Hello, welcome to the next chapter. Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries, I'm just borrowing some characters for a bit of fun. On with the chapter!

"What do you mean?" I asked. The trepidation I had felt when answering the phone had grown exponentially. "Is Gran okay?" I had little doubt that Eric could take care of himself. However, while my Gran was quite formidable for a little old lady, she definitely wasn't a match for the kind of trouble I often found myself in.

"Adele is fine, and is unaware that anything is wrong." A little relief washed over me. Jason was now paying me close attention, trying to figure out what was happening. "Sophie Anne has been bugging Fangtasia."

"Shit," I whispered emphatically as my mind worked a mile a minute. There was so many questions such a statement provoked. How long had she been bugging? Where had she been able to bug? How much information had she been able to garner? We could be in serious trouble depending on the answers.

"Exactly my sentiment as well. We are on our way back to the farm house now, be ready to leave." With that he hung up the phone without saying goodbye. I returned the phone to its holder and turned to face my brother. I didn't bother trying to school my face. What we had discussed earlier about Jason deserving the whole truth still stood.

"What's going on?" He asked as I returned to my chair. I rested my forehead on the table, feeling like a petulant child and not really caring.

"Trouble." I muttered, not bothering to life my head. We hadn't gone more than a few days really since the whole situation with Lorena. I had expected us to have at least a few more days of relative peace.

"What's going on this time?" Jason's hand went to my shoulder, giving me a reassuring squeeze.

"I don't really know for sure yet. Eric says that Sophie-Anne, the Queen, has been bugging Fangtasia." Jason had known some bits about vampire hierarchy and politics, but I wasn't sure how much he remembered. Although, if he had been looking for me down in New Orleans, it would have been stupid to do so without having further knowledge than what I had told him. "He hasn't told Gran anything and I won't until we know for sure what's happening. This could be one big puff of smoke or another fiasco beginning."

"There's really never a dull moment in your life is there?" Jason was sitting back in his chair, one hand running through his hair. There was a line between his eyebrows that I knew only appeared when he was worried.

"Tell me about it." I finally sat up properly. "I wish I could have a normal life."

"You've never quite been normal though, have you Sook." He didn't mean his words in a bad way, but I had to admit they still stung.

"No. Hopefully, it'll return to a lower level soon. Once my return has blown over." I could definitely hope. "You better get going. Gran and Eric are on their way back, and we need to get back to Shreveport as soon as possible. Damage control." I tidied up the kitchen. Jason understood why I was politely kicking him out. If he was still here when Gran got back she would have hundreds of questions for us, and then some more for him besides. She was truly a doting great-grandmother, and any conversation about Annabella lasted at least ten minutes. Or at least, that's what he had told me when we had been going over the photographs.

We had just said our goodbyes, which included another bear hug, when I heard tyres speeding up the driveway. It seemed that they were destined to just miss each other. A very similar thing had happened when Jason had arrived. I was all set to go, I hadn't brought much with me as I still didn't own particularly much. I opened the front door to greet them.

"What are you doing?" I asked. Opening the door had turned into holding it open as I had been faced with my vampire striding towards me, my Gran in his arms. He slipped passed me and walked down the hall. "Did you glamour my Gran?" He continued to stride into her bedroom and placed her sleeping form on the bed. There was no way this was a natural sleep. She had never slept this deeply and as she had gotten older, she had gotten worse with what would wake her up.

"Yes." He pulled the blanket from the bottom of her bed up and covered her so that she wouldn't get cold. He had already removed her shoes and I hadn't even noticed. She was still fully clothed aside from her coat and shoes. "We had to get back quickly and we have to get back to Shreveport. This was the best way to do it quickly and without raising her suspicions." I wasn't exactly happy but I could understand his reasoning. It wasn't like I could do anything about it. I wouldn't be able to rouse her from her slumber and I had no idea how to control my own glamour powers, if I even had them. "She will be perfectly fine."

"But you glamoured by Gran. Doesn't that go against your friendship?" I kissed my Gran's forehead in a silent goodbye before following Eric back out of the house to his car.

"Does not lying too go against our friendship?" He had a very good point. We both slid into the car. He was speeding down the drive and I hadn't even had a chance to put my seatbelt on. "I thought it best. She will believe that we came home and all shared a drink, before she got too tired. We left as she retired for the night, too tired to put on pyjamas." It seemed like he had thought of most things. I had to put thoughts of my Gran aside. She was out of harm's way, tucked up safe and sound in her own bed. Probably a hell of a lot safer than we were.

