Sookie

I awoke the next morning at nine, and for the first time in weeks I didn't feel any pain or discomfort from the injuries Lochlan and Neave inflicted on me. I stretched in bed, squinting from the bright sun shining into my eyes. Then the grief hit. I remembered passing out in Eric's arms, seeing his eyes on mine, rimmed with the tell-tale pink of vampire tears.

I would cause Eric's eventual death. I felt like it would be kinder if I staked him now myself. But could I carry on without him? Besides the fact that he was the one thing keeping de Castro from me, did I think that I could live without him? I craved him, needed him. And I knew now that it was not the blood bond that caused those longings, it was that I loved him more than I thought possible. I used to get annoyed at the whole 'mine' notion of vampires, but I was his. I knew that I was a huge danger to Eric, but that would be the case whether I was bonded to him or not. I hoped that Eric had some kind of plan.

The issue of the love bond was a contentious one. Should we do it? If it would not keep Eric from ending his long life once I died, then why not? Well, the witnessed sex would certainly be an issue, but I needed to speak to Eric more about that. But the pros were numerous. Meaning that de Castro could not bond with me was a massive one, but then would that stop him from kidnapping me. I wouldn't put it past him. This was certainly something I wanted to discuss with Eric further. But this was still marriage within the vampire world. I also wanted him to be mine in my world.

I smiled at this thought. Would Eric agree to marry me? And should I be the one asking him? It was my world after all, with human laws and I was a modern woman. It may not be February 29, but the thought of asking him to marry me was incredible. I would need to consult with someone though, probably Pam, though I know she would tease Eric no end if I took the reigns on this. And I'm sure she'd relish a wedding.

I suddenly realised I was happy. I knew that I would not forget the torment that Lochlan and Neave inflicted on me, and I wondered if I should contact some kind of counsellor to stave off the inevitable PTSD and nightmares. Maybe Dr Ludwig would know someone that understood the supernatural world which I was now firmly part of. I finally felt like I could face the day ahead, rather than moping around the house in my pyjamas.

I had a lengthy shower, dried my hair and applied a little make-up. I slipped into some comfy jeans and t-shirt and attended to some housework that I had seriously neglected. Realising I had no food in the house, I slipped my shoes on, grabbed my car keys and flew out the door. It was when I was sat in my car that I realised this was the first time I'd been outside since my ordeal. I sat for a few moments and then drove out of my drive down Hummingbird Lane.

Since it was nearly lunchtime, I decided I'd pop to Merlottes and see Sam. I considered asking for some shifts, but decided I'd maybe like to leave it a bit for now, and if Sam didn't push me I wouldn't mention it.

I parked up in the customer car park, and psyched myself for what lay ahead, making sure my walls were as strong as possible to block the inquisitive thoughts of the locals. I knew I would not be so lucky regarding any comments they would make, but then I was used to their thoughts, which even in this small town were much more small-minded than the words they uttered.

I walked in and straight to the bar. Sam looked shocked to see me, but came around the bar to give me a big hug that definitely lasted too long and was verging on being uncomfortable. He kissed me on the top of my head as I pulled away, and I took a deliberate step back from him. I could not handle Sam being over-familiar right now.

Sam had noticed that I stepped back from him. "How are you, cher? You look great, are you here about you job, 'cause you know I've kept it open for you, Sook." He was staring deep into my eyes, and I couldn't help but feel a little perturbed. His hand was back on my shoulder, having retaken the step towards me. I instantly had thoughts of Eric's reaction if he were here.

"No … I'm just not quite sure that I'm ready just yet, Sam. I..." I stepped back again.

"Sook," he cut me off with, "you look back to normal, so much better than the last time I saw you. Now I know you need the money, so how about I schedule you in for tomorrow lunchtime and then we go from there?" He winked at me as he said this.

"Look, Sam, I appreciate what you did for me, and I probably am much better now, I still have nightmares, but my injuries are much better."

"Eric, I presume?" He almost spat those words at me.

