Hey guys,

here's chapter three. A really big thanks to my team of betas - campyrs, Bloodsucker815 and Trajedy99 :) I wouldn't be able to do this without them. Bigger authors note at bottom. Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries. On with the chapter!

"Good afternoon sunshine," a happy voice called out to me. I pushed aside my empty lunch plate, which was more like afternoon tea considering the time and I looked up in time to see a floppy haired young man pull up a chair from a nearby table and sit down beside me.

"Hello Caleb," I replied cheerfully, pleased to see another human I could talk to, rather than who the person was. I'd gotten up late this morning, to the point where it was almost afternoon, and I hadn't had a conversation with anyone other than hotel staff since I'd awoken. "How are you?" I slowly lowered my shield, careful so that the sound of everybody around me wouldn't overwhelm me.

"I'm good thanks, you?" I need to know if it's true. The thought hit me like a bullet in the darkness, just a single thought that could have been referencing anything yet I still somehow knew that he was talking about me.

"I'm good, I didn't know jetlag could last this long though," I replied good naturedly, deciding to not let the feeling bother me since I had no proof of anything. He was also with the northern United States vampires, he would be on our side in front of all the foreign vampires, in terms of the summit meetings at least. We were the only country that had two representatives in the summit.

"If you haven't experienced it, it can be a few days before you get completely caught up on time. You can discover cheats to help yourself when you travel a lot." He ran a hand through his hair, pushing his entire fringe back so that I got my first real look at his eyes; they were a blue that was so pale they were really grey but had dark flecks of turquoise shooting through them. "What are you doing today?" The waiter came along at that point to clear my table, not leaving a bill as the Queen was picking up my tab for anything summit related, thankfully that also included food.

"I'm staying in the hotel, my area vampires are supposed to arrive late tonight and I need to be there so I'm going to rest. Are you going off anywhere?"

"Yeah, I'm going in about twenty minutes, we're going to one of the museums. Are you sure you don't want to come?" He raised his eyebrows, a hopeful expression crossing his face.

"I'm sorry, I can't, I really wish I could, I've heard a lot about the London museums, which one are you taking in?" I'd made a promise to myself that I would see the Natural History Museum before I left, the others I could deal with missing. Sam kept strange mementoes of hunting trips in the bar, none were from him since he had a kinship with the animals but many local hunters donated pieces. They tended to be small animals or the heads of the larger ones, either way it had given me a slightly morbid fascination with them so the Natural History would be perfect for me and also teach me some things. I was always in search of new information.

"Science, you sure I can't convince you?" Please, please his mind repeated in a way I'd never quite heard anyone think like before, it was almost as though he was speaking to me which wasn't really possible. Although I was sort of famous around a certain group of vampires, namely the ones closest to the Queen, I wasn't known more than a rumour around the vampires of other areas, or so I though.

"No, I'm going to be up late, and to be able to help the Queen, I have to rest. Thanks for the offer though. Now, I should go." I offered my hand out for a shake since I was stumped as to what else to do. We were on strange fast friend terms due to our circumstances but ,we weren't close enough to hug. He shook my proffered hand firmly twice before bringing up to his lips and gracing it with a sweet kiss.

"I'll see you later." He smiled at me as he dropped my hand carefully. I turned around and walked straight through to the elevators; going up to my room where I had to call my Gran, I simply couldn't put it off any longer.

I grabbed the cordless hotel room phone and padded into the bedroom where I fell backwards onto the plush bed, letting my head sink down into the pillow. I might as well be physically comfortable because this was going to be a rather awkward conversation. If only I had some answers for her and potentially I did; two of them. One was a rather handsome young man and the other an ancient, gorgeous vampire. Each had their own problems; Caleb gave me a minor creepy feeling that I just couldn't place and the other I could speak to easily, yet I'd sworn off vampires after the last catastrophe. That meant I was essentially celibate considering I could only stand to be with vampires for any length of time, even shifters had to be really powerful for their company to be comfortable after awhile.

"Sookie?" My grandmother's voice shrieked down the phone after it had only gotten through half a ring, I doubt she'd even bothered to check the caller ID.

"Hi Gran, how are you?"

