This is a What-If story, simply because I wanted to practise writing and felt the desire to scratch this particular itch. Please take it for what it is and leave some comments on the writing qualities or mistakes that I humbly present you with. I am not a native speaker of English, and I am therefore grateful for all the feedback I can get that might improve my writing skills.

On the title: Well, if Eric is considered a lion, then, in my world, Sooks would be a gazelle. A chinkara is a very pretty gazelle that lives in western India. There are, or used to be, lions there too.

And thanks a lot to my wonderful beta VampLover1, whom makes my story readable.

I am not making any money out of this. CH, or AB, if you see this, please take it as a compliment.

Chapter One

It was a night much like any other. My bar was hopping with business, fang-bangers and tourists alike. It's surprising really how well the concept turned out. I had anticipated the allure of mingling with the undead, but the popularity of 'Fangtasia' was greater than I had dared to hope. It also provided a great pastime for me and my child; these pathetic humans can be so amusing with their ignorance, despite their liquor-induced rambling and sour smell; like stale harbour basins where dead rats float among the debris and dirt. Despite the not so addicting flavour and enticing aroma, the nightclub had quickly developed into some kind of fast food enterprise, since there were always willing donors present, begging to spill their life's essence at the teeth of one of us.

The ease of how to find a meal was one advantage of going public, but I missed the chase, the high from hunting down the prey. The fear kicking in and the adrenaline pumping through their veins as they realised they were no longer on the top of the food chain. How their heart rate picked up and their breathing got shallow and jagged. Of course, this was still possible to achieve, and most often with very little effort, but it would do no good for the acceptance of our kind, so this kind of behaviour was therefore strictly banned from my Area. However, since I am the one who make and enforce the rules, I also happen to be entitled to break them whenever I wish. As long as I don't make a habit out of it, it shouldn't be too worrisome to have a little fun now and then. I even let my child free on a proper hunt a few weeks back; there's nothing like a carrot to inspire great loyalty, and she definitely deserved her reward.

I gazed over the crowd, thinking that I should let myself loose tonight. The past week had been a trying one, with several tricky situations, so maybe some old-fashioned sport would do me good. Last night had been particularly tiresome with a very young vampire getting into trouble with the Weres of Ruston over some girl who apparently was the non-shifting sister of one of the high-ups in that pack. What a mess. She didn't even know about the two-natured, so she had to be glamoured to forget about her furry brother getting beaten by the vamp. It had been quite fun to watch actually, until body parts started to fly and the girl's screams threatened to give me a headache. The vamp and the Were were surprisingly even until the rest of the pack showed up.

But seriously, what had she been thinking? That she had been a vampire for less than a year is no excuse for inducing such a political disaster. It would have been one thing if the girl had come along willingly and of free choice, but she had been glamoured to take up with the vamp and that did not fare well with her brother and his gang. I was going to have a serious discussion with her maker, soon. And this was not the only case of irresponsible makers. The revelation had sparked what could only be considered a baby boom in the vampire community. Fortunately enough, most of the commotion occurred down in New Orleans and my little corner of the world was still quite pleasurable.

Pam strolled up to the booth, where I was situated for everyone to admire, and she took the seat next to me.

"Have you noticed the delectable creature Bill has dragged here with him tonight?" she asked, indicating the couple ordering drinks at the bar. "It's a shame to spoil something so fine on the likes of him, don't you think?"

I inspected the girl whom my child had taken an interest in. She was indeed a fine specimen, with wavy blond hair cascading down her back, a well-proportioned body and tanned strong legs exposed under her white dress. She was speaking with our bartender, Longshadow, and her face was hidden from me, but that dress certainly spiked my interest as well. A white dress, in a vampire bar? Did she not realise it made her look like a sacrificial lamb led down to slaughter? And what was wrong with Bill, was he truly that stupid that he didn't realise how tempting she was?

"Yes, she seems … unique," I answered her.

She snickered at my remark before replying in a disappointed tone,

"I shouldn't have drawn your attention to her, now I don't stand a chance."

