Trouble Maker
A/N: Hey, everybody, quickly updating before bedtime. It is so weird being tired already, especially with all of the coffee I have had today! Anyway, thanks, as always, to Nerdygirl for the editing! Heads up: I am not positive if there will be an update next week. It is unlikely that there will be an interruption, but I am having schedule conflicts with my writing time, and a big continuity error that refuses to resolve itself! Again, we will see. Hopefully, the worst case scenario is it will be a little late.
-Andi
Chapter Ten: Vampire Q&A
Sookie awoke the next afternoon pleasantly sore from copious amounts of naked, 6'5", vampire wrestling. She had not agreed to being turned, but Eric's words, a beautiful reflection of the words she had spoken to him the night of their fight, had made her heart soar with happiness.
For the first time ever, she felt genuinely loved.
Not the family love that almost everyone had the pleasantness to enjoy. That love was wonderful, but it was a "despite" love. The "I love you, despite the fact you can read my mind and piss me off by doing so", or "I love you, despite the fact that I've had to dutifully ignore your differences".
Eric had not said he loved her, but she had felt it, with every fiber of her being and every inhalation of his scent that she breathed in.
Before crawling out of bed to clean up in the "heaven shower", Sookie leaned over Eric's dead body and kissed him as passionately as someone could kiss a cold, unmoving corpse.
Once she was in the shower, Sookie washed herself and shaved; her skin especially smooth and flawless from her most recent dose of Eric's blood. Once she was out, she dressed in a pair of skin tight jeans, and a wraparound blouse that was a deep red. She knew how Eric liked her in red. Blue was his second favorite it "made her eyes glow like illuminated pools of crystal clear water". His words, not hers. Though he did not have a poetic statement when she wore something red, his eyes spoke volumes. His ocean blue eyes watched her every movement like she were performing a striptease for him all night up until he could finally have her naked in his bed. At least that was the feeling she got from him the first night at Fangtasia. She shuddered as the thought caused her lower bits to tingle.
Sookie did not need to bother with make-up, and her hair was bright and shiny. Overall, Sookie knew she looked good,and she could not wait to look that way on Eric's arm.
After she was dressed, the telepath grabbed a snack to tide her over until Eric could take her to dinner. There was nothing in the house that Sookie could allow herself to call a meal, but at least it was enough to keep her stomach from talking to her.
Skipping back to the master bedroom, Sookie went back into the adjoined bathroom to brush her teeth before Eric would rise.
"Mmm, where is my lover?" Eric asked from the bed, running his hand over the spot she had vacated earlier. Sookie smiled and went back to the bedroom. She crawled back onto the bed and let Eric wrap her up in his arms. "There she is..." Eric kissed her face, making her giggle.
"Eric, there's something I wanted to ask you last night before you distracted me with bone melting words." Sookie returned a kiss that managed to grace her lips.
"Yes?"
"What did you mean last night... When you said to Sam, "No one can know."? What did you mean by that?" She asked quietly.
Eric opened his eyes at last to look into her own, "No one can know that you are my weakness. The things they would do to you to destroy me... They are incomprehensible." He whispered.
Sookie swallowed hard, but not from the threat of unimaginable pain and violence. She was stunned with the admission. Eric was saying he had a weakness, and that weakness was her.
"There is something I wanted to discuss with you as well."
"Yes?" She mimicked his response whenever she made such statements.
"Do you remember what I told you about exchanging blood three times with the same vampire?"
"Yeah, you said it can create a bond between the human and the vampire." She nodded, remembering. "They'd be able to feel each other even if they're far apart, and the emotional link would go both ways instead of just the vampire knowing what was up with the human. And something about being a legal mate..?"
"Yes, as well as affect their emotions. They can send to each other intentionally." Eric was glad that she remembered, "There is a bit more about it that I wanted to talk to you about." She nodded for him to continue, "You see, when a vampire bonds with a human, it is understood that they are more than likely going to turn that human into vampire at some point. Most did so shortly after the bonding, but sometimes they waited a few years. There have been two cases where the human was never turned."
