A/N: Wow, I am so overwhelmed by the response my story got through the fail of on Saturday! You guys are amazing. Thanks to everyone for your continued support on this story – I love hearing what you like and what you don't (though clearly more so the former).

This chapter was a turn of events that I hadn't mapped out from the beginning, but I think will bring some fun and adventure to the story. Lots of Eric and Pam fun! Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of these characters. They belong to Ms. Charlaine Harris. I just like to take them and dress them up for kicks!

And now….

Chapter 13

SPOV

I'm sure the wine I had at dinner helped the situation, but I felt at ease with Eric for the first time in, well ever. He could be so charming when he wanted to be. He'd kept the conversation light and I was surprised at how funny he could be. Oh sure, he'd gotten in a few sexual innuendos, but you can't really knock someone like Eric for that. No doubt he had women's panties dropping left and right, it was probably second nature. I couldn't really be that offended. Heck, it was kind of an honor that he even thought of me that way.

I had to brace myself when the elevator doors had opened and Eric stood there looking all sorts of dreamy. You know they say absence makes the heart grow fonder right? Well in this case absence made the dude look even better than I remembered. And absence made his ass look better. He was wearing a charcoal grey suit with a robin's egg blue shirt that I knew must've cost more than practically everything I owned. The suit was tailored to his perfect body and fit him like a glove. Why, God, why was I being tempted so much? I was thankful that Pam had agreed to take me shopping for a dress earlier – she'd had quite the time laughing at my unease over going anywhere with Eric. But she'd assured me that the dress we'd picked – well she'd picked – was killer and appropriate for the occasion. I thought it may've been a little on the tight side, but she assured me that Eric would love it. Gauging his reaction when he saw me, I'd say that Pam was spot on.

Dinner had been amazing. I had only been at a chef's table once before, and that had been with a group from Palate where I'd been the note taker. The experience of sitting across from a handsome man and enjoying amazing food was another thing entirely. I'd been nervous about the interview with Alcide. His reputation preceded him, and although it was a coup to score an interview, I thought it would a lot harder to get him to open up. But from the first greeting, he'd been nothing but warm and cordial. It didn't hurt his mystique that he was such a huge man and managed to create such intricate dishes. Heck, it also didn't hurt that he was pretty much gorgeous with that mop of black hair and those amazing green eyes. I knew that Portia would love what I had planned for it – I'd even gotten Alcide to agree to share some of his recipes with me later in the week.

But heck, even with someone as intriguing as Alcide Herveaux sitting across from me talking about my favorite subject, I had a hard time concentrating on anything other than the blond man sitting next to me. It was as if there was a force field of electricity around him that I couldn't resist. He'd behaved himself for the most part, acting like a completely different person from the Eric I was used to – or at least as used to as I could be in our limited interactions. I'd almost laughed out loud when a flash of the familiar Eric surfaced and I saw the murderous look in his eyes when Alcide had kissed my hand and flirted with me. Guess he hadn't been expecting any competition on this date. Erm, if it was a date? I think it was. He certainly acted like a jealous boyfriend already. When Alcide had returned after dinner, Eric had laid a proprietary hand on my thigh, which immediately caused me to jump. The man's touch was intoxicating and the warmth that spread through my body made me a little uneasy.

His hand remained there throughout the entire interview, unmoving beyond a gentle caress with his thumb occasionally sending shockwaves through my body. I don't think that Alcide could even see it, which made me question his motives. At first I thought he was trying to mark his territory, but maybe he was just trying to put me at ease and give me a boost of confidence and support. Heck, by the end of the interview, I found myself actually liking Eric.

He took my hand in his as we walked from the restaurant back to the club and I'll admit that my heart sped up a little bit when he intertwined his fingers into mine. It was such a simple, but intimate touch. We didn't say anything on our walk, our hands doing all the necessary communication. I knew I was smiling like a total idiot, but it just felt right. It didn't hurt that he had a shit-eating grin on his own face when I'd looked over at him. I was content to just be happy in the moment and worry about it later.

Despite the evil looks that the masses waiting in line gave us, Eric skirted the queue outside the door and walked straight up to the door. I felt his hand tighten around mine as we approached the door and looked up to see Pam give him a knowing smile as she noticed our connection. "You two look quite pleased with yourselves," she said as she opened the door for us. I sensed Eric's tension before looking over at him. Pam wasn't normally on door duty, and even I could've told you that something was wrong if she was willing to do something she considered so common. "Eric," she said with a low voice so that only Eric and I could hear her. "You'll never guess who showed up tonight." She looked at me with a tense grin, which made me nervous. I can't remember ever seeing Pam appear to be anything but completely amused by the drudges around her.

