Chapter 4

Thanks to everyone who writes svm fan fiction, because it motivates me to write my own.

I do not own any of these characters; they all belong to Charlaine Harris

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"Bonjour amis, bienvenue à notre maison." A male and female vampire greeted us at the door. They both looked very aristocratic with arched brows and thin, sharp features. The male had hair almost exactly the same as Raul, while the female had beautiful sleek white blonde hair. They were both wearing Pam style clothing.

"Hello, Charles and Vianne it's nice to see you again." Raul stepped forward. I wanted to hold out my hand to shake but I remembered that vampires don't do that.

"Let me introduce Miss Amelia Carmichael and her friend Miss Sookie Stackhouse." He said kind of stepping aside so that Charles and Vianne could inspect us.

"It's lovely to meet you." Vianne said smiling. "Please come in." Charles and Raul took the horses around to tie them up while Vianne showed us into her parlor.

"So how long have you been staying here?" Amelia asked. I could kind of see the three of us all going horseback riding together. I tried not to giggle.

"Well, my father owned this when it was first built." Amelia seemed impressed. These houses were no doubt old albeit well kept. "I had always loved coming here in the summer but after my death I had no time to do such things. However I found later on that no one had seriously lived here in a long while, so I bought it and Charles and I came to live here. We are not ones for the serious politics that most other vampires get mixed up in, so this house is like heaven for us." Amelia looked sideways at me and sent me her thoughts.

"Do vampires date each other?" she asked me. I shook my head no. Eric had explained to me that the sharing of blood gave the other vampire too much hold over you than most felt comfortable with. It was very unusual to see vampire couples.

Charles and Raul walked into the room. Raul sat next to me on the sofa and Charles stood behind Vianne. I swear it was like from a Jane Austen novel.

"You are both from Louisiana am I correct?" Charles asked. I fidgeted in my seat a little.

"Yes we are." Amelia told him.

"That's very interesting." Charles looked thoughtful "We have gotten word recently that a sheriff from Louisiana is coming here looking for his pet." I blanched. "You aren't aquatinted with an Eric Northman are you?"

"I don't think so," I put in before Amelia could open her mouth "are you Amelia?"

"Not that I know of," she smiled "but that is a funny story. I've never known a vampire to do such a thing."

"Oh we haven't either. It is quite strange." Vianne laughed. Raul was looking at me with one eyebrow raised. I didn't look at him.

I was on edge for the rest of the evening. Raul and Charles played pool while Amelia, Vianne and I talked. I was dying to go home and check my messages. Why on earth was Eric coming here?! I bet he had called me by now. I was trying to think of ways that he could get here that excluded planes. I couldn't come up with any except swimming or flying. I doubt he would choose either of those.

I sighed. At least Vianne and Charles weren't in on all the vampire gossip. They would have known who I was for sure. I felt kind of like a fugitive on the run from the law. I guess being his bonded and promised and all that for me Eric was supposed to be the law. Ha, as if.

I thought that we would have stayed for dinner, but then I remembered that Charles and Vianne would probably be having dinner in less conventional ways then I imagined. Amelia and I said good-bye to Vianne and Charles while Raul got the horses. It was strange because I'd never been actual friends with a vampire before. It was usually love or hate or service.

When I got home I saw that I had six voice mail messages three were from Eric, two from Bill and one from Sam. I sighed and decided that I might try to use the luxurious bathtub I had been allotted. I filled it up with really hot water and mixed in some lavender bubble bath. I stripped down my clothes and lit some candles. It was a little too warm, but I decided that the heat would be good for me.

I guessed that now would be as good a time as ever to listen to the messages. The first message was from Sam. Surprisingly he didn't sound too mad at me. The next ones were alternately from Eric and Bill. Eric yelled at me some and scolded me and then pleaded with me. Bill's first message was unpleasant. He yelled at me for forcing him to take my blood. I almost yelled back that if he wanted to he could have said no. The second message from him was an apology for yelling and telling me that I had been rash by leaving without taking one of them for protection.

