Entitlement, Pt 1-3

Summary: Originally a one-shot, so the first chapter doesn't quite jive with the rest.

Chapter 1 - Entitlement
Chapter 2 - If Only
Chapter 3 - A Whole New Direction


Chapter 1

Entitlement

Eric brushed his long, golden hair before he got out of his car. The lot in back of Fangtasia was deserted, but it wouldn't be long. The back door was being held open with a case of beer, so he knew Pam and some of the humans were getting ready for the night. Eric was tired of this routine, but it was better than sitting home watching TV or trolling the streets for a meal. At least this way, his meals came to him.

He was wearing head to toe black leather in spite of how warm it was. He didn't know why, but he wanted to be particularly menacing tonight. There was a convention in town, so maybe they'd make good sales tonight and there was always a chance he'd get the satisfaction of kicking some pathetic human in the face. That was always a bright spot of the night.

He strode into the back of the bar with his usual air of arrogance and command, nodding to Pam, and to two new bar girls, all of whom called him "Master," and bowed to him. He loved being called Master. One advantage of vampires being out in society was that a Sheriff like Eric could command the kind of attention and respect he deserved openly. He didn't have to pretend to be less than he was to get along with unsuspecting humans. He could be his glorious, dangerous, merciless self and the unwashed masses would clamor for his attention and approval, eagerly offering their money – as well as their bodies and their blood - to him hand over fist.

He went to his office, tended to a few bills and approved some orders Pam wanted to send in to the distributors. He cruised on the internet for a bit, shopping for nothing in particular, but he ordered some nice silk shirts and made an appointment for his tailor to come to the club and check them for any necessary alterations when they arrived. He wrote his weekly report on the state of his Area, he watched a little TV on the small set in his office, then he decided to head out front. He checked his hair in the mirror again, shaking it out like a lion's mane and smiling at the result. He would be utterly irresistible to some eager young human who would gladly offer herself or himself up to Master of the house. It was a Wednesday night, so humans drank free until Midnight, and that brought in lots of lovely, pale little girls and boys dressed in black and painted to look the way they thought a vampire should look.

Eric dreaded the sea of black tonight. Everything in his world was dark. The women were dark in spirit and in their dress, of which they wore too little, and makeup, of which they always wore too much. If it weren't for an occasional red wall in Fangtasia, there would be no color in the club at all. Even the pale flesh that beckoned to him was colorless and dull. These humans might not be dead, but he'd hardly consider them alive. They were stupid, they were dull and they had little ambition and no imagination. Eric straightened the collar of his black silk shirt and mused about selling the bar, but again, it was too convenient having his meals seek him out. He berated himself for his own lack of ambition, but he really had no interest in changing his routine, no matter how boring it had become.

Eric finally went out to the club, enjoying the murmur that flowed through the crowd as he swept into the room. The staff rightly respected and feared him. The humans were fascinated by him. It was just as it should be, as far as Eric was concerned. No one would stand up to him about anything, no matter how minor the point might be. That was a little dull but it was expedient and Eric was all about expedience these days. He would frighten the tourists, choose one or more of his patrons to fuck and to feed upon, then he would go home early and read a book. He wasn't even sure he'd use the sex room below the club tonight. Some nights, it was just too much trouble to set the scene. So many of his offerings were happy just to be bent over his desk that it seemed a waste of energy to give them much more.

He laughed to himself that he should write a book, or commission one, because he'd read all of the erotica he had so many times that he had it memorized. The stuff people were churning out these days was too vulgar. So much of it expressed a marked hatred for women and that was the opposite of a good read for Eric. He adored women, when he found a good one, but they were fewer and farther between every century. The little goth chicks that filled his club were mostly disposable. He hadn't seen a woman worth fighting for in at least 250 years, but some part of him hoped there might be one somewhere. That hope quickly faded when he reminded himself that such a woman was unlikely ever to darken the doors of Fangtasia, and Eric rarely went anywhere else except for official vampire functions. He occasionally went shopping, but that was a last resort. Except for his need to feed, Eric was a separatist. He only dealt with humans when he needed blood, sex or money. They didn't last long, so there was little point in investing energy in them. As soon as you got used to having them around, they went and died on you.

Eric sat in his throne-like chair and checked his email on his phone. He had a text from the Queen and a couple from other Sheriffs, so he replied to those and sipped on the Real Meal that was served to him instantly when he sat down. He preferred drinking RM in the club because it gave him pleasure to drink human blood in front of humans. As long as there was RM, he didn't need them, but they still wanted him. That was exactly how he liked his relationships – all the control belonged to him.

He was playing Scrabble on his phone because it stretched his knowledge of English, occasionally scanning the crowd for tonight's lucky donor, when a balding little man crawled up before him and dared to touch Eric's knee. Eric promptly kicked the man across the room, smiling for the first time tonight. That was always good fun, and would probably be the best thing that happened tonight.

"Master?" Pam stepped up on the stage behind Eric's chair and waited for leave to approach.

"Yes, Pam?"

She leaned over to speak softly and tease the humans who would speculate about what she was telling the Master. "Bill Compton his here tonight,"

"Really? I had thought he was still avoiding me. He's not as smart as I thought he was."

"You'll be interested in his companion, I'm sure."

"Why would a companion of Compton's hold any interest for me?"

"They're over in the corner – blonde, blue eyes, 25…"

"Mmmmm, I see. I wonder where Bill found that tasty bit?"

"She's asking questions about our patrons, too, Master, she showed pictures to Long Shadow and asked if he noticed who they associated with here."

"He told her we don't allow that, I assume?"

"He did, but I thought you might enjoy telling her yourself. He also said you took one of the girls home recently."

"Indeed? What else do you know about Bill's human?"

"Her name is Sookie Stackhouse, she's from Bon Temps, but I don't think she's Bill's human – he introduced her as his friend."

"She looks mildly interesting from this distance. Will I be disappointed as she draws near?"

"I think not, Master – she's very pretty, and not quite bright enough to be afraid of us."

"I can take care of that," Eric smirked.

"I don't know, Master – this one might not back down as quickly as you'd like."

"Really? Would you like to make a little wager, Pam?"

"Yes, I would."

"I make her cry in 10 minutes or you get a week in New Orleans?"

"You're on, Master."

Eric had scanned Compton and his date a couple of times. He wouldn't mind a little diversion at the moment so he summoned them with a small motion of his hand. Bill looked worried, which made Eric happy, and he got a better look at the girl as she and Bill approached.

'Lovely figure, moves gracefully,' he thought, 'but what is she wearing? I wonder if she knew where Compton was bringing her?'

The pair stepped into the light, which made the girls hair glisten like sunshine. She was actually wearing a dress – a very pretty, red and white dress with a full skirt and cleavage brimming. No black makeup, no black clothes and she actually had a suntan. She stood out like a light in the darkness. Eric was shocked to realize he was feeling something akin to excitement.

"Bill Compton, it has been a while."

"Yes, Eric, I've been…"

""Mainstreaming!"" Eric said, dripping with derision, "I heard." Eric's tone left no doubt that he found the concept bizarre and ridiculous. Look at those breasts…

"I see that is going well for you," Eric honored the girl by showing his interest. This was the prettiest girl he'd seen in a long time. He just prayed she didn't say something stupid and ruin things.

"Oh, yes, Eric, this is my friend…"

"Sookie Stackhouse." 'Yes, Blondie, I know who you are.' Eric had that feeling he loved, like a lion stalking an antelope. Scaring her was going to be fun. The night was looking up.

"How do you know my name?"

Eric didn't respond because he couldn't believe she challenged him that way. Pam spoke up, "I never forget a pretty face. You're in my vault."

Eric smirked at the girl, expecting her to wilt, but she said "Great. That's just great. It's nice to meet you."

"Well, aren't you sweet?" Eric said contemptuously.

"Not really…" she shot back, Bill obviously squeezing her hand to make her stop.

'What's this?' Eric thought to himself, 'she should be afraid of me now. Compton's more afraid than she is. And what exactly is she? She's not human, is she?' He spoke to Pam: in Swedish, "Vår lilla djurpark börjar växa till sig. [Our little zoo is starting to grow]"

"Jag viet. [I know]" Pam replied.

"Miss Stackhouse, I hear you have been asking questions about some of my customers."

"Yes, I have," she replied in the sweetest Southern accent Eric had ever heard. He wondered if she'd notice he had a hard on now. Eric LOVED a girl with a good Southern accent.

"If you have anything to ask, you should ask it of me," he said in his most commanding voice.

"Alrighty, you recognize any of these girls?" She wasn't backing down. She was going to say what she came here to say.

Eric liked that. Now he was less interested in scaring her than in turning her on, so he played it up big. "Mmmm. This one offered herself to me, but I found her too pathetic for my attentions." She didn't like that and Eric noticed. Interesting reaction. "Now this one, however, I have tasted." He looked right at her to see what her reaction would be, hoping she wasn't a sister or best friend, and also hoping to see a little wish that he'd taste her. She was breathing a little heavy. He couldn't take his eyes off her breasts, so he noticed that.

"I remember 'em both," Pam said.

"Is that because of the vault?" Sookie said in a sassy comeback. Eric bit his tongue so he didn't laugh when Compton squeezed her hand again. Eric couldn't tell yet if she was that brave or that dumb, but he wanted to find out which it was. At the very least, she was entertaining. Easy on the eyes, too.

"… Never had either of them, though. They weren't really my type," Pam continued.

"Well, thank you very much, that is all your time I need to take." Sookie reached for her purse to put the pictures away, but before he knew he was doing it, Eric said "I'm not finished with you yet!"

Wow – where did that come from? He didn't know if he wanted that to scare her or not. He did know he didn't want her to leave. He thought he'd lighten up a little so he smiled and tried to be non-threatening, but he was out of practice. "Please, sit?" he said in a voice that was a little too high. She wasn't getting away from him that fast, though, not if he could help it. He wanted more time with this girl so he figured his best bet was to let her know up front he was interested in her. If Eric wanted a woman, he left her in no doubt of it. That's why Eric got the women he wanted.

"So, Bill" he said, never taking his eyes off Sookie as she sat down. She must be a little scared, he figured, because she won't let go of Bill's hand. "Are you quite attached to your "friend?""

"She is mine." Compton was trying to be scary. Eric would laugh at him but he had other things on his mind. Like those breasts…

"Yes, I am his." Sookie said too quickly and too forcefully. Eric didn't believe it, and was determined that he was going to find out if this were true or not.

"What a pity… for me." He was letting her know in no uncertain terms that he wanted her right now and that he wasn't buying it. She looked at him with big eyes as he licked his lips. He couldn't tell if she knew what he was asking Bill, but he was thinking maybe she didn't. She was brave, but she was apparently new to vampire culture. She looked unspoiled and she was completely open, which was rare in those used to being around his kind. Eric made up his mind that at some point in the near future, he was going to fuck Sookie Stackhouse, Bill's or not. "Sit with us." He looked at Bill, daring him to say no, "We have catching up to do, you and I. It has been too long."

"Yes," Bill said, knowing he didn't dare say no, and also knowing that bringing Sookie into this bar was a huge tactical error. The Queen had sent him to do something, and now he would fail. Eric would take her. He knew it. 'Look at the way he's looking at her,' Bill thought, 'he's practically drooling on her. Why did I bring her here!?'

Eric looked Sookie up and down slowly. She was petite but she had long, very pretty legs and those breasts were just begging to be kissed. Eric decided he could happily spend hours just watching her breathe. What the fuck was she doing with Bill Compton? He didn't think it would be hard to take her away from him, though, if he decided he wanted to. Did he want to?

"We have to get out of here." Sookie said out of nowhere.

"Sookie," Bill started to warn her but she kept talking.

"Eric the cops are coming. There's going to be a raid."

"Tell me you're not an undercover cop?" He'd kill Compton if he brought a cop in here.

"I'm not but that man in the hat is."

"Even if you're right, we do nothing illegal here." OK, that was bullshit, but Eric wouldn't run no matter what was going on. How did she know all of this?

"There's a vampire named Taryn in the Ladies' Room with that man you kicked before. She's feeding on him."

"How do you know this?" Pam insisted. Eric wanted to know that, too.

Sookie's eyes got big and she hesitated and Eric caught Bill shaking his head in his peripheral vision. Who was this woman?"

Just then the police did break in.

"Follow me," Eric decided to play hero, so he showed them an escape route. "I enjoyed meeting you, Miss Stackhouse. You will come again."

Shit! Now he was going to have to spend the night dealing with the fucking cops. Were there no other bars in Shreveport? Why were they always pulling this shit on his bar? They rarely found anything. He'd wait an hour then he'd go back and straighten things out. Sookie… Wait. Sookie? Why was he thinking about Sookie when his bar was being raided?

How did she know about Taryn and that human? How did she know about that cop? Was this girl psychic? A Witch? He didn't get close enough to be sure but he could have sworn she had an unusually sweet scent about her. Shit! Why did those cops have to break in now of all nights. If that girl had powers, he needed to know what they were. She apparently lived in his Area, so technically, he should control her, whatever she was and whatever she could do. That's right, he decided – she was his by rights, no matter what Compton was to her. She was more than just a woman. She was valuable – an asset that rightfully belonged to him.

He wracked his brain. What exactly did she do? Was it precognition or telepathy? He'd known people who could do both over the course of his thousand years, but they were normally Witches or Fae. She didn't seem to be either. Whatever she was, he couldn't stop thinking about her. When he went to rest that morning he kept having visions of that glorious blonde hair in the lights on the stage, that luscious cleavage, those big eyes. And that attitude! She never did really show fear. Hell, Compton showed more fear than she did.