"So," I started out. The town of Bon Temps was already completely in the rear view mirror. "The Queen has been bugging Fangtasia." Saying it out loud made it all the more real. I desperately wanted to know exactly how much information she had been able to garner, but I doubted Eric would know for sure.

"It would appear so. Pam called me about it. She is going to meet us at home with what she has found out." He turned onto the highway and increased his speed further. Even if we got pulled over, he would just glamour the police officer. I really would have to try this glamouring business and see if I could actually do it: it could come in handy.

"So what do you know?"

"Unfortunately, not much. Pam has found a bug in her office, which is when she called me. She was going to search my office before meeting us. I do not yet know how long it has been very. Or in fact, any of the other important details." His hands tightened their grip on the steering wheel.

"How do you know it is the Queen?" Although she definitely seemed the most likely and she had the means, it wasn't out of the realms of possibility that it was someone else. Especially if the bug had been found in Pam's office. Surely if the Queen was going to go to the trouble of planting a bug in Fangtasia, she would aim to plant one in Eric's office.

"Uh," Eric said, completely unlike himself. I don't think I'd ever heard him falter soon. His hands shifted uncomfortably on the steering wheel. "We are working with probabilities. We know of no other threat." He took of my hands in his, resting our entwined fingers in his lap. By this point we were already turning off of the highway to take the roads into Shreveport.

We spent the rest of the quick journey lost in our individual thoughts, our only communication was our hands tightly grasped. The lights of the city at night sped by and soon we were pulling into the parking garage at his place. Pam's car, an amusingly large Ford Explorer, was already there.

"Let's listen to what Pam has to say before we jump to anymore conclusions." I had paused him with a hand on his arm just before he got out of the car. He turned back to look at me. I saw actual worry in his eyes. "What has you so worried? You're the big bad vampire." I stroked my thumb across his cheek.

"I may be the big bad vampire, and you are a vampire now, but you are not exactly the big bad." I kissed him lightly. "If it is the Queen, I am apprehensive that I may not be able to protect you. I did not manage to protect you last time, and from Bill Compton of all people." My thumb stopped stroking his cheek.

"Eric Northman! Take that back." I slapped his cheek lightly for emphasis; I did not mean to do any harm. "How could you protect me when I did not let you? What happened to me was definitely not your fault." I kissed him again. "I have every faith in you, my vampire." He closed his eyes as my thumb returned to stroking his cheek. His eyelashes were wonderfully dark against the porcelain skin. "I promise that whatever trouble is awaiting us, we will face it together."

"Lover," he whispered and it was his turn to kiss me. It was forceful, filled with passion and bruising power. It was everything I wanted in that moment from the man I loved. His hands wound into my hair, leaning me back into the seat. My fangs ran down, and his answering moan let me know exactly how he felt about that. However, this wasn't the time or the place to be getting carried away. "Lover, we cannot yet." Eric muttered as he pulled back. I could see the tips of his fangs just visible below his upper lip.

"I know. We have to sort this trouble out." We kissed one more time, the promise of later in our movements.

"We do indeed." He pulled back, and then swooped in for one final peck. With that he finally got out of the car, pausing for me to catch up so he could take my hand.

We found Pam pacing through the living room when we entered. Her usually impeccable hair was in disarray; loose strands fluttered around her face and the pony tail was loose.

"Finally!" She halted her pacing to take us both in. "Did you pause to make out?" She asked incredulously, her eyes shining with amusement for a split second. "Urgh, never mind, you need to listen."

I took a seat on the sofa, tucking my legs underneath me so that I could get comfortable. We might end up being here for awhile while we discussed everything. Eric rested against the arm of the sofa where I was sitting. I placed a hand on his thigh, showing that I was there. He nodded his head and Pam began her story.

"I was rearranging my office when I first got to Fangtasia." This was nothing new, Pam rearranged quite frequently. If she was annoyed with Eric she would even rearrange his office. Usually in a small way, moving things to different drawers, so he wouldn't notice immediately. "Something fell to the carpet when I moved my vanity table." Pam had a vanity table in there so that she could get changed in the privacy of her own office and didn't have to lower herself to changing in the actual staff changing room. She didn't care about the privacy really, but rather having to spend more time with people that annoyed her. "When I pulled it out I found out it was a bug. That's when I called you. After that I went to your office and searched. I found another bug and an additional microphone device."

