Hello there, fellow fangbangers!

I'm sorry for the lack of updates during the past week but I was insanely busy. Thank you for your constant support and all the reviews.

Hope you continue to enjoy!

"Unbelievable!" Sookie huffed as she dropped her cell into the little niche under the gear stick. She just got off the phone with Andy Bellefleur, who was as haughty and unhelpful as ever. "You'd think the police were there to serve and protect people! Why the hell do I even pay the taxes?"

She cast a sideways glance at her passenger as though she was expecting him to agree. A well-mannered person would. Except that Eric Northman was far from being a gentleman. The proof? His eyes were fixed on her bare thighs, straying higher with such intensity as though he was trying to see through her shorts. In spite of herself, she felt herself growing warmer.

"I certainly hope you vamps don't have an X-ray vision," she grumbled, which made Eric chuckle. Of course he would respond when the topic turned even remotely sexual.

When he spoke up he was all business, however. "When we arrive, you will stay in the car until I check whether your suspicions are correct."

"Excuse me!" Sookie bristled. Perhaps his command was sensible but that was exactly what it was, a patronizing command expected to be followed without a murmur. "I'd appreciate it if you stopped bossing me around. You're in my car, and are on my rescue mission."

"Woman," he let out a small growl. "You're testing my patience. If you know what's good for you, you will obey me."

"Spoken like a true man," Sookie mocked him. It had to be the adrenaline that was making her poke the restless predator in the passenger seat. "When were you turned exactly? Stone Age?"

"For your consideration, I am a thousand years old, which means that I'm doing you a favor just by enduring your feminist bullshit."

"It's not bullshit," she muttered but desisted arguing. Once again, she glanced at him curiously, now paying more attention to his appearance. "You're really a thousand years old? I thought people were much shorter in the past."

"I was exceptional even then," he quipped.

"Where are you from?" she couldn't help but ask. Blood drinking and killing aside, vampires were fascinating creatures to be around. And Eric, he walked this earth for an entire millennium! Oh the things he must have seen and lived through! Sookie was always interested in history, she could blame her Gran for giving her that bug. It was sad that Adele died before the Great Revelation, she would have had a blast interrogating a vampire like Eric about famous historical events. "If you're so old, you can't be from America, can you?"

He peered at her fixedly, one of his eyebrows quirked. "I was under the impression that there was a sense of urgency about the situation. Instead of formulating a feasible plan of action, you choose to… chat?"

"Maybe because if I started to think about it all, I'd imagine Tara being strangled, or killed already," she sighed.

"And you can end up the same too."

Sookie rolled her eyes; if she only could tell him about her previous FBI gig. Instead she confirmed what Eric had inferred already, "Well, how bad can I be if I singlehandedly killed a crazy vampire?"

She grinned, she seemed to have a knack for rendering the usually smooth-tongued vampire speechless. "I confess. It's all on me. You could say Tara was just a bystander."

"You are either insanely brave or incredibly stupid," he said finally, just as Sookie came to a stop by a small dilapidated house. It hadn't been renovated or even painted in years. It fell into a state of disrepair as Tara's mother had no reason or funds to take good care of it. She didn't even see the need to take care of her own daughter or even remember that she had one as long as there was a bottle of whisky within her reach. But recently, she got out of her addiction, started to lead a respectable life and on top of it all, she married a minister. Tara was now living alone in the old house with the baggage of her childhood.

The lights were out but Tara's truck was parked in the tiny driveway. Sookie jumped out the SUV and was ready to run headfirst into whatever situation awaited her inside but Eric stopped her firmly grasping her arm.

"I'm not going to stay here and wait for the cops!" she gasped trying to free herself from his grip, for what it was worth she might as well have been attempting to practice weight-lifting with a jumbo jet.

"Silence," he whispered harshly, not even looking at her.

It was an instinctual reaction for her to contradict him but she noticed that he raised his head as though he was listening to something so she kept quiet. Perhaps his supersensitive hearing picked up some suspicious noise.

"Eric-"

She didn't finish her thought as he bolted inside the house faster than her eyes could even register, producing a gust of air that swayed a loose strand of hair that had escaped from her ponytail. Worry for her friend spiking inside, Sookie dashed after him without a second thought.

She strived to keep her head cool despite the scene of destruction that awaited her. Even in the feeble light of the moon, she could clearly see the living room was trashed. Tara was curled up on the floor, gasping and gurgling, her hands around her throat. Sounds of a struggle were coming from the small kitchen on the right. Sookie turned to look just at the moment during which Eric wringed the neck of a burly man in a balaclava with the sound of an unpleasant snap resonating into the night.

