A/N:Charlaine Harris owns all of her characters. Evil genius that she is, she has created the Sookieverse for our pleasure.

After such a big first bite of five chapters, you really need to swallow, carefully, please. No accidents on this watch.

This new chapter is chock-full of explanations for Sookie. And maybe just a small promise of how tasty a Were like Eric might be, if Sookie could summon up the nerve.

Since this is such a different-verse, drop me a line and let me know what you think about Eric as the big bad Wolf. All comments, positive or other, are welcome.

_____________________________________________________________

Chapter 5

"What time is it?"

My question wasn't answered because I was alone in the hotel room. Eric, if that's who he was today, was gone.

Pam wasn't. Always polite, she knocked before entering.

"'Lo. What time is it?" Rubbing my eyes more for emphasis than comfort.

"Late, around one. Ready to move?"

"Pam, do you have time to tell me what's going on?" Plaintive, I wasn't hoping for much from her.

"Yes, some, and it isn't fair to keep putting you under. Humans are too fragile. I won't do it anymore." She gave me a warm smile and I felt the knot in my stomach begin to relax.

"Get dressed, Sookie. We have some casual clothes you can wear today." Big grin. "Want to burn the others?"

"Don't know. Did I wear them more than a couple of hours, with all the changing?"

"Sookie, you are a treat I can't resist." This was the Pam I recognized.

"Better you than Eric, Pam. What's he doing?" I hoped we could be friends. It would help if she'd tell me.

"He had to rehearse this afternoon. He's gone to another….." Her voice trailed off.

"Rehearse what? His Ninja moves? Leaping tall buildings? Does he think he's Supe-R-man?"

Was that a giggle from Pam? Way out of character, what with all the mind control games she'd been playing yesterday.

"Let's have some lunch and I'll fill you in, Sookie. We believe you are safer during the day. Dress now, please. I'm ready to leave. And, some good news; Eric got us another car this morning. Unbearable smell in that last one." Involuntary wrinkling of noses by both of us, remembering.

I now saw the clothes on the dresser. Not my first choice, but I hustled through a clean-up with some toiletries Pam had left for me. Hair still looked fine, and although I was mostly unrecognizable today, I no longer yesterday's champagne-blonde bombshell.

When I emerged from the bedroom, Pam was impatiently waiting by the door. My clutch was in hand, Granmere's pearls safely tucked inside. The white room card key, abandoned on the coffee table, was starkly visible evidence of our imminent departure. Giddy, I said, "Let's jet." And we were gone.

When we emerged from the underground garage, driving yet another boring tan sedan, the sun was shining, the sky a cloudless summer blaze of blue. Another standard issue day in Atlanta.

As we turned onto a large thoroughfare in downtown which I didn't recognize, last night's talk with Eric of werewolves and mind-reading and danger from a supernatural source seemed laughable. I almost expected Pam to tell me the whole thing was a hoax because Eric had wanted to sleep with me. 'Definitely Bi' I thought again. Maybe they both were and this was some amusing game the two of them played when they hit a new town. Although I couldn't really explain the hand shifting by Eric I'd witnessed, unless I'd been hypnotized.

Now that Pam seemed to have the traffic and directions under control, I was bubbling over with curiosity I couldn't contain. I'm sure Pam felt it because she nodded once before speaking.

"Yes, Sookie, you have stumbled upon a poorly-kept secret, Prime Directive be damned. There are things that go 'bump in the night.' And Eric and I happen to be a part of that secret…um…society." She turned sideways to face me, briefly, and I saw her eyes were orange with lavender swirls now.

Before I could react, she said. "Contacts." A pause. "Who do you think invented them?"

I still wasn't up to an answer. Since it was meant to be a rhetorical question, she continued.

"We are about forty minutes from the town we'll be staying in tonight, name of Panthersville. Ever had occasion to visit it?"

Numb with surprise, I shook my head. Wasn't it south of Decatur?

"Yes, and while I drive we'll have your first lesson about the hidden world that co-exists with your own." I nodded in agreement; sign me right up for the secret handshake and decoder ring, or whatever. I wanted answers.

"Sookie, have you ever had a premonition that something might happen, and then it has?" I managed to squeak out a negative, my throat feeling strangely constricted. What was about to happen?

"Silly me. Or course not. Wrong lecture. I'm switching tapes now. Anyways, Humans with a special type of Supe parent have swelled the ranks of famous clairvoyants since time began. Hmm, ever known someone who claimed she could read minds?" I shook my head again, all I could manage.