Eric turned to me and his eyebrows rose in question.

"Okay, it's the Queen." If they were bugging both Pam and Eric's offices, there wasn't much doubt left that it could be anyone but the Queen. She seemed like the only person who would have motive. "Can you hazard a guess as to how long they have been there? Did you find any others?"

"Fangtasia, was and still is open, I did not want to arouse too much suspicion so I could not search properly anywhere else. I will look again when the bar shuts for the night." Eric gave a nod of approval. His eyes were darker than they usually were as he reflected on everything Pam was saying. I was worried, there were many things that could have been picked up on from bugging the offices. Besides, I had no idea what had transpired in the rooms when I had not been in there. "I rearranged my office the night after the raid when Sookie returned. It could be any time since then." Both of them paused to contemplate what had happened since that night.

"So we have no way of knowing how long she has been bugging Fangtasia and we cannot accurately know how much information she have gathered. I cannot believe she has the nerve to do this!" Eric exploded with the last statement, his hand lashing out and smashing onto the coffee table. If it hadn't been made of solid oak and he had held back his strength at the end it would have shattered. As it was a large crack splintered down the middle from where his hand had hit.

"It's the fucking Queen, of course she would stoop this low." Pam was seething and had returned to pacing. Eric was tense beside me, it seemed every muscle in his body was poised to fight.

"There's another question you haven't considered yet." They both seemed caught up in the Queen and the information she could have on them. Admittedly, it was a massive problem and I was severely worried myself. However, I thought there was another slightly more pertinent matter at stake. "Who planted the bug? The Queen sure as hell didn't do it herself." I would love to see the Queen do any of her own dirty work. "I think you might have a problem with your staff."

"Fuck," Eric whispered. He cracked his knuckles on both hands. "We have a traitor in our midst." His native Swedish accent was getting stronger by the utterance in his stress. "There is not much we can do about that tonight. It could be human or vampire. Tomorrow night we," he looked down at me, "will sit out front at Fangtasia. That way we can examine most of the human and vampire staff. The vampires will not suspect anything."

"That sounds like a perfect plan for tomorrow," Pam agreed. "What about tonight?"

"We have no way of knowing what she knows. At the moment, my main priority is Sookie." His hand reached down and covered mine that was still resting on his thigh. Pam nodded in acknowledgement. It would seem that they still thought I needed protecting even though I was a vampire. To be fair, they were probably right. I had vampire abilities which meant I was a damn lot harder to kill but I was still very young. I hadn't even begun to realise the true extent of my abilities. Combined with my telepathy that far too many people wanted to exploit, I could still be in a lot of danger.

"What do propose?" Pam asked, finally taking a seat on the other sofa facing us.

"Exactly that." A smirk crossed both of their faces in unison, which left me feeling decidedly out of the loop. "The Queen may be aware that what I told her was not the entire truth. It would be a way to make sure Sookie remains under my protection."

"It would indeed. Who shall I bring in?" Pam's eyes were dancing with mischief by this point. It was strange how quickly her mood had changed. I guess there wasn't that much else we could do tonight which was quite frustrating.

"Let us go with Damien and Gerard. We shall do it here, give them half an hour to get here." With that Pam left the room.

"What exactly are we going to be doing here? And who are Damien and Gerard?" To say I was perplexed was an understatement.

"Dearest Sookie," Eric started. His fangs had run down again for some reason and his whole demeanour was a lot more jovial than it had been not a few minutes ago. I was highly suspicious of what he was planning. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do," I said without thinking, mainly because I didn't have to.

"Good. We need to get married." I blanched at his words. And then it all dawned on. We had told the Queen when we had paid her a visit, that we were married and therefore I was under Eric's protection. It was quite possible that she knew we weren't actually hitched now and we needed to rectify that. Eric's protection meant a lot and we all stood a better chance of getting through all of this if he could protect me with no constraints. He smiled wider as he saw me realise why we were doing this. "I admit, it is happening a little sooner than I had intended." I had seen several vampire weddings in my time. They were nothing like human marriages and like what we were planning on doing tonight, were more for convenience than actual love. That's not to say love didn't play a massive part in why we were going to do this. Of course my answer was going to be yes.

