A/N: Thanks for all of the lovely comments! Anyway, I know that vampires don't shake hands in the books. Alcide and Eric make a deal in this chapter, and they shake on it, but it's a special handshake shall we say? Sorry there's no spicy stuff in this chapter—sexy scenes won't be in every one unfortunately!

Enjoy!~

Made – Chapter 6

That new dancer...why hasn't she always been here? She's so beautiful...

Nice golden hair...I wonder if she's a natural blond. Maybe if she moved her legs just so, I could take a peak up that short skirt...

Who does she think she is? How did she get hired here and not me? I am ten times sexier than her, and ten pounds lighter...

I wish blondie would move to the left a bit more...want to get a good look at that hunk behind her...I wonder if he's gay...

I wonder if she gives lap dances? Maybe she and that other chick could give me one at the same time...maybe they'll even bite me if I pay extra...

Working as a dancer at Fangtasia was worse than Sookie thought it'd be. While it was one thing dancing in front of vampires whose minds she couldn't hear thus far (she halfway expected to be able to after she was turned), it was another thing entirely when she danced for humans. She had to work extra hard to try and keep them out of her head, but even then, strong thoughts trickled in.

She was glad to get off when she did; Sookie didn't think she could have handled the mental chatter a second longer. She hurried to the backroom to take off her costume, take a quick shower, and change into a clean pair of clothes.

When she stepped out of the backroom, she could faintly hear Eric and Pam's voices coming from his office. They both sounded worried, and Sookie knew she probably should not listen in since their conversation was probably none of her business.

"So, he's certain it's Bill?" Eric asked Pam quietly, and Sookie's whole body stilled. Bill—Eric had information about Bill and he didn't tell her. How could he not tell her? Trying to contain her anger, Sookie strained her ears to listen in.

"That's what he said," Pam answered. "Alcide also said that he seemed to be there on his own accord."

Who the heck was Alcide? Sookie took one silent step closer to the door, her hand tightening around the strap of her bag. "Hmm," Eric huffed. Sookie could hear him tapping something absentmindedly on his desk. "I don't know if that's completely true, and Alcide can't know, either. He hasn't been in the king's mansion."

"We need to get Bill back," Pam said in a deadpan tone.

"That's why I am calling in Alcide."

"We're relying on him? What can a werewolf do?" Pam asked, her disapproval thick in her voice.

"He'll just be here for extra precautions if I absolutely have to go down to Mississippi," Eric told Pam calmly. "That is if he agrees to our deal. He will be in tomorrow night, you said?"

"Yes," Pam answered, pausing before she said, "He also said that Bill was spotted with his bitch of a maker."

Sookie's whole body went numb and she dropped her bag to the floor with a small thud. She couldn't move; her gut felt like it was being pulverized and her eyes welled with red tears. She didn't even worry about being heard, she couldn't, not when she heard that Bill was with—

"Lorena?" Eric asked after a beat.

Pam must have nodded, because Sookie didn't hear her response. She didn't need to hear anything else; she couldn't bare it. Without picking up her bag, Sookie ran back to their house and down to her room, her cheeks feeling raw from the bloody tracks of thick tears.

It was as if the scab that had formed over her broken heart had been ripped off violently without any sort of warning. Sookie was just starting to come to terms with the fact that her and Bill were now history, but now she felt completely betrayed knowing that he was with Lorena. As she clutched a pillow to her body, Sookie started to wonder if they fucked. They probably had, and Bill would have had to have been willing since Lorena released him—and to think, he had just proposed to Sookie a couple days prior!

The only plus was that Sookie had stopped crying. She had shed a lot of tears for Bill tonight, and every other night that he had done her wrong. Sookie didn't want to cry for him anymore. It wasn't fair in her opinion; he probably never wept over her.

Just before there was a knock at the door, her mind flashed with a strange thought from another brain—that mind was upset with another person, and Sookie wondered which human was lurking on the other side of her door, waiting for her to open up.

"Who is it?" Sookie called out as she sat up in her bed. Her voice was hoarse from the thick lump in her throat.

"It's me. Let me in," Eric said.

Sookie immediately jumped up from her bed, crossed her room, turned the doorknob, and let him inside. Eric's expression was one she couldn't quite decipher; he looked stern, not quite angry, but maybe disappointed? Sookie looked down at what he was holding—her bag—she gulped back a gasp and tried to pretend like she didn't notice what was in his right hand. "Did you need something?"

Eric held up her bag for her to take. "I believe this belongs to you." He dropped it into Sookie's hands when she held them out. "Please have a seat. There is something I want to talk to you about."

