Authors Note;; Hello all, sorry for the delay! Unfortunately my laptop screen cracked and the only way or writing other than a computer I have is a notebook, and for some reason that just doesn't work for me lately. So the only way I ever have a chance to write is on my sister's laptop, if she leaves it at home by chance. But the good news is, as soon as it's fixed I'll have a ton of time on my hands! But just for future reference, if you want to know why its taking me a while to update or anything I'm going to start keeping a status part in my bio so I don't have to constantly just post chapters that aren't really chapters to let people know of things like this. Anyways, thanks to everyone for all the reviews! I'm thrilled that this story got such a wonderful response! I have a basic plot line now, and I hope you guys are ready for an angst ride!

Disclaimer;; Don't own anything (but oh how I would love a bad ass Viking of my very own), and 'Down In A Hole' belongs to Alice In Chains. Is it me, or does that song eerily fit Eric?

You don't understand who they
Thought I was supposed to be
Look at me now a man
Who wont let himself be
Down in a hole and they've put all
The stones in their place
I've eaten the sun so my tongue
Has been burned of the taste
I have been guilty
Of kicking myself in the teeth
I will speak no more
Of my feelings beneath

Long, powerful fingers rubbed over tired blue eyes. Not tired in the sense of sleep, but he was just so worn out from all of this. His gaze flicked to his sleeping …well, not exactly lover anymore, but his bonded. The sun had just set, but he was glad to see she'd slept soundly and hadn't even moved when he'd removed himself from her warm embrace. He'd tried using a specially blocked number to contact the witch, whom he believed was still living at Sookie's house, but when he'd called no one had answered.

All for the best, he supposed. He'd give it another few days and contact her again. He was itching to get the old Sookie back, yes, but she wasn't completely intolerable now. Just…frustrating. Being so used to the strong willed, proper, prideful creature that was the true Sookie Stackhouse, this broken version wasn't a version he was very anxious to get accustomed to. If she stayed this way forever, he knew he would stay by her side. Pathetically. A millennia old vampire taking care of an insane twenty seven year old human girl. What had his world come to?

These thoughts crossed his mind at least thrice a day, and he pushed them out of the forefront of his thoughts, but he still didn't feel right. Unbalanced. Incomplete. Like something was missing, like something was holding back.

He strongly disliked that feeling.

Tossing his cell phone back onto the nightstand, he got up from the computer chair and walked from his den to the bedroom. The door had been open as usual, so he could keep an eye on Sookie at all times. It was a necessary precaution.

It was only dimly lit in the room, the only light being a soft lamp on a nightstand next to her side (when had the left side been pronounced her side? What was this woman doing to him?), and the rays delicately shone on her skin. Soft, flawless skin except for the occasional scar. Her depleted body twitched his lips into a frown yet again, that seemed to be all he did these days, and he scanned her slumbering form once more.

Hair the color of sunshine flowing over her shoulders, half covering the dainty little hand resting on the pillow next to her cheek, her curled thumb just brushing the corner or her full, parted lips. Thick, dark eyelashes just brushing her cheekbone and skin with only the remnants of kisses from the sun coloring it.

Just from looking at her, the sinking feeling he'd become all too familiar with began swirling inside of him, but he kept his outer façade calm and collected. He tugged the slim fitting black shirt over his head, his golden locks spilling down to say hello to his bare shoulder blades as he, keeping his jeans on as a reminder that he must keep his hands to himself, slipped under the soft, midnight blue sheets and pressed his cool chest into her warm back. Her heat immediately began rushing into him, his skin sucking it up like a starving leech. Without so much of a shutter of an eyelid, her body molded itself to his as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

And there was that petulant, despairing feeling, ten times over.

Ironic, wasn't it, that she was finally accepting him and wanted nothing more than to be in his presence, but now that she was cracked, he'd give anything to give her sanity back to her?

