a/n: I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying this twist on SVM! Thanks for the great reviews. Also I bumped this up to an M rating so I don't have to worry about language/violence with a T rating.

Chapter 3

I got out of my beat up yellow car and found Eric standing in the parking lot already waiting for me. It had just rained so the pavement was damp and the red glow of Fangtasia's neon sign reflected in a puddle next to Eric. It cast an eerie crimson glow on his face and I wondered if that was some kind of bad omen.

Stop being paranoid!

I shook off the silly thought and headed over to Eric. He seemed a bit more relaxed since having a small amount of my blood.

"Ready?"I glanced towards the door where there was a short line to get into the bar.

"As I'll ever be" Eric surprisingly held out his arm for me and I gladly took it as we took up a spot at the end of the line.

The line moved quickly and after paying a $5 cover fee we were in the door. The bar was dimly lit with loud music pumping through hidden speakers. Every wall was a dark shade of red that reminded me of a very ripe strawberry. The effect was likely meant to be in reference to blood, but hey, my mind had never been normal.

Fangtasia was filled to the brim with vampires and the humans that were fascinated by them. The new term for them was 'fang bangers'.These were not people who had found a relationship and it just happened to be with a vampire. These folks thrived off the dangerous lifestyle they perceived vampirism to be, they were thrill seekers. Everyone was dressed in black ad many of the outfits look like skin tight plastic. I was glad I had chosen a darker outfit so at least I somewhat blended in amongst this unique crowd.

Eric's arm slipped around my waist and he pulled me closer. I was not so sure that was a good idea considering his lack of control but when I tried to inch away he kept an iron grip. Someone was being over protective.

We walked towards the bar together and I opened my mind up while Eric ordered a couple drinks.

I want someone to bite me, anyone. Fuck I just need someone close.

These vampires won't pay attention to me, maybe I need more cleavage….

She's perfect, maybe tonight she will take me home.

The thoughts in the bar were plagued by lust and loneliness. It was rather depressing to be honest. However it was also frustrating since none of these humans seemed to know anything.

Wait…humans... I focused on the minds in the bar again. Now that everyone was together in an enclosed space I was able to sense a human brain versus an odd void. Eric was one of those silent voids and I quickly learned all vampires must be silent to me.

"Eric…I can't hear any of you. Just the humans." I whispered as he handed me a martini. I noticed he held a wine glass full of TrueBlood.

"So it must be a vampire thing then… I guess you could've dated a vamp all these years and you didn't even know it." His voice was bitter as the words left his lips.

"I didn't want a random vampire…" I mumbled, not wanting to get into the details of our past right now. "So they serve the TrueBlood in a classy way here, much better than the Stackhouse kitchen." I changed the subject.

"It's not TrueBlood, it's something called Royalty Blended and it was the most expensive thing they had. I don't know what's in it but it tastes a hell of a lot better than the other stuff." Eric explained as he sipped his drink.

"Damn, you must be a newbie." An unfamiliar man walked over to us chuckling. His head was shaved and he had tattoos on either side of his head. His complexion was pale like any other vampire but his features spoke of an Asian background.

"Yeah, I guess so." Eric paid little attention to the other vampire. I could tell he wanted him to bug off.

"Royalty Blended is real blood mixed with synthetic, that's why it's so pricey. The real good stuff is straight from the source if you ask me." He gave me a fangy grin and his eyes roamed over my figure.

I was uncomfortable but did not let it show. Apparently vampires hit on women in just as creepy of ways as human men. Lucky me, I could not read his thoughts.

"I'm Ichiro, what might your name be blondie? You look like someone I'd like to get a taste of."He smiled again and took a step closer.

I automatically took a step back and now had my back against the bar. Eric put his drink down and stepped in front of me.

"Back off, she's not interested." His fists were clenched at his sides and I was regretting coming here. I did not want Eric getting into a fight with another vampire. What if he killed him?!

"Eric just ignore him. And I am definitely not interested."I leaned around Eric's hulking shoulder to give Ichiro a glare to make sure my point was taken.

"Come on Eric lets just mind our own business." I gave him a light tug on his arm and he reluctantly turned back towards me.

"I'll take whatever I want. Some damn baby vamp is not going to stop me." Ichiro's fangs snapped down again and he growled, this time walking forwards and trying to push right by Eric to get to me.

Maybe I was like cat nip to vampires, jesus Christ!

Eric moved so quickly it was hard to see. He whirled around and had his own fangs down in seconds. His arm shot out and he had Ichiro by the throat.

"You try to touch her one more fucking time and I'll kill you." He snarled at the older vampire. It was like Eric transformed into some other creature and not the loveable guy I knew. His face was crinkled into a grimace and his lips were curled up exposing his teeth as he growled like a caged animal at Ichiro.

"She's mine, now back off." He released Ichiro with a good shove that sent him back a few feet.

Holy shit.

But Ichiro was not done, he yelled what I assume was a profanity in another language and launched himself at Eric. He got in a good punch and Eric's nose was bleeding in seconds. My own heart was pounding and I knew there was nothing I could do to help right now.

However before the brawl could go any further a tall blonde woman appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Ichiro by the back of his shirt and lifted him right off the ground. The woman was thin and Ichiro had to weigh twice as much as her yet she lifted him like nothing.

"What have I told you, you dumbass piece of shit?" He was silent until she shook him around some. "What's that? I can't hear you?"

"To not fight in your bar…" Ichiro spat out like a toddler in trouble. This woman must have some authority amongst vampires.

