DAY 24: A Gift for ciasteczko – Part III

 

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Day 24: A GIFT FOR CIASTECZKO FROM HISVIKS

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THE SUBSTITUTE

 

Chapter 3 

 

“I believe,” Eric replied with a hint of confusion, “it’s an electric blanket.”

 

“Who would sneak into this room and leave behind an electric blanket? Is there a note at least?”

 

“It’s a message in itself,” he informed carefully.

 

“You’re cold,” she nodded, before amending, “or room temperature.”

 

“Indeed,” he chuckled, her attempts at sparing his feelings amusing him greatly despite the severity of the situation.

 

“What does it mean? Is it from Sophie-Anne?”

 

“If Sophie-Anne had managed to sneak someone into your room, trust me you wouldn’t be here anymore. This is merely someone casually hinting at our connection.”

 

“I’m guessing your definition of casual is a little different from mine.”

 

“They’re goading, which in of itself isn’t unusual,” he elaborated. “The question is, what do they want?”

 

“And who are they?” Sookie added.

 

“That we actually know,” he replied offhanded, receiving a puzzled look in return.

 

“Who’s it from?” she stammered out, clearly far more concerned than he was.

 

“You disappoint me, Sookie,” he grinned. “Thought you’d have it figured out by now. Where’s that impressive bright young woman that walked into my office months ago with more sense than the entire Bon Temps Sheriff department combined?”

 

She gulped audibly, fearing the worst. “It’s the King of Switzerland isn’t it?”

 

Eric nodded, “Expect a summation imminently.”

 

oOoOoOo

 

“Hey there, Champ!” Jason greeted excitedly, the little boy, however, clung fiercely to his mother hiding behind her legs, suddenly shy. “Gotcha!”

 

Hunter squealed with delight as his cousin scooped him into his arms while Pam looked on with alarm as her precious little boy was thrown up into the air filling the room with a cacophony of giggles. Warily she looked on while hissing under her breath, “Why did you bring them here!”

 

“No choice, Pam,” Eric shrugged. “He knows we’re here, he knows we’re connected we have no hope of leaving this country if he doesn’t want us to.”

 

“Newsflash, you can fly!”

 

“Honestly, Pam,” he sighed. “You think if that was a possibility I wouldn’t have considered that already? We knew the risks of coming to Switzerland and it outweighed the benefits, look how happy Hunter is to see his family.”

 

“We’re his family.”

 

Eric regarded her briefly, “They’re blood, they’re his blood, which makes them our blood. We take care of what’s ours Pam, that includes them and has for some time now.”

 

“Fucking hell, you’re in love with her!” she accused.

 

“I like her,” he replied in a clipped tone. “It’s complicated.”

 

“Keep telling yourself that Mr. Facebook circa 2008,” Pam snorted. “Just make sure it doesn’t cloud your judgement. Hunter’s the one that matters, he needs me Eric, and he needs you, the rest are expendable.”

 

“Not to him,” Eric noted while the two vampires watched Sookie and Hunter attack Jason with their tickling fingers forcing him to beg them to stop before he’d wet his pants. “He needs them just as much as he needs us and will for some time.”

 

“I’m worried, Eric,” she whispered almost inaudibly. “I can’t lose him now, not after all this time-”

 

“Shh,” he soothed, pulling her into an embrace. “If the King wanted to harm us he would have done so already. We might need to put down roots here, find our hands tied but there’s worse places to be.”

 

“You should listen to your Maker, young one,” a voice interrupted and for the first time in either their existence the two vampires were completely taken aback by their inability to detect the sudden intruder. He grinned widely, showing off his long silver hair and an especially ancient looking fang or two, stained deeply black. Pam swore the creature before them had two rows of teeth, yet she couldn’t help but admire the royal blue silk robe embroidered with dragonflies that he wore, seemingly unaffected by the cold weather outside, as if anything would have swerved off him before daring to impact. “You have nothing to fear from me.”

