Another chapter of Eric's hotness! Do review, please! ^^

The tall and handsome blond man walked into the night club called "Passion" just a little after its opening hours. He glanced around calmly, his metal blue eyes darting from one corner of the hall to the other, searching for a familiar pretty face. There weren't many people in the club yet and the whole "action" event had not started, but some dancer girls were already up and shaking their bodies around poles and tables with drinking men. A few girls glanced his way and immediately flashed their seductive smiles, their bodies swaying towards him. Whatever the man thought of this, none if it showed on his face as he made his way across the hall towards an entrance that read "Employees Only".

No one even tried to stop him when he pushed the doors open and entered, looking around. The corridor was empty, but he could hear voices of humans up ahead in one of the rooms and so he headed straight there, his eyes narrowing a tiny bit as he listened to the conversation.

"I don't care how you do it!" An angry man shouted. "Just fucking find her! She's my best girl, you nut-head!"

"But, sir, she's gone!" Another man replied. "I've been to both of her apartments and she's not there! The owners said she paid all the rent and just rushed off somewhere."

"Somewhere?! SOMEWHERE?!" The angry man raged on. "Well, where exactly is your somewhere?"

"We don't know," yet another man answered. "That's why we say somewhere."

"Oh, shut it, you incompetent imbecile!" A bang was heard and at that time the blonde man pushed the doors open and halted, taking in the view in front of him.

The room was but a small changing room, yet now it was occupied by five people in total, all humans. Two of them were bulky looking men and the third one was a rather ugly, short and so to say porky man. He snapped his head towards the doors and hissed in anger, "And who the hell are you, huh?"

"Oh, my," a pitchy voice resounded in the room and the blond man averted his eyes to its owner and recognized the young woman as one of the constant clients of his own bar. "Mr. Eric!"

Another girl beside the first one seemed to have melted on spot as she merely let out an indistinguishable sound.

"You two!" The short man turned to the girls. "You know him?"

"Oh, yes," one of the girls answered and Eric vaguely remembered her name to be Lara. Or, perhaps, Sasha. They looked so alike he would have hardly remembered their faces if they haven't been with Lily on that fated night. "He's the owner of the club "Fangtasia"."

The shorty now turned to Eric and scoffed. "We don't serve vamps here. Get outta here."

The blonde vampire merely smiled, his eyes glistening blue. "I am looking for someone."

"We all are," the man snapped and waved his hand. "Run along now. Go before we throw you out."

If the vampire felt insulted, he surely held his composure well and the smile continued playing on his lips, as he stared right at the man's eyes.

"Tell me, where can I find Lily?" He cooed.

Suddenly, as if the vampire had waved a magic wand, the man nodded obediently looking all dazed and replied, "She is gone. Left a note that she's quitting and skipped town, apparently."

"Where does she live?" Eric asked and the man told him two addresses, one of which Eric not only knew, but had already visited before. On the outside only, of course.

"Why is everyone so concerned about that stupid bitch?" Lara screamed in her pitchy voice. "She lost the bet! Of course, she ran away!"

The vampire glanced at her, his eyes simmering with slight irritation and amusement at the same time, "As I remember it, you two lost the bet as well."

Lara looked up at him and sudden fear crossed her features, but the vampire merely turned around and was gone in a blink of an eye.

However, his search in the second apartment that Lily White owned was fruitless as well. The proprietor did not know much and she actually seemed genuinely happy that her renter had left. She said the girl seemed cute at first, but then she started bringing men in – every two or three nights there were different men coming to her apartment, sometimes even two or three per night. At the same time! Oh, the horror. The vampire merely pressed his lips more tightly together as he frowned slightly.

The girl had escaped him. She could be practically anywhere by now. Still, Eric refused to give up so quickly. She seduced him and did it so well and so professionally that he didn't even sense any deceit at that particular moment. And then, she humiliated him. The kind of humiliation he'd never forget. And so he knew, she was bound to turn up sooner or later and all he had to do was wait for it. And waiting was never a problem for Eric – after all, he had all the time in his hands.

What he wanted, he'd always get it. And right now, he wanted her. Lily White.

