Chapter 3

A/N: I'm not sure if I'm taking liberties here, but for the sake of story line, sookie's bond to both eric and bill wore off after 2-3 months. Distance and all…yes, well. Carry on.

It was with apprehension that Sookie pulled up the drive of her house. She'd just come from Merlotte's, and had a hearty welcome back too. At first she'd been nervous, walking up the steps to the tavern, wondering what kind of reception she would receive. And then for once she realized she didn't have to know what everyone thought, if she didn't want to. Her ability to shield had increased ten fold--as long as she kept her cool, she would be just like a normal girl, oblivious to the crap knocking around the mostly empty skulls of the patrons.

It was with a sudden burst of energy and a wide Sookie smile that she burst through the doors, and immediately threw her arms around the neck of a very surprised but very happy Sam. "Cher, you're back! My God you look good, girl. Wherever you been, their air musta agreed with you!"

Sookie had stayed for a few hours, jawing with everyone without exactly revealing where she'd been, (just in case she needed to go back), even receiving a big hug from her good for nothing brother. She talked to Sam about getting back on the schedule again, and before she knew it, it was midnight. "Sam, I might turn into a pumpkin if I don't get home soon," she said, laying on a little extra to her accent just for the pure pleasure of it. For the past four months she'd been wrapping her tongue around near alien languages, and though it had been an amazing experience, there was nothing like the comforts of home.

"You be ok going on by yourself, Sookie? I'll take you home if you want," Sam offered.

Sookie knew the farm house in the dark would be terrifying, but she also knew she couldn't allow her incident with Bill to run her life, to ruin her forever. She wanted to conquer her fear, and to her that meant, perhaps foolhardily, that she had to go it alone.

"I'll be fine, Sam," Sookie assured him, and after kissing him on the cheek, headed home.

And in her driveway she sat, staring at the front door. Fifteen feet of shadows, and she'd be home free, through the threshold. All she had to do was make it into her sanctuary, where she was queen. Where she dictated who could come and go, by some form of magic that affected vampires she couldn't understand.

Nervously she fingered the silver chain about her neck, and the charm that dangled at the end. It was an intricate silver rendition of the Mjölnir, Thor's hammer, a souvenir from her travels and a gift from Henrik.

You'll be fine, Sook, she assured herself, gripping the door of the car. Would she? She didn't give herself any further opportunity to mull it over, spilling out the car and making a dash for her front door. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as she ran, and it was the fastest she'd ever worked the front lock. She could hardly believe it when she made it inside without a scratch, and leaned against the closed front door, inhaling deeply, exhaling slowly.

Suddenly in a fine mood, she went to set her purse and keys on the kitchen table, and meandered into the living room to maybe get in a few more pages of Unbearable in before bed.

"You have been a very naughty girl, Sookie."

That cold voice made Sookie's blood turn to ice, and she turned slowly to find Bill leaning against the wall. Immediately she flipped a switch, for all the good it would do.

"Bill Compton, I revoke--"

It came from the left, faster than she could possibly react, just a slap across the cheek, but it sent her reeling against the mantle and into a ball on the floor. Bill quickly straddled her, a hand clamped over her mouth. She began to bite down viciously, but then thought better of it, thinking perhaps it wouldn't be the best idea to spill more of his blood into her mouth. The bond had worn off, allowing her to travel rather extensively their last month without either of her vampires knowing her location by a metaphysical connection alone. She didn't want to instate it again.

Acknowledging her logic with the smile the snake pays the mouse, Bill nodded. "You will take my blood again, Sookie. You were clever, but you can't run forever. You are destined to be mine."

I cannot fail the queen again, or she will have my head.

With surprise and alarm Sookie realized that she'd caught some of Bill's thoughts, a rare occurrence, but not unprecedented. Still, it was her most coveted of accidental talents; no one but her knew she could sometimes read vampires. No one. The vampires would kill her immediately if they knew.

He bit into his wrist savagely, blood gushing from his arm.

