Chapter 07

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 7

I was so angry that I couldn’t even glance in their direction. I turned away and took a drink of water followed by some deep breaths to calm down. When I turned back, I looked over at our table. I was surprised to see that Ann had made her way over to JP and the four of them were smiling and laughing. She had taken the empty chair, I saw her lean over, say something to him, and then gesture toward me. He smiled and nodded.

She looked up at me with a sincere, sweet smile on her face and gave me a little wave ‘hello’. I smiled and nodded back. She gave me a “thumbs up,” making me laugh. My anger evaporated some, thanks to her.

That silent exchange between the beautiful actress and me lifted my mood. I made a decision to choose my retaliation later, and then looked to Dan to start the next song.

SON OF A BITCH!

I should have known.  I should have seen it coming. I had no idea why it even surprised me.

“Pale Blue Eyes” by The Velvet Underground began to play.

Once more, I threw myself into the song simply for the pure delight of singing as well as to show that her juvenile behavior was NOT getting to me. It was easy and heartfelt. Throughout the song, I stole glances her way. I could see that even though her smile was still there, her brow was just beginning to furrow. She would have to try harder than this.

Following that, Rose Maddox’s “Tall Man” came on.  It took all I had not to roll my eyes. This was getting ridiculous; how many songs had she requested and just why was she trying so blatantly to torment me?

I hadn’t done anything to her, had I? Was she always this way or was there just something about me she didn’t like? I could only just imagine what working with her would be like tomorrow. On the other hand, I was pretty sure I could ignore her if he was there. I could probably ignore anything if I was that close to ‘Eric.’

The aforementioned man leaned over and said something in her ear. Her face faltered for a moment before her eyes bore back into mine with the same satisfaction as before. However, the smile was now gone. I briefly wondered at their exchange, but then pushed it aside while I sang my heart out to the country song, dancing around the stage to the upbeat music and singing to the crowd.

The audience was none the wiser and enjoying themselves. They were bouncing in their seats and smiling wide. If there had been room on the floor, I’m sure some of them would have been up dancing with their favored partners. I wondered if Dan would make a little dance floor after watching them. If he planned to continue this, it was quite possible.

As before, when the song ended there was applause and shouts of praise as people continued to appear oblivious to the theme of tonight’s repertoire.

I supposed no one knew who had requested the songs, save for Dan. I looked over to him and he appeared to have a blank expression on his face. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to him. Yet to me, his behavior did seem out of place.

When the next song started, I decided I had more than surpassed my level of tolerance.

“Viking Song” by Dark Ocean came through the speakers and, with that; I knew I had to ignore what she was doing. I looked right at him when the long intro began to play.

I had no idea why I thought it would affect him as much it was me. It seemed personal, and it just felt right to sing only to him in that moment.

Seagulls cry above me, rainy winter morning

My brothers all around me, war time and we’re going

Sound of steel is tearing silence of our village

No good spell to protect us from slavery and pillage

I was right. I could see he was trying to hide something in his eyes. I didn’t want him to hide it. Whatever feelings of insecurity ‘Pam’ thought she was trying to cause were failing. They were having the opposite effect. My emotions took over more than the previous songs and I pushed them all at him through the powerful, melancholy music.

When I sail away where no one ever dared

North wind and Thor will know you wait for me somewhere

And they will let me live. No wave will take me deep

Down where the Sirens call, I’ll kiss you while you sleep

When I sail away

I could almost feel his dismay and, though I didn’t know exactly why, he seemed overwhelmed.  His eyes appeared sad.

Night. The stars are shinning. Old ship with all his secrets

Moon against the clouds. Hide your fears and regrets

The dawn will show invaders, battle will begin

No mercy for defeated, no life without the sin

What now looked to be anguish in his eyes hidden in the stoic mask of his face, turned to anger in a split-second. That’s when it struck me.

She hadn’t played this for me; she had done it for him. This song meant something.

