Chapter 12 : First 48 show

"Well, I'd have to be in order to get such a compliment from such a beautiful young lady."

She barely spoke above a whisper, "Thank you."

No one can defy my charms. I knew right then and there that she would be mine.

"So, Miss. Stackhouse, since you just so happen to be sitting here with me, how did you come to hear of Fangtasia?"

She trailed her finger up and down the side of the sweating glass. "I didn't hear of Fangtasia. I was supposed to meet some co-workers at a bar called Merlotte's in Bon Temps.

They were having a little to-do for someone that's having a baby. I was invited. Have you ever heard of either place?"

That's where you're originally from.

"I have," I said to her.

She didn't remember her hometown or where she used to work. What has happened to her to make her forget who she is and where she's from? Why is it possible that we, the vampires, can remember her but she can't remember us? Why can't Immanuel remember her? Why can't she remember him?

"Well, I have never heard of Bon Temps and I couldn't find it. I followed their directions to the letter but Merlotte's was not there. Each road that I turned onto was a dead end.

I got tired of driving nowhere fast, that I decided that I was going to go home. On my way home, I found this place. But you know what?"

"What?" I asked shaking my head as I leaned across the table.

Mimicking my movements, she moved in closer to me; so close, that she had to stand. "I drove this same road to get to Merlotte's and this place was not here.

There were no lights, no cars, and no bar. There was nothing." She sat back down and said, "What do you think about that?"

I sat back in my seat because I didn't know what to think. "Interesting," was the only thing that I could say.

"I know right?" she asked. She sighed and finished up her Sprite. Indira came over to freshen up Sookie's drink but she stopped her. "No, thank you. I do appreciate it though."

Indira smiled. "You are a breath of fresh air in this place." She nodded to Sookie and left.

"How much did you pay her to say that?" she asked. I had to laugh. The sight of this woman sitting in front of me, staring at me with those mesmerizing blue eyes, was enough to keep me happy for the rest of the night.

"You're too much Miss. Stackhouse."

"Call me Sookie."

"If you'll call me Eric," I said in return. I felt the grin form on my face before I could hide the way that she affected me.

I looked in the direction of the bar and my vampires had gathered around and were watching us.

I sent them a warning through Pam. They each went back to work but not before throwing a smile our way.

"You are a charmer … Eric."

No one has ever said my name the way she does. My fangs dropped when she said my name. I couldn't hide it nor could I stop it. I knew that the sight of my fangs would cause her to fear me.

There was she was, meeting me for the first time and I dropped fang on her. With her saying my name, I may have ruined my chances with her forever.

Before I speaking to her again, I made sure to retract my fangs. "Please forgive me."

"You owe me no apologies," she said. "It is part of who you are." Her responding smile only made me love her more. Cocking her head to the side, she added, "I kind of like them. They give you an air of mystery."

I smiled at her kind words. "Sookie; you have a very beautiful name."

"Thank you."

"Why have you never been here before?"

"I don't get out much." She sat back in the booth and slouched down. "I don't know what it means to relax. My life has always been so busy. It's been like this since college."

My wife never went to college. She always had problems with other people's thoughts invading her own. It made it hard for her to learn.

Still slouched in her seat and exhaling deeply, she said, "You know that this is the first time I've been out in months … feels like years. I really can't remember the last time."

She stared at me as she slouched down in her seat some more. The way that she was studying my face was almost as if she was trying to remember me.

After a minute or two, she said to me, "You know what burns my ass, Eric?" she asked as she improved her posture.

"What?" I asked surprised.

"A flame 'bout three feet high," she said in a mocking tone. She leaned onto the table as she rested on her elbows.

"Why am I here with you? What is it about you? Have we ever met before? Why am I drawn to you?"

Shaking her head, she said, "I don't know. I do know that I am never this comfortable when I first meet someone. My grandparents would have had a fit; especially grandpa, if he could have seen me slouched down in my seat."

Grandpa; what did she mean grandpa? She'd always said that her Gran raised her. Her grandfather died years earlier.

I was taken aback with that bit of information. "Southern gentleman?" I asked.

"You have no idea," she said. "That's probably why he and Jason never got along." She added that little tidbit under her breath.

At least I knew that she remembered her brother.

"What do you do for fun?"

She propped her chin upon her hands as she thought about it.

Let's see; since it's now 8:00 on a Wednesday night, I'm usually showered and in bed with a good book by now.

In a couple of hours, I would be watching an old episode of the 'First 48', which is my favorite show.