Sookie's Choice: A Southern Vampire Mysteries Fanfic

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I am only playing with them.

This is set immediately after Bill first takes Sookie to Fangtasia in DUD. It's a scenario which has been used many times, so I hope I have managed a different take on it. Apologies if I have unwittingly plagiarised any other fanfic writers –it's absolutely not intentional.

Although this is primarily an SVM story, some elements of the TV show may creep in.. I have tried to stick to the book version of Eric but it's not easy to keep him in character – whenever I write about him images of the lovely Mr S and his wonderful range of meaningful looks, not to mention his gorgeous body, just pop into my head – are you surprised?

Eric's Point of View

Pam and I were sitting in my hot tub. I was still seething with fury about the raid. I had made a more than generous contribution to the Chief of Police re-election campaign last year. It was meant to buy me peace to get on with my business. I intended to find out what had gone wrong. Someone was going to suffer for this.

"He was very foolish to bring the girl tonight" Pam interrupted my thoughts. I didn't have to ask who she was talking about, or which girl – there was only one who had been on my mind all evening. "She's a virgin you know" Pam added, quite unnecessarily.

"Yes it was foolish, I suspect that Bill Compton is trying so hard to mainstream that sometimes he forgets what it means to be Vampire. Although at least he had sense enough to warn the girl away from me. "

"Do you want her?"

"She… interests me"

"You could take her by force"

"No, I want her to come to me of her own free will"

"Well you might have to learn a few human customs, like 'courting'" Pam sniggered.

I was glad she was finding this so amusing. Pam and I liked to share a little game from time to time, we needed the distractions in our endless existence. If we could annoy Bill Compton in the process that would be an added bonus.

I was finding his attitude very irritating. Of course we all had to make a certain amount of effort nowadays, to curb the more extreme elements of our behaviour, or at least to make sure they were very well hidden. However for some reason he was taking the idea of 'mainstreaming' rather too seriously. He seemed to believe that this made him superior in some way. This was not something I could tolerate for long.

I considered for a while whether it would be worth the effort. The girl was really very attractive, her body curvaceous and tanned. I had grown to despise the scrawny, pale women who seemed to think they were every vampire's dream date. Also it was a very long time since I had had a virgin. You just couldn't find them, certainly not in America, unless they were very young, very plain or very religious.

"I think you may find this one more of a challenge than you are expecting"

"Come now, Pam. I don't exactly have a problem getting women, or men for that matter if I need some variety. Am I not correct in thinking that there is normally a queue" "Yes master" Pam was doing her very best to sound bored and unimpressed by my sexual prowess.

"What I mean is that she has already formed some kind of emotional attachment to Bill Compton."

"Yes but he hasn't had her, has he?

"I think she is the kind of woman for whom an emotional attachment comes first. You won't just be able to rely on your looks to win her. In fact being too handsome could work to your disadvantage."

Besides, she finds him attractive" I gave her a disbelieving look "Trust me Eric, I can tell these things, I could see the way she looked at him, and she was standing just a little to close to him."

" It's very obvious that he wants her. Several fangbangers offered themselves to him and he turned them all away"

"So why hasn't he taken her?"

"Well that's the mystery isn't it? It could be good for you, it means you still have an opportunity, but there could be some other reason."

"Eric, I can see you have set your mind to this, and I know how you are once you have a challenge in mind. As your Child, you know you can rely on me to help you. Besides you will be so unbearable to live with if you fail that I really have no alternative.

"My honest opinion is that you are at a disadvantage. After all, you can be really rather terrifying, and of course tonight you were putting on a particularly mean show. Sookie Stackhouse is brave, unusually brave, I had to admire the way she stood her ground with you, even though she was plainly frightened. As you know I generally have a low opinion of humans, but even I have to admit that she has character. Of course some humans love nothing more than to be scared out of their wits – we have a bank balance to prove it – but I really don't think that she is that type.