If she could read his thoughts, Sookie wondered if she could influence him at all, the way she could humans. Her abilities had only increased since they parted ways, it was worth a try. And so she concentrated on sending a burning sensation down his arm, envisioning a sunbeam coming through the window and burning him. She reached out to the blankness that was his mind to her, and offered this image, pushed it into him, assaulted him with all her might.

Jerking as though he had indeed been burned, Bill recoiled from her. Sookie took the opportunity to grasp the Mjölnir, and jerking it from its chain, proceeded to shove the sterling silver object into Bill's cheek. "I revoke my invitation!" she screamed, and as Bill clawed at his face, dislodging the pendant from his burning skin, the magic that governed vampire law dragged him from the house, as though a giant hand had grasped him by the collar with the intent of throwing him out. The door opened of its own accord, and a sudden howling wind shoved Bill that last yard to land on the porch. The door slammed behind him, and the house went still once more.

"This isn't over, Sookie," Bill hissed from behind the door, obviously in great pain. She picked the little object up from the floor, slipping it into her pocket.

Her knees shook, and her head hurt, but it was with great satisfaction that she muttered, "Fuck off, Bill."

It was with a sense of mild triumph that Sookie awaited the dawn, clutching the Mjölnir. Only when dawn's rosy fingers caressed the inky blue sky did she allow herself to fall asleep.

IIIIIIIIII

It seemed Sookie couldn't go a day at home without returning to the natural order of things: I.e.--getting beaten up. She sported a rather impressive bruise upon her chin, and she couldn't help but note the ironic symmetry of the situation, having left the house looking the same way four months ago.

She found herself faced with a dilemma, and a ticklish one at that. She found herself in possession of contraband information, a forbidden fact, and the implications weighed heavily upon her.

I cannot fail the queen again, or she will have my head.

She wondered if Bill had been tasked from the beginning to bring her under his control, or if it had developed once Sophie-Anne realized their attachment could be advantageous to her. Either way, she knew Bill to be on her list of vampires to avoid at any cost.

And the next question?

Did Eric know?

It was hard to say. Were they both under orders to bring her in? May the best man win, and all that?

Somehow, Sookie doubted it. If Eric was under orders to control Sookie, she knew he could have done it with ease and cold calculation. He wouldn't have hesitated in the least, would have executed a master plan in a matter of a month, maybe less.

No, she suspected she and Eric's relationship involved special complication. She suspected it was something like love, and it scared her almost as much.

And the next question, was Eric trustworthy?

Even less certain.

Though he'd always come through for her, hadn't he? Multiple times. But why? He liked her suddenly seemed an unlikely answer.

Shit.

She found herself with the exact same problem, only four months delayed. Go to Eric and ask for his help, and inadvertently indenture herself to him, or just run? There was a whole wide world out there, she knew now. She could go anywhere, do anything. Henrik had been curious of the effects of Buddhist meditation on a telepath's mind, if it would help one focus and reach out even farther--they could go to the Himalayas. Live in a monastery, subsist on butter tea and yak's milk.

The thought made her smile, but it didn't feel right this time, and she knew it. Last time it did, last time she felt she'd taken the right course. But this time? Something surely needed to be resolved. She needed answers.

And her best bet to find those answers seemed to be Eric Northman.

Resigned to her fate, for she had not intended to confront the Viking so soon, Sookie packed a bag and tossed it in the back of her car, prepared to hit the road if things headed south. In full daylight, she dropped into the car, intending to make the drive to Shreveport at the hour which the fanged ones slumbered. It wouldn't do to be waylaid on the way in the dark.

Almost nervously, Sookie puttered around Shreveport, killing time until the fiery orb could fall below the horizon. She shopped, but bought nothing, needing to conserve money for emergency. Eventually she found herself in a café with a cheap cup of coffee, making a go at corralling her distracted mind into finishing her book. She daydreamed, placing herself in the story, imagined herself an expatriate of a war torn land. Not too far from her future, perhaps, if things didn't go well. Then she imagined striding up to Eric in nothing but panties and a bowler hat, and savored the undoubtedly hungry look on his face, even if it only lived in an image in her mind.

She missed him, more than she cared to admit, and the promise of seeing him that night inspired a medley of apprehension and excitement in the pit of her stomach.

