Hello readers. Here is the new chapter. I hope you like it. I have read it a few times looking for errors, but now the story is looking like a blur to me. So please excuse any typos. Feel free to tell me about any you find and I will correct them. Thanks for reading. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

I slowly open my eyes and I am blinded by the afternoon light. My eyes feel painful and puffy from crying myself to sleep last night. I stare out the window, hoping for some big epiphany or realization, which would help me explain it all to myself. It never comes. I remember last night; it feels like some kind of nightmare. When I think about Bills letter, I can not get over the sorrow I feel. The bathroom and my human needs call to me, so I force myself to get up and head to the bathroom. After I freshen up, I look in the mirror. My eyes are missing their normal spark. I feel as if I have a huge gaping hole in my chest where my heart was ripped out. I decide it is time for me to get on with my day.

I go to the kitchen and start the coffee. I stare at the pot as if watching it intensely will speed up the process. So far I have had no luck. Finally, it is done brewing and I grab myself a cup. I take this cup of warm goodness to the living room, turn on the TV and sit on the couch. I remember the ring Bill gave me, that I threw across the room. I retrieve it and place it lovingly in my jewelry box. I go back to the living room and once again sit on the couch.

I start to think about the past 3 weeks. Tara moved out. She said she could not stand to be in this house anymore, after all the craziness that happened here because of Maryann. Or at least that is what she said in her mind. What she said out loud was that she was going to go say with her Mom, to work on having a real relationship with her. Now that she is no longer drinking, she has the chance to get to know the real her. This was also true, as far as I can tell from her head. Sam and Terry were life savers. Sam started a collection at the bar and the whole town made donations to buy the supplies necessary to repair most of my home. I figured that was fine, since they all took part in destroying it. Terry helped me with the repairs and made many trips to the dump, to dispose of that meat alter that Maryann built in my yard. With all the pinned up stress, of my destroyed house and Bill disappearance, I turned into a cleaning machine. It kept my mind busy, so it won't wander to thinking about Bill. Plus Gran would be appalled to see her house in this state. So I decided to get it back to normal, as quickly as possible.

I focus on TV again and I hear "Billy Mays Here, with the Awesome Auger!" I notice the new "As Seen on TV" item. It is pretty cool gadget for gardening. Billy Mays is so gifted at selling stuff, that I bet he could wake the undead with his voice and convince them they needed to buy it.

Then once again I am sucked back into my thoughts.

What am I going to do now? I am all alone. My Gran is dead. My brother is only concerned with himself. I still have Sam, Terry, Lafayette and Tara. But it is not the same. I will miss Bills companionship. Having someone to relate to and really talk to. I miss sharing what happened in my day with someone. I used to look forward to sunset everyday, like a kid would Christmas. When he looked at me, he saw Sookie, not crazy Sookie. He saw my disability as a gift, not a curse. Will I ever find that again? Will I spend the rest of my life alone? I never really realized how alone I felt before I meet Bill, until now.

I stare at the TV without seeing it for what seems like hours. Actually it has only been about 20 minutes. I don't remember what I was watching. I start to think about my life since meeting vampires. I remember the first time I saw Bill and how I was drawn to his quiet mind. How I saved him from the Rattrays. The very next night, he saves me from the Rattrays. He gave me his blood to heal me. Wait he gave me his blood and quite a bit of it too…. So a lot of that initial attraction I had with Bill could have been from his blood. I mean I liked him plenty before I had his blood. But afterwards it increased 10 fold. I never thought about that before. He did not tell me, it could have that affect on me. That was the night I started having dreams of him. He said it would increase my libido and strength, but never told me that it would increase or create feelings. Bill told me after I had Eric's blood; that his blood would cause me to feel attracted to him and have dreams about him. Bill lied to me, about his blood. Or at least he omitted a few important details. Sookie sighs.

Then there is the fact that, since the first night I meet Bill I have been in danger. It is true that the first time, was my fault for going after the Rattrays, to save Bill. But I could not let them do such a horrible thing to someone else, even if that person was a vampire. I had to do something. Then there was the serial killer Rena, Long shadow, Dallas and Maryann. There was almost nothing I could do to protect myself from Long shadow or Maryann. But the Rattray's, Rena and the Fellowship of the Sun were all human. I need to learn how to better protect myself. If Godric didn't get there when he did, who knows what that man would have done to me. I shuttered. I am a strong Stackhouse woman; I can and will defend myself. I can't expect a man to take care of me. I can take care of myself, just as Gran took care of herself for all those years. I no longer have Bill to count on. Trust Eric, to protect me? Yea right, that will be the day. Maybe I could use the money from Dallas to buy some self defense stuff.