That little white and red dress haunted him. How long had it been since he'd seen a flesh and blood woman dressed in anything but black, or jeans and a t-shirt? It was so feminine and it fit every curve of her just so. He wondered if she'd taste as sweet as she smelled? Had she ever been bitten? He didn't see any marks on her, and he looked pretty closely. They could be on her inner thigh, of course, but he didn't let himself dwell on the idea of Compton between her legs or he wouldn't be able to keep himself from going to his house and staking him. Why he should feel such an inclination, he had no idea, but he refused to dwell on it.

The thought of all that femininity and attitude being wasted on the likes of Compton was too much to live with. One way or another, Eric had to see her again. Compton claimed to own her, so let's test that claim, he thought. He had been planning to address Long Shadow's thievery for some time now, but the perfect moment hadn't presented itself. Maybe this was why he hadn't just staked him and been done with it? He needed an excuse to draw Sookie back into his lair, and Long Shadow was as good as any.

"Sookie," he said aloud. What kind of name was that? He'd never heard it before. He told himself that finding out what she could do was his job as Sheriff. He refused to think about he fact that being Sheriff had nothing to do with why he was dreaming about watching her breathe. He'd managed to rationalize this new sense of entitlement he felt toward Sookie Stackhouse and knew that it was just a matter of time before she was his, and his alone.


Chapter 2 IF ONLY

[Author's Note: OK, what was supposed to be a one-shot is now going to be a trilogy of sorts. This is part 2 and I'm working on part 3 now. I'm not planning to take it farther than that, but there's not a lot of planning in my writing – I just go where the Viking leads me. Enjoy!]

If Only

Pam turned Eric's rearview mirror toward herself and checked her lipstick as the Corvette screamed around the corner.

"OK, now, explain to me again why we left the club?" she asked

"It seemed to be the thing to do…"

"You mean it seemed like what she wanted you to do…"

"We'll give the police a little time to harass the patrons, then we'll go back and calm them all down. There are RMs in the armrest there if you're thirsty."

"You do realize you failed to make her cry?"

"I didn't have a full 10 minutes."

"I thought that was more than ten minutes. It seemed more like 15."

"It was less than 5, I'm sure. We barely got started."

"What exactly were we starting?" Pam couldn't resist teasing Eric when he was trying to gloss over something like his attraction to this blonde girl. He was trying to act detached, but she wasn't buying it.

"The conversation."

"Oh, is that what that was? So you think if you had what you would agree was a full 10 minutes that you could have made Sookie cry?"

"If I really wanted to, yes, of course. I decided early on, however, that it might be better to befriend her and find out more about her gifts."

"You knew about her gifts early on?" Pam felt everything in the car shift as Eric sped around another corner. He was apparently making a big circle.

"Come, now, Pam, we both knew she was neither human nor vampire…"

"True, she didn't seem quite human. So how do you suppose she knew about the police? I'm quite sure she's not a policewoman."

"No, certainly not. She was far too innocent to have been a police officer."

"Innocent? Are you sure about that?"

"Not yet, but I'll know very soon. You memorized her address, of course?"

"Yes, of course. Should I add her to the mailing list?" She was going to make him ask for it directly.

"And…?" Eric was becoming irritable. Why was Pam asking so many damned questions?

"I'll enter it into the computer when I get back to the office."

"What was her address, Pam?"

"She's not really local…"

"Pam…"

"Hummingbird Lane in Bon Temps. Does anybody really live in Bon Temps? I can't imagine it. Isn't it rather… backward?"

"I'm sure it must be or she would never waste her time with Compton. I'm sure that's indicative of the lack of suitable companions in the area. She didn't seem the type to go for a drunken redneck or a tight-laced bible thumper, and those are the only varieties she's likely to encounter there."

"She didn't seem to want to let go of his hand when she sat down. Maybe she likes Bill…?" Pam knew this was eating at Eric.

"I am sure that, compared to the dregs of Bon Temps, Compton stands out. Among vampires, of course, he'd hold little interest for such a woman. My guess would be that he is the first vampire she has ever encountered."

"Is it even possible to be so isolated? Surely there must be some in that area?"

"Bon Temps is not nearly as progressive as Shreveport."

"Shreveport is "progressive?"

"Compared to a backwater like Bon Temps, yes, it is. I'd never be able to run a business in that area without constant harassment by locals. In Shreveport, we only have an occasional run-in with authorities, but the church groups and other fanatics don't pay much attention to us aside from the occasional bomb threat. We'd encounter a good deal more violence in an area like that."

"Alright, I can understand how a person might be born in an area like that, but I don't understand how a person could stay in such an area. She's 25, after all."

"Yes, I find that strange as well. I would expect a woman like that to move on to bigger and better things once she reached adulthood. Perhaps she has family obligations that keep her there? That's only the first of many questions I'd like to know the answers to," Eric was talking to himself now, not really thinking about what he was saying in front of Pam. "There is so much I want to know…"

"So you're planning to call Bill Compton, I take it, and ask about his little friend? You're his Sheriff, after all, you can order him to give her to you, even if she is his…"

"She'll come to me of her own accord."

"She will?" Pam was amused at his determination. She hadn't seen him this way in a long, long time.

"Absolutely." Eric turned back into the lot behind Fangtasia.

The police were checking the last of the IDs carried by Fantasia's patrons and had only cited two people for exchanging blood in public and sex in one of the bathroom stalls. Eric recognized a Sergeant from a previous raid who had been reasonable, and he approached him with confidence and courtesy.

"Good evening, Sergeant Chaffins. Did you find everything in order?"

"A little sex and blood in the bathrooms, but that could happen anywhere. We handed out some tickets and we'll have to give you a written warning, but other than that, everything seemed fine."

"Is this going to become a monthly event?"

"I hope not. There's real crime we need to be spending time on. We've never caught an under-aged person in this bar and the only "crimes" we've ever encountered were consensual acts between adults. I honestly don't know why they keep sending us in here." That wasn't true and he and Eric both knew it.

"The upcoming election might have something to do with it, I suppose. I don't blame your men, Sergeant, I know that there are members of the City Council who think being tough on us will gain votes for them."

"Have you ever considered getting involved in local politics? Maybe you should run against Slater next time around."

"I'm a business man – I don't aspire to political authority, though it would be nice to have a vampire on the council. We are wholly unrepresented."

"Listen, I can't tell you this officially, and I'm not going to name any names, but you might want to spread a little money around. A few well-placed campaign contributions would probably save us all a lot of grief."

"Yes, I think you might be right. I'll do some research and see if I can't make life a little easier on us all. Would you and your men like to stay for a drink, on the house?"

"No, thanks, Mr. Northman, we're on duty and we need to get back to the precinct and file our paperwork. You wouldn't believe how much paperwork one of these stupid raids generates."

"I can imagine. Well, thank you for making it as painless as possible."

"Thanks for your cooperation. Have a good night." Officer Chaffins shook Eric's hand and went back to the other officers who were preparing to leave. Eric walked around and apologized to the humans for any inconvenience and handed out some drink tickets and free admission tickets so they could come back another night. He was scary when he needed to be, and gracious when it seemed profitable. He left Pam in charge and went home for the evening, no longer thinking about the book he was planning to read.

It was nearly one o'clock in the morning when he drove his car into his garage and then took to the sky. He flew at a leisurely pace so it took him about 15 minutes to get to Bon Temps. It was a nice night, after all and he didn't have a specific timetable. He was sure he'd be back to his house before dawn, and if not, there's always the ground, though he preferred not to shelter there if he could help it. He didn't like getting dirt in his hair.

He was outside of Bon Temps when he spotted a car that reminded him of the car Bill had had when they last crossed paths in New Orleans. He followed it and found it went off the road in a very deserted area that were illuminated only by distantly placed lights of the sort that come on automatically at dark. Apparently there were only two houses in the immediate area and one of them had the porch light on as Bill got out of his car and went to the passenger door.

Eric hovered over the trees as he watched Sookie and Bill fight on her front porch. Eric laughed to himself. He had already managed to turn her off. From what he could glean from the argument, Sookie was unimpressed with Bill's friends – not surprising, considering the young trash Eric had seen him with, like that tacky Diane who made Eric's flesh crawl – he threatened a cop in front of her and scared her to death and the moron didn't even let her pick the music on the car radio. What guy doesn't know to let the girl pick the music in the car? Tuvan throat singing? Eric had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing out loud.

The gist of the fight was that Bill and Sookie had nothing in common. Eric shook his head. He'd almost feel sorry for Bill if he didn't have a claim on something Eric wanted. Bill was apparently too young to understand how to tailor his personality to the girl, rather than try to change the girl to fit his personality. Not that Eric would lie to Sookie, but he knew better than to scare a girl so early in the process of seduction, and he was quite sure this was early in Bill's relationship with Sookie from the way she was describing things. Eric just hoped this hadn't turned her off of vampires for good.

Bill left in a huff and Eric moved closer to the house as Sookie turned off the porch light and locked the front door. He could hear her lightly running up the stairs and saw the light go on in the room at the back of the house. Eric could hear another human breathing, apparently asleep, so there was someone else in the house.

He moved silently around to Sookie's room, staying back a bit in case she was next to the window when he got there. She was standing in front of her closet, taking off that lovely dress. Oh, Yes! It was far too brief but Eric got a glimpse of those perky breasts as she stripped off the dress and put on a thin cotton gown in a pale pink color that was as delicate as the girl wearing it. Suddenly, she looked at the window and Eric moved quickly into the shadow of the house.

Sookie opened the window and looked out. She saw movement in the shadows, but she couldn't see what or who was out there. "Bill, is that you?"

"I am not Bill."

Sookie gasped and jumped back from the window. Her mind was racing. Someone was out there.

'No, that's impossible! I'm on the second floor!' She thought quickly trying to picture the outside of the house and reassuring herself that there was no porch roof or anything a person could use to climb up to her window. She could hardly breathe.

"Sookie?" the deep, soft voice spoke to her. He knew who she was! She panicked and turned her light off. She wanted to lock the window but she was afraid to go near it. Every possible scenario was running through her mind – rape, abduction, a stalker, or an unknown admirer wanting to serenade or seduce her. OK, she decided that one came from reading too many romance novels. Whoever this was, he knew her name and he wasn't coming in yet. Maybe he couldn't? She suddenly remembered Bill telling her that a vampire can't enter your home without an invitation. Was there a vampire outside her window? What if someone followed her home from Fangtasia?!

She thought for a minute. There were tons of willing donors at Fangtasia, so why would anyone follow her, knowing she was with Bill? Suddenly, Bill's words, "you look like vampire bait" came back to her. Was she more desirable than the other scantily clad women at Fangtasia? How could that be? She didn't fit in there at all.

"Sookie, come to the window," the voice called softly to her. Her heart was pounding.

"If you're trying to glamour me, you're wasting your time. That doesn't work on me."

"So I noticed. If it did I'd already be in your room."

"What do you want? I don't even know you."

"Have you forgotten me already, Sookie? We just met a few hours ago."

Who did she meet tonight? Pam, Long Shadow, Eric. It certainly wasn't Pam. Long Shadow was scary and asked Bill if she was his meal – eww! Eric was – oh, my god, she thought, what if it's ERIC!? She closed her eyes, remembering how beautiful Eric was sitting on his throne under the lights. She could barely breathe in his presence and she was terrified the whole time she was near him that Bill would see her attraction to him. She didn't even know a woman could want a man so intensely without even knowing him. The force of her own attraction to Eric stunned her. She was glad he didn't have a chance to ask her to leave Bill because she couldn't honestly say what she'd have done if he did.

"Come to the window, Sookie."

"Eric, is that you?"

Eric smiled. She knew it was him. This was progress. "Yes, Sookie, I wanted to make sure you got home safely. You left rather abruptly."

It was ERIC! Why would he follow her?! What was he doing here?

"I –I, uh,"

"I hope that little visit by the police won't keep you from coming to see us again."

"Oh, no, that was, uh," she couldn't think of what to say to him.

"Sookie, you know I can't come into your house without an invitation, don't you?"

"Yes, I know that."

"Do you have a chair in there? Bring it by the window and talk to me. I can't hurt you."

"Why are you here?"

"You left too soon. We didn't get to talk. I told you I wasn't finished with you." His voice was smooth dark chocolate.

Guh! Her panties were dripping. Women just don't feel this way about men they've just met, right? How is it possible to feel such… such LUST for a man just because he's beautiful?! Please, don't let him ask me to invite him in because I think I might actually do it!

"How did you know where I live? Did you follow us?"

"No, I didn't, I had to take care of matters with the police. Pam told me your address and I thought I'd drop by and see if you were alright. Are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, I'm just…"

"Do you have a chair there, Sookie?'

"Yeah, I do, but…"

"Come sit by the window and we'll talk."

"I'm not dressed."

"I won't peek."

"Yes, you will," Sookie said with absolute conviction.

Eric laughed softly, "yes, I suppose I will. You have a robe, have you not?"

"Yeah, but it's hot."

"Now you're making excuses. I thought you liked me, Sookie. Was I mistaken?"

"I don't know you well enough to like or dislike you, Eric, we just met."

"It would seem only fair, since I've come all this way, for you to sit with me a few minutes and talk."

Eric heard her walk softly across the room and he heard the leg of a chair scrape the floor. She set the chair near the window and sat down, and Eric drew near the side of the house, resting his forearms on the windowsill. "There now, isn't that better. Now we can chat for a bit." He was pleased to notice she hadn't covered up the thin gown she was wearing. His mouth was watering but he tried to keep his fangs from coming down.

"I don't understand why you're here. There were lots of girls in the club that wanted you…"

"Yes, but I didn't want them. Do you want to know a secret, Sookie?"

