True Blood 1. Setting the Board

A Scandal in Shreveport\- Chapter One- Setting the Board

Sookie paused to glance at herself in the full length mirror before exiting her suite. Her body was tan, taught and tight, and looked every bit of twenty five years old. Checking her reflection Sookie arranged her sheer black covering over her black lace panties and pirouetted on her four inch black heels taking in the back as well the front of her outfit. The covering hung just right, covering her nipples while exposing the maximum amount of her skin, playing peekaboo with the swell of her ass cheeks peeking out from her lacy panties. Nothing was shown, everything was implied. The eye was drawn helplessly to the coverings flower pattern, forcing you look twice as hard as a sheer top would. As with most things where this woman was concerned you couldn't be sure what you were seeing and what you weren't.

She liked it best that way.

She had made a name for herself as The Mistress, the Fae Dominatrix of Shreveport. Her skills to pleasure were legendary. She took any client who met her criteria. First, they had to be able to pay. Second, she had to find them interesting, or useful. While few people were interesting, they could more often than not be quite useful. From the lowliest human to the most ancient supernatural, they could all be useful.

Her blood, magic and sexuality let her dominate them all, from human to supernatural. In a thousand years she had never met anyone that did not fall at her feet. At least not yet, she thought, seeing ice blue eyes in her mind. He will be different. He will be a challenge.

In her hand she held a riding crop that would be used on her client shortly. A smile ghosted across her lips. She found pleasure in whipping them; setting them free of their self-imposed mind traps and inhibitions as they embraced the things that they were forced to suppress every day. She enjoyed giving them what they liked, but more than that, she enjoyed helping them figure out what they liked.

Her client was waiting. It was part of the experience. No one made Willa Burrell, the Louisiana Governor's daughter, wait for anything. So, when she came to see Sookie, she waited. Sometimes she waited cuffed to a bed. Sometimes she waited in various states of undress. Always, she waited for variable amounts of time. Sometimes, with others, sometimes, alone and ignored.

Willa liked to be ignored, insignificant. Her father had been in the political lime light since she was a small child. So much attention left her feeling…inhibited, restrained and oppressed. What she desired most was to feel free of that spotlight; free to explore whatever her heart desired, to be for the briefest of times, unseen, and have no expectations placed on her actions.

To reinforce this image of her insignificance, her invisibility, once Willa was cuffed to the bed, Sookie had various staff members come into Willa's room and act as if she wasn't there at all. Their actions always varied, sometimes they talked to each other, sometimes they had lunch, sometimes they sat and stared out the window, not talking to Willa at all before abruptly leaving. Today, they were fucking, on the bed at Willa's feet. Willa was cursing at the top of her lungs, trying to break their concentration, trying to get them to acknowledge her presence.

Sookie glanced at the camera in suite that showed Willa pulling her arms tighter in the cuffs as she rubbed her thighs together attempting to relieve the tension building there. She was very turned on by the couple at her feet and wanted to touch herself. Willa especially enjoyed masturbation, it made her feel powerful and independent to bring herself to climax she had told Sookie once.

Sookie pressed a button on her wall and Willa's cuffs relaxed enough that she should reach her nipples, they looked hard enough to cut glass as she pulled and tweaked them, continuing the writhe on the bed. The couple were still locked in their passionate embrace, close to orgasm from the sound of their panting and grunting that now drowned Willa out completely. Sookie was heading toward the room, ready to begin her session Willa when her mobile rang. Smiling at the caller ID she purred when she answered.

"I was wondering when I would hear from you."

"I have something for you. Downloading now." She glanced down at her phone and saw she had an incoming picture. "I think it's time you reached out." Sookie's heart skipped a beat. She had been waiting for so very long. Her mind filled with images of her quarry, his blond hair, his cold crystal blue eyes. She felt her panties moisten. She rubbed her thighs together sighing appreciably at the friction.

"I will do so, at once."

"You're sure you can handle him?" Sookie giggled.

"I can hardly wait He was made for me!" The caller hung up and she looked down to see the picture that had finished downloading to her phone. Her heart raced as she looked at the image on her phone. It was him, Eric Northman, kneeling at a crime scene by the river, looking intently at the camera that had just taken his picture, as if he knew she would be seeing it. In his eyes she saw questions. She wanted to make him ask them at her feet so she could hear the answers. So she could see if they matched her own.

Setting the phone down, she turned toward the room that Willa was in, smacking her leg with the riding crop, making a popping sound. "Have you been wicked, Ms. Burrell?" She called out as she entered the room.

"Oh, y-yes, Mistress," came her breathy tortured reply. Sookie closed the door behind her.

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Behind his back, by both humans and supes, Eric Northman was called The Vampire Sherlock of Shreveport. To his face, very few humans or supes acknowledged him at all. He offered his liaison and investigative services to all law enforcement, human and supernatural alike. He walked across the worlds, and could help each side make connections that might otherwise miss when a crime was committed.

For human criminals, Eric's sense of smell, heightened vision and powers of observation and deduction made him seem downright mystical at times. He was a storehouse of knowledge both historical and supernatural, having been alive for nearly a thousand years himself. For supernatural criminals, his connections and physical prowess guaranteed that he would get the job done.

His position was unique, and made him a necessary outcast of sorts, but it left him alone with his thoughts, where he was often the happiest. People, all people, bored him. There were two exceptions to this rule.

The first was Godric, his longtime friend and companion through the centuries. Godric, being even older than Eric, served as back up enforcer, on the rare occasions that Eric needed support. In addition to that Godric also provided a buffer between Eric and the rest of the world, serving as translator, protector, and Eric's one and only true friend. The second exception was a mystery, not any mystery, because very little was a mystery to those who had eyes and ears and the tiniest ability to even reason for themselves. But every great once in a while there was a true mystery, and that, THAT was when Eric Northman wanted to be on the front row.

Godric had been the one to tell him of his new nickname, The Vampire Sherlock of Shreveport. After they had both gotten done laughing they wondered for a moment if they should tell the world that Sherlock Holmes and John Watson had actually been based on them. Doyle had been a close friend to them both, and it had started out as a joke when he had written down one of their cases and sent it to the paper. It had been a surprise to all of them when Doyle had gotten requests for more stories.

Now Godric, seeing the need to open the minds of the general public the idea that there was help available to them should they ever need it, shared their cases with the public on his blog, something that Eric had great contempt for.

"You're keeping a what?" he had asked Godric, when he had first been introduced to the notion that Doyle was alive and well even now, albeit in a new form.

"A… blog," Godric repeated, speaking in exaggerated slow sounds, continuing to type as though he hadn't been interrupted.

"Why would you do that?" Eric, pressed, genuinely confused as to why Godric would bother. As much as he had liked Doyle, Eric had been relieved when the Holmes stories had stopped. He preferred anonymity, and it was hardly possible to be anonymous when someone was blathering on and on about every move you made to the general public.

"Because," Godric began, adopting the tone of patience that he used with Eric when he was explaining something that was patently obvious to him, "the only way that either side will come to accept you is if they truly believe you have nothing to hide. Being direct and forthright about your dealings will eventually convince them that you are not playing to either side against the other."

'Sherlock' snickered, "Of course I am not. They are all hopeless idiots, there is no reason to choose one above the other!" Godric, who had his back to Eric, rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but despite the general incompetence, Eric, they keep you in blood and do supply the occasional challenge for you, so they can't be all bad." It was Eric's turn to roll his eyes as he sauntered to the fridge to warm a blood for himself. "And, there is also the occasional person, the level of dullness aside, who actually does need the kind of help only you could provide." That earned him another roll of Eric's eyes that he might not be able to see but could sense after all their years together.

"Blogs, Twitters, Facebook, when did everyone suddenly start to believe that everything they had to say was so important that the world had to hear it? That every thought that crossed their minds was to be shared with the masses?" Contempt was dripping from Eric's voice as he went on. Godric, well used to his rants by now, kept typing and tossed over his shoulder.

"Oh, you mean when did they all start to think they were you?"

"Me?!" Eric was aghast.

"Oh, yes. You, 'the great detective!' Every pearl that passes your lips, those around you should stop with pen to paper and listen. No matter how inappropriate; if it crosses your mind, if crosses your tongue. I can hardly take you anywhere!"

"Most people are incapable of understanding what I am even saying. Why would I twitter to imbeciles?" A pensive look crossed his face, "Why would anyone twitter to imbeciles?" he asked himself quietly. Trying to figure out what the purpose of that was exactly. He needed to think on this, there must be some reason for this that he was missing.

"You miss the point, Eric, it's not about what you say, or they say or how it gets said, it's about the over blown sense of self importance. That is what you have in common with the, how do you call them, 'unwashed masses'."

"I assure you that my sense of self importance is just right and that furthermore that you agree with me." Godric stopped typing, turning in his chair to face Eric.

"I do?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, you do."

"And how would you know that?" eyebrow rising still higher.

"Because, you are still here with me after all this time…'blogging', whatever the hell that is!" Godric smiled and turned back to his keyboard. As usual, Eric's logical conclusions were air tight.

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"Godric?"

"Yes?"

"Set up a twitter account for me."

"Really?"

"Yes. Why are you sighing, Godric?"

