I own nothing to do with True Blood.

Hey guys, hoping you won't mind another update! :-) And hoping you will enjoy this one! I've found I absolutely love writing a True Blood fanfic, I just love the characters so much. You all inspire me in amazing ways, so thank you all! I love all you amazing people, I'm so flattered that you're interested in the journey of this story! xx

Chapter Eighteen

I didn't know where we were, but somehow Eric had led me into a large building, underneath the impression that his Godric remained here... somewhere. I didn't like the look or the feel of the place, at all. It was too... creepy somehow. Just the fact alone that it belonged to a group of people who demonstrated so openly their hate for vampires, like Eric.

"He is here," he whispered, 'neath his breath in surprise. "Why the fuck would he be in Living Against Dead Headquarters? That's a mouse walking into a trap."

"Who?" I looked behind us down the hallway, scared. "Russell Edgington?"

"No, Sookie." He gave me a swift roll of the eyes. "Godric."

"Oh."

His eyes started to burn, like he was struggling to keep all that anger within him coming to surface at the unpleasant idea that his Maker was trapped in a cult that downright loathed the living undead. Which was understandable, I guess. He pressed a hand down onto my shoulder, pushing me spine-flat against the wall.

He leaned down to put his mouth against my ear. I gulped, feeling all kinds of jumpy this early for an evening, close to dawn. "You go find Godric," he whispered. "As for me... I'll go searching around for any breathers."

"Now, why the hell would you do that?" It was a mighty big struggle to keep my voice quiet. "What good would that do any? Let's just find him... and get the hell out of here, Eric!"

"Because I want to roll some heads, Sookie." His voice was far more calm and serious than I would have liked. How could vamps possibly talk about murder so coolly like that? It was news to me.

"Fine. But don't loiter around for too long, all right?"

He gave me a cheesy three finger salute, one that made my blood boil. And then, sure enough, he was gone. Breezing right away from me. Somewhere. Boy, could vampires move so fast. It was kinda... enviable.

But now I was well and truly spooked out. I just didn't like being left alone, not even for a single minute. Especially not in a place I was so unfamiliar with, like this empty vampire-hating cult place. Everything in the dimly lit hallway was just too cold and clinical, somehow. I got the jeepers, simply by starting down the long hallway. The soles of my shoes clanked against the ground, echoing throughout the long room. That very nearly had me shaky enough.

Why was a place like this so deserted? It was just... all kinds of mind-boggling.

I scoped out the first door I could find, and with caution on my side, pushed it wide-open. The whole room was dark, with no light or anything flitting in. I swallowed dryly, stepping onto my tippy toes.

Something white and blinding came into my vision next. Then, a startled groan. What the hell was that? There was definitely somethin' living in there!

I managed to feel out for a light switch, and the instance lights flickered on, I felt well and truly better. Until what I saw next, that is. It well and truly killed my content, once and for all.

Because there was a vampire chained to the bed, and he looked in all types of excruciating pain. He could hardly move a smidgen, from all the silver wrapping around his ankles and wrists. His eyes focused on me, as he wriggled.

He was surprisingly young for a vampire. Boyish, even. With closely cropped brown hair, pale as snow skin, and a somewhat nice and inviting round face.

"Uhm, are you Godric by any chance?" I managed, finally finding my voice. Sure, it sounded pretty silly to say, but I just had to know.

His eyes widened at the name I had used, and something flitted across his face. I think I about had all the confirmation I needed right then.

"A human child like yourself," he said quietly, in a slow, exhausted voice, "should not have bothered to come alone for me."

"That's because I'm not alone," I managed, sounding all squeaky. "I came here with..."

"Me," a deep voice said, cutting me right off. Eric.

I breathed more easily then. All I could feel, was relief. Thank Jesus, he hadn't been lookin' around for too long. I was starting to really fear he had come across some vampire haters and gotten himself harmed. And it seemed this vampire felt it, too, at the sound of Eric's husky voice; His eyes closed tightly, and a wistful smile cracked across his pallid face. He looked so blissfully content, it made my eyes water a smidgen over the profoundness of it all.

