Hi! Soo you may think it's not good having two stories on the go at once (technically three... oops) but I promise my other SVM story The Hardest Part will be updated as usual, I just couldn't resist posting this. I like being busy, anyway!

The idea came to me suddenly and I just couldn't let it go... I've always wanted to do a story like this too. Anyway, I apologise for the babble. I'll see how the response to this is and we'll go from there. Thank you!

This story is all human and will eventually be rated M.

Eyes Like Sapphire

Prologue

"We need to target Sookie Stackhouse."

Eric Northman glanced over at his "business partner" Pam after she spoke, raising his eyebrows high into the fringe of blond hair that covered his forehead. She looked serious, deadly so, and her white teeth gleamed behind the scary smile on her blood-red lips. He took off his glasses and rubbed his sore, tired eyes, before finally responding to her demand.

"I thought we weren't going to do this anymore."

He sounded weak and pathetic, but he thought all of this between them was going to end. He desperately wanted a normal life; he craved waking up in the morning without something being on his conscience, yet Pam had a way of drawing him back, as though she had strings wrapped around his every limb. The promise of sex with her was also another thing to tempt him, but if he tried hard enough he could probably get that somewhere else... he was handsome enough; tall too, with a muscular body due to hours of training at the gym. He also knew how to charm a lady after years of practice.

But Pam knew things about him. Things that would get him into trouble. The deep shit kind of trouble.

He, on the other hand, didn't even know her last name.

Saying no usually wasn't an option, then.

"Oh, Eric." Her voice took on the tone of an adult chiding a child for eating too much candy. "How can you possibly say that? When you're in this business, you can never really give it up." She stepped closer, leaning down so that her lips were pressed against his ear. He felt her warm breath against his cheek and shuffled uncomfortably in the leather chair. "It's an easy way to make money, something which Sookie Stackhouse has plenty of."

"I don't want anymore money," he protested weakly, knowing she was going to win anyway. He didn't know why he even bothered arguing; she had too much control over him.

She pulled away to meet his careful blue eyes; the colour had always reminded her of her favourite sapphire ring. "That's another stupid thing to say. You can never have enough money."

"You're being blinded by greed."

"That happened a long time ago, honey." The look on her face turned venomous. "And this opportunity can not be thrown away, that would be just plain dumb."

"Why?" he asked quietly. "What's so special about this Stackhouse woman?"

"Oh, there's plenty. Like I said before, she has lots of money, as well as a decent amount of property and something else that is simply too good to refuse."

"What?" he demanded, his curiosity piqued. That was one of his downfalls; he always wanted to know all the information that was possibly available. Then again, he often argued that it was advantageous to be properly informed.

"Now that would spoil the surprise," Pam said, teasing him. She placed a quick kiss on his lips, leaving them slightly tinted pink, and she began pacing the room. Eric knew that she was thinking deeply, ready to tell him whatever it was that she had planned.

He could and should run out now, but he just couldn't find the will. He didn't know if that made him weak or strong.

"I've been doing research on her," she continued, sounding completely cold and heartless. It was as though Sookie Stackhouse was an object to be studied, not a human being. "I know where she lives and what you need to do. It may take a while; you need to get her to trust you, after all. Do you think you'll be up for it?"

There was a long pause while Eric thought.

Was he ready to destroy another person's life?

He was often plagued at night with images of people that he'd done this sort of thing to before and he despised himself for it, yet couldn't seem to stop. It was like some horrifying addiction that he couldn't escape and he saw no other way out. It made him feel terribly guilty afterwards, but whenever he was actually doing it, all he could think of was the many rewards he would earn. He got caught up in the moment.

He never thought he'd turn into this type of person. Many times he'd thought of how his parents would react; they'd be disgusted. They'd hate him.

Everything screamed at him, though, that there was no other option. It was the only way.

"Well? Are you in, Eric, or not?" Pam persisted, clearing becoming impatient. He was used to that.

Taking a deep breath, he looked up to her. "Yes. I'm in."