Chapter 15

I was awakened the next morning by my cell phone buzzing loudly beside me on the nightstand. The first time I ignored it and tried to sink further into my covers, but when it went off again, I figured I better see who was calling. To my surprise and dismay, it was my brother Jason.

"Hello." I grumbled into the phone.

"Sook! I'm glad you answered. I didn't wake ya' up, did I?"

"Yeah Jason you did, but that's alright. Did you need something?" I asked calmly. The last time we had spoken, things had ended on a very bad note and I was not up for fighting this morning.

"Sorry about that." He said sheepishly. "It's just… I wanted to tell you I'm sorry Sookie. I know I didn't take it so well when you told me about your new job and all, and I feel like an asshole. I saw you on the TV last night..."

"Yes, and what? You thought as long as the world doesn't think I'm some fangbanging whore that it's okay to talk to me now?"

"No Sook! Listen, I was being a dick that day and I was hurt. Instead of telling you that I loved you and didn't want you to go off and live a life without me in it, I lashed out and I'm real sorry. Truth is, I've always thought you were too good for this town, but I guess I'm just selfish… I didn't want you to grow up and leave me here." He answered meekly.

"Jason you're my brother, and I love you. Me growing up and taking a really great job and starting my life doesn't mean that I don't have time for you. I'll always have time for you." I said, my anger rapidly fading away.

"What I said was stupid Sookie, and I didn't mean it. I know why you didn't go to college and I can't imagine how hard regular schooling was for you, because of your ability. That doesn't mean that you aren't smart though; you're one of the smartest people I know. I'm sure you're gonna be great at your new casino job and I'm real happy for you."

"Thank you, Jason." I said, sniffling back tears.

"Sook can I ask you something?" He said hesitantly.

"Sure."

"Is your boyfriend really the King of Louisiana?"

"Well for vampires, yes."

"Woah, that's pretty wild."

"Yeah it's been interesting to say the least."

"You know when I saw the two of you all over the news, I realized that my fears were wrong Sook. I may not fully trust the vamps, but I could tell by the way the big blonde guy looks at you that he really loves you."

"Yeah he's pretty great; I'm really lucky." I said smiling to myself.

"You look like a real-life Queen on his arm Sook; I'm so proud of you. I wish Gran could see you now, she'd be so proud of the woman you've become."

"Thanks Jason, that means a lot."

"I know you guys just got there and all, but do you think you'll be able to come home for Christmas? I mean it's only six days away, and we've never spent Christmas apart…" He trailed off.

"Well, we've just started getting over to the casino and hotel and we have lots of meetings this coming week and Eric's coronation is Thursday night… tell you what Jason, I've got a better idea. Why don't you come here for Christmas? You can stay in the suite at Eric's hotel and we'll have Christmas dinner here at the Residence and we'll open presents on Christmas morning. It won't be the same as being at Gran's house, but we'll still be together."

"Really? You want me to come see you after what I said?"

"Jason, we're family and families fight. I love you big brother, and I'd love to see you for Christmas. Hell, you can even bring Hoyt or somebody with you if you want; there's plenty of room in the suite."

"Alright, well once we're finished working on Thursday afternoon, I'll be off until Tuesday. I'll make the drive Thursday evening."

"That sounds great Jason! I'll probably be out late that night because of the coronation, but I'll make sure you can check in no problem that night, no matter when you get there. I can't wait to see you."

"Me too Sook, I'll call you soon."

"Bye Jay."

I hung up the phone and felt better already. It always hurt me to be at odds with Jason, but I wasn't going to be the one to cave in and apologize this time. He knew he had gone too far this time, but him reaching out to make it right was a big step. Maybe I'm not the only one who's trying to do some growing up lately. With a lightness in my heart, I got up to get my day started. Besides the one little shopping trip I had made to the mall in Monroe, I hadn't even thought about Christmas with all the craziness that had been going on. Being in a vampire palace didn't exactly have that homey, Christmas feel either.

My conversation with Jason reminded me that there was someone else I really wanted to invite to Christmas dinner, though I wasn't entirely sure how he would react. I pulled up my Grandfather's number in my phone and hesitated to call him. I wasn't even sure what time it was in his realm or how did he even get cell service? Did he stay in the Fae realm all the time or could he be here right now? So many things I didn't understand about the Supernatural world. I took my chances and dialed his number and surprisingly he picked up on the second ring.

