A/N: Note the rating change for those who shouldn't be reading rated M material. This is more for violence and some lemon zest more than anything. Adult material ahead. You have been warned!


The seconds slowed to minutes and the minutes to hours as Sookie listened to the snarly thoughts of their attacker. She reached out for Eric to see if he was dead…well, permanently dead. She didn't know how any of this worked. She knew that if she were shot in the neck, it would be the end of her. While she was sorting the existence of Eric out, she was simultaneously trying to figure out what her next actions would be. The gunman was approaching the car cautiously and he was determined to see them both dead.

With every step closer the fake policeman took, Sookie's heart-rate bumped a bit higher. She looked around frantically, in the car, to see if there was possibly anything she could use in their defense.

Just as his arm swung in through the opened window, his aim point blank range at Sookie, two things happened. One, Eric's large hand was shoving Sookie to the cramped floor of the Corvette and his other hand was ripping the assailant's arm clean off. The gun and subsequent arm, fell on the passenger seat right in front of Sookie. She took in a deep breath to scream like a victim out of a horror movie, but she could still hear the snarly thoughts of the man and he was bound and determined to finish his job, with or without his arm. Therefore, Sookie did the only thing she could think of. She held her scream, grabbed the gun, and aimed it at the man, whose body was half-in and half-out of the car, thanks to Eric and she shot him right in the head.

Startled for a second at taking the life of another and in such a graphic fashion, Sookie sat, gun still in her hand, shaking with adrenaline.

"We must go Sookie," Eric rasped.

His voice snapped her out of her temporary stupor and she quickly shoved the remains of the man's body out of the car, slid on top of Eric's lap, and threw the car into first gear, shooting gravel and dirt all over the body and the road.

Sookie raced down the highway, driving faster than she ever had before, although it wasn't hard considering the car and the circumstances. She had no idea where to go or how badly hurt Eric truly was, but she knew they had to get away from that scene before either the real cops showed or back up for that man did.

"Eric, are you OK?" she asked nervously.

"I am now," Eric whispered into her ear, grabbing her hips and pulling her tighter against him. "I knew I'd get you on top of me sooner or later," he tried to be flirtatious and funny, but failed as he began to cough.

Sookie didn't even flinch at his behavior and instead, started searching for a secluded place to pull over. She was afraid for him.

"What can I do, Eric? Do you need a doctor? You're not going to die are you?" she asked worriedly.

"No Doctors silly girl. Vampire, remember? I'm dead already. The bullet was silver," he spoke labouredly. "It's burning inside my neck, by my throat. You'll need to get it out for me."

"Silver? I figured that was just a myth and only worked on Werewolves!" she answered, shocked at his revelation and not realizing that it was exactly a Werewolf that she had just shot. Then she noticed the sign for Bon Temps. They were on the back road that led from Shreveport into the outlying towns. Her Gran's old farmhouse wasn't far.

"Can you hang on a few more minutes? I have a place we can go and get you some help."

"No. Pull over, you'll need to get it out now, before the silver spreads in my body. It will poison me," he ordered.

Sookie immediately slowed down and began looking for tree-covered areas, where passing vehicles wouldn't see them. One such pull-off came into view within moments. She did her best to pull off, to conceal the car without getting them stuck in the low-profile vehicle. That is all that they would need!

She put the car in neutral and turned off the engine. Her hands were sweaty and her nerves were nearly shot. "What do you need me to do?" she asked shakily, as she turned in his lap to face him.

Eric immediately laid an intense kiss on her, weaving his fingers through her hair and running a hand up and down her back. Sookie didn't balk at the kiss, because in all honesty, when you go through as many near death experiences as they've had in the last couple of days, there's nothing like an intimate moment like this one, to assure you that you are indeed still alive. However, after a few minutes of heavy petting and breathing (on her part), she placed her hands on his chest and pulled away.

"OK, Eric. We need to get you to stop bleeding. Enough," she scolded.

"Sorry. It's the smell of blood, the thought of you defending me –us - by killing that Were – it has made me incredibly aroused," he admitted, still running his hands up and down her arms. His eyes were a very intense blue, emphasized by the blackness of his dilated pupils.