"You're 'the great detective', figure it out. Here, give me your phone."


	2. The White Knight

_A/N- Big thanks for those of favorited, are following and who commented on this story. This has been a blast to write and your comments fuel the fire_!

**A Scandal in Shreveport**\- Chapter Two- The White Knight

"There was a message waiting from Governor Burrell when I rose this evening. We have been summoned to his Shreveport residence."

"Boring!" Godric sighed and waited for Eric to get it all out of his system. Sometimes it took a while, and sometimes it never happened at all. "I am not in the mood to be bored this evening by some political human sycophant who lost his dog, or his mother, or his wallet. Besides," Eric continued, looking at Godric pointedly, "Burrell has proven that he is no friend to any supernatural, _especially_ vampires. The fact that he would think I would help him only indicates that he is too stupid to benefit from my assistance."

Suppressing the urge to sigh, and roll his eyes again, Godric warmed himself another blood and moved toward his laptop to see if any other cases had presented themselves while they had rested. "Oh, here is one from the website-."

"Website? What website?" Eric vamped over to his side and looked down contemptuously at the laptop.

'"The…blog."

"You're using that tone again, Godric. Stop using that tone with me."

"I am not using a tone with you. I am simply trying to explain-" he was interrupted by a tweeting sound coming from Eric's pocket. "What is that sound?"

"What sound?" Eric took his phone out and looked at it quickly, frowning when he saw the latest tweet from a group called_ The Hunted_ regarding something called "roundup".

_1st &amp; 3rd swarming tonight!_

"The sound coming from your phone. What is that, the twitter account you had me set up?"

"It's nothing. We have to go." Turning then Eric headed for the door.

"Go where?" Godric called out following him. Eric just kept walking grabbing his long coat with the high collar on his way out the door, clearly expecting Godric to follow him. Outside Eric took to the air immediately headed toward downtown Shreveport. He landed on top of building nearly the intersection of 1st and 3rd and hid in the shadows, looking intently down at the street. Godric, taking is queues from Eric, kept to the shadows as well, following his gaze.

Below him he saw several unmarked black vans. There were humans dressed in black sweeping the area intently, weapons poised and ready to strike. They were the only people on the street this evening. _Curious for this time of evening_, Eric thought. He also took note that each end of the street there were detour signs that said 'closed for maintenance'. Looking back at the humans, he recognized from the way they moved that they had military training. They swept the area in pairs, communicating via radio signals. He had no problem hearing both sides of the conversation.

"_Team two report, any sight of the unfriendly?"_

_"Negative, we had him in sight for a moment, and then he seemed to just disappear." _

_"They can do a lot of thing but they are not invisible! Keep looking! You know how pissed he's gonna be if we lose this one!" _

_"Roger that." _

_"You damn well better, roger that, asshole!"_

"Fuck you, peckerwood," the lead soldier muttered, but didn't transmit that back. Looking at the human beside him he jerked his head and they moved on down the street. Eric's enhanced vampire senses told him that the leader of these humans tracking below him liked to drink and was unfaithful to his mate. His clothes were permeated with a smell that indicated long term exposure to one female, and that was over laid with the more recent scent of sex with a different female. He also curiously smelled of bergamot and was sweating profusely, his heart racing though on the outside he seemed calm and icy.

Eric could also tell that they were hunting a young vampire that was hidden in the ally they currently headed toward. The quiet of evening was shattered by weapons fire and then the radios lit up again everyone talking at once. The humans that had been hanging back began to rush toward the sounds of gunfire.

"_We have him! Hit him with the net!"_

Eric and Godric watched the team converge on their target and heard the sound of a weapon fire immediately followed by screams from the vampire. They had hit him with a silver net. Godric immediately started to move toward the vampire to assist him, but Eric touched his arm and shook his head indicating they should wait. Because they knew each other so long they didn't need words to speak. Godric wanted an explanation but Eric couldn't provide one, not yet anyway. Trusting his instincts, Godric went against his impulse and his nature and held back. It wasn't easy.

They watched as the screaming baby vampire was loaded into one the black vans, still silvered. Several of the men ran to the ends of the block and remove the maintenance signs, loading them into the back of the other van before speeding off into the night.

"What the fuck, Eric?! You just let that happen!"

"Follow them from above and let me know what you find. Do not let them see you!"

"Where are you going?"

"I thought you wanted to go see the governor?"

"Now you want to see the governor?"

"No, but you asked me to. Besides," he smiled down at Godric, "maybe it won't be so boring after all." Godric watched Eric fly off toward the governor's mansion and clenched his fists to center himself and calm down before he followed the vans. Even after all these years, Eric was still the greatest mystery of all.

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"Governor Burrell will see you now, Mr. Northman." Eric rose to follow the woman into his office. Automatically, his senses inventoried his surroundings, taking in everything around him. By the time he was seated in front of Burrell's desk he knew that the man had a liver condition brought on by too many years of drinking, and that was taking homeopathic medication for illness. He also had high blood pressure, and he was having an affair with his assistant.

Keeping his face calmly pleasant he ignored Burrell's extended hand and waited for the explanation of why he was here. Burrell, who had extended his hand more from reflex than a true desire to touch the vampire now seated before him expertly swept past the awkwardness of the moment and got right to the point.

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Northman, I know you are a busy man." He hesitated again, he had called this creature a man, but Eric could read the micro expressions that had passed Burrell's face and knew that he was not considered a man at all. More a necessary evil for whatever it was that he had been summoned for this evening. When Eric didn't respond, instead merely sitting there completely still staring at him, not evening blinking, Burrell suppressed a shiver that again, Eric didn't miss, and pressed on.

"A situation has come to light that requires your unique, talents." Again, the stress of the words talents didn't slip past Eric. He could hear the contempt raging beneath the fake compliments and the false smile. He hoped this asshole got to the point before he lost his patience and decided use his aortic valve for a sippy cup.

"I was contacted today by Sookie Stackhouse regarding some compromising photographs that she has of my daughter, Willa."

"Pay her."

The governor blinked. "What? She-"

"Whatever she wants, pay her." It was possible that Eric had underestimated how stupid this man truly was after all. It was curious considering how low he had set the bar already. Everyone knew who Sookie Stackhouse was, and that you didn't fuck with _The Mistress_, as she called herself. When she had setup shop in Shreveport fifty years ago he and Godric had made a point to avoid her entirely. She was legendary in her ability to seduce, and cause trouble, though not necessarily in that order. Her exploits held no interest for Eric. She was Fae, and they were full of trickery and deceit. Godric had spoken of her several times when she made the papers with her latest hijinks. As soon as Godric would bring her up, he would either declare the topic 'boring!' and leave the room, or just leave the room, effectively ending the conversation. If this man thought he could get one over on The Mistress he needed more help than anyone short of a prescription pad could offer.

Getting himself under control, the governor, tried another approach. "I have been told that your skill and discretion are things I can count on, Mr. Northman."

"Obviously," was Eric's only reply, no longer able to hide his level of boredom with this imbecile. It went without saying because otherwise, the governor would have called someone else to bore to True Death tonight.

"She didn't ask for money." The governor said through clenched teeth. Eric raised an eyebrow.

"What did she ask for?"

"Nothing." Now both Eric's eyebrows went up and he felt a fleeting sense of surprise. That never happened. "She said she just wanted me to know that she had them. She called them 'insurance', and said that there might come a time when she needed a favor." Eric smiled, if Godric had been there he would have been very afraid at the expression on Eric's face.

"A power play! No one makes those anymore!" The governor seemed even more disconcerted by Eric's display of pleasure than he had been by his previous cold contempt. He seemed _impressed_ by her for god's sake! Clenching his jaw tighter he pressed on to why he had called Eric here.

"Look, Mr. Northman, since The Great Reveal, when all the supernaturals came out it has been clear that when a human attempts to deal with them, it is never as successful as when another supernatural acts as liaison. There just isn't enough trust between our races right now for me to attempt productive negotiations with her." He paused to see what Eric would say and became even angrier when he realized that he had lost Eric's attention entirely. "Mr. Northman?" No response. "MR. NORTHMAN!" The sharpness of his tone pulled Eric from his internal thoughts and evoked his predatory response.

He dropped fang on the governor of Louisiana and smiled when he smelled the small amount of urine that escaped the man before him.

His internal Godric chastised him for scaring the blood bag into wetting himself and out of respect for his longtime friend and companion he forced his fangs back up and tried to look pleasantly at the man before him.

Judging from the additional urine that he could smell permeate the room, his attempt was a failure. "What do you want me to do?"

Gathering himself Burrell attempted to project confidence again. Eric wasn't the only one who failed in pretending. "Talk to her, find out what she really wants and get those photographs before she sells them to the highest bidder."

"What makes you think I would be willing to do this?"

"Well, in addition to your reputation of solving mysteries, and the reputation that you have with the Shreveport police department, your website says that you are keenly aware of the importance of racial relations between supes and humans. If it became public knowledge that I was being blackmailed by a supe those relations would take a serious hit."

"Not to mention the hit you would take when those photos came to light."

"It seems we both have something to lose, Northman." Yes, it certainly_ seems_ that way, Eric thought. That fucking website. Godric's hobby was definitely turning out to be more trouble than it was worth. Still though, power plays intrigued him. Intrigue was good. Suppressing another smile because he couldn't take the stench of any other bodily fluids the blood bag before him might produce, he stood to leave.