Now I felt like an intruder to his emotions and I tried to look away. He held my gaze, equally begging me to finish while asking me to stop.

My sword will find its’ way and shield will guard my heart

It’s not mine to be lost, it’s promised to your heart

And in the storm of fire, and if I stay alone

When life begins to fade your eyes will lead me home

When I sail away

Once it was over, he immediately turned his menacing glare to her, his eyes filled with rage, the same rage directed toward me earlier. He said something very low to her, the intensity palpable.

Steve’s head whipped around in their direction, and I noted that the same was true for Tray who had previously been watching me. Her face changed instantaneously from smug to slightly… Afraid? He continued speaking to her, and the more he spoke, the more uncomfortable she clearly became.

Whether or not anyone else heard what they discussed I couldn’t be sure, but it looked as though many folks were actively avoiding looking their way. Tray redirected his attention to the door, stepping closer to it.

Steve left quickly, and then returned to our table. He pulled over a chair to sit with JP and the others. Ann reached over and took his hand. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, and then gestured his head slightly toward me. They both looked at me a bit oddly, but when I caught their eyes they smiled and joined the others applauding. The entire event seemed to last forever, in reality it was only a few moments.

I noticed Alex stand suddenly only to leave her sitting alone at their table as he quickly marched out the door.

I told the crowd that I needed a quick break.  It had only been thirty minutes or so since the start of my set, but I needed a few minutes to gather my wits. I seemed to be hyper-aware of all that was taking place. The entire situation baffled me and WOW! Did I want a drink!

I stepped down off the stage and went over to our table introduce myself to our newcomers. Another round of shots were served to us right away, although Steve declined the shot saying he wasn’t much for hard alcohol, yet he still toasted with us raising his Raspberry Porter. We toasted to newfound friends, and I really sensed it to be true. They certainly seemed to like JP.

Once again, I was complimented on my singing, and I shyly smiled thanking them with grace. They were very friendly, and I found myself smiling with all of them quite often during  our little interval together.

I noticed that Steve and Ann occasionally glimpsing at me as if trying to figure out a puzzle. I just shook it off. This night was taking a very strange turn.

~~~

JP had given me his chair for the moment. I knew I needed to get back up on the stage.  Before I could, I heard someone clear their throat. I turned around to see Kris on the stage forcing a smile while looking irritated simultaneously.

“If it would be all right, I would like to sing a song while Cricket takes her break,” she said looking as if that was the very last thing she wanted and choked out my name as if she were speaking of the insect, not me personally.

I looked over to her table and Alex was back. He observed her intently.

No one made a sound, so I naturally spoke up. The rest of the room seemed a little uneasy to make much noise.

“Of course, any one of you is welcome to sing.  I appreciate the extra few minutes.”

“Thank you,” she bit out.

From my vantage point, I could see the name of the song pop up on the monitor, and I barely contained a giggle.  Ann giggled too, and Kris shot us a look of contempt before she controlled her features, and returned her gaze  over to where she had been seated. I looked over too, noticing he now wore that signature smirk though his eyes maintained that still very look of disparagement.

I’m not sure why I thought this was funny, but it genuinely was. I knew she didn’t want to be on that stage and after all she had tried to do earlier this evening, it was the last thing I expected.

“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John began to play.

I can’t light no more of the darkness

All my pictures seem to fade to black and white

I’m growing tired and time stands still before me

Frozen here on the ladder of my life

She had a decent voice, but she used no inflection, emotion, or feeling as she sang. It was somewhat the same as watching a child singing their first solo in a school concert.

It’s much too late to save myself from falling

I took a chance and changed your way of life

But you misread my meaning when I met you

Closed the door and left me blinded by the light

Don’t let the sun go down on me

Although I searched myself, it’s always someone else I see

I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free

But losing everything is like the sun going down on me

I glanced around to see everyone just staring at her, expressions of disbelief on his or her faces. A few of them would glimpse quickly at her table or me, and then turn return their attention to the stage. Ann continued trying to hide her laughter and I could see Steve doing the same. It was painful to watch her, and I no longer found it funny.

She was singing to him, apologizing, yet no acceptance was evident upon his face.

I can’t find the right romantic line

But see me once and see the way I feel

Don’t discard me even if you think I mean you harm

But these cuts I have they need love to help them heal

Seeing how things were rapidly going downhill, I took pity on her. I stepped up on the stage, grabbed a second mic and sang the chorus with her, harmonizing.

She looked over to me with a shocked expression. I couldn’t tell if she was grateful or irritated that I was attempting to help, or if I perhaps was interrupting the moment she believed they might be having.

Don’t let the sun go down on me

Although I searched myself, it’s always someone else I see

I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free

But losing everything is like the sun going down on me

Almost instantly, the feeling in the room changed and the crowd began to be swept away again with my singing. I loved this song and it was easy for me to inject the power necessary with plenty of feeling. She even began to sing with more emotion than when she had been alone. Her singing began mixing with mine in tune, actually improving her performance as if my voice was enhancing hers.

Don’t let the sun go down on me

Although I searched myself, it’s always someone else I see

I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free

But losing everything is like the sun going down on me

I kept watching her while we sang and saw that her eyes were beginning to turn red as if she were about to cry. I looked over and saw Alex staring at me as if I was a mystery needing solving. It was the same way that Steve and Ann had looked before.

Losing everything is like the sun going down on me

I let her sing the last line alone and watched her glance at him once she had finished. He gave a slight nod. She turned to me, handed me the mic, and stepped off the stage. I watched her walk past her table and out the door.

I didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. It sure didn’t seem good, seeing as only a moment later he stood and followed her.

