Disclaimer: I own nada, zip, zilch! Please don't sue...not that it would do any good. Last I heard it was impossible to get blood from a turnip.

A/N: Wow! I am blown away at how many reviews I've gotten on just three little chapters! My humble thanks to everyone! I may not be able to respond to all your reviews but I definitely appreciate them! Maybe I can break 100 with this one? I'd like to warn you all now, before you begin reading, that things get a little tense in this chapter. I'm also going to need a little help, but I'll explain that below. Enjoy.

Chapter 4

Eric lay in the bed, holding Sookie as she dozed. They had finally fulfilled their bond and after an already eventful evening, what occurred during the bonding, was utterly unexpected. Having never been bonded to a partial Fae-human before, or anyone for that matter, there were certain aspects of this merger that Eric was unclear on, yet he never expected what transpired. He was uncertain if it had to do with the mixture of his ancient blood and her heritage or her mental faculties escalating and this was an increased form of her telepathy. It was also possible that this could be a combination of the two. The uncertainty unnerved him more than the knowledge she now had of him. He could feel so much from her now threw the bond, even more intensely than before it was complete, so he knew that despite what she might have heard, there was still no fear. And the intensity of the love she felt for him would have brought him to his knees if he'd been standing. As it was, he was sure she would be the end of him…or possibly his forever. He purposefully refused to think about what might come to pass when her mortal life ended.

She shifted and hummed contentedly in her sleep. He watched her with a fascination and awe he had not felt in way too long. He gently caressed her golden skin as he admired the rosy buds of her firm and perfect breasts. He lowered his head to taste the tip of the bud closest to his mouth. She tasted just as she smelled, of cool summer breezes and sunshine. The combination was dizzying. He continued to lavish his affections over her chest while moving slowly up to her sensitive ears.

"I can feel that you are awake, Lover," he grinned into her hair as he drew in her breathtaking sent.

"Mmmmm, how could I sleep with that kind of attention being thrust upon me?" She giggled at her little joke.

"Lover," he purred, "you haven't begun to feel the thrust of my attentions," he leered at her as he waggled his eyebrows.

She squealed as he began tickling her everywhere, even a few places she had no clue she was ticklish in. Their teasing escalated into another round of love making that felt more lighthearted and playful yet just as passionate as the last. He knew from the small gasp out of her succulent lips that she'd heard something else. He waited until her breathing had returned to normal before asking, "Did it happen again?"

Sookie nervously bit her lip, "I'm so sorry Eric, I'm not intentionally prying. I'm not sure if this is gonna get worse or how I'm going to control this." She buried her head into his shoulder in part frustration and embarrassment. "If this is going to happen all the time, I'll never get any peace. I swear tonight is the first time I've heard a vampire….." She was beginning to panic a bit, "but what I saw or heard or felt, hell I'm not sure how to describe it, it didn't feel like thoughts. At least not how I'm use to them. Oh god what if this happens with other vampire's? Eric…."

Eric could feel that she was about to 'loose it' so to speak, "Sookie breath my love, calm down. You are in no danger from me," he soothed her not just with his voice but with his own tranquil influence through their recent connection.

She felt a serene peace flow through her and knew it was not coming from her, "Are you doing that?"

"Yes, and before you over react, I cannot control how you feel, I am merely emphasizing what I feel, which is what you experience. We both need to be mindful of how our stronger emotions and reactions will affect the other now. I felt like I was about to hyperventilate when you were ranting and I don't breath." He waited a few moments, allowing her to accept his words. Before she could say anything else, he asked softly, "May I know what you saw?"

She took another deep breath, before confessing not just what she had just 'heard' but the details of the other two experiences she'd had that night. He'd missed one, but that was because she had experienced it during her brief nap. Unlike before, when he thought what she had heard was his thoughts at the moment of their mutual climaxes, he discovered she'd instead somehow tapped into his memories. He was still undecided on if this was better or worse than what he'd thought. Never the less it needed to stay between them. As he explained his theories and inner musings to her, he also said he wanted no one but the two of them to know of this new development. Not even Gran. He wanted her to experiment with Pam, Bubba, and her new guard to see what limits she may have. Then they could reevaluate who to tell. Pam and Gran were both on top of the short list.

