True Blood on Twitter Holiday Writing Contest
Title and Author: Another Holiday Event By TelepathSookieS & VampireBillC
Characters: Bill Compton, Eric Northman, Sookie Stackhouse, Jason Stackhouse, Jessica Hamby, Hoyt Fortenberry, Maxine Fortenberry, Emma Garza, Nora,
Disclaimer: This story is a fan creation based off of the characters in HBO's True Blood. Neither author is affiliated with HBO nor True Blood.
Bill spent one last minute before the mirror, adjusting his bowtie. He walked out into the hallway, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his Childe, Jessica, resplendent in her emerald green gown. He knew she'd spent weeks looking for it. Her efforts had definitely paid off.
"Well look who's a sight for sore eyes!" he proclaimed.
Jessica smoothed her dress, smiling at Bill's compliment. "Really? Ya think so?" She twirled like a little girl to show off the dress to its fullest.
"You'll have to beat the boys off with a stick," he promised.
She smiled brightly, taking a step towards him to fix his bowtie.
"As will you. And hopefully tonight will be a good, quiet night," she said optimistically.
He laughed both out of amusement at his Childe's mothering and the lingering nerves that something could go wrong. He quickly pushed those feeling aside before they could show on his face.
"C'mon, we mustn't keep high society waiting," he said, offering her his arm.
"Of course we can't," Jessica said gamely as he lead them down the stairs.
"By the way, Jessica, there will be a number of vampires here tonight that are trying to win my favor so they can become of my Sheriffs. I'd like you to keep an eye out and let me know what you think."
Her brow arched in surprise.
"You want my opinion? Shouldn't that be the decision of someone more qualified? Like Pam or Eric?"
"I fully plan on getting Eric's opinion," he nodded " but you're a good judge of character. I also think that many of them won't know who you are and may not be as guarded in their actions around you. If they try something inappropriate around you then clearly they are not suitable for the position."
As soon as they stepped off the staircase, a guard takes up position on the bottom step to prevent anyone unauthorized from going upstairs.
"I'll keep an eye and ear out for you."
She leans in and kisses his cheek softly.
"Now enjoy your party," she orders before heading off into the crowds.
He smiled as Jessica disappeared into the crowds. Taking a moment, Bill marveled at how well everything had come together, considering what a rocky start the project had had.
"I think a holiday fundraiser is the perfect idea. People are always in a charitable mood during the holidays, and it will show the skeptics that we aren't heathens that can't appreciate a good winter holiday." Bill explained patiently.
They'd already been 'discussing' this for the last several minutes and his patience was beginning to wear out.
Eric kicked his legs upon to the desk, hands laced behind his head.
"Because the lasttolerance event went so well?" he mocked.
"I'm down to one Sheriff. I'm willing to take odds that you'll survive the night."
Before Eric could retort, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Bill called out.
The door opened. In walked Sookie Stackhouse.
Whatever Eric had planned to say fell by the wayside. His feet swept off the desk and landed firmly on the floor as he leaned forward demanding, "What is shedoing here?"
"Bill invited me over. He said he had a favor to ask," she said uneasily.
Bill held up his hands apologetically.
"I know I should have said something, but this meeting wouldn't have been occurred otherwise. Sookie, please sit."
She took the empty chair next to Eric, not looking entirely happy about it. "So why am I here?"
"As I was telling Eric, I am planning on throwing a holiday-themed charity fundraiser. As Eric and I are quite removed from modern celebrations, I was hoping that you might help fill in the gaps."
"That sounds great!" Sookie enthused.
Eric stood.
"You can count me out. I don't want anything to do with it." His words were directed at Bill, his cool blue eyes were locked firmly on Sookie.
"Your attendance is mandatory, Sheriff," Bill informed the Viking.
"Pam can represent me."
"I am tired of playing these games tonight. So let me make this perfectly clear: you are hereby ordered to attend. Furthermore, you will mingle and you will pretend to be enjoying yourself and you will help put my Kingdom in a good light. Am I understood?"
There was a disgruntled grunt of agreement from Eric.
"Yes, your Majesty. Anything else?" He sneered. "I have places to be."
"You're dismissed."
Eric walked out of the room without so much a backwards glance. When he was gone, Bill shut the door behind him, so they wouldn't be disturbed.
"I'm sorry you had to see that and I sincerely hope that it won't deter you from assisting," Bill smiled. "I think we can really throw a spectacular party if we put our heads together."
She took the seat, and smiled shakily.
"Of course we can! Like I said, I'd be happy to help."
"Thank you," Bill looked relieved." I'm reaching out to some event planners as we speak. I'll let you know when I have the first consultation scheduled so we can start to get the details together."
He hesitated.
"And think about what you might like to wear, while you're at it."
