Pre-Edit Count – 1,837 Words

Song I listened to for this chapter: Wasted Time G-Mix by Fuel

It was a cool night for Louisiana, the tall blonde vampire walks into the store that his intelligence had told him the idiot Civil War Vampire was in.  Eric prepares himself for the coming confrontation.  He is going to try to do this the right way, he wants to make sure there are no issues when Sookie wizens up and becomes his.  He wants to hopefully answer that pull that he has felt since the first time he saw her.

What woman would want Compton?  None of the women who saw him the evening he first brought Sookie in could give him a clear reason that they would be with him other than he is a vampire.  He’d had Pam ask them all.

He has also had spies watching them to see if Compton feels the pull towards Sookie to either be his child or his mate.  So far everything that they have found was contradictory to what Eric has learned, but Eric is trying to make sure since the pull is so strong for him to have her.  Only his Maker’s teachings have prevented him from claiming the fiery woman from the beginning.

To make sure that nothing is blocking them, Eric is going to try everything he can think of to entice Sookie to leave the Civil War vet and come to him.  He would treat her so much better than that idiot.

As he makes his way to the dark haired vampire, Eric is listening to the conversation that Compton is having with the saleslady. He quickly looks down to hide his mirth about how this woman only strengthened his thoughts from earlier, since she didn’t care about Compton until she found  out he was a vampire.

Figuring to save the lady’s thoughts of vampires being sexy for another vampire who might be able to perform up to her expectations, Eric looks up to grab Compton’s attention, “Good evening, old sport.” He couldn’t help the jab he made to the comment the vampire had said as he walked into the store.

Bill turns around, and pauses as he sees Eric, with a shorter haircut, “Eric?” His eyes travel over the track suit he is wearing, and how he has his hands in his pockets.  He is very shocked to see Eric with a shorter haircut since he has heard many women mention over the years that they love his long blonde hair.

Offhandedly, Eric replies, “It’s the new me,” with a boyish grin. He looks the idiot  over and smirks at the woman listening to each and every word they say.  In the past, he might have shown her how a vampire can perform, but ever since he met Sookie, he cannot find it in him to really care about another woman anymore.

Turning his eyes to Compton, he is amused to find him still staring at Eric.  Unable to resist he raises an eyebrow as he asks, “You like?” Eric couldn’t care less what the idiot thinks, but he can’t help but to lead Compton to make a fool of himself as he usually does.  He never has bothered to learn to watch what he says most of the time when surprised.

Shocked still, Bill looks over the new haircut, then comments truthfully, “I do.”  He starts nodding his head emphatically, “Very much.”  Eric seems more up to the times.  And truthfully, part of him is very attracted to the Viking.  But being who he is, he squashes that part of him, not wanting to be a fag.

Then the sales lady starts snickering behind Compton and he turns back to her as she comments, “Oh!!  Ha-ha!” She puts back the short skirt that Eric thinks would look attractive on his Sookie as she says, “Whew!  Ok.”  She holds up her hands as if to say her foul and walks away.

Eric can’t help but smirk at the reaction, knowing that Bill can’t stand being thought of as gay.  He is grinning as he watches her walk away, thinking of all the fun he can have.  Anything he can use as fodder on the idiot to get him off his calm façade is a win situation.

However, all his amusement goes away when he sees Compton staring at him.  His smile fades as he tells him, “We need to talk.” He needs to get this done so he can go through making his plans to get to Texas as soon as possible.

A lady comes to put a shirt away behind him.  Instead of moving, he smiles at her and takes the shirt while waiting on the slow, even for a human, vampire to decide what he is going to do.  He hangs the shirt up and turns when Compton indicates his willingness to talk. Sighing internally on how much Compton gets away with only because of him wanting Sookie, Eric informs him, “The Sheriff of Area 9 in Texas has gone missing.” He walks over, staring at his prey, “Have you heard about that?” He resists looming over Compton, trying to make this as amicable as possible at first.

Compton has his arms folded as he has since Eric’s request to talk, but he stutters as he answers Eric’s question, “I hadn’t, but I-I know the vampire of whom we speak.  His name is Godric, correct?”  That is one vampire his maker and his maker’s maker have told him stories about. There is no way anyone would want to mess with that ancient, known as Death.

