A/N: Happy birthday to NHlady198. :P As always, big thanks to ilovemysteries for her help and support. Time for Sookie and Eric to get to know each other a little. :D

Chapter 10

Night Shift

These past couple of days had played hell on my system. I had been institutionalized for most of my life, with a strict nine PM lights out, and I was almost always awake before the five-thirty AM lights on. Other than a brief period of drug-induced sedation, I hadn't fallen asleep until well past dawn. When I woke, the quality of light and unfamiliar surroundings made me feel unmoored, and I was instantly on high alert. But then I remembered where I was and why, and I came back to myself. I scanned the house. Still just the void below me. Stretching out further, we were a quarter of a mile from the nearest person in any direction. I relaxed and stretched my body this time, enjoying the feel of the soft sheets on my skin.

For the next few hours, I was essentially alone and essentially free. Unfortunately, I had squandered most of the day asleep in bed, but I was going to enjoy the luxury of relative privacy and freedom to the hilt.

I was used to being lonely, but I was never truly alone. I had never had any semblance of privacy. I guessed that I had none now. Not really. I was sure the vampire had security cameras all over the place. But now I, at least, had control of the lock on the bedroom door. Sure, any vampire could break in with ease. But now I could just walk out. Plus, it was daytime, and vampires were all asleep. Or dead. Or whatever.

It was the second week of July and late afternoon. I went to the kitchen, and the blood shakes were already in the fridge. I powered one down, and then had a banana and chugged some milk right from the carton. Hey, it isn't like I had to worry about sharing it with the vampire. It was a beautiful clear day, so I decided to grab a book out of the library and a towel and I headed out by the pool. I didn't have a bathing suit, but the yard was fenced and my handler was asleep. Any modesty I might have once held was long gone after ten years of constant surveillance. I kept myself covered one on one for my own protection, not because of shame or modesty. I knew what men could do when they had you naked and alone. When they were bigger and stronger or had power over you. A hell of a lot better than I wanted to. But getting caught on camera? Who gave a fuck? Almost every time I had bathed or changed my clothes or used the bathroom in the past decade was already on film. Not to mention how many times I'd been photographed to document my body's changes over the years. Monthly photos and scans of every single bit of me, inside and out.

I set the book and towel down on a chaise lounge and stripped off my clothes. I closed my eyes and turned my face up to the sun, just drinking it in. It had been so long since I had been alone with nothing but my own thoughts and the sunshine. I was filled with an amazing feeling of peace and well-being. No matter what else happened, I had this. It felt like a battery I didn't know I'd drained was recharging. I walked over to the pool and dived in. It was a salt water system, and the perfect temperature. I did laps, pushing my body just because it felt good. I was a bit of an endorphin junkie after so many years. Also, I had to admit that the protein shakes had always made me feel amazing and full of energy, as terrible as they tasted. I made a mental note to ask Eric if going from three shakes a day to one was going to cause any problems.

As I swam, I thought about my new handler. He was incredibly good looking, but Alcide and Quinn had been as well. But the weres had been everyday hot. Eric was something special, and it wasn't just the vampire glow.

So far, he seemed like a straight shooter. I couldn't read vampires like I could everyone else (except demons. I just get white noise from demon brains), but my gut said that he had told me the truth last night. I wasn't used to relying on my instincts, and I much preferred the certainty of just picking what I needed to know right out of people's heads.

And then it occurred to me; I was going to have to put all of my trust in this guy, flying blind. I was going to have to get to know him the old fashioned way. That was terrifying when it was Beaumont, but I only saw her once in a while, and always with the buffer of other people around. It was just going to be me and Eric.

Shit. There went my relaxing afternoon. I pulled myself out of the pool and quickly dried off. I threw my clothes back on and went into the kitchen. The knives were in a knife block on the island. I grabbed a very sharp and sturdy paring knife and went back outside and checked my options. The landscaping was minimalistic, with a large concrete patio taking up the pool and jacuzzi area near the house, and only a small copse of trees in the far corner by the wooden fence. The rest was creeping thyme and gravel walkways and beds of well-established perennials. Super low maintenance.