"Eric, I understand." I stood up so that I was eye level with him. "The timing may mean it is for convenience and we sure as hell are rushing into this, but I'm not going to run." I placed my hands on his shoulders and kissed him gently. "Do you want to know something?"

"Of course, Lover." He picked me up and sat me across his lap, moving to sit on the sofa cushion as he did so.

"I used to imagine us getting married. We were so good together back then." I put my arms around his neck and snuggled into his chest. His arm around my waist held me close. "Despite all this bull shit going on around us, there is one very good thing that's come out of this. That I'm back and we're back together. You can't get rid of me." I smiled at him.

"Why would I want to get rid of you? You are far too much fun, Miss Stackhouse. Sometimes too much fun for your own good." His words were jesting but I knew the meaning behind them. He wasn't always good with his emotions and I could understand that. He was over a thousand years older than me and I doubted I would ever fully comprehend what he had seen. "If you desire it, when the storm had quieted, we can get married again. More formally. However and wherever you want." As soon as the last syllable was out, he flipped us over. I suddenly found myself on my back, laid across the sofa with my big bad vampire looming above me.

"Mr Northman, you forget I am a vampire now! I can see your movements!" It was true that while it was surprising, I was now able to follow his movements. When he had done such things while I had been human, it would have been accompanied with a squeal. Now, it was just a grin of delight.

"That just means I will have to try harder." He lowered himself down so that more of his weight was resting on me. It didn't bother me at all anymore, despite the size difference.

"I look forward to it." Then his lips were on mine and our hands were exploring the others. He could still do to me what no one else could without seemingly trying. It was instinctive. I didn't have to think about anything when we were together like this. I simply did everything that I wanted. My body responded to his perfectly.

My legs wound around his hips, pulling him in even tighter to me, and creating some glorious friction. I could feel exactly how he was responding and it simply spurred me on. One of his hands started on my waist, pushing up my shirt slightly so he could reach my cool skin. His lips moved from mine where our tongues had been exploring, to my jaw line. He worked along and down my neck until he finally reached my scar. I had a second of anxiety before what he did meant that I simply didn't care about it anymore. His lips were gently but the tips of his fangs were sharp was he carefully scraped them across the roughened skin. A gasp broke free from my mouth and I held him ever closer.

"You two do know that you're supposed to wait until after the marriage to consummate it, right?" Pam drawled as she walked in on us. I glanced up at her from my position underneath Eric. She was standing in the doorway with her arms folded across her chest. An amused expression was on her pretty face.

"Pam," Eric stated, lifting away from me slightly so that he could move to see her properly. "This better be good." Pam had walked in on us in far more incriminating positions for this to actually bother any of us. As long as I was dressed I didn't care too much anymore.

"Damien and Gerard are here." With that she turned on her heel and stalked from the room. Eric's head hung down so that he could rest his forehead against mine.

"Later." He promised and gave me one final, rather chaste kiss before pushing up from the sofa.

"You forgot to answer earlier." I too sat up and straightened out my clothing. "Who are Damien and Gerard?" I deemed myself as presentable as I was going to get in my jeans and shirt, albeit they were newly bought. At least my clothing fit me properly now.

"They are two young vampires from the Area Five. Fiercely loyal and scared shitless of me." Eric grinned wickedly. Despite his persona, and the fact he found it amusing his underlings were scared of him, he was actually a very fair boss. The young vampires could do a hell of a lot worse in their Sheriff. "I trust them as much as I am able." Trust was a gift rarely given out from Eric. I knew of three people who he trusted, and I wasn't entirely sure about the third anymore. He trusted his Maker, who had sadly now met his final death, and Pam. The third was me; he had trusted me deeply before and I wasn't sure how much he trusted me anymore. I wouldn't trust me if I was in his shoes. "You will read them just to ensure their loyalty?" I nodded, since although being phrased like a statement it had been posed as a question.

"Is there a vampire Vegas?" I had briefly contemplated it earlier yet hadn't had the chance to ask.

"We just use the actual Vegas if we are marrying humans." He shrugged his giant shoulders. "If it is a vampire marriage, there is no need to go anywhere for one except for putting on a show."

"Oh." I replied. It made sense. "What do we actually have to do?" I was getting slightly nervous. It had been a long time since I had seen a vampire wedding and they had all been quite different.

