A/N: Hi again! Okay one quick note before I let you get on with it. There is a translation at the bottom for a brief thing Eric says too Pam. I used Google translate for this people, and because I grew up in the Georgia (US) education system, I speak nothing but American English. So please forgive me if I butcher the Swedish. I'll see you at the bottom.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or anything else here. I'm writing purely for shits and giggle purposes. Please don't sue.

Chapter 8

When Eric rose for the evening he was delighted to smell Sookie's sent behind him and feel her warmth curled against his back spooning him. What he wasn't expecting was the additional heat source curled in a ball against his stomach. He opened his eyes and saw the blonde curls of Sarah's head. She was snuggling his bare chest with her face and had twined her small fingers into his long hair. She was humming a tune he didn't recognize; it was short and very repetitious. When Sarah finally noticed that Eric was awake and staring at her, she immediately launched into a chronicle of her entire day, complete with detail from going to the potty when she woke up too her visit with Dr. Ludwig. Sarah was very proud of 'going to the potty like a big girl'. Now most people would probably think that at three, she was a little behind in being potty trained but if they knew, like Sookie did, that Jason's idea of potty training included buying an endless supply of pull-ups and telling Sarah to put on a new one when the one she wore was soiled, then no one would be the least bit surprised, possibly even impressed.

"An den we when to da dotows offis. An ouwa haiah stoo up wif 'STAIC EWECTWISIDY'! An da dotowa is shot wike me! Wewa, she a widle tawer but shes cwose. An she gafe me a sugger!" She produced the evidence of the sucker then to Eric's chagrin; it had gotten tangled in his hair when she took it out to talk. "Tan we go choppin now?" Sarah begged.

Sookie chuckled at Eric's confused and mortified expression at the lolly pop in his hair. "Why don't you go keep the other's company while Eric gets cleaned up."

"K!" Sarah hopped off the bed and went to the door, "Soogie, why Ewik not weain any nigh-nights?"

"Because he's use to it, now scoot!"

Sarah shrugged and left the room.

Eric turned to face Sookie once Sarah left, "I believe I understood most of that except the part about Ludwig's." What happened there?"

Sookie made a noise that sounded like a half snort, half laugh, "Not too much really. They just took our blood and the doctor asked Gran a slew or questions. Did you know that her offices are warded, heavily. When we walked in we all felt a tingling, like a static charge, and like Sarah said, our hair was standing up a little. But what we noticed most was that we couldn't read people as easily inside and I couldn't speak mind to mind to Bull who was waiting outside the door. Ludwig said it was to keep her patients from killing each other since she treats so many different supes."

"Hmmm, it was probably a dampening spell of some kind. It's interesting that it had an effect on your telepathy. I wonder if it could affect your ability to stun as well."

"Well you can keep wondering, buddy, 'cause I'm not testing it. I feel terrible about all the people from last night and that was on accident. I didn't even know I did it. I don't want to know what would happen if I did that on purpose. I might kill someone."

"Exactly, Sookie, it's a skill that you need to gain control of, because next time you could kill whether you intend to or not."

While Sookie's brain was busy contemplating what Eric just said, her mouth went in an entirely different direction, one that surprised even Sookie. "Do you keep secrets from me?" She blurted.

Eric was silent for a moment before he said, "I've told you before there are things, especially about my world and its politics that I cannot share with you. I tell you what I can and I will not lie to you but to keep you safe, there are things you are better off not knowing."

Sookie sighed and rested her head on his chest as she ran her fingers through the light sprinkling of hair there. "I know, it's just something Mr. C said. He implied that you lie to me by omission because you keep secrets from me. I know you've never lied to me and now that I can feel you so well, I'll know if you do. You've also answered any questions I've had to the best of your ability. I guess what I'm asking is if the shoe was on the other foot, would you trust me the same way?"

"Does this have to do with the item and letter he gave to you?"

"Yes, he said I should not tell you about it because it would be too dangerous for me. Like you might try to hurt me to take it, but it's not mine anyway. It was meant for Gran, and she asked me today not to speak about it with anyone. I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"What did you tell Sarah about Jason's sudden departure?"

