As promised, a little peek into Pam's head. I hope you enjoy .

Merick

Chapter 21

Eric was up on the dais, as he usually was on Fridays and Saturday nights at Fangtasia. Even with a guest he still had duties to perform. He had brought Sookie into the club before they opened their doors to the public, to introduce her to Pam, who was the first Vampire there, she always was, and to some of the human day staff that were preparing the changeover. Pam had watched, but not followed her maker as he toured Sookie through the bar, and his back office. She noted that he hadn't taken her downstairs, but then again, he rarely took anyone downstairs for any good purpose, and though he had denied it to her the previous night, she still felt quite certain that her assessment of 'smitten' was spot on.

She didn't mind this Sookie Stackhouse, for a number of reasons. She was quiet, that was always good in a breather, and she hadn't tried to touch her, or bubble over her in a nervous enthusiasm like so many breathers did upon meeting a new Vampire. She wasn't getting drunk, which was also good, diet cokes had been her only order, not that Pam had expected a chosen companion of her maker to get drunk and unruly. That was perhaps the most important endearing factor to this Sookie, Eric seemed happy when he was around her, in truth, just talking about her brought a smile to his lips that he likely thought he was keeping to himself, though he wasn't. Anyone who made her maker truly happy was worthwhile keeping around as far as Pam was concerned. Though there was something else that Pam couldn't quite put her finger on that made her like this breather, the other reasons were enough to join her at the bar and talk with her as the crowds moved around them.

Quinn was at the door, acting the bouncer role that night, Long Shadow was behind the bar as he always was; he was the last of the trio to come in each night, but suspecting that he was the reason for the monetary discrepancies Pam didn't much mind his absences in the early evening and the respite from having to speak politely to him. Eric, still up on the dais continued to glance down at her and Sookie, with a lopsided smile that looked more hungry than passionate, but Pam knew that was just for show, and it rounded out whenever Sookie looked up at him. He was playing the part of Vampire lord over the masses in the club as was expected. He played the part very well. But he was desperately enamored of the girl, and not being one to mince words, Pam intended to help out her suffering maker if she could.

There had been a little small talk between them, to 'break the ice' as Pam saw it. It was difficult to get the girl to really open up about herself, but Pam quite appreciated the 'less is more' approach, and it didn't hurt that Sookie had complemented her shoes. All girls like to hear nice things about their shoes. She had returned the favor, complimenting Sookie's hair, though that comment had mostly been spawned by the sight of her white neck, the girl was very pale for a breather, but her neck was gorgeous. The girl seemed to be concentrating very hard on something, but it didn't seem to stop her eyes wandering over the patrons, and of course, her shy glances up to Eric. Into her third diet coke Pam decided that she'd take the plunge.

"You haven't slept with Eric yet have you?"

Perhaps she should have speculated that the girl might choke a bit on her drink first, prior to staring at her with wide blue eyes.

"No." She managed to stutter out.

"Why not?" Pam's response was so matter of fact that it could have been a simple question about why she hadn't filed her taxes yet or had her car washed after the rain.

"Well, I, um." The girl was simply charming in her naivety.

"If you are worried about his prowess I can assure you that he is very skilled in the art of love-making."

The girl continued to sputter in her diet coke, finally setting it down on the bar, which didn't make Pam particularly happy.

"You've, you've slept with him?"

"Well, it's been a hundred years or so, but my memory is quite good on the subject. And I don't even usually fall for men."

Slack jawed came to mind as Pam looked at Sookie and Sookie looked back, she began to wonder if she hadn't taken the wrong approach.

"Well just look at him, that tussled blond hair, those eyes, blue and icy as the fjords where he was born, that body? It'd make anyone think about switching teams don't you think?"

"Um, sure, yeah, I guess."

"Unless of course you don't like boys, then I'd be happy to show you how a Vampire makes love." Pam leaned in just a bit to Sookie, grinning mischievously. That seemed to wake the girl up.

"No! I mean, no thank you, I don't do," and then she was off stuttering again, which only made Pam begin to laugh. She could tell Eric was staring at them both but was fairly certain he hadn't overheard the conversation; otherwise the look on his face mightn't have been so inquisitive.

"I'm only joking Sookie, I would never dare to even take a little taste of you, seeing how clearly Eric has made it known that you are his."

"I'm not anyone's!" The girl even stood up to emphasize her statement; she was so deliciously cute to Pam.