"You will present me with the ceremonial dagger. After which I will say a few words, I will knick your finger and then you shall knick mine. We hold our hands together so two drops of blood merge. That is it." He finally stood up completely straight having gotten full control of his body back. "Lover, are you ready?" He held his hand outstretched for me to take.

It was strange. Accepting his hand would be truly accepting this marriage. I had been raised to be a good little Christian. Grow up, meet Mister Right, get married and have lots of blonde haired children while going to church every Sunday. Along with that came the picture of the perfect wedding; white princess gown, a couple of bridesmaids, my man dressed up to the nines in a tuxedo and a beautiful bouquet of roses. This was far from the picture I had always imagined in my head. Of course, my life was a lot different than everyone had initially expected. I didn't go to church every Sunday, I was a vampire in love with another vampire. Even while I had been human the image of the faceless groom had morphed over time into Eric's handsome face. This might be the only wedding I was going to get; Eric's words were great but there was still a lot to get through before that time. Here I was dressed in jeans and a shirt, no bouquet or bridesmaids and my groom was dressed in tight black jeans and a tank top.

"Yes." I said decisively and placed my hand in his. I was lead into what I assumed was intended to be the dining room but had been transformed into a massive office type area. Pam was seated behind a huge desk while the two vampires I didn't know were sat in front on guest chairs. As soon as we entered the two males nodded their heads deeply in a show of respect for Eric.

I let my mental shields drop. There was a brief jolt of elation when I felt Eric's completely blank spot next to me, matched with Pam's behind the desk and then their minds literally fell open for me to read. They were both curious as to why they had been summoned to Eric's house by Pam. Anxiety was their biggest emotion, both were wondering to some extent if they had done something wrong. Neither could think of anything. These were definitely not the minds of a traitor. I squeezed Eric's hand and when he glanced down at me, I smiled. We were in the clear to go ahead.

"I have called you both here to witness the marriage between myself and Miss Sookie Stackhouse." Eric pulled me forward to stand directly beside him as he said my name. The two vampires nodded their heads slightly in my direction. It appeared they knew better than to ask questions as they simply sat expectantly, waiting for what to do next.

"Sookie?" Pam drew my attention to her and the small package swaddled in cloth she held. It must have been the ceremonial dagger that we would be using.

"Thanks." I carefully took the package from her and pulling back the old cloth to reveal the dagger. It was a lot simpler than I had anticipated. I had no idea what it was made of, but it still gleamed silver in the light of the office. The hilt was wrapped in black leather, leaving the pommel exposed metal. It was the only part of it that looked tarnished, and I could simply tell it was through heavy use rather than lack of care.

I laid the cloth down on the edge of the desk and turned to Eric who was still standing in the centre of the room expectantly. I grasped the dagger that was about the length of my forearm in my hand, careful not to actually wield it any form of threatening gesture. I smiled up at Eric when I was standing in front of him. I moved my grip so that I could hand it to him hilt first.

"Sookie Stackhouse, I hereby declare our betrothal. We shall protect each other, share our powers and unite to be stronger than each alone." They were simply words but cut right to the point. It wasn't actually too far removed from human vows. In vampire terms, these were the keys points. Eric held out his hand and I placed mine in his. I knew to expect pain but I wasn't too worried. Being a vampire changed your perspective on pain. It still hurt just as much but there was no fear that it could be something significant. You simply knew that you were going to survive and you learned to continue almost as normal through the pain, using it to your advantage.

Eric pointed the tip of the dagger at my palm and with one quick motion, cut my skin so that the blood immediately welled up. The sting was instantaneous but it wasn't too bad. I quickly took the dagger back from him and mirrored his actions before. I had to swallow before I let the metal actually pierce his skin. Even knowing that I wouldn't be doing him any damage that lasted more than a few seconds, it felt intensely wrong. He showed no outward sign at the sting and as soon as the cut was made, he took back the dagger. Then, he held my hand again so that our palms were together.

That was it, in vampire terms we were married. It was all over in a couple of minutes. No need to say 'I do' or even kiss the bride. Pam clapped sarcastically from the other side of the room. She was swiftly by our side to wrap the dagger back up, so that it could be safely stored again where ever it had been dug up from.