It was as she closed Unbearable, a deep satisfaction settling over her for having finished it, that she glanced out the window of the diner, and realized that sunset was already well on its way. "Shit," she hissed under her breath, gathering up her things and racing out to her car.

By the time she arrived at Fangtasia, business was already in full swing. Nervously she checked herself, running fingers through her hair one last time, fingering a ruffle in her skirt. The dress was white, boned and form fitting, cut low enough to offer a peak of cleavage. Though short, the skirt was almost innocent in its layers and ruffles, lace trimmings and small seed pearls.

Candle in a coal mine indeed.

The door bouncer was new, and didn't seem to recognize Sookie. All for the better. After presenting ID she was allowed to pass, and the adrenaline hit her as she pushed through the door. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light of the bar, and quite the opposite for the patrons and her attire, for she positively glowed. This went unnoticed by no one, but there was only one whose gaze she cared for.

Eric knew something interesting, at least interesting to the blood bags, had entered the bar, but he could not see through the throng. Annoyed, he turned his attention elsewhere, looking down to his phone. Vampire Bill had sent him three texts requesting a meeting, irritatingly and insistently. He decided to ignore him for a bit longer, just to let him stew. Something indefinable drew his eyes once more to the crowd, the sight before him drew a light gasp only Pam behind him could hear. In his surprise his phone tumbled from his large hand, for there she was. Striding towards him like a vision of heaven, an angel in white. Her hips rolled as she walked on her high heels, long tan legs so very visible as her skirt whispered about them.

A yard from the dais she came to a stop, suddenly unsure of herself, of what she was doing there. She dared meet the gaze of the Viking in front of her, and a thrill ran through her at the sight of him, those intense eyes, such a beautiful artic blue. She could read nothing in his expression, there was only the perfection of his features, still as a statue.

Pam seemed intrigued by this unexpected appearance, raising one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. In Swedish she muttered to Eric with a sly smile, "Well, well, your little bird has returned to you. Better clip her wings while you have the chance."

It was much to Eric and Pam's surprise, when Sookie answered in English. "No one is clipping my wings."

Eric's expression still remained inscrutable, as was his tone. "What things you have learned since last we met, Sookie. What else have you got for us?"

The telepath bent down, affording a generous view of her cleavage as she gingerly scooped up Eric's iphone. Cheekily she held it out in offering, and Eric received it with a smirk. But he did not stop there, clasping her small hand in his, pulling her closer. "I think we have some things to discuss in private, don't you?"

She could tell nothing from his tone, whether there was anger or even lust, or worst yet, apathy. With a swallow she nodded, making an attempt to pull her hand free. But Eric only switched holds, gripping her arm above the elbow to steer her into his office. His fingers easily wrapped all the way around her upper arm.

Once through the door, its lock turned to the outside world, his hold tightened as he pulled her against him. She crashed against the musculature of his chest like meeting a brick wall, and one hand immediately rose to push against him. In futility, it seemed. In his fury his eyes blazed sapphire, his skin glowed luminescent marble. Even as he frightened her, Sookie still couldn't help but think he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever laid eyes on.

It didn't seem fair in the least.

"How dare you run away from me?" he seethed, cupping the side of her face in his large hand. Sookie squirmed against him, but to no avail. "Did you have fun playing in the Midnight Sun, where no vampires could follow you? Clever girl." In complete contrast to his roiling temper, his lips crashed over hers, and for a moment Sookie melted under the fiery passion of his kiss.

But it was as he nicked her lip with a distended fang, betraying his desire even further, that Sookie came back to reality. She jerked away, attempting to land a slap upon his jaw, but Eric easily caught her hand in his, engulfing it within his own. "Don't flatter yourself, I wasn't running from you," she spat. "And at any rate, Eric Northman, you do not own me in any capacity."

