AN- All characters are the property of Charlaine Harris.
When they got back to the car, Sookie breathed a sigh of relief. She sank back into the seat and clung to Eric. Pam pretended to be examining the crowd outside.
Eric stared down at Sookie, "You have honored me tonight my love. You chose me over the Queen. I suspect that she would have treated you better than I have." Eric glanced at Pam who was still busy looking out the window. He got out of his seat and knelt in front of Sookie. As well as he could manage inside of the limo at least. He clasp her hands in his and bowed his head. Sookie looked at him in confusion.
"I have been deceitful with you Sookie," Eric began slowly looking up into her eyes. "I need to beg your forgiveness. You asked me before why I treated you the way I did in Fangtasia..." His eyes fell to her hands, "While the reasons I gave you were true, they were not my true motivation. I was being cruel to you, I see that now. I reveled in my dominance over you. I wanted to see you bent to my will, I was testing your conviction. You have proved it to me yet again tonight and I am such a fool. Despite how barbarous I have behaved, you have continued to stand by me. I do not deserve such devotion."
"You doubted my love for you?" Her outrage was building. "Even after I told Bill that I was yours after knowing you only moments? After I let you rip my throat open and bath in my blood? Welcomed it even!" Tears where streaming down her face now, "I am not some common slave Eric! The only power you have over me is the power I give you! And I am so madly in love with you that I give you everything. That's what love is Eric! Should I hold back Eric? Would you rather I not love you so completely? I do not have to place this trust in you. Just because we knew each other lifetimes ago does not mean that I am required to love you."
"Sookie please...please forgive me." His head was in her lap, he could not look at her.
"Stop the car!," Sookie yelled.
Pam knocked on the privacy divider and the limo pulled to a stop in some random part of New Orleans. Sookie pushed Eric aside and jumped out of the car.
"Sookie! Please! I do love you," Eric pleaded.
"You used to love me Eric, but that was a thousand years ago and you have forgotten what it is," she said sadly as she walked away.
Eric's head fell to his hands, "Follow her Pam. You know where my house is here in New Orleans. I will go back to Shreveport."
"I'm not sure that you should leave New Orleans with the Queen lusting after Sookie. Stay in that vampire hotel," Pam advised.
He nodded, "Yes, you are probably right. I should have waited until we were safely home to tell her. Please take care of her Pam." His agony was evident.
"Like I would a sister," she replied and left the car.
As soon as Sookie was out of the line of site of the limo, she sunk down on a nearby bench. She could feel Eric's despair but she had no desire to save him from it. She stared blankly at the sidewalk.
"I have known Eric a long time now and I have never heard him apologize," Pam said as she sat down next to Sookie. "He has begged forgiveness twice tonight for how he treated you."
"I wonder how much more I will have to go through at his side. It seems to be a dangerous place to be." She turned to Pam, "You know what's really sick? I actually enjoyed it at the time. As soon as he commanded it, every thought I heard coursed with envy. Some even cheered me on. In any other place the thoughts would have been full of disgust. But in Fangtasia such a thing is not looked down upon." She looked away suddenly embarrassed to be admitting such a thing to anyone. "I guess that doesn't make much sense. You must think I'm off my rocker."
"I do not know what that means." Pam stared in confusion. "But I imagine that being telepathic would be quite a different thing to experience. Knowing that no one there would condemn you for what you did...It still does not excuse his actions." Pam woodenly put her arm around Sookie, "Let's get you some food. I see a nice enough restaurant over there. My treat." She smiled wickedly as she held up Eric's credit card. Sookie laughed and let Pam lead her across the street.
The vampire hotel in New Orleans had a lounge where willing donors sold their blood to vampires at a high price. Eric sat in a corner of the lounge staring blankly at nothing in particular. He normally would have purchased a donor but he had lost the taste for them. Sookie's blood was so much more fulfilling than any other humans. He hadn't even bothered to get a bottle of blood.
"You seem to have misplaced your telepath," he heard a voice say standing over him. He hadn't even seen the queen's bodyguard, Andre, approach. Eric had lost himself in thought, and that could prove dangerous to any vampire.
Eric quickly pasted on a smile, "Pam wanted to have a girl's night out. How could I resist my incredibly spoiled child?"