"How many cases are there?" Sookie asked.
"Let me put it this way. You know my age. I have only witnessed two honored bonds in my existence. Godric, who is twice my age, has witnessed five. The two I witnessed are the cases when the humans were not turned."
"Woah, not a very good turn out." Sookie grimaced.
"When the human is brought over and becomes Vampire, the link between Maker and Child is not like what I have with Pam or Godric has with me. They must learn to function as a whole, not as individuals. Bonding is a sacrifice of independence in exchange for a love that can only be severed by, presumably, true death. As I have never met the true death, nor been bonded, I cannot claim that it even ends then."
Sookie was riding a girlish wave of fantastic romance, but she had a feeling her boat was about to be flipped.
"Bonding can be dangerous, though, because for all the love between them, if they cannot accept this sacrifice they will perish." Sookie gulped, "It is not something to be entered into lightly."
"Why are you telling me all of this?" Sookie asked quietly.
"I am telling you because we have shared blood twice now. It was foolish of me to give you my blood for something that would have healed by itself. Something not life threatening. But to see you in pain... And too not be able to hear your voice... I turned away from my better judgement." He admitted shamefully. "I need you to take time and genuinely think about this. Not half-heartedly, not in a romanticized fashion, because, Sookie, if you choose to bond with me, I will be adamant that you allow me to bring you over at some point." He looked down at her face and reveled at her beauty, "Because I will never be able to exist without you after that. I do not know if I could now."
"So, how exactly does the bond work?" Sookie asked after recovering from his smoldering gaze.
"Having never experienced it, I can only speculate. I do know that as your Maker, I would have control over you. However, since you would be a Bonded Child, I cannot be certain that that control would be absolute or permanent." He told her, "Although, I believe it would be."
"What do you mean "control"? You'd be able to make me do things?" Sookie asked, not liking the sound of that at all.
Eric tilted his head, thinking of the best way to phrase it, "Simply put: Yes. I would be able to make you do whatever I wished." Sookie was quickly cooling off on the idea. "But, you must understand that I would have to deal with the consequences of abusing that ability."
"How do you mean?"
"Hmm... What would be the worst thing I could force you to do?" Eric asked her.
"Make me kill someone." She said instantly.
"All right, suppose I used my role as your Maker to force you to kill someone. How would you feel?" Eric asked.
"Horrible. Upset... Manipulated. Regretful. Hatred. I... I don't think I'd be able to trust you ever again." She admitted sadly.
"And with our Bond, I would have to feel your distrust and hatred towards me first hand. I would have to exist forever feeling like the most hated and despised creature in existence without any reprieve from it." Eric explained to her, "I will not lie. I will use the role as your Maker to control you in the beginning, for both of our safety, if you choose to Bond with me. I will use my ability to influence your emotions as well. But you have to trust that I would only do these things to keep you safe. As I have done for Pam, and as Godric did for me." Eric said this as if he were swearing an oath.
After thinking for a long time about this, Sookie decided that it was too much too soon to consider, "Can I ask you a question? It's moving on, not the same exact topic, but it's Bond related."
"Of course." Eric murmured.
"What would happen if one of us died? Like the final death died." Her voice was so quiet that Eric needed to use his vampire hearing.
"The other would probably meet the sun." He admitted. "Even my Maker's order would be hard pressed to stop me, from what I understand, and you would be without a Maker to stop you." He paused for a moment, "And that said. If you should choose this, I would want to take you to meet Godric beforehand. As my Maker I owe him the opportunity to meet the one I am putting my existence in the hands of."
Sookie nodded. "I'll never be able to have kids if I stay with you." It was not a question.
"No, you will not." He agreed, but was surprised at the lack of emotional response that brought to her.
"I'll never get to sunbathe again." She thought for a moment and realized she had not sunbathed in a while since her days were mostly spent sleeping. "Will I still get to see my friends and family if they wanted to see me?" She asked.