Was this a punishment of some sorts? This beautiful, selfless creature that had flounced into all of their lives on the arm of Bill Compton (his eye twitched a bit at that thought), shining so brightly and so full of innocence it was like she was a form of the sun itself among a world of barbaric, vain creatures who hadn't seen the sun in countless years.

Was it their fault she was like this?

Had they tainted her? Had he tainted her? Had his selfish, insatiable desire of her condemned her to this horrid fate?

If it had, was it worth it?

He couldn't decide. Of course, the guilt lapped at his redundant insides at the mere thought of it being his own personal fault she was in this hell now. But she did seem to be happy, didn't she? She was content just spending her time with him. He had no particular idea why, but she was happy with it so why shouldn't he be?

The feel of her warm, pulsing flesh pressed so snugly up against him answered his own question for himself.

For him, it was hell as well.

Having her practically offer herself to him over and over again, with his own burning need building upon itself as each day passed. Resisting her was one of the more arduous tasks he'd ever endured. Of course, his curiosity was satiated. He'd had her before. But even so, that made it even harder to contest her.

He knew what he was missing out on.

Had he done this to himself? It wouldn't be the first time he'd demolished a chance at happiness. But to ruin her life…

Helplessness washed over him, which only served to infuriate him. He loathed that feeling more than anything in the world. He was a thousand year old Sheriff vampire, god damn it, and there was always something he could do. Gaze falling upon her sleeping, almost angelic features, he simply studied her for a few peaceful moments, a whirlpool of emotions raging inside of him.

He truly, truly hated having feelings.

All he did anymore was think. And his thoughts wandered in all different directions, and he simply despised it. He wasn't a sit on his ass and brood type of vampire. That was what Bill Compton existed for.

No, he was Eric the North Man.

Erik the Viking.

And he was ready to do something.

Determination sparked inside of him, stronger than he'd felt in a few days. Sometimes he thought being around her so much caused a bit of her bipolar disorder to seep into his brain, with the amount of turmoil his mind was churning out recently. Gently rolling away from her he apologized silently with a tender sweep of his large hand over her silken locks, pressing a kiss to her temple. She didn't even stir.

He was a bit reluctant to leave her of course, so he settled to call the one person he entrusted her welfare to.

Slipping his black T-shirt back on, he shoved his feet into the pair of shoes he had closest to the bed and grabbed his leather jacket. While doing these things, his cell phone had been pressed to his ear and Pam's number dialed in a flash.

"Master." Pam's bored, rich voice greeted.

"Pam, report to watch over Sookie for a few hours. I'm going to Bon Temps." Eric replied curtly, keeping his voice low enough so as not to wake his slumbering lover.

"Of course. I can be there in fifteen minutes."

"Make it ten." With a click of a button, he'd hung up and tucked the phone into his jacket.

Ten minutes later, Pam stood in front of him, a wide grin on her face. She was dressed in her filmy black dress, and had obviously been on hostess duty tonight.

"Pam." He nodded, rising to his full height. Even with her high pumps, his child had to tilt her head back to meet his stare.

"Eric." She responded with a similar nod, her eyes scanning Sookie for a mere moment before moving back to him. "Going out?"

He nodded, but didn't offer more of an explanation at the moment as he got the keys to his Corvette from the stand on his side of the monster bed. When he was ready to go, he moved over to Sookie's side, pressing his palm to her temple and allowing his long, slender fingers to tangle in the softness of her hair. "Sookie." He called in an unbelievably soft, velvety voice.

Her blue orbs were revealed and hidden repeatedly as she blinked a few times, before steadying them on his, and a contented little smile tugged at her lips. "Eric."

"I'm going out for a bit, but I'll be back shortly. Pam is here."

Something was odd in her eyes. He couldn't exactly place it. They seemed…Clearer. More alert.

That was odd.

"Kay." Was her only reply, her tiny, heated hand rising to cup his cheek lovingly, thumb stroking the strong line of his cheekbone before it fell limply to the bed next to her head as she was lost to the world again.

