PART THREE

It Better Be Good

Once outside, Eric took to the air and headed toward Bon Temps to confront Sookie. His instinct, vampire, was to put the fear of God in her, maybe smack her around a bit. As a rule, he never hurt others if it wasn't necessary. He used in moderation, pain, fear, and intimidation in order to ensure the most rewarding results.

However, though Sookie standing him up tonight would be one of those few occasions that would warrant him inflecting pain, it was Sookie. He told himself he wouldn't harm her because he wanted her skin to maintain its perfect smooth condition.

The truth was that despite Sookie being a human, he concerned himself with her welfare. As a vampire, she was the first human that he had ever worried over.

"A human," he thought with bewilderment. He shifted uncomfortably in his pale white skin. He cared for many things, but never for a human. Humans were for feeding. For fucking.

A menacing growl rumbled from deep inside his chest. Even now, he was caught between rage and obsession.

As the wind lapped at his face, memories of his strange and passionate time with Sookie bombarded his mind. It was surreal to watch himself and recall his experience a year ago. He hardly recognized himself.

In a flash, he stiffened.

"No," he growled. "I am vampire…I am Sherriff." Anything less felt as if he was forcing himself into a mold that required him to turn his back on everything that he was and everything that was important to him. It was like trying to blend water and oil. As much as he tried to contort, to change, he couldn't.

The neon blinking lights of Merlotte's sign towering over the road, casted a dull glow of color over the parking lot. Eric's sharp vampire senses scanned the area as he came down to earth. There was no sign of Sookie. In the woods near the bar, a few trees didn't survive Eric's wrath. His frustration had gotten the best of him.

"Where is she?" he roared. Small creatures scurried into the darkness. Sookie had avoided him long enough. As he shredded a few trees, he knew he should not have been so lenient with her. He had allowed her too much leeway, too much freedom. His entire body vibrated with rage.

For over a thousand years women had fallen at his feet. As a predator he had gone too long without a challenge. Human women were nothing more than willing bags of blood and sex.

"Oh, but with Sookie," his mouth salivated as the tree trunk between his hands turned to powder. In Sookie he had found a challenge. Lust and hunger pumped through his veins at the thought of her assets. The memory of her sweet blood made him hard.

Sookie was not like other women. She hadn't fallen at his feet. Unlike the others, she couldn't be easily possessed. As much as he had initially enjoyed the chase, he was growing tired of the hunt. The game was over. It was time he claimed what was his. She was his human. His woman. His bonded. If he had to, he would forcibly press his will on her.

He bolted into the air and toward Sookie's house.

Eric was willful and unruly. He wouldn't hesitate to challenge and disregard their vampire laws in his quest to possess Sookie. Until now, he had openly killed a vampire and positioned himself between a Queen and her prize. What was another vampire monarch? He would find a way to keep Felipe's claws away from his human. There was almost nothing that Eric wouldn't do to keep Sookie out of the reach of other vampires.

What Eric couldn't see was that the turmoil he felt was not due to Sookie not being his woman, but it was of his own creation. In his obsession to possess her gift, her body, her blood, he lost focus. He began to concern himself with her feelings. Eric couldn't accept the phenomenon that like some vampires, he too cared for a human.

Unfortunately, he viewed his concern for Sookie, then and now, as a weakness, something that had to be tamed – beaten out of him. And the perfect instrument for this exorcist of chaos and obsession that inflected him was Sookie.

When he arrived at her house the lights were out, but he didn't care. Short of breaking down the door he pounded his fist against the wooden door. "Sookie!" he roared feeling his frustration escalate even further.

He was unable to feel her through the bond.

From inside the house it sounded like the house would crumble at any moment. The booming and creaking of the frame created an eerie tune inside the house. Sookie's roommates, Octavia and Amelia were pulled from what had been a peaceful sleep. Cautiously, like a frightened small animal, Octavia, the old Witch, went into the hallway hesitating. Her heart was palpitating, and from outside Eric could hear the pounding of two hearts.