"Calm down Sookie. You'll make a spectacle of yourself, and there are enough breathers looking at you already." She sat back down.

"I don't belong to anyone." She said again, with significantly less force in her voice, Pam could distinctly hear a plaintive note and she wasn't sure what that meant.

"It's a Vampire thing Sookie. Eric has made it known that you are his, by leaving his scent on you, so other vampires know to stay away from you. Is that such a terrible thing?"

"I don't know." All the direct control the girl had seemed to be keeping up suddenly melted away and Pam watched as she pushed her fists against her temples for some reason, straining for something. She almost felt bad for her.

"Look at it this way Sookie. If you were dating a human man you might wear his sweater, or a piece of his jewelry, or a promise ring so that other men would know to leave you alone."

"Yes, I guess so."

"Vampires can be far more persistent than breathers, and far more dangerous." She watched the girl shudder and wondered if she didn't already know a bit about the possessive nature of Vampires. "It is better that they know you are his, it will keep you safer."

"But what does it mean to be his Pam?" The girl was actually trembling now, and that worried Pam just a bit.

"Let me liken it to a human analogy for you Sookie, you are dating exclusively, is that fair? It doesn't mean you belong to him, or that he can order you around, though he might try, or even that you are sleeping together. Only that no other Vampire should ask to be in your company, for whatever reason, without his permission."

The girl seemed to be getting paler by the second. Pam sighed unnecessarily.

"Sookie, he's your boyfriend, that's it. Does that make you feel better?"

"Um, a little, I guess."

At least she hadn't burst into tears.

"Darlin' you have so much to learn about Vampires."

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"Come on, let's dance, if you don't start smiling again soon Eric is going to rip my head off." She held out her hand to Sookie and pulled her onto the dance floor.

Up on the dais she saw Eric smile, and nod, nearly imperceptibly to her. He was pleased, whether he had heard the conversation or not, and that was good.

After a few dances, which Pam had to admit she enjoyed; the girl was so warm as Pam moved around her, she almost seemed to radiate the daylight heat Pam had left behind, Pam lead Sookie back to the bar and Long Shadow provided a drink for both, Pam's being Tru Blood, not her favorite beverage, but the only socially acceptable one under the circumstances, and another diet coke. Sookie seemed to have regained most of her lost composure and was scanning over the crowd again quite intently.

"Pam?"

"Yes Sookie?"

"Does Eric have a lot of lovers?" Pam could tell she was trying not to look up at her maker on the dais.

"In a thousand years I imagine he has taken a great many." Pam saw no need to lie or gloss over the truth with any platitudes.

"I s'pose so." Only then did Pam see Sookie look up at the Nordic Vampire. It wasn't hard to tell that the girl was debating so much heavy stuff inside her head.

"Are you a virgin Sookie?" The girl's answering laughter was disconcerting; Pam had thought it was a reasonable question.

"Not hardly." And Sookie dropped her head so her glance rested on the floor. "Eric hasn't told you much about me has he?"

"Nothing actually."

"You don't know how he found me, or what I was doing?"

"No. Is there something I should know?"

"Probably not, I guess."

"Look Sookie, whatever it is you are berating yourself for, drop it. Eric has chosen you, whatever bit of your past that has you tied up in knots, well, it doesn't seem to matter to him, so it shouldn't matter to you."

"Oh Pam." The voice wavered.

"In the nicest way possible Sookie, give it a rest, and just sleep with the man, he wants you, you want him, you'll have a good time. And if you're worried that these Fangbangers," she gestured to the women still dancing around them, throwing not so subtle stares at Eric, "are going to turn his head from you, don't be. I've never seen him as taken with someone as with you. But if you tell him I said that I'll deny it, and I'll glamour you."

That finally made the girl laugh. But Pam was serious, whatever it was Sookie had done, it didn't seem to matter a whit to Eric, and that was all that mattered to her. What happened next though, dispelled all the sense of fun that Pam had begun to feel.

A man, no one Pam recognized bumped into Sookie on his way to the washroom, and the girl went absolutely pale.

"Are you alright Sookie?" She asked.

"I need to talk to Eric." She whispered.

"Are you sick?"

"No, please, Pam, I need to talk to Eric." The seriousness of Sookie's voice made Pam uncomfortable, and she looked immediately at the dais, she could feel her maker's voice in her head and shot back her own.

'Something's wrong'

'Office'

Eric was then a blur rushing to the back, and Pam almost picked Sookie up in her own haste to get the girl back to her maker's office.

