A/N: Not much to say apart from thank you to everyone who reviewed. I managed to get this chapter finished sooner that I had expected so I figured I'd better get it posted ASAP!

Disclaimer: I do not own True blood; I just borrowed the characters for a bit of fun!

Chapter Nineteen
A Unexpected Sweetness

"Eric! Is you manhandling him really necessary?"

Eric glowered, grabbing Lafayette from the trunk of his car only to growl in what she figured was a protective manner when the chef attempted to reach out for her. Sookie rolled her eyes; as if Lafayette would try and harm her.

"He is in serious trouble, Sookie" he growled out as they made their way through the back of Fangtasia, the club once again already in full swing. She was surprised no one seemed to try and interfere before she took one look at Eric and realised that it would be suicidal on their part to do such a thing.

The Viking looked to be out for blood.

Hopefully it wouldn't be Lafayette's.

Not to mention the patrons waiting outside of the club seemed to be in awe of what was happening, mouths agape as excitement at the danger in front of them only seemed to have the opposite affect it should. Instead of scarring them it only seemed to excite and arouse them further.

Sookie looked away in disgust.

"Could you at least be more careful, Eric" she pleaded, following behind them only for her eyes to widen. "There is no way you're taking him to the basement Eric! Can't you at least talk to him in your office or somewhere less prison-like?" she begged.

She couldn't imagine Lafayette down there. If the smell was anything to go by it was horrific, she didn't even want to know what it looked like.

Eric did not look pleased in the slightest, "he is a prisoner, Sookie, not a guest."

"I know!" Licking her lips nervously she hopefully shot him a pleading look. "Please!"

Thankfully, Eric relented much to her surprise. However, she wasn't about to bite a gift horse in the mouth. Mumbling a relief filled "thank you" she followed Eric and Lafayette into his office, chewing her bottom lip nervously before wincing as Lafayette found himself thrown in a wooden chair. While she wanted to do nothing else but scold Eric she already knew he was bending his rules for her, she doubted she could get him to do much more.

She didn't want to risk him changing his mind all of a sudden.

"Explain!" Eric demanded, fangs peeking visibly through his upper teeth as he glowered down at Lafayette with an expression of distaste.

As if a switch had been flickered Lafayette couldn't stop talking, "It was Eddie Fornier. He was a virgin, got changed before could sow his oats as you will 'nd when I saw him I kind of knew he would be up for a bit of lovin', but then he had ta go 'nd think I was a hooker but he dint hav no money so he offered his blood, 'nd I thought, wow, vampires did that?"

Eric was quickly losing his patience, "Get to the point!"

Swallowing, "so I thought, yeah, I could make some money on this since I knew V went fpor a lot, probably 'cause of ta risk..So…uh…I'd give him a blow job or give him free range of my arse-" Sookie squeaked, flushing from head to toe as she looked anywhere but at her friend. "Sorry Sook. Anyway, 'nd he'd give me some blood of his ta sell."

Eric snarled causing Lafayette to almost lose control of his bladder. He had had no idea that Sookie knew Mr Northman, ashamed and regret didn't even begin to cover how he was feeling at that moment.

I'm gunna die…gunna die…please, don't want to die…

Cringing at her friends thoughts Sookie didn't want to risk making anything worse by speaking out just yet. While she was here to make sure Eric didn't hurt Lafayette, she was still shocked that her friend had taken advantage of an emotionally weak vampire like that.

Not to mention as a fellow virgin she was horrified.

"His remains have been found."

Sookies eyes widened, her hand covering her mouth in shock as she stared at Lafayette. She would never be able to describe the relief she felt when she saw he was just as taken aback as she was.

Shit…I didn't do it…what….Amy….

"Whose Amy?" Sookie blurted out.

Lafayette stared at her, eyes wide. "You said you wouldn't do that!"

"And I am quickly losing my patience. Do not forget, the only reason you are not chained up in my basement if because of my älskare!"

älskare?

Chains?

My?

Sookie was completely out of her element.

"So answer the question. Who is Amy?"

It was visibly clear that Eric was quickly losing his patience. It was obvious he was not used to doing his interrogations on someone else's terms but Sookie was incredibly thankful he was making an exception for Lafayette. She had no doubt that had she not been present at Merlotte's when he came for Lafayette then her friend would be locked in that horrid basement, treated in such an appalling manner that she would have no doubt it would have had a negative impact on him mentally in a psychological sense.

Eric was a man she knew was capable at dangerous things, and that was putting it lightly.

"S-she is a f-friend of Jason's," Lafayette shakily confessed.

Sookies eyes widened, "What?"

"T-they were shacking up, I sold her s-some drugs-" he looked to Eric nervously, "V."

"Are you sure?" she demanded, but it was unnecessary. His thoughts had already confirmed as much.

Collapsing on the leather sofa she stared at Lafayette in shock. What had her brother gotten himself involved in?

Drugs?

Killing?

V?

Did he know how he was ruining his life, that he was committing an offence that vampires knowingly didn't go to the human authorities over but dealt with by themselves. She may not be caught up on vampire politics, but she knew enough that dealing and consuming V was a very big deal to their kind, whether it was in an voluntary sense or not was irrelevant. V was V.

