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The knock on the door came before Sookie's water glass was empty. Pam had evidently been en route when she was talking to Eric. Sookie opened the door to see Pam with a grocery sack in her arms. "Hi Sookie," she sounded almost cheerful, "May I come in?" Sookie nodded and Pam marched past her into the kitchen. She unpacked the brown bag, revealing a stack of fashion magazines, a carton of ice cream, two DVDs and nail polish. Sookie actually smiled for the second time that night. She knew Eric had to press pretty hard to get Pam to agree to this, but she appreciated it all the same.
"Thanks for coming, Pam. I'm sure it's the last thing you wanted to do tonight. Who's running Fangtasia?" Pam smirked, "I'm using this time to learn what it is about you that has Eric in such a trance. Plus I need a manicure. Fangtasia is closed tonight while a crew cleans up the vandalism." She handed me a bowl of ice cream and proceeded to the sofa. I queued up the Julia Roberts film and decided I needed to know more, "What do you mean, trance?"
"Sookie, you are clouding Eric's judgment. He almost met the sun for your sake. He refused to give you over to Russell. Luckily it all turned out all right, but it could have been tragic. A vamp martyred for a human? Unheard of!" Pam was irritated. Sookie asked, "Who wanted him to give me to Russell?" Pam assumed the deer-in-the-headlights look. "Me." She was nothing if not honest.
"Try to understand the bond Eric and I have. To me, nothing is worth his death, even my own existence. Do not take it personally. Maybe I was wrong about you anyway. You surprised me by dragging him in from the sun. From your point of view, Eric probably seemed like the last person in the world worth saving."
Sookie interrupted, "Why didn't you save him?" Pam replied, "I was following orders not to interfere. Eric thought it was the only way to ensure your safety." Sookie's mind drifted as she allowed Pam to polish her nails. She was rather surprised that she didn't feel so badly about being used and lied to by Bill. With Bill's deceit fresh on her mind, the irony of Claudine's proposal was not lost on her. Sookie wondered where her loyalties truly lied. Could she help the Fae? To put it bluntly, the Fae were – weird. Would she even be able to trick Eric? If she could and if she did, would she be no better than Bill? Eric may be cold and heartless, but he still didn't deserve that.
Suddenly the phone rang. It was Sam. "Sookie, we are beyond swamped here. I know it's your night off, but I could offer you time and a half. . . ." Sookie was thinking it sounded like a good offer until she remembered that she'd probably have to bring her vamp babysitter with her. "Ok Sam, but I've got to bring Pam with me. Long story." Sam agreed, "Are you in some kind of danger?" "I'm fine," Sookie said and headed to her room to donn her uniform.
As Sookie drove toward Merlotte's she didn't even notice Pam's scoffs and eye rolls, making it obvious that this car was beneath her. Instead, she was anxious about her first time back at work since her breakup with Bill. The road was dark and no other cars were in sight and she let her mind wander. She wondered who knew about how Bill had deceived her and how many time she'd have to rehash the painful story. Her mind was rehearsing the shortest possible version that still made sense.
Suddenly there was an awful thud. Pam gasped and Sookie braked and tried to control the car but it swerved into the tree line and came to a defeated stop. Sookie thought it must have been a flat tire. "Sookie are you ok?" Pam was evidently very concerned, and seemed to be fine herself. Sookie was shocked but could feel no pain. "I'm fine," she said weakly. Pam was out of the car instantly, opening the driver's door and pulling Sookie out, she put her arm around her. Pam did not want to fail Eric this evening and she would keep Sookie safe. Sookie eyed the fully inflated tires suspiciously, "What was that?" "That," said Pam dryly, "Was your worthless ex-boyfriend."
Pam gestured toward the other side of the road and Sookie finally saw him, motionless, in the ditch. Sookie ran to him, "Oh my God, Bill! I'm so sorry, what happened?" Sookie's heart raced and her brow began to perspire. "Pam! Why isn't he answering? Pam, help!" Sookie glanced over her shoulder to see Pam was ending a cell phone conversation when she ordered, "Get away from him, Sookie!"
But Sookie couldn't walk away. She didn't have time to wonder how she had any bit of compassion left for someone who would treat her so poorly. She just kept shaking his shoulder, tapping his cheek, pushing his hair back, repeating his name. He was her first. She had almost agreed to marry him. He would know what to do about Claudine's proposal. Finally, she saw his foot stir, followed by his fingers. Sookie smiled and felt the tears of relief welling up. "Oh Bill!" she was smiling at his face when his eyes opened.
At once, his strong grip had her forearm and she tried to pull back futilely. Her heart raced and she knew she was in trouble. "Sookeh - I need your blood. You are going to be mine forever," his eyes were violent, his voice was frightening, his fangs were extended and Sookie knew that, even being vampire, he could not have made such a recovery from unconscious to assaultive so quickly. She realized he feigned his injury and he was even more of a monster than she thought.
She felt arms around her waist pulling her back. Pam said, "He's trying to turn you!" Bill released Sookie and instantly fastened silver handcuffs securing Pam to a tree trunk. Sookie was frozen with fear, she had never seen Bill look this savage, even in the back of Alcide's truck. Bill returned and used one hand to pin her wrists down and the other to brush her hair away from her neck. Bill was not being gentle or loving this time as his sharp fangs pierced her painfully. His strength seemed intensified. He was pulling blood from her neck forcefully. She didn't know how long it took to drain the average human, but she felt Bill was going to break the record.
