AN: Long as shit! But, I hope you guys like it. I love the comments, lol. Anyway, as always, feel free to let me know what you think, and enjoy!

Chapter 16

I Smell a Rat

Season 3, Episode 10

Eric headed home to change. He had a few more things to tend to that night now that legal affairs were no longer a concern. Slowly but surely, everything was coming together about as well as he could expect them to.

As he threaded his jacket onto his body, he glanced around his room. He'd miss it, though he wasn't entirely certain why. It wasn't necessarily his possessions that he'd miss, but there was something. Perhaps it was simply living and the freedom that went along with it.

With a sigh, he headed for the front door and nearly managed to open it before the door opened on its own. Eric froze when Maria appeared, and she did the same. They were clearly surprised to see one another, but he managed to recover quickly.

"Is it taken care of?"

Maria nodded. "She criticized it the whole time."

Eric smirked. He expected nothing less.

"Are you sleeping here tonight?"

She nodded once more. "Unless you need me for something."

"No," He shook his head. "I have my own business to attend to."

"Okay,"

An awkward moment passed between them. Eric found that he had many things he wanted to say to her, but none of them seemed willing to emerge. Instead of speaking any of them, he simply chose to remove himself from the situation entirely.

"I have to go."

Maria flinched. "Right," She said. She'd been standing in the doorway and stepped aside when he spoke.

Without another word, Eric left his house.

As he ran the distance to Bon Temp to confront Bill, he found himself wondering why he was bothering to taunt the man in the first place. There was no real point in it, nothing he could gain long-term, and yet, he wanted to poke and prod. He wanted to anger Bill, or maybe destroy his relationship with Sookie.

Then a thought struck him that he didn't like. Maybe he just wanted to see Sookie one last time? It was possible, though he wasn't entirely thrilled with the fact. He did have to admit, however, that he enjoyed the smell of her. He knew why now, sure, but that didn't make it any less true. He liked the smell of her and he found her attractive, so perhaps that was reason enough. She might have annoyed the shit out of him, and didn't know when it was prudent not to speak, but the monster inside him craved her. It was just his rational mind that she bothered and sometimes the monster won out.

As he ran, he decided that yes, his trip would hold dual purpose. Not only would it serve to antagonize a vampire who irritated him beyond words and possibly soil him in Sookie's eyes, but he'd be able to at least smell her again.

It was nearly five in the morning by the time Eric made his way home. He'd initially thought he would sleep at Fangtasia again, but his feet carried him back to his house and to Maria's room.

He stood at the foot of her bed, well aware of how sinister and creepy he was being as he watched her sleep, but the peacefulness of it drew him in. She was on her side, barely covered by the blanket and curling her pillow under her head to fit her more comfortably. She looked so delicate and innocent, and he had trouble looking away.

Eric thought back to the torture chamber in Edgington's basement and how he'd reacted to her invasion. With a clearer head, he was aware that she hadn't intentionally stolen his past, but that was how it felt at the time. And yet, completely unlike himself, he didn't react. With anyone else, Eric knew without a shadow of a doubt that'd he'd have killed them rather than let another person know him so well, but he didn't. He didn't even lay a hand on her. Instead, he walked away.

As strange as it sounded, even to him, Eric knew that there could only have been one reason as to why he would have done that.

He really did care about her. To which degree, he couldn't say, but Eric must care about her a substantial amount in order to let her live after being privy to things he never told a soul.

But that left them uneven, and he didn't like it. When it came to Maria, Eric was now the lesser of the two, the weaker and subservient one in the "relationship". His ego would never cope, no matter how long he had left to live. The scales needed to be rebalanced.

"Maria,"

His voice was soft, but strong enough she should have heard him. A part of her brain must have because she shifted and breathed deep, but didn't rise.

"Maria," He said a little sterner than before.

That seemed to make her conscious enough that she sensed she was no longer alone. Maria suddenly shot up and for a brief moment he saw fear in her eyes, but it faded quickly, replaced by the same uncertainty he'd seen earlier in the evening.

"Did you need something?" She asked in a tone to match.

