Wow, I was completely breathless and blown away by such a quick response from you all! :-) Thanks so much!

It has gotten me so excited! I'm really hoping you will enjoy this chapter, and that it's not badly written. Hopefully Eric isn't too OOC.

Feel free to let me know your thoughts, I enjoyed hearing them so much!

What Lurks Beneath

Chapter Two

I felt too tired and drained to have a shower, after the very gruesome discovery Tara, Jason, and I, had managed to come across tonight. I managed to tie my long blonde hair up into a loose ponytail, and brushed, and flossed my teeth.

Once the three of us had returned inside the safe confines of Gran's old house, we had made a little pact right then and there not to tell Gran about what we discovered lurking deep out there in the soil a while away near the house.

Jason and I didn't feel it necessary to worry Gran, without really needing to. All that mattered was that we were now safe inside with all our limbs in place, and that the dirty, smelly vampire hadn't followed us.

Tara hadn't coped very well, though. She needed a lot of comforting from both Jason and I to calm her down over the shock of the evening. Honestly, I was a little worried about her. I really hoped she would cope all right.

Jason was faring a little better; He went all quiet, as usual, like he always does. I knew he wouldn't dare tell Gran about it, and that was his own private way of coping... by shutting himself off from everything, and everyone, by heading into his bedroom. With our pact of secrecy, Gran was still greatly confused over the way we had acted, but Jason and I had reassured and promised her calmly that we were fine, and that there was nothing to worry about.

As I tapped my way quietly along the hallway and up the creaky winding staircase, I saw through the small crack underneath Gran's door that her nightlamp was still on. She was clearly still awake, doing Lord knows what past ten at night. I wondered if she was thinking about tonight, battling in her mind restlessly for answers into why we came home looking the way we did.

I knocked gently by rapping my knuckles against the door, and once she called out to enter, I opened her bedroom door. Gran was lying sprawled out on her small bed underneath the thick purple covers. I was right; Her nightlamp was on, bathing her frail wrists and arthritic hands in a warm yellow glow.

"Hey Gran," I said. "Just wanted to come in and say goodnight."

"Oh, you sweetheart," she laughed, smiling sweetly, while I bent down and quickly kissed her wrinkled, dry cheek. "Make sure you have enough blankets on your bed, dear. It said on the evening news that it's bound to rain and thunderstorm tonight."

I shuddered. I've always hated thunderstorms. Frankly, all that noise scared the crap out of me. But oddly enough, those stormy nights made me feel extra appreciative that we were living safe and sound underneath Gran's tin roof.

"Now, are you sure dear Tara's all right?" She frowned in deep concern. "She looked shaken up so badly."

"Yeah, 'course Gran. Tara's just fine." I waved her worries away, like it was easy as pie. But with Gran being as old as she was and how simple a task it was to pull wool over her eyes, it almost was. "You know how she gets sometimes over dead animals. There's nothing to worry about, Gran, I promise!" I had her convinced pretty easily. "Now, 'night Gran," I finally managed, through a stifled yawn.

She laughed quietly again, and was still smiling at me kindly when I turned around to gently close her door. "Sleep well, Sookie," I heard her say, just as I snapped her bedroom door closed. "I'll wake you up in the morning so you're not late to school."

I was wearing the most dopiest smile, as I tiptoed my way into my bedroom, closing the door right behind me.

Dear sweet Gran Stackhouse. She was such a God send.

I didn't know what Jason and I would do without her, or how we would've managed to get through all that horribly tragic stuff before. Jason and I had been living with Gran in her old weatherboard house since what felt like forever. She had generously taken us in, and offered to care for us, ever since our parent's died when we were little.

I hated to admit it, but it wasn't always simple for Gran to look after us, especially Jason.

Soon after, Jason had went through a bit of a rebellious stage, where he'd sneak out after dark to have a few alcoholic drinks over at his best friend, Hoyt's, place. Gran would soon find out an hour and a half later, and she would be frantic, making late night calls to all the Sherrif's in Bon Temps to keep a lookout. But, thankfully now, since Jason has gotten older, he seemed to have settled down a bit. He no longer snuck out and got drunk as a skunk, for one thing.

