A/N: DO NOT ABANDON HOPE, I HAVE NOT LEFT YOU ALL HIGH AND DRY. I am terribly sorry this took so long. First, I was sick, now I am moving. Life is just, well, life!

This chapter should answer some lingering questions. Please keep in mind that despite Godric's appearance in my books, I am attempting to keep things as cannon as possible as far as "mythos".

Warning: Things may get a little sappy… deal with it! Our Poor Sookie deserves a little sappy!

"It is time to wake up lover." That would have been so nice to hear under different circumstances, but as Sookie laid in her bed at Eric's, she couldn't help but wish she were still asleep.

Despite the vampire blood still bouncing around in her system, her arm and legs throbbed from Debbie's attack. Mentally, she felt as though her brain had been pounded out by her Gran's kitchen mallet. Processing anything was slow going. She lay very still until Eric cleared his throat. Of course, he would know she was faking. When she finally managed to roll over and face him sitting on the edge of her bed, it was not with the happiest of expressions.

"Why is it time to wake up?" Yes, it sounded suspiciously like a pout, but even confused as she was by the previous night's events, Sookie was still fairly certain she fully deserved a good pout.

"The Weres will be here soon. They require your assurances that Debbie attacked you, or I am to be held accountable for her death." Such a wild statement had never sounded so calm.

"So, you killed her." That was one mystery solved, nine hundred ninety-nine to go.

"You can hardly blame me. I have no doubt she intended to kill you." Eric was worried that Sookie would be angry with him. It was a rational thought. A year ago, she probably would have been livid, arguing that he could have stopped her without killing her. Now, she just shrugged it off. Asking a vampire for restraint in the middle of a bloodbath while being attacked by a shifter was just unreasonable. Current Sookie understood the difference between right, wrong and feasible.

"Where's Jason?" She asked, noticing her brother was no longer trapped in her room.

"Godric ordered him home. He will be safe there now." This Godric was awful pushy with the Vampire mind tricks.

"How long until the Weres get here?"

"Not long enough for me to answer your questions." His deflection wasn't even subtle, but it was hard to argue with. "But maybe long enough for you to get dressed."

"How many days?" Judging by the way her mouth felt, she was pretty certain she had been out for quite some time.

"Only one. Colonel Flood gave us that long. They are surprisingly upset by the bitch's death, considering she wasn't Pack." Sookie wasn't sure which way he was using the term, but she saved her energy rather than correct or scold him. Lynx are part of the cat family, and it was wrong to speak ill of the dead, no matter how nasty they had been in life. You just thought things like that and kept it to yourself. Some of the things she had heard at funerals would curl your toes.

Rather than comment at all, she just allowed Eric to help her out of bed and undress her. She was grateful that he managed it gently but without being overly affectionate. In fact, he quickly squashed the lustful feelings that her naked body had drummed up. Sookie knew that as surely as she knew that he was suddenly pissed off.

"Eric?" She asked, confused by the sudden overload of emotional information. He had been staring at the gashes on her bare legs.

"I'm sorry. This is going to take some getting used to." He was clearly not talking about the scars. They wouldn't be her first.

"What will?" He was feeling resigned about something. How could she know that? Had she finally ingested too much vampire blood? His mind was still a void to her, but she definitely knew how he was feeling. It was just different somehow, like she was feeling it herself.

"I promise to tell you, but the Weres are here. You cannot see them like this." He indicated her bare skin, and she vehemently agreed, holding her arms up for the sports bra Eric had in his hands. Stretching did not feel good, and they both cringed at her obvious pain.

The door bell rang as she gingerly pulled on some loose fitting pants. "Chow will get that."

She was surprised to find out someone else was in the house, but then, her usual telepathic range had diminished to about the size of her room. Even the Weres just outside the house were too far for her to reach. Yesterday had seriously overextended her abilities. Still, it made sense that Eric would not meet with the Weres alone. He may have been playing nice, using the excuse of her "testimony" to clear him of fault in Debbie's death, but if the Weres pushed the issue, Sookie doubted Eric would actually allow any punishment they thought appropriate.

