Imagine going home for your sister's wedding with plans to lay low for a while, only for the drama to follow you all the way back to Bon Temps.

. .

. .

Glancing at the wedding invitation in hand, you tap it against the steering wheel in an agitated manner. You're excited for your sister, especially since she and Sam had been dancing around each other for the longest time, but this one little invitation had caused you a slew of problems. So here you sit, in your car, in the parking lot of Merlotte's.

Annoyed, you unbuckle and climb out of your car with a huff. Invitation still in hand, you march towards the entrance to Merlotte's and push the screen door open. It's decently packed inside and right away you spot Sam having a conversation with two individuals who are too well dressed to be a local of Bon Temps.

The noise slowly tapers off as you stand your ground by the door, glancing around for a head of blonde hair. You catch Sam's gaze and mentally smirk when he doesn't seem to recognize you right away. As his gaze slides away, realization seems to dawn on him and his gaze is right back on you. "YN?"

Both his companions turn to see what's garnered his attention and you have to fight the urge to gulp when you see just how attractive the blonde male is. Schooling your features, the muscle in your jaw ticks as you hold up the invitation. "Where is she?"

Sam gapes at you as his two companions look you up and down. "Oh, uh, Sook?" He calls out, voice raising. "You got a visitor!"

You hear your sister's reply from the back for whoever it is to hold on and several moments later she's making her grand entrance, ponytail swinging behind her head. Her expression falters when she sees who's standing with Sam, but then she follows their gaze and her expression completely brightens up.

"Oh my stars! YN, is that-"

"Outside." You deadpan. "Now." She stumbles to a stop, expression falling as she tries to guess why your mood is so sour. Tapping the invitation against your leg, your eyes narrow when you see her eyes squint. Don't you dare read me. Get your perky ass outside right now, Sookie Stackhouse. Eyes widening, Sookie suddenly moves towards you as you then glance back at Sam. "Put some music on or something and keep your nosy ass clientele inside."

Sam's lips twitch. "S'nice to see you too, YN."

"Bite me, Merlotte."

You turn around to follow your sister outside, gesturing for her to continue walking to the other side of the parking lot so no nosy locals conveniently walk outside to eavesdrop. However, when you and Sookie are far enough away, those two individuals Sam was speaking with are suddenly there too.

"Sookie," the male muses while his female companion rolls her eyes, disinterestedly looking at her fingernails, "need a hand?"

"It's fine, Eric. YN is just being dramatic."

"Oh you haven't even seen dramatic, little sister."

The disinterested female suddenly looks up and smirks. "Sister? How delicious." Fangs click down and you narrow your eyes at the vampire's leer.

Sookie sighs, nose wrinkling at the female vampire before looking at you with a sigh. "What did I do now?"

"You sent me this," you say while brandishing her wedding invitation. She frowns when she sees how angry you are. "Don't give me that look. I'm happy for you, I am, but you sent a paper trail right to me, Sookie. In my real name, no less, and have completely blown my cover."

"I'm sorry." She winces when she realizes her mistake. "I lost the email you told me to use when you're off on a mission and I was just so excited."

"No one. Not even my co-workers knew exactly where I was relocated to." Seeing that she really does feel bad for her mistake, your anger drains from you and your shoulders sag as you sigh. "I hope you're in the market for a roommate because I need a place to lay low while reinventing new aliases."

"Of course." She suddenly brightens back up. "But just so you know, that pink is coming out of your hair before the wedding. And those piercings."

"No promises." You flare your nose at her, bringing attention back to your septum piercing as she shakes her head in amusement. You and Sookie stare each other down before you finally crack a grin, and then she's throwing herself at you and wrapping you in a hug. "Yeah, yeah. I've missed you too" you sigh. "Now introduce me to the vampires. They look like they have so many questions."

Sookie pulls back, rolling her eyes, but before she can say anything the male is asking, "Don't tell me you're a cop or something."

You slowly smirk. "Or something."

Your sister giggles. "YN, this is Eric Northman. He's the vampire sheriff 'round these parts." You briefly bow your head in greeting to him and his left eyebrow rises in surprise. "And this is his progeny Pam. They run Fangstasia over in Shreveport."

"Cool," you muse. Then hooking an arm around your sister's neck, you drag her around until you're walking back towards Merlotte's. "Now that I'm not angry anymore, you owe me dinner. I want the biggest burger and a basket of fries."