"Uh, I guess so." Why was this beautiful vampire at her window telling her secrets? Was this a dream?

"I don't like women in black clothes. They bore me and they usually wear too much make-up."

"Bill said I looked like vampire bait…"

"That's a crude way to put it. You looked very pretty and feminine in that red and white dress. Any man would have noticed you."

"Most of them wouldn't follow me home, though."

"True, but I am not most men."

"No, you're a vampire."

"I'm more than that, Sookie. I'm much, much more than that, and I'd like to be more than that to you."

"You don't even know me."

"But I want to. That's very rare."

"What do you mean?"

"Most people don't interest me. You interest me."

"Because I wore a dress to your club?"

"That's only one of many reasons. How did you know about the police?"

"Oh, uh…"

"Don't lie to me so early in our relationship, Sookie. You be honest with me, and I'll be honest with you, alright?"

"Alright…" Yeah, she was thinking to herself, like I could say 'no' to you!

"Now, I know you have at least one of two skills. You are either gifted with precognition or telepathy. Which is it?"

"Telepathy."

"So you hear thoughts?"

"Yes."

"Can you hear my thoughts?"

"No, it doesn't seem to work with vampires. That's why I like you all so much."

"But it works with humans?"

"Yes."

"All of them?"

"As far as I know."

"Interesting."

"Is that why you followed me home?"

"No, it's not."

"Well then, why are you here?"

"I wanted to know if you were telling me the truth."

"When did I have a chance to lie to you?"

"You said you were Bill's human. That wasn't true, now, was it, Sookie?"

"Well…"

"You've never had sex with Bill Compton, have you, Sookie? Be honest."

"Well, no, not yet."

"Who have you had sex with, Sookie?"

"That's none of your business!"

"What would it take to make it my business?"

"Huh?"

"What kind of relationship would you and I have to develop for it to be my business?"

"There isn't one. Even if I married someone, who I was with before him would be none of his business."

"Have you ever been married?"

"No," she said as if it were ridiculous.

"Have you got any children?"

"No, of course not!" She was a little offended by that question, and Eric took that to be a very good sign, indeed.

"Who else is asleep in the house?"

"My grandmother. She raised me."

"Where are your parents?"

"They died when I was little."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Do you have siblings?

"I have a brother but he has his own place. Why are you asking me all of these questions?"

"I'm curious. I want to know more about you."

"Do I get to ask you questions?"

"Yes, if you'd like."

"How old are you? Bill said you were the oldest thing in Fangtasia."

Eric snorted a bit, "I suppose to a youngster like Bill, I seem very old indeed."

"How old are you?" Sookie said with wonder in her voice. Bill was a youngster?! Holy hell!

"This is a secret – you promise not to tell?"

"Yes," she said breathlessly, her eyes huge as she looked into Eric's pretty blue eyes. He's so beautiful!

"I'm over a thousand years old."

"That's not possible!"

"It is not only possible, it is a fact. Have you ever read about the Vikings?"

"Yeah – big, scary blond warriors who sailed on ships and raided settlements all over Europe?"

"I was one of them, over a thousand years ago."

"But you're so pretty!" The words were out of Sookie's mouth before she realized what she was saying.

Eric smiled softly at her. "You think I'm "pretty?"" He teased her.

She got just a little defensive. "Well, you know what I mean – weren't they big hairy beasts?"

"Some of them. Am I not hairy enough to be a Viking?"

"Well, you've got long hair, but it looks soft, and you don't have a big beard. You aren't rough looking."

"I was back then. Standards of grooming have changed a great deal since then. We didn't have razors and shampoo and conditioners for hair as we do now. Life was very hard then."

"That's what Bill said when I said he looked older than he said he was."

"What – that life was harder?"

"Yes."

"Bill has no idea what hard really is. He lived in relatively modern times. He has no concept of the hardships we endured."

"He told me vampires get stronger and more powerful as they get older."

"That's true."

"You, you're even stronger than Bill?"

"Many times over."

"Is that why he's afraid of you?"

"I'm Bill's Sheriff. He answers to me."

"Who do you answer to?"

"My Queen."

"There's a vampire Queen?"

"Several, actually, and Kings, too."

"In America?"

"Everywhere. We are all over the world."

"Where does your Queen live?"

"New Orleans. Would you like to go to her estate? I can get us an invitation to her next party."

"A vampire party?"

"Yes, of course."

"Would there be humans there?"

"Oh, yes, she always has humans around, especially young, attractive ones."

"Is she beautiful?"

"Very."

"Would I be safe there?"

"If you were with me, you would be very safe, Sookie. I wouldn't allow anyone to hurt you."

"It's all so different…"

"Different than what you are used to?"

"Yeah."

"Bill is the first vampire you ever met, yes?"

"Yes. I mean, I met some others at his house the other day, but they were just awful!"

"Was one of them named Diane?"

"Eww, yes! You know them?"

"I know of them, which is more than I care to know. They're very young and trashy – not really worth my time."

"Am I worth your time?" She was surprised how much she wanted to know the answer to that question.

"I don't consider our time together wasted – do you?"

"No, I don't."

He smiled at her softly, pleased that his powers of seduction had not deteriorated. "When you said you were Bill's, do you know what that meant?"

"That other vampires can't feed from me?"

"It means a little more than that, Sookie. I was afraid you might not understand what you were saying. You were allowing him to claim that you belonged to him sexually."

"What?!"

"That's why I asked if he was attached to you. If you were his human, I could order him to share you with me, or to give you to me, if I wanted."

"So you wanted to…"

"…taste you, and get to know you, but I must admit, I didn't believe either of you when you said you were his. Everything about you seems… untouched."

"You mean dumb?"

"No, not at all. Just not experienced in the vampire world. You seemed innocent."

"I'm not a little girl and I'm not stupid."

"If you were either of those things, Sookie, I would not be outside your window."

She blushed when he said that, and couldn't look him in the eye. "I still don't understand why you're here and I don't understand why I'm sitting here talking to you."

"Do you believe in fate, Sookie?"

"Fate? I don't know – I never thought about it much."

"What would you say if I said I think you met Bill Compton so he would bring you to my bar to meet me?"

"I'd say that's a pretty good line, but it's still a line."

"You don't believe me?"

"I'm a human girl, talking to a vampire who claims to be a thousand years old, who is hovering outside my bedroom window just hours after I was introduced to him. Most people would think I'm crazy for not locking the window and hiding until dawn."

"You are not most people, any more than I am most men."

"I don't know how you can possibly mean that."

"Let's look at this logically, Sookie. If I wanted a meal, I had many options in Shreveport, did I not?"

"Yes, you did."

"If I believed you were Bill's and I wanted blood or sex, I'd have ordered him to give you to me, would I not?"

"Maybe, but you didn't really have time to do anything but ask us to sit down."

"True, we were interrupted. Would you believe me if I told you that by the end of the evening, I would have figured out if you really belonged to Bill or not?"

"Yeah, I can believe that."

"So by the end of the night, I would have known that you do not belong to Bill Compton. Now, Sookie, tell me, why would I care?"

"That's the part I don't get."

"You underestimate yourself, Sookie. Do you not realize how attractive you are?"

"So you're here because you want me for what?"

"Companionship, perhaps. As you said, I don't know you yet. All I know is that I want to know more. That hasn't happened in a very long time."

"But if I was yours, then could other people order you to share me or take me from you?"

"Others might try, but I wouldn't allow it."

"How do I know that?"

"You'd have to trust me, Sookie."

"It's awfully soon for that."

"Yes, it is. I don't know if I can trust you, either."

"There's nothing I could do to hurt you, though."

"You're underestimating yourself again."

"But…ahhhh-hhhh" Sookie let out a big yawn.

"It's very late, and you are getting sleepy."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"What are you doing tomorrow night, Sookie?"

"I have to work…"

"Where do you work?"

"Merlotte's. It's a bar and grill a few miles from here."

"What is your job there?"

"I'm a waitress."

"I thought you had a brother – is he younger than you?"

"No, he's older."

Eric stopped to think about that for a minute, but he quickly got refocused. "What time will you get home tomorrow night?"

"About 8 pm. I have the early shift."

"What if I meet you back here tomorrow night at 8:30 and we will talk some more?"

"You just want to talk?"

"Yes, is that so strange?"

"You don't want to like, go to a movie or on a date or something? I mean…"

"Are you asking if I want to date you?" He liked the sound of that.

"I guess I'm asking what your interest in me is."

"I would think you'd consider it far too early for me to answer that question."

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"I have enjoyed our talk, Sookie and I want to talk some more. If I come back tomorrow, will you open the window and talk to me?"

"Yeah, I guess… I mean, why not?"

"Alright, one more question and I'll say good night."

"OK…"

"Have you ever ingested Bill Compton's blood?"

"Yeah, actually, a lot of it."

"How did this come about?"

"I was attacked and he saved my life."

"Who attacked you?"

"People who tried to drain him to sell his blood. I stopped them and they came back and tried to kill me."

"So these people targeted you after you saved Bill from them?"

"Yeah."

"Interesting. Alright, then, I will see you back here, tomorrow night, at 8:30. Agreed?

"Agreed."

"Good night, Sookie. Have pleasant dreams." He was gone in an instant.

Sookie went to bed but she knew she wasn't going to sleep any time soon. She felt like she was on fire. She was attracted to Bill when she met him, but it was nothing like this. She guessed that with Bill, it was more curiosity – he was something new and different. After spending some time around him, though, she really didn't feel any real compatibility with him, especially after the crap he pulled with that poor cop. Tuvan throat singing? What the fuck!?

Eric! She felt like her whole body was alive in a way she never felt before. Not that she didn't get a thrill from Bill – he was definitely sexy, but what she felt for Eric was overwhelming. She was both relieved and disappointed when the club was raided. She was relieved because if Eric had patted his lap, she'd have hopped right up there and to hell with William Compton. She was disappointed because she wanted to know more about Eric and to see if he was going to continue to show an interest in her. He as much as told Bill he wanted to have sex with her, right? And she couldn't believe she said "Yes, I am his!" It was out of her mouth almost as a reflex. She didn't want to say that to Eric, but something in her was terrified of him. She realized, though, that she wasn't afraid he'd hurt her. She was afraid of her feelings for him. She never felt anything like this before. She didn't know people could feel this way.

He came to her window! She turned over on her side and her kitty, Tina, jumped up on the bed and snuggled in next to her.

"Did you see him, Tina? Wasn't he beautiful? He had that whole club full of sexy women, but he came all the way here to my bedroom window just to talk. He has to really like me, right? It's not just because of my telepathy or anything like that – if I understand what he told me, he could just order Bill to bring me to him or whatever. But he came here! And he didn't even ask to come into the house! He was a perfect gentleman. He said he just wants to talk! I don't remember a man ever actually asking me questions like that. Most guys talk about themselves."

Eric was coming back tomorrow night. Bill – shit! She totally forgot that Bill was supposed to speak to the Descendants of the Glorious Dead tomorrow night! Well, she didn't really intend to go anyway, since she fought with Bill. There was no way in hell she was going to stand Eric up when he was willing to just stay and talk to her. Hell, hardly anybody ever talked to her. Eric didn't even mind her disability and he didn't think she was crazy. Other people would think she was crazy for trusting Eric but it just felt so natural talking to him.

A Viking vampire! How cool was that?! Even if he was exaggerating, the idea was so cool. A man like that must have been everywhere and done everything, but tomorrow night, out of all the things he could do in the world, he wanted to float outside Sookie's bedroom window and talk to her. That sounded crazy, but so what?

She felt a little giddy. Why would a man like that show so much interest in her? She wondered what he saw when he looked at her. When she looked at him, she saw power and experience and elegance and a door to a whole world she knew nothing about. Bill seemed a little bit that way at first but his glamour faded when she met those three horrible vampires at Bill's house and found out he actually slept with Diane. Eric didn't like her, either. That was a definite plus.

Eric must have been with hundreds, if not thousands of women. She couldn't believe a man with his experience cared about little Sookie Stackhouse in any shape or form but he did.

She always felt a little guilty about touching herself, but tonight there was no way around it. She needed an orgasm or she'd never get to sleep. Ok, maybe she needed two. Actually, it turned out to be three, which was a sort of "personal best" for her. After round three, she finally drifted off to sleep and before long, she was dreaming.

"Sookie, come to the window."

Sookie was standing in front of a window, but she was in a strange place. It was her room, but it wasn't, in that way that only makes sense in dreams. She was wearing a long, transparent white gown that left nothing to the imagination, but it was blowing in the wind coming through the window, as were the billowing white curtains that hung there. Sookie walked to the window and saw Eric flying there. It occurred to her for the first time that Eric could fly, and it seemed the most natural thing in the world because he was Eric and Eric could do anything. She opened the window, and he reached his hand in toward her. She took his hand and he slowly floated into the room.

"Are you the one?" she asked him, looking up into those impossibly blue eyes.

"Yes, Sookie, he's the one you are waiting for," a woman's voice, one Sookie had heard before, whispered in her ear as Eric took her in his strong arms and gave her a kiss that seemed to last for hours.

When Sookie woke up, the sun was streaming through her window, but she could swear she still felt that kiss on her lips.



Chapter 3 A Whole New Direction

Sookie might as well have stayed home today, because she was useless at work. She felt as if her whole body was vibrating and she kept going into the ladies room to rub herself through her shorts. At one point, she actually broke down and gave herself a quick but very intense orgasm, and she was gone long enough to make Sam ask her if she was feeling OK. She told him she must have eaten something that didn't agree with her, and she prayed he couldn't see on her face that she actually did that in broad daylight at work. What the hell was wrong with her?!

