As promised, the next chapter :) hope you enjoy it !

BTW- I've been getting a lot of comments about how my Sookie asks Eric weird questions when they're having sex. IMO, and no one has to agree with me, Sookie is quite nervous having sex with a guy who's had a millennium to perfect his technique. The way I read the books, I also felt as if Sookie was sort of a little bit masochistic emotionally speaking. I believe Sookie takes freaking ten books to admit her feelings to Eric, even though she knows deep down she loves him, because she is not so sure about herself. She has been raised to doubt people and what they want from her because of her gift and doesn't give in easily to them. She doesn't open up because the few times she has, it ended up hurting like a bitch. Plus, just as Eric doesn't understand why the heck he is so fascinated with Sookie (and it's not just the blood), I don't think Sookie understands what a guy who's been around for so long, can have anything or anyone he wants (and probably has) can find in her. And I can't exactly blame her for doubting the whole shabam even though she loves him. I mean the guy is a walking sex god with money and power and she's the little town waitress telepath. I'm not pulling Sookie down here, on the contrary, I'm just trying to see it the way she probably does (IMO anyways):P.

In addition, I must precise I'm basing this mostly on the events of the True Blood series (not entirely since I can't remember all the little details hahaha (yes, I am far, far, far from perfect :P), and in the series, apart for the third season, Eric hasn't given MUCH to Sookie for her to trust him entirely. Eric doesn't put his trust in people any more than Sookie does: he's been around for a millennium and he knows better than to trust blindly and that applies to Sookie too, even though he's quite taken with her (he is in love with her but how do you admit that when you're dead and were genuinely bored with life until a little twenty five years old darling from a small town walked in your bar eh?) And there is the matter of the curse which neither of them really comprehend and that does affect them emotionally in more ways than they can admit it. I think Sookie telling him she loves him (in my previous chapter) was already a big step on her part and she does sort of feel like its one sided since the big boy can't bring himself to tell her he loves her too.

Finally, I know lots of you will hate me at some points (just like I sometimes felt like staking Charlaine Harris haha pun intended :P) because I won't allow Sookie and Eric to be the merry happy couple from the start, but heck, my friends, who really wants to read a story of happiness and joy and kisses and honeyed love? People want drama, I'll give you plenty of that :) makes the sweeter moments all the sweetest. As in life, nothing is perfect and no one gets their way by saying Abracadabra. Life is twisted and sneaky and takes a bite in your butt if you're not careful but it can also bring you great joys and happiness. I wish to make my story that way because I believe it will make it all the more interesting to read and worthwhile. But do know that Eric and Sookie are fated. The road is going to be bumpy, but we'll get there :)

And I also must mention that I love being able to actually share all this with you because I think the hardest part of an author's life is not being able to explain their point of view as precisely as we are allowed to do on Fan Fiction (since we update chapter per chapter and all) so I wish to thank you all for actually taking the time to read my stupid author's notes haha I appreciate it and it's my way to show you I DO read all your comments lovingly even though I can't reply to all of them and take every criticism into consideration. I can't change my whole story just because some people don't agree with me 100%, but that doesn't mean I don't consider your opinions which actually make this story worth the while for me :)

I love you all very dearly (YES I DO!) and I hope you have fun with this chapter (I love writing Jason, he's so profoundly sweet and just a tiny bit slow hahahaha looooooveeeee Jason and isn't he an eye candy on the show? I just love a man in a construction uniform :))

BTW (yeah yeah I know, shut up brain much?) have any of you ever seen all the Truebies & Newbies videos for the third season on youtube? If not, PLEASE do watch them, it is a blast (I teared up at Franklin and Tara's interview hahaha they were soooo funny... I swear I'll miss Franklin, wasn't he just freaking hilarious? :P) Anyways, they're all a blast. I leave you on these words of wisdom which you'll all understand after watching those little interviews which might make us laugh enough to forget in two days' time, TB 3 will be gone :'(:

ISN'T IT GOOD TO BE THE KING? :) (Alexander Skarsgard, I LOOOOVE you :)!)

TADA , TATA AND FAREWELL MY FELLOW READERS :) xoxoxoxoxox

I dressed in yesterday's shorts and kept Eric's tank on before we took the elevator down to the garage. I was surprised to see not a single person climbed on the elevator with us since we were all the way on the top floor. I remembered my questions about security and turned to Eric.

'Aren't you afraid someone might intrude in your penthouse whilst your sleeping? I mean isn't it dangerous with the neighbours?'

'I choose them carefully.' He replied, grinning. It then dawned on me.

'You own the entire place?' I asked, my eyes wide in disbelief.

'Amongst other things, yes. I'd love to take you to my farm in Sweden. Much more grandiose than any of that American bullshit.' He replied, smug. I smiled. I'd never been to Europe but I wished I'd get to go there one day. With him perhaps?