"Good morning Granddaughter. What a lovely surprise to hear from you." He said jovially.

"Good morning Fintan, I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Of course not child. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Oh, well I was just calling because I wanted to see if you had plans for Christmas dinner? I know it's last minute and all, but if you're not too busy..." I rambled nervously.

"You're speaking of the Yule tradition correct? What day is that on again?"

"It's next Saturday, December 25th. I know you're probably very busy and all, but I was hoping you might like to join us for Christmas dinner?" I spit out quickly. Sadly, none of my southern training had ever prepared me to initiate a relationship with my long-lost Grandfather who also happened to be the leader of a powerful Supernatural race and lived in a realm I couldn't see.

"You're inviting me to spend the holiday with you?" He asked quietly.

"I completely understand if you already have plans and…"

"I would love to." He interrupted. "You honor me with the invitation." He said kindly.

"Wonderful! I was thinking you could also meet Jason while you're here. I'll talk to him beforehand and try to prepare him the best I can, but he's kind of a bonehead so don't get your hopes up too high." I giggled.

"Both my grandchildren." He said with a quiet sadness. "Tell me Sookie, has your vampire heard word of your cousin Hadley?"

Oh no. I didn't know what Eric would want me telling Fintan about Hadley, especially after what happened the other night. He did truly just seem to want his family together though, and I couldn't stand the sadness in voice.

"Yes, he's located her and she's alive; or still undead at least. I'm not sure of all the details, but I know he has good people looking after her." I said, trying to appease him without revealing too much.

"That is very good news." He said happily. "Granddaughter, might I bring a guest with me to dinner? She is someone I would very much like for you to meet."

"Of course Fintan, but I feel like I need to clarify something first. Eric told me the history between faeries and vampires, and I know you can cloak your smell so it doesn't make the vamps all crazy, but Eric and Pam are like my family and they'll be here for Christmas as well as a few other vampires in the compound. Is that going to be a problem?"

"It's true that faeries and vampires are notoriously enemies, but I assure you that I would never disrespect your chosen or his child in your home. You have nothing to worry about from my guest and I."

"Thank you, Grandfather. I'm very happy you'll be there, and I can't wait to meet your guest either. How about we say 5:00 pm on Saturday then? That will give us about an hour to talk before the vampires are up for the night."

"That sounds perfect; see you then. Goodbye my dear."

"Goodbye Grandfather."

After getting dressed, I decided to go see if any of the kitchen staff was downstairs again. I was hoping to have some company eating my brunch and wasn't about to buzz them to bring me food. Before stepping out of my bedroom, I realized there were two Were brains outside my door. That wasn't unusual as most of the daytime security was of the Were/shifter variety, but their nearness told me they were right outside the door. My conversation with Eric last night kicked in and I realized they must be my new daytime guards. I rubbed the bridge of my nose and tried to remember that there was a witch on the loose who was not opposed to hurting me to get what she wanted, and Eric was just trying to keep me safe. Putting on my gracious smile, I stepped out the door.

"Good morning." I said to the two men sitting on either side of the hallway.

"Good morning ma'am." They said almost in unison.

"I'm Sookie Stackhouse, nice to meet you both. I'm assuming you're my guards for today?"

"Yes ma'am. I'm Tray Dawson, head of daytime security for King Northman and this is my associate Brody Wright. The King has asked us to accompany you today, but we'll try our best not to disturb you."

"Oh, it's no bother. I appreciate you looking out for me." I answered sweetly. I wasn't about to show them my small irritation at being followed when they had a job to do.

"I was just heading down to the kitchen to get some breakfast. Do you guys want to eat?"

"That would be nice, thank you ma'am." Brody answered.

"Oh, please call me Sookie." I said as I started walking down the hall to the staircase.

My two new shadows trailed behind me as we made our way to the industrial side of the kitchen. I could hear chit chat coming from the back, so I poked my head in and saw some of the crew from the day before.

"Good morning Lydia, good morning Jake." I called out.

"Good morning mistress! What can we get for you?" Lydia said, walking up to me.

"I know it's a little past breakfast time, but I was wondering if you guys had already eaten? I was hoping we could have a late breakfast?"

"Of course ma'am, what would you like?" Jake asked.

