Hopefully the long wait for this chapter will be made up by the fact it's a long one.

Chapter title comes from a Florence + the Machine song.

…

"So this has being happening since before Dallas?"

Really it wasn't a question since Eric had pretty much just told Sookie so. Of course this was only after Eric had had Pam and Jessica quickly sweep the entire bar for bugs, finding not just one but also a second in his office, and dismantling them.

Pam brought up the thing with the vampire at the Compton house. Sookie didn't say anything to that but she went pale.

Sookie shot a look at Godric, who was looking over Pam's shoulder as she worked her way through the files on Bill Compton's computer. Jessica was helping Ginger clean and close up for the night.

"Did you know about any of this?"

"I knew what the Queen was making him do."

Of course he didn't offer up any more than that.

"Please tell me you're not selling to children at least. Or anywhere near Bon Te…" She trailed off. Pam grinned behind the laptop, guessing what the little blonde telepath was thinking. From the look on Eric's face he had a pretty good idea too. "Lafayette? Where you getting Lafayette to sell V for you?"

"It wasn't anything he hadn't been doing before," Pam pointed out. "He just had a better incentive to do it now."

"Pam," Eric snapped at her. She rolled her eyes and turned back to her work.

"So that's why you kept him alive?" Sookie asked.

She didn't raise her voice, which was a good point Eric thought. But he was also pretty sure she was in some form of shock and he could tell that she was at the tipping point of pure exhaustion.

"I kept him alive because he was your friend."

The added bonus of his contacts was just a lucky happenstance once the Queen gave Eric his new task.

A small smile curved Sookie's lips.

"You gave him the car didn't you?"

"He is my best dealer."

Sookie groaned and raised a hand to rub at her eyes.

"That's not something to be proud of. He's safe though, right? I mean as safe as he was when he was doing it before by himself? The Queen doesn't know about him?"

"If she did I don't see why she'd care," Eric replied.

"You might want to look at some of this," Pam said, giving a welcome interruption. Eric came to peer over her other shoulder. "Compton's got about a dozen e-mails sent from him to Sophie-Anne or at least someone who was reporting to her. They started about two weeks before we even knew he was in the Area."

Sookie made a stuttering noise.

"He was here that long? What do they say?" Sookie leaned over the booth toward Pam.

"Uh…" Pam shot a look at Sookie then to Eric.

"I already know he was being a total creeper. Just spill the beans, damnit."

"Language, Sookie dear,"

Pam admonished. Sookie did not share her humor. Pam quickly skimmed the first few e-mails.

"Well it's apparent that he didn't know exactly why he was sent. Which might be why he was doing his own digging on your family tree. He's an even bigger creepster than we thought. He peeked in the windows of your house a few times and wrote that the 'old bag', as he called Adele, probably wouldn't give much trouble if he did try to take Sookie. Which shows that he didn't really know your grandmother. He also thinks Jason would have been a nice addition to the Queen's blood harem."

Sookie made a gagging sound.

"I think I changed my mind about not letting you kill him," Sookie said to Eric. Godric raised an eyebrow at her as Eric grinned. "I'm just kidding… sort of."

"It's not like he would have been used for sex," Pam said. "At least not to service the Queen."

"These e-mails are proof of Sophie-Anne's culpability at least," Godric said.

"Not really," Pam groused. "No names are mentioned except Sookie's and I bet if we try to trace the e-mails back it doesn't go anywhere near Her Royal Fire Crotch."

"But the Magister knows Compton worked for Sophie-Anne," Sookie said. "It's not exactly a stretch."

"He's sentenced vampires with less," Pam agreed.

"Not monarchs," Eric said. "Remember Illinois back in 2004. He and the Council wouldn't want to risk another coup."

Though they had come out the victors, barely, that little fiasco had pointed out how little power the Authority really had. The Council would be loath to make a move that might remind the vampire masses that they weren't infallible.

"Can't we just hand this over to him and he can do the rest of the grunt work," Sookie offered. "Find some evidence that'll hold up in court?"

Eric, Pam, and Godric shared a look. Then Eric explained the bitch of the double-edged sword that being a loyal subject entailed.

"Even if you get caught selling the blood you can't defend yourself by saying your Queen told you to do it because narking on your monarch gets you killed too?" Sookie said it out loud just to see if it made any better sense. "That's messed up. Seriously your politics are even weirder than your feeding and mating habits."

