Charlaine Harris owns the rights to the characters in this story. I am just writing for fun. Please don't sue me!!!!

A/N This chapter has a lot to do with Sookie growing up. That is why some of it will be inner dialogue her view of events around her. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

I woke up on the couch in the building that Eric owned. For a brief moment I completely forgot about the events of the night before and was totally confused about where I was and how I got there. I felt like I had slept almost the entire day. I had slept sound too. I woke up in nearly the same position I was in when I fell asleep in Eric's lap. The only difference was he was not there when I woke up and I had a pillow under my head and a blanket spread on top of me. I was surprised that he let me sleep in my clothes and also that he let me sleep through the night. I looked around in the apartment taking advantage of the daylight and noticed how amazing it was. Every wall was painted a pretty beige-y color, I'm assuming because it was being shown on the market. It had both an industrial modern look to it, but also felt very homey for being completely empty and a studio. I went to the kitchen to look for a clock. The clock on the top of the line microwave said was almost five o'clock but who knows when the last time it was set, Eric never told me how long the apartment had been vacant.

The kitchen amazed me. It was big and had stainless steel appliances and an amazing gas burning stove. This really shocked me because usually vampires don't put much effort into the kitchen, seeing that they never use anything in it but the microwave and refrigerator. Next to my purse on the dark granite countertop was a small red travel bag with a note:

Sookie,

Eric had me drop your car off at your house and retrieve you a change of clothes and other necessities. I hope these suit your needs. See you tomorrow.

Pam

Pam was probably not happy about playing Eric's gopher, I was thankful for her anyway. Inside were some of my personal toiletry items, a towel and a change of clothes from my home. My toothbrush felt like it was a godsend. I took this opportunity to take a shower in private. Eric was most likely asleep in the vampire room, and as much as the memory of our last shower together appealed to me, at the moment I really needed some time to just think to myself.

I headed toward the master bathroom, I saw the smaller half-bath last night briefly after we arrived but I hadn't seen the master yet. It was massive and when I say massive, I mean massive. This bathroom was almost the size of my living room with a big dual head shower in the corner and a giant claw-foot tub along the wall. The toilet even had its own little room! I couldn't believe it! I almost wanted to take a picture, but I figured that would probably be tacky. The tile on the walls looked hand-painted and fixtures you could tell were top of the line. This is why the kitchen surprised me because vampires really take the time and effort in remodeling their bathrooms instead.

I started the shower and looked in the mirror at my neck before I got in. The cut was completely healed. "Amazing." I said to myself. I got under the hot water trying to ease the memories of the night before.

I can now hear Eric's thoughts. Could I now hear other vampires like that too now? I had in the past but they were just tiny snippets in their head and Eric was the only vampire that I have heard more than once. I always assumed that if it were to ever come out that I did have the ability to read vampire thoughts, I would have a giant target painted on my forehead, or more like two tiny targets on my neck. My world was full of secrets now.

I was Eric's secret wife. I had the secret telepathic ability to read the undead. I was in a secret building where only Eric and Pam knew my whereabouts. How would Pam react to this? I really felt like we were becoming very close, well as close as we could was so sweet to me talking about the bond the other day, and she took care of me and aided me last night at the bar when she could have easily ended me right then and there. 'Vampires first' was her motto, surely she would feel some sort apprehension to me being able to be inside her mind, or she would want to kill me on the spot. Maybe this secret is worth keeping.

As I got dressed in the bathroom with my hair wrapped up in the towel, I started thinking about running away again. How nice it would be wake up tomorrow and not have to think about vampires and other supes. It's all just too much. I don't want all of this. I didn't have a car to drive anywhere, and I wasn't very familiar with this area of Shreveport so I had no idea where I would go or how. Eric would be waking soon and I felt like this was the only chance I had. If I left now, I could leave a note saying that I was going back to Bon Temps and call a taxi, then high tail it out of Louisiana. It was like the other day, just wanting to get away from it all. Go to another small town somewhere and start over. I am a really good waitress so it wouldn't take me long to find a job. I felt like I wasn't in control of my life anymore and I needed to do something that was my decision alone. I wanted to leave all the supernatural drama that I was constantly pulled into. If it weren't for them then why would anyone want to take me last night? If the fellowship followed me to Fangtasia and they know where my house is, what is stopping them from taking me another day? The Fellowship has now made their 4th attempt at my life. I was sick of this.