 

“Your Majesty,” Eric greeted, bowing deeply while Pam remembered a long forgotten curtsy. “If we had known of your arrival-”

 

“You’d have kissed my ass and made with the formalities,” the King finished for him with a wink. “It’s better this way, come my children.” He beckoned with a wave of his hands to the fairy hybrids who had all fallen to high alert.

 

Carefully Sookie took a frightened Hunter in her arms, Jason coming around them with a defensive arm. At a safe but close enough distance they mimicked the previously demonstrated gestures of greeting.

 

“No need to be so formal,” he scoffed, closing the carefully measured distance with sure steps. Sookie startled and took a step backwards, Hunter burying his face in her chest but not fast enough for the King’s hand to caress his cheek, giving it a little squeeze causing Hunter to let out a startled gasp. “Welcome home my children.”

 

“Thank you for the electric blanket,” Sookie whispered, her gaze unable to move away from the deep blue eyes from the creature before her. She wondered if this what it was like to be glamoured, Eric had attempted and experimented with her ability to deflect him many times but it felt nothing like this.

 

The King set his gaze on the tall Viking momentarily, a wry smile inching up his ancient face. “I was right to assume you’d need it then.”

 

Then, just as sudden as he appeared, the King was gone again.

 

“Mommy!” Hunter cried out, desperately scrambling out of Sookie’s arms, tears finally bursting out as soon as he was in Pam’s embrace. Without thinking about it consciously Sookie ran for Eric’s arms while Jason looked on in confusion, becoming the first to notice the already ridiculous amount of presents underneath the Christmas tree had doubled.

 

“You okay?” Eric murmured to the crown of her head.

 

“It’s like I don’t feel my own body anymore,” she murmured into his chest, her fingers tracing him with far more exploration than she’d ever allowed before. “Can we maybe go for a walk?”

 

Eric regarded the lavishly decorated living room of the rented villa, Pam was busy consoling Hunter where Jason had started shaking at every box that carried his name.

 

“Come on,” he urged, wrapping her oversized scarf around her. She remained quiet for a while as they walked over the virgin snow that had covered the extensive grounds of the secluded property.

 

“Sookie,” he finally started, taking her hand in his. “I think we need to restart that discussion again.”

 

Her steady path suddenly halted, causing Eric to curse himself. Too much, too fast. Sookie appeared to want to be anywhere but here with him right now.

 

“I-”

 

“Never mind,” he interrupted. “Forget I said anything.”

 

“No,” Sookie started. “Just, let me talk for now.” With a nod, she took a deep breath, “You’re right, it makes the most sense. From everything you’ve told me about the Supernatural, it is the smartest thing to do to tie ourselves with blood, especially after what just happened in there. I mean we’re stuck here now, probably in this King’s employ like you had warned could happen and that a blood tie affords me better protection. But, I don’t know, don’t you want it to be with someone special?”

 

“What makes you think you’re not special?”

 

“Of course I’m special,” she snorted with a roll of her eyes. “I meant someone special to you. We’ve barely kissed and this, it’s a lot more than that and we can’t be business like about it either. I wouldn’t want to take something like that away from you, something you can have with someone else. Someone more your league.”

 

“My league?” he questioned.

 

“You know,” she murmured, hating to have this conversation. “Someone with a bit of experience, who actually knows what they’re doing. Someone who doesn’t shy away from your advances at every turn unless she’s so frightened and happy to see you because it’s been weeks, and-”

 

“Sookie stop,” he urged, his index finger coming over her babbling lips, and with her narrowed eyes he added, “Please.”

 

She eyed him warily but observed his requested silence. “For one,” he started, “don’t assume you’re not special to me. Everyone on the premises here right now is special to me, they wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

 

“Even Hans the caretaker?” Sookie quipped.

