A/N: I've written an angry and bitter Eric, an NSA agent Eric, a young Eric, and, currently, a grief-stricken new maker Eric. I haven't gotten to do a fun and conniving (with broody mood swings) early-books Eric. And this shit is fun. :D

Chapter 8

Eric had been called away to New Orleans by the queen to discuss the capture of The Leech and the end of the vampire blood ring. Sophie-Anne had stretched it out over three nights. When the subject came up, he'd downplayed Sookie's recovery, left out anything that they had learned from Dr. Ludwig, and claimed that they hadn't been able to get any information out of the drained vampire at all. Including her name. Better that nobody know her true identity. For now, at least, Sookie Stackhouse would remain legally dead, and the identity of the latest and last victim of La Sangsue would remain unknown.

While he was there, he kept an eye out for any vampire who looked suspicious. If anyone asked too many questions, or seemed too interested, he could do some investigating. Sookie's maker could be just about anyone, including any of the queen's children. Well, except for Hadley - Sookie's maker was male and Sookie had been turned before Hadley had.

He hadn't had much time, but he'd called home when he could. Unfortunately, Pam hadn't given him much information about Sookie's condition, no matter how hard he'd tried to press her. Everything had been so vague. She was doing well. She was fine. She looked better. She was feeling stronger. But nothing concrete.

Pam was painting her toenails again while Sookie sat across from her on the couch, sipping a mug full of blood. Pam smiled at her. Her hunch had been right - Sookie was more than just pretty. She was still too thin, but not terribly so. Her face had softened and her body had lovely curves. And when it was just the two of them, Sookie was really coming out of her shell. She had a sharp wit and a wry sense of humour, and Pam enjoyed her company very much. Even if Pam was going crazy from being cooped up for so long. But Sookie was still having occasional flashbacks, and panicked at the thought of going back to Fangtasia, so they were stuck inside for the foreseeable future.

Pam had explained how to close the bond, and Sookie had tried to isolate it in her mind and force it closed by picturing clamping it shut. She'd felt something shift in her chest, so she was pretty sure that something had happened, anyway. And she hoped that that wasn't just wishful thinking.

After Pam's nails dried, she offered to do Sookie's. Sookie grimaced. "No, thanks. That's a little too much like putting lipstick on a pig."

Pam considered Sookie for a moment. "Come with me."

Sookie hesitated, but then set her mug down on a coaster and followed Pam into the bedroom.

"Take off your clothes."

Sookie laughed. "Pam, I'm not that kind of girl."

"Come on. Let's go. Take them off."

Sookie sighed. "Fine." She took off her clothes, folded them, and set them on the foot of the bed.

Pam stood behind her with her hands on Sookie's upper arms. She turned Sookie around so that she was facing the full-length mirror.

"Look at yourself, Sookie. Really look."

Sookie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and then opened them again. She tried her hardest to be objective, but she just couldn't. She still felt like a freak, so she must still look like one.

She shrugged. "Ok. So?" She tried to turn to get dressed, but Pam didn't let her move.

"No. Try again. Pretend you're looking at someone else, if you have to. Sookie, you're beautiful."

Sookie closed her eyes and shook her head to clear it. After a few moments, she opened them and just looked at one part of herself at a time. Her calves. Her thighs. Her hips and tummy. Her waist. Her ribs, no longer straining against her skin. Her breasts, full and perky again. Her arms. Her neck. She spent a long time looking at her face. And then she looked at herself again. The amalgamation of all of those parts. And she could almost see it. She got an ache in her chest, but it was a good one. Pam handed her a tissue.

Sookie pulled herself together and got dressed and went back into the living room. A little while later, she was sitting on the couch admiring her baby blue toenails and chatting with Pam, when Eric walked in. Sookie turned to look at him, still smiling at something that Pam had said, and Eric stopped dead in his tracks.

There had been something about her that had fascinated him from the start. Captivated him, even. He'd been drawn to her, even when she'd looked frightful. But now? She was just stunning. And, now that she was well, she smelled incredible. Her scent was all through the house.

And they shared a physical connection, which drew him to her more still. He could feel his blood inside of her, and he was tempted to try to get some of her blood somehow. Because he wanted to taste it, but also because he wanted a full blood tie with her. And then he wondered how in the hell he could even contemplate something so foolish.

Sookie had found herself missing Eric while he'd been gone. Every time the phone rang, she'd kind of hoped that he was back and on his way over. And also that he wasn't. It felt very much like a schoolgirl crush, twenty years too late. Puppy love. She liked how just seeing him and talking to him made her feel. The fact that being with him was impossible didn't even really matter.

Their eyes locked, and something seemed to pass between them, but she immediately looked away.

Eric didn't think that being with her was impossible at all. In fact, he was sure that it was inevitable. She would yield to him eventually. He grinned and sat down next to her on the couch.

"Hello, Pam. Sookie, I wouldn't have recognized you. You look beautiful."