I am broken out of my mental tirade by a new commercial. It is a Karate and self defense class for women. It teaches you how to protect yourself from a stronger, larger attacker. Hmm. This sounds like a good idea. I write down the information. Let's see, I still need to pay my property taxes, car insurance and fix the driveway. But I can always fix the driveway later. Self defense is a higher priority for me, with all the trouble that I have found myself in. That should leave me with a few thousand to take classes and buy a few things for self defense. Maybe I could buy some mace and a stun gun. A stun gun would have worked against Rena. If I had it hidden it in my purse, then I don't think he would have found it. Then I could have used it against him. I might have even avoided getting beat up at all. But I would still need some classes to defend myself from situations, like the one I was in with those crazy people, at the Fellowship of the Sun. They would have removed any weapons I had from my purse. So I can not solely relay upon weapons. I need to know how to defend myself, when no weapons are available.

I do not have to work today, so I decided to go ahead and call the Karate studio. As I start to dial the phone, there is a knock at the door. I get up to answer it. There is a man standing on my porch in an expensive black suit. I notice a black BMW parked in my driveway.

"Hello, I am Bobby Burman, Eric Northman's day guy. Are you Sookie Stackhouse?" He says looking annoyed and bored at such a mundane task.

"Yes, I am Sookie."

"I have been tasked with giving this to you. It is from Mr. Northman."

Great what is Eric up to this time? Was this my check from the work I did in Dallas? Then Bobby hands me two envelopes and a large box.

"Mm, thanks Bobby, is that all you needed?"

"That will be all Miss Stackhouse. Good day."

I close the door and lean back against it for a moment. I carry box and envelopes to the kitchen and put them down on the table. I get myself another cup of coffee and I open one of the envelopes. It is the check for the work I did in Dallas. But it is for three times as much as we had agreed upon. What is Eric up to? I will not be a kept woman! There is a note with the check.

Lover,
Here is your check for your work in Dallas.
E

Again, with the lover stuff. Huh. What no explanation for why it is for more then we agreed upon. I will have words with Mr. Northman about this. I then open the other envelope. It is another letter.

Lover,
I am expecting you at the club tonight at 9pm. I had Pam pick you up a dress to wear. We need to discuss our new business arrangements.
E

Well mister high handed expects me, to drop everything and go to his club tonight, in his dress no less, does he? Well I need to give him a piece of my mind about the check and calling Lorena, to destroy my life. This will be the perfect opportunity.

I tear open the box. I find a black satin dress, with matching shoes and under garments. The dress has two thin spaghetti straps and some in bedded crystals at the neck line. It has a delicate black lace trim around the waist and surrounding the slit up leg. It is slightly above the knee in length and it appears to be quite form fitting. It takes my breath away. I take it to my room and try it on. It makes me look beautiful. It is tight in all the right places, without making me feeling like a stuffed sausage. I take off the dress and hang it up.

I decide to go to town so I can pick up some new library books. Maybe they will have something on self defense for dummies. I could also stop by the college and pick up some information on some classes. I love working for Sam, but do I want to be a waitress for the rest of my life? How can I support myself on what I make there? I need to replace the drive way, paint the house, replace the leaky plumbing and add central air. It gets way to hot in heat of the summer. Last year it got so hot in the house, I could hardly sleep at night. No, it is time for me to put on my Big Girl panties and go to college, so I can get a better paying job. I need a job with insurance and benefits. I need to be around normal people and less vampires/shifters.

So I went to my room and get ready for the day. I grabbed by library books and my purse. I went to the phone and dialed the number for the self defense classes. I get their address and told them I might stop by later. I run out the house and jumped in my car. Off to town I went. First stop the library. I checked out: Self defense for dummies, a super romance book and a book called everything you need to know about college. Then I got some gas and stopped at the video store. I rented: Beautician and the Beast, Ever After and Sleepless in Seattle, some my favorite romance movies. They always make me feel better just watching them. Then I headed to the College in Shreveport. I speak with a college counselor and get some information about some classes. It has been a productive day. I realized that I had forgotten to eat. Even though I wasn't really hungry, I knew I need to eat something. So I stopped at Sonic and got a Texas toast burger, fries and coke. Then it was 5:45pm, so I headed home.