 

He couldn’t help but return her mischievous smile, “That, that right there,” he pointed out while his hands came to caress the outlines of her jaw, urging her face closer to his, “is why you’re special to me. You come in and turn my worldview upside down and make me view it anew. I’m an old vampire Sookie, there’s not many that surprise me anymore, but you do.”

 

“Ok,” she whispered as his lips came dangerously close to hers. “What about two?”

 

“Two?”

 

“You sounded like you were going to go down a list of things.”

 

“I forgot about two,” he fibbed, knowing her stalling techniques far too well. “I only need one reason, and she’s standing right before me. Now stop thinking and start feeling.” She closed her eyes in anticipation but much to her surprise nothing happened, forcing her to pry them open carefully to see him watching her, waiting. He didn’t need to wait long for her to close the distance instead, to tentatively explore the outer edges of his mouth before daring to probe further, seeking his reciprocation before allowing him to inevitably take the lead again.

 

“I’ve never really done this before,” she confessed when she found her breath again. “I’m scared to mess it all up.”

 

“There’s nothing to mess up,” he assured. “At least nothing that can’t also be fixed. I’m made of tougher stock, Sookie Stackhouse.”

 

“That’s what you’d like of everyone to think, don’t you,” she sassed. “Too bad for you, Eric Northman, I know your weakness.”

 

“Yeah,” he hummed, pulling her just a bit closer to his body, “what’s that?”

 

“Little blonde telepaths do things to you. Eh… excitable things. Sexual things.”

 

He regarded her with the strangest expression she’d ever seen on him, before he growled, “What are you implying? That I’m some sort of paedophile?”

 

“What? No!”

 

“If I wait till Hunter’s grown, then it’s somehow okay?”

 

“Eric stop! I meant me! I’m your weakness!”

 

He momentarily adjusted himself, embarrassed by his sudden leap to conclusions, practically stammering, “I apologise, Hunter’s been the only little blonde telepath I’ve known for quite some time-”

 

“No!” Sookie interrupted. “It’s my fault, see I totally suck at this and why you shouldn’t want to bond with me! We were finally getting somewhere and then I mess it all up!”

 

“Shh,” he soothed, tugging her hand to urge her closer once more. “Honest mistake, no harm intended, it’s over now. Anytime you want me to go somewhere just say the word, I’ll be there waiting.”

 

“Actually I’d really like to go to bed now,” she replied with a small yawn. With his eager look she quickly amended, “I mean literally! Like the actual bed. To sleep!”

 

He couldn’t help but chuckle at her fluster, “I know.”

 

“Phew,” she sighed out. “But maybe, you know you can stay for a bit.”

 

“I’d like that.”

 

“No funny business,” she warned with a wrinkle of her nose.

 

“We’ll see about that,” he grinned.

 

“I mean it, Mister!”

 

“I’m sure you do.”

 

“Do not mock me!” she yelled, running to catch up with his quicker stride. “Or I’ll-”

 

“You’ll what? he questioned with a waggle of his brow.

 

“I’ll, I’ll-,” she flustered, biting her bottom lip before a sparkle lit up her eyes. “I’ll tell Pam what happened in Dublin!”

 

“You wouldn’t!” he replied in shock.

 

“So would,” she taunted.

 

“We’ll see about that,” he warned before scooping her up and flying her back into her bedroom, dropping her on the bed with a bounce. Before she knew it he was tracing every feature of her face with his index finger as if taking her in all over again, depositing a kiss in random spots. For once it didn’t scare her enough to withdraw from him, instead the anticipation feeding the moment. He never pushed her too far and much to her relief clothes had stayed on till her fatigue truly began to show, he helped tuck her in and when he moved to leave she sleepily tugged at his hand, forcing him back on the bed, his body over the covers, to wrap it around her waist daring him to leave.

 

“Beats an electric blanket any day of the week,” she whimpered contentedly as he settled to install himself on top of the covers with her.

 

EHM… THANKS TO ME? I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT CIASTECZKO! THERE WILL BE ONE MORE CHAPTERS TO FOLLOW. 

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