"No argument here," Eric said.

Eric hated what little part he had in the so-called politics of his kind. One of the few reasons he hadn't moved up in the vampire hierarchy, besides enjoying his free time, was that monarchs answered and dealt solely with the Council, a group that made Sophie-Anne seem almost competent. The Council was nothing but a bunch of hypocritical sanctimonious twats who spouted rhetoric from an archaic book none of them really believed in. Or worse, they did believe it to a radical degree. Eric liked a little bloodletting as much as the next vampire but the sanguinistas took it a bit too far.

"I'm not a vampire," Sookie said. "I have no allegiance to Sophie-Anne."

"As you so splendidly pointed out to her," Pam said smiling in between keystrokes.

Eric could see where this was going.

"No."

"You don't even—."

"No…and yes I did." He pushed a few stray strands that had escaped her hair tie behind her ear and brushed a cool thumb across her cheek. "We don't want the Authority taking a closer look at you."

Nan Flanagan and the Magister seemed disinterested in the fact that Eric had a telepath on the payroll, most likely having more than enough on their plate to deal with already. No need to press their luck and wave a red flag in front of the preverbal bull that was the rest of the Council.

Speaking of which. Eric looked over to his Maker.

"What did the Guardian want?"

"To give his condolences on the losses in Texas and give his best wishes for my continued health and life. And offer me a place on the Council."

Pam's eyebrows shot up in surprise at this but she didn't stop rummaging through Compton's laptop. This news did not come as a surprise to Eric however. The Guardian had made the same offer to his Maker when the ideas of mainstreaming and the Council and the Authority were just a fallacy, probably a couple times since then as well.

Though Godric had agreed with the Guardian that vampires needed to come into the 21st century and stop living in the shadows, he had declined a place on the council because he quickly saw some of the greater flaws that the Authority refused to address. Godric also didn't like how hypocritical most of the Council was.

Though he knew taking a place on the Council would allow him to see his other child Nora again. When Nora had become an asset of the Authority, maker and child had cut off contact so that their relationship could not be used against either. Though some in the vampire world knew Godric had a child, and even fewer knew that it was Eric, no one to Godric's knowledge knew about Nora, save himself and Eric.

He only took a position as Sheriff for about the same reasons Eric did; he did not wish to be subservient to those of lesser character and morals.

"Uh…" Pam broke in on the older vampires thoughts. "We might have something after all. There's a bunch of audio files on this thing. Just dates and time stamps."

"Play one," Eric ordered.

Pam clicked on the last uploaded recording which was about three months ago, the same time Compton would have shown up in Area 5 if Pam's memory served, which it usually did.

Bill Compton's voice echoed low through the empty bar, soon followed by a more feminine voice. It seemed to be a phone conversation. Sookie thought the woman was more than a bit annoyed with Compton, and sounded more than vaguely familiar. She sat up straighter.

"That's Nan Flanagan!"

None of the vampires said anything for almost a full minute, listening to the recording.

"What the hell do you mean you're being sent away from her court? What the fuck did you do this time to screw up? If that Maker of yours—."

Nan Flanagan was apparently throwing a bit of a tantrum that Bill would no longer hold a position in Sophie-Anne's court. They listened for a few more seconds as Bill made his excuses.

Pam turned off the recording.

"Maybe your little theory about Compton snitching to the Authority was right," she said to her Maker.

"Maybe some of these have Sophie-Anne on tape," Godric said.

"I doubt it," Pam said. "Those bugs she put in here were high end. Plus whenever you're at court you can barely get a signal on the grounds. Either she or someone who works for her really knows their tech. They probably have a jammer somewhere on the premises. I doubt Compton could record Sophie-Anne, at least not without being discovered."

They had already underestimated Compton before; the best bet was not to do so with the Queen from here on out.

"But if Nan knows what's been going on in the Queen's court…" Sookie really couldn't believe she had just spoken such a thing. "… Why hasn't she done anything about it? It's proof of…something."

"I know why I would," Eric said. Pam seemed to have the same idea.

"Blackmail," the female vampire said aloud.

Godric disagreed.

"Miss Flanagan has become drunk with her power at times. She may even be corrupt but I believe she is still a creature of the Authority. She would hardly risk her position or her life for monetary gain. Not when she's already well taken care of."