"I would need to be present, especially your first year. It is a turbulent time for newborns. They are quite enslaved to their impulses and emotions. It would be for their safety. This is where my using my Maker's command would be necessary." He explained.
"I will think about it. I genuinely will. Is it okay if I talk to them about it? I mean, it's my decision, but I don't want to just walk up to them out of the blue and say, "Hey, I'm gonna go get bonded to Eric and I'll be a vampire in a few years"." She grimaced at thinking about how Jason would take that.
"I know how important your friends and family are, however, be careful about the details you disclose. Your brother is particularly untrustworthy with sensitive information." Eric warned her.
"Understood." She looked at him a moment, "Eric, what if I lose my telepathy?"
"I will still have you." Eric smiled, "You are what I want."
"What if I can hear vampires afterwards?" She was breathless.
"Then you and I will guard that secret for eternity." He was still smiling.
"But you said if I could ever read vampires then-"
"Sookie," Eric pressed a finger to her lips, "the only fear I have of you being able to read my thoughts now, is that they will send you screaming for the hills. My bonded and I would have no secrets. Anything you wish to know, you need only ask."
"After a couple weeks, you're already so sure-"
"Remember, Sookie, I have been around a long time. I know my own mind, and I know when I have found something I want to hold onto forever. Or someoneI want to hold forever. Over a thousand years I have made one Child. Do you think me that fickle?" He chuckled and Sookie smiled.
"But I'm still so young." She whispered, "I don't know my mind like you know yours."
Eric was surprised, but not unpleasantly so, "You are young, and you have so much to learn, but Sookie, you do know your own mind quite well already. There are things you have yet to experience, but that does not mean that experiencing them with me would keep you from growing and evolving. And the parts that you are still uncertain about? Well, you will have to think about how well you trust in my love for you."
"You love me?" Sookie's eyes watered. She had felt like she knew this already, but to hear him say it raised her heart into her throat.
Eric laughed lightly, "I am talking about bonding to you for the remainder of eternity, and you ask if I love you. Oh, Sookie, you cannot begin to fathom that love." He kissed her throat, "Not yet, anyway."
Sookie frowned, "Don't you want to know if I feel the same way towards you?"
Eric tilted his head slightly as he looked at her, "I can feel you, Sookie. I will always soar when I hear the words from you, but I would rather the first time I hear them from your lips be in a moment of passion or a situation where all you can think about is your love for me. Not a response to my own declaration." Pressing his forehead to hers, Eric kissed her nose, "I want to hear how you would say those words, or when you would say those words without prompting. Yes, that would be a most enjoyable feeling."
Leaning into his lips, Sookie reached up and finger combed Eric's bed hair back. He purred delightedly as she stroked the long strands, curling them around her fingertips.
"Do we have plans tonight?" Sookie whispered against his cheek as the vampire kept his eyes closed, enjoying her playing with his hair.
"Not really." He purred as her fingertips ran across his scalp, "We can do whatever we like. However, I will need to stop by Fangtasia long enough to deal with Long Shadow."
"Oh, I thought you would have taken care of that by now." Sookie was surprised.
"I had begun. I contacted the Magister as well as Long Shadow's Maker. They will be arriving this evening to discuss his sentence. He is currently silvered in a coffin in Fangtasia's basement." Eric explained.
"Woah, sucks to be him. What's a Magister?"
"You could consider him a judge. Usually when a Sheriff is involved in a dispute with an underling that he wishes to exact final death or transact large sums for financial reimbursements or compensation, we contact that underling's Maker, if they still exist, and the Magister. He decides punishments. The Maker is given the opportunity to take their Child's punishment themselves, but ultimately, they are there out of respect that no action against their Child is taken without their knowledge. This is especially important if final death is under discussion. The Magister is also called when old or ancient vampires are involved. You must realize that not all Sheriffs or Kings and Queens are the oldest in their realms. I am the oldest vampire in Louisiana. I am also older than the Magister. Therefore, when dealing with someone around my age or older, it is necessary to bring in the Magister for his "impartial" rulings." Eric's long explanation confused Sookie a little more than resolving her inquiry.
