Lover Be Strong, a sookie stackhouse/southern vampire mysteries fanfic

Lover Be Strong

Stealth, to a vampire, is second nature. After over a thousand years, I have honed this particular ability to near perfection. I know no one, alive or otherwise, knows where I am unless I wish it. Even the night insects barely register my presence. So why do I wince every time my boot falls onto the damn gravel of the driveway I bought? Even at vampire speed, I catalogue every rock shifted out of place. Each movement sounds like an earthquake. I find myself praying I don't wake Sookie.

As with every other one of my clandestine visits, I begin at her window and watch her sleep until the need to be closer, to touch her, to smell her, overwhelms me. She makes no movement except the gentle rise and fall of her breath so I know her dreams are, as yet, undisturbed. Those soft, pink lips part as she exhales. They all but invite my kiss.

Looking over her, hearing her steady heartbeat, seeing with my own eyes that she is safe, calms me like nothing else could. The tight knot of fear in my chest loosens. Pressing my hand to the glass, I relax enough to take in the beauty of the night. The crescent moon doesn't provide much light but it is more than enough for me. A soft, barely noticeable breeze wafts the mixed scent of Adele Stackhouse's roses and cool night air closer and closer. The cicadas provide subtle background music as the fireflies roam to wink at the stars. I hope to share many of these nights with Sookie.

Her brow knits and she emits the tiniest of whimpers. So they begin. I push calm through our bond (a far easier task to accomplish when she is not awake to fight me) and race to the back door. Letting myself in is easy with the master key code I programmed into the security system when it was installed.

I deftly maneuver around kitchen furniture and ease the door open to her bedroom. Her clock radio is turned on loud enough to dispel the ambient sounds but soft enough to hear real danger. Her nightmares seem to have retreated for now but they will return. They always do.

I ease into the worn armchair in the darkened corner of her room. By now, the faded upholstery and I are old friends.

No matter what happens, I'll see you on the other side
There's just too many distractions, waiting for the perfect time
I know you're alright, by the friends you keep
It'll all be fine, depend on me

I caress the curves of her face with my gaze. She is so beautiful.

As I predicted, her heartbeat quickens and her breath hitches. The physical reminders of her kidnap and torture are gone but the emotional scars remain. Those cannot be healed with my blood.

Oh, oh, oh lover be strong while I'm gone
And if you feel like falling, just hold on
Because everybody knows what they saw we had
Everybody wants and they want it bad
Oh, oh, oh lover be strong while I'm gone

So here I sit, as I have every night for the past two months, sending love, calm, and safety through our bond. It's amazing I have enough of those feelings to spare while berating myself for everything I could have done differently.

Just under the radar, a thread approach is slipping in
On another stormy morning, another issue could begin
But you heard these lines and these echoings

My dead heart aches as "no", "please", and other incoherent pleading sounds reach my ears. This is a new form of torture, even more cruel than silver chains. At times, the only thought to console me is that she survived. My beautiful, brave Sookie persevered where so many others would have broken. I have seen enough of human failings to know she doesn't give herself enough credit.

A solitary tear escapes her closed lid and I am no longer satisfied with the mere feet of space between us. My boots get kicked off on the way to the bed and I discreetly slide between the covers. My lips graze a light kiss to her forehead, each eyelid, each cheek, and finally her mouth. She snuggles her face to the crook of my neck. I hope it is because she senses my presence. This new position allows me to wrap my arms around her shoulders and waist to pull her that much closer.

When you look and tell me love, just return
I'll be waiting here for you, and you do

Proximity seems to have the desired effect on both of us. Her breath evens out to a deep inhale and exhale. I am lulled into downtime. Seconds, hours, years could have passed and I'd have neither noticed nor cared. I was brought back to full consciousness by a jarring inhale only achieved by drawing in too much air too quickly. I was met with confusion clouded blue eyes.

"Eric?"

My only response was to press a kiss to her forehead. Whether she attributed my presence to a dream or imagination, I do not know. I do know her mumbled "miss you" pulled on my dead heartstrings. She buried her face in my chest and was back asleep in seconds.

Dawn is less than an hour away. I untangle myself from Sookie's limbs and leave the tranquility of her bed. I pull my boots back on and slip out the way I came. The minutes before sunrise are hushed compared to those of midnight. I roll down the windows of the Corvette to catch the transient smells of sunshine trying to emerge and ease backward toward the road. I flip the headlights on when I reach the highway and make my way back to Shreveport.

Lover be strooong
Ohh

Disclaimer: Eric and Sookie belong to Charlaine Harris. The song is Gavin DeGraw. *Sigh* I own nothing.