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Chapter 12 is ready for you! Thank you everyone for your numerous reviews. Honestly, they make us really happy and it gives us a boost that you like this story!

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Enjoy and have a good weekend!

Chapter 12:

I got up bright and early for some stupid reason. I had been pretty tired when I went to bed the night before, so even though I had been excited by what we'd discovered my brain was just too tired, not to mention on overload, so I'd gratefully sunken into one of those dreamless sleeps that leaves you feeling really refreshed when you wake up.

It was disconcerting to wake up in a familiar place yet not the place you're most familiar with so it took me a couple of minutes to remember that I had changed rooms the night before.

I got up and stretched as I walked to the window. It was a slightly hazy day but already promising to be stiflingly hot so once I did my morning routine and had a shower I put on a pair of my shortest shorts and a barely there tank top and went into the kitchen.

The light on the answering machine was blinking so I pressed the button to listen as I set the coffee maker up so it could do its thing.

'Hey chére, good news. The bar's reopening next Monday, bright and early. I've got you down for the lunch shift so I'll see you then if I don't before that.'

Great, I'd had so much going on that Sam and I had never gotten around to having that talk and I still needed to negotiate with Eric, too. Sigh. I knew I wanted to quit Merlotte's, though I would only do that once I had signed Eric's contract. But I should at least do it before I started working again so I could give Sam my two weeks notice. It was only Tuesday so I almost had the entire week to get things sorted out.

While I ate my breakfast I looked over the notes and questions I'd written down about the contract the day before and made my plan for the day.

I changed into something a little more publicly appropriate and went to Tara's Togs after I deposited Eric's check in my account.

I got a strange look from the cashier at the bank and her thoughts were far from flattering. 'What? Is he paying for it now? Why when he could have me for free!' She preened just a little bit while thinking that. 'Surely she can't be that good at…', her thoughts went all graphic so I slammed my shields up and gave her my Crazy Sookie smile. Her body seemed to react to her thoughts as well and my senses were assaulted by the scent of her arousal coupled with her own body odour. Cookie didn't like it one bit either. She was growling low in her throat; like her fur had been rubbed the wrong way. That's probably why I couldn't keep my mouth shut: She couldn't let it stand, "You know," I leaned slightly forward to read her name tag, "Estelle, I haven't even seen that particular body part so he must be paying for something else; like maybe a brain? Humility?" I straightened up, squared my shoulders and stuck my chest out proudly, "Or maybe the real thing?"

Her eyes went wide when I mentioned her botched boob job and she slumped forward to try and hide them, "If you think that's the only attribute he's good for, you're dumber than I thought!"

She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again with a snap. Smart woman.

Instead she finally called the manager over so he could approve such a large single deposit.

A half hour after I walked into the bank I walked out again, while silently seething, and headed for Tara's store.

Tara knew my financial situation so always put things away for me that she thought I'd like when they went on sale; I wanted to look nice that night.

I'd called Fangtasia before I left the house and left a message for Eric that I'd be there shortly after dark so we could discuss business; hopefully he wasn't going to be busy.

Tara was folding sweaters when I walked in; she squealed when she looked up as the bell rang, "Sookie! Looking good! I'm glad to see you out and about again," she said as she gave me a hug.

My spirits lifted immediately at her good mood and I grinned back at her, "It's good to be out and about Tara. It feels like it's been forever since I've seen the sun and done something just for the pleasure of doing it."

She held me at arm's length and studied me critically, "You are looking a bit pale though."

I sighed, "I know Tara. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. Merlotte's is reopening on Monday so that should help but that's not why I'm here. You remember Eric?"

At her quizzical look I clarified for her, "The tall, blonde, hunk of a vampire from the night of Gran's burial."

Her face lit up, "I sure do. You seem to like him if all the slow dancing with him was any indication that night."

My face burned crimson!

"Aha! I knew it! I have just the thing for tall, blonde and dangerous to see you in."

I followed her to the back where she kept her holds and returns since that's where the change rooms were as well, "Tara, I've got something to tell you but you can't tell anybody else since it's not set in stone yet."

She looked at me curiously over her shoulder as she rifled through the clothing. It wasn't often I had more than regular old gossip to tell her so my knowing something before others, while not uncommon because of the telepathy, was newsworthy because I could actually tell it since it was my own news, "I've had a job offer from Eric to work as an investigator and help him with human relations."

Tara dropped the dress she had been holding and grabbed me in a hug; I was flummoxed though. Tara knew about what actual skin to skin contact did to my telepathy but she didn't seem to care.

'It's about damn time! Somebody finally sees something more than Crazy Sookie,' she thought excitedly.

She squealed right in my ear before she let me go, "It's about damn time Sook! You're too good for this backwater mud hole and just think about all those mysteries you've read over the years. Maybe you'll finally get to solve some of your own." Tara was grinning from ear to ear and her excitement was infectious. By the time I left her store I was grinning like an idiot, a couple of hundred dollars poorer and had a dinner date with her and Lafayette so they could doll me up.