"I'm still on the clock!"

"I don't care. Sit me in a corner and leave me be."

You follow Sookie back into Merlotte's, greeting Sam properly this time and asking for a booth in a corner somewhere. Sam obliges while Sookie goes to place your order and when he asks if you want a beer, you ask for a Coke instead. You're alone for mere seconds when two looming figures are standing next to your table. 

You boredly glance up at them and they take it as permission to sit- Pam next to you and Eric across from you.

"Can I help you?"

"You sure can," Eric says. "You can start telling us everything we need to know about the eldest Stackhouse."

You grin, but keep mum until Sam comes back with your glass of Coke and a straw. He tenses, but you smile at him and assure him you're fine. Reluctantly, he nods and you promise you'll talk more after Merlotte's closes for the night.

As Sam walks off, you say, "First of all, I'm not the eldest. I'm the middle Stackhouse." You sip your drink, relishing in the ice cold liquid sliding down your throat. "And secondly, there's not much to know. If you're curious as to whether or not I'm like Sook, I'm not. I'm completely human." You pause to hum and then shrug. "Well.. human with just a little extra oomph."

Pam's eyes narrow. "How'd you know we knew about your sister?"

"Because you're vampires and I'm not stupid. If one of you hasn't tasted her blood by now, then you've smelt it."

"Hmm.." Eric continues to stare at you, but you don't waver under his gaze. "What do you mean by extra oomph?"

You smirk. "Caught that, did you?" His eyes narrow, but then Sookie is there with your burger and fries. Your attention momentarily distracted, you reach for the ketchup and readily squirt some on your plate. Sookie leaves you when you wave her off and you keep quiet until you take your first bite of your burger, groaning as the flavors explode across your tongue. Lafayette and Terry really knew how to make the best burgers. "I'll tell you the other Stackhouse secret if you two promise this stays between us. You're friends or whatever with Sookie, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

Eric smiles. "Of course."

Popping a fry into your mouth, you roll your eyes. Then lowering your voice, you say, "When I was five, I was kidnapped right from our front yard. For years I was held captive being trained and groomed."

Eric leans forward in his seat, intrigued. "Trained and groomed for what?"

"Ever heard of the Red Room?" Pam inhales sharply and Eric tenses. You make them wait as you take another bite of food, washing it down with your soda right after. "No one other than Sookie, Jason, Sam, Tara and Lafayette know this, so do not repeat it."

"Go on," Eric says.

"They stole children from all over the world, training and grooming them. Those who met their requirements moved up in the ranks while the others were eliminated. Then we got a bastardized version of a super soldier serum and chemically altered to blindly follow orders."

"You seem fine now," Pam says. "What happened?"

"Natasha Romanoff happened," you tell them. "The first Black Widow to defect came back to bring down the Red Room for good. She gave all of us Black Widows an antidote to the chemical subjugation we were subjected to, so FYI if any vampire tries their mind tricks on me I will kill them without batting an eye."

A moment passes and then Eric smirks. "So what, you're a spy for the American government?"

You snort. "No. I'm an Avenger." His smirk faltering makes you chuckle. "I'd been on a classified mission for weeks when Sookie, the not so bright cookie that she is, sent her wedding invitation to my location under my real name. The mailman wasn't exactly a mailman and I'd been made. Shootouts are not fun, enhanced human or not."

"Oh I like you," Pam purrs. "You might be my favorite Stackhouse yet."

"Please," you scoff, "your only other options are Sookie or Jason. Jason isn't so bright and I saw the way you looked at my sister outside. I'm definitely your favorite."

"Well this evening has been enlightening," Eric suddenly muses. Him and Pam are up on their feet in the blink of an eye, and Eric has your hand in his as he bows over it to press a kiss to the back of your hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you, YN, and I assure you your secret is safe with us."

"Mhmm. It better be, Sheriff Northman."

"You're most welcomed to Fangtasia when you have the time." He slowly leers at you. "And I promise to make sure no vampires attempt to glamour you."

"We'll see. Until next time."

You pull your hand back, blowing a kiss at Pam which causes her to laugh. From one moment to the next, the two vampires are gone and you go back to enjoying your food while ignoring every Bon Temps local staring at you in awe.