Just as he reached the door he stopped and turned back to the man still seated behind the desk. "I couldn't help but notice this room has such a pleasant smell," he took a deep unnecessary breath for show. "What is that lovely aroma?"

"Bergamot. I am taking some herbal treatments for an ailment." Eric didn't try to hide is smile this time, and turned to go before the man lost control of himself completely.


	3. The Queen

_**A/N- Thank you all for your comments and support. I encourage you to listen to Neverending White Lights- The Warning (available on Youtube) when you get to the part where it's playing in the story. It definitely completes the mood. **_

**A Scandal in Shreveport**\- Chapter Three- The Queen

When Eric arrived back at the house he shared with Godric he found him anxiously pacing the floor. It was unusual for a vampire of Godric's age to allow his emotions free in such a way, it was also dangerous. If Godric lost control he could easily level a city block and it wouldn't even slow him down. "Tell me."

"They have some kind of facility set up in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. They have more vampires and other supernaturals there, I think-" he stopped and took an unnecessary breath to calm himself, "I think they are torturing them, Eric, experimenting on them!"

"What kinds of other supes are there?"

"I smelled Were, Demon, Fae and more Vampire than just one we saw them take tonight."

"How well guarded?"

"Very."

Eric sat down for a moment, gathering his thoughts. This was bad. Clearly they needed to contact The Council and let them know what was happening here, but when they did, it would likely mean all-out war between the humans and the supernaturals. This was beyond bad. Settling into his mind he started to look for the why. They were missing the why.

"ARE YOU JUST GOING TO SIT THERE?!" Godric was losing it. He saw all his dreams of peaceful co-existence going up in flames. All his hopes and efforts dying in their infancy for what this world might be if they could all ever just learn to trust each other and embrace their differences. Eric didn't answer him. He didn't even acknowledge that he heard him. _Why_? It echoed through his brain. _Why do this_? Deeper he slipped into his mind, connecting possibilities and dismissing them at light speed.

He knew Burrell was in this, possibly driving this, but he didn't know why. Logically, The Mistress' blackmail could trigger a response like this, but for this operation to be this size it had been happening before her call was made today. They were missing something, something important his gut told him. Something they would need if they were going to come of this alive and stop a world war that would leave all the races extinguished.

_Why?_

Eric was pulled out of mind by the sound of Godric decimating a wall with his fist. Immediately he moved to his side, taken aback by the blood tears on his friends face. Godric in his unseeing rage lashed out at Eric, throwing him into another wall of the house, leaving an Eric sized body print. It would have been funny if it weren't so unnerving seeing his calm peaceful companion of centuries completely unspool.

As far back as Eric could remember he had been distant from his emotions. He believed this had been true even before he was turned, but after a thousand years who could claim memories that old? Surely they had been over written by the way things should have been rather than how they actually were. He needed that space for more important information. Even his vampiric instincts to feed and fuck had been mastered, lest they master him. That was not acceptable. Feeding was necessary, the rest was extraneous. He locked that away, and held it captive rather than allowing it to do so with him. He truly believed that thought and reason were the only necessities of survival and he had spent a millennia proving it. Feelings made you weak, here before him stood the proof. The strongest vampire he had ever known reduced to a mewling infant with blood tears streaming down his face.

As Eric pulled himself from the wall, he marshalled his reactions and schooled his face to hide his disappointment at Godric's loss of control. Slowly, he approached Godric again, as he stood in the middle of the wreckage that had once been there home, chest heaving with uncontained emotion. He wanted to help his friend, but saw no point in coddling him. They were fifty shades of fucked. Best not sugar coat it.

"Godric?"

"I know Eric, I know. You are going to say that this will not help us. That this outburst will actually harm us if I don't get it under control. You are going to tell me to push my feelings away and turn to my logical mind. To seek answers there, and count on cold reason to shine the light." Eric smiled a little at his own predictableness.

"See, you don't even need me anymore you know me so well, my friend."

"I didn't say you were right, you giant arrogant Norse asshole. I just told you what you were going to say." A smile touched the corners of Godric's lips and Eric sensed that his companion was getting himself back under control. Relief flooded through Eric, they still had quite a bit to accomplish tonight and a psychotic Godric would not be helpful in the least.

"Right," Eric said, "Now to find my battle gear."

"Battle gear? Are we going back to the factory?" Eric winced a little at the hopefulness in Godric's voice.

"Not yet."

"Where then?" Godric asked, wiping his face of tears. Eric leaned in and caught a streak on his thumb that Godric had missed, bringing his finger to his mouth. He was still a vampire, after all, no matter how well heeled.

"Stardust." For a moment he thought he saw fear in Godric's eyes, but the moment passed, and the game was afoot, as his literary persona used to say. He had a Fae to meet tonight.

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When they touched down in the parking lot of _Stardust_ Eric paused a moment to smooth out his hair and adjust his clothing. While he had no use for the appearance of things he was not oblivious to the fact that he was considered to be attractive. It was a fact, one that he had used to his advantage over the years when necessary.

Sookie Stackhouse owned the club they were about to enter and this was the most likely place to find her. Besides, when confronting prey in their own lair they often became less cautious thinking they had the home court advantage. That couldn't be further from the truth, in fact it should be called the home court _disadvantage_. Their surroundings gave off unconscious clues and insights into who they were beneath the skin. It told tales they themselves would never share with even their closest companions. It didn't matter if they decorated themselves or hired someone else to do it, by finding their surroundings acceptable they gave themselves away one piece of merchandise at a time.

Seeing the Fairy in her realm gave him the advantage. He pressed it further by wearing clothes that he wouldn't normally wear, to take her further away from the truth of him, should she prove a worthy adversary, which was highly unlikely, but still, advantage must be taken when possible. Normally Eric wore jeans and t-shirts under his long coat, and he never ever left the house without his high top converse tennis shoes. Godric had told him once that his wardrobe was as eclectic as his personality. This had pleased him, but from the look on Godric's face he didn't think it was supposed to.

Tonight he wore a red silk button down shirt, with tailored black slacks and black shoes. He had also dug out his waist length leather jacket to finish it off. He believed he looked like someone who would come to_ Stardust_ and would not stand out, but that if he did he would look "good" to those who noticed him. It was very advantageous to sweep an adversary off their feet and gain time to think.

Glancing at Godric he noticed that he too had changed from his usual blue jeans to black with a soft tan sweater that brought out the gold in his brown eyes. He looked more like a teenage boy on the prowl than an ancient vampire.

"Is that gel in your hair, Godric?" his voice louder than normal betraying his shock.

"Shut up, Eric!" he hissed back as they approached the door man.

"Seriously, Godric?"

"I said shut up! If you keep taking in air to yell so loud about the gel in my hair you'll split your tight pants!" Eric was about to argue that his pants were just right when they arrived at the door. A vampire, he thought, taking him fully for the first time, shoving aside his wonder at Godric's strange actions. He had seen Godric wear hair gel before, but usually when he was going out, alone for the evening. Eric never pressed him on where he went, he knew firsthand how sometimes you just needed to be alone with your thoughts. It was a courtesy that Godric had afforded him over the years, so he felt it was a small courtesy that he could return. Before he could speak to the vampire at the door, the doorman spoke first.

"Welcome back to _Stardust_, Godric." The vampire smiled at his associate.

"Thank you, Rasul. It is good to see you again, my friend."

WHAT THE FUCK? Nothing, nothing ever, nothing ever caught Eric Northman by surprise. EVER! Despite his eternal muscles, Eric felt the need to sit down.

"Who is your companion this evening, Godric?" Rasul asked, eyeing Eric appreciatively from head to toe.

"Eric," Godric answered, unable to suppress his humor over Eric's reaction.

"Eric," Rasul intoned, nodding his head respectfully. _Control, control, Eric chanted in his heart. Shock is only an emotion. Not needed here, not helpful here. Stop, center, find the image you want to project and project it. Conversations would be had later!_

"Rasul," Eric nodded back, sounding confident and amused at the vampire's approval of his attire for the evening. Apparently he hadn't totally lost his edge. Falling back into his more useful processes he noted that the vampire had no scent whatsoever. _Not possible_, his mind racing to figure out how there could be nothing. No traces of him or of passing guests entering.

"All are welcome to _Stardust_," Rasul intoned as he opened the door for them to enter. As they passed through the door there was an electronic hissing sound and he felt himself coated in a light liquid mist. Before he could react, a beautiful woman dressed like a Greek goddess approached him and took his hand. She had no smell and now neither did he! Something in the liquid that had hit him was suppressing his natural scent! There were no smells anywhere in Stardust that his ancient nose could detect.

"We are one, in _Stardust_," the woman said, leading him deeper into the club. Eric worked to take in his surroundings, suppressing his pique when Godric struck up a conversation with the woman.

