| ELEVEN |
FANGBANGER

          Days passed after she told Eric and not much had changed. She was stowed away in Fangtasia until the serial killer in Bon Temps was captured. She was currently at the bar while Eric was in his office. She was curious about alcohol so she decided to try it.

           She gagged once she took a sip of the drink, "That's awful."

     "Maybe stick to water, little girl," Longshadow chuckled before his eyes glanced to her neck. "It makes the blood have a cleaner taste."

        She swallowed at his look, "Uhh, maybe I will."

       He nodded and went to make her a glass before she looked into the crowd. She glanced at the hallway that led to the office that Eric was in; he was interrogating his accountant who reported something wrong with the numbers.

       Eric told her to stay out here but she felt very uncomfortable with the gaze of every vampire. They all looked at her the same way that Longshadow did. She wasn't scared because no one would dare touch the human that belonged to Eric Northman but it made her uneasy and she longed for his familiar presence that she could escape into and bury herself under with the warmth that he only showed her.

            But as she looked through the crowd, she caught on to a face she recognized. She immediately went over to him as she stared at him worriedly, "Jason, what are you doing here?"

        Despite how they parted ways last time they met, she still cared about his wellbeing. And he looked awful. He was sweating profusely and he looked out of his mind.

        "Oh, hey, Eira," he smiled nervously. "I'm just here for...actually, can I talk to you?"

          She nodded slowly and he smiled, "Great. But like...outside."

           She rolled her eyes but nevertheless followed him outside of Fangtasia. She crossed her arms once they stood alone a little ways from the entrance in the shadowed alley. She felt okay though because Pam was at entrance carding people and she knew the beautiful vampire was probably listening in.

           "What do you want, Jason?" Eira asked.

           "Look, you have like a vampire watching over you," Jason stated. "Do you think you could get me some V?"

           "What?" Eira stared at him in bewilderment. "I thought you would apologize for how you acted last time and instead you have the audacity to ask me for something. And are you insane? V? Really, Jason?"

             "I am sorry but I really, really need some V. Please," Jason pleaded. "You're like this vampire's whore, right? It shouldn't be too hard."

        Her jaw dropped as her eyes stung and Jason realized what he said, "Wait. Shit. I didn't mean that."

            "Yes, you did. It's what everyone thinks. I'm just a vampire whore," she said before she glared at him. "I guess that makes you a bigger whore for trying to kiss me."

             "Eira, come on..."

            She walked away from him, "Go to Hell, Jason."

         Eira walked away and she passed a girl named Amy that had been watching the interaction. Before she could go back inside, Pam grabbed her arm without even looking at her.

     "I already regret this but...if a man has to call a woman a whore to feel better about himself, then he's not even a man at all," Pam stated before finally looking at her as she gave her a once over. "Plus, only an idiot would think you're a whore."

Eira smiled slightly, "Thanks, Pam."

Pam looked away, "Whatever."

Eira went back inside with a small smile. She found Eric on the throne which meant his business was concluded. His eyes hadn't found hers yet so she simply stared at him as she thought. Fangbanger. Whore. It was like a human could only be around a vampire if it was for blood or...sex. And she knew that Eric wanted both (even if she never detected when Eric gazed at her with lust) but what was that all he wanted her around for?

She knew he wanted her to be a vampire but as a vampire he'd no longer want her blood. What would he want her around for then? It didn't make any sense for someone like him who could have whoever he wanted to want her forever.

Fangbanger.

She hated how that word sounded true.

_____

The next night Eric had Bill and Sookie come to Fangtasia. He knew that she could read minds and since they hadn't been able to figure out who was stealing money from the bar, he recruited Sookie.

           Sookie walked in holding hands with Bill before she smiled and parted from him, "Eira!"

           Sookie wrapped her in a warm hug which she returned, "Hi, Sookie."

              Sookie noticed Eric lingering behind Eira as she pulled away, "Are you okay? Is he treating you right?"

         Eric rolled his eyes, "She's fine."

         Sookie fired back, "I asked her. Not you."

          "I'm okay, Sookie," Eira offered a smile. "Really."

          Sookie sighed and Eric gestured toward the table in the middle of the room, "Now, shall we?"

           Sookie walked forward and sat down across from the accountant that Fangtasia had. He looked absolutely petrified and she felt sorry for him. So she got a glass of water from Longshadow who was at the bar and then set it down in front of the human. She gave him a bright smile, "It'll be okay."

           "Thank you," Bruce replied gratefully.

            Everyone stared at her actions. Longshadow stared hungrily and Bill was ever curious (she was so different from Eric). Sookie smiled at it while Eric had his eyes glued to Eira and the smile on her face. Pam had an amused look as she whispered to Eric, "Your human is a literal saint."

          Eric rolled his eyes before calling out for her, "Eira."

         He gestured with a slight jerk of his head for her to step aside. She gave Bruce another small smile before standing beside Pam.

         "Pam, Longshadow and I are partners in this club," Eric explained. "And we recently noticed that sixty-thousand dollars has gone missing from our books. And Bruce is our accountant. Perhaps you can start by listening to him."

     "He's not saying anything."

      "Don't be coy. It's humbling enough to turn to a human for assistance," Eric replied and Eira crossed her arms at that sentence. "We know what you can do."

           Human. She knew that Eric thought humans beneath him. She wondered if she was in the same category. Why wouldn't she be? She was a fragile little thing compared to him that relied on a heartbeat.

       "And I know what you can do too. Why don't you just glamour him?"