"Who Pam?" Eric asked with a frustrated edge to his voice. "Russell again? Is he bothering Charles? I talked to him about that on Thursday." Pam had mentioned that their bartender Charles had complained about Russell's unwanted advances. Turned out Russell wasn't quite the ladies man that he pretended to be. "The man may be the social King of Shreveport, but he's got to learn that he can't get away with harassing my bartender."

"No, not Russell." Pam answered. "Though he is in there. He seems to be behaving himself for the most part. No, this is more surprising than that. We had a large group of women come in about thirty minutes ago, and who should be in it but Madeline Lundgren!" I saw Eric's visible negative reaction and wondered who this Madeline character was.

"What in the fuck is she doing here Pam?" He asked curtly. "What business could she possibly have in Shreveport?"

"She said she was visiting friends in New Orleans and wanted to come up and see how you were doing. Said she couldn't imagine that you weren't gagging to head back to Stockholm. The cow was disappointed when I told her that you weren't here. She certainly prodded me for information about you Eric. I had a hard time getting rid of her. But I finally found something that made her go away."

"That sounds about right," he answered, never letting go of my hand. "Snooping around like a bitch in heat, yes that sounds like Madeline," he turned and looked at me apologetically. "Sorry Sookie, I didn't expect this to take long but I'm afraid it might. Do you mind staying awhile?" I shook my head no. He was visibly upset and my protective instincts kicked in. It figures that something would happen to rock our happy boat. "Pam, can you take Sookie to my table while I check on things? Keep her away from Madeline?"

"Of course," Pam said and took my hand from Eric's. I was confused. What was with this visceral reaction to some random woman? Eric didn't seem like the type of guy that let a woman get under his skin, but this one clearly had. The playful Eric from earlier was long gone by the time he turned away from us and headed to his office.

Pam led me across the crowded dance floor and sat across from me at the booth Eric had been sitting at on May Day. She remained silent as she waved for the waitress to bring us a round. "Who is Madeline Lundgren?" I asked as soon as the waitress had dropped off our drinks and departed. Oh she was good; she remembered that I took my Gin and tonic with a lemon instead of a lime.

"She's the whore who wrote the story about Pernella and Eric," Pam said. Oh if looks could kill, the carnage would be incredible. Pam was protective of those she loved, and she loved no one more than Eric. "She's an old family friend and is about Eric's age. She has a column in some trashy gossip rag and thinks she's untouchable because no one wants anything bad written about them. She's knee deep in the social scene in Stockholm and is very well connected." Pam finished her drink in one try and ordered another. I looked at Pam questionably and she continued. "Madeline put the moves on Eric last year at Midsommer and was pissed off when he rejected her. You know that saying 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'? That pretty much describes Madeline. She became friends with Pernella and masterminded the entire article to try to take Eric down a notch. I have no idea what she's doing here in Shreveport Fucking Louisiana other than trying to dig up more dirt. She was pissed that her take down of Eric didn't work and he was still a golden boy before he left."

"No shit!" I said. You read about this kind of stuff in novels, but I didn't know this actually happened to anyone. "What a bitch. Where is she?" Pam pointed to a tall blonde on the dance floor. She was attractive I suppose, but I thought she looked a bit hard and worn for her age. If the phrase Rode Hard and Put Away Wet ever applied to anyone, it was this Madeline creature. Her bleach blonde hair was teased within an inch of its life, and too stark of a contrast to her overly-tanned skin. Now, don't get me wrong, I like a tan as much as anyone, but thankfully it hadn't gotten to the point that my skin looked like beef jerky. Plus, she was dressed like a straight up hooker. Even Pam had more clothes on than she did, and Pam's ass was hanging out. "What does she want?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I suspect she wants some gossip on Eric to take back home. Sad really that she came all the way to Shreveport to try and carry out her vendetta. The bitch has got to learn sometime that she can't always get what she wants." We sat silently at the table for a minute. I wasn't sure what the appropriate response to that was, and Pam just stared at me before shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "We talked for awhile actually and… I may have told her something about you and Eric."

Shit. "What did you tell her Pam?" I asked cautiously. Pam wasn't one that went by half measures, especially when she was in protective mode.

"Well," Pam said avoiding eye contact. Uh oh. That was not a good sign. I may have told her that you were –" she stopped.

"What Pam?" I screeched. "That Eric and I were what?" But Pam's attention was already diverted. I felt a hand touch my shoulder and a warmth spread through my body. I looked up to see Eric standing at the table next to me. "Hey Eric," I said with a goofy smile. As soon as I could turn my focus back to Pam, I knew that our conversation was over. She wasn't going to share with Eric here. I knew how Pam operated.