"Show me everything."

Her brows furrowed and whether she was aware of it or not, Maria began to tug her blanket higher on her body, shielding herself from him. Eric couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"That's not what I meant." He told her with an exasperated sigh.

It took a moment, but only a moment for understanding to cross her face. He saw her relax her arm so the blanket could fall back into place, but the rest of her remained tense. He understood, he just didn't like it. She didn't give him a choice in the matter, forced him to share what he didn't want to share, so part of him thought she shouldn't really have a choice, either. Turnabout is fair play, as they say.

The longer she went without answering him, the more annoyed he became with the situation. Minutes passed before he noticed her shoulders fall and her head dip. Regretful acquiesces was an easy thing to notice in a person. It was very similar to simply giving up.

Maria threw the blanket off her legs and rose. She approached him, still exuding nothing but reticence and (he was sure) regret.

"Sit," she said as she pointed at the bed.

Eric did as she asked. He had no reason not to if it meant he would get what he wanted.

Maria stood in front of him, almost between his knees. She was close, closer than he would have liked ordinarily, but it made sense when she reached out. Eric forced himself to remain still as she cradled his head in her now-bare hands even though his first instinct was to shift away.

She looked directly into his eyes. "I've only done this twice before and I was a child then."

"How old?"

"Eleven."

His brows creased slightly. "Does that matter?"

She took a deep breath and slowly released it before she said, "A lot's happened to me since then and if it's the same as when I see someone else's past…you're going to feel it, too."

A wave of apprehension swept through Eric strong enough he moved back and out of her grasp. Maria lowered her hands and simply stared at him. His mind swam. For the first time since deciding to even out their "relationship", he wasn't certain.

Eric eyed her sternly and weighed his options before deciding to proceed. When he sat in his original position again, Maria once more placed her hands on the sides of his face. He reasoned that there was no way anything she'd experienced in her short life could compare to his own. He had nothing to fear.

She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Eric couldn't tell if she was concentrating, but assumed she had to be.

Seconds ticked by that surely turned to minutes, and nothing happened. He felt himself scowl. Whatever she was doing wasn't-

Eric was suddenly thrust into a world that he'd never been in before. It was flashes, all flashes and a bevy of emotions that made him sick to his stomach they were so strong. It was seconds and lifetimes all at once.

It was overwhelming to say the least, but there was a constant throughout it all. Three emotions, stronger than any he'd ever felt before, surrounded him: pain, loneliness, and fear. So much fear.

When Maria removed her hands, she took a step back. He barely registered the action. Eric's mind still swirled with images and feelings. They were jumbled and out of sync, but there, and unwilling to be ignored.

"Now we're even."

Her voice drew his eye. Maria stared back at him unsurely, but with that ever-present sadness in her eyes. He didn't know if she was waiting for him to say anything or not, but he didn't. He couldn't, and instead rose, and left her room.

Eric went to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. For some reason he looked to his hands and saw them shaking. Whatever she'd done to him affected him physically.

His regret was instant.

Maria awoke a few hours after Eric had waken her up. She dressed, readied herself for the day, and left, casting his bedroom door a glance as she did. There was no denying the transfer worked, but she hoped he couldn't make sense of it. To put everything in order, you had to concentrate. It wasn't as though there was order when someone's memories were gleaned. That took effort, effort she prayed he didn't want to put into it. She hoped he thought she wasn't worth it. She wished she could use his feelings towards her as a guide since she'd taken those from him, too, but she couldn't. They were complicated and if he didn't even know how he felt about her, how could she?

Maria hit up a Target, Wal-Mart, and a Mattress Firm for everything she needed. She thanked God for delivery most days, but it was actually cheaper for her to rent a damn U-Haul and do it herself. The amount of money those assholes wanted from her to take shit to her house was ridiculous, and she'd have to pay it for three different businesses. No. Hell no.

There was something therapeutic about unpacking things in a new house. She had nothing of her own to add to her new possessions, but it didn't truly matter. The feeling was the same and it helped her. It gave her something small to focus on and a sense of accomplishment when towels were neatly folded over the towel racks, or when her toiletries were in place. She felt a nice warm feeling in her chest when each of the three beds was assembled and fresh linens were stretched over the mattresses.