Eric went still, intrigued by her first statement, ignoring the second. In his eyes he had owned her in part, until she waited out his bond to her in the inaccessibility of the Midnight Sun. He'd known she dwelled in the northern most reaches of Norway, within the Artic circle where the sun would not set, and seethed in the fact that he could not reach her. Slowly the bond faded, until he could feel her no more, and damned if he hadn't felt as though a small part of him died at her absence within him. After three months he could no longer sense her elation in discovering a foreign land, and countless other experiences he could not know.

Though he could sense her emotions, he knew not what exact activities spurred them. At times his imagination drove him wild with jealousy, knowing her to be with that handsome doctor, that damned Henrik Jurgensen. How often had he felt intense happiness from her, complete satisfaction, and wondered if another man's hands glided over her body, fulfilled her in ways she'd never allowed him.

Yes, he'd been able to find out about Jurgensen at least, having questioned the shifter, obtaining credit card information from his bill at Merlotte's, and tracing him from there. He knew of the telepath program at the University, and his mentor, Dr. Ibsen.

If Sookie was not running from him, that left one other vampire with which she was closely acquainted. Suddenly very suspicious of their former Civil War soldier, Eric ran fingers light as a feather over the bruise upon Sookie's chin. "Who hit you, Sookie?" he demanded darkly. It sounded of death for whoever had dared, and for once she felt heartened by that lethal potential in Eric.

"That's an interesting story, actually."

"I imagine you are just full of interesting stories, lover. I would like to hear them." Cooling down, he went to sit on the couch, long arms spread out along the back of it, nearly touching each end. Though he nodded for her to take a seat beside him, she wasn't ready just yet to be so close. She didn't exactly think clearly, when the Viking was near.

Sookie switched gears, not quite ready to discuss the origins of her bruise directly.

"Tell me, Eric. What do you know of the Queen's intentions for me?" she asked, causing Eric's blond eyebrows to arch high upon his noble brow.

The brow in question also furrowed, as he further considered her query. "I was not aware the Queen knew about you at all, little one, much less an agenda for you. Is there something political happening in my area I am ignorant of?" Sookie bit her lip, suddenly unsure of herself, if she ever should have come there. What if he was lying? What if indeed. Eric grew impatient at her silence, further probing, "Is that why you ran away where no vampire could follow you for three months? Taking advantage of the Midnight Sun was a brilliant idea, though I do not appreciate being abandoned."

It was Henrik's idea, Sookie thought, though she decided she would decline to mention the doctor to Eric for now. He would hear the tenderness in her voice, the admiration, and the Viking wouldn't like it in the least. "I regret that it must have seemed that way, to you," she finally answered. "But I felt I had no choice at the time. I'm sorry if I hurt you."

The Viking stiffened at the very idea this little woman could hurt him, though perhaps the real reason it rankled was because such a pronouncement brushed too close to the truth for his liking. "I was so certain you were running from me. So tell me Sookie, if it not the case, then from who did you flee?"

Sookie groaned, finding herself still reluctant to speak of Bill. There was a heaviness in her heart; she wanted to put it all behind her, pretend it didn't happen. Not think of it ever again. She knew it was unrealistic, but still, she put it off.

"I was offered an opportunity I couldn't refuse."

"A jaunt in the Artic?"

A small smile curled Sookie's full lips. "That's the tip of the iceberg, I guess." Her smile widened. "I got to see polar bears."

Eric's expression visibly darkened once more, eyes narrowing as they blazed blue fire. "We both know you didn't run away to see polar bears, Sookie. I would imagine spending time with a Dr. Henrik Jurgensen had more to do with it?"

Panic spread across Sookie's features. "How did you…"

"It's amazing how easy it is to find people in this modern age, isn't it? Paired with the bond, it wasn't difficult. I still have a mind to eat him, for taking you away from me."

"You will not harm a hair on his head, Eric Northman! How dare you!" she fumed, clenching her fists, but Eric waved her rage away like smoke.

"Save your anger. You disappeared without a word, and I needed to know you were alright. Through the bond I felt the most horrible panic from you, but it was close to dawn and I could do nothing. When I went to your home the next night, you were gone."