Oh hell. Sookie deposited her bag near her closet and gingerly sat on the edge of her bed. She had a hard time meeting Eric's eyes, so instead she kept her gaze down to the floor. She hoped the shit wasn't going to hit the fan now, but couldn't help but think it was a possibility. Sookie really did not want to argue with Eric, especially now that her tears had really worn her out.

"What happened after you changed out of your costume?" Eric asked simply, folding his arms in front of him. He was watching Sookie, despite the fact that she refused to make eye contact. He wished she would; he didn't want to to come off as a irate father scolding his disobedient child.

Sookie sighed and shuffled her feet against the carpet absentmindedly. "I heard you and Pam talking."

"About?" Eric asked.

"Bill." Just saying the name alone was painful. Horrible images erupted in her mind—Bill's body hovering over Lorena, Bill's tongue on Lorena's chilled flesh, Bill inside of Lorena...

"What about Bill?"

This must have been Eric's form of punishment for her so that she'd learn to mind her own business and briskly walk down the hall no matter what she heard from Eric's office, unless it was he calling for her. "You got word he's in Mississippi with Lorena."

Eric's fingertips lightly touched the underside of Sookie's chin, lifting her face up till she was looking at him. "You are not to eavesdrop again, do you understand? As a Sheriff, much of what happens inside my office are private conversations. If you're not invited, then you have no business listening in, and I need to be able to trust that you won't."

Sookie pulled her face away from Eric's touch. "Can you really blame me? You know I have been anxious for a scrap of news about Bill." Her tone was a far cry from being respectful toward her maker.

"I thought you'd be angry with Bill, not with me," Eric said in a flat voice.

That was enough to make Sookie's temper overflow like boiling water that had been left on a flame too long. "You say you need to trust me, but what about me needing to trust you?" Her voice was frantic, and her eyes started to sting again. "You might be my maker, but if we're to have any sort of bond, then the trust can't just be one-sided! What if I never heard your conversation? Would you have even told me?"

Her question rendered Eric speechless for several moments till he formulated a proper answer. "I would have told you eventually, if only to hasten the process of you getting over your first lover." Eric looked over Sookie, knowing that they still had a lot of growing to do together. Perhaps he should take Sookie somewhere, just the two of them, so they could work on their bond and strengthen Sookie as a vampire. Taking a vacation with his youngest progeny sounded a hell of a lot better than going down to Mississippi to retrieve her ex-boyfriend. "If there's information I know that you will benefit from, I will always give it to you."

Sookie only nodded weakly; she didn't have anything else to say. She wished that the world would come to a halt, just for a week or two, so she could at least start getting used to all the changes in her life. She felt drained, even though she had a stomach full of Tru Blood.

When Eric moved to walk out of Sookie's room, she shot up, grabbed his arm and held him back. Her searching chocolate brown eyes met his blue ones. "Are you really going to Mississippi?" Sookie asked, not even caring that her voice showed her fear and apprehension about being left alone as a baby vampire. That was the sort of thing that crummy makers like Bill did, not Eric. He couldn't just leave her here.

"I am not positive yet," Eric admitted, but since the queen wasn't too gung-ho about finding Bill and bringing him back to Louisiana, he didn't know why he should be. "I should be able to avoid it. I do not want to go."

That was mutual. "Am I going with you if you do?"

"You can't," Eric told her simply as his hand gently held the side of her face. He could no longer feel Sookie's pulse in her neck, but he felt it when she swallowed thickly. "It's dangerous for me to even go. I can't promise that I'll be able to protect you completely, so you have to stay here."

"But maybe I could help you," Sookie said hopefully.

Eric almost laughed. The king of Mississippi was nearly three thousand years old, and all of his underlings were insanely loyal. Sookie had no strength over him, and since Russell Edgington preferred men, she couldn't even charm him no matter how hard she tried. "There's no reason to get worried yet, Sookie. You can worry after I start packing."

Sookie didn't believe Eric for one second, but she didn't argue further. She allowed her hand that was still on Eric's arm to travel down to lace her fingers with his. He stilled at such an intimate gesture, but didn't pull away. His hands were rough and calloused. Sookie wondered if they were like that from when he was still a human.

"You should get some sleep," Eric told her, touching her soft blond hair with his free hand. "You were really great tonight at Fangtasia."

"Thanks," Sookie said, flushing a pale pink shade. She wanted to ask Eric if he'd stay with her tonight, or if she could stay with him, but she still felt a little sour after their dispute.

