La Vie En Rose Ch 1: The Awakening

Charlaine Harris owns almost everything. I own the rest.

This story is a sequel to my 67 chapter story, Getaway. If you haven’t read it, you should be able to figure out what’s going on, but of course, I would prefer that you go read it (and review, since it’s the only form of encouragement I get to keep writing). Thank you all for waiting so patiently, I hope baby vamp Sookie lives up to your expectations.

Gngr, I hope you know how much I loved our brainstorming for this story, and how much I appreciate the infusion your big brain into my story. I was stuck until you helped me out.

SeriousCrush, as always, you have encouraged, loved and supported me when I needed you most. I love you so!

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La Vie En Rose

The Awakening

My eyes fluttered open and the contours of the furniture in our basement bedroom popped out at me despite the darkness in the room. My body tensed, as I tried to piece together the gaps in my memory. I knew where I was, but I didn’t know when it was. My skin was cold, and I could hear a car door slam outside, it was two houses down. I was hungry, hungrier than I had ever felt in my life. I sat up abruptly, the sheets falling away from my naked body.

Eric’s hand caressed my back. “Welcome back, Lover.” His voice overflowed with love, concern, and relief. He had been waiting three nights to greet me.

“I’m hungry,” I said as I touched my neck, remembering the night that he turned me. There was no wound, just smooth skin and taut muscles.

Eric chuckled, “I’m sure you are. We are leaving for the airport soon, so I have arranged for you to feed from an IV bag that Ella collected from a donor center.”

Eric slid out of bed and moved to go upstairs. I followed as he sped away from me, ascending the narrow staircase in a blur of speed. “Catch me if you can,” his playful voice called down to me. I willed my body to move and pushed myself forward, stumbling over the top step, surprised that I was already there. “Excellent, you are a natural.” He was clearly very proud.

I smiled at him, and felt my lips slip over the bumps of my fangs. I reached up to touch them, and then felt their sharpness with my finger. I stared in amazement as the prick in my finger healed while I watched. I licked my finger clean, pushing my tongue between my long teeth like a cat grooming myself. With the promise of blood, I felt a lurch in my stomach.

Eric was heating the bag of blood, and poured it into a glass for me. He put it in my hands, where it warmed my cool fingers. I inhaled deeply, and closed my eyes. The rich aroma of life overpowered me, and I drank quickly and deeply, letting the metallic flavors wash over my tongue and down my throat until the glass was empty.

Caught off guard, I dropped the glass, where it shattered on the floor. I was suddenly overcome with feelings and memories, but not my own. I was running on a beach, in Southern California, collecting abalone shells. The memory morphed, and I was sitting in a classroom in high school, half listening to the Texan drawl of my teacher. Then, I was in college and starting a sordid affair with my poli sci professor. He was married, and breaking my heart.

I sobbed and felt cool bloody tears run down my face.

Eric was at my side, touching my arm. “Lover, what is it?” I felt his concern flow through me, his touch calming me as it always did.

“I’m remembering her life…”

“Whose? The donor’s?” I nodded. It had to be.

I took a deep unnecessary breath, a force of habit. As I exhaled, her memories faded.

“I was so overwhelmed with her happiness and sorrow. Thank goodness it didn’t last very long.” I was still shaking when Eric embraced me. He wiped the tears off my cheeks and licked his fingers, his fangs descending.

“Are you still hungry?” He asked. I nodded again. “Perhaps we should stick with True Blood, just to be safe.”

He popped the top off a bottle of blood and warmed it, handing me the bottle. He stared expectantly. The flavor was all wrong, and the texture was a little too thick, but it didn’t make me throw up, so I swallowed it. I scrunched my nose and said, “Well…it’s food, right?” Eric shrugged. I didn’t think I could eat any more, so I asked, “When is Ella coming to pick us up?”

Eric looked at the clock on the wall and said, “She’ll be here in about an hour.”

“Good. I’m anxious to find out where she got the blood from, I have some questions. Can we shower? I feel…sticky.”

*******

The hot water of the shower felt marvelous, infusing my body with its heat. “No wonder you love to shower, the hot water feels so good!” Eric smiled at me again. Showers were pure pleasure, especially when I had Eric to keep me company.

Wet from the shower, Eric carried me into our bedroom and I wrapped my slippery legs around his body. I felt strong and surprisingly flexible. I braced myself against his shoulders as he licked and sucked on my breasts. He nuzzled his face against my quiet chest. “I have been waiting so long for this…” Something changed in him. All the time we had been together, he had been holding back, knowing that he could hurt me. Now it was different, I could feel it.

Eric growled and pushed me, my body thudding against the wall next to our bed. My fangs descended, and I felt lust take control of me. I pushed off the wall, knocking Eric backwards. He let us fall, and I landed heavily on top of him, bruising my knees on the floor. My wet hair clung to my face and got into my mouth. I shook my head fiercely, sending a fine splatter of water flying all around me.