Sookie crossed the length of the room maneuvering between the debris to kneel beside Tara. She was in an even worse shape than yesterday, obviously the killer had already started the job before they arrived.

"Shelby…" Tara coughed trying to ease the unpleasant pressure in her throat after being nearly strangled. "I'm… I'm starting to think you're some sorta supergirl."

"Hey, don't talk," Sookie said calmingly and helped her to the couch. "I'm gonna get you some water, ok?"

She didn't look forward to venturing into the kitchen, where she knew she had to bypass the corpse of the killer but there was no other way. Surprisingly, Eric was on the phone, talking fast in a language she didn't recognize. She decided not to interrupt him and tiptoed around the deceased that was taking up almost the entire surface of the floor. He was sprawled on his back, only his head was at an odd angle.

"Oh my god!" she cried when she got a glimpse of the killer's face; Eric must have pulled off the balaclava.

The vampire lowered the phone immediately, staring questioningly at Sookie. "What is it?"

"He…" she paused, lost for words.

"Do you know this man?"

"Yeah!" Sookie shook her head with disbelief and revulsion.

"Oh my god!" Tara appeared in the kitchen upon Sookie's scream and was equally shocked to discover the identity of her would-be executioner.

"It's René Lenier," Sookie finally explained to Eric, who was getting impatient with the two women who were close to hysterics. "He's our friend's fiancé, she's a waitress at Merlotte's, like me. Dear god, I left my son under his watch…" she trailed. She felt like throwing up.

Eric remained momentarily expressionless, only to resume his phone conversation. Meanwhile, on slightly shaky legs, Tara rushed to Sookie and threw an arm around her. "Hey, you didn't know, none of us did. The son of a bitch…"

The next two hours were exhaustingly chaotic. Andy Bellefleur and the cavalry finally decided to show up and all three of them had to give statements, much to Eric's impatience.

"Maybe you should really spend the night at the hospital," Sookie told Tara while it was Eric's turn to answer Andy's infuriatingly stupid questions. "You've been put through the ringer."

Tara gave her a tired smile. "I feel like I've been livin' a cheap movie for the last coupla days but… you know, if this can't break me, nothing will. I can't thank you enough."

"Well, to be honest, I did nothing this time," she shrugged and looked at Eric. He was sitting stiffly on a saggy coach, which thanks to his considerable height looked simply grotesque. His lips were a tight flat line of contempt aimed at blustering Bellefleur. He was still the very same Eric he always was but somehow Sookie couldn't help but look at him in a different light. She wasn't sure of what his motives were but he had helped her stop the killer from claiming his next victim. In fact, he did most of the stopping. Even the memory of him breaking the man's neck like a twig didn't make her afraid of him. And earlier that evening on her porch, just before Sam interrupted them… she got that unusual sensation when Eric touched her. She had felt as if she was transported from swampy Bon Temps straight to the seaside.

"Uh-oh, I know that look," Tara tut-tuted.

"What look?"

"I guess you didn't ask about vampire sex just outta curiosity, huh?"

"Tara!" Sookie gasped, her cheeks covering in crimson. "I don't-"

"So you weren't just eye-fucking that blondie a minute ago?" Tara asked slyly.

"He can hear you!" Sookie mouthed to her, her mortification rising to previously unknown levels. She chanced a short glance at him and sure, even though Eric was looking anywhere but in her direction, the right corner of his lips curled upwards in a barely there smirk.

"He saved my life and I'm grateful," sighed Tara. "But you be careful, girl, alright?"

"It's not like that!" Sookie laughed nervously.

"Ms. Pellerin." Eric appeared at her side, startling her. "It seems we are now free to go. I will escort you home."

"Escort me home?" she snorted. "I was the one who drove here and I will escort myself home."

He turned a deaf ear to her objections and gently but firmly led her outside.

"And how do you think you're going to start the car, huh?" She followed him glaring at his broad back and rummaging through her bag. "Who do you think has-"

He raised his hand casually and she spotted her key chain dangling from his forefinger.

"-the keys…" Smartass! "How did you get them, you got sticky fingers? You can't just-"

She was about to engage in a haughty tirade about respecting boundaries and other people's property but evidently, Eric had run out of his daily limit of tolerance for blabbering humans. One second she was harping on with his back as an audience, the next one she was pulled flush against his hard body, one arm firmly around her waist, the other hand securing her head, and his cool and surprisingly soft lips snugly against hers. She was securely locked in his embrace as if he was an octopus.

