"Goodnight Sam" I called through the restaurant.
"Night Sook! Drive careful." Sam yelled sounding as tired as I felt.
I was just wrapping up a long night at work and couldn't wait to get home. Bon Temps was experiencing warmer than usual weather for this time of year and the influx of customers tonight had made it very hard to keep my mental shields up. I stepped out of the restaurant and took a minute to breathe in the cool, clean air and look up at the stars. I didn't understand how people could stand living in big cities with so many brains buzzing around and not being able to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. This was the perfect kind of night to sit on the porch with the one you love wrapped up in a blanket. Like my mind often did now, I found myself thinking of Eric. He was the one I longed to be wrapped up in a blanket with. I knew he would appreciate the night and the stars just as I would. The thought left me with a small ache in my heart. Things hadn't been easy between us since Eric returned to Shreveport after regaining his memories from those crazy were witches. Our time together was short, but very intense during that week. When he had been cured of the curse and didn't remember our time to together, I have to admit it left a big hole in me. We had spoken periodically and he had come to visit me a few days after to thank me for sheltering him, but there was an uneasiness that wasn't there before. He couldn't remember our time together, which happened to be hotter than the six shades of hell, and it was bugging him. Surprisingly he didn't like feeling out of control for a week of his very long life. Part of me was tempted to tell him everything that happened, right down to the last steamy detail, but the other part of me, the part that was still untrusting of my fragile emotions just couldn't bring myself to do it. Not to mention there was the whole me killing a crazy were bitch in my house and Eric taking the bullet for me, that had also kept my lips sealed about that week. Eric and I were friends before all this, even teetering on more than friends, but I just didn't know what he would do if he had the knowledge that he saved my life and I killed someone in my kitchen. Well, I had thoroughly depressed myself now, so maybe I should start thinking of other items in my mental closet.
I pulled down my long driveway and parked the car. Just as I stepped up onto the porch I had another unpleasant problem to deal with.
"Hello Bill" my former lover was patiently waiting for me to get home. He seemed so calm and content sitting there on my porch swing, it almost made him seem human.
"Good evening Sookie, I hope you are well" Bill stood and greeted me with his thick southern gentleman accent. "I'm doing fine Bill, what brings you to this side of the cemetery this evening?" I tried to look pleasant, but all I could think of was my pajamas and my date with Ben & Jerry.
"I was wondering if you knew when you would be going to New Orleans to settle Hadley's estate?"
The good times were just rolling tonight I thought. Hadley was my cousin who had died and then met the true death a few weeks ago. It was hard for me to imagine her being dead, even after years of estrangement. Much harder even to know that she was made vampire by none other than the Queen of Louisiana and had "lived" the last two years of her life undead. Apparently Hadley had been the Queen's favorite for some time and was even more cherished after Sophie Ann became her maker. Sadly though, a jealous former favorite of the Queen named Waldo couldn't handle being set aside for her new love and had staked my cousin Hadley one night in a cemetery.
"I'm not sure yet Bill, I hadn't thought too much about it honestly." The fact is, I had so much going on in my life, most of it none too pleasant that I had been dragging my feet about going to settle her estate.
"Why were you wondering?" I asked him.
"I have some business to take care of in New Orleans and I was hoping to escort you there, if you don't mind?" He looked at me with that softness in his eyes and I didn't know what to say.
"I guess that would be fine. Will you be staying with the Queen?" I tried to make my question sound more like a statement so Bill would know there was a big difference in him catching a ride with me and him staying in Hadley's apartment with me.
"Yes, of course" I could hear the slight disappointment in his voice. "If you would just let me know when you are leaving, I will make my arrangements with her Majesty."
"Sure Bill, when I decide I'll give you a call. So, goodnight I guess" I started stepping towards the door, indicating that our conversation was over.
"Goodnight Sookie, sleep well." There was a longing in his eyes when he said it, but there was nothing I could do about it. I didn't feel the same for him anymore and I wasn't going to jeopardize what I might have beginning with Eric.
Well, time to get over your pity party Sookie. I knew that even though things might seem bleak right now, my life could definitely be worse. I slipped on my pretty PINK pajamas that were silky and beautiful and I already felt my mood perking up a bit. When Eric had paid me for my time caring for him, I promptly put it in my sad bank account. However, I had allowed myself a few purchases and these silky, hot pink PJ's were the first thing I had ever bought from Victoria's Secret. Grabbing my ice cream out of the freezer, I looked at the package calling my name "I've been waiting all night for you" I said at my ice cream.