"Never wondered why certain people are incredible athletes and others clumsy oafs?"

This was an easy one I could actually answer. "Truthfully? No, Pam. I think about my rent, and the cost of gasoline, and…" She cut me off.

"How about what causes some humans to be drawn to medicine, while others choose the martial arts or professions that glorify war and death? Or why some prefer the beach while others prefer the mountains?"

"Just preferences; there's nothing weird about that. What does this have to do with Eric believing he's a werewolf? There's a medical name for his sort of delusion. I saw it on the Discovery Channel last year."

She waved her hand, dismissing my response. "Why do some people heal from injuries that would instantly kill a 'normal' human? How do you Humans explain the inexplicable?"

"I don't know. Aliens? Pam, tell me or I'm going to explode from anxiety."

She turned her head again. The orange and lavender colors were in motion now. I felt a little queasy as she stared at me, carefully assessing my mood, I guess.

"No, we Supes invented Aliens. There is no such thing, sweetie." Yeah, like I believed that one. She continued, though.

"Let's see, to answer in the correct order, it would be second sight, telepathy, superior motor skills, healers, warriors, hardship adaptability and regeneration. Sound right to you?" she asked. I nodded; why was I feeling something bad was coming?

"Yeah, I guess. Are you telling me these qualities, real or imagined, are somehow connected to you and Eric?"

She nodded, with emphasis. Was I truly ready for the explanation? "How?"

"Sex. Sex with Human females has contaminated your world's bloodlines. You are our children now." Sex? Well, that was just comical. Hadn't Eric tried to nail me last night?

"So if I'd slept with Eric yesterday…?" Then the dialogue from a vampire movie I couldn't place popped into my head. 'Listen to them, the children of the night. What sweet music they make.' Ewww. My question remained unasked, but she knew what I meant.

"The blind leading the blind. No, if you were im-preg-na-ted by Eric, your child would carry some Werewolf characteristics." Impatient much, hon?

"No danger of that happening, Pammi. For one, I'm on the Patch." She merely rolled her eyes in response to my self-satisfied tone.

Halt. Classic delayed reaction. "'Wolf babies?' I screeched silently

The most awful images now floated before me; I could see it all unfolding. I'd be in the delivery room, the kindly obstetrician staring in horror between my legs as a furry creature with little paws crowned. The nurses would begin screaming, the CNN television crews would arrive instantly, fortuitously shooting another story just down the hall. Vulnerable, I'd still be in the stirrups, straining and looking like shit. And would I have a litter? Oh-my-god.

Resolved! Don't let Eric's very pretty dick, which I had, err, peeked at, anywhere near me. Ever. Shit. Now, I was feeling majorly deflated about seeing him tonight.

"So, you're telling me that Eric's a wolf, but he's a Human as well? His parents were mixed, right?"

"Stop. No. Back-up, erase, re-set. Eric's a full-blooded True Were, with all that entails. And you, my dear, are True Human."

"Would I have little Weres or little Humans?" Damn. That question just slipped out. I was both annoyed at my lack of restraint and desperately hoping Pam would answer it.

Naturally, she didn't.

"Let me finish my lecture first, right?" I decided to keep quiet.

"So, the clairvoyance, the telepathy, the super human strength, etc.? Remember how we started, Sookie?" What, did she think I was an idiot?

"Well, if you can remember the examples, each of those characteristics is well-recognized in our world as indicative of recent sex…contamination of the Human mother by a Super. Ummm, do you understand?"

"So, Pam, there are more than Werewolves? Like what? Vampires?"

"I've memorized the Tribunal-distributed literature, required reading for all Supes these days. Here goes. And, remember, I'm generously summarizing about three hundred pages of text for you. Pay attention." I nodded.

"In the order I've described, Human mothers would have mated with members of the Fae, Vampires ('we guess', she carefully qualified), Shifters, Elves, Werewolves, Mermen, Trolls, and Demons."

"H-Human life is diverse." I stutter

"No. Human life is contaminated by us, the Supes." We had stopped now, ready to pull off Highway I-20 to take 155 into Panthersville, an oddly-named little town.

"Pam, let's just stop talking. I want to find the restaurant. And Vampires can't make babies. Everyone knows that from the books and movies, right?" I was triumphant, having found a gaping hole in her 'explanation'. It made the whole discussion a waste, in my opinion.

"Fine, Sookie, but you did ask…." Pam's attention had returned to the mechanics of driving.

I was afraid to say what I was wondering. Her explanation, or canned lecture, had been confusing. I blurted it out anyway, fearful of the answer. 'Am I a changeling, too?' Who was my real daddy? Was I running from him?

