A/N: Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers: erin1705, nordiclover, livesimple, SVMReaderCH, xxxbulletxxx, Ericsfae, sydkiwi, vikingtrubie, ncmiss12, foxgodess07, Hanabella Louise, SuperK4141, Alottalove, aprilshowers021, EN426, bbet, sluggysmom, Queen of Night, ebm1, writergirl89, tbloodlover1000, Cante, Gina, bwtawny, VALady, IkeaGoddess, Thorsminion, StarKiss666, Spygrrl, RockBouvier21, Kerriki, whitestripes123, KaiaRay, Anna-Rogue-Marie-Howlett, Rhiannon-shaxton, E-NorthmanzLuvR , sweetdamage, racecz5, Aria Night, Evie, and OzzyKomaKozzy.

So, my version of Sookie is a little bitchy, I admit, but there is a reason for it. I took the time to read other True Blood fanfics before I started writing this, and the one thing that I consistently disliked was how quickly Sookie always fell in love with Eric, or vice versa. While this is AU, I want it to keep base with what's going on in the Show as far as personality is concerned. Thus far, apart from the dreams, the history between Sookie and Eric has been kind of limited. There were a few touching moments, but nothing concrete to affirm any kind of relationship - this is where we're picking up. This is the beginning to, on Sookie's part, a very reluctant relationship.

Also, I apologize if this wasn't clear in the last chapter, Sookie and Eric pretty much slept clean through the day since they were both up…all…night…yeah. It's dusk by the time they wake up and Eric get's dropped back into the human world.

Oh! RACECZ5, and EVIE, you two get a cookie. You were the only ones to see it, haha.

Enjoy the chapter!

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.

Eric reached for Sookie as she moved away from him but his fingers closed around air. He blinked; he hadn't moved, but she was gone. He squinted against the dying rays of the sun and felt a brief moment of concern but was pleasantly surprised to feel the warmth without the burn. He immediately thought of Russell Edgington and how warm the sun had felt before it began to smolder. He remembered laying there, the silver poisoning him as the sun scorched him. He had resolved to die, as he had one thousand years ago before Godric came to him. One thousand years when the damned Irish had turned the tides against him and pushed his army back. Russell Edgington had done the same but Eric had the opportunity to return the favor, unlike one thousand years ago. His eyes had been on the sun, fluttering open and closed as Godric's spirit spoke to him, because it was the last thing he wanted to see.

And then she came. She had tried to reason with him first, to convince him to abandon his mad crusade against the man who inadvertently stole his mortal life, and come back inside. He couldn't have even if he wanted to, so he told her to leave – she shouldn't have to watch him die. But she didn't leave him. She forced her magic to break the chain and dragged him back inside. The problem was, Russell's death no longer held any honor without him dying as well – especially since he would have to suffer the consequences for his death by the Authority – so he had Sookie drag him in as well. Plausible deniability was a beautiful thing. If they asked him if they knew anything about Russell's whereabouts, Eric could truthfully tell them that the last time he saw him, Russell was alive.

Now he was in a real predicament. Sookie was being extremely stubborn and unreasonable, in his opinion. If she were anyone else, doing and saying the same things, he would have laughed at their stupidity. But this wasn't stupidity – it was insecurity and a troubled upbringing. Her poor experience with Compton had left her resorting to the most basic of all human's defenses: eradication. You have a problem with something, find the cause and get rid of it. In her mind, the cause of her problems was a Vampire presence in her life. What she was doing was biologically ingrained in her, and completely understandable – that didn't make it any less irritating. She had now cast him out of the Veil and left herself completely defenseless, because she needed to think. Well, fine, so be it. She would have to come out sooner or later, and he would sense her when she did.

Despite his understanding her reaction, he had had enough of letting her have her way. He had done little more than make arrangements for her safety and well being, and his, all of which he was completely honest and upfront about, and now she had left him no choice but to go behind her back. Perhaps that would suit her better – not seeing the strings that made her life dance. The first order of business, then, was to see Sam Merlotte. That shifter boss of hers, who also happened to be completely in love with her, would take Eric's side whether he liked it or not. It hardly took him any time to reach the bar, which was beginning to fill up. He entered through the front door, observing the general hustle and bustle. These were the people Sookie had grown up with, these drunks and uneducated hicks? He shook his head. No wonder she'd had such a hard time growing up in this town.

He slid into a barstool, waiting for Sam to appear. The sun was still setting, the sky a dull haze of orange in the horizon. The current bartender, who Eric recognized as slightly off, asked him what he wanted to drink with an air of discomfort. Eric opened his mouth to order a True Blood, but paused for a moment and decided not to alert the human that he was a vampire – it would cause an uproar among them, a Vampire out of doors before the sun set. He shook his head and asked to speak to the owner. He was told, rather gruffly, that Sam was busy. Not wanting to wait, Eric nodded and went around the bar to the back, where he knew the shifter's office to be. He opened the door without knocking, smirking as the shifter turned to see who it was and promptly dropped the case of beer he was holding.