"I'm not picky; whatever you all want is fine with me. I guess we need enough for five of us?" I said, looking at my companions.

Jake and Lydia looked confused for a moment before they realized I fully intended for them to eat breakfast with us as well. I might not know the proper way to have a staff that caters to you, but this was the first time in a long time that I had a house that wasn't empty and lonely, and I was going to enjoy the company.

"Oh, is Stella here? We need to make some for her too." I said, remembering my sweet assistant.

"No ma'am, she's off on Sundays and Mondays. She works Tuesday through Saturday. There's slightly less staff on the weekends to give the King and his guests more privacy and more staff during the week, when most business is conducted." Lydia said.

"Oh, that makes sense. Lydia, I think I'm going to learn a lot from you. You really know your stuff around here." I smiled at her.

"I'll be glad to help you in any way Mist…Sookie." She said shyly.

"Hey, would you guys like to go out to the regular kitchen? Then we can cook and sit at the bar together." I suggested.

The five of us went off to the 'regular' kitchen/dining room that was still bigger than any kitchen I had ever been in. It was beautiful and spacious, with a large island in the middle with seating for eight. In front of that, was an oversized stainless-steel refrigerator, two stainless-steel ovens stacked like cabinets in the wall, a small pizza oven, and a large gas range. Even as the smaller kitchen, you could cook one hell of a Thanksgiving meal in here.

"Lydia, what does everyone do for Christmas around here? Does all the staff get to have the day off?" I asked.

"Oh, well there will be less staff this year since no parties have been announced, but the rest of us will rotate shifts so that we have off either morning or night for Christmas eve and Christmas day. The security team will be the only ones still doing regular shifts."

"Hmm, I guess that seems alright. I don't want anyone missing out on the holidays with their family though. I'm going to talk to the King and see if he wouldn't mind cutting down shifts even more that day." I mused aloud. "My brother is going to come visit and I wanted to know how many people I would need to cook for on Christmas. Could you give me a head count of how many people will be here for Christmas dinner Tray?" I asked my burly guard.

"Sure ma'am, but you know you don't have to feed us all. We bring our lunch and dinner with us and the King has been very generous with providing a fully stocked kitchen for the security staff."

"Nonsense! If we're all gonna be together for Christmas, then of course I'm going to feed you." I laughed as if this was the most normal thing ever.

I noticed the guards and the kitchen staff just exchange funny looks, but I would not be deterred. I loved the idea of having a house full of people on Christmas, even if they did work for my boyfriend. We all ate a delicious brunch of french toast and maple-coated bacon that tasted like heaven on a plate. After thoroughly stuffing myself, I told my guards that I had a few errands to run and would love their company; as if I had a choice in the matter anyways. Before leaving the house, I ran back to my room and grabbed my new briefcase that I had filled with reports and notes for our upcoming meeting. Stepping out the front door, a thought occurred to me that should have already been a concern before now; I had no vehicle here. I left my crappy car in Bon Temps the night I left for the airport in Mr. C's limo and car shopping had not been on my mind this past weekend.

"Does either of you have a truck?" I asked.

"Of course." Tray laughed and led the way to his Dodge Ram 2500.

"Perfect." I smiled, looking at all the room in that baby.

Tray climbed into the driver's seat while Brody held open the passenger door for me to step in. Thank goodness for step rails or I would have had to do some very un-ladylike maneuvers to get in. Once we were strapped in, Tray turned to me and asked where we were heading. I grinned like a child as I explained to him that the house was missing one very important thing… a Christmas tree. Of course, it hadn't occurred to the former or current residents to decorate the palace for a human Christmas, but that was exactly what I was going to do. Hot shot casino boss or not, I loved Christmas and knowing that we would have a full house made it even more exciting. Granted, most of them would technically be working, I was still going to enjoy having others around to share in the season with.

It gave me butterflies in my stomach to think about this being mine and Eric's first Christmas together. So much had changed in the last month, and I found myself sublimely happy for the first time in forever. Even if Eric and Pam didn't celebrate the holiday, they were practically my family now and I would just have to have enough Christmas spirit for the three of us. We rode through town, as Tray seemed to have an idea of where to go. About twenty minutes passed before we pulled into a big gravel parking lot beside a little piece of land connected to a small shopping center. There were several tents set up and I could see a few dozen trees left under them. As we walked up to the tent, I could smell the earthy, pine scent and it boosted my spirits even more.