"'I've been waiting all night for you too lover!" Eric said two inches from my back.
"Oh my god! Eric you scared the shit out of me!" I could hardly get the words out since I was having a coronary.
"What are you doing here? Ever heard of knocking?!" I practically killed him with my glare while trying to force my heart back into a regular pattern.
"I didn't mean to scare you Sookie. I guess in my excitement to see you I forgot to knock. Oops." Eric was half smiling with that sly grin of his.
"Yeah oops my tail end" I knew as soon as I said it, it was the wrong choice of words.
Eric ran his hand over said tail end and smiled "and what a lovely end it is, but I assure you that you have no tail."
"Oh Eric please, you know what I meant!" I mockingly punched him in the ribs, even though I didn't tell him to remove his hand.
"And these silky night clothes over your voluptuous body are quite striking" he was showing some fang now. Oh boy I was getting in deep already. Couldn't I just sit down and eat my ice cream in peace tonight? Instead it was turning out to be the Sookie's supernatural suitors night. Perfect.
As I slid out of his half embrace, I made my way over to the couch and flipped on the t.v. If Eric was here to hang out then he would have to come second to my first two men of the evening, Ben and Jerry.
"So what brings you to my little backwater tonight Eric?"
"Can't I just come see my favorite telepath?" he smirked
"Eric, I'm your only telepath. Now, what's the deal? Do you need me to read someone for you? Fangbangers eyeballing you weird? Bobby stealing your underwear again?" I almost laughed at the ridiculousness that was my life and my "gift".
"No, actually I have something to tell you. I remember." Before I could say a word he was pinning me down and kissing me for everything he was worth.
I let myself get lost in his kiss for a minute, basking in the heat being created between our lips. Finally my mind began to lift out of the passionate fog it was in and push at him to get off me.
"Whoa there big fella! What do you mean you remember?" I was simultaneously happy and scared to death at the same time.
"When I woke from my day rest this evening, I started getting little flashes of our time together. First it was just a quick image of lying in the bed with you holding your hand, then a flash of us sitting by the fire under a very ugly blanket. Another time I saw you tenderly washing my feet, and then I started getting images of the two of us intertwined, writhing with pleasure. I took your blood, you took mine, and we were one." He was definitely showing fang now and being in such close proximity I could feel his emotions because of our blood swapping and because it was pressing against my pelvis right now.
"Um..Eric listen, I um…" He cut me off by pressing his lips against mine again and instantly the lust and tension in the room were almost palpable. I didn't know whether I should stop this and try to explain or just turn my brain off and enjoy this beautiful Viking who was very eager to enjoy me. Unfortunately the little bit of rationality I still had, won out. Damn brain.
"Eric, we should talk about this." I said through heavy breaths.
"Lover let us not waste any more time talking, there are more pertinent matters to attend to" He was licking down my collarbone at this point and it was so delicious I almost couldn't bring myself to make him stop. Pushing myself off the couch, I hit the floor with a thud beside my now spilled ice cream.
"Sookie what is the matter with you? Don't you still want me as you wanted me when I was with you before?" Eric sounded almost hurt and slightly unsure of himself. This was new territory for the both of us I guess.
"Of course I do Eric, but we need to get some things clear first." Like what position to try first or who gets to be on top…snap out of it Sookie! I took a deep breath and tried to remember what I was saying.
"Do you remember everything about your time with me or just the good parts?" I was very nervous about this part of the conversation.
"It took a few hours, but I think I remember most of our time together. Especially the good parts." Eric was wagging his eyebrows at me. "I know that we had wild, primal sex all over your house, and that you took care of me in every sense of the word. I know that we had a mighty fun battle with those were witches, in which I was magnificent…obviously. Am I missing anything?" Leave it to Eric to remember the great sex and his uncanny ability to slaughter things with a big sword.
"Well that sounds like you did remember about everything. I'm glad your memories are back, and now we can get back to the good part" I jumped onto his lap and reignited our kiss before he could remember anything else. Specifically about me blasting a hole in Debbie Pelt's head.
With some effort he gently pushed me off his lips and stared right in my eyes for a minute without speaking. Was he trying to see into my head or what?
"Dear one, I'm afraid you have left out an important part of our last night together" Oh God here it comes I thought.
"What are you talking about Eric? Our shower together?" I said it seductively hoping that he was thinking that was the important part.
"No, but we will discuss that too. I was referring to you shooting the shifter in your kitchen" Eric said calmly.