"What does that have to do….."

Eric cut her off as gently as possible by kissing her shoulder and saying, "Just answer the question, Lover."

"OK, Well, I told her that her daddy still loved her but he needed to go away for a while and get his life in order."

"Did you tell her he purposely abandoned her at home, alone, in the middle of the night, in his pursuit of drink and pussy? Or that I had banished him from my area and made it more difficult for her to have any siblings in the future, at least from him?"

"Of course not!" Sookie sat up in astonishment. "Not only is she just too young to understand any of that, but it's just not necessary for her to know right now. Maybe when she's older and can understand that it's his failings and NOT hers that caused this but…oh, wait. I get it." Sookie leveled a glare at Eric, "It's not exactly the same though. Sarah's a child. It's my responsibility as her guardian and someone that loves her, to make sure she's protected from truths that could damage her emotionally as well as physically protect her, to the best of my ability. At least until she's old enough to make those decisions and distinctions herself. You and I, on the other hand, are adults, in your case many times over, and have the rational capability of making decisions for ourselves. For another person to hold back information that we need to make informed decisions with all the facts, is deceptive, and controlling."

"One could argue the same for Sarah, Lover, but the point I'm trying to make is that there is a price or responsibility that comes with knowledge. With the right knowledge, a person could do considerable damage or a significant amount of good. What it ultimately comes down to is trust. Trust in those in power to make the right decisions for the good of their people. Trust is what Sarah has in you to guide and protect her to her betterment not detriment. Just as I know you and those of my Area trust me to use knowledge they do not have to their betterment. If you are asking me if I trust you to make the right decision in the context of the item that was given to Adele then the answer is I do. Until a time comes that makes it necessary for me to know about it directly, it is not my business."

"How can you say it's not your business, Eric? We're in a relationship. Shouldn't it be?"

"Not if it wasn't originally meant for me. I trust you to know when the time is right for me too know. Just as I know, you trust me to tell you information important to you when you need to know it."

"Some would call that horse hooey, Eric," she stated as she crossed her arms.

He chuckled as he rose from the bed and kissed her head, "Yes, Lover, and I would be one of them. In 1000 years few have earned my trust. You are one of the few. If it were between anyone else, I would find a way to know, but I'm choosing to trust you. Like you said, we are in a relationship. This is what people do in one of them, isn't it?"

She watched his fine bare ass as it walked into the bathroom to start the shower, and she sighed, both from the view and in resignation. "You're right, these are the things that build a relationship," she said as she followed him inside. Not that she needed to for him to hear her but it's just rude to have a conversation with someone in another room. "I guess, I should give you some time to get ready and read your own secret letter before we go," she hummed at him as he turned to level a panty melting smile on her.

"Or you could join me, Lover."

And she did, several times, before they finally left the shower, Eric to take care of the ticking time bomb of a message, and Sookie to check on their family. Whoa! Wait! Their family? He meant her family, didn't he? This was getting much more complicated for Eric. He hated having feelings and this young beauty had brought more to the surface in him than he'd felt in his entire vampire existence. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. He needed more time to contemplate it. Now was not that time however.

He entered his office and locked the door. When he came back the night before he made sure to secure the envelope he'd been sent in his office safe, nestled securely under his large and heavy oak desk. Granted not much of a deterrent to other vampires but since none other than Pam knew the location of this safe he didn't see a huge problem.

Eric scanned his thumb print of his right hand and his pinky finger print on his left hand, and retrieved the envelope when the safe clicked open. He then set his desk down and took the seat behind it as he opened the document to read. What he read both intrigued and worried him. He read through it carefully several times before allowing the magic embedded inside it to destroy the letter in its entirety. Not even ashes were left as evidence of its existence. None knew of his connection to the sender and they both wanted it to stay that way.

Sarah was so excited. She chatted merrily to her Sookie and the others gathered in the kitchen. She just couldn't wait to go. She'd worn one of her prettiest church dresses just for the occasion and she wanted to know when they would leave.