Especially since Sophie-Anne probably couldn't give her very much, what with the IRS breathing down her neck.

"She might not care," Godric continued. "Catching the Queen poaching may not be why Compton was placed there. She's perhaps looking for something more impressive to but on her resume."

"That is if Compton is really working for the Authority," Eric said. "He might just be Nan's stooge. The Council may know nothing about it."

If Nan and Compton were caught out the Council would certainly say so. Vampires were untrusting by nature so it wasn't a stretch to think that the Authority had spies throughout the kingdoms. Most Kings and Queens had spies placed in another's court as well. Hell Eric even had a few little birds placed inside the Authority itself. But if there were actual proof that the Authority were spying on Monarchs, they wouldn't have a leg left to stand on.

Sookie slumped down in the booth. Her steam was finally running out it seemed. She looked as pale as someone with her tan could and she most likely hadn't eaten all day. Eric had to hand it to her she was more resilient than most of her kind.

But then she wasn't completely human. Sometimes he forgot that. Not that she was weak exactly. Sookie could never be categorized as weak, at least not outside her physical limitations. Her capacity for compassion, especially towards those who wronged her, was something completely foreign to most Supes.

"I think it's time to get you home and to bed," he said to his bonded.

She gave a tired smile.

"Understatement of the century. I know you weren't really thinking home as in my house but I am." She held up a hand to stop him talking. "You can come with obviously. That stupid cubby is the only bearable room really besides the kitchen. Jason's gonna head there if he isn't already."

He hadn't called her back or even sent a text, which she was a bit annoyed about, but that was Jason. At least she hoped it was because of his normal thoughtlessness at work.

"I need to see him and tell him… Well some of this. You don't think about his safety very much but I do."

Which was true. Eric didn't think of Jason Stackhouse at all except for when he made a nuisance of himself and caused his sister any grievance. Still the man was important to her so it wasn't much of an inconvenience to offer him the same level of protection and knowledge.

"I agree with some of that. He needs to know to be careful, especially at night. That werewolf might not be from the Queen but it might know about him. And there is nothing on this earth that could keep me from coming with you."

Eric would obviously be on hand to watch over her at night, despite any of Sookie's objections and he was already wondering how soon that mongrel Alcide Herveaux could get himself to Bon Temps. Usually Eric only called up the marker on the werewolf's father for contracting, like the cubby in Sookie's house, but Herveaux was capable enough for bodyguard duty. Or at least he better be.

"Jessica's in the office putting in the numbers. Why don't you go say goodnight?"

Either she was too tired to care that he was handling her or she would make him pay for it later.

"And don't go outside the bar by yourself."

Like she needed to be told that.

"If this is my life now, every move being tracked, it's gonna get old real fast," Sookie grumbled as she moved toward the back.

Eric just smiled after her.

"You technically already track every move she makes with that bond of yours," Pam said. "Not to mention her emotions."

"I don't think she quite sees it that way," Eric replied.

"Neither do you," Godric said.

Eric ignored the comment. Now was not the time to get into a conversation about his relationship. He turned to Pam.

"Listen to the rest of these. Make copies." It wouldn't hurt to have a little insurance and of all the members on the Council, Nan Flanagan seemed the most likely to play ball. "Then call Herveaux. He needs to be in Bon Temps by sunrise."

Pam quirked an eyebrow at this last command.

"You're going to trust that flea-bitten pink hulk to watch Sookie?"

"I trust that he wants to clear his father's debt and unless you've suddenly discovered some way for us to daywalk, I don't have any other options."

Short of locking her up, which Sookie would hardly forgive him for, there was no way to keep her from going about her relatively normal day he was sure.

"Fine, one more werewolf running around it is. What about the blood?" she asked. "Lafayette was supposed to make a run at Hotshot tomorrow."

"Cancel that." After a minute. "We need to keep a low profile. Wait for the Magister to move onto the next scandal before we make such a big move."

Pam nodded and excused herself to go make the needed calls, taking Compton's laptop with her.

Godric waited until they were alone to speak.

"You have a werewolf on payroll." It wasn't a question.

"I own the marker on his father's gambling debt."

And Herveaux knew Eric well enough to know that if he fucked up in any way the vampire would literally take a pound of flesh off him.

