Trouble Maker

A/N: Welcome back, Readers, and happy almost Tuesday! Perhaps I should just start saying I'll post Monday nights, since that seems to be what keeps happening! None-the-less, I hope you enjoy the latest installment. And as always, thank you to my beta, Nerdygirl, for taking time out of her life to make my writing so much more presentable!

-Andi

Chapter Four: Cold Comfort

As Eric pulled into Sookie's rugged, gravel driveway, he glanced at Sookie. He could already smell blood in the air. "Sookie, you need to invite me into your house." He told her quietly. "Stay very close to me." Eric was instantaneously opening the passenger's door and helping her out.

"Eric, please come inside." Sookie whispered over her clenched throat, her hands gripping Eric's forearm tightly.

"Do not turn on any lights." Eric murmured to her as he opened the back door and stepped inside. Closing his eyes, he listened intently. There was nothing to hear.

"Stay right here, and do not move." Eric told her, backing Sookie against a wall next to the door, "I will be right back." He was gone before she could object, and Sookie's hand reached for the knob of the back door- ready to bolt. Her eyes were adjusting slowly, and all she could see was the vaguest outline of Eric hunched over in the kitchen. As she stood in darkness, Sookie noticed the strangest smell in the kitchen. She could not place the odor, but it was so peculiar that she could almost taste it on her tongue. Memories of pretending Gran's penny collection was a pile of buried treasure; warm, moist hands from holding piles of the copper coins. Cupping her empty hands and holding them to her face, breathing deep and smelling-

"Sookie," Eric was beside her again, jarring the telepath from her reverie, "come outside with me."

"Eric, what's going on?" Sookie felt off balance from the spontaneous flashback.

"Sookie, come outside with me." He said again, more firmly. She allowed Eric to practically lift her from the floor and carry her outside.

"Eric?" Sookie's eyes were damp and pleading- shining in the sliver of moonlight.

"Sookie, your grandmother is dead. She was murdered in the kitchen." Eric told her quietly, and was surprised how quickly he had to move to catch her as she darted for the house.

"You're LYING!" Sookie screamed, struggling against his iron hold on her. "GRAN! GRAN!" She shrieked to the shadowed siding of her childhood home. Sookie had never realized how grave and haunted the farmhouse appeared in the nighttime. How foreboding its silhouette seemed.

"Sookie, what happen-"

"Stop where you are, Compton." Eric snarled, as he kept Sookie in his vice-like grip, clutching her against his chest to keep her from flailing and hurting herself like a frenzied wild animal.

"Eric..." Bill hesitated at the edge of the property. What was Sookie doing with Eric?

"Would you like to explain how a woman gets murdered a few acres away from you, and you do not do anything about it?" Eric growled.

"Murdered?" Bill frowned, and then smelled the air, "Adele?"

"Sookie's grandmother is..." He glanced at Sookie and chose his words heedfully, "in the kitchen."

"My invitation was rescinded this evening." Bill glowered. "So it obviously wasn't me."

Sookie broke into sobs, "Would someone just call the fucking police!?" She choked out, her fingers tangled in the front of Eric's shirt while her tears wetted the material. Bill grimaced and took out his cell phone as Sookie started falling to the ground in hiccups and tears. Bill was surprised to see Eric kneel down in the grass and keep his arms around Sookie as her tears and snot soaked into his long sleeves.

Shortly after the police arrived, Sam Merlotte pulled up in his truck and barely had it in park before he was running at Sookie, leaving the cab door wide open and distracting the flashing red and blue lights of the emergency vehicles with the interior light, "Sookie, Sookie, what happened!?" Sam crouched down and started brushing tears from her face, though her sobbing had subsided a bit. Now she just sat on the damp earth in the unwavering strength of Eric's arms. Her expression was dazed, disbelieving, as the bedlam of the early morning hours danced chaotically around the yard of the farmhouse.

"Gran's dead. Someone killed her. I shoulda been here. I shouldn't have left her alone. I shoulda come home with you instead of staying out. I-"

"Hush now, Little One." Eric soothed quietly into her ear, "The only thing that would have been different if you had been here, is that two women would be dead tonight instead of one."

"Any idea when... When it happened?" Sam asked softly.

"1 AM." Sookie murmured, "That's what the coroner's thinking. How'd you know to come?"

"Police scanner." Sam said quickly, "Sookie, I didn't get home until almost 2. You wouldn't've been home in time even if you left with me. Don't blame yourself." Sam brushed some more silent tears from her cheeks.