"Is Godric here?" The attempt at nonchalance failed.

"He went… out." It had been her guess. She didn't feel as punch drunk as she had the night before when he showed up; however, she did not like the hesitation in Eric's voice or the feeling of apprehension that was not her own. If this was going to continue to happen, he wasn't the only one who was going to have to get used to it.

"Ready?" He startled her out of her thoughts.

People were always asking her that when the answer she desperately wanted to give was no but she had no real other choice. Most boyfriends asked their girls if they were ready when they wanted to go out for dinner or some ice cream but not Sookie. No, her boyfriend was asking if she was prepared to give testimony to some undoubtedly pissed off Weres, one of which was a good friend of hers who had lost his bitch of a girlfriend. (She hadn't said it outloud, so it was okay.)

"Sure!" Eric smiled as if he knew the brightness in her voice did not match the inner monologue.

Walking down the hallway towards the dining room was like walking to the gallows. The Weres might not have been blaming her, but in some ways, she was just as responsible for Debbie's death as Eric. His hands were the ones to crush the life of the lynx, but if Sookie had not been there, Debbie would probably still be alive.

The room held Pam and Chow and a smaller contingent of Weres than the previous night. Of course, Colonel Flood was there with Alcide, another male Were she did not recognize, and, judging by the crutches, splinted leg and slung arm, Adabelle. The group was strong on leadership included interested parties, but managed to seem non-threatening. Colonel Flood was very good at his job.

Sookie took all this in as she realized another very important fact. Her shields were completely gone. Being in a house full of vampires, she could hardly have been expected to notice before, but it was quite clear now. The Were she did not know still seemed to be riding the high from the fight, Adabelle resented having to ask the vampires for help to beat the witches that had attacked her, Colonel Flood was his own complicated mixture of gratitude and disgust, and Alcide could barely keep his rage at Eric in check. White knuckles kept clenching and unclenching while he pictured Debbie's dead body.

Whether it was the image of Debbie pressing in on her now that she was no longer surrounded by battle or simply the jumble of emotions that overwhelmed her, Sookie found herself mid-heave even as Eric planted some ornamental pot underneath her. Luckily, it was a big pot as she sunk to her knees over it, Eric holding back her hair and putting one cool hand to the back of her neck. The contact with him helped more than anything else.

Everyone in the room was looking anywhere but at her when she finally shakily got back to her feet. One of the vampires removed the container while Eric helped her to her seat. Sookie did not get sick very often, and now she remembered why she was so thankful for her usually strong stomach.

"Sorry…" Her throat felt raw and her hoarse voice reflected it. Adabelle was embarrassed for woman kind. Sookie could already tell they wouldn't be bonding over being girls in a man's world anytime soon, but at least, Colonel Flood and the other Were had softened a little. Alcide was too torn between his anger and his concern to know what to do. It took a stern look from his Packmaster to finally get him to sit down once everyone had followed Eric's lead.

"It's quite alright. The events of this week have taken their toll on all of us in one way or another." She would have laughed at the depth of that understatement, but she didn't want anything besides a giggle bubbling up.

Eric gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and she spared him a grateful smile. Contact with him was the only thing that made staying in the room bearable. "Between using my abilities and my injuries, I overstretched myself... It's difficult to be around people."

He gave a glance to her hand in Eric's with an accompanying nod. Apparently, being Packmaster called for much more than just strength and discipline. Colonel Flood was picking up on much more than his compatriots. "We'll make this quick. The Shifter, Sam Merlotte has already corroborated Mr. Northman's story, but as a Friend of the Pack, your word is what matters." The tension over this decision was clearly evidenced by Alcide's growl. She tried not to be hurt by the side he had obviously chosen, but it wasn't working too well. "Mr. Northman claims your life was being threatened."

"Debbie attacked me." Sookie looked to Alcide when she spoke, but he would not meet her eyes.