"Sookie, I'm good child, but how are you? What's London like? Have you met any nice young men?" That right there was the question that I hadn't been looking forward to, now the real question for me was how much I was willing and realistically allowed to tell her. I saved the worst part for last and started on the former questions.

"I'm good, too. London is interesting, haven't had much of a chance to explore yet though, I've only been to one place."

"Which one?" She asked excitedly, as though she was living vicariously through me, yet still managing to wait until I took a breath so that she wasn't really interrupting.

"Covent Garden, it's a really nice shopping area with these wonderful street performers!" I giggled and continued telling her about my couple of days spent here.

"So, what about the men?" My Gran had been a great supporter of Bill when we'd first started dating, even when I'd had a few doubts, to say she had guilt issues on boyfriend matters with me was an understatement, she continued to push me towards men in the hope that I would be happy. If I found happiness she would be pleased. I didn't think she had done anything wrong; she'd just been a very loving and supportive grandmother. I was going to indulge her.

"There's two guys I've met that are really good looking."

"Vampires?" She also happened to like vampires almost as much as I did.

"One of them, he's simply gorgeous, and straightforward. Even though I don't really know what he's thinking, he tells me enough so I'm not completely guessing. The other guy is sweet, human, but not a broadcaster, so I can cope around him."

"You like the vampire." She stated as though her observation was fact. I couldn't deny that I did. After all, I did like him, just not as much as she seemed to think.

"Yeah Gran, he's okay, I don't know him enough to like him properly."

"So what's his name? Does he know anything about the civil war? Where does he live?"

"I would love to stay and chat, but I have to go now; I need to get ready for work. I'll call you when I can, give my love to Jason. I love you and I miss you." She returned the endearments and we hung up, leaving me feeling drained yet surprisingly uplifted at the same time, which was a strange mixture.

By the time I was off the phone I barely had time to enjoy my shower and get ready in appropriate wear for my meeting with the Queen before I had to leave. My appropriate wear meant that my jeans had been swapped for a medium length black skirt teamed with a deep blue, thin sweater that made me look feminine yet professional. It was something else about the Queen that I just resented now; I wasn't even allowed to dress like myself when around her anymore. I had just grabbed my bag so that I could head down to the lobby where I would be meeting the Queen's assistant who would take me to her room when there was a loud knocking at my door.

"Hi, sorry, I'm just on my way out," I started speaking as I threw open the door, acutely aware that I was running the risk of being late. I came to an abrupt halt when I saw a frazzled looking Erics much as that's possible, standing in my doorway. That's when I clearly remembered what he'd said the night that I'd first met him; he was with the Queen, which meant he was taken and I couldn't allow my potential feelings for him to develop. His long blond hair was hanging freely around his shoulders in disarray from his hands running through it due to stress. "Hey," I added with a subdued smile.

"Sookie, the Queen requests your immediate presence in her suite." His hand ran through his hair again, smoothing down the strands so that he looked a lot more presentable. I also caught his chest rise in a breath that he didn't need. "You're needed to work." His hands finally fell back down to his sides which meant my attention was drawn down from his face. Dark splotches were splashed across the black material of his tank top, splotches that appeared to be wet.

"Okay, I was just headed down to meet her assistant." He stepped back, snapping my eyes back up to his and I stepped out of my room, making sure to lock the door behind me.

"You're going straight there." It wasn't a question and he was already walking down the corridor.

"What's wrong?" I asked loudly, still jogging to catch up with him.

"She's been propositioned by another group, I shouldn't even be telling you that but I think you deserve some warning. The proposition wasn't amicable; we had to restrain the vampire, but I was forced to let him go."

We walked down the corridors in silence. I'd been given enough information to piece together his erratic behaviour which seemed odd even for him even though I hardly knew him. The stains on his shirt were blood, from another vampire, even though I couldn't see the redness I knew, sadly, that blood showed up black on dark coloured clothing. The stressed-out appearance and frustrated gestures were from him itching for a fight, a fight that he'd obviously been commanded to give up.

My heart raced in my chest, thumping loud enough for the sound to echo in my ears and all because of the worry that was coursing through me. I didn't know what I was about to walk into but I knew it wasn't going to be good. I had no allies in this strange city, I knew no one that I could trust and I was about to walk somewhat willingly into a room where Queen Sophie Anne waited for me.

