A/N: Thank you SO much for the reviews. Sorry I couldn't keep my promise about the update, but I was on vacation and well... yeah. Hope you like this chapter though(:

"Absolutely not," Sophie-Anne snapped at me. I laid back on her king-sized bed looking up at the ceiling as she moved around the room getting ready for a meeting. She had made Eric wait in the day room so that we could discuss me staying with Sookie for a week or two. I wasn't really lying to Sophie-Anne since I really was staying with Sookie. Maybe in a different state, but I would still be with Sookie, right? She continued, "You have no need to be there."

"I need to socialize with humans as well, Sophie!" I said sitting up, "The only other people I ever get to speak to are your damn vampire guards!"

Sophie-Anne stopped applying her makeup to look back at me, "Nonsense. You have Hadley and Ludis."

"Fangbangers don't count," I scowled. Why couldn't she just let me stay with Sookie for a couple of days? It's not like I was never coming back! I care about her too much.

She sighed, turning to the mirror again. "If you stay with Sookie, Bill Compton and Eric Northman would be around on a regular basis."

"What's so wrong with that?" I questioned, "They're just vampires."

Sophie-Anne turned around and looked at me disbelievingly, "What have I always taught you?"

I rolled my eyes, "Vampires are not to be trusted! I know the drill. I can take care of myself Sophie!"

"Ale," she said using the nickname she had given me. The name sounded more like Aly, "Do you have any idea what type of deep shit Sookie Stackhouse has put herself in during the last few weeks because of these two vampires?"

I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head a bit to the side in curiousity of what might have happened, "What?"

"Nan Flanagan informed me about a fiasco that happened down in Texas. Apparently, a sherriff down there was taken by the Fellowship of the Sun," she said, walking over to me with a grin on her face like any teenager would have right before spilling some juicy gossip, "That said sherriff was Eric's maker. So of course, he made Bill bring Sookie down to Dallas to read the minds of the Fellowship."

She waited to see if I was playing close attention. I stared at her with a look that said 'Yeah, and... ?'

"Well. Apparently, Sookie found out that they did have Godric and that Isabel's— Godric's second in command— human had betrayed them! Unfortunately for the telepath, the Fellowship knew she was coming and had her imprisoned in the basement. Then some other unimportant shit happened and they found out Godric hadn't been taken, but he had given himself to the vampire hating assholes!"

"No!" I exclaimed.

"Yes!" Sophie-Anne confirmed in delight. She never sounded more like a teenager then right now, "And then to add to the pile of shit, there was a suicide bombing during the get together after Godric had returned! Some idiot from the Fellowship showed up and set off a bomb! To make things even worse, Godric decided to kill himself!"

"You're kidding!" I accused. Eric's maker died? That must have been really hard. A bond between a maker and his child is the strongest connection you can have with someone.

"Nope. He went out and burned himself in the sun. Blows doesn't it?" Sophie-Anne finished. Then, as if she just remembered something she added, "Oh! And I heard from Isabel that Eric got Sookie to suck his blood. There was a bullet in his chest and he convinced her to suck it out along with his blood. What an idiot, that human is."

My mouth opened in shock. Sookie had Eric's blood in her? What. The. Fuck. I shook my head. No, she was lying. She had to be lying. Vampires hardly ever give humans there blood! If Eric gave Sookie his blood, that means he can feel her every emotion. Human-Vampire bonds also cause a deeper attraction between the two. They're not as strong as a maker and his child, but they're strong dammit!

Sophie-Anne was looking at me funny. I gathered myself and said, "That was a pretty dumb move on her part."

"Tell me about it," Sophie-Anne said, rolling her eyes. She glanced up at the clock reading 1:14 a.m. "Fuck. The meeting with the king of Arkansas is starting in about fifteen minutes."

I set aside the whole Eric-Sookie thing and found my chance. "So can I stay with Sookie? I mean, even if you say no, I'm still going. It's not like you can stop me from doing what I want."

Sophie-Anne walked towards the bathroom and said, "No, but I can try. And what about your birthday? It's almost here. Same with that holiday you humans celebrate. What's it called? Clausmas? No, that's not it. It has something to do with Jesus... Christmas! There we go. What about Christmas? Do you not want to celebrate it with me?"

"You don't celebrate Christmas and besides, you're always busy on my birthday. New Years is just not a calm day for you," I called out to her.

"Ale! But I have the most extravagant gift for you! You will not believe your eyes when you see it," she exclaimed, walking back into the room.

This got my attention, "Oh? You got me a gift? What is it?"

"You don't honestly think I'm just going to tell you, right?" she questioned, rolling her eyes. "In other matters, I guess since it's so close to the human holidays, I'll let you stay with the telepath."

I got up from the bed and hugged her, "Thanks Sophie! I'm going to go pack my things, I'll miss you! Good luck with your meeting."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going to have a word with Eric first, I'll see you in the day room."


About twenty minutes later, I walked into Sophie-Anne's day room with two suitcases. I would have packed less but I didn't have a clue how long we'd be gone. Sophie-Anne and Eric turned their heads as they heard me enter the room. It seemed like they were in the middle of a heated discussion about something. Almost in a robotic way, they both smiled at me. Sophie-Anne's smile was kind and friendly while Eric's was more of a you-know-you-want-me smile. Jerk face thinking he could get me after the whole Sookie incident. Fucker.

"Ale! Perfect timing. I was just showing Eric the new flowers I've placed at the main entrance!" Sophie-Anne said, still smiling. I narrowed my eyes and looked over at the vase full of a combination of blue, pink, and purple aster flowers. They were lovely, and my favorite, but not even an idiot would believe that's what the they were talking about.

"Yes, they are very... Appealing," Eric added, looking over at Sophie-Anne out of the corner of his eye. I absolutely hate being the only one out of the loop.