"But... I knew something would happen. I wanted to cancel the meeting when I realized Gran would be alone tonight. I should've-"

"SOOKIE!" Sookie looked up to see her brother walking at her hastily, anger and urgency in his eyes. She had not even noticed his truck pull up with all of the activity already in progress. Brushing off Eric's arms, Sookie went to give her brother a comforting hug. As she reached out her arms, she was staggered as her Jason slapped her hard across the face. When she stumbled towards the ground, Eric caught her at the waist to keep her from falling. In the same motion, the vampire had Jason by the throat and off of the ground.

"If you everstrike this woman again, I will rip your fucking arms off." Eric would have done it that second if there were not so many witnesses.

"Eric, Eric, that's my brother!" Sookie explained frantically.

Eric squeezed harder on Jason's throat, "Your brotherstruck you?" He was appalled, and dropped Jason from his grip to fall in a heap upon the grass, "Stay away from her, you cur." Eric sneered.

"This is all your fucking fault!" Jason choked out from his spot on the ground. "Sheriff Dearborn just called me and told me what happened. This is all your fault, you vamp slut!" Jason started crying as he sat on the dewy lawn and rocked ever so slightly with his forehead pressed to his knees.

Sookie clung to Eric hard; her world was slipping away beneath her feet. She felt light headed.

"Merlotte," Eric said quietly, forcing himself to ignore Jason's comments and accusations, "can I trust that you will stay with Sookie during the day?"

"Of course." Sam nodded, averting his eyes as they brought Adele's body out of the house.

"I ne-need t-to see her!" Sookie broke from Eric's arms, which he allowed, but he followed closely as Sookie stopped the coroner. Mike Spencer gave her a sad look as he peeled back the bag and exposed Adele's pale, lifeless face. Sookie sobbed as she leaned forward and kissed her Gran's forehead. As much pain and grief it caused the telepath to see her grandmother, mother, best friend and confidant in such a despairing way, Sookie could not let Adele leave the ancestral farmhouse for the last time without a quivering kiss goodbye, or the choked utterance, "I love you, Gran." She tried so hard to block out Spencer's thoughts when she said this, but it was obvious that he thought, as well as every other human present, that Adele's death was a direct result of Sookie's actions.

Silently, Mike covered Adele back up and loaded her into the back of the van. Soon after, the police left, and Sookie stood on the front lawn with an angry Jason, a solemn Bill, a nervous Sam, and an unreadable Eric. It was only a minute before Jason stomped off towards his truck without so much as a glare at his sister. The man took off into the night, tires kicking up gravel that Eric had to shield Sookie from. Jason Stackhouse would be lucky to survive much longer if he did not get his shit together, Eric promised himself.

"Sookie, I will stay until the sun calls me away, but Sam will be there while you sleep, and when you wake up." Eric whispered. "Merlotte, can you return an hour before dawn?" He asked of Sam, who had followed as well.

"Yeah, I'll just run home and grab a change of clothes and be right back." Sam nodded.

"I will stay with her until I can no longer." He glanced back at Bill, "Compton, I will need a place to stay. Do you have accommodations?"

Bill nodded, "Yes."

"I will come by just before dawn. You are dismissed." Eric commanded. Bill nodded silently and took off.

Sweeping Sookie up into his arms, Eric took her to her bedroom, setting her gently on the bed. She appeared almost catatonic by this point.

"Sookie," Eric knelt down and began removing her shoes, tossing them aside, "can you prepare yourself for bed?"

"I couldn't sleep if I wanted." She mumbled, her brain seeming sluggish, but somehow moving too fast for her to keep up.

"You must sleep." Eric prodded quietly, going through her drawers and finding a suitable nightgown. "Here," he handed the clothing to her, "wash up, change and come to bed."

Sookie took the gown from him and went to the bathroom on auto-pilot. When she emerged, Eric had already turned down the bed for her and beckoned her into it. "I didn't know you could be sweet." She said absentmindedly as she slipped between the sheets he had drawn back.

Eric chose not to reply, instead, tucked her in and sat on the edge of the bed beside her.

"Lie here with me for a bit?" She asked meekly, not caring that she was asking for comfort from Eric, nearly a complete stranger. He did not object, or make any indication of annoyance, merely slid into position beside her.

Soothing back her hair, Eric thought about how the hellhe managed to be here, doing these things for her. "Sleep, Little One. I will take care of everything."

Sookie did not think she could be glamoured, but on some level, it must have been possible because she was asleep the next time she went to blink her eyes.