"What the fuck?"

"Well, hello to you too Sam." He chuckled, enjoying watching all the blood drain from the shifter's face.

"How…How is this possible?"

Eric grinned. "Sooke is a very special girl, Sam,"

The change was immediate. The pallor Sam had dawned when he saw Eric, during the day, changed into a deep red, his eyes flashing with fury. "If you've done anything to her, so help me God, I will stake you where you stand!"

Eric cocked his head to the side, watching the expression and tone morph at the prospect of Sookie being hurt. Good. That would making things earlier. "Put your pencil away, Shifter. She's fine," Physically. Emotionally…

"Then what did you mean by crediting her with this new found ability?"

"Why Sam, I do believe you're nervous."

"Gee," He snapped "A vampire that can walk in the sun. Why would I be nervous?"

Eric smiled, enjoying the reaction. "I credited Sookie with my ability because I give credit where it's due. Sookie is part Faery, and –"

"Wait, what?"

"Faery. She's a faery. Now, Sam, I had taken you for more intelligent than this," Well, no, not really, but it wouldn't do well to insult Sam when Eric was going to ask him for aid in the next twenty seconds… On second thought, it didn't matter if the shifter didn't like it; he was ordering, not asking. "I'm a vampire standing in the back-room office of a bar run by a man who can change into animals at will. Your town was taken over by a Maenad a year ago. Why wouldn't there be other things out there?"

"Well, yeah, sure, but Faeries?"

"Yes, Faeries. Sookie is one of them and she has temporarily granted me the ability to walk in the sun." He paused, trying to decipher the look on Sam's face. "Why do you look so confused?"

"I'm trying to figure out when the hell that girl got so damned stupid!"

"She's not stupid," Stubborn, willful, irrational – yes, but not stupid. "It wasn't really her, anyway. It was her Faery alter-ego." Sam was looking at him like he had just gotten off the crazy train. Well, maybe he had. It sounded far-fetched, even to him. Regardless of Sam's disbelief, Eric didn't care – the shifter would help him anyway. "And it's only temporary, as I understand it. One week, one time only deal."

He could see Sam's shoulders visibly relax. "Alright, supposing I believe you – and seeing you walk in the sun really doesn't give me much of a choice – what do you want from me?"

Eric sighed. "I am tired of Sookie being stubborn and putting herself needlessly in harms way. She sees someone in trouble and just can't mind her own business,"

Sam eyed him with obvious distaste. "Believe me, I know."

The corners of Eric's mouth instinctively began to tug upward – so this is where Sookie's smart mouth was encouraged. He certainly doubted that she would be half so willful had it not been propagated by the shifter and her friends. "She got herself into some trouble while she was away,"

"Of course she did." Sam was pinching the bridge of his nose, and rifled through a desk drawer to pull out a bottle of Aspirin. "Keep talking."

'I can't. She won't tell me exactly what she's done. I only know that she's gotten herself into trouble and only returned to Bon Temps because it was a good, comfortable hole she could climb in."

Sam ignored the hidden insult. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"Keep an eye on her, a better eye on her than you have in the past. I don't know who our new enemy is and that disturbs me almost as much as knowing she's gotten herself into something again. And," Eric hesitated before he said the next sentence, reluctant to bring a shifter into Vampire affairs. "You need to keep Compton away from her."

Sam's eyebrows were raised, his eyes boring into Eric's. "Bill Compton moved to New Orleans right after Sookie disappeared."

"He'll be back, now that she is. I would imagine the Queen is keeping him close at hand for his failure, but she will let him go for this – for her."

"And? Bill's never hurt Sookie before."

"Sookie was his before, and now she's not, and so she is going to make his life a great deal more difficult. Bill…doesn't respond well to things he doesn't predict. He doesn't plan ahead, and as a result reacts to everything without thinking them through. When he learns that Sookie is mine he will try and take her by force, maybe even attempt to kill me first so it will be legal by Vampire law."

"You're his superior though, politically, and older than him, right?"

"Yes, but he has the ear of the Queen and there is no telling how far she will take this to acquire Sookie, and I can't give it my full attention because Sookie's got her own problems to deal with."

"If they're Sookie's problems, why don't you let her handle them? She's more than capable, and she's going to be spitting fire when she finds out you've gone behind her back to enlist her friends to spy on her."

"If she finds out. And why were you angry when she came back after being gone for a year?"

"I wasn't. I'm just..." He trailed off, an odd look coming over his face. "Happy that she's home safe and sound."

Eric cocked his head to the side. If he didn't know any better, he would say this man had been glamoured, were it not for the presence of his mind rather than the absence of it. Eric's mouth turned down into a slightly irritated grimace. Sookie was keeping things from him again, still. But, that was to be expected. She hadn't grasped what being his meant for her yet. She would, given time. For a millisecond, Eric harkened to the days of old when one could just throw a woman over your shoulder and chain her in your castle. But things wouldn't be nearly so fun that way.

