Before his self-control was utterly abandoned, Eric slid down the length of Sookie’s body to give the space between her thighs a preparatory lick. He didn’t linger there nearly as long as Sookie would have liked, but she was grateful that he helped make his grand entrance a bit smoother.

Without further ceremony, Eric was pressing his cock to Sookie’s entrance, and taking little time before filling her completely. Sookie groaned but found her mouth hushed with Eric’s lips once again. His hips were bucking furiously against her, pressing his pelvis against her clit with loud slaps.

Soon the bed began to rattle, and Sookie snorted as Eric’s hands reached up to hold the frame. Sookie reached above her between the posts and pressed against the wall. The result was a magnified collision of their sexes that would have alerted Gran to the goings on in the bedroom if Eric’s tongue wasn’t dutifully smothering her noises.

All too soon, Eric stilled above her, and the pleasant pulse of his cock inside of her came in synchronization with her fiancé’s soft groan.

“Sorry,” Eric panted against her lips before flopping onto his side. “That got you pretty hot, though,” he whispered as he pulled Sookie back against his chest. She was settling against him, trembling from unfulfilled passion, and beginning to accept that the coupling had been more for Eric than her.

As Eric began kissing at the back of her neck, Sookie let out a contented sigh that turned into a gasp when Eric pulled her thigh back and over his bent knee. Soon his hand was between her legs and rubbing at her clit with a tried and true technique. In little more than a minute, his free hand clamped over her mouth as a pleasurable cry began to echo with her orgasm and Eric’s hand slowed to a halt. His fingers pressed softly between her folds, feeling the intense contractions of her release.

“And you were pouting as if I’d leave you like that, ” Eric teased as his hand finally left her mouth, and he stole another kiss. “Mmm, I missed you so much, ” he told her happily.

“I’m so glad we’re together again, ” Sookie whispered. “Every time I’d see you all year, it made me more sad than happy.”

“I felt the same, ” he assured.

“Don’t ever go away again, okay? Not even on a business trip, ” Sookie turned to bury her face against Eric’s side.

“I’ll need to leave you alone sometimes, ” Eric grinned. “We don’t want to become too codependent, do we?” Deep down, he wanted to never leave her side, but he knew it would hinder her ability to heal. If he was always around to talk for her, she would never do it for herself.

Sookie nuzzled even closer to her future husband. “I guess.”

“Have you considered culinary school at all? ” he tried to ask nonchalantly but knew that Sookie felt the weight of his question.

“I don’t know, Eric, ” she confessed. “I don’t even know if I have enough drive to do it while I’m still unable to speak freely.”

Eric frowned as he began playing with the ends of her hair. “I know I’ve been pushing the subject from time to time. I guess I’m worried you’ll have regrets by not continuing your education. You’re just so damned smart!”

Sookie’s mouth quirked into a small smile. “Would it make you feel better if I went?”

“Maybe, ” Eric sighed, shutting his eyes contemplatively.

“In case we need the money?” Sookie wondered.

Eric laughed, “No, we’re going to be fine as far as money goes. Even if you convince me to give you sevenkids.”

“Then why are you fixated on it?” Sookie asked.

There was a long silence before Eric murmured, “What if I die?” Sookie’s throat constricted. “Who would you have to talk to? Where will you make friends? If Pam’s not living in the area, who are you going to cry with?”

“I don’t want you to die,” Sookie choked out and squeezed him harder.

“I don’t planon it, Sookie, but we both come from families where our parents died. It’s not something I can consider as impossible,” Eric tried to explain.

Sookie shook her head, rejecting his notion. She didn’t want to plan for these things. Not yet.

“I don’t want to talk about this stuff yet,” Sookie told him. “Can’t we wait a little while after the honeymoon before we start talking about death?”

“Alright,” Eric relented. He felt slightly relieved just to have broached the topic at all. It was only fair to give Sookie time to absorb his observations, and hopefully, she would be able to talk about their wills by the time Bobby came by to assist them with such grim preparations.

{†}

“Hey, Gran,” Eric came to sit with his future grandmother while Sookie was in her last day of high school.

“Good morning, Dear!” Gran gave Eric a big hug. “I felt terrible not having any dinner for you last night!”