Her eyes widened and crossed, unable to take in his face so close to hers. Her body tensed as his mouth slid against hers once or twice, only to be followed with his tongue. The scent of sea was stronger than ever and when Eric confidently slid his tongue between her inert jaws, it became overwhelming. Her eyes fluttered and rolled inside her skull, her lids dropping lethargically. The vampire was working miracles inside her mouth.

Her brain shut off and the only thing she could do was to feel. And oh boy, did she feel… Even though Eric was a vampire and therefore had a cooler body temperature, it set her on fire. She had never been kissed like that, even by Quinn, her first and only lover. He had always satisfied her sexually and even though she knew him very well and was in love with him, he never made her toes curl with a single lip lock.

Eric's kisses were staggeringly intense and indecently erotic. They made her see stars. No, they weren't stars, Sookie realized. The lights she was seeing were swirling and shimmering with colours. The picture was becoming clearer and clearer with every brush of his tongue. She would see it in a minute, just another gentle caress, just another passionate attack on her mouth and she would…

Eric broke the kiss just as abruptly as he had pounced on her. She groaned with disappointment; the pleasurable breeze ceased to tickle her skin, the bright picture in her head flickered and dispersed. Sookie was implicitly sure it would be so beautiful…

Eric let go of her completely and she stumbled, her knees strangely wobbly. She only regained her footing when she found support against her car. Confusion enveloped her mind when Eric stalked away without a word and circled around the car to take the place behind the steering wheel. She blinked, feeling anger spiking inside her but it evaporated when Andy waddled out of Tara's house; Eric must have heard him come. She was immensely grateful for his clear-headedness. The fangbanger killer was gone but if someone caught her making out with a vamp, the gossip would spread through Bon Temps like wildfire. She needed to keep a low profile, for Hunter's sake and their safety.

She wordlessly slid into the car beside him. Eric pulled off the second she plopped on the seat. The silence between them was heavy and awkward; which was totally understandable given the fact that they were two strangers who just played tonsil-hockey. She gulped when she noticed the remarkable bulge in Eric's jeans. Well, that was undeniably flattering… and embarrassing. She would have blushed, she was never a promiscuous person, but her cheeks were already burning like a supernova.

Sookie was more confused than she remembered ever being. Was that what Eric wanted from her? Sex? Somehow she didn't think a vampire of Eric's stature and power, not to mention the godlike looks, would pussyfoot around a simple human just to get laid. She was also quite certain that he had absolutely no idea about her telepathy. If only she could see some sort of a sign as to what it was all about…

The car jumped up suddenly and her cheek flattened against the window. Sookie didn't know what that particular sign could mean but it certainly brought her back to reality. She realized Eric had taken a weedy and rarely frequented path off of the main road.

"Err… That's not the way to my house…" Her heart rate had hardly recovered after the earth shattering kiss and now it was picking up again.

"I have an excellent memory," he replied dryly.

"Are you going to kill me?" she fired up. "Cause that would be awfully bipolar… and plainly stupid as the sheriff saw me leave with-"

"Do you want me to shut you up again?"

Her jaw hit the floor. "N-no!" she stuttered. "Listen, I need to get home to my son. I've been gone too long already. And frankly, given the experience of the last few hours I'm now afraid that the man I've left Josh with might be a closet psychopath."

"No harm will come to your progeny from the shifter, I assure you," Eric's voice turned just a tad softer and Sookie swallowed a giggle. Was that the topic they could bond over? Child rearing? Pam was probably a few centuries older than Hunter but she definitely looked as if she required a lot of work.

"Where are we going?" Sookie sighed tiredly. It seemed as if this horrific day would never end.

"Somewhere we can talk uninterrupted. No, it cannot wait," he said anticipating her question.

She rubbed her temples and let him drive her to wherever he wanted. The narrow road was impenetrably dark due to the trees growing unhampered on either side.

"Ugh, have mercy on my car…" she sighed as the tree branches whipped the roof.

Thankfully, they got into the clearing. Eric stopped the car in front of what seemed to be an abandoned household. Knee-tall grass covered the entire property and even attacked the porch. The faded paint was peeling off the walls and the windows were all boarded up. A rusty truck that lost its wheels sometime during his long life rested in peace near the gap-toothed fence. It was all quite charming in a nostalgic way, and when Sookie got out, she instantly felt herself being lulled into a soothing state of serenity.

