Bottled Up Ch. 4

Chapter Four: Part of Your World

Sookie let out an audible ‘oomph’ as she fell onto her back after having her legs swept out from beneath her.

“How many times are you going to fall on your ass before you learn to follow the momentum?” Eric demanded in his usual bored manner as he stood over Sookie with his arms crossed over his chest.

Nine years seemed to fly by as Eric became more and more embedded in Sookie Stackhouse’s life. The vampire watched as she blossomed into her womanhood and had to relearn boundaries as her body changed and filled. Her long arms and legs were slowly proportioning to her rounding torso, and as her chest filled out, Eric discovered a threat he had forgotten about entirely… Teenage boys.

As Sookie’s beauty became undeniable, and the stigma of strangeness she brandished as a child vanished, Eric found himself grouching internally. No mortal boy would ever know Sookie as he did, and the farce of such attempts only increased the vampire’s ire. This knowledge fueled Eric’s possessiveness and affection. All the while, Sookie seemed to appreciate and crave her vampire’s seemingly greedy manner.

Of course, as Sookie grew, so did Eric. This brought the distraction of teenybopper girls, and Eric was less than enthused by that turn of events. Unlike the rest of his classmates that agonized over clearing up their acne and hiding fresh blemishes on their puberty stricken skin, Eric suffered no such affliction. Due to his lack of actual life, his skin remained perfectly clear, and that gave him even more attention than he was already fed up with.

The other annoyance of the past nine years came in the form of a complete lack of attacks on Sookie. Not that Eric wanted to see any harm come to the girl, but to be stuck in a child’s form while remaining wildly useless kept the vampire quite nonplussed.

“What’s wrong?” Sookie asked of Eric’s scowl as she crawled back to her feet.

“Thinking about the waste these past nine years have been,” Eric grumbled as he kept his unimpressed stance.

Sookie frowned at Eric’s remark, “I’ve been happy.”

Hesitating, Eric tried to remedy the sting of his comment, “I meant in terms of being your bodyguard. There has not been a single supernatural attack this entire time.” Sookie had been left blissfully unaware of the extent of her Great Uncle’s efforts to molest her cousin as well as the ambitions he had toward Sookie as well. Bartlett was arrested for molestation, abuse, and trafficking of children. Thankfully, the humiliation of the familial relationship had been minimized due to the difference in last names. Adele had been mortified by the situation and quickly distanced her family from her brother.

“You’ve taught me a lot about combat, magic, and supernatural creatures, though,” Sookie pointed out mopingly. “I wouldn’t have learned any of that if you weren’t around.” Jeanie had explained that magical creatures, their customs, and politics all vary from dimension to dimension and that her knowledge of their particular world sorely lacked due to Endymion’s persistent efforts to keep the information from her.

“That is precisely my point,” Eric attempted to explain. “Everything you have encountered could have been resolved by Jeanie. She could have conjured tomes within this world, had you learn about the supernatural creatures, and been protected from the human problems without me.”

“Jeanie couldn’t teach me to fight like you,” Sookie pressed. “She’s told me that plenty of times.”

“I suppose that is true,” Eric relented. “At least I know you will be able to keep yourself safe while I handle an attack ifone ever occurs.”

“You sound restless,” Sookie laughed.

“That could be it,” Eric confessed. His blood intake was minimal, wanting to keep a low profile and reduce the need for glamour. The last thing he needed was to inadvertently lobotomize a local with excessive memory wiping. What was worse, he could not chance feeding on the rare visitors from out of town and risk his scent wandering out into the world. A Were or even a vampire could potentially identify his scent. There would always be risks of someone from Bon Temps being sniffed in Shreveport, or Gods forbid New Orleans, but Eric did his due diligence at avoiding feeding on someone who would leave town sooner rather than later.

