A/n: Thank you all so much for your support! A big thank you to my reviewers: footychick, VAlady, TB-Chelyk, erin1705, bethelove, MollyCollins, downbelowgirl, spygrrl, KaiaRay, DawnLeon, Sluggysmom, nordiclover, ericismine, and dark lily amber.

Thanks, also, to everyone who alerted and/or favorited this story as well!

Eek. Two updates in one day! Ok, well, technically two days since it's after midnight, but it's been less than 12 hours since I posted the first chapter so I'm going with one day.

Here's chapter two!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 2: Whose House is it Anyway?

"Stay away from me!" Sookie practically skidded down the stairs, trying to put some space between them.

"This is no way to treat your new landlord."

And he was in front of her again, invading her personal space…all 6'5" of blonde haired, blue eyed Viking of him. Sookie stopped short as he cut her off. "I am not yours and I want you out of my house now!"

"Funny about ownership, isn't it?" Sookie noted that he seemed to be fighting a smile. "A little piece of paper and the only power you had over me is gone." He stopped fighting. He was definitely smirking now. Sookie felt a wave of irritation flood her veins.

"What do you want from me?" Other than to drive her crazy, she meant.

"Everything." Why did his voice have to send quivers down her spine like that?

"You can't have it." Sorry Charlie, no dice.

"I bought it." He sounded so sure of himself, like he had everything all figured out.

"You bought my house. The house does not come with me inside it." Jackass.

"Oh, well then I seriously overpaid." …No comment.

"That's your problem." Sookie slipped past him, and regretted her words. She was getting sassy and it wouldn't serve her well. For a moment, she felt afraid – this was his house now. He could turn her out at any moment, if he wanted. She banished the thought from her mind. Home is where your heart is. This was just a house. She winced internally, not liking the sound of her own thoughts.

"Your blood tastes like freedom, Sookie. Like sunshine in a pretty blonde bottle. And while they may not know it yet, that is what vampires smell when they smell you."

Was he…? Was he threatening her? "Is that a threat?"

"Absolutely not," He replied immediately, his tone changing abruptly to reassure her. "But others will find out, and when they do, you'll need protection," He paused, letting it sink in. "I can provide that for you."

He was serious. "I'm willing to take my chances." She had spent a year in Faery, a year in both magic and combat training. She could take care of herself now. She turned on her heel to continue walking towards the kitchen and found him in front of her again.

"I bought this house because I care about you. If all I wanted was to taste your blood again I could do it right now and there wouldn't be a thing you could do to stop me," Actually, there was a lot she could do to stop him – just nothing he knew about. "Instead, I am asking you to be mine."

Maybe she had missed the memo, but since when did he ask her anything? Last time she checked, he just claimed her. "I could never be with you the way I was with Bill," She hoped. That…man had nearly destroyed her.

"The first time Bill declared you his, how did it make you feel?"

"Angry." Sookie maintained her cool demeanor, not letting herself be overrun by any old feelings.

"But safe?" Ok. Maybe a little of that too, the more she thought about it. Sookie looked down, unable to maintain eye contact with him.

"You'll come around."

She was tired of arguing, but had to hand it to him – he certainly was persistent. "You're not listening to a word I'm saying." But he was. They both knew he was listening, and that he was choosing to push past her words.

"I know you. There are two Sookie Stackhouses," And he was in front of her again, why? He really didn't like being ignored, did he? If this wasn't a semi-serious situation, Sookie would have laughed. "One who clings to the idea that she is merely human, and the other, who is coming to grips with the fact that you are better than that," Better than what, exactly? What's wrong with being human?

"And, what do you think is going to happen when I do come to grips with it? Do you think my legs are just going to magically open for you?" Tsk. Gran would be so disappointed in her.

His face lit up like a kid at Christmas, a large, beaming smile taking over his face. "Well that was saucy! It must have been Faerie Sookie talking. I like when she comes out."

"And I'm already sorry I said it." Really, she was. Even if it did make him smile.

"Don't be. The more you let her speak for you, the more likely you are to go on living."

He paused for a moment, and though his face betrayed nothing, she could sense uncertainty. "And you want to live, don't you?" Depends on the day, really; Maenad Mondays, as she had come to call them, did make one crave peace.

"Well then," He continued. "I hope to hear from you girls soon." And with an awkward, if gentlemanly nod, he left through the back door. His head turned at the sound of the squeaky, slightly rusty hinges.