"Why are people of such high power not always the oldest? Why aren'tyouKing of Louisiana?" Sookie asked curiously.
"Most of us do not want the position. The older vampires usually take positions of Sheriff. It gives us more authority than most, but less responsibility. Also, it is a less politically involved position. However, working for the brat Sophie-Ann is almost worth dealing with the politics." He sighed.
"She's really that bad?" Sookie grimaced.
"She is a spoiled child." Eric spat, "She exists to make everyone else's existences miserable until she gets her way, but she always needs more, wants more, and so few are ever truly content."
"Sounds like she had it rough." Sookie sighed.
"What are you talking about?" Eric looked at her disbelieving.
"Well, usually when people want more and more, it's because they either had nothing, or because they've always had everything, but never what they needed." Sookie told him.
"I am still not following." Eric admitted.
"Well... If you never had anything, friends, family, someone to love you, and you never had any possessions for a long, long time- there's a void inside you. And since you've never had these things, you have no idea what to fill that void up with. You don't know how to make the emptiness stop hurting." Sookie tried her hardest to explain her view, "So you fill it with people, but you don't know how to treat them 'cause you never had someone treating you good. You try and fill it with things, but they don't offer the emotional connection that you truly want and need. Social interactions are the keystone to a healthy mind and ability to consider ramifications of your decisions based on something other than yourself. If all you think about isyou, then how can you make anyone else happy? And if you're never happy, how can anyone stand to be around you?"
"So, you believe that Sophie-Ann is such a spoiled brat because either in her human life, or early in her younger vampire years, she was never socially adjusted?" Eric's eyebrows rose.
"That's my guess." Sookie shrugged, "I've never met her, and I doubt she'd start telling me the story of her whole existence, but from what I've learned about people those two extremes are wonderful breeding grounds for spoiled children and socially inept adults."
Eric smirked at her, "And you Ms. Stackhouse, who grew up poor and a social outcast, how did you come out such a caring and beautiful woman?"
Sookie smiled, "I had a wonderful, Southern lady raise me up. Someone who didn't think that my quirk was an excuse for a bad attitude. I think the best thing Gran did was treat me like anyone else. She didn't coddle me, and she didn't spoil me rotten to try and make me feel better. She always said if someone was being mean or thinking mean things 'bout me, to kill them with sugar."
Eric frowned, "Are diabetics notoriously mean spirited?"
Sookie stared at her lover for a brief moment before bursting out laughing, "Oh, no, Eric!" She laughed so hard she could not breathe. It was not until she saw Eric's displeased expression that she calmed down, "It's an expression. When you kill someone with sugar, it means to be nice to them and win them over. Y'know, be sweet to someone?"
"Ah." Eric nodded, and now found his question humorous as well.
Sookie sat up in the bed and looked down at her still naked lover, "I was thinking. Would we be able to discuss this over dinner some more? I'm startin' to get a little hungry, but would it be possible to discuss something like this in such a public place?"
"It would be better if we did not." Eric frowned, "This is a very sensitive topic, and I would prefer we not discuss it anywhere but my home. If others were to overhear that I intend to Bond with you, even if you choose not to- they could recognize you as my weakness and attack." Sookie nodded in understanding.
"What about me wanting to talk about it with my family and friends?" Sookie reminded him.
Eric thought for a moment, "I understand that you want their support, but... I would prefer that you not broach the subject with anyone until you have madeyourdecision. I do know a few things about you, Sookie. When your decision is not made, others have the ability to sway you. Until you have resolved this topic with yourself, you will be at the mercy of their whims. I am not saying this makes you easily manipulated. I only mean to point out that you are very accommodating when you do not have a personal opinion."
Sookie felt a brief surge of annoyance until he said that last part. It made her contemplate his observation, and to her surprise, she found it rather accurate. "Can't argue with that." She muttered.