"We had to wait for the sun to set sweetie, Eric can't go out in the daylight like we can, remember? It shouldn't be long now that the sun's set. We just have to wait for the car that's taking us, to get here, and that should be soon."

"We no go in Bulls twuk?" She loved Bulls big truck because it reminded her of her daddy's. She missed her daddy sometimes but her life was a lot less scary when she was with her Sookie. She really liked Eric because he was so quiet and big like Bull. He never yelled at her like daddy would sometimes and he always explained things in a way she could understand. Sookie had told her that if she was really good when they went to the doctors today then she'd get a prize for her good behavior! This wasn't hard for Sarah, because she was always good, she was after all, a good girl.

"No baby, Eric got us a limousine since there's so many of us going."

"Waz dat?" she wrinkled her nose.

Sookie simply smiled and winked, "You'll see."

Sookie glanced over at Gran who was sitting in silence at the table sipping some water. She'd been very quiet since Sookie spoke to her earlier. Gran had listened with patience and interest as Sookie recounted the previous night's events. She also hadn't said anything when she showed her the pouch and letter. She'd quietly read the letter then folded it and put it in the pouch with the cluviel dor and tied it shut. She asked Sookie not to mention either to anyone. Sookie had asked her how she was feeling and if she was disappointed in her action toward the daemon lawyer. "Of course I'm not disappointed in you, Sookie, just the opposite really, I'm proud," she'd said. "And I am mad as blazes, but not at you. I'm angrier than a shaved cat, that this lawyer and Fintan took it upon themselves to determine and change the fate of all of my descendants, without so much as asking me my opinion. I feel guiltier than a child caught with their hand in the candy jar, that I'm the cause of yours and their suffering. It was my 'spark' that Fintan was attracted too and it's my spark that's been passed to you and Sarah that allows you both to accept this terrible gift. What will happen if several generations of our family go by without the spark and then one pops up? There will be no one around to help guide that poor soul in his or her gift, and all because of me. I think what upsets me most is knowing that if I'd been given 'the gift' by this lawyer, then I could have learned what I needed from him to control it. I could have helped you the way you help Sarah. But Fintan didn't want that to happen because he knew. He knew it would change me and how I would be accepted by others. That's what he said in the letter. He loved me the way I was and if I'd gotten telepathy he knew it would change me. I'm so angry with Fintan right now, I'm about as close to hating someone than I've ever been in my life. That's just not me. So, I'd like some time to come to terms with this information and what to do with this thing." She shook the bag slightly. "I'd like you to respect my privacy and just allow me time to accept and process this information and my feelings to them," and with that she took the bag and went in her room to prepare for their evening out.

Sookie had agreed and was giving Gran her space. She didn't agree with Gran holding the blame on herself due to something out of her control, but she would respect her privacy and give her space. So far Sarah hadn't noticed Gran's inner deliberation so she wasn't purposefully probing for information, which is just what the curious little telepath would do. Sookie was determined to keep Sarah's attention diverted, which was why she'd asked Lafayette to join them this evening. He was there to help her with Sarah and when she'd explained this to Eric after their shower he was amazingly understanding about it. He even said that it would add a little something extra to the night's events. She wasn't sure what that meant, but she was sure it wasn't good for someone. She was shaken out of her musings by Eric's arrival in the room and the bell simultaneously ringing at the front door.

Eric clapped his hands together in amusement and said, "The limo has arrived. Sarah would you like to answer the door?"

The excited toddler bounced up screaming, "Yeah!" and when she got to the door and opened it she immediately slammed it shut and turned an accusing eye on Eric.

"Why Pam here? You say she bad an huwt my Soogie! Why she go choppin?" Sarah said petulantly, standing almost exactly the same way he imagined Pam was on the other side of the door. Her little fists were balled up and crossed over her chest and her hip was cocked to one side as she tapped her right foot.

Eric bent at the waist to look the irate toddler in the eye, "Little one, she is not here to shop. This is her punishment. She is here to drive us around and watch us shop. Trust me this is by far one of the worst punishments I've ever given her."