"My child. How wonderful it is to hear your voice."

It took me a moment for it all to register in; This was the vampire Eric was talkin' about? He was supposedly the most oldest vampire, older than Russell Edgington. He sure as hell did not look like a powerfully strong vampire fit to give the King the competition he deserved. No, he looked frail and fragile, especially chained up the way he had, so cruelly like an animal to that bed. Not to mention hardly a few years older than me in age!

Eric took in all the steaming vampire with his fretful eyes. Then, he slowly turned them on me.

"Sookie," he breathed, uneasily with intense desperation.

I knew what he was hinting at, the instance he said it. Since Eric was a vamp just like this other one, he could not touch the silver and have a go at releasing him. But I sure as hell could, considering I was human and silver didn't affect me and all. So, without wasting anymore valuable time, I crouched down on my knees beside the vampire tied in chains over the dank mattress.

I breathed heavily for a minute, hesitant, as I looked the vampire over. He looked so severely undernourished, that his cheeks had sunken in. He was a lot paler than the usual vampire- even more pallid than Eric, which was definitely sayin' something. It was amazing how many chains of silver he had wrapped around him, confining him to the bed, blistering him alive. I never knew people of my kind could feel that much strong, unreasonable hate, that they'd openly express it in the most hostile and inhumane of ways, as chaining a vamp up with silver and inflicting him with burns.

I guess that's hate and prejudice for you, though. Gran used to tell me, hate was just as bad as the Devil himself. It ate you up alive, and turned you into the most cruellest, selfish person known to humanity.

I met the vampire's gaze unwaveringly. "This is gonna hurt a whole lot, all right?" I warned him anxiously, bracing myself for the worst; Glass-shattering screams, and cries of agony.

All he did, was give me an odd smile through the wisps of smoke clouding 'round him. It was a peculiar, peaceful smile. Like he had already well and truly resigned himself patiently for all the pain that he was about to be subjected to.

"It is of no concern to me, child," he said softly, sounding just as peaceful and subdued, as he looked. "You will come to find that when you have lived as long as I have in the world and are already suffering, another momentary piece of pain is not burdensome."

I just gave him a half-hearted smile, stunned, before getting myself together. I leaned over him, attempting to untie the long thread of silver curled around his left wrist.

I heard Eric scoff somewhere behind me.

"Who did this to you?" I could tell he was way beyond angry; Even without looking at him and having my back facing him, his voice gave him away. I could tell he was struggling to keep his voice hushed. He gave out a funny hostile noise that clattered from deepest inside his throat. "I swear, once I find out who did this... I will make those savages pay greatly for the injustices you have faced in being held prisoner here, like this."

I couldn't say I was wholeheartedly listening in on their conversation; I was much too focused on peeling the silver off his wrist as slowly and carefully as possible. And, still, he did not even give so much as a wince or flicker of anguish over my slow progress at unbinding him.

"No, you mustn't, my child." Godric's voice was as quiet and defeated, as a sigh. "But, if you must know... it was a human who did this to me."

My eyes rose to his face while I worked, and I couldn't for the life of me help the disgusted gasp that slipped out between my teeth.

I was then officially disgraced in the hostile hatred my kind showed for vamps; The fact that someone living, like me...did this to him, was just unthinkable for my head to understand. Of course, maybe it had only just been the way my Gran had raised me; As a young girl who had pretty much learned to be accepting of all walks of life, and all sorts of diversity, whether that person be homosexual, disabled, or the living undead. It was just beyond comprehension, just how someone could live in such hatred of another.

"At my request," he added unwillingly a moment later, full of hesitation. Like he was worried what Eric might think of him, and whether or not it would make Eric's highly esteemed opinion of him as his Maker alter in his eyes over that surprising truth.

