𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍
trust me, she's more soul than skin. you can see it in the way she bleeds for the ones she loves

WHEN THE GIRLS arrived at Fangtasia, Victoria was surprised that the place was empty seeing as every time she was there, the place was packed. Now, it seemed like a totally different place.

Once Eric laid eyes on Tori, she saw the irritation in his eyes fade somewhat, and he grinned. "Darling!" He exclaimed and walked over to them, looking the doppelgänger up and down with fondness in his eyes.

"Have you seen this symbol?" Sookie asked, holding her phone up to show the tattoo. "We found it on a dead man in Bill's over-turned car." Tori saw something in his eyes before the blonde continued, "It stands for 'Operation Werewolf'. Some kind of secret Nazi commando force from World War II."

He didn't look away from the picture as he spoke, "You found this branded on a dead man's neck?

Tori furrowed her brows at the beautiful man. "Bill summoned Jessica there."

Sookie nodded. "We think he was trying to show us who kidnapped him."

"Yeah," Jessica replied. "Nazi werewolves." At her excited, joking laugh, Eric looked up at her with a firm stare.

"That dead guy was strong and fast enough to take Bill," Sookie stated with watery eyes, "He had to be something supernatural. We were hoping you could tell us more."

Eric glanced at Pam and then looked downed. "Never seen it before." He saw Tori analyze him with her soft brown eyes that he grew to love, and he was quick to shrug. "Sorry."

Sookie glanced to her cousin, and they both had narrowed eyes. They both knew he wasn't telling them the truth. "Why do I get the feeling you're blowing us off?"

Eric looked to Pam and demanded, "Lämna oss." Leave us.

Pam turned to Jessica with a blank stare. "Let's go to the ladies' room at stare at ourselves in the mirror."

When the two female vampires left, Eric turned to the cousin's with a serious look. "Here's what I know about werewolves..." He began to pace, "There's a reason their existence had remained a myth to humans for thousands of years." He looked to them, "They are territorial, vicious, pathologically secretive."

Victoria huffed. "I think I know who you're talking about."

He glanced to her, amused for a second before shaking his head. "As you already know, there are to different vampire species, so that means there are two werewolf species. This kind is different, trust me."

Victoria saw his serious expression and straightened her face. "You look worried, Eric..."

The blonde vampire gave her a look as if to tell her how special she was before looking to Sookie. "And here's what I know about you: You're so blinded by your obsession with Bill Compton you're likely to run through the streets screaming "werewolf bait", alerting whoever has Bill that we're onto them, or getting yourself killed." He then let out a growl as a thought occurred to him, "and my girl."

The blonde frowned, glanced to Tori who sent Eric a wide-eyed expression. "You think I'm that stupid?"

"No," he replied. "I think you're human."

Victoria scoffed up at him. "Don't underestimate us."

"Don't underestimate yourselves," he returned with a glare of his own. "Your lives are too valuable to throw away." He sat down at the table and they followed suit. "You have no connections in the Were community. They're not gonna answer your questions. They don't want you to know they exist."

"But, my friend Tyler—"

"Is not worthy," Eric interrupted with a possessive growl. "He is not the right Were to address him. And isn't he a hybrid now?" Tori frowned and he nodded, getting his answer.

"Bill's out there somewhere in danger," Sookie spoke up harshly, "I can't just go on with life like that's not happening. You know that, maybe better than anyone. When Godric went miss—"

Eric frowned as he interrupted her, "Bill Compton does not compare."

"But he's everything to me," Sookie sobbed out.

"Please don't do that. It makes me feel..." Eric glanced away. "Disturbingly human."

Tori snorted. "Oh, come one, you've seen me cry before."

"And I like it less when you do," he told her gently which as her blushing.

Sookie wiped away her tears, "We risked our lives to help you find Godric and I don't expect you to do the same for Bill, but the very least, I hope you'll help us if you can."

Pam and Jessica walk outed of the bathroom, and the red-headed vampire addressed the cousins, "I gotta get home before dawn."

When Sookie and her stood up, Tori glanced to her vampire, and gave him a small smile. "Please, Eric, I know you care." And with that, they left.

AFTER THE COUSINS dropped off Jessica, and they made their way home.

Suddenly, a dark figure supprised them, and Sookie kneed the intruder as Tori hurried over to the light switch, and turned it on. Jason was shown, hunched over, groaning, holding a piece of chicken in his hand.

"God. My family junk. Oh, Jesus," Jason groaned out before taking a bite from the drumstick.

"Oh, Jason. I'm sorry..." At first Sookie was guilty, then she grew confused, along with Victoria. "It's 5 a.m. What are you doing eating our chicken in the dark?"

