Chapter 3

"So a witch turned Eric into a human?" Sookie asked completely confused. "There are witches now?" Every time Sookie turned around she was forced to face another myth becoming reality into her life.

"Yes a powerful witch has done this." Pam answered. "By the name of Hallow." Hallow?

"You mean that woman that was in here earlier? What did you do Eric?" She looked at him, trying to meet his eyes. He kept his head down as if he hadn't heard her at all.

"Because Eric refused her attentions." Pam answered for him.

"He wasn't refusing anything when I left." Sookie mumbled.

"Well started refusing then." Pam answered walking towards Eric. He was looking at his hands, not contributing to the conversation in front of him. That was so unlike him. Pam touched his shoulder and Eric flinched away, and finally met Sookie's eyes .He seemed to be pleading with her.

"Do you know where she is? This witch?" She asked.

"No, as soon as we were released from the hold she had on us she simply disappeared. We spent hours looking for her but turned up nothing. It was already nearing dawn, much too late for us to head home so we took to our coffins here. I awoke at sunset as usual but Eric was nowhere to be seen. That was very much unlike him. Because of his age his is able to wake earlier than I. I waited for an hour before I rose the lid to his coffin myself; I was deafened by the sound of his heart pumping and his eyes wide and unblinking. It was quite a sight I assure you." She finished.

"Where do I come in then?" Sookie asked breaking her eye contact with Eric to look at Pam.

"He needs somewhere to go until we can get this sorted. Eric has many enemies Sookie and no vampire could be in a room with him and not know he is human." She wiped new blood away from her eye walking back towards the sofa Sookie was sitting on. What should she do? She could barely deal with the vampire Eric and she knew him. This man, he was different. It wasn't right. Pam could see the indecision on her face. "Sookie, he is unable to defend himself. He needs to be somewhere where nobody will look for him." At this Sookie looked at Eric again. He had bitten his lip and made his hands into fists. This was something he was not used to hearing, and he wasn't taking it at all well. Eric had saved her life, sure he did it in an underhanded and sneaky Eric like way and all...but still she was around to tell the tale and she owed that to him.

"Okay." Eric's head shot up at her response, as if he didn't expect her to do it. She got off the sofa and went to stand beside him. "I wanna try something Eric." She reached out and put her hand on top of his dropping her shields. She heard nothing, not a void and also not static. He reached his other hand and placed it over hers giving her a smile. She was caught of guard; she had never seen Eric smile. Smirk yes, and those annoying mocking grins he wore around her most of the time sure. But this was different. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Well?" Pam asked impatiently.

"I can't get a read on him."

"What does this mean?" She asked her tone filled with worry.

"I'm not sure, maybe he isn't fully human?" Sookie guessed.

"Do you have everything you need here with you?" Sookie asked him. He shook his head in response. "Do you want to go pick up the few things you will be needing?" He nodded and stood making his way out of his office leaving the door open behind him, without a word to Pam. Sookie began to follow after him but was stopped by Pam's soft voice.

"Sookie, I know that you and I are not friends." She began. "But I trust you with my maker and know that this does not come easy by me. I will come by often, if he takes a turn for the worse or if you need my help in any matter call me and I will be there." She met Sookie's eyes and touched her cheek gently. Wow, who knew Pam had that in her?

"What will you do about Hallow?"

"Find her, get her to lift the spell, then kill her." Okay, Pam was back.

He was standing outside of the bar looking up at the sky sadly. Sookie stood beside him looking up to his face. He really was beautiful.

"Do you miss flying already?" He looked at her and nodded. "I understand that." She told him walking towards her car.

"I'm not moving this car until you get your seatbelt on mister." She told him again. He sighed loudly reaching for his seatbelt. "That's better." She told him with a smile starting her car. She saw him smile out of the corner of her eye. "Where to Viking?"

"Left." He pointed.

"Thank God you said something; I was starting to freak out a little."

"Sorry Sookie, I'm just not sure what I can trust anymore...my thoughts my mind, my memories. It's a lot to deal with so suddenly."

"I bet it is. Do I take the highway into town or is there a shorter way?"

"The highway is fine." He answered looking out the window. Okay back to silent Eric. Sookie thought to herself. After ten minutes of silence he turned to her.

"I only talked to the witch to make you jealous you know." Sookie smiled at him.

"You did huh?"

"Yes, did it work?" Did it work? Yeah it worked but she sure wasn't going to tell him that.

"No Eric, you know I don't think of you that way."

"What way?" He asked her softly.

"You know...that way."

"You are lying, I remember that kiss in my office. You feel something for me and it isn't just loathing."

