AN: Awe, you guys! I love your reviews, they make my day! I'm sorry I suck at responding to them… I'll address some of them now; though:

Yup, it was an angsty one, I know, but it had to be written. And for that, I'm changing it from "romance/general" to "romance/angst" but, don't sweat, the angst is coming to an end, and soon! And, boy you are right, Bill REALLY needs to get it, big time. And…. A tiny little bird told me he's gonna… =)Btw, We've been moving this last month, from an apartment to an old, really old (like built in the 1850's old) house and there have been some serious redecorating going on. Lemme tell you, I've been busy as hell, and that's why I also suck at updating… Forgive me?

Sookies dream woke her up. She'd been back in Sweden, in the woods around the house. It was winter, and so much snow she'd never seen the likes of it. She kept getting stuck, as if the snow had hands trying to keep her there, trying to hold her down. She was cold, but still sweating, her clothes being soaked through and through, and ice forming on the outer layer. The ice kept getting thicker and heavier until she was finally pinned down in one place, unable to move. She fell, face down, in to the snow and it started to suffocate her… She woke, but the inability to breathe stuck to her. She drew big gasps of air, but the humidity prevented her from drawing enough in. Sookie peeled off her tangled, sweaty sheet and panic-stricken rolled off her bed. Breathe, Sookie, just breathe. Calm down. You're not dying. She shook her head once, twice and finally calmed down.

She ransacked her open suitcase on the floor, digging out a clean t-shirt and a pair of jeans, found clean underwear and a towel, and snuck out of the room to get to the shower without waking Bill, who slept calmly on the bed. Sure, you sleep soundly, you son of a bitch, she thought. The memories of what he had done to her and what he had made her do stuck to her like feathers on tar, and she felt disgusted; not of herself, because she had had no choice, but about her own reality.

The spray of the shower was more than welcome on her body, and she gave herself a thorough wash, trying to erase the smell of Bill as well of the memories. She washed her hair, twice, and scrubbed her skin until it reddened, and she started to feel human again. Her mind wandered on its own device to the hot and steamy shower she had with Eric… Hot and steamy, and the temperature of the water had nothing to do with that! She sighed. Eric was everything Bill was not. She couldn't even begin to compare them; it's a mystery how they both could belong to the same species.

48 hours since she got back to Bon Temps and Bill had been abusing her, physically and mentally since they sat foot in his apartment. She had tried to fight him, but he had restrained her while holding the threat on her brother over her head. She had willed her body to surrender, but her mind… No, I'm not giving in to this! There has to be a way out. Eric, Bill, Jason… I am my own person; I will NOT stand for this. Sookie's resolve grew even bigger as she thought about the possibility to break free. I'll find a way to free Jason. I'll find a way to free myself. Sookie turned the water off, and stepped out of the shower and started scheming as she dried herself.

"Pam, I need you to go to Bon Temps. You'll go there and you'll find Sookie for me. When you do…" Eric's voice was stern as he gave his instructions. "When you do, fucking sit on her until I can get there."

"What the hell's going on, Eric?" Pam was surprised at hearing 'always-oh-so-cool-and-collected-Eric' sounding so upset. She had no clue what was going on, she had thought Eric and Sookie had hit it off, just as she had predicted when she by a chance encounter met Sookie almost a year back in the North-Corps Shreveport-office. Pam was a romantic at heart, although she would never admit to it, and when she met Sookie, she immediately recognized her as the one, the one meant for Eric. For many years, she had watched her best friend and boss live half of a life, committing at an early age to something he believed to be the right thing to do. He had agreed to marry Isobel in order to save her life, but in consequence, he'd given up his own. Eric was a stand -up guy, and being married, although only on paper, meant no fooling around. Might as well join a convent, the man, Pam almost snickered at the thought. But Eric had held on to his believes, and never went looking for his own happiness. All work and no play, that's Eric for ya. In meeting Sookie, Pam had known that this woman was it. All she'd had to do, was bide her time, and plant the seed. It took some persuasion, but Eric finally had agreed to a live-in assistant, and making it even easier for Pam when he gave her a carte blanche to hire anyone she saw fit.