The lack of sex was not quite so challenging to deal with, although still unwelcome. After all, Eric had gone through points of celibacy willingly before, and they lasted much longer than the few years he felt it appropriate to wait. Even as he approached a physical age where he could potentially take on sexual partners, he knew better than to bother. Girls Sookie’s age could not keep love out of their system. It was one of the reasons he did not trouble himself with women not yet well in their twenties.

“Eric?” Sookie’s voice broke his considerations.

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry the past few years have been so boring for you,” she murmured as she grabbed her sweatshirt and pulled it over her head.

“It has not been all that boring,” Eric smiled. “I have received a lot of experiences I could not have hoped for.”

“Sunlight,” Sookie nodded.

Eric laughed, “You should know better than that.” Turning slowly, Sookie gave Eric a hopeful smile. “I have been reconnected in a way to humans. I have been forced to empathize with them and be both considerate and patient with them to appear mostly normal. I think being with you these past nine years has restored some of the humanity I thought lost to me.”

Watching Hadley grow and head off to university, shortly followed by Jason, had been oddly satisfying for the vampire. Miraculously, both of Adele’s grandchildren had received full-ride scholarships to the University of New Orleans and would be living together in an apartment off-campus when Jason started school the following month, Hadley was planning to study sociology and head into human resources. Jason had surprised everyone by deciding to go into communications and later apply to the NOPD.

“Sookie,” Jeanie called mentally from her corner, making the girl jump, “it is going on to midnight.”

“Oh,” Sookie frowned at her reminder to go home and get some sleep. Her life had been very much like this since meeting Eric. They would spend all day together at school, come to his house for homework, and finish off with supernatural studies. Then, she would return to her own home, have dinner with her brother and Gran, and spend the evening with them. After saying goodnight to her family, Eric would fly her out of her bedroom and take her home with him once more. They would do combat training until midnight when Jeanie would chide in that it was time for bed.

As the pair strolled back up the road to Sookie’s house, the young woman snuggled deeper into her hoodie.

“Are you cold?” Eric asked, worriedly.

“No,” Sookie assured, “just thinking about the future.”

“What about it?”

After a long pause, Sookie gripped the neck of the Djinn’s bottle. For so long, she was used to the weight of Jeanie’s presence, but over the years, she had come to understand Eric’s assessment of her nature. As time passed, the Djinn felt less and less… real. Instead, Jeanie seemed more like a reference book or shopping center. If Sookie needed to know something, Jeanie had the answer. If Eric needed something for her combat training, Sookie would ask Jeanie for it. From pencils to free weights, Jeanie provided everything the young woman needed for her preparations as a supernatural princess.

“Will you leave me?” Sookie asked quietly as she bowed her head to hide behind her hair. As Jeanie’s personality faded, the young woman felt more and more alone when thinking about her future.

“I do not know,” Eric confessed. “I suppose it depends on the political climate of Elfyria once you begin your reign. I may need to remain for a while when you take your throne, but once the public recognizes your authority, it could be in your better interest to take on Fairy Guards. Without knowing the supernatural situation in our own realm, it is difficult to say what my best course of action should be. I will need to wait and have Godric fill me in on the circumstances.”

“Do you want to leave?” Sookie whispered even quieter.

The vampire sighed. Despite his best attempts, Sookie had obviously developed feelings for him, and even with his own emotions fluctuating as they both physically matured, Eric still hesitated to allow the change to happen in him. It was a greater struggle than he was willing to admit to himself, let alone to Sookie.

Adoration in its most innocent form had sparked within him the second the little girl she had smiled at him. That affection had transformed over the years to include admiration at the way she stood up for friends, family, and herself. He had never seen someone with so much self-respect and so little arrogance. Amusingly enough, he had felt a change in himself as well. Perhaps it was the influence of Adele or the opportunity of being treated once more like a child that put up the pretense of accepting the conditions. Whatever the reason, Eric felt transformed.

“There are many things I want to do, Sookie,” Eric dodged the question vaguely. “And it may be unsafe and unwise for the future Queen of Elfyria to show favor toward a vampire.”