Changing gear she felt it was time to discuss another much needed topic of conversation. "Eric, I want to talk to you about this 'protection detail' you've gotten for us." She put her finger's to his lips and continued quickly, "I know why I need them, I'm just confused as to why now, and not after Claudine's 'Kidnap Sookie for her own good' attempt. Why wait until Niall came? He didn't try to take anybody like she did. I know Gran was none too happy about him showing up but I just don't get why you're so alarmed. Even just talking about it is getting you antsy. What gives?"

Eric sat up against the headboard in order to look at Sookie directly. "Fairies never do anything without a motive, Sookie, They have a fierce reputation of being vicious, and not just with their enemies…they are also very selfish and manipulative creatures."

Sookie snorted, "No offense Eric, but coming from a vampire, saying that is like the pot calling the kettle black."

Eric raised an eyebrow at her, "Be that as it may, Niall's visit and ambiguous information about the current…issues in the Fae realm is cause for concern. There have been many unsubstantiated rumors about the Fairies over the years, mostly concerning their decline in numbers. The wars between vampires and the fairies did reduce both sides numbers drastically, yet this was more than 600 years ago that the last war ended and their numbers were increasing again for several hundred years. It's really been in the recent past that their sightings have been fewer and fewer. I believe this is due to the changes in mortals lives since the Industrial Revolution. Iron is much more common place in today's society than it has ever been before and many of the natural sanctuaries that were once prevalent in the world have succumbed to mortal man's need to urbanize. This is not the first time in the history of the world that population explosions have decimated the environment but this is the first time it has happened for such an extended period of time that life is not 'bouncing back' fast enough. The fairies were at one time guardians of this balance between the natural world and artificial or manufactured substances. Niall's information to you has confirmed suspicions that their internal struggles have prevented them from maintaining that balance."

"How in the world do you know so much about this? I thought you said the fairies were such a secretive race that little is known about them." Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

Eric's gaze was detached and he looked miles away before he responded with his signature smirk, "I have a reliable source of which I am unable to say more, but I fear this crisis within the Fae is going to escalate quickly now that Niall has exposed your existence to his enemies. His coming directly to you himself was either a brilliant tactical move to force his enemies hand or incredibly imprudent on his part. Either way you and your family are now at great risk."

"Wait, how did his visit expose me? All we did was sit on the front porch swing and talk for a few minutes."

"As Prince and leader of the Fae race, his movements are watched at all times, by both his own people and his adversaries. He would have been well aware that he was being observed."

"But how? I kept my shields down the entire time and I never detected anyone else on the property." Sookie was beginning to get upset. "And are you telling me he knew he would be followed or watched or whatever and he came anyway! Why the Hell would he do that? We're supposed to be family! He kept going on about 'blood of my blood' and being kin and how important I was to him. Why would he purposefully put me, us, at risk?"

"Magic, Sookie, does not require immediate observation. It's like having surveillance equipment on you at all times. There are ways to hide from it but not many. That would require great power, which Niall has, but I'm sure if he was implementing that he would not have been able to penetrate the wards surrounding your property. Also, I told you that fairies have a reputation of being vicious, this includes towards family. If Niall feels that he can use you to his advantage, he will, despite the risk to your safety. Don't misunderstand me, should anything happen to you, this will give him the excuse he needs to eradicate his foe in the name of family vengeance. Thus eliminating his original problem, however in the mean time, you are at risk, as are those close to you."

"THAT MOTHERF-ER! That two-faced, manipulative, backstabbing, jack-hole! How dare he use me, Gran, and Sarah in some twisted, fairy, political mind game?" Sookie hopped up from the bed and began pacing. The hostility coming from the bond was beginning to stir his blood-lust. He was controlling it for now but he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able too. Before he could calm his mighty whirlwind, she said, "If I ever see NIALL BRIGANT again there will be HELL to pay!" Something happened at this point which knocked Eric flat onto the bed. What felt like, an invisible concussive wave, slammed into him, rendering him entirely cataleptic.

