I Write the Songs Contest Entry

Title: Gonna Get Close to You

Characters: Eric/Sookie

Disclaimer: The SVM characters and Dalbello song belong to their respective owners; no copyright infringement is intended.

Rating: M for mature content

Pen Name: alh1971

Beta: VAlady

Virgin Writer: No (but recently deflowered, started posting fanfic in 5/13)

Teaser: Sookie is being stalked, but by whom? AU. One-shot? Written for IWTS 2013

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AN: Much thanks to my beta for this story, VAlady, who has also become a huge source of support for my fanfiction efforts!

Dalbello's "Gonna Get Close to You" is the quintessential stalker song in my opinion (even trumping The Police's "Every Breath You Take"). People are more familiar with Queensryche's cover of the song, but the original is much creepier (she sounds unhinged to me as she sings, which makes it more effective. Not to mention having a woman take the perspective of stalker).

Outside your balcony... I have a room with a view

(And I'm watching you)

I dial your telephone... each and every afternoon

I wait by your door

'Til you're asleep at night

And when you're alone

I'm there when you turn out the light

You fumble for the keys

I'm six or seven steps behind you!

(I'm so close to you)

Are you terrified of me?

What do I know about you?

How did I find out?

…

…

Sookie had felt as if she was being watched for the past two weeks. During the day, everything seemed normal, nothing out of the ordinary. However, at night it was a different story. A sense of foreboding would settle over her, causing an unpleasant shiver down her spine but every time she turned to look, she could not find an identifiable cause. Sometimes the feeling was fleeting, and the rest of the night would be otherwise uneventful. However (and this was the worst), there were times when it lasted from dusk until she went to sleep. There had also been occasions when she awakened from her slumber in the middle of the night with the feeling that unseen eyes were watching.

She was also haunted during her night shifts at Merlotte's. She would cast her telepathy net throughout the tavern and out into the parking lot, trying in vain to snare any nefarious thoughts that might be related to her unease. But…invariably there would only be the usual banal thoughts of her customers.

It was starting to get to her. She began wondering if she was paranoid, and if she was becoming mentally unstable. She had been grieving deeply over the death of Gran three months earlier, but was she really losing her grip on reality?

Tonight, as she worked the dinner shift, the familiar prickly feeling of dread returned. She leaned against one of the barstools, frowning as she once again tried to find the source of the unease. Sam, who was tending bar, noticed her uncharacteristic surly expression.

"Hey Sook," he said softly. When she didn't respond, he repeated himself, louder to get her attention.

She distractedly turned to him, still frowning. "What?" she barked. She softened when she saw the crestfallen look on his face. She sighed. "Shit, Sam, I'm sorry…what's up?"

"That was exactly what I was going to ask you cher. You haven't seemed like yourself for the past couple of weeks. You want to talk about it?" He suspected that Sookie was still grieving for her Gran, but it seemed like there was something else going on.

"Well, yeah, to tell the truth, something's been bothering me. I feel a little silly mentioning it, but…" she looked around and whispered to him, "I've been feeling like someone's been watching me…following me around. But I haven't been able to hear any…" she tapped her head, signaling their unspoken understanding that she was telepathic.

He nodded as a terrible idea was starting to take root in his mind. He had recently caught the scent of vampire around the bar, which in and of itself wasn't an immediate cause for alarm. Occasional nomads would wander through Bon Temps but he generally didn't worry much since they tended to toe the line due to fear of the Area 5 Sheriff. No one had the balls to mess around with that motherfucker. Or if they did, he heard that they generally didn't live long enough to regret it. But what if one was brave (or stupid) enough to target Sookie?

He tried to placate her. "Huh. You sure you're not just feeling spooked since you're out there at the farmhouse all by your lonesome?" He gave a weak smile and tried to shield his thoughts from her by reciting the days of the week in his head.

She glared at him. "No, Sam, it's not just me being a clichéd little female, scared of being alone. I really feel like I'm being watched…maybe it's the grief getting to me or something. Hell, I don't know…I thought I was coping as well as could be expected, but, who knows? I haven't reported it to Andy because I don't have any proof, just weird feelings." They sat in silence, both lost in their own musings. Finally, she was brought out of her reverie when some customers waved her to their table.