“Don’t worry about it, Gran,” Eric chuckled as he went inside to sit with Adele and have a discussion he’d been dreading for nearly a year.

“You have quite the look on your face,” Gran chuckled. “Do you want some iced tea?”

“Sure, Gran. Thank you,” Eric mumbled as he sat at the kitchen table. He wondered if a lot of awkward conversations had taken place here. In his short time with the Stackhouse family, he knew plenty of painful talks had taken place in this room.

“Getting cold feet now that you’re home?” Gran teased.

“You know better than to think that,” Eric smiled weakly. “I’m not scared about the husband part. I seem to have good stock for being a partner, but…”

Adele smiled knowingly as she poured them each a glass and sat across from Eric. “Ah, the fears of fatherhood?”

“Sookie is just so sure,” Eric moaned. “I don’t think I can muster that sort of confidence about it, and I don’t know how to assure her it doesn’t mean I’m against it!”

Reaching forward, Adele gave his hand a comforting pat. “You’ll do fine, Eric.”

“How can you be so sure?” Eric placed his hands against the cold glass, but couldn’t find a desire to drink it.

“Eric, was your father really so bad?” Adele gently asked.

The young man shrugged, “He wasn’t a terror or anything. He was just…”

“Stern?”

“Yeah,” Eric frowned.

“Did he tell you he loved you a lot?” Gran asked.

“Yeah, but-“

“But what?” Adele pressed.

“It always felt like a strain for him. Something he said because he knew he was supposed to,” Eric grumbled.

Adele took a sip of her tea. “A strain, or painful?”

“I don’t know. What does it matter?” Eric demanded.

“Did you ever think that for a man who remembered being abandoned by his mother, it might have been emotional to tell his own children that he loved them?” Adele suggested. “Maybe he remembered the times his mother had said she loved him and then left him behind?”

Eric sighed and shook his head, “You never knew him.”

“True, I never knew him, but I had met him,” Adele told him.

“You did?” Eric looked up in surprise.

“Your grandmother lived right up the road from me, Dear. Of course, I met your father. Even with the infrequency they visited, you think your grandma never invited me to meet her daughter’s husband?” Adele laughed at the idea.

“What did you think of him?” Eric asked.

“I thought he was very stiff,” Adele laughed. “He was like a tree ‘bout ready to crack in half with a strong storm. Your mama gave him some bend, though. Her smile could break the sternness in his eyes. Her laugh could tug the corners of his mouth upward.”

Eric’s eyes shut as he considered this and couldn’t help his own smile.

“It wasn’t fair of him to leave the three of you like he did,” Gran continued. “Maybe being left behind like he was, your daddy thought he was doing you a favor not sticking around. It could also be that without the flexibility your mama gave him, he finally got broken in half by the storm. Whatever reason, it’s okay to be mad at him, Eric. It’s natural for all three of you children to be madat him, but don’t forget the love he had for you. Don’t ever stop remembering that your daddy loved you just as much as your mama, even if he wasn’t sure how to show it.”

“Sookie would come back to life and kill me if I considered leaving our kids like our dad left us,” Eric chuckled.

“Don’t go killin’ off my granddaughter like that, Eric,” Gran snapped. “You can’t be putting thoughts like that out in the air!”

Eric smiled, “I just want to be prepared for anything.”

“It’ll never happen, Dear,” Gran gave him an apologetic smile. “You can plan until you’re blue in the face. You know what they say about making plans?” At Eric’s dumbfounded expression, Gran gave a wink. “God laughs at you while you make plans.”

“So what do I do?”

“Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and love every minute of what you get,” Adele told him. “You two will get married and make babies and love them till they’re off getting married and making babies of their own. You’ll love them and the babies they make even if none of them turn out the way you’d hoped.”

“Aside from the baby part,” Eric began slowly, “there’s something else I’m concerned about.”

“I’m sure there is. There’s no getting you out of your head. Sookie is the one with a mental condition, and you’re the one I’m always worried about!” Gran joked.

“I’m worried Sookie won’t continue her education,” Eric told her.

“Does she want to?” Gran asked.

“Not really. If she did, it would be to make me happy,” Eric admitted.

“Why would that make you happy?” Gran took another patient sip of her tea.