Sookie wasn't sure how long she sat in shock for, but she finally regained enough sense to rush over to Eric who was laying ridged with wide open unseeing eyes. "Oh GOD, Eric! Eric, I'm sorry! Please wake up!" She continued to panic for some time, unsure of what happened or why it had this effect on Eric. Bull had done something similar to Bubba, but Bubba was just knocked down not out. How can you render the dead unconscious? CRAP! There was only one person she could think of to call, but as she picked up the phone, it rang in her hand making her jump nearly out of her skin.

"Hello?" She hadn't even glanced at the caller ID.

"What has happened? Why can't I feel my maker?"

"I'm so sorry Pam! I don't know what happened or what I did…"She was sobbing loudly now, "I think Bull might know but….."

"Shut up! Going into hysterics will get us nowhere. Has he met his final death? Is his body still intact?" Pam said with no room for nonsense.

Hic-upping as she tried to calm down, "No, I mean Y-y-yes…He's lying on the bed stiff as a board. His eyes are open b-b-but he won't respond to me." Her sniffles were pissing Pam off. "How did you know to call?" Sookie asked meekly.

"Our bond just stopped. I am unable to get anything from him. Now tell me in detail what happened."

The more she explained to Pam the calmer she got. Pam on the other hand was getting more nervous. "If this is similar to Bull's earlier Demo then we need to call him, hang on." Sookie could hear Pam open what sounded like the screen door on the back porch and softly say Bubba's name. After some muttered conversation that Sookie couldn't quite figure out, Pam came back on the line, "Bubba has called Bull and he is on his way to you now, however dawn is very near and he may not get there until afterward. I'm assuming you're both located in his bedroom, which is good because it is light tight and secure. Try to keep Bull out of the room. If he feels it's necessary, call Dr. Ludwig. She may be the best equipped to assess what the fuck happened! And I will say this only once breather, despite how much I am fond of your family, if you have irrevocably harmed mine, I will harm yours," and with that she ended the call.

Eric's responsiveness came back in stages. He could hear others moving about him and talking in concerned conversation for an indefinite amount of time before, first his eyesight then his other faculties slowly returned. Once he was able to blink, the others noticed his return to consciousness. He could see Ludwig and Pam but not Sookie. He could tell she was close but she was not in the room. As he slowly regained the use of his muscles, he took a shallow breath and mumbled, "Sookie."

Pam was standing protectively over her maker and now she turned directly to him with her arms crossed in defiance, "She has been restrained. Until we know the full effects of the damage she's caused I'm not letting her anywhere near you. She'll be moved to Fangtasia's basement as soon as Thalia arrives."

Eric's look at his Childe was cold, "No Pam. Bring her, now." Though his words were strong they were delivered with little force considering his current state. He could feel his body righting itself but he needed Sookie. Every fiber of him needed her, like a flower needs the sun and rain to grow.

Pam was stubbornly defiant as she stomped her foot and said, "No Eric, she did this! There is no telling how much more she could do. You've been catatonic ALL DAY! Just frozen there in bed like a popsicle. I will not allow her near you again. She'll be punished….." That's as far as she got before she doubled over in pain, and collapsed on the floor.

Eric drew his attention to Ludwig, "Sookie, NOW!" he breathed this out, barely over a whisper due to the rigidity of his chest muscles. His connection to his Childe however, was wide open.

Ludwig nodded muttering how she's been trying to talk sense into Pam for hours. Seconds later, Sookie burst into the room with swollen eyes from crying, red and raw marks around her wrists and ankles from her restraints, and a slight limp. The instant Sookie touched him, his whole body went limp. A few moments after that he found he had full use of all his faculties again. "Good. I told your progeny that the physical contact was necessary but….well you saw what we were up against. As soon as the sun set she came bursting in here and refused to allow your bonded any contact with you even though it was helping before she burst in all….What was it you said Miss Stackhouse?...oh yes, 'in a tizzy'."

"How was she injured?" Eric was carefully and not so subtly checking Sookie everywhere to assure himself she was fine despite her protests. He found several large, swollen bruises in addition to her other injuries.

"Pam removed her by force from your side. She resisted. I've checked her and she'll heal…even faster now that you're awake to give her blood," which is exactly what he was going to do as soon as they were alone.

"Thank you doctor I will make sure your payment gets to you immediately."