Pam wisely didn't push for details as he made his way to the door, but he paused on his way out.

"Pam."

She was before him before the 'm' sound had finished, her head inclined in a respectful bow. "Yes, Master?"

"My cell phone is on me. If she causes any problems, alert me immediately and I'll return as soon as possible. Anything in this house is available at your convenience, as you know. I should be gone an hour or two at most."

"Where are you headed, if I may?" Pam questioned, a bit hesitantly. She was his favorite child, and harbored no doubt about that in her mind, but even his favorite child knew where she could and couldn't step. Luckily, after so many years upon years being at his side, she'd learned how to carefully toe the line.

"Bon Temps, to speak with the witch. I called her previously, but she didn't answer."

"She is a bit distraught."

"So I realize." And with that, he turned and made his exit, hearing Pam close the door behind him. The sun had just set minutes before he'd called Pam, so the tone of blue in the sky was still moderately light. Climbing into his car, he sped off to Bon Temps.

Being the first time he'd left the house in over a month, the windows on both sides were rolled down as far as possible, and his foot was putting a bit more pressure than he probably should have on the gas pedal. He made it to Bon Temps in less than twenty-five minutes.

Pulling into the driveway he himself had paid to remake, a sudden flash of thought made itself known and he reprimanded himself for not thinking of it before. Victor Madden and Felipe de Castro would, of course, be curious as to what happened to the infamous Sookie Stackhouse. The going story was that she'd disappeared shortly after the fae war and he himself, as her bonded, was on the search for her and that was why he was so scarce those days.

A warning bell sounded in his head. Enlisting Amelia's help would be allowing one more person to know Sookie's whereabouts. Every vampire instinct within him was telling him not to, but his pragmatic side was also telling him it was a clever idea.

The witch could help Sookie regain her sanity.

And so, deciding to take the path most helpful, his fist rose and rapped twice on the door.

The sound of a crash echoed from within, coming from the vicinity of the kitchen, followed by a hoarse, under breath curse. Using his enhanced senses, he scoped out the area. The only being around seemed to be the human girl inside, and so he let himself relax.

Just a little bit.

The sound of bare feet padding against the floor reached his ears, and then the door flew open.

"Sookie…?" A breathless, flushed Amelia questioned hesitantly, hope shining in her wide eyes for a brief moment that he would have missed had he been human. Upon seeing it was him, however, that hope faded noticeably.

But it still flickered in there, like a dying ember sucking down oxygen in its last attempt to cling to life.

Amelia Broadway looked…Well, she looked like hell. He'd only met her briefly before, but from his last remembrance of her, she looked like she'd been dragged through a mine field. Her usually sleek chestnut hair was matted and looked like it hadn't been brushed or conditioned in days. Her skin was gaunt across her cheeks and collarbone, seeming to stretch to into thin, frail covering over her bones, the deep purple bags beneath her haunted eyes making her skin look all the worse. Her body seemed much thinner as well, the thin gray sweats just barely clinging to her hips and the overly large black T shirt that smelled distinctly of Were seeming to drown her.

"Eric?"

"Hello. May I come in?" Of course he could, but even Vikings know how to be polite.

Dazedly, she nodded and stepped back to allow him entrance. With a nod, he stepped past her, moving directly to the living room. It spoke volumes about her impression of him, that she just allowed him in so easily.

Instead of taking a seat, he moved next to the couch and stood, patiently waiting for her to join him. Her feet dragged in the slightest, but she held her chin high, a knowing twinkle in her eyes as she moved closer in his bubble than most people would dare.

This one had balls.

Never one to sugar coat things, she looked up at him, meeting his gaze with a steel resolve, informing him silently that lying to her would be of no use. "You know where Sookie is."

He had to respect her forwardness, foolish human girl that she was.