Sookie took her hand and grabbed his chin, tilting it to the side, to look at his wound. She reached over, turned on the interior light, to get a better look, and brushed back his long blond locks that had become matted into the affected area. "It looks funny. Did the bullet enter from behind?"

"No. It just entered at an angle and now my body is trying to heal itself, but it can't because of the silver. There is a knife in my pocket. You'll have to try and cut it out."

Tears welled in Sookie's eyes. "I don't know if I can do that," she said just above a whisper.

"You have to Sookie. You are so incredibly brave. You have faced Long Shadow, me, Bill, a rabid dog and now this Were. You can do this. Trust me," he encouraged, bringing his hands to her face, forcing her to look him in the eye.

After a second or two of deliberation, she nodded her head. "Give me the knife. I'll do it."

"I can't reach it because of the way you are straddling my lap. It's in my front pocket. Can you get it?"

She crinkled her nose in discomfort and shyness, but decided it was now or never to put on her big girl panties. So, she wiggled enough to get into the position of reaching into his pocket. It was a tight fit. Eric apparently liked to wear jeans that were just a little to form-fitting for the average male. Not only that, but there was a sizeable bulge nearby that had nothing to do with fashion or a pocketknife. "I feel like I should make a lewd joke about there being something in your pocket," Sookie smiled, trying to ease her own discomfort.

Just as she said that, her hand brushed up against the aforementioned bulge. "My, my Lover, are you getting fresh with me?"

Before she could dignify his remark with a sassy retort, she located the small pocketknife and quickly removed her hand. Her face was burning hot with embarrassment, but she focused her energy on her mission instead of her intimacy issues.

"OK. Now what?" she asked, opening the blade carefully.

"You'll have to reopen the wound and see if you can find the bullet."

"Ohmiggod, Eric. Are you sure there is no other way? I don't want to hurt you!"

"Trust me. It will hurt both of us worse if I get silver poisoning. Do it!"

"What do you mean – Well, Oo…Ok. Here goes nothing," she said, swallowing the lump in her throat. She leaned in and poked the tip of the knife blade into the partially closed hole. Eric grimaced in pain and she backed off.

"It's OK, Sookie. Keep going," Eric encouraged, rubbing his hands on her thighs.

Sookie swallowed another lump that had immediately formed in her throat and she started again. Eric's thick, dark red, vampire blood began to ooze out of the cut she had just made. Using her left hand to hold open the wound, she poked around with the knife blade to see if she could locate the bullet.

"There it is, but I can't seem to get it with the knife or my fingers," she said, frustration evident in her voice.

"Try sucking it out," he said, as if he hadn't just asked her to basically act as a vampire.

"Eww! This isn't a laughing matter Eric! I can't get it out!" she said with panic.

"I'm serious Sookie. Try sucking it out. At least that will get it to the surface and you can pull it out from there."

Sookie crinkled her nose in disgust. "I don't want to drink your blood. I don't want to be a vampire!"

"You've already had my blood, silly and you are still you. Now stop wasting time!"

With a loud sigh, Sookie set the knife down between the seat and the door and leaned in, closing her eyes tightly and began sucking on Eric's neck as if she were a teenager again, necking with a boy from school in his car. Although, in all honesty, because of her telepathy, she had never actually experience that scenario. So, with that mental image in mind, she went for it.

Her mouth immediately filled with Eric's blood. Surprisingly, it didn't taste bad at all. In fact, it sort of had a sweet, exotic taste to it that if it hadn't actually been blood, she might have enjoyed drinking it. A shiver went through both her and Eric as she swallowed her first gulp. The moment was so intimate it was erotic. Embarrassingly, she even moaned a little and ground into him. Eric didn't seemed to mind at all, as he pulled her in tighter to him.

He could feel her overheated skin through her clothes and he wanted nothing more than to ravage her, but the pain from the silver, kept his focus. Instead, he just opened his mind and concentrated on the more pleasant aspects of the situation. Within a few sucks, the bullet had made it's way to the surface and Sookie spat it out into her hand.