“Will I have to marry a fairy?” Sookie asked dismally.

“Considering the dilution of your fairy heritage, it may be encouraged for you to do so,” Eric admitted. “Then again, if you manage to save Elfyria as the partial fairy that you are when full-blooded fae could not, perhaps the purists will hold their tongues.”

“What if I wanted to marry a human? Or a Were? Or…” Sookie trailed off a moment, “a shifter?”

Her addition to the word ‘shifter’ was telling. Sookie did not usually differentiate between Weres and shifters, and typically gave the term two-natured to narrow the gap the creatures created among themselves. Eric knew she wanted to say ‘vampire’ but did not want to give away her real thoughts. Instead of calling her out, he told the truth, “Going by the old laws of Elfyria, you will be required to marry a fairy, but extramarital affairs are quite common among fae royalty.”

“Elfyria’s fallen,” Sookie could not help the need to wipe away a tear. “Why should I have to follow the rules of a lost kingdom? It fell for a reason! It should be my duty to restore the land and people, not the government and traditions that killed itself!”

“Sookie,” Eric took her hand to draw her into one of his rare embraces. He knew she had purposefully stolen several and coerced him into far more. A part of him did not mind at all. “You need to be the queen that you think Elfyria needs, not the one they think you should be.”

“Then why do you want to leave me?” Sookie looked up into his eyes. Her best friend for the last nine years was trying to create a distance between them, and Jeanie became more lifeless with every passing day.

It was not the age difference, Eric assured himself. No matter the gap in age, no existing creature would ever fill that chasm, it would always remain the same. There was no being his age that would ever make him feel the way Sookie did. He knew because he had met every single one that had existed the same amount of time as him.

No, Eric brushed away another of her self-pitying tears, it is because she needs her own strength. As her guard, he had to push her toward new experiences. As her educator in the supernatural and combat, he had to remain unobtrusive in her decision making.

That is bullshit, Eric called himself out. He was far more biased than his pupil. In reality, the reasons for his aversion to their feelings was the kindest he had ever been in his existence.

The vampire wanted her to experience normalcy. In a few short years, she would begin her journey in acquiring the ability to open the Gates of Elfyria. After that, she would have the enormous task of saving an entire realm. Until then, Eric wanted nothing more than for Sookie to have as standard and stress-free of a life as he could give her.

“If I told you I would stay forever,” Eric began slowly, and felt his throat constrain at Sookie’s hopeful gaze, “how hard would you really try at anything?”

Sookie’s shoulders fell as she turned away to continue her walk up the road. She said nothing regarding his observation but had to admit to herself that Eric made her feel safe. Most of her efforts came with the knowledge that he would not always be there with the answers. She had to think for herself and fight for herself.

As they arrived at the farmhouse, Eric flew her into her room and waited as Sookie placed Jeanie’s bottle on the nightstand. Once the Djinn’s vessel was beside the bed, Eric nodded and silently left for the night.

When Eric was outside, Sookie turned to the bottle and bowed her head, “Are you going to leave me too?”

“Yes,” Jeanie’s voice echoed in Sookie’s mind.

“When?” she choked. Despite the emptiness in her relationship to Jeanie these past years, Sookie could not help but cling to the despair of Eric and Jeanie missing from her life. Her heart and her shadow were both going to fall away.

“Before you bring Elfyria back,” Jeanie explained.

Changing into her nightgown, Sookie confessed, “It’s not really motivating to know that I lose my friends and family once I finish what y’all are asking of me.”

There was an unpleasant silence after her remark, and Sookie felt that she had stunned her friend. Sookie had long since forgotten the last time she had heard the Djinn at a loss for words. Not since she had been a small child.

“You do this on purpose, don’t you?” Sookie whispered.

“Explain?” Jeanie’s voice returned to neutrality.