"I see. Well, now that she's home, safe and sound," He couldn't help but mock the shifter a little. "Let's try and keep her that way, even despite her best efforts," Eric turned to leave before turning back. "I'll have a True Blood in a wine-glass, if you don't mind. The last thing I want right now is for people to know I'm a vampire that can walk in the sun."

Sam nodded and turned back to his desk, beginning to stack the paperwork. Eric left him in peace and returned to the bar, his eyes scanning the crowd for Compton or his annoying-as-fuck prodigy. There was no trace of either, and Eric let himself relax and gently reach out to stroke their bond – it pulsed beneath him, but lay dormant. He couldn't open it. Well, that was interesting. So, she could block him out. Sam returned from the back, wine glass already in hand, and set it before him discreetly, giving him no more attention than any other customer. It made Eric pleased to know that he had made the right decision in not killing him outright when he had found out about the dog-to-naked-man-on-the-end-of-her-bed incident. Eric was nothing if not possessive, and he didn't like anyone else knowing what was his, in the biblical sense. Sookie's telepathy and consequent celibacy was a blessing – it meant he had fewer people to kill. Bill Compton was going to die for this transgression, though he didn't know it yet. Eric was merely waiting for an excuse, and he had forever to wait.

A man slid into the seat next to him, looking well worn and beaten down. His jeans were stained by the grass and dirt, ripped at the bottom on both legs though they looked to be brand new. His tan suede jacket was likewise dirty. Eric didn't know who the man was, or particularly care, but he was bored and likely had a few more hours, by his estimation, before Sookie returned from the Veil.

"You look like you've had a rough day," Eric commented, sipping his 'wine'.

"Oh, you've no idea." The man ordered three consecutive shots of whiskey and slammed them all, one after the other. Eric noted he had an undertone of an Irish brough and waited to see if the man would talk. When he didn't, Eric decided to push a little further.

"You and me both," Always offer information about yourself after you ask something personal: It makes the person you're talking to, subconsciously, feel a bond with you and will speak more openly with you. Eric had always found the human Psyche to be fascinating.

The man looked at him. "Girl trouble?"

"Isn't it always?" Eric asked carefully, following the mans response as a springboard.

He snorted into his fourth shot. "Mm. Certainly seems that way,"

Huh. So, this man guarded his words carefully. That was an interesting thing to do, when making small talk with a stranger. Despite himself, Eric was intrigued and gave the man another piece of information. "Yeah, my girl just can't seem to stay out of trouble."

"Mine either. She got into some trouble with my family and took off without another word."

"Really?" Eric's eyebrows raised; runaway bride?

"Yeah. I tried to tell her that it was nothing, that it didn't matter what they thought and that I would take care of them."

"She didn't believe you?"

"She didn't give me a chance, just took off."

"To here?" What was this town, anyway? A geographic hotspot for the supernatural and hidey-hole for wayward women who didn't want to be found?

"Apparently." He let out a noise of frustration and began to gesture wildly. "Why does she have to be so damn stubborn and willful?"

"Why, indeed?" Eric nodded. "Mine as well. Why can't they just understand, that everything we do, we do for them?"

He nodded furiously. "Exactly! We do, and do, and do for them. It's our responsibility to take care of them, after all. Of course, they're modern and independent, and don't need us, but that was never the point! We love them - it's only right that we should take care of them."

"But they never think of it that way," Ever.

"No, they don't," He paused to take a drink.

"Could the assumption be made, then, that the reason you're covered head-to-toe in swamp is this girl?"

"Damn right. Her family owns some property out here, somewhere. I spent the entire day stomping through the fuckin' bayou to find the damn place with no luck."

"If I knew the area better, I would help you. Shreveport is my home. You could try asking some of the locals, maybe. Drop her last name around - if it's a family home, I'm sure someone will know."

"That's a good idea. I think I'll try that, seeing as I'm not terribly keen on trekking through that swamp again."

Eric nodded and felt his spine tingle; Sookie was back on his radar. She must have left the Veil. "Well, it's been a pleasure talking with you..." He trailed off, realizing he'd never gotten the mans name.

"Brion. Brion Boru."

"Eric Northman," It was only polite.

"Well, Eric Northman, I hope to see you around. It'd be nice to have a friend in this strange place while I try and romance my girl to come home with me."

"I wish you the best of luck," Eric slapped a fifty on the counter for his True Blood, leaving the shifter a generous tip. Eric gave Brion a genteel nod and exited. He and the man had much in common - so, the question was, why didn't he like him?

A/N: Heheh...I've had that scene planned out in my head since the beginning.

Great job once again to my Beta, Rachael, and for every review you leave please leave Rachael a piece of cheesecake (or maybe personalize it, and make it your favorite dessert). Reviews please!