Andre felt the disturbance in the very air itself as he returned to the house on Hummingbird lane. He had tried to convince himself that the anxiety he had been feeling since he had awoken from his daytime slumber was due to having not seen Sookie the night previous, and his lingering concern about the appearance of Matthew, the prowler in her woods. But as he came into view of the pickup truck parked beside Sookie's small yellow hatchback the feeling became almost palpable. He scanned about to find her, and the sound of her voice drew him around the periphery of the tree line, towards the back of the house, where he finally saw her, standing, facing two men, a large bouquet of flowers clutched in both hands. She seemed so small beside them, and Andre could hear the fluttering of her heart, even from a distance away, though he couldn't yet ascertain if it was from fear or arousal. He stayed where he was, and listened to their conversation.

"Come on Sookie. Come out with me, we'll go into Shreveport, see a movie, it'll be fun. You like to have fun don't you?"

"Well, sure, doesn't everyone?" Sookie was holding her own, but Andre could hear the twitter of panic in her voice.

"Then hop in the truck, we'll have a good time." There was a wide smile behind the benign words; Andre could just hear it in the intonation.

"Both of you? It doesn't seem right."

"I brought you flowers and all, don't you like them?" Eyebrows rose, innocence oozed.

"They're beautiful, but," The hesitance in her voice set Andre's skin to crawling.

"And you've known our family forever, we all went to school together." It seemed that the men there with Sookie must have been brothers, or cousins, or some such relatives.

"And you didn't treat me so well in school." She countered.

"Yeah, but you were just a kid then, and now, well, wow, just look at you."

Sookie stepped backwards, and Andre curled his hands into claws, fangs dropping, ready to pounce. He watched Sookie's forehead wrinkle, and her gaze at the one man who was speaking become intense. She was looking into his head, concentrating very hard.

"No." She held the flowers out back towards him. "You don't want to go out with me."

A hand grabbed at her arm, friendly, charming face replaced by one of upset and anger.

"Come on Sookie, not like you get many offers." Flowers fell to the dirt.

"Leave me alone! I will never do that with you!" She tried to wrench her arm away from the grip that was turning her skin white.

"You little freak! Get out of my head bitch!" He shook Sookie violently.

Then in a flash his grip was broken, and Andre had the offender pinned against the side of his pickup, his head slamming back against the sun faded sheet metal with a satisfying snap. His brother/cousin launched himself at Andre, trying to pull him off but Andre whirled his head and showed a snarl of fangs that earned two shrieks, one from the man, and one from Sookie, but neither truly registered, so focused was he on exacting his vengeance.

"Stop!" He hissed, and the man free from his grasp froze, so that Andre could turn his attention back to the one who had hurt Sookie. With his empty hand he drove a fist into the man's stomach, not hard enough to drive through the flesh, though he could have if he had wanted to, but hard enough to rupture internal organs, wounds that would kill him given enough time. Only Andre's hand on his throat kept him from doubling over to vomit.

"On your knees, both of you." Andre's commands were issued to both, his hand releasing the first with blinding speed, and just as quickly, both men dropped to the ground. "Look at me!" He roared. Behind him, he heard Sookie squeak, but he did not look at her. Two faces turned up to his. He addressed the injured one first.

"You will never harm Sookie Stackhouse again. You will never say another unkind word about her. And if anyone else says anything you will defend her, to your very death." Only then did Andre look up at Sookie, her face fallen, tears curling down her cheeks, flowers forgotten in front of her. The bared lips and gleaming eyes softened, as Andre understood the horror he was demonstrating to Sookie. He turned away from her judgment and bent down to the men.

"You have nothing but respect for Sookie Stackhouse. She is a beautiful, innocent, amazing person, far too good for the likes of you." His voice softened as he issued his last commands. "You will treat her that way for the rest of your life." Andre stood, his full height though not as great as the men he faced, looked absolutely majestic, and he returned his hypnotic gaze to the other man.

"You have heard everything I have said, you will live by my words. And you will take your friend to the hospital, he is very drunk, and there was a fight outside the bar, you have no idea who hit him, only that you were together, all night, drinking. You will remember nothing but my words. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Both of you apologize to Miss Sookie, right now."

"Sorry Miss Sookie." Both parroted out the words with little inflection. The tears continued to roll down Sookie's face. Andre heaved the injured man into the bed of the pickup, and sent his able bodied friend on his way. The contrails of dust from the gravel followed the pickup truck as it made it way up the driveway. Andre watched it depart, unable and unwilling to turn back to Sookie until it was completely gone from view. His shoulders slumped as he turned back. It had taken every strength he had not to the rip the humans to shreds. It took as much effort to calm down so that his fangs would recede. He had not wanted Sookie to see that part of him, not so early, not before he had properly snared her.

"Are you alright Sookie?" He whispered to her, a good ten feet still separating them.

"What did you do?" She sobbed. "You looked so," She couldn't finish her thought.

"I am sorry, I only wished to protect you. You will never have to deal with them again Sookie."

"How?"

"It is a gift we have, we call it glamour."

"Like hypnosis?"

"Yes."

"Thank you?" She began to shake and Andre rushed to her side, she allowed him to take up both her hands.

"Why was he trying to harm you Sookie? What was he doing? Why did he call you those names?"

"He came here to ask me out on a date, but it was a lie. He wanted to, he wanted to," She stuttered and began to go a little limp on her feet. Andre guided her up to the porch, helping her sit on a step. He sat beside her, his thigh touching hers. He could feel her shaking. She couldn't seem to look at him as she spoke.

"He wanted to do awful things to me, wanted me to do awful things to him. I could see it in his head."

"See it in his head?"