"But... why?" I whispered, hearing the unrestrained shock even in my shaky voice, soon as it flew out from my tongue, "Why would you ask someone to do this, somethin' so debilitating... to... to yourself?" It was mind-blowing. Not to mention downright heartbreaking.

His big dark eyes looked into mine, calm as a summer's breeze. "If you came across a wounded animal on the side of the road, what would you do, girl? Would you act with the kindness that rests inside your beating heart, and show your compassion?"

Well, that question threw me off, in a major way.

I grimaced, when I managed, finally, to pull the chain right off his wrist. He had burned something shocking; Curls of smoke were still rising from where I'd removed the silver, and there was an oozing, bright red mark 'round his wrist. I shifted quickly on my right knee, bending over to start with the other wrist, thinking his question over.

"Not too sure," I shrugged, without meeting his eyes. I kept my eyes resolutely on his other wrist, while I worked at it with a new sense of undying urgency. "I suppose, I would feel... mighty sorry for the pain the animals goin' through. I suppose... I would put it out of its misery, depending whether it could be treated or not. Hard to say unless I was actually in that situation, really."

"Then you have the answer for your question into why," he said slowly. He gave me a dopey smile. "You would put that wounded animal out of its suffering. The human only did the very same, at my request, in showing me the due courtesy."

Seemed like Eric was struggling just as much as me. He made a rude noise.

"That is blasphemy," he retorted, both angry and incredulous. "The old Godric would never have dared to speak such a thing."

"Yes, but... the old Godric has evolved. Let us be honest here, the way we lived before among earth, as broder's, simply illustrated that we were misguided and living underneath some misapprehension that we were more than just victims to our cursed nature."

"Are you forgetting how you've taught me well throughout the years?" Eric asked, behind me morosely. "You taught me, that as vampire, we are the closest to God's image and that the way we were living, as superiors to the human race, was morally just. The sickening notion that you would even so much as actively compare yourself to a suffering animal, is beyond me, and, quite frankly... insulting."

"Then, it speaks for itself." My agile fingers were working to my advantage, in pulling his other wrist free. I unfurled the silver chain from his wrist, and tossed it behind my shoulder, before swooping down to get started on the ones wrung tightly over his ankles. "My biggest regret of all, is instructing you the way I had, years and years ago. You have fallen to the same brutal idealism that has put our kind to shame. Centuries ago, when we lived as broder's, it only reinforced the very reason into why human's hatred towards us have bred. It is still going on, as we speak now. I had believed, with the creation of synthetic blood, that we would expand from what we had become, and would be able to co-exist among humans, as is rightful. Only, we haven't. We have not evolved throughout the centuries. It is no wonder human's live in fear of us daily, it is no wonder that hatred and fear for us have bred cults like this to exist. We have grown more predatory and barbarous throughout the years, even with True Blood's creation."

"So, this is why you've resorted to all this... madness?" Eric's words were just above a mere disbelieving whisper. He sounded almost as if the words were choking him. "You've willingly surrendered yourself to them?"

"Yes, my child. Before, having status as a vampire, it gave me a sense of utmost pride. How the tables have turned." He smiled weakly. "Now, having witnessed all that is going on throughout the world, with all the demonstrations of our brutality... of our haughtiness over human's... it has only presented me no more than shame to be part of any of it. I do not wish to live here among earth any longer, as a connection to our kind, broder. It is not an honour to be known as vampire any longer. What we are... is an abomination in the way we continue to treat our other halflings."

"Bullshit," Eric spat out hoarsely. Well, it was certainly an eye-opener for me.

All this Godric did, was eye Eric humorlessly from where he stood somewhere behind me. "Have you known this child for long?" His eyes flickered back down at me, while I de-silvered him. I knew he was hinting at me, then, with no if's or but's about it.

"Unfortunately." Eric's stiff reply cut me like a knife, but I tried to push the anger I felt brewing aside for the time being. Now wasn't the time to argue over his high-handedness.

"And is it not reason enough, for you to see, it is not necessary to cause bloodshed? Is it not enough to illustrate just how easily we can mingle with humans, and treat them as our equals?"

