The first thing that Sookie noted on entering Fangtasia was that Eric was…twitchy.
Twitchy and preoccupied, she decided as a group of Japanese tourists came to pose for a photo right in front of him (without permission) and he didn't even batted an eyelid. Sookie wondered whether it had anything to do with Pam as she made her way over to where he sat, enthroned on the small dais at the back of the room.
"Sookie, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" he asked with a half-hearted leer as she stopped at the bottom of the dais.
"I came to see how Pam was doing," she said, ignoring the leer and the small prick of pique that for the first time it hadn't seemed sincere.
A flicker of emotion that Sookie couldn't quite identify flicked across his face at the mention of Pam, "She's resting," he told her.
"That's not what I asked."
"I don't recall you actually asking anything."
Sookie took a moment to remind herself that Eric was on edge and she shouldn't push him over it, no matter how much his evasiveness irked her. "Very well, is Pam recovering from last night?" she asked.
"Yes," came the reply and Sookie had to fight the urge to throttle him. "Not as well as I would like," he continued, "but I believe she is a little better."
"She must being doing fairly well for you to be here," Sookie commented innocently.
Eric's eyes suddenly flashed, "And why shouldn't I be? Pam's a big girl, she can look after herself, she doesn't need me to fuss over her," he told her.
Sookie eyed him warily, wondering if it was such a good idea to be asking after Pam in person, perhaps she should have just called, but that had seemed so impersonal…
She was broken from her musings by Eric who suddenly stood up, "Well, if that's all, I have some things I should attend to," he told her dismissively.
Sookie made a submissive gesture and he strode passed her, heading for his office. Sookie watched him go, now more concerned for Pam than she had been before coming.
…
An irritated Eric paced his office.
He had meant what he said: Pam didn't need him to fuss over her, or rather, she shouldn't. What was cutting him up was the guilt that perhaps she did and he'd just left her.
He remembered how hurt she had been after the whole incident with the Magister that he hadn't stayed; now he was worried that he was repeating the same mistake. Worse: he was worried that he had left her vulnerable.
She had been poisoned in Fangtasia whilst he had been there, what might be happening to her when he wasn't there?
Deciding it was pointless for him to sit around worrying; he opened his window and took flight.
He had barely gotten a few blocks away when he heard a loud explosion from behind him; he turned in shock.
Someone had bombed Fangtasia.
At the sight of the burning building Eric's mind was wiped off all thoughts save one: Pam.
He set off to reach her with more urgency than before, now truly worried by what he might find.
Fangtasia could wait, Pam came first.