Chapter 17

EPOV

I waited until I was well into the woods to start flying. I figured I could try to ease her into my crazy life, I would show her my flying later on. Hopefully with her in my arms. That would take a lot of time regaining her trust but right now I was willing to give it. One thing I always had plenty of was time. Sookie would be a challenge and I always enjoyed a good challenge.

Seeing her tonight reaffirmed my feelings of missing her. The second she opened that door I wanted to step inside the small but familiar room, and wrap my arms around her. The fear in her eyes hurt but it was to be expected. All of this was thrown upon her in a rush. I could at least be content that she was going to give me a chance. I do not know why she continued to take chances on me but I was going to take advantage of it. She had changed me without even knowing it. My entire being felt as if it had shifted some, I felt more alive than I had in years.

When I returned to my home to rest that day my thoughts revolved around Sookie and when I would see her again.

"Eric, it's your turn to watch Bubba for a couple weeks. Area 3 just finished with him." Pam walked into my home like she owned it herself.

"When are they bringing him?" Bubba was one of the few celebrity vampires. Most 'famous' vampires were considered that due to their age and experience. It was never because of what they achieved in their human lives. Bubba was one of the only exceptions. Apparently even vampires loved Elvis. I did not love the music but I liked Bubba well enough.

"Tonight, we have to meet them at eleven." Pam was scrutinizing her makeup in a small compact mirror.

"Send Chow and Thalia to pick him up, he can stay at their home." Normally I would go myself but I had other plans. A certain nurse would be home from her evening shift by then and I intended to visit as long as she would let me.

"Why? You always pick up Bubba." She snapped shut the compact.

"I have other business to tend to." I started to walk towards the door.

"Eric, what the fuck? You've been different since you came back. I thought you just needed to readjust but its been weeks. Where the fuck is my maker?" She demanded, obviously pissed.

"Pam I do not have time for fucking tantrums. I have business to tend to. If you try to argue with me again, I will simply command you to do as I please." I spun to face her, a snarl on my lips. "Do not make me do that."

"Fine" She huffed and immediately left.

I did feel bad, I hated threatening her with my maker status. I might be her superior but I stopped thinking of Pam as a 'child' long ago. I thought of her as my comrade, an equal that shared a piece of my existence.

I knew she would take care of business. She was mad but always responsible. So I set off for Bon Temps with few worries on my mind. This time I took my car in hopes it would make me seem a little more normal to Sookie. When I got to her house I parked next to her silver car. I remembered her telling me how excited she was to have sent in her last payment on it two months ago. She was a hard worker and took pride in what she earned for herself.

It was just after ten when I walked up the back steps and knocked on the door. Sookie opened the door slowly and gave me a nervous smile. I missed her greeting me with a kiss and jumping into my arms.

"Hi"

"Hello Sookie" My eyes traveled up and down her body. I did not hide my attraction to her, but I did try to hold back on the sexual comments and innuendos. Sookie might not know me anymore but I still knew her. I remembered modesty was of value to her so making comments about fucking her would get me nowhere. With some women it would have them tearing their clothes off but Sookie would just withdraw more if I acted that way. So I did my best to behave myself.

"Um, you want to sit down?" She motioned towards the lawn chair. I guess I had to sit on the porch again while she sat in the kitchen.

We sat down across from one another. This time Sookie was in her work clothes instead of pajamas.

"So…. How was the rest of your night?" She seemed so unsure of herself around me now.

"Mundane. I returned home, read a book, and went to bed." That was the truth. Pam really found me boring these days.

"Really?" She looked surprised and I couldn't help smiling. "You have a bed?"

"Yes, I also have a car, a house, a shower… I do plenty of normal things."

"What kind of car?" Sookie mused.

"Look out the window and see for yourself." I could not resist the cocky grin sweeping my features. "I am sure you think I stole it or killed someone for it. That is not the case. I might be a vampire but with the invention of the internet and other technology, I can conduct business at all hours. I have plenty of legal ways to earn money."