I went over to a small cherry tree and broke off a branch as straight as I could find, about an inch and a half in diameter. I broke it down until I had two good straight clean 5" lengths, and sharpened one end of each with the knife until they looked like fat pencils with no lead. Ironic that I couldn't have done it without the vampire blood. Not without a whole lot of time and effort, at least. I didn't hide from the cameras; this was all defense, and I wanted him to know I was prepared to defend myself. I had no intentions of hurting anyone unless I was in danger. I wished for sandpaper, but the stakes would do as is, and should fit in my garter holster.

That done, I decided to do the only thing I'd been asked to, and went to the kitchen to make my list. I grabbed the milk, a Pepperidge Farms Coconut Cake, and a fork, and sat at the island with the sheet of paper and pen. I had never made a grocery list before, but I pulled up my mental recipe box I had gleaned from many different brains over the years, and wrote down the ingredients for a few things that sounded quick, tasty, and straightforward. I also added two bathing suits, as well as a cell phone and laptop. Might as well go all out. Didn't hurt to ask, right?

After that, I was stumped. I was sure there were basic things I was overlooking, but this kind of autonomy was all new to me. But then I added, "Answers:

Am I an employee or a captive? Pay?

Will drinking vampire blood once a day instead of three times hurt me?"

I also wanted to know more about glamouring. I wondered if I should tell Eric about the rubbed away spots in Quinn's mind, and my suspicions that he had been at least assisted in his attempted rape, if not completely puppeted into it. I knew from his thoughts that Quinn had wanted me very much. I also knew that he was completely into raping me. My lack of consent excited him a lot. But would that have just been a dormant kink that would have hurt nobody if he hadn't been glamoured to rape me? Or had he been glamoured specifically to enjoy it? He had definitely been glamoured to drug me, or at least to forget who had given him those drugs. And I suspected that he had been made to rape me. Whether he was enjoying himself or not, if he was forced to do it, he was a victim of rape as well, wasn't he? Or would have been if I hadn't killed him first?

Guilt over Quinn and anxiety over flying blind with Eric consumed me again. It pleased me very much that everyone thought I was cold as ice. They really did; I heard it in their heads all the time. They thought I had no emotions at all. Well, except anger, impatience, and grim satisfaction. I certainly had those in spades, but I felt everything very acutely. I just beat it into submission, got a stranglehold on it, and shoved it into a corner. Never let them see you sweat, and all that shit. I felt, intensely, but I refused to let it show.

And that's why I was so concerned about a blood tie, and was so relieved when Eric said that I didn't have one. I certainly did not want anyone to know what I was feeling, before we even got into being able to control me. First off, I'm the one that knows how other people feel, not the other way around. Secondly, I have control over very few things in my life. I hoard what control I have very jealously.

I had eaten almost the whole cake. Whoops. Oh well. No regrets. I put the rest back in the freezer, washed the fork, put the milk back in the fridge, and went back outside. The sun was low in the sky, and my handler would be rising soon. My stomach tightened with nervousness, trepidation, and… anticipation? Hmmm. Put a pin in that, Sookie. Think about it later. I put the book and towel away and decided to get a shower. Time to get ready for my first day on the night shift.

I was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and just putting my damp hair up in a ponytail, when he knocked. "Come in."

He opened the door. "I thought tonight we would just hang around here. We can get to know each other a little. I will answer the questions you wrote down, and any others you might have. And then later we can do some training. I have no need for exercise equipment as vampire muscles never atrophy - well, unless we are drained or silvered - but I do have a dojo and an assortment of weapons. I can put you through your paces. I will get what you need soon."

I shrugged and followed him out to the living room. I sat on the couch and he sat across from me on a leather club chair. The furniture was tasteful and masculine and looked expensive. It was also oversized, and he relaxed into the cushions, studying me.

"Part of your training is going to involve lessening your sensitivity to touch." I glared at him. "My mind is a blank to you. It should make touch much less unpleasant. Also, I never have sweaty palms." He grinned. I'm sure he could charm the birds from the trees if he didn't scare them to death in the process.