"What do you mean propositioned?" Before I could comprehend what I was doing my hand was resting on his forearm, holding him back from storming ahead. I squeezed tighter, making him turn to look at me so that I could see whether he was being honest with me.

"One of the vampire kingdoms wants you, the Queen doesn't want to give you up because you're too valuable to her at the moment. When she refused the messenger got too close for comfort, I stepped in to help. Just know that if they offer enough, she will change her mind. I can't tell you anymore." His eyes were wild, refusing to focus on my own and I knew that he was hiding something from me.

"Okay." I nodded, pulling back my hand as we started off down the corridor that would lead us to the other tower of rooms.

"Sophie Anne, Sookie Stackhouse is here," Eric spoke loudly into the room, walking straight in through the door to the Queen's hotel suite with the electronic key card he had. He stood aside then, his hand reaching behind him to usher me forward into the room where I came face to face with the Sophie Anne, the vampire I liked second least in the world.

I stood facing into the living room area of the suite where three sofas were arranged in a horseshoe shape around the fireplace, all were cream leather and one had a vampire sprawled across it. Her dark red hair was pulled back into a French plait that trailed down her pale neck where it met the black dress that made her petite frame look stunning. Her pretty face had minimal make-up that just enhanced all of her delicate features.

"Sookie! My favourite breather, come take a seat." She smiled at me, wrinkling her nose and gesturing to the seat opposite her. I tried not to notice the bodyguard behind her since he was so impossibly big she was literally lying in his shadow.

"Hello," I said, keeping my voice as neutral as possible as I took my seat directly opposite the Queen. She swung her slender legs over the edge of the sofa placing dainty feet on the carpet. Unnervingly she leaned forward, staring at me all the time. Her elbows rested on her knees, the fabric of her dress long enough to cover her milk white skin.

"I'm glad you made it here okay." She quirked her lips; making it obvious that she wasn't really pleased I was okay. I doubted she really cared either way. "You are however, giving me quite the headache but it's surprisingly fun! I don't want to let you go quite yet, you've proven yourself quite useful and you will continue to do so; unless of course you want to move on." Blood red lips formed a smirking pout.

"I don't want to move," I replied honestly. I may not enjoy working for the Louisiana vampires but I knew it could be much worse.

Eric walked into the room looking decidedly more composed than before; he was now wearing a fresh black button down shirt open over his t-shirt and his hair was swept neatly back into a knot at the base of his neck. The Queen paid him no heed; instead she continued speaking to me, telling me exactly what I would be doing for the week of the summit meeting.

Eric didn't take a seat; he simply paced up and down behind the Queen which meant he was out of her eye sight. The bodyguard didn't glance in Eric's direction; he just stood behind the Queen looking intimidating. He wouldn't have even been able to look pleasant or innocent even if he tried. I listened intently, taking mental notes, as the Queen informed me of my tasks which would officially start tomorrow evening with the opening ball. As soon as I could, I stood up and left the room, my eyes finding Eric's as I walked to the door and all I could see was stress in the blue depths. The sight of that was more unsettling than the feelings I got around Caleb.

I quickly made my way back to my room where I collapsed on my bed in an emotionally exhausted heap. Whenever I was around the Queen I hid the true extent of my powers. No one knew how powerful I had become since the first time I ingested vampire blood, unlike all the other side affects my telepathy had maintained its improved state which had only increased on subsequent blood donations. That was one thing that Bill hadn't been able to be disloyal to me about, because I never told him. I didn't bother to even get up to undress. I just laid there and allowed myself to wallow in the pit that I'd found myself in.

I was now stuck fighting for my position with the vampire political chain of Louisiana, a place where I didn't really want to be. It was the best that was offered to me and I had to fight because it was in my nature. I didn't just lie back and let things happen to me, I made things happen and I got through tough situations that always seemed to occur. It seemed like they were happening on a more frequent basis now as well. "Urgh," I groaned into the blackness of my room and I pulled the duvet cover up over my head, shielding myself from the world. This would be the last time I would wallow in self pity over the situation, in the morning I would be happy, or at least I would make the best of the situation.