"How? I mean how do you own all of that stuff without being human?" Sookie seemed very curious.

"If a teenager can get a fake ID, I think I can manage it. I also work so I can afford things." I left out the fact that I did not need to work. I was extremely wealthy and had bank accounts in numerous countries.

"Wow…you're strangely normal." She was scrutinizing me as if she was waiting for my fangs to pop out and ruin my very human appearance. "What do you do for a living?"

That could be a long explanation. I owned businesses, I invested money in other projects, I was a bit all over the place but always up to something new.

"I own a few businesses but I am trying to open up a bar in Shreveport. That is my most recent project." I explained to her. Most of the time when people asked me questions I thought they needed to stop pestering me. But with Sookie I wanted to share, I actually found I enjoyed it. My only concern was telling her too much and overwhelming her.

"I hope I am not so scary after all?" A vampire could hope right?

She watched me quietly for a few moments before answering. "Maybe" There was a hint of a smile on her face but it faded quickly.

"What's wrong?" I leaned forward in my seat. I wanted to reach out and touch her, be close to her, but the invisible shield in the doorway would keep me on this side of the threshold.

"Everything about you seems sort of normal but… you have to eat right? And I bet it's not steak and mashed potatoes like before." She cringed as she finished her sentence.

I knew this would come up in conversation. I just had not expected it so quickly. One thing was certain, human food was much improved and Sookie was a good cook. I would miss being able to eat the dinners she made. I took a deep breath that I did not need to take and started to explain.

"It is not. I live off of human blood just like you see in movies. Since I am so old I can take very little and survive without a problem." I could tell she was getting freaked out again but continued. If I wanted anything with her she had to know all of me. "I never kill anyone for a meal anymore. I take what I need, heal them, and let them go once I have erased their memories of the experience."

"Anymore?" She stuttered.

Of course she caught on to that one pesky word in my explanation. I leaned back in the rusty lawn chair. I wanted her to not see me as something evil but now that I was trying to explain this to a human, I felt more like a monster than ever before. Being used to taking pride in my race made this difficult. I was not ashamed to be a vampire. But for the first time in my existence I wished to be something else simply because the one person I wanted was afraid of what I was.

"As a young vampire it is hard to control your… desires… when it comes to feeding. I can tell you I honestly have not taken a life for food in centuries." I had taken lives for other reasons but again… too much information at once would be detrimental.

"Oh…" She seemed to be just as worried again. All of that talk about owning a house and car washed away with one simple fact about me, I was a predator. "How do you erase memories?"

I should not be telling her all of this but she knew so much already. What was the point in trying to hide things? She proved she was trustworthy by keeping my secret this long.

"It is called glamouring. If I focus on a human, catch their gaze, I can wipe certain memories from their mind. I tried to glamour you the night I became a vampire again." I admitted with shame. "But it does not work on you. My best guess is it has to do with your telepathy."

"I am glad it did not work. I was foolish to think I could let you slip out of my life." I add in, she needs to know I still care. "Sookie I miss you. I want to be there for you, I just need you to trust I will not hurt you."

She was quiet again and it worried me. I wanted her more than anything in a very long time. However I felt torn between two worlds with little idea of how to make them mend together. My race was still a secret and if I tried to be around Sookie consistently people would start asking questions.

"Are you going to try to glamour me again?" Her eyes were on the floor.

"No of course not, that was a mistake." Admitting I was wrong was not enjoyable but I was doing what I had to.

"Okay" She stood up from her chair. "I want to believe you Eric but it's just going to take time and I don't know if I really will ever think of you the same."

That was not what I desired. I wanted her to still want me despite my lack of humanity. Unfortunately that might never happen. I could not recall the last time a woman had rejected me in anyway. This was not pleasant.

"Alright….maybe I can change your mind, I will see you soon Sookie." I could tell she was tired and overwhelmed. Tonight's visiting session was done and I took my leave. I bid her goodnight and took off in my corvette. It was still early so I sped off to meet up with Pam and Bubba.

