Bill is at Russell's mansion, and one of the Were pack has been sent for Sookie. She fought him off during the day, but is now at home ready for his return. The scene between Eric and Sookie in Episode 2 was, in my opinion, one of the best in the season, but our mole has found the original, longer version.

Alan Ball owns the real version - this is just wishful thinking.

Sookie was aware of every sound out in the night as she sat in the dark of her living room, holding the gun tightly in both hands. Please don't let it be him, she thought as the creak of footfalls sounded on the porch.

"Good evening Sookie, may I come in?"

Relief flooded through her at the sound of Eric's voice. Putting the gun down, she rose to open the door. He responded instantly to the fear he could see in her eyes and smell on her body, pulling her into his embrace. He kissed her hair gently as she trembled in his arms. Sookie allowed herself to relax and luxuriate in the pleasure of having someone hold her, even if it was Eric. Bill would be furious, she thought, but Bill wasn't here, and she needed this.

"They came for you." It was a statement, not a question.

"Just one, I managed to see him off though. I'm just worried he might come back."

"I am sure he will," Eric said, with brutal honesty. "His mission is either to kill you or kidnap you. If he fails, he will pay the price."

Sookie sighed. Eric wasn't one to beat around the bush, but he didn't have to be quite so harsh in his assessment.

"I have come to protect you tonight, and I have arranged protection for the day."

Supressing a scowl at his high-handed manner, Sookie motioned to him to sit down. He took the same place on the couch as he had the previous night, but this time she sat down next to him.

"So, do you have a plan?"

"I need to tell you something, Sookie," he said, avoiding the question. "No-one else knows what I am about to share, not even Pam. Godric was the only person who ever knew the full story. I need you to promise me that you will not divulge this to a soul."

Sookie stared at him, sure that her mouth was hanging open. It was obvious, even to her, that this was a really big deal. Recovering herself, she motioned to him to continue.

Eric was silent for what seemed like an age. He had spent the whole journey to Bon Temps trying to decide how much to tell her. Could he really trust a human? Her actions in Dallas had proved that there was something different about her. She was brave, thoughtful, kind; but still human. She was loyal too; it was just a shame that loyalty was to Bill.

The truth was that he needed to share his burden with someone, now that he no longer had Godric. Pam cared for him, he knew that, although she might not admit to it. He could not fault her loyalty either, but she lived in the present; she wouldn't understand his obsession. Sookie, on the other hand, recognised the importance of family and tradition. A deep instinct told him that she would understand what he had to tell her.

"You know that I was a Viking in my human life." He launched into his tale. "I was in fact the son of a King. My father ruled one of the largest tribes in the country which is now Sweden. One night our home was attacked by a pack of wolves. They killed my father, my mother and my baby sister."

Sookie reached out for his hand, and he let her take it. "I'm sorry." She said, simply.

"I managed to kill two of the wolves, but on the point of the sword they changed their shape and became men. I knew then that some evil magic was afoot. They were naked in their human form, the only distinguishing mark a brand on their necks."

"I thought that was over a thousand years ago, surely werewolves don't live that long?" She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth, shaking her head at the patronising look she got from Eric.

"The pack has survived, not the individual Werewolves. They recruit new members all the time. I believe, though, that their master is a vampire. On the night my family was massacred, I saw a cloaked figure outside in the darkness. At the time I believed him to be a rival chief who coveted my father's lands, but I know now that he was not human."

"What happened to you?"

"As I said, I blamed the murders on our neighbour Finn, son of Folcwald. I raised an army of my people against him. I had the finer warriors, but I was headstrong, I thought I could defeat him by brute force. In my anger I launched a direct attack and was mortally wounded. I learnt that night the importance of strategy." He gave a bitter laugh. Sookie said nothing, but looked at him expectantly.

"My companions managed to rescue me from the battlefield. They found a safe place to build a funeral pyre so I could follow my father to Valhalla."

"The home of the gods." Sookie interjected; she had read stories of the Norse gods when she was young.

"As I lay dying, Godric found me. He had been watching me in the battle and was impressed by my bravery; he sought me out as his companion."

Sookie couldn't think of a thing to say. She looked down at his big hand, running her thumb over the palm and up the long fingers. It was such a simple tale, but so moving, she thought. She knew how much it meant that he had chosen to share this with her.

Eric closed his eyes. There was one thing he had been too ashamed to tell her; how he had failed his family in their moment of need because he was too busy canoodling with a servant girl. He had vowed that night never to let his feelings for a woman distract him again. The feel of Sookie's fingers stroking his hand challenged his resolve. It was in his nature to want her, she was a lovely woman. True, she couldn't exactly be called beautiful. He had fucked some of the most beautiful women in history so he had a pretty good frame of reference.

She was lovely in his eyes though. It was her tenderness; that soft, kind heart under a tough exterior, which attracted him so much. He could not ignore how intoxicating her scent was either. Every time he was near her, he had to fight the urge to pull her into his arms, to kiss and her and lick and her and bite her. That urge was stronger than ever now. It was only the knowledge that she would not come to him willingly which stopped him.