With a chuckle and shake of his head, Eric got off of the bed and went to pick out his attire for the evening. Sookie did not follow him to the bathroom, knowing she would not be able to resist a hot, wet Viking. She would not say that it was easy being around him when he was naked, only that he was so laid back with nudity that he did not draw attention to the fact. However, the shower added sensuality without his slightest effort, and therefore was a no fly zone for the squeaky clean telepath.
When Eric returned, he quickly dressed and held a hand out for Sookie so that she could easily rise off of the bed. "Where would you like me to take you to dinner?" He asked.
Sookie shrugged, "Just Chili's or something would be fine. I'd eat here, but..."
"Yes, we really do need to supplement your food sources. They are quite sparse." Eric agreed, "How about this. I will take you to a restaurant for something to eat, and then we shall go to the grocer's to pick out some more food. You seem to want to spend more time here..?"
"That sounds perfect, but I don't want you driving back and forth all night. You still gotta take care of things with Long Shadow, right?" She pressed.
"It is no bother. The Magister will not be arriving until closer tomidnight. We have plenty of time." Eric assured.
"Okay." Sookie took his hand as they went across the house to the front door. Eric handed her the small clutch she had been carrying the past few days and frowned, "What?" She asked of his expression.
"Do you not own another handbag?" He asked.
"Oh, well, I do, but it's huge 'cause I carried all my stuff in it for work. Y'know, pens, apron, a clean work shirt, deodorant. That kinda stuff. This is my nice, out and having fun purse." She explained.
"I see." Eric said nothing more on the topic and opened the front door for her. Instead, he considered his Child's obsession with purses, realizing how unnecessary it was to have so many.
The drive to the restaurant was uneventful, and it was not until they were seated and Sookie had a drink in front of her that Eric began a new conversation.
"Sookie, I was thinking about your Gran's home." Sookie looked up from her menu at him, "For the time being, while you decide what you would like to do in regards to it, I was thinking that we would seal it, set up a security system, and arm it. That way it would have some protection, but still be accessible should you decide to return there periodically."
"That seems like a good idea. I was planning on asking Tara if she wanted to live there, but, to be honest, I haven't seen her since Gran's funeral." She told him.
"Have you tried contacting her recently?" Sookie bit her lip guiltily, "Sookie?"
"To be honest... I've mostly only been seeing you and whoever comes to Fangtasia all last week. Then, after our fight, I just wanted to shut myself in and think about everything that's been happening..." She admitted, "Guess I got kinda wrapped up in my new job and... With you." Eric smiled with a twinge of delight, but he also regretted that Sookie was quickly being torn from her old life. He did not want her having regrets, nor did he want her to blame him for her severed connections.
"I think you should try and spend some time in Bon Temps this week, actually among the people." He said firmly. "I would certainly feel responsible if you were to withdraw from your friends and family like this."
"Well, I don't have a car right now."
"Ah, we should stop by and pick it up-"
"We can't... Well, we could, but it's got a flat and the spare's been slashed." Sookie told him.
"What? How did that happen?"
"René, I'm pretty sure. I think he sabotaged my car so he could give me a ride home." She explained, "I never got a chance to confirm it, but he was there when I was leaving and found my car like that. He tried twice to drive me home. I didn't think anything of it at the time, 'cause he said he'd popped back over to check on Arlene's car 'cause it'd been leakin' oil."
"I am very glad you did not go with him." Eric murmured. He had wondered why Sookie had been stranded at Merlotte's. It seemed that with all of the goings on that evening, everyone forgot to explain just why she was there. They were all too busy explaining why she had been allowed to walk out the back door alone and be attacked. Eric figured that Sookie had gone later in the afternoon, lost track of time, and eventually just started working alongside her former co-workers while they talked and joked.
"You can thank Sam and Lafayette for that." She grinned wryly. "I went back into the bar to tell Sam what happened, and he offered to give me a ride home. That's when Laf called him over and told him that I should either stay at the bar or that Sam should stay with me 'til you rose and could be with me."
Eric nodded slowly and began to ponder all of this new information while Sookie continued to look at the menu. When the waiter returned, she ordered a plate of chicken parmesan and watched him patiently as he thought. As he felt a growing curiosity rising in her, he blinked once and smiled at her.
