It's the 22nd of June today and that means one thing... True Blood Season 7! I cannot wait :D Here's your next fix of Alexia and Eric and I hope it's everything you imagined it to be :)

Disclaimer: See chapters 1-3

"You tortured him Eric! He's been down there for 2 weeks living in that stench and all you can say to me is it had to be done? Enlighten me Eric otherwise I'll walk out that door and I won't come back!" Eric and I had been arguing for the past half hour. Lafayette had eventually collapsed in my arms and I laid him down in one of the booths. Pam had just continued to smirk but Eric walked towards his office which I took as an invitation to follow him.

I didn't want to leave Eric but he needed to start explaining himself. I didn't think we had any secrets between us at this point but I was wrong. "You know what position I hold! As sheriff of area 5 I have to make sure that rules are followed and punish those who don't follow the rules. You should understand that more than anyone."

"I do understand law and order Eric but what I don't understand is torture. Lafayette is scared! He coward away from me when I approached him to help him. What crime did he commit that was so wrong that he deserved that?"

Eric stepped closer to me then I moved forward so we were only mere inches apart. Eric was a full head taller than me but he didn't intimidate me. I looked up at him and held his glare.

"He was selling V. It's illegal in your legal system and mine. If the Authority found out that I knew of such a crime and did nothing about it, I would lose my position and probably be sentenced to the true death. What you have wanted that instead?" I didn't flinch as Eric's words hit me. The idea of Eric meeting the true death was something I couldn't bare to think of but it didn't mean I was okay with what he did.

"No, you know I would die if that happened. But surely there were other ways you could punish him." "The punishment for selling V is death. I chose to spare him because I knew what he meant to you. I'm not going to lie to you and say I didn't enjoy it because there was a part of me that did. Other vampires would have killed him in a painful way on sight but I didn't. I thought that you of all people would understand that sometimes we have to do certain things because of the position we hold even if we don't want to. It's no different to you killing that human in Greece 50 years ago because his family owed a blood debt Areas."

I slapped Eric around the face at that point. How dare he use the one thing I can't say no to against me? He grabbed me around the neck then pushed me back into the wall. His fangs snapped down as he growled at me.

"Not nice when the shoe is on the other foot is it. I have to do what I have to. I wasn't going to kill him. I may be a monster but what good would it do if I killed him? How would he ever learn?" I broke Eric's hold on me with my hand then grabbed him by his jacket. I threw him across the room and watched as he hit a shelf.

"We're both monsters Eric. We've ended lives without blinking an eye or losing any sleep over it. It's who we are. But you lied to me! I didn't even know you had a dungeon. He is my friend and I find him living in his own shit in your basement. Right now I don't care about your vampire position."

He stood opposite me still bearing his fangs. I curled my hands into a fist and stood ready. If we were going to fight then so be it.

"Sorry to interrupt your little lovers spat but your needed outside Eric." Neither of us looked at Pam but Eric nodded then vamped out of the room. I was about to sit down when Pam spoke again. "You too Goddess. Sookie is injured so I figured you'd want to see her." I rushed towards the door but Pam didn't move her hand. "Don't take it too personally. As Sheriff he has a job to do." I pushed Pam's hand away and re-entered the club.

I saw Sookie laying face down on one of the table with Eric and Bill looking down at her. They were talking in hushed voices with Chow looking at them from a distance. I rushed over to Sookie and saw what looked like three claw gashes in her back. She looked in agony and I looked up at Bill.

"What the fuck happened? You were supposed to be looking after her! Why haven't you healed her?" Bill vamped over to me and stood directly in front of me. We were the same height and I laughed at Bill's pathetic attempt to intimidate me.

"I was looking after her! She stormed out of the car then the next thing I know, she was laying on the ground with those marks on her back. I tried to heal her but she spat out my blood and starting foaming at the mouth." I pushed Bill away from me and heard Eric laugh as he stumbled back. I leant over Sookie to look at her wounds properly. There seemed to be white puss seeping out of her wounds.

"Do you know what attacked her?" I looked up at Eric then back at Bill waiting for his response. "I don't know. I couldn't sense anything." Eric nodded then folded his arms across his chest.

"Pam! Chow! Retrace Compton's steps and see what you can find then report back to me." Chow nodded but Pam pulled a face. "No! I'm wearing my new pumps and these don't mix with mud." I jumped back when I heard Eric growl at her then they were gone. Eric's warning growl and Eric's horny growl were two different things.

"Do something Eric! If she dies I'll…" Eric cut Bill off and looked unphased at his threat. "Do what? Kill me? I'd like to see you try. And I am doing something. I've called someone to come and look at her wounds. She's the best when it comes to supernatural wounds." I held Sookie's hand and looked at her face. Her eyes were closed but I could tell she was very much awake and trying to fight the pain. I had never seen wounds like that before but maybe if I had, I would know how to heal them.

"Wait! I have an idea. Bill, take off your jacket and use it as a pillow for Sookie's head. She needs to be comfortable." Bill complied and did what I said as I ran into Eric's office. I threw open my bag and grabbed the pouch of epoúlosi herbs that Apollo had given to me weeks ago. He said that they would come in handy. Maybe he knew this attack was going to happen. He had access to all of the remaining oracles in Greece and they may have foreseen this. I returned to Sookie and crouched down at her side.