"He's not been able to give me any more blood, but he has helped me. Not that its any of your business Sam Merlotte!" I was angry now and planned on leaving. I would buy lunch elsewhere. I turned to leave, but Sam grabbed my hand and pulled me towards his office and shut the door behind us.

"Sookie, are you not done with all this vampire shit? You've been kidnapped and tortured and god knows what else as a result of those dead-meat leaches, and I will not see you get hurt further. I love you Sookie, we could be good together. You won't have to put up with any of their politics if you were with me. I'd marry you, take you to a small town somewhere, raise our perfect children..."

I was furious. "Okay Sam, stop right now," I yelled at him pushing him away from me. "Firstly, it was the fairies that took me, not the vampires – they were the ones that rescued me, and secondly I have never given you any hope that we would be together. I'm with Eric, I love him. And you know perfectly well that I could never just disappear to some quaint town for a life with you. I may not have wanted to fall head first into supernatural politics, but its part of me now."

I paused for breath looking at Sam's defeated face. "I'm sorry Sam, but I don't think I can work here any more. I quit." I turned and left his office, yet Sam followed me and shouted at me when I was halfway to the door.

"Go ahead Sook, go and live off your sugar-daddy's millions like a good little fangbanger!"

I stopped dead in my tracks, turned and looked at Sam dead in the face. "Fuck you shifter!" Eric would be proud of me.

When I reached my car I took a few moments to compose myself and then drove to the store to grab some food and other essentials. After I got home I grabbed a quick lunch and continued with my housework, trying not to think about my argument with Sam. I couldn't believe that I had just quit my job. What was I supposed to do now? The quip Sam made about living off Eric's money had hurt me and was close to the bone. I'd never liked accepting Eric's gifts, but the ones he'd got me so far were useful and thoughtful. I still loved my cranberry coat dearly, and I'd never have been able to have got my driveway fixed. But I did not want to accept hand-outs from him. And how rich was Eric? Though I guess after 1000 years on the planet its likely you would accumulate some wealth.

After thoroughly cleaning the fridge, I looked to the window and saw that darkness had just arrived. I decided now was the time to go and see Bill. I hopped in my car and drove across to Bill's house. It was strange being back here, remembering the times we spent with each other, and the pain he caused me. I guess it was even now.

I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Surely he must be here. I knocked further then tried the doorknob, it was open. I shouted for Bill, listening hard for any answer. When I heard a noise from upstairs, I quickly ran up the stairs and found Bill half crawling out of the hole under the floorboards that I knew to be his own hidey-hole.

He saw me and shouted will all the muster he could, "Sookie, stay back!" I stopped dead in my tracks and backed away from him. I could tell that he was hungry, and I'd just run into the house with a hungry injured vampire. I evidently did have a death wish.

"What can I do, Bill?" I couldn't help but think of Eric, was I risking my life by spending time with Bill? I was fairly sure he would not hurt me, but I can't say I was convinced. "Can I get you some True Blood?"

"There's some in the kitchen, I need around three."

I quickly ran back downstairs and heated the bloods in the microwave and brought them back to Bill. He had put some clothes on and was sat down on the bed. I entered the room slowly and saw Bill nod to me. I handed the bloods to him and went to stand back in the doorway of the room. After he'd downed all three, he looked back at me. He was very pale – even for a vampire – and looked to be still in pain. I felt a waive of guilt role over me. I was to blame for this. As if he knew my feelings, he patted the bed and beckoned for me to join him.

I sat, perched on the corner of the bed I'd spent so much time in. "This isn't your fault, Sookie. I only wish we could have got to you sooner. I'm sorry for that. I'm glad the fairies are gone now, they were nothing but trouble. No offence of course." He smiled at me, and his attempt at a joke lightened the mood. "And how is Eric?"

"What do you mean, why are you asking about him?" I was confused why Bill would ask that.

"I know you, Sookie, I know that you have a tendencies to run from those that love you. He did everything he could to rescue you. I imagine you gave him a hard time for not being there?" He knew me far to well.