She bought no couch, or chairs, or tables of substantial size, but she purchased curtains and end tables, a pair for each bed, and one for the entryway near the door. And to cope with the fact that she wouldn't have electricity for a while, Maria bought a surprising amount of candle sconces and candle holders for the tabletops. She was sure they were all things she'd keep once electricity was turned on, though. Maria didn't spend money frivolously.

Maria was a wealthy young woman. There were many treasures that she and her family squirreled away when they saw how things had begun to turn back in Russia. The world thought all of it was sewn into their clothing when they died, but it wasn't. They had two caches of valuables buried in the woods outside their family homes, caches that were untouched when she got to them. Because of those and what she was wearing, Maria didn't have to worry about money so long as she wasn't stupid with it.

When she had finally finished her day-long venture of decorating her house, Maria sat on her bed and looked around her room. It was large with big windows, double doors that led to the balcony, and one of the six fireplaces that were in the house. Hers, along with the ones upstairs, were all faux and had no actual chimney despite how beautifully-tiled they were, but the addition of even more candles made them look quite lovely.

For a short moment, Maria thought she might be able to make an actual home in the turn-of-the-century farmhouse.

After enjoying herself for a little while, reveling in her accomplishments, Maria had only to retrieve her clothes from Northman's place, and she'd be finished. Though, perhaps first, a shower. She thanked God that the water heater had not only survived however many years the house laid dormant, but that it ran on gas and gas was a utility that they'd easily turned on. At least her shower would be warm.

The sun had set. Maria made her way through her house with a long wooden, lit match in her hand. She lit her candles as she went, bringing them to life and giving her home a soft glow. Given she and her soon-to-be guests weren't human, the lack of brilliant light would be enough.

She was upstairs lighting the candles in one of the guest bedrooms when there was a knock at the door. Maria didn't expect company that night, not really, but it didn't entirely surprise her, either. The fact was, she knew Northman had her invite Pam into her house because it was meant to protect her. So, it bore to reason that sometime soon, Pam would come over.

When the last candle was lit, she blew out the match and headed for the front door. When she opened it, Pam did indeed stand on the other side, but she wasn't alone. Eric stood a foot or two behind her, still on the step that led to the covered porch.

Pam arched a brow as she pushed past Maria. "You don't have electricity, do you?" She spun fancifully on her heel and stared down her nose at Maria.

"Nope," Maria replied with a tiny smirk.

Pam sighed loudly and obnoxiously while Maria turned her attention back to Eric. He'd approached the front door, but didn't enter. Instead, he loomed over her with his hands behind his back and his head down slightly so he could look at her through his lashes. Sometimes, Maria wondered if he did that to appear more innocent than he was.

She met his stormy grey eyes and her stomach flipped. He was blank as usual. She should have been used to it, but she almost begged for a sign of something else. Maria wanted to know if he managed to sort through the memories she gave him, or if they were still a jumbled mess of noise. She still prayed it was the latter. He didn't have the skills she'd developed throughout her life to organize that kind of chaos, but he was so old that she didn't doubt he could if he wanted to.

"May I come in?" He asked.

It was only then that Maria realized a noticeable amount of time had passed. She nodded.

"Come in," She said.

He brought one of his long legs through the threshold and stepped into her house with ease. He looked around, though there wasn't much to really see. Still, he examined what little he was given with a cocked brow and a bemused expression she didn't understand.

"It almost looks like the Charax estate." He said casually.

Maria's brows tugged together. She turned in her spot as she closed the door and looked around.

Perhaps a little, she reasoned. The majority of the rooms had ornate wallpaper, albeit faded, and dark wood paneling that rose to roughly waist high. The spindles on the staircase were ornate as well, and there were some other details, too, long-neglected though they may be.

It was only then that she realized that was why she felt so comfortable in the haunted-looking house. It must have been. It reminded her of one of her family's summer houses in Crimea.

