Sookie was pissed. It had been days since she had talked to Eric, days since he had promised he'd help her look for Jason, and yet she had received no word from the Viking. Alcide had only been able to inform her that he had no information as of yet and all of her frustration and fear channeled itself into rage at the vampire. She had tried calling the bar a few times but no one had ever picked up. Could it be possible that they had closed Fantasia again? The only reason that would be the case is if something had happened to Eric. Sookie felt a strange jolt at the idea of the vampire being in trouble, but she brushed it away. She much preferred being angry at Eric than dealing with any of the other unexpected and overwhelming feelings she experienced concerning him.
And so, although she had vowed to herself after everything that had happened with Russell and Eric and Bill that she was done with the undead forever, she found herself driving back to Shreveport to dive right back in again. Her car puttered on the bumpy roads and she patted the steering wheel encouragingly.
Finally, she pulled into the parking lot and blinked through her windshield at the darkness that was Fangtasia. The lack of flashing lights, music, and fangbangers practically screamed trouble, but Sookie reasoned with herself that if it wasn't this problem, she'd surely find another one, and anyway she had to help Jason.
When she went to the main entrance, the door was locked and no one responded when she knocked. She thrust her weight against it in a vain attempt to open it but the door didn't so much as creak under her attack.
Running her hand through her hair in frustration, Sookie resolved to go around back to the employee entrance to try her luck there. As she walked around the building she heard the faint noise of bottles clinking and she progressed to a light jog.
Ginger came into view, fumbling clumsily with some garbage bags.
"Hey Ginger." Ginger shrieked and dropped the bags releasing a loud crash of breaking bottles into the night air. Sookie rushed under the glow of a street light. "It's me, Sookie! Sorry I scared you."
"Oh, Sookie," Ginger chuckled and began collecting the trash bags, her thin arms straining with the weight. She grimaced as one of the bags oozed a dark liquid onto her foot. "Bar's not open tonight, hun. Sorry." She started walking to the dumpster, half dragging the bags. Sookie hurried after her and took one of the sacks from her.
"Here let me help." Together they dumped the contents into the void of the dumpster. Sookie stepped back and wiped her hands on the back of her jeans. Ginger grinned widely at her.
"Thanks!" She started to shuffle back toward the bar, her bracelets jangling.
"Ginger, wait," Sookie followed the woman back to the door. "Listen, I just need to talk to Eric tonight okay? It's important and you know he'd want to see me." Sookie looked away as she said this last bit. In fact, she didn't know if Eric would be that eager to see her, but she needed to see him so she hoped that Ginger would believe her.
Ginger scratched her noise smearing it with dirt unknowingly. "Well, alright," she assented. "Come on in. They're having a meeting in the office."
The two women walked inside together and while Ginger headed to the bathroom to wash up, Sookie inched her way toward Eric's office. As overwhelming as the bar had been when it was bursting with people, it was oddly eerie when it was empty. Her Keds made squeaking noises on the floor as she followed the light to the other room.
As she stepped closer to the office she saw Pam and Chow leaning over Eric in a chair, speaking intensely to him. They were so wrapped up in their conversation they didn't turn to acknowledge her presence. She hesitated then cleared her throat and knocked lightly on the open door. Pam and Chow whirled around hissing and baring their fangs. Sookie instinctively backed up and raised her hands in a gesture of peace.
"Hey guys," she offered meekly. "I see you're busy with a meeting and all and I hate to interrupt, but I just wanted to talk to Eric for a minute." Pam had relaxed but Chow's stance remained defensive.
"You should not be here," he growled. 'No I should not,' Sookie silently agreed, but she looked over at Eric expectantly. Decked out in a black tank top and sweatpants, Eric looked simply miserable.
"Eric, is everything okay?"
"Hello, Sookie." His voice sounded fine if only a little depressed. Taking a closer inspection of him, Sookie realized he looked healthy too, in fact he was practically rosy. She blinked. There was something different though…the gleam that she associated with vampires had vanished. She tilted her head in confusion.
"Eric?" He looked at her for the first time and his blue eyes were dark and troubled. 'Does she know?' The thought popped in her head and her hand slapped over her mouth automatically. Eric's eyes widened. Sookie backed up until she was resting against the door frame.