As I tore off today's clothes to pull on one of Jason's old baggy shirt's to sleep in, I got to thinking restlessly about that vamp we'd came across outside. It was quite morbid, to think he was somewhere out there, a short distance away from Gran's yard... sleeping coiled up under the damp dirt while it poured thick with rain.

I got to worrying a little bit for him, hoping he would be warm enough throughout the night.

I snorted at the silly train of thought that had popped up so suddenly into my mind.

God, did vamps even feel the cold, like us humans did? I hadn't any idea. Still, I hoped he was warm and had found shelter out there, somewhere...

I pulled back the covers on my bed and, just as I was about to hop in, I heard a sound. A movement against my bedroom door. Something gently rubbing up against it.

At first, I assumed it was damn Jason playing some dumbass trick to scare me, so I ran straight over, ready to give him a piece of my mind, and flung it open.

I looked down at my feet, and laughed in relief. It was only Gran's ginger cat, thank goodness. She had brushed her fur up against my door.

I bent down and patted her between her ears and she gave out a vibrating purr. I think, in her own animal way, she was trying to remind me that I had to let her outside for the night, even in this crazy weather. I gathered her into my arms, stroking her soft and short, silky furs, while I stepped my way carefully down the staircase.

"Hold on, little darling," I cooed at her, setting her down onto Gran's rug at the front door.

I unlocked the door by swinging open the lock, and yanked it a centimeter open, so that she could slip out onto the porch.

She gave out another rumbling purr; her way of expressing her gratitude.

I peeked my head through the crack to watch her spring out into Gran's garden, her long tail whipping to and fro. And then, she was gone on her nightly adventures through the long strands of green grass.

Stretching my neck, I looked out a little further into the woods, where Tara, Jason, and I, had gone for our walk today.

The trees were a black background, groaning and creaking against the wind. Gran was definitely right about the thunderstorm and rain tonight. Already, huge dark black clouds were covering the sky, and there was a heavy wind, whirling and flattening down all the long grass and flowers in Gran's yard.

Suddenly, my heart felt as if it had plunged deep down into the pit of my stomach.

At first, I didn't notice anything strange. But then there was a faint dark blur whizzing in from the opening area of the trees, and then, there he stood in my Gran's garden a length away from the porch, with his large hands dangling at his sides.

There was a blinding flash of thunder, lighting up his face and chilling eyes, as they bored silently into my own. He looked so darn vulnerable and cold standing there and... darn I say it, my heart actually ached for him.

There was something about him that was automatically fascinating to me, and it wasn't only because he was a vamp.

Sure, I'd heard a lot of annoucements on the TV about vamps, and what they were meant to be like, but he was something completely different entirely.

Maybe it was the fact he was a full-grown man, therefore making him a thrilling fascination to me. Being fifteen years old, I was not quite accustomed to seeing older mature men, like him, in the flesh. I was used to being surrounded by pimply and short, immature teenage boys at school.

So suddenly and without warning, water began to pour from the sky and within an instance, he looked completely and utterly soaked; He hunched over, wrapping those long, well-built, white arms all over himself, rubbing his hands and sinewy, strong fingers urgently against his skin to cause some warm friction.

I wasn't going to lie, I felt mightily sorry for him, bless his dead heart.

But I knew Gran would not have been pleased, to say the least, had I invited such a bewildering stranger into our house. A hungry stranger vampire, who might have killed the three of us children on our walk tonight, no less...

I could tell he was awfully cold.

He looked as if he were shivering underneath the dark, thin layers of his clothing. It looked as if his teeth were chattering together, by the way his dimpled, strong chin was quivering, while wet raindrops rolled down his pale, colorless cheeks.

Another flash of lightening came, illuminating his face, and I couldn't help clutching my hands over my chest in fright; If he was anything like me, he would have been scared shitless. Only he hardly moved a muscle. He barely flinched at all, just stood there still as a nail... looking straight into my eyes, expressionlessly, while he got soaked by silvery pellets of rain.