After looking through the assortment of pines and firs, I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, so I stepped over to the men working the cash register to get some help. After telling them what I had in mind, one man took me around the building; with my guards closely on my heels, and opened the back of a large moving truck. He jumped inside and started pushing a very large tree to the edge of the tailgate and asked Tray to help him ease it out. When they stood up the bundled Fraser fir, it loomed well over my head and smelled amazing.

"I'll take it." I said excitedly.

I pulled out more money than I had ever paid for a tree and then tipped the men generously for strapping it securely into the truck bed for us. My next stop was Target, where I picked out several packs of red, green, and gold ornaments, house decorations, garland, a big sparkly star for the tree, many yards of lights, Santa hats, candy canes, an Elf on The Shelf, wrapping paper, boxes, etc. It took two shopping carts to haul all of our festive purchases to the register and I tried not to hyperventilate when I saw the total.

'Thank Goodness my first check already hit my account.' I thought to myself.

After loading all the bags in the tailgate or backseat, we took off to our next destination; Walgreens. We went in and I made a beeline for the photo center. Popping my sim card out of my phone and into the self-service machine, the computer started loading my pics on the screen. Tray and Brody tried to look uninterested as they stood behind me, facing away, so they could watch my back. Just a regular girl shopping at the drug store, I laughed inside.

I scrolled through the pictures and chose about seven that I had printed as 5x7's, two wallets, and one 8x10 for a frame. Lucky for me, Pam had explained to me that I could download images from the web and save them on my photo album on my phone. Then all I had to do was use a self-serve machine and voila, copyright infringement was not a problem. Honestly it burned me up to think that I didn't have permission to use photos of myself that photographers were snapping with or without my permission and then making God knows how much money on. I didn't feel the slightest bit bad as I printed my beautiful photos and left.

The last thing I needed, I knew I wouldn't be able to find at a big box store. I just didn't know where to find what I was looking for, so we headed back to the house. Tray and Brody quickly unloaded all the bags, graciously allowing me to carry about three bags before they went back out for the tree. I ran into the parlor room and slid one of the couches down the wall a few feet as I eyed the perfect spot for the massive tree. Digging through the Target bags, I found the tree stand and set it up as the guys were walking in with the tree. Once it was secured, Tray grabbed his knife and cut away the straps, letting the beautiful Frasier fir expand to its full glory.

"That is one beautiful tree." Brody said, sniffing the air appreciatively. That was one thing you had to love about Weres, they had an ingrained love of nature.

"It's perfect." I said.

We sorted through the bags and made a pile of all the boxes of ornaments and lights for the tree and set them neatly under it until I could decorate it, and the rest of the decorations were handed off to the maids. They seemed just as happy about the Christmas spirit that would soon be filling the house as I was. I looked at the clock and was shocked to see that it was already 5:30. Eric would be up soon, and I wasn't even dressed for work.

I took off upstairs, locking my bedroom door behind me and jumped in the shower. When I got out, I sat down at my little vanity and did my makeup in a sultry, but not trashy manner with smoky eyes and a nude lip. I took my already curled hair and put it in a half up/half down style and went to my closet to find just the right outfit. I knew Eric and I had a meeting with the board of directors tonight and I wanted a strong yet professional look. I found just the right thing and was sliding the knee-length, fitted, leather dress up my hips as my door opened and Eric appeared in front of me vamp speed.

"Eric can't you knock like a normal person?" I chided playfully. "The door was locked."

He just smiled and held up a key. "I knocked several times; you must not have heard me. I thought something might be wrong and you needed me."

"Sure you did." I laughed.

His eyes were raking over me from head to toe as I finished pulling up my dress.

"Mmm." He rumbled, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Stop that! You know what your big cat noises do to me and we have a lot to do tonight."

"But lover you are so delectable, I can't help myself." He said, sliding his arms around me and pulling me firmly against his body.

"You haven't even given me a kiss hello yet." I pouted.

Suddenly he dipped me back over his arms and planted a kiss on me that quite literally turned my knees to jell-o. When he finally brought me back up for air, his fangs were on full display and there was a very large presence making itself known against my pelvis.

