Standard Disclaimers Apply. Intended for mature audiences. Thanks for reading!

What Can You Do?

Sookie sat in her favorite spot in Mr. Garth's rooftop garden. After she'd called Bill to tell him of her odd visitor, she'd called Joe. Sookie had been stunned to learn that Fangtasia was on the verge of complete and utter ruin. Joe suggested meeting her at the Penthouse garden and said he'd messenger over a report and then he'd join her after a late meeting. By the time Sookie had arrived, the file was waiting as was a tray of tasty delights, resting on a deep bed of floral shaped ice cubes and covered by glass domes.

Sookie poured herself a tall glass of sweet tea, and helped herself to a plate of freshly sliced fruits, cheese and crackers. She kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet under her. The smell of the flowers were luscious, the sun gloriously warm. Biting into a huge strawberry, she broke the messenger seal and pulled out a thick file. She frowned at the size of it and formed an angry opinion immediately… this wasn't just some information Joe'd had Rose put together in a half hour! What in the world was going on!

Eric was obviously being closely watched and had been for some time. As she began to scan through the pages, she hadn't been aware of Eric's difficulties. Her jaw dropped on more than one occasion as she read some of the observations. Her mouth went so dry from the shock of reading the words therein; she nearly choked on a piece of honeydew. It took her only a few moments to realize that Eric had been quite near her, numerous times. Sookie felt chilled and couldn't help but shiver. Eric had apparently become quite unhinged.

After all this time, after all the things she'd been through, put up with and survived… Eric had been aware of most, if not all of it. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the cushion. Of course… her mind accepted what was so obviously the truth. It was because of Mr. Garth, without his protection Eric would have gotten to her and God only knows what would have happened. She turned her attention back to the file and began to delve deeper.

By the time Joe arrived, Sookie had been making notes and had a list of questions ready. After they exchanged pleasantries, Sookie got down to the heart of the matter, she'd been curious after Ginger had left, wondering what kind of drama Pam was up to. Now, Sookie was extremely worried about Pam and she needed as many answers as Joe could give her. There was simply no way Sookie was going to let Pam down. The sun would be setting soon, and Sookie planned on being in her parking garage so she could help her friend. She'd made up her mind; she'd spend all night out there waiting for Pam if she had to!

XxXxX

After Pam had glamoured away Ginger's trip to see Sookie, she went to rest however briefly. She had the bleeds bad, but it had been necessary. Now all she'd have to pull off was waking up early enough to get a chance to meet with Sookie before Eric demanded her presence.

Sadly, Pam was wrenched from her sleep chamber by Eric about an hour after sundown. He threw her across the room, where she slammed into the wall, punching through the drywall as if it were paper. She bounced with the impact and dropped to the floor. Eric grabbed her by her hair and yanked her to her feet. Dragging her to his "play-room" as he referred to it. Pam found herself wishing for true death as he flung her against one of the many torture and bondage implements as she tried to clear her head.

"Strip!" he bellowed and she tore at her clothes, she knew what came next. It was inevitable and her only small comfort was that, with luck, this may not happen as often. "Not fast enough!" he screamed and in movement too fast for even her to track, he ripped her clothes from her body, dislocating her shoulder and breaking her collarbone in the process. His fist caught her on the chin, disorienting her enough for him to clamp her into the one piece of bondage equipment she hated most.

Essentially, it was a chair of sorts, comprised of a series of hinged boards and a padded U-shaped cushion that bent her over at her waist in its 'up' position, or arched her back horribly if she were face up. She was quickly clamped in place with silver. Oddly enough, the one mercy Eric afforded her was that he covered the clamps with heavy velvet, so that her skin would not burn. He'd done everything imaginable and some things unimaginable to her, but he had never touched with silver. Even at times when he wore gloves, he never silvered her.

The thing Pam detested most of this contraption was that the sections of boards could be adjusted to any position, then locked into place. This meant every inch of her body was completely and terrifyingly exposed. Her humiliation was beyond measure, his depravity at its highest and when she saw him pick up a large and evil-looking, artificial male member… her tears flowed freely as it was used by Eric in unspeakable ways. After how long she didn't know, he tossed aside the much hated instrument before he began pounding himself within her, her own blood providing much needed lubrication, Eric screamed with rage, tearing out handfuls of her hair.