Lafayette was just as excited by the news as Tara had been and he came with his A-game, too.

By the time they were done with me I hardly recognized myself in the mirror. I had never really considered myself to be a looker despite the D sized chest, waspish waist and blonde hair but what I was looking at then was good enough for a magazine cover.

I had on a sleeveless salmon coloured knee length dress that flared at the hips and it had a triangular cut out at the top of my breasts to show a bit of cleavage without making me feel naked or self conscious.

The shoes had a four inch heel and were the same color as the dress with gold straps and a peep toe. I even managed to find a gold handbag to go with it!

I knew it was supposed to be 'just' a contract negotiation but why couldn't I go looking and feeling my best?

By that point I knew I was falling in love with Eric - my heart started fluttering just thinking about seeing him again - and I was going to do my damnedest to make him fall in love with me too. I already knew he felt something; why else would he have done everything he had already done for me if he didn't?

I wanted to wow him from the moment he saw me; I was hoping that dress would do the trick.

Lala did my nails in a glittery gold but I did manage to talk them into leaving my hair down and only curling the ends slightly.

Cookie was prowling around in excitement as well. She knew something was going on and I'm pretty sure she had an idea of what it was, too.

Both Tara and Lala stood on my front porch and watched me drive away, looking for all the world like proud parents.

That drive to Fangtasia was vastly different from the last one since I surprisingly didn't have a stalker or a killer on my tail so I was able to just relax and enjoy the drive, singing along to the radio, loudly and very off key, every once in a while.

Since it was so early I was able to get a parking spot much closer to the door, thank god, which meant my poor feet wouldn't pay the price of high fashion for very long.

Pam came up to the door - where a very good looking human guy was carding the people in line - just as I did; she licked her lips and her fangs came down as she eyed me head to toe, "You do look delicious tonight Sookie, good enough to eat in fact. Isn't there a saying that you are what you eat?"

I nodded and looked at her, not really knowing where in the world she was going with that line but curious just the same, "You must have eaten something simply delicious then because you are absolutely mouthwatering," she licked her lips again and there was this glint in her eye that had red flags waving in my brain.

"Thanks Pam, I think," I said nervously. "Is Eric in yet?" Yes, a safer topic, definitely a much safer topic.

She grinned but quickly growled at the grumbling line behind me, "I called him when I heard your message Sookie so he should be here any moment.

"Come." She linked our arms together as we clicked our way to Eric's table. She had a waitress bring me a Coke to drink while I waited and she went back to man - woman? - the door.

Slut … better than her.

Master won't like that.

I snorted to myself. Oh, Master will like it very much, I'm sure of it, I thought with amusement.

I hadn't even sat there for two full minutes when a rumble went through the crowd; a certain Viking had just made his entrance. I turned towards the back hallway where he had appeared and watched as he put an extra swagger in his step as he made a beeline right for me.

Suddenly there was something in the air, a whispering, and the air around me changed like a low pressure change in the weather. I don't know why but I let my instincts take over and ducked. Cookie was growling and clawing to be let out for some strange reason. Something went whizzing by where my head had been a moment before and all of a sudden both Eric and Pam were right there beside me, pushing me down to the floor. They were scanning the immediate area and trying to figure out what had happened.

For a moment I lay dazed on the floor, not comprehending what had happened or how I could have developed such reflexes but Eric and Pam being at my side got me back into action quickly.

I slammed my mental shields down as far as I could and scooped the thoughts from every patron in there, looking for a clue of what had happened..

What the…?

Hope the bitch was hurt, he should be with me.

Dayum, that was some fine shot.

Shot? Someone shot at me? I zeroed in on that last thought and dug through his brain, looking to see if he saw who it was and what they had done.

There was an image of a redheaded woman but her face was distorted either by his own vision of her or her anger. She was leveling a gun at the back of my head, steadying her hand, slowly squeezing the trigger. Her face relaxed for a moment as the bullet sped out of the gun and I recognized her, "Arlene!"

Shock went through me that someone had attempted to shoot me and even more so that it was Arlene who did it. I knew she had gone off her rocker but I didn't know that she hated me enough to kill me. On the other hand, it didn't surprise me at all. Her boyfriend had been a serial killer after all and she had been okay with it, she had even encouraged him.

I looked up at Eric who was kneeling beside me and shielding me with his body, concern etched on his face, "Eric, it was Arlene, Renee's accomplice.

'Stupid bitch! It should have been her! Now Coby'll never get the chance to really know his daddy.'

Eric barked out some orders and then Pam zoomed away. He scanned me from head to toe, apparently looking for injuries. There was a fire in his eyes, hot and angry, and he looked at me with an intensity than seemed to burn me from within.

I gulped and squeaked out, "I'm okay, Eric. I'm not injured."

He said nothing, just grunted and picked me up from the floor. Another few harsh orders and the vampires in the bar grabbed a few humans each and glamoured them into staying in the building without a complaint, mind you I think they would have stayed anyway just for the free drinks and the chance at first hand gossip.