“The emotionless creature thing. You do that, don’t you? It’s not really your nature to be this distant,” Sookie guessed.

“I wouldn’t say it’s against my nature,” Jeanie admitted. “To exist as long as I have… Very little moves me anymore. It is not usually an act.”

“But it is now?” Sookie asked as she crawled into bed.

“I do not know,” Jeanie whispered as Sookie reflexively turned out the lamp.

“Were you human before becoming a Djinn? Like Eric was before becoming a vampire?” Sookie yawned.

Jeanie wondered how to explain, “Yes, I was human.”

“What happened to you?” Sookie pressed.

Gazing through the darkness of her prison, Jeanie allowed Sookie to disappear from her mind, and remembered a past she could usually disregard. “I was a fearsome witch in my days as a human. I wanted more and more power. I became corrupt in my pursuit, and I broke many magical laws. The Pantheon sent Endymion to encourage the supernatural community to rise against me. Instead, he offered me the chance to become the most powerful creature in existence. More powerful than him or any God because I could directly influence… One way or another. I leaped at the opportunity with no regard for the consequences. I stole the power of the Djinn. I became a trans-dimensional creature, wiping my soul from the folds of history across any plane I dwelled.”

Sookie’s eyes were saucers in the darkness. There had been discussion about trans-dimensional beings, especially in regards to her schooling on the Pantheon and other mythical creatures.

“Planes that you dwell,” Sookie whispered.

“There are true singular creatures in existence. The Gods and Goddesses, the Titans, and the hell beasts like Gahrm and Fenrir. They only have a single manifestation across all dimensions. Then there are trans-dimensional creatures like myself. We are the Djinns, Angels, and Endymions. Our existence is linked to many different planes of existence where only one version of us can exist among them. Usually, there are commonalities to those dimensions that bind us to specific worlds,” Jeanie let out a long sigh as she finished. “That is all for now.”

Left with much to consider, Sookie turned onto her side and closed her eyes. Though her mind would not allow her to sleep with the new information, she knew better than to try and keep Jeanie talking. Having known the Djinn for so long, Sookie was all too aware of the fruitlessness of pushing her. Jeanie would simply close off her mind and remain in silence.

{†}

“Hey, Eric,” Jason Stackhouse flopped onto the porch step of the farmhouse with a cold can of Coke and handed one to the presumed boy that lived up the road. “Where’d the girls go?” The vampire gestured to the hill where Hadley, Tara and Sookie were laying out in the sun, soaking in the warm rays. “Cool,” Jason took a sip from his can and nudged his friend. “Wanna throw the football around?”

“Fine,” Eric sighed, making sure to position himself where he could keep an eye on Sookie while entertaining her brother.

Jason set his drink down and went into the shed to retrieve his ball. When he emerged again, he smiled and shook his head while picking his Coke back up and lining himself up with Eric.

“When are ya gonna ask her out already?” Jason laughed, lobbing the football at Eric.

“What are you talking about?” he deftly caught the ball and sent it sailing back to Jason.

“Sookie, duh,” Jason snorted. “When are you gonna ask her out?”

“I do not plan to,” Eric replied.

“Are ya gay? Should Tara start bringing Laf around?” Jason teased as he gave another toss.

Eric considered proclaiming homosexuality to end the conversation, but that would draw unwanted attention, more than he already received from hormone-driven teenage girls. “No, I am not gay. I am merely uninterested in dating your sister.”

“Then why you always got your eyes on her?” Jason grinned.

“I cannot date your sister, Jason,” Eric tried to impress upon the older Stackhouse sibling.

“Aw, your mom won’t let you date?” Jason tried to understand. “We could keep it secret! We won’t even tell Gran!”

As the ball landed once again in his arms, Eric paused in returning it to Jason. “I would never let her go if she was mine.”

Jason failed to catch the next throw, which knocked over his can of Coke and left Jason staring dumbly at his childhood friend. “Shit, are you serious? You wanna marry my sister?”

