From Chapter 8

"Eric, wait a minute, please." He turned to look at me, and before I lost my nerve, I said, "Will you kiss me goodnight?" I could tell by the look on his face that he was most definitely NOT expecting that. Not that he was disappointed. He walked over to me, put his hands on my cheeks, framing my face, and laid his lips to mine. He slowly nibbled on my lower lip, until my lips parted, and he was able to slip his tongue into my mouth. I had only ever kissed Eric like this in my dreams, and, I can now say that they did not even BEGIN to do him justice. After another moment had passed, he gently ended the kiss, stroked my cheek with his thumb, said goodnight, and walked out the door, leaving me in silence.

Chapter 9

SPOV

I bolted upright in the bed, my body covered in a film of sweat. As I worked at slowing my breathing down, I recalled the disturbing images my mind had conjured up, and was glad that I was now awake. My dreams had slowly sifted through several images from my life. First, I was a little girl again and my Uncle Bartlett had his hands all over me. Then, as if in the blink of an eye, the scene changed. I was in the parking lot of Merlotte's and the Ratrays were beating me, trying to kill me. I turned my head away from them, and was running through the cemetery, Rene chasing after me yelling that he was going to kill me. I decided to hide from him, so I jumped into an empty grave, and suddenly I was in the basement of the fellowship church, screaming and crying for help as Gabe tried to rip my clothes off me, and then it was over. I don't know that I've ever been more happy to be awake than I was in that moment. I put my head in my hands to try and steady myself while my heart rate slowly went back to normal. I heard a small knock at the door, and heard Lilliana ask if she could come in, and I told her yes. She had changed from the nightgown I'd put her in last night, and was wearing a simple pair of denim shorts and a green tank top, and her hair was pulled up into a ponytail.

"Hmmm, I see Eric put you in his room," she said with a small smile, walking in and handing me a mug of coffee.

"Eric's room? Why would he have a room here?"

"Well, for the past century or so, Godric and Eric have both had a room at each other's home that were light-tight and with lots of security. That way, if one of them had their location compromised, they still had a safe place to seek refuge."

"That makes a lot of sense. I wish he would've told me that last night though."

"Would it have made a difference? Would you really have told him to move you to another room?" She had a very Eric-like gaze on her face when she asked this.

"No, I wouldn't have. I guess it really doesn't matter. Although, I take it that this Fangtasia t-shirt that I found in the closet and slept in is…"

"Yup, it's his. But, I don't think he's slept here at all since Godric moved in, so, it might be brand new, never worn."

"So, how are you feeling? You look much better by the way."

"Thanks. Yeah, I feel great. Godric's blood is EXTREMELY strong since he's so old, and I feel better than I have in years."

When she said his name, I saw a sad look take over her eyes, and I could tell that her heart longed and hurt for this man. "Ana, please don't think I'm prying, but, what exactly did he say to you at the club the other night that upset you so badly?"

She looked down at her hands and played with the handle of her coffee mug. "He told me that my performance was vulgar, and that it's a good thing my mother died when I was a child, because she didn't deserve to see me acting like such a wanton whore." As soon as the words left her, she lifted the mug and took a drink, keeping her eyes on me to see my reaction.

"Oh, wow. That's….that's just horrible! But, I'm sure he didn't mean it honey."

"Oh, I know he didn't. He tried to apologize for it last night, but, I didn't want to think about it right then."

We sat in companionable silence for a moment, before I said, "You really miss your mom a lot, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. She was the only family I ever had. She was an only child, and her parents both died before I was born. I mean, Godric, Isabel and Eric have always been just like family to me, but, it's just not the same."

"What about your father?"

