Part Two:

The Chase

Sam Merlotte watched her from across the room, behind the bar, as he usually did. He'd asked her to read his mind but his thoughts were broken. Still, though, Sookie Stackhouse was no fool: she knew lust when she saw it (or felt it); although Sam had been the star of several of her fantasies, Sam's dating an unsavory character months before had turned Sookie off. Despite his feelings and advances, she kept Sam as a close friend.

The door of Merlotte's Bar and Grill swung open and Eric and Pam, vampires, entered, bringing the scents and sounds of the warm summer night in around them.

Sookie stared at them, hesitated at the bar before heading to their table.

"Weather's nice out," she said, and neither of them spoke, only smiled, which made Sookie uneasy: having a vampire attracted to you, in any way, was something most humans didn't want, ever. But Sookie Stackhouse was different: she'd been dating a vampire, Bill Compton, for over a year now, and vampires didn't bother her. Most vampires, sans Eric Northman, anyway.

"What can I get y'all?" Sookie asked, her pen and pad in hand.

Pam asked for a True Blood, while Eric asked for a Sookie Stackhouse, on the rocks.

Sookie stared at him.

"Wh-what?" she asked, stuttering, and Eric repeated his request, slowly.

Sookie blinked, watched Pam eye the room and smooth her hair.

She cleared her throat. "We have a fresh crate of O Negative in the back."

Eric ignored her, glanced at Sam Merlotte behind the bar. "Your waitress is refusing my request."

Sam looked at him, walked to the table, and put his hands on his hips.

"And what 'request' would that be, exactly?"

"I said, I want Sookie Stackhouse, on the rocks."

Sam scoffed and smiled.

"Well, we can't help you." He took Sookie's arm and led her back behind the bar.

"Don't worry about it," he said coolly, and Sookie made a silent note of the baseball bat beneath the counter, as if it would do any good.

Across the room, Eric Northman was smiling.