As soon as he smelled her blood, she was all that mattered. He picked her up carefully from the ground, maneuvering expertly around the people fighting and shooting, before flying up and away with her. They were just coming up on the porch as her heart stuttered for the first time, and his panic escalated as he put her on the couch. He only had the most recent memories of being with this woman, yet he couldn't bear the thought of losing her, and shredded his wrist with his own fangs to pour blood into her mouth. An ache grips his chest as she lies there, unresponsive, and the blood overflows from her mouth onto the couth and floor below. Bloody tears start to leak down his face as he can feel her slipping from the weak bond they share. Finally he accepts that it is too late, but a new determination rises, and working on instinct alone he bites her neck in order to drain her completely. Just as her heart stops, he puts his wrist back to her mouth, and this time she starts to swallow. She takes his blood even as he pulls from her neck for a moment more, and it's like electricity stinging every inch of his skin. A wave of her light enters his body through the blood he drinks, and whatever the witch had done to block his memories is undone. Everything blends together, and he is rigid as he continues to feed her until he feels as though he can't give any more. He leaves her there to go to a shaded corner of the back yard, all the while coming back into his skin. What he and Sookie had been up to during the previous days keeps repeating in his mind, and there's a warmth in his heart that he's never felt before. It takes no time for the hole to be dug, and even though he makes it twice as deep as necessary, he's returning to her side after only a few minutes. He opens the bond with Pam, giving it a tug, and starts making a list in his head. It doesn't take long to feel her approaching.
She freezes as she takes in the scene before her, blood soaking several surfaces and Eric looming over Sookie protectively as he scribbles onto a floral print notepad. "She's going to be pissed that you ruined her furniture. Probably won't be very happy with being turned either."
He ignores her remarks, and she takes the list he gives her before following without another word as he picks Sookie up, and they head to the hole he's dug. "Cover us over, camouflage the spot. Get everything on my list, and as soon as we rise I'll see about fixing your face."
"You better." She tries to be serious, but he can see the uncertainty in her eyes.
"Don't worry." He says the words softly just before giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead, and lowering himself, with Sookie still in his arms, into the hole. He arranges her on her side with him spooning her from behind, and sets himself at an angle to mostly cover her.
)()()()()()()()()(
When he reawakens, he is satisfied to feel that she has yet to wake up, and the sun will set soon. He caresses the full bond he can feel with her, and there is a fluttering in her muted emotions, but he can tell she will not rise for several more hours. Moving his hands just a few inches, his fingers slip beneath her shirt and he almost breathes a sigh of relief as he finds the skin healed and unmarred. A cold metal touches his fingers, and he quickly grabs the bullet from where it was pushed out and puts it into his pocket.
He handles her gently as he feels the sun lower below the horizon, and starts to pull them both up through the dirt. When he breaks through the surface, he is quick to pull her up against his chest, and carries her towards the house. As soon as he steps in the door, he smells the chemicals, and smiles knowing Pam has followed his instructions. The living room is pristine, with no signs or stains from what had occurred, and as he looks into the kitchen he's happy to see a new refrigerator standing in the place of the old one. Balancing Sookie's small frame with one arm, he opens the door to the fridge and sees that it is stocked full of bagged blood, and bottles in various flavors of Tru Blood.
As he goes up the stairs he can faintly catch the scent of wet paint, and in her bedroom he is happy to see that everything looks exactly as it did, although now he is sure that all of the windows will be light tight during the day. Her bathroom likes like it did before, although now an extra roomy walk in shower has replaced the aged tub and shower combo which were previously present.
He checks the bond with Pam, finding her still asleep, before maneuvering Sookie and himself out of their dirt and blood caked clothing and into the shower. He's methodical as he washes her hair and body, making sure to remove all traces of grit from her skin, and finally conditions her hair with her favorite product. Gently placing her down on the seat built into the wall, he washes himself, before turning the water off and pulling her back into his arms. He kicks their dirty clothes up into the trashcan before opening the door and resting her atop her bed as he goes to the bags of new clothes stacked up in a chair in the corner. Pam has decidedly done a good job of buying things, and he dresses Sookie in a pair of loose cream colored satin pajamas that are just her style. Using a towel, he pats her hair dry, and shifts her into a comfortable position on her back. He finds his clothes in the bags beneath hers, and dons a simple pair of black sweat pants before taking another look at Sookie and heading down the stairs. Going back through the kitchen, he finds a paper detailing the changes to the house and memorizes it before throwing it away. Inspecting the house over thoroughly, he can see Pam's small touches everywhere, and knows that she must have had a team of people go through to fix and replace a lot of large and small things. The walls look freshly painted and wallpapered, the floors freshly polished and waxed, every surface has been dusted and every fabric has been cleaned and aired out. However he finds no trace of anyone else's scent, and is thankful that Sookie will not be able to tell how many people have been here as they've rested. He wonders at what he'll find to give Pam for her thoroughness.