"Hello Sookie." He said in a raspy tone.

"Hi Eric, how… was your rest?" I squeaked out.

"Lonely without you." He said before setting me back to rights and turning me around to zip up my dress.

The light trace of his knuckles grazing up my back with the zipper caused my whole body to shiver. Never in my life had I felt such an intense, insatiable desire for a man as I did for Eric. If we were together for a thousand years, I didn't think I'd ever stop feeling so uncontrollably drawn to him in every way. Sensing my need to calm down, Eric stepped away from me and walked into my closet.

Pulling out a copy of the key I had, he opened my jewelry armoire and started browsing through it. After a moment, he pulled out a few pieces and turned to me.

"May I?" He asked.

"Of course." I said softly. I watched him with girlish delight as he slid a rose gold, wrap style necklace around me and carefully placed earrings in my ears.

I looked at myself in the mirror and ogled the earrings. They were teardrop style, with tiny diamonds framing both the top and bottom pieces. Inside the diamond frame were the most beautiful, pale pink jewels I'd ever seen.

"These are incredible." I said awestruck. "Thank you."

"Not as beautiful as you dear heart, but they are stunning on you."

"What is this stone?"

"It's called morganite. The color can range from blush pink to orange, but I think this color suits you just right."

"I love it Eric." I said, blushing at my vampire.

"Are you ready for tonight?" He asked, changing the subject.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I said nervously.

Truthfully, I did not feel prepared for our meeting tonight. We had only been in New Orleans for the weekend and it had been an absolute whirlwind 48 hours already. I had done as much reading and 'studying' today as I could in between my errands, but deep down I hoped that Eric would do most of the talking tonight and I could just blend into the background. It was only my third day here and I would be meeting with a room full of highly educated, powerful, business executives and nothing I had done in life so far had prepared for me it. I felt that awful feeling of being an embarrassment to Eric start to rise in me again and tried my best to squash it.

"Sookie." He said, tilting my face to look him in the eyes. "You are intelligent, graceful, and powerful in your own right. Do not doubt yourself my love. You may not have the fancy degrees on your wall that some of the people in this meeting will have, but that does not make you any less than them. Some of the greatest thinkers and philosophers throughout history, were just normal men and women who did something greater than themselves. Just because they didn't attend University or business school, didn't make them any less brilliant."

"I know." I said, releasing a breath I had been holding. "I'll be fine."

"I know you will, I have complete faith in you." He said, brushing his lips to my forehead.

"Do you need to go get ready?" I asked.

"Yes, I rushed up here as soon as I woke. I was anxious to see you." He said wagging his eyebrows. "How would you like to see my room for a change?"

"I'd love that." I smiled happily. In the chaos of the last two days, I hadn't even seen Eric's new bat lair here at the compound yet.

I threw on my little blazer, stepped into my nude pumps, and grabbed my purse and briefcase before heading out the door with Eric. As we entered the hallway, Eric dismissed my guards for the night after I thanked them profusely for all their help today. We went down to the first floor and cut behind the staircase to go deeper into the house. Besides my little tour the first night, I had spent almost all my time so far in the front few rooms of the house and my bedroom on the second floor.

As we neared the East wing of the house, Eric stopped in front of a little thermostat box on the wall and popped the cover off. Underneath was a hidden security panel with a keypad. He typed in a fairly long code before replacing the innocent looking thermostat cover. To my shock and amusement, he stepped a few feet down the hall and pushed on a bookcase, which popped open to reveal a secret entrance. He quickly pulled me in before closing the bookcase and typing in another code in a panel. The small area we were standing in was quite dark, so I just stood still and waited to see where MacGyver was taking me next. I thought I was so slick finding a secret trap door on my first day and here Eric was with a setup that would make James Bond jealous. The wall in front of us slid open and I could finally see a little light shining through as we went down the staircase and I heard the wall shut behind me.

"That's some setup you've got there." I giggled, walking down the stairs.

"I've lived to be this age by being careful Sookie, and luckily Sophie Ann was paranoid enough to have this place rigged with many secret doors and emergency exits."

