A/N:

I was review reply fail again, and I'm sorry. Work has been hell, and we had some family move in with us, so home life has been stressful. I'll do my best to respond this time, because I really do appreciate all your comments and feedback, positive and negative.

This is also self-beta'd because I'm a retard who completely forgot to remind my beta to do this. So, FDM, I'm sorry, but don't worry about it. I'm not as bad as I used to be, and hopefully my readers will forgive me for one unbeta'd chapter :) I love you.

Chapter 12 – An Assumption and A Date

The next night Sookie was on her way to Fangtasia for the final interview, and when she got out of her car in the lot she was suddenly hit with thoughts from the people in the parking lot. She quickly shut her eyes and visualized the room. The door was open again, so she shut it and was rewarded with instant silence.

"What the hell?" she muttered as she pulled out her cell phone and called Amelia. "Hey, it's Sookie. I just got to Fangtasia and had to shut the door again. I hadn't opened it."

"Is this the first time you've been near other people today?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, I was home all day before coming here."

"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you that when you sleep your mind opens back up, so you'll have to close it when you wake up. I don't know why I forgot about that."

"So nothing failed? I just have to remember to close it every day?"

"Yup, just like brushing your teeth."

Sookie laughed in relief. "Thanks Amelia. I have to go in now, but I'll talk to you soon."

Pam greeted Sookie at the door with a smirk that Sookie decided to have some fun with.

"I can tell from the look on your face that you're singing a very, very annoying song in your head right now, but luckily for me I've been working on this," she said, tapping her finger against her temple.

"You mean you've got me blocked better? It was a really good one," Pam frowned.

"Can't say I'm sorry."

"Well come on then. He's anxious to get this interview over so he can spend some time with you."

"Really?" Sookie asked like a smitten teenager.

"Really! And tomorrow you can come over and we'll braid each other's hair while we gush over him!"

"Oh, Pam. There really is a girl in there somewhere."

"Funny. Let's go."

Just like all the other interviews, Pam led Sookie into Eric's office, and then excused herself to go get him. Eric came in completely in character and greeted her with a nod as he said, "Miss Stackhouse."

Sookie picked up where they had left off, and a half an hour later they were done. After Eric left the room to complete the façade, Sookie turned off the recorder. Pam smirked at her, and she stood to leave.

"Oh no, stay here. He'll be back in a moment," Pam said.

Sookie stayed standing, but didn't leave, and a moment later the door opened again.

"Pam, out," Eric said as he entered the room, his eyes never leaving Sookie.

"Be good, you two," Pam said before leaving the office and shutting the door behind her.

As soon as she was gone, Eric grabbed Sookie and pulled her down onto the couch with him so that she was straddling his lap.

"You certainly get right to the point, don't you?" Sookie laughed.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

"I've never made out with a guy in his office before. I'm game."

"I missed you," he said, and kissed her.

"Me, or kissing me?" she asked.

"Both," he smiled. "Now tell me about your day. Pam mentioned that you could block her better."

Sookie smiled and absently ran her hands up and down his arms slowly.

"This feels … normal," she said.

"The abnormal can be normal."

"I suppose. My day was fine. Amelia helped me with the meditation yesterday, and it really worked. Blocking is so much easier now, and it doesn't drain me like it used to."

"I am happy for you," Eric said, smiling.

"What about you? How was your day?"

"I slept most of it, but I had a nice workout when I woke up. There was also a program on the Discovery Channel about Harley Davidson's that I really enjoyed. Then I got ready to come here and see you."

"Motorcycles? You are quite normal, aren't you?" Sookie said, bringing her hands up to frame his face.

"Somewhat."

"What shall we do tonight?"

"I was hoping you would agree to sitting in my booth with me. When I don't feel like sitting on the stage I sit there. I still get stared at, but it's not as bad. I would love someone to keep me company though."

"I would be happy to keep you company," Sookie said, giving him a kiss before removing herself from his lap.

Eric stood and led Sookie by the hand out into the bar, and over to his corner booth. Sookie slid in on one side, and Eric on the other until they were only a couple of inches apart in the middle. Sookie crossed her legs, and Eric rested his hand on her knee like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Is it normal for you to have a woman with you here?"

"Definitely not."

"Thought so. Every woman and even a few men are looking at me like they want my head on a platter."

"They probably do," Eric said, giving her a knee a slight squeeze. "Tell me more about this meditation. Do you think it will help you block more permanently?"

"I hope so. Amelia said I'd would probably only need her to guide me a few more times before it's like second nature for me to do it on my own."

"I am happy for you. This seems like a milestone for you," Eric said.

"Thank you," she smiled.

Pam walked up to the booth and interrupted them.

"Sookie dear, will you do me a favor?"

Both Sookie and Eric stiffened, but for different reasons.

"What kind of favor?" Sookie asked.