"I am quite pleased with your friends' actions last night." He finally stated, "They did a better job than I originally thought."
"I'm glad you see it that way, 'cause I wouldn't have thought twice about havin' René drive me home." She admitted.
"Why is that?" Eric was surprised.
"'Cause he was one of Jason's friends. I never woulda thought Hoyt, or Catfish, or René could hurt me, 'cause it would've hurt Jason." She told him.
"I see." That was all Eric said for a while longer.
"Eric?"
"Yes?"
"Does your hair grow?" She asked suddenly.
"What?"
"Well, I was just thinking, that since you were a Viking, shouldn't you have a big, bushy beard?" She giggled.
Eric smiled lightly, "I was a warrior, Sookie. During battle, we tended to thin them out, trim them, or sometimes, which was my case, remove them completely. You can see that my facial hair is not quite even. I do shave it smooth from time to time, but this must be done every evening if I wish to maintain it, for our hair grows back to exactly where we had it when we were turned."
"Does that mean Pam has to shave every time she rises?" Sookie made a sympathetic face at this revelation, "That has to suck."
"We are quite quick at it by now, and do not suffer from skin irritation, making it a simple process." Eric chuckled.
Sookie shrugged at that, "So if you cut your hair, right now, it would be back to normal by the time you rose tomorrownight?"
"That is correct." Eric nodded. "However, with age, the magic of our bodies comes more under our control, and we are able to repress some of the regrowth so that we may alter our appearance for extended periods of time if we wish to. However, we cannot make our hair or nails grow beyond the point they were at our turning."
"That's cool!" She giggled, "If I decide to come over, I think I'd want to wait 'til my hair's a little longer. Y'know, 'cause I could always go shorter for a day, but I wouldn't be able to go longer without extensions or a wig." She clapped her hands over her mouth. She was not supposed to talk about that.
"You may broach that topic, Sookie. It is the other stuff that must remain quiet." He assured her, "I actually like that you are asking me questions like this. It will give you a clearer understanding of what to expect, should you choose the path."
There was another question Sookie wanted to ask, but she stored it away for later. She had a feeling that if the answer was not "Yes", it could cause a problem if they were overheard. "What about dying your hair?"
"The same. As we rest, our bodies reject the chemicals and the color melts away. It is always best that we shave our heads before we rest if we were to color our hair because the chemicals and pigments seep off and will pool or stain beneath us on what we lie on."
"What happens to the hair you cut off?"
"It turns to ash at sunrise. It does not combust, it only disintegrates."
Sookie's chicken came at that moment, effectively causing a reprieve from Vampire Q&A. Eric watched curiously as Sookie ate, wondering how she managed to devour the meal so quickly, but still manage to keep all of the marinara sauce off of her face. It made him wonder if she would be able to minimize the blood smear on her lips and face when she fed as a vampire.
"You are quite a clean eater." Eric commented.
"Chalk it up to good ol' Southern manners." Sookie giggled once she had swallowed her food. Eric smiled at that, "Eric, if I came over, would you miss being able to feed off of me?"
Eric was thoughtful, "In some respects, yes, in others no."
"Could you elaborate?" Sookie asked.
"You do taste remarkably good. I would miss the flavor, but your blood is not why I enjoy spending time with you. Bringing you over would be worth more than all of the blood you could produce in a lifetime for me. So, the answer is more of a no than a yes." Eric paused, "But we are breaching into sensitive territory. Perhaps you could ask me more questions related to being a vampire, than about you possibly becoming one."
Sookie nodded and took a sip of her drink, "So, do you decide when your fangs pop out, or will they do it on their own sometimes?"
Eric leered at her, "Did you not notice the first time you came to Fangtasia that every pair of fangs sprang to attention as you passed by?"
"I thought it was just a tourist thing." Sookie squeaked.
"If we popped our fangs every time a human walked by, all you would hear all night was the clicking of them retracting and elongating." He chuckled.