As she walked away, Sam decided to follow her after her shift. He would get to the bottom of this and find out who the hell was messing with her. When a telepath tells you she feels like she's being stalked, you damned well better take her seriously. Plus, Sookie just wasn't the paranoid type.

Sookie continued to try to ignore the disquiet that lasted throughout the night. At the end of her shift, she felt exhausted from the mental and physical strain of working while trying to catch any telltale thoughts from customers. As she made her way back to the employee entrance, Sam stopped her at the door.

"Cher, please don't hesitate to call me for any reason, if you feel scared, lonely, whatever…ok?"

She nodded tiredly. "All right, Sam, I will." She appreciated his offer, and though she considered him a friend, she didn't want to encourage any romantic overtures on his part. Calling him in the middle of the night was crossing the line, in her opinion.

Sam stood at the back door as he watched Sookie get in her car and drive away. He waited for the rest of the employees to leave before he went back to his trailer. He stripped off his clothes and left them inside, as he intended to shift and follow her to make sure she got home safely and to inspect her property. As soon as he stepped outside on his porch, cold hands grasped his shoulders in an iron grip. Before he could shift or otherwise defend himself, a vampire's gaze captured him.

"You will not follow Sookie. You will forget the conversation you had with her tonight. She is doing well. There is no need for any concern about her well-being. You will go inside and go to sleep immediately." The vampire coolly appraised him. "You understand?"

Sam slowly nodded his head and turned back inside his house, closing the door.

The vampire smiled. He had plans for the girl and could not allow this shifter to interfere…He had enjoyed the cat and mouse aspect of stalking her and was delighted that she was aware of his presence, which was causing her obvious fear and anxiety. But, he was starting to tire of the game and decided that tonight would be the night he would finally make his move on her. Satisfied, he sped away, racing to her house.

Sookie pushed her old car to its limits as she rushed home. Despite Sam's seeming dismissal of her fears, she listened to her gut, which was telling her to be hypervigilant. As she turned on to her driveway, her car bumping along on the pitted gravel, she once again had the eerie feeling she was being followed. But there was nothing there…nothing but a void? That was something…maybe she wasn't looking for thoughts exactly, but maybe the…absence of thoughts? Well, that was fucking weird…

She was disturbed to see that her motion lights did not illuminate the yard as she drove towards her home. Sweat began to drip down her face and back in the sweltering car (she had kept the windows rolled up tonight despite her broken air conditioner). She knew instinctively that the lights had not burned out. It was too…convenient for both to be out at the same time, especially since she had Terry Bellefleur come out to replace them just a few weeks ago.

She parked her car in the back and fought the urge to call Sam or turn around and drive back to his trailer. She instead took a moment to brace herself. She felt silly running just a few yards, but it seemed like the feeling of being watched had intensified. She counted to three and then grabbed her purse and sprinted to the door. Although she had her keys in her hand, she fumbled to get the right one in the lock, at one point almost dropping them in her haste. She turned her head to look, as it felt as if there were someone just a few steps behind her, but she only saw darkness.

She finally got the damned key to turn correctly (she had to stop for a second to remind herself of the childhood mnemonic "righty tighty, lefty loosey"). She hurled herself inside, slamming and locking the door immediately.

She slid down to the floor, her back against the little pet door she had added to allow Tina to go in and out of the house while she was at work. She blew out a huge sigh of relief. Tina quickly trotted over to her, meowing a greeting. Sookie petted her while trying to calm herself. She shook her head. This was not a way to live! After a few minutes, she stood and made her way to the kitchen.

She sat her purse down as she went to the fridge to get some iced tea and a tin of cat food from the pantry. Tina watched her closely, keeping up a constant litany of meows. Her cat had been acting skittish lately and Sookie wondered if she was feeding off her anxiety, as she knew pets were capable of picking up emotions from humans.

Sookie cooed to her as she sat her food on the floor. "I know you're hungry, girl. You eat up and I'll sit and drink my tea. But you're coming to bed with me as soon as you're done!"