Eric was quiet in simmering silence. I decided to take use of the moment myself, in putting my mouth to good use for once. I'll be damned if I let Godric underestimate all Eric's potential for kindness towards a little human like me.

"You ought to be very proud," I whispered to Godric gently, kind of because I didn't want Eric overhearing me talking about him in such a good light. But he truthfully did deserve it, anyhow, despite everything. I knew it would have made no difference anyhow, judging how good his hearing most definitely was, since he's a vamp. I lifted my head to give him a small smile, from where he stood, looking so pissed off that he could have slaughtered me just for talking. "Eric's taken it upon himself to protect me, heaven knows why. I'm in a bit of a pickle, you see. I've got this King, Russell Edgington, after me. He... he wants my blood. He believes that if he can drain all of me, then it'll help him walk unfeebled in the daylight, or some crap like that."

"Yes," Godric smiled good-naturedly. "I can see that there is more to you, than human."

"Really?" I arched my eyebrows at him doubtfully. "Everyone keeps insisting that I'm something... more, when really, I don't feel that way at all." I rolled my eyes, and giggled uneasily. "Well, aside from my flashlight fingers, which came about so suddenly." Yes, I was babbling my heart out, but he was listening anyway. Which was... really nice. "But mostly, I feel all human. But then... I have this vampire King wanting my blood... and all these vampires and all these other things banning together to get me. Mustn't be as human as I initially thought, then." I tried to give him a bright smile, only it was a bit hard to really smile about anything.

Well, hell. Sure, I had a lot to smile and be grateful for. I wasn't dead, for one thing. I was still alive. Tragic thing about that part was, though, that Gran wasn't. Still, I was truly happy to be alive right now. And, thinking in that way, it so suddenly brought all these good things into light, things to be extra grateful for.

I realized a whole lot then. If I didn't have Eric on my side, I would have been good as dead within minutes. And, though what he'd done to me these past few days, what with being so sly into cracking this pledge-thingy onto me, he had been real good to me. He was risking his life, to save mine. And hopefully, once this was all over- if I even did make it out safe and sound- I knew I'd owe him a whole lot, for every single thing he'd done for me. Still, I would have prefered him not to be so sneaky about it, but he was only doing it out of goodness. This Godric definitely ought to have given Eric- and some vampires- more credit, that's for sure.

Finally, I managed to get him all free. I stood with the last piece of silver chain dangling from my hand, my knees cracking. He stretched out his arms and legs on the thin mattress, giving out a very appreciative sigh all the while.

"We have to leave now," Eric spoke, after what finally seemed forever. I turned to glance over him, searching his face; He looked a little worse for wear, a little weakened. Blood was rolling down his ear lobes like tear drops. Still, he looked determined as all hell on getting Godric out of this stuffy shithole, and I couldn't exactly blame him.

"It's nearing daylight, though," I whispered, worried. I didn't know whether getting out was worth risking either one of them cooking underneath the early morning sun. "We could always wait until dark hits home again?"

"If we wait around for too long, it'll only give them an excuse to come checking in on him. We can't risk them harming him again." He gave me an oddly patronizing look, like all that he was explaining ought to have been as clear as crystal on me. "We have to leave now, Sookie, and quickly."

"Fine," I surrendered, in a huff. "But if the three of us are just going to waltz on outside into the daylight, then we're doing this my way, or none at all."

His fair eyebrows shot up, obviously baffled. Yes, just because I was a young girl, it didn't mean I had the smarts in me.

"I'd be dumb as a rock, if I let you two just go on walking out there and getting all burned," I muttered, undeliberate sarcasm dripping with every word. "So, I suggest we do a little... trial here."

It was something I wanted to know, first of all. Whether it truly worked, or not, or whether Russell Edgington was sorely mistaken and was just makin' a fuss out of nothing and destroying my teenage life into tatters in the process.

"Yes. What do you have in mind?" Eric sounded mighty intrigued.