Moments after Octavia had stepped into the dark hallway, Amelia appeared from her bedroom upstairs, carefully feeling her way through the dark. She palmed the wall for the light switch.

A few short minutes passed before the living room lights came on.

Wrapped in her robe, Amelia met Octavia in the hallway connecting the bathroom, Sookie's room and Octavia's. "This wasn't good," thought Amelia. Octavia's complexion had turned ash with fright.

"You should answer it before he tears the house apart," said Octavia, her voice trembling.

"Sookie! Let me in," he thundered.

"Is there a spell that can keep him from doing that?" whispered Amelia. Octavia shook her head.

"I'll need to consult my books," she replied. In the meantime, Amelia made her way to the door.

As much as Octavia loved Sookie and her generosity, Octavia worried about the vampires Sookie kept company with. "One day," thought the old Witch as she pulled out her ancient books, "them vampires will be the death of us all."

"She isn't here," Amelia cracked the front door open.

"Where is she?" growled Eric. His fangs were extended long and menacingly. It frightened Amelia to think of what he had in mind to do to her friend. "Oh Sookie," she lamented. Amelia felt certain that her dear friend needed to separate herself from the vampires; at least for a while.

"She's obviously not here," Amelia said flatly, though on the inside she was terrified of what Eric would do. From her experience and the gossip in the supernatural community, Eric was unpredictable.

"You don't expect me to believe that?" Amelia shivered from the chill in Eric's voice. Eric would have plowed right into the house, but he instantly felt his invitation had been rescinded. The magic that surrounded all living things was keeping him at bay.

"I don't care what you believe," said Amelia monitoring her tone. "She isn't home and she hasn't been home in a few days."

"If you're lying to me," snarled Eric.

"Believe me, I wouldn't lie to you,"she quickly admitted. "As if I would admit that I was lying—which I'm not."

"Have you heard from her?" demanded Eric.

"Yes," answered Amelia. "Why don't you just call her?"

"She isn't returning my calls," he replied.

"She has a lot going on right now Eric," explained Amelia. "Did you tell her what's so important or were you cryptic?"

"Does it matter?" his tone was sarcastic. He was Sheriff after all; she should have dropped whatever she was doing and called him. Even Bill, who disliked authority, would have done so. It was one thing for Sookie to privately treat him as a common man, and something entirely different when she openly and publicly defied him.

"If she hasn't had time to return your call, there's a good reason for it," explained Amelia. "Like running Merlotte's and spending time with her man."

Without Sookie's blood calling to him through their bond, there was no way Eric could track her. His mind reeled with hundreds of thoughts. Dawn was only a few hours away; he could feel it. He would have to wait until tomorrow night to send trackers out to Sookie's house. It might take days to track down every scent surrounding her house, but at this point Eric had no other choice.

"Tell her it's urgent," stated Eric. He hated being at Sookie's mercy when it should have been the other way around. The very thing a year ago that he enjoyed about her, was the same thing he hated now; feeling human—helpless. "She needs to call me immediately."

"I'll tell her," said Amelia. She didn't wait for Eric to step off the porch. Amelia closed the door and went into Octavia's room.

Over the next several hours they worked their spells around the house.

By the time the two Witches were done, it was about five in the morning. Amelia knew herself well enough to know that she wouldn't be getting up for a while. So she decided to call Sookie. The way she saw it, Sookie had to be getting up anyhow for work.

Earlier than either Preston or Sookie had planned to be up, Sookie's cell phone began to ring non-stop. The sound slowly began to rouse them. Wishing it was only a dream, Sookie curled up closer into Preston's chest.

After a short while, Preston realized whoever it was, wouldn't be giving up, so he reached over and picked up Sookie's cell phone from the bedside table where it was charging.

"No," softly groaned Sookie from the loss of warmth snuggling next to Preston had provided, which momentarily disappeared.

