A/N: This chapter just didn't want to cooperate with me, but here it is. Thanks for sticking with me and waiting for, what seemed like forever.

Also, I have now jumped on the twitter train, so you can follow me evenflo78.

Shutterbugmom will be back next chapter, so for this one I go commando. Bear with me.

Thanks, as always for reading and reviewing. You guys all know what to say to make a girl feel good.

Disclaimer: unfortunately, I do not own these characters. They belong to Charlaine Harris.

SPOV

When I made it back to the apartments, Eric was leaning out of the office door chatting with Trey behind the counter. I smiled brightly at him when he turned towards me and waved me over to him. It was impossible to control the butterflies that fluttered in my stomach just at the mere sight of him. I made my way to him and he gestured for me to sit while he finished up business chat with Trey.

I twirled my keys around my fingers anxiously as they talked shop, but I couldn't help that my lips twitched into a smile every time I heard Eric's voice. It was just so smooth and cool. It did things to, not only my heart, but my nether regions that I would never want to have to admit to anyone. What could I say? I knew I was a goner.

I felt Eric's hand on my shoulder before he spoke. "I know this sounds crazy, but I've missed you."

I tried desperately not to grin like a little school girl with a crush, but the damn, cheesy smile spread across my face anyway. I did manage to at least keep my voice smooth as I spoke. "I've only been gone a few hours. You couldn't possibly miss me already." I teased, knowing that I felt the same.

He laughed as he pulled me up to him. Eric wrapped his arms around me tightly and I followed suit. I felt his lips touch my forehead for a brief moment and my breath hitched in my throat from that simple act.

"Eric?" I whispered against his chest. He hummed his response, so I continued. "Please tell me you're for real." I said, hiding the desperation in my voice.

"What do you mean?" He responded as he pushed me slightly away from him and lifted my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.

"I don't know what I mean, really." I said stupidly. "Just being silly is all." I stood on my toes and kissed him chastely on the lips.

Eric deepened the kiss when he pulled me tight against his chest and cradled the back of my neck. I felt myself melt in his arms like a big pile of goo, as his tongue moved smoothly across my parting lips. Our tongues danced briefly until I noticed that I had wrapped my body around him in a rather inappropriate manner. I stepped back, both hesitantly and breathlessly and smiled up at Eric. His lips were swollen and moist from our kiss and I could tell that he was feeling the same as I.

"I should go." I said as I reached for the door. "I'll see you tonight, right?"

"Yes." He said simply. "Now you know I'll be thinking of you until then." Eric raised his eyebrow at me and gestured to his pants.

"Perv." I giggled and blushed slightly as I slapped his arm and made my way out to the lobby. "You're not the only one." I said just out of his reach and turned to make my way to the elevator. I pressed the button and turned to Eric once again, who was staring at me, unashamed.

Thousands of thoughts were going through my head. I thought about how lucky I was. What did that look mean? Was it a loving look? How could he be so beautiful? Random, incoherent thoughts jumbled in my brain, recklessly. But mostly, I was wondering, how I could be so absolutely head-over-heels for him in the matter of a week. I found it hard to pull my eyes away from him as the elevator dinged upon its arrival and I backed in slowly. The look on Eric's face sent my heart racing and I couldn't understand why I suddenly felt afraid.

Someone's arms gripped around me tightly from behind and my legs automatically went kicking in a fit of panic. My pulse was already racing and I struggled to free my arms that were pinned to my side, but all to no avail. My eyes were locked with Eric's as he raced towards me. There was a sweet, but almost rotten, odor that seemed to be filling my nose. It was then, that I realized my mouth was covered with some sort of rag. That's why I wasn't able to scream.

Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!

In a matter of seconds my vision became clouded and I watched as Eric slammed into the shutting elevator door with a muffled thump. I knew it was Bill, even though I couldn't see him. I tried to say something but it just came out muffled and slurred. My movements became weaker with every breath and I couldn't focus on anything.

