Sookie looked at her timepiece with a sigh. She knew the experts said that fifty to sixty percent of humans found their soulmates before the countdown ended, but she knew it was probably closer to twenty percent who were lucky enough. There were just too many things to take into consideration. It depended on whether your mate was close by or just happened to cross your path. It also required coming into contact with your mate long enough for your timer to glow green and arc to your mate's. The color change was always to green, universally informing the mates they had found one another. That didn't mean she didn't hope to meet her mate before her clock struck zero, still, it was reaching zero a little more quickly than she was comfortable with. Oh well, no since dwelling on something she had little control of. It was time to get ready for her shift at Merlotte's.

Sookie enjoyed working at Merlotte's. The constant mental chatter was good practice for keeping her shields sharp. Being a telepath had made life quite the challenge. Knowing the thoughts of all those around her had helped give her a thicker skin than most. She also had become difficult to embarrass, having seen far too much in too much explicit detail! Though she was still a virgin, it didn't mean she was clueless or had any knowledge of all things sexual. Sure, she didn't talk openly about sex as did some of her coworkers, but she was well aware of what they were talking about, and don't even get her started with the thoughts of many of her customers! With everything she was constantly exposed to due to her "quirk," she was amazed she was still looking forward to her first lover.

She knew Bill Compton was trying to get her to let him be her first, but she didn't find him the least bit attractive, not in any way that would make her give in to his constant requests. He had been okay company in the beginning, but he was really starting to get on her nerves. The Southern gentleman routine was sweet and all when they had first met. Now she was starting to wonder if it wasn't just that, an act. She had noticed a slip in his accent and "gentlemanly" nature a few times. She knew she owed him for saving her life after the Rattrays had beat the shit out of her, but did she really? She had also begun to notice that Bill was constantly trying to get her to ingest more of his blood, for her own health and wellbeing, of course. Bullshit! Something about it just didn't sit well with her. Then there were the other things she had started noticing as well. For example, why she would suddenly dislike someone or something without due cause or vice versa? She had been raised a proper Southern lady, and knew better than most to not "judge a book by its cover." She knew that one minute she would be feeling great, confident, and then, as soon as it was dark, and especially if she was in Bill's company, she would start to feel insecure and dopey.

She knew there was one person she could ask, Eric Northman. Yet, she was hesitant. She was with Bill, so should she? Speaking of the devil, being in Eric's presence while she was with Bill would make her go from appreciating his physique and intelligence to suddenly disliking him intensely, wanting nothing more than to flee his company. Conversely, when Bill wasn't around and she thought of Eric, her thoughts ran more along the lines of what an unchaperoned conversation might be like and simply just knowing that any physical contact would be pure electricity. The man was H-O-T! With these thoughts on her mind, she made the decision to ask Eric what effects vampire blood could have on the human ingesting it, no matter the volume or how often they partook. She was becoming more suspicious of Bill with the more thought she put into it.

She was tired of her ping-ponging emotions and needed some real answers. Bill constantly dismissed any questions she raised. He would tell her it was vampire business and none of her concern. However, if his blood was in any way influencing her emotions or if Bill, himself, was influencing her in any way, then that shit had to stop immediately! The only thing Bill would tell her about vampire blood in a human's system was that it would heal just about any and everything as well as to allow him to locate her no matter where she was, just in case she was to get into trouble. True, it had helped him find her quickly. It wasn't that she wanted to doubt him or any of this, but she had a sneaking suspicion that there was far more to the blood than he would ever tell her.

Seeing she was working the lunch shift of noon to five that day, she would be able to make it to Fangtasia that night to speak with Eric. She hoped she would be able to get things wrapped up at work, showered, dressed, and on the road to Eric's bar before the sun set so she wouldn't have to deal with Bill and his 'overprotectiveness.' She was twenty-five, for goodness sakes! It's not as if she had never done anything before she met Bill, but he seemed to believe it was his place to tell her where she could go and whom she could see. It was her life, damn it! She could go wherever she wanted and see whomever she wanted to see, and if Bill didn't like it, then tough shit! She needed answers and knew Eric would give her the ones she wanted, along with a good layer of sexual innuendo to accompany them.

She didn't mind though. She had a feeling it would be quite entertaining and educational to speak with Eric without her usual escort. She had said she was Bill's the one and only time she met Eric, but she wasn't even sure exactly what that meant. Just another question she would need to have answered. She would make a mental list of questions for Eric after her shift. That way she would have the list fresh in her mind without any distractions.

Sookie's shift went by fairly quickly. There were only a few lulls in business and that was just fine for her. She was able to clean up her section and get it handed off to Dawn in short order. On the short trip home, she mentally went through her closet. She knew she didn't really have any true clubbing clothes, but she didn't really want to wear another sundress and stick out so badly again. She decided on a pair of black low rider jeans, a royal blue silk tank top she bought at Tara's clothing boutique, and her black 3 " heeled leather boots. It wasn't really a clubbing outfit, not when you considered what the other patrons wore, but it was the best she could do. With a bit of makeup and if she left her hair down, maybe she wouldn't stick out quite as much.

Once home, she updated her Gran on her plans for the night. By the time Sookie was showered and dressed, Gran had her dinner ready. She ate quickly, and then ran up to brush her teeth before heading out. While she brushed her teeth, a thought crossed Sookie's mind. As she bounded down the stairs, she told her Gran to rescind Bill's invitation. Because of her destination, without his 'permission' or escort, Sookie didn't want to take the chance that Bill might take his disappointment out on Gran. Her gut instinct said this was a wise thing to do and, fortunately, Gran agreed. Gran liked Bill, but trusted Sookie's instincts and respected her wishes, rescinding Bill's invitation. Besides, it wasn't as if they couldn't extend another one if they wanted. Sookie told Gran to make sure not to open the door to Bill, nor should she tell him that Sookie wasn't there, even through the closed door. She wanted to make certain he couldn't glamor himself an invitation. Gran agreed and off Sookie went. She should be arriving just at sunset.