I watched the spectacle over Eric's shoulder while he carried me off to his office. Once we got there the door banged shut behind us which made me jump before Eric sat me down carefully on the couch like I was precious cargo.

Then he began to pace the confines of his office, from one wall to the other - vampire fast. I watched him for a few seconds but soon became dizzy with how fast he went. After a few more seconds I couldn't watch him anymore and got up to step into his path. For some reason I didn't understand yet I knew he would never intentionally hurt me.

His shoe soles squeaked on the linoleum when he stepped on the brakes, so to speak, right in front of me: His chin was mere inches away from my forehead. I held back my amusement and laid a hand on his chest.

"Stop it, Eric. You're making me dizzy and I'm okay, nothing happened." I knew he was concerned about me because the bond was pulsing with it and he was angry, oh so angry: My head threatened to explode from it.

Apparently it was not the right thing to say because he finally lost it, "Nothing happened?!" he thundered. "Someone got into the bar with a gun and attempted to shoot you! How the hell could that happen? I swore to protect you and someone tried to shoot you in my very own bar! On my watch!" His eyes became even darker and more murderous. Electricity crackled in the air and I could actually see it as a few sparks danced over my skin. Every single hair on my body stood up straight.

Holy shit! How was that possible?

I looked up at him in astonishment and then there it was: storm, lightning and thunder were at war in his eyes. I could actually see the dark storm clouds covering the blue sky while they were shooting lightning bolts down to earth. The sea was in heavy turmoil, I knew no ship would be able to stand the strain.

My breath got stuck in my throat and my mouth dropped open. I knew I wasn't seeing things and I also knew it was meant to tell me something but that image was hard to comprehend. Every time when we … yes, when we exchanged blood, the image became more and more vivid and colorful.

The bubble burst and I nearly jumped out of my skin when the office door banged open and Pam came stomping in, each stomp sounding like a gunshot in the confined space, pushing Arlene roughly in front of her.

Eric growled dangerously low in his throat and I could feel that he was within a hair's breadth of attacking.

The electricity seemed to increase even more if possible and I had the feeling it was sucking the air out of the room. Instinctively I tried to calm him down by sending soothing waves through the bond. It took a few minutes but it finally seemed to work and he didn't look like a bull about to charge the matador any more.

Arlene looked scared to death though - with good reason - and her thoughts were all muddled so I couldn't make heads or tales of what she was really thinking.

Only the images were crystal clear: Renee's coffin, Coby and Lisa with tears on their cheeks, Arlene's reflection of a disheveled woman, hair pointing every which way, sadness and anger in her eyes; a man I didn't know talking to her and he looked gleeful; driving, endless driving; the look of fear in her kids' eyes as they watched her slowly lose her mind. There were a lot of images there but I couldn't catch all of them.

My mind started working again when I saw the image of the man. Who was he? What did he have to do with anything? In a swirl of images where she was sad and angry why was he so happy?

I didn't like Arlene but there was no reason I couldn't be compassionate about her loss, "Arlene honey…"

That got her attention real quick and her fear turned to anger, "Don't you honey me you fangbanging whore!" She spat. She grimaced as Pam's fingernails dug into her shoulders, "You're the reason my Coby's daddy'll never see him grow up. You're the one who killed my poor Renée!" Venom; she was filled with so much vitriol and she was determined to get it all out.

"It should've been you being put in that box, not him! He never did nothing to you that you didn't deserve you bitch! You killed him! My poor Renée!" She lunged at me but Pam shoved her back down into the chair so fast I don't think she even realized she'd moved.

I snorted, I couldn't help it, "Poor Renée my ass, Arlene. He was murdering women! It didn't matter whether they had been with vampires or not! He was a murderer! And you helped him."

"Of course I helped him Sookie," she sneered, looking like she was going to have to gargle with bleach or something just for having said my name, "vampires aren't natural. They're devil's spawn. They kill for sport, they're not human!"

"Vampires are no better or worse than humans Arlene. After all, they were once human themselves.

"Look at humans throughout history who have done nothing BUT kill humans." She looked at me like I'd lost my mind.

"Okay Arlene, you don't believe me? How about Vlad the Impaler? He roasted children and fed them to their mothers. He cut off women's breasts and fed them to their husbands and he had the heads of hundreds of thousands of his so called enemies on pikes around the capital. He was a real person Arlene, just as real as you and me."

Her eyes went wide when she heard my recitation, "Like I would believe anything you say! The person you call Vlad the Impaler was actually Dracula! He didn't just impale them, he drained them then gave them what they deserved for worshipping a false god!"

I laughed even though it wasn't funny. I didn't know who was feeding her that horseshit but they were obviously twisting the facts to make their own story more believable.

"You are very wrong about that Ms. Fowler," Eric said as he took over the conversation. "There is no Dracula and there never has been. It's an old wive's tale meant to frighten children into staying indoors after dark. Sookie is right, Vlad the Impaler was as human as you are," he continued, ignoring her venomous looks.