         "Now, don't you think we might have tried everything before summoning you?" Eric said before looking at Bill who was sitting at the bar. "So...it would be a great favor to me and to Mr. Compton if you help us."

        "If I find out who did it, then what?"

         Longshadow responded, "We'll turn that person over to police and let the authorities handle it from there."

       "Hundreds of years old and you're still a terrible liar," Sookie turned her head towards Longshadow before looking back at Eric. "I'll make you a deal. If you promise to hand over the person who did this to the police, I'll agree to help you any time you want."

        "All right," Eric shrugged. "Why not?"

    Sookie grabbed Bruce's hand and listened to his thoughts, "Bruce, it's okay. Take a deep breath. Did you steal their money?"

      "No, no. You gotta believe me. I didn't do it. I swear to..."

      "Shhhh. Do you know who did?"

       "No."

     "He's tellin' the truth," Sookie released her hold on Bruce.

      Longshadow questioned, "You trust the skinny human to clear the fat one?"

      Eric ignored him, "Bring the next one in."

        The humans that Eric had working for him were brought in one by one. Sookie cleared them all. They were now on the last human: Ginger.

      "Ginger. This woman has some questions for you. Now, be a good girl and answer them, will you?" Eric said.

      "Aye, aye, master."

        Sookie started to read her mind, "Ginger, someone's been stealin' money from the bar."

        "Really? Huh."

      "She didn't do it... but she knows who did," Sookie revealed.

       "What? You..." Ginger panicked as she started to think.

       "Who? Who's gonna kill you? Ginger honey, what's his name?" Sookie asked but she failed to get anymore thoughts. "It's blank, like her memory's been erased."

        "I don't know anything, I swear," Ginger pleaded.

       "She's been glamoured," Pam said.

       "It's a vampire," Sookie stated before Longshadow jumped over the bar towards Sookie. Ginger started screaming. Eira felt an arm move in front of her and a hand on her stomach to keep her from moving. Longshadow attempted to bite Sookie before Bill moved so quickly, breaking off a wooden leg from a chair, and he staked Longshadow.

        Eira stared in shock as blood went all over Sookie and the floor. Longshadow disintegrated into a bloody mess on the floor but most of him was worn by Sookie.

       Ginger then vomited which woke Eira from her shock to realize that Eric had placed his arm in front of her protectively. Eric watched Ginger in disgust before asking her, "You're not going to do that, are you?"

         "No," she said slowly.

        "Good."

         "What would you do if I did, though?"

          "I don't know," he hummed before he teased with a smirk. "I might have to get a new human."

            She gave him a playful glare, "You wouldn't."

            "No," he agreed as he pressed a chaste kiss to her head.

           She reveled in it for a moment as she stared up at him with adoration in her eyes. She didn't understand how she could be so unbothered by such chaos to have a moment where her heart fluttered in her chest when Eric pressed a kiss to her head. Then again she did see the body of her dead mother and had been covered in her blood; there was nothing that would ever bother her again. But, also, it was Eric and she would love him in whatever chaos.

          ______

          After the shock wore off, Sookie went to clean up in the bathroom and Ginger was assigned to clean up the mess. Eira was now at the bar and she had taken a shot of something strong because staring at all the blood started to make her think of her mother and pool of blood she had found her in.

          Eira stared at Ginger who seemed like she was having a mental breakdown as she cleaned the blood. Her eyes swam with pity for the poor woman and Eira spoke out in kindness, "Should I help her?"

            Bill was sitting beside her and he gave her a soft smile before he rubbed her arm, "Don't trouble yourself."

        "Bill!" Eric called coldly as he narrowed his eyes at the action. "My office."

Eira watched as Bill followed after Eric. She then decided to go help Sookie.

Once Bill was in his office, Eric spoke, "You have a human, Bill, and yet you're comforting mine. You won't do it again."

"That sounds an awful lot like jealousy," Bill goaded.

"I don't do jealous," Eric denied. "Now, you killed a vampire. For a human. What are we going to do about that?"

"You wouldn't do the same for Eira?"

"No," Eric said. "I'd give them a fate worse than death. You'll do well to remember that."

Bill nodded.

_____

After Eric talked with Bill, he left with Sookie. Once they did so, she joined Eric in his office. She leaned against his desk beside him while he sat in a chair.

"So is Bill in trouble for what he did?" she asked curiously.

"Bill is none of your concern," Eric said bitterly before he quickly pulled her onto his lap causing her to straddle him and her hands to land on his shoulders to stop herself from completely falling into him. As soon as she was near enough, he kissed her fiercely like he wanted to assert that she was his but she didn't know why he needed to. She didn't really care though because she was drowning in the feeling of kissing him; the way her blood buzzed with warmth making her feel so alive and the butterflies that erupted.

When she pulled away slightly away to breathe with her lips hovering ever so close to his, she uttered hesitantly, "Do you...feel anything when you kiss me?"

He furrowed his eyebrows and he pulled away from her as he leaned back in the chair, "It's a kiss. I feel your lips against mine."

She stared at him sadly before she sighed and kissed his cheek, "Right."

            She expected Eric not to tell her anything. He was so guarded about feelings like it made him weak. She knew there was love in him but she had no hope that she would ever hear the words of I love you. She wondered if there would ever come a day where she would hear any words that spelt out that he cared about her.

Fangbanger. The word echoed in her head. She knew that cared about her in some way but without any words, she was left to wonder in which way. Did he care about her or for all the things he wanted from her?

AN: I want to say Merry Christmas in case I don't have another update before then. Also Eric is about to be a complete idiot in the next couple of chapters