Proudly she displayed it to Eric. "I did it! There it is!" she exclaimed, beaming.

"Now I need some blood to finish the healing. I promise it won't hurt."

Sookie's broad smile turned into her more crazy, 'I didn't just hear that' smile that she often wore, when she had 'overheard' someone's nasty thoughts. She hadn't thought about that part of being a vampire.

Eric pulled her in for another passionate kiss. Sookie had never been kissed like that before and she wondered if everyone kissed like that or if it was a vampire talent or just an Eric talent. His tongue moved with such expertise, her mind began to imagine what else that tongue could do.

Sensing her arousal and utter distraction, Eric began kissing down her neck, reaching the best spot for his bite. He licked the tender area with his cool tongue, sending shivers and gooseflesh all over Sookie's body. Her nipples were so hard, they were threatening to poke through her lacy bra.

Sinking his sharp fangs into her flesh was like a hot knife through butter. Sookie was overcome with such all-consuming pleasure, that she actually began to orgasm. She had never felt such pleasure, even by her own hand and it took her by complete surprise. Her hazy mind drifted, as Eric took what he needed from her to heal. She wondered if it was so pleasurable to be bitten, why didn't vampires just reveal themselves to the world. Surely, women and men alike would line up for such an experience. They wouldn't have to hide in the shadows in order to survive.

Unknowingly, she was dry-humping Eric, holding his head to her while she rode out her euphoric high. Eric couldn't help but feel smug at her reaction. Once she had come back to reality, she would be mortified at her wantonness. He wasn't sure what he would enjoy more – replaying this scene in his head or seeing her all flushed in humiliation afterwards and teasing her about it. One thing he was enjoying more than her response was the unique taste of her blood. The cut from her hand that he had had for the sake of Bill was nothing compared to the taste of her now. It was laced with her pleasure, his own blood, and something decidedly not human. He was in so much trouble with this one.

All too soon, he had to stop and they would have to leave their little bubble of contentedness and move on to what they should do next. When he withdrew his fangs, he gently licked the twin puncture wounds closed and then pricked his finger to heal them altogether. He couldn't leave his evidence behind, even if she submitted willingly.

Sookie's eyes were still closed and her mouth slightly opened, into a sexy shaped 'O'. Eric took a second to enjoy the view before him – her breasts heaving with her labored breaths – how her tongue darted out to dampen her dry lips – the pinkness to her cheeks, neck, and chest. Then, he unfortunately had to 'wake' her from her daze.

"Sookie, as much as I'd love to stay like this for at least a hundred years, we need to go."

Her eyes snapped open and sure enough, her pink cheeks turned to fiery red ones, once she realized what had just happened. Instead of her usual self-deprecating rants though, she took his chin in her hand once again and turned his head so she could check that his wound had officially healed. "Amazing," she whispered. "It's like magic." Then, she smoothed her hands down his chest, making sure she hadn't wrinkled him too much and slid off his lap, crawling back into her seat. She tried to pull herself together by arranging her own, blood spattered clothing and twisting her hair back into a messy bun. She completed her actions by putting on her seatbelt.

Stunned by her behavior or lack thereof, Eric watched her go through her motions, waiting for her to break at any second.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Let's get to Gran's house. I could use a shower….a really, really cold shower and I'm sure you could too," she said, looking at him as if nothing at all had just happened.

He shook his head in disbelief and chuckled to himself at her sudden change in behavior. Then he started his car and headed out on the road.

They traveled a few miles down the rural two-lane highway before either of them said a thing. Now that they had exchanged blood, Eric was feeling her emotions and he was certain she was feeling his. She was feeling a mixture of awkwardness and happiness and he longed to ask her what she was thinking about, but decided against it.

"So, where exactly is your Gran's house?" he broke the silence.

"Uhh, just follow the signs to Bon Temps and then I'll direct you from there."

Again, silence for a little while, with Sookie still feeling a bit uncomfortable, but now mixed with anticipation and excitement.

Eric cleared his throat unnecessarily, "Thank you, Sookie."