"Thank-you," Eric started and the word was surprising to hear. He was addressing the two vampires. "You are witness to the betrothal of Eric Northman and Sookie Stackhouse. I shall not forget this and your loyalty." They nodded their heads in that almost bow movement again in acknowledgement. "You may leave." And just like that they were dismissed. I curiously lowered my shields a little to let their impressions seep into my brain. They were perplexed at what had passed this night. They weren't sure whether they should talk to anyone about it but they hadn't been commanded to stay silent, therefore they reasoned it must be okay. Within a few seconds their brain signature was already moving swiftly away from the house as they drove away in the car in which they had arrived. "So, wife." Eric said with a grin in my direction.

"Husband." I returned with a matching grin. It was strange to think that just like that, we were married. My Gran would have a fit if she knew about this. "Are they supposed to be spreading the word as such?" To be fair, it was a good method of getting word out that we were actually married and I was therefore under Eric's protection.

"Yes."

"What about dates?"

"A trivial matter. Pam had already commanded them that they should conveniently forget the date if asked and I will correct any dates on paperwork." A frown crossed his face. "I have a lot of paperwork to submit." He wiped the frown from his face. "However, I had much more important things to consider tonight." It was my turn to frown. I thought we had sorted everything out as much as we were able to for tonight. "I need to celebrate with my wife." A wicked smile played across his lips this time and I could see the tips of his fangs.

"Wait until I am out of the house!" Pam called from somewhere in the house. We both laughed but Eric didn't pay her any attention as the next instant I was slung over his shoulder, his hand on my ass, as he walked me back toward our bedroom.

"Is this costume absolutely necessary?" I asked as I shifted uncomfortably again. Pam had insisted that if I was to sit with them out front at Fangtasia I had to wear the appropriate attire now that I was a vampire. They couldn't have different rules for me. My skin tight leather trousers were a couple of inches too short as they were Pam's, but that was covered up by the stiletto boots I was wearing. My top was what was most annoying. It was a very good thing that I didn't really need to breathe. The corset had been designed for Pam who was slightly smaller than me and so I was laced into the corset as tightly as I could manage. I had to admit it did amazing things for my silhouette but it wasn't worth the discomfort. Eric was very appreciative, especially since the girls were quite on show. Men. It almost meant he was getting rather protective and jealous whenever someone looked my way.

"Yes." Pam muttered again. I had been fighting against what I was wearing since I had first seen what she had laid out for me. I hadn't protested too much, knowing that now I was a vampire, I would have to play the part. I just hadn't expected it to be quite this costume. "Are you ready for this?" I nodded my head. Let the show begin.

Eric pushed open the door that led from the staff area into the bar itself with more force than necessary. The movement did its job and most of the faces in the bar turned to face us. I made sure to school my face, keeping it straight. I was highly grateful that I no longer blushed. Eric strode purposefully into the room, followed swiftly by me and Pam. We flanked either side, one step behind him. We were playing up the image of a leader and his flunkies, but it was what the crowd wanted. Very soon we were in front of Eric's throne, which had been updated since the last time I'd actually seen it. He sat down first, stretching his long legs out in front of him as he got comfortable. A waitress was already standing behind his chair, two true bloods balanced on a tray. I took my designated seat on the step beside him. I would have to see if Eric would be opposed to smaller version of his chair for me, if we were going to be doing this on any form of regular basis. I would at least be comfortable.

As soon as I was seated, the waitress came forward and gave us each our drinks while Pam almost patiently waited. She was going to 'mingle' with the crowd, ready to intercept anyone of interest. Once the waitress was finished, two beautiful blonds turned their heads to face me. It was all up to me tonight. Of course, Eric had other means of finding out a traitor but this seemed a lot easier and quicker. Plus, it wouldn't mean interrogation or maiming, except, perhaps if we found a suspect. At least it would be only one person if that happened.

"Wife, are you okay?" Ever since last night, he had been alternating using 'lover' and 'wife' as my name. It made me smile every time. It seemed Eric was rather partial to this marriage thing.

"Yes and no," I answered honestly. "I'm uncomfortable." It was a major understatement but I was willing to put up with it, however I wasn't above complaining. "I haven't had to do this sort of thing in a very long time." This time I was referring to my telepathy. Most of the time I tried to reign in my powers. The only person I had tried to read on a large scale was Bill, and before that it had been years. I just hoped I would be up to the task.

