Sookie stared at Eric, unsure what to do. She was still kind of in shock that she just broke up with her fiance, the man she'd been dating for two years. She wasn't particularly upset about it and that made her feel even worse. She didn't have much time to think about that fact because, from the closing of her eyes blinking to opening them, Eric went from across the room to right in front of her. Damn vamp speed. She thought.

She looked up at him with her eyes wide, wondering what to do next, or more importantly, in her opinion, what he was going to do. He slowly reached his hand up and cupped her cheek, her breath hitched when his skin made contact with hers. He slowly started moving his thumb up and down, rubbing her cheek.

"Eric…"

"Sookie…"

They both spoke at the same time, reminding her of how this conversation started in the first place. She decided she was done being scared, done taking things slow and pushing away her wants because she thought it was the safe thing to do. She had already blown up her life, there was no reason to hide anymore, she was going to take what she wanted… then she'd deal with the small little problem of the fact that apparently, a witch was going to curse her.

She lunged forward and up on her tippy toes, kissing him with all the fervor and love she felt. She was delighted when he kissed her back just as passionately. She never had Eric like this, with all his memories and nothing standing between them. He was an amazing kisser and lover when he had amnesia but she was sure something was missing because he didn't have his memories of his thousand-plus years of experience. She was right, both of their hands were still in PG places, even if there was caressing involved, and still, this was the most intense, passionate, best kiss she ever had. It was very easy to get lost in it, she had been wanting him so bad for so long she was ready to just get naked already. Call her a hussy, she didn't care, she spent her whole life being a proper Southern lady but she wasn't doing that this time. She'd done that with him before, when she was trying to keep her distance but none of that mattered anymore, not to her anyway.

That's why she didn't think twice when her hands, which had somehow landed on his perfect butt, she wasn't sure how that happened but she wasn't complaining. Anyway after a few good squeezes, she migrated her hands from his ass to the front of his jeans and right to his button. She was in such a rush she was messing herself up by getting her fingers tangled. The husky chuckle he let out into her neck sent shivers down her spine. He pushed her up against the wall closest to them so she took the opportunity to wrap her legs around his hips. She felt his hardness press up against her panties even through his jeans since she wasn't able to get the button open in enough time.

He ground against her, somehow knowing perfectly how to rub against her clit, eliciting a moan from her and a groan from him. She kissed him, open mouth with a lot of tongue and teeth, some would even call it sloppy, slowly moving back up to his mouth. She felt him roughly palm her breast so she pushed her chest into it wanting more. She was confused when he growled into her mouth and pulled away, she couldn't understand why he'd ever want to stop. It was then that her lust-addled mind cleared enough to hear that his phone was ringing.

He answered it while looking right into Sookie's eyes, and he sounded as upset as she was at the interruption. "What?"

Eric was only partly paying attention to Pam's words, most of his attention was on his hand slowly moving from Sookies breast, down to her waistline, and under her underwear. "…Are you listening to me?"

"Not really."

"Well fucking pay attention, this is important, you can fuck the fairy later.

"Pamela…" He growled.

"We've got her, we have the witch."

Fuck. "Good, I'll be there soon." He hung up the phone before hearing her reply.

He saw the look of disappointment on Sookie's face, he also saw the uncertainty and vulnerability. He leaned forward and kissed her again, this time slower, more intimate. He pulled back slowly and gently unwrapped her legs from around his waist. "They've captured the witch, I have to go."

"Okay, I'll come with you."

"No, you must stay as far away from her as possible," Eric said demandingly.

His tone rubbed Sookie the wrong way but she was able to push it to the side for now, she knew she had to keep a clear head if she was going to win this argument, especially because she was still all cloudy-headed and lusty after what transpired in the last ten minutes, "Why? She didn't do anything to me, I agree with Pam, if she was going to do something she would have already."

"What if she still has something planned she just needs to know where my love lies? If I bring you to her I might as well wrap you up in a bow and hand you over."

"She doesn't have to know who I am to you, heck, I'm still unclear about that." She waved her hands in negation like she was erasing her last sentence, she didn't want to lose her train of thought. "We can just pretend I'm your telepathic employee and you thought it'd be prudent to bring me so that I can help figure out her plan.