"Your attractive yes, but I need more than that." She answered suddenly feeling like she was being put on the spot.

"What more do you need then?" He was genuinely confused.

"Which way do I go now?" She so badly wanted to change the conversation.

"Another left it will be on the right hand side." He answered. Sookie pulled into the neighborhood and laughed. "I never pictured you living in the burbs' Eric."

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know really. Either a creepy mansion or a sleek condo."

"Those are very different ideas." He told her laughing. He was right.

"I'm right here." He pointed to a 2 story brick home with a large entryway and a three car garage. Walking to the door he put in a pass code and she heard the locks slide open from the inside.

"Fancy Schmancy" she nodded her head in appreciation. He opened the door letting her walk through. It wasn't what she pictured at all. This looked like the featured home of someone in Southern Living Magazine. Her Gran loved that magazine. There were throw pillows and blankets. Cozy in a weird sort of way. There was still the 52 inch plasma and high dollar entertainment system, but it didn't stand out like a sore thumb. She told him she would wait for him in the living room while he got his things together. While she waited she walked around the room. There was a picture of a Viking vessel over a ship in a bottle. Beside that in a case under the sofa table was an ancient looking sword. She bent to get a better look when she heard Eric behind her. He casually threw his Adidas bag on the couch and crouched down beside Sookie, their knees touching. She could feel currents of electricity run through her with that one touch. She needed to get away. She stood backing up a few feet, but Eric remained on the floor.

"Was it yours?" She asked him. He nodded his head.

"It was my father's also."

"Wow. You were able to keep something like that for all this time? That is nothing short of amazing." She told him in awe.

"Actually." He said standing, turning towards her. "It was only a decade ago that I came upon it again." I had gone to Canada for some business dealings of mine, and wondered into a museum of history. When I came across this sword I knew it was my fathers, I would recognize it anywhere." He continued reverently. Pointing his hand to the picture Sookie was standing in front of she turned to look at it again. "That was with it, I love that painting." He sighed turning to grab his bag.

"So did you just take it then?" Sookie asked. Typical...want,take,have.

"Wasn't it mine to take?" He asked her.

"Yes I guess it was, but still..." She really didn't have an argument for that. "You ready then?"

He hadn't spoken in over an hour and they would be at her place soon. She was starting to feel a bit uneasy about this whole thing. What if Sophie Ann came for her? What could Eric do? Should she call Alcide? Her mind was going a mile a minute.

"You worry that you are no longer safe with me." He ground out beside her.

"I worry about a lot of things Eric." She told him truthfully. He turned to look at her; she could see the pain in his eyes. "I swear to Odin that I shall let nothing harm you." Okay... what was she supposed to say to that?

"Thanks." Okay that wasn't it, she chastised herself. Eloquent much Sookie? Pulling into her driveway she wanted to thank him again for his gift. "Thanks again for the driveway Eric, as you can tell it's much better than that old gravel." He seemed to ease a bit, being reminded what he was able to do for her.

Walking into the house she made her way to the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I haven't eaten...well in a thousand years give or take."

"Alrighty then, what can I make for you?"

"I'm not sure you have what I was accustomed too."

"What? Like poached fish or something?"

He laughed loudly, it bounced off the walls and made her feel warm inside. "Or something." He answered sitting at the table.

"How about some sweet tea and crawfish jambalaya. I made it for lunch this morning and barely touched it." She offered.

"Three things I've never had." He told her. "Yes, please."

After his third helping of jambalaya and second glass of tea he started to slow down. "This is wonderful Sookie; I've never eaten anything so full of flavor before." She felt herself glow with pride.

"Thanks Eric, I love to cook. It's actually nice to have someone to do it for now." She told him standing to take away his empty plate.

"What about your brother? Does he not visit often?" He asked her finishing the last of his tea and handing her the glass.

"No, not since Gran passed. He's got his own life and I've got mine." She ran the water in the sink and started washing the dishes.

"You sound saddened by this." He told her.

"I am a bit. It's just he's usually hooked up with some girl or another too busy to check on his crazy sister. I miss him sometimes is all?" She told him sadly.

"It should be his duty to take care of you." Sookie laughed at this idea.

"If you knew Jason you would know how crazy that sounds." The dishes done and laid out on a towel she sat down at the table with Eric. "You said earlier that you couldn't trust your thoughts or your memories anymore, what did you mean by that?"

"Trust might have been the wrong word." He said running his hand through his hair. "I find that ever since I was turned human memories and thoughts of my past that I haven't thought of in years seem to be returning to me tenfold. It's a little dizzying." Sookie nodded in agreement. "Also my emotions they are all over the place, something that I thought I had control over."

