PART TWO

Unexpected Visitor

A few weeks had passed since Christmas, and the New Year came and went without a hitch. As far as Sam was concerned, all was right—almost. From behind the bar, he watched Sookie. She'd slipped into the hall and was text messaging. He wanted to say something to her, but he hesitated. She was giggling, and smiling at her cell phone. She looked like an angel. Somehow he didn't feel it was right to come down on her for using her phone. After all, he allowed Arlene and Holly, in between tables, to use their phones and text message. They had kids; Sookie didn't. Still, he restrained himself from throwing down his bar towel and confronting her.

Ever since Christmas, he'd noticed Sookie's mood significantly improve. She'd always been a happy go lucky sort of person, but after she got mixed up with vampires, he noticed she didn't smile as much. That is until now. She was so happy and always smiling. At first he thought she'd started dating another vampire, but he didn't smell any on her.

On the contrary, he'd noticed her amazing sweet scent had gotten stronger. So much so, he was struggling more than usual to keep a grip of himself when he was near her. He fidgeted with embarrassment – he never wanted Sookie to know this.

So other than these few changes, he couldn't explain the reason behind the change he'd been seeing in her. But it wasn't her happiness that had him worried. It was the sneaking, and hiding that concerned Sam. The whispered conversations she had on her phone. The stopping everything she was doing whenever that stranger occasionally dropped in, and avoiding his questions about that stranger. All this worried Sam. Most of all, it was the lying that worried him. Truth is it also hurt. It was never like Sookie to lie.

"Hey Sam," beamed Sookie, sitting her tray on the counter. "Two Bud Lights please."

"Sure thing," said Sam. "The bar is closing."

"Wow," said Sookie. "Time flew tonight." Sam wasn't sure what to make of her comment, especially considering that she'd been looking at the clock every fifteen minutes for the past few hours.

"You seem real happy tonight," said Sam.

"You think so?" asked Sookie. She could hear from everyone's mind that they were wondering about the bounce in her step. They all imagined she had a new man in her life, and every last person hoped it wasn't another vampire. This really irritated her the most. Despite their acceptance of Vampire Bill, their tolerance for vampires ended there. The folk in Bon Temps were still pretty closed minded about vampires.

"Got a hot a date?" teased Sam.

"Oh," she smiled sheepishly. "No, I'm just ready to go home." What she wasn't telling Sam was that she had a phone date with Preston.

When she started seeing Preston, she had been reluctant to start a long distance relationship again, considering how it didn't work very well for her and Quinn. But it was so completely different with Preston. Whenever they couldn't see each other, he actually called and text messaged her regularly. So far they'd gone out on four official dates not including their phone dates and text messaging. Their fourth "official" date was yesterday. It had been her day off from work. He took her to the museum in Monroe. After watching the show playing in the planetarium, Preston held her hand through all the exhibits and shared his version of some of the history he had lived through.

Towards the end of their visit, the back of her ankles had chaffed from the flats she had been wearing. She did her best to ignore the pain. Then without preamble, Preston swept her up into his arms. She more than enjoyed being close to him, but for propriety's sack, she protested. His solution to her objections had been a "Don't look" spell like the one Niall had conjured when she had first met. At the end of their date, when he had dropped her off, again like the other three times before, they lingered at the backdoor. They ended each date with a kiss that topped the one before.

A couple of times over the last few weeks she had to spent some indecent time with herself fantasying about Preston. She wondered if this disqualified her as 'taking it slow'.

"Here you go," said Sam. Sookie blinked, willing herself not to blush. She quickly cleared her thoughts of Preston, and she reached for the first pilsner glass of beer Sam handed her.

As she watched him fill up the next, she considered that maybe she did have a bounce in her step. Being with Preston, she admitted to herself, made her happy. He had a job, he made her laugh, and he was an attentive boyfriend. For the first time in a while she felt normal, which she found ironic considering that Preston wasn't a regular guy; not human at least. For that matter, she wasn't exactly a hundred percent human herself.

"Look what the devil dragged in," commented Sam. He suddenly felt guilty, a feeling that didn't go unnoticed by Sookie. For the first time since getting mixed up with Vampire Bill, Sam thought Sookie might be finally getting out of the vampire loop, and now he goes and throws her back into it. Worried about Sookie and this stranger, he contacted Eric, only to see if he'd heard anything.