In a panic, Sookie demanded, "Did you tell Bill where I was? Did he know the whole time?" She and Henrik had remained in the 24 hours of sunlight in the Artic circle for three months, but once she sensed the bond fade, she thought it would be safe to travel. They'd gone all over Europe by train, flaunting their freedom in the darkness, when possibly Bill could have found them all the while?

However, by the expression upon Eric's face, Sookie suddenly knew Eric did no such thing, keeping the information all to himself. "What has he done to you, Sookie, that you are suddenly so afraid of him? Was it he who placed that nasty bruise upon your chin?"

Sookie went quiet, wrapping her arms around her, as though the temperature had dropped twenty degrees in the office. Eric watched her draw into herself, and suddenly knew something was rotten in his area, something he had not known about for quite some time. But still she didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to try and put the horrible thing Bill had done to her into words.

"Sookie, come here," said the Viking softly, holding out his large hand in invitation. She rolled her blue eyes to him, and he could see the tears building there. "I can't help you, if I don't know what happened."

Resigned, Sookie went to stand before the Sheriff. She paused at his knees, as a skydiver pauses at the door. Did she want to jump? Would the chute open? Much to Eric's surprise, she took the plunge.

"I don't want to talk about it," she asserted, climbing into his lap in a smooth motion that left him speechless. She straddled his torso, hands splayed upon the muscular swell of his pectorals. Taken aback as he was, Eric did not miss a beat, and Sookie gasped as his long hands slid to rest at her waist.

"You must--"

Sookie shushed the vampire, a thumb tracing over his lower lip. He closed his eyes as her fingers slid into his hair. "Open your mind to me, Eric, and I'll show you more than I could possibly tell."

There was a multitude of things Sookie had learned, spending time with Henrik and others like her. One of them was the ability to share thoughts, images, sequences of events through a mental connection. It worked with humans, but would it with a vampire? She would find out.

Eric relished in holding her close, fought not to press his lips on hers once more. But he would spook her, he knew, and so he waited for whatever it was she had in mind. As she breathed against his neck his hands convulsed upon her waist, and it was as he pulled her closer that the beginnings of images began flashing in his mind, with a strong accompaniment of emotion.

There they were, in his office, on this very couch. As she left he felt her apprehension, uncertainty, and even a little sorrow. The drive home, and the carefree way she danced through the front door, floating up the stairs on a cloud. And then there was Bill, and her elation died, quickly shifted to fear as he approached her, and terror as he took her. He watched her awake with blood between her thighs before she broke the mental connection, trembling in his arms, and collapsed against him.

Eric pulled her closer, whispering soothing words and stroking her hair, even as a murderous rage filled him for Bill's audacity, hubris, and cruelty. Once, the gentle Swedish would have merely registered as pretty words, but it had become an even greater comfort for her. "He'll never touch you again," Eric assured her.

And to his heartened delight, she answered in the same language, slowly but sure, "I know. I will kill him myself if he tries."

"Why did you not come to me before?"

"Because I wanted to go to Norway," she answered cheekily, smiling against Eric's neck. She inhaled deeply, taking in his masculine scent, a mixture of expensive cologne and his own delicious flavors.

"You have only put off the inevitable."

Sookie shrugged. "Before this, I'd barely even been out of the state, Eric. And now, I can speak to you in Swedish. I can say hello and thank you in six other languages. I've been to the top of the Eifel tower, and seen the Coliseum, and sunbathed on Mediteranean shores.."

"I did not know you wanted such things."

Sookie found that she fit perfectly beneath Eric's chin, if she curled a certain way. "Neither did I. But I loved every minute. I can't wait to go back."

"Are you sure it wasn't just the company?" Eric growled, the thought of her with another man eliciting dark thoughts to bloom in his brain.

Sookie sat back, and could not mistake the dangerous glint in the vampire's eyes. But she did not shrink away, squaring her shoulders, holding her chin high. She'd had enough of men bristling over notions of perceived ownership of her person. "If you're going to be a caveman, I will leave right now, and handle this myself."

Eric's long arms had different plans, wrapping around her small body in an effective trap. "Tell me of this business with the queen, Sookie. What makes you suspect she is interested in you in some way?"