"Hello," he said groggily into the receiver.

"Sookie?" asked Amelia.

"No," he yawned. "It's Preston."

"Good morning," she said sheepishly. "Sorry to call so early. This is Amelia, Sookie's roommate. I really need to talk with Sookie. It's important."

"Ok, hold on," he yawned. Turning around he leaned down and kissed Sookie's bare shoulder. "Sookie," through the fog of sleep, she heard her name. "It's Amelia. She says it's important." Preston kissed her shoulder again. A weary smile spread across Sookie's face. She raised her hand, not moving anything else on her body. Preston placed the phone in her open palm.

"It better be good," mumbled Sookie. By the quality of the filtered light coming in through the windows, Sookie figured it was really, really early.

"Sookie?" she heard Amelia's voice. "Eric is crazy."

"Tell me something I don't already know," quietly thought Sookie. "Is that why you called? To tell me he's crazy?"

"No, not only that; all day yesterday Pam kept calling the house," said Amelia, "Octavia told her you weren't home. Anyhow, Eric showed up last night."

"You gotta be kidding," grumbled Sookie. Pam had inundated her cell phone with missed calls. The first few calls Sookie had genuinely missed. It wasn't until the third call that Sookie had adjusted the custom ring tone for all of Fangtasia's numbers, so that her cell phone would be silent. Conveniently, Pam had left only one message, but never stated why she was needed.

It irritated Sookie like a bad rash, that she was being "summoned". She wasn't a vampire, and she certainly wasn't property of any vampire, so she resented being treated like one of Eric's subjects.

"Did you tell him I'm really busy?" asked Sookie.

"Of course," Amelia sighed, "but you know Eric."

"Did he say what he wanted?" asked Sookie quickly concluding that it probably had something to do with her not showing up last night.

"He only said that it's urgent," answered Amelia. "Look," she sighed, "you really need to call him. It really freaked out Octavia and me to have a vampire banging on the door in the middle of the night."

"Oh god," groaned Sookie. "I'm so sorry Amelia…I'll call him." For an instant she wondered if there was an anti-Eric spell.

"Thanks Sookie," said Amelia. "So how are things going with lover boy?" Amelia giggled.

"Really great," Sookie's face beamed. Preston was on his back next to her.

"Seems like things are getting pretty serious," happily pointed out Amelia. "The long sleepovers at his place," she thought, "were a good sign." She was ecstatic that her best friend had found love.

"I guess they are," happily admitted Sookie. It seemed like her and Preston had fallen into a comfortable routine, and she truly loved it despite everything going on around them.

"I'm happy for you Sookie," said Ameila. "Don't worry about the house," she assured her. "Octavia and I are taking good care of everything—Eric won't be banging on the door anymore. We just finished conjuring up a pretty big spell around the property, so you just enjoy yourself."

"Thanks Amelia." A mischievous smile spread across Sookie's face. She knew it would really get under Eric's skin when he discovered the new wards around her house.

"I gotta get to bed," whispered Amelia. "I'm exhausted. We've been up since one thirty."

"Oh," breathed Sookie. "I'm so sorry Amelia."

"Nothing to be sorry about," she said. "I'll talk to you when I talk to you."

"Ok," Sookie yawned. When she disconnected the call, she read the time off her cell phone. It was way too early. She had about five hours before she had to be to work.

"Everything ok?" mumbled Preston.

"It's all good," breathed Sookie. Her words were more of a silent mantra to convince her self that everything would work itself out. She raised her hand with the phone in it. Preston took it back and placed it on the bedside table. Turning back around he drew Sookie toward him, draping his arm over her waist; one leg between hers.

They were both exhausted. Their experimental sex on the sofa the night before had continued into the bedroom. Needless to say they had, had a late night. Facing Preston, Sookie snuggled into his chest.

Easily, they fell back to sleep for a few hours. ~