It's About Power
Chapter 14
I drove home as fast as I'd driven into Shreveport. My car, half wrecked, made it home in one piece, much to my surprise. I'd have to get it fixed now. I wondered what Eric had said to the driver of the other car. Had he given him my insurance card? The accident was my fault. I sighed and pulled down the gravel driveway. Every single light I had left on was still on. I made to turn to the backside of the house until I saw someone standing on my porch. In the light that burst from my front windows, I could see that it was Eric Northman. I'd driven at least seventy on the interstate and yet here he was, ahead of me. His car wasn't even in the driveway. I pulled down in front of the house and got out. Walking up the porch steps was a chore, and when I finally got to the top, I instinctively turned around. There he was-my nightmare in shining armor. Bill Compton was standing on the lawn again, watching me. And now he was watching Eric too.
"How did you get here?" I asked. I didn't turn to face him. I couldn't look away from the man across the grass.
"I flew," Eric said simply. Okay, that was cause to turn and blink at him. I leaned heavily on the porch railing.
"You flew…" I frowned. "You can fly?"
"Yes. All vampires have an unusual ability. I can fly."
"Oh. I didn't know that." I wondered if my speaking was as bewildered as the rest of me. It was getting late, and although I'd never really minded that before, it was catching up to me now. I turned back to look across the lawn again. Had he gotten closer? He looked bigger.
"Sookie, tell me why you came to visit me," Eric was saying. He was definitely walking toward us now. Every few seconds, he got bigger, more imposing. I shrank back toward the door. I felt Eric's arms on me and I shrieked.
"Go inside the house, Sookie," Eric sighed. He still had his hands on me.
"Don't tell me what to do," I hissed. But it was a good suggestion. I opened the screen door, never taking my eyes off Bill. I fiddled with the lock, checking over my shoulder every couple of seconds. I finally got it open and jumped inside the threshold.
"Eric, you can come in," I said softly. He turned and looked at me. Then he walked into the house and slammed the door behind us. I didn't know how close Bill was by now, but I'm sure the door slamming helped a little.
I sat down on the floral sofa and leaned back into the cushions. My body was tired though most of the wreck wasn't visible on my skin. Eric's blood really was magic, and it had done wonders on my body in a matter of hours. Across from me, Eric bent down over the fireplace and arranged a few of the logs Jason had cut during the wake. It wasn't cold out, but I appreciated the gesture for what it was worth. Fireplace fires are comforting more than they're warm. I looked into the blossoming flames and in them, I found a little bit of peace.
Eric walked over to me with an afghan from the back of the easy chair. He held it out to wrap around me but I shrugged him away. I didn't want to be touched. Touching meant closeness, and closeness meant danger. It was obvious that I couldn't protect myself. I couldn't let anyone in. Eric sat down, reluctantly, on the easy chair, a few feet away from me. He leaned forward, his elbows balanced on his knees. He'd pulled his hair back into a braid, tied with black string. He was fully dressed again, in a clean white shirt and clean blue jeans. He looked like he'd never been covered in my blood and grossness. He looked surprisingly calm.
"Sookie," he said. His voice was deep and dark and his chest rumbled with it. "Tell me what's going on with Bill," So he didn't know. He didn't know we'd broken up and he didn't know what had happened before. I took a deep breath. How much was I willing to tell him? I didn't want to let him in. Hell, I didn't want to let anyone in. I was ashamed of myself, of what I'd let happen to me. I couldn't tell anyone about that.
"We just broke up is all," I said quietly. "Things just didn't work out. It happens."
"I see," Eric said. He got up off the easy chair and moved to me. He held out his arms to embrace me, but I pulled away.
"I don't…please don't touch me."
"I've known Bill for most of his life as a vampire, Sookie. You are not the first and you will not be the last." Eric frowned. "I never cared this much about his… women… before. But you intrigue me. You make me want to help you, to care for you." His brows creased and furrowed. He looked concerned and confused. I pulled a pillow against my chest so I would have something to hold onto. I couldn't care about Bill's other exploits. I was on my own.
"I wish I could do more for you, Sookie," Eric said. He sat down again, leaned forward again. "It's obvious you're…"
"I'm fine," I said abruptly.
"Right," he grunted. Eric got to his feet suddenly. He crouched in front of me, closer than I wanted him. He put a hand on my arm and I snapped it away. His features seemed to crumble in on themselves. "You're fine."
"I am." I said, my voice laced with a kind of strict confidence that I didn't really possess. I was fine. I am fine. If everyone would just leave me alone, I'd be fucking great.
"I must go. The sun will be up soon, and I have more errands to see to," Eric sounded reluctant. He stood up, and the frame of his body blocked the fireplace from my view. He walked to the door to let himself out, but first, he turned to look back at me.
"I will see you again, Sookie. I want to see you again."