Eric shrugged, “If something happened to me, I’d like to know that she would have something to get her out of the house and meeting people. I’d like to know that she would have resources to help her cope and help with the kids.”

Adele nodded, “Well, no matter where you two end up, I’m sure Sookie will be an active member in her church. You know how she’s always trying to be helpful, I’m sure she’d volunteer time to the school as a helper mom. Once she gets into an environment that isn’t so harsh on her, I’m sure you’ll see some flourishing. She’s actually quite sociable, but you know that, don’t you?”

Eric let out a long sigh, “Yeah. I do.”

“You realize that I was a housewife and stay-at-home-mother, right?” Gran pointed out. “I have plenty of people that I’ve befriended over the years, and not all of them are from Bon Temps.”

“Like Fintan?” Eric raised his eyebrows.

“That was a low blow,” Gran chuckled.

Eric smiled to himself and fiddled with glass.

“What I’m trying to tell you is that being a housewife and stay-at-home mother are real work. If it weren’t work, then there wouldn’t be professions devoted to child care or housekeeping, ” Adele explained. “Maybe I’m biased, or even defensive about how I experienced my adulthood. What I do know is at sixty-eight, I feel grateful for the years I devoted to my family, and I have no regrets.”

Eric took comfort in Adele’s assurances. He had forgotten about Sookie’s devotion to the church and all the social aspects of child-rearing. Sookie would interact with teachers and other parents regularly.

Surely Sookie would make some friends along the way.

{†}

Sookie sat awkwardly on the stage for graduation. Being valedictorian had forced her into the limelight, but thankfully no one was expecting a speech from their silent classmate. The young woman would only occasionally glance up from her folded hands and look toward her fiancé, grandmother, and brother as the ceremony continued. Pam was seated with the graduating class of 2002, and the rest of the underclassmen were sitting among their own graduating classes. With such a small school, it was a tradition for the whole student body to see off the graduates.

During the time that she would have given her speech, Sookie was surprised when Dr. Jones rose from his chair a few seats down from her and went to the podium.

“Congratulations, Class of 2001,” Dr. Jones began and promptly cleared his throat.

Sookie clutched the front of her robes. If there were one thing she would miss about Bon Temps High School, it was Dr. Jones. From the second she walked through the doors of the school, she had felt like a target. She’d been mocked and bullied, but never down the science hallway. Dr. Jones always stood protectively in front of his classroom door, writing kids up for being rowdy or knocking books from her hands. It only took a week for the freshmen to realize not to pull any crap in front of the Bio teacher.

When the girls in her freshman gym class had taken pictures of her in the locker room, Dr. Jones had spoken to her for the first time outside of the classroom. He offered her a safe haven during her study periods and told her that the library was also somewhere she could go that other kids wouldn’t bother her. He’d push her to participate where the other teachers wouldn’t bother to acknowledge more than her attendance.

“The most admirable trait of the human species is its desire to protect rather than sacrifice the defenseless and injured of their pack,” Dr. Jones’ voice broke through Sookie’s reverie. “However, the past three years here at Bon Temps, I had my belief in this trait come to doubt,” the teacher’s voice deepened with emotion. “I watched a bright and forgiving human being bullied, mocked and evenbrutalizedby other humans for being different. What was worse, it wasn’t what she wore or how she treated people that lead to this abuse. She couldn’t change or hide what made her different, and for those of you that hurt her over the years, I am ashamedof you. I have failed as your teacher these past four years for not having been able to guide you and correct your behavior.”

An eerie silence came over the gymnasium as the teacher spoke, and many heads began to hang self-consciously as the principal stared in horror and disbelief at his science teacher.

“Today should have been a day for you to celebrate your accomplishments, but I don’t think you deserve that,” Dr. Jones growled into the microphone. “Because if you couldn’t learn that one simple life lesson here, then I don’t know how you managed to earn those diplomas. I hope all of you continue your education. Continue tolearnand growas students and human beings.“

With that, Dr. Jones stormed off stage. He knew that he had jeopardized his chances at remaining at Bon Temps High School, but after the treatment the teacher had seen Sookie Stackhouse endure, he wasn’t so sure he could come back. When Dr. Jones had received a job at such a small school, the educator had thought he would be able to make a difference and focus on allhis students. Instead, he had found a broken disciplinary system that couldn’t protect the children.

