Switched Ch 13: Memento

Charlaine Harris owns almost everything. I own the rest.

I need to thank padore, kardamon, IkeaGoddess and above all else, my husband, for their wonderful ideas and help with brainstorming. As always, I must thank SeriousCrush for looking this over and giving me the all clear to post. You give me confidence with your loving support, and it means so much to me!

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Memento

Sookie’s POV (in Eric’s body)

I was enjoying watching Eric squirm in my body, unaccustomed to the pain that comes with a period. This is something that I always wished would happen to the men I know, at least once. Just think about how compassionate they would be! It was hilarious to think of Eric having to change tampons…and then the scent of my blood hit. It wasn’t funny any more. His body lurched towards mine, and I had to fight his urges to keep his hands down by his side. I wanted to taste my blood again, never mind where it came from.

“Oh god, Eric. I have to leave.” I inhaled. “I don’t want to leave. I want to eat you.” I slapped a hand over his mouth. “I can’t believe I just said that!” If I thought getting an erection was embarrassing, this was a whole new level of shame. Speaking of erections, I got one just thinking about it. “You don’t have much time.” The smell of my blood intensified.

Eric was panicked, and I was desperate to get out of my house before I did something I would regret. I ran to my bathroom, relieved at the slight reprieve it afforded me, and then Eric followed me, bringing that delicious smell back with him. I shoved boxes of tampons and pads into my arms. I could tell by Eric’s questions that he had no idea what they were. Poor guy, the next few days were going to suck.

I tried to maintain eye contact, but struggled to. It was like his eyes had a mind of their own, and so did his fangs. I couldn’t put them away no matter how hard I tried. It was torture. I had to leave, but moving his body towards the door seemed impossible.

“I need to leave. Now. Rescind my invitation,” I demanded.

“You said that wouldn’t work!”

“It’s worth a shot! I have to leave.” I was staring again, and felt embarrassed all over again. He would never let me live this down! His hunger bypassed my control over his mouth and I added, “But I don’t want to leave.”

He suggested that I shouldn’t leave, and then gave me the sexiest smile. His cry of pain was enough to snap me out of his one-track mind.

I handed him a bottle of painkillers, hoping he would not overdo it. The warmth of a bath always helped me with cramps, and then I was thinking about him, being naked and warm and…I slapped his face. This had to stop! “Eric, rescind my invitation. I can’t hold out much longer!” I was clenching his hands into fists to keep them off of my body. I winced in pain as his fingernails cut through his skin. Oh god, now I was growling.

“Fine!” he shouted. “I rescind your invitation!”

The magic that controlled his body bent him in half. I hurtled backwards through my house, as if a giant string connected to his spine was being pulled from someone standing on my porch. It was a nauseating feeling and I was glad when I was released.

Eric followed me to the front door, standing so close that I could almost touch him. I pushed against the door and wanted to cry when I couldn’t. I warned him not to come outside. Without the protection of my house, who knew what I was capable of?

Eric looked like he was on the verge of tears, and was begging me for help. How could I help him in this state? Suddenly a light bulb came on. “There is a book, all about growing up,” I told him, and then explained where it was. I hadn’t read it since I was twelve, but had kept it for some reason. I’m sure Eric would be grateful that I’m a pack rat.

I had to leave. The smell of my blood was getting stronger. “Give me the key to your house. I need to stay there for a few days. I can’t trust myself around you!” I really couldn’t understand how he could deal with this. Surly he has been around menstruating women.

Eric pulled out his keys, letting the boxes in my arms fall to the ground. He tossed his house key towards me and as soon as it touched his hand, I willed his body into the air…and far away from him. As I ascended into the dark night sky, I felt better.

Maybe I had been overreacting. Maybe I should go back and make sure he was okay. I tried to get his fangs to go away and couldn’t, which was a clear indication that I really didn’t feel that much better being away from him. The smell of my body still lingered in his nose, and I flew straight to his house determined not to turn around, no matter how hungry I was.

Eric’s house was quiet and dark. When I opened the door, the smell of burned bread still hung in the air. I warmed a bottle of blood, clutching it as I walked downstairs. I sat on the edge of his bed and took a deep breath, preparing myself for the vile taste of the meal in my hand. I could still smell my body in his room. It had been days since we had been here. I put my bottle down on the nightstand, and inhaled deeply above the pillow Eric had slept on. Oddly, the scent became more faint.

I stood up and inhaled again. It was stronger. Where was it coming from?

I walked into the bathroom, nothing there. It was definitely strongest in the bedroom. I opened his closet. I couldn’t contain a growl as the scent assaulted me. Why hadn’t I noticed it before, when I was taking care of drunken Eric? Oh yes, because he smelled like vomit and I made a point not to breathe.

I felt like a hound dog sniffing each piece of clothing hanging up, each one smelling more strongly than the next. I closed his eyes and moved his head until I pinpointed the source. It was coming from a black box.

Hmm, that’s odd.

I brought it with me and sat on the edge of his bed, and then opened the lid. The scent of my blood overwhelmed me, causing a rather painful erection and all rational thought to leave my mind. I reached in the box and found a piece of torn fabric. The frayed edges were saturated with blood and as I brought it to his nose, his other hand fell into his lap. His dick strained against the zipper of his pants, and jumped when his fingers grazed against it. I had barely escaped my house without throwing my body down and having my wicked way with myself, and I could not resist any longer.