A shard of ice suddenly stabbed at Maria. Her eyes widened as they slowly focused on a now-smirking Eric Northman. He just referenced something from her past, something that was deeply personal to her. True, he could have Googled the information, but it didn't feel that way. He had managed to pluck something out of the ocean of memories she'd given him. She felt uneasy.

"Where the hell am I sleepin'?"

For once, Maria thanked Pam for something because she managed to snap her out of her delirium and gave her the ability to act.

"Up here," Maria said under her breath.

She shimmied past Eric without meeting his gaze again and guided the pair upstairs. She showed Pam to her room first since it was the first door they'd reached. The blonde was about as enthusiastic about it as Maria expected her to be, but that was nothing compared to how Pam reacted when she heard there was only one bathroom.

"You've gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me." She growled.

Maria only rolled her eyes as she crossed the hall to Eric's room. She didn't know why Pam was so upset. It wasn't as though vampires used bathrooms beyond taking baths or getting ready for the night out, and Maria highly doubted Pam would be taking a leisurely soak in her tub.

"And this is yours," She said as she opened the door and stepped through. It had the bare essentials, too, though there was little one could truly add to a bedroom. "Blackout curtains, too, so you don't have to worry about the sun. It's the same throughout most of the house, actually, so there won't be any stray light."

Eric walked by her and stood in the center of the room near the foot of the bed. He spun lazily until he faced her once again and met her dancing stare. Maria had trouble meeting his gaze for more than a second or two.

"Thank you." He told her with a level of sincerity that made her scowl a little. That sincerity didn't stop her from being a bit sarcastic, though. It was her defense when confronted with such an uncomfortable situation.

"It's why you bought me a house in the first place, isn't it?"

He arched a brow and tilted his head marginally to the side, as though he was internally agreeing with her before wiping the expression from his face almost as quickly as it appeared.

"But it is yours." He told her. He grasped his hands behind his back and approached her slowly. "I have no intention of taking it back at any point. This house is yours, and yours alone."

Her brows furrowed as she stared at him skeptically. Thankfully, he seemed to sense her discomfort with the entire situation and chose to change the subject.

"I have some things to do tonight, but I'll be back before dawn."

"Okay," Maria wasn't sure what he expected her to say.

Eric gave her a nod, then disappeared. She heard the front door close a moment later and she knew that he was gone. He likely flew off to wherever.

When Maria turned around to leave his room, she was instantly confronted with Pam. She never heard the blonde sneak up on her, let alone get as close as she was. The vampire stood less than arm's length away and Maria hadn't felt it. Just further proof to how unsettled Eric left her.

"I s'pose it's too much to ask that there's anything to eat around here." She asked in her typically smooth voice.

"No."

Pam sighed and the annoyance in her expression deepened. "Didn't think so. Do me a favor, will ya?" It may have been a question, but Maria was well aware that it wasn't a real request. "Go bring me somethin' to eat."

She scowled. "No," Maria said again.

"You really are almost useless, aren't you?" Pam rolled her eyes and shifted her weight on her feet. "Well, then it looks like you're comin' with me back to Fangtasia."

"Why?"

"For some TruBlood." Pam began to sound exasperated. "I'm not going to carry it, and there needs to be somethin' under this damn roof for us to drink. Even if it's that swamp sludge. Now, come on," Pam turned on her heel and headed for the stairs before adding, "You can grab our coffins, too."

Maria clenched her jaw and growled deeply within her throat. She didn't work for Pam, so she didn't appreciate being ordered around, but Maria knew the blonde wasn't wrong. A ration of blood in the house and their coffins would be a good idea if they had to stay indefinitely.

It was roughly ten-thirty or so that night as Maria loaded the back of a stolen pickup truck with two cases of TruBlood and a pair of travel coffins. She found out while there that Eric's business consisted of sequestering himself from the world. Fangtasia wasn't open, so his office offered the perfect amount of silence that he seemed to crave. She understood, but was still surprised to see him in there when she retrieved the cases from the back, walking past his open door in the process.

"Maria," he said when she'd made it a few yards from his door.