A rumbling murmur broke out as the teacher was halfway to the exit. When he turned to see what had caused the sudden ripple of sound, he saw Sookie Stackhouse standing at the podium. His legs froze in his retreat, and he found himself staring as well when Sookie reached forward and cupped the microphone in her hands like a butterfly.

As her face leaned forward, he could see even from the current distance that Sookie’s eyes were squeezed shut. The evident strain on her face made the man hold his breath, and so did the crowd as it became suddenly hushed.

After a pause, the soft, whisper of, “Thank you,” echoed from the speakers and Sookie pulled away from the podium to return to her seat and sit with her head hanging down. She stared at her palms as the color drained from her face. Her shoulders rose and fell sharply as the young woman tried to calm her racing heart.

No one made any objection as Eric Northman walked swiftly through the gym and climbed the steps to stand behind his fiancée. He stayed by her side for the remainder of the ceremony except for her short walk to receive her diploma.

Once graduation had commenced, Sookie was grateful to be swept away by her family and escorted to the car. Classmates tried to stop her, but Eric shoved past them and got her on her way home without further excitement.

Finally, when they were in Eric’s car, Sookie led out a relieved sigh.

“I can’t believe you did that, ” Eric laughed under his breath. “Do you realize that you just spoke in front of nearly three-hundred people?”

Sookie nodded slowly, “Dr. Jones put his career on the line to stand up for me. I had to thank him.”

Eric took Sookie’s hand in his and gave it a quick kiss. “I could tell he has been holding that in for quite some time. I wouldn’t be surprised if he only kept that position until you graduated so he could be there for you.”

Something about Eric’s remark pleased Sookie. Other than her Gran and the Northmans, no one had ever really treated her like someone who needed to be protected, or deserved that sort of loyalty. Remembering all the prodding and helpful hands Dr. Jones had offered over the years made Sookie feel special in a way that she didn’t quite understand. In a word, she would say she felt accepted.

“Who’s at my house?” Eric wondered aloud as he pulled up to his front gate. The car was vaguely familiar, but it wasn’t until he saw Claudine and her brother that Eric remembered the ride home they had given him a few months before.

“Oh no,” Sookie could already see the scowl on Claudine’s face. “Fintan told them, and they knew exactly where to go to find me.”

“Maybe it won’t be so bad,” Eric tried to be encouraging, but he didn’t feel nearly so confident when he saw Claudine’s expression.

As Eric parked off to the side of Claude’s car, he hopped out of the car and took Sookie’s hand. Claudine only hesitated briefly at seeing Sookie’s graduation gown before she quickly closed the distance between them.

“So,” Claudine frowned, “we’re cousins.” Sookie nodded. “Didyouknow we were cousins?” Claudine demanded of Eric.

“Yes,” Eric replied calmly, “but it wasn’t my place to bring it up. Fintan wanted to wait until the news of your sister wasn’t so fresh.”

“Why? Because now I’m relatedto my sister’s murderer?” Claudine shrieked. “Did you ever stop and think that my sister might have been alive in that fucking trunk before your dad dumped her in that lake!?”

“Claudine!” Eric snapped as he put himself between the two women. “Stop taking it out on Sookie. She was barely even eight when that stuff happened.”

“She’s still related to a murderer no matter if it was her father or uncle that did it!” Claudine shouted angrily.

Sookie nudged her fiancé to move aside so that she could face Claudine. When the two women could see one another, Sookie’s hands raised slowly to begin signing.

“She says that she’s sorry about your sister,” Eric told his friend what Sookie had signed.

Claudine shook her head, rejecting Sookie’s condolences. “Whatever. I just came out here to tell you that I’m through with you and your family. You too, Eric. I hope I never see any of you again!”

As Claudine stormed to the car, her brother who had stood quietly on the sidelines sighed and shook his head. “I’m really sorry. I told her not to come out here, but there was no keeping her home, and I didn’t want her driving like this. I hope you can forgive her over this because she’ll calm down and realize she was an inconsolable bitch.”

Sookie placed a hand on Claude’s forearm as she walked past him and went to the car Claudine was fuming in. As she sat in the driver’s seat, Sookie looked out the side window to pretend Claudine wasn’t there.