I scooted over so he could sit down next to me. "Hey," he said quietly. "I'm sorry about tonight. Let's get out of here." He had grabbed my hand and I was getting ready to stand up when a loud shriek pierced above the thumping music. "Eric Northman!" His shoulders slunk as he nudged me over to sit down on the booth. It had come from the dance floor, which only could mean one thing.

"Sorry," he whispered. He turned his attention to the source. "Madeline," he said with a tense smile as the leather lady approached our table and forced her way into the seat next to Pam. "Fancy meeting you here. In Shreveport. What are you doing here?" The underlying ice in his tone sent shivers up my spine, but this Madeline woman was either too drunk or too stupid to take heed.

Madeline smiled and gave what I guess she thought was a coy giggle. Just looking at her made my blood boil. "I was in the neighborhood and just couldn't miss stopping by and seeing your little venture. Everyone was just dying to get a report on it. Imagine Stockholm's golden boy tucked away in a sleepy American town. It's quite backwards really, don't you think Eric?" Oh no way. The bitch was going to diss my town? I wasn't about to put up with that. I dug my fingernails into Eric's hand I was still holding. "Tell me, when are you going to come back to Stockholm with your tail tucked between your legs?" Did she really think that Eric was going to answer that? Stupid AND ugly. Eric squeezed my hand back and raised our linked hands to the table, a gesture that did not pass Madeline by.

"Oh Madeline," he said with a fake smile. "You should know better than to ask me a question like that. I'm quite content here. The people are much more tolerable than most of the Stureplan crowd." Madeline sputtered. Guess that wasn't what she was expecting. I looked over at Pam and almost started laughing at the expression of glee on her face. No question, she was ready to put Madeline in her place, and I only hoped that I could play a small part in that. "Oh but excuse my manners. You haven't met Sookie," he continued. "Sookie this is Madeline Lundgren, one of our old family friends from Stockholm." And the current the reigning Bitch Queen of Sweden apparently. I wondered if I was supposed to curtsey to her.

Madeline cast an amused glance in my direction and gave me a bright, albeit fleeting smile. She raked her eyes over what she could see and turned her attention back to Eric. I may not be able to read minds, but I could tell when I was being dismissed as being less than noteworthy.

"Oh," Madeline said returning her gaze to Eric. "I didn't notice you had a guest." Ya think? There were four people at the table. She'd have to be blind and an idiot to not notice me. Well at least part of that seemed to be right. "Sookie?" She asked, playing over my name like it was a nonsense word. "How is it that you know such characters?" Madeline asked Eric, still not glancing in my direction. That was it. Not only was she overbearing and annoying, she was rude and that just wasn't acceptable.

"Sookie and I are—" Eric started.

"Engaged!" Pam blurted out and managed to simultaneously kick both Eric and I under the table. She turned to face Madeline. "I told you about them earlier Madeline." What the fuck Pam? I did my best to put on a good outside face, but knew I must've looked ridiculous. I stole a gaze at Eric, who was shooting daggers at Pam with his eyes. Not that Madeline noticed any of this. No, her attention was on Pam.

"I didn't think you were serious Pam. You are known to say the most outrageous, untruthful things." What a snatch face. God this woman just got worse with every passing moment. First knocking Shreveport, then me and now calling Pam a liar? Okay, so she was lying about this obviously, but it wasn't a trait that one normally associated with Ms. Blunt Northman-Ravenscrofts. "Imagine that, Eric Northman engaged. How amusing. American I presume?" Madeline asked Eric. The cow still wouldn't look at me. She'd gotten under my skin enough that I was ready to say and do whatever it took to shut her the fuck up. Heck, it was only for one night, I'd play along.

"Yes," I said tightly. "I am an American. What a pleasure it is to meet you." I may not like the lady, but my manners prevailed. Gran would be proud. I shifted to lean into Eric's tall frame, casually running my fingers through his hair as if it was something I'd done a thousand times. And as an aside – yes it was as nice as it looked. He looked at me with shock in his eyes, which quickly was replaced by something else; something much more worrisome for me as soon as we got out of here.

Before I could think about that too long, I turned my gaze back to Madeline. You could practically see the wheels turning in her head. Who would she call first to tell? How in the hell had some backwoods size 8 American sunk her claws into one of Stockholm's finest? I could only imagine what she was thinking of me. "Are you two joking?" She asked, turning from Pam to Eric and again not acknowledging my presence.