With a curt nod, he crossed his arms across his ribs for lack of a better place to put them. He studied her momentarily, almost sizing her up. Considering her loyalty to his bonded.

"Is she safe?" Amelia asked, her voice tainted with a slight rasp, as if she hadn't spoken in weeks.

She probably hadn't.

A small stab of pity made itself known in his gut, (what was with him lately, feeling empathy for these humans?) and his hard gaze softened the slightest bit.

The slightest fucking bit.

After all, the poor girl had lost the man she'd loved as well as her best friend all within a few days. Of course, she hadn't literally lost Sookie, but that was a fact she was only coming to know about now. The least he could do was not be such a dick. Well, as much less of a dick as he could manage, anyhow.

"Yes. She is…in health. For the most part." The last part he added on a bit hesitantly, unsure of how to tell the girl lightly.

A light eyebrow arched, and her head tilted a few inches in question. "For the most part?"

Cold blue eyes met quizzical ice ones, and he resigned himself to being brutally honest. It wasn't really his way to be otherwise.

"She's lost herself." He was aware this answer was cryptic, but it would suffice. Amelia was a bright girl.

"She's…" The brunette stared at him blankly for a few moments, not completely comprehending his words, before it clicked in her mind. "She's….gone crazy?"

"Put crudely, yes."

"Like bat shit crazy, or just a little loopy?"

Despite himself, his lips twitched in amusement. Had to appreciate the girl's utter bluntness, even in the condition she was in. "Somewhere in between."

"So no ripping people's eyes out and chopping people to bits with a machete?"

Ripping people's eyes out, no. Chopping people to bits? Well…

"Not with a machete." He responded carefully. Had Bill not come around?

Soft, comprehensive blue eyes gazed at him, and not even a flicker of emotion crossed her face as she pondered this information. When she spoke, her words were slow and measured. "So…That's what happened to Bill's hand?"

Surprise flitted across his features, before he strictly controlled them again. His head was too fucked up to just let himself be free as he usually did. The past few weeks had jumbled his brain.

A thousand year old Viking, mind-fucked by a "bat-shit crazy" mortal girl.

Again, what was wrong with this picture?

He was a bit shocked to find that Bill had returned to Sookie's house, after what had happened. Although, he did know Bill loved Sookie, as much as it chagrined him to admit it. Whatever the word meant to the southern vampire, anyway.

He nodded, knowing that common courtesy would have him ask how Bill was healing.

But in all truthfulness, he didn't really give a flying fuck.

So why waste his time?

Opting for that, he simply nodded in response to Amelia, and shifted his weight back subconsciously to rest on the arm of the couch, half leaning on it and half standing, still. She moved to perch on the ottoman mere feet from him, and studied him with slightly wary gaze. Suspicion was written all over her face, and he knew his previous words about her housemate had sunken in fully now. Slowly, her lips parted and she spoke, eyes never leaving him for a second.

Odd.

Humans rarely do that. They always felt the urge to fidget and fill silences with awkward words, while vampires and other Supes were more than content to just have…"downtime", and his Dear One so endearingly put it.

"So is it serious?"

"Very much so."

"Any idea what caused it?"

"None what so ever."

She seemed to trust his words. He was a bit taken by surprise that she wasn't pushing more. Where was he keeping her, was he taking good care of her, who else know. Etcetera. She was taking all of this surprisingly well, but then again he knew Amelia was no faint hearted, heedlessly emotional girl over situations where something could still be done about it. She was very much like his Sookie, in that way, and he found he had a very sluggishly growing respect for the girl.

Another few seconds of silence as she just looked at him, before she softly asked. "Permanent?"

"I'm unsure at this point." His words came easily, thoughtlessly. No point in lying to her anyways, if he was enlisting her help.

"Why are you only telling me this now?"

"Pam had a rather ingenious enlightenment. She mentioned how you have a particularly exceeding knack for Ectoplasmic Reconstructions." His words were very carefully chosen, unsure as to how he should approach her. She was a very strong willed human, and yes, he was the damn Sheriff of Area Five, but hell if he didn't know that pissing off witches was a bad idea by now.