“I wish, I could gi-ive you answers,” Sookie whispered, “but there’s nothing I can o-offer you. The b-iggest traumas of both our lives were given to us b-y the same man, and if you wa-ant to talk, I’m a practiced li-istener.”

With that, Sookie climbed back out of the car and walked to the front door of Rosenfont Hall.

When his seat was vacated, Claude slipped behind the wheel and looked at his sister patiently. “Well? What do you want to do now?”

Claudine turned away to hide the tears that were ready to fall. “I think we should go home.”

“I think you’re right,” Claude agreed.

“Do you think they’ll forgive me?” Claudine asked as her brother shut his door and turned the ignition over.

“Yeah,” Claude assured. “I think by the time you guys get back to school, everything will blow over.”

“I feel like such an ass,” Claudine moaned.

“That’s because you werean ass,” her brother replied as he backed out of the driveway.

“How can you be so calm about all of this?” Claudine demanded.

Her brother paused at the edge of the road and looked at his sister sourly, “Because I finally have closure about where my sister is. I know that she’s dead and I know who took her. The thing you’re not considering is that whether Claudette was alive in that trunk when it hit the water or not, Bartlett Hale is the one responsible for her being there. No matter what really went down that day, heis the one I blame for our sister’s death.”

Claudine lowered her head contritely. “I guess I wanted someone to let my anger out.”

“Personally, ” Claude confessed, “I’m glad he’s already dead. I would have been angrier finding out he’s been running around hurting people these past nine years.”

“Agreed, ” Claudine sighed. “What about Sookie being related to us?”

“I’m envious she didn’t have to know grandpa in his tyrannical phase,” Claude laughed.

“She, Jason, Linda and Hadley will get the same inheritance as the rest of us, ” Claudine pointed out.

“Which would mean something to me if I wasn’t still getting close to seven million dollars when the old man finally dies, ” Claude rolled his eyes.

“I know you and grandfather haven’t always been on the best of terms-“

“Claudine, I have the worstcoming out story of all my friends. Most of them got disowned. I was the only one chased out of a house by their grandfather screaming he would beat the faggot right out of my ass while waving his cane around.”

Claudine nodded sadly at the memory. It had been three years ago that Claude had come out to the family. Grandfather Niall would be diagnosed with dementia shortly after, and everyone would choose to believe the violent outburst was due to the declining mental health. Claude always believed otherwise.

Uncle Fintan had taken over the estate and assured Claude that his inheritance was well intact. This had come as a relief to Dillon and his wife.

“I hope the Stackhouses give Uncle Fintan a chance, ” Claude said suddenly.

“What do you mean?” Claudine asked as she braced her hand against the ceiling of the car when they bounced over a series of potholes.

“I hope they get to have some sort of family connection, ” Claude explained. “Uncle Fintan was always the most supportive of my relationships. Even Mom and Dad haven’t been all that understanding about it.”

“I think they’re just both hoping it’s a phase,” Claudine told him patiently.

“Why can’t they just look beyond it and love me? What does it matter who I’m attracted to as long as I’m their child and happy? Shouldn’t that be the most important thing?” Claude became increasingly upset.

Claudine took her brother’s hand, “Yes, that is the only thing that matters, and you shouldn’t have to wait for them to come around… You’ve got me, though, I love you no matter what, and I don’t care that you’re gay. Sookie and Eric won’t care either, and they’re your family, too!”

“They won’t care?” Claude asked, surprised out of sadness. “I thought Eric was just nice to me to get a ride home,” Claude confessed.

“Nope,” Claudine shook her head, “his little sister’s gay, too.”

Claude could only nod instead of verbally reply. He’d made a few friends since becoming old enough to dance at Hooligans, and with most of the male entertainers being gay as well, they all had stories to tell.

However, Claude never really got to talk about the financial burden being gay had brought upon him. He liked cute things and could be a little prissy about the clothing he wore when he wasn’t half naked on a stage. This wasn’t something he could share with his co-workers, though. None of them danced because they needed a family to belong to. They danced because they had bills to pay.

The young man began to wonder if he would still want to dance if he could find enough family outside of Hooligans. If letting Sookie, her husband, and her husband’s sister into his life helped fill some of the voids his sister alone couldn’t, would he still need the strip club?