I sighed and sank down deeper into the water, and then I had an idea. I pressed my number two speed dial.

"Sookie, where are you." Eric demanded. He had barely let it finish it's first ring.

"Hey Eric, I'm in a bath tub." I told him truthfully. "I'm taking a bubble bath and relaxing and enjoying myself without having to deal with any worries." I splashed a little water so that he could hear I was really telling the truth.

"Sookie," Eric began, "if you are trying to get me to think that you are going to be fine all by your self then you have failed. You have however succeeded in making me want to find you even more." I groaned.

"Eric, come on! I mean what's the big deal?" I asked.

"Sookie the deal is that you should be here with me. The deal is that I just know someone is going to want you. The deal is that I should be there with you."

"Eric are you jealous that I didn't want to go on a month long vacation with you?" I laughed a little "You know that kind of sounds like a honey moon."

"Maybe I am a little jealous. Regardless of my jealousy is what you did to ensure that I could not find you if I needed to or not. What if something happens and I can't make it in time because I can't find you?" It was kind of a valid question. I was a magnet for trouble.

"Eric, I'm going to go because tomorrow I'm going to learn how to ride a horse, so I need my rest. I'll call you tomorrow." I promised.

"What no "I love you"?" I bet he was smiling his trademark smile, the one that I absolutely love.

"Maybe I'll say it again if you go home." I told him.

"Oh so you have herd that I'm coming?" he asked. I sensed that I was in trouble. Eric laughed.

"Good night lover." And then he was gone.

"Shit." I said to myself. He was coming and I had just told him that he was heading in the right direction. I bet all he had to do was look in a phone book and under the name Carmichael and BAM he would be here and taking me home and I would be in trouble. I had barely started to enjoy myself. This called for evasive action. I needed another plan. I wrapped myself up in a silk robe that I brought and traipsed over to Amelia's room.

Raul was in her room and they were playing a card game. 
"Hey," I started, they both looked up at me. Raul's eyes traveled down and up again. I felt myself blush and then I realized that Eric had been right. "Listen, we have a problem."

"Yeah I figured that when Charles told us about Eric." Amelia said.

"Okay," Raul cut in "perhaps someone could fill me in. Who is Eric and what does he have to do with either of you?" I looked down at my feet so Amelia explained my relationship with Eric. Raul just looked stunned.

"We need a plan in case he finds where we are." I said. Raul was still kind of staring at me.

"In case?" Amelia echoed me "It's inevitable. He's coming. Right now its more a matter of when."

"Can we trust Vianne and Charles to not say anything?" Raul asked. I shook my head.

"No, they could be severely punished. I'm under the protection of King Felipe, and that's kind of a big deal. But I don't think they know what I look like which is a good thing."

"Yeah, but not for long. You can be sure that Eric will be faxing every vampire in France pictures of the both of us." I sighed. That was true.

"So what should we do?" Raul asked. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Raul, if I were you I would stay as far away from this situation as humanly possible. Eric can get, well Eric can be…" 


"He's a vampire, he gets overly possessive." Amelia finished for me. Raul didn't look phased.

"Well I would be on crappy butler if I didn't help you guys escape from Sookie's jealous boyfriend. Plus I like adventure. It makes me feel like I'm Alfred, Batman's butler. That guy has a cool job." Amelia and I laughed at him. Raul was kind of a dork. I felt a wave of tiredness before I could gather my thoughts.

"Maybe we should make a detailed plan tomorrow." Amelia said. I sat down on the floor. I just couldn't stand. Amelia gave Raul a look and then he stood and helped me up.

"Come on Sookie, you've had a long day." He helped me out into the hallway. There were portraits on the walls and they all seemed to be regarding me with judgmental eyes.

"They freak me out too." Raul said, noticing how I eyed the paintings warily. We finally reached my room. I took one look at the bed, took off my robe and then just sank into it.