"So, Sookie, what'd you think of that vampire bar?" Arlene was being nosy, but Sookie didn't care. She had one thing on her mind and he made Arlene seem like nothing but static at the edge of her consciousness.

"It was interesting. It got raided, though, so we didn't stay long."

"Did they catch anybody doing anything?"

"I don't know – I forgot to ask." It occurred to her she hadn't even asked Eric what happened. She had been so focused on why he was there that she completely forgot her manners.

"So, you going out with Bill again?"

"Probably not. We didn't really have a lot in common. Things were a little weird with him and we sort of had a fight."

"Not all it's cracked up to be, huh? I heard there's a lot of freaks at that bar, and people from Arkansas."

"It was definitely different, but it was like any other bar. Most of the people you couldn't care less about, but then there's one or two that are really cool and interesting."

"You meet somebody you liked better than Bill?" Arlene really perked up now. She loved a bit of juicy gossip. Sookie dating a vampire was good for weeks of inane chatter.

"I met some interesting people, but I don't know any of them well enough to say I like one more than the other. We'll see how it goes."

"It? What it? Is it a him? Come on, Sookie, spill it!"

"Arlene, there's nothing to spill. If I have anything to report, I promise you'll be the first to know." Sookie just laughed at her. Nothing was going to bother Sookie today – she was going to see Eric in exactly 4 hours and 45 minutes and she felt like her feet weren't even touching the floor.

She had so many questions for him. What was his favorite time in history? Where was his favorite place to live? What was his greatest love – there must have been a few of those, right?

Her head was everywhere but where she was and she made one mistake after another. She took food to the wrong tables. She filled three sugar bowls with salt before she caught herself. She was mopping up a spill and hit a customer in the side of the head. She turned around too fast at one point and she and Arlene both dropped two dishes of food in the floor. She was sure she'd have lost her job today if Sam didn't have a crush on her. He kept trying to talk to her all day, but she was avoiding him because she overheard him asking Arlene if she knew whom Sookie was going to the church with tonight. She didn't want to have to explain why she was staying home and she didn't want to have to tell Sam she wouldn't go out with him and that's exactly what she heard Arlene thinking after their little chat. More than anything, she didn't want anybody to know she was going to be home alone and waiting for a huge, powerful, beautiful vampire.

The worst parts of the day were when she convinced herself that Eric was going to stand her up. She had no reason to think he would, but the part of her that was used to being "Crazy Sookie" kept telling her that there was nothing she could possibly have to offer to someone like Eric. Another part of her knew that he'd never disappoint her if he could avoid it. She didn't know why she thought that, but she did.

She kept thinking about how he asked her if she believed in fate. That line was straight out of an old movie, but it was such a cool idea. What if there were such a thing as fate and Eric and she were meant for each other? That dream she had seemed so real. When he kissed her, it felt like such a relief – like she had been holding her breath her whole life and just waiting for that moment to let it go. She laughed to herself that if nothing else ever came from meeting Eric, at least she had that amazing dream. That was more than any other guy ever gave her. When she dreamed about Bill, he just wanted to bite her.

By the time the dinner rush was over, Sookie had made so many mistakes that Sam just let her go home. He didn't reprimand her or anything like that, he just suggested that she go on home and hope tomorrow was a better day. She heard him think that he was disappointed he didn't find a minute to ask her out, but she was glad he didn't. She might consider something like that under normal circumstances, but she couldn't think about anything but the fact that Eric might be outside her window in a couple of hours.

She got home right as Gran was getting ready to head for the church. She apologized for not going, helped Gran load the cakes she had baked in the car, kissed her on the cheek and waved as she pulled down the drive. Once she was alone in the house, Sookie had a little something to eat – just some Pop Tarts and milk because she was too nervous to eat much – and she decided to take a shower so she'd be all fresh and relaxed when Eric got there. She spent extra time on her hair and she used a little extra mascara, but she was careful not to look too made up because Eric said he didn't like that.

What to wear?! She knew he liked the dress she had on the night before, but she couldn't wear that again. He said she looked very feminine in it, so she was pretty sure he liked dresses. She noticed that he liked the little nightgown she wore last night because he kept looking at it. 8:30 was too early to be in pajamas, so she finally settled on a little white sundress with delicate blue flowers on it. It was a little girly in a church picnic sort of way, but it was as far from black club wear as a girl could get.

By 7:40, she was ready. By 8:06 she was pacing the floor, counting the minutes.

Eric woke with a sense of purpose this night. He called Pam and told her she was in charge of Fangtasia tonight, saying he had some official business he had to attend to. Pam didn't say anything, but she was pretty sure Eric's official business was on Hummingbird Lane in Bon Temps. She knew when he insisted on having her address that Eric was going to pursue her in a way he hadn't since long before he made Pam. There was something different in the way she affected Eric. Pam didn't quite understand the attraction, but she knew Eric well enough to recognize his feeling of connection to Sookie.

He showered and took particular care to see that his hair looked good as it dried. He wore his long black coat with the big pockets so he could take his hairbrush with him. Flying tended to tangle it up a bit so he'd brush his hair when he got there, but before she saw him. He noticed her looking at his hair a lot last night, so he was pretty sure she liked it. A lot of girls did, and he could usually tell the ones who had a thing for guys with long hair. There were certain girls that just loved it and he had a feeling Sookie was one of those.

Sookie. He was beginning to love that strange name. It was unusual and flirty just as she was. He couldn't wait to hear her voice again. She had one of those lilting Southern accents that just made him melt. When she spoke it was almost like music to him. He had moved to Louisiana because he had seen a movie about Southern belles and he thought they were romantic and sexy. Unfortunately, they were also rare. Sookie was most definitely a Belle – she had that combination of charm and defiance with just a touch of humility that he found absolutely irresistible. She was naturally well mannered and soft spoken, even when she was standing up to him.

How long had it been since a woman stood up to him without smirking or being bitchy? Sookie didn't wilt, and that was a distinct advantage in Eric's eyes. She didn't seem afraid of him yet, though she should be, and he attributed that to her lack of experience with vampires. He took to the sky just after 7, which was too early, but he couldn't wait.

Eric landed in the woods behind Sookie's house at about 20 to 8, in spite of flying slowly, He saw some activity around the house and saw her helping a woman he assumed was her grandmother loading some things into a car. Sookie was wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts, which wasn't really to his tastes, but he got to see all of her legs in that outfit and they were very pretty. The older woman drove away and Sookie went back into the house.

Eric approached the house, zipping quickly across the yard into the shadow where the outside light didn't reach. He hovered around the side of the house, satisfying himself that Sookie was alone. He could hear her in the shower, and he floated up to the window of the bathroom. The window was clear, but she was behind curtain, so all he could see was a silhouette. A very shapely silhouette, he smiled to himself, and she was singing a bit so he hoped she was looking forward to their meeting.

She wrapped a towel around herself before she stepped out of the shower, but Eric wasn't too disappointed because he was confident he'd see all of her sooner than she'd ever imagine. She went into her room and dried her hair, playfully directing the air at the small cat that he'd seen in her room a few times. The cat seemed to like the warm air, and she was obviously friendly to Sookie. Eric hadn't been around cats in a long time, but they were sacred to Freyja so he thought it was nice that Sookie seemed so affectionate with this one.

He hung in the shadows, smiling to himself as she began to pace back and forth. She was anxious to see him, and that pleased him very much. He considered ringing the doorbell, but he preferred the intimate feeling of talking to her in her bedroom. About a quarter after 8, she slid her window up, screen and all, He clung to the side of the house, listening to her breathe, and to her heart beating quickly as she waited for him. Finally, she sat in the chair, closer to the window than last night, and she rested her hands on the windowsill. It was a little early, but he decided it was close enough to 8:30 to let her know he was there.

"Sookie?"

She jumped and her heart skipped, but she tried to sound calm, "Eric?"

He floated into view, gently resting his hand on hers, "How are you tonight, Sookie?"

"I'm fine, thanks. How are you?"

"I'm quite well, thank you. You look very pretty tonight, Sookie."

"Oh, thank you. Can you… I mean, are you able to fly?"

"Yes, I am."

"Bill told me some vampires could do that, but I never met one who could before."

"It's not a common skill. Only a few of us can do it. I'm very lucky but I didn't develop the ability until I was nearly 400 years old."

"Wow – how did you know you had it? Did you just take off one day?"

"Something like that. I was being chased and suddenly I was in the air and moving very fast. Once it happened the first time, I quickly learned to control it and to do it more slowly when I wanted and to hover in one spot."

"Is it easier to go fast than to hover?"

"Yes, much easier, though neither requires much effort these days. Would you like to fly with me someime, Sookie?"

"Is that possible?"

"Yes, if I hold you in my arms."

"Is it hard to do? Would it be a strain?"

"None at all. When you are comfortable with me, you let me know and I'll take you for a flight. I think you'll like it, but we'll make the first time a short one so you can be sure."

"How far could we fly if we had to?"

"As far as we could reach before dawn."

"How far is that?"

"Two of us, at full speed, if we started just after dark – maybe 1200 miles."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes, I can go very fast when I want to."

"So you don't need a car?"

"I don't need one, but I have one. I don't want everyone to know I can fly and I sometimes like to drive a young lady home."

"What kind of car?"

"A red Corvette."

"Wow – I guess the girls really like that, huh?"

"Yes, I suppose they do. It's a very nice car, if I do say so myself."

Sookie laughed at that and relaxed a lot.

"Would you like to go for a drive some night, Sookie? I know a very pretty spot by a lake where there are no lights, so you can see the stars very clearly. It's quite pretty there."

"That sounds nice…"

"I'll take you any time you want."

"OK."

"You would go for a drive with me?" He smiled softly at her. He was making progress.

"Yeah, I guess so. Is it hard for you to hover there like that?"

"Not too hard."

Sookie swallowed hard. This might be a big mistake, but she went for it. "Did you want to come in?"

Eric smiled. He knew she would eventually offer. Her natural tendency was to be kind and she wouldn't leave him outside for very long. "I like talking to you here."

"Oh – you wouldn't rather come in?" Sookie couldn't understand why he wouldn't want to come in. He did like her, didn't he?"

"If I come in, can we sit on your bed? You don't have another chair."

"We could sit on the couch…"

"I'd rather stay here. I like your room. It's more intimate here. Anybody could sit on your couch, but you wouldn't let just anyone come to your bedroom window, would you?"

"No, I guess I wouldn't." She really wanted him to come in. "We could sit on the bed, I guess. Please some in."

Eric floated through the window and stood very close to her so she had to look up at him. He was huge! "Thank you for the invitation, Sookie." He stroked her cheek gently and Sookie felt a little light headed and a lot horny. She wondered if he knew what she was feeling – was that possible? All she knew right now was that she wanted to melt into a puddle on the floor every time he said her name. Sookie's heart was pounding in her ears as Eric took her hand and gently led her toward the bed. He sat down and gently guided her to stand in front of him, taking both her small hands in his large ones.

"What time will your grandmother be home?"

"Maybe 10:30."

"Should I leave before then?"

"No!" Sookie said a little too fast and a little too loudly. What was she doing? "I mean, she'll go to bed right away, and we can keep talking. I don't want you to leave so early."

Eric smiled at her. He was relieved to know that he could still talk his way into a pretty girl's room. He was in plenty of girl's rooms, but they were all a little too easy. Sookie took a little effort and he was pleasantly surprised to find that she continued to seem worth such effort on his part. So far, he enjoyed every minute he spent with her. That hadn't happened in a very long time.

"Do you get along well with your grandmother?"

"Oh, yes, Gran is great. She'll like you if she ever meets you."

Was she actually considering introducing him to her grandmother? Eric couldn't remember the last time a girl wanted to tell her family about him – 250 years, maybe?

"Why do you say that?"

"She likes Bill. I think she likes vampires in general."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she's very open-minded and I think she knows …" Sookie stopped mid-sentence. Should she really say this to Eric? She wanted him to like her.

"What does she know, Sookie?"

"Well, you know about my disability, right?"

"Disability?"

"Yeah, my hearing people's thoughts."

"Your telepathy? Sookie, are you calling your telepathy a disability?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Why would you say such a thing?" Eric was astounded. Surely she didn't think such a gift was a disadvantage? He spread his legs and pulled her closer to him.

"It makes mw weird," she said softly. "No one wants to be around me. Everybody thinks I'm crazy or scary or whatever."'

"Sookie, you have a miraculous gift." He slipped his hand beneath her hair and gently made her look him in the eye. "Don't let small minds make you regret who you are or what you can do. You are much finer than your surroundings."

Sookie could barely breathe. Even if he didn't mean a word he was saying, he was saying all the things she always dreamed of hearing a man say. Before she knew what she was doing, she was kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up against him as he stretched the kiss out into a long series of soft, sweet caresses. Sookie never felt anything so soft. Why was she trembling?

Eric could feel her shaking and he knew it was time to move forward. He stood and removed his coat, then he scooped her up, laying her on her bed and lying next to her, kissing her all the time. Sookie's brain shut down completely. She was completely overwhelmed with sensation – the feel of Eric's lips against hers, his hand in her hair and the other slowly roaming over her body, over her hips, up over her breast and back down over her waist, hip, down to her thigh and now up under her dress, his cool fingers on her smooth thigh.

There was no resistance at all when he gently tugged the band of her panties downward. He was so tall and his arms so long that he was able to slip them down off of her all the while he was kissing her. She felt her whole body open up as he slid his cool fingers back up the inside of her thigh, finding her center and gently stroking her in a way no one ever had before. He gently slipped his finger into her, meeting a small barrier much to his delight. He knew Compton was a liar.