"I've never met him. In fact, my mother would never tell me anything about him when I was a child. She'd just say that I looked a lot like him. But, when I turned 18, Isabel came to me at my school. I always knew that she and my mother had been friends when my mother was working for Godric, and she told me that my mother told her the story of my father once, and, as she lay dying, she asked Isabel to please tell me the story when I turned 18, because I had a right to know the truth. My mother was raised in Spain, and her father died in an industrial accident when she was 3, and her mother died of cancer 15 years later. She didn't have any other family, but, she was engaged to a man named Fernando. So, when he offered to take her to America with him, she jumped at the chance to start a new life here with him. Several months passed, and he began to grow distant, and she was fairly certain he was cheating on her. He had a friend who would come over often, and the two men would get drunk together. He came over one night when Fernando wasn't at home, and she was hesitant to let him in, but, because he was such good friends with Fernando, she felt she didn't have a choice. He asked her to have a drink with him, and, she said that she didn't remember anything else about that night. She woke up the next morning to screaming. Apparently Fernando had stayed out all night, and came home to find my mother in bed with his friend. He immediately broke off the engagement and forced her to leave his home with only a few clothing items. She found out several years later that it had been planned. Fernando sent his friend to the house, had him slip her a drug in her drink, and then they made sure he found them the next morning so he had an excuse to kick her out. But, apparently, this friend decided to take the scam all the way, because, 9 months later, I was born, looking exactly like the man who had betrayed her. I can't say that I blame her for never telling me. Isabel said that my mother wanted me to know that she never regretted having me. She said that it taught her that in life, some of the most precious things can come to us through the most painful situations." She paused, took another sip of coffee, and seemed to contemplate what to say next. "I made Isabel swear that she would never tell Godric about that. I told Eric myself the following Christmas, but, he promised not to tell Godric as well."

"That explains why Eric was so upset when the police made a comment that you don't look Spanish, even though your name is."

"Yes. My mother gave me her last name, and swore that she'd never marry. Growing up, I expected it to be just the two of us forever. She must've trusted Godric very much, because I can't imagine her agreeing to let him be my guardian otherwise."

"You love him very much, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," she said as a single tear slid down her cheek. "But, I knew that he would always think of me as that little girl he sent off to boarding school. That's why I choose that specific dance number for the other night. I wanted him to see that I wasn't a child. I wanted him to see me as a woman. I wanted him to see me as desirable. Instead, he saw me as trash."

"Oh, Ana, no. He didn't think you were trash. I think he was just upset because, he's only seen you as a sweet, innocent person, and suddenly, there you were with two men rubbing their hands all over you for all to see."

She closed her eyes, and wiped the tears from her cheeks, and I could tell that she desperately wanted to think about something else. "So, Eric said you can't read my mind. Do you think it's because of the tumor?"

"That would be my best guess. I've never NOT been able to read another human before."

"Ya know, once the tumor started growing, they couldn't glamour me anymore."

"Really? That's odd."

"Yeah. I guess that the first time I went to Dallas to visit Godric so I could see my mom's grave, I walked in on Stan having a heated discussion with Godric about me. Obviously, I don't remember it because as soon as it was over, Godric glamoured me to forget, but, Isabel told me later that it had happened. And then, the first time I was there again after we knew it was growing again, Isabel had found a member of the nest in the woods, where he had been drained and left to die. I was with Godric when she brought him in, and afterwards, he tried to glamour me so I wouldn't have to remember what the poor vampire looked like, but, it wouldn't work. Godric and Isabel talked about it at great length, and even called Eric, and the best they could figure, it was because of the tumor."

I excused myself to the bathroom while she went into the kitchen to make some breakfast for us. I came in a few minutes later, after having put my jeans back on, and slipping my bra on, but, leaving on the Fangtasia shirt I had worn to sleep in. When I walked into the kitchen, she noticed, because she raised her eyebrows a little and just smiled at me. We sat down and started eating some toast and eggs, when she suddenly put down her fork and looked up at me very seriously.

"I know it's none of my business, but, I can't hold back anymore. What the hell is going on between you and Eric?"

Oh boy, I knew this would come up sometime, but, I guess I hadn't expected it quite yet. "That's a very good question, Ana. One I wish I knew the answer to."

"Well, why don't you start from the beginning? How did the two of you meet?"

I told her about Bill taking me to the club when I was trying to clear Jason's name of the horrible murders that Rene had actually been guilty of. I saw understanding click into place in her eyes when I told her about my helping to expose Longshadow as the thief in the club, and the events that followed it. I told her that I had discovered that Eric had taken Lafayette and held him prisoner in his basement, and that when I found out, Eric negotiated for me to help him in Dallas in return for Lafayette's release. I finished up by telling her of all of the events in Dallas, including Godric and Eric rescuing me from the fellowship, Eric tricking me into drinking his blood, and everything that had happened since, up to the point where Bill and Jessica had left for New Orleans just before she had arrived in Shreveport. During the whole story, I saw many different emotions cross her face, but, she let me continue and never interrupted.

"So, now, since I've had Eric's blood, I keep having these sex dreams about him, and I'm finding myself attracted to him, and it's almost like I crave his presence. It's starting to really freak me out."

"Okay, Sook. Seriously. I think that you need to talk to Godric about all of this. I'm no expert on the effects of vamp blood, but, it seems that you've been misinformed."

