Sookie please! You have to listen…. it's higher than the both of us. I am under protection….why do they want her…her gift. You better hope you live through it.

She blinked and tried to pull herself up. Her face was stuck to the leather couch. She frowned at the red marks she was positive were blazing across her cheek. She pushed herself up with her arm and looked around the darkened office. Panic took hold for just a moment. Was she alone? What time was it? Where was Eric? She stood and reached out for the doorknob. She didn't hear any music from the bar. She slowly opened the door and for a split second wondered if something was going to jump out at her. She saw the lights were on at the end of the hallway. She stayed close to the wall and slipped quietly toward the bar. Sookie released the breath she had been holding when she saw Pam and Eric sitting in a booth quietly talking. She glanced to her left and saw the neon 'Miller Lite' clock above the bar. 4:18. When she turned her head again, Eric was in front of her. Jumping slightly, she shocked herself by grabbing for his arms.

"Sookie?"

"You weren't there." She whispered. "I…" She tightened her grip on his forearm and he could see all her anger from before was gone. The frightened look in her eyes unsettled him. He pulled her into his side and walked her over to the booth where he and Pam were sitting.

"My, my. Sookie, I see you've got the boys in an uproar again."
"Pam." Eric warned before motioning for Sookie to sit. He moved faster than Sookie's human eyes could track and placed a bottle of water in front of her on the table.

"Th…thank you." She opened the cap and took a long drink. Pam's unwavering stare was making her nervous. Eric slid gracefully into the booth beside her and draped his arm protectively across her shoulders. She could tell something was going on. They were talking about something to do with her. She shifted slightly and pressed herself against Eric's side in an effort to feel safe.

"Sookie, we have a lot to discuss. You're not going to like a lot of what I have to tell you, but it's important that you know what's going to happen." Eric turned to see her face but she refused to look at him. She stared at the water bottle intently willing it to turn to a crystal ball and tell her the future. Eric tightened his grip on her shoulder to make sure she heard him. She nodded slightly and tried to sink farther into the booth and Eric's embrace.

"Can we go now?" She whispered. Her meekness concerned him.

"Of course." He slid from the booth and offered his hand. She gripped it tightly and didn't release her grip after she was standing. "Pam, handle things here until I call. We may have to travel over the next few days." Sookie's eyes widened and Eric gave her hand a slight squeeze.

"Come. We have much to discuss before dawn."