"Worst punishment ever!" they heard Pam say from the other side of the door.

Eric continued with a wide grin on his face, "But I'm going to need you the most to help me implement, um…carry out, the last part of her punishment, Phase III."

Sarah's grin was almost as wide as Eric's, "Kay! Wha I godda do?"

"Not yet little one, it's a surprise. I'll tell everybody when we get there."

With that short statement, Eric had managed to calm the little beast once again. She did an immediate 180 and reopened the door saying to Pam, "I no lige you no mo. You huwt my Soogie. Dat bery bad! No tawc to me no mo," and with that she stomped her way to the waiting limo with a silent but smirking Gran right behind her.

She didn't show it, but Eric could tell that Pam's feelings had been hurt by Sarah. She'd become very fond of her over the last few months and had even offered to baby sit on a few rare occasions. Eric put a comforting hand on her shoulder and said, "Hon glömmer sin ilska snart. Den kommer att passera och hon kommer strax tillbaka till att dyrka marken du går på. Bara ge henne tid.."

Pam gave him a curt nod as he gestured the others out so he could lock up and begin their night.

Sookie openly gawked at Pam and said, "What in the world are you wearing?"

What she was wearing was exactly what Eric had instructed her to wear, plus a few minor alterations to help it fit better. A full head to toe black suit complete with the black brimmed hat that you see all the fancy limo drivers in movies wear, if those movies were from the 1930's. The suit was obviously a vintage and just as obviously made for a man, hence the alterations. Pam didn't want to be tripping over ill fitting pants all night. She looked very chic and professional. She felt ridiculous and humiliated, which was the point Eric was going for.

"Phssaw, please Hooker I thinks 'You look Marvelous'!" Lafayette said in a really bad imitation of Billy Crystal, complete with the weird hand kiss thing.

Sookie rolled her eyes as she dragged her friend toward the car, "Please don't antagonize her too much LaLa, she's driving and I don't want her doing so mad."

"Who's antagonizing? I's serious. I want one for myself. I thinks it fabulous!" He flamboyantly stated.

Sookie snorted very un-lady like, "You would. Common let's get going I'm getting hungry."

Pam zipped over and opened the back door to the car as they got in, Eric handed her a slip of paper and said, "This is our first destination. Go to the closest superstore."

Once they were settled inside and Pam had them on the way, Eric pulled Sookie closer to his side and kissed her temple. "I can hear how hungry you are Lover, but I was hoping we could get a little shopping done first and take care of phase III of Pam's punishment, before we go to the restaurant. I'm not sure how long Sarah will last, and this part is essential for her to participate in."

"That's fine. Will I be able to find a snack wherever we're going?"

"Most definitely, Lover," Eric purred in her ear as she smacked him lightly on his arm and giggled.

Ten minutes later had them pulling up in front of the closest super Target. After Pam dropped them off at the door, Eric told her to park the limo and meet them inside. Pam was horrified. She'd never lowered herself to even stepping inside one of these monstrosities to mass commercialism, let alone shop in one. But still being on silent punishment until the end of the week, she nodded obediently and left to park the limo as the others made their way inside and to the café to allow Sookie to get her snack. Though Eric had suggested he might have something she'd prefer to snack on, all that got him was a punch to the shoulder from Sookie and smirks from the rest of the adults. Sarah was eagerly hopping up and down dying to know what she had to do, while simultaneously begging for a pretzel.

When Pam arrived a few minutes later, they were all sitting around a small table eating their respective snacks. Once she joined them, Eric cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "We are here for one reason. To shop…..for Pam. You will all be broken into two teams and given one shopping cart each. Each team will have precisely one hour, to fill each cart with all the clothes and any other items one might believe that Pam just simply can't live without. Judging for the winner will be as follows:

The gaudier the clothing the better. Remember, she will be wearing the items for the next month to work, so they must be Fangtasia appropriate, which in this case is anything BUT black. She must stand out in her new duds.