Gran's house was just as you remembered it, the upgrades Sookie had mentioned not noticeable unless you knew what to look for. The driveway was the most obvious improvement, followed by the silver mist sprayers in the corners of the covered porch as a security measure against vampires. All the electrical outlets and kitchen appliances had been updated as well, and the one improvement- add in, really- was a vampire's cubby hole that could only be accessed through a wardrobe in the master bedroom.

For days you reacquaint yourself with the small town, politely greeting and answering questions for the few locals you can tolerate. You're not surprised to find out Tara is a vampire, but you are surprised at how well she'd taken to the lifestyle. Lafayette is still as you remember, only he's a bit more wary of his surroundings which he should be considering he'd been caught selling V a few years back. Jason is still the little shit you remember, but a more wholesome little shit. He's got a steady job and is apparently doing a lot better for himself.

Merlotte's is busier than you remember, but you're willing to put up with the stares and whispers for some good food. And when your nights seem to drag on, you hit up Fangstasia to see what the big deal is. The establishment, you find, is basically just a small version of your average nightclub. The bartenders and pole dancers are both human and vampire, and Eric watches over everyone from a throne sitting atop a dais along the back wall. The humans, it seems, are mostly there for a daring hook-up, but you're surprised to find out that Eric doesn't permit feeding on his property.

All in all, Fangtasia isn't as fascinating as you thought, but it was still a better place to pass the time since the nosy locals wouldn't step foot in the vampire owned bar.

Then a couple days before the wedding, you finally decide to wash out the pink and touch up the blonde. Sookie and Sam both refused to stop working on the days leading up to the wedding since they already had everything planned out, so you were free to do whatever you wished with your time.

Getting dressed, you have a quick snack while texting Sookie to bring you a meal when she gets off of work. You told her you were going to Fangtasia so she wasn't worried about you being on your own, but that only set her off on her crusade to persuade you against becoming too friendly with Eric and Pam. You let her rant via text, then told her your order again, and finally silenced your phone so you could get on with your drive.

Windows down and one arm hanging out of the window, you drive down the now familiar deserted roads to Shreveport. You're singing along to the radio, not really paying attention to your surroundings. But then headlights flicker in your rearview mirror and you sit a little straighter in your seat. The headlights flash behind you and you pull your arm back in, both hands now gripping the steering wheel. You speed a little faster, eyes darting to and fro to see if anything is out of the ordinary.

Your car suddenly jerks forward from being rear-ended and you swear as you quickly right the car. Whoever is behind you starts blaring their horn, speeding up and causing you to swerve so you don't get hit again. With your phone attached to it's holder, you use the voice recognition feature to call your sister.

On the third ring, Sookie picks up. "Hello?"

"Are you okay?" You ask, eyes darting between the road and the rearview mirror.

"Umm, yes? Why?"

"I have a tail," you tell her. "On my way to Shreveport, someone rear-ended me and now they're chasing me. If you see anyone suspicious, tell Sam and call Tara. Don't take any chances."

"Are you okay?" Her shrill tone makes you grimace. "Are you still going to Fangtasia? Get to Eric. He won't-" From your peripheral, you see headlights entirely too close for your liking. You swear as you slam on your brakes, completely forgetting about the vehicle behind you. Then you jerk forward with a shout as you're rear-ended yet again. Before you can right your direction, metal crunches as the passenger side of your vehicle is smashed in and you're sprayed with tiny shards of glass.. "YN? YN!?"

It takes you a moment to get your wits back about you, groaning in pain since your body has been jerked around quite furiously. "I- I'm okay. I think," you mumble.

"Get to Fangtasia. Now!"

"Car's fucked, Sook. I'm gonna have to fight my way out of this one. Call the vampires if you want, but I need to go. I'll see you later. Hopefully."

"YN, don't you dare-"

You end the call and then quickly unbuckle yourself, your anger mounting at the fact that these neanderthals are hunting you in your hometown. You hear two door slams and glance around to quickly calculate who's coming.

Two. There's two individuals coming.

Huffing and grimacing through the aches and pain, you open the center console and mentally swear when your gun isn't there. It takes you a second to remember that it's taped to the underside of the bedside table back in your room. So with a grunt, you push open your door and stumble out into the middle of the road. "I don't know who you guys are with, but you've officially pissed me off," you shout. "Stalking a girl down a deserted road is really creepy, you sadistic fucks."

"You made a mess back in L.A, girlie. Boss wants you back to clean it up."