The sound of her voice brought him sharply back into the moment. "So you and Godric tracked down the werewolves?"

"We tried. Many times we thought we had them, but their master always proved elusive. Then, during World War II we finally found proof that he was indeed a vampire." He told her the story of the werebitch they had found and killed in Augsburg.

"So you and Godric were Nazis?" Sookie sounded confused.

"No of course not, we just posed as SS officers to track the wolf pack and their master. Now, it seems, they are here and I may finally have the chance for vengeance, after so many centuries."

"I still don't understand why these wolves would have taken Bill."

"Neither do I, this is why we need to find out who their master is."

"Or mistress," Sookie shot back at him. "Could it be Lorena?"

"It could be a woman, but I do not believe Lorena is old enough. Besides, that figure I saw on the night my family were killed, I'm sure it was a man."

Sookie couldn't think of anything else to say. It was a lot to take in, all in one go. She wished she was clever enough to come up with a plan for Eric, but she was just a simple barmaid. Everything he had told her was so far outside her experience.

It wasn't so hard to relate to Bill. He'd grown up in Bon Temps only a few generations ago. There were still people alive who remembered his grandchildren. Eric was so different. It was the first time she had really thought about quite how old he was. She felt very young and foolish in comparison.

"So how did you and Bill first meet?" he asked, making conversation, filling the time while they waited for the attack that he knew was inevitable.

"Well, he came into Merlotte's one night, and this couple, Mack and Denise Rattray, well they were drainers, and they lured him outside and attacked him, and I ran after them and rescued him." Sookie blurted out the story, barely pausing for breath.

Eric looked puzzled. "They must have been quite sophisticated; Bill would surely have been alert to the danger?"

"The Rats, sophisticated?" Sookie sounded incredulous. "Hell, no, they were just trailer trash."

"Strong then, did they have many chains to bind him with?"

A look of puzzlement crossed her face; she couldn't quite see what he was getting at. "It was a thin little thing, nothing like the chain the Fellowship used on you."

Eric winced at the painful memory of how he had lain on the Fellowship altar, the heavy silver chain burning his flesh. Sookie had rescued him then, she had acted on instinct, he knew, but her instinct had been to save him.

"So these drainers, they're dead now?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, they came back for me the next night. I was waiting for Bill after work, but he was late and the Rats jumped me and beat me up. I would have died if Bill hadn't saved me with his blood. He killed them."

"It was a good thing he was there then." Eric smiled, but the emotion didn't extend to his eyes. There was something very wrong about what she had told him, he just couldn't quite place it.

Before he could consider it further he heard a sound. It was too quiet for the human ear, but quite distinctive. Silently he indicated to Sookie to pick up the gun.

"Whatever you do, don't kill him. He is the only lead we have," he hissed.

Sookie couldn't help herself. As the werewolf leapt to attack Eric, she fired. It was just an automatic reaction. She watched, horrified, as Eric threw himself in front of the bullet.

The next few minutes passed in a blur. She tried to focus on the Were's thoughts but he was crazed with blood-lust as he attacked Eric.

'Got to get her back to Jackson' was the only thing she could make out, and that was barely coherent. As Eric wrestled him to the floor, she knelt down behind him, wincing as she grasped his hands in an effort to read him better.

"Take your hands off me, you fangbanging whore. You'll get nothing out of me. I'd rather die."

'What the fuck,' she pieced together his thoughts, 'if Russell finds out I've told them anything I'm dead anyway.'

"Who's Russell?" she demanded. The Were said nothing, but spat in her face, earning himself a blow to the head from Eric so hard that he cried out in pain.

"Answer her questions, or I will kill you," Eric said coldly.

"I ain't saying nothing, just do it."

Sookie's eyes met Eric's over the man's body. She said a silent prayer for what she was about to do. He'd tried to kill her, and Eric, and had probably been involved in kidnapping Bill. To kill him in cold blood was still wrong, she knew, but what choice did she have.

"Do it," she nodded. She watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as Eric ripped the man's throat out with his fangs. Sookie could sense the vampire's arousal, and it sent a shiver through her.

"I got your rug all wet," Eric smirked, as the man's lifeblood trickled away.

"Are you okay?" Sookie focussed on him to avoid having to look at the dead body which was still bleeding over her hall rug.

"I do have a bullet still in me," he replied, looking at her hopefully.

"No way, Eric, you're not pulling that stunt again. Take your T-shirt off though, I'll wash the blood out."

"Are you sure you're not looking for an excuse to ravish me?" he replied teasingly, as he slipped off his leather jacket and peeled off the T-shirt underneath. "It's pretty much ruined."

"You can't go out like that, covered in blood, and you should wash your mouth." She couldn't help laughing, realising that she sounded just like her Gran, when she and Jason were kids. Gran had a pretty robust constitution, but even she would have been shocked to find a dead werewolf gracing her hall floor.

Eric complied with her order, stripping off the ruined T-shirt to reveal a jagged red hole in his white chest. It was already healing, and the tip of the bullet was just visible. He couldn't resist another smirk at Sookie. She reached up as if to slap him, but instead her hand rested on his chest, her fingers running over the wound.

