Author's note- The standard disclaimer applies. I own nothing from Marvel, the True Blood books or T.V. show. Although this story is rated T, it should probably be K+ for the vast majority of it.

Ch. 1

The night was cool, but not cold. It was that delicious weather of early fall, when the days were warm, but no longer humid and hot and night cooled down enough to throw an extra blanket on the bed. The summers in Louisiana can be hot and sticky and there was something about that first truly cool night of fall that seemed like a reward for making it through the season.

I was outside of my house, waiting for the taxi. Eric sat next to me on my porch swing. Sitting, we didn't look so mismatched. But when he stood, I could easily tuck my head under his chin.

I allowed myself the comfort of leaning my head against his shoulder. I could have stayed there all night.

"I don't like the fact you're leaving, Sookie."

"I don't much like it myself, but I don't see as though I have any choice in the matter," I said. He was my on again, off again sweetie. We were off at the moment, but who knew how long that would last? Still, I knew he cared for me and wasn't happy about me being hauled away in the middle of the night.

I unfortunately had somehow made it on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar as a possible asset. It was bad enough that I constantly got called into vampire and other supe problems, now I had S.H.I.E.L.D dragging me across the country every few months to interrogate potential threats. However, I was able to negotiate a fairly sweet deal, as I was paid in advance for each interrogation which is more than I can say for the majority of my interactions with vampires. My official title was "consultant", which was a vague way of explaining what I did.

I tried to smile for Eric's sake. This interrogation was something big and I had been offered twice my usual rate to come on such short notice. After this job, I'd be able to cover this year's property taxes as well as get a new roof before the rainy season.

"Both Bill and Bubba said that they'd watch over the place. My shifts at the bar are covered for the rest of the week. I'll be fine, Eric."

Bill was my first real boyfriend, my nearest neighbor, and a vampire like Eric. And like Eric, he still cared for me and looked out for me even though we weren't together anymore. Bubba used to be very famous when he was still alive and a rabid fan brought him over when he came to the hospital when his heart gave out in the late 70s. For a vampire, he was very mellow, although he had a penchant for eating the neighbor's cats and didn't always seem to be all there. He was fine, though, as long as you didn't call him by his old name or try to get him to sing.

"After what just happened in New York, I don't like the idea of you getting involved in any military operation," Eric frowned down at me.

I shrugged. We could pretend that I had the option to refuse, but we both knew that I was going. Whether I wanted to or not.

0000000

The pattern was always the same for these assignments. A taxi would meet me at my front porch. A plane would be waiting for me in Shreveport with a pilot that knew only our final destination. Upon arrival, a second taxi would whisk me to whatever horrible dank cell they were keeping the prisoner in. The driver, who was always completely clueless about who I was or what I did, would hand me a packet of information along with the questions I was to ask. After writing down the information, I would hand it to the next taxi driver upon my departure.

There was a reason for this wall of separation between me and my handlers. That movie, Serenity, had it right. You never want to put people with sensitive information in a room with a psychic. Or a telepath.

A/N- The canon from True Blood has been modified to suit the story. Bubba, a character from the books, is included because he is just that fun to have in the story, if only tangentially.