"And yet I would have thought you would never agree to work with a werewolf in any capacity," Godric said.

Eric held off rolling his eyes.

"Don't think of it as some sort of personal growth. I use the were as little more than an indentured slave and take great pleasure in the fact that Pam loves to needle him at every opportunity."

"And yet you trust him enough to watch over your bonded during the day."

"Only because I have no other options and her brother is hardly up to the task, in strength or brains."

Godric ignored the barb, but changed the subject just as Eric wanted.

"There may be another solution for Sookie's protection during the day. Eventually of course. It would take some time, but I'm sure she would find it preferable to having a bodyguard following her around. One who isn't you of course," Godric said smiling.

"I can't lock her up; she'd stake me. And she loves her tan too much to not go out during the day."

Godric actually laughed and Eric was so startled by the sound, having heard it so little since being reunited with his Maker, that he let it show on his face, which set Godric to laughing again.

"As entertaining as it would be to see you try to convince her to let you do that, that was not what I had in mind."

He paused, collecting his thoughts before he spoke again.

"You did not have much dealings with the Fae. By the time I had turned you much of their number had already been wiped out."

Eric nodded remembering the few instances he had happened upon fairies outside of any hybrid. They had been violent encounters.

"You taught me it was best to steer clear of them."

Godric nodded.

"They are dangerous. The few you encountered knew enough to downplay or completely mask their scent. Otherwise our kind can be driven insane with bloodlust."

Eric believed this. Sometimes Sookie's scent had this affect on him, not just for blood though. And it was usually after she had spent the day lying out in the sun.

"I can see why they went extinct then."

"Our kind does struggle with restraint," Godric said. "But fairies were just as dangerous to us as we were to them."

Eric doubted this. Vampires were the obvious victors of the war with the Fae. Godric sensed Eric's skepticism.

"Fairies are creatures of light, as we are creatures of the dark. Their power source is pure energy derived from nature. Some can even draw power directly from the sun. I have seen a fae burn through a dozen or more ancient vampires as if they were tinder. If Sookie could learn to harness her Light she could fight off any foe that attacked her. She could turn a vampire of my age to ash in seconds."

Eric let this sink in but shook his head.

"Her fae bloodline is diluted. She didn't even leave a scratch on that maenad."

"The maenad was a different kind of being. It fed off energy like that. A vampire might have had a hard time getting up from that. With practice Sookie could learn to harness that power."

"Time we don't really have."

Godric narrowed his eyes at his child.

"I think perhaps you like her being helpless. You hardly ever get to be the hero otherwise."

If anyone else had said such a thing it would have been taken as an insult, which is what Eric thought at first. But he sensed no malice from his Maker. Godric was simply pointing out his child's flaws, as he had so often over the centuries. Giving Eric an opening to improve himself.

"It's true I am used to getting my own way and I find it easier to take over."

Sookie herself had called him a control freak once or twice but admitted that he was getting better at "loosening his grip" as she put it. She also begrudgingly admitted that she could be a bit of a control freak as well.

"Sookie's independent streak is one of her more attractive qualities."

And another item on the long list of what set her apart from the common vermin fang bangers, most of whom were looking for a vampire to take care of them or turn them.

"But right now I want to neutralize this threat as soon as possible. Besides which I think we'd have a hard time finding her a qualified tutor."

As far as the vampire community knew there hadn't been a full-blooded fae sighting in almost 900 years.

"Unless you know of any other hybrids."

Godric shook his head.

"Sookie would be the first in a long while. Either fae hybrids are few and far between or they are all as secretive and careful as their ancestors."

Or like Sookie had, they didn't know what they were.

Speaking of which, Eric could sense his bonded walking back toward the main part of the bar. Godric had heard her as well and seemed all right with shelving the rest of their conversation for another time.

Though Sookie was still exhausted whatever she had been talking with Jessica about had perked her up. She was relaxed and almost smiling.

"Please tell me whatever cryptic bull you two are talking about is over?"

Godric gave her a small smile.

"It's nothing cryptic. You can ask."

"Unless it's life or death right now I don't care. I got a text from Jason, from like six hours ago. I need a new phone. He still hasn't returned any of my calls though."

But then cell service wasn't the best around certain areas of Bon Temps.

"I'm sure he's fine," Eric said to reassure her. Really he could care less.