He began raining mind-numbing blows with his fists against her back. His blows cracking vertebrae and shattering her shoulder blade as he rammed into her… Pam was so overwhelmed with pain and humiliation, that had she been able to extricate herself from the chair, she would have gladly jammed a piece of the wooden chair into her own chest to stop his cruelty.

With that thought, Eric screamed a primal scream and she knew he was climaxing. It was Pam's violation, her humiliation, her pain, her ability to survive the complete and utter degradation he caused her, that brought him to release. But, it was his final scream that terrified her most…

Eric may have been brutalizing Pam… but it was Sookie's name he bellowed in his volcanic fury.

XxXxX

Joe had answered all of Sookie's questions, but it had done little to soothe her. As the sun began to sink, he had insisted that Sookie not wait for Pam alone. Sookie refused, Joe stood his ground. Sookie was furious but as dusk approached, she gave in with the condition the observers were well hidden. By the time they reached her parking space, Sookie had apologized for her stubbornness and Joe had hugged her, kissed both cheeks and told her he'd expected nothing less. Sookie wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or not.

She sat in one of the chairs in the elevator lobby paging through a file Joe had asked her to look over. It was another case of suspected insurance fraud, although this one was a personal injury situation. Even though she read through it twice, she would have been hard pressed to answer any questions about it. All she could think about was how late it was getting and her concern about Pam not showing up. She sighed heavily and glanced at her watch, she decided she'd give it another hour. Knowing her mindset was too preoccupied to concentrate on the file anyway; she closed her briefcase and stood up to pace the marble floor.

Her phone rang and she hoped it was Pam, but when she looked at the caller id she smiled, "Hi baby," she said softly as she answered, then, "Waiting for Pam to show up…" Her voice was heartrendingly sad when she said, "Oh Bill! Did you know about all this?"

XxXxX

Pam had no concept of time other than it was still night. She couldn't be sure how long she'd been lying crumpled on the floor. Eric had left her clamped to the chair, the covered silver clamps draining what little strength she had, the only sound she was aware of was the sound of her dripping blood hitting the floor. At some point, he'd returned, released her bonds and she'd tumbled roughly to the floor.

Gustav had entered sometime later. He tried to handle her gently but she whimpered in pain anyway. It was impossible not to. She saw him throw cautious glances toward the door and was then shocked when he tore open his wrist and shoved it quickly to her mouth.

"Hurry! You must take some!"

Pam was amazed and more grateful than he would have ever imagined. She also felt tremendous guilt. Eric had been assaulting Gustav almost as often as he did her. She'd previously thought of Gustav as beneath her. Not worth her time or attentions before their lives had gone to hell, yet here he was, risking everything to help her. She sucked greedily at his wrist and a few short moments later he said, "I must stop you now, I'm so sorry Mistress! If he returns..."

Pam understood immediately and did not try to drink more, she just whispered a genuine and heartfelt thanks. He moved her carefully to a small sofa in the corner of the room and used a part of the dress she'd been wearing to give her some modest cover. With one more quick glance over his shoulder he whispered, "Master Eric has left, if he doesn't return before morning, I will help you go to ground."

Pam nodded gratefully and Gustav disappeared. While it hadn't been nearly enough, the blood Gustav had given her did have a small healing effect. The cracked vertebrae had healed, but her shoulder was still excruciatingly painful. She knew her bleeding had slowed, but between the silver, the injuries and the absence of a full and decent feeding, she couldn't leave to see Sookie and that filled her with sadness so profound, she once again gave thought to the comfort true death might provide her.

For the first time in more than a hundred years, Pam wished she'd never met Eric Northman… as she slipped into unconsciousness and dreamt of putting a wooden stake through his heart.

XxXxX

Sookie had talked with Bill for almost an hour, all the while watching for any sign of Pam. It was only after Bill suggested asking Frank to escort Pam upstairs if she showed up, that she finally let herself go upstairs. Sookie had a lot to process… Bill had told her that the AVL had documentation on Eric that he had been aware of. She'd been pretty miffed about that, and then Bill explained that it was a confidential and sealed matter, so she didn't bother to get pissed about it. She wanted to… in fact she was itching to get mad about it. But it served no purpose.

Instead, she worried.

XxXxX

Sookie had spent the night tossing and turning. Between the fact that she was pissed off about not knowing what had been going on with Eric, to her feeling terrified about how desperate a situation it must be for Pam to have sent Ginger in the first place to the flipping cherry on the top of this entire nasty mess was that Bill had known… well… he hadn't known anything he could tell her about… still… he known something, damn it!