“It is not as simple as all that,” Eric sighed. “I am not able to marry her.”

“What are you talking about?” Jason was still staring.

“I am telling you because I cannot make myself tell her,” Eric closed the distance between them. “If I could tell her, I would stay by her side until the end of time, but that is not our choice. She is meant for things far greater than me, and there is no changing that.” Still staring uncomprehending, Jason watched as Eric grabbed the ball from the ground and held it with far more consideration than a football ought to be held. “That is the only way I can explain it. I do not fit in her future.”

“What about what Sookie wants?” Jason whispered.

“What Sookie wants is inconsequential,” Eric sighed as he flung the ball at Jason’s chest, and the boy caught it reflexively this time.

Glowering at his friend, Jason squared off his shoulders, “Maybe you shouldn’t be comin’ ’round so much then. How’s she s’pose to move past you when you’re around all the time?”

“It cannot be helped,” Eric shrugged.

“Well, you better help it out then,” Jason seethed. “You think it’s fair to say she can’t have you, but then lurk around so nobody else can have her?”

“In a few more years, she will have more men throwing themselves at her than you can imagine, Jason,” Eric tried to assuage the older brother’s fears. “She will not be alone.”

“I think you should go home,” Jason picked up his tipped soda can and stormed into the house.

Sighing at the brother’s abrupt departure, Eric could not help the smile that tugged at his lips. It was always nice to see Jason Stackhouse being a protective older brother. In his mind, it was a sign of due diligence on his part. Sookie needed strong family connections, or so Jeanie had emphasized at the beginning of Eric’s duties.

Rather than cause any further distress for the brother, Eric concealed himself in the trees lining the property to keep an eye on Sookie. It was at dinner that night when he heard Jason encouraging Sookie to go on a date with a boy who was a friend’s younger brother that the vampire felt the weight of his situation fully. Eric did not want to accompany Sookie on her romantic encounters, and he knew she would not want him to be there either. However, telling Sookie that she could not date was as impossible as dating her himself.

Hearing Sookie agree to go on a date her brother insisted on made Eric bristle with annoyance. He knew the boy Jason was suggesting, and to say that the vampire was unimpressed was an understatement. A young man named Mark Davies was called from the bleachers. Generic name for a generic person, Eric thought petulantly.

After everyone had gone to bed, Eric snuck into Sookie’s bedroom and stole her into the night, as usual, to work on her combat training. As they arrived at his home and Jeanie’s bottle was placed in the corner, Eric continued to keep his silence. Surely, Sookie would have caught on to some of the conversations he had with Jason during her time at the dinner table. Now, he could only wonder what she would do about the information. Or will she remain silent? He wondered. Sookie had quite the poker face when it came to her emotions. Although she still had an endearing habit of smiling a bit too wide when she was uncomfortable. He had noticed it when her classmates had begun hitting puberty, and erotic thoughts had run rampant. Eric and Jeanie had many unexpected explanations to give to the curious girl, and the vampire had begrudgingly held back in his descriptions.

“So,” Sookie finally broke the silence as she was sent sailing onto her backside against the training mats, “I have a date on Saturday.”

“I heard,” Eric nodded, waiting for her to rise back to her feet.

“With Mark Davies,” Sookie continued staring at the floor, hesitating to stand back up.

“Yes,” he acknowledged.

“I’d rather you didn’t lurk around,” Sookie mumbled.

“It cannot be helped,” Eric managed an apologetic shrug and offered her a hand up from the mat. He wanted the conversation to end.

Sulking at the notion of having a chaperone, Sookie rose to her feet. She knew it was no use arguing; it would only annoy Eric. Being a nuisance was no way to change his mind about what he had said earlier to her brother, nor what he had said to her last night. If I want him, I need to prove I don’t need him, Sookie told herself.

For you, Sookie thought as she squared off her shoulders for Eric’s next attack, I will always try my hardest.

TBC