'Do you have other vampires in the building?' I asked, curious.

'I had one, but I didn't like him much. He left glamoured snacks in the elevator and they broke some stuff. We are quite territorial. No, most of them are humans. I believe there's a werewolf on the first floor but he's rarely there and he knows to abide to my rules. Most of them are scared of me, the others work for me in some ways or others so they know to not disturb me and keep the building safe during the day.' He explained. The doors opened on the garage ground and we strode to the Corvette. I slid in the passenger seat and off we sped on the highway towards Hotshot. I was very nervous as to what state Jason would be in when I found him. I knew that he was alive, Claude and Claudine had told me so, but I was suddenly very afraid. It wasn't like him to simply disappear and not give any news to us. So he must have been in deep trouble. We arrived in Hotshot a lot faster than I'd have expected. The ride had been silent with me lost in thoughts and Eric listening to some soft and ancient sounding music. He'd told me it was music from his youth and I'd felt like I was adding a piece to the puzzle he was for me.

'Where to, first?' he asked me.

'Crystal's place. You ever smelt her?' I asked, nervous.

'No. But I've smelt your brother. I'm pretty sure I can sniff him out if he's close by.' He replied. We slid out of the car and Eric closed his eyes, concentrating. His nostrils twitched.

'He doesn't smell half as good as you. And those bloody panthers reek.' Eric grunted, grabbing my hand to lead me towards a house just off the road. 'He's been here...' Eric explained, pointing to the trailer home. Hotshot wasn't known to be a rich neighbour, in fact people from Bon Temps tried their best to not mingle with the people from here. Most of the Hotshot habitants lived in trailer homes and had dirty backyards that looked as if animals scattered all around all the time. I reminded myself that they were all were-panthers. They were, in a way, animals. The door to the trailer nearby swayed open and a furious man stormed out, his rifle cocked on his shoulder. He seemed tense and I understood why when I looked up at the sky. It was the full moon.

'What the hell d'you want?' he barked at us. He looked bony and scary and somewhat resembled Crystal. I realised it must have been her father.

'I want Jason!' I replied, frowning. 'I know you have him, give him back to me.' I commanded, my voice strong. Eric tensed next to me and I listened to the minds surrounding me. We were in fact surrounded. And outnumbered by a good twenty people. I knew Eric could defend me, but surely we'd be in deep trouble if they all morphed at the same time.

'We don't have him. Now get the hell away from here.' The man barked, his rifle cocked at me. I knew he wasn't going to shoot, I could read it in his mind. I relaxed a bit.

'Where's Crystal, Mr Norris?' I asked, approaching him slowly. I turned briefly to look at Eric and gestured for him to relax. He nodded slightly and kept a safe distance between us in case he needed to pounce.

'What do you want with her? And how do you know what my name is?' he replied, dumbfounded. I could tell he was trying hard not to morph and I heard crackling noises from around in the clearing and realised the others must have morphed.

'She's my brother's girlfriend. I'd think she'd like to know that the blood on Jason's porch was were-panther's.' I said, my voice icy. The door to the trailer swayed open and Crystal stood there, her face discoloured on the cheek. She always looked like she'd been beaten every single time I saw her.

'What did you just say?' She said, her eyebrows furrowed.

'One of your people has him.' I replied, surprised at how accurate I was.

'That's impossible…' Crystal started to say, but then realization washed over her features. She gasped and looked at Eric and I. She turned to her father.

'Felton!' She simply growled. She apparently had less trouble than the others to remain in human form. She strolled away from the trailer.

'Come with me. The vamp might be of help.' She snapped at us over her shoulder. She led us away from her surprised father and towards another trailer on the road. Eric growled menacingly. I let down my shields and almost cried in relief and anger.

…I'm gonna die here, I'm gonna die here… Not again, not tonight, I can't….

My brother was in the shack behind the trailer. I pushed past Crystal.

…No good filthy human, not good enough for her, am I? Well he won't be either…

I barged in the shack and almost gasped in shock. On the floor, lying in a puddle of his own crusted blood laid Jason. Next to him was a black panther. Felton. Felton was about to pounce and bite him but Eric was faster. The next thing I knew, Felton lay naked in a puddle of blood with his throat half ripped off. Eric cleaned his mouth with the back of his sleeve and turned to look at Crystal. I was down on my knees scooping Jason to my chest.

'Some brother you have, were.' He growled at her. 'He nearly killed him and you had no clue?' He grunted at her. She stared in horror at her half-brother's body. He was very dead, that I was sure of. 'How is he?' Eric asked me. Jason looked feeble but I could tell he would live. He was a strong man, a fighter.

'Jason… Jason it's me, it's Sookie.' I whispered to him, kissing his forehead. He was wounded, dirty and hungry.

'Sook? Is it really you?'