"We discussed what happened, he told me about de Castro keeping him in the meeting with him, and I guess I realised that I felt his support when I was being held. I'm not sure that I would have survived the torture if it wasn't for him. He absorbed a lot of the pain. I owe him, I owe you all." Tears had started to fall from my eyes again.

There was a question I needed to ask Bill. "Bill, I need you to tell me something. When Niall left this world he came and saw me. He told me that the vampire loved me. Only he did not specify which one. I need to know. Did my great-grandfather mean you?"

He looked at me, "Sookie, I do love you. I have always loved you. I know that I have made mistakes with us and not being completely honest was the biggest. I do love you, but I don't think I'm the vampire that Niall was referring to."

I couldn't believe that he told me that. Since when did Bill ever defer to Eric on this kind of thing. Was Bill really saying I should be with Eric? That the Viking loves me more? In some ways I knew it to be true, but I did not expect Bill to be telling me this.

"Why are you saying that? You and Eric hate each other?" I felt like stamping my feet, I just couldn't understand these vampires at times.

"You share a blood bond already with him, and are married to him under vampire law. He may be a manipulative bastard, but he has proved himself to care for you and he loves you. I would trust him to look after you, to protect you. I could not protect you in that way, not now or ever."

"I'm scared though Bill, he told me that he would meet the sun if anything happened to me. When it happens to me!"

"And you're asking me which vampire Niall meant? Sookie, vampires a incredibly jealous of their lives, and one as old as Eric? You really think a thousand year old vampire would tell you he'd commit suicide were anything to happen to you, and not love you for all that he was worth?"

I though about it, of course Eric wouldn't. "But Bill, my life is so temporary compared to his. Even if I fed from him regularly I would not live forever, and then he'd end it all because he didn't have me any more. How am I meant to deal with the guilt of that? I do love him Bill, but I can't be responsible for his death."

He looked thoughtful at me while tears were falling freely from my eyes and I was sobbing loudly. When I regained my composure he moved closer to me and took my hand in his.

"Would you not consider becoming vampire for him?" He almost whispered this, knowing my views on the matter.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I could. I know its easier with the synthetic blood and all, but I couldn't handle all that death. I will not become vampire. I just need to make Eric see that he does not have to end it all once I die. Maybe you could help me convince him, and Pam!" Of course, Pam. She would not want her master to meet the sun and would surely do anything to stop him. I would have to conspire with her to come up with a plan to save Eric. And I needed her opinion on whether I should ask Eric to marry me. Maybe the two plans could somehow be combined.

"I don't know Sookie, I'm not entirely sure he would listed to me on this, though Pam maybe." He twiddled his thumbs in his hand, and then made an effort to change the topic of conversation. "You look much better Sookie, are you healed?"

"Pretty much," I smiled, "Eric has been rubbing his blood into my wounds as I've not been able to drink from him – I had a lot when we were in the hospital. Its odd though, it still took him days to come to me after he brought me home. I needed him with me. He never did say what took him so long then."

I felt myself slipping back into a depression, why didn't he come sooner? Bill placed a hand on my face and I looked into his sallow, sunken eyes. "He didn't tell you, did he?"

"Tell me what?" Tears were falling from my eyes again.

"Pam called me last night to check on my progress. She mentioned that when Eric and her arrived back at Fangtasia after bringing you home, de Castro was waiting for them with more than ten of his vampires. They took Eric away, chained in silver and de Castro tortured him for three nights. Pam found him on the fourth night in a silver lined coffin at the centre of Fangtasia. She said he looked awful, well, as bad as Eric can, and he had to drink a lot of blood to recuperate. He always keeps donor blood from the hospital in case such things happen. He was not able to come and see you until the night after that."

I felt horrible that I had thought Eric had abandoned me again. And I also knew I had a stake with de Castro's name on it – move over Buffy – Sookie is here!

"Shit, I didn't know. He didn't tell me any of that. I suppose I should be lucky he didn't kill him."

"Unfortunately I think de Castro still has designs on that, but I fear you are also likely to be involved. De Castro covets you, and wants to take you from Eric. But you need to discuss this with him."

