Chapter Seven

She dozed as they flew eastward. She knew she was dreaming, reliving the last few hours. Eric noticed she was mumbling to herself. But she was talking to someone.

You're not really here.

I am

How?

My Dear, I closed the door but the window is still open.

What is that supposed to mean?

You will know what it means in time. I have something to tell you.

What is it?

It is as it was always meant to be

"Sookie, wake up, we're here."

She opens her eyes and look around as they descended to the ground. She was completely confused and wasn't sure if she was still dreaming or not. She had been talking to someone but as she tried to recall the details the memories disintegrated. She looked into Eric's face then turned to see the distant sky line. In the dim pre-dawn light she could make out an ocean of trees surrounding them.

"Have you got a fort out here or something?"

Eric chuckles, "Or something," he says.

Upon landing, she saw a small log cabin. It appears to be one large room, open plan with a brick chimney indicating a fireplace. Mammoth wooden sleepers formed the steps leading up to the porch which ran down one full side of the cabin. On the porch she saw a porch swing. He could feel her curiosity.

"I built this when I became sheriff. I thought it a good idea to have a hideaway in case I was in danger. Come, we have much to do before dawn."

The scene reminded her of the camping trips her parents had taking her on as a child. The last trip they had taken had been the summer before her parents died. Her and Jason had found a rope swing and spent days on end swinging out over the water, seeing who could do the bigger 'cannonball'. She wondered if they were anywhere near that spot.

"Eric, where are we, I mean, geographically speaking?"

"East of the Appalachians. Georgia." he said nonchalantly. Sookie's mouth fell open as she tried to figure the distance divided by time to find the speed. But before she could figure it out, Eric took her hand and walked her towards the cabin. With every breath she was almost overcome by the smell of pine. Somewhere in the distance she could here the sound of water. "Is there a waterfall near here?"

"Yes, not far from here." he stopped and turned to her, a smile playing on his lips, "Have you ever bathed beneath a waterfall?" He added the thought of Sookie, naked under a waterfall, to his collection of erotic fantasies.

"Uh, that would be a no." she assured him.

"We should try it sometime. It's quite exhilarating."

"I bet." she said flatly

The trees were so dense that she couldn't see clearly past 50 yards. Sookie looked further downhill through the trees and saw something glinting in the darkness. "What is that, over there?"

"Water. There is a fresh water lake down here. There's also a jetty and a boat house."

They stood on the porch as Eric sifted through his keys and she turned to survey the area once again. No trace of a thought or a gap. No humans or supes anywhere near. As they stepped inside the cabin she was expecting warm musty air to rush out but that didn't happen. "Eric, have you been here recently?"

"Yes lover, I was here last week." She was nothing if not observant, he thought

"Why?" her suspicions peaking

"I had a feeling Victor was about to make his move. I wanted to be prepared"

"You knew these things all along and you didn't feel the need to share the information with me.?"

"No" he said. He felt her suspicions rise so he turned to face her. He placed his hands on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. "I didn't set this all up as an elaborate rouse to get you all to myself." He smiled down at her as he felt her relax. "But would that have been such a bad thing?. Tell me you don't want me all to yourself, if only for a few days?"

Her mouth tugged up into a small smile like it had a mind of its own. Damn it. I hate it when he's right. He had allayed her initial fears but something still nagged at her. She swept the feeling aside and began nosing around the cabin. There was an old Aga like the one at home. Would that be a nice reminder or a painful one? There was a large hearth at one end and a double bed at the other. She assumed the small alcove beside the bed led to the bathroom. There was an oak table pushed against the far side of the room and a couch against the porch side. The whole scene, as homely as it was, didn't sit right with her.

"Um Eric, are you sure we will be safe here? I mean, it's not exactly light tight. Eric?" When he didn't answer she turned to look at him but he was gone. She did a full 360 degree turn to make sure he wasn't hiding in plain sight but there really wasn't anywhere to hide, another worrying thought. She looked outside, but he wasn't there either. Just as she was about to call out to him, a hand shot over her mouth and she was spun around to face her silencer.

"Eric, thank...." was all she got out before he replaced his hand with his mouth. He kissed her deeply and she responded immediately. When he pulled back he saw her eyes were squeezed shut and her red lips puckered. She reminded him of a fish. He laughed out loud.

"I love that I have that effect on you" he said as she opened her eyes to find him smiling at her smugly.

"Oh and I suppose I don't have any effect on you?" she said, folding her arms across her chest and cocking her head to one side.

"Oh you most definitely have an effect on me Sookie." he said her name slowly, causing her breath to catch in the throat. "This is the effect you have on me" he said as he placed one of her hands on his bulging groin. Sookie gave it a playful squeeze, making Eric groan.