I don't know what I was expecting, but walking into the underground level, I quickly realized it was perfectly Eric. It looked much like his home in Shreveport had with the big bed, dark colors, a comfy leather couch, his collection of books, and even a fireplace. Over the fireplace was Eric's most prized possession; his sword from his days as a Viking. I walked around the room smiling, as I absentmindedly ran my hands over his soft blankets and admired the layout of his room. He was in the huge closet changing as I looked on the wall I had come to and realized he had brought the beautiful painting from his house that had mesmerized me the first time I saw it.

"Eric, what's this painting from?" I said, as I admired it. He stepped out of the closet wearing only his black boxer briefs and a black button-down shirt and socks, as I had caught him mid-change. As he glided up beside me, I almost completely forgot about the painting.

"Do you like it?" He asked smiling.

"I love it. I saw it the first time I went to your house and I probably stared at it for ten minutes straight."

"It's my homeland." He said proudly. "I bought this plot of land with the cabin and the lake out front. Unfortunately, I don't get to go there nearly as often as I'd like."

"This is a real place? This is one of your houses?" I asked awestruck, getting a nod from him in return. "It's incredible, I wish I could see it."

"Perhaps one day you will let me take you there."

I turned my head to him, and he caught me in a sweet, slow kiss. When he finally pulled away, I managed to whisper, "I'd love that."

He went back to his walk-in and finished getting ready. I watched him fondly as he picked out the perfect watch to compliment his gray suit and slid his wallet into his pocket. The gestures were so simple, but so human in nature that I almost forgot that our life was far from simple.

"Did you mean what you said earlier… about being lonely without me today?" I asked him.

"Of course. I find myself craving your closeness always, but I know you are a creature of the light." He said smiling.

"I could stay here with you, if you'd want me to." I said, suddenly feeling timid.

"I always want you Sookie. I would love to go to my day rest with you in my arms." He said, pulling me close. "I could give you the codes and you could leave during the day if you needed to."

"You mean you would teach me the secret bat signal to get into your lair?" I teased.

"No one, not even the house staff or the security team have access to my chamber. You would have to be vigilant about keeping it secret, but yes of course I would give it to you."

The gravity of the situation was not lost on me. A vampire's daytime hiding place was their most closely guarded secret. To be trusted to come and go as I pleased from Eric's was his way of putting his life into my hands.

"I understand." I said seriously before kissing his nose.

"Come lover, we need to get going."

He took my hand and led me back out to the main level. As we walked out to the front room, Eric was greeted by Rasul and five other vampires. Three of them I recognized from the night before, though I only knew one of them by name. Roberto was a tall, slender, dark-haired vamp who I had met the first night in the palace. Apparently, he was also one of Eric's main guards and I thought he had something to do with finding Hadley, but obviously vamps aren't very forthcoming with personal information. I guess we were all hands on deck with security right now with the discovery of the witch shenanigans from the night before.

"Eric, do I have time to eat before we leave? I just realized I haven't ate since brunch this morning. I guess all that shopping kept my mind off food."

"If you want to have a snack, I'd like to take you to dinner in the hotel after our meeting."

"Your Majesty, are you asking me on a date?" I whispered playfully.

"That depends, are you accepting?" He smirked.

"I'll be right back." I said, heading towards the kitchen.

"Take your time, Pam isn't even ready yet." He called.

I walked to the kitchen in search of the fruit platter I had seen this morning and my extra sense told me that Roberto had followed me. Apparently, I needed a private guard even inside the house now; perfect. I pulled the tray out of the large refrigerator and offered my new companion a blood.

"No thank you Mistress." The Italian vampire replied.

"So, you got put on Sookie duty tonight huh?" I joked.

"It is no trouble Mistress; I will keep you safe."

"Thank you, I know you will." I answered graciously. "Oh, and please call me Sookie."

"Hmm, I'm not sure what my King would think of that." He smiled mischievously.

"Well I prefer it, but when the King is around, you can say whatever you feel comfortable with."

"Very well." He nodded.

I polished off a small bowl of fruit salad before heading back out to find Eric. Following our internal GPS, I found him and Pam in the parlor, admiring my spectacular purchase.

"What do you think?" I asked gleefully.

"Sookie, why is there a tree in the house?" Pam asked incredulously.

"It's a Christmas tree Pam! I was thinking when we got home tonight, we could decorate it together." My chipper suggestion was lost on Pam as she looked at me like I had grown another head.

"That would be wonderful." Eric said. "Pam would love to help." Eric said, smirking at his progeny.