When you turn to walk backwards, you realize they're a lot closer than you realized. They're so close that you can see their blades glinting in the moonlight. "If all the boss wanted was for me to clean up my mess, then why are you two idiots trying to kill me?"

One of the idiots slowly smirks. "Well I believe his words were that he wanted you back either dead or alive." His companion starts to chuckle, but what they don't expect is for you to laugh as well.

"If you wanted to kill me or maim me before you'd taken me in, then you should have watched me just a little bit longer." Your sudden halting in motion makes the other two stop as well. "You're in the south, boys. It's crawling with vampires down here."

"Yeah. And?"

"And you just so happened to hunt me down in the one area where the vampire sheriff has become quite fond of me." You slowly smirk and then let your gaze dart behind them. "Isn't that right, Eric?"

There, leaning on the hood of your car, is Eric. "I don't know if I'd say I was fond."

The two men whirl around at the sound of his voice and you use the distraction to lunge. Your knee finds itself jabbing the man closest to you in the small of his back, sending him stumbling forward as you elbow the second man before dropping low and sweeping your leg at his ankles. You quickly scramble forward, punching the downed individual's face once.. twice.. a third time before your hair is grabbed and you're tugged off.

A fist finds its place at your ribs and then your jaw, and you manage to turn in the man's grasp, wincing as you drop to your knees and send a fist into the man's groin until he releases your hair. As he hunches over you, you position your head between his thighs and use your entire strength to push him up and over behind you. As he goes down, there's a sharp burning sting across your bicep, but you ignore it in favor of quickly leaning backwards as his friend lunges with his blade aimed at your face.

The tip of the blade catches your cheek, but you knock his hands away as he advances on you before catching his wrist and snapping it to take the blade for yourself.

Now armed, you go on the offensive punching and swinging the blade until you let your wrist be caught. You go down to one knee, drop the blade into your free hand, and quickly stab the man in the gut. As he groans in surprise, you twist the blade and slide it across his abdomen before knocking him away from you. Then as the second man is getting back to his feet, you take the knife by the tip of the blade before flipping it around. Catching the handle, you fling it with all your might at the second individual and sigh when you hear the squelch of the blade entering the man's throat.

Adrenaline running high, you glance around for any more signs of a threat. Finding none, you allow yourself to sag a little in relief and attempt to catch your breath. "You would think.. that they'd send.. more competent fighters after me."

"I don't know. You looked a little rusty fighting there."

"Oh fuck off. They rear-ended.. and t-boned me. I'm a little banged up here, Northman."

He pushes off your car and saunters towards you. "I thought you were enhanced."

"I am. But it still hurts like hell."

Eric stops right before you, but you're too tired to look upward. "You're bleeding."

"Yep and I'm pretty sure one of those assholes cracked my ribs." You glance at both of your arms before shedding your jacket, grimacing all the while. "Fuckin' assholes," you mumble as you take stock of the gash on your bicep. Then glancing around at the three wrecked vehicles and two dead bodies, you sigh. "I'm going to have to call this in."

"You can call it in when you're back at Fangtasia. We need to stitch you up and let your sister know you're alive."

Your nose wrinkles. "Is it wise to walk into a vampire club while I'm oozing precious nectar?"

Eric's eyes roll. "Fangtasia's closed down for the night. I had Pam on FaceTime so she could see you in action."

"Seriously?" You scoff. "So that's why you didn't intervene? You were too busy sharing my drama with others?"

"Can you blame me? You're the first Avenger to be caught in action in my area."

"I hate you," you deadpan. Glancing around, you ask, "So where's your car? Mine's not drivable."

"I didn't bring my car." Eric slowly smirks and you frown in confusion. "I flew here."

"You can fly?!" You then wince at your own loudness. "Fuck. Yeah, okay. So how are we doing this?"

"I carry you, of course." He looks entirely too satisfied with himself that you can't help but grumble as you tear off the bottom half of your shirt to tie around your bicep. You stop the bleeding as much as you can, then walk up to Eric and do your best not to squeak as he bends down and scoops you up in a bridal carry. "Comfortable?" He asks.

"Not necessarily." You settle your head along his shoulder. "Let's just get this over with. I'm sleepy and starving, but I'm pretty sure no ones going to let me fall asleep tonight after that stupid car crash which means I'm now cranky."

"You humans are so fragile."

"Eat me, Northman."

"With pleasure."