The two of us battling over the same woman had developed into a game over the last twenty years. Most of the time our tastes differed, and otherwise the sexual orientation of the item in question usually determined the outcome, but sometimes we could actually enjoy the challenge of the competition. It was always a lot of fun, and on more than one occasion we ended up sharing in the end. I observed the girl as she stiffened in response to something Longshadow said and noticed that Bill realised I was evaluating his company. But he quickly averted his eyes. I imagined he didn't want to be beckoned over just to lose his prize as soon as he arrived, and they went to sit down at one of the tables further away from the bar.

Nervous, hmm? I took his behaviour as a challenge and suddenly realised what game I'd be playing tonight. And that girl would tremble, not from fear but for an altogether different reason when I was through with her. Several fang-bangers approached them, and Bill sent each of them away while the girl stayed still and quiet in the corner. Was she that well-trained that she knew her place as an old style pet? I doubted it; I'd never seen Bill as the type for demanding complete subservience, and it didn't match with her earlier forwardness with Longshadow. Very intriguing.

When I refocused on my immediate surroundings I noticed a young man crawling towards Pam. He was dressed completely in black and had a dog-collar with spikes around his neck, and I shot her an amused smirk to which she rolled her eyes. After conjuring up enough courage he reverently kissed one of her boots, which immediately granted him a kick in his shoulder. It caused him to tumble heavily into a couple of chairs, and a few of the tourists to stir uncomfortably. Wasn't it the danger that they came to experience? Well, I guess they would feel more comfortable looking through the safety glass casings one encountered at zoos, but this was the real thing. I nodded at Pam to approve of her restraint in not hurting the man further. It would quickly become problematic if our patrons had to start contacting their health insurance companies after visiting Fangtasia.

I realised that yet more people were advancing, despite the little show Pam put on just before. Annoyed, I directed my attention towards them and was surprised to see Bill and his girl approach.

"Bill," I stated, nodding to affirm his presence. The girl didn't know to stop when he did and that confirmed my suspicion that this was not a well-trained pet. She had mesmerising blue eyes and a cute pink mouth. Who was she? Where had he found her? Was Bill looking to make a child?

"Who's your friend?" Pam asked him, before turning her attention to the girl, giving her a fangy smile. But the girl recoiled at the sight. Very surprising, considering that she arrived here in the company of a vampire. Not a fang-banger either, then.

"Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse," she said, the southern accent reinforcing her polite manners. I drew a slow, measured breath to evaluate her smell and was yet again surprised. She was untouched and had the most fragrant and enticing aroma.

"Aren't you sweet," I offered as a compliment.

"Not especially," she quickly bantered back. I guess knowing that you have a pleasant taste is rather unsettling unless you actually want to be eaten. How amusing! I noticed that she was becoming uncomfortable, so I decided to introduce myself and my child.

"Sookie, this is Pam and I am Eric."

"My friend Sookie would like to ask a couple of questions," Bill chimed in, and Pam, who had not noticed yet just how special this girl was, shot me a bored look.

"Like how long are our fangs, and what kind of coffin do we sleep in?"

"No, ma'am," she answered with that innocent little face, and I think Pam started to realise that there was something different about Sookie Stackhouse. The girl pulled two photos from her purse and held them up for us to see.

"I'd like to know if you've seen either of these women in this bar."

"I have been with this one," I answered after a little while, indicating one of the pictures. I lifted my focus and looked her straight in the eyes before I continued. "She liked pain." Pam was surprised that I was so forthcoming and quickly volunteered some information of her own.

"I have seen both of them. I have never been with them. This one," she indicated the other girl's picture, "was a pathetic creature."

"Thank you very much, that's all of your time I need to take," she said, slightly unnerved by something. I couldn't tell if it was my gaze or the pain-part. She made a move as to leave, but Bill's grasp of her arm effectively prevented it. He obviously cared for her well-being, but I wanted to know if there was something more about her than he let on.

"Bill, are you quite attached to your friend?" I asked him directly, ready to observe his reaction in detail. I could hear Sookie draw in her breath when the implication hit her.

"She is mine," he stated, not quite as sure of himself as he wished, and I acknowledged his claim as I watched Sookie squirm over the statement. He relaxed at that and they left. She immediately questioned the encounter, and I couldn't help but to smile to myself. 'Mine,' my ass. That girl did not, and would not, belong to anyone but me.