"You see the group of girls at the table in the corner over there?" Pam asked, nodding towards them. Sookie knew who she was talking about immediately. They were the only group of girls in that area, and men were circling them like vultures, trying to figure out how best to get them in their beds for the night.

"Yes," Sookie said, now certain of Pam's intentions.

"I believe them to have fake ID's, and the door guy wasn't smart enough to catch it. Would you mind taking a dip into their heads and finding out for me?"

Sookie sighed and slid from the booth, away from the warmth of Eric's body, and made her way over to that corner. She focused on picturing the room in her head, then opened the door. What she noticed right away surprised her. She no longer had the thoughts of everyone flooding in before focusing, but seemed to be able to get just who she wanted to hear.

Where's the damn dealer? We need to get the pills and go meet the guys.

Black fedora, black fedora. Said he'd be here five minutes ago.

Sookie quickly made her way back to the booth to inform Pam of what was going on.

"I think they're of age, but they're only here to meet with a dealer for pills. Pretty sure they're buying ecstasy. The guy told them he'd be wearing a black fedora, and I think he just walked in," she said, nodding at the front door.

"Well thank you, Sookie. You're most useful," Pam grinned, and then went off to deal with the situation.

Sookie looked at Eric and found him giving her a proud smile. It disgusted her.

"Listen, I have to work tomorrow. I'm going to get my things from your office and go," Sookie said, not hiding that she was upset.

Eric frowned and said, "I'll escort you."

Sookie was silent as she gathered her things from his office, and as they walked out to her car, but when they got there she couldn't just be quiet anymore. She turned to face Eric and let it all out.

"If you wanted me to work for you all you had to do was ask me. I'll come down here on my nights off to read people if you need me, but do not lead me to believe that you just want me to keep you company in your booth and then ask me to use my ability. I deserve better than that, and I won't put up with this. And us? Our relationship is separate from this crap. Don't make me think that you're using me, or it's over."

By the time she finished, Eric looked both angry and properly chastised.

"I apologize for what Pam did. She suggested asking you to read people tonight before you got here, but I told her no. What she did was against my wishes, and I'm not happy with her. If I want you to read for me, I will ask you myself, and offer to pay you for your time, as well as for the time you miss from your regular job to do it. I don't want you to ever think that I'm using you. I wouldn't do that."

"Oh," Sookie said, feeling properly chastised herself. "I … I'm sorry. I guess I have a tendency to jump to the wrong conclusions."

"It's alright," Eric said, standing there awkwardly, unsure of what to do in this situation.

"You've never had an argument with a girl before, have you?" Sookie asked.

"Not really."

"Usually after the apologies, you hug," she smiled. "Will you hug me, please?"

Eric took a step towards her and gave her an awkward hug quickly, causing her to laugh.

"Did I hug you wrong?" he asked.

"Let's try this," she said. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her cheek against his chest. Eric naturally held her to him and squeezed her back when she gave him a slight one. Sookie closed her eyes and let herself melt into him, into the feeling of the man you care about holding you. She felt safe, cared for, forgiven. Hugs were something she hadn't had a lot of since her grandmother passed on.

They stayed in the embrace for a minute or two, until they were interrupted by the flash from a camera. Blinded, Sookie hid her face in Eric's chest as the photographers kept snapping away. Eric knew she wouldn't be able to just get into her car and drive away, so he took her hand and led her to his car a few spaces away. He helped her into the passenger seat, and then got in the drivers side. As he started the car and pulled away he called Pam.

"Photographers outside caught Sookie and I. I'm taking her somewhere for a while so I won't be back tonight." There was a pause as he listened to Pam speak, and then he said, "That's fine. I want charges pressed. There won't be any drug dealing on our property. I'll speak to them tomorrow." With that, he hung up, and took Sookie's hand.

"I apologize for that. They have a habit of sneaking up."

"I think I'm still blind," Sookie said. "How do you deal with that?"

"I ignore them."

"I'm sorry you have to. Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you out to dinner like a normal person. There's this little restaurant that's small and quiet. I go there often. They don't bother me, even though they know who I am."

"That must be nice for you. It's strange how most people want to be famous so they can go anywhere, but the famous have to search for places they won't be seen."

Eric chuckled, and his thumb ran over the back of Sookie's hand. She smiled and closed her eyes as she rested her head against the seat.

"What are you thinking about?" Eric asked after a moment.

"I'm thinking that I'm going to have to learn to communicate better, because you're already not the best at it, and neither am I. I don't want us to fight all the time, and especially not because of stupid stuff like that."

"Can we hug, even if we don't fight first?"

Sookie smiled as she looked over at him. "You like hugging?"

Eric shrugged. "It was nice. I felt like I was protecting you from something."

"I love hugging. I haven't had a proper hug since my grandmother passed on. We can hug as much as you want."

Eric smiled and pulled her hand up to his mouth to kiss it. A few minutes later he pulled over and parked. He got out and opened Sookie's door for her, then helped her out. Their hands stayed together as Eric led her down the street a little ways and then opened the door to a tiny restaurant. A person wouldn't even know it was there if they weren't already aware of it.