I heard a noise downstairs, with footsteps coming up the stairs. I looked at Bill in panic but his face was impassive.

"Sookie, True Blood is helpful, but I need human blood to recover fully. Eric has organised some willing donors for me, they've been coming every night since I got back. I imagine you don't want to see this, so suggest that visiting hours are now officially over." He kissed my hand in a very gentlemanly-like manor, and I almost missed those Southern charms of his.

As his 'meal' entered the room I quickly made my exit, smiling briefly at the brunette who was to be lunch, but making sure that my mental barriers were firmly in place. I did not want to know what she was thinking.

I made my way back home and started to process the details that Bill had provided me. Eric loved me, and he was the vampire Niall was referring to. And if Bill said this it must be true. Secondly Eric hadn't abandoned me after bringing me home from the fairy war, rather he'd been held captive by the sadistic vampire King. I wanted nothing more than to kick de Castro's ass for hurting my vampire in that way.

And he was my vampire, I knew that now.

I hatched a plan, I knew I needed to speak to Pam, but I also needed to see Eric. I needed to feel Eric, and I wanted to renew our blood bond. I quickly dialled the number of Fangtasia – which I now knew off by heart – and was greeted by Pam's dulcet tones.

"Hey Pam, its Sookie!"

"Sookie, good to hear from you, I hope you are healed?"

"Yes, I am now … listen, is Eric to be there tonight?"

"Yes, my Master is on duty to enthral the vermin tonight, he's been getting away with it too easy recently."

"Good, I was planning to stop by and see him..."

"Wear something spectacular with easy access. He's been in an awful mood of a late, and I think a visit from our favourite troublesome telepathic barmaid would lighten his stiff mood."

I understood the double entendre in Pam's words. And I had just the dress in mind.

"Yeah, about that, I quit my job today. I'm now officially unemployed."

"That's great news, its about time that you stopped working there, your much too good for that place. The Master will be pleased." I could almost hear her smirking down the phone at me. "What happened?"

"He tried to get too cosy for my liking, and called me a money-grabbing fangbanger. I don't want Eric's money! And then I shouted at him, in the centre of Merlottes and said, quote, 'fuck you shifter'"

"Oh Sookie, I'm so proud of you – Eric will be thrilled."

"Okay, well I'll see you in around hour or so. Bye" She hung up without responding.

I quickly went to my room, had another quick shower to remove the smell of Sam and Bill, twisted my hair up and pinned it so that my neck was exposed, and took out my red and white dress. The same one I was wearing when I first met Eric, when I first entered Fangtasia. I hadn't realised quite how badly I'd stick out when I first went with Bill, but I now know I made an impression.

I checked myself in the mirror after applying a little make-up and drove to Shreveport in record time – for me anyway.

When I got to Fangtasia it was as busy as normal, and I saw Pam at the door eyeing me appreciatively. "You look delicious Sookie, positively mouth-watering." Her fangs ran out when she said this.

"Um, thanks Pam. I think. Look, I need to speak to you at some-point about something important, but I don't want Eric to know."

She grinned a toothy smile at me. "I'm yours for whatever you want, you only need to ask, and I promise I will not tell Eric."

"Mind out of the gutter, Pam!" I moved to walk past her into Fangtasia. "Its important and about Eric, so can we meet sometime?"

"Sure, now go and fuck my Master before he kills anyone!" She patted me on the ass as I walked past and I felt my lust growing as I walked into the bar. I hoped that Eric could feel it as well.

He was sat in his usual position, but rather than looking bored his eyes fell straight to mine with a predatory glance, and I was almost knocked over by the lust when he saw what I was wearing. I walked slowly towards him, and he rose to his full 6'5" and closed the distance between us in two strides.

His hands fell straight to my waist and he picked me up so that I was at the same level as his face. I wrapped my legs and arms around him and pulled myself as close as I could get to him.

"My lover, what do I owe this pleasure?" He smirked at me, raising an eyebrow and then lowering his lips gently onto mine.

"What can I say, I've missed you." And with that we were in Eric's office before I knew it.