I closed his eyes and held the scrap of bloody fabric against his nose while I opened his pants. I gripped his dick firmly and moved his hand in long smooth strokes. I rocked his hips in time with his hand and could feel the pleasure building inside his body. It started in his back. The muscles tightened and little pulses of electric energy shot up his spine. I moaned softly and let his mouth hang open. I breathed deeply, and I could almost taste the blood. My memory flashed to earlier tonight when Eric begged me to clean a cut on my knee, and then he was touching my body and we were moaning together.

I moved his hand faster, coating his palm with precum until everything was slippery. My moan became louder and my movements more erratic. I was thrusting his hips to meet his hand and breathing deeply. I pushed the bloody fabric over his face, which muffled the sound of my strangled scream as I came.

I dropped the fabric back into the box and ran to the bathroom to clean up. On my way back into his bedroom, my brain engaged again. Why did Eric have a scrap of fabric with my blood on it? I grabbed the bottle of blood from the nightstand and drank it down in one long swallow.

I lifted the bloody fabric again, and this time, I resisted the urge to inhale and bury his face in it, and then I realized what it was.

It was my shirt. The shirt I had worn the night the maenad attacked me.

Bill had found me after the attack and taken me to Eric. I knew I had been undressed because I woke up in a Fangtasia t-shirt, but I never thought to ask about the shirt I had been wearing.

Why had he kept it? Did his body respond like that every time?

I put it down gently in the lid of the box and peered inside the box. There was more. The entire bottom of the box was covered with glossy pieces of paper.

They were photographs…of me.

I held one up. It was taken outside my house. I wasn’t looking at the camera, and half of my face was hidden in shadows. The next was taken outside of Merlotte’s. It looked like I had just taken the garbage out, and was in the middle of dusting my hands off. One after another, I was shocked to see my face so unguarded.

A few of the picture were different than the others. Part of them was burned. I looked closely and noticed that they were taken outside of Bill’s house. In one of them, the burn engulfed the end of my hand and whatever I was holding. Probably Bill’s hand.

Oh my god, Eric had been stalking me!

I didn’t have any more time to be outraged about it. The sun came up and I fell over in his bed.

*******

The moment I woke up, it all came back. The shirt, the pictures…the creepy feeling I got when I thought about Eric stalking me, but despite all of that, the second I inhaled the only thing I cared about was rubbing my shirt all over his face and taking his gracious plenty for a test drive again.

I shook his head stubbornly and grabbed a handful of pictures, and then stuffed the shirt back in the box and closed it. I pulled the door open, determined to fly back to my house to confront Eric about the little black box, and came face to face with Pam.

“Going somewhere?” she asked.

“Yes. I’m going to talk to Eric.” Come hell or high water, we needed to talk.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea honey, you just got a fang-boner just thinking about seeing him.”

I touched his fangs with my tongue. “Shit!”

She laughed and dialed him, holding the phone out for me. I wanted to confront him face to face, not over the phone! “Pam? Pam!” My voice squawked through the phone.

I growled and snatched the phone out of her hands. “It’s me,” I said.

“Oh,” my voice softened. He sounded happy to talk to me.

“You have two seconds to explain yourself, mister!” I grumbled.

Pam covered her mouth, biting back a laugh.

“Explain myself? What are you talking about, Sookie?”

“I found it Eric. Your little black box?”

No response.

I huffed. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about! What the hell, Eric? You’ve been stalking me?!” At this point, I didn’t know if I should be offended or flattered.

“Oh, don’t pretend like you didn’t want me there.” He scoffed. “How am I going to tell Bill?”

What was he saying? Tell Bill what? The questions whirled around his head and then I realized what he said. He was quoting my diary.

“You read my diary?!!!” I felt betrayed and embarrassed. “You have no right!”

“I didn’t mean to,” my voice was little more than a whisper. “It was there, with that book you told me to read, and I was just looking for something else to read.” His answer came haltingly enough that I knew he was lying.

“That diary wasn’t in my old bedroom,” I said, feeling triumphant as I trapped him in his lie.

“Uh…” he trailed off and then took a deep breath. “I’m sorry Sookie.” He paused. “Why don’t you come over and I’ll make it up to you?”

“Stop it! Don’t try and tempt me after you just admitted to abusing my trust!” I was so flustered that I was finding it difficult to form words.

“Tempt you?” Eric asked.

I could practically see him raise my eyebrow. Ugh! I pushed the phone into Pam’s hands, and she nearly dropped it because she was laughing so hard. “Oh shut up Pam.” I stormed into the kitchen. I was hungry again. I looked down in his hand and noticed I was still holding pictures. I opened a drawer and stuffed them inside. I didn’t want to see them again.

Pam wiped a bloody tear out of her eye and cleared her throat. “Sorry. Yes, I’ll take care of her. Have fun reading…” She hung up the phone and turned to face me. “You’re coming with me.”

“Gladly…” Anything would be a welcome distraction at this point.

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I’m leaving for Chicago in the morning, so please forgive me if I don’t get back to you right away. Don’t let that stop you from reviewing though, you know how I love to hear from you.

On to Switched Ch 14: Happiness Equals Shopping