Sookies relationship with Bill seemed only a minor speed-bump on her road to matchmaking-city, and through the grape wine Pam learned of his and Lorenas affair. It had all played out so well, and Sookie had taken the offer. Oh, I'm just divine, Pam mused. They are simply made for each other. And I was so sure…

"Eric, I repeat, what the hell is going on? Why is Sookie in Bon-fucking-Temps and not in Sweden? What did you do?"

"Pam, fuck off! Just get there, and get to her! I'm getting the first flight out, but I'm afraid she'll do something stupid before I can get there." Eric hung up on her, and Pam hit the road within minutes. Bon Temps was a few hours away, but speed-limits rarely concerned Pam.

"Bill, I won't marry you until I get to see Jason." Bills dark eyes turned to her as she entered the kitchen from where he had been calling her. "And don't think you can make me, either, because last time I checked, abusing someone was still illegal, and I'm not afraid of telling." Sookie met his stare head on. On this, she was not budging.

"Oh, my little honey-bunny, I wouldn't have to tie you up if you just gave yourself to me willingly. You know you love me, and you know you love what I do to you." Bill suggestively wiggled his eyebrows at her as he spoke.

"Really, Bill? You think I like what you do? And by the way, are those some new skills you picked up from Lorena, or is it a side of you that's always been there, just hidden away?" Sookie cocked her head to one side and didn't even wait for his reply. "Because, Bill, you just suck in bed. Before, you were just boring, and now… Well, you're boring and selfish." Maybe baiting Bill wasn't the best approach to take, but Sookie was done being a victim. "Now, I'm gonna go talk to Jason about this mess, and you, Billy-boy… Well, really, just don't bother trying to stop me. This is the only way you'll get me to marry you." I'm not marrying you at all, you moron, but you don't get to know that just yet. She smiled as she turned to the door to leave. Oh yeah, Sookie is back!

Eric was fidgeting. He checked his watch every two minutes, and his hair was a mess from all the times he'd run his hands through it, trying to coax time to go by faster. He was on his last leg of the trip, and in about an hour he would be touching ground in Shreveport. He hadn't managed to get a hold of Pam since he left Sweden, and he was antsy as hell. Had Pam found her? Was she with Bill? He smacked himself mentally on the head for the thousands time. Why in hell did he not tell her about Isobel? She would have understood. Sookie would have recognized why he married her, why he'd stayed married to her. But the timing had never seemed right. You don't go talking about your fake-marriage while making love to the woman of your dreams, now do ya? Honestly, Eric had had a hard time even remembering the fact while he was around Sookie. She blew his mind! She consumed him, body and soul.

He had decided to go to Isobel to get her to sign the divorce-papers first, so that he could show them to Sookie when he returned to her. He had thought that the papers would prove his intentions of marrying Sookie, prove him to be honest in his wishes. He didn't want to be one of those guys. Hey, honey, you're a great lay and I love ya. But I'm married; I promise I'll divorce her for you, sweetness. Instead, his plan had back-fired on him. Fucking Bill Compton had shown up.

Fucking Bill Compton. Eric loathed the man although they had never met. What man in his right mind would screw his secretary when he had a woman like Sookie? A moron, obviously, Eric thought. But what in the world convinced Sookie to go back to the man? Eric got that she was upset with him, being secretly married and all, but why return to Bill? There had to be something else.

Finally, the plane begun its descent to ground, and Eric barely gave the wheels time to stop turning or the 'fasten-seatbelts-sign' time to go away, before he was on his feet, stretching his tall frame and grabbing his carry-on. As soon as it was possible, he was gonna try Pam, and then call information to get the number to Amelia. If Sookie had told anyone she was back, it had to be Amelia. And Amelia was certainly no fan of Bills, Eric knew as much. With Pam and Amelia on his side, he would pursue Sookie. Eric was a man on a mission, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let the woman of his dreams go riding into the sunset on someone else's horse. Sookie is mine!