Oh, I did not like the sound of this at all. "What do you mean?"

"It takes a whole hell of a lot more than just a few drops of blood to make you desire the vamp whose blood you've had. Even WITH as old as Eric is. With the amount you had, he should be able to sense your emotions and your location, and that's about it."

"But if that's the only effects it would have, then why did he do it? That doesn't make sense."

"That's why I think you need to talk to Godric. I have a feeling that there's something else happening here that we're not aware of. But, trust me; Eric would NEVER trick you into drinking his blood so that you'd want to have sex with him."

Now it was MY turn to raise my eyebrow and look incredulous.

"Don't get me wrong, I believe he tricked you into it. But, think about it. This is ERIC we're talking about here. He wouldn't do that because in his mind, all he has to do for any human woman to want him is simply to LOOK at them." Yeah, that did sound like egotistical Eric.

"But, why would I suddenly want him around me. I mean, the guy's a total savage. Look what he did to poor Lafayette!"

"Sook, I know this is hard for you to hear. But, let me put it to you this way. Think about the kind of existence that Godric and Eric have had. They didn't choose that life. They've had to feed off of humans in order to live. Now, I realize that they were much, MUCH more brutal than they had to be. But, they didn't know any other way. They were hunted simply for what they were. And for more than a thousand years for Eric, and even longer for Godric, they had to conceal what they really were. They had to watch everything around them change. They watched everyone they had ever cared about grow old and die. And then, when they were finally able to announce to the world what they really were, the majority of people had one of two reactions. Either they wanted to slaughter them, or they wanted to make God's of them. Practically every woman who has set eyes on Eric either wanted him destroyed, or lusted after him and wanted him to bite her. Not once did a woman want to be by his side, and see who truly lay beneath all the layers of vampire bullshit. When I first met him, I didn't like him either. He was rude, conceited, and had no regard for human life whatsoever. At least, that's what I thought I saw. But, knowing that Godric held him in such great regard, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and did my best to get to know him. I haven't regretted it for one moment since. He's my brother. He's my best friend. And, yes, he can be ruthless and terrifying. But, imagine him using that power to protect you. It's a very powerful thing."

I didn't know what to say. All I could do was stare out of the window at the sky, taking in everything she said. It made sense. And, hadn't I already noticed that the more time I spent with Eric, the more I got to know him, the more I found that I enjoyed his company?

We were both distracted from any further conversation on the issue as my cell phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and answered.

"Sookie? Hey, it's Sam."

"Oh, hi Sam. What's up?"

"Oh, well, I just talked to Hoyt, and I wanted to call and see how you were doing."

Well, that was odd. Why would talking to Hoyt make him wonder about me? Unless… "Okay, and what exactly did Hoyt say?"

"Well, he told me that you and Bill had broken up."

"WHAT? That's news to me. The last time I saw Bill, or even spoke to him, was the night he told me he had to go to New Orleans for a few weeks on business. What made Hoyt think we'd broken up?"

"Well, he said he got a call from Jessica last night. She told him that Bill had arranged for a moving truck to be at his place today to pick up all of their stuff, and that they would be staying in New Orleans from now on, because there was no reason to stay in Bon Temps anymore."

Son of a mother! No wonder his cell number was out of service. He was just going to abandon me, and not say a single word to me about anything!

"Hmm. Well, Sam, listen, I can't talk about that right now. I know that I had a few days off not long ago when I went to Dallas, but, something's come up and I need to take at least a week off." At this, Lilliana gave me a puzzled look.

"Um, what's up? Is it because of Bill?"

"No, absolutely not. Actually, it's just that a good friend of mine was assaulted the other night, and, until the police arrest the guy that did it, it's not safe for her to be alone, so, I'm going to be spending a lot of time with her."

"Oh, okay. I understand, I guess. It's nice of you to look after her like that. Do you need somebody to pick up your mail, or keep an eye on your place or anything?"

"Well, I guess I'll just put a temporary forward on my mail, but, if you wouldn't mind keeping an eye on the place for me, I'd sure appreciate it. I'll try and stop by there later tonight to pick up my check, okay?"

"Sure, Sook. No problem. I really AM sorry about the whole Bill thing. If you need anything else, just let me know, okay?"

"I will, Sam. You're such a good friend. I'll talk to ya later." And with that, I hung up the phone, turned to Lilliana, and said, "Yeah, I'm thinking that Godric and I need to have a little chat tonight."