My heart pounded in my chest and I could hear it ringing in my ears. I reached out with my telepathy and found no human minds in my range, however there was one silent bubble of consciousness that told me my kidnapper was a vampire. My breathing sped up at the thought of this. Most vampires were ruthless and they would have no problem tearing my body limb from limb. As far as I could tell from my eyes being blindfolded, I was in some sort of warehouse. When I cried out the sounds echoed off the walls. Even though it was a hot and humid night in Louisiana, my body was freezing from the lack of movement in my limbs. My arms were tied behind my back at the wrists and the elbows. My legs were securely fastened to the legs of the chair. When I tried to move the rope bit harshly into my flesh and I struggled harder until I could smell my own blood and feel it trickle down my fingers until it hit the floor with a quiet drip. I whimpered in pain and continued desperately to free myself, but the extra binding made it impossible to move my limbs enough.
I sensed movement in the distance and heard somebody inhale my scent. My spilled blood had drawn them near. My mind fired rapidly. I needed some clue. I didn't know who had taken me and I wouldn't know how to proceed without this information. I continued to rub my wrists together against the rope. I did the same with my legs. My calves were being rubbed raw. Once again I felt the slow cold trickle of my blood move down my skin and drip to the floor. I heard movement again, except this time the sound of footsteps was growing fainter. No, I needed them to come back. I needed them close. That way I could smell or hear something familiar and know who I was dealing with. What would entice my kidnapper to come hither?
I moved my torso against the binding on my chest and belly. It didn't work as well since I was still wearing my Merlotte's shirt. It irritated my skin but didn't cut. I dug my fingernails into my palms and bit my tongue. I knew it was insanity, but if I could use this vampires blood lust to my advantage then I might be able to convince them to let me go or at least figure out who the hell had abducted me from work, knocked me out, and tied me up to a chair in a warehouse. My mind flashed to a documentary on Discovery Channel's Shark Week. Sharks could be attracted by the mere scent of blood in the water. When scientists wanted to find sharks they would throw chum into the water and the sharks would come swimming from miles away. That's exactly what I was doing, inviting the shark to dinner, using myself as the chum.
The blood coursed out of my mouth and down my chin like watermelon juice. Sticky and sweet was replaced by the salty liquid that made my throat dry and itchy. I almost choked on the blood, but continued to do my best at "chumming the waters". Finally after minutes of silence with the pain of my self-inflicted wounds, I heard footfalls again and my heart beat increased. I was completely on edge, so nothing would have prepared me for what came next.
I felt a cold, wet cloth softly wipe across my cheek, down my chin and throat. I slowly breathed in the vampires scent. Whoever it was smelt of earth with a slight hint of musk. I knew that smell from somewhere. I could tell it was a man from the scent. The same cold sensation slowly glided across my calves when it came to the binding it stopped at I heard a sharp click that I recognized completely from watching some intense bar fights; it was a switchblade. My body stiffened as it anticipated the pain that a knife would inflict. No pain came. Instead I felt a slight tug on the binding of my legs and the feel of cold steel as it carefully slipped underneath the rope and slowly cut it away. The binding fell to the floor and a new sensation quickly replaced that of the knife. Two cold hands lifted my leg gently and a tongue brushed lightly across my wounds. There was something calming and familiar in this touch and I let out a relieved sigh.
As I felt his head start to withdraw I panicked. Don't go away. I lifted up my legs and closed them around his head.
"You're not making this very easy on either of us, Sookie. You weren't meant to be harmed in this process. I just want answers." I paused to let the words sink in, never loosening my legs grip.
"If you really wanted to get information out of me, don't you think you would have convinced me better by not tying me up?" I was seething with anger.
"If I didn't tie you up, you would have run from me at your first chance and you know it." I recognized the voice now.
"Eric?"
"Yes Lover?"
"Don't you dare call me that! What the hell do you think you're doing abducting me from work and tying me up?"
"As I said, I want answers and you have not been forthcoming with them in the past."
"You think that this setup is going to make me confide in you?"
"I've never had to retrieve information from somebody I couldn't glamor or torture Sookie." I took a large gulp and inhaled slowly. I felt and heard the rest of my restraints cut in two and fall to the floor within seconds. I gasped and grabbed my sore wrists, trying to move my limbs that had fallen asleep. Eric removed the blindfold and I looked down at the damage I had done. There wasn't much light, but I could still see the glistening sheen of my blood that had started to clot on my wrists.
"Here, allow me." He held out his hand for my wrist which I stubbornly held onto.
"Don't touch me." He dropped his hand and took a step back, looking like somebody had just kicked him.
"Sookie please, I didn't mean to hurt you. I wanted to talk, but every time I try to have a conversation with you, you run away from me or give me excuses or you outright insult me in front of other vampires in my retinue. Aren't you tired of it? I know I am."
Some of the wind was taken out of my sails at the hurt tone in his voice. "Yes", I conceded, "but that doesn't give you any excuse." I was doing my best to hold onto my self-righteous anger.
"A man can do whatever he wants to the woman he loves." My mouth fell open in utter shock. What. the. Fuck?
"Who, may I ask, told you that?"
"Pam. She saw it in a movie called the Jane Austen Book Club." I didn't know what to say, but I started to think of what I was going to do to Pam the next time I saw her. Eric, meanwhile, didn't miss a beat.
"I love you Sookie, you are mine and because of this, it's part of my rights and responsibilities to do whatever I must to keep you safe and happy. In order to deny your feelings for me, you have pushed me away and made me look like a pushover, which in turn affects your safety and makes you unhappy."
My anger flew out the window. Even though I didn't want to admit it, he was right. I wasn't happy. I pushed him out of my life and felt more lonely than ever because of it. It felt like I had cut out a part of myself. I hadn't even considered the safety aspect. I could easily be used against Eric. If it was so damn easy for him to abduct me, then what was keeping somebody else from doing so?
"What do you want me to do Eric?" He knelt down in front of me and took one of my hands in his.
"I want us to talk. We both have some sorting out of emotions to do before we can move on with our lives and figure out where we stand."
I took another deep breath. "OK Eric. Let's talk."
A/N: So what do y'all think? This is my version of the classic Understanding issue, set before Eric remembers his time spent with Sookie (probably in book 6.) I figured Eric was a little more than frustrated with Sookie and it really would only take some of Pam's handy advice to convince him to go through with it. This fic was written for MoonGoddess67. It was inspired partially by the quote in her email: "The best things in life are unseen. That's why we close our eyes when we kiss, cry, and dream." and by the song "Corrupt" by Depeche Mode.
I know you wanted Eric and Sookie lemons, but this is what came to me. If you all want, I could write some more chapters to this one. Let me know. I love reviews.
Now for the Fan Fiction Lotto Question:
Which character in the movie, The Jane Austen Book Club, said "A man can do whatever he wants to the woman he loves"?
Be the first to answer this question in your review and I'll write you your own fic! Let the games begin.