"Jessica would know if he was in any mortal danger," Godric said.

"What I don't get is if he got into a fight with Hoyt earlier why she didn't register anything wrong? She said she felt some pain and discomfort but that he wasn't scared or anything so she thought he had done something stupid."

"He felt guilty obviously," Godric said. He was frowning.

With her exhausted brain it took her a minute to catch up. She groaned and rubbed her hand over her eyes.

"He thought he deserved the beating. That's why he didn't fight back."

Eric was surprised she hadn't thought of this sooner. Jason Stackhouse wasn't the malicious sort but he'd hardly be one to back down or lose a fight, especially one he didn't start.

She leaned against Eric's side. "I really just want to go home now."

He kissed the top of her head.

"Just another minute." He looked at Godric. "If you could—."

"I'll look after Jessica."

Eric smiled.

"I wasn't going to say that. Though it would be helpful. Keep an eye on Pam as well." There wasn't enough room at Sookie's for all of them. "Stay together, but I don't want any of you staying in the bar tonight. In fact I think it would be better to stay at one of the houses further on the outskirts of town. If Pam has a problem tell her to suck it up and call me."

The two vampires watched Sookie crack up at the idea of Godric telling anyone to suck it up.

"What were you going to say then?" the older vampire asked.

"You're contacts are better than mine. It might be a long shot but if you could find anything out."

Godric smiled.

"I was never into the whole spy game like you. I have more acquaintances if that's what you mean. For some reason people like me better than him," he said to Sookie. "Maybe because I don't call them contacts."

"Eric's not a people person? Shocker."

Eric narrowed his eyes at the two.

"I'll call Isabel. She was of the same mind as you. Plus she's considered a friend of sorts to the Were community in Texas, not just Area 9. One of the packs there might have heard some rumblings."

It was a long shot but better than nothing.

…

Eric refused to drive Sookie's car. Aside from the fact that it looked ready to fall apart he wanted to get her back to Bon Temps as soon as possible and his car was faster. He'd have Bobby bring her car back to her tomorrow.

Even with the corvette going over the speed limit on the highway Sookie was calm and close to falling asleep. Eric figured it was the best time to bring up the bodyguard situation so she couldn't put up much of a fight about it.

Sookie was quiet after he had explained about Alcide being there during the day. Their bond was just reading the barest of annoyance.

"Do you really think bringing another werewolf into this situation is the best thing?"

"The best? No." Especially since he would have to smell that wolf's stink around Sookie's house. "The ideal situation would be that none of this would be happening."

"But since we don't live in a perfect world…" She slumped down in her seat. "What's he like?"

"Who?"

"Alcide Herveaux!"

"I honestly have no idea."

Eric spent as little time as possible conversing with the werewolf. Alcide obviously had some sense of loyalty since he was willing to pay off his father's debt. Beyond that Eric really could care less. He was more than sure that Pam would read Herveaux the riot act about looking but not touching when carrying out his guard duties. If not Sookie was more than capable of handling unwanted advances and Eric would be more than ready to drive the point home come sundown.

Sookie snorted.

"You really are a crap people person."

"I'm sociable when I need to be."

"And charming," Sookie said smiling.

They were relatively silent for the rest of the thirty plus minutes it took them to turn onto Hummingbird lane. All the lights in the house were off and Jason's truck still wasn't there though Sookie didn't know if that was because Tara still had it.

"I'm sure he's fine," Eric said helping her out of the care.

"Yeah. I just wish he wasn't such an inconsiderate ass about some things. Though he is getting better."

Eric's cell phone rang before they even made it to the porch. From the ring tone he knew it was Pam. He also knew she was nervous about something so he tried to be jovial with her.

"Our bound is not that precise. Do you have a bug on me?"

"I know how fast you drive and how far away Sookie's house is. I took a guess that you were already there."

Sookie sat down on the porch swing, because she was tired but also because she wanted to hear their conversation. He could switch from English if he really didn't want her to hear, but he didn't really see the point. Sookie was taking everything surprisingly well. Or she'd just become numb from everything.

"You're defiantly going to let me keep Yvetta after this," Pam said.

"Not if she doesn't stop acting like she's the fucking Queen of Sheba I won't. What does wanting to keep that Eurotrash as a pet have to do with anything?"