He stayed quiet and she knew she was going to win. He knew she was right and it'd be helpful to have her there with them during this 'conversation' (which in reality she knew was more of an interrogation, possibly physically getting the questions out of her.) But she also knew he had a tendency to start demanding things when it came to her safety, especially if he thought he knew better than she did.

"Come on Eric, you know I can help, there's no way she'd know that you… love me." She still had a problem believing he loved her, let alone saying it. She figured one more good point would have him giving in so she through out her trump card. "Plus, if you, Pam, and your people are there getting answers out of her, who's going to watch out for me here? How would you even know if she curses me? I'll be here all alone."

He sighed and she knew she won. He started pacing back and forth, figuring out the logistics of it all, thinking through all the pluses and minuses of her going, the possible dangers. After the fourth pace back and forth across her living room he stopped right in front of her.

"Fine, you can come." She smiled brightly but it promptly fell when he continued, "On three conditions."

Her indignancy came back with a vengeance, she stood up straight and put her hands on her hips, leaning forward to try to get in his face. Although there was no real point considering how much taller he was than her. "Oh yeah? And what on earth gave you the impression that you have the right to demand conditions out of me?"

He smirked at her, he loved her fire, it was what originally drew him to her in the first place. He missed it over these last three years. "Simple. I can fly away right now, you'd have no idea where we're holding her. The only way you're getting there is if I take you."

Her stance dropped when she realized he was right and she couldn't help but let out a sigh of defeat. "Fine, let's hear it."

"One, no back talking, she must believe that you are nothing more to me than my hired telepath, so when I give orders, you must take them without any fight." At her understanding but still upset nod, he continued, "Two, if I say leave, you leave. No questions, no leaving out of the room but staying in the building, no trying to hide close in case you can help. If I tell you to leave, you take the keys that I'll give you, get in the car, and drive."

Eric could tell that she really didn't like this one, she was someone who wouldn't think twice about sacrificing herself if she thought she could help, she ruined many a plan because she thought she knew better and did what she wanted instead of following the plan. Reluctantly she answered, "Fine but you don't get to tell me to leave unless it's an emergency, no sending me out because you don't think I can handle it when you or someone else roughs her up to get the answers you're looking for."

He evaluated her, seeing if she really felt that way. He just got her back, he didn't want to lose her because she saw him being a vampire, saw him hurting someone, possibly draining someone. Once he was as sure as he could be that she wasn't planning on running if she saw the dark side of being with a vampire, he nodded. "Agreed."

He knew she wasn't going to like this last one, in fact, he was almost positive it'd be a deal breaker for her, and part of him was hoping it'd be enough to keep her home. The other part of him wanted her to agree because he wanted this very much. "Condition number three, you take some of my blood. I want to be able to find you in case we get separated and if something were to happen, if you were to become injured in some way, my blood would hopefully heal you enough until you are either able to get more or medical help." Not to mention he'd mourned the day that the last of his blood finally left Sookie's system and he'd missed it every day since.

"Okay, but I have one condition of my own."

He was surprised at how quickly she complied, he had barely gotten the words out of his mouth before she agreed. He was a little worried about whatever this caveat of hers could be. He asked leadingly, "And that is?…"

"You take some of my blood too."

It is not often that Eric becomes surprised, and even less that he is shocked, after living as long as he had there isn't much the planet and people can throw at you that you haven't seen before. Now though, to say he was shocked would be an understatement. "Sookie," he ventured, "Do you know what you're asking?"

"Yes, it'd be the start of a bond between the two of us and that is exactly what I want. I might not have known exactly what it meant the first time we exchanged but that was a long time ago and I've learned a lot since then. I want to have our first blood exchange."

"First?" His brain short-circuited at the implications. He never thought she'd want a blood bond with him, he thought that was some far-fetched dream he had that he'd never achieve. But it seems that he was wrong, that it wasn't only possible, she wanted it and was pushing for it. "Sookie, you understand what you're saying, yes? You're talking about being tied to me permanently, to eventually being able to feel my emotions as I will feel yours. Is that not why you enjoy being around vampires so much? The quiet and peace? I don't want to take that away from you."

"I know what I'm asking for Eric, and I've thought a lot about it. I know this is what I want."

"Okay, if you're sure. Just know, when we're not on a time limit you're going to have to tell me what you mean. As far as I knew, up until an hour ago you were engaged to another man and living the life you said you wanted."