After a few more questions Eric shoved a barely functional Lafayette out of his office, Sookie still sitting in shocked silence as she tried to process what she had just heard. She didn't react, she couldn't, not when there was an extremely high possibility that her brother was involved in the staking of a vampire, of taking a life!

She felt sick.

When a cool hand easily twice the size of hers cupped her flushed cheek she couldn't bring herself to pull away, rather leaning towards the refreshing touch she knew had to come from Eric. A large part of her knew that she shouldn't allow him to touch her so intimately, that she should shout him out about his treatment of Lafayette, and yet she didn't need to be a vampire to understand that what he had done was wrong on so many levels.

He had taken advantage of an innocent vampire.

He had traded sex for blood.

He had dealt and consumed V.

And to think she had be oblivious, that Lafayette hadn't thought to mention it once in all of their talk of vampires. She had asked for his advice his morning for goodness sake!

"I didn't know," she mumbled pointlessly. "Jason's never approved, but I never thought…" never thought what? That he would go out, find some poor vampire in order to get his current girlfriend or whoever she was high?

She buried her head in her hands.

What was she going to do?

"I will need to speak with them," Eric spoke unnecessary, though his tone had a soft quality she hadn't quite heard before.

"I know."

"Eddie was a vampire in my area."

"I know."

"And if it turns out that he had something to do with the death of not only one of my kind, but a vampire under my area-"

"He couldn't have done it," she whimpered pathetically. "I mean, he isn't a murderer."

Throwing her head back she rested the back of her head against the leather sofa, trying to drown out the barely audible rhyme of the music as the volume could only just be heard through the soundproofing of the office. She had no doubt that Eric could hear it with a clarity that she never could.

"Sookie…"

"He isn't," she shook her head. She refused to believe that her brother was capable of such. "I'll talk to him when he gets back from his work trip, I'll read his mind and everything will be fine" she told herself.

She couldn't afford to lose the only family she had left.

She didn't want to.

Before she knew what she was doing she had wrapped her arms around Eric's neck, pulling herself towards him as she pressed her face against his collar bone. She couldn't help it; she was sad, emotional and felt as if she had been hit by a truck.

How had her day gotten so bad?

Eric stiffened in what she guessed to be surprise; then again it wasn't as if she had voluntarily hugged him before either. She had planned to comfort him in Dallas when she had doubted her pleading would be enough to convince Godric to stay, but thankfully she hadn't needed to when she returned with Godric by her side.

"Do you want me to stop?" she murmured.

If he told her to, she would move away.

His grunted out "no" was accompanied by a large set of arms wrapping themselves around her smaller form, pulling her against him so they were chest to chest.

Sookie hated to admit it, but it was kind of nice.

Not having any idea of how long they stayed like that, Eric on his knees with her face buried against the crook of his neck, but she was surprised at how safe she felt in his presence. Considering she had just witnessed him threatening and manhandling her friend, surprising didn't even begin to cover what she was experiencing emotionally.

Not to mention the fact Eric, the indestructible and bad tempted Viking was actually hugging her, a human.

Talk about surreal.

It was Godric who interrupted them, entering Eric's office only to look at them with a mixture of surprise, fondness and approval. While confusing, Sookie found herself far too relaxed to question it.

"While Sookie is here, it would be efficient if she was to question the second dealer we found."

Oh.

Having forgot all about it she nodded, reluctantly pulling away from Eric only to flush brightly when she realised what she was doing. She had hugged him! Ugh,and it didn't help that she had enjoyed it as well.

She didn't care what people said about desiring a good hug, a person was never too old to be wrapped in the innocent arms of another in a long embrace designed to bring comfort to another person.

They didn't know what they were missing out on.

It turned out the second dealer wasn't as informed as the previous, the fact it was his first time actually trying V not lessening Eric's anger towards him in the slightest. Even Godric looked displeased with how popular their blood seemed to be getting, the fact people were killing for it showing their desperation for the high.

It was the disappointing truth.

Soon after reading him, Sookie found herself once again in a booth with a glass of water sitting in front of her. To be honest she found herself in a mellower mood than she had been previously, though the fact she had been dealt a stressful day was displeasing.

Relief filled her when she remembered she had tomorrow off.

Feeling her golden curls being lightly brushed from her cheek Sookie startled, not realising until she jumped just how out of it she had been. It wasn't her fault, not when she had a lot running through her mind as of late, especially when she went over what Lafayette had been hiding from her.

She still wasn't aware of what Eric planned to do with her dark skinned friend, because while he may not have killed Eddie he was involved. It worried her, just how bad had Lafayette ruined his life?

Not to mention her and Jason were definitely going to be having words when he got home that was for sure!

He wasn't going to be able to avoid Eric forever.

"You should dance," Eric purred from her right.

Sookie shifted. "I'm not in the mood."

"A cocktail then perhaps?" he offered, Sookie turning to glance at him from the corner of her eye. She couldn't help but wonder what had him being so kind to her. It was nice, but she couldn't deny the fact that it was strange.

"I don't know…"

A blood red drink in a martini glass was moved in front of her. She stared at it.

With a sigh she relented. After all she had been forced to deal with today the least she deserved was a drink, or two.

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