You snort and tug at the hair on the back of his head. "Okay I walked into that one. Now will you please-"

Eric launches into the air and you inhale sharply before curling tighter against him and shoving your face against his neck. You have no aversion to heights, but you've never been carried by a vampire flying at such high speeds.

When Eric lands, you don't bother to attempt wiggling out of his hold. He seems content to hold you and the less movement for you, the better.

"Well it seems I missed out on some fun," Pam suddenly drawls.

You pull your face from Eric's neck and turn to address her. "If you call getting t-boned fun, then.." Pam slowly leers and you sigh. "T-boned, Pam. T-boned! It's nowhere near as fun as being regular boned." Eric starts to chuckle and you sigh. "I hate you both now. Put me down."

Pam chuckles as Eric sets you down on your own two feet. "Well if all the fun's over now, I got a few errands to run." At Eric's approval for her leaving, she smirks. "Toodles. Don't murder anyone else without me."

You stumble over to a table and drop into a chair as a scantily clad woman approaches you, her entire being trembling as she sets a first aid kit and a bottle of water in front of you. You stare at her until she scrambles away and then meet Eric's gaze, eyebrow raising as if asking do I even want to know?

The blonde vampire shrugs as he takes a seat across from you. "That's Ginger. She's been glamoured one too many times to forget some things she's seen or heard, but she is here of her own free will."

"Well I guess I can't argue with that." You open up the first aid kit and start unpacking the items you need. Once you have it all, you go about unwrapping your bicep and pour some water on a piece of gauze to clean away all the sticky blood. The cut definitely needs stitches, but there's no needle so you settle for smearing some antibacterial ointment over it and slapping a few butterfly bandages on it. You then wrap gauze around your arm several times before taping it off and sit back with a sigh when you're done. "I need a beer."

"Ginger," Eric calls out, "get Miss Stackhouse a beer."

As Ginger does as she's told, you pick your hair up into a ponytail and tie it off with the tie around your wrist. You grimace all the while, then turn your attention to Eric. "Do you have a laptop I can use? I left my phone in my car."

Eric snaps his fingers. "Ginger.."

"Jesus Christ," you mutter. "She's not a dog." You accept the beer from the woman, smiling tightly at her and then saluting Eric. "Cheers. I hope you keep these coming because I can't deal with this video call I'm about to make and my sister when she gets here."

When the laptop is set on the table, Eric opens it up and types away before turning it towards you. Right away you pull up Skype and log into your own account before checking who's available to call. Tony, unsurprisingly, is available so you go ahead and call him.

Angling the screen so it hits you just right, you lean back in your chair as you nurse your beer. Moments later, the call is accepted and Tony appears on screen.

"Stackhouse! How's it hanging, agent spider?"

"I could be better," you tell him.

"Ohh? Do tell."

"Has there been chatter about anyone coming after me?"

Your question causes Tony to cease what he's doing and give you his full attention. "Not a peep. Why.. what happened?" He pauses and then, "Where are you? Are you at a sex club?!"

Eric snorts and you glare at him over the screen before answering Tony, but not before you take a gulp of your beer while it's still cold. "I was ran off the road and attacked. Two assailants. And I'm at Fangtasia, not a sex club."

"Fangtasia. Fangtasia," he muses. "Why does that- is that the vampire club?" Tony gasps. "Did you become a fangbanger without letting me know beforehand?!"

You close your eyes and groan. "Oh my god. Why do I surround myself with idiots?"

"Hey. The owner is supposedly a viking, right? Did you bang another viking, Stackhouse?"

"First off," you trail off to point at Eric, "stop smirking." Then you glance back at the screen to see Tony sitting there wide-eyed and excited. "And secondly, how many times do I have to tell you that I didn't bang Thor!" You pout at Tony until your lips twitch and you casually sip your beer once more. "I banged Loki."

"Ugh. Gross!"

"We both had needs that needed tending to," you laugh. "But all that's over now."

"I should hope so. You were dating my best friend, after all."

The new voice causes your amusement to vanish and you sit a little straighter in your seat. Across from you, Eric picks up on your mood shift right away. "Captain Rogers," you deadpan. "I didn't know you were in the room. Apologies for the language."

Tony rolls his eyes as he makes room so both he and Steve are on camera now. "It's fine. You're not on active duty." Though you should be relieved, you're not. Ever since you had a falling out with his best friend, things were strained between you and Steve since he would always side with his friend over anyone. "But since you were attacked, we'll need your coordinates to pick up the assailants and question them."