SPOV

For the next week Eric showed up at my house almost every night. I had yet to let him inside because I was afraid but it was easier to talk to him. I learned more about him each night and sometimes he seemed human if only for a short while.

Tonight I had the night off from the hospital so I was in regular clothes. I heard the tell tale sound of Eric's corvette rumbling down the driveway. He usually took his car instead of running or flying. Oh yeah, some vampires can fly, who knew?

When he approached the back door my heart leapt into my chest. I was going to do something different tonight, something that could change everything.

"Hi Eric, won't you please come in?" My voice trembled a bit but I fought to keep it steady. The surprise was evident on Eric's face as he stood on the mud porch. He even had his rusty lawn chair ready to sit in.

Eric put the chair back and it seemed like he was moving extra slow on purpose in order to avoid startling me. I appreciated the gesture but my heart was still hammering in my chest. This was the real test to see if I could trust him. I was making myself completely vulnerable by inviting him inside.

What if this was a mistake? What if he killed me right now and this was all some sick game for him? Octavia would probably tell me he enjoyed hunting me and that forcing him to wait only made the victory that much sweeter.

My eyes were watching his every move as he stepped into the kitchen. Eric looked around briefly but his eyes quickly refocused onto me. He stopped when he was a few feet away and made no move to come closer. I tried to force myself into a calm state. He was not trying to slaughter me, he was just standing in my kitchen. I took a deep breath.

"Sookie, I will leave if you wish." He offered and I could see the honesty in his eyes.

"No…" I tried to sound more certain about it. "No, it's just…it's weird having you so close when I know what you are." He was the predator and I was his prey. You never saw a deer invite a wolf to hang out did you?

"Well I would like to be much closer, with much less clothing." He grinned at me.

Unfortunately his humor did little to make the tense situation better. The old Eric might have said something like that and it would have made me laugh or roll my eyes. Vampire Eric saying that was a tad scary and extremely intimidating. I did not want to think about how much experience he had with women in a thousand years of existence. I also had no idea if I could ever be with him like that again…it was hard enough to trust him being in the same room.

Eric realized his mistake due to my silence. "I am not trying to make you uncomfortable, I thought a little humor might help."

"I'm sorry Eric, it's just not the same as before. There is so much I don't know about you and there is a lot I probably don't want to ever know." I sighed and started washing the few dishes in the sink. Maybe busying myself with a chore would help.

Eric moved to lean against the counter and much to my surprise he started drying the dishes and putting them away. He of course knew where everything went.

"What?" He asked when he saw my shocked expression.

"You just don't look like you wash too many dishes in your spare time." I shrugged. He looked rich as hell and like a maid did chores for him.

"I don't because I don't eat human food. But you are right I probably would not waste my time on such a task. However, I don't mind helping you." Eric explained and continued drying the dishes as I washed them. His domestic behavior was making me more comfortable by the second. Standing there washing dishes with him was all so normal it almost felt like before.

"So how is the whole bar business coming along?" I remembered him mentioning that was his newest venture. I also recalled him mentioning a creepy bar basement when he had amnesia…but I ignored that thought for now.

"Slow but steady, there are always unexpected obstacles in the business world. Plus humans have an awful lot of those rules they call health regulations." He put a few clean glasses on the empty top shelf of the cabinet.

"You know I can't reach that." We went over this when he was human.

"I know" He smirked "It gives you a reason to invite me in again."

I rolled my eyes at him. He might be a big and bad vampire now but he was still a little mischievous punk.

"You don't have to hide my dishes to make me invite you inside again."

"Good to know." He nodded and dried off the last piece of silverware then placed it in the drawer.

We went on like that for another twenty minutes. I washed dishes and Eric dried them, placing them in the cabinets. Our conversation covered his new bar, my work, and he even asked about Jason and the road crew. He wondered about how Hoyt was doing and if his mother was still smothering him. It was all very pleasant…. That is, until Pam showed up at my front door.

a/n: thanks for reading!