"Sookie, what do you think you're doing?" Bill asked; his voice was monotonous and cold. He walked into my bedroom where he discovered me packing my suitcase. Leaving wasn't the best idea but it was the only thing I could think of to get out of the meeting. I'd never run away to escape my problems before, I'd always stayed and fought for what I believed in and the people I loved. The problem here was that I couldn't stay and fight, I couldn't fight against a five hundred year old vampire and expect to win or even make things better.

"I can't stay here for this, I'm going for a few weeks, let things blow over and if you have any sense of what's good for you, you will come with me." I stuffed another jumper into my bag and zipped it shut. My chest was heaving with shaky breaths and silent tears were streaming down my cheeks. I wasn't strong enough for this no matter what the people closest to me said.

"You have to say Sookie, leaving will only make things worse." His hands rested on my shoulders, squeezing comfortingly before sliding down and wrapping his arms around my chest so that I was held tightly. The tears ran freely now. "We have to meet with Sophie soon; she isn't a vampire you want to keep waiting." That one word, Sophie, should have been my first warning; I would soon discover how not questioning the informality of that name would cost me.

"You will be there with me?" I asked weakly, already hating how pathetic my voice sounded.

"I won't leave your side," he whispered into my ear and I could see his dark hair falling forward out of the corner of my eye and the faint glow of his skin in the darkly lit bedroom.

"Okay then." I nodded my head decidedly and wiped the tears from my cheeks while keeping the sobs that threatened to wrack my body at bay. I was scared, more so than I ever had been before, and I couldn't shuck the sense that I was walking into a trap.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"What the hell?" I groaned as the second time in as many nights I was woken up in the middle of the night by a noise that I just shouldn't have been hearing at such an ungodly hour. The shrill ringing and red flashing light of the fire alarm was lighting up my room, hurting my eyes as I struggled to fully wake up. The dream hung over me, haunting, as I sat up and became fully conscious and aware of what was going off around me which appeared to be the fire alarm sounding in the middle of the night. From the corridor I could hear running feet and doors slamming as people left their rooms in panic, fleeing down the stairs to get to the meeting point outside in the parking lot across the street. "Why, just why?" I whispered annoyed. My eyes fluttered closed for another couple of seconds and that was all it took for the panic to be running through every human head in the hotel to slip through my shields.

My mental shields clamped down, pushing every thought away from me but it was too late; adrenaline coursed through my veins causing my heart to thump and I was completely awake. I bolted upright in bed, threw the covers aside and bounced up. I grabbed a pair of jeans from the suitcase that was only half unpacked, threw them on over the top of my boxer pyjamas and ran for the door. I needed to get out of the hotel.

The corridors were a hive of activity with vampires walking quickly in what appeared to be every direction; there wasn't much that could really harm them but fire was one of those things that could kill them. People were scurrying about, trying to grab every little bit of their belongings instead of just getting to safety. I rushed past them, ignoring them as much as possible and went straight for the stairs, internally cursing the fact that I was eight floors up from the ground where safety lay.

The stairwell was only wide enough at this point for two people to stand abreast. We were so high up that no one used these stairs. People were pushing and shoving around me, trying to get out faster. The fear in the air was almost tangible, like I could reach out and grasp it in my hands. I pushed the feeling aside as much as possible, keeping my shields clamped shut so no stray thoughts could invade my already panicking mind.

My feet thudded on the ground, taking each step one at a time but literally running down them as fast as I could move. The fire alarms were getting louder the further down we all travelled, the noise seemingly more shrill as though egging us on to move faster and get out of the building. I was only two floors from the lobby when the lights suddenly went out, leaving the crowd in pitch blackness with only the tiny red lights from the sounders and detectors offering any illumination.

"Everyone, please keep moving slowly!" A commanding voice shouted out from somewhere above me. The people that had come to an abrupt stop with the loss of light began to edge forwards, everyone moving in single file, hands plastered to the walls to help us keep balance.

A disruption of air and the minor sounds of someone passing people was the only warning I had before a powerful hand clamped down on my shoulder, squeezing so tightly my right arm flinched with pain. My head snapped around to see what was happening and I came up with a blank. The minimal light in the room was too dim to let me see his face, all I could see was the outline of a masculine head attached to a tall frame that was leering down over me. The fingers gripped tighter, bruising my flesh, and I gasped in pain. I began to struggle, my arms flailing wildly to get away from him but was unable to do anything. The press of bodies around me was too close to move properly.