When the alarm rang she felt like hell. One look in the bathroom mirror confirmed the suspicion that she looked as bad as she felt. Her normal routine would have been to snag a cup of coffee before taking a shower but she didn't bother. A shower first would do her more good. She did feel better afterwards but she still moaned at the face reflected in the mirror. She made a command decision and picked up the phone. Her first call was to Abby to tell her she wouldn't be coming to the office today.

That done, she poured another cup of coffee and curled up on the sofa, her back propped up against the arm and began to think about some of the ideas she had come up with during her restless night. The one that kept circling the drain most often was, of course, to go straight to Fangtasia and get Pam out of there.

There were three huge problems with that. First, if she went there and managed to survive, Bill would tear her throat out himself. Second, what could she do against Eric? She had seen firsthand how a vampire's age could skew common ideas as to the vampire's needs and abilities. With Eric more than a thousand years old, there were no set rules to what he could or couldn't do.

Lastly… she had no clue as to whether or not Pam was even at Fangtasia. Sookie understood the concept of vampires not revealing where they were their most vulnerable but she sure wished she'd been close enough to Pam to have known where her house was. At least that way, she would have had a chance to go and find her custom designed, pearl pink Coco Chanel sleep chamber. (Sookie hadn't really been surprised when Pam had told her about it.)

Her coffee was empty so she got up to refill, when she suddenly had a thought. She grabbed her and called Beth, "Beth, hi! I hope I didn't wake you!" It had just dawned on Sookie how early it was if Beth had worked the night before… she'd always hated when anyone called her before 10:00 a.m. when she'd worked late.

"Hey Sookie! How are you? No, I was up… I had last night off. So how are you doing? Did you get the wedding cake pictures I sent?"

Sookie grinned, "Yeah I did, thank you very much… you should have seen Bill's face when he saw the pricing!"

They chit-chatted for a bit and Sookie had a bit of a grin on her face when she heard (well… assumed) Sam get out of bed more than likely to go make coffee. Sookie had a sudden pang in her heart. She missed Sam, his laugh, his smile… he had a generous heart and that mattered in this day and age. After about fifteen minutes of conversation, she took a deep breath and got down to what she really wanted to ask Beth about.

"Beth, I was wondering if you know if your friend Lori is still seeing Gustav from Fangtasia?"

"Whoa… well that came right out 'a left field. Ah, I think so but Lori said things have been pretty odd and weird lately, why?"

Sookie hesitated, and then said, "I'm trying to get some information and was hoping to maybe get to speak to Gustav if at all possible. Do you think Lori would help me with that?" Sookie could almost feel the uneasy feelings Beth was having. She rolled the dice and said quietly, "Beth… I have to reach someone there, I am seriously worried about some of my friends and it would be suicide for me to go there in person. I know this is a lot to ask of you, but quite frankly, I'm afraid for their lives."

Beth answered her immediately, "Sookie, it's not a problem; I'll call her and give her your number… I'm sure she'd be willing to talk to you. I think she's probably just as worried as you are. I'll do my best Sookie, okay?"

"I can't thank you enough Beth, and give Sam my regards." Sookie said with a grin.

"I'll tell him. When are you coming home? Everyone misses you something fierce, lady!"

"Soon," Sookie answered. "I have a feeling I'm going to need some peace and quiet in the near future. And Beth? Thanks for doing this for me."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Lori will likely be glad to have someone else that knows there is something going on. Plus, she really likes you so I'm sure she'll be happy to help."

They talked a bit more, Sam yelling smartass comments in the background. They filled her in on some locals gossip, Jane Bodehouse had gone to rehab, Terry had missed some of his meds (and that had made for a couple of strange days!) and Lafayette had a new boyfriend and seemed to be very happy with him. For Lafayette, it was a pretty big deal. As a rule seeing the same guy for more than a week was epic. He got bored easily and the fact that he had a new squeeze and had introduced him to his coworkers was actually quite a monumental thing.

Sookie was a little bothered when Beth mentioned that Jason wasn't coming into Merlotte's much lately. Beth told her that it seemed Jason was spending a lot of time in Monroe. When she considered it more, she felt her worry lessen. Jason had pretty much run the gamut of available women in Bon Temps, it made sense he needed new territory. She'd walk through hot coals for Jason if he was in trouble but sometimes his tomcatting ways were embarrassing to say the least.

