Part 2

A few more choice words escaped my lips, this time in my native language, in homage to my father. My tone of voice did nothing to comfort Sookie who shrank back against the couch, watching my angry tirade. I looked back at her, realized that my enthusiasm had frightened her, and shut up for a few seconds. I even avoided putting a hole in the wall with my fist, which I desperately wanted to do. No, not quite the truth, I wanted to put my fist through a witch; but I knew Hallow was dead, and her brother as well, so I didn't have a face or name to tag to my need for vengeance. Yet.

I returned to where Sookie was curled up in a ball, knees drawn to her chest, tucked into the corner of my black leather couch, red tablecloth wrapped around herself. I sat down very slowly, looking at her, trying to keep a non-threatening expression on my face.

"Your name is Sookie Stackhouse. My name is Eric Northman, and this is my associate Pam Swinford deBeauford. You are in Shreveport at my bar, Fangtasia. An employee found you outside, unconscious, on my car." Even as I listened to myself speaking the words I knew how little I was telling her, none of it offering any comfort.

"What happened to me?" Her voice was so tiny and shy, so unlike the Sookie that normally stormed into my bar asking for favors. Even unlike the one that had been avoiding my questions for nearly a month now. I didn't like it, I liked constants in my life, like Pam, I knew how she would react to most anything; like a cold hearted bitch, in a good way, unless it directly involved me. I guess I sort of counted on Sookie to be annoying sometimes, but good hearted, and to have self-confidence, earned the hard way. It ripped at my heart a bit to hear her so frightened, not that I was about to admit it.

"I believe that a witch has cast a spell on you, robbing you of your memories." I found myself wanting to reach out and hold her hand as I told her my suppositions, but I didn't. I wasn't sure she was quite ready for that.

"Why me?" A plaintive little whine came from her lips.

"I can only guess it was to hurt me somehow."

She started to cry again.

"Pam, please go and get Sookie something to wear. Are you hungry Sookie?" I had no idea when she'd been cursed, if it had only been moments before Arthur had found her, or if she'd been held somewhere first for any period of time. I knew that I should call Sam Merlotte and see if he had missed her at work, but my prevailing concern was for her, and why she had been dumped at my bar. Exactly what message was I supposed to be getting?

"I guess I am." She said, pulling me back to her immediate needs.

"I'll get you something while you get dressed. As I recall you like traditional southern cooking, like your Grandmother used to make you."

"Okay." She nodded her head weakly, but I think me offering some kind of information about her made her trust me just a little more. Hey, if I knew about her grandmother, I couldn't be a completely terrible person, could I?

Pam returned with a Tee shirt and a pair of shorts from our little gift shop. We both stepped out to give her some privacy, but I told Pam to stay close to the door, just in case. I had Arthur run down the street to get Sookie some chicken and sweet potato fries. I didn't even think how odd that order must have been at the Smashburgers, coming from a vampire. In the interim I went out to see my car and to see if there was anything else out there that could give me a clue as to who had left her there. There were no scents around it that I didn't recognize, Arthur, Pam, myself, so either the witch hadn't left a trail by means of another spell, or she had been transported there, apparently the same way I had been sent out to Bon Temps. I carefully opened the driver's door; no explosion, then the others, also no explosions, twinkling lights or other noxious witchy things emerged. I started it, with the key fob, mind you, from a few feet away. No problems there either and I felt somewhat secure that no tampering had been done to it. How could you send a message to me, and then kill me before I had a chance to understand it? Nope, the Witches had some kind of plan, of that I was sure.

When I returned to my office Sookie was cautiously eating the chicken Arthur had brought, Pam was still there, still watching her, which looked a little creepy truth be told. Sookie's face seemed to relax just a little as I came in.

"Thank you." She whispered to me.

"You're welcome." She looked a little less pale now, probably the food, and a little less forlorn now dressed in a red Fangtasia babydoll and black shorts. She'd always looked good to me, and now was no different, except for the pity I felt in my chest. Yes, for those of you asking right now, I do have a heart, even if it doesn't beat anymore. I never wanted Sookie to be drawn into any war between my enemies and myself. Not only did I lose respect for adversaries who fought using collateral subjects, it raised my ire, which meant there would be no negotiating. I understood revenge, fair enough, attack me personally then, but leave the innocents by the wayside. I remembered back to my adolescence and early adulthood, raids, battles, we fought with the men; none of us would attack a child or a woman, at least none of us with honor would. We had greater respect from our enemies for doing as we did.

Looking at Sookie I saw so many of those long ago faces. I had to turn away.

"Pam, find out from Sam Merlotte if he's missed Sookie yet. But don't let on that we are concerned, or that we have her. We don't know who we can trust yet." She flipped out her cell phone from her pocket and exited the office.

"Who's Sam Merlotte?"

"He's your boss Sookie."

"And you think he might have done this to me?"

"Honestly, no, but I'm not taking any chances."

She nodded, and had a long drink of her soda. She really did seem to be more relaxed around me. That gave me some comfort.

Pam returned after a few moments, I overheard some of her conversation, but not all. She related that Sookie had apparently called in to ask for a week off the day before, saying that she had some business out of town. Since she'd done this on a number of occasions prior Sam had given it to her without hesitation. Pam had played it well, saying that they had had to change flight reservations and just wanted to let Sookie know, but that she'd try her at home. Pam was quite good at not giving anything away and apparently Sam hadn't sounded concerned. At least Sam's news had given us a place to begin our timeline; yesterday, sometime after noon. So it appeared to me that Sookie had been coerced into making the call, if it had even been her who had done it; witches could change their voices with the right spells, at least thirty six hours earlier, and that meant that she had probably been in the custody of whoever these villains were for that long.

I looked at her and tried to smile. She sort of looked as though she needed that from me.

"I'm going to take you back to my place Sookie. I don't think it's safe just yet to take you home. My house can be much better guarded."

"Have I been to your house before?"

"No you haven't."

"Have you been to mine?"

"Several times. I'm going to send someone out there to check it out and to look for any other clues."

She nodded at me. I pulled my own cell phone out of my pocket and dialed an old friend, Mr. Cataliades. When he answered I explained the situation that had arisen as succinctly as I could, and requested that he send his two nieces, Diantha, and Gladiola to survey Sookie's house and lands for any sign of whatever or whoever might have spelled her. Diantha and Gladiola are semi-demons, as is their uncle. As such, the magics of the witches have little power over them, and they are excellent detectives with senses even keener than my own, especially when it comes to evil acts. I was quite confident that they would come up with something to add to our current meager knowledge. I reassured Sookie that the girls would find us some answers.