Now that earned a huge grin from me and not such a loving look at Eric from Pam.

"Are my ladies ready?" Eric said, grasping my hand. "We have people to see and things to do."

The three of us; flanked by guards, took off for the underground side exit. Eric wasn't taking any chances walking past the crowd out front tonight. As we pulled off from the side of the compound, I could see the lights and crowd that had formed out front of the gate again. It was at least as big as the night before and I felt a rush of relief knowing we were bypassing it tonight. On the short ride over to Loki's, I took the opportunity to ask Eric a few questions I had scribbled on my notes earlier and tried to steel my nerves for what was to come. As we were pulling into the parking deck, Rasul's phone rang and he spoke quietly in it for just a moment before telling the driver to pull down to the VIP entrance. Rasul and Roberto had ridden in the limo with Eric, Pam, and me, while the other three guards had gone ahead in another car.

"Your Majesty, Abraham has informed me that there are crowds of people waiting at various entry points tonight. We will be taking the service elevator to the board room."

"Very good." Eric answered unfazed.

I wasn't sure if his casual response was genuine or just his attempt at making me feel more comfortable, but there wasn't really anything I could do about it anyways. We pulled down into the lowest entrance, our driver having to stop and have the gate guard open it up for him. Apparently, this was the entrance used when celebrities and other high rollers wanted to get into the casino without much fuss. The car pulled to a stop in front of a set of double doors and everyone piled out. I must have been looking at my feet, going over my speech in my head while we were walking in as Eric gently lifted my chin and sent a burst of love to me as we stepped off the elevator. I smiled at the loving gesture and walked confidently down the hall to the board room.

As we walked into the large room, everyone stood from their seats and acknowledged Eric and Pam with a head dip from the humans and a bow from the two vampire members on the board. 'Showtime' my brain said, as I plastered on the most natural smile I could and looked around the room. Eric gestured for me to sit as he pulled out one of the big, rolling chairs for me, taking his seat beside me and Pam sitting beside him. As soon as we were seated, everyone else sat down and Eric took control of the room.

"Good evening gentlemen. Thank you all for meeting me on such short notice. As I'm sure you know, I am Eric Northman, the new owner of this fine establishment. I'm anxious to get things underway with all the renovations and re-branding of the casino and didn't want to waste anymore time. This is my new Operations Manager, Sookie Stackhouse." Eric said gesturing to me, as I smiled politely and inclined my head. "And this is the General Manager, Pamela Ravenscroft. As I'm sure you are all quite busy, we'll get straight down to business. The re-branding of the Lucky Strike Casino was recently announced to the general public and we have carefully monitored the reactions; not just here in Louisiana but in the United States overall. Miss Stackhouse, would you like to fill us in on the data?" Eric said turning to me.

"Of course, Mr. Northman." I took a deep breath and moved from my seat, to stand at the head of the table. "As Mr. Northman mentioned, my name is Sookie Stackhouse. I am so pleased to meet all of you and look forward to working together to make Loki's Luck, the hottest casino in New Orleans." Pause and smile for effect. "The initial reaction we've garnered from the public so far has been quite positive. Though the Lucky Strike Casino was showing adequate profit overall, we found that a significant amount of our target age group of 21 – 35-year olds, were just not as interested in the casino as some of our older clientele were. The recent announcement of the new ownership as well as the re-branding, has already seen a renewed interest by not only locals, but many prominent public figures and even celebrities. In the last week alone, the Casino has seen a 17% increase in gambling, and a 21% increase in patronage to our nightclub; Heaven. We hope to capitalize on these gains, by using media marketing to reach the younger crowd and draw in more business from outside of Louisiana."

"Miss Stackhouse.." Interrupted a balding man a few seats away. "While the increase in sales is always a positive, how are we to know that all these changes will be welcome from our older generation who have frequented this casino since they were old enough to gamble? Not everyone is going to be so keen on seeing the 'younger generation' in their casino."

"Well, Mr.." I paused before he replied, Goodman. "Mr. Goodman, that's an excellent question, but I think the bigger picture we have to look at, is not who will be reluctant to changes, but rather how these changes will shape the future of this company." I was still sweating on the inside, but I felt my resolve strengthen as I noticed Eric looking at me fondly and pushing his approval through my blood.