"For what?" she asked. She could feel Eric's tension and she wasn't sure if it was just the vibe he was giving off or if she could just feel him, now that she had drank his blood.

"For being so brave – for getting out the bullet and then allowing me to drink from you."

"Well, I owed you one for Long Shadow, so I guess we're even then," she said, shrugging her shoulders. She was trying really hard to be nonchalant and adult about the whole thing, but her insides were screaming like a tween at a Jonas' Brother's concert. She was crushing hard on Eric now and unbeknownst to her, he could feel every bit of it, which just made him smirk.

"What exactly did you hear from that Were anyway?" Eric asked, changing the subject and giving her some reprieve.

"What's a Were? Is that what that guy was?"

"A Werewolf. They shift into wolves at the full moon, you know, just like the movies. Except you don't necessarily have to be bitten to become one. It's actually hereditary and if you are of pure blood, then you can shift whenever you want, not just on the lunar schedule. There are all sorts of Were animals, but the wolves tend to be the leaders of the pack…so to speak," Eric explained.

Sookie's mind reeled again with this information, but she focused on his question instead. "Well, umm, as soon as he got out of the car, all I could get was 'kill, kill, kill', so I knew something was wrong. And then after he shot you, he was intent on killing me too, calling me some choice words. He seemed like he was hopped up on some kind of drug, because his thoughts were so red and snarly – just full of anger. I know I never did anything to this man, so I had no idea why he'd be so angry with me. How about you?"

"Vampires and Weres don't get along, but we have a mutual understanding. They are strong and heal faster than humans, so we use them for daytime security and muscle when we don't want to get our hands dirty. But, I don't have any personal reason why one of them would want me definitely dead. It must have something to do with Long Shadow."

"Do you think that the Lassie dog I saw at Hooligan's was a Were too?" Sookie asked. "Could it have been a Were that did that to Belinda?"

"Oh, it was definitely a Were. However, I've never seen one transform into anything other than an animal, like something from the wild. A domestic animal would be something more like a Shifter. There aren't many Shifter's around, so it could have just been a coincidence."

"I don't believe in coincidences," Sookie stated.

"Yeah, neither do I."

"Well, take this turn on the left up here. That's Hummingbird Lane. It's a dirt road, so go slow. There's a hidden turn up on your right – that will lead us to the house. No one should be there, since Gran is still in the hospital. You can pull the car around back. There are no neighbors around and it's pretty secluded out here as you can see, so we shouldn't have to worry about anybody dropping by unannounced. Plus, we'd hear 'em, if they did."

After a string of curse words and complaints about how the driveway was going to wreck his alignment, Eric and Sookie made their way to the old farmhouse that had belonged to generations of Stackhouses.

"I'm not sure where you can sleep. Aren't you supposed to like be in a coffin or something?" Sookie asked, getting out of the car and making her way to the porch. She grabbed the spare key from underneath the strategically placed flowerpot and unlocked the house.

Eric grabbed her stuff out of the trunk and made his way to the porch. "I need something that doesn't have any natural light source exposed to it. I only use coffins if I'm traveling long distances and there is a risk of being exposed to daylight."

The thought of seeing Eric in a coffin gave her cold chills and not in a good way. "Well, come on. Let's get inside and see what we can come up with," Sookie said, waving her hand for him to enter.

"You need to invite me in," Eric said.

"What?"

"A vampire cannot enter a human's home, unless he is invited in."

"OK. Umm, Eric won't you please come in? Does that work?" Sookie said sarcastically.

"It's no laughing matter. And, don't forget, you can also rescind that invitation at any time. So be careful who you go letting in."

"You're the only vampire I know, Eric. I don't plan on letting anyone else in, but it's good to know how that all works."

They spent the next few minutes going through the house, with Sookie acting as tour guide. They decided that her Gran's walk-in closet would probably work for Eric to crash in during the day. Sookie found a couple of heavy drapes that they could fit over the doorway and the bedroom windows, to help block out any errant light.

"Why don't you take a shower in here, since this will be sort of your room and I'll grab one in the other bathroom, down the hall. Then I'm going to fix myself something to eat, because it's been too long since the last time I've eaten," Sookie directed.