Eric’s eyes were dancing, and he laughed out loud. I growled again and I pinned his hands over his head, brushing his face with my breasts, sliding my body down his. I crushed my body against his and licked the slope of his neck before biting down, opening my mouth to his blood offering. He gasped and grabbed my hips, tilting them until our bodies were aligned, and then rammed into me. I moaned against his neck as he filled me, and sucked harder finding myself nearing release already. I felt his blood work its way through every cell in my body, awakening pure carnal desire.

My body stiffened and vibrated against his, my knees grinding against the floor. Eric came with me, spurred on by my soft moans. I stopped feeding from him and sat up, rocking my body against his. His cock hardened instantly, and his hands captured my face. “I love you,” he whispered, and then licked my mouth, cleaning the blood covering my chin and lips. He scraped his fang against mine and shuddered. “I love you, I love you, I love you.” Each time he said the word ‘love’ he thrust into me harder than before. I couldn’t get enough.

“Yes! Harder!” I screamed needing more. There was some kind of brutality that had built up inside me, never allowed to come into play during sex. Until now.

Eric stood up, with me still firmly attached to his cock, and turned us until my back brushed against the cool sheets of our bed. I grabbed a fistful of sheets in each hand and held on while Eric fulfilled my demands. The bed groaned under me, complaining about the sheer force of our coupling. He was driving into me with such power and concentration, that the energy flowing through our bond was almost tangible. His mouth found my breast and he drank deeply from me, completing the cycle of our blood. It was our blood, not his, not mine. Ours. He gave to me. I gave to him. Just as I had when I was human. How had he managed to restrain himself with me before? To think that he had protected me from this raw hunger…I became overwhelmed with his love for me, and felt tears stream away from my face as I grabbed his ass, driving him faster and harder until we were both transported to the realm of blissful satiation.

“I never understood how much you held back, how you kept me safe from your nature…”

“I love you. That is all that matters.” He wiped the tears from my eyes, sharing in my happiness as our blood joined in his mouth again. “I am so happy that I can share myself with you like this too. Forever.”

I smiled and kissed him.

I looked around the room and laughed. A lamp had gotten knocked over, and was blinking erratically, the sheets were dangling on the floor, and there was water dripping down the walls. “It looks like a wet dog broke in to our bedroom!!” I said.

Eric burst out laughing. “You’re the one that shook your head!”

I stood up and used my towel to wipe the walls. “My hair was in my mouth. I was irritated.” Eric chuckled. “I’m sorry if I hurt you, when I bit you.”

“Did it seem like you hurt me?” His eyebrow was raised, looking at me skeptically.

“Well…no,” I admitted.

“You might want to go a little easier on a human, but you never need to worry about me. You were magnificent.” He kissed me again, leaving a silly grin on my face.

*******

Pam texted Eric ten times, asking if she could come see me. Eric told her that she couldn’t stay for long, since Ella would be coming to pick us up to take us to the airport.

A minute after being granted permission, Pam knocked on the front door. She was dressed in a pale yellow jogging suit, with shiny white reflective running shoes. She smiled when she saw me look at them “How do you like my new running shoes?” Her straight blonde hair was flawless, even after running the considerable distance between our houses.

“Sookie, you look amazing! Can you control your fangs yet?”

I wasn’t sure, but I tried to get them to descend, and to my great surprise, they responded. Pam clapped her hands gleefully. “They suit you. Really. Welcome to the family.” She hugged me tightly, this time not holding back. I really loved Pam, and knew I would miss her while we were gone.

“Pam? Ella will be here any minute,” I said, sorry to shoo her away.

“I know you need to go, I just had to stop by and see you myself.” She turned to leave after giving me another hug and Eric a kiss on the cheek. “But before I go,” Pam continued, “Is it okay if Laurie and I borrow the swing while you’re gone?” She blinked her eyes innocently, which only made her request seem even more perverse.

“Sure, borrow away,” I answered. “Just make sure you clean it….”

“Don’t I always?” Pam huffed, offended that I would question her sanitation. “Okay, I’m off. Laurie and I are going on a walk tonight. I’ll tell her the good news.” She winked. “Have a lovely time in Paris,” she added and was out the door.

*******

Ella showed up right on time, just like she usually did. Her van was idling outside. She hesitantly knocked on the door. I pushed past Eric to open it.

“Sookie! It is so good to see you. I must admit that I was a little worried…”

I pulled her into a hug, being conscientious about not hurting her, and felt grateful to have a friend that cared for me so much. My fangs dropped down after I took a breath, inhaling the scent of her blood. Her skin felt hot through her clothes, and her pulse was strong and steady. I pulled away from her, embarrassed. “I’m sorry Ella, I don’t really know how to control these things yet. Maybe I should get a tiny binder to carry around, just in case….” Eric and Ella stared at me blankly. “You know, like a teenage boy trying to hide his boner in high school?” Eric shrugged and Ella laughed out loud.

“It’s okay, Sookie. This must be a bizarre transition for you. I’ll do my best not to tempt you.” She smiled at me warmly. I was just relieved that I was full, otherwise who knows what I would have been capable of? The consequences of being hungry around my human loved ones were inconceivable.

“How is the fam? Is Julian getting Miles ready for bed right about now?” Ella nodded and I smiled. It took a dedicated personal assistant to leave her family to deal with someone else’s life. Ella was definitely dedicated…among other things.