"Come with me Lover." He took her hand and led her back inside. She really wasn't sure they had time for nookie before dawn but what the hey! He led her to a small door opposite the bathroom she thought was the hot water cupboard. She looked at him dubiously and again her suspicions were raised. Something about this whole thing just seemed off. She reminded herself that she trusted Eric completely. He opened the cupboard door but instead of a hot water heater there was only a ladder descending into the dark. She looked down and could see a light at the bottom. She could feel warm air moving past her. She had a flashback of the hatch from Lost and she laughed nervously. He motioned for her to climb down first. She did and he followed. The ladder ended about 10 metres down and she gasped at what she saw. In front of her lay what was effectively an underground apartment.

Ahead of her lay a hallway and off it where three doors, all open with light flowing out. Immediately on her right was a small kitchen containing all the usual appliances; a glass front fridge, full of TrueBlood and what looked like human food, a stainless steel microwave and stove, a kitchen island with sink and in the corner a walk-in pantry, fully stocked. There was even a bowl full of fresh fruit.

"Eric!" She exclaimed, pointing at the pantry. "What the Hell?" She heard a dull thud behind her. She turned to see Eric securing a steel door behind them, effectivly sealing them in. Just how long were we supposed to be hiding out? She felt heat building in her face and an awful feeling in her stomach. A wave of claustrophobia gripped her as she realised how far underground she was. Locked in. Panic took hold.

"Let me out. This is not right, I need to go, something is wrong with this." She turned to find Eric standing over her with a curious look in his eye.

"What is the matter Dearest?"

"How could I have been to foolish? You've got me locked in here and the only way out is through you! I need to get out, I want out, now!" Eric could feel her apprehension and it fuelled his but he buried his own fears so she wouldn't pick up on them.

"Sookie, please, calm down. I have not lured you here under false pretenses. I only plan to stay here until I can formulate a plan. We are safe down here, I promise you, nothing bad will happen to you. And we are not completely cut off from the outside world" he said, gesturing to a laptop computer sitting in the kitchen bench. It was humming away but didn't seem to be plugged in.

"I am certain you would be safe above ground but it is best if we sleep down here, where we can be comfortable. When we wake tonight we can explore the forest". His emphasis on explore actually made her feel more secure. Eric was still his lovely lecherous self.

She focused her breathing to calm herself. "Alright, I guess so. Show me what else you have hidden down here"

He led the way past the kitchen and on to the next room. She followed behind him but at a distance. She imagined being in a submarine must be something like this. When he stepped inside the doorway, she peered in and was greeted by a big screen television. She looked to her right and saw a corner suite, on her left was a veritable library of DVDs.

"How long did it take you to do all of this?" she said, waving a hand in the air, gestering to her surroundings.

"I started shortly after I became Sheriff in 1975, so it's been here about thirty years. It's been sparse until recently."

"Where is that breeze coming from, have you got air-con down here?"

"Yes Dearest. As you know I have no need to breathe but I do enjoy the illusion of being above ground. We are within a steel box, light, water and air tight. Everything is run off a generator.

She walked back out the door, turning right and headed to the last door, which filled the end of the hall. As she peeked around the corner she was flabbergasted. In front of her was a huge bedroom with a spa bath on the far side of the room. "Wow," was all she could say. Eric came to stand behind her, placing his hands on her waist, pulling her close. He whispered in her ear.

"As much as I would like to get you wet,it is almost dawn and we must rest. When we wake, we will talk more." Eric opened a sliding panel to revel a closet. He pulled out a short silky night gown and handed it to Sookie. Gee, he really has thought of everything. She sat on the edge of the bed and undressed herself as Eric watched. Her movements became languid as sleep caught up with her. She stared off into space while Eric undressed beside her. When his blurry naked form moved into her line of sight she sharpened her vision. Eric squatted in front of her and caught her attention. His eyes where soft and full of concern. "Sookie?"

"Mmm?"

"Everything will be alright in the end" he said grasping her hand.

"But what if it's not alright?"

"Then it's not the end" he said before her kissed her softly. She was too tired to argue or question.

He lifted her and placed her under the sheets before he crawled into bed behind her. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, her head lying on his other arm, his legs curled under hers. She felt safe. As he breathed in her scent he fell into darkness. As sleep claimed her, she thought she could hear a baby giggling and cooing. A voice spoke inside her head,

"Trust him, Sookie."

They slept.

In the kitchen, the computer hummed away. It made a small ding indicating a new message had been received. But it will have to wait.

Bon Temps

Bill Compton walked out of the dark shelter of trees and stood still on the perimeter of her property. He breathed deeply. Scent of vampires. Many vampires. He walked slowly around the perimeter, hugging the treeline. He stopped opposite the back porch. Scent of a shifter. Merlotte. He slowly turned around on the spot, testing the air as if trying to locate a particular scent. He walked towards the house and up the steps. He placed a hand against the screen door and pulled it open. Her scent.It was mingled so closely with the scent of another vampire that it was hard to tell them apart. Eric. They fled together. He sighed audibly. Anguish and relief mixed into one. His relief didn't last long. He picked up another scent and his fangs ran out. Fairy. He moved quickly away from her house. He would seek answers from the shifter. As he ran, he thought he heard the sound of laughter, deep in the forest.