Eric, help me please!

Then, all of a sudden, there was nothing. Only darkness.

EPOV

I watched Sookie as she approached the elevator, grinning like a school boy with a crush. I honestly couldn't believe how hard I had fallen for her. Then, of course, the elevator doors had to open and ruin my fucking moment.

"Compton!" I growled and took off towards the closing doors.

That fuck had her in his arms. I could see her fighting and my vision blurred red with rage. I knew that if he did anything to hurt even one, single, fucking hair on her body, I would kill him. I would rip his head off with my bare hands, if I could only get to him fast enough. As it was, I slammed into the closing elevator doors at full speed, leaving dents in the outer doors.

"Fuck!" I shouted and slammed my fist against the doors once again and focused my thoughts to my options.

"Fire escape!" I shouted. "Trey, call the cops and watch the stairwell and the elevator!" I ordered and shot out of the front door as fast as my legs would carry me.

The filth. The scum. The son of a bitch.

I would rip him limb from limb. My pulse soared and the wind ripped across my face sending my hair flying out behind me.

Not her, not her, not her.

My thoughts were consumed, not only by rage, but by Sookie. If anything were to happen to her, I don't know what I would do with myself. I could do nothing but pray that I made it in time. I slowed just as I reached the bottom of the fire escape.

My breath was raged from running and from the fury that was flowing freely through me. I relished in the sensation and used it to focus more clearly. I watched from around the corner, in order to maintain the element of surprise.

The fuck!

There he was, carrying Sookie over his shoulder, apparently having knocked her out somehow. I watched him descend step by step, until he reached the final flight of stairs. That was when Bill saw me.

I stepped out of the shadows and turned to glare up at him. I knew then, that if I had lasers for eyes, he would have been nothing but a fucking pile of ash. As he very rightfully deserved.

"You will never have her." He shouted and I lunged.

I took two steps at a time, until I was standing beneath him. "Give her to me, she is mine." I growled.

He laughed. The fucking shit laughed. He didn't know that he had, absolutely no chance of winning this battle. I would tear him to shreds and sleep like a baby tonight. But the pissant had other plans, as he let Sookie fall to the grated stairs beneath him.

You dropped her you fuck!

I growled and watched as she tumbled down to my feet. The crunching sound of a bone breaking caused me to cringe. I noticed the blood ooze from her forehead and felt my chest tighten, at the thought of her being harmed. I reached to scoop her in my arms, reflexively and protectively.

She is mine.

"Nuh, uh, uh!" His voice taunted my self control and then I heard a very distinct sound. The sound of a gun being cocked. "Not so fast, loverboy."

My eyes narrowed and I took an automatic step backward, watching him like a hawk. Seeking my moment. Waiting for him to let his guard down. One second. That is all it would take, one. I waited and stepped back as he stepped forward, urging me downward. My eyes never left him as he bent down to retrieve Sookie's limp form. That was when I saw it. My fucking moment.

He looked away, only for a moment, and I lunged forward shooting my hands out to grab his extended appendage, twisting and pulling until the gun was mine. The sound of the gun firing was still pounding in my head, but I could see that Sookie had not been hit.

"Let her go!" I shouted as I aimed at his head and he obeyed, raising his arms in surrender, like I knew he would.

I reached to pick Sookie up and that was when I felt the pain. The pain that was hot and throbbing through my shoulder. I felt the warmth oozing down my chest and the cool air whipping across it, sent my body into shudders. I glanced down to the hole in my shirt, just below my shoulder. I had been shot.

I focused on Bill, who was still begging for his life in front of me, until I had Sookie at a safe distance and out of his reach. I set her down, gently, on the sidewalk behind my legs and retrieved my cell from my pocket. I could already hear the sirens in the distance, so I fought the haze that was threatening to take my vision.

"I've got him." I told Trey and then hung up.

I stepped to the fuckwad that thought he was going to get away with this.

