Hey everyone! Happy Thursday! It's almost Friday! Woohoo!

So... here's the next chapter. I tried to make it a long one, because I probably won't get another chance to write or update again until Sunday. Like I said before, there will ALWAYS be an update on Sunday's.

Also.. THANK YOU so much for the kind words. I'm loving that ya'll are enjoying the story. It's very motivating. In fact, after I post this, I'm gonna keep writing so that we will have LOTS of fun on Sunday!

As always, Charlaine Harris owns the characters and whatnot. And she rocks my socks.

Snoogans!

"I trust you wont mention this." I said to Bobby, and I closed my phone. I stood in the doorway of Sookie's room, and watched her.

What was she? Who was she?

I hadn't even realized that I had walked to her side, and I found myself leaning down to her. I put my nose at the nape of her neck and inhaled. I could sense her waking. The subtle change in her heartbeat and breathing told me so. But she didn't move, and she didn't say anything.

I inhaled deep. She smelled different. I had smelled the Fae magic before, but now that I wasn't focusing on that, intoxicated by it, I was noticing something different about her smell. The smell of her blood beneath her skin.

"You smell different." I whispered in her ear, my lips lightly brushing against her lobe. It sent a shiver through her, and… I inhaled again… slightly aroused her. Beautiful.

"What do you mean?" she finally managed to say, whispering back.

"I don't know yet. But I intend to find out." I said as I started to stand back up straight, but not before stopping just above her face, brushing my lips against her cheek, meeting her gaze with my own. "Tell me about Bobby's visit today." I said as I straightened the rest of the way, and walked to a chair that was in the corner of the room and took a seat. We were sitting in the dark, a small amount of light coming in from the hall way. Of course, I could see her perfectly, but I could see her struggling to focus on me. She shifted in bed so that she was sitting up with her back against the headboard.

"Bobby's visit? He came and dropped off the food. Asked if I needed anything, and then he left."

"Did anything… unusual happen?"

She looked a little puzzled. "You woke me up smelling me. And now you're asking me about Bobby stopping by? I call that unusual." she muttered.

"You know, I can still hear you. When you mutter like that." I said, and laughed a little to myself. "I am a vampire. Good hearing." I said, tapping my ear.

"I haven't forgotten." she said, a bit of harshness in her voice.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked after a moment.

She seemed to realize what i was referring to. She took a deep breath before she answered. "I was scared."

"You don't trust me?" I said, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees.

"I don't know you." she said.

"I'm the only one you do know, actually."

"All's I know is your name is Eric, you're a vampire, and you have no problem apparently picking up a strange woman off the side of the road at one in the morning and taking her into your home. Which you say you have only ever let two other people into!" she said, her voice getting louder as she spoke.

She had gotten herself worked up. I sat silently as she calmed herself down. It took a few minutes, but eventually, she relaxed again.

"Your name is Sookie. Sookie Stackhouse." I told her.

"What?"

"I said, your name is…" but she interrupted me.

"No, I heard you. I just mean… when did you find this out?"

"While I was at the bar tonight. I learned a few things about you. Or at least, things concerning you. Pam is digging up what she can on you. We should know more tomorrow evening." I said, and rose from the chair. I was at her side in an instant, hovering over her. She cowered a bit at first, but then found strength, and straightened back up. I had to fight to keep from smiling at her little display of bravery. I leaned in close to her face. "And don't ever interrupt me again. Do you understand?" I hissed at her.

"Don't keep secrets from me." she replied.

"Don't keep them from me."

"Deal." she said, and stuck her hand out in a gesture humans do when they want to 'shake hands' as if to seal a deal. I took her hand in mine, but instead I brought it up to my lips and lightly kissed it. Being this close to her, having her scent so strong, whatever it was, mixed with the lingering scent of Fae magic was dangerous. For me and for her.

"There may be times when I don't tell you everything. But I will never lie to you." I said, releasing her hand. "Now, go back to sleep." I told her, and turned to leave the room.