"I couldn't sleep. And, well, I just kept thinking about how Gran would be doing handstands in her grave if she saw her..." He tried to stand up but winced and bent over, "her house like this. So, I thought I'd come and clean up, and then I got hungry. I figured you'd be with Bill." He took another bite and looked to Tori, "And you'd be with Eric seeing as you two are so close now." Sookie then began crying again which confused the boy. "What did I say?"

After they explained everything to him, and the sun came up, they began to clean up the place. Tori had yanked out all the vines she cohoe while Jason and Sookie mopped, sweeped, and threw out the trash.

"There's werewolves?" He asked in shock and confusion after they had explained who had took Sookie's boyfriend.

"Yup..."

"Oh shit..." He then paused with big brown eyes. "Bigfoot? Is he real too?"

Sookie wiped off the now vine-free fireplace mantel, and paused as she thought, "I don't know. I guess it's possible."

"It sounds ridiculous," Victoria commented and then giggled. "But imagine Bigfoot fighting against a vampire."

They all laughed with her before Jason let out a gasp. "Santa?"

Sookie rolled her eyes, though, she smiled at him. "Jason, focus."

"Yeah, sorry," Jason apologizes as he put some bottles in the trash bag. "Well, what can I do to help?"

"Nothing," Sookie gestured to herself and Victoria. "Apparently, that's what we're supposed to do too, which is totally impossible." She looked away as Jason mopped, "Every sound I hear, every time the phone rings, every shadow, I think it's Bill. I keep expecting him to come through the door and say..." She then imitated her fiancé's voice, "Sookie".

Tori laughed loudly, snorting as she imitated the voice head on. "That is what he sounds like." She caught Sookie's unamused look and cleared her throat before pulling out a thick vine from the wall.

Jason thought for a moment as they moved to the kitchen before saying, "Let me talk to Andy. I won't tell him the whole werewolf part but maybe there's something he could do to help."

Sookie sprayed the refrigerator and paused, "Andy Bellefleur?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding with a haunted expression. "We went through some pretty intense shit together during the whole Maryann thing."

Sookie looked over with a curious expression. "What kind of shit?"

"I don't know. I don't remember half of it. And don't even think about reading my mind because I wanna put that all behind me." He glanced from his sister to his cousin as he leaned up against the counter. "And don't you say anything."

"You heard about Eggs?" Sookie asked with a grimace, and Tori bit her lip as she felt bad for Tara. "I helped him remember things," the blonde began, tears in her eyes, "That's why he went after Andy and got himself killed."

"That wasn't your fault, believe me," when his voice grew serious, it surprised both Tori and Sookie.

"Well, tell that to Tara," Sookie sighed. "I don't think she's ever gonna forgive me. Maybe I deserve that."

Victoria sighed and walked over to the blonde, pulling her into a hug. "You did what you thought was the right thing. It's not your fault, trust me."

Jason agreed with their cousin, "You were trying to help. It's the thought that counts. And Tara's tough. She'll get through it. Sookie, you just need some sleep. The both of you do. Let me worry about Bill for a while."

Sookie smiled when he placed a hand on their shoulders, "Thanks, Jason."

Tori smiled and wrapped her arms around Jason's torso, breathing in deeply.

VICTORIA WAS SITTING on the couch, writing in her diary in the first time in forever, totally forgotten about it, and how much it helped her release some stress. She jumped in shock when her phone buzzed, and the pen in her hand grazed the page, making a line across some of the words. She sighed and closed the diary, sitting it down beside her before grabbing her phone to see a text from Sookie.

There was a werewolf here at Merlotte's. In his thoughts he planned on grabbing me, but he ran off. Be careful. If they know I work here, then they know where we live.

Victoria quickly turned to look out the window, narrowing her eyes to see if there was any movements through the trees. There was nothing, but she quickly sent a text to Eric.

Come over when the sun is down, there is a werewolf after Sookie and he might be here for me too. Ps... I really want to kiss you again.

She grinned and bit her lip as she pictures Eric's lips on hers again. They might've not discussed what they were yet, but they both knew that they have bonded, and wouldn't let anything happen to one another.

After spending the rest of the next few hours, locking windows and doors with a knife in her hands, she waited until Sookie arrived home

It was about night time when the blonde arrived, quickly running into the house, shutting the door behind her with a loud thud. She ran to her cousin with wide eyes, pulling a pistol out of her purse.

No sooner had Sookie arrived, they heard footsteps on the porch. Victoria felt her heart beat fast against her rib cage as they walked towards the front door wig cautious steps.

"Victoria, Sookie," they heard Eric's voice come from the door. Tori was quick to make her way to the door, and flung it open before wrapping her arms around the blonde. "Well, hello there, beautiful."

"I'm glad you're here," Tori breathed out before pulling him into the house which surprised Sookie, but she didn't say anything.