"You mean when you were a vampire you could control your emotions and now you can't?" She asked him.

"Yes. I thought I had stopped feeling things all together and then..."

"Yes..." Sookie urged.

"You." She wasn't sure what she should say to something like that.

"How about we get ourselves ready for bed?" She asked her crazy Sookie smile on her face. He raised his eyebrow at the question.

"Oh no you don't." She scolded him getting up from the table. "You in your bed and me in mine." She told him with certainty. "You can take Tara's room, she's gone and I'm not sure when she'll be back." She started up the stairs with Eric behind her. Pointing to the different rooms as she went until she reached her old room. "You'll be here and I'm down the hall that way." She pointed to her room. Opening the door across from his room she showed him the bathroom and how to work the old showerhead. Hitting it twice in a row made the water run from the spout. "And if you want to turn it off you have to kind of jiggle the lever like this." She showed him. "Well I'm beat." She told him walking back out to the hall. "You can watch the T.V. downstairs if you like; I won't hear it up here." Other than that I guess I'll see you in the morning." He nodded looking as if he wanted to say something and Sookie was pretty sure she didn't want to hear it. These uncomfortable moments were getting fewer and fewer between. "Okay, night!" She spun on her heel walking into her room and shutting the door.

Eric stood alone in the hall unsure of what to do. He wasn't tired so he went to watch T.V. in the living room. He never really watched much television before; he never had the time to do so. Turning it on he began to flick through the channels trying to find something to peak his interest. He came to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" a show that he heard a lot about but never really watched. Since coming out of the coffin the show had risen in popularity again even though the Vampire Rights Groups tried to get it banned. Showed vampires in a bad light and they couldn't have that. Settling in on the couch his thoughts went to Sookie. What if he couldn't protect her? He knew he was no longer a match for a vampire or a werewolf, but he was still strong and he would still lay his life on the line to protect her. Surely she knew this? Even before being turned Eric had been a mighty Viking feared and respected until his last day, he was sure he could protect Sookie from harm. These feelings in the pit of his stomach made him feel almost ill. What was this feeling? It didn't feel good that was for sure. When his stomach started rumbling it was instinct we would have long thought dead that compelled him to run for the bathroom. He knew there was one downstairs but he was never shown were it was. He raced up the steps and ran to the bathroom slamming the door behind him, retching up his meal. Not only was his body not used to such spicy food it wasn't used to food period, this was hell. He sat on the ground his head in the toilet when he heard a knock outside.

"Eric is everything okay?" Sookie asked in a worried tone of voice.

"Yes, just more joys of the mortal coil is all." He managed to call to her.

"Eric, I'm going to wait for you downstairs okay?" He heard her walk away and towards the stairs. What must she think of him now? A real threat he was.

She got to the couch and saw what looked like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" on the television. She laughed thinking of Eric watching something so campy. She never watched much television but she was aware of it. She sat down and decided to wait for him. She felt horrible for feeding him something so heavy, she never even thought about his stomach not being used to such spicy cooking. She should have made him soup or something. She heard a creak on the stairs turning she saw Eric holding on to the banister walking slowly down. She jumped up to help him the rest of the way.

"I'm fine Sookie; I can walk down four stairs without assistance I assure you." He told her with a resolved look on his face. She went back to wait for him on the couch. When he plopped down she started apologizing for the food.

"It wasn't your fault Sookie; I should have known better myself. Maybe I'll try something lighter tomorrow." He smiled. She put the back of her hand to his forehead like Gran used to do when checking for a fever. The instant her hand touched his skin she felt the same electric current wash through her. Looking in his eyes she knew she could easily get lost in them.

"Sookie?" He questioned carefully. She pulled her arm back and scooted farther down the couch away from him.

"You feel fine, no fever thank goodness." She told him in a rush, turning her eyes to the television. "Buffy huh?" She asked teasingly.

"I've never seen it before, thought I would give it a shot." He told her slightly embarrassed now.

"Me neither, let's watch it together okay?"

"Aren't you tired?" He asked.

"Not anymore."

"I'm sorry for waking you up like that." He turned his eyes away from hers. Did he feel guilty or something? She never thought she would see Eric look like that before. Was it the humanity that was doing this to him or was it something there all along he never expressed?

"No big deal, I'm off tomorrow so I can sleep in." She grabbed the remote and turned up the volume grabbing her grandmother's crocheted blanket to throw over her. "So what's up with this Billy Idol wannabe?"