Then, all at once, she heard a whoosh, the ground shook, and the pulling stopped. Bill was off of her. She struggled to sit up on her elbows and then she saw him. "Are you alright?" Eric looked like an archangel, clothed in black, with luminous skin. He had one arm around Bill's neck and the other restraining his wrists. Bill was on his knees, execution style. Eric's face was serious and his eyes were steady on Sookie. She touched the wound in her neck. "I'm . . . I don't know . . . my arms and legs are tingling."
Eric knew he had to act fast. He released Bill's neck and pulled out a silver blade. Bill hissed and flailed, "Sookie, I love you. Let me protect you. You need me." Eric brought the blade to Bill's neck and interrupted, "Enough William Compton. You attempted to murder your Sheriff and your Queen, yet the most heinous thing to be said about you before your true death is that you used and deceived a pure human who truly loved you. Your punishment is nothing compared to what you have taken from her."
Eric deftly ran the blade through Bill's neck and reduced him to a spurt of blood and guts. Before the puddle settled, Eric was by her side, crouched down to her face. He bit into his wrist, "Drink." She hesitated, but feeling the weight of her eyelids and Eric's strong hand behind her head, she opened her mouth and reached up to hold his arm with her hands. He tasted rich and full like a dessert wine. She looked up at him while she drank and his eyes were dark pools of brood. She had seen this look before, in his office, before he chained her in his basement.
He leaned into her and began to kiss the wound at her neck, intermittently licking. Sookie knew he was helping her heal but he was doing it in the most sensual way possible. Eric felt her pleasure and heard her moan softly, but then he also felt her mistrust and he pulled away. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, staring at her bloody mouth. Her lips were swollen and perfect and covered with his blood. He reached out his thumb to wipe them slowly. Her tongue met his thumb and she drew it into her warm mouth and sucked it clean. Eric used all his self-restraint to pull away.
"Thank you," Sookie offered, in an attempt to change the subject. She wondered why he stopped. She hadn't wanted him to. She mentally counted their exchanges, this equaled two times each way. Once more each and they were bonded. And she would have a visit from Claudine. She wondered if it also counted as an exchange when Eric licked her wound? Then they were that much closer.
Eric stood and rested his hand on Sookie's head, "Wait here." He walked to the tree where Pam was tethered and cut her free. "Were you going to let him drain her Pamela? Were you even thinking?" Eric was very serious. Sookie strained to overhear their conversation. "Silver, Eric," Pam argued. Eric became angry, "I expect more from you. I trusted you to protect her. What if he had turned her? Hmm? You know, there is nothing that teaches responsibility quite like dependents." Pam started to shake her head in protest. "Go to Jessica. Tell her about Bill and inform her that you will assume the role of her maker until she is ready." "But Eric," Pam was pleading. "Go!" Eric shouted and walked toward the car.
"Coming my way?" Eric said slyly, opening the driver's door. Sookie rose and headed for the car. "I can drive myself home, Eric. I'm in no danger anymore." "That's not entirely true," he said, "but there are some things I want to say to you." Sookie wasn't prepared for that. Her heart quickened and she fastened her seatbelt as Eric turned the car around.
"First," he said slowly, "In order to maintain my cover at Russell's, I had to do and say things that I regret. It wasn't easy for me to say and it wasn't easy to watch your reaction." Sookie regarded his beautiful long hand on her steering wheel. "You must know I was acting in everyone's best interest by pretending to align myself with Russell." Eric was looking at her intensely. Sookie read between the lines. He was actually sort of apologizing for saying that she meant nothing to him. She was too stunned to speak.
He went on, "When you came to Fangtasia yesterday evening, I had to. . . ." Eric's eyes searched the car as if better words were waiting to be found, ". . . the reason that I . . . " his eyes met Sookie's again, "I knew Russell would get you. He is – was - unstoppable. If I drew him to Fangtasia, I wouldn't lose time looking for you. I did it to protect you, Sookie. You wouldn't have stayed volitionally." Sookie interrupted, "You didn't even try! You didn't even think enough of me to let me in on your plan!" Eric said, "There wasn't time. I regret that I was forced to make that decision."
"You regret you were forced to make that decision? What kind of fake apology is that?" Sookie was getting angrier, but she knew she had to quell her emotions if she ever wanted to help the Fae. "Sookie, let me continue." She pressed her lips together and swallowed. "The best plan I could conjure was to offer Russell daywalking from your blood, then lure him to meet the sun. I regret that I had to endanger you." Sookie moved on, "Is there any truth to the daywalking rumor?" Eric looked at her sharply, "Maybe, it's complicated." She sensed that he was being evasive but she needed to know, "Don't you think it concerns me since I am part faery? Is that why I'm in danger?"
Eric pulled into her driveway and turned the car off. When he didn't answer her she became angry, "Eric, why is it so hard to get the truth out of you? Do you just like having the upper hand so much? Does it feed your ego? Is it how you console yourself for being such a. . . ." her voice trailed off when she realized the hurt on his face. Had she really just hurt him?
Eric opened her car door and pulled her out. Closing the door, he leaned into her with his arms on either side of her shoulders. The length of his body was centimeters from hers. "Sookie, I am doing everything in my power not to corrupt you. Every death you witness, every time you are wronged, every insight into the dark politics of the supernatural world changes you. And you are perfect right now.
I can protect you if you will trust me."