"What's going on?" I asked cautiously. They were acting strange. Sophie-Anne doesn't hide things from me, ever.

"Nothing," Sophie-Anne proclaimed. I kept studying them, my eyes averting from one vampire to the next. I could easily tell Sophie-Anne was hiding something. Her face didn't reveal anything, but her eyes showed there was more to her one word answer. Eric, on the other hand, could have fooled me. His face remained impassive. I bet I could throw a rock at his face and he wouldn't even flinch. I looked over at the vase. Maybe I should... No, not now.

"We need to go," Eric advised, breaking the silence. He was then standing next to me holding my bags. I let out a small gasp. Damn vampire speed.

I nodded and followed him as he started walking towards the exit. I looked back at Sophie-Anne as I walked. She looked a bit, worried. I furrowed my brows and turned around.

Once out the doorway and past the guards, I stopped Eric with my hand on his chest. He looked down at it and smirked.

"What the fuck is going on?" I demanded, dropping my hand from his chest. He still caught it half way and placed it back on his chest. My heart beat began to rise.

Eric smirked, "I don't know what you mean."

Using his strength, I moved my hand forcefully from his chest. "Quit fucking around with me."

He seemed surprised at the strength, but then remembered it was his powers I was using.

"You seem to be saying the word fuck a lot. It's starting to turn me on," he said, taking a step closer, making me take a step back. "Say it again."

I let out an exasperated sigh and turned my back to him, walking again. "Where to now?"

"Fangtasia," he laughed, following. I couldn't stop picturing the whole Sookie and Eric blood drinking. It made my stomach turn, yuck.

I put my thoughts aside and headed towards Eric's red corvette. I pulled the handle and the door wouldn't budge.

I turned to Eric, glaring at him. "Can you open the door?"

"You know, I like seeing you angry. Your cheeks are just so full of blood. I like it," he acknowledged, facing me by positioning himself between me and the passenger door. Placing my suitcases on the ground, he took out his keys and pressed the unlock button. I expected him to move, but he didn't. He folded his arms on his chest and reclined his body on the door.

"What are you doing?" I questioned.

"Open the door." He commanded, smirking. I looked over at where his butt was and where the handle should have been.

"Your ass is kind of in the way."

He grinned. Was he serious? He wanted me to touch his ass just to open the door? Well, I was always up for a challenge. I stepped forward and placed my hands on his hips. His eyes were full of curiosity and lust. Mostly lust. With vampire strength and speed, I repositioned him so that now I was reclining on the car and he was in front of me.

His eyes widened. I reached behind me for the handle and opened the door, sliding into the leather seat.

"Sometimes things don't always turn out the way you planned," I informed him, before closing the door. Not even a second after, I heard the trunk open and close. He was then sitting in the driver's seat turning on the ignition.

I looked over at him. His face was like a mask, but there was a tiny hint of defeat in his eyes. Maybe it was there for only a second, but it was there. I smiled.


The car ride to Fangtasia was both silent and awkward. Neither of us talked. I didn't talk because I kept replaying the Eric-Sookie scene in my head. Eric didn't talk because he's well, Eric. We were standing in Eric's office, Pam, Ginger, and I. Ginger, who I learned was a waitress and the day keeper here, was supposed to drive Eric and I down to Mississippi. Right when I saw her, I could tell she was a fangbanger. She hardly had any clothes on for crying out loud! Just the smallest mini skirt I'd ever seen and a small piece of what looked like latex covering her chest.

"You'll arrive at the hotel about thirty minutes before sunset," Pam stated to Ginger, "If there's traffic, and the sun comes up before you arrive, make sure Eric is in his coffin. Don't be the idiot you are and let people from the Fellowship of the Sun trick you into giving them the coffin. You, with the help of Alesana, will help take the coffin and the suitcases inside the lobby."

"Actually, her name's Ale now Pam," Eric smirked, walking in. He had changed clothes and was now wearing a simple black muscle shirt with black jeans. Oh god, look at those biceps. I could just... Stop! I yelled at myself, quickly looking away.

"Ale?" Pam questioned, testing the name out. She cringed, "I've never been fond of nicknames."

"Pam is a nickname," Eric stated, sitting on his black leather chair. Even as he sat down, you could see some of his arm muscles move. I was never one for buff men, but Eric just made it work.

"Pam happens to be my actual name!" She scowled.

"Really?" He challenged. His gaze drifted over to me even though he was still talking to Pam, "I recall your name being Pa—"

"Ginger!" Pam cut him off, "Go turn the van on."

Ginger nodded and walked out. I was still holding Eric's gaze and grinning from ear to ear. "Eric, what's Pam's real name?"

"It's none of your concern," Pam barked at me.

"Don't worry Pam, she'll find out eventually," Eric said, winking at me and standing up.

I laughed and averted my eyes from his and let them travel down his body. I looked up quickly and found him doing the same thing. Shit. Are we flirting? I'm supposed to be angry! I can't be flirting.

Pam scoffed and walked out of the room.

I looked around uncomfortably and ran a hand through my hair. Damn. I keep doing that! I felt Eric's hard chest right next to me. I took a sharp intake of breath. Looking up, I turned so that my body was facing him completely. He grabbed the sides of my hips, like I had done earlier to him, and pulled me towards him. Close enough so that I could feel my breath rebound from his chest but not so close where we were touching.

He bent down so his lips were centimeters away from mine. Oh god, was he going to kiss me? His breath sent shivers down my spine and I could practically hear my heart beat drumming through my ears. I watched him lick his lips, and right when I thought he was going to kiss me, he moved his mouth to my ear and whispered, "I believe Ginger's waiting for us."

He turned away from me and headed towards the door, smiling like the devil himself.

Wait, did he just... Play me?