She sighed, "Okay, deal. Tonight, after this whole witch thing is handled, we'll talk."

"Good." He said with a quirk on his lips.

A moment later Sookie saw the look in his eyes change, all of a sudden they were filled with lust and want. She had the instinctual urge to take a step back when he started walking towards her but she managed to stop herself. She stood there and let him come to her even though she felt like pray that was being stalked. She didn't know what it said about herself that the whole situation was turning her on. She decided to chalk it up to know what happens to them when they exchange blood.

That last thought reminded her, "Eric, don't forget we're on a time limit, I'm not sure what that whole winter wonderland place was the last time we did this but I'm sure we don't have time for it."

Eric stopped his walk towards her and thought over her words. She saw the moment he reluctantly agreed. "Unfortunately, you are correct, lover. I'm afraid we'll have to save the exchange until later. For now, we'll have to do with just you taking my blood."

Sookie wasn't too fond of that idea either but knew it was the right choice, so she sighed and nodded her head. She squeaked when she was swept up in his arms and the next thing she knew she was sitting sideways on his lap while he was sitting on her couch.

"Worry not, dear one, I'm sure there is a way I can still make this pleasurable. Think of it as a preshow to tonight's events."

Sookie shivered at his words and nodded her head again, this time much more eagerly, causing him to let out another one of his husky chuckles she was coming to find that she loved. She wasn't sure when he grabbed it but somehow he had a kitchen knife in his hand that was not wrapped around her. He put it down and started trailing his fingers up her legs, causing her breath to hitch at the slow build of tension. When he finally made it to the bottom of her dress he slowed his trail upwards and Sookie couldn't take her eyes off of the raising of her dress. When he finally made it to her bikini line he traced the outside of it, never pushing inward to where she wanted him most. She was frustrated that he was teasing her, especially because they were supposed to be in a rush but one look at his pleased face told her that she wouldn't be able to get him to go any faster even if she begged. So she settled herself in for whatever exquisite torture he had planned.

He played with her longer, passing completely over her sex, moving up her body, slowly traveling over her abdomen, circling her belly button, all the while making her more and more sensitive, turning her on more than she thought possible, causing her to groan in disappointment every time he came close to somewhere that would bring her pleasure before moving away again. He went up to her breasts and circled her nipples a few times before tweaking each of them once and pulling away to a less sensitive area. She was thinking about murdering him, it might be smart because she was worried he was going to do the same to her if he continued.

"Eric, please…" She whined.

Okay, she thought, in this particular situation that chuckle of his is annoying.

Thankfully, he gave her what she was literally begging for and finally stopped messing around by bringing his fingers down to her sex, playing with her clit, taking note of what she liked most, and entering her with two fingers. She was so worked up it wasn't a conscious thought when she went for his pants button again, she opened it much quicker this time and started pumping him. It didn't take much to bring her over the edge but he didn't stop there, he barely gave her a second's reprieve to come down before he started working her up again. She remembered the look he got when he was about to cum from amnesiac Eric and when she saw it she started pumping faster. She groaned in disappointment when he pulled his hand away but she barely got a syllable of the groan out before he was touching her again. That moment he was away from her was used to slice a cut into his neck, he didn't have to give her directions and she didn't have to think about her next move, her instinctual motion was to drink so that's what she did.

She felt Eric cum as soon as she took her first pull of his blood and she came not a second later when the feeling of his blood entered her system she took one, two, three pulls of his sweet blood before she felt the cut close. She forgot how surprisingly good vampire's blood tasted, especially Eric's. They both took a minute or two to come down from their natural highs, well Eric more needed that time to accept that this was really happening. He'd been wanting to be with Sookie for so long, Fuck, he'd been wanting just a chance with Sookie for even longer but she turned him down every step of the way. That is, except for the time that he didn't have his memories, so that truth made this whole situation feel surreal and he needed a few moments to accept that it was actually happening and that she was being honest with him when she told him she wanted to be with him.

He tentatively, which was out of character for him, reached around and rested his arms on her shoulders, pulling her closer. He breathed an unneeded sigh of relief when she leaned in more and snuggled into his chest. They sat that way in quiet for almost a full five minutes before Eric accepted the inevitable, they had to get up. They had people waiting for them and a witch to torture answers out of.