Beth told her Sam wanted to talk to her and so she spent about twenty minutes talking with him. Sookie said her good-byes and promised to come home soon. When Sookie hung up she was feeling a lot of different emotions. She felt a little homesick and blue but mostly she felt apprehensive and anxious. She sighed heavily and poured more coffee. She took her briefcase and walked into the office, removed her laptop, settled it into its dock and got lost in her emails, reports and the responsibilities of her job.

XxXxX

Gustav woke and was immediately alert. His senses hummed as he tried to figure out whether or not Master Eric was nearby. He heard blissful silence and relaxed just slightly. It took a great deal of effort but he carefully moved the six inch thick slab of concrete aside. He and managed to extricate himself from the hole under the end of the walk-in cooler. He made a quick circuit of the club and was relieved when he found it empty.

He returned to the backroom and carefully helped Mistress Pam from the hiding space. He'd brought her there when Master Eric had not returned before dawn. He'd made her drink four of the TruBloods he had hidden away and after drinking some himself, he again made her drink from him.

Pam stood up straight and was at first surprised at the pair of sweat pants and t-shirt she was wearing, and then awkwardly put her arms around Gustav. "Thank you." She whispered.

"Go Mistress… before he returns! I will be suitable for tonight; I'll make sure of it!"

Pam doubted Eric would be satisfied with Gustav alone, but it was her chance to connect with Sookie. It could well be the only chance she'd ever have and she needed to go for it. If for no other reason than she knew Eric could not enter Sookie's building and at least she could take sanctuary there. Well, if Sookie would allow her to stay, she had no reason to believe Sookie would still care about her. But it was the only glimmer of hope she had… last night she'd made her mind up.

If Sookie couldn't or wouldn't help her, Pam fully intended to meet the dawn that very morning.

XxXxX

Eric tossed aside the body of the young woman he'd snatched from the street an hour before. It joined another from a few nights ago. The older body released a foul stench when the new body impacted it; Eric would have to send Pam here to dispose of them before someone stumbled across them by accident. Ah yes… Pam. He had been rather rough on her lately; looks like Gustav would be on his dance card tonight.

With that thought in mind, Eric stood and flew off the rooftop and made his way back to Shreveport and Fangtasia… he felt stronger than ever and was anxious enjoy his better mood… seeing as it was the first one he'd had in a very long time. When he got closer to Shreveport, a cell phone vibrated in his jeans back pocket. He slowed and landed in a small clearing, he pulled it out and looked at it.

It was Gustav's phone, Eric had forgotten he'd taken it. He flipped it open and saw there was a half dozen text messages. Interesting. There hadn't been any activity since Gustav's human Lori texted him and informed him she was breaking up with him. Eric had thought it was quite amusing. He opened the list and saw they were all from this Lori person. Eric's brows knitted together slightly, but he grinned a little. Well, this tickled his fancy; he could answer the texts, arrange a meeting, snatch her and bring her as a treat for Gustav! He would get a great deal of amusement forcing Gustav to first debase and then torture his human to death.

Eric began to read and within a second he opened and read them all. He crushed the phone like tissue and propelled himself upward; his mind enraged making him see red. Gustav would die this night, as would his progeny… and then Sookie would die. Come hell or high water… Eric would drain Sookie dry and spit on her dead body after he ripped her to shreds. Not even Garth would prevent him from seeing Sookie Stackhouse dead.

Not this time.

Help

Bill glanced discreetly at the corner of his laptop screen to look at the time. He was slightly annoyed as the video conference had already gone nearly an hour past what he'd banked on and he was sure Sookie must be worried that she hadn't heard from him yet. He was more concerned about whether or not she'd heard from Pam.

Bill had approached his superior first, when Pam had asked for Sookie's help. He'd heard the rumors here and there about problems with Eric. He'd been shocked to learn from his boss that Eric had been removed as Sheriff of Area Five. After a bit of discussion, the two of them had spoken to Nan and she in turn, had told them what she was allowed to, which wasn't much.

Bill knew immediately that the situation with Eric was more serious than he could have imagined when Nan told him of the ongoing investigation by The Authority. As such he'd done some quiet research, gathering information he hoped he wouldn't need but would be prepared for nonetheless.

As the video conference finally concluded, Nan did not sign off but waited until only she and Bill were still connected.