"With the intent to kill?" Fights among the Two-Natured must have not been uncommon because this was a real sticking point for the Colonel. He was focusing very decidedly on the point of contention, as if he wanted her to know. If they were just having a cat fight, then use of lethal force was a punishable offense. Maybe the Packmaster knew how pointless, and possibly detrimental, trying to "bring charges" against Eric would be. Or maybe she was reading into things too much without her usual buffer from thoughts.

"I know better than most that she meant to kill me." Colonel Flood nodded, and Alcide vaulted up from his chair. If Chow or Pam were suddenly a little closer to him than before, no one said anything about it.

"You've said yourself that you don't always get clear information from us." It was oddly comforting that he was trying to have it both ways. If nothing else, it meant he wasn't trying to call her an outright liar. "You don't know exactly what we are thinking, like with humans."

Eric was pulling the arm down on her long sleeve shirt before she could protest. Claws don't cut nice and neat like a blade might. There was a jagged scar down her entire forearm, still concave from where it had healed together. Anyone who was familiar with injuries would know it had been deep.

"Her legs are worse. Under different circumstances, she would have bled to death even if Debbie had not been going in for the finishing strike." He made her name sound worse than any curse word he could have conjured.

Eric's words may have fallen on deaf ears, but everyone was staring at her scars. Even Alcide collapsed back into his seat as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He had not truly believed that Debbie would do something like that; he had convinced himself that something had happened in the middle of battle that Sookie, Sam, and Eric had all misunderstood.

Really, it was a good thing that all the Weres were acting as though Eric was not even present because she did not want any of them to linger too long on those "different circumstances." She took it in stride with dating a vampire. Most of her life consisted of taking things in stride with the Supernatural world, but these particular Supes would not look fondly on the reminder that she had vampire blood swimming around her system, even if it did save her life.

"My ability was heightened. Trust me, she had every intention of killing me." She willed Alcide to believe her, but he looked as if he were about to voice some new protestation.

Everyone was surprised when Colonel Flood rose angrily from the table. "You pledged blood for her! Do you question that now?!" His voice boomed across the room, and Alcide's face crumbled. She still remembered Alcide vouching for her the first she had met the Packmaster. At the time, it had been clear that those words were important, but she did not realize that they applied forever.

"Of course not." The human telepath in the room was probably the only one who had to struggle to decipher his quiet mumble.

"Then accept the truth and move on. Debbie Pelt attacked a Friend of the Pack; her attack on this one was an attack on Us. She is dead, so no further action needs to be taken. This matter is settled." Alcide sunk more and more into his seat with each word that Flood directed towards him like a scolded pup, but Sookie knew the set of his jaw line. The Pack might have been done with this, but Alcide was not. Never had a man been so blind as Alcide was to Debbie. She would rule him even from the grave.

"We will take our leave." The other Weres rose to join the Colonel, Alcide only a step behind. Flood was looking around at the vampires in the room before his eyes finally came to rest on Sookie. "The witches were gathering more to their number. You brought us together when apart we may have run into trouble. We lost no one last night because of that. I truly hope that things will return to normal for you here soon."

"Thank you, Colonel." She tried to make her nod as respectful as possible because there was no way she was standing up for them. Emotions were running high again, and Alcide's mind was racing a mile a minute. It was a good thing Eric was a vampire because she knew her grip on his arm was tighter than would be comfortable for any human. Chow escorted the Two-Natured out while Eric stared at her.

She laid her head on the table once they had passed out of her awareness. The coolness of the wood beneath her helped to chase away any last bits of nausea. Her head was lifted gently from the table and transferred from one cold surface to another. Eric had a habit of picking her up without warning, not that she minded in this instance. Her legs were killing her, and she wasn't completely convinced that she could make it anywhere on her own.

"He still blames you." She informed him softly.

"I know. Let's get you back to bed."

Several crude remarks came bounding to her head, but she reserved those for a time when she would actually feel like making good on them. "Don't think this is getting you out of explaining."

"You are much too stubborn a woman to let me go so easily." She could hear the smile, even if she couldn't see it with her head tucked to his chest.