Ella looked at our luggage and coffins. “We should get going, just in case there’s traffic.” There never was traffic going to the airport this time of night, but Ella was such a methodical planner that it was best to let her do her work and not interfere. Eric grabbed the handle on the side of his coffin, swinging it upright next to him. I followed his lead and carried mine. “Wow, I can’t believe how strong you are!! I’ll get the luggage.” Ella called out after us. Five minutes later, the house was locked and we were in the van ready to go.

“Ella, I wanted to ask you about the blood from the donor…”

“Yes?” Ella responded, keeping her eyes on the road.

“Where did you get it?”

“There’s a place downtown where people can go to donate for vampires. It pays well, so they attract all kinds of people, but they are meticulous about screening for diseases and that sort of thing. Why do you ask?”

“When I drank it, I could see her life, her memories. It was so unreal.”

Ella looked at me, “Wow, I’ve never heard of that happening before. How long did it last?”

“A few seconds, maybe a minute.”

“Could this be related to your telepathy?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. It was weird though.” I hadn’t thought of my gift until she mentioned it. “Ella, would you mind if I checked to see if I can still read human minds?” She shrugged, and said, “Okay.”

I reached out to her, and could feel that her brain was alive, buzzing with electric impulses jumping tiny synaptic gaps. There was a kind of door between us, and by slowly unlocking it, her thoughts flowed into my head. I hope Julian remembers to brush and floss Miles’ teeth tonight, he always forgets. I don’t know why he thinks a 2 and half year old kid can take care of his own oral hygiene…but he does. Honestly. Well I guess if Miles misses a couple of times it isn’t going to ruin his teeth…

I closed the door, and stopped her thoughts mid-sentence. “Worried about Julian being in charge of bedtime?” I smiled at her.

“So it still works, huh?”

“It’s different. There was a barrier between us, that I had to open.” It dawned on me what that meant. I was in complete control of who and what got into my head.

Eric spoke up, “I guess you got stronger everywhere.” My defenses included.

“Can I try something else?” I asked Ella as she concentrated on the road ahead of us.

“Uh, sure?” Ella was clearly unsure about my intentions. I reached across the space that separated us and touched her arm. The second my skin came in contact with hers, her thoughts bombarded me in a constant stream. She was thinking about how cold my hand was, and how long it would be before the stop light in the next block would turn green. It made me smile to ‘hear’ her try and predict the traffic light patterns, and I wanted to tell her how adorable she was. I removed my hand and the stream of thoughts dried up.

“That felt weird,” Ella admitted. “You weren’t trying to glamour me, were you?”

“No, I don’t know how to do that yet.” I shrugged and looked at Eric expectantly.

“Don’t give me that look, we were busy.” He waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively. Ella giggled. Eric was not what you would call subtle.

“How do you mean weird? What did it feel like?” I asked leaning towards her

“I don’t know, I just felt…cute all of a sudden.”

“Adorable?” I asked shocked again.

“Yes, that’s it, I felt adorable…for some reason.” She sounded confused.

“I was thinking that! I wanted to tell you how adorable you were for trying to predict the traffic light pattern. It’s just so nerdy!”

Eric took my hand and spoke in a hushed voice, “You glamoured her…by touching her. You made her feel whatever you put in her head, seamlessly. Ella doesn’t look disoriented at all, which is usually a side effect of glamouring someone. Other humans are likely to notice their odd behavior, but even I can’t see a change in her, except that she feels what you thought.” His eyes lit up, delighted with the possibilities in store for us.

“Um, I can hear you,” Ella said. “And by the way, I don’t feel disoriented at all, just adorable.”

I had to admit that I was intrigued, but I was done experimenting on my friend. “Thanks Ella, for letting me explore my abilities. I’m excited to find out more about what I am capable of.”

Eric sat in silence, his brain working as Ella and I chatted about Paris while we made our way to the airport.

The Annubis Air terminal was bustling. Ella pulled over and opened the doors, pulling out our luggage while we grabbed our coffins. Ella looked at the terminal and said, “Do you have your tickets?” I pulled mine out of my purse, and Eric got his out of a pocket in his carry-on luggage. “Okay, have a wonderful trip. Don’t forget to write!”

“Oh Ella, you are so wonderful. I just don’t know what I would do without your love and support! I’ll send more than postcards.” I hugged her quickly, avoiding touching any exposed skin, and pulled away, tears threatening to fall.

“Sookie, don’t cry, you’ll get all bloody!” Ella warned, sending me laughing, without crying. “Go, check in. Call me after you get settled…”

I had luggage in one hand, and my coffin in the other. Eric and I turned and walked away from everything I knew to an unknown future.

I am really hoping that someone out there can help me with French translations. If you are willing to assist me, please PM me and let me know. I will be very grateful.

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Well? Don’t just sit there, click that little button, review, and tell me what you think….

On to La Vie En Rose Ch 2: Bienvenue à Paris

Don’t forget to read the little femslash one shot I wrote for Pam and Laurie, it takes off from this point in the timeline…Kitten & Sugar Pie