"I killed that vampire," she said calmly, wading through the grass. She knew this was what he wanted to discuss. Limited honesty seemed the best course of action at the moment. "And I don't regret it. He was completely off his rocker, wanted to make Tara his vampire bride or something. I couldn't let him hurt her. End of story," she shrugged lightly. "We hoped no one would ever be the wiser but I guess I was wrong. What is going to happen to me?" she asked, turning around to face him.

"How did you kill him?"

"I shot him. With wooden bullets."

"How exactly did you manage that?"

"I played him," she answered simply. "He thought it was an ordinary gun."

"And why were you in possession of that gun?" he asked, circling around her with his hands clasped behind his back. If it was an intimidation technique, it wasn't working on Sookie. Perhaps she had been through too many emotional rollercoaster rides over the last 24 hours.

"I bought it."

"Don't play coy."

"Eric, perhaps you're laboring under the delusion that I wanna be some kind of vampire slayer but I don't have a death wish, thank you very much. I am a single mother. If something happens to me, Josh is put into the system. So when I heard about the murders, I wanted to be prepared for anything."

"You have the spirit of a warrior," Eric said after she concluded her tale; she could not mistake the respect in his voice.

"Uhm, thank you," she smiled wanly, her nervousness returning.

"You are welcome," he nodded coming to a stop before her, his eyes boring into hers. "Tell me, did he have any documents on him?"

"Uhm, I don't know… I didn't feel like going through his pockets. You guys make quite a mess when you move on to the great beyond, if I can say so."

"That is not what I was asking about. Did Franklin have any files on him? Did you take anything of his?"

"No, I didn't see any files. Trust me, he was not interested in paperwork at that moment." Sookie let out a tired sigh. "Eric, what does it all mean for me and my son?"

"Personally, I believe you have earned a reward."

"What?" she uttered with disbelief, craning her neck to meet his eyes.

"I was hoping that someone would, what is the right expression, get him out of my hair." Sookie eyed him quizzically. "Franklin Mott had a penchant for bad romance, so to speak."

"Tara wasn't the first one…" Sookie said slowly.

"Not even close."

She had no illusions that Eric held human life in such great esteem, he probably disapproved of Franklin because of the mess he had to clean up after him. Strangely, she didn't hold it against him and she couldn't fathom why. She was raised a Christian with very high moral standards. Why did it come so easy for her to accept the workings of the supernatural world?

"Franklin was a nuisance," Eric continued. "Unfortunately, he was also the favorite private investigator of the King of Mississippi."

"Fuck." Sookie went white as a sheet. Fucking fantastic, she could just start a collection of vampire monarchs she had personally pissed off. "I'm screwed," she whispered.

"No, you are not," Eric said firmly but Sookie didn't seem to notice.

"Just tell me, Eric, is it punishable by death?"

"If the offender is a human, yes, usually. But the king will not know anything about your involvement."

"How so?" Her voice was barely audible and strained, not strong and impertinent as he liked to hear it when she verbally sparred with him.

"Firstly, Franklin was not supposed to be nowhere near Bon Temps cavorting with a human. He was on a mission for the king, who was expecting him in New Orleans."

"New Orleans?" Sookie hated herself in that moment for feigning confusion. But she couldn't show how much of vampire politics she was aware of.

"Yes, his husband is the puppet king of Louisiana. But that is of little relevance for now. The king suspects that Franklin was abducted by enemies from another state. He never needs to know the truth."

"You would… lie to your king?" she gasped.

"It happens." Somehow Sookie suspected it didn't happen all that often.

"You would do that for me? A mere human?"

Eric's face turned stony. "Do you want me to take you before the king?"

"I'm just trying to understand why you would risk so much for me. You barely know me… I'm just another breather for you."

"You… intrigue me," he muttered, his blue eyes roving all over her face except her eyes.

"Is that all?" she probed. Annoyingly, her heart sped up as she waited for his answer.

"You may think that is not a reason enough, Shelby, but when you live as long as I have, few things surprise… or captivate you."

Her breath caught in her chest at the strangled quality of his voice. "And there was me thinking that I infuriated you," she smiled at him. "What is that you want from me, Eric? Let's be frank."

He seemed to be contemplating his answer. He must hold her in high regard as he decided to be open with her about his intensions. He closed the already small distance between them and confessed hotly, "I want your trust… so that I can fuck you and feed on you whenever I please. I want to claim you as mine."