"Don't you forget." She waited until her bedroom door closed behind them. "Godric isn't back to his old self, is he?"

"If you're asking if he got his memory back, then no." It was the first time they had really had time together since Godric had been cursed, and Sookie nuzzled in closer when he laid down behind her. "We hoped that the death of Hallow would end the curse, and maybe it will eventually, but nothing has changed so far."

She just nodded, letting a few tears roll down her cheek. Yesterday, she had been so sure it would all be over by now. Could another witch undo this? Did they know any other witches? The vampires and Weres had both given the impression that witches were not so close with the other sides of the Supernatural world, especially the unnatural vampires. Even if they did find a witch, would he/she be willing to help out?

They both lay in silence for a little while longer. Things were about to change between them somehow, and it seemed as if neither of them were in a hurry for that to happen. However, Eric was right. Sookie was much too stubborn to let things go. She nudged him before she fell back asleep. Maybe that was really why he was being so quiet.

"It can wait for tomorrow."

"But I can't." She tried to be firm on that.

"I was not even sure it would work. I have never bonded before, and it is very uncommon."

"Bonded?" He said it as if she should recognize the meaning.

"It is rare, but when a vampire wants to keep a human, well, human, but have greater influence over them without the use of glamour, they bond with them." Sookie got the feeling that he was downplaying things quite as bit as he searched for the proper words.

"We've already shared blood. You could track me before this." It felt strange having this conversation with the wall, but it made it easier somehow as well. As if she didn't really have to face it yet.

"I think we both know this is different. Before, I knew if you were in danger only when you were frightened enough to acknowledge it. Now, I can feel everything, but there is a reason it isn't done very often."

"Because the human call feel it too?" She felt him nod into her back, even though she did not actually need the confirmation. "So why now?"

"Godric wanted a stronger tie to you. Originally, he had wanted to bind you himself, but I convinced him that I was a better option. Most vampires do not enjoy the duality of a bound human." It was weird to feel his chagrin at the statement. He wasn't quite a bug in a rug over it himself.

"What else is there? Besides the emotion thing." She braced for whatever terrible thing he was about to say.

"It is hard to tell with you. So many things don't work as they should, the glamour, my call."

"Your what?"

"Humans who have had our blood are drawn to listen to us even without glamour. You have shown an extraordinary resistance to that." He almost made it sound like some big joke, but she was not amused.

Over the last months, Sookie may have defied Eric, but there were plenty of times when she had done things she never thought possible or excused things that he had done. He seemed more human to her now in spite of the things she had learned to the contrary. It was a disturbing realization on several levels.

"Sookie?" Could he really feel her concern? She could feel his.

"What else?"

"It depends on the human... and the vampire. Some humans become completely enthralled. The fact that you are angry with me right now would suggest that is not the case." His plays at humor were not working well for her in this instance. "I may be able to influence your feelings."

"You'd better not try to make me happy about this because it's not going to work." Her interjection barely halted his explanation.

"However, with your abilities, I suppose it is possible the reverse will be there. I don't know that anyone like you has ever been bound before."

"Yippee." It was hard to imagine anything or anyone besides Godric influencing Eric.

"My maker's other plan was to turn you and hope for the best. I thought you would prefer this."

"Does this mean… if something happens to me, will I become a vampire?" Ever since she had heard her first vampire thought after drinking Eric's blood, it had been her biggest concern. That she was somehow becoming more vampiric with every sip.

"No, you will not become a vampire." Sookie had expected him to say no; she had also expected not to completely believe him, but his absolute assurance was unmistakable through the bond and a little unnerving.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"There wasn't time to properly explain, and once I started, you would not have let it go until you understood… if then. I love that stubborn streak of yours, but sometimes it is necessary for me to bypass it."

He was right, of course, but she was not about to admit it outloud. "It might have helped last night if I hadn't walked in blind, you know."