I wanted to leave and go somewhere that no one had heard of me, my ability or my ties to the supernatural. Pangs of guilt shot through me at the thought of leaving my house, my friends and Jason, but then I remembered the house is paid for, all I would need to do is later write Amelia a letter saying she can stay there as long as she wanted as long as she paid the property taxes which really weren't that much. Jason and I hardly spoke to each other now, what difference would it make if I left? Sam I would miss greatly. He has been my best friend for so long now, and has always had my back. I would want to keep in touch with him somehow. Maybe I could make him take a vow of silence when it came to my whereabouts. He stayed pretty much out of conflict. Then I thought of Bill, which made me think of Eric. My two vampire lovers. No other people had affected my life quite the way either of them had. Even though Bill was still liar and somewhat annoyed me with his many, many attempts to win me back, I still had deep rooted feelings for him. It wasn't love anymore in the way you think of loving a boyfriend, but a love that he would always be special in my heart. But he also broke that heart before, and it's taken me a long time just to be able to be in the same room with him without wanting to stake him. If I left maybe I would contact him after awhile, but not for a long while.

Then came the thoughts of Eric. My former amnesic lover, my now present lover, my bonded and my kind of husband (even though I didn't know a few days ago), if I left he would find me. The blood bond GPS would lead him straight to me no matter where I went. And now with this last blood exchange he could probably find me in the middle of China within a couple of days. But the real question is could I leave him? A lot of feelings were coming back fast from memories that before I had to force down and make myself forget. Remembering all of the intimacy Eric and I had shared then and now reliving some of it made me long for him. Maybe he would come with me now wherever I went. He said he would leave everything for me before without his memory. Does he still feel the same way now? I felt a strange tickle in my mind a moment later.

"If I really thought of you in danger and needed to leave, I would go with you wherever you would want to go Lover, but don't let the two imbeciles from last night make you want to leave everything behind."

I jumped and gasped at myself in the mirror when I heard him in my mind. I had been alone in the closed bathroom absently brushing my hair deep in thought for who knows how long, I must have completely lost track of time.

"Ha! I found a new way to make you jump!"

I came out of the bathroom to find Eric standing in the kitchen leaning against the counter drinking a bottle of TrueBlood wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. I couldn't help but stare for a moment. He looked like a Time's Square billboard ad for TrueBlood. The sight of him almost made me forget how mad I was.

"Eric! How long were you listening!" Getting back on track.

"Long enough to not like the idea of you running away yet again from your problems."

"Why could I not feel it when you woke up?" I thought for sure that his brain would click on much like the way human brains do when they wake. That's why I took advantage of the time alone to think so I wouldn't have to worry about a situation like this.

"I wanted to see if I could block myself out, much like I do with other vampires. I was not sure if it would work but I am happy to see that it does."

"So what makes you think that you can just mosey on over into my mind whenever you want and you get to have free reign to block yours from me?"

"You can block me out anytime you want to. You were not at the time when I rose, and I am glad because of that. I got to test my theory. I was not trying to invade your privacy."

"So how long have you been awake testing your theory?"

Sookie, you cannot keep running away from your problems. You are so naive when it comes to handling difficult situations, you--"

"Difficult situations?" I interrupted loudly. "The fellowship tried to come after me yet again last night, and now come to find out not only can I read your mind, you can read mine! How do you expect me to act Eric? All I want to do is just get away from everything and everyone. If I start new some place else then I don't have to worry about this kind of stuff anymore."

Eric set the bottle on the counter and walked toward me. He put one hand on the small of my back and pulled me toward him using his other hand to touch the side of my face. "The Fellowship's threat is something that I am looking in to. It was obviously not a well thought out plan. With you by my side, your safety is not something that I want you to worry about, that is my concern. I will protect you. As for our newfound abilities, as I said last night, the less who know, the better. We can use this to our advantage."

"My God Eric, can't you think of something other than strategy? I don't think of it as an advantage at all!" At that he let go of me, took a step back and stared me directly in the eyes with no emotion like I was a child.

"Sookie, I have had enough of your outbursts." If I didn't know any better I would think he was trying to glamour me. "I have lived a very, very long time. How do you think I have survived for this long if not for strategy? I know that you think of this as another nuisance but it is not. I will not stand for you to keep fighting me at every chance you get. You need to learn to accept what happens and hopefully trust me. When have I ever failed you?"