"Vlad Dracul was actually his father but the word 'Dracul' means 'Dragon' and has nothing to do with vampires. They only said he was a vampire because of the gruesome things he did and of all the blood he spilled since they didn't want others to believe a human was capable of something like that. But they are Ms. Fowler."

Arlene looked like she would rather swallow arsenic than be in the room with us, "I don't believe you! You're one of them devils. Not a word of truth comes out of your mouth," she screeched and then disgustingly spat at his feet. I wanted to put my hands over my ears she was so loud. That woman was completely off her rocker.

But I didn't want to give up, "How about we go with something more recent then?

"What about Hitler? That was less than a hundred years ago.

"He killed thousands and thousands of Jewish men, women and children, even babies, just because he hated them; because they weren't Aryan;" I emphasized Aryan like she emphasized vampire and devil and felt like I wanted to gargle with thumbtacks since they couldn't feel any worse in my mouth than talking about the sadistic whims of the human condition. "They weren't blonde haired and blue eyed but they were humans Arlene, just like you are.

"He robbed them of their property and took it for himself; then put them into concentration camps and caged them up like animals. And then he gassed them after he made them dig their own graves. He condoned medical experimentation on human beings!

"He also killed their sympathisers, those who tried to hide them from him because they didn't believe in 'Mein Kampf'. They didn't believe that Hitler, who was elected and 'did do some wonderful things' early in his career, was right in starting a war simply because someone didn't look like his ideal.

"Did they deserve it, Arlene? Did they? No, they didn't and he wasn't blue eyed and blond either so, by rights, he should have put himself in one of those concentration camps."

I was on a roll so I went right on, "What about Osama Bin Laden, Arlene? He's a lot more recent. How about 9/11? Saddam Hussein? Idi Amin? Pol Pot? Any of this ringing a bell Arlene?"

She just continued to look at me like I was crazy.

I sighed and turned to Eric, "Eric, there's so many holes in her brain, so many shades and shadows, I don't know what her own thoughts are any more but I do know that she believes what she's saying. She always has as long as I've known her. Everything she's said today she believes with her whole heart."

He looked like he wanted to ask me something but thought better of it; probably a wise choice given our current company.

I turned back to Arlene, "Who was the smiling man in your thoughts Arlene?" I had a feeling he was important in the scheme of things. That was originally what I wanted to talk to her about but got sidetracked by the talk about murderous vampires and humans.

She actually smiled! It was scary and totally unlike her, then again maybe it wasn't since she'd already had whoever he was in her bed and she only ever smiled when she had her hooks into some poor schmuck.

"That, my dear Sookie, was Whit Spraddlin. He runs the Fellowship church over in Minden." I felt Eric tense beside me and I watched as Arlene got this awful look on her face. It was a mix of complete distaste for something and love-sick teenager.

But it suddenly all made sense then. All her talking about Religion, 'worshipping false gods' and 'devil's spawn' was due to the 'Fellowship of the Sun'. They'd brainwashed her to the point of madness!

I had no sympathy for their shit, so I spat right back, "You moved on fast, Arlene! Poor Renée!" Sarcasm was dripping from my words but I couldn't help it.

She smiled even more maniacally. God, she really was crazy!

And everybody called me crazy? Hah!

Eric took over the conversation from there, "Ms. Fowler since you are supposedly human and your crime was against one," the disgust in his voice was more than apparent, "I will turn you over to the human police to go through your justice system."

For a split second Arlene looked totally surprised - I know I was - and from her thoughts she honestly didn't think a vampire could be so kind. How going to jail was kind was beyond me, unless it was so her kids wouldn't lose both parents in less than a month which, honestly, I didn't think she could grasp the concept of.

When her thoughts were suddenly transparent and silent I looked at Eric; he had caught her with his gaze. I watched Arlene's brain as he got all the information he could on the Fellowship from her and afterwards told her what was going to happen and what she was going to be doing for the foreseeable future.

He also had Pam give her a couple of drops of her blood so they could track her from then on.

By the time he was through the police were already there and took her into custody.

Big city police were certainly more thorough, and less prejudiced, than the Bon Temps Sheriff's department; more efficient too. We were done in about two hours and I hadn't felt like smacking one of them for their thoughts at all.

When they left, Arlene in tow, along with the statements and contact information from all the witnesses, I plopped down on the couch and sighed in relief.

Eric took the seat next to me and looked at me pensively, "What did you mean when you said 'there are so many shades and shadows in her brain'?"

I was quiet for a moment and contemplated how to explain what I was seeing, "Every person's thought pattern is different, just like their voices or fingerprints are different.

"People don't think in actual sentences or straight lines, most of the time it's more like a mix of pictures and random words which may or may not be related to the pictures.

When you guys glamour a person, like Arlene, a mind becomes blank and transparent, like it actually stops working. When you erase a chunk of memory and don't fill it up again there is a hole where the memory should be.

"It's just a theory I have at the moment but I have a strong inkling that when you replace a memory with a new one, the original memory becomes a shadow in the background of the new memory. It's still there but dormant, a shadow with no texture. I saw that several times in Arlene's mind the night Renée tried to kill me. And even more strongly in Renée's brain. I'm pretty sure it was Bill who did that to them: The shadows in their minds appeared when he glamoured them to do his bidding."