Eric placed a small, light kiss on her lips, and she shivered against his larger frame. Normally, she might have felt embarrassed, but when she felt that Eric was starting to harden between the two of them, she knew that Eric loved that he could send chills up her spine at the tiniest act.

She watched Eric cross her room and open her door when she was reminded of what happened before he stopped by to pay her a visit. "Oh, Eric?" When he turned around to look at her, she continued, "Was there a human outside my door before you arrived?"

He thought about her question for a second or two, but then shook his head. "No, the hallway was empty. Why?"

Sookie knew that her eyes were wide and that her mouth was open. She coughed, and regained her composure before she said, "I just thought I heard someone."

As she listened to Eric walk down the hall, she wondered if it was his mind that she heard earlier.

The next night there was a knock on the front door about twenty minutes after it was fully dark. Since she was right at the base of the stairs when she heard it, Sookie climbed up the steps, crossed the small kitchen, and cracked the door open enough so that she could just make out who was standing outside the house.

He was a tall, tanned man. His hair was dark and thick, and he had a ton of it both on his head and his face. He was dressed in a plaid button-up shirt that reminded her of her brother, and blue jean pants that looked nice on his long, muscular legs. His blood smelled interesting to Sookie, similar to Sam's blood, but more robust and feral.

It was a damn good thing that Sookie guzzled down a bottle or two of Tru Blood when she woke up, otherwise her fangs would have been showing. "Who are you?" Whoever the mystery visitor was, he did not look happy to be standing in front of a vampire, no matter how pretty he thought Sookie was. The fact that he was attracted to her was clear as day from his thoughts.

"I'm Alcide. I've come to see Eric Northman," the man said with a tense voice.

So, this was the guy that had spotted Bill. Sookie held the door open wider and stepped aside for Alcide to walk into the house. "Please come inside."

Alcide entered into the small kitchen and followed Sookie down the staircase. His footsteps were heavy and his strides were long. She wanted to ask him about Bill, but instead of voicing her questions, she peered into Alcide's head for possible information...

...Can't believe I am back here again. I swore to myself I'd never come back here. It better clear my family's name. I wonder what Eric has planned to get my family out of debt, it better not be too dangerous. I am not going to put my life at risk for some fanger even if she is pretty like the one in front of me. Blonds aren't really my type, but I'd totally spend some nights with her if she wasn't dead. Too bad...

"Ooh, too bad is right," Sookie said sarcastically under her breath.

"What?" Alcide asked uncomfortably.

"Nothing, Eric is waiting for you inside," Sookie told Alcide with a big fake smile. She held the door open to the conference room, waited for Alcide to walk inside, and then started to walk back to her room.

"Sookie," Eric called out to her from the room. Sookie turned on her heel and walked back. Eric was seated at the table with his hands brought together casually and a bottle of blood was placed in front of him. Pam was sitting next to him on his right, and Alcide across from him. "Please sit," he said, waving to the chair next to him on his left. "This is a conversation I do want you to hear."

She huffed to herself. She really didn't want to be here; Alcide rubbed her the wrong way, and he was prejudice towards vampires. He didn't even know her and he thought about spending some nights with her had she not been a vampire. Who does that? Sookie grabbed a warm bottle of Tru Blood that Pam handed her and took the other free seat next to Eric. She took one giant gulp before Eric started to speak.

"You are here because you want to clear your family's name once and for all," Eric announced, not seeking an answer, for he did not look up to see that Alcide had nodded. "I hope you realize that my offer is not an easy one, since your family's debt is not a shallow one."

Alcide nodded again, his thick dark hair moved with his head slightly, and his bangs framed his face handsomely. Sookie wanted to know what debt his family had, and thought about trying to pry it from his mind since it was likely that Alcide was thinking about it, but decided against to out of what little respect she had for the man. "What's your offer?"

"My newest child—Sookie," Eric waved his hand in front of her to introduce Sookie to Alcide, who inclined his head to her. "She is very valuable, but very young, and that Jackson pack is hunting her. To clear the debt, you are to stay here in my home as further protection."

Alcide looked stern and troubled. According to his thoughts, he did not want to accept Eric's offer, but he wanted to do this for his family more, and he'd do whatever it took for them. "For how long?"

Eric considered his question over a sip of synthetic blood. "Well, if our friends from Jackson don't decide to pay us a visit, hmm...a couple weeks?" he asked easily.

Two weeks certainly was not a lot to Sookie considering she was now immortal and had all the time in the world, but Alcide was not, and he wasn't pleased. Sookie chanced looking in his brain again...