"I will be right here." He reached across for my hand and placed it on his bare forearm. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to hold my hand in this setting but he was letting me know that he would be there for me. "You are more than capable, Sookie." My actual name falling from his lips actually caught me off guard. I had become so used to my nickname that it seemed strange. What was probably even stranger was that I had grown accustomed in just a few days. I really hadn't been back all that long and yet, somehow it seemed like very little had changed.

Fucking hot, I wonder if she'd suck on my neck

Who the hell is that?! He's never let anyone sit there with him before. Why can't it be me. Is she even a vampire?

I heard he batter for the home team. I might still have a chance.

I can't fucking believe what she did. And she expected me to shrug it off as though nothing mattered.

It was startling how quickly I was sucked down into the thoughts. It was like a scene from a movie but that was exactly how it played out. It was like my mind hopped from one mental signature to the next, searching for keywords and pictures that might be of interest. The human brains were completely open to me. I took a reassuring breath, feeling the air in my lungs as a grounding. I closed my eyes, not caring what I looked like to anyone watching. If people knew me from before they all thought I was a little crazy anyway. The vampires wouldn't suspect anything. If they knew I was reading people, they wouldn't dream that I would be reading them as well.

I lowered my shields again and started hopping from brain to brain as systematically as I could. I started with the people closest to us on the right hand side so that I could make my way across the bar to the left. Sex was the predominating thought in many brains, in one thought or another. A couple of people were looking to score a little V, others just wanted to be bitten. There were several tourists in who were just lapping up the vampires, they still thought we were exotic. Overall, it was all rather bland. None of it was what we were interested in. Of course, it was highly unlikely the patrons would be to blame, but the human Fangtasia staff were so mingled with the crowd it was difficult to pick them out. Either way, everyone was in the clear.

I nodded my head at Eric and squeezed his hand. We had agreed that I would read the humans first as they would be easier. Vampires were still a lot trickier. I was much newer to these powers and therefore, I didn't have as much practice at controlling the telepathy.

I locked onto Pam's brain. I still couldn't read her at all, but I recognised her blankness as a familiar shadow at the back of the bar. From there I hopped to the next blank spot; a young vampire. An easy target, at least in comparison to some of them in the bar.

Quite a crowd tonight. Hmmm. Pretty young thing. Then his mind was filled with images of him and a young woman who was currently standing at the back of the crowd at the bar. I pulled out of his mind as soon as he started imagining what he would do to her if she said yes. I skipped over the next vampire, the oldest of the vampires that was here tonight. Besides Eric of course. I wanted to build up to the challenge. I went to the bar tender who was busy serving the waiting crowd.

This job fucking sucks. He was wallowing in the annoyances of the humans he was serving. It seemed the crowd wasn't his friend tonight and that he'd gotten up out of the wrong side of the coffin. It was a wry thought that I got from his otherwise blank mind. I focused on him, my eyes now open. He was a rather average looking vampire of about two hundred. He appeared perfectly average: average height, mousey brown hair, brown eyes and features that put him somewhere around plain. He would blend into the background with ease. I stared at him unabashedly, hoping that he would be too intent on his job to notice me. Like a wall coming crashing down, the insistence of my brain knocking at the door of his, broke through.

My hand gripped Eric's arm tightly as I continued to stare. I didn't dare break contact, scared that I would lose my grip on his mind. It was falling apart underneath my mental fingertips and he had no idea there was someone in there trying to steer. He dropped the glass he was holding as his mind ran away from him. He thought a single word, Queen, and I had gone with it. I had followed the word down into the deep recesses of his mind. I had spiralled down into the depths of his memories. The flashes came so quickly I couldn't follow them all, but I got what I needed. The Queen asking him for help.

"Him." I whispered as quietly as I was able to. I blinked my eyes closed and willed my shields back into place. When I was aware of my surroundings again I found my body shaking uncontrollably with Eric's worried face only a couple of inches away.

"Sookie?" He asked concernedly. One of his hands was atop mine on his forearm as he leaned over towards me.

"Him." I whispered again, a little louder as I struggled for control. It was too loud. The bar tender, I still didn't know his name, had recovered from my invasion. He had bent to pick up the glass that he had dropped which remarkably hadn't smashed. His expression showed his confusion. Then, like I had called his name he spun around to stare right back at me. Except, it wasn't just me watching him anymore but Eric as well. If he was capable of it, he would have blanched. He knew we were somehow on to him. Only a guilty person would react like this.