So he kissed the top of her head, which was another strange action for him, before standing up, cleaning himself off, and adjusting himself. Sookie couldn't help but think him a gentleman when he used a tissue to clean her up before flattening her dress and offering her a hand up, she took it with a small smile. Eric led her out of the house and to his car, she wasn't surprised when he opened it for her, he'd done stuff like that for her in the past.

The drive was comfortably quiet and Eric didn't comment when Sookie started searching through his radio stations. Once Eric switched gears and reached cruising speed he reached over and rested his hand on her thigh. She was surprised when they pulled into what looked like a nice apartment complex, though she guessed she shouldn't be, she learned that Eric had many different businesses around the state, so him being a landlord shouldn't be too surprising. Though holding someone hostage in one of these apartments when it was clear from the cars that the other units were currently lived in still felt strange to her. He saw her confusion so he cleared it up for her.

"This half of the complex is made for vampire tenants because of this the walls are very thick and soundproofed with magical wards by the strongest witch I know. It's the safest spot to hold a witch for questioning."

"Ahh," Sookie replies, not really sure what else to say. She knew this was the right decision, getting back with Eric. If it wasn't she wouldn't have spent the last three years regretting turning him away but that didn't mean she missed all the things being involved with the supernatural world entailed. This being the perfect example, even though she pretty much forced him to take her with him, she wasn't particularly looking forward to the steps it takes to get the information they needed. Still, she wasn't going to back down or regret her choices now, she was ready to go all in and take all the negatives that came along with being with Eric.

Eric read her hesitation though and stopped her as they were walking up to the complex. He turned her so they were facing each other and looked her right in her eyes. "Sookie, you needn't come in there with me, I can get the information without you. You don't have to see such things."

She smiled at him, partly putting on a brave face and partly because she was touched he was worried about her. "I'm fine Eric, really. I know what I signed up for coming with you tonight."

Eric listened to her words as well as what his blood in her was telling him and decided she was being honest so he nodded and continued walking to the door that had a number 13 on it. Sookie wanted to roll her eyes but refrained, it was very on the nose to choose apartment 13 for the 'questioning' suite. Eric pulled out a key and opened the obscene amount of locks the door had before opening it. He turned directly to the left and clicked some buttons, which she assumed was to turn off the alarm system, once she shut the door he activated it again.

Sookie wasn't surprised that the apartment was nice but she was surprised that it was fully furnished, almost like someone was living there and they were borrowing it for the night. Eric led her down a hall and into a bedroom. In the bedroom Pam, Chow, a vampire she'd never seen before who looked suspiciously like Elvis Presley, and two humans she clocked as witches from their brain signature stood around a woman tied up in a chair that had what Sookie thought was a salt circle around it. Sookie could tell that they'd already been 'talking' to her from the fat lip, bruises, and cuts on her. Sookie was able to hold back her shiver of disgust though she remembered too late that Eric could feel her now when he looked at her uncertainly. She gave him a small smile hoping to convey she was fine and she was staying. She might not like what was going on but she understood the importance of it. If she and Eric were in each other's positions, she'd be doing whatever she had to to make sure he was safe too.

"Crystal, what a surprise it is to see you again so soon, what have you been up to since we last met?" Eric asked casually as if they were just two old friends who happened to see each other in line at a coffee shop.

"Eric, I was wondering when you'd get here. Who is your friend?" Crystal asked just as casually, if worried Sookie, it seemed as it she felt like she was the one in control right now.

Sookie's shields were down and she was listening in but she didn't hear anything of consequence yet, the witch was weighing her options and trying to figure out the best way to get out of there. She didn't expect Eric to have such strong witches on his side and it was making her position a much more difficult one to be in.

Eric vamped over to her and gripped her up by the neck, Sookie heard from the witch's brain how strongly he was gripping her, how hard it was for her to breathe. "I'm the one who asks the questions here, Crystal, not you." He said in a dark and ominous tone. He dropped her back in her chair a moment later and paced away, when he spoke next he was back in his jovial friendly tone. "But since I'm in a sharing mood and you asked so nicely, I'll tell you. This here is Rebecca, she is a telepath. She's here to make sure we're all being honest with each other so we can clear this ugly mess up quickly. Does that sound alright to you?"