"Pam?" asked Sookie. She was the last person she thought she would see. Sookie hadn't seen or heard from the Shreveport vampires in a few months. Now she wasn't so sure how to feel about seeing her. It was so unexpected.

"Sookie," purred Pam. She walked over to an empty booth in Sookie's section.

"Don't look so disappointed," commented Sam. Sookie gave him a half hearted grin. Vampires seemed to have an uncanny way of showing up when a person didn't want them coming around, and when Sookie wanted to hear from them, they were nowhere to be seen or heard from. She also knew very well that the Shreveport vampires never made social calls. There was always a reason, and for the most part, it was never good.

Sookie took her tray and delivered the beers to her table letting them know that the bar was closed. She returned to the bar to pick up Pam's usual before making her way to the vampire. "We're getting ready to close," Sookie told Pam. She placed an empty glass and a True Blood in front of her.

"Thank you," said Pam. Sookie glanced at the clock again. Niall had told her he would be back in a few weeks, so she told Preston it was probably a good idea if he didn't come by her house for a few days. Preston agreed and so they decided on a series of phone dates, the first starting tonight. She didn't want to miss his call.

"What brings you from Fangtasia?" Sookie's voice lacked any traces of Southern generosity. She knew that Pam could have had a True Blood at her own bar.

"It's good to see you too," snickered Pam. With a critical eye she studied Sookie. Even to Pam's experienced eyes, Sookie was hard to read.

"Sorry," said Sookie taking note of Pam's expression and tone. Sookie tried real hard not to feel annoyed. Even though they, Pam and Eric, had dropped off the edge of the earth, Sookie understood that they had their hands tied up dealing with the post-vampire take-over by the Nevada vampires. So her annoyance, she felt, was unwarranted. "It's good to see you."

"You smell absolutely decadent," purred Pam. "I don't remember you smelling quite this delicious before." The gauge on Pam's lust meter spiked. Since breathing wasn't necessary, for Sookie's sack she stopped.

"Well," said Sookie. "You know what they say, absence makes the heart fond." Pam let out a muted laugh.

"Has your heart grown fonder toward Eric in his absence?" asked Pam. Her attempt at coyness failed.

"Is this why you came all this way?" asked Sookie. It was late and she really wasn't up to Pam's teasing. Not only that, but Pam's teasing tugged at her guilt strings. This past October, Eric had regained his lost memories of their passionate week long affair a year ago. He had been persistent that they needed to talk. But Sookie was content to leave things 'status quo' between them, which she assumed Eric decided was a good idea since she hadn't seen or heard from him since October.

"I don't mean to sound ungracious," Sookie sighed. "It's been a long night and my shift is almost over."

"Then I'll get to the point," said Pam.

"That would be good," said Sookie.

"My master has received reports of an alarming nature," explained Pam.

"Ok," said Sookie. "And?"

"Have you taken a new lover?" flatly asked Pam.

"What?" Sookie asked. She was genuinely stunned. Surely, after a few months of no contact this isn't why Pam came all this way for.

"Bill reported you had a new companion," said Pam. Sookie imagined Bill had a nice time rubbing that in to Eric. "And the shifter has informed Eric that you might be in danger." Sookie shot a glare toward the vacant bar.

"Ok, that's it," Sookie slammed her hands on the table, which she realized as she did it, it wasn't a good idea. Pam's fangs extended. A normal person would have shrunk back, but Sookie felt another emotion take over her sense of self preservation. She didn't appreciate everyone's sudden obsession over her love life. "Who and what I keep in my bed, is my business," said Sookie, feeling her back straighten. For weeks Sam had been digging for information from her. He even showed up unannounced at her house.

"I think you should go now," said Sookie.

"What should I tell Eric?" Sookie's eyes widened with confusion and frustration.

"Look Pam," said Sookie. She hauled out a deep and loud breath. "I haven't seen you or Eric in a few months. No phone calls, no cards, nothing." Sookie wasn't truly judging their behavior. They were vampires, and as hard as it was to accept their on and off again behavior toward her, she'd slowly started to accept it. But they were now treading on territory that she felt no one had any business getting into with her.