He could feel Pam's irritation at the name-calling. Apparently his child liked Fangtasia's new dancer more than she was letting on. He wouldn't begrudge Pam her fun but the human needed to stop with the attitude. She was very replaceable, at least in Eric's eyes.

"You should give her a raise because she just found a cooler full of vampire blood on the premises," Pam said.

Sookie was definitely listening in on the conversation because when she heard that she sat up straighter on the bench.

"She found it or you caught her with it."

"She found it Eric. In the employee fridge. It wasn't there earlier in the night according to Ginger and I already glamoured the rest of the staff on duty tonight. None of them know about it. Three guesses how it got there."

Eric cursed under his breath. He didn't need to guess. The cooler of blood had Sophie-Anne's figurative fingerprints all over it. The bitch was throwing Eric under the bus.

That little display in the bar of getting him to push the blood quicker was probably just a show. The Magister would likely receive an anonymous call tipping him off to the blood no later than tomorrow night.

"Dump it," he growled.

"Already done. I glamoured Ginger to take it to her home and flush it and burn the cooler. Jessica's combing over this place with that barometer of a sniffer of hers just in case there's more."

"The bar will be closed indefinitely. Call Lafayette and have him dump his stash. In fact call all our dealers. This is about to become the driest fucking Area in the state. When that's done grab only the essentials and get to Bon Temps."

Pam made a disgruntled noise.

"Eric there's no way we can fit in that cubby. And the Magister probably doesn't know about any of your other houses."

"I want you three in a human residence, Pamela."

Sookie spoke up.

"Jason's. I'm betting Hoyt's moved out and the basement has just a tiny window that would be easy to light proof. My brother probably won't mind." And even if he did he lost his say so by not being on hand. "The spare keys in one of those fake rock things. He keeps it right on the stoop."

Pam had heard her and asked, "Wouldn't someone be able to tell what it was that way?"

"If he keeps it anywhere else he can't find it when he's drunk."

"There," Eric said. "Sleeping arrangements solved. You get over to Sookie's at sunset."

Pam agreed that this was an okay plan and was actually relieved for once to be going to Bon Temps.

"Try to pack light, Pam," Eric said.

"Oh fuck off," she shot back. "Seriously though, Eric. Please tell me you're not just going to sit on your hands after this. I mean obviously don't kill the Queen in front of the Magister—."

"I'll take care of it. Just don't tell Yvetta or any of your other playthings where you're going."

"What kind of fucking amateur do you think I am?"

But he could hear the smile in her voice. This was better. They both preferred to pretend they didn't care about anything, even each other.

"Take care."

"Yeah, yeah," Pam said. "You too. If you let something happen to Sookie before I've gotten a chance to taste her I'll be very annoyed."

Sookie glared at Eric for laughing as he hung up. She got up and shuffled over to him.

"Would it kill you two to just say 'I love you' or 'be careful' like a normal family."

She came so close she had to tilt her head back to see his face.

"We're not really a family," he reminded her.

"Yeah, so you say but you two are worse than me and Jason sometimes. Only family can get under each other's skin like that."

He ran a couple of cool fingers up her arm before cupping the nape of her neck.

"Then I suppose we are considered family hmmm?"

Sookie smiled.

"Cause I drive you crazy huh?"

"Not in exactly the same way you and your brother do. But yes."

"Well ditto, buddy."

She smiled before standing on her tiptoes and kissing him. She pulled away sooner then he would have liked but she was too tired for much else. She laid her head against his chest.

"You don't want to talk about the Sophie-Anne thing do you?"

"I want to break every bone in her body and feed her heart to her."

Well that painted a pretty picture.

"You're such a romantic," Sookie said sarcastically.

She couldn't really say her thoughts about the Queen were any more charitable.

Eric suddenly went rigid and pushed Sookie away.

"Get in the house," he commanded.

Before she could ask what was wrong Eric had jumped over the railing and off the porch. She hadn't heard anything before but now she did. Something was stalking around the side of the house. The thing obviously had become aware that its presence was known and was moving faster.

"Damnit it, Sookie, get in the house!"

The werewolf bounded forward out of the shadows and released a guttural growl.

It was over before anything happened really. Sookie hadn't even got a glimpse of the werewolf, just heard its growl. Eric had moved too fast. He was on it before Sookie could even step away from the swing. There was another growl, than a yelp followed by a loud cracking sound.