"You are a virgin, Sookie?" He said very softly. He didn't want to jolt her out of the receptive mood she was in. "Will you yield to me?"

"Ye – yes. Is it going to hurt?'

"No, I'll go very slowly and make sure you are very ready. There will be no pain."'

"You can do that?" She looked up at him with big, trusting eyes.

"Yes, I can. Do not be afraid."

"I'm not afraid of you, Eric, or you wouldn't be here."

He smiled softly and kissed her again. And again. Sookie pulled her dress up to her waist and then up over her head as he moved between her legs. She dropped her bra on the floor as he opened her center, and she closed her eyes and let him do whatever he wanted. She couldn't say no to him if she wanted to, but she didn't want to. She had waited her whole life for this moment and she just wanted to relax into it and let it unfold.

She was trying to be still, but it was impossible with him licking her that way. Sookie had read about this, but she never imagined it felt this good. His tongue was gently teasing the little nub and his fingers gently, but firmly stretching her in a completely new way. She was really glad she took a shower and she almost laughed when that thought popped into her head.

Eric was in heaven. He expected a little more resistance, but he was pleased to find that she was very wet when he touched her and she was obviously willing. This was very good. This was the first woman in a long time that meant more than a meal and a fuck to Eric. She was so innocent that he wanted to protect her, and with her gifts, she most definitely needed protection. She'd be a target for those who would want to control her talents, and she'd need someone with Eric's power to keep her from becoming a virtual slave to some other vampire. If she were his, only the most powerful vampires would even consider trying to take her.

Eric smiled to himself as Sookie reached a quiet but deep release on his tongue and fingers. He kept stretching her with his fingers as he kissed his way back up her body. He slipped his hand back under her head and whispered in her ear as he continued to work her with his hand. "You are so sweet, Sookie. I never tasted anything so sweet."

"I think my blood tastes different, too."

"May I taste you, Sookie?"

"Please." She was so ready to say yes to Eric that it was a relief when he bit her neck and then slid gently into her as he lapped at her blood. She felt a sense of pressure that gently let go, and he was all the way in. Sookie was trying not to cry. Why was she so relieved? Was she that desperate to have sex?

No, she realized, it wasn't the sex – it was Eric. Having him inside her was the first time in her life she felt whole. This is where she was supposed to be – with him, under him, his in every way. She moaned as she felt another orgasm building. Eric smiled and watched her face as she closed her eyes and gave herself over to it. She was so beautiful. How on earth did this beautiful creature live 25 years without ever having sex? Were the men of Bon Temps blind? Were they such fools that they couldn't see a Goddess walking in their midst? Whatever they lacked, Eric thanked the gods for it because their deficiency had delivered his Sookie to him untouched and unspoiled. She was HIS Sookie now – no one would come between them, ever. He would keep her with him always. He knew this with absolute certainty, the minute he stepped into her room. He couldn't remember ever feeling this way before.

Eric came right after Sookie did, and they lay in each other's arms quietly. He smoothed her hair back, kissing her face, looking at her in a way he hadn't looked at a woman in several lifetimes.

"What are you thinking?" she asked him

"That you are my Sookie now, and you are the sweetest thing I have ever tasted."

"You aren't going to forget about me now, are you?"

Eric laughed. "How could I forget about you, Sookie? I've been looking for you for hundreds of years." It occurred to him that he really meant that – it wasn't a line this time.

"The other waitresses at work say that a lot of guys never call again after you sleep with them."

"I am not a lot of guys, and you are not the girls you work with. I'm not like any man you have ever known, and I don't believe you are like any woman I have ever known. I told you, Sookie, this is fate."

"You still mean that? It wasn't just a line?"

"I don't need to use "lines" to get a woman, Sookie, and I don't have to go anywhere but to my bar to get laid. I have not lied to you since I met you and I won't from this point forward. I knew when I saw you that you would be mine, and now you are. I'm not going anywhere."

"I just…"

"Shhh – Sookie. Someone is in the house."

"It's probably Gran. That's funny I didn't hear the car pull up. Let me go down and ask how the meeting went. Stay here, OK? I'm not quite ready for her to know about me having sex yet, you know what I mean? I want her to meet you without that in her head."

"Alright. I will wait here."

"'K, be right back."

She popped up and threw on the little nightgown she had worn the night before and stepped into the bathroom to clean up just a little. As Sookie started down the stairs, Eric threw his clothes on. He didn't want to scare her, but there was no car and he heard the window on the first floor being jimmied. He sneaked out into the stairway and heard her scream.

He was there instantly, grabbing the man who had a garrote around her neck and twisting his head so that his neck broke. Eric caught Sookie before she hit the ground and she threw her arms around him, crying and coughing.

"Oh my god, Eric, if you hadn't been here I'd be dead!"

"Are you hurt, Sookie? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"I don't know – can you see a mark on my neck?"

"A little. If you want, I can feed you my blood and there will be no sign that it ever happened."

"Wait – is he dead? Who is it?"

"He's quite dead," Eric said as he bent over and pulled the ski mask off the intruder.

"Oh my god, it's René!"

"You know him?"

"Yes, I do! He's my friend Arlene's fiancé! I can't believe he tried to kill me!"

"Your grandmother will be home soon, Sookie, we must decide. Do you want to call the police, or do you want me to get rid of the body and erase the signs that he was here?"

"You can do that?"

"Yes, but you must decide quickly. If you call the police, you'll have to explain why I was here and they'll have to decide whether to charge me for killing him."

"Oh, god! I don't want you to get in trouble!"

"They would probably consider it justifiable homicide, but I am vampire and law enforcement is often unsympathetic toward my kind."

"You're right. Feed me your blood and get rid of the body."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, hurry, before Gran comes home."

Eris tore his wrist and Sookie drank from it, latching on tightly as soon as she tasted it. Eric's blood was warm and sweet compared to Bill's, and it was one of the best things she ever tasted. Once he managed to disengage her from his arm, he picked René up off the floor. "I'll be back soon. I'll come to your bedroom window in case your Grandmother comes back."

"OK, be careful!" She kissed him hard and he smiled to himself even as he was getting rid of the body. He found the man's car on the other side of the woods that stretched through the graveyard, and put the body inside, smashing his head into the windshield to make it look like that's what killed him. He dropped the man in his car into a lake in the second county to the west, opening the windows so it filled with water quickly. He guided it downward so it went into the deepest part of the lake, then he flew back to Sookie's house.

The light was on in the enclosed back porch and there was an old station wagon parked outside it. Eric concluded this was the grandmother, so he silently flew into Sookie's bedroom window and waited for her. He could hear the two of them talking, Gran being very excited with how well Bill's speech to the club went.

Eric could tell it would be a while, so he picked up Sookie's cell phone and put his home, work and cell numbers in it. In the area where you could put a little notation on the address, he input "Sookie's lover," then he added her cell and home numbers to his phone then looked for the number at Merlotte's, too. He took advantage of the time alone to snoop around her room a bit, taking note of the books she had borrowed from the library, the three Carmex lip balms in a dish on her dresser, and her shoe and dress sizes. He crawled around her bed and hit pay dirt – he found her diary. He turned directly to her entry from the night before:

Dear Diary.

I met the most amazing man tonight. I wanted to find something that might help my brother get out of trouble with the police, who still think he killed those girls, so I got Bill the vampire to take me to this vamp bar called Fangtasia. As soon as we got a drink and got seated, I saw him. I slipped and said "who's that?" a little too enthusiastically and I know Bill knew I was attracted to him, though I tried to deny it. I guess he's a really old, powerful vampire, because other vampires sort of answer to him. He was so sexy and huge and so scary up on that stage. He has really pretty long blonde hair that glistens in the lights and unbelievably blue eyes. He actually summoned us to come talk to him and he already knew my name when I got there.

I could hardly breathe! When he asked me to sit down, I was almost giddy, but I was trying to hide it so I didn't hurt Bill's feelings. I swear, if he'd patted his lap, I'd have jumped right up there! He's mad sexy and he's got that sort of quiet power about him. They actually call him Master! How sexy is that?

Anyway, the club got raided, which was good and bad because I don't know what I'd have done if he asked me to leave Bill. No, I'm lying. I'd have dropped Bill in a New York minute! Shh – don't tell!

Anyway, later tonight, he came to my window! His partner or assistant or whatever, Pam, memorized my address when she carded me and he came to find me. I had just had a fight with Bill because he was a dick to some poor cop on the way home, and my nerves were already on edge from having to leave Eric without talking to him and from that damned Tuvan throat singing that sounded like gargling. Bill's taste in music sucks.

Anyway, Eric said he wants to come back and talk to me tonight. Can you believe it? He just wants to hang at my window and talk! I hope he does more than that though. I swear, I never felt this way about a man before. He's so beautiful, it hurts. I didn't even know women got hot for guys this way. I think he might be the one. I don't want to seem easy though, because I'm so not that kind of girl, but he's so huge and powerful, he'd have to be good in bed, right?

Ooh, I can't wait to see him again! I'll write more tomorrow!

PS, I totally forgot – he doesn't like girls that wear black clothes and vampire makeup. He likes feminine girls in dresses like I like to wear. How cool is that?!
 

Eric skimmed a few other pages, picking up on the fact that she loved stuffed animals, the color pink, dark chocolate candy, fancy coffee and mystery novels with hot sex scenes. He also saw one line that he was pretty sure was an allusion to the fact that she occasionally pleasured herself. Good to know. He put the book back exactly where he found it, feeling rather smug and confident that she was, indeed, already HIS Sookie.

Feeling maybe a little too entitled, he stripped off his clothes and got into her bed to wait. It wasn't long before he heard her say good night to her grandmother and come back up the stairs. She came in and locked the door, happy to see him still there.

"Oh, good, I was afraid you'd get bored and leave."

"I don't get bored easily. I can be very patient."

"Oh, that's good," she surprised him as she quickly stripped off her nightgown, leaving her naked, and slid into bed next to him. He hadn't expected her to be so casual about nudity, not that he was complaining.

"You are a vision, Sookie," he said as he moved over her. "I never felt anything so soft as your skin, and I never tasted anyone so sweet. You are like a dream."

"Do you always talk that way?"

"Actually, I never talk this way."

"You don't?"

"No, I am rarely so inspired," he teased her as he nipped at her neck a little and made her giggle. He moved down to take her nipple in his mouth and she couldn't believe how good it felt. He came back up to whisper in her ear. "I want you to come to my house."

"Do you have a lot of girls over?"

"Not one since I've lived here. I don't like groupies knowing where I live."

"What would we do there?"

"Fuck as loudly as we want."

Sookie laughed almost too loudly. "I can't believe you said that!"

"The first time was very gentle because it had to be. Now we must be very quiet so we don't wake your Grandmother. At my house, I will show you what's possible when there are no such restrictions."

"You wouldn't hurt me, though, right?"

"I will never hurt you, Sookie. I will make you feel good in ways you've never imagined."

"You already did."

"I can do more."

Sookie giggled at that. What he already did was pretty damned good. She couldn't think of what to say so she kissed him, and he followed her lead and stopped talking. He made love to her for hours, over and over, until about half an hour before dawn.

"I should go, Sookie"

"Oh, yeah, I guess you have to, huh?"

"I will come back. You work in a bar, yes? Do you have Mondays off?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Come to my house Sunday night, and stay until Tuesday."

"Um, OK, I'll have to explain it to Gran… don't worry, though, I'll figure it out!"

"My address is in your phone and all of my numbers. Call me anytime you want. I will call you every night, and I'll come here at night when I can, alright?"

"Yeah, please!"

"My Sookie." He smiled at her again, and gave her a long, soft, deep kiss, then he was gone.

Sookie slept late the next morning, only waking up when she heard someone knock at the door. Gran got it, but she could tell Gran was excited about whatever it was.

"Sookie, honey, are you awake yet? You got a special delivery!"

"I did?" Sookie popped up, laughing when she realized she was still naked. She stretched, feeling sort of pleasantly sore, and threw on a pink cotton gown that was a good deal heavier than the one she wore when Eric was with her. She bounced down the stairs, wondering what she got.

"WOW! How many are there?"

"Looks like two dozen. Are they from Mr. Compton?"

Two dozen gorgeous pink roses! Sookie opened the card. "This is the beginning. Love, Eric."

LATE

Summary: Sookie has some surprising news for Eric.

Chapters 1-6



WARNING: For Mature Audiences.



Chapter 1


Sookie just stared at the little stick as if the longer she looked at it, the more likely it was to give her a different answer. It didn’t change, of course, and the little “+” sign in the window was going in and out of focus, but it was still a plus sign.

“Sookie, this is really important. Are you SURE?” Amelia asked in her most diplomatic tone. She was visibly scared and Sookie seemed to be in shock.

“Amelia, I swear, it can’t be anyone else. It’s been over a year and a half since I’ve been with anyone but Eric. I’ve gone through this a thousand times in my mind.”

“Honey, vamps can’t…”

“I KNOW that, Amelia! This doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know what to do!”

“You know if he thinks you’ve cheated on him….”

“I haven’t – I wouldn’t do that, you know I wouldn’t and I haven’t.”

“Well, then, Sweetie, your only choice is to tell him and see if he has an explanation.”

“You think maybe he’ll have some idea what’s happening?”

“It’s possible. I don’t think he’ll kill you before you get the words out of your mouth, but talk fast and keep talking. Maybe that Dr. Ludwig would know…?”

“I hadn’t even thought about Dr. Ludwig. I guess she would be the authority on all things “Supe,” right?”

“Right.”

“Ok, so I drive to Fangtasia, I make Eric sit behind his desk and I stand on the other side of the room and I tell him and beg him to call Dr. Ludwig before he has a chance to kill me.”

