After the day I'd had, all I wanted to do was stand under a hot shower and crawl into bed.

I'd watched an amnesic Vampire, whom I'd been charged with protecting, drain my fairy godmother, then drunkenly wander out into the woods uncaring about the coming dawn that could fry him like a catfish. Then, I spent the rest of the morning searching my woods for him with my Werewolf friend Alcide, which almost resulted in a fight between the two would-be Alpha males. Then, after I had finally convinced Eric to get back to the cubby, I'd had to get ready and go to work where I was sucked into staying late to cover Arlene's shift so she could deal with some family issue.

When I finally dragged myself into the house and saw that Eric was no where to be found, I sighed. I didn't care if I was in charge of him. I was NOT looking for him tonight. Well, at least not until I'd slept for a few hours.

After spending a lot longer in the shower than I normally do, I dragged my tired self into my room, threw off my towel, and climbed into bed. It was more effort than I was able to muster to dry my hair or put on a nightshirt.

My head hit the pillow and I was instantly asleep.

Too soon after I fell asleep, I started awake to the feeling of someone climbing into my bed behind me. I froze and tried to use my "gift" to see who it was. Blank. Must be a Vampire. It couldn't be Bill. He was MUCH too busy as "king" to spare a nighttime visit for me.

I thought, it must be Eric.

I glanced slightly over my shoulder and was completely relieved to see a familiar blonde head dip to nuzzle against my hair.

"Sookie?" he questioned. "You are tense. Are you well?"

My brain was still fuzzy from sleep. Otherwise I might've been able to pull myself together and kick his Viking butt out of my bed.

"Yes, Eric. I'm fine. I'm not used to people surprising me by climbing in bed with me. You can't make a habit of this."

He was quiet for a moment. In that moment, I felt his bare leg brush against mine and I realized we were both very much naked.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"E-Eric, where are your clothes?" I asked, suddenly very nervous.

"I wanted to feel you," he murmured into my hair. "I assumed it was alright since you weren't clothed either."

He ran his hand down my arm and I knew I was in trouble.

"Eric, you can't just strip down and slide into bed with me in the middle of the night while I'm asleep. You damn near gave me a heart attack!" I wanted to sound forceful. Somehow it didn't quite work when said with a shiver of something that can only be interpreted as pleasure.

I felt him smile against my skin. "Sorry."

His hand slipped across my left thigh; gripped it before sliding over the curve of my ass, up my hip, across my side to flatten out on my belly. His touch was firm as he inched his way up, past my ribcage to cup my left breast. His thumb brushed over my nipple before giving it a light pinch, which caused me to sigh in pleasure.

Once my nipple stood stiff against his fingers, he moved on. His hand dipped into the valley between my breasts to repeat his actions on the right. A small moan escaped my lips before I could think to stifle it. I could feel him smirk against my shoulder before he dropped a small kiss to it.

He stroked his hand across my chest, up the left side of my neck, moving my hair out of the way of his lips. I felt the heat of his lips move up my neck and to my ear. He nibbled gently on my earlobe.

My mind screamed at me to resist, or at least not to move and encourage him. My body, on the other hand, convinced me that if I could just scoot backward, just a little bit, enough to feel him pressed against my backside, then the tightness that was growing in my lower abdomen would dissipate.

Under normal circumstances, my mind would have the upper hand. This night, however, the long-suppressed attraction and the touch of his smooth skin against my own succeeded in shutting out my better thoughts.

I pushed myself back against him, abandoning all hope that this would end somewhere other than the two of us sated and spent laying naked in each other's arms.

My small movement earned me a growl of approval. He grabbed hold of my hip and pressed me further against him, allowing me to feel the proof of his want.

I was tired of feeling his phantom caresses. I wanted to see him. I turned over and looked up into his clear blue eyes- the eyes that were so different than they were just three days ago. Where once they were hard, calculating and full of taunting mirth, they now held almost a child-like wonder, and a softness, and something that looked strangely like...love?

I didn't get a chance to ponder that look any further. His mouth descended on mine and all sane thoughts flew from my mind. His lips were gentle at first, soft against mine. Not the type of first kiss I expected from a 6" something Viking.
It didn't take long for things to heat up. My temperature was already climbing from his touch, and as his passion rose, his kiss became rough, harder, more demanding.

I reached up and buried my hands in his hair while his hands ran all over me; my breasts, my hips, my face. It was as if he couldn't decide which part of me he wanted to touch first.

His mouth moved down my throat, scorching it's way across my skin. My breathing became heavy. I gasped and moaned. My hips rolled up to meet his, pushing his impressive length against my hip.
In response, he slipped his hand between my legs and pressed against the place where I wanted him most.

I let out a startled cry. My lover looked down on me, taking in the sight of my naked body lying prone and open under his. His hand stroked me slightly. My wetness coated his fingers.
He pushed into me- one finger, then two. Stretching me open and preparing me for what was to come next.

After a few more strokes from his fingers, and more than a few moans from my own throat, I felt him leave me. A moment later I felt something else, something much larger press against my opening. He looked up at me, and I at him.

His blonde hair fell over his forehead and into his bright eyes.

"Sookie?" When he whispered my name, any doubts that I might've had were wiped away.

"Yes, Eric," I whispered back. "Yes."

Not needing to be told again, he thrust himself into me. Being only my second lover, it took some time for my body to fully accommodate his size.
He held still as he waited for me to adjust. His head fell against my shoulder and I heard him whisper, "so tight."

His words sent another wave of heat down below and, feeling I was ready, I began moving my hips.
He took my hint and began moving inside of me. His right hand slipped behind my head and twisted into my hair.

My eyes clenched and I heard myself sigh his name.
Our rhythm climbed as our pleasure mounted. I was quickly becoming breathless as he thrust into me again and again.

Soon, I could feel that I was beginning to lose myself.

"Look at me," he growled. "I want to see."

I forced my eyes open and focused on his face above me. His fangs had run out. The thought of him sinking into me, in more than one way, was enough to finish me off. I felt myself tighten around him as I came hard, crying out loud enough to hurt my throat.

He smiled down on me and continued to push into me as wave after wave crashed over me.
Finally his teeth clenched and he whispered, " I'm close. So close."

Without thinking about it, I tilted my head to the side, offering up my blood in addition to my body. I felt his fangs slide into the vulnerable flesh and he moaned against the wound as my blood rushed into his mouth in the same moment his orgasm hit. And I came again.

Later, as he held me against him, wrapped only in the sheets, as I listened to the silence in his chest, I thought about the consequences that our actions were sure to bring about. And I realized that I didn't care.

I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face, as Eric Northman- the big, bad, vampire sheriff- ran his fingers through my hair.

At that moment I felt completely at peace. And at this rate, I wouldn't care if Eric got his memories back at all.