"So y'all do that when someone smells tasty?" She queried.
"Or when we are aroused, threatened, angry, threatening... There is a long list of reasons we do it instinctively. Of course before the Reveal, we were much better about controlling that instinct. Over the past few years, though, we have become lax about hiding our fangs. It is still good to be able to control them, because they come off as threatening no matter what drove them to appear. In Fangtasia, however, it is our motto to flash fang whenever possible." Sookie giggled, "Newborns have the least control of their fangs, and the hardest time retracting them."
"Why's that?"
"You remember how I told you that newborns are very emotional and easily excitable?" She nodded, "Because of this, they are easily threatened. When you feel that way, your first response is to send the threat right back. It is like how a cat will hiss, or a dog will bark. It is used as a dissuasive measure. Also, the increase in libido prompts newborns to become aroused very easily, and that is a very compelling reason to unleash our fangs."
"Was it scary when you were first turned? Like, dying for the day and stuff?" Sookie asked.
"It was concerning. The pull of the sun would make me anxious for a while. Godric would talk with me until I went to rest as a distraction my first few nights." Eric explained, "With you, I would pleasure you until you went to rest." He purred, "You would not even notice." Sookie blushed deeply at that, "It was rising those first few nights that were the most disorienting. Vampires almost never dream, and therefore it felt like you blinked and suddenly it was the next evening. We rise, already alert, and prepared for the evening."
"Ha, no need for coffee." Sookie smirked.
The vampire smiled at her as she cleaned off the side dish of her meal. The waiter came by with the bill when he saw her finish.
"So, grocery store next?" Eric asked. "We can continue our interrogation in the car."
Sookie grinned and accepted his arm as they left the restaurant. She did not say anything about the fact that he had slipped a $100 bill in the black book and not bothered to stick around for change. She could hear the waiter's elation inside his head before they left, though.
As they were driving, Sookie asked, "Is it okay to ask a "sensitive" question in the car."
"It is."
"Can vampires actually survive on True Blood?" She asked, finally getting to ask the question she had held back in the restaurant.
"Yes, but not newborns." Eric told her. "They need real blood their first year."
"Oh." Sookie deflated.
"There are plenty of willing people out there, Sookie." Eric assured her, "You would not be taking anything against their will. Besides," he glanced at her long enough to make a point, but not so long that it made her uncomfortable since he was driving, "even if youcouldsurvive on True Blood, I would still make you feed on humans as well."
"Makeme?" Sookie's eyebrows rose.
"If you tried to argue out of it- yes. I would make you." Eric told her. "It is important that you learn how to feed without doing unnecessary harm, or potentially killing someone. Should you become wounded or stranded somewhere that you could not procure-"
"Please never say the word "procure" again. It's a sore spot with me." Sookie groaned. That word reminded her about how Bill had come to abduct her and deliver her as a gift to the Queen.
Eric would have smirked if the same thought did not still piss him off, "Ah, very true. My apologies." He smiled gently at her, "If you could not... Obtain? True Blood, and were forced to feed off of a human, then you will need to be prepared for that. Besides, if you become vampire, you will quickly realize the differences between synthetic andtrueblood."
Sookie laughed hard at the pun. "You're such a dork."
Eric raised an eyebrow at her. "A dork." He repeated, and she flinched at his monotone voice.
"Sorry, I just meant that-"
"Do not apologize, Sookie. I know that you were teasing and not actually insulting me. However, I can honestly say that no one has ever called me that." Eric shook his head, but she could see an amused upturn in the corner of his lips. "I would suggest that you keep remarks like that between you and me, though."
"Well,yeah." Sookie rolled her eyes playfully, "I'd never call you names in front of other vamps, or employees... Well, maybe "Pain in the ass"."
"I can accept that one." Eric chuckled, "In front of Pam. Even your friends Lafayette and Merlotte."
"Deal."
TBC
A/N: SORRY ABOUT THE SEEMINGLY ABRUPT ENDING, BUT THE CHAPTER WAS GETTING A LITTLE LONG! PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW!
-ANDI