"Really?," he looked amused. "Because I heard it was more like Sookie stormed off and Pam ran after her."
Great that's just what he needed, to be constantly spied on. "Humans can be so unpredictable," Eric replied.
"Perhaps she is not bonded to a vampire that will control her properly," Andre mused. "I'm sure I could make her heel."
Eric's face lost all amusement, "Sookie is mine. How I deal with my humans is not your concern, so long as she does what is required of her."
"I wonder if she will. I noticed that she could not be glamored."
The fact that Andre had even tried was unconscionable and against vampire law. Eric growled, "I am certain the only thing that you could force Sookie to do is stake you. Rest assured Andre, I have influence over her."
"Because you are sleeping with her? Because we all know what a fragile thing that can be. I am quite certain I could perform that task admirably as well," Andre grinned evilly.
"And here Bill thought I had no manners," Eric was becoming calm in his anger.
"Yes, whatever happened to poor Bill?," he laughed.
"What can I say? Sookie choose me."
"Maybe she will choose another in the future."
"You can always dream."
Andre hissed, "Why don't you bring her here and we can ask her?"
Eric laughed, "I think not."
"It was not a request," he glared at Eric. "And no phones. I want to see if you have any sway over her as you say you do."
Eric cursed himself inwardly for not preparing Sookie properly. "Very well. She does not have the car, I do not know how long it will take her to get here."
"That is quite alright, we will just sit here and wait," Andre settled down across from Eric.
Sookie was about to take another bite of her food when next to her Pam shivered. "What the hell was that?," Sookie asked.
"Did you feel it too?," Pam said as she moved to stand up.
"Yes, what is it? If felt like someone dancing on my grave."
"Eric is calling us," Pam was worried. "He has never called you before I take it."
"No, I didn't even know he could do that." Sookie's face scrunched up, "I don't want to see him right now."
"Sookie he knows that you do not want to be near him right now," Pam explained patiently. "The only reason for him to call us now must involve the queen. He may be in danger, though I do not sense that." Pam quickly paid their bill and dragged Sookie toward the door. "We must hurry Sookie. Please do not let your disagreement put Eric in danger." She was almost pleading now.
"Oh Pam, I would never do that. No matter what happened, I do still love him." Sookie hurried to follow Pam.
Outside the restaurant, Pam hailed a cab. When they were inside she instructed the driver and turned back to Sookie. "Do you still feel it?" Sookie nodded. "Describe it for me please."
"It's like he's pullin me to him," Sookie said with a frown. "It is very strange."
Pam nodded, "He only wants you. But he knew that you were with me and you had never been called before. I will have to wait somewhere else. I will check into the hotel if Eric asks." After a moment Pam commented, "It is amazing the call even works on you since you are immune to glamor." She suddenly let out a low hiss, "That is why...You are being tested."
"By Eric? Cause I'm tired of that," Sookie huffed.
"No Sookie, by the Queen," Pam sounded like she was addressing a simpleton.
The cab pulled up in front of a large black hotel that looked very imposing. "Alright Sookie, just follow his call. You will find him. I will be right upstairs."
Sookie stood in the lobby and closed her eyes. She concentrated on Eric, trying to determine where he was. It was not as difficult as it had originally sounded. The closer she got, the easier it became. She realized that she must look like a zombie wondering through hotel. As soon as she turned the corner to the lounge, she saw him. He was sitting next to the large man that had been standing behind the Queen earlier. When she made eye contact with Eric, she could feel his relief at seeing her. Though his face didn't betray it, his emotions pleaded with her to forgive him. She knew that she would, she just wished that he had more time to stew in what he had done.
Sookie walked to Eric's table and sat next to him. She relaxed as Eric put his arm around her.
"How wonderful, she can be called," Andre smirked.
Sookie fought back the urge to say something snide.
"She is a remarkable woman," Eric commented as he stroked her hair.
"I do not doubt that."
"Sookie, Andre here feels that he can provide for you better than I can. That he can show you greater care than what I have given you. As the Queen's second, he has a position of great power among our kind."
Sookie was confused, was Eric trying to get rid of her? She looked up into Eric's eyes but his face was emotionless. She instead probed the bond. She found concern, love, and hope. A desperate, grasping hope. It was the equivalent to a drowning man struggling to breathe.