"Eric?" Sookie looked to Pam as if she was frozen.

"Sookie, what has happened?"

"The man, that man who just walked past us."

"You know him?" Eric's eyebrows were knit over the pale blue eyes she had earlier been reminiscing about. Sookie appeared to ignore the question.

"You said that Vampires aren't allowed to drink from humans in public places right Eric?"

"Yes?" Eric drew out the one word answer while staring at the girl.

"The man who brushed past me, he's going to the washroom to meet someone, someone who is going to feed on him. But Eric, he isn't just a patron, he's a cop."

Pam hardly had a chance to see the expression of concern on Eric's face transform into anger as he flew from the room, the gust of air whipping at the sundress Sookie was wearing, and all she heard was,

"Sookie, stay here with Pam."

She turned back to Sookie, now staring at her with her own amazed expression.

"How the hell did you know that?"

She didn't have time to get an answer as Eric dragged the man Sookie had been speaking about into his office and slammed the door shut behind them all. With a less than gentle shove he forced the man into the corner of the loveseat and perched himself on the edge of his desk closest to him, Pam took up station right beside the leather armrest that the man was avoiding quite consciously. She noticed that Sookie had retreated into a corner of the room, almost behind Eric, her eyes cast down to the floor with great discomfort painted on her face.

"Officer?" Eric was in full nonchalant interrogation mode, much the same tone of voice she expected to hear addressed to the accountant the following night. The announcement of his true identity seemed to take some of the cockiness out of the black haired man who was dressed as most any club-goer might be. Pam could still not sort out how Sookie had known he was on the job. The man stayed silent even in the face of the Vampire who was staring at him.

"All members of law enforcement are welcome at Fangtasia officer." Eric continued, "But everyone who patronizes my establishment has to follow the law."

Eric stood to his full, not inconsiderable height and looked down at the man on the loveseat, who was trying his very best not to shrink away.

"Drinking blood," he paused, "from the source, is not allowed in this establishment. Neither is entrapment officer, we run an honest business here."

At that the man laughed with the last ounce of bravado he had as far as Pam was concerned.

"Nothing about this business is honest Mr. Northman." Pam noticed the emphasis on Eric's adopted surname. She could feel his discomfort at the statement, but his face betrayed none of it.

"I would suggest that you leave now officer. And do bear in mind that Vampires have very good memories. So coming back around Fangtasia would not likely be a good idea. We have the right to refuse service to anyone whom we deem to be," another pause, Pam loved those pauses, "a threat to the law-abiding citizens who choose to patronize our business."

"Law abiding?" The man scoffed as he stood. "It's only a matter of time Mr. Northman till we compile the proof that you are conducting illegal activities here. And do rest assured that we are not without resources in that matter."

"He's lying." Came the quiet voice from the corner, Pam hadn't quite forgotten about Sookie, but she had put aside her concerns about the girl while the officer's boasts sunk in.

"How so Sookie?" Pam watched as Eric cocked his head, his gaze not leaving the face of the man who was trying to stare him down even as he beckoned Sookie to his side.

"He doesn't have any proof, nothing but conjecture." Were her astonishing words, Pam felt desperate to be included in whatever loop Eric seemed to have left her out of, and she stared at her maker, even though he did not acknowledge her.

"As I've maintained, Fangtasia is an honest business." His control was amazing.

"He doesn't know what he's looking for, except an excuse to raid you and start an investigation." Pam watched Sookie take the few careful steps over to Eric, her eyes still mostly on the floor, except for a few darting glances at the Viking.

"I think you should leave officer. Pam? Show the gentleman here out, and make certain he gets to his vehicle safely."

"What do you mean by that?" The officer's voice became distinctly unnerved as Pam smiled at him, red lips parted, fangs showing.

"Exactly what I said. Pam will make sure that you get to your car safely." Then Eric turned away and it was Pam's turn to grasp the man gently, but determinedly around his upper arm and guide him from the office.

"I will find something Northman."

"Yeah, yeah." Pam muttered as she walked him out of the back door and to the parking lot. She watched him eye her as he unlocked and then slid into his car, she waved at him with her fingers, still smiling with her fangs out as he slammed it into drive and left.

Now, she thought to herself, what the hell was all that about? And she stalked back into the club.

Next chapter, Bill puts his game in motion and Eric 'thanks' Sookie

Hee hee