I pushed the doors of the local bar open and entered the place, looking around curiously. Ah… perfect. The bar was still rather empty and only a few tables were taken, most probably, by local people. A young blond waitress rushed around the tables and I took in my surroundings contently. Just what I need for a change of pace. A quiet little town, where everyone knows each other and are kind enough to accept a young innocent country girl into their circle. Yes. Just as soon as I saw the road sign saying "Welcome to Bon Temps", I knew this was the place for me.

I needed to take some time off from the big city and my slutty image. A few months here will give me the quiet and serene rest I need. A change of pace, nothing more. Call it holidays, if you wish.

I walked across the hall, a mild smile on my lips. I changed my appearance a bit before leaving Shreveport and right now, wearing my lightly blue jeans and a short pink and hand-knitted top with a thin pink ribbon knitted into the blouse around my chest I looked like an average young girl. Who would have believed just a few days ago I was strip dancing at a night club. I also changed my hair colour to a natural brunette, which matched my chocolate brown eyes perfectly.

I passed by a few couples and a family of four and took a seat at a corner table. Just a minute later, a young and cute looking blonde woman came over and smiled at me, "Hello. What can I get for you?"

I smiled at her in a friendly manner, "Do you have any milkshakes here?"

Surprised she stared at me for a moment and then shook her head, "I'm sorry, this is just a bar. But I know there's a diner back in town and they serve some delicious milkshakes."

I involuntarily smiled at her helpfulness and shook my head, "A latte then, please. I hope you do have it here?" She grinned and nodded, rushing away.

I followed her with my eyes curiously. She was an interesting one. She looked rather normal, but her aura was brimming with strong life force and I licked my lips unconsciously. Mmm, delicious. I smirked as I thought I'd totally go for her if she was a male. What a pity that she was a woman.

I leaned back in my seat and surveyed my surroundings carefully. The local people seemed rather normal, except for the blond waitress, of course. And the bar's owner. I watched him warily from my corner, trying to realize just what exactly was wrong with him. His scent was so… so odd. It seemed as if his aura was divided into two, as if he had a double personality or something. One was definitely a human one and the other… I couldn't really say what it was so far, but that man was definitely a supernatural one.

Well, not like I cared much. Before coming down here I satiated myself enough to last at least a month, so I didn't need to run around looking for men. I wanted to take a small holiday before venturing off to some place else.

When the cute waitress returned with my coffee, I smiled my most sincere smile as I asked, "I'm sorry to be a bother again, but do you by any chance have an opening?"

"Well, I'm not sure," she replied thoughtfully. "I'll need to ask Sam, just a moment."

I nodded and waited for her to come back once again, sipping my latte slowly. Mmm, hot coffee with so much milk. Divine. Simply divine.

As a demon, I didn't really need to eat normal human food, but I found it to be rather delicious. So why deprive myself of something this good? I licked my lips once again – a habit of mine I found hard to forget, and sipped more of my coffee.

Instead of the blond waitress Sam himself showed up by my table and sat down, smiling at me politely.

"Hello, I'm Sam. The owner of "Merlotte's"," he introduced himself and I smiled at him, shaking his hand.

"Lily," I said, "I was passing by the town when I realized I was a little bit short on money. Do you have a job opening, or, perhaps, know of a place I could get a job?"

Sam nodded his head, "Well, seems like you're really lucky. We're short on waitresses right now, so if you-"

"Oh, that's perfect!" I exclaimed, a happy smile radiating off my face. "When can I start?"

"Um, it would be really great if you could start tonight on a late shift," Sam answered and I nodded in agreement.

Seems like it was way easier to find a job than I had imagined to. Meanwhile, Sam got up and motioned to the blonde waitress to come.

"Sookie will explain anything else to you," he said and I nodded my head once again.

So the blonde's name was Sookie, huh. Interesting name. She smiled at me a friendly smile as she said, "So, it seems you'll be joining me tonight in a late shift."

I nodded. "Seems so. I'm Lily, by the way."

"Sookie Stackhouse," she replied and we shook hands.

Somehow I felt that we'd slowly become friends. I didn't know why, but I already liked her. Perhaps, it was something in her bloodline or her nature, but it attracted me in a friendly and protective way and I knew sooner or later we'd become real close.