'Yes, yes it's me. You're safe now.' I whispered back to him. 'He needs to heal.' I said, looking pleadingly at Eric. He understood and bit his wrist before putting it to my brother's mouth.

Jason looked at Eric in wonder, not quite understanding what the man was doing here.

'What the…' he started to say. He'd met Eric only once or twice and Eric had apparently made quite an impression on him. Crystal was kneeling silently next to Felton. My brother drank from Eric, looking at Crystal with wide eyes. He was soon strong enough to stand and most of the scabbing wounds on his body were healed in a few minutes.

'You know the… side effects of the blood?' I asked him, tentatively.

Eric smirked and licked his wrist to close the wound. My very heterosexual brother sure was going to be in for a big surprise and I would have giggled at the thought had the situation not been so dramatic.

'Side effects?' Jason replied, curious.

'Erotic dreams about the provider of the blood. Attraction, lust.' Eric filled him in, his face very amused. Jason wrinkled his nose and I blushed. I had had my fair share of those dreams and most had ended with me waking up in Jason's company and him looking quite puzzled as to why I had such a restless sleep.

'Well, fuck me.' Jason muttered, obviously displeased by the fact he'd taken blood from Eric and not Pam whom (I gathered from a sudden thought) he found very attractive. I giggled at that and he looked at me.

'Don't you read my thoughts, Sookie! I hate it when you do that!' Jason muttered. He looked like the boy who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

'I think I'll like your brother, Sookie.' Eric whispered to me, smirking. I slapped him playfully on the arm and turned to Crystal. Mr Norris chose that moment to barge into the shack.

'What the hell!' He growled when he saw his son's body on the ground, stark naked, blood on his chest.

'He attacked Jason. He wanted to make him one of us.' Crystal finally said, her voice choked with fear and disgust.

'One of you?' Jason replied, surprised. 'How…'

'Bitten not born.' Eric muttered sombrely. 'Half-panther half-human on the full moon. I believe the werewolf legends started with these despicable creatures. I don't think he's had time to bite you enough though.' Eric replied. 'Your fairy blood must have helped too. You still smell pure enough.'

'My what?' Jason asked, his head cocked to the side, more and more confused. Ah right, he didn't know.

'I'll explain later.' I said to him, taking his arm and pulling him towards the door with me and Eric.

'You'll pay for this, vampire! You killed my son.' Mr Norris spat at Eric. Eric bared his fangs menacingly.

'Oh do try. You are in infraction in my area. Try me, were, try me.' He snarled at Mr Norris. Mr Norris growled and his entire body began to shudder. Suddenly, before I knew it, Crystal jumped on her father, trying to stop him from doing something. And then I understood. He was morphing and was going to attack us.

'Time to go!' I yelped at Jason, pulling him out of the shack and back on the grounds of Hotshot. Eric soon followed and eyed the surroundings. Crystal soon joined us, locking the door behind her. She had a deep gash on her left arm.

'Run. Run before they all attack you guys. Surely your vampire can fight one or two in an equal fight but he's killed one of us. You won't stand a chance if the whole pack attacks you.' She said, swiftly gesturing for us to run.

'What about you?' Jason asked her, his hands on her shoulders, worried.

'I'll be alright. I'll go morph somewhere and hunt for the night, let them calm down. By the time they find Felton's body, you'll be safe. I'm sorry Jason, so, so sorry. I should have guessed Felton would do something like this, I should have known. I'm sorry.' She had tears rolling down her cheeks and Jason pulled her in for a kiss before letting her go.

'Can you run, Stackhouse?' Eric asked. I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or Jason but the fact he picked me up in his arms supplied the information.

'Yes, sir.' Jason replied, energy coursing his veins. Vampire blood did do wonders.

We made a run for the car, Eric trying not to outrun Jason.

'Nice ride!' Jason commented before sliding in the passenger seat. I slipped in the back seat and Eric at the wheel.

'Thank you. Hope they don't scratch the paint.' Eric growled. The panthers chose this moment to pounce. They circled us and two or three of them jumped on the car. I yapped in surprise. Eric's car purred to life and he sped off, drifting out on the road, causing the panthers to slide off the car.

'Damn it, man, you sure can drive!' Jason commented eyes wide as we sped away from Hotshot at a hundred miles an hour. I was now used to Eric's crazy yet controlled driving but apparently Jason wasn't.

'Man?' Eric asked, frowning slightly.

Eric turned to me and grinned.

'You guys are really nothing alike…' He commented. I stared at him, amused.

'Where's Bill?' Jason suddenly asked. I swallowed hard. Of course, Jason hadn't known with him being stuck in that awful place with Felton.

'He's gone for business.' I replied. Eric looked at me in the rear-view mirror and gave me a sympathetic look.

'Are you still together?' Jason pressed, turning in his seat to look at me. I looked at the tip of my shoes and sighed.