By way of explanation, I silently rolled up both my sleeves of each arm and held out my wrists.

"No." He was instantly against the matter, and infuriatingly so. He shook his head violently, and stalked over to where Godric lay, recouping. "Absolutely not."

"Why not?" I hissed impatiently. "Now, I'm not saying the pair of you drain me entirely. I'm sure as hell not ready to die yet. But just enough, so that you'll both feel full effect. Think of this as a mere... science project."

And still, Eric was putting up an incessant battle.

"No. It's hardly necessary, Sookie." He held his hand out to Godric, purposefully ignoring me. How friggen annoying. "Broder," he pleaded down at him softly.

I think, maybe, Godric was too weakened to so much as accept his hand. He could hardly find the strength within to so much as lift a hand to clutch onto Eric's. All the more reason to give this thing a shot.

"Are you too chicken, Eric?" I teased spitefully, seeming to know all the right ways to push him. And, Hallelujah, it worked! His fangs drew out, whether he liked them to or not, over my goading. "Look. All I'm sayin' here, is that Godric is too weak to even so much as move a single muscle after getting all silvered up the way he had. And you, Eric, you're bleeding all over the place!"

Godric glanced up at me with appraising eyes. "I think I like this one," he commented quietly, in marvel. "She has fiery spirit within her. That is truly a wonderful characteristic to behold."

"Yes, it is easy to like her when you're not in her company too often," Eric said, intentionally angering me. "But her imprudence overpowers her."

I had to bite back the silly, little urge I had to stick my tongue out at him from where I stood.

"For goodness sake," I groaned furiously, stomping my foot. "Are you gonna take the good offer I'm giving, or not?"

His answer came in the reply of a reluctant sigh through his nostrils. He slid down onto his knees next to where Godric was laying, and it took me a moment to recover from such a thing.

"Well, all right," I whispered, a little nervously. "Let's get this thing done and dusted, then."

I moved forward to stand in between the bed and where Eric was kneeling, then held out a wrist to each one vampire. I was more than a little wracked with nerves, because vampires drinking from me still was such a creepy thing to deal with. I didn't think any sane person ever could get used to it, though. Unless they were of the fangbanger persuasion and were well and truly used to it, of course.

Since I was bluntly offering, Eric turned less vocal on his reluctance. He took my hand and tugged it down lower towards his mouth, while Godric peered up at me with uncertain eyes.

"I do not care for it, child," he said apprehensively. "I have gotten this far without consuming a human's blood."

"You must, Godric," Eric murmured, breathing all over my skin, "And you will."

"Indeed, then... I will." His entire young body was just screaming hesitance against it. He tried to sit up, as much as he possibly could muster in his fragile state. Damn it, I felt awfully sorry for him, I wasn't gonna lie.

"Really, I don't mind," I told him, forcing an encouraging smile, even though I was feelin' incredibly daunted over the unthinkable place I had just put myself in. "So long as you don't drain me, of course!"

"Oh, believe me." He chuckled a weak-sounding laugh. "It is not much of an issue for me any longer. I no longer desire taking blood off human's, let alone consuming blood at all to keep myself fully sustained."

I frowned down at him. That sounded to me like a majorly unhappy, depressed vampire. I'd dealt with a depressed, grieving person once before in all my years, and that was Gran.

After Grandpa, her husband died, it was so difficult to see her waste away into nothin' but skin and bone over the turmoil of him leaving her alone on earth.

It was probably the hardest thing I ever had to go through, in regards to Gran. All she wanted, back then, was nothing more than to sleep. She would stay huddled up inside her room all day, on her bed. Whenever I tried to so much as convince her into eating anything, she would toss her head, and voice her unwant in eating to the heavens. Luckily, after a little over two weeks, it seemed she had slowly progressed out of her state of serious depression for Grandpa's death; She began eating again, and she no longer shut herself off inside her room anymore. Then, she started doing crossword puzzles obsessively. I think that's why she took up the hobby so much, because deep down inside, it tore her away from thinking too much over Grandpa's death.