Pam just stared ahead, clearly exasperated with me.

___________________________________________________

When we were seated at a table in Felicia's, at best a non-descript café, I briefly wondered why we'd driven so far to the place. It didn't seem very special.

"Are you having the fried catfish, Pam?" My turn to be polite.

"I'm going to call over that Were and order for both of us. Keep quiet. This is a d'Varg business, but they don't know you."

So we were back to the danger and intrigue routine. I wondered who the d'Vargs might be in the grand scheme of the Supernatural world.

After we finished our meals of fried catfish, hush puppies, pickles, and Coca-Colas with refills, Pam suggested we use the Ladies. We rose as one, but bypassed the Ladies to stop at a door marked 'Office.' It wasn't locked, so we found chairs and prepared to wait for Eric's arrival. It was a ruse I wished we'd implemented after visiting the Ladies.

"When's Eric coming?" I asked when it appeared Pam planned on keeping mum.

She shrugged. "He was at rehearsal; I expect him any time. He has a show tonight."

Since I clearly had no idea what she was saying, I had no response.

"He's a musician. The hair salon is just his cover."

"He didn't cut my hair?"

"Don't think he can? I seem to recall him telling you he could do just about anything." She grinned and I knew what she was thinking; no need for telepathy.

"Please, please tell me why I am here? Am I a changeling or something else? Is that why someone wants me?" I was whiny. I always acted this way when I couldn't follow the conversation of the adults.

"For someone who turned him down last night, you seem unusually interested in Eric." Pam was avoiding answering my questions, yet again.

She continued, "I doubt he's ever been turned down."

"Wow, can we drop this topic?" I hated blushing.

"Trust me. Next time, you'll have to ask him. He won't risk it twice."

While I briefly imagined the particulars of such a scenario, Pam continued, relentless in her assessment of the debacle of my near seduction by Eric.

"So, the much-vaunted Wolf's infallible sense of smell finally goes MIA. Perhaps it had justifiable reasons for staging an impromptu disappearance last night? What do you think, Sookie? You were present, I believe." Pam wasn't doing a good job disguising her laughter now.

I needed a new topic to distract her and looked around the room for inspiration. Unfortunately, 'bedraggled' was granting it too much character. I didn't see any claw marks on the walls, or big clumps of animal hair, or bags of dog chow, for that matter. Did Eric eat regular food, I wondered?

"Not that it will do you any good long term, but we could discuss Eric's history while we wait. Interested?" Pam was looking at me, probably speculating how much information she could wheedle out of me with her own offer to spill. I nodded, just to move the clock forward. Dang, I knew nothing at all, compared to her.

"Eric may have told you that you could leave any time, right?"

Again, I nodded. "But, I'm not going. I don't want another Were to be…tracking me. I'm off work this weekend and my boyfriend has disappeared, as you know." I hesitated; sharing was difficult. Lately, I lacked much practice. "I liked Eric when I thought he was, you know, gay."

Pam did lose it then. When she had regained some measure of control, she rolled her eyes. "I knew he was laying it on too thick. I tried to tell him; he's so out of touch after being gone for thirty years, playing wolf. But, as you found out, Eric knows everything. So very typical for a Were who has just recently reached maturity."

"Maturity? He told me he was one hundred and twenty last night; I knew he was full of shit." Thank god something finally clicked into place. No way was he what he said he was either. Hah! He forgot to give that detail to Pam.

"Sookie, he might have rounded up for your benefit, but Weres do not age like humans. True Weres attain their majority even later. Eric did not mature until he reached the age of seventy-seven in human years. I think you Human women have a term for it, even though you don't know the root cause. Peter Pan syndrome. Sound familiar?"

I finally accepted that the only way I could continue this conversation was just to suspend all rational thought. Maybe I'd wake up in my own bed soon and remember I'd eaten Italian for dinner. For now? Treat it as a waking nightmare; pinching self so wasn't working.

"So if Eric's a Werewolf, and all of what you've told me is true, what are you? His mate?" No point in asking how old she was; if I was her, I wouldn't tell either.

"So not a wolf, thank you. I don't do boys, either. Thought you knew that?" But that was all she said.

"You're not a wolf?" Don't try to brush me off; Pam. You started it, I think.

"Okay, you are making this difficult. We couldn't avoid telling you about Eric. What if we just say I'm a healer, and leave it at that? Good enough for you?"

