Chapter 11

Disclaimer – I do not own SVM/TB characters or stories. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit is being made. I just want to play with the Viking!

Chapter 11

I closed my eyes tight. I thought that if I closed them tightly enough, I might go back to sleep. I could return to that dream world. I wanted to know what came next. I wanted to feel him inside of me again. Oh God, I wanted to feel that enormous rock hard cock again! I was not thinking about my IBF at that moment. I was imagining the vampire, what he could do to me, what he would have done to me if I hadn’t woken up. Why was I so turned on seeing his mouth and fangs covered in my blood? Fangs! That’s not right, is it? That’s not normal. Oh, but it was so…erotic. It was sexy. It was…it was a fucking dream, you idiot! I slammed my fists against the bed angrily.

Unable to calm myself enough to return to sleep, I climbed out of bed. A thought struck me and I quickly kneeled down on the floor and looked under the bed. Yep, it was there, my baseball bat. I knew it would be there. Of course it would be there, because it was a dream!

“I’m going fucking nuts!” I yelled.

I sat back on my heels and looked around my room. Nothing was different, why would it be? It felt as if it should be. Something should be different. I’d never had a dream so vivid and I felt like something in my world should have changed, but it hadn’t. Maybe I should check in to a Psych ward.

“UUGH!” I shouted and bent over to press my head against the floor.

JP came running in and saw me bent over with my arms wrapped around my waist.

“Oh My God, are you OK!? Are you sick!?” Concerned, he immediately knelt down next to me.

“No,” I moaned still bent over on the floor.

“Well, then what’s wrong? What are you doing?” he said still sounding worried.

“I was looking for my bat.”

“What’s the problem? Just grab it. It’s right there. I can see it from here. Why do you need it?”

“I don’t!” I shouted into the floor.

“Jesus, OK!” he sat back. “Look, if you’re not sick, get your stupid bat and get up off of the floor! If you’re not sick, then you just look like a crazy person!”

“I don’t want the God damn bat!” I sat up abruptly and glared at him.

“A crazy person, lying on the floor, looking for a baseball bat at seven in the morning, and having a tantrum!!” he shouted exasperated.

“It was a dream,” I whined.

“Was it a bad dream?”

“No,” I said still whining.

“Then what the fuck is wrong?”

“Don’t you get it? IT. WAS. A. DREAM.!!”

“NO! I DON’T GET IT! I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about! I’m going to go downstairs to make some coffee! Join me if you decide to stop acting like a baby and return to the world of the sane!” He stood up in a huff and stormed out of the room.

OK, I deserved that.

