Author's Notes: I do not own the characters, they are the sole property of the wonderful Mrs. Charlaine Harris.

Chapter 7

Sookie's POV

OK, that was intense. I mean, one minute I was being ravished by a Viking vampire in a bar, and a split-second later, I was standing in my kitchen looking at two grinning fairies. I guessed the whole teleportation business was going to take a little getting used to.

"Sorry, Sookie, but it looked like Tall, Blond and Dead was getting a little carried away," said Claudine, "We thought we'd better be safe than sorry. Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, never better. I haven't seen Eric in weeks and then I run into him in the first bar I go to... how lucky can a girl get?" I said snidely. "How is that even possible?"

Claude looked at me like I had two heads. "Don't you two share a Blood Bond?"

"Well, we did," I admitted, "But that was quite awhile ago. I thought it had just faded, like the other times that I've taken vampire blood. Tonight was the first time I've been able to feel it in weeks."

The twins looked at each other, something unspoken passing between them. Claudine said kindly, "Oh honey, you know that the bond is permanent, don't you?"

"Huh? What! It can't be... Are you sure?" I stuttered, shaken to my core.

"Oh, yes, dear. True Blood Bonds between humans and vampires are quite rare because they are permanent. You know that vampires are usually quite jealous of their blood and don't give it freely, and almost never in quantity. The Bond has to be created over time; and as you have seen, then you know things about them. They are so secretive that they hate for a human to have that much power over them." She looked at me carefully. "Also, you must understand that the stronger the connection of the two at the time of the Bonding, the stronger the Bond. All Bonds are a bit different because of that."

"Wow. Okay, you need to give me a minute here," I said, suddenly slumping into a kitchen chair. My head was now spinning with the implications of what I'd just learned. "Then why haven't I been able to feel much of anything? Is he just too far away?"

"No, I doubt it. Eric is a very old, very powerful vampire. He may be able to control what comes through the connection to some extent," she explained.

"So, does this mean I will never know exactly whose emotions I'm feeling?" It was hard to get my mind around that idea.

Claude piped up. "Does it really matter? It is what it is."

Thank you, Plato. "Yes! Of course it matters!" I cried, "How on earth will I know if what I feel is him or me?"

Claudine looked at me thoughtfully and said, "You said that you haven't felt much through the Bond in weeks. Maybe that was the vampire's way of letting you sort out your feelings from his. So...how have you been feeling about him, really?"

I sat there for a moment and thought about it. Finally, I said, "To tell you the absolute truth, I've been trying my best not to think about him."

"Well, Sweetie, I guess you had better do some soul searching. Running from the problem will not make it go away... ever. Sookie, you are just about the bravest girl I know. Don't back away from this," Claudine kissed me softly on the forehead. "Come on, Claude. I think our girl needs some space. Let's get back to the band."

I stood up and kissed them both, politely thanking them for the night out. Gran would have paddled me if I forgot my manners, even if my head was spinning. In the blink of an eye, they were gone, and I was left alone with nothing but my thoughts. Unfortunately, those were not very good company.

I sighed heavily. I was once again in emotional overload. So, I was going to do what every American girl does when totally overwhelmed... I went to take a bubble bath.

I ran the bath, lit a few candles just for atmosphere, and then slid my body by inches into the screaming hot water. Slowly but surely, the tension began to seep out of me. Closing my eyes, I replayed the last conversation in my head. Bond. Permanent. Holy cow. So now I knew that unless I took Great-granddad up on his offer to kill Eric, it looked like I was going to be stuck with him forever... at least, at some level. Claude's words filtered back through my brain, it is what it is. Easy to dismiss that statement as trite, but maybe he had something there. If I felt comfort and calmness though the bond, did it really matter who felt it first?

I had to be honest with myself. Sharing something as intimate as another person's emotions might not seem so awful if the two were in some sort of committed relationship... but was such a thing even a possibility? As Claudine had so aptly pointed out, I had been doing a terrific job of avoiding confronting my feelings for Eric. Not my Sweet-Uncomplicated-Amnesia- Eric but Big-Bad-Conceited-Sheriff-Eric. If only there was a chance for some common ground... but I just didn't see how. To be fair, though, even Sheriff Eric had his good points. He had a wicked sense of humor. He was always sending me things, thoughtful things. Things that I could really use (or maybe things he thought I would not refuse.) He always showed up just in time to try to keep me safe. Last but not least, he made love like only a guy with a thousand years of practice under his belt could.

With that last thought came the inevitable memory of our last close encounter, not very many minutes ago. Wow. Yum! That Vampire could certainly kiss a girl so that she knew she'd been kissed! A slow flame ignited in my nether regions and began moving up my body. Hmmmm. Yes, indeed. The instant replay in my head was starting to expand, adding a memory of a certain episode in front of my fireplace. My hormones must have been working overtime, because I was feeling so... filled with lust... but also a little anxious.

Then, I heard it: the low rumble of a powerful engine and wheels crunching up my gravel drive. Unmistakably, the Corvette. Oh...my...God! It was Eric! Now what?