"Can you prove it was Bill who glamoured them, Sookie?" he asked curiously.

I hated to disappoint him, "Not yet. I haven't seen it enough to be able to draw comparisons or practice with it."

He turned his head to the side, "We need to practise this. I assume your telepathy is getting stronger due to my blood. This could become quite a gift, Sookie."

I made a face but knew he was right. It was time to finally accept that my telepathy was a gift and not a curse. It was part of me and I didn't think it would just go away. I had come to that realization the night before when I had read the letters. It had been given to me for a reason and I would get to the bottom of things when we met that demon lawyer - let's just call him Mr. C. since his full name is a such a mouthful - in New Orleans. So I just nodded in agreement.

Eric seemed satisfied with my reaction and changed the subject, "Now Sookie, Pam said you had some business to discuss with me?"

In all the hubbub of the evening I had totally forgotten that!

I nodded and grabbed the envelope I had put all my notes and the contract in and handed them to him, "Yeah. I finally got a chance to go over the contract and do my own research. I want to do it but not until we have a contract we can both agree on."

Over the next few hours we discussed my stipulations and reservations. We negotiated, we argued and we laughed. At the end of the night Eric had developed a new department called 'Vampire/Human Resources' for his parent company 'NorCroft' with me as the manager.

His idea was brilliant. Once Fintan's will was read and executed I would have full control of the Vampire/Human Resources department; it would be mine to do with as I pleased including hiring and firing of staff and I would be as hands on with resolving any issues or conflicts as I wanted to be.

He did suggest though, and I agreed, that we would keep on the person currently on staff who dealt nominally with any issues arising between the human employees and vampires since she had been doing it since they started the company and had a lot to offer someone who was just starting out.

Eric did some calculations and he figured that with all the profits that should have gone to Fintan over the years, he could give me a salary instead of giving it all to me in one lump sum with the salary coming from the years of untouched money Fintan had left me. That sounded much better to me than getting the whole money in one big sum. I think I would be too overwhelmed with seeing a number with that many zeros plus it's harder to spend it all if you don't have it all.

Once everything was done with the will he would then give me a recommendation for a Financial Manager to help me figure out what to do with the money, I would be listed as the holder of the shares and I would get any moneys the same way everyone else did.

In the meantime I would get the equivalent of $100,000 a year, which was a little higher than the average salary for someone doing a similar job in a fully human company. I thought it was a little too high but there was no way to argue with him about it since he said that not only was I worth every penny of that amount but it was non-negotiable; he was going to pay me what he thought I was worth whether anybody else agreed with him or not. He also pointed out that I wouldn't be working for a fully human company, nor was I fully human, so there was an inherent danger in working with Supes, short for Supernaturals, which accounted for the $40,000 or so difference. And that - he pointed out - was barely enough to cover everything. I just looked at him with big eyes.

The telepathy contract was a separate entity.

For the purposes of Human Income Tax I was listed as an investigator and trouble shooter but in the Supernatural World I would be known as exactly what I was, a Telepath for Hire. I would work mainly for him but I could also contract out to other parties like the queen and other Supernaturals.

My coming out as a telepath was my idea, not Eric's, and he did try to convince me that it wasn't necessarily a good idea to let everyone know what it was that I did. I still had some reservations about it as well, but as I'd come to realize, it was better to come out with it on my own terms than somebody else's. I would take the bull by it's horns, so to speak. I was tired of hiding it. I was tired of people belittling me or stamping me as crazy. Cookie played a major part in it as well. She was whispering in my head, encouraging me to step forward and take a stand. She also pointed out that if I let everyone know what I was, and what I could do, then if I DID go missing then Eric would have allies to help find me and get me back where I belonged. In fact, I think that was the argument that finally won Eric over to my side.

Eric would act as my manager of sorts and would need to approve of any contracts but I would have the final right of refusal. They would all need to sign their own contract with me which stated all my stipulations and they would pay me hourly. The rate would depend on the danger it would bring along with it; the rate went up for weekend work, travelling, protection and the rate doubled if I had to work on a Federally Recognized holiday like Christmas or Independence Day. The 15% contractor's fee, 5 per cent of which would benefit Eric personally, would be going right back into his parent company.

The job dealing with the relations between humans and vampires sounded like it would be a lot of work, and not all of it would be of the 9 to 5 variety either.

Besides using my telepathy I would screen and interview the staff of Eric's companies and any other clients that would hire me. I would do pretty much anything to do with humans that would guarantee a smoother interaction between them and vampires. Furthermore I would go online and subscribe to any newspaper within a three hour radius around Shreveport as well as the largest newspapers throughout Louisiana. That way I would keep an eye on trends, I would watch for murder and activities of the Fellowship of the Sun and pretty much anything that could endanger the vampires in the state.

When my business was doing well enough I would need to take on employees who would be doing the day to day stuff - like sift through the newspapers - because Eric anticipated it wouldn't stay only within Louisiana.