"Good evening Mr. Northman," a young girl said when they walked in. She was looking at Eric with wide, eager eyes. She couldn't have been more than sixteen, but it was easy to see she had a crush. The girl was rather short, and athletic looking, with thin brown hair and big brown eyes.

"Good evening, Emily," Eric said politely to her. "Can I get a table for two tonight?"

Emily finally seemed to notice Sookie, and that she was holding Eric's hand. Her face fell slightly, but after she turned to grab menus her smile was back. She led them to a table with two chairs in a quiet corner. There were only about ten other patrons in the restaurant, and almost all of them were couples.

Eric pulled out Sookie's chair for her before sitting himself. Emily handed us our menus, and Sookie made sure to thank her kindly, which made Emily smile gratefully. She took the drink orders and then left them alone to look over the menu.

"Everything here is very good, but the pasta is especially," Eric said.

"I think I'll try the alfredo. I love a good chicken alfredo dish," Sookie said.

"It's excellent. The bread they serve with it is homemade too. This is a family run restaurant. Emily's parents own it, and only family members work here."

"She's sweet on you," Sookie said, and smiled at the look of surprise on his face.

"Emily?"

"Yes. She's got a big crush. It doesn't surprise me though. I would too if I were her age. It's harmless though."

"I'm not leading her on, am I?" he asked.

"No. I'd bet you're just polite to her. You're a handsome guy, Eric, it was bound to happen."

Emily came back with their drinks and asked them if they were ready to order. They each told her what they wanted, handed over the menus, and then they were left alone again. Eric reached across the table and took Sookie's hand.

"Is this normal?" he asked.

"Very. I've never really done this."

"We're both learning together."

"We are," Sookie smiled, squeezing his hand. She still hadn't quite figured out why Eric was so socially awkward. Other than his high I.Q. she didn't really have anything to speculate on.

They talked quietly until Emily came back with their food, which they both devoured. Sookie loved the alfredo and ate all of it, including the seasoned bread it came with. When Emily cleared their plates she asked them how the meal was.

"That was the most delicious alfredo I've ever had, and I wish I knew how to make bread that well. Please thank the cook for me, Emily," Sookie said, making Emily beam with pride.

"And you, Mr. Northman?" she asked Eric.

"It was more than perfect, as always," he said.

"Dessert tonight?" she asked, and Eric looked to Sookie.

"Do you normally get dessert?" Sookie asked him, and he nodded.

"Then yes, we'll have dessert, please," she said to Emily.

Emily smiled, took away their dishes, and came back with a dessert menu.

"What's good?" Sookie asked.

"The chocolate layer cake, but the slices are huge. I can choke a whole slice down, but that's just barely. We could share a slice if you want."

"That sounds good to me," Sookie agreed.

When the cake was brought out Eric took a moment to ask Emily about school, even specific questions about how her art project went over. Sookie was impressed when Emily told him she got an A after his advice on the support of the structure she had to build for a science class. Eric beamed at her with pride and congratulated her, then she left them to their dessert.

"You're so adorable with her," Sookie told him.

"She's a nice kid, very smart. She had her science project in here the last time I came and I helped her out a little. I'm pleased she got a good grade on it. I've actually spoken to her parents, and if she gets well enough grades I'm going to pay her college tuition."

"Eric, that's amazing."

"She deserves it. They make enough here to stay open, but not enough to send her to a college she deserves. She wants to go to Harvard."

There was something about the wistful look in his eyes that made Sookie ask.

"Did you go to college?"

He stared at her with sad eyes for a moment before saying a quick and clipped, "No." Then he looked down at the untouched cake on the table. He picked up his fork and cut a small amount off the slice before holding the fork up for Sookie to eat. She decided to ignore his avoidance and take the bite he offered her. As soon as the chocolate hit her tongue, she moaned.

"That is the best cake I've ever had," Sookie said after swallowing the bite. She picked up her own fork and went in for another bite. Eric smiled as he watched her, and after she'd devoured her third bite she noticed him watching her.

"What?" she asked. "Do I have chocolate on my face?"

"No," he said, then simply picked up his fork and dug into the cake.

After they finished, Eric paid for their meal and they left. Sookie took his hand again when they stepped onto the sidewalk, and blushed when Eric smiled down at her.

"Do we have to go back to the bar now?" Sookie asked.

"Not if you don't want to. What else would you like to do?"

"Actually, and it's kind of silly, but I've always had this fantasy that involves a parked car and two people making out in it."

"This is … an actual fantasy of yours?"

Sookie blushed and looked away. "Well, yeah. When I was in high school a lot of the students thought about making out in their cars. Their thoughts made it seem so awesome, and even though I know it's probably not that great it didn't stop me from wanting something I knew I couldn't have."

"Well then," Eric said, a mischievous smile forming on his face. "Let's go make out in my car."