_Stardus_t was a blank read. The walls and carpet were gray. There were no tables, no chairs, no decorations on the walls. The bar ran completely around the club, but there were no colorful bottles on display. He saw people drinking, but could not sense any smells from the beverages. Many people were present, talking in small groups or walking around. _No doors except the one we came in_, he thought, fire code violations running through his mind. _No doors_, he thought again. He had been expecting there to be doors that led to rooms where one could explore the sorts of things _The Mistress_ was acclaimed for doing. There was no music, and despite that he could not hear what the people were saying in the room. In addition to the scent suppressor she had some kind of acoustic suppression as well.

Curious, he approached a group of people whose lips he could see moving. Complete silence until he joined their circle, coming in on the end of a sentence. "-dancing tonight."

"Who's dancing tonight?" he pressed them to tell him. They smiled at him and he thought he saw fangs, and sharp teeth in the low lighting but he couldn't be sure what they were without his senses. One of them might be human, and he couldn't tell! _Fucking fairies and their magics!_ They didn't answer him, only smiled and moved away to continue their private conversation out of his range hearing. Frustrated beyond anything he had ever experienced before he turned to look for Godric, but he was gone! An unaccustomed sense of panic filled Eric as he fought for control again, in the space of minutes.

This wasn't how this was supposed to go!

_**Be at ease my vampire.**_ He heard a soft feminine voice whisper in his ear, and felt a fleeting touch on his shoulder. Spinning around quickly he saw no one near him. He growled instinctively, his fangs coming out in response to the unexpected intrusion on his space.

_**Oh, those are beautiful, lover. Will you use them on me?** _He felt the whisper of a kiss on his lips, a tongue darting in to caress his left fang. Pleasure roared through the gateway his anxiety had blown open in his emotional walls. He groaned and shivered, his eyes drifting slightly closed. _No_, he said to himself,_ no! This is not me! I am not a slave to my instinct! Fighting for focus_, he heard her again.

_**Let go my vampire, open your eyes, and let go.**_

At her command his eyes opened as the lights dimmed slightly and music came from everywhere all at once. The volume a comfortable level but still filling him as if all his existence he had been nothing but an empty ear waiting. It pulsed through his very being, the slow driving sexy beat of **_Neverending White Lights -The Warning. _**As the lyrics started the most beautiful creature he had ever seen appeared before him in a slow blast of lavender light, naked and moving sensuously to the beat.

_**In moments I forget, I'll tell you what it takes**_

_**But you don't want to know this yet**_

_**I let the virus bite someone else's brain**_

_**I invade you now**_

_**I fade you out**_

_**I made you now**_

_**I erase you now**_

He tore his eyes away from the vision before him and looked around the room. She was there to the right dressed as a goddess, to the left as a warrior, on the bar as a fairy, against the wall as The Mistress in leather, in the crowd as human in plain clothes. She held them all captivated, but only the one before him was naked. This one danced only for him.

_**Sookie, my name is Sookie, Eric**_. Her voice in his ear again, though she never stopped moving before him. The lyrics continued.

_**These moments make you cry for someone else's life**_

_**They over feed you all until you die**_

_**They say they love you but they all love you, no way**_

_**Your cuts will drain your heart away**_

_**Take someone else's life away**_

_**Someone else's life away**_

_Her music, her music_, his brain spun like a tire in the mud, no traction. _Her music would tell me something, if I could just..._

All thoughts left him as her hands came up to run through her long blond hair, thrusting her perfect breasts forward, begging him to reach out and touch them, to kiss them. He wanted to, gods help him, he had never wanted anything so much in his existence, but before he could her hands came down and did it for him. He felt himself groan and realized that Godric had been right about his fucking pants. They were entirely too goddamned tight.

_**I can fix that, lover.**_ She waved her hand and he glanced down to see his usual clothing of jeans, t-shirt and high tops. She even remembered the coat.

_**Of course, lover. That coat is so….you.**_

She purred that last word and Eric realized that these pants might be too tight as well. Pushing to regain control he clenched his fists and closed his eyes, fighting the hypnotic beat of the music as the words washed over him. Closing his eyes to her image had been a mistake, because now he could feel her touching him. Her fingers ran through his hair as she rubbed against the evidence of his response to her. _**Now we are both naked, lover**_. She purred in his ear again, and he knew then he was lost. The pulsing lyrics only confirmed it.

_**You had a warning**_

_**You didn't want it**_

_**You can't come crawling back now**_

_**You had a warning that you wanted**_

As the beat faded Eric opened his eyes and fell directly into the blue pools of her gaze. She held out her hand for him and he placed his in it. She smiled the warmest kindest smile he had ever seen on the face of another being. Then she winked at him and all was blindingly purple.


	4. Positional Play

_A/N- Thanks to all of you for the attention this story is getting. Your comments and feedback are giving me almost as much fun as I am having writing this! Blessings to you all._

** A Scandal in Shreveport**\- Chapter Four- Positional Play

They were together in the purple, limbs tangled, souls ensnared. Mouths locked and hands caressed as they tumbled neither right side up or upside down. The music had followed them and the beat still ruled his undead heart. Her taste, gods her taste, it was exquisite, it consumed him. Leaving her mouth he kissed her neck, his hands tangled in her hair. She was pure sensation, starvation, exultation! She purred in his arms. The sound made him instinctively pull her close, closer, closest.

He could feel her wrapped around him, pulling him nearer than should have been physically possible, accepting him, all of him, reveling in his baser vampiric instincts to consume her completely, to take all that was offered to him, to drink until the well ran dry and make her his. No one who had ever known him would have recognized the vampire she held to her pounding heart.

His fangs scraped her flesh and the taste of her blood washed over his tongue healing places he never knew were there inside him. She shivered in his arms, moaning, her hand coming the back of his head holding him there, as if afraid he would pull back from what was before him. He licked her pulsing vein, and slid into her, drinking deep gulps of her into him, feeling her enter him in yet another way. He heard her sounds of approval and need for him to drink her.

It had been years since he drank from a living person, subsisting on donated and synthetic blood, and never ever had he tasted Fae, that way laid madness. Here he surrendered willingly, spinning in the purple, reveling in being vampire for the first time in his long existence. The tiny part of his reasoning mind, held prisoner to his nature and desire told him that he should feel resentful that he had missed out of this for so long, but his instinct told him he had missed nothing. He would have felt this in no other place, and with no other person.

_There is love in you, my vampire,_ she whispered in his mind.

_Only for Sookie_, his instinct whispered. He gulped her now, wallowing in the sensual taste of her, the overwhelming feel of her. A new need filled him now, another new feeling. His large hand cupped the back of her small head as he pushed her face to his neck.

_ Drink_, his mind and actions told her. _Drink me! _

_Are you begging, lover?_ He could hear the humor in question.

_ I have never begged. I will never beg_, he denied, though he knew he was, that he had begged and would again if she would only taste him. _I command, Sookie, I command you to drink. I want…I want to feel you…_the last coming out as plea no matter his bravado over begging.

She held him closer, cradling his head in her hand, letting him continue to drink but she did not pierce his skin. Soon, she whispered in his ear. The taste of her took him away, from his body, from hers, and purple flashed brilliant and loudly behind his closed eyes.

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Godric had been to Stardust many times over the past decade. It was where he went when he needed companionship beyond what he found with Eric. When he needed to be with likeminded individuals that helped him when the hopeless started to creep in around the edges of his immortal soul. It was there that he had met Claudine.

When she greeted him at the door of Stardust tonight it had been like she knew he was coming, that she had sensed his loss of control earlier when he was faced with the realization that their world was about to come crashing down on them all. The people he knew at Stardust all believed as he did, that there could be peace, should be peace and that through accepting each other they would find it someday.

He was still reeling from what he had seen and done this night so when she took his hand and led him away he had not resisted. Eric could handle himself, he had proven that time and again, and right now Godric needed this more than Eric needed him.

Claudine had taken him a few steps before teleporting them to her home, directly into her bed, where she pulled him close and asked her to tell him what had happened. "Later," had been his only response before he kissed her, pouring all his need to be healed into their connection. She responded immediately, her hands sliding under his sweater to feel his cool smooth skin, not afraid of his intensity as he rocked against her with his hips. She willed their clothes away and sighed when she felt him slide between her thighs, seeking entrance, while still locked in her kiss. She welcomed him, moaning into his mouth when he slid into her wet heat, stretching her in that perfect way that she craved when he was not with her.

They had done this many times over the years, he was an excellent lover, and they had a connection that had just snapped into place the first time she had looked into his eyes. He had come to Stardust alone, and was standing in the middle of the bar, looking around at the dozens of humans and supernaturals that filled the establishment, something akin to wonder on his beautiful face. She had felt pulled to his side.

"We are one in Stardust," she greeted him. It was Sookie's words she spoke, her standard welcome that she insisted all her employees provide when someone entered her club, but Claudine had felt the words resonate this time when she spoke them. "How may I please you tonight, vampire?" "Godric," he said looking deeply into her eyes. "Please call me, Godric," and so she had from that night forward.

"Yes, Godric!" she screamed as he pushed deep inside her, moving at a frantic pace, pulling her legs up, holding them over his elbows, his palms resting on the mattress as he reached even deeper at this new angle. She felt her orgasm starting in the soles of her feet and sweeping through her body, crashing like waves, sweeping her away. He knew just where to touch her inside and out to cause her the deepest pleasure she had ever felt.