I sat there regretting that I just pissed him off. Of course he didn’t know what I was talking about. After a minute or two, I dragged myself off the floor and made my way downstairs.

~~~

JP was sitting at the eat-in table, clearly pissed. He had the television on, but was staring at the wall. He sat there bouncing his leg on the floor. I approached him with my tail between my legs.

“I’m sorry,” I said in a small voice.

“Mmhmm,” he replied, looking at the TV.

“I’m sorry for being such a bitch. I’m sorry for acting like a three-year-old. I don’t know what came over me. You couldn’t have known.”

“Coffee’s in the kitchen,” he said icily still not looking at me.

“I had this crazy fucked up dream and it seemed so real,” I said.

“OK. Do you want to tell me about it or will this be like last night and I’ll have to drag it out of you one tooth at a time?”

“You’re going to think I’m insane.”

“I already think that, Sybil, so you might as well spit it out. You know you’re going to anyway,” he said as he turned off the television.

I went to the kitchen and poured myself a large cup of what I hoped was strong coffee, adding lots of cream and a little sugar. I stood there, leaning against the counter, and sighed loudly.

“Oh Jesus, are you going to start whining again? If you are, I don’t even want to hear about it.”

I pushed myself off the counter and walked over to sit at the table.

“No, I’m not going to whine again! Are you hungry?” I asked.

“Oh, no, you don’t.”

“Don’t what? I thought I’d be nice and make breakfast.”

“No, you are not going to sit there like nothing happened, changing the subject a hundred times before you tell me whatever the fuck is going on with you! Tell me or don’t, but I’m not playing this game again with you this morning.”

“I had this dream…” I started.

“Yeah, I got that much.”

“Do you want to hear it or not!?”

“Are you going to start yelling again?”

“No,” I said pitifully.

“Then fine, tell me.”

“Forget it, I know you’re just placating me.”

“Oh My God, what is wrong with you!?” He stood up, went in the kitchen, and removed a cast iron skillet from under the counter.

“Are you getting that so you can knock some sense into me?” I snorted.

“No, smartass, I am going to make us something to eat, since you obviously want to wallow in whatever you dreamt about, good or bad,” he rolled his eyes and turned to the stove.

“I had this dream and Eric was in it.”

“Alex,” he said over his shoulder.

“No, Eric!!” I shouted adamantly.

He slammed the frying pan down on the burner and marched back to the table.

“I swear to God, Cricket, if you yell at me one more time this morning…,” he said angrily, pointing his finger in my face.

“I’m sorry,” I winced. “Will you please stop? I want to get this out so you can tell me what you think and remind me that I’m not turning into a fruit loop!”

He took a deep breath and let it out. I was certain he was mentally counting to ten.

“OK. Let’s go in the family room, and you can tell me what happened in your dream that has you so worked up and out of sorts,” His concern was back.

We took our coffee into the family room and I stopped in front of the sofa where he sat down, looking at the table.

“What?”

“Nothing. In my dream we were sitting where you are now and I had a glass of water on the table.”

“…And what? You’re looking for it?”

“Yes, I guess I am,” I looked at him, and then at the sofa.

“So now you’re not going to sit on the sofa?”

The throw pillow caught my attention and he picked it up.

“What? What happened with this?”

“Nothing,” I said.

“You’re freaking out, Cricket. It was just a dream,” he said as he tossed it over onto the loveseat.

“I know,” I shook my head to clear it and sat down.

“Ready now, or should I book passage for your next trip on the crazy train?” he asked sarcastically.

“Shut up…I think I had the dream because of what you said.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you said we could be friends.”

“We are friends. You’re my best friend.”

“Not you and me, jackass, Eric and me.”

“Alex and you.”

“No, Eric…it was Eric Northman!”

“Guurl, you better get to talking, because the train is about to leave the station, m’kay?”

“OK. It started when I heard something that woke me up. I went downstairs to check it out.”

“With your bat?”

“Yes. I thought it was an animal. When I got to the door, he was standing outside…”

“…and…?”

“I invited him in, but he paused before stepped through the doorway as if he was testing that he could. We don’t own the house, you know? I think he wasn’t sure if he could enter even if he was invited in,” I mused.

“Right, because vampires can’t come in without an invitation.”

“Exactly! I didn’t notice it at first, but now I think it should have been my first clue. How would he know that?” I asked, furrowing my brow.

“He would know we didn’t own it because that information is in your head, and it was your dream. What do you mean your first clue, to what?”

“My first clue that he wasn’t who I thought he was! May I continue?”

“The floor is yours,” he said, gesturing for me to go on.

“As I was saying, he entered the house and I led him in here so we could sit down and talk. He told me a couple of times that he wanted to talk with me, continue our conversation.”

“Where does the throw pillow come in?”

“I was holding it and playing with it, somewhat obsessively, actually.”

“Why?”

“That is unimportant, but if it makes a difference to you, for security maybe?”

“Look, you are the one who asked me to analyze this. This is me analyzing. Everything is important. Now, why would you need to feel secure?”

“Oh, I don’t know, genius, maybe because it was Eric Northman!? Six foot, four inch, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, Viking God to most women and some men, Eric Northman! Sitting here, in our house, casually asking to chat it up with me? Hello?”

“I know who he is, dumbass, and that would make sense, except for the fact that you said you didn’t know he was Eric Northman at the time.”

“I didn’t. At that point, he was still just a guy.”

“He is just a guy.”

“Jesus, will you just shut up and listen, please? I really don’t know what to think about it.”

“Sorry. Go on.”

I sat back and drank my coffee trying to put the words together in my head so I could tell him the remainder of the dream. We were about to get to the crazy part. God, he’s going to think I’ve lost it! He watched me, patiently waiting.

“OK. Well, one thing led to another, and before I knew it, we were stretched out on the couch making out.”

“Wait a minute! Back up! There is no ‘one thing led to another.’ I want details! You are finally getting to the good part!”

“Geez, fine! We were sitting here talking and he said he wanted to be my friend and get to know me.”

“That sounds promising. Keep going. Then what did he do?” He tucked one leg under him and leaned in anxiously waiting for more.

“He touched my face and my hair. Then, after whispering closely in my ear and brushing his lips across mine, he kissed me. It was sweet and gentle at first, and then hungry and urgent. I was questioning why it was happening.”

“Did you ask him? Did he tell you?”

“I think I might have tried to, but he didn’t really tell me, he just kept kissing me. God, he was a good kisser! Then he started playing with me, exploring parts of my body, and I did the same, until we reached a point where we needed to stop.”

“What? Why the hell would you stop?”

“If we didn’t there was no going back.”

“Oh My God, I don’t know if I would have stopped. If someone was doing that to me, I’m not sure I could have stopped!”

“Well, it’s not exactly as if I could control the dream, is it?”