”That would seem to be your only option. Maybe the shock will slow him down….” Amelia added weakly. She knew Eric Northman well enough to know that slow for him could still mean a dead human before the words were out of Sookie’s mouth.

It was the longest drive of Sookie’s life, but she barely remembered it. Her head was spinning. She was nauseous for several reasons. She felt greasy because she hadn’t even bothered to take off her Merlotte’s uniform or shower before she got in the car and headed for Shreveport. She sat in the back lot of Fangtasia gripping the steering wheel of her car – her crappy car that Eric wanted desperately to replace, but that was another fight – until her knuckles were white and aching. She looked in the rear view mirror, put a determined look on her face and opened the door. It had to be done - might as well get it over with.

Clenching and unclenching her fists by her side, wishing she’d worn something besides her shorts and sneakers from work, she walked rapidly to the back door and pulled. Pam was in the hallway – 'Damn, why didn’t I dress up, she looks gorgeous?' – and she looked surprised to see her.

“Sookie, he didn’t expect you until later. I thought you were going out – you didn’t change?”

“Hi, Pam. Yeah, I didn’t have time, I really need to speak to Eric before the club opens.”

“Alright,” Pam said cautiously, “he’s in his office going over the bank statements. Go on in.”

“What kind of mood is he in?”

“Mood? He’s Eric – he is how he is…”

“That’s what I’m afraid of”

Sookie turned the corner and took a deep breath as she reached for the knob on the door of Eric’s office. Taking a deep breath, she went in quickly without knocking.

Eric didn’t look up, but he acknowledged her.

“My lover – you are here...”

God, he was beautiful. She felt even worse now that she hadn’t changed. He was wearing a black leather vest with no shirt, probably matching pants that she couldn’t see and she was pretty sure which pair of ‘Double H’s ‘ he had on under the desk. His hair was freshly washed and shining like gold under the desk lamp.

“Eric, I’m late.”

“No, my lover, you are actually an hour early - you haven’t changed?” He looked up at her confused about why she was still in her work clothes. They did have plans…

“No, not late for getting here, late, late. I haven’t gotten my period this month.”

“Are you ill? Have you seen a doctor? You know, these things would not be a problem if you would come over. I’ve told you many times that all you have to do is say the…”

“No, Eric, I don’t think I’m sick. I took a pregnancy test and it turned out positive.”

His blue eyes grew wide and then he furrowed his brow and I could feel the anger building…

“Sookie, have you…”

“NO! No, I haven’t been with anyone but you for a year and a half! I don’t understand this…”

“You know I can’t …”

“I know, but you did because I am and there’s no other way!”

Faster than she could see, he was out from behind the desk, towering over her and gripping her upper arms. “Tell me the truth, Sookie. Who…’

POP! There was a noise and a flash and there stood Claudine in an aqua spangled dress.

“Hold on, Blondie – back behind the desk”

Eric’s eyes were fixed on Claudine. He let Sookie go and moved toward her with that look vamps get in their eyes when they smell Fairy.

“I said back up, big boy, and get behind the desk! We need to talk but I want some distance between you and me so you can focus on what I’m about to tell you."

Sookie put her hand on Eric’s chest. “Eric – snap out of it! Go behind the desk for a minute! Please!”

Never taking his eyes off the statuesque fairy, Eric reluctantly moved back behind his desk and sat down.

Sookie was crying a little – her nerves were shot, she felt sick, Eric was angry and her fairy god-cousin was standing there looking like she should be on stage in Vegas. Great.

“So I take it you both know the good news?!”

“Good news?” Eric and Sookie said in unison. There was news, to be sure, but there didn’t seem much good about it. The “news” was impossible!

“Look, Sookie, you know how Niall is always determined to give you a gift – something you really want?”

Eric was stunned. “What has this to do with Niall? What are you talking about?”

“Stop interrupting and I’ll get there. As I said, you know that Niall always wanted to give you something special, Sookie?”

“Yeah…?”

“Well, it turns out there was something he was able to do for you after all. He was able to make one of your dreams come true in spite of your… situation?” She said with a little distaste, pointing from Sookie to Eric and back to Sookie.

“Situation…?” Eric sounded a bit offended and still angry.

“The bond you two kids have. Sookie will never be able to have a human mate, or even a Fae or a Shifter. In order to be with you, Northman, she had to give up any hope of ever having kids.”

“Claudine, I never…” Sookie started to try and let Eric know that she made the choice consciously. She didn’t want him to think it was his fault she couldn’t have a normal life. Eric interrupted.

“Sookie never told me this was a problem. I wasn’t aware this was a sacrifice…” Eric suddenly sounded sad, as if the concept had literally never occurred to him.

Sookie was around Claudine and around Eric’s desk in a heartbeat. She threw her arms around him. “Eric, I chose you. Things were a little rocky at first but in the end I chose to be with you, knowing what that would mean. You have nothing to feel bad about.”

Eric’s eyes were rimmed with red. He closed them and tilted his head forward so that his forehead touched Sookie’s.

“Now, as I was saying…” Claudine began again, “Niall found a sort of “loop hole””

“Loop hole?” Sookie was confused, Eric was silent.

“Yes, a loop hole. Have you kids ever noticed that you have exactly the same color hair?”

“Yes, we’ve joked about it…” Eric said as he looked at Sookie as if he’d never seen her before.

“Well, kids, there’s a reason for that. No, you are not related, but you ARE of a type…

“A type?” Sookie was lost.

“Yes, a type – a type of Fairy.”

Eric was getting antsy. “Fairy, you are making no sense and I’m not in the mood for games: Say what you came here to say.”

“Well, it turns out that Eric’s mother… do you remember her, Northman? Eric’s mother was Fae.”

“What?!” Eric and Sookie cried out in unison again and looked at each other, then at Claudine, then back at each other.

“Eric, before he was a vampire, was half Fae. His mother was from Ireland, taken on a raid, and she only stayed in Sweden long enough to have Eric before she returned home.” Claudine now had their complete attention. “So, what we have here is a half-Fae vampire and a ¼ Fae human. It only took a little magick with that combination.”

“Magick… you mean I…” Eric was incredulous, but he was catching on.

“That’s right, Viking – it’s YOUR baby.”

Sookie’s eyes were wide and bright – “Is that.. Claudine, is… Eric is that possible?!”

“I have no idea.”

“It’s not only possible, kids, it’s a fact. Sookie, you are pregnant with Eric’s baby.”

“Claudine, if this is a joke…” Sookie pleaded.

“No joke, honey, a gift from Great Grand Dad. He found a way to make your dream of having Eric’s baby come true.”

Eric was still stunned, but his mind was racing with questions.

“Sookie, did you ask this of Niall?"

“Eric, how could I – I didn’t even know such a thing was possible!”

“Fairy – this child – will it be Fae, vampire, human, what?" Eric was trying to wrap his mind around the idea.

Claudine shrugged. “We don’t know yet.”

“What? You mean I’m pregnant with a baby and we don’t even know what it is?”

“Well, we know it’s a healthy boy, but that’s it. He might have Fae abilities. He might have a taste for blood. He will be very strong and live a long time. Or he might be human and have no special abilities at all. We have to wait and see – it won’t be that long.”

“What do you mean ‘won’t be that long?’” Sookie was getting nervous again.

“Well, Fae only carry babies for about 5 months. Vamps don’t gestate, but they do have healing power in their blood. We figure the combination will give you maybe 5 or 6 months of pregnancy. It will be much sooner than a human baby, but it will be healthy.

Well, kids, I’m out of here. You know as much about it as I do now. Enjoy!” and with that Claudine was gone in a cloud of gold sparkles.


“So… this is for real…” Sookie looked at Eric apprehensively.

“Apparently.” Eric was still stunned. 'If anyone had the power to do this, it would be Niall.'

“Eric, we never talked about anything like this because it was never a possibility. How do you feel about the idea of being a father?”

“Sookie, I’ve lived over a thousand years with the idea that I never would be… it’s going to take me some time to absorb this… but I think I’m delighted at the idea.”

“Really? You’re not mad at me?”

“My lover, there is no reason to be “mad” at you - this is not your doing. It is a shock, to be sure, but Niall had your best interests at heart and there IS magick involved. It might be unwise to regret such a thing. It might be dangerous to reject such a gift. If the gods have allowed this, there must be a reason...”

There was a knock at the door.

“Enter?”

“Master, I need your signature on a form…” Pam began.

“Pam, I am going to be a father.” Eric was beaming.

‘Wow’ Sookie thought ‘that was fast!’

Pam looked confused – “You are joining the priesthood?”

“No, Pam, I shall be a parent.”

“Apparent?”

“A father. Sookie is pregnant and I am the father. I am going to have a son!”

Pam blinked at him. Sookie had never seen her speechless before.

“Is this possible?” Pam asked.

“It would seem so. There has been… magick… “ Eric was trying to decide how much to tell her, “and we have it on good authority that it is true. We will have a baby.”

“Sookie, you are well?” Pam asked.

Sookie was surprised – Pam didn’t seem upset. She seemed genuinely concerned.

“I’m fine, Pam, I’m just pregnant and a little nauseous. Eric, I could use a ginger ale.”

“Pam, will you…”

“Of course, Master, I’ll send one of the bar maids back immediately. Sign this please, and I’ll go back to my work.”

Eric signed the pink form, and Pam was on her way.

“It occurs to me, my lover, that I have not thanked you.”

“Thanked me? For what?! Ruining your life?!”

“On the contrary. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. You will bear me a son, and a son like no other. He will be unique. You are his mother, so he will be beautiful. I am his father so he will be tall and strong. No other vampire will have such a nest!”

“Will any other vampire believe that it is yours?”

“Some will doubt, but that means nothing to us. We will let it be known that he is a child of magick, and that will suffice. No one needs to know whose magick or why, and no one will dare question my word.”

“How is the King of Las Vegas going to feel about one of his Sheriffs having a baby?”

“He’s going to be… surprised, to say the least!” Eric chuckled. Eric was laughing.

“You’re really OK with this?” Sookie couldn’t believe it.

“Yes, I’m “OK,” lover. Are you not pleased? It just dawned on me that you have not said how you feel about this.”

“Well, if it’s actually your baby, then I’m… thrilled. It was always in the back of my mind that I would never be able to have your baby, and I have to admit, it made me sad from time to time. I might not have chosen this right now, but if I had been asked if I wanted it, I would have said yes.”

“Then you are happy?”

“Yes, I think… I am VERY happy!” Sookie admitted. “Talk about having your cake and eating it, too! I get to have a vampire lover and I get to have a family with him!” Sookie jumped in his lap and hugged him.

He kissed her, a long soft, deep kiss. He didn’t want her to know that he was worried, or scared. He wanted her to enjoy this gift at least for a while. He knew that they must talk about the dangers this could create. Eric was a powerful sheriff and he already worried about Sookie being used to control him. This was one more vulnerability – but he was going to have a son, and that was a blessing. He silently vowed to himself that he would kill anyone who threatened his family. He would have a son like no other – a god among men and vampires alike. He knew this. His son might have enemies, but his son would be king and he would live to see it happen.


Chapter 2


“So, my lover, we have much to discuss. I think we should go home where we can be alone. Nothing is pressing here, and our plans are not that important.”

“I’d like that – It would be nice to take a shower and put on different clothes. I was too distracted to do that before I came over here.”

“Mmmmm – a shower sounds like a wonderful idea!” he said with his familiar leer. “You have clean clothes at my house, and that’s closest, so why don’t we spend the night there?”

“I’d like that. I need to call Amelia and tell her everything is OK.”

“Here, sit at my desk and use my phone – call your Witch and let her know we are happy and proud. I will go inform Pam that I am leaving for the night. “

Sookie was scooting up to Eric’s desk as he walked out and Ginger walked in with a ginger ale. Sookie laughed to herself about the “ginger” coincidence, as silly as that might be, and she was grateful to have it. This nausea thing might be a problem.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Amelia – it’s Sookie.”

“Sookie! How are you – is everything OK?”

“Yes, everything is fine. I don’t want to go into too much detail over the phone, but I can tell you that it IS Eric’s baby and he is thrilled about the idea of being a father.”

“Wow – that’s much better news than I was expecting. Maybe the Mighty Warrior has a soft spot somewhere after all. Wait – I just had a picture of Eric changing a dirty nappy – too funny!”

Sookie laughed out loud. “I’m glad you can picture it, because I certainly can’t!”

Eric came back in as Sookie and Amelia were giggling at the prospect of him changing diapers.

“All is well, my lover?”

“All is very well! I’m staying in Shreveport tonight, Amelia – I’ll see you tomorrow before I go to work. OK, bye!”

“Shall we go?”

“We shall. Can we stop and get me some food. Suddenly, I’m starving.”

“As you wish, my lover.” Eric promised as he ushered her out the back door, through the back lot and toward his tiny red sports car.

“Wow – no room in here for a car seat” she said as he held her door open.

“Two car seats are not enough?” Eric asked, not catching on yet.

“No, I mean a car seat that you put a baby in, for the back seat.”

“Ah, baby equipment.” He said as he folded himself into the car, “I suppose there is much for me to learn about these things. I haven’t been near children in a long, long, time, but I know from TV that there are many things to buy for an infant’s well-being and that women take great pleasure in creating their nests.”

“You mean “nurseries” don’t you?” Sookie teased.
Eric smiled at her “Nests, nurseries, these are all the same. Mothers feathering a soft place to nurture their young and protect them from harm. Some mothers might use twigs and feathers and some might buy designer furniture and baby clothes, but it is all the same. It is Mother Nature extending Her long life.”