It was merely a few days later that my premonition came true. Both me and Sookie were working at the late night shift again and the night was incredibly busy. One of the regular waitresses had broken her leg and the other one had to go out of town later tonight, so Sookie had to work two shifts today and it was only me and her tonight. Poor girl. The people seemed to swarm the bar and soon even I started feeling a bit tired from all the noise, the repetitive orders and the running around the bar, carrying the drinks and the hot meal. I could only imagine how hard it must have been for Sookie. She was up on her feet all day and I could see she was dead tired already. Sam tried ordering her to lie down, but stubborn as she was, she just smiled and continued bustling about.

Yet, around 11pm I noticed her retreat to the back room of the bar and slipped away after her, asking Sam to watch over the clients. I felt her anxiety and her fatigue and I knew she really needed at least a short break. I found her sitting on one of the chairs, leaning on the wall, her hands gripping her head.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly.

Sookie merely nodded and I sighed. "You don't look alright."

She didn't reply to me and I continued, "Just take a short break, Sookie. The world won't crash down just because one waitress takes a breather from her work."

I felt her mood lighten up a little and smiled, coming around her so that I faced her now. She really didn't look so good.

"I just… I just wish Bill was here," she whispered and I cocked my head.

"Bill?"

She smiled weakly, "He's my… well, a boyfriend of sorts."

I examined her aura carefully. She seemed tired both physically and mentally, especially mentally. Perhaps, she had some problems with her boyfriend and that only added to her overall fatigue. I knew I had to take her mind off the current matters and direct her towards something pleasant.

"What do you like about him the most?" I asked.

She glanced up at me and gave me a short chuckle, as she replied, "The silence."

I stared at her baffled. What a weird answer. Well, doesn't matter really. She needed to relax even if she herself didn't want it.

"Sookie," I smiled at her. "Give me your hand."

She looked at me warily.

"Trust me," I whispered as I reached out my hand to her.

She stared at me doubtfully for a while and then put her hand in mine, still looking at me questioningly.

I smiled again as I stared straight into her eyes, "Just listen to my voice, Sookie. There is nothing to be afraid of."

My soothing voice and its silky tone calmed her down and I felt her body and mind slowly give in to me, relaxing.

"Just forget the reality for now. There is no bar and no noise, no rowdy customers and no orders," I whispered softly, reading the deepest corners of her mind, which even she herself had no idea about, like an open book. "There's just your comfy and warm bed, your white pillow, giving off the scent of your most beloved granny. The house you grew up in and the house you'll grow old in. The cool and calm night with the bright moon hanging low. There's nothing and no one else but you and the one that is most important to you right now. His caring eyes, his strong hands holding you close and his scent, permeating through your body. There's just you two and the endless night. Just the sighs, the touches, the sensations…"

I smiled contently, watching her breathe ever so calmly, a small smile tugging the corners of her lips, her mind drifting among the pleasant and soothing dreams that I have just helped her give birth to.

I let go of her hand slowly and stood up. Sookie was dozing off, fully immersed into her dreams. I walked out quietly, careful not to wake her up. I didn't use too much of my charms on her, but it will be enough to give her some pleasant rest. She'll feel a lot better when she wakes up.

Sam looked at me questioningly as I returned alone.

"Just give her some 15 minutes, ok?" I asked and he nodded understandingly.

I grabbed the waiting order and took over Sookie's tables until she came back. It was a bit busy, but with Sam's help I somehow managed it. Sookie returned some time later, a bit confused and still dazed.

I smiled at her, "How do you feel? Better?"

She nodded, staring at me somewhat baffled, "I feel… so refreshed."

I chuckled and nodded, "That's good to hear, cause table 4 and 6 each need another pitch of beer."

"I… I think I had a dream," she whispered thoughtfully. "And Bill was in it."

I smiled. "Was it good?"

"I don't know," she shook her head in sudden motion. "I can't remember."

"Oh, that's a pity," I noted, taking a pitch of beer.

"But I think it was a good one," she whispered, looking at me still somewhat confused.

I smiled once again and left towards table 6.