"What, what's…" she trailed off unable to look away from Eric. Chow tensed beside his master but when Eric slowly rose the other vampire backed off.
"Sookie." Eric's voice was soft and reassuring, the same voice he used with her in times of crisis when he wanted to calm her down. "Something has happened." He stood in front of her but seemed to be pondering what to say next.
Unable to stop herself, Sookie reached up and placed her hand on Eric's cheek. It felt warm and alive to her touch. With her mind whirling, she threw herself at him and pressed her head to his chest. There, without a doubt, against her ear banged the distinct and strong rhythm of a heartbeat.
"Okay, okay,okay." The party had moved out to the bar area and Sookie drew a pattern in the perspiration gathering on her second gin and tonic. She took a deep breath. "So a woman walked into your bar claiming she was a dancer but she wasn't-"
"Oh she was definitely a dancer. She moved…very well," Eric's voice was deadpan and Sookie marveled at his ability to joke at such a time.
"Well, so a woman walks into the bar claiming she's a dancer. She does her thing," she looked pointedly at Eric. "And then she, what, mambos you alive?"
"She was obviously a witch and cast a spell on Eric," Pam threw up her hands in exasperation and Sookie crinkled her nose.
"This sounds like a bad soap opera."
"This sounds," Pam corrected. "Like trouble for Area Five and all of us." The atmosphere of the small group turned much more somber as they all thought about what Eric's newfound humanity could mean.
"But why would someone want you to be human?" Sookie asked.
"Revenge, a plan for a takeover, the possibilities are endless. I'm infinitely more vulnerable in this…condition," he looked down at his body in evident disgust. "Attempts to attack would likely be more successful."
When no one said anything else Sookie clapped her hands together. "Okay," she said cheerily. "So, what do we do?"
"We find her and force her to reverse the spell," Eric's face was determined. "And we get her to tell us whose orders she was following."
"It will be easy to track her. She had a, distinctive smell." Pam sniffed as if to showcase what she meant and Sookie's mouth fell open.
"You're going to track her scent? Like a bloodhound?"
Pam smirked. "Don't you worry, Sookie we'll find the witch."
"Until then," Eric interjected thoughtfully, "I am in grave danger. This body is soft and weak and it has needs I haven't dealt with in over a thousand years."
Sookie was incredulous. "You can't forget how to be human, Eric. It's simple and obvious. And human bodies aren't soft and weak they're just not cold and dead."
The other vampires regarded her. "If anyone was planning to attack you, they'd first assume you were with me or Chow or another vampire to protect you," Pam said slowly. "And our houses are not safe because other vampires can enter them without permission. The safest place for you to be is somewhere that no one would anticipate and no vampire could enter and overpower you." She focused on Sookie and Sookie shifted, feeling uncomfortable and certain she was getting in over her head.
"Look," she began. "I don't know what ya'll are thinking but I'm definitely not equipped to take care of Eric ever, especially if vampires and witches and God knows what else are after him!"
Eric looked stung. "I do not need you to take care of me. I simply need a place to stay where I would not immediately be associated and where vampires cannot enter. Also it would help," he stressed the word "if I had someone around who was able to assist me in my human needs."
"You need food and air and water, and to use the bathroom I guess and shower and shave, I mean dang-it," Sookie stamped her foot. "You were a human once, Eric Northman."
Eric nodded and absently stroked the pulse on his neck. He looked so forlorn that Sookie felt her resolve breaking. "I seem to remember that you requested help locating your incompetent sibling," he offered. "It seems if that is still an arrangement that you are interested in, I have figured out a way you can repay me."
"Oh for Pete's sake," she exclaimed. "You can stay with me until Pam figures out a better location." Eric's eyes shone brightly at her. "Under the condition that you behave and don't cause me trouble or try any funny business." She considered everything for a moment. "And you still have to help me find Jason."
"I agree to aid in the search for your brother. And I will do my best to keep you from harm. And, I can promise you, Sookie, that nothing I 'try' with you will be in the least bit funny."
Sookie rolled her eyes and downed her drink. She had just agreed to babysit a human turned vampire turned human. She had the all too familiar feeling of her life spinning out of her control and she sighed with resignation and stood.
"Well come on, Eric. Let's go home."