A/N: I am sorry this took so long. :/ Busy plus muse-trickles equals sad. Thanks to ilovemysteries for the beta. :D

Chapter 4

Pam was paging through a magazine when Sookie opened her eyes. There was confusion there. And then panic. Pam reached out and put her hand on Sookie's wrist.

"You're safe. Remember?"

Eventually, Sookie did. She smiled at Pam apologetically and sat up. She still felt very weak.

"Eric dropped off some blood for you - both human and his. His is much stronger than mine. But don't worry. He's gone."

Pam gave the vials of Eric's blood to Sookie first and then warmed up the human blood while Sookie drank.

Pam thought that Sookie already looked much better. She was still painfully thin, but didn't look nearly as grey or dried out. It was a marked change, and Pam wondered if it had something to do with how quickly her blood replenished itself. She didn't even understand how such a thing was possible, but there it was.

Sookie drank two bags, and Pam made her try a third, but she wasn't able to finish it. Just doing that much had exhausted her, especially after the night before, and she lay back down on Eric's bed, enjoying the pillow and soft sheets and the spicy dry scent of him on the bed linens. Soon, she was hovering somewhere between death and downtime, putting all of her energy towards healing.

Some time later, Pam's phone rang.

"Eric."

"How is she?"

"She's resting. She drank five vials of yours and maybe two and half bags of A positive. I will rouse her and try to make her drink more before sunrise. It's remarkable how much better she looks already. Have you found anything out?"

He sighed. "No. I looked through the files, but couldn't find anyone who fits. Maybe if we can get more of an idea of his comings and goings from her, I can try to find a match."

"I'll try to find out anything I can. She isn't safe while he's out there."

"I would love to see him show up to try something. He isn't safe, either."

Eric hung up and went back through his files. He had pulled everything from 1990 on. None in his area seemed to fit. There had been no vampires living in Bon Temps at all. Not in decades. And none closer than Ruston, according to his paperwork. There were vampires coming and going on shorter visits, of course, but none that had been gone for over a year before late 1996, or who had been coming regularly for a decade and a half. Either he hadn't checked in at all, at least not every time, or he just didn't visit often for a time. It was possible that he lived in a neighbouring area, but which one? He could be from Texas or Arkansas or Mississippi or Oklahoma as easily as Baton Rouge or Lafayette.

He slammed the file folder closed and pushed everything away. He could not understand treating another vampire that way, let alone his own child. He meted out punishments, of course, but this was nothing but torture. The years of draining and silvering and solitude were bad enough, but what had made her so terrified of males when her mother had been the one who had done the draining and the silvering? What else had she gone through?

When it was getting close to dawn, Pam was able to get Sookie to rise long enough to drink more of Eric's blood and another two bags of A positive. Pam lay beside her to go to her rest.

Early the next evening, Pam was doing her nails when Sookie started to scream. Her eyes were open, but she wasn't really aware, and it took Pam several minutes to pull her out of whatever hell her brain had convinced her that she was in. Afterwards, Sookie curled up in a ball and sobbed while Pam tried to pull herself back together. Her phone rang, and Pam picked it up and answered.

"What happened?"

"Fuck, Eric. I don't even know. She rose screaming. She wouldn't stop. It was like she was somewhere else."

"And now?"

Pam sighed. "She seems to be aware of her surroundings, at least, but she's very upset."

Eric made a noncommittal noise and then there was a long pause. "Doctor Ludwig called. She will be here at three, so arrive before that."

"Eric, that makes no sense. She's in no shape to deal with Fangtasia tonight. Why isn't the doctor just coming here?"

Silence on the other end of the line.

"Jesus Christ, Eric. This isn't about you. Why are you so invested in this?"

"Pamela, enough. Have her here before three."

And, of course, he hung up. Of all the self-centred, high-handed…

Sookie's crying had tapered off, and she sat up slowly. She saw the blood on the pillowcase, and she looked up at Pam, her eyes wide with panic.

"Sookie, it's fine. Eric won't care. I promise. And I'll soak it in cold water, ok? Why don't you go into the bathroom and get cleaned up? Maybe a nice hot bath? I'll heat you up some blood and bring it in."

Sookie managed to get herself up and into the bathroom. She was still so weak. Had been so weak for so very long. She knew vampires were supposed to be strong - her maker had shown her over and over again just exactly how strong he was, both before and after she'd been turned - but she wasn't strong. Never had been. Since she'd been turned, she'd been locked in a house and then a room, commanded to obey everything her mother or maker said. She couldn't fight. She couldn't run. She couldn't do anything except what she'd been told. And she'd seen nobody else until Eric and Pam.