'No. Not anymore. Long story. I'll explain some other time okay? Now would you please tell me what the hell happened to you and how you ended up there?' I asked him, relief washing over me. He was safe and sound, that was all that counted really.

'I came home one night with Crystal and she left and then I was about to put my keys in the door when this other panther attacked me. I tried to fight back and I think I hurt him a bit. He must have knocked me out because the next thing I knew, I woke up in his shitty shack. He came every night or so and would just beat me up or bite me.' Jason explained. I patted his shoulder gently.

'Are you going to be okay?' I asked him, concern tainting my voice.

'I should. I'm mighty glad the monster's dead. I really thought I was going to die there, Sook. How did you find me?' He asked me, turning around to look at me some more.

'Andy had the blood on your porch analysed. He left me a message to keep me informed and I thought you were probably here since it was panther's blood.' I replied. Jason pondered the thought and then nodded slowly.

'Thank you, Sook.' He whispered to me, taking my hand in his. I felt tears well in my eyes. He was all the family I had left apart from Hunter who was now safe and sound with his father, and Hadley, whom I had no idea how she was doing. I was glad my brother was safe.

'Thanks to you too, Mister Northman.' Jason said, nodding officially at Eric who had listened to our conversation with patience.

'You're welcome. I'm sure you can owe it back to me in some way.' Eric said, smirking thoughtfully.

I grunted. Eric looked at me in the mirror. Jason seemed puzzled.

'Alright, you're welcome.' Eric conceded. I beamed at him and playfully darted my tongue at him. He chuckled and looked back at the road. We were almost at Jason's place now.

Jason glanced from me to Eric and then back at me and then at Eric.

'Are you guys…together?' He asked, cocking his head to the side. Jason looked deep in thought.

'Yes. No.' Eric and I replied at the same time.

Jason's brows furrowed.

'Is it yes or no? I mean I have a right to know if my baby sis' is going out with you.' Jason replied, forgetting he was talking to a thousand year old vampire.

'You should ask Sookie. I wouldn't be able to define our… relationship.' Eric said, keeping his eyes pointedly at the driveway where he'd just parked his Corvette.

Jason turned to me and waited for my answer.

'Hum… I don't know. I guess?' I replied. I could almost feel Eric's pride radiate through his seat through the bond.

'I guess what? Yes?' Jason asked. I wondered how bad Felton had knocked him out.

'I guess we are sort of going out together.' I completed. I then swiftly kissed him on the cheek. 'Are you going to be okay all by yourself?' I asked him.

'Yes, I guess. I'm a big boy, Sookie. I'll take my rifle and I'll call you if there's anything.' He said before sliding out of the Corvette. He looked at the smooth ride and smirked.

'Thank you Mister Northman. You really have a cool ride.' Jason commented. Eric smirked and I slid in the passenger seat as we waited for Jason to be safely in his house before we were back on the road.

'Thank you, Eric.' I said. Grabbing his hand on the gearshift to squeeze his fingers.

'A pleasure.' He replied, looking at me out the corner of his eyes. 'You really have a peculiar brother.' He commented.

'Yes, Jason is quite something.' I replied, a small grin on my lips.

'If he's important to you, I'll make sure nothing bad happens to him. You do know he took V before?' Eric asked me.

'No way!' I snapped.

'Yes. Your friend Lafayette told me so.' Eric explained.

'It must have been a while back when he was still with that girl of his.'

'He is quite the ladies' man isn't he?' Eric asked, cocky.

'He doesn't compete with you if that's where you're heading.' I replied, teasing him.

Eric chuckled and stared at the road.

'Where are we headed?' I asked him.

'Fangtasia or back to my place. You choose.' Eric replied.

'Can we stop at my place so I can actually get some stuff?' I asked. He simply nodded and drove towards my place. I almost choked in surprise when we got there. On my porch sat Holly and Arlene. Arlene looked terrified and she gazed up at the approaching car.

'Sookie!' she yelped when I climbed out of Eric's Corvette.

'What are you doing here?' I asked the two women, hands on my hips.

'We need help.' Holly muttered. I wondered briefly who was working tonight with the two of them here. I had asked Sam for more days off work because of the mess my life was in right now and was glad I had. I was in no mood for shallow thoughts about my breasts and butt as I served fries.

'From me?' I asked, sceptical. Eric approached us, slowly, eyeing Holly and Arlene. Arlene took step back when she looked up at him.

'You brought a vamp here?' She asked. I remembered the hatred she'd showed me just a few days before and I felt a lump in my throat. Why was she really here? And with Holly?

'Yes from you.' Holly said, looking at Eric and I, ignoring Arlene irrational fear of vampires.

'What is it? How can I be of help?' I offered.

'Do you know anything at all about the witches of Shreveport?' Holly asked me. I looked at Eric and he starred back at me. Oh yes, we knew about the witches of Shreveport…