"Sookie, do'ya know the tall, blonde sex-on-a-stick-looking woman currently getting out of her shiny Mercedes on our driveway?" Amelia called from the living room. Sookie could almost hear the purring sound vibrating through her friend all the way from the kitchen, where she was mixing up some iced tea. Sure, Amelia was crazy in love with Tray, but loved women too, blondes preferred. Leaving the pitcher on the table, she joined Amelia.

"Yeah, that's Pam. Pam Korp."

"As in Pam, Nortch-Corp?"

"Yup, that's the one." Sookie opened the door to greet their guest. "Pam. Surprised to see you here. What can I do for you?"

"Apparantly, I'm here to sit on you." Pam's eyes immediately locked on Amelia. "Well hello, who are you?"

"I'm Amelia, and you can sit on me anytime, honey." Amelia eyed Pam with equal hunger, and Sookie blushed involuntarily.

"Amelia! Really? This is my boss, well sort of."

Reluctantly, Pam tore her gaze from Amelia, and turned to Sookie. "And you, Ms. Stackhouse, care to explain to me why in hell Eric calls me and orders me to drive to Backwater Central and babysit your hot ass while I could be sipping a Bloody Mary right about now? Not that being here proved to be a total waste of my precious time…" Pam's eyes wandered back towards Amelia as she raised one perfect brow. "Your ass is even hotter." A wicked smile accompanied the raised brow.

Sookie gave a deep sigh. "If you two could stop eye-fucking each other for a moment… Pam, can I get you some tea, maybe?" She went to the kitchen, and pulled another chilled glass from the freezer for Pam.

"So… Eric called you." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, he called. And what the fuck have you done to him?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. I've never heard Eric sound so… I don't know- Human?" Pam shook her head in disbelief. "I've known Eric for years, and he never lets anything get to him, that's why he's so successful. But now… Honestly. What have you done?"

"Is Eric coming?" She had to know. If he was about to turn up here, she had to prepare herself. Falling for Eric was the easiest thing, and now she had to shield herself from him.

"Sookie, tell Pam what you told me about Bill, and Jason… And marriage. Both yours and others." Amelia nodded encouraging at her.

"Jason, that's my loser brother, has gotten himself indebted to Bill. Gambling, what else? Right. Bill will let him off the hook if I agree to marry him."

"What? Marry that asshole? Really, Sookie, are you going to ruin your life in order to get your brother off the hook? What about you and Eric?"

"What about us? There is no 'us'."

"Sure it is. You're made for each other!"

"That's what I thought, too. But what Eric forgot to mention is that he is married. I refuse to be the other woman." Sookie seethed at the thought. "Anyway, no, I'm not going to marry Bill. He's an abusive, unfaithful asshole, and I'm gonna press charges. What I need to do, though, is figure out how the hell I'm gonna get Jason's ass out of trouble. Bill holds the deeds to Jason's house. Our parents' house. I can't let him lose that."

"Maybe it's time for your brother to own up to his own mistakes? Man up and admit he's in trouble."

"Pam's right, Sookie. It's not the first time Jason has messed up, and you've saved him every time. He needs to grow up, honey."

"I know." Sookie wrung her hands in her lap. "I just can't let him lose the house, it's too important."

"Sookie, we'll help you figure this shit out, but for now let's get back to more important matters. Eric. You need to talk to him."

"I'm with Pam, Sookie, the man's got a right to explain."

"Explain what? He's married. End of story."

"Sookie… You and Eric. You hit it off, right? Like really hit it off?" Pam looked serious for the first time today.