By the time I got home it was 6:15. I decided to take a shower then paint my nails. I wanted to look like I belonged in that beautiful dress. When I was done with the shower, I covered myself from head to toe in sandalwood lotion. I bought the lotion as a gift to myself from Bath and Body works. Then I retrieved my nail supplies and popped in Ever After into the DVD player. While I watched, I filed and painted my nails to perfection. When they were dry, I went to the bathroom and started on my hair. I decide to put my hair in a French twist with a few pieces down framing my face. Then I put on a little blush and some lip gloss. I slipped into my new under garments, then the dress and put on the matching shoes. I looked stunning. It was almost 8pm now. So I went to the kitchen and made a quick snack. When I was done, I cleaned up, grabbed my coat and purse. Then I started on my way to Fangtasia.

About an hour later, I pulled into the parking lot and got out of my car. I walk to the front, where I see Pam. Her Fangs run down at the sight of me. She looks me up and down.

"Sookie, we have been expecting you. The master will love that dress on you." Pam says with a smirk a mile wide on her face.

"Thanks Pam. I love your dress too. Thanks for picking it out."

"Is it true you left him standing outside last night, after he gave you the letter?"

"Yes, I did. I was not in the mood to deal with him or his shit after the news I received."

"Oh, that is so rich; I am going to have such fun teasing him about that for a long time! You are so entertaining Sookie, You give me so much material to use against him." Pam nods me in. As I pass her she slaps my ass. When I turn around she winks at me.

Oh that Pam.

When I walk in to the club, I am blasted with the sounds of loud music, flashing lights and the thoughts of all the fang bangers. It is almost overwhelming. I see Eric sitting on his throne. He sees me, stands up and walks over to his booth. He motions with his hand to join him. As I was walking over. I notice he is wearing form fitting black jeans and a red Fantasia tee shirt. It clings to his body in all the right places. He looks like Viking sex god on a stick. Calm down Sookie. You can't let Eric see any weakness. I sit down with him and instantly get lost looking into his fathomless blue eyes. He raises an eye brow at me and says.

"Hello Lover. You look like a vision in that dress." Eric says as if trying to devour me with his words alone.

"Mm, Thanks."

"There are still many things we did not have a chance to discuss last night, since you decided to leave me standing outside." He says with a low menacing growl.

"Oh Yeah, I forgot you were out there, sorry about that." Sookie says with a sly smile.
Eric looks at her with a blank face as if not believing a word she just said.

"We need to go to my office, to chat."

"Ok, but there will be only chatting. There will not be any yielding involved. You got that buddy?"

Eric growls at her again and his eyes are glowing with fierce intensity.
He leads her back to his office. He walks in and motions for her to sit down in a chair at the front of his desk. She sits down, while he sits in his chair on the other side. He stares at her for a few moments; she starts to feel his power fill the room. She starts to wish she could hide by sinking into her chair.

"Sookie, as you know, Bill is no longer here to protect you. The Queen has now given you to me. You are now MINE. When you are in my club or in front of other vampires, you will not disrespect me! Or I will be forced to punish you for disobedience. I can not have my area vampires watching me getting disrespected by mere human woman. It under cuts my authority and makes me look weak. You will speak to me in a respective manner! Is that understood? " Eric says with glowing eyes, with an air of authority of a Vampire Sheriff and with raw power emanating from him.

"Yes Eric, I understand. I understand that I am not yours! I don't care if the Queen says that I am, I am still not yours! I will do what I want, when I want. I am not some kind of property that can be owned or transferred around. I am not your lap dog. I am a person!" Sookie says stomping her foot.

"Oh, but you are mine. You just don't know it yet and you will learn." Eric smirks with victory.

Sookie throws her hands up in the air, while rolling her eyes in frustration.

"Now let's get to business, so we will still have time for the pleasure." The power in the room seems to drop down a few levels. I feel heat rise in me as he says the word pleasure.

