A/N- This Pam POV one shot is set about two weeks after "Dead Reckoning" (the sequel to "Dead Accord"). (Please note- This is not part of the "Irish" series.)

A/N(2)- In repsonse to a PM (thanks to Berne), *yes*, the character of Dustin is from CH's short story "Lucky", from Unusual Suspects.

The characters of the Sookieverse are the creation of Charlaine Harris. I hope she doesn't mind my borrowing them for a few hours.

Dead Set

Well, whoever it was that said 'love is blind' clearly had profound insights. Wasn't it Shakespeare? Or was it Chaucer? Anyway, whoever the hell it was, they were onto something. I look at the two of them and think collision course… He is kidding himself if he thinks she's going to wake up some evening and say sure, you can turn me. I look at them sitting there in that booth, with all their playful banter, all the laughter and joking around, and worry about what's ahead. The first thing he did when they got back was tell me he wanted to talk her into a formal bond and that I had to help him convince her. The first thing she did, right after going back to work with the shifter, was get a suntan. And then she made plans to go help Herveaux's sister in Jackson because one of her employees was sabotaging the equipment in her salon and she was going to hang out there and try to figure out which one. What a fight that was, since Herveaux didn't go through Eric. The look on his face when she told him over the phone that he 'was not the boss of her'… Clancy was so annoyed to have to drop everything to get a new door for the office and repair the doorframe.

I have to admit, much as I used to think it was funny, the two of them worry me sometimes. He really thinks he'll talk her into it. Personally, I just don't see it. I'd enjoy having her be with us forever. It pains me to think of her being mortal. But she politely insinuates that she is definitely not interested. And she is so willful that I can't imagine her with a sire, frankly. It wouldn't be Sookie. Even I probably couldn't take her willfulness and I really enjoy her. Thalia's really into this thing now that she thinks the fae blood runs so strong in Sookie. Even if it's far back. Ever since they got back from Vegas, Thalia's watched her like a hawk. 'She must be protected.' It's very droll coming from Thalia. The whole thing with Sookie getting into that fight with Victor Madden because he was trying to setup Eric has Thalia completely captivated. It's funny to see Thalia impressed with someone who's mostly human. She says those Celtic Fae are just fearless and that that's Sookie in spades. Eric is still so pissed that no one can even mention it around him. I'd have to say that I'm with him on that one. It would be a horrible waste if one of these times she gets herself killed by being too brave or too feisty. I really wonder how bad what he did to Madden was. He won't talk about it. He told Thalia, but only a bit. She seemed impressed, which must mean something really bad. All I know is that he wasn't just staked. Well, whatever it was, he'd certainly earned it.

But that's another thing. She really doesn't like our tendency to violence. I really wonder if Eric is doing the right thing trying to cover everything up as much as he does. One of these days she's going to see or hear something that will just totally freak her out. But I'm guilty of it, too. Even Thalia's doing it now. That kid Dustin, who was feeding off that minor in Bon Temps certainly found a world of woe with Thalia last week when he went back to see that girl and reengaged in their relationship. Thalia kept that one covered up from Sookie, since Sookie seems, for whatever reason, to feel sorry for him and say he's just a kid. But really, Thalia's right- she's doing him a favor. He'll think twice before going back there before that girl is an adult. But Sookie gets so squeamish about those things, our way of doing things, our ethos. So how is Eric planning to reconcile our lifestyle with Sookie's expectations? He's not. Because it's not going to be possible. What is his phrase for it? 'Serious mainstreaming'? And this from Eric? Seriously rich.

I don't know… Look at her, sitting across from him. The way she looks at him… I can see getting drawn into that. I can't fault him on that. I fall into it with her just the same. With all her warmth, her affection, and her genuineness with us. It's very… seductive. But I think the key is that we just have to accept that she may love us, but not want to be one of us. And Eric is going to have a tough time with that. He's so used to getting his way. Other than the takeover, the last time I really recall his not getting his way was before Rhodes when Sophie-Anne took Sookie away from him. He was fit to be tied that time, though I guess part of it was the whole thing with the tiger. But even then, he found a way to turn it around and bind her, which really basically took her away from Sophie-Anne again. Though so skillfully… But he can only get so much of her. And he wants it all. It's obvious that he just can't even bear the thought of losing her. Frankly, I don't like thinking about it myself.