A change in the bond with Sookie sets him up the stairs, and he sits on the edge next to her as he feels her slowly rising from the depths of her rest. Hesitation, uncertainty and a drop of fear grip her, and he runs his hand over her hair. "Everything is alright, I'm here." He barely whispers the words, knowing she can hear them, and her eyes open as she stares into his face. Tentatively she touches on the bond as her emotions calm, and he does the same, smothering her with his affection as he smiles. A small grin plays on her lips, despite the lingering uncertainty she feels. "Do you remember everything?"
She nods, and is about to speak when he beats her to the punch. "So do I." The implication of his words breaks through to her, and the smile disappears from her lips. A strange fear takes her calm away, and he sooths her with a long gentle kiss. His hand lands on the bed next to her to support his weight as he leans further over her, and pulls his face back just an inch. "It changes nothing." The heartfelt statement sends her through another emotional journey, and her hand which had had traveled up to his forearm grips him tighter than she realizes as she silently stares into his face for a long minute.
"I can still see him in you, the Eric without his memories." She pauses for a second as her other hand takes on a mind of its own and plays with his hair. "I didn't think that would be possible. I'm glad it is though." There's a moment of shared happiness between them, before he pulls himself back, and pulls her up to stand next to him. She glances him over, examining his exposed chest for several heated seconds before looking back to his face and seeing the wolfish grin he wears. He almost quips on the contained lust coming from her in the bond, when something else catches her attention and she looks towards the window, all curiosity now.
"I can hear everything." She says after a moment, and gives him a surprised look. "I can hear the animals all the way out in the woods." He feels her mind change through the bond for a moment, as though it's drifting away from him, and a second later she feels shocked. "I can hear thoughts so much farther than before. You're still silent though." She reassures him, not that he would care anymore, since he no longer has any reason to hide things from her. They make their way down the stairs as she makes comments on what she feels, her eyes darting around to every little thing possible, and she follows him into her slightly changed kitchen.
"I will heat you some bagged blood." He pulls a glass from the cupboard, and can almost feel what she is thinking. "I had Pam give the house a polish while we were underground, and it should all be light tight during the day now. I'd imagine she will stop here at some point tonight, and when she does, I would like you to shoot her with your light. When I was turning you, your light somehow destroyed whatever Marnie did to me, and I think it may have the same effect on the spell over Pam." She nods, watching him carefully as he drains the bag into the large glass and puts it in the microwave for the appropriate amount of time. The smell that hit the air when he opened the bag made her want to jump past him and rip it from his hands, but she stopped herself, and he smirks at her when he hears her fangs click down. She forces them back away, but not before exploring them with her tongue. When the machine beeps, he hands the blood to her, and it's gone in just a matter of seconds. "It's satisfying, but it doesn't taste… right." She says as she stares at the empty but stained glass. He's already getting another bag as she hands the dish back to him, and they repeat the process until her hunger starts to subside. "That is because it is bagged, and several days old. It will do the job, and you will get used to it with time. I will teach you to feed from a live human once you are ready."
When he decides that she's had enough, she rinses the glass, and he looks at her with a pleased smile. "It's good to see that you have a handle on yourself. Most newborns cannot hold themselves together the way that you are. Do you want to go outside, and see what your abilities are like?" She nods, without a thought, and suddenly she is there in her front yard. He's right behind her, laughing slightly as her eyes turn to the sky and she audibly gasps.
"It's incredible." She whispers, and he nods, knowing exactly what she means. He still remembers his first night with Godric, when he spent half of his time staring up at the stars he could never see before.