"They came for you," he said to Sookie then looked to Tori with concern in his eyes, "And it's just a matter of time before they come for you, too."

"Just one," Sookie replied, looking between them. "This morning. He took off before I could get anything out of him."

Eric looked between the cousins with a sigh. "I lied to you both."

"I figured," Tori retorted before sitting down on the kitchen counter seeing as it was much cleaner now. "Thank you for coming forth."

He nodded and then told the story of how he knew about the werewolves. He and Godric had hunted the werewolves down during World War II, posing as Nazi's. He told them about torturing and female werewolf to get information and that the werewolves fed on vampire blood and the pack was led by a vampire.

Sookie spoke up with raised brows, "You and Godric were in the SS?"

Tori looked at the blonde with wide eyes. "Damn..."

He shrugged as he placed his hand on Tori's leg. "We posed as whatever would help us in our search."

"But you were hunting Nazi werewolves."

"The symbol is runic," the vampire told them with pursed lips. "This pack dates back a lot farther than the Nazi Party."

The telepath arched an eyebrow, "So, they aren't Nazis?"

"No, they're much more than that. These are not ordinary werewolves," he looked at them in all seriousness. "They're organized, well-funded, highly-trained, and fueled by vampire blood."

"This is bigger than anything I have dealt with," Victoria spoke to herself and placed her hand on Eric's. "Why didn't you tell us last night?"

"I didn't want you or Sookie to get involved," he replied. "My loyalty is not to Bill. In fact, it would be advantageous of me in numerous ways if he were never found. But..."

"But?" Sookie wondered.

Eric looked back to the doppelgänger and she stared up at him with her doe eyes that made him melt. "Now they're coming for Sookie, and that will lead them to you. I can't lose you. The goal tonight was to keep the both of you out of danger, not put you both in more of it."

Victoria felt her heart soar with his words, and she couldn't help but smile, no matter the horror that was about to go down. "I can't lose you either, Eric."

Eric smiled lightly at her before glancing to Sookie, a smirk appearing on his lips when he saw the ring on her finger. "So, Bill purposed to you, ring and everything?" When she stood straighter, he chuckled. "To have and to hold... to love and to cherish... to blah, blah, blah, until death do you part. Doesn't bother you that you'll be the only one dying?"

"Eric..." Tori trailed off, frowning as she realized the extent of his words. She was human, he was a vampire. If they were to become a thing, she would have to turn or die.

Sookie frowned at him. "I'm not gonna talk about this with you."

Eric shrugged and looked to Tori who jumped down from the counter, and frowned when he saw the sad expression on her beautiful face. "Sweetheart..?"

Before anything else could be said, Eric growled and rushed into the living room. The cousins quickly rushed after him, pausing when they saw a werewolf with glowing eyes.

Eric let out a Viking shout and rushed the werewolf just as Sookie raised her pistol and shot.

Victoria felt the color drain form her face as she shouted out Eric's name. She was more than confused and worried seeing as Sookie had shot at the wolf and in the next second Eric was on the ground with a wound in the center of his chest.

"Eric!" Sookie shouted in surprise, lowering the gun with wide eyes.

"Are you out of your mind, Eric?!" Victoria exclaimed, tears in her brown eyes.

Just then, the wolf turned human and lunged at Eric, but the vampire caught him by the neck, growling.

"Stay back!" Eric shouted as he looked over at the girls, his eyes mostly shaking on Tori. "Don't shoot him. He knows."

Sookie didn't lower her pistol fully as she asked, "He knows what?" All the while, she was pushing Tori behind her.

"Who do you work for?" The vampire demanded of the werewolf with narrowed eyes, ignoring Sookie:

The wolf growled, "Give me a taste, fucker. Come on."

Eric let out an intimidating shout, "Who sent you?!"

"I can't—" The werewolf let out choking noises and grabbed at Eric's hand around his neck. "I can't talk."

Eric needed up letting go, which have the wolf a chance to hit into the vampire's chest. Tori shouted and went to run forward, hoping to distract the werewolf.

Eric saw her movements and his eyes widened in fear before he threw the wolf against the wall. The guy got up, despite his head having made a dent in the paneling, and went to run out the door, but Sookie shot him in the back of the leg, causing the man to let out a wolf-like yelp as he dropped to the floor. In a blur, Eric had the wolf pinned down.

"For the last time," Eric growled out, his fangs out, "Who is your master?"

The wolf made a strangled noise before saying, "If I tell you, I'm as dead as you are. You might as well kill me now."

Eric raised the man's hair and they saw the symbol on his neck, "As you wish."

Eric bit into the wolf's neck viciously, causing flesh to be torn and blood to cover the floor. Blood spread across the carpet and Eric looked up to the cousin's with blood smeared all over his face.