"I'm not tired anymore." she said, leaning over to turn on the bedside lamp. "Someone woke me up, and now I'm wide awake."

"My apologies. But you must understand, hearing that your house guest is possibly telepathic…" I said, and then stopped to stare at her. I must have been staring at her strangely, because she froze, and looked at me, puzzled. "Sookie, can you hear what I'm thinking?"

She looked at me for a moment. I thought about how sexy she looked wearing my Fangtasia shirt. She didn't have a bra on. Mother Nature had been kind to her. I realized that I wanted to see her without that shirt on. Without anything on.

"No… I can't." she said, slightly disappointed. "Maybe I didn't really hear Bobby's mind today. Why can't I read yours? If I was telepathic, shouldn't I be able to? Maybe there's something wrong with Bobby, and not with me."

"You think there is something wrong with you if you are telepathic?"

"Well… yeah. Don't you? I'd make me a freak." she said, and lowered her eyes. I was at her side then. I took her face in my hands, and brought her eyes up to meet mine.

"You are anything but a freak. Do you understand?" I said, and she rolled her eyes. "Sookie, look at me. You are beautiful." I said in almost a whisper to her. She blushed, and turned her eyes from mine again. I gripped her face tighter and her eyes shot back to meet mine. "You are beautiful. You are brave and strong. And you are smart."

"Smart? How? I got in a car with a strange vampire in the middle of the night." she said, half smiling.

"Yes, but look at the vampire you got in the car with. Obviously a smart decision." I said and half smiled back. She laughed lightly.

I leaned forward and kissed her. It was light, slow; and I lingered for a moment before pulling back.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"I saw my chance. I took it." I said in a serious tone. She blushed again.

"Eric, I don't know if I want to do… that."

"Do what, exactly?" I said, leaning back towards her, stopping just short of her lips. Gods she smelled delicious. I just wanted to rub myself all over her. I wanted to do a lot of things to her when she smelled like this. I wondered for a second when the smell of the Fae magic would wear off. I hoped it wouldn't be any time soon. Our noses touched. I brushed mine along hers, and then to her cheek. I could smell her arousal again. Her body was rigid.

"This. I don't know if I want to do this. I'm…"

"You're what?" I whispered into her neck now.

"Eric, please…" she whispered back. It wasn't a 'please' meant for me to continue. It was a 'please' meant for me to stop. I leaned back. I felt intoxicated from her, by her.

"You really should rest." I told her, rising from the bed. She shook her head in agreement, and I left the room. She didn't ask me to stay this time.

When I rose the next night, I found Sookie in the kitchen. She was washing the dishes from whatever meal she had made herself. I went to the refrigerator and took out a True Blood, and put it in the microwave.

"How was your day?" I asked, leaning against the counter, waiting for the familiar ding to tell me my breakfast was ready.

"Good. Bobby came by again. Dropped off some clothes for me. Thank you, by the way."

"You're welcome."

She turned from the sink to face me. "I read his mind. I didn't even have to try. It was actually a struggle to make it stop."

"Interesting. How did you do it? Make it stop."

"I just thought about building a wall where his thoughts were coming in. Eventually, he was pretty much blocked out." she said with a shrug of her shoulders. She turned back to the sink. I thought about walking up behind her then. Turning her to face me. Taking her. Right there on the counter. Tasting her skin, her blood. Making her moan… scream my name. Our bodies joined together.

Then the microwave dinged, and I was jolted back to the present. I would make that a reality, and soon.

"We are going to the bar tonight. We are leaving at eight. Pam should have more information on you. We can start to figure out exactly who you are." I said and I opened the bottle of True Blood and then took a drink.

She didn't say anything though. She just stayed facing the sink, washing the same plate.

"What if I don't want to know?" she finally asked.

"Why wouldn't you want to?"