"Who is going to help me wash my back then?" Eric asked, waggling his eyebrows. Sookie blushed, thinking back to the car. She didn't trust herself around Eric anymore. Even though she had witnessed him take a man's arm off with a simple pull and then he drank her blood, she felt invested in their relationship – they were in something and they were in it together – no matter what the name was for it.

"I'm sure Gran has one of those back washer things in there. Helps her reach those parts that you can't quite reach anymore, when you get old," Sookie said with a giggle.

"You are a cold-hearted woman, Sookie Stackhouse," Eric grinned, accepting her dismissal. But, not before he started taking his clothes off, revealing his impeccably sculpted chest.

Sookie closed her eyes tight and balled her hands into fists and turned to walk out the door. "Oh Sookie, if you change your mind, you know where to find me!" Eric chuckled as he stepped out of his jeans, sans underwear and headed for the en suite bathroom.

After Sookie took a very quick, very lonely, cold shower, she threw on some of her favorite old PJ's that she had left behind in her bedroom, before moving to her apartment in Shreveport and made her way to the kitchen. She was just throwing some things together to make a quick sandwich, when she heard the sounds of a vehicle coming down the drive. She quickly went to the hallway closet where Gran always kept her loaded rifle and went to stand by the front door, looking out the window beside it.

When the security lights, flipped on and she caught a glimpse of turquoise pin striping on the truck, she realized it was her brother Jason. She quickly leaned the rifle against an armchair and opened the front door to step out onto the porch.

"Jason Stackhouse, what in the hell are you doing here?" she yelled, hands cocked on her hip.

"I could ask you the same damn thing, Sookie Stackhouse! Aren't you supposed to have your nose in some books and making a better life for yourself or somethin'?" Jason teased, jumping out of the truck and running up the steps to embrace his only sister in a hug.

"You're all wet. Did you just take a shower or somethin'?"

"Yeah. Come on in. I was just rustling up some sandwiches. What are you doin' out so late anyway?"

"Aww, Hoyt and I were at the local pub and we was hungry. Thought we'd stop by the place and see what Gran had wasting away in her fridge! Come on Hoyt, Sookie ain't gonna bite!" Jason yelled to his best friend, Hoyt Fortenberry, who was sitting in the truck, feeling intrusive.

Sookie tensed at Jason's comment. She wouldn't bite, but there was no telling what Eric was going to do, when he came out of the shower to find two strange men in the house. Before she had a chance to come up with a solution, in walked Eric, water still dripping from his long blond hair and dressed only in a towel.

"Jesus, Sook! Where did you find Conan? Holy crap, I didn't think you had it in you!" Jason yelp, eying Eric up and down.

Eric resisted the urge to growl and willed his fangs to stay in place. He had smelled the two men, the minute they came into the house. But, oddly enough, Jason smelled a bit like Sookie and it made sense that he might be the one visitor to drop by in the middle of the night. Then, when he actually saw him, there was no doubt that he was Sookie's brother, by his resemblance to Dermot.

"I am a Viking, no late night comedian," Eric responded to Jason's crack, in a low intimidating voice.

Hoyt, Sookie and Jason all sniggered. "I think he was referring to 'The Barbarian', not the Irish red-headed talk –show host," Hoyt said, being that he was the only one of the three who could contain his laughing.

Sookie cleared her throat, feeling Eric getting pissed. "Eric, baby, this is my brother, Jason Stackhouse and his BFF, Hoyt Fortenberry," Sookie said, sliding over to Eric's side and grabbing his hand. She figured if she played it off as Eric being her boyfriend, Jason would feel too uncomfortable to ask questions.

"Nice ta meetcha, Eric," Jason said, holding out his hand. "I hope we weren't interrupting anything. We didn't expect to find anyone here…urmmm…especially Sook…with a man!" Jason said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Eric looked at Jason's outstretched hand and debated on whether to shake it. Vampires avoiding hand shaking for a variety of reasons. With humans, it was because they could sense their temperature difference. Sookie nudge him a bit in the side and he took that as his cue to do it, however.