"Quinn was one thrust away from rape in the first degree last night. I'm sorry if I'm a little standoffish." We both knew I wasn't sorry, particularly.

"I will never behave in an inappropriate way. I give you my word. We can get some of the contact in through sparring or grappling. We will often go undercover as a married or dating couple, and that will provide opportunities for exposure. I assure you that I'm an excellent dancer." The grin again. My stomach did a flip flop. I scowled. He continued, "And I will use casual touch throughout the evenings to acclimate you. But, again. I'm not going to maul you. We're going to take this slow. I really don't want you to feel uncomfortable, but this is a debilitating problem that needs to be solved. If you need a break, or something upsets you, let me know and I will stop. And I will never push you to do anything objectionable. I know your history, and I do not tolerate rape. "

"I don't want your pity." I spat. This was an old wound I could never help but pick at. I had to close my eyes and breathe several times to get myself under control.

"No. And I extend you none. As for your questions. Until age 18, you were a ward of the state. Or, in this case, of the federal government. As such, you were provided with shelter, nourishment, medical care, training, and an education. Now that you are an adult, you are an employee. A contract will be drawn up soon. You'll be provided with a bank account and your pay will be deposited into it.

As for the vampire blood, it is, you could say, more concentrated. Because it is stronger, you need less of it. Any other questions?"

I was glad to have the answers, even if I didn't like them, and had calmed down again. My gut told me to tell him about Quinn. I opened my mouth and then closed it again. He raised an eyebrow. I sighed and gave in. "I think Quinn was glamoured to rape me." This time both eyebrows went up.

"Explain."

He'd really turned down the dial on the chatter. "There were empty spots in his memory. Like they'd been rubbed away, or erased. He definitely wanted me, and my displeasure excited him, but he seemed confused about why he was doing it. When I tried to find where he'd gotten the GHB, it was just gone. I didn't have time to go any deeper than that."

"Was Dr Beaumont aware that you could detect glamouring?"

I shrugged. "There have always been holes. I only found out about vampires and glamouring, and put two and two together, last week."

He looked at the ceiling for a minute or two, seemingly lost in thought. Then he looked at me, stood up, and said "Stop feeling guilty. Come."

I stayed the fuck put. "Excuse me? Who says I feel guilty?"

"Do you not?"

"That's none of your fucking business."

He shrugged. "So you do."

"I thought I didn't have a blood tie, you son of a bitch."

"You don't. And, even if you did, it wouldn't be to me. I don't give out my blood. It was a hunch. And, apparently, I was right."

I glared at him. He grinned back. "At least you know that, despite what your file says, you are neither a malignant narcissist nor a sociopath. Congratulations. Did you blow the tests on purpose?"

I continued to glare, but the corner of my lip was traitorous. It just curled up no matter what I did. "I've refused all psych tests for years. The diagnoses were based on observations."

He laughed. "You are not what I expected at all, Miss Stackhouse. Now come."

He stood and reached out his hand for mine. I stared at it, and then back at him. "Come on. I won't bite unless you want me to." The charming grin again. I gave up, put my hand in his, and allowed myself to be pulled up. He didn't let go. His hand was cool and dry and hard, and his touch was blissfully silent. With my eyes closed, I could have been holding hands with a marble statue. I ignored the whim wham my heart did before it evened back out, and I hoped that he would think it was because I was wary about being touched, like I tried to convince myself.

He led me to my bedroom and told me to get changed into workout gear. I took a few minutes to centre myself before I put on yoga pants and a sports bra. When I went back into the hallway, he was leaning against the wall, his feet crossed, typing away on his phone. He wore jeans and a black tank, his hair back in a low ponytail. My heart rate kicked up and I throbbed between my legs. Fuck. Where in the fuck did that come from? I did not need this complication at all. I set my jaw, told my traitorous body to fuck the fuck off, and loudly cleared my throat. That damn eyebrow again. He kept typing. I sighed and crossed my arms. He smirked. I rolled my eyes. Finally, he put his damn phone in his pocket and reached for my hand again. Grudgingly, I gave it to him, and he led me downstairs to his basement dojo.