She opened her eyes to see him staring intently at her face, a look of awe on his as she came down from her release. "Beautiful," he whispered reverently, coming deeply inside her over and over, falling apart in her arms, and collapsing on her. Her arms pulled him close, refusing to let him leave her. After a few moments, she felt his cool blood tears pelt her skin and heard him gasp as she shivered in her arms.

"Why?" he whispered in the dark, against her shoulder.

"Why what, my Godric?" she whispered into his hair.

"Why does the world that has such beautiful things in like you, have to be filled with so much hatred and anger?" The only answer she had was to hold him tighter, and kiss the top of his head. After a while, she spoke.

"Tell me," and so he did. She listened and held him close until dawn took him away for the day.

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Eric's senses returned to him slowly. As they awakened he used them to catalog his environment. He was still dressed in his jeans and t-shirt, but his shoes and coat were off. He could feel covers resting on him. He inhaled to get the scents in the room and was hit with fragrance of honey, his mouth watered as he remembered the taste from his childhood, fleeting images of children at play, enjoying a treat in the warm summer sun flickered behind his still closed eyes. His arms were around something small and warm that smelled of honey, not opening his eyes, he pulled the bundle in his closer, taking a deeper breath, growling in appreciation as he moved forward and pressed his face into the top of the bundle in arms.

'Hello, my vampire," the bundle purred, snuggling closer into his large frame. He stiffened as it all came back to him.

"Sookie," he whispered, opening his eyes and looking down at the back of her head while feeling her place her hands over top his where they met wrapped around the front of her. She continued to wriggle closer, spooning him.

Had that really happened? Had she really seduced and fed him? He could taste her on his tongue, but had it been real or imagined? Imagined was better he thought, immediately starting to argue with himself internally. Imagined meant that he had not lost control, that he had not had everything that he was so easily swept away by a flick of her hand. Real though, real held the promise of something more than he had ever imagined possible. Real was too good to be true. Real was frightening. "What happened?" he asked, still not moving, wanting and dreading her answer at the same time.

"How many followers do you have on Twitter, Eric?" she asked instead of answering his question, still with her back to him. He blinked taken by surprise.

"Several thousand, last I checked, why?"

"And how many follow Godric's blog?" Ah, the blog again!

"Around ten thousand when he mentioned it last month, I believe."

"And what does that tell you?"

"That people have too much time on their hands." She laughed softly.

"And aside from that?"

"That despite the fact that I want to lead a private life, and do the things I want to do away from public scrutiny that I have a great number of people watching my every move." He sighed now, and started to pull his arms away from her, but he found that he could not. She held him there in some way that he could not discern.

"Not all of those people wish you well, my vampire," she whispered softly.

"Am I supposed to believe you are concerned?" he asked coldness creeping into his tone.

"Not yet, but you will."

"Listen, Sookie-," she cut him off.

"I know, Eric." She turned now in his arms to face him, looking up into his eyes from the pillow they shared, close enough that he could feel her warm breath on his face. Honey, he thought again, feeling himself shiver. He pushed it back, not again, she would not take him unaware again! He looked into her cerulean blue eyes and listened as she continued. "I know that Burrell sent you to Stardust tonight to see me." He raised an eyebrow in askance. She smiled. "I know because he did what I wanted him to. It was why I called him about the photos of Willa. You came to Stardust tonight because I summoned you." He blinked.

"Do the photos even exist?"

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. They have served their purpose. I wanted to prove something to you." He waited.

"I wanted to prove that when something went down between humans and supes you would be the one put in the crossfire." He understood then.

"You know about the-," again she finished for him.

"The factory, yes I know." He saw sadness in her eyes now, and anger flashing as well. "You have become the unwilling poster boy for interracial relations, Eric, and that makes you the biggest target of us all." Reeling from this he pulled back and attacked.

"I would have thought that would be you, Mistress," the contempt dripping from his words. "You take your clothes off for money and seduce the weak and the righteous for your own gains using magic and supernatural power in the full open! Wouldn't that make you a larger target than I?" She frowned slightly.

"Is that what you think of me?"

"Isn't that what everyone thinks of you!" he fired back.

"Yes, but you're hardly 'everyone' are you, Eric? I thought you would make your own mind about me."

"Oh, I did, that display you put on the impress me your club helped me make up mind considerably!"

"I only put on a display to impress you, if it worked."

"You did try and impress me!" his tone triumphant.

"So, it did work then." Her eyes were twinkling now, a smile playing about her lips as he realized she had won that round. He found himself fighting a smile of his own. He shouldn't be so amused at being bested by the tiny naked fairy in his arms.

Tiny…naked…fairy…in his arms. That caused a shift in his thought pattern that he was not comfortable with in the least.

"So," he started, seeking to change the track his thoughts were barreling down. "I am the poster boy for World War III. What does that mean to you?"

"No, no, no," she said, still smiling as her hand moved up to cup his cheek and he fought everything in him to not lean into her touch, to kiss her palm. "That is not the right question, my vampire. Ask the right question."

Question….question….why were they in a bed, likely her bed? Why did he want to touch her, kiss her and see if it was like he had imagined? Why was he not more concerned that she had just told him he had a bull's eye on his back? Why did she feel so warm and good? WHY DID SHE SMELL LIKE HONEY? The right question, the right question, the right question…. Finally, it hit him.

"Who stands to gain from the war?" She smiled.

"There's my brilliant, brilliant, boy," she purred.

"Well?" he prompted, still fighting for control of his instincts. Was the scent suppression wearing off? Now he could smell honey, sunlight, and something else that was making his mouth water. His fangs came down of their own volition. He was embarrassed by yet another display of how his senses ruled his intellect. She seemed delighted but did not reach out to caress them, perhaps sensing that he was indeed a loaded spring.

"Taking you out would be like the shot heard round the world," she whispered as she stared at his fangs with longing.

"Stake," he corrected softly leaning toward her almost imperceptibly.

"Stake?" she asked in a dreamy distant tone.

"Stake heard round the world," leaning in closer to her plump kissable lips.

"Right, stake," she repeated, her tongue slipping out to caress her bottom lip quickly before darting back into her mouth. He growled softly and closed the rest of the distance between them. As soon as his lips touched hers he knew he had imagined nothing. She tasted just like he knew she would. Perfection.

She broke the kiss, pulling back her lips but sliding up in the bed to press her forehead to his, still wanting to be close. "You have to trust me, Eric," she whispered, her eyes closed, her voice quiet but passionate in her plea.

"Are you begging?" he teased her, a smile curling his lips.

"If that's what it takes to get the job done, then yes, I am not ashamed to beg," came her breathy quiet whisper.

"You wouldn't drink from me?" he whispered back.

"Not then, you were…not yourself in that moment. I wanted you to offer yourself to me when you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you wanted that." Her consideration undid him just a little more.

"And now?" he pressed, pulling back to look in her eyes.

"Now you have a choice."

He looked deep into her eyes and shut out his reason and cold calculation, cramming it behind the door that used to hold his instincts and nature. He took a deep unnecessary breath and pulled his arm to his mouth, tearing open his wrist.

He offered it to her, the first time in his entire existence that he had made such an offer. "Please," was all he said, knowing that they had reduced each other to beggars this night.

"Feel me," she whispered, holding his gaze as her lips covered his wound and she swallowed. He closed his eyes and found himself standing in the sun.

He was in a meadow of tiny white and yellow flowers, standing under the sun he hadn't seen in so long he had forgotten what it felt like to feel warm from the inside out. His blood rushed through her thousand year old fairy body sweeping him through her memories of dancing in that meadow on a fine spring day.

As his blood ran deeper into her flesh he felt her loneliness as well, the emptiness that had sometimes over taken her during her long, long life. He also felt her joy in moments of passion shared with lovers throughout time and her excitement at being here with him. There was drum beating somewhere, it pounded in his ears, before realization hit that it was her heart.

He felt the truth of her, her genuine desire to stop this war, and to protect him, to help him. Her genuine desire that her words, 'we are one in Stardust' would cover this world like a warm blanket and save them all from themselves.

He saw how she had been misunderstood, sometimes because she wanted it that way. She liked to give people what they wanted, and had let that image live in the minds of most who ever met her. She was Fae, mischievous by nature, it was in her very make up to cause a disturbance where she could, to stir up convention and open minds. Those who saw her persona of dominatrix missed the passionate loving woman inside her. Their contempt for themselves and the things they wanted was pushed off on her for being their deliverer.

"Too…much," Eric ground out his eyes still closed. "There's too much!" She pulled back, as his wrist healed, she licked his skin clean and kissed where the wound had been.

"There's too much!" he said again, fighting to not be overwhelmed by what his blood inside her was telling him.

She kissed him then, silencing his protests, demanding that he relax his knotted muscles and let her in another way. He gave over to her and let her take some of it from him. He felt his clothes leave him, and while at any other time he might have wondered or cursed fairy magic, he didn't. He pulled her beneath him, her legs cradling him, as her arms held him close. There as only need and he it told him that he needed her, now.

She rolled them over, and sat back, positioning him at her entrance and then slid down seating him fully, deeply inside her. He moaned and sat up to be closer to her, and his blood that pounded inside her. He couldn't get her close enough, hold her tight enough and when she started to move, he bit her neck again, as he had before, drinking deep while his hips rose to meet her in time with the pulls on her neck.