My eyes widened, as his attention seemed to divert elsewhere. He brought his eyes away from me, at last, to scan the trees East of Gran's house.

I wondered if he had noticed something particularly unpleasant through the trees, or not. My eyes followed into the direction of where he was looking, but for the life of me... I hadn't the slightest inclination into what he was seeing. It was too dark for my eye's.

It must be some sort of spooky vampire sense thing, I guessed. Maybe he could actually see through the dark? Then, a beat later, I think it dawned on me what the heck he was doing.

Gran's cat!

He crouched down fluidly, clucking his tongue gently in a call for Gran's cat to hear. And hear it, she did.

She came straight over to him without hesitation, rubbing herself up against his wet clothed knees.

I was surprised to know that she actually took liking to a vampire, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat as I watched him with Gran's cat in avid fascination. With one movement of his hand, he could have easily snapped her neck in half, and that possibility irked me deeply.

"Hello, little animal," he said, gentle as a whisper, while he stroked her fur with those still disgustingly dirt-ridden nails.

She purred and rubbed up against his knees again, and I heard him give out a surprised, throaty laugh.

"Aww, you like me. Don't you, furry companion to the little teacup human?" His voice was dangerously raspy, like he hadn't used it in quite some time.

The way this vampire was being so gentle with Gran's cat, had me delirious. I wasn't fooling, I actually melted inside. I felt a weak smile threaten to tug up the corners of my mouth, and my knees buckled a little bit.

He lifted his head just a fraction, bringing his eyes back up to meet mine, while he petted and soothed Gran's cat between her ears with his fingers. Clear beads of water rolled down his forehead from the tendrils of fair hair sticking flat to it, and he shivered visably. My heart just about cracked and broke into miniscule pieces over the sight.

His mute gaze turned almost pleading.

I swallowed audibly at the unblinking intense eye contact he was giving me, and it was obvious he heard it. With a low, blood-curdling hiss at Gran's cat, his sharp fangs popped out.

Gran's cat gave a shreiky meow and bolted away through the grass, frightened.

I whimpered, and flinched back a step. Oh Lord, please save me from the nasty vamp!

He raised an eyebrow. "Frightened of vampires, little human?" He hissed through his fangs, rather unpleasantly.

"Well, of course I am," I managed a matter-of-factly, like it was obvious. I narrowed my eyes at him, downright disgusted. "You're the first vampire I've ever seen around here in Bon Temps and, to be completely honest here... you are as nasty as an alligator!"

He actually had the heart within him to grin toothily at my remark, flashing those creepy sharp fangs again. Well, great. At least, he has some sense of humour intact. "Oh, believe me," he laughed, coolly. It wasn't a very friendly sound, at all. The sound was somewhat foreboding, and spooky. "I can be worse than an alligator. In fact... I can be your worst nightmare."

"Well, whatever," I said, in my most disgusted voice. I swallowed dryly. "Listen, uhm. I've got to go to bed now so... can you please get the hell off Gran's property and leave the house in peace? I have school tomorrow and you're keeping me from the very warm bed that's waiting for me inside!"

"Oh, thank you for being so kind in offering me in to share your bed with you for shelter from the rain," he said, exaggerating the movement of his lips in lilting sarcasm. How darn rude and gross of him. I had to fight the childish urge I had to stick my tongue out at him. He scoffed, "Are tiny humans always this selfish and insufferable, thinking only of themselves before others... Or is it only you?"

I couldn't believe the nerve he had on him!

I crossed my arms over my chest, scowling. "Well, hey!" I snapped loudly before I could help myself. This stranger was just pushing all my wrong buttons. "If you hadn't been so rude, acting all mean and popping out your fangs to scare me and my Gran's cat half to death in the process... then maybe I would have invited you in! Jerk," I added, very well-mannered and womanly of me.

I had expected him to get angry, maybe even make some more hostile noises at me, only he didn't. Within a blink of an eye, he was gone. Boy, he was a fast one. He had disappeared completely into the trees.

And really, thank goodness for that...