"''Fraid not," Eric said with a shrug as he wrapped his arm tightly around me. "Sookie and I have been engaged about a month. She made me swear not to tell anyone until she had told her Gran who was in the hospital. You're one of the first to know." Madeline stared at Eric blankly. "Isn't that right lover?" There he goes again calling me lover. I smiled up at him and complied when he leaned down for a quick kiss. Oh the electricity. When Eric made up his mind, he really went for it. His eyes locked with mine and promised something more. "Well," he said, turning back to Madeline. "Aren't you going to congratulate us?"

Madeline was still in stun mode. She recovered and looked at the two of us suspiciously. "Congratulations. Seems a bit quick is all."

"You know how it is Mads," Eric said. "You find the one and you do whatever it takes to keep them. Guess it just took a move across the ocean to find what I was looking for."

Madeline finally turned her attention to me, taking in every detail of my appearance to be used as gossip fodder. Thank God Pam had dressed me tonight. I could only imagine what Madeline would've thought of my usual attire of casual sundresses and flip flops. At least tonight I could be somewhat believable as Eric Northman's fiancée.

A glint of excitement sparkled in Madeline's eyes. "I suppose this means that Sookie will be at your father's wedding next month?" What? Father's wedding? "Since you're engaged and all." I felt like the floor dropped out beneath me. Oh sure I'd been prepared to play along for a night in a club. Big tough Sookie putting a smarmy asshole in her place, but this wasn't an asshole that was going to give up easily. There was no way I could pretend to be engaged to Eric for any length of time. And there was no way I could pretend to be his fiancée at their father's wedding!

"Of course," Pam interjected before Eric or I could say anything. "It's the perfect time to introduce her to the whole family, isn't it?"

Madeline sat, stunned for a minute before making her excuses to leave the table and rush over to the group she'd come with. They looked like a pack of hyenas devouring their dinner. Oh believe me, I was on the receiving end of some incredulous looks in those next moments.

"Pamela," Eric said lowly. "What in the hell was that?" He still hadn't removed his arm from my shoulders.

"Eric," she answered with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I can't stand the woman. I told her the first thing I could think of to get her off of our backs."

"Engaged?" Eric and I asked at the same time. He chuckled and looked down at me. "You couldn't have just said that we were dating Pam?"

"It was fucking brilliant and you know it Eric. You know she wouldn't leave you alone just for going on a date with someone – who didn't you date in Stockholm?" Eric shrugged. "You know I'm right. You two played along brilliantly. I swear I saw sparks fly off of you when you kissed her Eric! We put that bitch right into her place." Eric didn't say anything. "Oh come on, you just have to play along for a little while. It's no big deal. It'll be like a plot to a fricking movie. Pretend you're engaged for dad's wedding and then get into a big fight. No one will even remember this in a year."

Eric looked down at me seriously – a little too seriously for comfort. I wasn't too sure of my footing in this situation. Pam had pulled me into a world I knew nothing about, with a man I could barely talk around. He put a finger under my chin and forced me to meet his eyes. "Are you okay with this Sookie?" And just then, before I could answer, a flash went off. Great, Madeline had taken a picture of us in what appeared to be an intimate moment. She smiled and waved at Eric with a laugh.

"Get out of here," Pam said. "God only knows what she plans to do with that."

I don't think I'd ever seen Eric move so quickly. He had me up and was leading me out the door before I could say my goodbyes to Pam. I thought I saw Jason in the crowd, but we were moving too fast to tell. Great, that's just what I needed. Eric drove me home in silence and walked me up to my door without a word.

I had the door open and was halfway in when he finally did say something. "I'm sorry that Pam pulled you into this Sookie." Wow, an apology? He didn't seem like the type of guy that came from very easily. "You look a little shell shocked. Try to forget about it for tonight. Go to bed." He grabbed my hand and pulled me into his embrace. "I'll call you in the morning." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. What in the hell was this? The cocky, aggressive Eric I knew how to handle. This quiet, introspective, downright respectful Eric was another matter.

I climbed into bed that night in a daze. What in the hell had Pam gotten me into?

A/N: Oh that Pam will do just about anything to get her way, won't she? This path was not part of my original outline – heck, I didn't have much of an outline. It's a bit of a stretch coming from anyone but Pam, but I can just imagine the wheels turning in her head at the possibility of finally getting Eric and Sookie to just do it already, can't you?

And as an aside – I had this written about 2 weeks ago for the most part. Any thoughts of the "engagement" being ridiculous flew out the window after the TB season finale. Apparently ridiculous is the new black!

Please review and let me know what you think!