Amused by Compton’s stutter, Eric just answers, “Indeed.” Looking around and seeing some humans being too curious for their own good, Eric takes Compton’s arm and starts moving them to a more visible area of the store so that he can watch for eavesdroppers, “Now it goes without saying he needs to be found.” As they walk away, Eric continues, “Which is where Sookie comes in.” He waits for the typical answer.

3….

2…

1..

“No.”

Ignoring the imbecile refusing his Sheriff, Eric continues, “As she’s yours, I’m asking your permission to take her with me to Dallas.” Hopefully, alone that way he can see what hold the vampire before him has over the beautiful blonde.  He is suspecting that there is no mating bond between the two, not with how he has observed Compton trying to restrain her.

Although, the idiot may actually treat his mate that way.

Stopping in the middle of the store, Compton turns and informs Eric, “Eric, you can do whatever you want with me, but I am not putting her in this position anymore.” He stares up at the Viking, wishing he was taller as he continues, “I cannot and will not allow you to bring her into these matters.” Not while the Queen is still unaware of him doing the one thing she had forbidden him to do:  Bring her telepath in front of the vampire Sheriff.  To allow her to go to Dallas?  Absolutely not!!!

Tired of Compton’s need to posture, Eric steps closer as he spells it out for him, “We made a deal, your human and I.  That if I didn’t kill anyone, she would work for me as often as I like.” And the sheer pleasure that had flooded him when he realized she would always be close to him because of that promise is one that he still treasures.

When Compton looks down, Eric pauses in pleasure that the insolent vampire recognizes his power, then continues, “Now you remember this, don’t you?  You were there.” He waits for the man to try to question him.  He wonders again about the link between his Sookie and Compton.  She deserves so much better than him.

Growing angry with Eric, Compton rebuts, “Taking her across state lines is a far cry from taking her to Fangtasia for the evening.”  He is trying harder than anything not to growl at this incompetent vampire in front of him.  How can he be competent if the Queen had sent him to get Sookie instead of asking her Sheriff for him to retrieve her?

In disbelief that Compton defies him, Eric slowly informs Compton, “I’m only asking your permission out of respect.  If I want her, I can simply take her.” He stares down, having straightened to his full height to show his dominance.  If it had not been for Sookie, Compton would be missing limbs because of his disrespect of Eric.

The two vampires stare at each other, one supremely confident of his strength, and the other wishing this job was over and he could kill this vampire, slowly.  He will take great joy in watching this proud vampire wither under torture for impeding his work of getting Sookie to the Queen.

Eric watches the Civil War vet, and finally asks, “Is ‘no’ your final answer?” His rage is building, and he is starting to consider new options.  He needs Sookie to find Godric.  It is central to him being successful in his mission.

“It is.”

Disgusted with the vampire in front of him, he can’t help but admonish the disagreeable vampire, “Poorly Played Bill.”

Now he will have to work around the moron in front of him. This is more important than the need for one vampire to posture.

Outside the mall, Eric is fuming as he pulls out his phone.  Once he is sure that he is out of Compton’s hearing distance, he calls his progeny. “Pam.  Tell me you know where she is.” Pam rewinds the computer to the part where the Stackhouse woman told Jessica, “Yes.  Seems she took Jessica to see her parents.” Her voice is dry as she wonders if her maker has gone off his rocker because of the blond twaffle.

The growl in his voice lets his child know that he is not in the mood for her games.

Rolling his eyes at her tone, Eric takes to the air.  As Sheriff, he has been watching the news reports and had looked up the address of Jessica’s parents so he could take care of the mess that Compton and the Magister had left in their wake.  He had planned to do this sooner, but with Godric going missing and the fire that had happened before the tribunal, he had been busy.

Soon he is landing and sneers when he sees Sookie’s wreck of a car.  If the beautiful blonde were his, he would be taking better care of her.  Something that looked so pure, so innocent should be treated so much better.  He knows of her pride and can commiserate with it.  But she is intelligent.  He can talk with her so she understands that he does not see her as a charity case or however she sees such things.

Then his head whips to the side as he hears Sookie trying to stop Jessica.  He moves to the side of the house, and trying to see in, he waits.  He lets Jessica take her vengeance on her father. She had opened up a little to Pam and they had both been disgusted with her father and his so-called holy ways.