“Claude?” his sister called gently. “Are you okay?”

Claude shook his head to dispel the fantasy of pursuing something beyond shaking his money maker.

“I really want to know the Stackhouses and Sookie’s future family,” Claude confessed.

Claudine smiled softly, “Yeah. Me too.”

{†}

Eric groaned as the doorbell rang insistingly and sat back on his knees between Sookie’s legs. After the Crane siblings had left, it had taken a great deal of coaxing to get his fiancée in the mood for sex, and now they were being interrupted again.

“Be right back,” Eric grumbled, regretting having convinced Godric and Pam to give them the afternoon alone in the house. If one of them had been home, theycould have gotten the damned door!

“What!?” Eric snapped as he flung the door open. His eyes widened marginally as he found Fintan standing on the porch, sternly staring at his granddaughter’s fiancé. I should have gotten dressed,Eric thought in exasperation at answering the door in his unbuttoned jeans.

Fintan cleared his throat and forced a chuckle, “I was hoping to congratulate my granddaughter on graduating.”

“Of course,” Eric tried his best to smile. “Please, come in. I’ll put the kettle on for some tea,” he offered out of nervousness and habit.

“And put on some clothes?” Fintan hinted with just enough humor that Eric felt some of the edginess leave the conversation.

“Yes! Definitely,” Eric assured as he guided Fintan to the sitting room and quickly detoured to the kitchen to start heating the water for the impromptu afternoon tea.

Once the kettle was on the stove, Eric dashed back to his room. “Put your clothes back on,” Eric told his fiancée while he picked up his shirt and threw Sookie’s dress at her.

“I don’t think you’ve ever said that to me before,” Sookie commented as she found her underwear and began dressing. “Who was at the door?”

“Fintan,” Eric replied as he adjusted his slowly receding erection.

Sookie groaned.

“It’s just a cup of tea, and he wants to congratulate you on your graduation,” Eric told her as he began smoothing her hair.

With another grumble, Sookie let herself be lead downstairs and waved politely when she entered the sitting room. Fintan rose from his seat and returned the wave.

“Good afternoon, Sookie,” Fintan smiled as he sat back down. “I wanted to stop by and say congratulations.”

“Mmm,” Sookie smiled politely and nodded in thanks.

“How did the rest of the family take it when you told them about the Stackhouses?” Eric tried to break the ice. “Claudine and her brother dropped by, and we had a tense moment with them,” he explained at Fintan’s confused expression.

“I see,” Fintan sighed and shook his head. “It’s much more difficult for Dillon’s family taking it all in, but I think they’ll come around. Dermot and his wife were a lot more understanding. Dermot knew that Addy and I were in love. He was actually the one who helped me deal with losing her.”

Sookie’s hands flung up, and Eric was surprised at the ferocity of her movements.

“Um, Sookie wants you to know,” Eric began to uncomfortably translate, “that you wouldn’t have lost Gran if you hadn’t chased money.”

Fintan sighed, “I made bad decisions, Sookie. You’re not wrong about my choosing money over love. I was young and stupid.”

“She says you didn’t even try to talk it through with your father,” Eric mumbled.

“No, I didn’t,” Fintan agreed. “And I have paid for that cowardice for nearly half a century, Sookie. When I realized that I lost the chance to meet my own son… Sookie, in less than five minutes I found out that I had a son, and that I would never meet him. He never got to know who I was, or that I ever existed.”

“As long as you realize that not having your family was entirely your fault,” Eric’s head was in his hands now, avoiding looking at Fintan as he explained Sookie’s signs. “You make it sound like she took something from you, but you could have had it if you hadn’t been so greedy for money. Gran doesn’t care about the money, she would have wanted you.”

The older man nodded in acceptance to Sookie’s chastising. Though parts of this had come out during her visit at the estate, Fintan sensed that Sookie was a lot bolder when she could respond freely. A smile tugged at Fintan’s lips. He would take Sookie’s anger and admonishment all day because it meant she was comfortable doing so. If she could express all these things, Fintan hoped that Sookie would be able to speak to him one day without Eric’s help.