Now, while I knew it was somewhat different, considering Godric was a vampire and all, it still seemed vaguely similar in some comparisons; No longer wanting to consume blood to keep up his strength, actively gettin' himself caught by a cult of vampire-haters, and letting a human string him up in silver.

That all screamed a tragedy just waiting to happen.

I turned to look down at Eric, who was patiently holding my hand by the wrist, level to his fanged mouth, waiting for Godric to get his act together and do the same.

Maybe it wasn't as obvious to Eric, as it was to me? I wondered sadly. Maybe he just couldn't tell whether a vampire was in deep torment or not? Or maybe, luckily for him, depression was an unfamiliar concept to him? Clearly, he didn't know a heck of a lot about feelings. Sure, he felt them, like any person does, but just maybe he couldn't understand them, and what they meant? Maybe he had trouble with differentiation in all things regarding feeling?

I felt a smile tug at my lips. Hell, it was probably just because he felt that vampires were devoid and that feelings were only for humans? Wouldn't be surprising in the slightest, if he had.

"Well?" I prompted loudly, when they were just eyeballing each other. "What're you both waiting for? We ain't got all day!"

Eric didn't need to be asked twice, that's for sure.

I couldn't help the incidental yelp, when he inclined his head and drove his fangs in, piercing deeply underneath the tender skin on my flimsy wrist.

"Oh, forgive me, child," Godric whispered apologetically, before reaching out to take me gently by the wrist.

It sure was a heck of a lot to take in when next, I had two vampires eagerly sucking at me. It gave me the tickles, yet unnerved me all at the same time. I think the most painful part of it, was when the fangs went into my skin. After that, it was mostly off-putting slurping sounds and grunts that made me feel all warm everywhere, and weird cold-wet sensations from tongues and mouths. Really, I think it was Eric who was doing the most groaning, and they didn't sound too appealing all that, either. For me, anyhow. His groans were more like pleasured, hungry ones, than anything else. Godric was much more quiet and shy about bringing to light just how much so my blood tasted good to him; He hardly made a sound at all, just took it all willingly as it came.

Or flowed, more like it.

Once the initial uneasy-feelings bubbling in my stomach waned, I found, surprisingly, I was actually enjoying it. It wasn't all that bad, being fed on by two vampires simultaneously. I was actually starting to feel all giddy and floaty, and my vision started spinning something crazy. Now, who would have thought?

I felt almost extra sensitive in all parts of my body and I felt it, more than anything in the entire world, when Eric's large hand trailed up my arm, a bit like a soothing caress, while he compressed his mouth more eagerly around my wrist to get more from me.

I think I gained a new insight next into why I was feeling the way I had, when a light sheen of cold sweat trickled over my entire face and body. So suddenly, I felt like I was about to vomit, and my ears started ringing.

"Oh, boy," I moaned breathlessly, unsettled, when it occurred to me then, I was feeling light-headed as anything. "Think you both better stop now. I think I'm gonna... faint."

Luckily for me, the pair of them had enough self-restraint and care within them for me over my well-being to stop the instance I brought my concerns to the surface.

"Forgive me," Godric said, just as apologetic as before. I made the error of glancing down at him, because what I saw there, made me feel ten times worse; He had blood all over his mouth, and when I looked down at Eric, too, he was much the same.

"Am I too biased in saying her blood's the most appealing I've ever tasted in centuries?" he said to Godric, wiping a smear of blood off his mouth with his long fingers.

"Oh, no, you're most definitely not over-exaggerating, broder," Godric whispered back, and then, stunning me, they both shared a light-hearted chuckle all at my blood's expense.

It wasn't doing help any with my woozy head one bit.

"Is that meant to be a vampire's way of complementing someone?" I managed, through breathless laughter myself. "Because, really... it's a little offensive, if I'm completely honest here."

They laughed again, like two jovially drunk buddies. Which was just... super weird.