"Another question if I may?" Goodman said. "I'm well aware of the media frenzy that has surrounded Mr. Northman and yourself as of late, and I was curious about reports that you come from a small town, with nothing but a background in waitressing." He said disdainfully. "I don't mean to ruffle any feathers, but the casino business is full of sharks and men who have been in this game since you were probably in diapers. How are we to be confident that your new 'direction' is a worthwhile business venture. As they say; if it isn't broke, don't fix it."

I felt my cheeks flush red and Eric's anger sizzle through my own. I took just a moment to compose myself, before I smiled kindly at the asshole in the cheap suit and continued.

"Well, you've got me there Mr. Goodman. It is true that the casino business is new to me. However, what I lack in experience in this field, is made up for in my understanding of this generation and how the world is changing around me. The men who founded this casino couldn't have anticipated the ways the world would change in the last thirty years. Louisiana and its nightlife have changed immensely and if we don't roll with the punches, then all that those men worked so hard to build will be lost to time. It's ignorant to think that a business, especially one as steeped in luxury and entertainment as this, can simply roll through the years without seeing some major overhauls. If you had been keeping up with your monthly sales and revenue reports, you might have noticed that the Lucky Strike was losing approximately 2% of it's clientele quarterly to some of the more progressive casinos in Texas and Nevada. Do you know what those casinos have that we don't have Mr. Goodman?"

"I don't see how that's relevant to…"

"And that's the problem; you don't see how those figures are relevant. When you keep your nose buried in the small world around you, you miss the bigger picture. The reason why Nevada and Texas are seeing an increase in business in the last two years, is because they have not only embraced the new normal for nightlife, but they practically wrote the book on it. Caesar's Palace, The Venetian, The Palms… the reason why they have continuously seen an increase in business is because they have adapted to changing times. They've booked fresh, young talent, they've updated their nightclubs and entertainment venues, and they've started catering to a brand new generation. Not only have they brought in a younger crowd; a crowd that previously didn't have much interest in casinos, but they've also catered to the growing vampire population. The Lucky Strike casino wasn't falling into bankruptcy or anything, but they also weren't climbing towards the next goal. The point of a business that is going to withstand the ages, is to roll with the times. If you can't see that Mr. Goodman, then perhaps this isn't the business for you."

And with that parting shot, I smiled at my heckler and let the room fall silent.

"So, are we all in agreement that it's time to move forward from here?" I asked confidently, though inside my stomach was in knots.

The chorus of approval and encouragement from the room, was only outnumbered by the immense pride Eric was blasting me with from within. I spent the next half hour going over our initial plans for renovation and confirming the status of a few key members of our casino staff that had been given new titles. When the meeting ended, Eric, Pam, and me stood by the door and shook hands with the board as they left. Though Mr. Goodman had no more parting shots for me, I didn't think he would be joining the Sookie Stackhouse fan club anytime soon. As Pam escorted the last member out and shut the door, Eric swooped me up in his arms and kissed me ferociously.

"I am so fucking proud of you. You were magnificent lover." He said swinging me around.

"Put me down, I think I'm gonna puke." I said weakly as my nerves finally got the best of me.

Setting me down gently on a chair, he kneeled in front of me and held my hands as my head spun at everything that had taken place in the last hour.

"You did an excellent job. Everything you said was right on the money, and they knew it. I knew you would be perfect for this job." He said, tenderly rubbing circles on my hand.

"That was so stressful I thought I was going to barf or pass out while talking. I told you they would call me out for my lack of experience."

"One person Sookie. One close-minded old man, and you more than set him straight. The rest of the team seemed excited about your ideas for the future. You are amazing dear heart, and I couldn't be more proud of you." He kissed the back of my hand and I could feel nothing but truth flowing through the bond. He really was proud of how I handled myself and even though it was nerve-racking, I was pretty damn proud too. "Come on." He said lifting me from my seat. "I promised you a date."

"That's the best thing I've heard all night."

A/N: What do you guys think of our boss babe? I'm so proud of our girl! I love writing stories where Sookie gets to be the kickass boss she could have been. Also, I don't know if FF sends alerts for this type of thing, but I had to replace the last chapter with a new copy because I accidentally wrote Niall instead of Fintan when referring to Sookie seeing her Grandfather recently! Apparently I forgot which one of my stories I was working on lol