"Jason, don't be rude. I'm plenty old enough to have a man over to my place," Sookie said, eying her brother. "Did you come for some food or to get in my business about what I do in my spare time?" she sassed, letting go of Eric and walking back to her sandwich fixings.

"I'm sorry. Both of ya. I'm just a bit shocked is all. Sookie didn't date at all in high school and she hasn't mentioned anybody special, the last few times we talked."

"To be fair Jason, it's not like we are close. Why would I share something like that with you, especially with Gran so sick? Eric, will you go get some clothes on, sweetie? Thanks."

"So, have you found a job to help pay for Gran's bills?" Jason asked, accepting the sandwich Sookie was handing him.

"Not yet, but I'm working on it. I have a couple of great prospects though. If it pays off, then I think we can get Gran back here and comfortable for a while."

"Say, Sook, your man is pretty impressive. Must be at least 6' 4", 250, huh? He doesn't say much though. Is he on the football team or anything?" Hoyt interjected.

"Ummm, I'm not sure about his stats, Hoyt. He's not in college though, so no on football. And you sort of took us by surprise, is all. I wasn't expecting to introduce him to the family anytime soon. It's still early in our, umm, relationship," Sookie said, blushing at the image of Eric standing there with just a towel around his waist and inwardly cringing at what she was saying.

"Right. Umm, we'll just take our sandwiches and go then, Sook. Why don't you call me tomorrow and maybe we can go see Gran together?"

"Sure thing Jas. Oh, and would you be a sweetie and not tell anybody we're here? We sort of wanted to just get away from everything for a day or two and I'm really not up for visitors or inquisitors, k?" Sookie took a quick peak into Jason's head to make sure he was buying her act.

Hoyt laughed and slapped Jason on the back. "I'll make sure he keeps the gossip to a minimum Sook, but this is a big deal! Little Sookie Stackhouse is all grown up!"

Sookie rolled her eyes, willing them both to just leave already. "Nite, y'all!" she added as she went about making her own sandwich. She waited until she heard Jason's truck rolling back down the long drive before checking on Eric.

She found him lying in Gran's bed, with his arms flexed behind his head.

"Baby? Sweetie? I don't think in all my years I have been called such names!" Eric smiled brightly.

"Sorry! I needed them to think we are a couple, so they'd feel uncomfortable and leave. Otherwise, they would have stayed until dawn, trying to get the scoop about us. And, we need to get you setup for dawn," Sookie said, turning her attention to the closet that would serve as Eric's daytime resting place.

"Why would they feel uncomfortable about you having a man to look after you?"

"I don't want to get into that now. Let's just say that this town has its own ideas about outcasts and I fit into that mold with my telepathy growing up. It's one of the motivating factors for living in Shreveport. I needed to get away from being 'Crazy Sookie'."

Eric frowned, feeling her sadness through the slight bond they had formed from sharing blood. "Why don't you come snuggle with me and we'll make it official then?" he leered.

"Not on your life…err…non-life, Eric Northman!"

"Oh come on. You seemed to enjoy me earlier."

Sookie turned vibrant red at the memory and him calling her on it. She cleared her throat, "That was just a one-time thing. Don't get your hopes up it will happen again," she said, walking into the closet to lay down some blankets and pillows.

"Where do you think I'll be getting my sustenance from then, while we are trying to figure out who is after us?" Eric whispered, suddenly right behind her, in the small closet, with what Sookie could only assume was no clothes on. She shivered at his words and he kissed her softly on the spot where he had drawn blood from earlier.

Sookie's throat became very, very dry at that thought. She wasn't prepared for being on the run with Eric Northman and what it could possibly lead to.


A/N: So I surprised myself with switching this to rated M. I thought between the violence and adult themes, it was time. I know there wasn't a lot happening as far as moving the plot forward, or questions answered, but I wanted to move their connection forward. Hope that makes sense. Let me know what you think/thought etc. Thanks for reading/reviewing/alerting/adding etc. *Eric the Barbarian Hugs*