Finding My Own Way: Chapter 11
Title: Finding My Own Way
Summary: Sookie's world gets turned upside down by her handsome, yet very mysterious, new neighbor. Will she be able to help him face the demons of his past, and maybe help herself in the process?
Pairing(s): Eric/Sookie
Genre(s): Drama/Romance
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me.
Chapter 11
“Sookie, are you here? You haven’t been answering your phone again,” Eric called out, surprised to find that her front door was open. He was even more surprised once he reached the living room. “What happened?”
She glanced up at him, wiping her eyes and forcing a smile on her face. “Oh, you know me, I’m such a klutz. I was vacuuming and accidentally collided with the table, I guess it’s not as sturdy as I thought. I’m just cleaning up the glass before I cause another accident.”
He raised his eyebrows, not completely believing her story. “Be careful, you wouldn’t want to cut yourself.”
Sookie nodded. “Of course, I’ve got this under control. Why don’t you just wait for me at your house? I’ll be by as soon as I’m done.”
“Are you okay? You’re not acting like yourself, and I can tell you’ve been crying. I have a feeling it’s about more than just breaking your table.”
“I’m fine,” Sookie said shakily, the tears stinging her eyes. “It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Eric stepped closer when it looked like she was about to break down, wrapping his arms around her shaking frame, and immediately pulling away when she winced. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head, not able to stop him when he reached for her shirt and lifted it up.
“Shit, Sookie, what the hell happened? Your back is all cut up.”
“I fell,” she responded.
Eric gave her a pointed look. “I don’t care how clumsy you claim to be, I know that’s not the truth. What really happened?”
Instead of answering, she burst into tears.
Eric was beyond concerned now as he took her in his arms, being careful not to injure her more. “Love, what is it?” She was too busy trembling to get the words out, but Eric saw all he needed to. Her shoulder was bruised, as if someone had her in a tight grip. Anger clouded his features. “Fucking bastard, I’ll kill him for this!”
Her sobs died down, yanking him back before he could go storming across the cemetery. “No, Eric, you’ll only make things worse. Please, just let it go.”
“How can you possibly ask me to let it go? He threw you into a fucking glass table, Sookie. You can’t keep something like this a secret from me, why were you trying to cover for him? That’s exactly what he has Lorena doing.”
The tears started up again as she tried to make sense of it. “I was scared. I’ve never seen him like that before, it was terrifying. He…He told me not to say anything or it’ll be the last thing I do. I thought he was going to kill me.”
His face softened at her heartbreaking expression, taking her back in his arms and placing a kiss to the top of her head. “It makes me crazy knowing that he was able to hurt you and I couldn’t do anything to stop it, I should have been here.”
“You can’t always protect me, Eric. It’s like every time I’m with him, I revert back to the girl I used to be. I shouldn’t have let him push me around like that; it was my own fault for not being stronger.”
He cupped her cheeks, kissing her lips sweetly. “You are strong, but this has to end. I’m taking you to the hospital to get those cuts checked out, and then we’re going to the police station. I don’t care who the fuck Bill Compton is, he can’t get away with this any longer.”
Sookie nodded, letting out a breath. “I’ll talk to the police, but I don’t need a hospital. I feel fine, all I need is for you to put some ointment on my back and I’ll be as good as new. I just really want to sleep now; it’s been a long day.”
Eric didn’t feel up to arguing with her, instead he led her to the bedroom, figuring it would be best for him to stay with her tonight, just in case Compton decided to make another appearance. When she finally dozed off after he applied the cream and bandages to her delicate skin, Eric headed downstairs to sweep up the remaining glass. His fists clenched when he saw the damage caused to the table, knowing that fucker had the nerve to push Sookie into it was the last straw. He wanted nothing more than to rid the world of Bill Compton once and for all. No one hurt his girl and got away with it. Eric already lost his wife, but he would be damned if he lost Sookie. That just wasn’t an option.
* * * * *
Sookie clutched his hand the whole way to the station, but he had no complaints, willing to give her what little comfort he could. Something serious looked to take place once they arrived, if the commotion surrounding them was anything to go by. Sookie led him over to the man in charge.
“Sheriff Dearborne, what’s going on?” she wondered in confusion.
The older man looked up, rubbing his eyes. “Miss Stackhouse, what are you doing here? We have a bit of a situation; I’m not really at liberty to discuss it.”