"Has Pam made contact with Sookie yet?" Nan asked, her voice both businesslike, yet curious as if waiting for some juicy gossip. Even though she appeared to be glancing through some papers on her desk, as if she didn't care what Bill's answer would be, but he knew differently.

"Not that I know of, I've not yet had the chance to speak with Sookie this evening." Bill replied evenly.

Nan's eyes flicked upwards and met his for a brief moment, and then with a slight nod she looked back down at her desk and asked nonchalantly, "You've cleared your schedule?"

"Yes, everything is in place."

"Good, let me know when you hear something." Nan leaned forward and clicked her video feed off and Bill's screen went blank.

He disconnected as well and glanced at his desktop phone, there were no messages parked on the office lines, so he picked his cell phone up to turn the ringer back on and saw there had been a couple calls from Sookie. She'd only left one message; she told him she was going to eat something and then later go down to the parking garage.

Bill wasn't happy about the arrangement. He knew that while it may have been an inconvenience, Sookie was still safe. He had no worries about that, he was more concerned about Sookie because she was beginning to get very anxious about the situation and Bill always got a bit nervous when Sookie started getting worked up over something.

As much as he'd wanted to tell her to remain calm, he knew that saying something like that to her would be like smacking a beehive with a baseball bat… all hell would break loose! With a little half smile playing at his lips, he closed his laptop and put it in his case. That was a pretty good analogy, he thought, and by this time tomorrow he would be catching his intended completely unaware… as he locked his office door he glanced at his watch. He had about ten hours before his flight.

XxXxX

Sookie had left work by lunch and returned home. Abby had called that morning, she had a bad cold and Sookie had told her to take a sick day. Luckily, Sookie couldn't do anything yet on the new investigation other than pre-interview paperwork, she was happy she had an appointment set for the following week to meet with the principals involved. Even though she'd been reassured by Rose and Joe, she sometimes felt guilty about not working a full forty hours a week for the pay she received.

Finally, Joe had sat down with her and explained in more detail how being on a salary was different from hourly. Sure, there had been plenty of times she'd worked much more than forty hours, so it did even out. But her upbringing still made her a tad uncomfortable. Joe and Mr. Garth found it amusing and sweet, though they'd never say it directly to her; Sookie had a temper that even they respected!

Sookie just worked on some final notations to cases that were a little overdue, cleaned up odds and ends then left for the day. She took her laptop and a sloppy mass of papers and receipts home with her. She truly hated doing her expense account, but she had to get it in order or feel the wrath of Mrs. Kale in accounting. Mrs. Kale wasn't any form of supe, but after one of Sookie's first encounters with her, Sookie thought she was in the ballpark of at least some percentage of demon heritages! Rumor was that she could make grown men cry. Sookie didn't want to find out why.

She was glad she hadn't started working on the new case yet. Her mind was awfully tangled up over the Pam thing. She prayed that Pam would show up tonight, she was almost sick with worry. She'd made Bill promise he'd be available to help and she knew he'd do his best. As she changed out of her work clothes, she couldn't help but smile a little as she stood in her walk-in closet.

Sookie had never been what some would call a, 'clothes horse' and she remembered her initial shock when wearing designer outfits, now it was second nature. Even though, she still mainly purchased from various discount and outlet stores and not everything was designer. Bill had bought her an exquisite Versace gown for a very exclusive AVL Ball last year and she felt like a queen when she wore it, but she also still bought clothes at Wal-Mart. As she slipped into shorts, a t-shirt and a comfy pair of sandals, she grinned broadly. She'd even learned how to wear heels, though not the mile high ones you could fall off of.

Her one and only pair of platform stiletto heels were worn only for Bill and he never grew tired of them! He also enjoyed buying her lingerie that she 'modeled' for him, usually after he'd been away a few weeks. Sookie blushed to the roots of her hair when she thought about the last new thing he bought her.

XxXxX

He had been unpacking and she was brushing her hair when he leaned against the bathroom doorway, holding a gift wrapped package in one hand and the scarlet red heels in the other. His shirt was unbuttoned and she could see his deliciously sculpted torso, the soft, dark hair on his chest accenting the fine cut of his chest. She smiled slowly and asked softly, "Hmm… now what might this be?"

"I think you'll have to unwrap it to find out." His blue eyes smoldered and sparked, his lips curved in a smile.