Sookie didn't have a chance to wonder why he lied about her name because the witch was already talking, "Why do I have a feeling she'll only be telling one of us if the other is lying?"

Eric's dark scary voice was back, "What did I say about asking questions?"

She lifted her hands up, Sookie had a feeling she was trying to raise them in surrender but she couldn't because as soon as Eric dropped her to the chair, Pam vamped around her and tied her back up, this time tying her hands to the arms on the chair. When Pam backed away the witches redid the circle around the bound witch.

That's what I'll do, I just have to get the vampire angry enough to break the circle again. I'll worry about the curse once I'm free.

"Eric, whatever you do, don't break the circle again, she has a plan to get out of here if you do."

Eric nodded his head at her while Crystal looked at her with her eyes wide. It wasn't a surprising or strange reaction to have from someone who finally realized that she was a telepath and yes she could hear all of their thoughts.

"What's holding the curse up?" Sookie asked after a moment. She could tell from the witch's thoughts that something was stopping her from completing it and she wanted to find out what that was. She had a feeling at the bottom of her stomach that there was no talking the witch out of casting the curse. She'd do it if she got the opportunity, but that usually only meant one thing, this was going to have to end with the witch's death, she wasn't too fond of that idea but she also knew that unless the witch truthfully gave up and changed her mind, that was the only option. Eric wasn't going to let the witch go just so she could cast a spell on Sookie that could potentially kill her.

"What?" What is this bitch talking about?

Sookie wasn't fond of the language Crystal was thinking about her but she was used to it. Eric on the other hand wouldn't have let it slide if he heard it so Sookie was glad she only thought it. "I told you, I'm a telepath, I heard your thoughts. I know something is stopping you from completing the curse but you're more worried about getting free so you decided you'd figure it out later. What's the problem?"

"What? Do you want me to cast the curse?"

Sookie shrugged as if the outcome meant nothing to her. "What do I care? Whatever you're planning on doing will just ruin Eric's money but I'm sure he's got some safety measures from that, it's not like you'll ruin him."

"You don't truthfully think money is his most loved thing in the world?" She asked as if Sookie was stupid, her thoughts matched her tone.

Of course she does, she's probably an idiot who's only good for hearing thoughts and opening her legs for the Northman. She probably thinks he's incapable of love, little does she know he's in love with a woman who does not feel the same way about him. I cannot wait till I cast the spell and make all her affection mine. It'll kill the vampire watching his love be my slave, having her obsessed with me.

"Of course it's money or something of the like, it's not as if he cares about people, he's made that really clear," Sookie said with an eye roll, playing up the dumb naive blonde persona Crystal obviously thought she was. It was also clear Crystal didn't think she had the ability to speak and listen to thoughts at the same time so she didn't know that Sookie heard her thoughts.

"Oh dear sweet child, just because he doesn't love you doesn't mean he doesn't love anyone."

"Is there anything we can do to change your mind?" Sookie asked, changing the subject, she already got the information she needed, she didn't want to waste any more time talking to Crystal than she needed to. To say she didn't like the witch would be an understatement and that was without Crystal even knowing that Sookie was the woman he loved above all else.

"Eric knows what he has to do."

Eric scoffed, making his first sound in minutes, he was content to watch Sookie work but he couldn't help the scoff, she was more insane than he thought if she thought she had any chance of taking so much of his money and business. He looked like he was ready to attack her again like he completely forgot that he was not supposed to break the circle in his anger, no one had the right to demand things of him or back him into corners, and he wasn't going to give up what he worked so hard for just because some jump start witch wanted to make some easy money. The more he thought about her and her audacity, the angrier he became. He took a step forward, ready to attack but thankfully Sookie's voice gave him some clarity.

"Eric, I have to speak with you outside."

Eric was growling in his anger but Sookie's words broke through, it took a few moments but eventually, his eyes left the witch's and moved to Sookie's. After a few seconds, he nodded and strode furiously to the door, he opened it so hard that the door slammed against the wall and broke a hole the size of a doorknob into it which made him even angrier. When she followed behind him by the time she made it out of the room, pulled the door out of the wall, and closed the door so they had some privacy, Eric was enraged, pacing up and down the hallway.