The bigger the accessories the more points. Remember we want her to stand out.

The purchase of one large non-clothing item is allowed as long as it follows the rule of being gaudy and something she can show off to the masses at Fangtasia.

Non-clothing items such as health and beauty or electronic items are allowed so long as they add to the gaudy look and can be displayed in some way on or for Pam's adoring public.

Please keep in mind the time limit as we have an 8:30 dinner reservation. It is just before 6:30 now so I will expect you all back by 7:30 and I will have Pam secure us two registers to cash out all your purchases."He heard Pam growling beside him but he continued on like a general giving marching orders.

"The teams will be divided as follows: Sarah will lead the pink team, since that's the color she's wearing most, and be chaperoned by Gran and Bull. Lafayette will lead the purple team, for the same reason, followed by me and Sookie. Pam will stay here and wait for us to return. Remember, the fun is in the surprise, Pam," he responded to a snarl from her. "Any questions before we begin?"

"Yeah!" Lafayette said, "You said this was a contest or race or somethin'. What's the prize to the one who gets the most points?" Eric pulled out his American Express black card. You know the ones, no one in middle class or lower has ever seen, and only a few in the upper crust can afford. The kind with NO LIMIT! "I will give the winning team one hour, in the mall later tonight; to buy anything you want on this card." Lafayette was practically drooling. "On my mark, you may begin, and remember the most important thing…..Pam's favorite color for tonight is orange. Anything in that color gets double points. Begin."

You would have thought they're pants had spontaneously caught on fire, at the speed that Lafayette and Sarah tore toward the carts, with a grinning Gran and Bull closely behind. Sookie was hopping on both feet looking like she had to go pee, as she waited for Eric.

"Eric you can't be serious! I have a reputation to maintain! This will ruin it! How will any of the other vampires take me seriously after this? You can't be serious!"

"I am and you will do well to remember you are still on silence punishment. I expect a huge smile and thank you from you toward Sarah afterward. I will make this an order if you push me childe."

Before she could answer, they heard Lafayette scream, "I'm not waiting on yous Bee-atches!"

Eric gave Pam one last parting smirk, grabbed Sookie in a fireman's hold and zipped to Lafayette's side before he'd gotten a foot further away.

"Damn! You move fast! That's good, I can use that. Let's go hookers."

An hour and two shopping carts over flowing with merchandise later, they arrived at the front with Bull pushing a ghastly looking cart whose main colors were orange and lime green, while Eric pushed the other one whose main colors were orange, neon green, and fuchsia. Sarah's team had cheated a little by grabbing one of the carts that comes with the two extra seats for kids, and had filled it with stuff which Sarah was keeping in place with a well placed hand.

"That shits just not fair," Lala mumbled as they began to unload their respective carts.

"Pam call Bobby and make sure he's on his way with the truck to take all these items to your house for us to go through later."

"Yes, Master," Pam growled out through tightly gritted teeth as she smiled which looked more like she was having silver knives poked though sensitive and soft areas in her flesh.

"Pam, did you forget something?"

Pam turned toward Sarah with as sweet a smile as possible given her current state of mind in this torture. She bent on one knee in front of Sarah and said, "Thank You Sarah, for helping get me all these…...lovely…...things." She said this last part with a very bitter taste in her mouth.

Sarah however, like most typical children, completely missed the sarcasm of the statement and beamed brightly at Pam. "Wecom Pam! I had fun!"

Pam quickly took her leave hoping to put as much distance between herself and the offensive items as possible. She was sure the next month would be absolute Hell because she was sure she caught sight of a Bedazzle, and if Lafayette was involved she was sure everything would be 'bedazzled' in some way before all was said and done.

The haul was impressive and included among other things, a bright pink karaoke machine, a pair of butterfly covered car seat covers, and numerous clothing, hats, scarves, shoes, and gloves, all in various vivid colors Eric was sure to irritate his childe to no end.

Sookie noticed that Eric wasn't truly paying that close of attention to the items on the belts though he made a good show of it. "Shouldn't you be paying more attention so you can get your winner?" she whispered as she stood next to him.