Once he was sure she would not awaken Eric clipped an earpiece to his ear and dialed his day man. As he cleaned up the kitchen, he coordinated Adele Stackhouse's funeral, giving Sookie's contact information for anything she may need to change or want to do herself. By the time Sam came back, the kitchen was cleaned, and the funeral taken care of.

"You work fast." Sam was leaning in the kitchen doorway.

"Yes, well, I have had to clean many messes like this." Eric replied, standing up to his full height. "I will be back tomorrow at first dark."

Sam nodded, "I expected as much. Honestly, though, Northman, if someone had told me this morning that you were capable of all this, I would have argued."

"She needs to be taken care of. I can already tell that her brother is worthless." Eric grumbled. "I knew from the moment I saw her that she needed a lot of things, I just did not realize how desperately. She is a magnet for danger and drama."

"She wasn't until vampires started coming around." Sam leered.

"You can thank her cousin for that. Had her gift not been exposed, she may have been left alone to raise puppies with you." Eric smirked.

Sam clenched his fists, "You think she'll end up with you?"

"I do."

"Why would you think that?" Sam snarled.

"Because I want her."

"You can't give her what she needs."

"And you can?" Eric challenged.

"I may not be the best guard dog, but at least I can care about her. At least I can, and do, love her." Sam fought back.

"The sun will be rising soon. I must leave." Eric frowned, "Until tonight." Eric nodded and left, heading towards the Compton house.

Sam took off his clothes and changed into his collie form, curling up on the end of Sookie's bed, making sure to cover her feet to keep them warm. He slept lightly until he felt Sookie stir, and then he was up and left just long enough to change back to a human and put on his clothes.

"Morning, Sam." Sookie's voice was dull and quiet.

"Morning, Sookie." Sam hugged her. It felt so empty to her, so uncomfortable.

"Did you sleep?" She asked, still quietly.

"A few hours, yeah." He nodded. "Why don't you come to the kitchen with me? I'll make us some eggs and coffee." He put his arm over her shoulder, but she ducked out of the gesture. "Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." Sookie shook her head, "I just... It just feels weird for you to do that." She struggled for an explanation to the aversion. He was just too... warm. His arms did not offer any security. She felt vulnerable with his arms about her, not protected.

"C'mon, sit down." He gestured to the table.

Sookie looked at the little round table and remembered how yesterday morning; she had sat there with Gran, discussing the whole mess with vampires. Tears flooded her eyes, but she fought them back. She had too much to do today.

After she and Sam finished eating, Sookie jumped when the phone rang. Sam picked it up. "Stackhouse residence... Yeah, Sookie's here." He handed her the phone.

"Hello?" Sookie rasped into the phone.

"Miss Stackhouse?" An unfamiliar man's voice came over the line.

"Yes?"

"My name is Bobby Burnham, an employee of Mr. Northman. He called early this morning, and explained to me of your loss. My deepest condolences, Miss."

"Thank you." Sookie murmured.

"I've already spoken to the funeral home in your area, and everything is all set. I'm on my way to your residence now so that you and I can discuss the flower arrangements and you can pick out a casket for your grandmother to rest in." He said somberly.

"Oh... I didn't realize-"

"Mr. Northman told me to make my top priority getting this in order for you. He knew this would be very difficult, and wanted to make things as simple as possible." Bobby explained, "I should be there in about a half an hour. Would you like me to hold back a bit? I understand if you need more time before I arrive."

"N-no, I can meet with you in half an hour." She assured and Sam gave her a confused look. "You know how to get here?"

"Yes, Miss. I'll see you in thirty minutes. Goodbye." Bobby hung up and Sookie handed the phone back to Sam.

"What was that?" Sam had heard the whole conversation, but he could not believe it.

"Eric had one of his employees begin coordinating the funeral." Sookie answered hollowly before rising, "I need to get showered and dressed. Gran... Gran would be ashamed if I wasn't presentable for company."

"I'll get the living room straightened up for you, Cher." Sookie clenched her eyes when he called her that.

"Thank you, Sam." She murmured before heading to the bathroom to get ready.

Adele Stackhouse took great pride in her home, which left little for Sam to straighten up. By the time Sookie emerged again, everything was in perfect order.

Bobby Burnham was a decent middle-aged man, and he made things as simple as possible for Sookie. He spoke in a somber tone, and guided Sookie through the details as well as any funeral director would have. In a little over an hour, everything was set for Bobby to go to the funeral home and finish up the instructions. The burial would be the next morning, for Sookie remembered how Gran always shuddered at the thought of her body being on display during a wake.