I flipped back though what she'd told me earlier. "So, you are an Elf?" I knew I sounded skeptical, again. But I was mentally tracing the bones in her face as I spoke; something looked 'off' but I couldn't place it. After all, how many elves did I know, really?

The makings of a scowl crossed her normally pleasant features. Maybe that was a clue to what was bothering me about the elf heritage.

"Do all fairies…."

She cut me off, thunder in her voice. "Never again mistake me for a member of the Fae. There is no greater insult in my world."

Feeling her reaction had more than made my point, I nearly swallowed my question and my tongue. But I still sought confirmation of my suspicions.

"Sorry, sorry, but do all elf healers train in mastering evasive maneuvers around the bad guys and become hair colorists?" I might be just a Human, but her story was wobbly.

"There's been no fighting, yet. I'm mostly Elf." she sniffed.

"And partly what else?" I asked, intrigued now. C'mon, Pam. 'Fess up.

"My mother was taken from the….the nest when she was very young. She was taken as part of a revenge raid. The marauders kept her until she matured, and then she was given to my father in payment for a debt. I don't like to talk of it. May we cease?"

I was so close to the truth now, I hated to give in. However, maybe some trauma was involved. "So you are part Human? I knew we shared a bond." I was nodding now.

"Human? Hardly. My father is a Seventh Circle of Hell Demon, certified." Her eyes were wide now, the lavender shifting so rapidly, I had the impression of flashing neon. This couldn't be good, no ma'am. I fervently hoped Dante's seventh circle didn't involve violence and murder. Did Dante even apply in this context?

Hearing the sounds of heavy panting, I wondered who was hyperventilating. Oh, me. Next, I would start seeing spots. Awesome.

And I still hadn't seen Eric. Maybe I was wondering too much about the wolf. What if he was hurt? As if cued, black-and-white images of Lon Chaney, hair and beard in need of a trim, hurt and hiding in the woods, started playing on a continuous loop in my head. I wondered if Mr. Perfect needed to fear silver bullets. I'd ask later. Keep your focus on priorities, I sternly reminded myself, and Lon was gone.

"We've been sitting for too long, Pam. It's well past four now. Can I go home to change into my own clothes? I promise to come back later."

"Bend over, I need to check your head; you've been injured. Someone must have hit you while I wasn't looking." I'd started to kneel down when I got it. Teasing.

"Not safe at your house, Sookie. You're by my side 'til Eric is free again. Niall doesn't know about the gig tonight or he might protest. But, with the new hair color and clothes, we intend to hide you in plain sight, a la E.A. Poe. My father admired him greatly, you know, for a Human."

"Will you please, please, tell me; who's chasing me and why do I need to hide?" Didn't I deserve to know a few choice particulars? 'Why', for starters?

"It's so complicated, Sookie. I almost do not know where to begin." She gave me an apologetic smile. 'Poor dumb Human' she seemed to be thinking. Couldn't say I disagreed with her.

She was saved from further explanation by the entrance of 'Wolf-boy', my new pet name for him.

Eric had arrived in full Wolf mode today. There was nothing soft or boyish about him, his presence filling the room. I automatically sucked in my stomach at the sight of him in his too-tight tie-dyed forest green and navy tee, the quote "How I do love to hear the wolves howl" written in white flowing script across his chest. I definitely liked his button-front dark jeans paired with the scuffed vintage goat foot Tony Lama boots. Double yum; his shining mane of black hung loose across his shoulders.

Yes. Did he know how good he looked? Never doubt it, Sookie.

Surprisingly, after waiting several long hours to see him again, I didn't have much to say. Maybe I'd forgotten just how much a well-muscled Eric was 'On' when confined to such a small space, such as the hotel bathroom yesterday. Or maybe I was just shy, remembering last night's activities.

He wasn't shy about being interested in seeing me, though. I only had to look South to find the evidence. The South will rise again. What an apropos phrase, although I was sure the long-dead members of the Confederacy would not be pleased with my interpretation. With luck, Ghosts might not figure into the new Supernatural World order into which I was being initiated.

My designated protector spoke. I had to swing my eyes back North again.

"Lost in the moment? I was beginning to wonder if you knew I was up here."

Frick.

____________________________________________________________

A/N: TBC. The next chapter will be posted in a few days.

So any Supernatural creature(s) contamination in your family tree? Demon, Shifter, Fae, or something else? It's okay to share.

BTW, the source of Eric's wolf t-shirt quote is American religious leader Joseph Smith. (1805-1844)

I gratefully acknowledge beta reader VL's thoughtful advice and assistance re: all things FF. If you find errors, I must claim them.