“Fair enough.”

“Then he started asking me questions.”

“What kinds of questions?”

“He asked me if I wanted him.”

“Of course you said yes.”

“I did, but not at first. First I told him that I wanted him to want me. Then when he asked again, I told him yes.”

“Then you fucked him, didn’t you?!”

“Yes, then we did it.”

“Woohoo, how was it?” he asked, rubbing his hands together.

“It was…indescribable. It was the best sex I’d ever had and he was huge! When I say huge, I mean enormous! Horses probably wish they were hung like him!”

“So, let me get this straight…you dreamt about a man who makes you salivate, coming to your house in the middle of the night, not only telling you he wanted to get to know you, but that he wanted you period. Said man proceeded to kiss you, and then gave you a mind blowing orgasm. Now you’re upset? Stop me if I’m wrong, but I don’t see the problem.”

“No, you’re not wrong. Oh, and beforehand, we talked about how he knew where to find me and that he knew who was watching us.”

“I choose to disregard that information as it is ridiculously unimportant and inconsequential. Seriously, what does that have to do with anything?”

“I don’t know! You said everything is important in a dream and you wanted all the details.”

“Not about that! I don’t give a shit about how he found you. I want to hear what happened next and what made you so upset this morning. I mean, you’re really acting strange for having such a fantastic dream.”

“That’s just it. What happened next…?” I wasn’t sure how to continue.

“Yes?”

“I bit him and when I tried to apologize for hurting him, I realized he had bitten me, too.”

“Biting? That is hot!”

“Normally I would agree with you, but he really bit me!”

“So?”

“You don’t understand what I’m saying. He bit me with his fangs! He had long fangs and they were dripping with my blood. When he went to bite me again, I woke up.”

“Doesn’t sound like that’s the only thing he had that was long! Damn!”

“I know. It’s fucked up. I loved it, and I woke up turned on by him drinking from me and covering me with blood! I’m fucked in the head.”

“No, I mean, damn, that was a sexy ass dream!”

He was fanning himself as he stood up and walked to the drawer in the kitchen. Then he went outside on the deck. I followed him out and sat on the steps next to him. He lit a cigarette.

“Can I have one?” I said, reaching for the pack.

“No. You quit three years ago, and I’m not going to be blamed if you start up again.”

“I think this situation calls for an exception, and I won’t blame you,” I said, plucking the pack from his hand.

“Besides, you know why I quit.”

“Yeah, I know, you needed to make some sort of change after that lying, cheating asshole was such a…lying, cheating asshole!”

“Well said!” I snorted before he lit my cigarette.

“Don’t think I won’t make you sign a contract stating that you are doing this of your own volition,” He laughed.

We sat in companionable silence enjoying our quiet moment until I started thinking about the dream again.

“Stop it.”

“What?”

“I know what you’re doing. Just stop. You are overthinking things. It was a dream. A sexy as fuck dream, I’ll give you that, but still just a dream. Were you satisfied or did you wake up playing with your girly bits?”

I shoved against him, embarrassed and no doubt blushing like a ripe tomato.

“Yes, I was satisfied…I wish I could go to sleep right now and do it again,” I admitted with a giggle.

“So, now you think you are going crazy because you liked fucking a vampire? In a dream, I might add.”

“Yes, but you don’t understand. It seemed so very real. I can’t explain it. That’s why, when you came in, I was on the floor looking for that stupid fucking bat. Part of me thought it might not be there and that would prove it really happened! The fact that I was so turned on by what he did after we fucked is so…” I extinguished my butt as I was trying to find the words.

“Fucked up?”

“Yes! I’ve clearly lost it!”

“Are you kidding me right now? You love everything vampire! Name one book you haven’t read. One story you haven’t drooled over that contained a hot vampire taking the sweet, pure, innocent, and virginal maiden?” He laughed and took one last drag.

He was just making fun of me now.

“Maybe that’s what’s bothering me so much?”

“I don’t follow you.”

“That’s part of why I like the stories. Some poor, unsuspecting virgin is seduced by the wicked vampire obsessed with her. Well, that and a good plot. I hate reading a book if the plot is stupid or the heroine is so naïve that she’s practically vapid. It’s not long before she begins to irritate me and I want to throw the book at the wall or reach in and slap her face…or the author’s!”

“I agree. Those books are boring, and it’s even more irritating if you don’t find out she’s an idiot until you’re several chapters into it!”

“I know, right? Then I feel compelled to finish it, if only to give her a chance to redeem herself. Which she usually doesn’t and that pisses me off all over again!” We laughed at that.

“So, seriously, what’s the problem? I think we’re working on this vampire show and you’re surrounded by the sexy atmosphere of it, not to mention how in love with Eric Northman you are…”

“I’m not in love with him.”

“OK, let me rephrase…how…completely obsessed? Does that work?”

“Oh, shut it! My point is, I’m not innocent and I’m sure as hell not a virgin!”

“Again, I agree, but you are a delicate fucking flower.”

“Well, that is true,” I said, laughing.

“Look, in your mind and, certainly in your dream, you are the innocent who would draw the attention of the wicked vampire in the shadows. I still think you’re over-analyzing this. In fact, I think you just need to get laid. How long has it been?”

“Three years,” I said under my breath.

“What? You mean you haven’t done the nasty since…?”

“No, I haven’t. It’s difficult. I haven’t met anyone that I have feelings toward since then.”

“You need to stop thinking that sex has to be some deep emotional connection with someone and just live in the moment for once.”

“Maybe.”

“I think the whole thing is sitting in the back of your head and talking to him last night just pushed it to the forefront of your imagination, which manifested in your dreams.”

“I suppose.”

“Think about it. Ever since we found out about the show filming here, all you’ve been talking about is your ‘IBF’ and wanting to meet him. Now you have.”

“Why did it seem so real?”

“Maybe you missed it when I said obsessed?”

“Oh, fuck you.” I said and slapped his arm. “Still I think…” I began before he interrupted me.

“You’re not crazy. You were overwhelmed by an emotional night. It probably seemed real because the last time you saw him, he was very nice to you and seemed sincere. You said you were talking very closely to him, so you already knew how that would feel in the back of your mind. We’ve established that you are a strumpet for vampires, specifically him…”

I rolled my eyes as I stood up.

“Add to that, the fact that right before you went to bed, I said I thought he cared about your feelings and suggested you could become friends. Didn’t both of those things happen in your dream? He cared enough to ask your permission before he did anything you didn’t want and he said he wanted to be your friend. All of it carried over when you went to sleep. It makes perfect sense.”

“Everything you just said does make perfect sense and I know it wasn’t real, but,” I started.

”But nothing! Enjoy it and forget it is what I say. I wish I had dreams like that.”

“It’s not right,” I said.

“Why?”

“Because I’m not the one he’s supposed to be with,” I said and went into the house to take a shower.