He didn't do it fearfully, of course. Just better thought out. Smart with his words.

"Oh?" This interested her.

"And I'd like for you to-"

"You would like to ask me if I'd Reconstruct the time when Sookie lost her marbles?"

Eric grit his teeth, a flash of irritation rising at how she'd interrupted him and very subtly told him he was being rude by just expecting her to do it.

He strongly disliked having to ask anything of a human.

"Precisely." He ground out, eyes narrowing the slightest bit.

A little, ghost of a smile rose on her lips, as if she was acutely aware of the fact that she was pushing his buttons and he wasn't reacting brazenly, like usual.

"I'll need a day or two to prepare. Get supplies, try to collect my emotions enough to gather control to do this." She stated, almost absently listing off things she needed to do. It wasn't a question in her mind. Sookie needed help, Amelia could give that help. "I'll also have to contact-"

At that, a vicious snarl ripped from his throat and he leaned forward a bit, his fangs running out and baring slightly at her. His inner demon had reacted in a ferocious need to protect, his first instinct being that anyone but Amelia knowing was bad.

Protect his bonded. No harm could come to her, not again.

He didn't think twice about it before his body was mindlessly reacting to her words, and after a second he controlled himself enough to retract his fangs. He leaned back a bit, but his eyes still glinted in silent warning and his shoulders were tense, back stiff.

"No one knows but you."

A roll of blue eyes, and Amelia was on her feet, crossing her arms and metaphorically digging in her heels. "I can't do an entire Reconstruction on my own, Eric."

His jaw locked, and he glared at her for a moment. On one hand, he knew she was telling the truth, and was smart enough to know who to and not to involve in this. He hadn't told her much, but she was a perceptive human and knew it was dangerous for the wrong being to find out.

A compromise was in order.

After all, he hadn't lived for the past one thousand years reacting on his urges and desires alone, but a blend of his and the ones around him.

"You are to contact those who need be involved for this, and only those. Do you understand?"

Amelia bristled for a moment, about to chastise him for his condescending tone and choice of words. But she knew that he was only acting this way out of concern for her friend.

Granted, he acted this way normally.

But she could forgive it in this situation.

"Yes, Eric. I do." She said sincerely, dropping her arms from her waist to hang at her sides, her expression softening at the next thought that crossed her mind. "Maybe it'll be good for me."

The sadness replaced the strong look on her face, and his back stiffened a bit more. That was his cue to leave.

She was Sookie's friend, and he knew he should care simply because Sookie cared.

But, he didn't want to deal with a weeping human woman. Especially a weeping one.

He did manage, however, to gently rest a large hand on her should, squeezing lightly and half smirking at her. "You'll be alright, witch."

A watery smile was his answer, and he couldn't help but wonder if maybe the bi polar issue was just a problem all human women had? After all, she'd just gone from defiant and debating, to melancholy and poignant. He didn't bother to be around most of them for longer than extremely brief periods of time, and if he did he didn't care enough to notice their emotions and opinions.

"I appreciate that, vampire." She said, bringing a hand up to squeeze his wrist. With that, he dropped it, and nodded to her in ways of farewell.

"I must be getting back to Sookie. When you have all that you need, call Pam and she will give you the number you can reach me at."

"Sure thing." She nodded, that despair still evident in her voice.

After another nod, he left without so much as another word. Sliding into his Corvette, he felt the familiar contented sensation rushing over him when he was headed towards his lover. Blood bonds and…feelings tended to do that.

Shit.

Damn humans.

The drive back to Shreveport was brief, with his foot almost pressed down on the gas pedal. Any car of his could take it.

While he was eager to get back to his lover, a small part of him was reluctant. The part of him that made him palms itch every time a smooth expanse of her skin was exposed to him, or made his member stiffen when he bathed her. It was becoming increasingly difficult by the day to resist, when all he wanted to do was take his fill of her, knowing she'd enjoy it.