~~~

I watched him walk out, and felt torn. I wanted to follow him, I wanted to see if he was alright. I didn’t want him angry with her and clearly he had been. I had no idea what had taken place between them and realized it wasn’t any of my business. Still, I wanted to offer him some comfort. He had obviously been upset, and I felt as if I had somehow caused it or perhaps even made things worse. All the same, I knew I shouldn’t get involved in their conflict. I also thought over what he might have said that made her get up on the stage and sing… It was more than apparent that it hadn’t been her decision. What could have compelled her? A sudden moment of clarity hit me. What the hell was I thinking? I didn’t even know him!

Instead of doing anything, I just stood there holding two microphones, staring at the door. It wasn’t until Ann got my attention by standing up and applauding that I turned and looked her way. She very slightly shook her head. I interpreted that as ‘leave it alone.’ Others joined her, and I returned the second mic to its stand. I had mixed feelings; I still wanted to go, even though I knew it was irrational.

“Wasn’t she great?! I think after that it might be time to call it a night, what do you think?” I asked the crowd.

“No, it’s still early! We didn’t all get to hear you last night,” shouted Ann.

“Yeah and we wants to hears mo’, Cricket,” added ‘Lafayette.’

I looked back at Ann, and she shook her head at me again, this time more noticeably. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought she really could read my mind. She certainly seemed to realize what I was contemplating.

“OK then. I guess I’ll stick it out a bit longer.  After all, that’s what Dan’s NOT paying me to do,” I laughed and they joined me.

The rest of the night progressed without incident. I sang many more songs requested by the crowd and just like last night, they were completely enthralled each time I opened my mouth. It was as bewildering to me as it had been the night before.

Alex and Kris never returned, and I wondered what they were doing and if he was alright. I was even concerned about her; hoping that, despite her obvious dislike of me, she was OK. I really didn’t want to fight with this woman, and I wished they would resolve things. I just couldn’t understand her attitude. Considering how friendly and pleasant she had been with JP and Maggie, she couldn’t possibly be a bad person.

After an hour or so, I told the audience that I was done for the night. I assured them that I would perform again sometime before the end of their visit.  I told them that I had been cast as an extra, and hoped to get to know them all during the week. Strangely, everyone was contented and appeased by that.

