Like always, thank you for the reviews and alerts.

A quick note, in the last chapter, Eric said "... Did you think you could stop have stopped her?". It should be "... Did you think you could have stopped her?" Sorry about that.

Disclaimer: Do not own anything.


Chapter 8

"Well, your Majesty, it seems that we're done here." Eric turned toward his King. He needed to get back to Fangtasia and formulate a new plan to make Sookie his. He owned her house, and Sookie's attachment to it gave him a distinct advantage. He knew that she wouldn't move out and seek refuge elsewhere.

"Yes, we are. However, I want to check on Sookie before leaving. I want to make sure that she is doing well." Bill said. He was hoping to get some time alone with her, but apparently, Eric wasn't about to let him.

"In that case, shall we go upstairs and check on her?" Eric gestured toward the staircase. Eric wasn't about to give Bill the benefit of 'getting on her good side', so to speak.

"You don't need to trouble yourself, Eric. I'm fine, thank you." Sookie said, as she came down the stairs. Upon seeing her, Bill quickly stepped forward to offer her his assistance, but Sookie held out her hand, signalling him to stop.

"I'm okay, Bill. I can do this." Sookie told him. Bill stopped and looked at her, grateful that she looked better than she had earlier. She reached the bottom of the stairs and approached them.

"Dr. Ludwig told me that the blood bonds are gone." She looked at their reactions.

Bill looked paler than usual and Eric just looked like… Eric. While Bill's concern was apparent on his face, Eric hid his well. That was, of course if he was really concerned at all. Sookie remembered what Eric had asked her yesterday. He'd wanted to know if those few days had meant anything to her. Looking at him now, she doubted if those few days had meant anything to him.

"Sookie, I am so sorry. If I had known that this would happen, I would not…" Bill tried to apologize to her, but Sookie cut him off.

"Bill, I wanted this. There wasn't anything either of you could have done to stop me. This is what I needed… for me. Please don't beat yourself up over it. In fact, I want to thank you, for agreeing to do this for me in the first place." Sookie smiled softly at him, which he returned. Neither noticed Eric glowering at them.

Regaining his composure before they noticed, Eric set out to remind them they were not there alone. "Sookie, it's getting late. You should get some rest." Eric gave her an insincere smile. Eric didn't like the way Bill and Sookie looked at each other. Sookie was his, with or without the blood bond. He turned to Bill. "Your Majesty, don't you think we should leave so Sookie can get some rest?"

"Eric is right. We should go. Please Sookie, do get some rest." Bill gave her a lingering look before turning around and walked to the front door. He needed to go back to his mansion and mulled over today's events. Eric followed him. They turned to face her as she stood at the front porch.

"Don't forget to lock the door. You never know what's lurking out there." Eric told her.

Bill nodded and added, "Without the blood bond, neither of us will know if you are in danger. Sookie, please be vigilant." Knowing her knack of getting into trouble when it was least expected, Bill doubted that she would stay safe and that worried him.

"I promise I will, thank you, both of you." Sookie said. She watched as they melted into the night.

Sookie closed the door and sighed. It was done. The bonds were gone now. She checked the door to make sure that it's locked and then headed upstairs. She needed a shower and sleep. But she suddenly remembered something.

"Holly, are you still here?" Sookie poked her head into the living room and found it empty. She picked up the phone and dialled Holly's cell. Holly picked it up on the first ring.

"Sookie! Oh my god, are you okay?" Holly sounded worried.

"I'm fine. Where are you?" Sookie asked her. She felt guilty for forgetting about Holly. Her Gran would have scolded her for being so rude and ungrateful. She asked for a friend's help and then she forgot about her.

"It's good to hear that. I'm at home. They sent me home after you passed out. I didn't know what to do and that Eric is scary! I remembered what he did to Roy. Oh, Sookie, I'm so sorry! I didn't know what happened. I…" Holly was talking a mile a minute.

"Whoa… slow down. Holly, I'm fine. You're not at fault. I asked you to help me with this. I knew what I was getting into. And you know what, it worked!" Sookie told her, excitement filled her voice.

"Did it? The bonds are gone now?" Holly sounded relieved. At least they'd done it! Holly had tons of questions for Sookie, but they could wait.