"Eric, can you grab me some water please." He nodded then vamped to behind the bar. He returned a second later with a bottle of water. I opened it and placed some of the herbs into the bottle. They instantly dissolved as they hit the water, turning it a dark purple colour.

"What is that?" "These are epoúlosi herbs. Apollo made them centuries ago to help those wounded in battle. They can heal any wound known to man and God but are extremely rare. He gave them to me a few weeks ago saying I would need them. I guess he was right." I shook the water bottle then opened it again. "Bill grab her hand and hold her down. If this works then she's going to shake violently as whatever it is in her body leaves. Eric, can you grab her other hand?" He nodded then grabbed her other hand.

I slowly poured the herb infused water into Sookie's wounds. She cried out in pain and started to violently shake. Bill and Eric held her down as I continued. The white puss that I had previously seen in her wound had started to seep out as well as all the blood that was infected. Once the water had finished I rushed behind the bar and grabbed a towel. I returned and started to wipe her back down. Her wounds slowly started to heal and she stopped shaking.

"Give her your blood Bill. She'll heal faster." He nodded then bit into his wrist and held it to Sookie's mouth. Eric got up and pulled his phone out of his pocket, probably calling whoever he had called before to tell them not to bother. I walked over to the bar and grabbed the bottle of tequila. I poured myself a glass and drank it then poured another one.

I was on my third glass when Sookie sat up. Bill wrapped his jacket around her since her top and bra were now in the bin.

"How did you know that would work?" I looked over at Bill and shrugged my shoulders. "Apollo may be an ass but he's also the God of medicine. He wouldn't give me something that wouldn't work. My guess is that one of his oracles foresaw this so he gave them to me to save Sookie's life." Sookie looked over at me and smiled. She was too weak at the moment to speak so I knew it was her thanking me.

"You owe me a new pair of pumps." I looked up at Pam and Chow entered the club. Pam's pink pumps were covered in mud just like her legs. She had a twig branch sticking out of her hair and a sour look on her face. She wasn't pleased.

"What did you find?" "Nothing. Whatever attacked her was long gone by the time we got there. The tracks were human but the scent was animal. Nothing like I'd ever smelt before." Eric nodded then looked over at me.

"Do you know anything?" I shook my head and poured myself another drink. I could feel a buzz from the alcohol but kept drinking. "No. It sounds like Pam and Chow came across the scent of a Minotaur, half man half bull, but Sookie's wounds don't match those of a Minotaur. I've never seen anything like it before."

"Oh my god! Is that Lafayette?" I watched as Sookie rushed over to him. I had completely forgotten that he was there. He must have fallen asleep. I moved out from behind the bar and handed Sookie the pouch of epoúlosi herbs.

"Eric was holding him captive for selling V. Take him home and make sure he rubs these over his wounds. All he has to do is mix them with water and they will heal him." Sookie looked at me in shocked then nodded. I watched as both her and Bill supported Lafayette and walked him out of the bar.

I looked over at Eric and could feel him glaring at me. I picked up the bottle of tequila and walked back to his office. I heard him tell Pam that her pumps were in fact, great pump. I could feel his presence behind me as I entered the office. He closed the door and watched me as I took a swig out of the bottle.

"Apollo visited you? Why didn't you tell me?" I shrugged my shoulders and slumped down in his chair. The mood had definitely changed from us wanting to rip each other's throats out. His chair was definitely the most comfortable thing in this office. Well second most comfortable thing. I was actually quite comfortable laying on Eric's desk as he fucked me.

"Same reason you didn't tell me about keeping Lafayette a prisoner I suppose: we both wanted to keep our true natures from each other. I'm not mad at what you did Eric, I know that now. I understand. You have certain duties and one of those is punishing those that break the laws. I understand. Like you said before, I've done things I haven't wanted to but I've had to do it. You're right, you could have killed Lafayette and this was your way of showing him mercy. A sick and twisted form of mercy but mercy nonetheless. I'm sorry for the way I acted. I was just so mad that you didn't tell me."

"Would you have tried to stop me if I had? You may understand but he's also a friend of yours and you would have tried to keep him safe. I couldn't tell you. There are some things I have to do that I can't involve you in." Eric walked over to me and held my face in his hands.

"What else did Apollo say to you?" "He just said that he was here to warn me of a great threat. He said it would be like nothing I had ever fought before and I would not be able to defeat it on my own. I have a feeling that was the start of it. I'm sorry for slapping you. It was a cheap shot." Eric laughed and placed a light kiss to my forehead.

"It's okay lover. I'm also sorry for throwing you against a wall. I guess I deserved your retaliation. How's about we get out of here? Pam can handle things for tonight. We can head back to mine and talk. And I mean talk; I don't ever want to wrap my hands around your neck with the intention of hurting you again. We're not done discussing this and I think it would be the best thing to do now we aren't screaming at each other."

I nodded and held onto Eric as he flew us back to his apartment. We still had things to talk about but I wanted to be in his arms while we did.

I know it may seem that Alexia has forgiven Eric too quickly but she is very similar to him and although she wouldn't have done it to a friend of hers, it is something she could see herself doing if she was asked. I thought throwing in a little bit of Eric on Alexia violence made up for it :)

Please review and let me know what you think :)

Jem x