“I never thought of it that way – I like that! Mother Nature extending Her long life.” Sookie repeated. “It almost makes Mother Nature sound like a vampire, though.”

“All life is vampiric in some way, my lover. When one thing feeds, another almost always dies. Life takes life to continue. Vampires are just a little more direct about it.”

“Huh – I never knew you were a philosopher,” she teased him again.

“One does not live for a millennia without occasionally thinking about the Nature of that life. What would you like to eat, my dove?”

“I want something really gooey and sweet but that’s probably not a good idea. How about one of those big Chicken Caesar Salads at Hannigan’s? They have takeout.”

Eric turned right into the Hannigan’s parking lot and went to the curb service entrance. A frightened teenager in a brown uniform brought her salad out to the car. She heard him thinking that he had lost the draw to see who would serve the huge vampire. She forgot sometimes just how big and scary Eric can be to people who aren’t used to dealing with an almost-living Norse god. She laughed out loud and Eric looked strangely at her as he pulled out of the parking lot and back onto the highway.

“You are amused?”

“I am giddy. This evening is already much better than I expected it to be.”

“If I have my way, this evening will get much, much better when I get you home and into the shower.” His blue eyes were glittering and his fangs came down a little. She knew what that meant and it made her squirm in her seat.

Eric laughed and took in a deep whiff of the air. “Ah, someone else is looking forward to our shower, too.”

He was driving too fast, as usual, but he couldn’t get them home soon enough to suit her.





Chapter 3

Sookie marveled at the large white house as they drove through the gate and into the garage in back.

Eric laughed. “You look as if you’ve never seen my house before. You’ve been here nearly a hundred times.”

“It always amazes me that a real Viking lives in a 4 story Victorian with a Summer Kitchen out back and a garage door opener. Let alone the idea that you have a gardener who takes care of your roses and all those beautiful white Moon Vines all around the windows."

“I don’t want it to look like a vampire's nest. As far as I know, none of the neighbors knows that a vampire lives here. The trees all around the perimeter inside the iron fence keep the yard hidden from view. I like the roses because they make the summer air smell sweet, and the Moon Vines bloom at night so I can see them. Between my day man, Bobby, and the gardeners and three maids, there’s enough traffic in and out of here in the daytime to make the place look normal.”

“Nobody would expect a Viking to know about Moon Vines, or to care that his house is dusted and roses are pruned.”

“People underestimate the Swedish. We’re a very cultured people, not the barbarians you see in movies. Yes, we loved to fight and we traded in faraway lands, but we weren’t all raiders and rapists. That would be like judging all Englishmen by the Inquisitioners of the Reformation.”

“Don’t get defensive, Sweetie. I’m just teasing you!”

“I know you are… but there are other ways I’d prefer you to tease me,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her as he held her door open so she could get out. Before she was on her feet, he swept her up into his arms and they were in the kitchen door.

He kissed her and set her down in front of the refrigerator.

“That was sweet. Now, food first, then shower, then… “

“… and then I make mad love to the mother of my child.”

“Wow, that sounds weird.”

“Think of how I feel about it. We have entered the realm of the impossible.“

Sookie sat at the little kitchen table and began to open her salad. She was starving.

“I wonder if I’m so hungry because I’m pregnant?’

“No doubt, my lover. I understand women consume a lot of food and in very strange combinations when they are with child. My son, of course, will have a huge appetite, and of course, will demand to be breast fed often.” He laughed with that smug look on his face that made her want to slap him, then kiss him.

“This thing with “your son” is going to get out of hand, isn’t it?”

“My dear, I will be the only living vampire with a child I didn’t have to kill and transform. He will be a combination of the two of us. He will be unique and magnificent – I have no doubt of this!”

“What if he grows up to be a geeky little science nerd who wants nothing to do with vampires and fighting?”

“You are joking, of course.”

“Of course.” She laughed.

“My son… our son will be a warrior. He will be strong and powerful. Humans and Supernaturals alike will quake at his feet. I know this.”

“Oh, you know this?!”

“Absolutely. I knew it the minute I understood him to be mine and yours by magick. Trust me, my lover, the gods have a plan for such a special child. These things do not happen by chance.”

“No, they happen because my Great Grand Father is a Fairy Prince who won’t take me fishing, so he gives me a vampire baby.”

“Niall would not know what to do with a fish. I’m sure he would tell you the same thing about our son if you asked him. Finish eating – I’ll be right back.”

Eric popped into his office and came back with a pen and a steno pad.

“We will have many questions about this baby and we must make a list of them, plus a list of things you must buy for our houses. “

Sookie watched as Eric wrote a 1, a period and then ‘C-A-R’ She frowned.

“A car for a baby?”

“A car for my baby’s mother. Yours is crap and you know it. I won’t have my child endangered by riding in a useless machine like that.”
“Eric, I do NOT need a new car.”

“Whether you do or do not, my son does and so he shall have one. It will be built in Germany and will have bullet proof glass.”

“Bullet-proof…”Sookie stopped. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. She was so worried about how Eric would take the news that she hadn’t thought about the fact that Eric and Niall both had enemies. For that matter, so did she. An infant with that pedigree was practically “A target.” She said. “Our baby will be in danger his entire life.”

“Yes, my lover, I am afraid that is true. He will be vulnerable to attack until he is grown and he could be used against me by my enemies, just as you could be.”

Sookie started to cry. Eric reached out and wrapped both his hands around hers.

“Sookie, look at me. We will live our lives. You and I have stayed together in spite of our enemies. So we will also raise our child in love and safety as much as is possible. Trust the gods, Sookie and trust me. I will do everything in my power to keep you both safe. This child is a child of magick. He might be in greater danger than some babies, but he will have greater protection as well. Most children don’t have an immortal Viking who will give his life for them, or a Great Grand Father who can bring the entire Fairy realm into war if he so chooses. You are protected by Were packs, Witches and every vampire in Felipe de Castro’s kingdom. You are the bravest, strongest person I have ever known. We can do this. Together, we can do this.”

“Eric, are you sure? Do you really want to deal with another person that is dependent on your protection, who can be used against you?”

“I want nothing more than I want this. I love you and I will love our son. There is no price too great to pay for that.“ Eric stood, bent and kissed her on her forehead, then gathered up the remnants of her salad container and bags. Throwing it all in the trash, he said brightly. “Time for our shower, my lover. Are you ready?”

Sookie smiled. Yes, she was more than ready. Eric carried her up the stairs to the third floor.




Chapter 4

Eric put her down on the bed, but she got right up to get her uniform off. He already had his vest and boots off and headed into the master bathroom. As she wiggled out of her shorts, Sookie called to him, “Eric, sweetie, would you consider a bath instead of a shower? It’s more relaxing.”

“Of course, my lover. What kind of bubbles do you want?”
“Bubbles?”

“Yes, I ordered a new selection of bubble bath crystals and gels. Some of them smell very good. This one called Amber has a wonderful scent.”

“Well, if you think it smells good, let’s try that.”

“As you wish, my lover,” He agreed as he bent to turn the faucet on. The tub was huge – one of the biggest they made that wasn’t intended for 4 or more people.

“Wait a minute,” Sookie said as she tossed her panties on top of her folded clothes, “Eric Northman bought bubble bath? You’re kidding,” she laughed.

“What’s the saying about bread and butter?” he asked as he lit several candles and turned off the light

She came into the bathroom naked, he scooped her up and sat her gently in the tub.

“You mean about knowing which side your bread is buttered on?”

“That’s it. The more pleasant I make your time in the tub, the more time I get to spend in the tub with you. “

“So by buying bubble bath, you are being pragmatic and manipulative?”

“Some would see it that way, I suppose. I just see it as indulging my lover’s senses and enjoying the results” he explained as he climbed into the tub right behind her.

She leaned back against his chest, the ever-erect “gracious plenty” folded up between them. Eric pulled the elastic that was holding her ponytail out of her hair and dropped it on the floor.

“Lean back and wet your hair,” he whispered.

She let him shampoo her hair. “Mmm – it smells like strawberries.”

“That’s new, too. I’m glad you like it.”

“Get that on line, too?”

“Yes. I find myself spending a lot of time thinking about what will please you. It’s very distracting, but not in an unpleasant way. It seems to annoy Pam, though.”

“That you’re thinking about me?”

“No, that I make her try out all these things before I get them for you. She says she feels like a lab rat.“

“Great…”

“She won’t admit it, but she likes the products, too, and so do her female companions.”

“Pam has…”

“Shhhhh, Sookie, relax.” He rinsed her hair with the hand held shower, then twisted it and clipped it up at the back of her head.

“Why’d you do that?”

“So it won’t get oily.”

“Oily?”

Eric reached for a bottle of golden liquid and popped the flip up top, pouring a little into his hand and gently spreading it on her shoulders.

“Oh, that smells delicious – what is it?”

“Almond massage oil. It’s edible so it’s safe for many different applications.”

“And you know this how?”

“Just be glad that I do. It will save you some discomfort later on.”

“What…”

“Quiet, my lover, you wanted to relax so trust in me and do as I say.”

He had both hands on her shoulders now, slowly squeezing and kneading the muscles there, pressing his thumbs firmly into her flesh at the bottom of her shoulder blades. Kissing wasn’t the only technique Eric had spent a thousand years perfecting. As his fingers danced over her skin, she felt all the tension melt away from her neck and shoulders. She hadn’t realized she was so tense, but then again, it made sense because she had been worried for days.

Eric pressed the heels of his palms onto her back on each side and slowly pushed them downward, his fingers kneading her lower cheeks as they circled around and he pressed his thumbs on either side of her spine and pushed them all the way up to the base of her skull. He traced that pattern on her back over and over and then he reached under her arms to her waist and pulled her back to him, kissing her shoulder, her neck, her ear lobe.

She began to worry she would fall asleep when he began massaging her breasts. OK, now she was awake. Relaxed, yes, but wide awake. He poured a little more oil on her breastbone and smoothed it down over her stomach. He began to make little circles on her belly with his fingers as they moved back up to her breastbone, her collarbones, gliding back down to her breasts and teasing the nipples. He spread his fingers across her ribs and stroked, pulling his hands back, then pushing forward to gently squeeze her breasts again.

He began to rub himself against her back as he pressed her oiled flesh back into his chest and his throbbing cock. She laid her head back on his shoulder and arched her neck to him. He kissed her neck, and moved his hands down between her legs, each stoking her soft folds in turn as they moved down and then back up several times.

“Sookie, turn and face me,” he whispered as he pulled her right arm around and guided her to straddle his lap. She thought he was going to enter her, but he shook his head slowly. “Not yet, my lover, be patient.” He kissed her deeply as his hands kneaded her cheeks and thighs, and she bent forward into him.

Damn, she hated it when he was so s-l-o-w and he knew it. He knew he was making her crazy, because she could see the sparkle in those sea blue eyes as she straddled his legs, resting on her knees. He reached for the bottle of oil again, pouring a lot of it into his right hand as he whispered “Kiss me.” She leaned forward again, raising up on her knees a bit to reach him.

As his tongue separated her lips, his hand spread the oil between her legs from her nub all the way back and up between her cheeks. Her eyes widened a bit at that but his left arm slipped around her waist and kept her from breaking the kiss. His right hand was gently massaging her labia, fingers slipping in and out of her. His right thumb slipped into her, as his fingers moved back up to the other entrance and began to press. She wasn’t sure what he was doing and she was even less sure why it seemed to feel good. She began to wiggle a bit on his hand and put her arms around his neck. She couldn’t look at him, but she didn’t pull away, either,

Eric breathed against her neck “My lover…” and as he did his finger slid into the other entrance as his thumb went deep into her vagina. She was impaled on his hand, feeling something she’d never felt before. She put her hands on his shoulders, grinding on his hand. Years of Christian upbringing were screaming in her brain but they were being smacked down hard by the pleasure that was building as she rode Eric’s fingers.

‘Oh. My. God. He has the longest fingers.’

He was really moving his hand in and out of her and he held her firmly around the waist. She began to lean backward into his hand, thrusting her breasts forward. His mouth found her nipple and bit. When the wave came crashing down on her, she understood why it’s called le petit mort – she was dying and she didn’t care.

Her legs were shuddering as he pulled his hand out and pulled her forward onto his cock with such surprising ease that she would later conclude that he’d done this before. A lot. She felt like a rag doll and not at all sure she could hold it together until he finished. He reached between them with his left hand to rub her nub and began to really push upward as she rode him.

He grabbed her with both hands and flipped her under him so she was now with her back to the tub. He began to take long strokes in and out of her, splashing water over the side of the tub, putting out several of the candles. His arms were on either side of her head, braced on the edge of the tub, his muscles bulging as he began to move with vampire speed.

“Oh, god, ERIC!” she screamed as he let out a growl she had never heard come from him before. Then, they were still. Sookie was panting, and Eric threw his head back and shook his hair like a lion’s mane. That was… intense.

Looking around a bit as she sat up, Sookie couldn’t believe the condition of the room. “We made a mess.”

Eric laughed with that shaky, ‘I just fucked like a vampire’ way of his. He was so smug. Damn he was sexy when he was pleased with himself. He pulled a stack of towels from a shelf and threw them on the floor to mop up the water they splashed over the sides.

“So, my lover, are you relaxed now?”

“Ah, I uh” Sookie chuckled because she knew there was a joke there somewhere but she couldn’t think clearly enough to find it. She was still laughing as Eric opened the drain to empty the tub, look a bar of soap and began to wash the oil off of her skin with the hand-held attachment.

“So, almond oil?” she laughed.

“Almond scented massage oil. And the best part is, your skin will feel like velvet when you’ve washed and dried.”