He even encouraged me to extend my studies and add some single courses in political sciences so I would have a basic understanding of politics; and a course in police science to help me with the investigative part of my job. He also suggested a full course in business management and some courses in Human Relations. I was actually happy to do all of that since I was almost done with my masters degree in history anyway. The semester was almost over and all I needed to do was find a topic for my master's thesis. Well, I had the perfect person for that sitting right in front of me.

Anyway, if I had a few extra courses for my job I would be totally up to it. I had always been hungry for knowledge and I couldn't wait to begin!

We weren't done though, not by a long shot. When it came to my stipulations like adding a no biting and no turning clause and hazard pay Eric was totally up for that. He was proud that I had thought about the dangers that came with working for vampires.

But he had a few requests of his own, "You will get a bodyguard in addition to Bubba. Every time you are with a client and preferably when you're at home as well he or she will be with you when I cannot be." I scowled and opened my mouth to say something but he cut me off even before I had taken a breath. "This is non-negotiable! Working with Supernaturals is very dangerous and I will not risk you again like I did with the Bon Temps killer. I was too lax with that and I regret that deeply."

"Eric, I'm not complaining about having a bodyguard while on the job. I really appreciate that but I don't need one at home. Bubba should be enough. And with the money you'll be paying me and I'm going to inherit, I want to invest in a security system anyway. Then I won't need someone there with me."

"Yes, you do, Sookie! Even a security system is not foolproof. A person - human or Supe - who is determined enough to do you harm will get around something like that. You will make enemies, Sookie.

"Not everyone will appreciate what you do and since you are advertising yourself as a Telepath it will be inevitable that others will try to get your skills for themselves exclusively. Vampires especially will want you for themselves. Even if you were bonded to me not everyone would take that into consideration. They would try to take you from your life, your home and your family and friends with absolutely no thought to what your wishes in the matter might be. Most vampires think they are above the law, human or otherwise, and they will do everything in their power to gain you as their asset. Some would even try to turn you, regardless of contract or bond, just so they could have you for themselves since no one, not even the council, can come between a maker and his or her child."

I gulped loudly when I heard that final argument. I hadn't thought about being a vampire at that point but I certainly didn't want someone to take that choice away from me.

"Then there's your next door neighbor." He got that stony faced look going. Nope, He neither liked nor trusted Bill Compton and I couldn't really say I blamed him since I didn't like or trust my neighbor either.

"I thought that was what Bubba was for?" That's what Eric had implied any way.

"Bubba's too easily distracted and Compton is older than Bubba so it would be fairly easy for him to take Bubba down, famous or not."

The thought of someone hurting my famous bodyguard had my blood boiling in a matter of seconds. In the 24 hours I had to known him it seemed I'd gotten very protective of him.

And for some reason I trusted Eric and I knew he had several lifetimes worth of experience; enough experience at any rate that I thought he knew what he was talking about. The look on his face when I finally relented was enough to tell me that I had made the right decision but I didn't want to inflate his Texas sized ego any more than it already was by telling him that.

Anyway, focusing back on the contract, I would be given a full package of bonuses from him which were not even included in the salary: the newest notebook computer including any speciality software I might need, including upgrades when required, and the fastest internet access available, a cell phone with mobile internet, clothing allowance, health insurance including vision, dental and hospitalization, sick leave, one week paid vacation with a second week added after 3 years, one year maternity leave - which floored me to no end because the state doesn't have mandatory maternity leave, although I didn't have the heart to tell him that I didn't plan on having children anyway - general Bereavement leave and last but not least a company car with built in GPS and LoJack systems. We argued about the latter quite heavily, "Eric, I don't need a company car, mine is still driveable."

He laughed, quite heartily. It was a beautiful sound - and sight - which made my heart beat a million miles an hour. "Driveable or not my dear Sookie, you will be representing me and my company and that yellow rust bucket you call a car will have my employees, investors and others thinking I don't care about my company or them, when I do. I care very much.

"What about your own clients? What would you think of someone who drove what you're driving? Would you want to do business with them or would you search further afield a try to find someone who at least looks like they take pride in their business?

"Anyway, your car is a death trap! It looks like it will fall apart any second. What if you are in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night and your car dies? Cell phone reception is spotty at best in the backcountry - and this is a damn swamp anyway - so you won't always be able to get a signal; what would you do then? There are creatures roaming the night who aren't as nice as me, Sookie. And even if I can feel when you're in danger, I won't always be able to come to you fast enough, or at all if it's during the day.

"Besides, you can still drive the rust bucket for your own personal needs Sookie although I would advise against it. Have you thought about what would happen if you have to outrun someone like Renée? Do you think your car would survive that, especially if it's as well kept as your driveway?"

I was mute as a mouse after he ended his tirade. I know he was right but it was still hard to go against my upbringing. I may not be as bad as Gran had been but things like getting a car for free was still hard to accept.

I tried to remember what I had learned earlier; that we were in the 21st century so the things my Gran had learned when she was young then taught me weren't necessarily a hard and fast truth any more.