Shit, he's right. I thought honestly, forgetting that now there was someone else in the room that could hear my thoughts. I could then feel the tension and anger ease a little through our bond on both sides.

"Say it again" He sent back with a small smile thinking of the other night. "I love hearing you say it." As much as I hated to admit it, he was right and he knew it. I was just having an outburst like a child and I had to have a thousand year old vampire tell me so.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him to me. I rested my head against his chest. "You're right again. You've never failed me, I know that. And I do trust you. You are one of the very few people in my life that I can say that about. I just feel like everything is changing all of a sudden and it's all out of my control and happening too fast for me to keep up with. I know I have got to stop wanting to run away, but that always seems like the easiest thing to do."

He returned my hug and just held me for a moment before pulling back to kiss me on the forehead. "At least now you understand I am always right."

"You've just been lucky that's all." I said back playfully. I can't give Eric all the credit. I've needed a wake up call for some time now and he is right, I have to play the hand that I've been dealt. "So what now?"

"Tell me you're not planning on leaving again." He was being more serious. I could tell he was uneasy at the thought.

"I don't want to leave." And I didn't. I looked up at his face; I don't think I could leave. He took my face in his hands and kissed me. A wave of warmth and lust ran through my body as we kissed. I ran my hands through his hair, down his shoulders and back, he picked me up to took me to the bed on the other side of the apartment.

"You were right about something." He said kissing and nibbling at my stomach as he was unbuttoning the black pants that Pam had brought me.

"What's that?" I breathed.

"I would always be able to find you, if you ever left I would never stop looking for you. Now that you are mine, I will always be with you." He whispered into my leg pulling the pant leg off, while running his other hand up my thigh. Hearing him say that I was his turned me on more than I expected. Every time I heard vampires use the "mine" it always unsettled me a little, but now hearing it come from his mouth, I enjoyed it.

"Eric…" I moaned as he made me feel some of the most intense pleasure of my entire life. We've had quite a lot of sex in the past few days and each experience seemed better than the time before. It felt like little explosions were going off all around us and we enjoyed every second of it.

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Pam had packed my black straight-leg dress pants with my pair of black pumps to go with one of my favorite shirts, a low-cut dark green and black swirl designed flowy shirts. I was scared when I opened the bag that she would have picked one of my more provocative shirts but she didn't and I was thankful.

When we got to the bar, Eric had a dry cleaning bag with a change of clothes waiting for him in his office. He changed and then told me to wait in his office while he went to the front to check on things. The bar would be opening soon. As I waited for him in his office I called Amelia in case she was wondering where I was.

"Hey Sookie, how's Shreveport?" She said when she picked up.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Pam left me a note saying you were going to be there until tonight or tomorrow, I just saw it this morning when I got home."

"It's going pretty well. We're going to hang out here at the bar tonight, I'm pretty sure I'll come home tonight."

"What time do you work tomorrow?"

"At four, so I'm not too worried about coming home late, I slept in a lot today so it shouldn't be too bad." I thought about telling Amelia about the attack from the night before, but I figured that would be better explained later in person.

"Well tell everyone I said hi and I'll see you when I see you."

As we hung up Eric came into the office and sat at his chair. I walked over and sat on the corner of the desk and kissed him. He put his hand on the top of my leg and I put my hand on top of it. "What do you want us to do tonight?" I asked. "Tonight I want us to sit in the middle of the bar for two reasons, one to tell everyone that you are mine and that any act of violence against you is an act of violence against me. And two I want to see if and how well you can read other vampire minds"

"What if I can?"

"Then we are in a unique position."

"Eric, I don't want vampires knowing that I can hear them. If that comes out, then all of you will just fight for me and want to use me for politics and I don't want to do that. I've done the human lie detector job before for the Weres, I don't want to do it again."

"I don't want to put you in that position either Love, that is why we need to see the range of your ability so you can focus and train yourself to not lead anyone into thinking you possess it. Pam is coming, try to read her. She will know eventually one day anyway. She will be great practice for you."

Do you trust her with this?

"Yes, she is my child and you are my bonded. She would never betray either of us."

There was a quick knock at the door before Pam came in and shut it behind her. I moved off his desk and over to the chair in front of it. Pam stood beside me.

"Master." She nodded her head toward Eric.

"Pam." Eric said back. "Who is on door duty tonight? I do not want a repeat of last night. I want strict enforcement of who enters my facility."