Sookie had to lower her eyes. "Yeah… I thought we did. He… I love him. I fell instantly. It was…" Tears began to sting her eyes and she tried to hide them. "… Heavenly. But…"

"Yeah, yeah, he's married. But other than that? You want Eric, right? Not Bill?"

"Don't even mention the two in the same sentence, Pam!"

"Answer me. Do you want Eric?"

"Yes. But he's not mine to have."

"Give him a chance to explain, Sookie. Isobel is Eric's story to tell, not mine, but it's not what it seems. Eric is a good guy. He always does the right thing. He's trying to, now. Will you please let him explain?" Pam begged.

Thirty miles from Bon Temps, Eric was pushing the speed limit in his rented Mercedes. He couldn't get reception on his cell and anxiety tore through him faster than the car could go. With one eye on his phone to check on reception, and the other on the road ahead Eric's mind wandered as always to Sookie. Why the hell did she just pack up and leave? Bill told her about Isobel, and he knew Sookie would not take adultery lightly. But why not stay and confront him about it? Why leave? Why immediately? The only conclusion Eric could come to was that Bill had to have some sort of leverage on Sookie. But what?

Finally, the cell got full bars and he speed-dialed Pam. The call went straight to voicemail.

"Damn it!" He re-dialed and got voicemail once again. What to do next?

Information gave him the address to Amelia, and he entered it on the GPS. It would take him less than 20 minutes to get there, and he opted for a surprise visit instead of trying to call her. Surely, Sookie had been in contact with Amelia, and if Sookie had spilled the beans, he wanted face-to-face advantage when addressing the issues. He had to win Amelia over and then, hopefully, he could convince Sookie to listen. She had to listen, she had to believe him. If he had lost Sookie… No, don't go there.

Eric was a well-travelled man, and he enjoyed visiting and experiencing new places. He'd seen all kinds of places, from poor countries to prosperous cities, but the blistering heat of southern Louisiana almost knocked him down as he stepped out of the air-conditioned car outside an old, weathered farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. He removed his sunglasses and shaded his eyes with one hand as he glanced from the sleek Mercedes outside (looks like Pam's here, does that mean..?) to eye the fenced-in porch. The front door creaked open and Pam stepped out, followed by an unknown, petit brunette.

"Eric" Pam said as greeting. "Meet Amelia. Amelia, this is Eric. We have to go now." Pam ushered Amelia in the car before Eric had time to extend his hand to greet the best friend of the woman he loved.

"But.,.." Eric's words were cut off as the front door opened again. Sookie remained inside, but had pushed the door open with one hand. He was floored by her beauty, but as he examined her a bit more carefully, he could see faint bruising on her left cheek and purple markings around her neck and what was visible of her wrists. His instant rage surprised him, and he ran over to her at the door, stopping as he saw her flinch. "Sookie…"

She met his eyes, held them captive with her own. He saw the question there, he saw the hurt, and he silently cursed himself for putting her through all this. "Sookie… Please, listen to me. Let me explain."

"You are married, right? What's there to explain, Eric?" He could hear the bitterness in her voice, but more evident was the agony she was trying to hide behind it. Before he had the chance to say anything, she let the door go and turned. She shot him a look across her shoulder. "But I've given Pam my word that I would hear you out, Eric. Coffee in the kitchen?"

Thank God for Pam. Eric threw a thankful thought at his friend. He followed Sookie inside the house, drew a big breath to steady him. This conversation would be the most significant one of his life so far. His future and his happiness depended on the outcome. Would she hear him out? Would she listen? Would she forgive?

AN: Ok, definitely a faster update this time, huh? The last chapter was difficult to write. I really don't like angst, but it had to be there. This one just kept on coming, seriously. I couldn't type fast enough! I have Ch. 10 almost ready too, but it needs some more work before I let you at it. Anyway, read and review, folks, R & R.. Love it, simply love it.

I think we have two more chapters to go, and possibly and epilogue, so this is the end stretch. If you have any suggestions, they are always welcome.