"I'm sorry Eric, but I think Bill Compton is exactly the type of man who she would be drawn to. He is after all a genuine Southern gentleman. He will charm her. He is mainstreaming, and seems to be curbing his natural Vampire instincts. He has the advantage over you really understanding the local society and customs. I know you have studied, but you know that being an outsider is never quite the same

Everything that Pam said just made me more determined. If Bill Compton could court her, then so could I, if he could charm her, well I would just have to be at my most charming.

At least I had the advantage of a special advisor. Pam devoted hours to studying the humans, watching their bizarre TV shows and reading their magazines. She claimed it helped her with the ladies.

She advised me to start by sending some flowers. It would be the kind of gesture that would catch her imagination. It would be gentlemanly, and might offer a little reassurance that I am not as truly terrifying as I appear, well as I actually am.

I didn't want to wait. Compton would be well aware of my interest in the girl – he wasn't that stupid. He would have realised my interest in the girl, he could even be moving on her now. I hoped I was not too late, as I searched the directory for florists.

Most of the numbers I called went straight to voicemail. Well it was 3am so not surprising really. I was almost shocked when I heard a sleep filled voice: "who…who is it, what do you want. Has someone burgled my shop".

"I am Eric Northman, and I need some flowers now, I will meet you in 30 minutes"

"What the fuck, its 3am, you can't seriously expect me to open up now"

"You will do as I wish or your business will truly suffer. I will pay you well for your trouble"

Half an hour later a dazed young woman was opening her shop in a silent strip mall on the outskirts of town. She looked a little frightened, which was good. I explained that I needed a striking bouquet of flowers, dramatic but not too flashy. She asked me to describe the person they were for.

I thought hard, picturing Sookie in my mind. "She smells of summer, she is innocent but also wise, a country girl, wary of the city" "I know exactly what you need, meadow flowers, pink, lilac, white, delicate and scented". The girl was really very good. In no time she had put together a most wonderful selection. I nodded my approval. That would normally be $30 dollars she said, but I would like $50 on account of the inconvenience. I peeled off $100 and put in on the counter. "You have done well, let me have your card, I would like to do business with you again". She looked pleased despite her obvious exhaustion. I gave her the address and said to be sure they were delivered before 10am. I wrote out a card to go with them.

My dear Miss Stackhouse

It was a great pleasure to meet you last night. I do hope to see you again, in more pleasant circumstances.

My regards

Eric Northman.

I tucked in my business card with my personal cell number scrawled on the back.

Bill POV

How could I have been so stupid? Of course I knew Eric Northman was the owner of Fangtasia. I had been summoned there when I first returned to Area 5, to be checked out and to pledge my loyalty. The club had been closed then, it was a private meeting.

I certainly did not expect to see the Sheriff of Area 5 spending his evenings on view for the entertainment of humans. Once we were in there was no backing down of course, and no avoiding his summons. I could only be glad that Sookie had learned enough about the Vampire world to acknowledge that she was mine. It wasn't true in the fullest sense of course, but I hoped it soon would be.

That was my purpose in stopping to kiss her on the way home. She needed to know that I wanted her. I didn't want her tempted by anyone else. She certainly responded to my kiss, but I didn't want to go to fast. I thought back to my human wife. Of course she too had been a virgin on our wedding night. Her first experience had come as a shock to her, I was inexperienced myself and had been too rough. It took many days to convince her that she could trust me. I didn't want to make the same mistake with Sookie, so I pulled away before I could go to far.

When we returned to her house she seemed unhappy, but I couldn't tell why. Had I shocked her by pulling up in that deserted car park to kiss her. Was she upset at being stopped by the Police. I felt awkward. I didn't know what to do to put her at her ease.

Northman's interest in her was obvious. I knew of his reputation. And truthfully I had to admit Sookie was very lovely. I wanted her for myself, but I also didn't want her to suffer the inevitable hurt of being one of his conquests. He would discard her after a few days. I couldn't let that happen. I was angry with myself for handling things badly. I would have to see her tomorrow to try to make it up to her.