Jessica needed this, and frankly, he wonders why Compton is not here.  He had flown, but surely the southern vampire had felt his progeny’s emotions rocketing and that she is closer to him now?

After watching the scene inside, Eric smirks as Jessica throws her father against the wall.  Sookie is upset, but she needs to find out that all is not perfect in the world.  One would think that she would know this because of her telepathy, but he suspects that she is not reading minds right now.

From what he has learned, she has shied away from her ability all her life because of the small mindedness of the people in her small town.  They had ridiculed her and made his fiery woman self-conscious to the point she tries to stay out of minds.  She may use her ability for tips, but there is no proof that she uses it any other time.

Once she is his, he will teach her for her own safety that she needs to be watchful with all her senses.  It is the only way she can be completely safe. In fact, she may very well actually be better than he is at sensing danger.  It will only make her stronger to start being prepared for things to happen instead of only reacting all the time.

Hearing a noise and taking a sniff of the air, Eric smirks, ‘finally.’  He watches as Bill uses his fists to break the door down. And observing his reactions, how he forces a little girl to invite him in, Eric leaps into the air.  He is just waiting for the mistake.  The one that he is sure Compton will make, which will leave Sookie open to becoming his.  Compton never deals with problems sensibly. He will react harshly with Sookie.

So when Bill throws her out the door, Eric is there to catch her. “Are you ok?” He notices that Bill doesn’t even look back to make sure Sookie is okay. Instead he immediately slams  the door shut. Shock goes through his system at the blatant showing that Sookie may actually not be Compton’s mate.  Though he is still cautious about enticing Sookie to his side.

She nods, swallowing as her head turns to the side back to the house. Seeing what is going on inside the house has her scared.  And oddly, she feels safe the minute Eric catches her outside.  The fact that Bill is not looking after her is making her rethink things as well.

Looking down at her, Eric wonders again at the need he has to possess her.  To have everything from her.  And he has a deep feeling that it would be longer than a night.  No.  He suspects many things about the young woman in front of him, but with Godric missing, he needs to find him.  Then he will confront him about this pull he is feeling to the woman who is in his thoughts at all times.

However, if he can swing her attentions to him, Eric will be thrilled – But before he can complete the thought, Sookie looks up at him, and a snarl rips out of his throat as he sees the black eye she is sporting. “Who has hurt you?” He is livid to see damage on his Sookie!  What has happened and why has no one told him?

Blinking, shocked not only at his appearance but at his anger at her being hurt, she stammers out, “Rene tried t-t-to kill m-m-me.” She is not sure why Eric is angry about this.

Eric zooms closer, then carefully tilts her head to the light, his fangs extended, “Where was Bill and why didn’t he heal you?” He barely restrains himself from biting into his wrist to offer her his blood.  In his anger, he doesn’t even register how shocking it is that he is thinking about doing this.

With a slight shudder, Sookie’s head whips around to the side, “Oh my lord, what is going on in there?” She is sidetracked with the images she is seeing from the minds of the people inside the house.  Is that really what Bill is like?  What happened to the man who tells her of his gentle ways?

There is no doubt about her being frightened, and Eric clenches his jaw, not liking that she is scared.  “Come, let us wait by your…car.” He needs to distract her, as much as he wants her to see Compton for what he is, he doesn’t want her running away from him either.

When she keeps looking toward the house, he tugs her gently away, asking her, “Tell me how you were injured.” His jaw clenches as he thinks of the punishments that will be handed out to those he had sent to keep her safe as well as reporting to him any problems.

Giving into his tugs, she stammers out, “After my gran was kill-“ She is still looking back at the house in shock at the images bombarding her mind.

Eric stops her, “Gran?  Who is this Gran?” What all had happened in that sleepy town and how much of it was the cause of the pain of his Sookie?  And why did this all happen now?  He looked into the town when he found that was where his blond goddess was from and was happy to see it was a place she has lived safely.  Their worst crime seemed to be the murders that she had mentioned to him, and before that was drunks being stuck in the drunk tank.

Obviously, Compton is incompetent at keeping Sookie safe no matter how much he professes to love her.