She was out of that room and out of that house and her mother was dead, but she was trapped in this body that was so very weak. And her maker was still out there. And he wasn't going to be happy about losing his meal ticket. She tried not to think about it. She knew that this reprieve wouldn't last forever, but she would try to enjoy it as much as she could while it lasted. And when it was over, she hoped that her maker would go too far and end her like he did the first time. She wasn't allowed to do it herself.

She turned on the water so that it was almost too hot and put the plug in. She took off the shirt that was so big that her shoulder kept falling out of the neck hole. Or, she supposed, that had more to do with her than the shirt.

She stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself again while the tub filled up. She was gruesome. Grotesque. A walking talking mummy with comically big blue eyes. Even everything inside had pretty much shriveled up. She couldn't even recognize herself in her reflection. She was a skeleton covered in crepe papier-mâché, topped with a halo of blonde hair. But at least she was no longer filthy and matted or quite so grey. At least she was no longer alone, even if she was as skittish as a mouse in a room full of cats.

She gingerly climbed into the bathtub and sank down in the hot water. It was the first real bath she'd had in over a decade. It felt like her skin was soaking the liquid up like a sponge. She started to cry again, this time in thankfulness and relief.

Pam knocked on the door and walked in. She handed Sookie the vials of Eric's blood, and set a mug full of human blood on the edge of the tub.

"You really do look much better. I think that Dr. Ludwig will be very pleased. We need to go to Fangtasia tonight to see her."

Sookie nodded. She'd overheard the telephone conversation. Eric was her maker, so Pam had no choice but to do what he said. She couldn't believe that Pam had talked to him that way, though.

Sookie drank Eric's blood, which was far more powerful that her maker's, and then sipped the warm human blood in the mug. It was comforting, and while part of her appreciated the irony of curling up with a mug of blood instead of chicken soup to make herself feel better, most of her just appreciated the fact that it did. It was so nice having warm blood again. She wrapped both of her hands around the cup and smiled gratefully up at Pam.

Pam hopped up onto the counter and crossed her ankles primly. "What can you tell me about your maker?"

Sookie shrugged, her smile disappearing. "Nothing."

"His name? A description? Where he's from? His age?"

Sookie was shaking her head. She looked terrified.

"Do you know who his maker is?"

Sookie nodded hesitantly.

"Can you tell me his maker's name?"

Sookie swallowed hard and then opened her mouth to speak. She closed it again and shook her head.

"Can you write any information on the wall with your finger? Or spell it out?" Sookie shook her head again. "Does he live in Louisiana? Can you nod or shake your head? Blink once for yes and twice for no?"

Sookie just looked at her helplessly. Pam sighed. Even if she were strong enough to go against a maker's command, even for a short time, Sookie would likely be too frightened to try. At least for the time being.

"It's fine, Sookie. Don't worry about it. We'll just be sure to keep you safe, ok?"

Sookie nodded again, and Pam hopped down and left Sookie alone with her thoughts and her mug full of blood.

Later that night, they headed out to Fangtasia. Pam would be damned if she was going to wear one of those ridiculous black gauzy nightmares, so she dressed as she pleased. Sookie was wearing a t-shirt from Eric's closet and nothing else. They really needed to find her some clothes, but what in the hell could they get that would fit? Pam resolved to find something. Maybe wrap dresses and children's undergarments. It would be better than a TrueBlood T that just hung on her like a sheet draped over a broomstick.

When they were nearly there, Sookie said, "I'm sorry I caused you trouble. Please don't try to stick up for me like that again."

It was the first time she'd said anything in hours, and Pam had no idea what she was talking about. She looked at Sookie, obviously confused.

"Your maker. I'll be fine going to the bar. I hope he won't hurt you too badly."

"Sookie, he won't hurt me at all. He disciplined me, of course, early on. But there were things I needed to know and things that I did that I needed to never do again. For his protection and mine. But I can count my real punishments on one hand. And they were well deserved. He would never punish me for telling him what I think. He values my opinion. Most of the time, anyway. And he hasn't raised a hand to me in well over a century." She thought for a moment. "No, that isn't true. We've gotten into it a time or two when he was being more of a jackass than usual. But, believe me, I gave as good as I got."

Sookie looked at Pam, wide-eyed.