"Sookie, you are to come to the club twice a month and read the people here. You will tell me if you find anything. You will be assisting Pam with interviews of any new human employees and to read the ones we already have. Along with any other time I might need your services. In return I will pay you $2,000 per night of work. If I require you to travel out of state to work, you will receive $3,000 per night, plus expenses. I will give you a Fangtasia credit card to cover a work wardrobe and a company car. You will be included on our health insurance plan as well."

"I will have to think about your offer. Is that why you gave me that check for that absurd amount? What about my job at Merlottes." Sookie throws the check down on the desk.

"Yes, per this new agreement I paid you $3,000 per night for Dallas, plus expenses. The rest is to go towards completing your house repairs. Since your house was taken over by Maryann, when you were out of town, on a job for me."

"As far as your job with the shifter, I called and made arrangements for you to work days only. I also arranged for you to have the next 2 weeks off so you could have time to see to the repairs of your home."

"That was very generous of you. But don't you think you should have talked to me, before you talked to Sam?"

"No, you are Mine."

"Thanks for the rate increase on the check, the insurance and the two weeks off. We will discuss this Mine thing later in detail."

"I am pleased you are happy."

"I am willing trying this job out on a part time basis. I work for you 2 nights a month and I am willing to help Pam with interviews. But you must understand that it will only be telepathic work. There will be no yielding."

"But you will yield to me Lover."

Sookie once again rolls her eyes. This time she looks at the ceiling, hands in the air asking God, why Eric just could not understand she was not interested in him.

"Plus I can not sit out their all night. My brain will over load. It is too much work for my mind, to listen to all those bizarre sexual thoughts non stop. Just thinking about it makes my head hurt. I will have to take a break every hour or so to clear my head. I should start to get better at it as time goes on."

"You don't seem to have that problem at the shifters bar." Eric says not buying it.

"Merlottes is a completely different environment. When I am there, I am blocking everyone's thoughts. Plus it is a family place. Most people are thinking about work, their kids or their shopping list. There are always a few sexual thoughts, but normally it is just one or two people. At Fangtasia, you want me to listen and you have a whole bar of people screaming sexual thoughts at top volume in their heads. Most of those thoughts are quite disturbing. It is very different. That is why I like working at Merlottes. If my shields slips, then I am not hit with to many disturbing images and thoughts, mostly just see or hear ordinary mundane things."

"Ok that sounds reasonable, for Now."

"Eric, I know you vampires like to claim people as "Mine", but I find the practice completely unacceptable! I am not yours! Do you even know what century we are living in? The only time it is ok to say that I am yours is to keep me out of the hands of some other big bad. I don't want you walking around telling everyone that I am yours. Because I am not! "

"You are mine and I will say it when ever I like!" Eric says with complete conviction and a menacing look on his face.

"You know good and well I am not yours! When you say that Eric, you sound like a preschooler fighting with another child over a toy! You vampires are ridiculous. If I wanted to spend all my time with preschoolers throwing temper tantrums, I would have become a teacher!" Sookie is starting to get irate now.

Just then Pam opens door to the office. With a serious look, she walks over to the desk grabs the stapler and yells. MINE. Than laughs as she walks out the room. Oh, that Pam.

"Pam" Eric growls, looming over his desk.

"Whatever, I am going to leave and go home now. I have some things I need to do tomorrow." Sookie says as she retrieves the check for the work she did in Dallas, putting it in her purse.

"But we have not yet, had the chance to get to the pleasure part of the evening." Eric says in his sexist voice. He is suddenly inches away from my face. He looks down at me with intense lust in his eyes and devours my mouth with a deep steamy kiss. It takes my breath away and makes my pulse race. Remember Sookie this is Eric Northman, Bad ass Sheriff of area 5. What are you doing?

"Eric let me go. I want to go home." Eric steps back looking disappointed, but not surprised."

"You are Mine Lover!"

"Eric, I don't care if you cure Cancer and Aids, solve world hunger and cause world peace all in one night. I still would not be yours or be your lover! I will never forgive you for what you did to Lafayette or for calling Lorena to interfere with Bill. What happened with Bill is entirely your fault. Why would I ever want someone like that?"

Eric growls "You still are Mine Lover"

"Yea, well you keep telling yourself that Buddy." Eric growls in frustration.

Sookie hears Pam laughing her ass off outside the door.

"I think you protest to much Lover" with a sly look in his eyes.

"Good Night, Eric" She says as she walks out. Before she escapes he slips his card with his cell phone number into her hand.