She came in his arms, clutching at him. "Give it all to me, Eric. It's not too much, for us together," she whispered in his ear as her hands tangled in his hair, tugging gently demanding that he surrender to her. His hands came down to her hips and he pushed as deeply into her as he could go, thrust after thrust, pounding her, the way his blood was pounding through her heart right now.

He gave her everything and found that she was right. Together, it wasn't too much, it was just enough.


	5. Check

_A/N- Thank you all for reading, for the comments and the favorites. Love the questions, keep them coming!_

**A Scandal in Shreveport**\- Chapter 5- Check

After dressing Sookie took his hand and teleported them to the front door of his home. They looked at each other for several minutes. There seemed like there was so much to say, but neither of them spoke for several minutes. Finally, Sookie smiled that same sweet smile she had given him at Stardust just a few hours earlier and broke the silence.

"It's been memorable, Mr. Northman." He opened his mouth to speak, to perhaps return the compliment but she cut him before he could speak. "I am going to send someone to guard you until this is over, one way or the other. We can't lose you." He frowned.

"I hardly think I need a guard, I am quite capable of caring for myself."

"I didn't ask you. I was telling you how it was going to be." She pressed firmly on, seeing that he wanted to argue. "I proved tonight that this is necessary and you know that." He shut his mouth and raised his eyebrow.

"So, this was _all_ to prove a point?" his tone was cold, but it had more to do with his fear that she had not been as unzipped as he had been by their time together.

"You know that is not true. Feel me," she whispered, gazing into his eyes. "I drank so you would know the truth of me no matter what happens now."

"What's happening now?" his other eyebrow going up, his tone slightly alarmed.

"Today, I see The Council, tonight the Queen, and then-"

"Then what?" he cut her off. "You're going to the factory aren't you?"

"Likely, yes, I already have a team selected." He stared at her a long time, processing what he had thought he known about _The Mistress_ and finding that disparate to what he now knew.

"This is why you do what you isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your "activities" you gather information and then do things like go on commando raids to torture dungeons." She smiled, a little sadly, still looking him in the eye.

"Sometimes," she whispered. "Sometimes I just misbehave for the hell of it," flashing him a devilish grin. He opened his mouth about to offer to come with her, to help her and then he shut it again. He didn't really care, did he? He didn't really care, did he? Why risk himself for a bunch of supernaturals he didn't even know?

"Call Burrell and tell him you handled the matter. He won't be hearing from me again."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," he smirked a little. "I am reasonably sure he is behind what is happening at the factory." Her eyes now large in surprise.

"Are you sure?"

"Fairly, he has a distinct odor to his person. I caught it on one of his round up soldiers earlier this evening." Her eyes drifted close for a minute and when they opened again they were glowing, purple swirls in her irises. He was immediately turned on and slightly intimidated, and not at all sure that the two were not connected. Her whole body shook as she tried to contain her rage.

"I will make sure to tell Pythia about this," she said through clenched teeth. _So, she calls the AP by her first name_, Eric thought feeling even more impressed with the tiny fairy before him, still holding his hand in hers.

"She likely knows, she is the Oracle, after all," he sounded a little amused at telling her the obvious. She smirked then, too, the glow in her eyes slowly fading, as she nodded in agreement. "Will I see you again?" he whispered leaning closer to her.

"I am sure you will, I make the papers about as often as _The Great Detective_ himself," her smirk widened and he could feel that she was teasing him. Behind that though, he thought he felt a no. He continued to stare into her eyes, demanding to know why she had spun his head like this only to walk away. She sighed, "I have obligations, Eric. They don't mean anything to me, not like-," she stopped herself and took a breath before going on. "I don't know." She dropped her gaze.

"Do you want to see me again?" he pressed her. She looked back up and locked her gaze with his and suddenly she was leaping into his arms and kissing him furiously, all the yes in the world crammed into a single kiss. He didn't breathe and he was still breathless when the kiss ended. Obviously, he wasn't the only unzipped by this evening.

She dropped back down to the ground, a sweet smile still on her face as she slowly licked her lips, savoring the taste of him. She took a step back. "Your guard will be here when you rise, my vampire. Good bye," and then she disappeared just as she had entered his life, a slow explosion of purple light.

Eric entered his home and noted that Godric had not returned. He was worried for a moment and then remembered that apparently Godric had a whole life that he didn't know anything about. Feeling piqued about having missed that again, he headed to his rest chamber and as the day took him, he wondered if Godric would be a part of Sookie's team when she stormed the factory. For a moment he almost regretted not offering to go, but before he could analyze that feeling the dawn took his brilliant mind away.

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Sookie's phone was ringing when she returned home. She glanced at the caller ID and put on her best smile. "Hello, darling." she answered.

"Did Northman make his appearance tonight at Stardust as we predicted?"

"Yes," she answered, wondering if a no would have gotten her killed, sure the whole time that answer was yes a well.

"And?"

"He had no idea he has a target on his back or that he was being played."

"That will make him much easier to eliminate?"

"It certainly should," she answered, working to keep the smile on her face.

"Excellent, the situation will be handled tonight." The caller hung up not waiting for a response. She stood there for a long minute, her fake smile abandoned now for a real one.

"That's what you think," she whispered to the empty room.

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When Eric came up from his chamber he found a very large, very angry Britlingen standing in the middle of his kitchen with a very large, very angry looking sword strapped to her leather clad back. The front of her vest was covered in throwing knives, some silver, some iron and all lethal. She was taller than Eric, who topped out at 6'4 himself and looked like she would just as soon kill him as anything in the room.

Godric was, as usual, at his computer. _Probably tying on his fucking blog_, Eric thought, his anger at Godric's secret life coming back to him full force.

"Someone dropped off a package for you," Godric tilted his head in the direction of the Britlingen, and kept typing as though this happened every day. Eric and the warrior eyed each other warily.

"You are Northman?" she asked him, stepping in his direction hand on her knives suggesting that he damn well better be Northman or he was in for a world of hurt.

"Obviously," he said, moving to fridge, adopting Godric's nonchalance over the whole matter.

"I am Batanya. I was sent here to protect you," she continued.

"Who sent you?" he tossed over his shoulder as he pulled out a blood and popped it in the microwave.

"I was told you would know, beyond that I am not to say." She stepped back now, a soldier at rest. He let the matter go for now and went over to Godric.

"Blogging again?" contempt dripping from his tone. Godric elected not to comment. "Where were you last night?"

"Not getting a Britlingen. You?" Eric sighed. Why the hell was Godric angry at him? He didn't have a secret life that no one knew about…well maybe after last night he did. He was at once amused and put off. He took a drink of his blood and for the first time in a long time wanted to spit it out. It had never tasted good, but after Sookie, it was absolute dreck.

_Sookie_, his mind whispered, her face in orgasm flashing before his eyes, the feel of her, the taste of her. He had lost himself, and now he had no idea how to slide back into his old life, his real life, he corrected himself. Godric looked up.

"Problem with your blood?" He had a knowing smirk on his face that only pissed Eric off worse.

"Do we have any cases?" Eric asked through clenched teeth.

"There was a body found tonight next to the river. Bill Compton from the Shreveport PD called and asked if you could come take a look."

"Fucking Compton, he needs help to find his ass." Despite his contempt for Compton and his detective skills he thought that a case might help him get past what had happened last night. Leaving the blood on the counter and grabbing his coat he headed for the door. Godric and Batanya moved to follow him, racing each other out the door. Eric was surprised to see Batanya flying in formation behind him._ I didn't know Britlingens could fly_ he thought, and then right behind that, _of course, she thought of everything_. He couldn't keep the smile from his face, but he did squash it quickly, first because he didn't want Godric to see, and second because it pissed him off to be smiling over a fairy he might never see again.

Then he got angry over the fact that he actually CARED that he might never see her again.

By the time they touched down on the riverbank he was looking for place to unload. Queue Bill Compton, all around useless detective and general fucktard. He hurried toward Eric cutting him off from the corpse. "Careful, Northman, this is a crime scene! Make sure you take the proper precautions and do not walk through the evidence!"

Eric looked at him, smiled, and levitated a foot off the ground, and floated over to the corpse laid out on the riverbank.

They had waited for him before turning the corpse. The corpse was a middle aged man, and had been in the water for about 12 hours. He noted that the corpse had been drained, neck torn open, fang marks easily discernable on several parts of the body.

"You will find in the autopsy that he had a liver condition for which he was utilizing homeopathic treatment, bergamot, I believe."

"How the hell can you know that?" Compton huffed at him, breaking his own rules and trudging through the cordoned off area.

"Elementary, my dear, Compton." It really was too easy to fuck with this guy.

"Well is it 'elementary' to see that he was drained by a vampire?" Compton now looking up at Eric, who was still floating over the corpse. He had a smirk on his face that made Eric want to wipe his entire face off.

"I see you're finally earning that detective badge, Compton. That's good, maybe they will let you keep it after all." Bill puffed his chest out clearly planning to comeback with something to that comment when Godric cut him off with a real observation.

"There is no blood that I can detect within a thousand yards of this corpse. He was drained somewhere else and dumped in the river."