Sookie started to walk down the steps off the porch until Eric told her to stay there.

"You never do anything you're told do you," he snarled at her. His fangs were down.

She glared at him but he didn't seem to care and she stayed with her feet planted on the bottom step.

"He doesn't look like much of a threat now, Eric."

Though he had been in a blind spot and she hadn't seen anything, Sookie was sure that sound she had heard was Eric breaking some bones. The way the werewolf, now completely human looking, was flopping around in the dirt seemed to suggest that Eric had broken his spine.

Sookie tried not to look too closely, mostly because the werewolf was naked. He was bleeding from his mouth and nose from a couple of kicks Eric had given him.

"Who do you work for?"

"Fuck you," the wolf rasped.

Eric pressed a foot into the wolf's back.

"Stop trying to wriggle away. I broke your vertebrae in two places and even with your super healing you won't be walking anytime soon." He bent down and grabbed the wolf by his greasy hair and pulled him up so he could get a better look at his profile. "Sookie. Take a look."

She stayed on the steps but could see okay even in the dark. It was definitely the same guy from this afternoon. Eric didn't seem to hear her at first. He was looking at the werewolf, staring intently at his shoulder.

Sookie reached out with her mind. With the amount of pain he was in the werewolf was broadcasting pretty clear.

They could've warned me the vamp was so big. What the fuck so special about this girl anyway? He might as well kill me. They can't do nothing to me that Jackson wouldn't if I talked.

"He's not gonna talk. He's scared of whoever he's working for more than he's scared of you," Sookie said.

She couldn't read the expression in Eric's eyes. She knew he was angry that much was obvious. But there was something else too. A sense of vindication.

She felt a stab of pleasure for a second and she knew what Eric was going to do.

"Eric…"

Too late. He ripped a gaping hole in the wolf's neck, splattering blood on his shirt and around his mouth. He dropped the wolf's body and Sookie looked away as the ground soaked up more pints of the wolf's blood. Not because she was squeamish though.

Any vampire would feel the same euphoria she supposed, maybe even to a greater degree. She couldn't say she hadn't felt this kind of bloodlust from Eric before, what with all the stuff in Dallas and even dealing with the Maenad. But this was different somehow. And what was worse Sookie wasn't sure the bloodlust she herself was feeling was just some residual effects of their bond.

Since Dallas, Sookie had gotten minutely better at telling her emotions apart from ones she felt from Eric and the bond. It still took some effort to not be completely taken over by her lover's deeper emotions but the first step was always picking up on it.

This anger and bloodlust she felt, while most of it was fueled by Eric's own to be sure, it was too close and loud to be all from him.

That this monsterhad come to her house, her Gran's house…

It was like she was holding a beating heart in her hands, something delicate and beautiful, and she wanted to crush it.

Sookie wasn't sure this had anything to do with the bond. Maybe spending so much time around vampires in general was inoculating her to all this violence. Making her less human.

She didn't want to think about it right now and she wouldn't have to with the events at hand right, but it left a bitter taste in her mouth and a dark knot in her stomach.

"Jesus…" she said. She took a deep breath and finally looked at Eric.

He looked beautiful in a strange way and she wanted to go to him…

Okay, she knew that was definitely not coming from her. There was no way in hell she would feel this turned on by any of this, no matter how much of the kool-aid she was drinking.

Sookie looked away quickly and spoke, hoping to cut threw whatever fog Eric was in.

"I read his thoughts. He said something about a Jackson. I don't know if that was who he was taking orders from or what."

"It's where he's from." When she gave him a questioning look he continued. "His accent. Mississippi. Can't you tell each other apart?"

"We don't all have a thousand years to become linguistics experts," she said.

Sookie stepped closer to the body. She was suddenly glad she didn't have any food in her stomach. It was more the smell of the guy then seeing him bleeding all over the dirt. She was pretty used to the sight of blood by now.

"Jason or someone might show up soon and daylights coming," she said.

"I'll take care of it." He grinned at her. "Luckily you live so close to a cemetery."

…

So a really long one. This kind of wiped me out so the next chapter might be kind of filler. Alcide will be on the scene soon, if not the next chapter the one after that. Also vampire slumber party at the farmhouse soon.

As always the feedback is much appreciated and makes me write faster.