She was able to wear a few things from Pam's closet now, and this was the first time that Eric would have seen her in real clothes. She was very glad that she was finally dressed nicely, and in something that almost fit. But she still wasn't at all comfortable in her skin. She cringed a little at the compliment, but it also made her feel really, really good.

"Thank you."

"So, is tonight going to be the night? Will I finally get your fangs into me again?"

Sookie's smile was almost a smirk, even though she couldn't look into his eyes. "What would you do if I actually took you up on that?" She could kick herself for saying something so bold, but it was like she couldn't help herself. Like his attitude was contagious.

"Maybe you should come over and have a seat on my lap. You can try it and find out."

Pam put the embroidery she'd been working on down on her lap and watched their interaction. She wanted to make sure that Sookie wasn't too uncomfortable with Eric's teasing. Pam had been studying Sookie for the past several nights, and had been studying Eric for 150 years. And she considered herself to be quite perceptive. Pam thought that Sookie looked very nervous, but she didn't think that it was because Sookie was afraid of him. At least not completely. Shy or not, her body language was pointing to an attraction, instead.

And Pam had known that her maker would try to seduce Sookie from the very beginning. Nevermind how wasted and gruesome she'd looked at the time. It was exactly the kind of thing that attracted him - something different after seeing the same things repeated over and over again for a thousand years. He would never admit it, but it was true.

Since they had found her, Pam had caught him studying Sookie. Trying to figure out what she had looked like before, and how she would look after. Once she was well. Pam knew that he would have tried to sleep with her eventually, regardless of how attractive (or not) Sookie turned out to be. But Pam could tell that he was far from disappointed. And, with the way his eyes were sparkling, that he would not give up easily. If at all.

And the fact that, as long as Sookie's maker was still around, it was almost sure to be a difficult challenge? Well, that would just make him all the more determined. They really needed to find the bastard and send him to his final death - for Sookie's peace of mind, as much as anything else. But also before Eric decided, unconsciously, at least, to start dragging his feet to make the chase even more exciting.

Pam wasn't sure whether this flirtation was a good idea for Sookie or not. She certainly looked like she was enjoying the attention. But Pam hoped that Eric wouldn't break her heart. Vampire or not, Sookie was so fragile. And Eric would almost certainly lose interest quickly once he caught her.

Eric excused himself and disappeared into the kitchen. When he came back, he had another tall glass full of his blood. He handed it to Sookie, and she thanked him and took a sip. Pam raised an eyebrow at him, and he smiled a little and gave her a bit of a shrug. He knew perfectly well that Sookie was far past the point of needing any vampire blood at all, let alone a full pint of the blood from a thousand year old vampire. But Eric was going to do what Eric was going to do. She rolled her eyes at him, but made sure that Sookie didn't see.

Eric filled them in on the trip to New Orleans and what he had told the queen.

"Sookie, we need to keep your identity secret, at least for the time being. You will eventually need to decide whether to resurrect your old life or start over with a new one."

"Ok."

"Pam, the queen asked a lot of questions, and I wouldn't be surprised if she had some eyes and ears in the area. Only Felicia, Long Shadow, and the waitresses have had any interaction with Sookie. Long Shadow is dead, the waitresses have been glamoured, and I think that Felicia will keep her mouth shut."

"Even if she didn't, Felicia wouldn't have much information to give. But I'm quite sure that she's loyal to you and not the queen."

Eric nodded. "Good. And, of course, Ludwig has been spelled not to speak." He glanced at Sookie, trying to decide whether or not to discuss the hunt for her maker. She looked (and felt) anxious, so he decided that it was time to back off and lighten the conversation. And Pam would be anxious to hear all of the news from New Orleans. He would keep a close eye on Sookie, just in case she had a reaction to anyone that he mentioned.

Vampires are notorious gossips, and Eric had many stories to share - both of things he'd seen or heard himself, and of gossip that had been passed on from someone else. Sookie just sat back and listened, quietly enjoying herself. It felt natural, like she had been able to sit and enjoy the company of others her whole life. And yet she still wanted to pinch herself sometimes.

Despite how much she was enjoying herself, it had gotten late, and Sookie was getting very tired. It was the first night that she hadn't had to lie down and rest, and it was definitely catching up with her. Her mind had started to wander a bit away from the conversation until Eric said something that jerked her back to the present.

"Sophie-Anne is very unhappy with Hadley. She nearly drained a Tulane student in a nightclub toilet when she was out with her friends the other night."

"That could have been a disaster. Sophie-Anne is a media darling. If word got out that her child had killed a college student, we would all suffer the consequences."

"Well, hopefully she's learning her lesson. Sophie-Anne has made Hadley move back into the palace. She doesn't like being under Andre's thumb."

Pam shook her head. "That's all? I know that Hadley is her favourite, but the queen coddles her far too much."

Eric laughed. "That's what everyone tells me about you."

For the first time, Sookie interrupted the conversation. "Hadley?"

Eric looked at her, puzzled. "Yes. Hadley Delahoussaye. She is the queen's youngest child. And a handful, at that."

"Um. Hadley Delahoussaye is my first cousin."