I fell asleep on the sofa cushions, my arms still wrapped around one of the frilly pillows. Sun streamed in through slats in the blinds, smacking me in the face. I didn't have to work today, and that meant I was alone in the house, for hours. I got up, sore and tired, and walked to the door. Gran always loved to spend her early mornings sitting on the porch swing, listening to the birds singing. I usually had to work, but today, I had time to dilly dally. Tucked into the frame of the screen door, I found a small white slip of paper. I pulled it free and sat down on the swing. As I rocked, I opened each fold.
"Sookie," I read aloud. "I've taken the liberty of remedying your situation. I hope to see you again when you're feeling better. Please call me if you have any problems. Eric." His phone number was inscribed at the bottom of the slip. He had beautiful handwriting, a sprawling script that probably would have revealed a lot to some sort of analyst. I tucked the note in my pocket and looked across the yard. Bill's car was sitting in his driveway. The lights were out. He was sleeping. I wondered what Eric meant. How had he "remedied" my situation? What was my situation? My clunker car was still sitting in the driveway. I'd have to call Jason to see what he could do with it, maybe take it to the shop. That was the only situation I could think of, the only thing that could be fixed in any real way.
I spent the day cleaning the house. Jason came over in the afternoon to look at my car, and to ask me how I'd gotten home without so much as a scratch on me. I told him I was just lucky. He didn't buy it. My brother is a lunkhead, but he's not that stupid. He sat with me and had lunch. I didn't hug him when he left. Amelia came over with Sam. We had supper on the back porch, fried chicken with potatoes and fresh green beans. We talked about work mostly, because we didn't have much else in common. Sam took a look at my car, asked the same questions. I gave him the same answers, and he didn't buy them either. When night fell, they left for a movie.
I curled up on my sofa to watch television, but instead fell asleep. I must've been out for only a few hours because I woke up rather easily, rather suddenly, to a vicious pounding on my front door. I scrambled to my feet, my pillow clutched tightly against my chest. How I wished to God for a peep hole right now. The knocking seemed to get successively louder. I ran to the window closest to the door and stared out, craning my neck to see the visitor. It was Bill. He looked madder than a possum in a rat trap. I picked up my phone to call the police. But what on earth were the police going to do to a vampire, exactly? Yell at him some? Threaten him with a jail cell? Give me a break. I wiggled the slip of paper out of my pocket and looked down at Eric Northman's cellular number. He'd told me to call if I had any problems.
I didn't want to rely on him. I didn't want to rely on anyone. I could take my problems and shove them away and no one would be the wiser. I wasn't going to let anyone control my life but me, and I knew if I called Eric now, I'd be in that same cycle again. I looked at the door. It was actually shaking, rattling with Bill's pounding fist. But he couldn't come in. He couldn't walk over that threshold and hurt me. I put my hand on the doorknob and turned it, slowly. I pulled it open and stepped way back. The screen door still separated us.
His face was contorted with anger. I'd so rarely seen him this pissed off. He'd looked like this the night in the parking lot, the last night we were together. The look on his face sent shivers down my spine. I had to keep my fists tight in my pockets so I could hold myself together. Composure, Sookie, it's all about composure. You can do this. You can face him.
"What was Eric doing here last night?" Bill demanded. He practically spit the words at me. I felt my confidence spill into my shoes.
"Nothing," I lied. "Visiting."
"You're a shitty liar, Sookie Stackhouse. What was he doing here? Tell me!"
He didn't have a right to ask. He didn't have any rights anymore. He wasn't my boyfriend. He wasn't my keeper. He didn't even love me. But none of that mattered right now. I felt compelled to answer him.
"I was in a car accident. He came to see if I was okay."
"Are you okay?" Bill softened. His face unworked itself and he frowned. He looked genuinely upset, like he actually cared.
"What do you care?" I yelled at him. I found my voice, tucked away somewhere in my socks. "You don't care about me! You told me that yourself!"
"I don't have to love you to care about you, Sookie!" He was yelling again. "You were a terrible submissive, pathetic and disobedient, but I still care about you!"
Yeesh, talk about the world's best backhanded compliment.
"He's sending me away, Sookie. I'm going on assignment. I won't be here to keep an eye on you. You're on your own. He did this for you, you stupid fool. You'll be unprotected now. You won't be safe."
"I wasn't safe with you!" I screamed, and now I was crying. Oh great. Way to be tough there, Sookie. Tears streamed down my cheeks and I couldn't hold them back. I got closer to the screen door. I thought about everything he'd done to me, everything I'd ever let him do. I thought about all the times I'd never said no. I drew back every ounce of saliva I could find and I spit. A lot of it went flying through the holes in the screen and into his face. I took hold of the doorknob and slammed the door shut. I locked all the locks.
I sank down onto the floor and wiped my mouth with my forearm. This was what Eric had meant. My situation was remedied. I was alone now. No Bill Compton watching my every move, waiting for me to come out at night. He was finally leaving, maybe forever. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the door. I could finally feel safe again.