The walls were lined with weapons - swords and axes and knives and staffs. I started my stretches, limbering up for what I was sure was going to be a hell of a work out. Eric leaned against the wall again and watched me. I supposed vampires didn't need to stretch. He wasn't leering; he looked almost bored. It was strange not knowing what he was thinking. I always knew how a man felt about me, where I stood. I found that I didn't like this one bit.

But then it occurred to me that not only was this the first man I'd ever had any real sexual attraction to, he's also the only one I'd ever met whom I could stand to touch. Whose thoughts wouldn't completely obliviate my own, consuming my senses the way touch did now, so much worse than when I was a child.

I really didn't need this complication.

Deep breath, Sookie. I packed up all of those emotions I dared not name and shoved them aside. I stopped stretching and leaned against the leaning wall, crossing my arms and ankles, mirroring his posture. I looked back at him and raised one eyebrow.

The grin was back. I had seen a brooding, calculating vampire through the eyes of the others in the meeting, and in the car last night, so I knew that he wasn't always so chipper. But he seemed so much different than Beaumont, who was always either cold and indifferent or cold and pissed. I don't know if I would call Eric warm - I mean he didn't remind me of Gran - but he was just bursting with life, and it at least gave him the illusion of warmth that Beaumont was completely missing. He was the most alive person I had ever met, and he was a dead guy.

We sparred with bo staffs and rapiers and longswords. He was, of course, much stronger and faster than I could ever be, and after two and a half hours, I was bathed in sweat, panting, and I couldn't even lift a bo staff parallel to the floor without my arms shaking. I stood with my hands on my knees until I caught my breath. Eric looked almost exactly like he did when we'd started. His hair had gotten a little messed up. It just made him look hotter. Dammit.

I tried to ignore it and him. I stood up and did some more stretches to cool down. Eric pulled the elastic out of his hair and shook his head. He smoothed it back and into a fresh low ponytail. Ugh. I put on my boredest face and looked up at the clock on the wall. Not quite 3:00 am.

"We should get a bite to eat." The grin again. Oh, swell. Vampire humour. I followed him upstairs, and admired the view.

When we got to the kitchen, I said, "I'm going to grab a quick shower first. I smell disgusting."

He snorted, which was a strange sound for a vampire to make, and then he grinned with a lot of teeth. He seemed genuinely amused for some reason. "If you say so."

Whatever. I headed for the hall to my room, and then remembered. "Oh. I made a couple of stakes. I don't want you to think I'm hiding anything. They're in my room. Nothing against you, but I can't read your mind and I don't know you, and basically don't trust anyone but myself. Plus, you're stronger and faster than I am. So, yeah. I promise I won't use them unless you're in the process of killing me or raping me or whatever. Despite what some assholes think, I am not out of control. Not even a little bit."

He blinked a couple of times. I'd startled him again. His face was otherwise impassive, but I almost thought he was amused. "Understood. I hope I will earn your trust."

Well, that was easy enough.

I took a long hot shower and dressed in cotton shorts and a t-shirt. I padded into the kitchen. Eric was leaning again, sipping blood from a glass, and watching me. I knew I needed protein, but I didn't feel much like trying my hand at cooking at this time of night. I grabbed the jar of peanut butter. I really needed to try sticking to some kind of schedule tomorrow. I needed to treat my body better than this. But, oh my god, the big sticky spoonful of peanut butter was heaven. I might have moaned a little. I took another slug of milk out of the carton and washed the spoon. Eating like shit cut down on the dishes, at least.

I turned around and leaned back against the sink. "What now?"

"I have some NSA work to catch up on. Nights are very short this time of year. I know it can take time for humans to acclimate to vampire hours, so try to get some rest. I will see you this evening." He reached his hand out to me and I held it.

"Good night, Eric."

"Good night."

I let go of his hand and went back to my room. I brushed my teeth, got undressed, and climbed into bed. I felt for Eric and found him in the study. God, he was scary. And not at all in a 'yikes, a vampire's going to eat me' kind of way. More like in a 'damn, I wish the vampire would eat me' kind of way. I had the stakes under my pillow, but I hoped I would never need them. I closed my eyes and was immediately asleep.