...Two weeks with some fangers? At least they are awake during the night; I guess I could turn in early every day, so I don't have to be around them too much. I bet they don't even have food in the house for humans. I wonder if they will supply my groceries. I better not bet on it. I wonder what Debbie is going to say about this. I know she's with that new guy, but maybe if I was still in Jackson, we could have worked things out...

"Sounds like she's already over you. I'd stop worry about her," Sookie said before she could stop herself.

Alcide nearly jumped out of his chair at Sookie's comment; his jaw was dropped and his eyes were wide. His tan skin even looked paler, like he had seen a ghost or something. "Fucking hell, I knew you could hear my thoughts when we were coming downstairs!"

Eric followed Alcide's suit and got to his feet. "That is to remain a secret, also," he said, pointing at Sookie. "Or you will regret it." He sounded serious as cancer and Sookie was almost shocked that Alcide didn't keel over and die from looking into his blazing, cold eyes. "Do we have a deal?"

Sookie looked up and met Alcide's gaze. She couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him. Sure, he was racist, and he judged her without knowing her from Adam, but he was here, making this deal, because she needed protection. And he would go through with it, she knew that for a fact, because she could tell that he'd do just about anything for the people he loved. Finally, Alcide said, "We have a deal."

"Excellent," said through a hiss, and he reached into a drawer to extract two switchblades, sliding one across the table to Alcide and keeping the other to himself. Eric watched as Alcide pulled out the blade, pressed it to his quivering palm, and cut a shallow line down. Alcide's thick blood flowed up from the superficial cut, and the three vampire's fangs clicked down at the sight of the red fluid. Sookie and Pam could not break their gaze with Alcide's bleeding hand while Eric dragged the tip of the blade through his ancient palm in the same fashion.

Eric held out his bleeding palm for Alcide to take, and they shook on it, sealing the deal with a blood bond.

When they withdrew their hands, Eric's cut was already starting to heal. "Alright, now that our business is taken care of, you may leave, Alcide. Pam, please show him to the room he will be staying in and help him with his bags." Sookie watched as the two of them shuffled out, and she wondered if she ought to as well. She felt slightly uncomfortable being in the room with Eric after witnessing such an odd way to shake hands. Were all deals sealed like that in the vampire world?

"Should I go back to my room, too?" Sookie asked after Eric hadn't said anything for a while. It was as if she wasn't even there; he did not acknowledge her presence.

"No, there is something I have to talk to you about." Eric walked around the conference table and sat across from Sookie. "As you might have guessed, Alcide is a werewolf."

That much was obvious to her. She could hear Alcide's thoughts, but they weren't quite like a human's, so she assumed that he had to have been a werewolf or some kind of shape-shifter since he clearly was not a vampire.

"You might have also picked up what I said when I was talking to him," Eric started. There was a gravitas about him that made Sookie worried. "That you continue to be hunted by that pack of wolves from Jackson. They know you're no longer living in your home in Bon Temps, and it won't be too long until they start looking for you elsewhere."

Sookie didn't like the idea of werewolves coming after her. What did they want from her? She had never met another werewolf before Alcide unless the ones that tried to kill her counted. Sookie knew that the werewolves must have been powerful, hyped up on V and quite a threat, otherwise he wouldn't have called in extra help. "Do you know why they're hunting me?" Sookie whispered.

"No," Eric said after considering her question, and that was the truth, but he sure wanted to know why they were. "But since they are, I'm going to have to train you up in case they figure out you're here." Eric thought it was entirely possible. Bill knew that Eric made her, and he was mad about it. When Bill was angry, he often did stupid, impulsive things that he didn't think through that ended up causing a lot of trouble—like killing off his bartender. He wouldn't put it past Bill spilling the beans about Sookie being with him in Shreveport.

"Train me up?" Sookie asked. That sounded kind of like the crap Jason went through with the Fellowship of the Sun church, and she wasn't interested in learning how to become some sort of vampire soldier.

"Teach you how to feed on your own, how to fight, how to become faster, how to conceal yourself if the sun is about to come up and you don't have proper shelter—these are all things that you need to know." Eric ticked each topic off on his fingers as he said them, and it sounded like quite a hefty list to learn in a short space of time. "You should also talk to Alcide and glean all you can about werewolves, and maybe practice your powers on him."

While her training seemed quite extensive, Sookie was extremely excited after she heard what it entailed. Maybe learning more about how to be a vampire would get her mind off all the other bullshit she had to deal with. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow night as soon as night falls," Eric told her.