"Sam, I think I'm going to take a nap." Sookie told him in a hushed tone. She just could not bring herself to raise her voice much above a whisper.

"Okay, Sookie. Get some rest." Sam gave her an encouraging smile.

Sliding beneath the covers, still completely clothed, Sookie quickly fell asleep, feeling emotionally drained. When she woke up again, it was dark, and Eric was lying next to her above the covers, twisting the ends of her hair between his fingers.

"Welcome back." Eric whispered.

"I miss her so much." Sookie whispered back.

"I know you do." Eric replied, still playing absentmindedly with her hair.

"It's my fault, you know." She turned over into his chest, burrowing her face against his body. The scent of him seemed to fill her with the only warmth she had experienced since the previous evening.

"No, Sookie, it is not your fault. From what I have heard, Adele was a target as well as you, for her acceptance of vampires. It seems the serial killer in your quaint little town targets anyone who does not blindly hate vampires." Eric told her. "He will never touch you, though."

"Thank you for having Mr. Burnham do all of that for me." Sookie changed the subject.

"You are welcome." Eric ran his fingers through her hair from her scalp to the very ends.

"Did you also clean the kitchen?" She asked.

"I did."

"You didn't have to."

"No, I did not have to." Eric realized the full weight of that task once he spoke it aloud. Why hadhe cleaned up? It would have been no small task bringing someone else in to clean, or leaving it for Merlotte. However, Eric knew that he did not want anyone else other than Merlotte in the house that night. The Shifter's obvious affection for Sookie made Sam the only individual in all of Bon Temps that Eric trusted with the young woman's safety. Eric had also not left the clean-up for Merlotte, merely because he did not wish to leave room open for distraction, and the serial killer an opportunity to slip by, regardless of how unlikely that would have been.

"Thank you."

"Again, you are welcome." Eric buried the smallest smile into her hair. Had he known that Sookie's gratitude would feel this good, he might have been less calculating in his reasoning for the helping hand. Looking up, Sookie caught Eric's gaze and leaned in to capture his lips, but he pulled back gently. "No, Sookie, I will hold you, and I will let you cry into me, but I will not kiss you or anything else. You are too raw right now to make such brash decisions." He put his finger to her lips. "If you still wish to kiss me after you are no longer so distressed, I will gladly comply."

"For that," Sookie whispered, "I will definitely want to kiss you." He smiled gently at her, "I didn't know you could be sweet." She sighed, pressing her face back against his chest.

"You said that last night, too." Eric pointed out.

"Once more, and I'll know you really are sweet." She replied.

"Sookie, I know that this is not the best time to bring these things up, but I think you should know a few things." Eric began quietly, trying to not break the peace, "What has Bill Compton told you about vampire blood?"

"When I drank his, he told me later that it heals, obviously, I'd have keener senses, and my ummm... My libido would be more active." Sookie blushed ever so slightly at the last admittance.

"He did not tell you that it would make you want him? That it would provoke dreams about him in you?" Eric asked restraining a growl.

"No... He didn't." Sookie frowned.

"Did he also neglect to tell you that if you were to mutually exchange blood with him three times, that you would be bound to him? Or that drinking his blood would allow him to feel your emotions?" Eric asked, keeping his tone as level as possible.

"No. He didn't tell me any of that, either." She frowned deeper. "What do you mean by "bound" to Bill?"

"It is the same with any vampire. After three blood exchanges, a vampire can form a blood bond with a human. A blood bond can be taken one of two ways: a vampire can honor the bond and take a human as a legal mate amongst vampires by Pledging, or, more commonly, turn a human into a blood slave. Either way, the human and vampire will have the ability to feel each other from large distances. Also, they would know what the other was feeling, how they were emotionally."

"Bill would have made me a blood slave, wouldn't he?" Sookie whispered.

"More than likely, yes." Eric nodded slightly, "And because of his youth, the bond would have enslaved you to most of the older vampires- myself included. Of course, being half of a bonded pair is much safer for a vampire in some respects, since a bond cannot be transferred. A blood slave can. Blood slaves care very little where their supply is coming from, so long as they are receiving regular doses of vampire blood. Blood slaves are much more common than a bonded couple, despite that perk. Mostly, because since a slave can be sold, and a bonded cannot. I have not witnessed an honored blood bond in nearly three centuries. In the last few years however, even blood slaves are becoming rare."