"Stop it," the voice hissed in my ear, his other hand clamping down on my completely free arm.

A wave of maliciousness hit me in a brain pattern that I couldn't recognise with the added contact, no words hit me just the knowledge that the man intended to hurt me. He didn't want me dead though, he just wanted me to hurt. Badly. I opened my mouth to scream but one of his hands moved from my shoulder to clamp down over my mouth, cutting off any air for me to scream.

For some strange reason it was then that I realised we were still moving down the stairs slowly with the rest of the crowd. My knees gave way, toppling me to the ground and out of the man's grasp since it were so unexpected. Pain ricocheted through my body as my body connected harshly with the concrete edges of the steps. The bright lights of the stairwell flickered, sending everything into a too sharp contrast for a split second before everything was thrown back into the darkness. The presence of the man just behind me shifted, his mind locked off, completely blank to me except for the single emotion I could almost physically feel washing over me; fear.

He ran past me down the stairs, his feet tapping away at each step in a staccato beat faster than anyone else. The lights came back on again, fully illuminating the area but they were side lights, powered by a back-up generator. Two pairs of hands grabbed me then, one on each side of me so that they could hoist me back up onto my feet with relative ease.

"Gotta keep moving miss," one woman stated quite calmly. She made sure I was stable on my feet before continuing on her way, rushing down the stairs after she'd squeezed past me. The other person, an older gentleman who was wearing a staff uniform kept a hold of me, walking by my side to make sure that I was going to be okay.

"Let's get you out of here." A dull ache set deep inside my right knee as I moved making every movement tender and jarring each time I planted my foot on the step below. Soon enough we reached level ground and cold air billowed onto my face through the open emergency exit doors.

My pace picked up at the sense of freedom and hope that spread throughout the line of people making their way outside and I quickly found myself standing outside the doors on my own. The gentleman had left me once I was outside the building, hopefully to assist other people and I took the time to look around me. The people that were still leaving the building, vampires and humans, was dwindling, it was mainly the people that had been on my floor and higher who were still making their way down the stair wells. Everyone was gathering in the parking lot across the street which was blessedly empty at this time of night. Sirens were wailing in the distance but I had a feeling they wouldn't be needed as the air was fresh with no traces of smoke at all and the dark sky was completely free of any flames or smoke.

My feet followed the people around me without conscious thought. Limping I made it to the parking lot where I began the search for the vampires from my area. My shields remained clamped down as I walked through the swarm of bodies so that only the type of person, whether they were human or vampire, was the only thing that got through. I looked at every group of blank minds, hoping they were my group. Even though we weren't exactly allies, I needed to report to them, make sure everyone was accounted for and see if I was needed.

The adrenaline that was coursing through my body was lessening its affect, my heart was beginning to beat slower and the breaths I was taking were deeper. I was still on edge though, I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched and I knew the man that had grabbed me on the stairs was here somewhere. I just wish I could recognise him, know who he was but there was nothing that would allow me to recognise him unless I met the same mind again.

I couldn't find anyone I knew, I only saw a handful of people I recognised from around the hotel. I was essentially alone in the parking lot, with someone that didn't want me to be walking around free. My group of vampires wouldn't just need me, I needed them. It was then that a hand gripped onto my waist and I came to another abrupt halt.

So what did you think? You know I love feedback almost as much as i love a certain Viking vampire. Oh and who do you think are the people that stopped our dear Sookie?

Okay, so first thing, been watching Season 3 of True Blood and the tender moments between Pam and Eric just melted my heart. Given me another idea for a one shot though. On the one shot front, i'm half way through and the lovely Trudy says that it's rather good so far.

Second, i'm moving to London, Camden Town to be precise which is also pretty much where this is set. So i'm not sure when i'll have internet set up and stuff which is why i'm updating tonight. Chapter 4 has been completed, it's been sent to the betas so it will be out next friday I hope. I'm sure if i haven't got a 'net connection by then I'll be able to find an internet cafe.

Third - Title of this chapter comes from Don't Stop Me Now by Queen. Gotta love that band also MCR who have finally come out of the woodwork with a new album. They're doing a gig in London on the 23rd, only a few miles from where i'll be staying.

Finally, thank-you for reading and have a wonderful weekend :)