She paused and backtracked, standing in the doorway to look in on him. She'd never get used to hearing him say her name.

He rose from his seat and approached her again, still looking the contemplative vampire he had the last time she'd seen him.

"Stay at Pam's side for me."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Why?"

Eric didn't immediately offer an answer. Instead, his gaze drifted from hers. It danced or a moment, moving slowly and gradually around the space as he either tried to think of a reason, or simply force himself to say it aloud. When he did speak, she knew it was the latter.

"I'd feel better if you were at her side."

Maria tried, albeit briefly, to hide her surprise. As before in her house, she was left mumbling an uncertain, okay because she felt obligated to respond, but had no idea how. The simple, single-syllable word was the best she could manage then and now.

But there was something, something she both did and didn't want to know the answer to. It was a question that repeated itself over and over in the back of her mind, a small voice that refused to be ignored.

"How…" She clenched her jaw. Almost immediately, Maria wished she could take it back, but her word brought instant focus to Northman.

"Yes?" He asked when she didn't continue.

Maria forced herself to. "How much have you sifted through?" His brows furrowed slightly. She elaborated. "From my memories."

His face relaxed with understanding. She genuinely prayed he said that he only knew the house reference and that it came to him, that he didn't actually separate it from the mess. She wasn't so lucky.

"Small things." He told her. "For example, that little trinket there," He motioned toward her necklace, the one with the feline-esque pendant that he'd forbade her from wearing around her neck, but she still wore as a bracelet. "Was a gift from your father when you turned sixteen."

Her jaw tensed. He was right. The truth of what she was had become evident when she was a very little girl, but when she turned sixteen, she was considered a woman and as a gift, he gave her something to symbolize what she was. She adored it more than words could express, and she kept it with her always. Since the emotional attachment to the object was so strong, it made sense that it stuck out in the chaos.

"And," Eric approached her with slow, languid steps. His long legs carried him the distance between them easily. "I know why you wake up screaming."

She flinched and her eyes immediately watered. Maria clenched her jaw so tightly she wondered if she would fracture her jawbone or crack a tooth. She couldn't express the feelings coursing through her. Fear, embarrassment, shame, and everything in between surged.

Eric stood one, maybe two feet from her, so close she could feel the coolness of his skin. He looked down at her and no matter how badly she wanted to look away, she couldn't help but stare directly into his stormy, unblinking eyes.

"I am sorry for what he did to you." He said. It amazed her how his voice remained toneless, yet she somehow felt his sincerity. "The experiments, the mutilations, the magic," His voice was soft, but the words hit her harder than any shout or yell might. Maria began to tremble. She tried to keep still, to tense her muscles to keep them from shaking, but it didn't matter. "He's still alive, isn't he? Rasputin is still alive."

Maria blinked and felt tears trickle down her heated cheeks. On a breath, she replied, "Yes."

Something dangerously close to empathy flashed in his eyes, but she was too distraught to say anything about it.

As she looked up at him, struggling to keep from breaking completely, Eric reached forward. He brought the back of his curled index finger across her cheek, and down the tear's trail. It was so cold against her heated skin that it felt like it burned. It burned the same way a person's nose or ears might when they spend hours out in the cold, wintery air before going inside.

"You're safe with me." He told her as he wiped the last tear from her cheek. "So long as I'm around, he won't hurt you."

She shook her head lightly, "You don't know what he is."

"It doesn't matter." Eric grinned arrogantly. "I'm a scarier monster than he is."

Her brows furrowed as she looked up at him. "No, you're not."

Eric's face fell in an instant. As he remained both silent and unreadable, Maria decided to simply leave. She didn't know what else to do, so she walked away.

Outside, Maria loaded the truck as she had intended. After piling everything into the bed, securing it, and making sure the tarp covered it all, she paused. Without hesitation, Maria began to sob.

Ten minutes or more had passed before she managed to compose herself again. Wrapping herself in the thickest blanket of uncaring that she could, Maria returned inside. Pam had been sitting at the bar and arched a brow when Maria took a seat at one of the empty tables, leaned back, and propped her feet on the table top.