Without saying a word, she put down her hairbrush and stepped up to him. She took the shoes from his hand, then the package, then put both on the bathroom countertop and gently and slowly slid her hands up his chest, her fingers gliding through the dark hair, her finger grazing lightly across hardened nipples as she moved to slip the shirt from his shoulders.

"Clever girl." He murmured as he straightened his arms, and the shirt fell to the floor. She followed her hands with her mouth, sucking his nipple and tenderly nipping it ever so carefully. The moan that escaped him turned her blood to fire. It took tremendous control by her not to just jump into his arms and beg him to take her hard and fast.

She slipped her hands across his shoulders, down his arms and finally trailing down his muscled back until she slipped her hand into the waist band of his slacks, undoing the button and fly with the other as she slowly eased her hand over the rock hard, yet slightly trembling flank. His slacks fell away and he stepped from them, his feet already bare.

She used her fingertips to draw tiny lines and circles, each a path of pleasure dancing against his skin. She followed with her mouth, her fingers stroked his throat and she moved her mouth across his skin like a shadow of her fingers, flicking the hollow of his throat, nipping at the skin, biting gently on his collarbone. All the while he stood motionless, awash with erotic sensations as her fingers, lips and teeth made their way across his body.

He began to slip her robe from her shoulders but a breathy, "Later, babe." stilled his hands, as she drew closer to his most responsive, sexual self. She rained kisses and nips along his length, her quick tongue catching the most sensitive underside. He could not hold his voice, his groan became an urgent request, "Sookie, please!" And so she slipped him into her mouth, her tongue dancing, and her lips formed that perfect "O" as she took him in agonizingly slow.

She moved against him, his hands dropped onto her head but she shook them off, moving at her pace… her depth… her desire… she knew as it started and she suddenly took him all, one hand flat against his taut and muscled flank as if pushing him nearer, the other caressing his tightening jewels and smiling as his moan became her name and his release, triggered hers.

Oddly enough, she never did open the gift box.

XxXxX

Sookie walked out of the bedroom, half turned on and half annoyed because Bill wasn't due back until the weekend. Damn. Unwilling to start organizing her expense account, and continuously glancing outside to see if it was getting dark. Which was just plain stupid as sundown was still hours away! Waiting until dark got old pretty quickly so she left a message for Bill, then made a cheese sandwich, poured a glass of sweet tea and made her way out to the terrace. It wasn't as amazing as Mr. Garth's rooftop Eden but she'd made it very special. She'd bought a book on container planting and as a result she had a lovely little garden, full of colorful flowers, fresh herbs… butterflies, bees and humming birds became frequent visitors and Sookie loved watching them all.

She sat on her covered swing, tucking one leg beneath her and using her dangling foot to rock back and forth slowly as she ate. Her mind was churning with thoughts of Pam and the things that must be going wrong. She hoped that it was something that could be fixed easily, but the look on Bill's face when he told her about what he knew in regard to Eric, left little doubt that it was as serious as she feared.

Bill and Sookie had discussed sending Pam to one of the houses in Bon Temps because she could be safe from Eric there. Sort of… when a Maker calls it is an automatic response to answer heed their 'call'. It wouldn't take Eric but probably a minute or two to 'feel' his way to Pam and even less to make her walk out of the house.

But Bill explained to her that there were things they could do but he couldn't give her details. Which of course drove Sookie completely batshit. Bill was usually just happy when he managed to keep a straight face when he had to give her that excuse. But there were times when those limitations spurred bitter debates between the two of them. Sookie tried very hard to be understanding, but in certain situations (like her being in a lousy mood and itching for a fight) it sometimes spiraled a little out of control and they'd argue fiercely.

Sookie finished her tea and sat rocking slowly, warm in the afternoon sun. Her eyelids got heavy and the gentle motion lulled her into a brief nap. When she woke, the sun was significantly lower in the sky. She stood and stretched, picked up her things and carried them inside with her, dialing Bill's number. It went straight to voice mail so she didn't leave a message. She knew he had an important conference call scheduled, she put her glass and plate in the dishwasher and looked at her laptop bag lying on the table… taunting her… mocking her… making her feel bad for neglecting her job.

With a heavy sigh she walked to her office and dumped a handful of paperclips into her hand, then walked back, picked up the bag and headed downstairs to wait for Pam, intending to conquer the expense report while she waited. When the doors slid open to the parking garage lobby, she wasn't surprised to see that there was a very nice, plain but suitable desk that had been set up with a compatible laptop dock, a lamp, a magnolia blossom floating in a crystal bowl and one of the best ergonomic chairs on the market waiting just for her.