She caught the bullet in her fingers as it popped out. "Waste not, want not," she said with just a hint of sarcasm as she slipped it back in the pocket of her shorts. Without thinking, she raised her fingers to her lips and licked the traces of blood off. It was thicker and sweeter than she remembered. Eric's eyes darkened with lust as he watched the unconsciously erotic action.

"Come on, we better dispose of this," he said quickly, turning away. This was not a time to let his basic instincts rule him, tempting as that thought was.

Eric was silent as they walked back from the cemetery. There were only a few hours until dawn and he had to get back to Shreveport to address his problem with the Magister.

He had trusted Sookie with so much tonight, but he knew if he told her the full truth, it would damage him in her eyes. She deserved to know, she needed to understand the full picture.

"There is something else I need to tell you," he said, sounding uncharacteristically hesitant.

Sookie watched as his lips moved but no sound came out.

"Spit it out will you, Eric, it's late and I'm exhausted."

He was about to say that it didn't matter, to turn and walk away, but some impulse drove him to speak.

"Queen Sophie-Anne has been forcing me to deal in V. Now the Magister knows and is investigating. If he finds out the truth, I will most certainly meet my final death."

This time Sookie's mouth was hanging wide open, and she did nothing to disguise her shock.

"Eric I have no idea who Queen Sophie-Anne is, or this 'Magister', but selling V, how could you? You kidnapped Lafayette, kept him imprisoned and tortured him for two weeks for doing that shit. Now you tell me you're doing it yourself. How can you be such a hypocrite?"

Eric had the grace to look ashamed; it wasn't the reaction he had expected, but it should have been. He opened his mouth to protest but Sookie was no longer listening to him.

"Get out of my house," her voice had risen to a yell. "I rescind your invitation Eric Northman."

He turned and walked away. There was no point in humiliating himself by trying to fight it. As he reached the porch he turned to face her. "I am sorry for what I had to do to Lafayette, I have tried to make amends to him and will continue to do so. You must know, Sookie that I do not do this willingly. I have no choice if I am to protect myself and Pam."

"Everyone has a choice, Eric. This is a free country. I'm grateful to you for saving my life tonight, but I just can't trust you." With that she slammed the door in his face.

Tired as she was, it took a while for sleep to come. The enigma that was Eric Northman troubled her. He had saved her life, and shared something very private with her. How could the same person be responsible for torturing Lafayette, and now for selling V himself?

She wished he could be more like Bill: honest and uncomplicated. But it was Eric's face she saw as she finally drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, in Jackson

"Why does he have to stay?" Talbot whined petulantly.

"I thought you liked having visitors, my love," Russell smiled, trying to placate his consort.

"Yes, I do, if they are witty, stylish and handsome. Mr. Compton fits none of those descriptions."

"Oh, you are being unfair, he is handsome, in a nineteenth century sort of a way."

Ignoring Talbot's scowl, the King continued, "Besides, I promised Lorena that I would help her. She wants Bill back; and his human dead. After the way that idiot Godric humiliated her, I'm not surprised. Honestly he had become a complete disgrace to our race. It's just a blessing that he did the decent thing."

The two vampires exchanged looks of satisfaction. News of the events in Dallas had already made their way around most of the South on the vampire gossip networks. While Lorena wasn't universally popular, Godric's championing of the human cause had made him few friends. It was generally agreed that it had been unforgivable to undermine a fellow vampire in front of humans.

"Anyway, my dear, the saintly Bill Compton was not always as sanctimonious as he appears now. I remember him very differently when he was at the court of Queen Sophie-Anne. He was one of her favorites, and he would do anything for her. This is why I believe he will help me in my endeavours."

Talbot snorted in disgust. After seven hundred years, the thought of playing second fiddle to that madwoman was more than he could bear. He had tried everything he could to dissuade Russell from his plans, but to no avail.

"He has already provided me with some useful information about the Queen and this Sheriff of hers. It appears that they have got themselves into a lot of trouble. You know what they say: one vampire's problem is another vampire's opportunity.

"Besides, I find this obsession with this human fascinating. She is much more than a pet to him, yet he is unwilling to turn her. Why do you think that might be? Believe me, I intend to find out. I already have Franklin on the case."

"My God," Talbot stormed, "Lorena, Sophie-Anne, Franklin Mott. Are we to surround ourselves with crazy people?"

"Franklin may be a psychopath, but he is a very talented one. I don't know a better tracker in the whole of the South. If Bill is hiding something from me, Franklin is the one to find it." Russell shook his head, and reached out to stroke Talbot's cheek.

"Come to bed, my dear. I am doing this for you as well, you know. Are you content for us only to rule this piss-poor state? We deserve better than this. One day…." He trailed off. He had not confessed his ultimate ambition even to Talbot.

The younger vampire scowled, but allowed his maker and lover to pull him into a fond embrace. Taking his hand he followed him up the grand staircase to their bedroom.