Wow! Thanks so much for the reviews, favourites and follows :) Ignore the alert for Chapter 1, I was just fixing from POV issues that slipped passed me in my mad rush to post the story. I had been putting it off and just madly decided to do it, so in my excitement a few errors were made. Probably the same in this chapter too if I am being honest :) This is all unbetaed, so if there are any errors, they are all mine because I really suck as editing my own work.

Hope you enjoy, things will be moving a bit faster in the next few chapters!

#None of them are mine, they are just toys that I am playing with.

Vampires had first come out of the coffin just over two years ago. The announcement had been met with its fair share of controversy, but I firmly believed that you were better off knowing what was out there. At least now we knew what went bump in the night. I had figured that Bon Temps was too small a place to interest any vampires, being in the middle of no where Louisiana. I know that if I was immortal, Renard Parish would not be were I would spend eternity.

I didn't see the vampire again until Friday night. Melotte's was packed to the brim again, with the whole town out to gossip about the death of a local girl, Maudette Pickens. She had been found dead in her apartment, apparently strangled in some sort of sex game gone wrong. The police department didn't have a lead as of yet, but they were making 'enquires' into different men in town. Word was there were quite a few. An unnatural death in Bon Temps was one thing, add sex, bondage and multiple suspects and folks seemed near giddy over the scandal.

I was working bar when he walked through the door. I felt the fog as he entered and for the first time noticed the slight glow that he emitted. I quickly turned my attention back to my customer, feeling him look my way. I did not want to go catching his attention again. Unfortunately, I was the only one working bar at the ime and he seemed to be in need of refreshment. Probably best if I served him, rather than waiting for him to find his meal another way.

"True Blood?" I asked, as he leaned against the bar.

"If you would be so kind," he replied with his smooth southern accent, "O if you have any". I wondered if he was from the south or if it was just a way for him to fit into society, like a chameleon changing its colour to suit its environment. Any other accent would stick out like a sore thumb around these parts.

I warmed up the bottle to True Blood and served him as quickly as I could. I turned around and spotted Sam watching me serve the vampire with a strange look on her face. Her eyes flicked up to meet mine, but she quickly turned and walked away back towards her office. That was odd. Sam's usually fairly relaxed and I know she supports vampire rights, but I would have sworn she looked almost angry when I was serving the vampire.

The busy bar quickly drove thoughts of vampires and Sam from my mind. Lafayette finished his shift and took up his usual post behind the bar, chatting with me and keeping the hoopleheads at bay. The vampire had moved on after a few hours, but I felt is eyes on me most to the time he was there. I saw him walk out with the Rattrays, who had recently moved to town but had already established a reputation for drugs and other nefarious activities. I had heard about vampire blood being used as a drug. I wasn't at all surprised that they seemed to be the people most interested in the new vampire in town.

Eventually the night quietened off, people either having had enough gossip for the night or enough booze, many with a mix of both. Last drinks were called and Sam re-emerged from her office as the girls finished doing prep for tomorrow and I cleaned down the bar. Lafayette had moved to sit in front of the bar.

"Hey boss lady, you are looking particularly fine this evening," Lafayette battered his brand new eyelashes at Sam, who was pouring herself a beer. "Why doesn't your cute ass ever get out and have some fun huh? Always slaving away here, its not good for the soul."

"What do you want Lafayette?" Sam replied wearily.

"Well, the Viking and I are planning to head into Shreveport Monday night to hit the town. You know you wanna join in on our raiding and pillaging," Lafayette said with a wink in my direction.

I sighed. Lafayette had recently taken to trying to set me up with Sam. Its not that I didn't find her attractive, don't get me wrong, she can fill out a pair of jeans in the finest possible way. But I just didn't fell that way about her, for all Lafayette's very unsubtle suggestions.

"I think that my raiding and pillaging days are behind me," Sam replied. "Besides, Monday is a full moon, who knows what kind of crazies might be out on the town."

I was kind of relieved. It was bad enough that Lafayette was dragging me out, let alone having to deal with him trying to push Sam and I together. To be honest, I think Sam's tastes may lay elsewhere, if the looks I had seen her giving Tara lately where anything to go by.

"Well, it looks like it is just you and me, lover boy," Lafayette said as he sashayed towards the door. He called out his good-byes to the girls, somehow managed to get into an argument with Tara then was out the door.

Sam turned to me as I crouched down, restocking the fridge. "So, there's a vampire in town."

"Yeah," I replied looking up at her. "Seems a bit strange, but I guess being immortal would do that."

"Humph," Sam said, sitting on Lafayette's stool and sipping her beer. "Make sure you watch yourself with them, don't think you can trust one."

I looked up in surprise. Sam looked down at me, again with anger in her eyes.

"I thought you supported vampire right," I said, trying to understand her sudden shift in attitude.

"Oh I do, just because they are different doesn't mean they should to treated differently when it comes to government and legal issues. I just think that you should remember that they are vampires," she replied. She looked me right in the eye. "You should also remember that you are who you are and that their kind may not take too kindly to your... differences."

I stood up straight. Not many people knew about my empathy, mostly just my Gran and Jason, Lafayette, Tara and Sam. Others knew that there was something off about me, but didn't really know what it was. Most assumed I was psychic. Gran and Jason knew because growing up I would know things that I shouldn't. This was particularly the case when someone was lying, which people do way to often to children. Lying was also one of the quickest emotion for me to pick up, after hate and love. I think that's the main reason Lafayette and Tara are my closest friends. For all their issues, they are unfailingly honest, almost to a fault. When they feel something, they feel it so honestly and completely that I am always in awe of their strength. Both of them have been through hell and back growing up, yet have managed to remain true to themselves. Sam knew because, well I'm not really sure. She seemed to know something was up but never judged me for it, so telling her one night after a few too many staff drinks just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

"I don't know what who I am has to do with anything," I answered, looking down at her now. " I do know that I don't trust the vampire that has just arrived, but I am not going to paint a brush over all his kind just because he is a creep. And Sam, I am a little surprised that you would."

"Ok look, I am just watching out for you Eric," Sam said, moving off the stool to stand in front of me. " Just be careful that's all. There is more danger out there than you know and I don't want my only Viking barman getting caught up in it. Who the hell is going to get the boxes out of the top of the store cupboard if you get hurt?"

"Yeah yeah," I replied, reaching around to give her a hug. "You really are just a big softy Sam Merlotte."

"Shut up.. and don't tell anyone."