Sookie paused, still not sure it would be wise to reveal even to Eric that she could occasionally read vampire minds. "Bill muttered something in his fit, last night," she smoothly lied. "Something about the queen having his head, if he failed her again. As he was trying to dump a quart of his blood down my throat."

"Did you swallow any?" asked Eric, concerned.

"No. I shoved a silver Mjölnir necklace in his face instead." She gave a short, abrupt cough of laughter, because it was better than crying. "He didn't seem to care for that too much."

They sat in relative silence for a few minutes, Eric running his fingers through her hair. How he had missed those silky tresses, a gold to rival his own.

"You do realize you cannot go home tonight, do you not?" he eventually broke the silence.

"Where will I go?"

"Home with me," decided Eric with the smile of the cat who ate the canary. At long last, he would have her right where he wanted her, with reason on his side. He could think of nowhere more secure to take her.

"Eric…" Sookie couldn't help but instinctually feel weary, all too aware of Eric's capacity to scheme with the intent to seduce her, even in times of duress and danger.

"You will need to lay low for a few days, Sookie, and there is no securer place than my lair. You will be completely safe, and completely comfortable, I assure you, while I attempt to sort this mess out."

"What exactly do you mean, sort it out?"

"Tearing Bill to tiny pieces with my bare hands comes to mind," growled Eric.

A long sigh escaped Sookie, and she buried her face in Eric's neck even further, taking refuge in his skin. It didn't sound like a terrible idea, really. "Wouldn't you get in trouble for that?"

"For avenging an injustice committed against my bonded? Not likely."

Sookie pushed back, hands resting upon Eric's chest. With a sudden fire in her eyes she protested, "I am not your bonded, Eric! You tricked me into drinking some of your blood once, and now the effects have faded. I don't belong to anyone now, and I'm going to keep it that way!"

Eric growled in response, his grip tightening upon her hips. "When vampires are fighting over you, Sookie, you must belong to someone! Don't you understand that? You stand no chance alone."

"No!" She fought to free herself once more. It was the model of her relationship with the vampire, tender moments coupled with anger and struggle.

Suddenly Eric's voice calmed, but she knew it to merely be the eye of the storm. He cupped her head in his large hands, eyes boring into hers. "Why did you come to me, if not to ally yourself with me?"

"Because I was stupid enough to think you just might care about me enough to help me, without demanding I sign my life away to you!"

Something inside the vampire clenched, and he had not quite realized the extent of which he wanted Sookie, longed for her to be his, to want to be his, up until that moment. A moment he'd thought he had her once and for all, only to find she had something entirely different in mind. And at the same time, he also knew that if he did not step lightly in the next few seconds, he would lose her, more thoroughly than he ever had before. In a way that she would never, ever come back to him. So it was not without some spirit of manipulation, that he threw Sookie for a loop.

"I am sorry."

The telepath froze mid struggle, rolling surprised eyes to the vampire before her. "What did you say?"

"I am sorry. I misjudged. But I will not forsake you because I was blinded by how very much I want you to come to me."

Sookie couldn't have been more surprised had Eric slapped her. No, after last night, she half expected the slap. "What do you mean, Eric?" she asked wearily, expecting a catch, a trap, something unseen waiting to ensnare her. It seemed as though it always worked that way with vampires.

"I mean I will help you through this, Sookie, best I can. You may have to pretend to be mine, but you and I will know it is pretense."

Struck dumb by this unexpected side of Eric, Sookie slid from his grasp to sit beside him, clasping her hands in her lap. She studied her thumbnails for a bit, before asking, "You would do that for me?"

"Yes, my little one. And much more, if you will let me."

With her heart in her throat, Sookie clasped Eric's hand in hers, still wrapping her head around this new side of Eric she'd never seen before. "Well then," she finally spoke. "Looks like we're going to your house."

The vampire flashed a heartbreaking smile, and hooking her chin with one finger, placed the gentlest of kisses upon her lips, causing her eyes to flutter shut. "You will not regret it," he promised, and Sookie hoped he was right.

A/N: Well, worth the wait? Hope so! Your feedback is much appreciated! :)