“What… I mean, I never…”
“It’s good to try new things, Sookie. Sometimes things feel better than you might imagine if you didn’t know.”

“I guess so…”

Eric reached for a big, fluffy white towel.

“That thing is huge!” she said as he wrapped it around her.

“I can’t let my lover get cold, especially not now.”

“Oh god, I almost forgot – I’m a terrible mother!”

Eric laughed as he took the clip out of her hair. “You are an angel. It’s good to be relaxed and happy. It has to be good for the baby.”

He handed her a comb so she could finish her hair while he bent over the tub and washed his hair with the attachment. She could grow to love that thing, if only for the view it was giving her of Eric’s best feature.

“I know you are watching me, Sookie.”

“So?” She snapped a little defensively.

“I just want you to know that I know your eyes are on me whenever I turn my back to you. I need to get on with having that mirror put up over the bed.”

He came to stand behind her as she looked in the mirror, combing her hair.

“You wouldn’t really do that would you?”

“I would if it would please you.” He took the comb and started on his own hair.

“It’s kind of kinky, don’t you think?

“Kinky? That’s a word people use to describe sex they aren’t having. It does not apply to us, my lover. We are bonded – we do whatever we want, whenever it pleases us.”

“Ok, then, yeah, I’d like you to do that. “

“Ok, that’s the second order of business – right after I order your new car.”




Chapter 5

Sookie was lying on her stomach on the bed on top of the big white towel. Eric stepped out of the room wearing a towel around his waist, and came right back with the steno pad.
“That’s a very pretty view, my lover.”
“Well, enjoy it while you can because I’m going to get fat.”
“You will not get fat. You will blossom, and ripen, and after you will be my beautiful princess once more.” He threw the pad and pen on the bed next to her and picked his black jeans up off the floor.
“What if I don’t? What if I stay fat?”
“No chance of that, lover. I will give you my blood and my attentions regularly – you will be healthier than you have ever been.” Frowning, he went through all the pockets several times.
“Speaking of healthy, what about pre-natal care?”
“What?”
“You know, a doctor to help make sure everything is OK. I don’t think Louisiana has any OB/GYNs that specialize in “children of magick.”” She joked in her best Boris Karloff imitation.
“This is true.”
He was down on his knees now, looking under the bed.
“Eric, what about Dr. Ludwig – does she handle babies?”
“I have no idea, but I’m sure if she doesn’t, she will know who does. She’s very well connected in our world.”
“Will you talk to her then? Soon?”
He was on his knees facing the bed now, resting on his elbows.
“Would you like me to summon her now?”
“No. Early tomorrow evening would be good, though. I’m a little nervous about this and I’d feel better if I knew what I need to be doing.”
“Good – make another column and put it at the top of the list,” and he resumed his search under the bed.
“What’s with you and lists all of a sudden?”
“We are in uncharted territory, lover – it’s best to take a map so we don’t forget anything.“
“That’s very pragmatic of you.”
“One of us has to be – you have cried three times today that I have witnessed.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that pregnant women are known to be… mercurial.”
“Mercurial?”
“Yes, mercurial – moody and weeping all the time. You aren’t normally weepy as you have been today. Quick to anger sometimes, but not so quick to cry.”
“OK, now you’re just pissing me off.”
“I’m so glad you aren’t being moody.” Eric laughed loudly – he thought he was the funniest guy in the world sometimes. Most people don’t know that about him, but Sookie did. He never laughed harder than when he was laughing at his own jokes.

“What ARE you looking for?”
“Fangtasia matches. I had two books in my pockets.”
“What do you want them for?”
“Candles.”
“Ah, so… who are we telling about this baby. Amelia and Pam already know. Do we keep it quiet for a time or do we make a grand announcement and put it in all the papers.”
“I do not think we need to involve the press, lover.”
“I know, I’m kidding. When and how do we tell Jason. And Sam. And, especially, Bill.”
“Bill will find out when the rest of Area 5 finds out – though I admit, I would like to see his face when he finds out I fathered a child with you.”
“That’s mean”
“That’s ME. The shifter will need to know within a few months that he needs to replace you…”
“Replace me?!”
Eric dropped his towel and lay on the bed beside her, propped up on his elbow.

“Sookie, we have no idea what this child is going to need. He might be unable to go in the sun. He might sleep only in the day. He might need milk or he might need blood. Some Fairies drink either, or both.”
“They do?!”
“Yes, lover, they do. You might want to consider learning more about your Fae blood since it may affect our baby.”
“You mean OUR Fae blood, don’t you?”

He settled on his back, looking at the ceiling.
“Yes, I suppose I do.”
“Did you know about your Fae blood?”
“I thought it was just stories, but yes, I suppose I did.”
“What was her name.”
“Erin is what I was told, but that was also a name for Ireland so it might have been anything.”
“Do you remember her?”
“Some. She had hair a little darker than yours, but she was small as you are and very pretty. When I first met you, I thought of her. I didn’t know why at the time, but I thought it was because you looked like her. Now I think I recognized the Fairy in you and associated that with my mother. You always felt as if you were supposed to be with me. I never accepted the fact that you were with Bill – it was just… wrong, somehow, for him to touch you. I knew the Fates brought you to me. I know now that I was more right than I knew.“

“When was the last time you saw her?”

“I was small – maybe three or four. I remember her crying as she sang to me, and then I never saw her again. My father never allowed me to speak of her. He said she was a curse sent to ruin him, but he was far from ruined. Our clan was wealthy and powerful. The only thing he ever wanted for was Erin.”

Sookie looked up suddenly – was Eric crying? Not quite, but close. His voice broke. What the hell do you do with an hormonal vampire? She needed to change the subject.

“Do you want to go with me when I tell Jason?”

“That is an excellent question, my lover. Your brother and I don’t particularly like each other, but I would like to be with you when you tell him. He has a pattern of taking news badly, and I won’t take a risk of him striking you again. Better I be there to restrain him than to stay away and have to kill him.”

“Eric, he’s my brother.”

“If he strikes you again, especially while you are carrying my son, you will be an only child. I will not tolerate any harm to either one of you from anyone, for any reason., and you need to accept that, Sookie. It won’t change. I have been far less aggressive than I should have been with your previous lovers and your family and your co-workers because I did not want to upset you and have you angry with me. I will be more definitive in my actions from this point forward.”

“Even if it makes me mad at you?”

“If there is any chance of you or my son being harmed, yes, even then. I cannot afford to show any weakness now. Others must know that I will show no mercy to those who would threaten us. You must understand this.”






Chapter 6

“Are you going to pout now?”

“I am NOT pouting. I’m just tired.”

Eric gently ran his hand down her back, over her bottom and down the back of her leg..

“That’s too bad. I thought you might be on that towel for a reason.”

“That’s giving me chills.”

“Want to get under the covers?”

“No. What did you mean just now?”

“When?”

“When you said you thought I might be on the towel for a reason – what kind of reason would I have?”

“I thought maybe you wanted to protect the bedspread from more oil or secretions. I can tell you are more… aroused than usual. I thought perhaps you wanted more massage or to explore a little more.”

She put her head down on her hands folded beneath her as Eric played with locks of her long hair.

“Explore…” she repeated softly.

“Hmmmm? Is that a request?” He leaned forward to nuzzle her ear, his hand resting on the small of her back.

“Not exactly. I mean…. I don’t know… I’m just thinking.”

He kissed her shoulder. “Tell me, my lover. What are you thinking?”

“It’s hard to talk about.”

“Sookie, we are bonded. You can speak to me of anything. You can ask me anything.” He stroked her hair and back again.

“You know I’ve only had a couple of boyfriends.”

“Mmm-hmm, I actually think about that a lot.” His finger traced the edge of her ear.

“I’m not always sure…. I don’t know if I’m doing everything I’m supposed to do.”

“Sookie, I am very happy with you,” he whispered, “happier than I have been…”

“No, it’s not that.” She turned her face away from him as his hand began to squeeze and knead her bottom gently. He kissed her shoulder and reached for a switch in his headboard that dimmed the lights in the room, then continued to stroke and rub her back and her bottom.

“In the bathroom before….” She said softly
“Hmmm” Eric was paying close attention to her words now and she couldn’t see them but his eyes were bright and his fangs were down a little.

“I… couldn’t look at you… but…”

He kissed her shoulder again, still rubbing her lower back and bottom.

“…that didn’t mean I didn’t like it.”

“It seemed to me that you liked it very much, my lover.” He squeezed one of her cheeks as he said lover and he said it in that tone that makes her feel a little dizzy.

“Um…yeah…do you like to… do that?”

“That?” His hand was kneading a little more firmly now.

“Yeah, but instead of with your hand…”

“Ah. Yes, my lover, I like that very much. I will never try to force you to do that, you know. I would only consider it if it was something you wanted.”

“Would it hurt?”

“Probably not, with a generous amount of lubrication, if you were very relaxed and I was very gentle.”

“Would you stop if…?”

“I would never hurt you, Sookie. I want to give you pleasure, not pain. I get no satisfaction from pain.

”If I liked it, though, you would get… satisfaction from it?”

‘Yes, very much.” He reached down between her legs and stoked her. She was very, very wet.. She moved her legs apart and rose up on her elbows. He pushed up on one hand so he could reach her more easily. He stroked her silently a few more times, positioned himself over her, a leg and hand on each side of her, but not resting his weight on her back; He reached for the drawer beside the bed and retrieved a white tube. He rose up on his knees behind her, between her legs. He gripped her hips and said “Keep your weight on your elbows, lover, and come up on your knees.”

She did exactly what he told her to do. He reached around to the front and began to very slowly rub her nub and her folds. Eric kissed her shoulder and stroked her so that she couldn’t keep her hips still.

“Do you like that, lover?”

“Yes.”

He rubbed the tip of his penis around the entrance to her vagina, then slowly slid into her. She gasped and arched her back to take him deeper. He moved very slowly and deliberately again. He was merciless with his hand in front of her and he gripped her so hard she felt like she couldn’t get away. With her knees so far apart she felt as if he was going right through the center of her. He was beginning to pump her faster now, grabbing her hips and slapping the front of his thighs against the back of hers. His hands were everywhere, on her breasts, around her waist pulling her back into him.

Her head was pounding and she couldn’t focus on anything except the sound of their bodies slapping together and what she was feeling between her legs. She tried to stay up on her elbows, gripping the edge of the mattress and just trying to hang on. She could feel her climax building and knew she would collapse – her legs would give out because they were so far apart, and she was THERE, oh, god, right there and Eric was pounding her like he had never done before.

She couldn’t really think, but it flashed through her mind that he was more excited than usual because she had talked about that. Before she could form another thought, Eric was coming, his arms tight around her waist, puling her to him and keeping her from falling on her face. When he was done, he released her waist and let her slowly stretch out before him again. Her legs were still very wide apart.

“Sookie, can you come up on your knees a little, and arch your back a bit.” As she moved into place again his hand went underneath her from behind. He stroked from her nub all the way up between her cheeks this time.

"Sookie, this lubricant will feel cold at first."

Whatever it was, he spread a lot of it between her cheeks. His fingers began to open the ring of muscle, much more slowly than he had done earlier. He moved it in and out of her, adding more lubricant. She felt more pressure, and realized that he was slowly forcing a second finger into her. She couldn’t be still, and she was a little afraid he would think she was trying to get away from him. The two fingers moved in and out slowly.

“Sookie, are you still offering?”

“Unh, y-yes.”

“You know I’m bigger than this, yes?”



“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

She could hear sounds of him opening the tube again, but she didn’t feel anything. Then, his fingers retreated and were quickly replaced by something much larger. He pushed forward slowly and she felt a little panic briefly – she was really being stretched. It didn’t really hurt, but it was really tight. She was panting,

‘Relax, Sookie – don’t tense up;”

“ahhh- hhhh”

He was pulling out, but went right back without hesitating. He was making short strokes at an easy, even pace and it seemed to go on for hours though it was only a few minutes. She reached back with her own hand to rub herself. There were tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Sookie, my lover, oh, god, Sookie, you are mine. Promise me, you will never, never do this with anyone else.”

“W- we’re bonded, I did promise.”

“Promise me now, Sookie, right now.”

“I promise Eric,”

“Say it,” he growled.

“I promise I won’t do this with anyone else. Only you – AHH!

He bit her shoulder, hard. She was seeing stars, in a good way, and trying not to scream.

Now he was really moving. The bed was hitting the wall, and Sookie’s legs and arms both failed her. She was flat on the bed now, and Eric’s weight was mostly on top of her. He was talking very fast, in that language she was going to have to learn, his forehead pressed to her shoulders.

:Ahhhhhh: YYYEESSS!” he screamed and collapsed on top of her.

Eric was laughing – “Ohhhh, Sookie, I do love you.”

“I can’t breathe”

He was still laughing as he rolled to the side.

“Is something funny?” she croaked, still out of breath.

“No, my lover, I am just happy. I am very, very happy. “

“Because of what we just did?”

“Because of everything – you, our bond, our baby AND that. That was the best possible end to a very good day.”

“And what was all the possessive stuff – you know I hate that. It’s medieval.”

“It’s important in my world – more important than anything.”

“Why does it matter? We’re bonded, isn’t that the be all and end all for vamps?”

“For vampires, yes, but not for men.”

“What?”

“Did you ever do that with Bill?”

“Obviously not.”

“Or Quinn?”

“Absolutely not.”


“But you did yield to me, my lover, and that is very special to me.”

“So you’re saying it's a dick thing?”

“Where did you hear that expression?“ Eric seemed genuinely shocked.

“From Dawn, at work. She and Arlene used it all the time.”

“Ah, well – never use it again, but yes, my lover, it is a dick thing.”