A/N: I am apparently incapable of writing a long chapter, but I'm going to try my hardest to make the next one longer! I'm not sure where I'm going with this at all, I'm kind of winging it as I go along hahah. Thank you so much for reading :D

The glowing digits on the clock read three AM, and Sookie realized that the familiar weight of Eric's arm on her hip was missing. She rolled over to snuggle into him only to find that her bed was empty. With tired eyes, she pulled on her robe and padded out of her room to find him.

He was sitting at the kitchen table staring off into space and his TruBlood sat untouched. Deep sadness was etched on his face.

"Eric," Sookie murmured, resting her head against the doorway. His cerulean eyes flickered to her and he gave her a weak smile. He held his arms out in invitation and she crawled into his lap. "What were you thinking about?" He nuzzled her hair and she nestled closer to his chest.

"I was…feeling," he intoned. Sookie began to trace patterns on his unmoving chest.

"Pam?" He nodded almost imperceptibly. She waited patiently for him to elaborate.

"I didn't feel much of anything for a while. She was calm, blank. Sometimes there would be a flash of loneliness or contentedness, but mostly there was nothing. She is quite active tonight, though."

"Mmm?"

"She went somewhere, I think. She felt quite proud for a while, satisfied, like she was being admired. There was some lust. And now…." He trailed off.

Sookie lifted her head off his chest to look up at him. He was staring at the wall intently, like he was trying to bore a hole in it with his eyes. "And?"

He cleared his throat. "Pleasure. I'm sure you can fill in the blanks." Sookie blushed and tucked her head into his neck. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before standing up, keeping her in his arms as he did so. "Come now, let's go back to bed. It is time for me to give her some privacy anyway."

As they settled back into bed, he seemed lighter, like he had locked everything that was hurting him away in a box in the back of his mind. Sookie wasn't fooled.

/

"Well," Pam remarked while looking for her blouse. "That was different."

"Yeah? How so?" Thomas questioned casually from his place on the bed. He was lying on his side with the sheet draped over his hips, his head propped up on his arm. His amusement at her frantic search for her clothes was evident. A few locks of dark hair fell onto his face framing his jade eyes perfectly. Pam took a moment out of her search to admire the view. Yes, this was quite different.

She spotted her shirt over by the door and flashed a quick, triumphant smile before pulling it over her head. "I haven't slept with a man, let alone a vampire, in quite some time. It was nice, though." When she turned around, he was suddenly right in front of her, sans sheet.

"Nice? Just nice?" Pam started to say something sarcastic but before she could get the words out, his lips crashed down on hers roughly. After a few delicious moments, she extricated herself from his embrace and slid her feet into her pumps.

"As much as I've enjoyed this, I really must be leaving," she declared evenly, straightening her clothes. She began to leave the room but stopped in the doorway and turned back to face him. She smirked seductively at the handsome vampire who was still standing naked in the middle of the room. "Oh, I almost forgot. When do I start work?"

He threw his head back and laughed heartily. Pam raised an eyebrow and waited. "Be here tomorrow at eight." She nodded and stepped out into the hallway.

"And Pam?"

"Yes?"

"I'm looking forward to working with you," he said, giving her a crooked smile. She winked before sauntering off.