"That was incredibly unexpected. In fact, I have never seen a reaction quite like it. I wish I could tell you exactly what happened, but it would all be guesses. Even Godric was taken aback. He may be right in that it has something to do with your ability amplifying the bound."

"I'm one lucky girl." Sarcasm was not her strong suit, but her voice dripped with it all the same.

"You are lucky. If we hadn't been bonded, I don't know that I would have realized Debbie was attacking you."

"Ever heard of a Catch-22? Because I'm pretty sure my whole life is one."

"No need to be melodramatic."

"Need? Probably not. Desire? There's tons of that."

"I hope this isn't what I have to look forward to. You will make me one of those brooding vampires in novels in short order."

"How long before it wears off?" When they shared blood before, the effects always wore away after awhile, though usually there was some reason for her to need more before too long.

He did not answer her, and when she tried to roll over to face him, his grip tightened around her just enough to keep her still. Normally, she would have struggled, but she was aching enough without adding to it.

"Eric."

"I don't know that it will, love."

Sookie hated that he must know how much that frightened her. Even bothering to acknowledge his words seemed useless. It must not have been the reaction he was expecting because he pulled away from her, but only long enough to turn her over to face him. "It is really so bad?"

He was genuinely hurt, which only made her feel worse. She wanted to shout no with all her might and erase that look on his face that was breaking her heart, but he would know it for the lie it was.

"Eric, you know that I was a virgin before you, but did you ever stop to think about why?" Eric was not huge on talking about her past, especially where men were concerned. His protective nature would probably make the world a not so safe place for some of the men before Eric.

She waited for something, but he was just staring at her, apparently not in the mood for guessing games.

"Every time I got close to another human being, every time I let myself go, I could hear everything. What they wanted, how my kissing rated against their last girlfriend, everything… It was enough to drive you crazy! Then you come along, with all your danger and your complications and your blissful silence. You don't know incredible that was for me. You could find me absolutely disgusting, and I would never know. Then you swindled your way into my heart, and I was free to enjoy every part of our relationship…"

"But now you think that will change."

"I won't know if you'd rather I use less tongue, but I'll know if you are bored with me or... when you stop loving me."

"For the record, I love that wicked tongue of yours. And I very seriously doubt you will ever be boring. It is one of your many endearing qualities… like that tongue." How wrong was it that even during this serious conversation that twinkle in his eyes could make heat race down to her very core? Sookie didn't know if she should be grateful that he was no longer hurt or be upset that he was not taking this seriously. "But remember this is now a two-way street, as they say. Just like any relationship, either one of us could waver, and I will know if your heart has moved on as well."

It was an excellent point. Always before, she had been alone in her knowledge. After all, hadn't she wished a guy had brought along a mint and thanked her lucky stars he could not hear her thoughts. Sure, their relationship had changed, but it had at least stayed equal. Or as equal as it had ever been. No way was her heart going to move on from this handsome, intelligent, confident, well-endowed hunk of a vampire. Not when she knew now more than ever that he really did feel the same way about her. It was funny, but with this new information that she was receiving from him she realized something. Love wasn't a single emotion, like anger or sadness. It was just a jumble of different feelings that all added up to love.

"I'm still mad at you for not telling me before you did it." She couldn't look at him because her simmering anger would have been completely squelched by his smile.

"That's fine, but be angry in your sleep. There will be quite enough to deal with over the coming days, and we need you on your toes."

Her body was exhausted, but her mind was going full tilt after their conversation. "I'm really not even that tir-" Her words were interrupted by an unexpected yawn.

"Tired? Really?"

"Humans yawn all the time, it wasn't a big-" Another yawn cut her sentence short.

"Sleep, my little telepath."

It was the strangest thing. After everything she had been through, of course she was spent, but Sookie would have put money on the fact that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep with all the thoughts bouncing around in her head. Usually, she could lie awake in bed for hours, staring at the ceiling lost in ever-changing trains of thought. Now with Eric stroking her hair, her eyelids refused to stay open. She drifted off with Eric still whispering in her ear.

A/N: For no real action, I like this chapter. Hope you all do too!