"I got your rug all wet," he smirked at Sookie then looked to Victoria who was watching him with wide eyes.

Before anyone knew it, Tori ran towards Eric, launching herself at him, not caring about the blood or the body. She placed her face in the crook of his neck and sniffled. "Don't ever do that again!" She begged, talking about how he risked his life.

Sookie sighed and shook her head. "We need to get rid of his body."

THE COUSIN'S STOOD next to a grave as they watched Eric fill it back up with dirt.

"Fresh graves are ideal for disposing of an unwanted body," he told them as he continued to dig, "The ground's already disturbed, so no one would think to dig again."

Sookie frowned, "So much for keeping him alive so we could question him."

Eric looked up at them, the blood that was on him was wiped away due to Tori fussing over him to make sure he was alright. And even though the bullet was barely anything to him, she had made him drink some of his blood. He had then gave her some of his blood even though Sookie protested on the blood sharing. "Well, that's what I was planning."

Tori frowned at him. "But then you saw his brand."

"Brings back many memories," his eyes lowered and he bit his lip. "Unpleasant ones."

"If you'd given me a chance to listen to his thoughts—"

Eric interrupted the telepath with a harsh tone, "You have no concept of how dangerous werewolves are. They're virtually silent. They have no fear of death. And when they've had a bit of our blood, their strength can be a challenge," he looked from Sookie to Tori, then back to his task. "Even for me."

"I have faced a pack of werewolves, so trust me when I say that I can take care of myself," Victoria told him gently, but firmly. She gulped as she remembered when she was taken by a pack along with Caroline just because they wanted to find out who killed Mason (Damon did) and because they wanted Tyler to join them fully. It was a terrible experience where they had decided to cut her up and shoot Caroline in the head if they disobeyed.

"Thanks for saving our lives," Sookie then said, gripping Tori's hand as Eric put the shovel down.

Eric glanced to Victoria who was looking up at him with big eyes that made him want to hold her and to never let her go again. He then turned and placed the flowers back on the grave, and then gestured to the cousins, "I'll walk you back."

"Do you know anyone named Jackson?" Sookie asked as they made their way down the dirt road towards the house. "It' the only thing I could make out." She sighed. "Maybe Jackson is the person he's working for," Sookie suggested.

"Jackson is where he lives," at their questioning looks, Eric elaborated, "He had a Mississippi accent." He looked to Sookie, "Can't you people tell the difference?"

Sookie thought for a moment before gasping. "Oh, my God, he's from Jackson? Do you think that's were Bill is? Eric, we have to go, like, yesterday."

"I can't. Not yet. The problems of the world consist of more than just finding your missing boyfriend," Eric informed and then looked to Victoria as they approached the house. "I know I can't stop you from going with her, but you both can't go by yourselves." He looked to the blonde, "These werewolves are looking for you. You're no good to Bill, or me and Tori if you're dead."

The blonde frowned, "How can you expect me to sit around when we have a lead?"

Eric arched an eyebrow at that. "It will be morning by the time you both get to Jackson. If you plan on rescuing a vampire during daylight I have seriously overestimated your intelligence."

Victoria rose a brow at him. "I saved Godric in the daylight."

He rolled his eyes at her which had her chuckling. "At least take the day to think it over."

Sookie sighed and nodded. "Fine. We'll leave tomorrow. But I have to go. Bill would do it for me. I don't expect you to understand."

Eric glanced at his girl, whether she was his or not. "I understand very well."

"Go in, I'll be there in a minute," Tori told her cousin who nodded and walked inside. She sighed and then looked up at Eric. "You'll be able to feel if something goes wrong, right?" He nodded and pulled her towards him by her waist. "How fast can you get to Mississippi?"

He frowned at her as he ran his right hand up and down her back. "Probably not fast enough. Stay out of trouble, sweetheart. It'll do us all a favor."

She sighed. "Can't promise that." She then frowned when he leaned forward, laying his forehead on hers. "Eric..." When he hummed, she asked, "What are we?"

He frowned and pulled back to look her in the eyes. "You said you were mine."

"That's not what I—" She stopped herself short and bit her lip. "I like you, Eric, I really, really like you. And I'm scared because I've never been in a relationship before. Or — or been in love with someone, so it's kind of scary. But, I just—"

He interrupted her by pulling her into a gently kiss. They stayed that way for a minute before he pulled back slowly. "We can be whatever you want to be."

She bit her lip and breathed in deeply. "Will you..." She blushed heavily as she continued, "will you be my boyfriend, Eric Northman?"

He smirked and pulled her into another kiss. "Jag skulle gärna vara din pojkvän, älskling." I would love to be your boyfriend, darling.