She turned to Andre, he was very intimidating and she had to swallow her fear. "I am ever Eric's," she stated.
"Is that so?," Andre arched an eyebrow. "Where did you run off to tonight?"
"I was hungry. Pam agreed to take me to a restaurant." She should have suspected that someone would follow them.
"I'm sorry if I doubted your conviction," Andre apologized.
"I suspect that Bill Compton has already told you of my conviction to Eric," Sookie replied coldly.
"Bravo Miss Stackhouse," he smiled. "Bill has indeed told of the lengths that you will go to. In fact the Queen had him tell it in great detail, repeatedly. He was screaming by the end of the night, if it is any consolation"
"It is actually, thank you," she smiled wickedly.
"Oh Eric, she is delightful." Andre leaned across the table and inhaled deeply, "Is that fairy I smell? I have quite the nose for it you know?"
Eric's eyes narrowed as he pulled Sookie into him, "Are we done here?"
"I guess we are," Andre got up and leaned toward Sookie once more inhaling. "You know where to find me Miss Stackhouse, should you tire of the Viking."
"Doubtful, he is very entertaining."
"I have heard that," Andre replied with a laugh as he left.
As soon as Andre was gone, Sookie felt every muscle give way as she fell into Eric and the world went black.
She woke up in a strange room. She was disoriented and scared until she looked over to see that Eric was slumped over in a chair next to the bed she had been sleeping in. He looked very uncomfortable, though she wondered if that sort of thing actually effected vampires. She glanced at the time and realized that she had slept through most of the day. She decided to take a shower and order some room service to pass her time. When she entered the bathroom, she discovered the largest tub she had ever seen and she could not resist it. The tension of the previous night had been too much for her. She could still see Andre staring at her across the table.
Sookie sunk down into the water with a sigh and fell back asleep. She awoke again some time later to the smell of food. She had not gotten around to ordering any food. She assumed Eric must be awake. She felt a stab of pain that he had not held her last night nor had he come to the tub to great her like he usually would have. She silently dried off and put a hotel robe on.
Eric put down the paper he had been reading as he saw Sookie exit the bathroom. "Good morning Sleeping Beauty," he said with a wide smile.
"I guess I was pretty tired," she admitted. "I've never slept that long before." She moved to the food sitting covered on a cart.
"I was not sure what you wanted so I just ordered a breakfast. I hope you don't mind."
"Are you kidding? I could eat a horse right now," she saw his confused look and amended, "I am very hungry."
He nodded, "You gave me quite the scare last night. Though Pam assured me that you were fine." He held up the paper, "She tells me that I need to read more Dear Abby to learn about humans."
Sookie couldn't help but laugh at that as she sat down to eat. He had gotten her an omelet with bacon, pancakes, diced melon, coffee, and orange juice. In between bites, she looked up at him. He was staring at her intently. It was a little nerve wracking.
She decided to break the ice, "Why did you sleep in the chair? Surely it was annoying."
His expression immediately softened, "I did not think that you wanted me to bother you any further last night."
She pursed her lips, "Well you were wrong."
"Tell me how I can set things right between us."
"Some things are not answered so easily Eric. We need to be able to trust each other. Especially when we have to constantly worry about things like the Queen and her freaky body guard."
"Andre," Eric supplied.
"As you have already surmised, there is little that I wouldn't do for you. I will not have you wave that like a flag in my face." She paused to take another bite and then added, "Tell me Eric, would you do anything that I commanded in such a manner?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation.
"I very much doubt that your vampire politics would let such a thing happen Eric."
"I would have to trust you to not endanger us," he hedged.
She narrowed her eyes, "I want a chair next to yours in Fangtasia."
"Done," he smiled. "Pam is on her way back right now. I will call her." When he got off the phone he turned back to Sookie who was now finished eating. "What else?"
"You did not sleep next to me and you did not come into the bathroom like you always do..."
He nodded.
"You should be punished," she said trying not to grin.
His eyes flared with lust and he bowed his head.
"We are not leaving this room until every inch of it stinks of our sex and you will not be allowed to feed from me. So you had better make sure that mini-fridge is stocked with that crappy synthetic blood because I sure as shittin' am going to feed off of you."