"I'll see to it that gets repaired!" And then he was gone.

Sookie wandered back into the living room and curled up on her couch. Eric Northman bought her house. Eric: 6'5" of pure Viking; Very old, very powerful vampire; possessive as hell; more charming than any other man she'd ever encountered; landlord. He could come and go as he pleased, do whatever he wanted with her while she was in his house because it was his house. Suddenly his whole twisted logic about owning her house and thereby owning her, started to make more sense. She shuddered, unsure if it was because she was creeped out or because, in some strange way, she liked the fact that he was pursuing her. It was times like these that made her itch to make a pro/con list, which really wouldn't be right. Could she make an informed decision about a relationship based on a pro/con list?

Sookie was reluctant to let something so silly be a determining factor, but…it was late, and she was bored, so…why not? Sookie curled up on the couch and began to write her pro/con list – it wasn't like she had anything better to do till tomorrow anyway.

Eric returned to his home a mere hour after he had left. His meeting with Sookie could have gone better, he admitted, but it could have gone a lot worse too. He slipped into his bed and snickered slightly, reaching into his back pocket to pull out the balled up negligee. She would be spitting mad when she found out, he was sure, but it was worth it. Oh, if Godric could see him now. Godric would have delighted in Eric's predicament, and likely found it amusing. It was immature to steal the negligee, if he admitted to himself, but he simply didn't care. For one, the thing was absolutely hideous – the color alone should be wiped from existence – and secondly, it had been pressed against her skin for the better part of ten minutes.

It served a purpose. It would rile her, which would, in turn, rub him in all the right ways. He began to shake and eventually let go of all restraint and roared with laughter. He felt drunk – happy was a stretch, but drunk would suffice. The negligee lay beside him on his bed and he mused that when Sookie was his, he would buy three hundred and sixty five of them, the day she accepted him, in every color of the rainbow – except this one. One for every day of the year that he would rip one off of her. Images began to roll behind his eyelids: twisting sheets, dimmed lights, long blonde hair threaded through his fingers. If he could, he would send a few more dreams her way. This thought dampened his spirits when he realized that Sookie no longer had enough of his blood in her system to do so, and he promptly set his mental power to coming up with ways to get her to comply.

It was probably around two in the morning now, and he hadn't eaten yet. He slid his phone into his hand and called Pam.

"Eric, where are you? Things are getting a little crazy around here."

"I'm sure you have it all in hand."

"Well I supposed I'd better, with whatever's going on in your head. You feel…fuzzy, intoxicated."

"Fuzzy?" Eric laughed. "I suppose that's one word for it. I'm hungry. Send me something pretty. And blonde."

"What happened to your blonde?"

"She's tired."

"I see," Pam's voice lilted slightly, and Eric knew that she knew the truth. Pam knew Sookie well enough to what it was that Sookie had likely said. "Alright, I'll have someone sent over within the hour."

"Thank you, Pam. Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes, Eric?"

"Send someone over to Sookie's house in the morning. The back door needs to be replaced, and the cupboards and refrigerator need to be stocked."

"As you wish, Eric." Pam replied in a tone that could hardly be mistaken for anything but sarcasm and exasperation.

Eric hung up the phone and buried his face in her negligee. It was like…vampnip. He wanted to roll in it. He stopped himself before he did and his mood promptly darkened. Since when did he succumb to carnal desire? Since when did he let himself lose control like this? He had been around Sookie before, had even tasted her blood without such a strong reaction. Why was he reacting this way now? Because Sookie had returned from wherever she was, smelling more like a Faery than she had when she left.

Eric bolted upright in his bed. Sookie had been to see the Fae. He contemplated returning to her immediately and demanding answers, but given their earlier conversation, he decided it could wait until tomorrow. He gently reached out to touch their bond and felt her calm and steady heartbeat; she was asleep. He stroked the bond gently and felt it shudder.

"Sleep well, little one."

Sookie awoke the next morning in an exceedingly pleasant mood, having slept better than she had in months. She was in her own bed in her own home. Well, kind of. Eric hadn't kicked her out, and he said he'd only bought it so no one else would and she would have a home to come back to… Eh. It was hers. She sat up and slid her legs off the side, stretching her arms. Bemused, she realized she was extremely warm and recognized that she was still wearing her robe. Where was her negligee? She had been so tired last night; she must have forgotten to change into it. Still, it should have been on the bed or the floor next to the bed. Sookie spent a few minutes looking for the lost object only to give up in an exasperated huff and wonder if she hadn't left it somewhere else. As she thought about it, the negligee had stayed in the room, and the only people in the room at the time were her and Eric.