“I agree with you wholeheartedly, Sookie, but I hope that doesn’t mean you’re withdrawing your blessing upon Addy and me?” Fintan asked gently.

Eric was surprised at the change in Sookie’s expression. She almost seemed to give a playful pout. “She says you’re still welcome in our home. She just wanted you to know the score as she sees it.”

“Believe me, Sookie, I know the score quite well,” Fintan assured. “I know that I seemed a little short tempered and impatient when we first met, but I’m sure you realize now that I was thinking about more than my secret family.”

“Has there been any other developments in the things they found in the car?” Eric asked curiously, piquing Sookie’s own interest.

Fintan sighed, “Yes. There was a book in the car. It appears to be a photo album, but the photos are very damaged. Apparently, the negatives were in the album as well and in much better condition. We’ve had the Bon Temps Police Department send them to New Orleans so the FBI can work some magic on them. Since it involves a child abduction and murder, the FBI is interested in restoring the photos.”

A shiver ran down Sookie’s spine at the news, and Eric saw her demeanor change. Something in his fiancée’s expression made Eric’s body tighten as well. He knew that glazed look because the last time it had covered Sookie’s face, her dreams had been plagued with nightmares involving the missing day of her life.

Fintan seemed to notice a change in the atmosphere as he quickly gulped the last of his tea and moved to rise. “I should be going. With so much happening for you kids in the next few weeks, I’m certain you need some time to prepare.”

Sookie rose as well, wiping reflexively at her cheeks before tugging Eric’s shirt. Her fiancé looked over to find her hands moving a mile a minute.

“Sookie wants you to know that the wedding is June seventh and that you and the rest of her new family are all welcome to attend,” Eric was just as surprised as Fintan that she would extend such invitations. “We hope you can make it,” Eric added once he snapped out of his daze.

“I would love to come,” Fintan’s smile radiated. Although Sookie implied before that he could attend the wedding as Adele’s date, to be officially invited was far more exciting to hear.

The couple walked the older man to the door, and as Eric shut it behind him, he couldn’t help but accept that he had been cockblocked once again by Sookie’s past. He wouldn’t complain about it because he understood the gravity of the things she was dealing with. Still, Eric couldn’t resist feeling sorry for himself and his neglected organ.

“I’m sorry,” Sookie mumbled as they headed for the bedroom.

“For what?” Eric asked as he cautiously placed his hand on Sookie’s waist. He was relieved to find that she was willing to accept his touch this time.

“I’m not in the mood anymore,” Sookie confessed.

Eric smiled and kissed the side of her head, “That’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“Iwantit, I just don’t feel like it,” Sookie tried to explain. “I want to be close to you, but I don’t think I can get turned on now.”

“Sookie, you don’t have to explain or justify it,” Eric assured her. “We can be close. I’ll hold you as tight as I can as long as you need me to.”

“I’d really like that,” Sookie told him in a high, strangled voice.

“Just don’t be upset when I start poking you,” Eric tried to tease and relieve some of the tension. Sookie let out a quick bark of laughter as they arrived in his bedroom.

The young woman stripped her clothes off and crawled into Eric’s bed, letting out a comforted sigh when his naked body was pressed tightly behind her.

“Try and get some rest,” Eric told her. He hoped if she were to have nightmares, she could either become rested now or suffer them early and still sleep properly that evening. Either way, Eric only hoped that she could find some peace.

{†}

Sookie hugged her knees tight to her chest as she tried her best to squish as far under the dashboard as possible. She cupped her hands over her mouth to stifle a giggle. Uncle Bartlett would be so surprised when he couldn’t find her. The thought of him calling out for her over and over, and she would be nearby, hidden in his car made another giggle bubble toward her lips.

As laying in wait became boring, though, Sookie tried to find something to occupy herself. She checked the glove compartment for candies but was disappointed to find nothing in it but some camera roll canisters. She knew not to open them and play with the film. Mama had been really upset with her when Sookie had ruined their vacation photos.

Closing the compartment door, Sookie smooshed herself back beneath the dash and grinned when she saw a thick book beneath the passenger seat. She snatched it up and began flipping through what she discovered to be a photo album.

There were pictures of girls her age and a bit older. She even found a couple of her cousin, Hadley. None of the girls were posed or waving to the camera. They all looked to be playing. Hadley was the only one who seemed to know she was being photographed, and she shied away from the camera like always.