"He is extremely fair, Sookie. Honourable. You don't need to be afraid of him. He won't hurt you."

Sookie looked down. She didn't want to be like this. Hissing and biting and screaming. Feral. But sometimes she just couldn't help it. All of her rationality went out the window. She was all terror and instinct. Fight or flight.

Pam patted Sookie's knee. "Don't worry. We'll get you all better, put you through Vampire 101, get you set up in a small nest nearby, catch your maker, and you can live happily ever after."

Pam pulled into her parking space and parked the car. She looked over at Sookie and patted her knee again. "You'll be fine, Sookie. Nobody here will hurt you, ok? You'll be safe. And if you get scared and hiss a little, who gives a fuck? Now, let's go inside."

Sookie nodded and got out of the Volvo and followed Pam through the employee entrance.

Pam had waited until after Fangtasia was closed to arrive. The place was mostly quiet, but there were still several vampires out in the bar, and a few waitresses busily going back and forth between the front and back, doing prep for the next evening and closing up for the night.

Pam knocked twice on Eric's office door and walked in. He was sitting hunched over his desk with files spread out from one end to the other. He sat up straight, leaned back, and laced his fingers behind his head. When Sookie walked in behind her, Eric was impressed at how much better she looked already. Stronger.

Sookie looked warily at him, but she followed Pam into the room willingly enough. She stood in the furthest corner with her head down, but she seemed to be holding onto her composure.

"Sookie, you look much improved."

"Thanks." It was very quiet, but it wasn't a hiss.

"The doctor will be here shortly. Would you like some blood?"

Sookie raised one shoulder. She was hungry, but she didn't want to be more of a bother than she already was.

He grinned. "You can come and sit on my lap and bite me again if you like, or I can send for Belinda."

"Eric!" Pam looked almost horrified, but Eric thought that the corner of Sookie's mouth twitched just a bit. He picked up his cell phone.

"Bagged or fresh?"

"Bagged, please."

He nodded and fired off a text. Two minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

"Enter."

The barmaid came in with a couple of bottles of TrueBlood and a glass. Eric glared at her. "Real blood, Belinda."

"I'm sorry. It's what Long Shadow gave me. I'll go back and get some real blood." She looked at Pam with hooded eyes on her way out.

"Another time, Belinda."

Her pouty lips got a little bit poutier and her shoulders drooped slightly in disappointment, but Belinda slipped out to go back to the bar. Sookie's eyebrows drew together, and she watched her all the way out the door.

Pam rolled her eyes. "You're Vampire, Sookie. If you're that uptight over a little girl on girl action, you're going to have an awfully hard time of it."

Sookie turned to look back at Pam, her fear seemingly forgotten for the moment. Her voice was still weak, but the meekness had been left behind, at least for now. "No! It's not that at all." She sighed. "It's nothing. Really." Her voice had softened to a whisper again, but the frown lines between her eyes remained.

Two more minutes passed, and Eric was obviously getting more and more impatient. He shot off another text and steepled his fingers after setting his jaw.

There was another knock, and a different waitress came in, not waiting for a reply. She was holding two bags of blood and another pint glass. She set them down on the desk, making sure to give Eric a long look at her cleavage, and then set the glass beside it.

"Here you go, Master. Is there anything else I can do for you?" She bit her lip and stuck out her chest a little more.

"Ginger, where is Belinda?"

"Long Shadow said that he needed her for something. He was really pissed off. He didn't give her a choice. Sorry, sweetie."

Sookie's frown deepened. Eric was obviously pissed, and this time, he picked up the phone and dialed a number. He waited for Long Shadow to pick up.

"Yeah?"

"Belinda was in the middle of an errand for me because you fucked it up the first time."

"I don't know what to tell you. I had no idea. I needed a bite to eat and a blow job,

and she volunteered."

Eric cut his eyes to Ginger, but she was oblivious. Belinda was too smart to have blown Eric off so that she could blow Long Shadow, unless he'd glamoured her to do it. Eric was about to open his mouth and start shouting into the phone, when a small voice said, "Ginger?"

The barmaid turned to look at Sookie, a mix of pity and disgust on her face. Sookie took a deep breath and set her shoulders, like she was preparing for a difficult task. "What happened to the money?"

Ginger's eyes widened, and she turned as white as Eric and Pam.

Sookie looked up at Eric. He was surprised when she met his eyes. "Long Shadow is stealing from you. It's been going on for years."