"I know this concept might be foreign to you, but once ya have what you came to get, you take it home." She said with such thick sarcasm, Maria briefly wondered how she didn't choke on it.

"Northman wants me to stay with you."

Her eyes narrowed out of annoyance as she shifted in her seat to better face Maria. And then, a wicked grin twisted her full, painted lips.

"Does that mean you're mine, now?" She all but cooed the words.

"No," Maria said as though it should have been obvious. "It means he wants me at your side."

Her agitation seeped through again. "Why?"

"I don't know." It was Maria's turn to be derisive and sarcastic. "Maybe he wants you to use me as a shield if Edgington shows up?"

Pam scoffed a small laugh. With nothing further to say, she returned to the drink she'd poured herself while Maria had been working.

The clock nearly reached midnight, and Maria was bored when the door to Fangtasia swung open. She only briefly wondered why the damn thing was unlocked until she saw who had entered. Phantom hackles quickly rose and her body began to vibrate.

"Sookie," Pam sneered. She seemed as glad to see the blonde as Maria was. "Good to see you. Get out."

"Where's Eric, Pam?"

Sookie was demanding and coarse, holding an air of superiority that Maria considered wholly unfounded. There was no reason for her to be acting so high-and-mighty, and Maria knew it.

"We're a little busy here, so why don't you go run along now, hm?"

Sookie glared at her and shot Maria a glance when she noticed movement. Maria had risen to her feet and slowly joined Pam's side. She wanted to be sure to keep Sookie in her line of sight, and she didn't want to be in such a weak position. Sitting would make her seconds slower. Maria needed to be on her feet, ready to attack

The feelings coursing through her were so primal that Maria was temporarily blinded by them. Rationally, she knew there was no way Sookie could gain the upper hand, but it didn't matter. It was the Fae in the bitch that Maria was unwilling to give a chance.

Sookie looked at Pam again. "I need to talk to him."

"I don't care." Pam replied as she glided to her feet. "Your fairy super-snatch might work on him, but I don't like you, so you should go."

Sookie's jaw flexed and tensed. A moment later, she turned sharply and headed for the door to the backroom. Maria was on her in an instant, appearing in the girl's path so quickly that she jumped.

Her hand shot out and wrapped around Sookie's throat. The blonde choked and gasped as she stared up at Maria with wide eyes. Maria had to admit she rather liked the feeling of power, the undeniable knowledge that she could snap Sookie's neck so easily –like a piece of dried spaghetti. And Sookie knew it, too. The fear in her eyes told Maria so.

A low, threatening growl echoed in Maria's throat, that deep, terror-inducing sound a wild animal made before it struck. She flexed her fingers just a bit while Pam giggled in the background.

"Pam asked you to leave." Maria told her, her voice laced with that same growl. "So you should leave."

Sookie clawed at Maria's forearm in a weak attempt to pry it away. She choked out, "It's important."

In the distance, Pam sighed. She rose and approached the pair with her heels narrating each step. Soon, she stood beside Maria and glared down at the blonde.

"I can't stand you." She told Sookie bluntly. "You're entitled, annoying, and for some reason, everybody just loves you, and as much as I would enjoy watching Maria here rip you apart," Pam leaned a little closer and smirked, "And I would enjoy it," Her smile faded. "I know the shit-storm it'd bring down, and I'm not in the mood." She looked at Maria. "Let her go."

Maria's jaw clenched. Every muscle in her body struggled with the fact that she wanted to kill the waitress, but for the briefest of seconds, her rational mind won out. Pam was right.

Maria let Sookie go and relished in the coughs she let out. As she steadied her breath, the blonde looked up at her with so much rage that it could possibly shake her little body apart. Maria thought it was funny.

"The fuck is your problem?" Sookie hissed angrily, though her voice was a touch broken.

Maria said nothing, afraid that if she tried to even speak, she'd lose control and shift. That was the last thing she wanted to do at that moment, so she simply walked back to her table and sat down. Sookie glared at her before shoving her way into the back room. Pam followed, but not before casting Maria a proud smile.