"Not so fast Viking, there's more we need to discuss but it can wait until you've dealt with discipline. I will wait for the two of you in the kitchen. By the way, your Shifter guard is still unconscious but should make a full recovery and Bubba was detaining Thalia until you 'awoke'. Not that she was trying too hard to retrieve your Miss Stackhouse." The diminutive little woman jumped down from her stool, with a grace and speed unusual for her tiny stature, and she left the room.

Sookie began weeping apologies to Eric as soon as the door was shut but Eric shushed her quiet, enforcing to her that it was unintentional and at least they knew she had the inherent potential to protect herself from harm, with a little practice at control.

"What's wrong with Pam?" Sookie said, after they had a few minutes to revel in the closeness of their other half.

"I have used a Maker's call on her. It is a very unpleasant feeling when one's Maker is so close in proximity," he stated dryly as he glanced at his Childe whimpering on the floor, as Sookie snuggled closer to his side. "I need you to be honest with me, my love, and tell me exactly what happen between the two of you. I don't want you to hold back in fear or even compassion towards her. She has already crossed a line in our world and will be punished accordingly."

Sookie did not like the idea of 'tattling' but knew the seriousness of the situation. Eric trusted Pam with everything he held most precious and for her to threaten that, even in her attempt at protecting him, felt like a betrayal of that trust. She could feel this and his hurt from his progeny's actions. So she was honest. She began explaining about the phone call immediately after his immobilization. She emphasized Pam's apparent panic at the loss of the bond between them hoping this lent credence to the reason behind her actions. She explained that when Bull arrived she followed Pam's direction of not allowing him into the room with Eric, and after fully explaining the situation to him, he called in Ludwig.

Ludwig hypothesized the reason for his prolonged catatonic state had to do with the timing of sunrise and that come dusk he would revive normally. It was at dusk, or shortly afterward, that things began to go a bit wonky. "It was just after sunset and we were concerned that you were still out of it, but the doc said it was a good sign that your body was relaxing slowly as if coming out of deep freeze. Bull stood guard outside the door and only Ludwig and I were in your room, when we heard this horrible screech just before Pam literally blew the door off the hinges." Eric had noticed the door looked a bit battered but the hinges were brand new. Sookie swallowed as she came to terms with her conscience. It just felt wrong to her to 'rat someone out'. "Pam was enraged that you were still lifeless, so to speak, and told me I needed to leave before I did you more harm." She was getting chocked up thinking that she had truly harmed him during her moment of uncontrolled rage at Niall. "I refused and the doc backed me up saying that my presence was a benefit and that you should be waking soon. I guess Pam just needed an outlet to her frustration and I was the most accessible mark. She…grabbed my ankle and yanked me off the bed hard enough that she twisted it and left a giant bruise on my shoulder. Bull came in at that moment to stop her from harming me but I guess she came prepared to deal with him. They fought…viciously and then she ended things by slamming his head into the corner of the bed. I thought she killed him, Eric. I heard a sickening crunch but Dr. Ludwig was able to treat him immediately. But this left me open to her again. I was clinging to you but she grabbed my hair and wrenched my right hand up between my shoulder blades. She dragged me to the kitchen and tied my feet and hands and ordered Bubba not to come near me. Then she called Thalia and told her to come get me. Bubba was trying to argue that you wouldn't be happy with how she was treating me but Pam snapped the leg off one of the stools in the kitchen and told Bubba that she would end him if he tried to free me in any way. So Bubba left to try to slow down Thalia from arriving. They had both just arrived when you, woke up."

She looked at him with those deep blue eyes that made her feel as if she were drowning, "I could feel you the moment it happened. I knew you needed me and I couldn't get to you then, Thalia was untying me and I didn't even stop to question why. You know the rest."

Eric released his progeny from his call and watched with a glacial stare as she slowly composed herself. She knelt before him ready to meet her end, she'd known the moment he had reunited with the fairy that she'd been wrong, so very wrong.

"Before I begin I have one question," he stated towards Pam. "Where are Adele and Sarah? Did you do them harm as you threatened to when you spoke to My Bonded on the phone?" This was the make it or break it clause, and they all knew it.