"Oh god Andre, I'm just a freak, like he said. I can see into people's minds. I can hear what they are thinking, or feel it. It's hard to explain. It's just a curse. It's why I'm always alone. No one wants to be near a freak." She broke down in wrenching sobs and folded her hands over her head, letting it drop into her lap.

"You aren't a freak Sookie. You are everything I told those men. Beautiful, amazing, kind."

"Then why can't people think nice things about me? Why do men always think about what I'd be like in those disgusting scenes?"

"Because they are men, immature, hormonal, asshole type of men."

Sookie almost choked out a laugh amidst the sobs. Andre brushed two fingers through her hair, needing to touch her, as much as to comfort her (though the impulse to do so confused him).

"Look into my mind then Sookie, you'll see the truth about yourself." She looked right at him, eyes wide, lips trembling.

"I can't. I can't read your mind. Everything about you is quiet Andre."

Andre felt the thud of disappointment crash directly into his chest, disappointment and yet some personal relief. She couldn't read him. She could only read humans; probably only living beings. He could get humans to tell him anything he needed by only capturing their eyes and compelling them; why would he need a telepath to do that for him? It changed things, he cursed inwardly. But there wasn't time to explore the ramifications because her head was turning towards the pressure of his fingers, and he had to return his full attention back to her.

"Why don't you tell me your story Sookie? I'm here to listen, as long as you need me." With a grateful sigh her body slumped against his, and the scent of her, and the sound of her slowing breaths and heartbeats made him feel dizzy. He couldn't pull away; his rational plan was collapsing, and was being replaced by something more primal. And somehow the change didn't seem wrong.

"I so need to talk to someone Andre."

"Then let it be me."

ooOOoo

They had moved back onto the porch, Sookie had composed herself, and though her cheeks were tear stained, and her lips so red and full, she was calm, almost dissociated as she began her story.

"It was always this way, as long as I can remember. I could just hear what other people were thinking. I didn't understand it at first, it was always so loud, I lost track of what was actually said, and what was just in people's heads. I answered questions that had never been asked, and felt the hurt of insults and other things that had never been voiced. The other kids thought I was crazy, the grown ups were scared of me. That kind of reputation just never goes away."

"That's part of the reason you spend so much time alone?"

"Yeah, it's quieter, easier on me. As I've gotten older I've learned to block it out to a degree. But when it's strong, like from men, about sex, I just can't stop it. And it hurts so much to know that that is all some people think of me."

"Not everyone." Andre whispered. "I wish you could see what I think about you."

"I don't. You can't understand how wonderful it is not to know, not to hear, to have a real conversation with someone, to not know what is coming next, especially when it's bad."

"I suppose so."

"I'm just broken Andre, I don't know why you would even want to be near me."

"Don't say those kinds of things Sookie. You aren't broken, you are gifted." She snorted her disagreement.

"There are so many things you don't know about me."

"Then tell me Sookie. I am the last person to judge."

"You are, aren't you Andre?" There was a resignation in her face, coupled with a soft sigh.

"Yes." He shook his head sadly, even as memories of his own were finally allowed to the surface.

"My Uncle," she began, clutching at his cold hand with desperation, "took advantage of a child that was already isolated."

"Oh god." Andre found the familiar taste of bile rising in his throat, even though it could only have been a memory.

"He had the most hateful images in his brain, things that made me shake, and want to throw up, even worse than the way he touched me, and held me on his lap, wanting me to squirm. No one believed me, no one understood except my Gran. She did her best to keep me safe, and when we came to live with her she cut him off completely."

"Does he still live?" Andre asked, Sookie nodded.

"Then I will kill him, for everything he has done to hurt you." And he was completely serious as he said it, his reaction so rapid that he even surprised himself.

"No Andre."

"No?"

"It won't make it any better. It won't change what happened. He's old now, alone, and I have to believe that one day he will pay for his sins, but it cannot be by my hand, or by my wish. That would make me a monster like him."

"How can you be so forgiving Sookie? When someone has hurt you so badly, how can you offer this charity?" She simply shrugged.

"It won't make me any better. I'll still have the feelings when other men think about me that way. They'll never go away, I'll never be normal."

"You will. I promise you Sookie, you will rise above this."

"But how would you know Andre? You're a Vampire, you're so strong, and fast, when could you have ever felt this kind of fear?"

"May I tell you my story Sookie?"

She nodded, wiping more tears from the rims of her eyes.

"I told you that I lost my parents when I was very young as well, didn't I?"

"You did."

"The man that took me in wasn't like your Grandmother. He used me for his own pleasures, and gave me to other men for theirs. I spent years on my knees, in control of nothing in my life. Set to manual labor when his lusts waned, subject to his abuses when they did not. I wanted to die. That was how my maker found me: in his control, broken and alone. She gave me the gift, gave me the power to transcend what he had made me. You only need to find that power in yourself Sookie, find your voice, find your place, and you will rise above these circumstances. I know you can do it."

"How do you know?"

"I am an excellent judge of character." That sentence made her smile, and laugh just a little for the first time in many minutes.

They sat and looked at each other, Sookie breathing slowly, in and out through parted lips, Andre nearly frozen, except for the fingertips that brushed over her shoulder, very slowly. It was a motion of comfort, something he had observed in humans over the years; touch made more than a physical connection, it was tacit joining in sympathy.

She was beautiful, her innocence was honest, and Andre could not help but feel drawn to her, physically, and mentally. He leaned forwards very slowly, giving Sookie the time to pull away, making his intentions very plain. He hovered just beyond the touch of her lips, taking in her exhaled breath, feeling it over his skin, and feeling her Fae aspect caress his entire soul. And then he kissed her, resting his lips atop hers, feeling her quiver, touching her nowhere else but there.

He pulled back, to allow her time to take a breath, knowing he could not share his own with her, and then he sought to return, to taste her again, but her head dropped, and he heard her whisper 'no'.