He grinned mischievously and said just as quietly, "I plan on making it a tie and letting everyone win."

"Won't that be expensive? I know Lafayette can spend money like a house on fire if given half a chance."

"Don't worry Lover. This card is connected to my offshore accounts, and I've had a thousand years at filling those coffers. Nothing he will buy will break me; in fact I'm feeling very generous tonight. I might extend the rules so that the two captains can get a little something extra." He winked at her as she simply giggled and shook her head.

Once everything had been bought and paid for, the little black card making its first purchase for the night but certainly not its last, they made their way outside while they were followed by a small army of store associates to help them load their acquisitions. They were met by Bobby and a small U-haul truck, which had just enough room to fit everything.

While everything was being loaded, Eric announced the winners. "I have run the tallies and have concluded we have a tie despite the 'little ones' obvious attempt at cheating. Therefore everyone will get one hour to get anything they desire at any store or stores of their choosing. Plus, I've decided to add a bonus prize for the two captains that will be disclosed at a later time. Now we should go we have a reservation to make."

Everyone except Sookie was gob smacked. They had no idea Eric would be so generous. Little did they know it had nothing to do with generosity and everything to do with revenge…er…umm… he meant punishment for Pam. He intended for them to go to the high end mall in Shreveport that has stores like Bloomingdale, Gucci, and Nordstrom's plus many other of Pam favorite boutiques. In addition, he had every intention to have Pam carry the bags.

They got to the restaurant in time for their reservation and were seated immediately. The Village Grill was highly rated and since the Revelation was one of the few fine dining restaurant to cater to vampires. Eric had high hopes so far since their party was being catered to as if they were royalty. He had allowed Pam to stay in the car since she was dressed as 'the help'. Their waiter was superb in his attention to detail as he orally presented the menu and then proceeded to openly flirt with everyone at the table except Sookie who was most obviously with the big scary vamp, who yes, did get hit on. Sarah giggled, Gran blushed like she was twelve again, Bull glared menacingly, Eric flirted back much to Sookie's exasperation, and Lafayette left his phone number and a blatant proposition that the waiter actually accepted.

All in all, it was a wonderful dinner and Eric was content with the thought that he had completed his mission for the night. They left approximately two hours later to head for the mall. With the extended hours due to the vampires 'coming out' most of the department stores were open all night.

When they reached the Pierre Bossier Mall, Pam pulled to the main entrance to drop them off before parking and joining them inside. The inside mall had undergone a few renovations since the Revelation. They had really begun a few months before it due to a push by 'a local business committee', spear headed by Pam of course, to bring more high end retail to the area. Pam felt that if she was moving to this dank, hole-in-the-wall, swamp to help Eric with his new business venture, then she was damn sure to have a few decent places to shop and JC Penny's and Dillard's simply wouldn't cut it. So a new wing was recently added with a few more upscale stores like Nordstrom's and specialty shops like Swarovski crystal because of the influx of the more affluent vampire community. Somehow, the idea had begun to go around that vampires, especially those that have been around for a few centuries, had a large amount of disposable income, despite the recession of the current economy. Can you guess who started that rumor? This is not to say that it couldn't be true, if a vampire was wise with investments and prudent with their spending habits during poor economic times, but the majority of vampires in Eric's area, at least, were well under their first century and simply had not had enough time to accrue that type of wealth. Also, not all vamps came from a high class English Victorian lifestyle as a human and thus spoiled to nice things. In short Pam was a snob.

Eric had explained all this while they waited for Pam inside at the food court entrance, because Adele and Sookie had not been to the newly renovated Mall yet. In fact, it had been many years since they'd been to a mall at all, considering 'money didn't grow on trees', as Gran so eloquently put it.

It was just past 11pm when they arrived and they quickly decided on their shopping game plan. Since the department stores had extended to 24hrs for their vampire clientele and most of the specialty and apparel shops closed around 1am, they would begin with them and end with thirty minutes in each sections main department store. The adults were wary of how much longer Sarah would last, but the little whirlwind wasn't showing any signs of slowing down yet. Lafayette also volunteered to go sit in the car with her if she fell asleep, if they went to Spencer's gifts and Hot Topic first.