"Sorry, Cap. No can do."

"Why not?"

"Because they're dead." You drink the last of your beer, wiggling the empty bottle at Ginger who nods and grabs you another. "It was me or them and I chose me."

Steve gives a long suffering sigh. "Agent Stackhouse. That isn't-"

"Excuse me," Eric suddenly says, easily lifting you up off your chair and taking your seat as he places you on his thigh. You keep from rolling your eyes and laughing when you see Tony gape at the screen. "I believe the killing was my fault. You see, I don't take too kindly to men attacking women in my area and breaking the rules."

Steve's eyes narrow. "And just who are you?"

"Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area Five." His fangs click down and you bite the inside of your cheek to keep from laughing. "Vampire."

"Holy shit," Tony exclaims.

You snort and take a sip of your new beer, shaking your head in amusement and subtly elbowing Eric as his hand smoothes over your right thigh before patting the side of your ass just off camera.

The club door bangs open. "YN Stackhouse!"

You jerk to attention and Tony suddenly looks a little too gleeful. "Uh.. who was that?"

"Do you know how worried I've been?! Answer your phone!"

You sigh. "My sister." Glancing back at the camera, you say, "You boys deal with Sheriff Northman for the details of what went down while I go deal with the harpy. Keep an eye and ear out for any chatter about myself. I have a feeling there'll be more to come."

"You get off of Eric's lap right this instant!" You groan at Sookie's tone as you stand and chug the rest of your beer, a small part of you wanting to plop right back down onto the vampire's lap. Sookie comes to a stop right before you, hands on her hip. "Well? Why weren't you answering your phone?"

"Did you or did you not see my car on the way here?" You ask. "I was a bit busy, Sook."

"Well you could have called me afterwards."

"My phone stayed in the car and I was still too busy to check in with you. I needed to patch myself up and then inform my teammates back in New York of what happened."

Sookie huffs and it's then your injuries finally register with her. Her expression softens just a bit. "Are you okay?

"Yeah. Just a little banged up."

She winces as she looks at your face. "You're gonna need a lot of cover-up for the wedding."

"I can actually help with that."

You both glance at Eric as he shuts his laptop, sitting back in his chair as he smirks. Right away, Sookie steps in front of you. "No. No way."

"What?" You frown. "Why no way?"

Eric doesn't say anything, but Sookie ends up explaining for him anyway. "Vampire blood heals. He wants you to take his blood."

"Okay," you drawl, confused. "Isn't that a good thing if it'll make my wounds go away?"

"Yes-"

"No!" Sookie screeches. "Taking a vampire's blood- it changes you."

You pause. "What kind of changes?"

"What your sister is too prude-ish to say is that if you take my blood, you'll have sex dreams about me."

Sookie gasps in outrage, but you shock her silent when you shrug. "I still don't see a downfall to taking the blood."

"Are you serious right now?!" Well she wasn't shocked silent for long.

"Well I mean.." You shrug again and glance at Eric. "Is it a normal sex dream or is it a dream where you're actually there and will know what happened?"

He slowly grins at you. "I won't know the details, but I'll know you dreamt of me."

Sookie scoffs. "Yeah because the next day she won't be able to keep her eyes off of you."

"I honestly don't care about a sex dream," you say. "I have no problem admitting Eric's an attractive man, so of course I'm gonna be ogling."

"YN."

"Sook, just stop," you tell her. "If there's a chance I'll be able to look flawless in my bridemaid's dress, why shouldn't I take it? I'm a big girl."

She opens her mouth to retort, but closes it and crosses her arms over her chest in a huff. "I still don't like it. He's just using this as an excuse to get your blood in return."

"I am not."

You grin at Eric's petulant tone and pout. "Why? Last I checked, I'm no fae. I have regular human blood."

"It's so he can track you. If he takes your blood, he'll know where you're at and what you're feeling so long as his blood is in your system."

"Wait, what?" You glance at Eric, intrigued. "Would that really happen? You'd know what I was feeling and my location?"

"Yes."

"Holy shit. How didn't I know this?"

Sookie frowns. "Why do you sound so excited all of a sudden? You should be revolted."

"Sookie, I'm an Avenger. An isolated Avenger at that," you tell her. "Two men were sent after me tonight and failed to take me in which means the next batch coming will have more numbers. I was lucky I was on the phone with you earlier when the attack started. Can you imagine the next time? I probably won't be so lucky."