Godric stood first, and I was so pleased to notice he had no difficulty. Darn, my blood must've healed him all up, then. What a relief. When Eric got to his feet, I couldn't help noticing how much of a good mood he was in. I swear, he looked all high and strung-out, with his blue eyes all glossy and bright. Could blood - most especially Faerie blood, like I supposedly had- get vamps drunk? Because I'm mighty sure they both looked it, right about then. Godric's eyes were all heavy-lidded, and his blinking was extra weighty and slow.

"All right," I whispered, self-conscious all of a sudden. "Can we leave now?"

So, leave we did.

I had to do the honours of opening the door again though, because it was also silver. Once we reached the long hallway of whatever the place was, I noticed all these gruesome banners along the walls. Some rude things about vamps, and others trying to coax people into believing just how predatory vampires were. These people sure hated vampires strongly, it was a little disheartening. I, for one, didn't think vampires were all that bad. At least never in my right mind would I campaign against them, whether Eric had come into my life or not.

Daylight made itself known at the far end of the corridor. Light was casting in, bright and glorious. That was reason enough why I would never make a good vamp; I loved the sun too much. I loved the wonderful feeling it presented on my skin, warming me each and every time. I loved sitting out sprawled in a deck chair, sunbathing.

But I'm sure, all things considered, that vampires missed being in the sun, too. You always long for the things you can't ever have.

I was strung-out with nerves by the time we reached the exit. I didn't know whether it would work for real or not, but I sure as hell hoped it would.

"So, who wants to go first?" I asked unevenly.

"I will," Eric said, calm and brave as ever.

"Be sure to take the girl with you," Godric reminded, hardly skipping a beat.

"Naturally," Eric breathed. He put his hand on my elbow, cold and comforting, while we walked together.

I found myself holding my breath.

"If this doesn't work..." I began shakily.

"It will," he said, sounding so confident for reasons beyond me.

"How do you know?" I asked, lifting my head to eye him doubtfully. Even though he sounded mighty confident, his expression betrayed him. He looked super anxious. "I... I thought you said it's never been tested?"

"It hasn't."

"Then...how... how can you be so sure?"

"Confidence, Sookie." I almost burst out laughing at that. Confidence? Well, no shit.

"The instance I see smoke on you, I'm pullin' you back inside, all right?" I warned, very seriously.

"Aww." He was mocking me, and I sure as hell could see it. Asshole. "Now, isn't that sweet?"

"You know what, I change my mind," I muttered defensively. "If I see you startin' to fry, I'm making a run for it back here, and locking the door so you toast! I hope you fry to death!"

"Nothing makes me more tender, than blind fucking hatred. Should we try for a parting kiss?"

Well, that softened me right up a little bit. Insanely enough, I felt tempted, but reminded myself against it.

"Oh, it's more than hatred I feel for you, Eric Northman," I spat out. "You friggen disgust me!"

All he did, was grin like a full-blown idiot. "Disgust or not, you'll still be my Sookie Northman."

"Oh, in your vampire world, maybe," I laughed bitterly. "Soon as we all get safely outta here, I'm finding the first human male I find and I'm latchin' on, real tight, and there won't be a single damn thing you can do about it!"

"Oh, it extends to both vampire and human, Sookie." His voice was lilting in dark amusement. "You would still be mine, even then. Plus, it would give me an easier excuse to slaughter a breather, and I do enjoy crushing skulls. Pamela could certainly vouch on that."

All annoying bantering aside, I still found myself anxious over this whole thing. Clearly, I hadn't planned it out as well as I'd thought. There was so many ways it could backfire on us.

"Ready to get cooking, asshole?" I asked, once I pushed the door open and held it, stepping freely into the light.

"Readier than I'll ever be, lover. Would it make things better for you if I held your hand, or cuddled you close as we walked, like darling sweethearts?"

"Oh, you fucking..." Oops. Damn it. All that swearin' was definitely rubbing off on me. Gran would be so thrilled.