"I'm scared. You know how you found me. Clothes torn, memory erased. And I know you saw the bruise on my back, and the scars around my ankles… someone did that to me from whatever my life was before. What if they try to kill…"

"I wont let anyone hurt you."

"I could just make a new life for myself. Forget this Sookie Stackhouse person. I could just go by Aude. Find a job or something. Get my own place."

"You could stay here. You wouldn't have to work. I would take care of you." I said the words, and couldn't believe they had come from my mouth. That I had thought them. That I had been so quick to say them. But they were the truth, a truth I had just realized.

"You don't even know me." she said, finally moving on from the plate she had been washing for the last few minutes. She stopped what she was doing and turned to face me.

We stared each other down for a few minutes. I finished my True Blood and set the bottle on the counter. "Be ready to leave at eight." I said sternly to her and went to my office, slamming the door behind me.

The ride to Fangtasia was quite. It seemed that neither of us was going to be the one to speak first. When I pulled into the parking lot, she hesitated before following me out of the car and into the employee entrance. When we got to my office, I motioned for her to have a seat, and then I left my office to find Pam.

She was sitting in my booth with Bill Compton. Shit.

"Master." Pam said as I took a seat next to her in the booth.

"Sheriff." Bill said.

"Compton. What brings you here?" I asked.

"I came looking for some… company, for the evening." he said, looking out into the crowd. What a fucking liar.

"Well, I hate to cut this short, but Pam and I have some business to attend to. If you'll excuse us." I said, and rose. Pam followed. Not that I wanted to spend time with that worthless Compton, but I would suffer through it if it meant finding out why he was interested in my Sookie.

We went into my office, and I had a seat behind my desk. Sookie was sitting in one of the chairs in my office. Pam went to one of my filing cabinets and pulled out a small file, placing it in front of me. She turned to face Sookie.

"Well look at you all cleaned up. Nice. Very nice." Pam said, and winked at Sookie.

"Thank you." Sookie said in return, smiling slightly at Pam.

"Well, aren't you sweet." Pam replied.

"Not particularly." she said, dryly.

Pam turned back to me. "She's from Bon Temps. Lives in a home that's been in her family for over a century. And you'll never believe who she works for."

I looked up to Pam and she flipped open the small file. It had a copy of Sookie's application for employment. I stared at it for a moment and then started to laugh.

"I know. Hysterical." Pam said in an irritated tone.

"What? Who do I work for?" Sookie asked, leaning over trying to read the page.

"The shifter?" I said to Pam.

"None other. Weren't you there the night you found you little bundle of joy?"

"I was coming back from there, yes."

"You didn't see her while you were there?" Pam asked.

"I would remember seeing her." I said, looking back up at Pam. She had a grin like the Cheshire cat plastered on her face.

"Pam, who's 'the shifter'?" Sookie asked. Pam looked to her, and then to me, realizing that Sookie and I hadn't really looked at each other, and hadn't spoken directly to each other since we had been in the office.

"Lovers spat already?" she said, still smiling.

"Enough Pam. What else did you find." I said.

"There wasn't much." she said, and turned back to Sookie. "You have a brother, Jason Stackhouse. Your parents died when you were young. You and your bother lived with your grandmother after that. Your brother moved out and back into your parents home when he was eighteen, and you stayed with your grandmother until she died last year."

Sookie sat back in the chair. She seemed to be searching her mind for any memory of anything Pam had just told her. After a few minutes, she shrugged her shoulders, tears starting to fill her eyes. "I don't remember any of it." she said. A tear rolled down here cheek.

"Really Eric, now she's leaking."

"Pam, enough." I said, and looked up at her. "Go watch Bill." I said in Swedish.

"Fine." she said after a moment, and went to leave the office, but when she got to the door, she stopped and turned back to me. "Oh, and by the way, she has a new next door neighbor. You'll never believe who it is! Bill Compton." And with that, she walked out the door.