She took a chance and stepped in his path on one of his trips back towards the bedroom door and wrapped her arms around him. She feared she made the wrong choice when he stayed stiff and tense, she was about to pull away sheepishly but finally, his body loosened and his arms came around her. She stood there like that for a few moments enjoying the hug and the fact that she could calm him in such a way before pulling back just enough that she could look him in his eyes.

"Eric, I, well…" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, when she opened them again she looked sure and confident, "We have to kill her."

Eric wasn't one to show his emotions on his face often and definitely not someone who shows emotions without meaning to but her words surprised him so much he couldn't stop himself from opening his eyes wide and letting his jaw slacken. "What?"

"She isn't going to stop Eric, there's nothing we can do to change her mind, I could tell from her thoughts. Even if you gave her everything she wanted from you she'd still perform the curse as soon as she had the opportunity. The only way that you'll be left alone and I'll be safe is if she's not in the world to try to harm us anymore."

Eric stared at her for a few moments, he'd adjusted his face into the blank mask she was used to as she was speaking, she could tell he was trying to read her emotions, trying to feel how serious she was. She knew what she was saying and she stood by it, she might not like the truth but she learned long ago sometimes people don't change and this witch had no intentions of changing her ways. She knew her words were extreme and out of character for her, and she knew she'd probably feel guilty about it for the rest of her life but she also knew this was the right choice and she wasn't going to regret it or change her mind. She looked at him as seriously as she could, trying to convey all this to him and it seemed to work because eventually he nodded.

"I believe you are correct. You can take the car and head home now, I'll come to the farmhouse after I'm finished up here if that is agreeable to you." He asked, almost shyly, hoping he'd still be welcomed after he murdered one of her precious humans.

"No." She said and saw a flinch of pain from him, she quickly continued when she realized he was misunderstanding, "What I mean is we'll go home together after we finish here, I'm not leaving you."

"Sookie, that's not neces…."

"Yes it is necessary, I'm here Eric, I'm in this with you, I'm not running this time, I'll never run from you again and I need you to know that, to believe it."

"Staying here for the bloody ending doesn't have to be how you prove it Sookie."

"No, I know. But I'm here, I'm ready for all of it, even the ugly parts."

He stared at her for a long time again, probably contemplating the pros and cons of forcing her to leave but eventually, he nodded again, this time much more reluctantly. "Okay, but you will wait in the car."

"What? That doesn't make any sense, the whole reason I'm staying is to be there with you."

"Sookie…"

"No, I'm not going."

She could tell Eric was ramping up to continue arguing with her so instead of listening she turned around, opened the door, and walked back into the room. Eric was both exasperated and delighted by her audacity, it was one of his favorite things about her along with one of the things that drove him insane. Eventually, he followed behind her. The vampires in the room didn't need to be told anything, the look in his eye was enough to tell them what they were doing with the witch. Pam nodded, opened the white plastic sheet, and spread it around the floor so that the cleanup wouldn't be too bad.

Crystal flinched at the sound and going by the thoughts Sookie heard from her, she knew exactly what they were planning. Sookie felt the instinctual urge to run, you know, that feeling when there's a predator nearby that's about to attack but she stomped it down, she knew she wasn't on the chopping block, and she'd never be if Eric had any say in the matter, so she stayed still, watched, and waited. You know that sound, the one where you know you're in deep trouble because all the nature and everything around you goes completely silent? That was what happened then, right before the vampires struck, they didn't care about breaking the salt circle because they ended her so quickly after that she had no chance to perform a spell to get her out of that situation, she was dead before she even knew she had the opportunity to leave, and Sookie watched it all stoically. She was pretty sure she didn't blink the whole time, she wanted to see, to truly know what she was walking into, to be sure she could handle it. She was a little disgusted with herself that the sight didn't bother her much at all.

"Sookie?" She was snapped out of her thoughts and finally turned away from the corpse when she realized Eric was calling her name in a far gentler tone than she was used to.

She turned to him with a small smile, "I'm okay Eric, are we ready to go?"

"Yes, they can handle the cleanup."

She smiled again and started walking toward the door, reaching for his hand along the way, He opened the door for her again and she couldn't help but notice the tentitiveness in his actions, she hoped that her calm, resolute, accepting feelings on the situation would clear things up soon. It was a quiet ride back to the farmhouse.