Sookie sighs and then looks up into his blue eyes.  And yet again, she is blown away with the emotions she finds there; they don’t show otherwise.  She has only seen him a couple of times, but she had seen the storm of emotions every time she has looked into those eyes.  Her Gran had always told her that eyes are the windows to the soul, the true self of a being.  If she is right, Eric is deeper than she ever imagined with what Bill has told her.

Idly wondering why she doesn’t feel as frightened of him as she has each of the other times, Sookie answers him, “My Grandmother.  I lived with her.” She has a drop of pure grief come over her as she thinks again of her beloved Gran. It goes away just as quick, just like it has the other times it has happened.

Noticing her becoming calmer, he asks her, “And when did she pass away?” Anything to keep her mind away from the horror he is sure is happening inside.

Still blinking, and glad he is distracting her from what is going on inside the house, “Before I worked for you.  She was murdered by the person that I had been looking for to clear my brother.” The tone of her voice gives nothing away, as she wonders again if there is something seriously wrong with her.

A light growl forms when Eric realizes that Bill had ignored his direct order to let him know what was going on in Bon Temps with the murders.  He inquires, “I’m sorry to hear that, if I had known, I would have put off my request for you.  But you did not seem upset, were you not close to her?” He cocks his head to the side slightly as he tries to understand what is going on.  This does not seem like the woman who came into his bar to clear her brother.

Blinking faster as she processes his words, she too slightly tilts her head to the side. “I am very close to her.” Her voice is wondering while Eric’s eyes narrow.  He suspects that Bill is making her not feel upset.

She looks up at him, and wonders yet again, out loud this time, “Why am I not afraid of you this time?” Sookie is thinking of everything that has happened and then she caught on to the fact that she is not scared of Eric for the first time.  In fact, there are no conflicts in her in being around him.

“This time?”

She nods.  “Every time I see you I feel scared of you.  But not this time.” Her mind is starting to show her the differences and why that could be as well as trying to block the thoughts from inside the home.  The thoughts are quieting and Sookie thinks Bill is glamouring them to not think. Their minds are blank and growing holes that she associates with glamouring.

By now, they have reached her wreck of a car, Sookie had set the slow pace, and he had kept by her side. But now, he stops in front of her again, and asks urgently, “How much of Bill’s blood have you taken?” His thoughts are starting to put things together, all the inconsistencies he has observed with her.

Looking down at her, he can see the confusion, but he needs the information.  This may be the answer to the many anomalies he has noticed the few times he has met her, as well as solve the mystery of the complete reversal of the woman he met before.  However, his respect for her is rising.

“He fed me blood to heal me from the attack, as well as when we met you, and I think he gave me some when we made love.” Her voice has no emotional inflection to it, as she is getting lost in her thoughts.

Eric makes note of the word attack, as he can see she is still injured, so he suspects this is not the first time.  But he needs to make this quick. “What has he told you about our Blood?” He is sure that Compton has not told her everything that their blood can do.  And that makes him think that there is no way those two are mates.  There is no need to control with their blood.  In fact, he thinks it is impossible, but he will check the information when he is in Dallas.

Her eyes flick to his as she frowns slightly,  trying to remember what it is that Bill had told her.  Once she does, she informs Eric, “That it would heal me, give me enhanced senses, and make me….umm. Well you know.”  She is blushing furiously.

He barely hides his smirk at her being too embarrassed to say horny, but he is furious with what little she has been told. “I see that he mentioned nothing of how he could shift your emotions with his blood, nor how he would be more attractive to you.” The last is growled out with hatred of Compton’s omissions.

Stopping her thoughts, Sookie looks up at Eric. “What?” He couldn’t be saying what she thinks he is, can he?  Not Bill.  But her mind is quick to show her the memories again and she wonders.

He hunches down more to her, more than he would to any other being out there and touches her face, “Sookie.  Bill can’t make you feel anything you don’t already feel, but he can enhance your feelings.  If you felt any attraction for him at all, a fleeting moment, he could make you love him.  If you felt a flash of fear of me, he can make you fearful.  He can also make you dream of him, and through the dreams, desire him more.  Have you been finding yourself acting out of normal since you had his blood?” His mind is going through with thoughts of what this could mean.