"Follow me." It's the only warning she gets before he moves at vampire speed towards the woods. As a human he was just a blur to her, but now she sees every movement, and follows him into the trees. With his advanced age, he is faster, but she manages to follow several feet behind as he loops her around the acres of land in a convoluted path only to eventually end up back at her porch where she takes a seat as he goes inside for a moment. "You're faster than I would expect, probably even faster than Pam." He says as he brings out another glass for her to drink, and one for himself as well this time. "But don't let that go to your head. Most if not all other vampires are going to be stronger than you, and should a situation arise where I am not present to defend you, then you should use your light to stun them and run to me." She nods, accepting that as she downs the blood, and stills a moment later.
"One of Bill's guards is making his way through the cemetery. Someone noticed the lights on in the house, and he is supposed to investigate and report back." Eric hands his empty glass to her, telling her to go inside, and she does so as he disappears around the side of the house. She rinses the cups as she watches through the guards mind as Eric appears out of nowhere, and pulls him under his glamour. He turns, and starts walking towards the mansion with a report of a cleaner in the house as Eric returns through the back door and gives Sookie a smile. "I will teach you to glamour as soon as I find the right person for you to practice on. Pam should also be here soon."
Oddly, through her connection with Eric, she's certain she can feel Pam getting closer. It's not long later when she's coming into the front door, and she finds Eric and Sookie curled up onto the couch. The TV is turned off, and it takes no time at all for them to all end up in the front yard. "Pamela, I want you to stand very still." She nods, practically freezing in place, as he stands behind Sookie and puts his hands tenderly on her shoulders.
"I want you to use your light, and if you can, try to tell it to heal her instead of hurt."
She nods, concentrating on pulling her light from the place it rests in the back of her mind, and does what she can to direct it to heal as it blasts from her hands. Eric and Sookie are both shocked when the light that emerges is red instead of the usual white, and it strikes Pam, staggering her backward but not throwing her away. "Is she okay?" Sookie asks Eric, and before he can respond, they both hear it as Pam starts to cackle like a mad woman.
She's on her feet in a second, rushing forward to stand right in front of them. "I feel like I'm almost alive, and I can feel that the rotting has stopped!" Surprising them both, she throws her arms around Sookie to give her a hug, only to stop and back off when she hears her fangs drop. "Thank you sister, and welcome to the family." She says earnestly, with her hands clasped in front of her, and it's a shock for her to see Pam acting this way. Eric watches as the two women interact, and Sookie can feel that he is very pleased with Pam's change in attitude towards her. "I will see you back at work. Soon, I hope." She tells Eric, and is gone a moment later, leaving Sookie speechless.
"I think you'll find that Pam likes you, even if she doesn't always show it."
"That is just bizarre." She says after a moment, causing him to burst out laughing. "What are we doing for the rest of the night?"
"I was thinking we would simply stay here and relax." He says, pulling her closer and turning to walk towards the house. "According the updates Pam sent to my phone while we were asleep, Bill captured Marnie and the witches have disbanded for the moment, so there is nothing to really do. I would like to take you to Fangtasia tomorrow, so that we can get you set up with all of your legal paperwork from my office." She nods, letting him lead her into the house, and within the hour they are curled together on the couch.
The movie they are watching is long, and they are positioned so that she is mostly lying on top of him with her head resting on his shoulder. The scene playing out is a dinner party, where all of the woman are dressed in outfits that take hours to put together, and most of the men are arguing over the local government. They are content together, and there is something about the occasional amusement that flits from Eric's otherwise calm side of the bond that helps to tame her unruly emotions which threaten to wind her up every several minutes.
She stretches like a cat against him, kissing him on the cheek and nuzzling against his neck. It's almost surreal when suddenly, she finds that she has her fangs in his throat, and is pulling at his blood lazily. Realizing what she is doing, she tries to pull away as she worries that she's crossed a line, but he holds her in place and rubs circles into her back. "I am your maker, as well as your mate. Do not fear that I would ever deny you my blood, Sookie. It is all yours now." He purrs the words, and something ignites inside of her at the promise in his voice. She clamps harder onto his neck, and sucks his blood with a new fervor even as she twists to bare her skin to him in return. A silent rumble of approval goes through his chest, vibrating her entire body, and a click is all she has in warning before his fangs are sliding into her flesh. Their bond practically sings as they exchange and in her haze she doesn't feel any movement, but suddenly he's looming over her as he's pressing her into her bed beneath them. The involuntary rumble from her chest seems to please him, and she feels just how much as he presses himself into her leg. She presses back, grinning wickedly against his throat, and the remainder of their night is consumed in each other.