Someone must have informed Mr. Garth she had been sitting cross-legged in the chair using her laptop as a makeshift desk last night. She thought of something that hadn't crossed her mind in years and it had her smiling broadly… "I'll give you three guesses as to who did it and the first two don't count!" she whispered to herself. She no longer got bent out of shape over stuff like this; she'd just learned to roll with it because it was silly to get worked up over it. It was simply how Mr. Garth did things so she'd stopped worrying about it a while ago.

Sookie dug the paperclips out of her pocket and put them on the desk. Then she took the pile of papers out, many crumpled as she tended to just stuff them into her purse. Of course that was when she remembered to keep them at all, but she was getting better. She began to separate and smooth them out and was quickly lost in her task. Once separated, she began to sort through them, using a highlighter to mark reimbursable charges. She glanced up often and checked her watch about the same amount. As she made her way through them, the piles became organized and paper clipped, and finally she was ready to start filling out the expense form online that she would submit to Mrs. Kale.

She was beginning to get a sinking feeling that Pam might not be able to get there, when she saw Pam through the glass as she decelerated to human speed and stood outside the large glass doors. Sookie was so taken aback by Pam's appearance she had forgotten that she'd have to invite Pam in as the lobby area was considered part of a human's home. The chair flew across the lobby as Sookie rushed to the door and begged Pam to come in. As Pam stepped inside, her knees gave way and she stumbled forward into Sookie's arms.

"John!" Sookie yelled and instantaneously he was there beside her lifting Pam into his arms while Sookie ran to the elevator and mashed the button to open the doors. They opened and as they got on Sookie said, "John, I'm going to need blood, real blood and then I'll need you to stay in case she needs to feed from me."

John nodded crisply and moments later he carefully laid Pam on the guest room bed. Sookie said quietly, "I didn't know vampires fainted. I didn't think they scarred either." A deep frown settled on Sookie's face, Pam looked emaciated, with awful marks on her face; one cheekbone was noticeably sunken compared to the other and her throat looked as if it had been ripped open rather than simply bit. Her hair was dull and colorless, and some parts of her scalp were visible, the scar tissue angry and red.

"She's been starved and likely silvered heavily. Miss Sookie, you need to come with me."

"Whatever for?" his question had taken her by surprise.

"In this state, should she come to and if you're here alone with her, she could lose control." John said gently.

One look at his face told her he was sincere and concerned and also ready to remove her bodily if she balked at his suggestion. She nodded in agreement and straightened up. "Do we have to go far?" Sookie was worried Pam would come to and not know what was going on.

"Oh no Miss Sookie, just up to the infirmary two floors up."

"Okay." Infirmary, who knew? She thought to herself, even though she wasn't remotely surprised.

They left quickly and Sookie found herself just mildly curious when John unlocked the door to the infirmary. She estimated it probably took up about half of the floor with numerous examination rooms and what she was fairly sure was an operating suite and a number of hospital rooms down the corridor opposite of where they were heading. John led her to a door marked by a plaque that read; "Pharmacy" unlocked it and snapped on the lights.

Sookie stood still and looked around in awe. There were shelves of probably every medication available in the world and considering some of the looks of a few containers, probably a few the world at large didn't know about! She followed John to the back where he entered a walk-in cooler and for whatever reason… she wasn't all that surprised to see countless bags of blood in various groupings. John stopped before one set of hanging bags and turned to Sookie.

"Do you know what type she prefers?" John asked.

"Um, A-neg I think, does it matter." Somehow Sookie hadn't seen that question coming and she giggled just a tiny bit with nervousness.

John ignored the giggle so she wouldn't feel bad, and said, "It just makes it easier to accept if it's something she prefers." Sookie just nodded.

"I think we'd best give her a couple bags of plasma as well." While John sorted through the hanging bags, Sookie glanced around, and when she saw a few bags that held liquid the color of summer cabbage, she got goose bumps and said, "I'm cold; I'll wait for you out there." She said nodding toward the door as she walked to it. She had no reason to think the odd, colored bags held blood… there were many medications that were light-sensitive and probably some that were temperature sensitive too.

Like insulin, yeah, insulin had to be kept cool! But in the back of her mind, she knew it was most likely blood and she decided then and there that she never wanted to know which classification of supe had cabbage green blood! She jumped when John opened the cooler door holding at least six or seven bags of blood.