All the questions she has had, and especially the issues that Eric’s questioning had arisen as they talk come to the front of her mind flipping through as though they were a children’s flip book, giving her a realization. “Shit!”

Unable to help the smirk, Eric enjoys seeing the fire he has to come to appreciate from her, “The fact you are not a Renfield is surprising, from what I am guessing.  Sookie,  You need to make a decision.” He wishes nothing more than to convince her to stay by his side, but she needs to come to this decision herself.

Looking back at the house, she jumps fat an image from Jessica’s mother, “Eric!  Bill is killing them!” Her eyes are huge, and fear is pumping her blood through her veins quickly.

With a growl at the idiocy of Compton, he turns to the house, but with a quick check of the area, he growls out, “Idiot!” He works through the options he has available to him, but he can’t trust that Compton will clean up after himself.

Turning back to Sookie, he tells her urgently, “I need to fix this Sookie.  But I wish to ask a favor of you.” He needs her safe, to know she is safe, but his duties are conflicting inside him.

When she looks at him, he can see her fear at what Compton has done, and curses Compton out in a couple of languages.  He can’t leave this to his incompetence to clean up.  And he needs Sookie out of here, safe.  While he would rather take her with him, he does not want her innocence soiled by seeing the mess Compton has probably made, especially with Jessica in the room with open cuts and bleeding bodies.

But he waits until she asks, “What favor?” She steps closer to him, feeling safer the closer she gets.  She can sense that he can protect her from Bill and what he has become.

“If you take a drop of my blood, it will allow me to detect you, to make sure you are safe.  It will also counteract what Compton has inside of you now.  It would allow me to make sure you have an option in fighting his influence.” Though he wishes there was more.  His thoughts are colliding, Sookie is still Compton’s until she repudiates his claim on her.

She shakes her head slightly, “But won’t that allow you to do the same thing?” She is scared, and she can feel time running out on them.  But she needs to make sure she is not exchanging one evil for another.

He smiles, proud of her for catching on, “Yes, but I promise I won’t.   I have given my blood only to my Maker and Pam.  My Maker taught me that taking someone’s will away is wrong.  I have never taken someone against their will.  Removed memories of me, yes.  But never have I used Glamour to get what I want.  I would rather you be mine in every sense of your own will.” He purrs the last, standing tall before her.  He will only take her if she wishes to be his.

She looks back in the house, and her mind is in pure turmoil.  She feels safer with Eric than Bill, especially given the fact that he has taken care of her this evening.  He has asked her and her Grans’ saying comes to mind about the soul.  Bill is always cold and hard even when professing his love for her.

Eric reaches out, and gently turns her head back to him; searching her eyes. He finally tells her softly, “Trust me.  I will protect you.”

Before she can answer, she feels the usual fear of him creeping up on her, and then hears Bill’s voice as he says angrily, “Eric!” Neither of them doubted that Compton would be there and he is not happy about his Sheriff’s presence in the area.

With that being the deciding factor, she nods her head in agreement. She would be safer with Eric, and, after all, he wants to give her a drop vs. all the blood Bill has doused her with.

With a slight smile, Eric acknowledges her agreement.  However, before he can give her the drop, Bill yanks Sookie away from him.  Eric growls at the insolence of the younger Vampire. His fangs drop, not ready to let her out of his reach, especially with the questions on the younger vamp’s ability to protect her.

Sookie yells from the pain of his grip on top of the bruises he had left earlier as well as the jostling of her ribs.  She tries to push Bill’s arms from her, but he is not paying any attention to her. “Bill, Let me go!” She is pushing at his hands ineffectively and for once, she truly understands how much stronger the vampire is than her.

But at the same time, he is doing his typical claim to Eric, “She is Mine!” And it is the wrong thing to say at that moment.

Eric lights up with glee when she angrily denies Bill, in front of Jessica and him, “No, I am not!” Eric is prepared to do anything to protect her. She has done the first step and made it clear she is a free agent now.

Bill growls at her to shut up, and she shrinks from his action, but it makes her look at Eric.  With his offer to her, as well as the fear she is feeling right now, she tells Bill the words that will change everything, “I am Eric’s!”

Final count: 4,748

Fairfarren~