~~~

After I was showered and dressed, I realized JP had gone back to bed. There was a note taped to the bathroom door asking me to insure he was awake by noon.  Noon! I looked at the clock. It was only nine. I envied that he could just fall right back to sleep. On the other hand, we had stayed up late, and I supposed my shouting and erratic behavior was what caused him to wake up early in the first place.

I felt a little guilty, but Peej and I made a deal a long time ago that only one of us could be in crisis at a time. It was the other’s job to hold it together and talk the victim down from the ledge. This morning had been my turn to hang by my fingernails outside the window. I was happy, and relieved that he had stayed up with me to not only listen, but calm me down and get my head on straight. He’s always been my voice of reason and reality, but of course I’m his, too.

During my shower, I thought over our conversation and was finally able to ‘join the world of the sane’ again. It was a great dream and I hoped I would have it or another one similar tonight. Maybe I should start keeping a dream journal if they continue.

I thought about my last statement to JP and realized that it was the truth of my feelings. Even having a fantastic dream about my, yes, I’ll admit it, obsession Eric Northman, didn’t change the fact that I was not the leading lady in his story or shouldn’t be anyway. Still, I decided to take his advice to just enjoy and forget it. OK, I wouldn’t exactly forget. I mean, seriously, how could I? It was incredible! Though I would put it in perspective that perhaps in my dream world, I was ‘the one’ and that was OK.

I was so out of my head the night before with everything that happened on set, I never thought to look at the call sheet before we left the school to see if we were due for tonight’s shoot. I neglected to ask JP as well during either of our conversations.

Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to ask him for several hours, I went downstairs to find a contact number on the paperwork we had received from the production staff the first day. If nothing else, I could just call and find out. Yes, it would be unprofessional, but I wasn’t certain how long I could hold out not knowing before I burst at the seams. I would wait as long as my nerves would let me.

After the incident with Pam last night, I had no idea what would be in store for me now or how diminished my presence might be in the remainder of the episodes filming over the next week or so. With that in mind, it didn’t surprise me when I noticed a missed call and listened to the voicemail on my phone.