"Are you taking notes, Compton, there might be a test later on what a real detective acts like," Eric needled. He noted that Batanya was nearby senses keying in on something but kept his attention on Compton. "Roll him over."

Compton, the ME and Godric all gasped when they saw his face. "That's governor Burrell!" Compton yelled, just as Eric heard the arrow coming at him from the tree line. Batanya moved faster than Eric could and caught the arrow in midflight. It was so clean and neat the humans didn't know anything had happened. She moved to the tree line a blur of speed and knives, again the humans were completely unaware.

All of that transpired in the amount of time it took Eric to say, "Obviously."

Godric caught his eye, asking if he should go with the Britlingen or stay. Eric signaled he should stay. This is what he had a body guard for, let her guard his body.

"You don't seem surprised, Eric. Why is that?"

"He had a bad liver, an incontinence issue, was fucking around on his wife, and seemed a to an all-around asshole. Matter of time."

"And just how would you know all that?" Compton pressed him.

"I'm a detective, look it up. Perhaps there will even be pictures to help you with the big words."

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Eric managed to get away from Compton without telling him that he had been summoned to Burrell's office the previous evening, but he knew that, just like Burrels demise, it was just a matter of time before even an incompetent like Compton connected those dots. At that point he could give up Sookie or himself, and neither option was acceptable. Before that happened, he needed to figure who had drained the governor and how all this connected back to him, her and the factory.

Batanya had returned to his side, but made no report. Not surprising since she didn't work for him.

Had Sookie stormed the warehouse yet? Could he still get there in time? If he could, should he? Right now he was about to fall under suspicion for murder, being at the site of countless others was not a logical move to make at this time. He needed to think. He returned to his home with Godric and Batanya on his heels.

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"WHERE THE FUCK DID NORTHMAN GET A BRITLINGEN?!" Russell screamed as he trashed the room. Sookie watched him from a safe distance. When he was like this there was no reasoning with him, no talking to him. She had seen him tear a vampire's limbs off when he was in a rage. She felt relatively safe at a distance knowing she could teleport away if he soon didn't get himself back under control. It wouldn't be the first time.

It was all she could do to suppress her smile as she watched him rage on and on about the body guard that Eric now had.

"I WANT NORTHMAN DEAD! DO YOU HEAR ME, BITCH, I WANT HIM DEAD, AND I WANT THIS WAR TO START NOW!" Before she could answer Talbot came in the room and made it worse.

"Russell, the factory, they are gone." Russell stopped his ineffectual room destruction and turned to face Talbot, his tone and face cold and deadly.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I…I …w-when we got to the factory tonight everyone was gone. The guards the captives, they were all gone." He looked down at the floor and Sookie was sure for the first time that vampires did indeed pray to someone.

Russell sat down, hard, the wind out of his sails now.

"Who did it?" his jaws clenched, fangs tearing his own lips. "WHO DID IT?"

"W-we d-don't know, Majesty. It looked like they had been gone for months, but I was there just last night and-"

"Magic!" Russell cut him off. He pinned Sookie to the wall with his gaze. "Find out who did this and bring them to me, NOW!" Nodding her acquiescence she teleported away.

Talbot had almost slunk out of the room successfully when Russell spat at him. "Bring me that fucking witch, if I can't get to Northman through his body guard maybe I can separate him from her." Talbot nodded and sped out of the room, glad to have escaped with this undead life and limbs intact.


	6. Checkmate

A/N - A big hug to all my readers, followers, and commentators :). Sorry for the delay in updates. A brief recap:

_Sookie and Eric had a night together that left them both spinning emotionally before returning to their respective worlds. Eric to investigate the death of the governor that he had just met the night before and Sookie to Russell Edgington, for whom it seems she works. However, since she was the one to provide the body guard to Eric, interrupting Russell's assassination attempt, there is clearly more here than meets the eye._

_Governor Burrell has just been found, murdered, apparently by vampire, and Eric is trying to figure out what this and supe testing center have in common._

**A Scandal In Shreveport- Chapter 6- Checkmate**

"What happens if a war breaks out between supernaturals and humans?" Eric was pacing in his living room, lost in thought. The Britlingen was still on guard, watching the doors and windows and Godric had long ago learned to stay out his way when he was like this. He wasn't asking them anyway, he was asking himself. Repeatedly. So far, repeatedly for the last two hours.

If they could have gotten a look into his mind they would have seen various scenarios played out beginning to end, starting with the discovery of the warehouse.

Bloodshed was the background color of all possible scenarios, but all possible scenarios distilled into two distinct possibilities.

The humans win and extinguish all known supernaturals.

The supernaturals win and extinguish humanity.

Understanding that either solution would likely take millennia to play out and resolve those were the two possible outcomes. "Something…." Eric paced faster, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "Something else…missing something…what am I missing…?" He continued pacing. The supes knew something was happening, they had twitter sites to avoid hunts and capture. Were they the same supes that went to Stardust? Stardust….stardust. "GODRIC!" he stopped pacing and turned to face Godric. His chair was empty. His eyebrow rose and he looked around the room, extending his senses to pick up his location. The Britlingen was still by the door, face impassive, and he could sense someone in his chamber below. Someone with a heartbeat. Someone with a heartbeat who had drank his blood!

Feeling his excitement rise, he vamped to his chamber and found Sookie there, asleep on his bed. Opening his blood tie to her, he could feel her sleeping, comfortable, warm. Instinctively, immediately he wanted to climb in and pull her closer to him, awaken her with kisses, but he hesitated, letting his mind take over and holding his warming heart at bay. Obviously, she trusted him, her form prostrate before him, vulnerable to attack if that was his goal. Obviously, she had been here awhile, she was sleeping deeply tangled in his covers, looking like she belonged there, belonged with him. His heart melted a little more.

Trust, comfort, safety, belonging. She demonstrated them effortlessly by simply climbing into his bed naked and letting herself fall asleep.

_Naked?_ Focus!

_But NAKED_? Argh! She disrupted everything he was just by existing. He had always thought he would hate it, would rage against something that took him out of his comfort zone, away from HIS way of doing things. The smile on his face, quite boyish and happy, belied that expected rage.

_Naked_, he answered himself, smiling wider, as he removed his own clothes and pulled the covers back, sliding in behind her. He curved his large frame around hers, pulling her back flush to his front, before placing a soft gentle kiss on her exposed neck, burying his nose in her hair and inhaling deeply. Mentally, he sneered at himself, arguing that his actions were in flagrant disregard for everything he had professed himself to believe about other people, let alone entirely other people in love and -

_WAIT!_

_WHAT?_

_Other people in lov_e…obviously meaning that he was comparing himself to them…to other people in love. He froze in mid-sniff as he realization dawned. Eric Northman, was in love.

_IMPOSSIBLE!_

_Oh, but it's useless to deny the facts, _his ever logical mind told him_. Pretending a thing is not so does not change it. You would be better prepared to accept this and move on_. Eric stopped resisting the idea that he loved the woman in his arms. His eyes drifted closed and he visualized himself turning not away, but into the warmth he could feel in his chest. He felt it expand around him and embrace him fully. He dove into the feeling.

His outer temperature never changed, but inside he was melting. Trust, comfort, safety, belonging. Belonging underscored as she turned his arms, still asleep snuggling further into him, pulling him closer. It was overwhelming. Her hand roamed across his chest, and she smiled with her eyes still closed. "Hello, my vampire," her voice sultry with sleep as she snuggled him.

_RIDICULOUS_! His mind sneered, demanding he shove her away.

_AMAZING!_ His heart responded, demanding he get closer.

His body was responding to her closeness, her warmth, his memory of her and what had transpired between them when last they met. _To get out, I must go through_, Eric told himself, diving deeper into these new sensations, surrendering to them rather than shoving them away. His body, already very aware and desirous of the fairy in his arms, now given free reign, wanted to claim her with an intensity that caused an ache in his middle. "My beautiful, fairy," he whispered back as he leaned closer to her lips, her smile at his words changing the shape of his target. He felt an electric sensation pass over him from head to toe when his lips met hers, and he moaned as he sank deeper into the feeling, his calculating mind losing strength like someone dialing down the volume on a radio.

Sookie broke the kiss, moving her lips up his neck closer to his ear. _"Yo_ur fairy?" she whispered, teasing him gently about the claim he had just staked on her. Eric, who had spent hundreds of years distancing himself from his instinctive responses now let them drive his actions as he turned onto his back, maneuvering her above him, guiding her to sit astride his body while he held her closer still, kissing her neck as well. She could feel his smile against her skin and her heart sped up slightly knowing that he was reacting to her, just as she was him.

"Oh, yes, _my_ fairy," each word punctuated with a kiss and a squeeze of her hips pushing her against his hardness. He knew in all his long life he had never wanted anyone as much as he wanted her right now. In matters of love Eric's heart was pristine; he had never loved anyone before. He had never been disappointed or let down or hurt. For Eric, right now, this moment was perfect. It was like falling and flying, running and never moving again. He groaned that weight of these sensations, sinking deeper as his anticipation grew for what was about to happen between them.