"Why's that?" Sookie was letting him lull her out of her depression. Intrigue replacing despair for the time being.

Eric smiled as he noticed her mood alleviating slightly, "Fang bangers. We do not have to use our blood to enslave humans anymore. They will willingly offer their servitude to us for the honorof being bitten by us. A few of us will grace them with our own blood on occasion, but only if they taste particularly good." Sookie rolled her eyes, "You will definitely be worthy of my blood. Compton's was not worthy of your lips."

A faint blush filled Sookie's cheeks, "Why do you say that?"

"The potency of a vampire's blood grows with age, like a fine wine. A taste of Bill's blood should have made you want him a lot more than you seem to. And yet, you have not tasted me, and want me more than him. My blood is strong." Eric was grinning.

Sookie rolled her eyes, "Full of yourself much?" She snickered.

"Very. And I will be happy to make you full of me too... Someday." Eric was grinning that Cheshire cat smile again, the one that seemed so peculiar on a vampire's face, but suited thisvampire quite well, given the complimenting sultry burn of his eyes. "Get some more rest, Little One; you have a very long day ahead of you tomorrow."

Sookie's eyes sobered quickly, jarred back into reality, "Why do you call me that sometimes?"

"What?" Eric asked.

"Little One."

"Because you are small and young. It is befitting." Eric shrugged simply.

"In comparison to you- everyoneis small and young." Sookie rolled her eyes.

"My Maker used to call me Young One." Eric told her softly, "It is one of the few sentiments I still acknowledge."

"Oh..." Sookie did not know why that caused a stirring in her. She had only known Eric a couple of days, and here he was showing all of this... What was it? He was not expressing much emotion, other than amusement and somber attitude interchangeably. But every once and a while, he would say something like that, and it would feel like he was trying to comfort her by revealing a bit about himself. "What's your Maker like?" Sookie whispered.

"It would bore you." Eric chuckled.

"You wanted me to sleep." Sookie reminded him, and he laughed.

Quietly, Eric began to tell her about his Maker, Godric, about how he was turned after a fatal wounding in battle. How Godric had come, killed his remaining men and their exchange before his Maker had taken his life. Eric quickly realized that his story was having the opposite effect on Sookie. Rather than drifting off to sleep, her eyes were wide and taking in everything he was saying, like a child captivated with a fairy tale. "Maybe I should tell you about my three decades in the Himalayas? That is a veryboring story."

"Tell me." Sookie snuggled against his chest.

"It was cold." After a long pause, Sookie realized that was the story and shook her head with a soft smile upon her lips. "What?"

"Three decades, and that's all you can say? It was cold?" She was still smirking. "Will you be back tomorrow night?" She asked after her amusement subsided.

"Yes." Eric told her without hesitation, his hand tracing idly up and down the curve of her side.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome." He nodded.

"You know what's weird?" Sookie yawned.

"What is weird?"

"Everyone was saying how mean and cruel you are, but you're not. You've been very nice to me considering you hardly know me." She snuggled deeper into his chest, another yawn threatening.

"I can be mean, and very cruel. Mostly I am unimpressed, bored, or to the point. The cruelty is just assumed because of my overall attitude. However, I have been known to snap more than a few necks to make a point. I have tortured, assassinated, and many other dark things. Most, but not all, were a necessity." Eric explained.

"Why aren't you unimpressed, bored, or to the point with me?" Sookie asked, ignoring his other enlightenments.

"Because you are impressive, you delight me, and I do not want to get to the point because I like listening to you speak. You are quite entertaining, Sookie." Eric smiled gently.

"You're just impressed with me because I'm a telepath." Sookie pouted.

"I summoned you to my throne before I knew such a thing. You also know that I wanted you before I knew. I even asked Bill if I could have you." Eric reminded her. "You just do not understand how covetable you are, Sookie." Pulling her tighter into his arms he murmured, "I have kept you awake long enough. You should sleep."

Sookie pouted again, "You'll stay, right?"

"Until dawn forces me to leave." Eric agreed.

"This must be boring for you." Sookie sighed, snuggling against him and closing her eyes.

"I already told you that you do not bore me." Eric smiled, but his reply fell on deaf ears. Sookie was already asleep again.

TBC

A/N: PLEASE, REMEMBER TO REVIEW, EVERYONE! I LOVE WAKING UP TO YOUR COMMENTS, AND ESPECIALLY LOOK FORWARD TO READING THEM AT WORK ON TUESDAY MORNINGS!

-ANDI