As she sat at the small dining table, she decided she would call Jason in the morning and ask if she could stay with him for a while. She predicted that he would likely grumble, as it would undoubtedly put a crimp in his romantic life. However, she knew he would acquiesce when she played the scared little sister card. At this point, she didn't give a damn if people thought she was unbalanced or a hysterical female. The truth was, she was scared shitless.

After finishing her tea, she rinsed out her glass and sat it in the strainer next to the sink. She bent down and lifted Tina, who purred contentedly. She started to head upstairs to her room, but once again couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. She put the cat down and went and got the old pump-action shotgun that belonged to her grandpa from the hall closet and loaded a shell from the box on the top shelf. Feeling a bit more secure, she headed up to her bathroom.

She leaned the gun against her nightstand and then took a quick shower. She hurriedly dried off and put on a tank top and pajama bottoms. While combing her damp hair, she turned on her table lamp and shut off the overhead light. Tina was already nestled on her bed, and she pulled the cat closer to her as she slipped underneath the covers. She continued to lie in bed for several minutes with the lamp on, still feeling ill at ease. However, she was so exhausted, her eyes began to close on their own accord. She soon fell into a fitful doze.

She was awakened by Tina, who had suddenly darted to the edge of the bed, hissing. Sookie sat up, her heart thumping wildly, as she tried to orient herself. What had scared her cat? She looked over at Tina, who shot like a bullet out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

Sookie grabbed her gun and crept out the door and into the darkened hall. As she made her way down the stairs, she saw that Tina was nowhere to be found.

Cursing under her breath, she peeked outside but didn't see her cat anywhere. Shit! She suddenly remembered she had forgotten to lock the pet door! She froze, feeling a dark wave of terror roll over her. She was too frightened to go looking for her, but she couldn't just leave her beloved pet outside. Aside from Jason, Tina was all that she had left in the world that truly mattered to her. She hastily made her way into the kitchen, thinking she would lure her back in with a saucer of milk.

She tiptoed to the back door and peeked out the window while holding the gun in one hand and the saucer in the other. The moonlight illuminated the yard somewhat, but all she could see was her car and shadows cast by the trees. She leaned the gun against the wall and slowly opened the door and stepped one foot out on the porch as she leaned over to put the saucer of milk down. In the blink of an eye, she was yanked outside.

She began to scream and tried vainly to scrabble back inside to get her gun. A hand grabbed her by the throat as an arm clamped around her torso, pinning her arms to her waist. She was pulled back into a man's chest. He laughed gleefully as he she kicked and tried to squirm out of his unyielding grasp.

He spoke into her ear. "Go ahead and struggle…it just turns me on." He thrust his groin into her ass to illustrate his arousal. "And by all means, keep screaming…it really is convenient that you live out here where no one can hear you."

Sookie was beyond terrified and furious. She had a flash that she had been right all along and berated herself for stupidly risking her safety. Now she was going to be raped and maybe killed, out here alone, where no one would come to her aid.

She began screaming hoarsely at the top of her lungs. "Please stop, I…I'll give you money, my credit cards…they're in my purse. I'll give you my car…"

She continued to fight as the man grabbed a handful of her hair. She yelped in pain as he cruelly wrenched her head to the side. He whispered, "I don't want your money. I am, however, going to take you in every imaginable way. But first, I will have a taste before we begin our fun."

Sookie felt a stabbing sensation in her neck. She sobbed while he made animalistic grunts as he thrust against her.

Suddenly, the man's head whipped back violently, his teeth tearing her flesh as he pulled away. His grip loosened and she fell to the porch, gasping and holding her wound, which was bleeding profusely.

She looked up and was shocked at the sight of a tall man with long blonde hair holding the head of a shorter, dark haired man. As the body fell and exploded into a pile of viscera, he tossed the head across her yard. The mysterious man began cursing. "Fucking Compton! I knew that incompetent waste would fuck up…!"

His voice trailed off as he knelt down by Sookie. "Miss Stackhouse, I apologize that I wasn't able to intervene sooner. I had been detained earlier tonight with other matters. Otherwise, that piece of shit wouldn't have gotten the chance…" He gently pulled her hand away from her neck to examine her wound.