“Good morning, this message is for Chelsea Kerrigan. Miss Kerrigan, this is Claudette from “Truly Bloody.” We spoke on the phone the other day. I’m calling to inform you that there has been a revision to the script and we need you to come for another wardrobe fitting as soon as possible this morning. Please call me back as soon as possible and we will arrange a time. I hope to speak with you soon. Thank you.”

I listened to the message again and sighed. I called the number back and spoke to Claudette. She requested that I come to the school within the next half hour, and that Maria-Star would meet me there. Well, that’s just great! I’m probably a townie now. Oh well, at least I’m still in the show.

I debated about waking up JP to let him know I was leaving. I didn’t know how long it would take and if I would be back before noon, but I had already disrupted his sleep once this morning and didn’t want to do it again. I wrote him a note, taped it to the top of my alarm clock, and sneaked into his room to plug it in next to his and set it for eleven thirty. I would try to call him around noon if I could, but if I was unable, at least he would have a second alarm to wake him.

I gathered up anything I thought I would need for the remainder of the night on the chance I didn’t make it back home before any filming I might be involved in took place and left. I arrived with time to spare and parked my car on a side street near the building.  The lot was full, no doubt from the extras filming the day scenes.

When I entered the school, I was met at the door by Maria-Star.

“Good morning, Ms. Kerrigan, and thank you for coming in so quickly! As I’m sure Claudette told you, I need to fit you for a new costume today,” she said much more friendlier than yesterday.

“It’s no problem at all,” I replied.

We passed by the dressing areas and went to the back of the building into a larger room that held a single rack of dresses and one of the tall dressing screens. Now, I was really confused. None of clothing looked like what I had seen the townspeople wearing or even anything the Weres might wear.

“After we find the right dresses for you, you will need to go to the location where last night’s filming took place for rehearsal.”

“I’m sorry, rehearsal for what?”

“Let’s get this taken care of, and then I’ll let the staff over there fill you in,” she said politely. When she turned to the clothing rack to make a selection, I heard her say under her breath and to herself, “Ha! After what I heard of the display last night, she’s really going to hate this…!” she giggled quietly and turned back with a dress in her hands. I wasn’t sure if she was talking about me or someone else.

“I know what style is wanted and I have several options, so we’ll try them all, and then the one I choose will be waiting for you when you return for your call tonight. You may need more than one, so we need to be prepared,” she said.

I tried on at several of the dresses, which all seemed to be a variation on the same theme in a plethora of colors with different detail. I had absolutely no idea for what I was being outfitted, but didn’t ask again.

Maria-Star seemed to be in a very good mood as if we were shopping together at a boutique. It was a very different side to her than I had seen previously, so I just went with it and kept my mouth shut. Once she had photographed me in everything, she narrowed them down, tagged them, and put the dresses on their own rack marked with my name. When that was complete, she walked me back to the front of the building.

“Please go to the location site for rehearsal. They are waiting for you. You will need to be back here at the same time you arrived last night. Your wardrobe will be waiting, and I will see you then,” she said and walked away.

I stood there for a moment, and then blew out a deep breath and headed to Dan’s.

~~~

When I entered the tavern, it was still set up as Fangtasia and I saw Dan on the other side of the room at the bar. I started to head toward him as I didn’t know who was waiting for me, and was stopped with a shout from the middle of the room.

“Cricket!”

“Lafayette, hi!”

“Hows you today, girl?”

“Fine, thank you. Are you here for rehearsal, too?”

“Oh no, no, hunnie, I’s between shoots, so I’s stepped in heyah outs da heat! But I hears you is. Yous been promoted!” he laughed and hugged me.

“Why does everyone seem to know what’s going on but me?” I laughed. He smiled and looped his arm through mine. We made our way into the main part of Fangtasia and he pointed.

“Oh, Sweet Jesus!”

I looked and saw that against the wall opposite the dais where the throne was set, there was a platform set up with a microphone.

“Oh yes, hallelujahs! Now everyone’s gon’ta hear yous singing it! I jes wish I was gonna to sees it! I’s gonna come in tonight and stay back here’s so I can hear yous tho.”

One of the crew saw us and motioned for me to come over. I recognized him by sight, but hadn’t been formally introduced.

“Ready to rehearse, Cricket?”

~~~

Aurelia Gliwiski as Chelsea ‘Cricket’ Kerrigan

Alexander Skarsgård as Eric Northman

Sean Hayes as JP

Salma Hayek as Maria-Star

Nelsan Ellis as Lafayette

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 A/N: Thank you to Gyllene for creating my beautiful banner for this story! It’s stunning! Thank you to all of you who are reading this! It means the world to me! Last, but certainly not least, a huge thank you to MsBuffy for editing this chapter. I don’t know what I’d do it without her. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.  🙂  Thanks for reading!