When I stepped off the stage, I returned to our table where my chair was already waiting. Looking at JP’s watch, I realized it wasn’t that late and was relieved. We had a big day tomorrow, but I really wanted to spend more time with the cast members seated with us. They were all so much fun, and I could understand why there was so much chemistry among the show’s characters.

I told them a little about my acting background and my aspirations. I complimented ‘Lafayette’ on his use of Stanislavsky’s Method acting.

Using this technique to ‘be’ the character all the time, even when offset, was very difficult and I was impressed that he was able to invest so much, twenty-four hours a day. ‘Tara’ told me that most of them worked that way during shooting season. They spent so much time together that it helped their characters’ relationships and backgrounds to maintain those personas. She told us we would be seeing a great deal of it if we spent much time around them offset and we should feel comfortable calling them by their characters’ names. To discover the entire cast used this technique, creating more depth to the characters by using real life experiences to enhance their performances was no less than amazing.

Ann chimed in to say that the actors who played vampires even went as far as to drink the Truly Bloody beverages, gesturing toward Steve’s drink. Steve said there were different types as well. The actors had their choice between a blend of juices that actually made for a good mixer, or a type of varied colored sport drinks to keep them hydrated while under the hot lights of on set shoots. They could also choose the various fruit mixtures. The different ‘varieties’ were depicted by what blood type was labeled on the bottle. I thought that was ingenious of whoever dreamed up the idea since as Dan had mentioned, the fans would eat it up.

I loved hearing the details of the show regarding those little tidbits.  I found it fascinating that the props were actually functional with the actors’ wellbeing in mind.

We told them of meeting Maggie and that we were cast due to her recommendations, and how excited we were not only to be on the show, but also to have a chance to meet and get to know them as well. They expressed how happy they were to have some ‘normal’ people working with them as most people cast as extras tended to be a little overzealous and star-struck, almost to the point where working with them made it especially difficult at times. The majority of the townies cast had no acting background, and took it so seriously that from time to time they actually believed they were the characters and not real people. In listening to them, it made me appreciate and grasp how frustrating that could be on a daily basis.

After a few more rounds of shots, the actors loosened up even more noticeably falling into their character’s personas; southern accents became more pronounced, making it all the more comical and amusing hearing the differences in their dialects and slang that let slip.

These people were true professionals, and I believed I would undoubtedly learn more than a thing or two just by watching them. In return, I spoke in a few of the dialects I had perfected in school and we all laughed quite a bit. Being fairly inebriated, JP revealed our master plan of pretending to work the Kraft table and all four of them promised to keep our secret. That only elicited even more laughter and teasing from everyone. I knew it would continue throughout the week.

I didn’t know how much time had passed and wasn’t surprised when Steve announced that he needed his ‘beauty sleep.’ They needed to prepare for the read-through and shooting tomorrow night.  We were given advice to come prepared for a long night, wear comfortable clothing, and all refreshments were provided for so we needed nothing.

As we bid everyone good night, we were both hugged much to my surprise, by ‘Sookie’, ‘Lafayette’ and ‘Tara,’ congratulated on being cast, and once again, I was complimented on my performance. They told me they felt inspired; moved by my voice, and were looking forward to hearing me again.

Overall, it was a fantastic night with the earlier drama forgotten, at least for the time being.

~~~

Aurelia Gliwiski as Chelsea ‘Cricket’ Kerrigan

Alexander Skarsgård as Alex/Eric Northman

Sean Hayes as JP

Kristin Bauer van Straten as Kris/Pamela Ravenscroft

Anna Paquin as Ann/Sookie Stackhouse

Stephen Moyer as Steve/Bill Compton

Nelsan Ellis as Lafayette

Rutina Wesley as Tara

Jason Momoa as Tray

Vincent D’Onofrio as Dan

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A/N: As always, a huge thank you to MsBuffy for her editing on this chapter. I couldn’t do it without her. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.  🙂  Thanks for reading!