She really loves him. Anyone who pays attention to how she looks at him can see it. It was odd what Amelia told me the other day. About how Sookie has been talking about that cousin of hers who was Sophie-Anne's lover-child. To me, it seems like she must have thought, even if she dismissed it, about the idea of Eric turning her. But Amelia says that Sookie says that her cousin permanently died so unhappy. I guess that shortly after Sophie-Anne turned the cousin, she married Threadgill. Amelia said that the cousin was really broken up about it and that in some ectoplasmic reconstruction thing that Sookie saw with Sophie-Anne that even Sophie-Anne felt bad. I wonder if that is part of what would make her so wary, too. His situation is pretty simple right now, but who knows. It seems like that Roberto Garcia is really poised to do something, if I'm reading between the lines correctly. If Felipe falls, Eric is definitely the most powerful in the state, and if they have some agreement, Eric really could end up being King here. Would he really not make any similar alliances for political gain? I don't know... maybe he wouldn't. Eric is so unorthodox. He really never wants to follow the rules. He always says he's going to rewrite the rules so they fit him better. And he's done that pretty regularly. Frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't quit already, since Felipe chafes him so. Really all of us are sick of Felipe's regime. I really wonder what Eric has up his sleeve. He was all buddy-buddy with Stan a few months ago. Frankly, I'd leave in a heartbeat, ha!, if I thought Eric wanted to go over there instead. If I see that Sandy Sechrest in my face one more time, I swear I'll take her. She's what, maybe twenty years vampire? Even Felicia could wipe the floor with her, with one hand tied.

You know, as much as I enjoy having Sookie in this bar, the two of them are so bad for business. Look at how all the bangers are looking at the two of them. And they're oblivious. Just laughing and going on with their banter. Oh, that redhead just gave Sookie the darkest look. I have to try to get Lena, the new vamp, to keep them away from the booth. And I have to mention it to Thalia. We really need to make sure that no one goes after Sookie if she uses the human facilities or anything. I just can't even imagine what Eric would do if someone went after her. It would be a huge problem. And Eric gets so nasty whenever anyone even makes an overture to him these days. He seems very concerned about making sure she feels secure. Maybe he knows about the thing with the cousin? I should find a discreet way of asking him. But he gets so touchy about anything that looks like it's something that could steer her away from being turned. He made some allusion to problems when they were in Vegas. I'll have to be careful about how I mention it. But if he really wants to do this formal bond thing, I guess I should really tell him. I really wonder how much of his blood she's had. She just glows. He's very evasive about the whole thing. Of course, it's their business. But I wonder though if she's had enough so that if something happened, if someone else turned her, that she'd still be his. I remember that happened with that one guy that Maude had been involved with in Minnesota. He was in an accident and one of her subjects turned him because he was one of her favorites. She's about Eric's age. The guy reacted to Maude as if she was the sire, not the other one. It's an interesting safeguard. Just in case… I really got the feeling that things got a little hairy in Vegas. You never know if someone could try to turn her to control her abilities. Stan was a telepath in life and look what happened to him. If she was turned, it would be important that Eric still have hold over her. Even if it would drive them nuts, he'd be far kinder than anyone else, other than me. But I have to say, it really makes me wonder… She's so resistant to magic, to glamour. If she's even resisting that fae glamour now, then I wonder what would happen if she turned. I've never asked Stan about his sire. I have to read about that in the database. I wonder if the resistance is a telepath thing, or if it's a fae thing. I just can't even imagine if she were ever turned and could resist a sire. Frankly, that would be amusing. That would be Eric getting his just desserts. Imagine that, if he could finally convince her, that she'd turn and be just as stubborn as she is now. Now that would still be Sookie. But I don't even know what I'm bothering entertaining the thought for because she's not even close to ever accepting that idea. Now I'm falling into the wishful thinking, too.

The two of them… each dead set on getting their own way. I wonder if she knows he really would like to turn her. She probably does. Boy, is she trusting. She's always been so trusting of him, ever since they were in Dallas. Although I guess he'd never risk turning her against her will and having to deal with all the anger. Eric really has this thing about wanting to make sure that there's no negativity in any bond. He's very careful of preserving her love. But I really don't see him letting her go, either. Well, the next decade or so is going to be very interesting. And they definitely have time to work it out. She actually looks even younger than when I first met her. She really must have had more of his blood than just when he had to make that bond and the thing with the maenad. Eric is so sly. I don't think he'd ever try to turn her if she didn't really want it, but I bet he's really loaded her up. She really does look younger.

Alright, enough time spent on that. I really have to check the payroll situation. I don't even understand what Clancy was doing. All the waitresses say they were shorted hours. Eric is going to be so pissed if we have to issue new checks… But first things first.

"Lena, make sure that you keep the bangers away from Eric's booth. He's going to lose it if he sees the way some of them are looking at Sookie. And listen… just to be on the safe side, if you see she goes to the ladies room or anything, make sure one of us is around there and that there's no one else in the ladies room, okay? I'm getting a bit edgy about… well, you get the picture. In the interest of all our self-preservation, we have to make sure no one goes after her."

"Of course, Pam. I will personally make sure."

"Tell the waitresses I'm going to try to fix the checks, okay? But don't say anything around Eric. I really don't want him breaking anything else to give Clancy extra work. It makes Clancy unbearably pissy."

"Of course, Pam. I will be careful."

Of course, of course. I can't believe how docile she and Felicia are… No spine in either one of them. You know, all I can say is, if Eric ever does turn Sookie, she's going to be hell on wheels… What are they doing? Oh, great, now they're dancing again. Just what we need to keep the customers in good humor...