"That's right, obviously you remember, you're just too stupid to behave. Get the fuck out of my bar and don't come back." She tossed him on the ground like a ragdoll and security was on him in seconds.

She turned to us then and a shiver ran down my spine as her cold blue eyes analyzed us.

"You two, come with me." She turned on her very high heels and led the way towards an employees only doorway.

I wondered if we were in some kind of trouble, did Eric break some vampire law?

The door led to a narrow hall that had a few rooms branching off of it. The tall woman, dressed in a once piece black catwoman type suit, brought us into an office space. She took a seat behind a desk and gestured for Eric and I to sit down. We did as we were told but Eric boldly reached over and pulled my chair closer to his. I was 100% okay with his over protective streak now, it made me feel a little safer.

The woman eyed our interaction with interest and maybe a hint of boredom. She was a very difficult read.

"Now, you must be new…. I've never seen you in Area 5 before. Who are you?" She questioned with offering now information about herself.

"Who are you?" Eric was not one to be pushed around. That was a great trait as a human but as a vampire I was worried it would get us into trouble.

"I'm Sookie Stackhouse and this is Eric Northman" I blurted before anyone could get angry.

"That means nothing to me. So I have a newborn and his human gal pal, wonderful." The blonde rolled her eyes as if we were really wasting her time. "Who is your maker newborn?"

Eric glanced over at me then back to the female vampire. "I don't know, I just woke up this way about a week ago. Now I've explained myself, who are you?"

The woman raised an eyebrow at him then calmly replied "My name is Pam, I am the owner of this bar and everything in it. Do not get into anymore fights in my establishment, next time I won't be so friendly."

Her icy demeanor made me wonder what Pam in a bad mood was like… I definitely did not want to find out.

"I am only being so nice because I could tell you were a newborn and Ichiro is an ass. You handle yourself well for someone so young and without a maker… " She seemed thoughtful for a moment as her eyes analyzed Eric. He held her gaze without ever wavering. "It would be wise to check in with the area Sheriff, he will want your name on the books, and maybe he will look into who your maker is."

"What's a Sheriff?" Eric asked.

"Ugh, I hate these dumb questions… this is why I will never be a maker myself." She sighed but proceeded to explain a little. "A Sheriff is the vampire in control of a certain territory, compare it to your human mayors if you will… with different laws and justice of course. Godric is the Sheriff of Area 5, which is where we are right now. Here is his address, I've already sent a text to get you in to see him tomorrow night."

Eric took the piece of paper Pam slid across her desk and tucked it into his pocket.

"And you, little miss sunshine, will not speak a word of this to anyone. You will not remember anything you heard here about vampire politics." Pam gave me a very intense stare and was ultra focused on me. It was down right creepy.

"Um, I think I will remember it, but I promise I won't say anything." I sat there and watched her expression shift to shock then quickly be covered up by her seemingly normal stoic expression.

That was weird.

"Let's put it this way, say anything and you will regret it." She growled.

I nodded quickly and glanced over at Eric, urging him with my eyes to not try and be the hero right now.

We both stood to leave but Pam had one more thing to say.

"By the way, newborn, do you know what you said out there?"

Eric looked confused as he stood by the doorway and so was I.

"You called that girl yours, that means something in the vampire world. It was a smart move even if you had no idea what you were saying. It'd be best to continue to insist upon that around other vampires if you want your blonde treat to be safe." With that she stood up and walked out a back door, leaving us with no other explanation.

Eric and I quickly left Fangtasia after that, although he did finish another Royalty Blended which was probably a good idea. It seemed to satisfy his hunger for now.

He felt calm enough to ride home in my car with me which I was thankful for. We had a lot to talk about.

"At least we know who Godric is now, and maybe he can help you find your maker." I adjusted the air conditioning since the humid air was causing a sweaty sheen to break out on my skin.

"I guess…" Eric leaned back in his seat and stared out the window.

He seemed depressed. It was confusing since for the first time I felt a tad hopeful. We now had a direction to go in and we even had some vague answers from that vampire named Pam. She was tough but who knows maybe if she got to know Eric better she would give him more information. Eric needed friends in the vampire world to help him.

"What's wrong?" I turned down the radio some which was on a local country station.

He was quiet for a few seconds and kept his eyes on the woods rushing by the window before speaking.

"I didn't want any of this. I didn't want to be a vampire and I don't want to meet some Godric guy and have to get my new existence explained to me. This is all fucking bullshit. Any plans I had for my life are gone now, I can never be normal again." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, causing it to stick up in an array of blonde spikes.

"I'm sorry this happened to you Eric, I really am. But at least you're alive and not drained in a ditch somewhere. Things will be different but you still have a life to live. Plus now we can not be normal together." I gave him a small smile and saw him finally look over at me.

"I thought I understood how hard it was for you, being different, but now I realize I never had a clue. Your entire life has always been planned around your telepathy… I never had anything to plan around until now." He replied.

"It was never easy but the best thing I ever had in my life was you. You were always there for me and accepted me. I can be that same person for you Eric. So when everything seems like shit because you're different you can come complain to me about it." I turned into my driveway and slowed down as we hit the gravel. I really needed to redo the driveway.

"Thanks Sookie" He reached over the console and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. I wrapped my fingers around his and enjoyed silence emanating from his mind.

a/n: So what did you guys think? How do you like Pam's role so far and Fangtasia? Next chapter we will meet Godric!