But that just was attainable right now, and so those thoughts were better left unsaid.

When he pulled up to his comfortably large but not too ostentatious house, he came to a stop in the garage, flicking his hand up to press the button that would close it as he went in the inner garage door that would bring him in beside one of the main rooms.

Immediately, he knew something was wrong.

The atmosphere was completely different, and his body tensed in response. He couldn't smell anyone in the house but Sookie and Pam. What…?

Turning the corner of the little hall that led from the main room to the uselessly large kitchen, he froze for a single, breathless (not that he needed it, but the habit came back from time to time) moment as his eyes fell on the sight before him.

Sookie was standing at the stove, a freshly heated bottle of synthetic blood residing on the counter beside her. The stove was clearly on, by the smoke emanating from the pan in which she was cooking something, a long, sharp knife in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other.

The human part of him felt utter panic, while the shackles of his demon rose. Acting before thinking, he was beside her in a flash, fangs glistening as he grabbed her wrist and removed the knife from her hand, throwing it into the sink with a loud clatter, immediately moving her backwards away from the stove.

And something that very rarely happened over the past weeks happened.

He lost his temper with her.

"What the fuck are you doing? You know you're not allowed to-

"Eric, I'm-"

"Don't interrupt me!" He roared, his fangs running out completely now. Another wave of fury washed over him as she shrank back a bit, eyes widening. He hated when she acted afraid of him, he would never harm her, and he was also livid at himself for losing control with her. Unable to completely reign himself in, he gripped her upper arms as loosely as possible, which wasn't saying much, and spoke through gritted teeth, fangs digging into the soft flesh of his lower lip. "You know you're not allowed to touch knifes, Sookie –"

"Don't you tell me what I can and can't do, Eric Northman!" She scolded, eyes flashing as the danger in him slowly ebbed away visibly enough for her to notice it, and the pure rage across the bond slowly faded as well.

He paused, staring into the blue of her eyes. Completely alert, sane eyes.

"…Sookie?"

"I meant to tell you before you saw her. She woke up and she was just…" Pam's voice came from the doorway, and he saw her lean casually against it out of his peripheral vision.

But the whirling pools of his eyes were only for Sookie.

Sookie and the bright, reassuring smile that rose. His personal ray of sunshine, with her hair blow dried and shiny, mascara lightly coating her fluttery lashes and the slightly bit of lip gloss shining on her full lips.

The words that left those lips knocked the unnecessary breath right out of him once again.

"Eric…I'm fine."

And for the first time in decades, Eric the North Man was rendered speechless.

Bury me softly in this womb
Oh I want to be inside of you
I give this part of me for you
Oh I want to be inside of you

Authors Note;; And that's all for now, folks! Don't get too excited or disappointed or any thing definite, because this is nowhere near the end. Sorry to leave you with a cliffie! I hate when it's done to me too, but according to my beta and best friend, I'm a cliff hanger whore and always leave my chapters with them. Which, in respective, is true.

Aside from that! What do you all think of the new season of True Blood? I'm getting steadily irritated with how much they're changing things, but it's only to be expected. And I must say, as irking as it is that they took away a huge part of what make's Eric, Eric, the haircut suits the actor. I for one can't wait for the Eric/Sookie parts to start being filmed and shown to us! And Evan Rachel Wood is going to play Sophie Anne! I myself am highly excited for that, as I adore Evan and I like Sophie Anne as a character.

Anyways, reviews and any sort of feed back appreciated and welcomed! It's nice to know my work is liked, especially since it's not 4:37 am and I just had to finish this chapter. I tried my best to keep them all as much in character as the circumstances allow. I view Amelia as very head strong and moody, but very endearing. Sorry for the long note guys. Reviews are like crack to authors! Update as soon as possible.

-Lollirot