"I know ya'l have been busy," conceded Sookie, "and I don't hold it against anyone." She took a steadying breath. "Life goes on despite what ya'l are dealing with. My life has gone on," she gently pointed out. "And I'm happy. Tell him what you will, he isn't my concern."

"You're his bonded," she reminded Sookie. If she didn't hold such worth to her master, Pam would snap her neck. Why was it so hard to comprehend that she belonged to Eric? "Humans!" Pam couldn't understand why Eric entertained Sookie's foolishness. He needed to end everyone's misery and put his fist down instead of amusing her human idiosyncrasies.

"Look Pam," Sookie sighed. "I may have taken Eric's blood, but I also took Bill's. It doesn't make me bonded to Eric anymore than it bonded me to Bill." Sookie truly didn't understand this vampire fascination over who was and wasn't bonded to whom.

"Silly human," thought Pam. Eric was older and more powerful. He could end Bill's existence instantly, and why he hadn't exactly, baffled her. All Sookie had to do was take Bill back into her bed. With Bill's prior claim on her, Eric would have to step aside or challenge him. Didn't she understand that Bill was not powerful enough? If it wouldn't be Eric to challenge Bill, it would be another vampire.

They all seemed to be the only one's aware that a line of vampires had already formed to claim her; Felipe de Castro was among those standing in line. Eric was the only one who could save her from becoming a vampire mistress, a human woman that was kept for the pleasure of a master vampire until she was won by another master. She should be grateful instead of resistant.

"Truly," wondered Pam, what had their existence come to? She never thought she would see the day when one human would have two vampires wrapped around her little finger…"but what a lovely finger Sookie had," wistfully thought Pam. It wasn't hard for her to think of a few things that Sookie's sweet finger could do to her. Pam's fangs came down and her mouth watered. Her eyes fixed on Sookie's neck, more precisely, her pulse.

"Very well," said Pam. Her tone was longing. She took several swallows of her synthetic drink. She couldn't deny Sookie's appeal. "Your hair has grown longer," observed Pam. "Seems the effects of Eric's blood haven't worn off."

"I guess not," said Sookie. About five months ago she had taken a pretty large dose of Eric's blood. She was just glad that she had stopped glowing at night. Sookie figured it would take another three months for the effects of Eric's blood to completely flush out of her system. She hated most of the side effects. For one, she hated that she couldn't remember what it felt like to be just Sookie Stackhouse not doped up on vampire blood.

Two, before their blood exchange about five months ago, she had only felt a causal pleasure when she saw Eric. And perhaps she had thought about him more often than she should have, but after their blood exchange, things became complicated. And most of the time, Sookie hated the bond that was created.

"How have things been for you?" asked Sookie, changing the subject. "You know, with the new King and all."

"Stressful," admitted Pam. "Eric has not been very happy. Castro is keeping him on a short leash."

"Maybe I should have let Siegbert kill him," Sookie absently said. Pam started laughing.

"Perhaps," smiled Pam. She did enjoy Sookie's unexpected wit. It was refreshing. "But Castro is a good businessman. It's good for Louisiana."

"But not good for Area Five?" asked Sookie. She deliberately avoided saying Eric's name. As she saw things, Eric was Area Five, which is why she had never fooled herself into thinking that any relationship with Eric would work out. His Area came first. Not only that, but as much as she really liked Eric most of the time, there was still something about him that frightened her.

"Eric has lived a long time," said Pam. "He is a survivalist. He will manage through it, but not without the rest of us paying for his bad mood."

"Hopefully you have some vacation time coming," said Sookie. Pam again let out a soft laugh.

"I cannot complain," said Pam. "Eric has a light hand; unlike many vampires. He is a good and fair master." Pam felt that if Sookie could see this, then perhaps she would quit resisting Eric and accept him completely.

In Sookie's peripheral vision, she saw her last table of customers toss down some bills and leave. Her eyes went to her watch. "I really need to go," said Sookie. "I have to close up."

"Yes," said Pam. "Of course." Pam gave Sookie one last appraising look. It didn't escape her observation that Sookie was definitely hiding something. Even if it hadn't been for Amelia, she would have been certain that Sookie had a new lover, but as to why Sookie was compelled to keep him a secret, was a mystery.

"Well, good night," said Sookie. She slid out of the booth. Pam nodded, stood, and quietly exited Merlotte's. ~