"I left the farmhouse immediately after dusk Master, I came directly here. I didn't touch or speak to either of them. I swear." Eric sighed internally. He knew he'd have to end her had she damaged the innocent females. Sookie's injuries, though unnecessary, were understandable…harming Adele or Sarah would have meant something far worse. He'd known it was an empty threat, spoken out of pain.

"I am greatly disappointed in your actions tonight. You acted emotionally and without forethought. I taught you much better than this. I will not end you considering the clear motive behind your actions. I do however, command you to return to your home and remain there alone until you are summoned. I will dole out your punishment after I have given it some much needed thought. This means NO donors or any of your pets, Pam. You will drink only True Blood without any assistance from fruit straws. If I find out you have disobeyed me by way of a 'loophole', I will command you to drink it cold. Understand?"

"Yes my Master." Pam said softly, as sincerely and contritely as possible.

"Good. Now leave my sight." With that dismissal Pam was gone.

Elsewhere….

Bill Compton walked into the audience chamber, and knelt before the throne. He liked it there at the palace but recently he'd been feeling restless. He'd long since parted with his psychotic Maker and was feeling a need to reconnect with his past. The invitation he had just received would be the perfect excuse. All he needed was to inform the Queen and hope she'd be willing to allow him the vacation.

"Yes, Compton, what is it?" she asked in a bored tone.

"Your Majesty, I am requesting a leave of absence." Bill was trying to be as vague as possible. He didn't want to upset the queen, but lately she was becoming irritating with all her plans and plotting of expanding her rule. She was currently deciding between Arkansas or Oklahoma as to whom would be easier to overthrow. His money was on Arkansas. Though Oklahoma was more to the Queen's tastes, Arkansas was an easier mark. Not to mention rumor had it the King of Arkansas, Peter Threadgill, was also looking to 'expand'. The whole business had become tiring for him.

Sophie-Ann raised a well groomed eyebrow. Despite her youthful appearance, she was dressed lavishly, to fit the current station she'd made for herself. "Are you not happy at court anymore, Bill? Why the sudden desire to leave?"

"I was hoping to reconnect with my roots and begin Mainstreaming. I'd like to return to my ancestral home."

"Mainstreaming?" she said the word with a slight sneer, as if it tasted bad on her tongue. "Why in the world would you wish to do that?"

Bill restrained the eye roll, "Is it not what we are trying to portray to the humans, Majesty? I merely wish to help our cause while doing a bit of internal reflection."

She scoffed and managed to act the age she appeared to be, as she did roll her eyes at him, and waving a dismissive hand. "Fine, where is this ancestral home that you are visiting and how long do you expect to be gone?"

He was almost there, "My home was located in the northern part of the state, Majesty. I'm not sure if it is still there, but I'd like to be excused from my duties indefinitely."

"Hmmmmm," she seemed to be contemplating something, as she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them and focused on Bill once more she seemed curious, "I will grant your request, if you carry out one more, small task for me." She purred this last part and Bill was sure he wasn't going to like it.

"Of course, Majesty, what is it you ask of me?"

Her smile was deadly, "You'll be going into Northman's Area; he has recently claimed a new pet. He never keeps pets, or at least he never use too. I'd like to know what is so special about this one."

Bill was slightly confused, "And once I discover his reasoning's?"

"You will report to me immediately and then I shall decide how you will go about procuring her. If she is interesting enough for Northman to claim her and file papers, then she deserves a close inspection." She stated this completely nonchalantly, as if stealing another vampire's registered property was not a grave offense.

Bill hesitantly began, "Majesty, if Sheriff Northman has already claimed her…."

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING MY ORDERS?" She bellowed out almost maniacally.

"Never, my Queen," he cowered, as he bent his head.

"Good," she immediately settled back to her bored façade, "you may go, I expect to hear from you within a week, Bill." Her outlandish mood swings were just another reason why Bill wanted to get away from court. One crazy woman in his existence was more than enough.

A/N: So, whadda ya think? Good, Bad, Ugly?
So about that help...anybody got any ideas on possible punishments for Pam? I've got a few but they just don't seem like enough. Let me know what you think and I'll reward you with another teaser.

OH! BTW, I must thank my totally awesome Beta, slcurwin, for putting up with me. She laughs and all the right places and makes me feel so smart. Thanks!