Sookie took one of the available seats in front of his desk, while Eric sat down in the other. “I’ve come to talk to you about Bill Compton, he’s not very stable. He attacked me in my home last night.”
Bud Dearborne’s eyes widened. “Lord, this is worse than I thought. I’m afraid Bill has gone missing, something tragic has happened and no one is able to find him.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. “Please, sir, you have to tell me what’s going on. Did something happen to him?”
Bud shook his head, inhaling a deep breath. “Not that I’m aware of, but a Lorena Krasiki was found strangled to death on his property early this morning, we are led to believe it happened some time after midnight. There has been no sign of Mr. Compton since then; my men have been searching the entire town for him.”
Sookie gasped, squeezing Eric’s hand tighter. “Oh, God, he killed her?”
“We aren’t too sure of what really went down, and there are no witnesses.”
Eric was silent long enough at that point. “He went missing and the woman was murdered on his property, that’s all you need to know. Not only that, but just a few hours before this supposedly happened, he was shoving Sookie into her glass coffee table. You need to find him before he harms anyone else. The man is not a fucking saint, what more proof do you need?”
The sheriff ignored Eric’s angry statement, instead focusing on Sookie. “Miss Stackhouse, were you aware of any problems between Mr. Compton and Miss Krasiki?”
“Yes, I believe he was hitting her. I saw bruises on her arm and when I went to confront her about it the other day; she denied that anything was wrong. I could tell that Lorena was lying, but she didn’t want my help. Bill showed up at my house after they must have had a fight, he wasn’t very pleased that I talked to her.”
Bud made a note of everything she told him, glancing back up at her. “And you say that he pushed you into a glass table?”
Sookie stood and raised her shirt to show him her back, figuring he could use some more evidence.
“I’ll be damned. Thank you for coming to me with this, we had no idea just the kind of person Mr. Compton was, but I guarantee we will do our best to find him. Until then, you need to be put under our protection.”
Sookie sat back down. “What do you mean? Do you think he might come after me?”
Bud nodded. “That could be a possibility, it’s best not to take any chances. We’ll have a patrol car guarding your house, unless you have another place to stay. You probably shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“She can stay with me,” Eric chimed in.
Sookie assured the sheriff that she was okay with that idea, but really hated being driven out of her own home. She prayed they found Bill soon, before something worse happened.
Summary: Sookie's world gets turned upside down by her handsome, yet very mysterious, new neighbor. Will she be able to help him face the demons of his past, and maybe help herself in the process?
Pairing(s): Eric/Sookie
Genre(s): Drama/Romance
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me.
Chapter 11
“Sookie, are you here? You haven’t been answering your phone again,” Eric called out, surprised to find that her front door was open. He was even more surprised once he reached the living room. “What happened?”
She glanced up at him, wiping her eyes and forcing a smile on her face. “Oh, you know me, I’m such a klutz. I was vacuuming and accidentally collided with the table, I guess it’s not as sturdy as I thought. I’m just cleaning up the glass before I cause another accident.”
He raised his eyebrows, not completely believing her story. “Be careful, you wouldn’t want to cut yourself.”
Sookie nodded. “Of course, I’ve got this under control. Why don’t you just wait for me at your house? I’ll be by as soon as I’m done.”
“Are you okay? You’re not acting like yourself, and I can tell you’ve been crying. I have a feeling it’s about more than just breaking your table.”
“I’m fine,” Sookie said shakily, the tears stinging her eyes. “It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Eric stepped closer when it looked like she was about to break down, wrapping his arms around her shaking frame, and immediately pulling away when she winced. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head, not able to stop him when he reached for her shirt and lifted it up.
“Shit, Sookie, what the hell happened? Your back is all cut up.”
“I fell,” she responded.
Eric gave her a pointed look. “I don’t care how clumsy you claim to be, I know that’s not the truth. What really happened?”
Instead of answering, she burst into tears.
Eric was beyond concerned now as he took her in his arms, being careful not to injure her more. “Love, what is it?” She was too busy trembling to get the words out, but Eric saw all he needed to. Her shoulder was bruised, as if someone had her in a tight grip. Anger clouded his features. “Fucking bastard, I’ll kill him for this!”
Her sobs died down, yanking him back before he could go storming across the cemetery. “No, Eric, you’ll only make things worse. Please, just let it go.”
“How can you possibly ask me to let it go? He threw you into a fucking glass table, Sookie. You can’t keep something like this a secret from me, why were you trying to cover for him? That’s exactly what he has Lorena doing.”