"Yeah, they're gone. So, don't worry about anything, okay? Everything's going to be ok." Sookie assured her. "And Holly? I thank you enough. We couldn't have done it without you!" Sookie continued.

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad to be able to help. How are you feeling? You scared the hell out of me. I thought…" She trailed off. "Never mind what I thought. You scared Bill too. When you fainted, he panicked. I thought he was going to pass out too, if a vampire could faint, that is." Holly recalled.

"Yes, they can, if you hit them hard enough over the head, with a TV that is." Sookie answered jokingly. Holly was confused, but decided to let it pass. She thought that maybe Sookie was still disoriented. But then, Sookie's voice got serious. "Was it that bad?" She asked curiously.

"Yes. You were so pale and still. The tiny Doctor tried to help, but you didn't respond. Bill carried you upstairs and Eric sent me home. I don't know what happened after I left." Holly explained. It happened so fast, Holly couldn't really remember exactly all that had happened.

"Did… Was… Was Eric worried?" Sookie asked. She wanted to know if he truly cared for her, if those few days did mean something to him.

"Well, he looked… okay." Holly paused. "I mean, Bill was clearly frantic, but Eric was pretty calm." Holly continued.

"I see. Okay, it's late. I won't disturb you anymore. I'll see you tomorrow at Merlotte's." Sookie said. "Oh, and Holly, please don't tell anyone about this. I don't want anyone else to know." Sookie hastily added.

"Don't worry, Sook. I'm not going to tell anyone." Holly promised.

"Thank you, Holly. I really appreciate it. Good night." Sookie hung up.

Sookie was tired. She just wanted to take a shower and then go to bed.. She needed to clear her head before thinking about what she'd achieved tonight. Sookie walked upstairs, took a quick shower, and slipped into bed, hoping to get some sleep.

But alas, her mind was filled with so many thoughts that she's unable to rest. She looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was 1:30 in the morning. She sighed. It looked like she wouldn't be getting any sleep soon. So, she let her mind wander.

Sookie thought about the blood bonds. They were gone now, she was free. But, why did she still feel confused? She supposed it was because even with the bonds broken, it would take some time to clear her head. Like a hangover after a night of drinking, her emotions were going to be fuzzy. Sookie was becoming increasingly aware that the best thing she could do, would be to spend some time alone to sort things out.

She knew she promised Bill that they would still be friends, and she meant it. She just thought that staying away from him for a while would do her good. In fact, she wanted to stay away from all vampires, including Eric.

Thinking about Eric made her heart sink a bit. While her attraction to him was probably caused by the bond, it would be nice to know that he cared for her, even if only as a friend. But considering his reaction and based on what Holly told her, it appeared that he didn't care about her that much.

Did she mean so little to him that even when she was unconscious, her fate in jeopardy, he was calm and acted as if nothing was wrong? Hadn't he worried even for a bit?

Sookie thought about this carefully and she wasn't that surprised with his reactions. She should have known better, Eric was Eric. He didn't really care about anything or anyone else, other than himself, with the possible exception of Godric.

The time they'd spent together when he was under Marnie's spell, he wasn't himself. But, had it been the real him? Sookie sighed heavily. She didn't know and she might never find out.

Then her thoughts shifted to Bill. Despite everything that happened between them, thinking about Bill always brought a smile to her lips. Bill was her first in so many ways, her first boyfriend, her first lover, and her first real love. What she felt for him was not just another casual crush. It was something real. Or was it?

When she found out about his true reason in coming to Bon Temps she'd been crushed. Her whole world had come crumbling down right before her eyes. She'd been so far beyond heartbroken it had become a physical pain. The person that she'd trusted the most had actually been lying to her from the beginning. Her pain turned to rage and she'd willed herself to hate him with every fiber of her being.

But she couldn't. She hadn't been able to bring herself to hate him.

Deep down, she knew that she loved him, in spite of everything. Her feelings for him were so intense and passionate. Even until now, if she's being honest with herself, she knew that her feelings for him had never changed.

But she couldn't be with him. Not yet, it was too complicated. They couldn't go back to where they used to be, and she knew that they could be great friends. But with the blood bond broken, she could be sure of her feelings. If it ever came down to her being with him again… she could be sure that it would be real and meaningful.

With Bill on her mind, she finally fell asleep, a smile on her lips.


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