The glass the bar tender had dropped was thrown to the bar this time as he spun around. He vaulted over the bar to the amazement of the standing crowd. It was the crowd that was his down fall. I doubted her would have gotten away anyway, but they still worked to slow him down. There were too many people around him for him to be able to move. He shoved people aside, sending them stumbling to each other as he tried to navigate toward the emergency exit. Eric literally leapt into action. He flung himself across the bar, expertly parting the crowd. I followed in his wake; for once I was actually strong enough to help.

Eric reached the bar tender who was still struggling toward the door. His large hands clamped down on his biceps, keeping his hands to his side so he couldn't effectively fight. That was the last thing we needed right now. I reached them not a second later. Eric let go of one of his arms to wrap his now free arm around the bar tenders neck, so that he couldn't bring his fangs to the party. I took hold of the now flailing arm, using all of my considerable might to restrain him. We shoved him toward the staff door where Pam was waiting for us, the door already propped open so we could just shuffle through.

"Do yourself a favour, and just come with us," Eric snarled as we neared the door. He had tried mounting a struggle but I had both seen and felt it coming. I had seen the flash of fear and hatred, and felt his muscles tensing. Eric must have felt the same as we managed to keep him restrained. We shuffled down the corridor before spilling into Eric's office. "Pam!" Eric shouted as the bar tender began to struggle again. Pam rushed into the room carrying a small black wooden box in her hands.

I knew that box well. I had always been the one in charge of it before. I had been the only one back then that the contents couldn't harm. Of course, now I could be harmed just as easily. Pam already had the thick leather gloves on that she needed to handle the silver handcuffs that were kept inside. She kicked the office door shut as soon as she was inside.

"No!" The bar tender began to struggle in earnest, also apparently knowing what was in the box. His arm slipped from my grasp and caught me under my jaw, sending me head reeling back. I recovered quickly, grabbing his arm again, digging my nails in. My fist connected with his stomach, doubling him over as I heard a rib crack as I recoiled. We wrestled him over to the office chair.

"Sit the fuck down," Eric growled with venom in his voice. "Carl, you have brought this on yourself." At least I had found out his name.

We moved seamlessly together. I let go of his arm at the same time Eric moved to grasp his wrist. I swapped my attention to keeping his head back in the chair. My hands were on his temples, keeping him facing forward. My shields were as clamped down as much as possible, I was even concentrating on them. I didn't want his fear to overcome me. Pam grabbed the handcuffs from the box and very carefully, so as not to touch myself or Eric, moved over to us. Eric gripped one of his hands, holding it out so that Pam could clamp one of the rings around his wrist. There was a change instantly. The silver sucked his strength away and I was no longer fighting to keep him in place. He still thrummed with energy but couldn't actually use any of it. With much more ease than the first one, his second wrist was encased in the silver handcuff. Pam and Eric stood back from him.

Carl's wrist fell limply to his lap. The acrid stench of charred flesh rose in the air and I struggled not to gag. The stink clung to the back of my throat, I could almost taste it. I kept my hands where they were, knowing that the contact would help me. Just having another sense helped to keep me grounded. I remembered the pain of silver on my skin from only last week and I shuddered at the recollection.

"Sookie, are you ready?" Eric asked as he leant back against his desk in front of Carl. He appeared calm and collected, with how he was perched. I could see the tell tale signs of his stress and anger. His shoulders were held tightly, as he held back his power from lashing out and his eyes appeared darker.

"Just about," I replied. I shook the memory clear from my head, hoping that I wouldn't have to face silver again. Carl started a low level moan at the pain. I was to try and read his mind as he was interrogated. Pam stood watch over us, making sure nothing got out of hand.

"Well, it seems like you're still a bad luck charm for the bar tenders, Sookie."

Thanks for reading, what did you think! Thanks everyone who has taken the time to review, I've loved hearing such kind words. Sorry I haven't been able to respond to reviews like I used to be able to. On a related note, my hours at work are increasing from Monday as I start on my usual rota so it's probably going to be a couple of weeks before I can post again.

I have started writing some original works as well, rather than fanfiction. I'd really appreciate it if you would check it, the link is writing dot com / authors / doc 15

If that doesn't work, you can go wdc and search doc 15, should work!

Thanks again and see you all soon,

LF91

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