Sookie was shocked speechless. Everything had happened so quickly…As if in a whirlwind, she had been assaulted, rescued, and now this man was…what? Biting his wrist?

He cradled her and pulled her to him. "I know this is strange, but you need to drink some of my blood. You are weakening from the wound bleeding out. You will need it to heal your injury."

Sookie didn't respond and started trembling violently. Eric recognized the signs of shock and didn't hesitate to put his wrist to her mouth, pressing the back of her head to urge her to drink.

On instinct, she began convulsively swallowing while gasping for breath. After several seconds, Eric pulled his arm away from her mouth and checked her over. The wound on her neck had healed and her heart sounded stronger. Sitting back on his heels, he nodded in satisfaction. Now all he had to do was glamour her to go back in her house, put her bloodied clothing in the wash, shower, and go to bed. He planned to clean off her porch and yard with her garden hose to remove all evidence of Bill Compton.

He shook his head in disgust. Compton had recently announced his arrival into his area, per protocol: a model vampire citizen. However, Eric had smelled a rat and had him checked out because he didn't buy his lame ass story that he had moved to this backwoods town to restore his dead relative's home. And as usual, his instincts were correct, as his sources had discovered that he was the queen's procurer.

How it had pissed him off that the little bastard had lied to his face! Not to mention that Sophie-Anne had failed to divulge her intentions to him, her own Sheriff. After checking for himself that Compton had not made inquiries into restoring the old house, Eric had begun tailing him without his knowledge for the past few days. He had observed Compton's interest in the barmaid, and quickly figured out that she was his likely target. Once he was on to him, he began finding out more information about her, but he had not yet discovered the reason for the queen's interest in this human.

Eric glanced at Sookie, who continued to stare blankly at him. He looked around and saw the saucer of spilled milk. He grabbed it and broke it in half and smeared some of her blood on the edge of one of the shards.

He held her head in his hands and caught her gaze. "Sookie. You tripped and fell, and somehow cut yourself on the saucer. Luckily, it was a small wound but it bled more than you expected. You will need to go inside and put your clothes in…"

She interrupted in a weak voice. "I didn't trip and fall on that plate. That bad man grabbed me and…bbb…bit me!" She started crying again.

He was confused. Glamour apparently didn't work on this woman. Very strange... and yet here was another piece of the puzzle. There was definitely something different about her. In addition to her immunity to glamour, her blood smelled particularly sweet and enticing, and she was very beautiful, even in her bedraggled state. But…there had to be something else beyond the obvious for Sophie-Anne to have sent a procurer to collect her. She would be angered when she learned of Compton's demise, but…he would concoct a plausible justification for initiating his final death. The queen's subterfuge was disturbing and he felt a desire to thwart her plans, on principle alone.

He paused for a few moments before arriving at a decision. The Great Revelation was going to be announced soon, and since he was unable to glamour her, he would…tell her the truth? He looked at her closely, admiring her beauty and courage. Yes, he would reveal the truth to her. She would have learned it anyways had she survived Compton's attack. He bent down and gently picked her up.

"What are you doing…are you going to hurt me? Please don't hurt me." She sobbed as she looked up at him.

He crooned to her. "Shhh…it's okay. I am not going to hurt you. I want to help. But you have to invite me in your house."

"Why…why would I do that? I don't know you…and you, you tore that man's head off! No one can do that!"

"Yes, I had to stop him. He was drinking too much of your blood. I don't think he would have been able to stop himself from killing you…despite his assignment."

Sookie was confused. "Assignment? And why the hell was he drinking my blood? I don't understand…"

"I will explain everything to you, but first we have to get you back inside your house. You are in shock and need to drink something with sugar and eat a little something to help regain your strength." He touched her tear streaked cheek and said softly, "I want to help you."

Sookie sighed. She was utterly exhausted and felt so…drained. She chuckled weakly and stared back at her handsome savior.

"Okay. I guess I don't have much choice, do I?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Trust me, I think you are going to need all the help you can get."

She nodded wearily as she said, "Please come inside."

He carried her over the threshold, bridal style and closed the door.

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AN: One-shot? Probably…