I had a thought, and it sounded like the perfect compromise to me, "What if you bought the car, like you were saying, and I paid you back half the money? That way I have a reliable vehicle which doesn't look like it was made during the stone age and I don't feel so guilty for taking something I don't feel I like I've earned."

Eric smiled at me, "That is an acceptable compromise Sookie.

"Now, I will get this typed up and send it off to the lawyer so it will be ready while we are in New Orleans this weekend."

I nodded in agreement at the same time as his phone rang.

"It's Sophie-Anne," Eric said after looking at the display.

I hate listening to only one half of a conversation so I went out into the club to get a drink while he dealt with whatever it was. I was surprised to see that it was almost empty; I looked at my watch and couldn't believe it when I saw that it was after 2:00 am! Last call must have just rang through.

I sat on one of the bar stools and listened to the music; they had the radio playing something slower than what I usually heard when I was there. Surprisingly Savage Garden's 'Truly, Madly Deeply' came on.

I saw Eric coming out of the back hallway with the first strains of the song and he was smiling a little bit.

I sighed to myself, though couldn't help but ogle him as he came my way. The swagger in his hips was back and I knew he did it on purpose. Eric knew he was beautiful and he took advantage of it in every way he could.

Although at that moment it was all for me. I knew because the bond between us started to hum with a sinful mix of anticipation and invitation for something more to come.

When he asked me to dance I just about dropped my glass; my heart started hammering in my chest in excitement. I love to dance and and I loved it even more with Eric. I just hadn't expected to be able to do so that night so I sat my glass on the bar behind me and took his proffered hand.

"Shall we?" He led me out to the dance floor and held me close as we moved to the music. "You look lovely tonight Sookie." His voice was low and husky when he spoke.

I flushed a little bit; I had been a bit disappointed that he hadn't noticed, apparently he had and we'd just had too much else going on for him to have had a chance to say anything. And despite all the commotion the dress was still intact, thank god. "Thank you Eric." I couldn't say anything else, could I? Would it be too forward to tell him I dressed up just for him? That I was falling in love with him? For some reason I felt too shy about it that night.

"Can you tell me what the phone call was about?" Yes, a subject change is always a good thing.

He laughed quietly, "You're not comfortable with compliments," he stated. No shit Sherlock! I've never had anybody to compliment me! "And yes, I can. The queen wants us in New Orleans this weekend."

"Merlotte's is reopening Monday so I have to be back for that," I told him since I hadn't had a chance to yet.

"You're not still planning on working there are you?" His low voice was doing things to me and Cookie was noticing; she was prowling around and purring quietly. He dropped his head slightly into my hair. Was he smelling me? I know I was enjoying his scent that had engulfed me the moment he had taken me into his arms, very much.

I sighed quietly, "No. I was just waiting to sign the contract with you then I was going to give my two weeks notice." Did we really have to talk about that right then? It was so nice just to be held by him.

Oh, wait. I started it.

'Yes, you did! So shut up and enjoy', Cookie admonished me.

Okay, okay! I relented and nestled my head against his chest.

"Good! Very good." His tone was husky and I could feel a rumble in his chest. I didn't know if it was in response to what I'd said before or me cuddling up against him but it didn't really matter since I was just as content.

I got my answer when he wrapped his arms more tightly around me. He was getting better at giving hugs and it seemed that he was starting to enjoy it as well because the bond between us was humming with contentment. I sighed again and closed my eyes.

I could stay like this forever, I thought.

"Why, Ms. Stackhouse, forever is a long time," he rumbled in my ear.

My eyes flew open and I looked up at him, "Did I just say that out loud?"

Eric chuckled in amusement, "That you did." His eyes turned to a smoldering blue and he stared at me with an intensity that melted my insides into a gooey mess. Liquid heat pooled down below and made my panties uncomfortably wet.

His nostrils flared and then there was a low rumbling growl in the air that sounded suspiciously like a hungry lion. My breathing became heavier as I watched him dropping his face towards mine. I knew what he wanted so I craned my neck up and we met in the middle with a sensual and passionate kiss.

Feeling the soft texture of his lips made my heart speed up in a wild staccato. I moaned into his mouth as he stroked my lips with his tongue, seeking entrance. Of course I granted it and our tongues moved in a slow, sensual dance much like our bodies were.

I didn't know how my arms wrapped around his neck or when he lifted me up but I suddenly found myself sitting on the … desk in his office? How did that happen? In a big crash Eric had cleared a path on the surface and had laid me down.

Oh … holy shit!

He leaned over me and began to attack my throat with his tongue. He seemed to know all the spots that drove me wild. I was moaning really loud, my inhibitions and thoughts of decency flew right out the window. And when he put his right hand on my knee and began to move it up my naked inner thigh I was so turned on I thought I would spontaneously combust. The skirt of my dress had ridden up and he took full advantage. Moving closer his thighs pushed between my legs and I could feel his hard length where I hurt the most.

Oh my god!