"I never want to see you, again." I growled and he grinned, which only fueled me more. "If I ever do…" I continued as I pressed the gun into the middle of his forehead. "You will wish I had this gun. Because, what I have planned for you will be so slow and torturous. You will be begging for me to have mercy on you. You will beg for me to kill you. I will find ways to make you suffer that no man could endure." I growled breathlessly.

The gunshot wound was having an affect on my awareness and I could feel myself slipping from time to time. I knew that I could lose it at any time, but there was something I had to do first.

I slipped the gun into my pocket and swung my hand as hard as I could. It made contact with Bill's jaw and I heard the crack and watched the spew of blood fall from his mouth and smiled, as he fell slumped to the ground in pain.

"DO. NOT. Let me see your face again!!" I huffed and slumped forward, cradling my arm against me.

I stood back up tall with my head high, towering over the scum as he groaned, defeated. The cop's tires came to a screeching halt in front of the sidewalk and two officers jumped out, dragging him into custody.

I knelt to Sookie and tried desperately to cradle her to me, only to groan in defeat, when my body wouldn't allow it. I stroked the hair out of her bloodied face with my fingers and felt some relief at the warmth of her skin.

"Sookie?" I whispered. But she did not respond.

A cop approached me, but the throbbing in my ears and rushing of the blood through my veins, made it impossible for me to hear what he was saying. I watched as his hand extended towards me and gestured to the firearm in my pocket. Recognizing his wishes, I handed him the weapon.

Ringing filled my ears and I couldn't decide if it was another set of sirens, or if I was just imagining it. I vaguely remember the ambulance rounding the corner, as I lowered my lips to Sookie's and let the blackness take over me.

Lover.

SPOV

When I finally came to, I almost thought I was dead. The lights were so bright they burned my eyes. If it weren't for all the pain and throbbing pulsing through, what seemed to be, every inch of my body, I might have thought I was. My eyes blinked and I forced them to focus on my surroundings. But my vision was still clouded. I tried moving and that proved to be a mistake. I felt like I had been run over by a train.

I must have made some sort of noise as I shifted because I focused in on a face hovering over me.

"Sookie? Sookie, can you hear me." Amelia said as she stroked my cheek.

"Amelia? What happened? Where am I?" I mumbled, unable to pronounce my words properly, but she got the idea and shushed me.

"You're at the hospital. You fractured your arm and got a pretty nasty cut on your head. The doctor said it's just a mild concussion but they needed to keep you overnight to be safe." Her voice was smooth. Too smooth, I knew something was wrong.

"Wait, where's Eric? What happened to Bill? Why are you looking at me like that? What is going on? Amelia?" I rambled and forced myself upright, ignoring the pain that shot down my back and up my arm.

"Shush, sit back." Amelia said as she pushed me back against the bed. "Calm down. I need you calm, ok. I'll tell you everything." She pushed me again and I fell back against the bed, unable to fight with her. "Look at me Sookie."

"Amelia, if you don't tell me what is going on, so help me…" My voice hung in the air, as she sat down next to me on the bed and took my good hand in hers. I knew this couldn't be good and I could feel my pulse racing higher and higher with every silent second that passed.

"Calm, Sookie. You need to breathe." I obeyed and closed my eyes, only for a moment before turning to glare at her again.

"Amelia, please." I begged, unable to hide the desperation I felt.

"Ok, Sookie." Amelia started. Her hand tightened around mine as she spoke again. "Eric has been shot."

"What…shot? But I never even told him that I lov…" I managed to croak out in panic, before my eyes faded into the darkness, yet again.

A/N: OMG, OMG, OMG… yes, I totally just did that. I will be working on the next chapter this evening with any luck. That's as long as Hershey's Kisses cooperates.

They will be posting the finalists for the Eric and His Great Pumpkin contest sometime tomorrow, so be sure to go cast your votes. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will make the cut. But, go vote even if I don't. There were some fabulous entries.

Don't forget to press the little green button. Just try not to curse me too much. Bwahahahaha.