The tears started up again as she tried to make sense of it. “I was scared. I’ve never seen him like that before, it was terrifying. He…He told me not to say anything or it’ll be the last thing I do. I thought he was going to kill me.”
His face softened at her heartbreaking expression, taking her back in his arms and placing a kiss to the top of her head. “It makes me crazy knowing that he was able to hurt you and I couldn’t do anything to stop it, I should have been here.”
“You can’t always protect me, Eric. It’s like every time I’m with him, I revert back to the girl I used to be. I shouldn’t have let him push me around like that; it was my own fault for not being stronger.”
He cupped her cheeks, kissing her lips sweetly. “You are strong, but this has to end. I’m taking you to the hospital to get those cuts checked out, and then we’re going to the police station. I don’t care who the fuck Bill Compton is, he can’t get away with this any longer.”
Sookie nodded, letting out a breath. “I’ll talk to the police, but I don’t need a hospital. I feel fine, all I need is for you to put some ointment on my back and I’ll be as good as new. I just really want to sleep now; it’s been a long day.”
Eric didn’t feel up to arguing with her, instead he led her to the bedroom, figuring it would be best for him to stay with her tonight, just in case Compton decided to make another appearance. When she finally dozed off after he applied the cream and bandages to her delicate skin, Eric headed downstairs to sweep up the remaining glass. His fists clenched when he saw the damage caused to the table, knowing that fucker had the nerve to push Sookie into it was the last straw. He wanted nothing more than to rid the world of Bill Compton once and for all. No one hurt his girl and got away with it. Eric already lost his wife, but he would be damned if he lost Sookie. That just wasn’t an option.
* * * * *
Sookie clutched his hand the whole way to the station, but he had no complaints, willing to give her what little comfort he could. Something serious looked to take place once they arrived, if the commotion surrounding them was anything to go by. Sookie led him over to the man in charge.
“Sheriff Dearborne, what’s going on?” she wondered in confusion.
The older man looked up, rubbing his eyes. “Miss Stackhouse, what are you doing here? We have a bit of a situation; I’m not really at liberty to discuss it.”
Sookie took one of the available seats in front of his desk, while Eric sat down in the other. “I’ve come to talk to you about Bill Compton, he’s not very stable. He attacked me in my home last night.”
Bud Dearborne’s eyes widened. “Lord, this is worse than I thought. I’m afraid Bill has gone missing, something tragic has happened and no one is able to find him.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. “Please, sir, you have to tell me what’s going on. Did something happen to him?”
Bud shook his head, inhaling a deep breath. “Not that I’m aware of, but a Lorena Krasiki was found strangled to death on his property early this morning, we are led to believe it happened some time after midnight. There has been no sign of Mr. Compton since then; my men have been searching the entire town for him.”
Sookie gasped, squeezing Eric’s hand tighter. “Oh, God, he killed her?”
“We aren’t too sure of what really went down, and there are no witnesses.”
Eric was silent long enough at that point. “He went missing and the woman was murdered on his property, that’s all you need to know. Not only that, but just a few hours before this supposedly happened, he was shoving Sookie into her glass coffee table. You need to find him before he harms anyone else. The man is not a fucking saint, what more proof do you need?”
The sheriff ignored Eric’s angry statement, instead focusing on Sookie. “Miss Stackhouse, were you aware of any problems between Mr. Compton and Miss Krasiki?”
“Yes, I believe he was hitting her. I saw bruises on her arm and when I went to confront her about it the other day; she denied that anything was wrong. I could tell that Lorena was lying, but she didn’t want my help. Bill showed up at my house after they must have had a fight, he wasn’t very pleased that I talked to her.”
Bud made a note of everything she told him, glancing back up at her. “And you say that he pushed you into a glass table?”
Sookie stood and raised her shirt to show him her back, figuring he could use some more evidence.
“I’ll be damned. Thank you for coming to me with this, we had no idea just the kind of person Mr. Compton was, but I guarantee we will do our best to find him. Until then, you need to be put under our protection.”
Sookie sat back down. “What do you mean? Do you think he might come after me?”
Bud nodded. “That could be a possibility, it’s best not to take any chances. We’ll have a patrol car guarding your house, unless you have another place to stay. You probably shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“She can stay with me,” Eric chimed in.
Sookie assured the sheriff that she was okay with that idea, but really hated being driven out of her own home. She prayed they found Bill soon, before something worse happened.