He began to move his pelvis and I couldn't hold back anymore, "Errrriiiccc!" I was so turned on I didn't know if I wanted to scream from joy or start crying from frustration.

My legs automatically wrapped tightly around his waist and pulled him even closer against me.

Eric chuckled and the vibration sent shock waves through my body. I wanted to … no, I needed to come or I was going to die, I was sure of it.

He let go of my throat and looked at me. His eyes were shining with lust and mirth, "What Sookie? What do you want," he asked in this husky tone that sent shivers down my spine and he accentuated his every word with a rub against my center.

I glared at him because I knew he wanted to tease me. Thanks to the bond he knew exactly what I needed. But he seemed to want me to say it out loud. So I grabbed the front of his t-shirt and yanked him down to give him a hard kiss, "Make me come, you bastard! Don't you dare tease me," I growled when I came up for air again.

Oh, the look on his face. He couldn't suppress his surprise and astonishment that I was brazen enough to say something like that out loud.

I may have still been a virgin but I wasn't too shy to say what I wanted any more. No, the Southern Belle who would have blushed furiously at such an admission and would have slapped him in the face was finally gone. Or Cookie had taken over my brain. Either way, I didn't care anymore. I wanted an orgasm and I was going to get one. There and then!

To emphasize my words I pulled him even harder against me with my legs and I threw back my head at the friction. Pleasure shot through my body and a knot started to form at the center that would make me a very happy and sated woman in a very short time.

Eric smirked at me, "Oh, kitty has claws, I love it!"

Cookie bared her fangs at what she was referred to. She was a lioness, not a damn kitty. I growled her frustration loudly but it was cut short when Eric took my words to heart and moved his hand into my barely there panties.

"Oh my … fuuuuck! Errrriiiiccc!" I screamed as his thumb massaged my already swollen pearl.

"You are so hot and wet," he growled and then moved his face into the cut out at my breasts. It was big enough for his mouth to nibble and suck on the skin. He doubled his efforts with his thumb and stroked my clit in fast circles.

I literally saw stars and started to pant heavily. I screwed my eyes shut as I felt the pressure build up to the point of pain.

It was almost too much for me to handle and when I thought I couldn't take anymore, I finally exploded like a volcano. I screamed as shock wave after shock wave rolled through my body.

For a very long time all I could do was take big gulps of air until I was able to open my eyes again.

Eric was looking at me with a smug look on his face but all I wanted to do was kiss it off. But before I could do that he moved his hand - which was still in my panties - and sucked his thumb into his mouth. His eyes rolled into the back of his skull and he moaned when he tasted my juices. My breath hitched as I saw his still hard length twitching in his pants. I moved my hand to his crotch but before I could touch him he caught my wrist.

"Soon, my Sookie! Very soon!"

I whimpered in displeasure. I wanted to touch him badly but I was denied. And soon was still too long to wait.

Cookie agreed wholeheartedly. She had finally gotten a taste of what he was capable of in bed and wanted the full experience.

I growled quietly in displeasure even as I purred with contentment, "Promise," I asked with a sexy smile and caught my lower lip between my teeth.

Eric growled again and his eyes darkened to a smoldering blue. He grabbed me by the shoulders and helped me back into a sitting position. Then he attacked my mouth with teeth, lips and tongue.

It was a long time before I came up for air again.

"I promise, Sookie. And I haven't forgotten the promise I gave you regarding the talk of what is happening between us. We need to talk about it before we actually move forward."

I gulped and nodded. I would finally get some answers. But I was a little apprehensive as well because I had a feeling it would be a big step for us - forward or backwards, I didn't know yet. I knew I already loved him but was I ready to hear about my future with or without him? Nervousness began to flutter in my stomach and I took a big breath to calm my nerves. "Alright. When?"

"We will fly to New Orleans on Thursday: The Queen is providing her private plane for us. The flight will take about an hour so; that will give us some time to 'clear the air' so to speak. I need to prepare you for what to expect at court anyway. And you need some formal wear. How about you go shopping with Pam tomorrow night? She will know what is appropriate."

Shopping with Pam? Oh my, that should be interesting. But I nodded in agreement, "Okay, We can do that."

Eric smiled when I tried to suppress a yawn. He had worn me out. "You should go home, Sookie, it's quite late. Bubba will accompany you on your drive."

I didn't want to leave him but I knew he was right. I was bone tired and I had gotten up quite early that morning. Eric walked me outside to my car where Bubba was waiting already. After another toe curling kiss goodbye, Bubba and I made our way back to Bon Temps.

On the way Bubba explained to me that he and Eric had discussed some precautions the night before to make my property and therefore me safer. He had some ideas about traps around the perimeter to prevent Bill from trespassing.

I was shocked at first at what he had come up with but Cookie had pricked her ears in excitement and it didn't take long for my devious side to come out and play as well. Over the next 45 minutes we brainstormed ideas for the best traps against vampires and other Supes as well.

It was actually going to be fun to annoy Bill as much as he had been annoying me. I laughed almost all the way home and fell into bed exhausted but happy.