I looked to Sookie, who, as soon as the door was shut, seemed to crumple in agony. She had her hands on either side of her head, cupping her ears. She was starting to rock back and forth. I was at her side immediately.

"Sookie, what's wrong?" I said as I tried to calm her. She would have kept rocking except I had a strong grip on her, and she couldn't move any longer.

"I can hear them." she finally managed to whisper. "I can hear all of them. I can't make it stop." she continued. I lifted her face to look at mine. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Yes you can. You did it with Bobby, you can do it now." I told her in a calm but stern voice.

"I've been trying, but it's just getting louder. I can't Eric. I can't do it. Get me out of here, please." she pleaded.

I took out my phone and sent a text to Pam to make sure Compton didn't have a view of the hallway or the employee entrance. Sookie and I would be leaving in one minute. She replied back that we were clear ten seconds later. I lifted Sookie from her chair, carrying her like a husband would carry their wife over the threshold of a new home. Her hands were still cupped to her ears, and her eyes were shut tight. Her face was contorted into that of someone who was in pure agony.

I rushed us out the door and to my car. I had her in the passenger seat and buckled in an instant. The moment we had gotten out the door, I could see the tension slowly starting to release from her. By the time that I had her in my car, she was still clutching her ears, but she didn't seem to be in pain any longer.

I got in the drivers seat and pulled out of the parking lot. I found a side street to park on a few blocks away. We still needed to have a conversation about what we had learned this evening. I turned off the car but stayed facing forward. She had taken her hands from her ears and was sitting looking out the passenger window.

"Last night, there were witches at Fangtasia, looking for you. They said you were part of their coven. I told them I hadn't seen you, but they knew you by name. They have been putting these out." I said, and turned to take the 'Missing" flyer of her from the folder Pam had put together regarding Sookie. I handed it to her. She stared at it like she was looking at a stranger instead of a picture of herself. She handed it back to me after a moment.

"Am I still going home with you?" she asked.

"Yes. It's not safe for you to return to Bon Temps right now. Not until we figure out what the witches want with you."

"Is that the only reason you're taking me back with you?"

"Would you come with me still if there was no danger?" I asked.

"Yes. You're the only person I know." she said, and then turned to face me. "I'm sorry, about earlier, in the kitchen. I should have said thank you for your offer. It's just, I don't understand why you would offer so much to someone you hardly know."

"I'm sorry as well. For a few things, but we can discuss those later. As for my offer, it still stands. I agree, we don't know each other very well. But I find… that I would like to get to know you better." I said, leaving out the part about wanting to make her mine. Wanting to bring her to my side. Make all who owe me fealty owe it to her as well.

I was confused. I was clear on the feelings that I had that were growing rapidly for this young woman, but I couldn't figure out why it was happening. I had never felt for a human the way that I felt for her, and I had only known her two nights.

"As for you coming back with me to my home, the danger that you face in Bon Temps is not the only reason that I want you to come home with me. I find that I am drawn to you, Sookie. I don't know yet though if these feelings are my own, or if there is something else driving them. I haven't felt like this about any human in a thousand years. Not since I was human. There are times that I think these feelings, this draw to you is my own, but then I think that perhaps it's some sort of a curse."

Why the fuck had I just told her all that? It was times like this I was sure I was cursed. That she somehow had something to do with it, even if she didn't know she was doing it. Had the witches placed a spell on her? Used her as bait to get to me? To have some spell cast from her to me when I picked her up? Was there some spell about her that had even caused me to pull over and pick her up off the side of the road? That was where this whole thing had started. My unnatural attraction to her when I saw her running down the road. The draw to her that made me pull over to help her.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, pulling me from the intense thoughts I was having on the subject. Spinning my own conspiracy theory as it were. "You've got a million and one expressions running across your face right now." she said, laughing slightly.

"Just theorizing on the events surrounding you." I said in return, and turned to face her. I put my hand on her cheek, and she relaxed into it, closing her eyes. "Come, lets go home."