"And if I take your blood, I can be there the next time you run into a spot of trouble."

"Exactly."

Your sister sighs. "I hope you know what you're getting into."

"I'll figure it out along the way." You laugh as your sister throws her hands up in exasperation. As she turns and starts walking towards the door, you call out after her. "Don't leave without me! Neither of us are going anywhere alone for the foreseeable future, young lady!"

"Shut up and drink some blood!"

"Come get me if I'm not out in five minutes. I'm not tryin' to bone the vampire. I just need his blood." Sookie slams the door and you laugh some more, turning towards Eric. "So are we doing this or am I going to have to convince Pam?"

Eric's expression immediately closes off and he's up and out of his seat within the blink of an eye. You gasp at his sudden closeness, his fingers tracing either side of your jawline as you're forced to stare up at him. "I am the only one allowed to take Stackhouse blood."

You gulp as you reach up to encircle your fingers around each of his wrist. "O-Okay." Another blink and suddenly you're in what appears to be an office, straddling Eric's lap on a leather couch. "So how exactly are we going to do this?" You ask as your hands fall onto his chest then.

"Depends." One of his hands falls away as he uses the other to trail his fingers along the side of your neck. You shiver as you slightly angle your head to give him more room. "Having my mark will put you under my protection, but it will also label you as a fangbanger to the locals."

"I- I couldn't care less of what the locals from Bon Temps thought," you stammer.

"And your sister?"

"I'm a grown ass woman, Northman. I can put my sister in her place if need be."

"Very well, but I feel like I should warn you that the moment we exchange blood you are mine."

Hearing his fangs click startles you, but when his words register you tense and sit a little straighter to glare at him. Claiming was a big deal in the vampire community. "This isn't long term, Eric. I won't be in Louisiana forever."

"I know, but so long as you are in my state you are mine."

"Mhmm.." You hum, taking a moment to quickly think things over. "I.. will agree to a temporary claim IF for the duration of the claim you don't fuck anyone else. I don't like to share."

Eric freezes and then slowly smirks. "Are you saying you're going to fuck me?"

"Well not right now I'm not," you say. "And stop looking at me like that. You know you're attractive and I have a weakness for tall men. Sue me."

He chuckles. "I have a feeling your time here is going to be fun."

"You'll grow tired of me the sixth or seventh attempt on my life."

"Doubtful. I'm going to enjoy having an Avenger all to myself."

"Yeah, yeah. Can we just get this over with now? I'm still hungry."

"After you then."

Eric raises his wrist to his mouth, fangs easily slicing through the skin there. When he turns his bleeding wrist towards you then, your nose wrinkles as you hesitantly reach up to grab onto his hand and arm. "Here goes nothing." You try not to gag as the warm, metallic taste of blood hits your tongue, but then from one moment to the next the taste changes. There's a heady tang to it now and it makes your eyelids flutter shut as you grip Eric's arm tighter.

You groan as you greedily drink some more, your hips unknowingly rocking back and forth in his lap. Eric's free hand finds purchase on your waist, guiding your movement as the fire in your lower belly builds and builds and..

Moaning, you pull your mouth free from Eric's wrist, hands gripping his shirt. Your hair gets brushed off the side of your neck until suddenly there's a grip on the back of your neck bringing you forward. You barely have time to utter a sound before there's a sharp pinch at your neck.

"Fuck.. oh fuck." You tremble in Eric's arms as they encircle your waist, hands gripping on for dear life as he drinks from your neck before soothing over the puncture wounds with the tip of his tongue. You feel him lick around the wound, capturing any lingering blood before you feel the brush of his lips in a light kiss along your neck and shoulder. "That.. is so not fair," you mumble. All of a sudden you feel as if you're high. "No wonder people become a fangbanger if that's how it feels every time."

"You've seen nothing yet," Eric muses. "You've not truly experienced a good bite until you're mid-org-"

You clamp a hand over his mouth as your eyes finally open and you stare at the blonde vampire who looks more than a little smug. "Just stop- stop talking. God even your voice-"

He chuckles beneath your palm and teases your palm with the tip of his tongue until you release him. "As much as I'd like to continue this, I just heard Sookie re-enter the club."

"Until next time then?" You sigh.

"Mhm. Sweet dreams, little Stackhouse."