As Sookie kept flipping, the photos changed. The girls knew there was a camera. They looked scared. Some of them had no clothes.

Sookie felt her scalp prickle, and her mouth go dry. The foreboding sensation of looking at something private suddenly struck her. She shouldn’t be looking at the photo album.

Shutting the book, Sookie looked to where the pages didn’t bulge as much so she could see the last page. She hoped that it would be of the girls playing or laughing, but instead it was a solitary black and white picture. Even with the monochrome, Sookie could tell the subject of the photo had dark eyes and dark hair. The eyes were what drew Sookie in. There was a primal fear, a fascination, with the picture. The dilated, half-lidded eyes and the slackened jaw that seemed suspended in a horrified trance.

The strange girl seemed to be screaming at Sookie to run, to not become a page in the book. Sookie could almost hear the word ‘run’ calling from the vacant eyes and open mouth of the gray girl.

Sookie dropped the album and lurched from the car, screaming as she escaped from the book of horrors.

{†}

Sookie’s eyes opened, calmly staring at the ceiling above her. It was darker now, but late afternoon sun turned the white wall a deep amber.

“Eric?” Sookie whispered.

“Hmm?” came her fiancé’s sleepy reply. He had found himself dozing as he held Sookie, and had only roused when she shifted so he could smooth her hair from her face.

“I think Claudette was dead before she went into the trunk,” Sookie told him.

Eric’s eyes opened completely. “What?”

“There was a picture of her on the last filled page of the photo album,” Sookie explained as she crawled out of bed and found a notebook and pencil. She wasn’t used to sketching humans, but she needed to get the image out of her head into something tangible.

Sookie sketched the picture in her mind until the girl she believed was Claudette became real once again. She drew every feature she could remember, down to the barrette keeping her hair out of her face.

“I was playing hide-and-go-seek,” Sookie began to tell him as she stared at her drawing. “I hid in Bartlett’s car while he was talking to Gran. I got bored waiting for him to start looking for me, and I found a photo album under the seat of the car.” Her eyes glazed over as she remembered what she had seen in that collection. “There were pictures of girls. They were all young, and the first half of the album was candid shots. The pictures looked like surveillance photos from a crime show.”

Eric sat up straighter as Sookie told the story. He held his breath as she spoke.

“The photos after that were something out of a horror movie,” Sookie whispered. “The girls were naked. Some of them were tied, and others were wearing collars with numbers on them. All of them were crying.”

Eric wanted to snap Sookie out of her recollections, but he knew she needed to get it out. So he sat silently, praying the dream would soon end.

“Claudette was in the back of the album,” Sookie continued. “There were only two pictures of her. One where she was crying and the other was when she looked like this.” Sookie turned the picture to him. “She was gray in my memory because it was a black and white photo. I know she could have just been drugged, and that’s why she looks so vacant and limp in the photo, but none of the other girls had a photo like that. They were all awake and alert.”

“Sookie-“

“I don’t think Claudette was the only girl Bartlett took,” Sookie interrupted. “I think he took a lot of girls… I think he sold a lot of girls.”

Eric tentatively reached to touch Sookie’s shoulder, cautious that she might reject his comfort. He would understand if she recoiled, but was still relieved when Sookie remained calm at the soft pressure of his fingertips.

“Do you want to call Amelia?” Eric offered.

Sookie shook her head, “No, I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?” Eric was doubtful.

“Yes,” Sookie gave him a sad smile. “It was sad, not scary.”

“Do you think you can go back to sleep?” Eric wondered

“Not yet, but I think I’ll be able to sleep later,” Sookie assured. “Do you want some dinner?”

Eric smiled at Sookie’s offer and nodded before crawling out of bed. The pair dressed slowly, and Sookie was grateful to have him beside her. Through all the bad dreams and haunting memories, she knew he would be there. It made remembering bearable. Knowing she would wake up in his arms made it less scary.

As the couple arrived in the kitchen, Eric sat at the breakfast bar as Sookie began to cook a light dinner. She took comfort in the warm, protective gaze that remained upon her. The past could never hurt her with Eric watching.

 

On to Chapter Twenty-Six!