She was close to spontaneous combustion. Her face burned as if it was on fire, she cocked her head and pushed her ponytail back in the hope that the night air would cool her down. The gesture brought a completely opposite effect. She accidentally uncovered her jugular for the vampire to feast his eyes upon. She knew it pulsing like mad; she felt the throbbing of his heartbeat in the remotest parts of her body. She officially stopped denying to herself that she was attracted to him.

"What does that entail? To be claimed?" She was genuinely missing that part of vampire education. "Oh, so that the vampire can fuck and feed on the human whenever they please…" Sookie realized.

Eric's lips turned up in a tiny smile. "There is more to it then that. As my human, you would have my formal protection. Any attempt at harming you would be punishable by death."

Sookie stared at him, wide-eyed. Now, wasn't that a tempting aspect? Having your own vampire bodyguard. But being reduced to being a simple possession? Everything inside her stormed against the very concept. However, there was Hunter to be considered in the great scheme of things.

"So, you will protect me from the king… if I become your human?" she said slowly.

Eric's expression hardened. "It is not an ultimatum," he said coarsely. "I could have simply glamored you into complete obedience."

"Why didn't you?" Sookie asked quietly. It was so easy to forget sometimes that he was unaware of her ability to resist mind-control. How come the devious blood thirsty vampire didn't try to glamour her except for that one time in Merlotte's parking lot?

Eric hunched over her and all she could see was his beautiful stormy eyes. "When you yield to me, and I know you will, I wish it to be out of your own will."

Her breath hitched as her wayward mind formulated one decadent scenario after another. It was quite out of character really; she'd never felt so physically drawn to a man she'd barely known before. She gathered her wits about her. "So you will help me regardless? Even… if I decide not to…?"

"Correct."

She took a few steps away from him, being in such close proximity to him befuddled her brain. Grass stalks tickled her calves as she strolled to the relic car; it must have been at least fifty years old. She defied her feminine squeamishness and jumped up to sit on the back with her legs hanging down. She stared at her grimy hands.

"Thank you, Eric." She finally smiled at him. "This is very generous of you."

His eyebrows rose quizzically. "You continue to surprise me, Ms. Pellerin."

"I keep surprising myself lately," she chuckled. "I know that your world has different rules than mine, even if I find some of them unacceptable or outright barbaric. And in the end, all I want is to keep my son safe."

He nodded in understanding.

"So, I appreciate all that you've done for me… but I'd rather not get involved with you in this way," she said nervously. "For… so many reasons."

"I did not think you would agree right away," he announced following her to where she was sitting. He didn't stop until his jean-clad thighs grazed her knees. If he only took one step further, they would surely open for him. "But you will, my future lover."

She bit her lip, an act that instantly drew his eyes. "You are awfully sure of yourself," she commented, without a hint criticism, however.

"I told you I always get what I want."

"What…" she stifled a yawn with the back of her hand; the excitement of the last two days was taking its toll. "Sorry, what are you going to tell your king?"

"At this point the less you know the better. Rest assured, he will not know of any human involvement."

"Will you be okay?"

"Why, is that concern you're showing there for me, Ms. Pellerin?" he quipped.

"What if it was?" she asked defiantly.

Instead of answering, he turned away from her. "I will take you back now. You seemed eager to leave before."

Sookie didn't pursue the subject any further and followed him back to her car. The ride home passed in silence. It probably wasn't in Eric's nature to make light conversation while Sookie was simply too tired to do anything else other than stare at the dark blur of landscape outside.

It wasn't until they arrived that Sookie asked him, finally realizing something, "Where is your car?"

"I didn't get here by car, it would draw too much attention." He handed her back the car keys, tracing his thumb tantalizingly over the inside of her palm.

"You ran here all the way from Shreveport?"

"Actually, I flew."

"You… can fly?" she gasped. "Do you turn into a bat too?" That sounded idiotic even to her own ears but there was little that could surprise her now.

He laughed fully. "Goodnight, Ms. Pellerin."

"Goodnight, Eric." She smiled and pressed a small kiss to his cheek. He smirked at the direction of her house, one glance over her shoulder told Sookie that Sam was watching their exchange from her porch and probably wasn't thrilled about what he was seeing.

"We will meet again," Eric promised passionately and soared into the air with no effort at all, leaving Sookie staring open-mouthed at his form shrinking in the sky.