"I am tonight, and I assure you I will not permit anyone who has never been here before. It is Wednesday, I do not expect a lot of new customers."

"Neither do I, Sookie will be with me all night, if for some reason at any time I cannot be with her, I want you by her side." He said like I wasn't sitting right in front of him.

"Yes Master." She looked at me and smiled. "How are you tonight Sookie? I hope I picked out an outfit for tonight you approve of." "I wanted to bring the red halter but Eric wouldn't approve."

Hearing Pam's mind shocked me. Anticipating her thoughts made them much more startling when I actually heard them. I immediately tensed up and took a deep breath in. It was such an innocent thought, so normal. I tried not to show that I heard it, Eric acted as if he didn't notice but Pam quickly got a quizzical look on her face and looked at Eric.

"Can she hear us?" Pam asked Eric without speaking. She didn't ask him in a sentence like that, but more like a full thought almost like an image being pushed into his brain. Now this was freaking me out. I knew that vampires could communicate to each other without speaking, but actually seeing it happen in front of me being fully aware of what was being said was unnerving. I sat back in the chair feeling like I couldn't breathe. Eric pushed back to Pam that he didn't know if I could.

"Sookie calm down. Use this as an opportunity to train yourself so you don't give yourself away. Look at how quick Pam could catch on." Eric thought to me quickly.

"This outfit is great, thank you. This is one of my favorite shirts actually. You have great taste." I said back with a grin. Pam wasn't buying it.

"Hmm… I like to think I do. " She smiled broadly at me easing my tension a little. "I think it looks like shit on you."

I was not expecting that curveball. I must have looked like she punched me in the chest. My eyes widened and my head jerked slightly. I was giving it away. I tried to swallow the growing lump in my throat. I was trying so hard to not let tears form in my eyes.

On the outside Pam stood completely composed with her hands in front of her the whole time and had a big smile on her face, having pleasant small talk with me, but on the inside she just insulted me to my face. I have been given insults like that before in my life and they hurt every time. I thought of Pam as a friend and hearing something like that shook me to the core.

"I knew that would work! I knew it! Can you hear me Sookie?"

I could feel Eric try to give me a little courage. I took a deep breath in and stood up. "Excuse me, I'm going to the ladies room." Maybe if I got a moment to myself I could come back better prepared for what Pam could throw at me. I stood up and walked toward the door.

"Why are you leaving? Upset I found out so soon? I mean really? Did you really think you could keep something like this from me Sookie? You know I am smart…"

Good Lord she was attacking my brain with half amused, half annoyed mixture of thoughts. She was cheering herself and trying to get a rise out of me at the same time. I had to force her out of my mind. When I came back a couple minutes later, she picked up right where she left off keeping her outside appearance perfectly natural.

"Glad you could make it back without getting attacked. I could keep this up all day Sookie. You think I can't get you to crack. You really underestimate me…"

"So when are you opening tonight?" I asked steadily. I looked over at the clock and it was nearly eight. Eric was looking at something on his computer and Pam turned to me.

"In just a few minutes." She said lightly. "Why do you care when we open? Can't stand sitting in here anymore with me picking your thoughts? I figure if I keep you attention, Eric won't be able to. Is he in on this with you? This is something he would encourage…" I'm going to the door now, Master." She bowed to Eric and walked toward the door. "Oh this is going to be fun." Was the last thing I heard before I blocked her out. She smiled at me then shut the door.

"Were you able to block her?" Eric asked me.

"Not at first. It was so weird to hear her like that. The whole time I've known her, her mind has been quiet to me, and now tonight she put everything on full blast and bombarded me with every thought in her head."

"She caught on a lot quicker than I thought. I knew it wouldn't take her long but you didn't even last 3 minutes." He chuckled. He couldn't help it, he was proud of his child, but he was also worried for my safety from other observant vampires. "What did she say that got to you so much at the beginning? You were thinking too many thoughts to keep up with."

"I could hear her ask if I could hear you, and then she told me I looked like shit in my clothes. She's never insulted me like that before and it shocked me."

"She didn't mean it. You look beautiful. She was just trying to call your bluff."

I didn't peg Eric for a poker player. "I know it just surprised me."

He took my hand in his and kissed it. "Come on Lover, lets go out to the bar now. Tonight will be interesting."

I had a feeling he was right. He was on a roll with that recently.

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More to come with Sookie's training! Please keep leaving the great reviews! I love hearing what you think!