His hands shifted her back and up, aligning himself at her entrance, and gasped as she took him inside, sliding down, moaning in his ear, breathing out, causing that electrical sensation on his skin again. Coupled with the tight wet heat of her body and he nearly lost control of the moment. "If you had fairy, what would you do with her?" Sookie teased him softly as they held still, letting her body adjust to him, squeezing him gently inside her to emphasize the question she posed. She pulled her head back and looked him in the eye, expecting some scathing commentary or smart ass remark, but gasped at the look she found instead. His face was a covered in wonder, and in love for her. He was so beautiful in that moment that he took her breath away.

Seeing the wonder on her face, he rolled them still joined so that he was on top, thrusting gently as they landed softly on his big bed, spurring her legs to lock around his lower back, as her hands tangled in his hair. "Love her, " was his only answer as he kissed her again, slowly, sensuously. If he could have broken the contact and pulled back he would have seen the same look of awe and love on her face that she had seen on his moments before, but he couldn't pull away. He could only try and get closer, deeper into her with each thrust of his hips, each nip of his fangs when she rolled her head away offering him her neck, her lifeblood. "Tell me," he whispered to the column of her neck, while his he pressed even deeper into her tight heat. "Tell me that you are mine!" She sobbed, raising her legs higher on his hips to take him deeper, her own lips pressed to his neck now. He could feel how much she wanted to taste him, how much she wanted to take him into her as she worshiped his skin with her lips and teeth gently.

"If I could choose to be anyone's, Eric, I would be yours. Only yours, forever," she bit then, before he could process what she said, spurring him to bite as well, while he pressed himself closer to her, deeper still, pounding her now, unthinking, lost to instinct and swept away by her cries of affirmation while he claimed her.

"MINE!" he roared possessively before sliding his fangs into her neck, missing for a moment that she had not broken his skin when she bit his neck. The realization brought disappointment sweeping through him. In rapid succession though it was chased away by the taste of her on his tongue, the feel of her pulsing around his cock as she climaxed from his bite, holding him tightly in her arms while he emptied her and into her at the same time. He licked the marks on her neck and then buried his head there, unmoving while he listened to her heart race, her lungs heaving to air, and smelling her silent tears as she held him close, arms and legs still wrapped around him. "Why?" he whispered, face still buried in neck, afraid to look at her.

"If I could choose," she whispered fiercely in his ear, holding him tighter, kissing his hair softly.

"You would choose me?" he whispered back to her, still hiding his face.

"Forever." He raised his head now and looked at her tear stained cheeks, before kissing the tracks of her tears, licking her skin gently, tasting her anguish. He continued until he had kissed her tears away. He was humming to her, softly, offering comfort because he could feel how much she wanted to join with him, and her anguish at not being able to take their bond to the next level. "Did you figure it out?" she asked him softly.

"What?" All he wanted to know right now was why she couldn't choose for herself.

"'What happens if a war breaks out between supernaturals and humans?' You were muttering to yourself when I arrived. Godric told me to let you be when you were like that."

"Yes," he said rolling back over onto his back and pulling her close to him. "There are two possible outcomes. First, the humans win and extinguish all known supernaturals or second, the supernaturals win and extinguish humanity. Where is Godric?" he asked glancing around his chamber as though expecting him to be in the corner. "And what are you doing here, Sookie?" Now that his mind was coming back to the forefront he had questions that had been pushed back by all these new emotions she had evoked inside him.

"Did you figure it out?" she asked him again, placing soft kisses on his chest.

"Figure out what? I told you-" he stopped. In the Holmes stories Doyle had said that he needed drugs and a violin to handle his thought processes, one to engage and one to disengage from the process. Perhaps he had been right in his own fumbling human way. It seems that both of these needs were met by the woman in his arms. She was his distraction and his clarity all in one beautiful bundle. He kissed her then, thoroughly, cupping her bottom in an intimate caress while he claimed her lips possessively, thoroughly. After he staking his claim he pulled back and smiled at her triumphantly, declaring, "The humans win and extinguish all _known_ supernaturals."

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Following The Great Reveal other supes had waited on pins and needles to see what the fallout would be. Eventually, the dust settled and the Were, Shifter and Dae populations revealed themselves. These transitions were less smooth, likely because these races could move among the human populace undetected unless observed in the middle of a change. When it became evident that the armed services were a natural pull for the Were population the government realized that they were in a prime position to explore the deeper meaning of these heretofore unknown racial elements. In other words, the Were soldiers were ordered to comply with testing and experimentation or they were imprisoned by their dear Uncle Sam.

This was not a well known fact, it was classified compartmentalized and protected at the highest circles but even the willing participants in The Program, as it was called suffered a 100% mortality rate. If the testing didn't kill them they were summarily executed once the testing was done. The government was cold to its supernatural sons and daughters but not reckless. They feared that the truth would start a war.

They were right, and they were not alone.

As the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing and the humans were seeking ways to maintain global domination, the supernaturals were exploring ways to achieve it for themselves. The most violent and well organized supernatural faction was known as The Sanguinista's, some smart ass vamps spin on The Sandinista's, Nicaraguan rebels that came to some popular fame in the late '80's along with a certain lieutenant colonel.

If Eric had been in possession of these facts he no doubt would have been able to connect the dots much sooner. He had heard rumors of the Sangunista's but had no proof they were real. Still though, assuming they were real and that they had an active agenda that would fall into what he had been seeing here fit. Thoughts flew through Eric's mind at the speed of light, and he forgot where he was and who was with him when he jumped up from bed to pace frantically again, his body demonstrating what was happening in his mind. Sookie watched, a smile on her face as her beloved vampire connected the dots. _Had the Sanguanista's murdered Burrell? If so, why? Oh_!

"Burrell is dead," he stopped and looked at her. Her smile faded and she nodded, maintaining eye contact with him.

"I heard."

"Do you know who did it?"

"No." She looked down now and he knew that she knew something. He waited for her to continue. "I had a visit from Detective Compton today." Eric's face showed his contempt as he moved back to the bed.

"Why? How did he know of the connection between you?"

"Willa." Then Eric saw it play out. Compton had questioned Willa and Sookie's name had been mentioned.

"Did Willa know about the blackmail?" She shook her head and looked into his eyes again.

"No, it was routine questioning of associates and my name came up."

"I assume you didn't tell him about the photos, or me?" he asked gently, bringing his large hand up to cup her face. She leaned into his touch, eyes fluttering shut, as she turned to kiss his palm before answering.

"It didn't come up." Her devilish smile taking his breath away. He loved her like this, hell he loved her in all ways. _He loved her! _The thought brought out a protective growl out of him. Another new experience, never protective before. He hated the idea of Compton being near her! His desire to kill that asshole grew to uncontrollable proportions. Even if she couldn't feel his emotions she could sense him, now coiled tightly ready to spring. "Shhh," she soothed, moving closer to him and wrapping her body around his. "It's fine. I am fine, my vampire." Softly she kissed his cheek and she felt him start to relax again. His arms went around her and he buried his face in her neck.

"You attack everything about me, that makes me ME!" he whispered savagely into her neck, holding her closer still. She didn't try to move. "I can't think around you…I have to be able to think or this is going to turn ugly fast!" She held him tighter a moment and then pulled back, kissing his cheek.

"I should go then."

"No!" he held her tighter. "Well, yes you should, but I don't want you to go!" He still couldn't look at her, afraid to see that his admission would have pushed her away, into leaving. Then she took her hands and pulled his face up to hers, looking into his eyes, her love shining through, causing an ache to form him that was wholly new and foreign to him.

"If I could choose, I would choose to stay here with you forever! Believe that!" Her tone matching his in fierceness and he knew that he had not scared her.

"Why? Why can't you choose, Sookie? Why can't you stay with me?" In her eyes, he saw her heart break, and her sad smile did nothing to say otherwise.

"I am but a pawn in this, Eric. At least to the players who really run the show."

"Tell me! I will kill them all, anything, everything, so you can stay!" His fangs popped out in anger at the thought of someone forcing his beautiful fairy to do something she didn't want to do. Her smile shifted then, becoming warm and genuine as she looked at him in perfect love.

"I know, my vampire. I know that in every part of my soul, and that is why I can't stay." His eyebrow went up in askance at her. "I didn't expect this when I met you."

"This?" he questioned, pushing for more.

"I didn't expect to love you, Eric." Her admission of feeling what he was feeling was devastating to him. He had not kept the bond open when she refused to drink, not wanting to feel her if she didn't care for him as he did for her. Now he threw it open and he was hit like a kick in the chest. She loved him, too! Completely, totally, irrevocably and this made him feel incredible, invincible! Until…her felt her sadness as well. She truly did not want to go, and she truly believed that there was no choice. Digging into their connection deeper he also saw a tiny bit of hope inside her. Hope for…them? Hope for him? Hope for herself? The bond did not deliver such detail, but be allowed himself to take shelter in that hope anyway, he had no choice, to accept that this was the end for them was not something he could stand.

"I…I love you too, Sookie," he whispered to her. He had never said that to anyone before in his entire existence. Only she could have brought about that change in him. Only she could have done this to him. Her mouth claimed his savagely, her tongue caressing his fangs intimately with her kiss. Reason fled again. There was so much he needed to do, to figure out and so little time, but it would seem he had even less time with her.

"Then love me," she whispered against her lips, and so he did.


End file.

True Blood, Mystery, Supernatural