"Come on peeps! Sarah and I wanna get a move on. Sookie, I hear there's a Victoria's Secret across the way from Spencer's, maybe you can get Eric a little 'somin-somin' gift there, while we spend his money." LaLa said as he wiggled is eyes at Sookie.

Before Sookie could retort, Eric responded with, "I've always preferred Fredric's of Hollywood. They have more…variety." He grinned widely, as Laf laughed out loud, Sookie blushed fiercely and Gran admonished them and reminded them of the little ears in attendance.

When Laf got himself under control he responded with, "There's one of them here too. It's located in the new wing a few stores down from the D-I-S-N-E-Y store that I'm sure we'll be visiting."

"Diney! I wanna go to Diney now!" Sarah demanded, but after a look from Gran she followed up with, "Pwease?"

Sookie giggled at Laf's irritated look, "She's a telepath remember?"

"But I's was purposefully thinking about what I was getting at Spencer's!" he pouted.

"She can also spell, honey." She looked at Sarah, "We'll go there, after we go to LaLa's store ok baby?"

For the next two hours, they shopped, laughed, snacked, and had the most fun Sookie had ever had shopping. Gran had spent a good deal of the past hour in the Books-a-Million they'd spotted in the new wing, and Bull had gone with her to 'keep her company', but also because Eric wanted her guarded. Especially since he'd found out earlier in his letter, at the attention she'd gained. Pam was making yet another trip to the car to drop off more packages and was also meeting Bobby to transfer the majority of them to the rental truck because they had overflowed the trunk and was nearly to capacity in the main area of the vehicle. If they wanted a ride back, they needed to make space.

They were on their way to retrieve Gran and head out when Sarah announced, "I godda go potty, Soogie!"

"Ok sweetie. We'll be right back guys."

"I'll go with you," Eric said, not wanting to let them out of his sight

"Eric, the restrooms are right there," she pointed just across the hall. "We'll be right back and it'll be fine." She gave him a warm smile as Sarah pulled her arm toward the restroom.

Lafayette and Eric waited for them in f.y.e. As Laf was perusing the CD's for new music, Eric was pretending to look at the movie selection at the front of the store but was getting more and more anxious as the minutes ticked by. After 15 agonizing minutes, Eric was still feeling only calm from Sookie's end of the bond but was about to jump out of his own skin, when he broke down and asked Laf to go check on them.

"You needs to chill, look here they come now."

Eric visible relaxed, as he realized that if he'd needed to breath, he would have been holding his breath for the entire time.

He watched the girls crossing out into the open space between the two areas, as he stood in line to make his purchases. As the sales clerk was telling him his total and asking what form of payment he was going to use, he heard the faint sound of glass breaking in the distance. He dismissed it as ambient noise of the mall, until he noticed Sookie and Sarah had both stopped in the middle of the walking area and had simultaneously turned their heads toward the sound of the crash.

Suddenly, Sookie screamed at Sarah to run and hide, as she purposely put herself between Sarah and the arrow whizzing straight for her.

Translation – "She will forget her anger soon. It will pass and she'll be right back to worshiping the ground you walk on. Just give her time."

A/N: Ma again! I wanted to say how thankful I am to all those who've reviewed and I'm astonished that this story is at 180 reviews in just 7 chapters! Wow!

I'd also like to address one little concern someone had. Lemons. This is a M rated story and yet I've been skirting over the dirty bits we all LOVE to read. However, writing these juicy love scenes is not as easy as reading them. Being a first time writer, not to mention first time doing a multi-chapter too boot, I'm having a difficult time with this. I don't want it to feel awkward or out of place, which is how I'm feeling trying to write it. So please be patient with me as I get over myself and figure out how to sex it up on the page. If anybody has any suggestions, tips, or advice on how to get me off this ledge, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks again for all the love!

Aly