He held them out to her and said, "Hold onto these for a minute."

She took them and stared at them. They looked identical to the ones she'd seen at hospitals. John returned with a plastic bag and he held it open and she placed them inside. Then he said, "Hang on…" he opened a couple of drawers beneath a set of shelves and brought out sterile bags containing IV lines, needles and as an afterthought, snagged a roll of tape and some sterile dressings off one of the shelves. He gave her a big smile and said, "Let's go!"

XxXxX

A half hour later, Pam was still unconscious but improving rapidly. She still looked far too thin but her hair was filling in and most of her scars were healing. Sookie hadn't been able to stay in the room when John placed the central line IV. He'd explained he'd have to put the catheter in the big vein under the collarbone and when Sookie saw the size of the needle she'd actually swayed. John was holding her in a heartbeat and he carefully led her to the living room. She'd just nodded a bit weakly when he said he'd come get her when he was through.

Now Sookie sat next to Pam on the edge of the bed, holding her hand. John had placed a white gauze bandage over the IV site which Sookie thanked him for. She hadn't been aware that John had called in a doctor until the man was standing in the room. He'd smiled at Sookie and introduced himself to her, "I'm Dr. Cantwell, and I'd like to examine her now. Would you mind stepping out?" John and Sookie both had stood in the hallway, neither wanting to go far, should the doctor need help.

When he walked out he spoke in a normal tone of voice. "I'm glad you gave her the plasma first John, she's in bad shape. It's why she's unconscious. Her body is trying to heal but she may be out for hours, maybe even days. Do you know what happened?"

"No," Sookie said sadly, "I've no idea."

"Well, she's been abused terribly, in every possible way." His face was as dark as a thunder cloud. "It could only have been done by another vampire, probably one much older to be able to be able to injure her that severely. There are more healing fractures than I could count… and she will likely need weeks of recovery from the effects of the heavy silvering she's endured. What's odd is that I saw no evidence of silver burns." He said that more to himself than to the two of them, as they walked to the door.

"She can stay here until she's healed." Sookie said immediately.

The doctor gave Sookie a warm and genuine smile and said, "You really are a rare young woman, I've heard wonderful things about you… but unfortunately, that would not be wise. Once she wakes, she may still be in the thralls of survival mode. She could attack quickly and without thought, even though she knows you. John will stay here to protect you until she wakes then we'll get her into a bed upstairs."

Sookie was about to protest when the doctor grinned and said, "Per Mr. Garth's orders, Miss Stackhouse."

"Cripes." Sookie had muttered under her breath and she'd missed the glance exchanged between the two men. The doctor knew full well John would be the only one capable of keeping Sookie safe until Pam could be moved. They also knew there was only one vampire responsible for this but it was not their place to comment. The doctor bid them goodnight and left.

Sookie returned to the bedroom when she thought of something the doctor had said, "Wait," she said, a confused look on her face. "How did he take x-rays?" Her eyes met John's and he tilted his head slightly and gave her a tiny smile, his eyes sparkling. Sookie knew instantly that he'd answer her if she wanted.

"Nevermind." She said quickly, turned and sat on the bed next to Pam. John followed on her heels. A big grin on his face… he was glad she didn't want to know, life would be a lot less dangerous for her if she didn't.

He stood silently in the corner, saddened by the woeful look and worried manner that Sookie had as she held her friend's hand, barely keeping her tears at bay. Between the way Pam had looked when she'd arrived and Sookie's upset over Pam's condition, John was pretty certain that Mr. Garth was going to tear Eric Northman into tiny pieces and put them through a garbage disposal. John quite grimly thought he would rather see Eric fed into a wood chipper, fully awake the entire time.

XxXxX

Bill was being loaded onto the plane in his office pod, inundated with endless emotions. Sorrow, anger, deep and profound sadness and the most frightening, the beginnings of a powerful feeling of vengeance. He was glad he'd be there just before dawn, the last thing he needed was for Sookie to get up a full head of steam before he could be there to stop her from doing something dangerous. He put a call in to the house physician in the building and after learning of Pam's condition on her arrival, Bill wished he was on an SST. This was a volatile situation to start with… Sookie being dead center in the mix was even worse. Bill stowed his laptop, he wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything other than the situation at home now anyway.

He felt to plane lift of the ground and Bill wished with all his heart that John would be able to keep Sookie reined in until he arrived.

To be continued...