Sookie paused in her thought process. No, no he wouldn't. He was far too mature for that, right? Sookie yanked the sheets off of her bed and tore her room apart. He did. It was the only explanation. That…that…frat boy! Of all the stupid, immature things to do! And she liked that negligee – it was in her favorite color. Damn him. They would have words about this later. Sookie let it go and instead wandered downstairs, sleepily wandering in the kitchen. Her eyes wandered to the clock on the wall and she snorted. Morning indeed. She had slept clean through the morning and into the afternoon! She dipped into the utensil drawer and mindlessly pulled out a measuring cup, dipping it into the coffee jar and setting up the coffee pot. As the coffee percolated, Sookie dozed with her head on her arms at the kitchen table.

Wait a minute. Coffee? Her head lifted from the table to look at the coffee maker. The entire kitchen had been empty last night, she was pretty sure. She opened the refrigerator door and found it completely stocked, and found the cupboards were as well. Eric meant that whole taking care of her thing. She still didn't like the fact that someone had come in while she was sound asleep, though. Her eyes wandered to a bottle of wine in the fridge. It had been there last night, but she hadn't really paid it any mind; it wasn't food. She pulled it out of the fridge to look at the year and kind. Curiosity piqued, she uncorked it and turned it upside down for a second, letting a single drop collect on her finger. She wasn't able to smell any bouquet but wondered if that wasn't because it was only a drop. Her curiosity got the better of her and she gently sucked the drop from finger. As the metallic taste hit her tongue, Sookie did her best to spit it out. It was blood, disguised in a wine bottle. Psycopathic frat boy!

As irritated as she was, the implications hit her. There was blood in fridge. There was blood in a wine bottle that had evidently, at one point in time, been full and was now half empty. Eric hadn't just bought her house – he'd been living in her house. Sookie allowed herself to be comforted by the fact that he couldn't have slept here, but that still didn't change the fact that he had lived in her house enough to actually keep real, human blood in the fridge. Her mind immediately traveled along a different path. What did he do while he was here? He had put a very nice TV in, of course, but that couldn't have been all he did. She could feel her heart skip a beat. He wouldn't have…in her bed, would he? Sookie felt her face flush in mortification at thinking such things.

No, Eric was way too…Eric to do such a thing. But, a nasty part of her mind whispered, he also stole your negligee and only God knows what he's done with that. Sookie involuntarily made a sound that came out as 'Eep!' Her face burned hotter than a sunburn at that moment. He would. He totally would – psychopathic-lingerie-stealing-frat-boy! When she saw him tonight – and she had no doubt that she would see him tonight – he was going to get it! She stopped and looked at the Calendar on the wall. She couldn't see him tonight. It was a full moon. Sookie sighed and wondered if he would listen when she told him to stay away. She doubted it.

Until night fell, however, she had to go see everyone – Jason, Sam, Tara… And explain her absence. Her face darkened. She couldn't really explain without dragging them into a war, which meant she would have no choice but to glamour them. Tonight was the full moon, and for the next eighteen hours she would be at full strength. Faery glamour is different than Vampire glamour, Sookie had been surprised to discover. Vampire glamour actually altered a person's memory while Faery glamour merely... put a veil over their minds, and blinded them to the truth. Of course, they didn't like it when Sookie referred to it as glamouring. Glamour was a Vampire term. The 'correct' term for this power, Sookie was informed, was Thrall. Specifically, Faery Thrall. She inhaled sharply, not liking the idea that she was going to put her best friends in Thrall and screw with their minds, but knew that she had to. Her absence could not be questioned, by anyone, lest it attract the attention of the Faery Queen that had tried to murder her, or the Faery Prince who held her grandfather captive.

She was hiding in plain sight – the human world, the very town she grew up in – but knew that she was going to be found eventually. As in all games of hide and seek, you expect to be found at some point. Sookie was going to make sure that when she was found, it was because she wanted to be found. So long as she steered clear of everyone tonight after nightfall, everything would be fine.

A/N: So….yay? Nay? Things you liked? Things you didn't like? Pacing? Grammar? Spelling? Do I get a cookie? Please review!