"You're going to invite me?" Sookie asked, surprised. She thought it sounded fancier than anything she might normally attend.
"Of course. I wouldn't think of asking you to help without you getting to enjoy the fruits of your labor."
She nodded. "Will you be inviting anyone else from Bon Temps? I'm sure they'd be happy to chip in what they could."
"I hadn't given it much thought," Bill admitted. "But I suppose we can come to some kind of agreement." He smiles wryly. "Besides seeing your brother in black tie and tails might be entertaining."
Sookie laughed. "Jason? He'd probably enjoy the chance to get dressed up and show off." She tilted her head. "So what kind of theme were you thinking of exactly?"
"Political correctness would demand the part be a generic winter holiday, but I'm thinking that something purely Christmas might play better down here. What do you think?"
She nodded thoughtfully. "Or maybe some kind of compromise? Something close to Christmas without actually beingChristmas?"
Bill considered. "Such as?"
"Yule was a holiday, wasn't it? You know. Yuletide?"
Bill nodded. "That could work. Be something different that people haven't seen."
"Great!" She said. "I'll hit up the library tomorrow and see what I can find."
"That sounds great," he said as he stood up, making it clear that they were winding down for the evening.
"Will you be free tomorrow to discuss what I found?"
"I'm available early in the evening). Why don't you come by an hour after sunset?" he asked as he opened the office doors to escort her out to the front hall.
"I'll be here." She paused before she crossed the threshold. "You know I didn't mean to hurt either of you, right?"
"You did what you thought best," Bill smiled sadly.
"It wasfor the best," she repeated firmly.
"Who are you trying to convince?" he asked. "I know you well enough to know that you would not take such an action out of pure spite."
She nodded, looking down briefly before looking back up, her voice croaking slightly. "I just don't want you to hate me."
His eyes became sympathetic. "If I hated you Sookie, I'd never have asked for this favor. It wouldn't have been kind to either of us."
She studied his eyes for a moment before being satisfied by what she saw. "Thank you." A pause. "I should go." She took a few steps off the porch. "And thank you for inviting me to help. I'm honored that you'd ask for my help on something so important."
Bill silently watched as she walked off into the night. Only when she was across the graveyard did he say, "You're welcome."
"Bill!"
He turned his head when a familiar voice called for him. Politely breaking away from his current conversation, he made his way over to Sookie and Jason.
"You look lovely tonight." He nodded at Jason, and with a slightly cooler tone but a no-less friendly smile he added. "And good evening to you, too, Jason."
Jason smiled politely. When Sookie had invited him to the party, he'd wanted to say no, but couldn't bring himself to do so. He'd do almost anything for her, even if spending a night at the vampires's house wasn't exactly at the top of his list.
"Vampire Bill," he said politely, his eyes not quite looking at Bill's, instead having found Jessica, a smirk on her face promising him some fun later. "Maybe this party won't be so bad after all," he muttered to himself.
Sookie stepped forward to give Bill a small hug. "You do too! The house looks great by the way! I hope the event planners didn't give you too hard a time about doing the Jul theme?"
He kissed her cheek in a soft, chaste manner that would be perfectly acceptable for such an event.
"Thank you! They found it challenging, but the caterer at least seemed to enjoy herself. You'll have to tell me how well they succeeded."
Noting Jason's desire to get away, and the growing crowd of guests, she nodded quickly. "Of course! Enjoy the evening, Bill!"
"I don't know why they had to have this thing at night! It's too darn cold for this kind of event!" Maxine Fortenberry harped as she pulled her shawl up around her shoulders in a futile effort to protect herself against the cold night air.
"Mama," Hoyt said tiredly as he slammed the truck door shut. "Vampire Bill is hosting the party. He can't very well throw it during the day now can he?"
She huffed, still not liking the fact that her boy was talking back to her.
"I'm just saying that he should be more accommodating to us regular folks. It ain't right being out all night at a Vamp's house." Still, she plastered on her best fake smile as Hoyt lead them up to the reception line.
"Evening, Vampire Bill," Hoyt said lightly.
"Hoyt. Mrs. Fortenberry. I do hope you enjoy the party tonight and that you take the time to browse or maybe bid on some of the wonderful items we have available in the silent auction."
"Of course," she simpered as Hoyt lead her off, her beady eyes darting around trying to take everything in.
Standing on the steps of Bill's house, Eric stopped to smooth his windblown hair before casually strolling inside. Ignoring the humans and their whispered conversations about him, he searched for Bill or a glimpse of the siren who had broken his heart. He didn't have to search long, Bill was at his side all too soon.
"Fashionably late, I see," Bill said by way a a greeting.
"I'm here," Eric shrugged, unphased by the look of disapproval on Bill's ace. "You should be pleased. Besides, you never specified when."
"It is heartening to know that you know how to follow an order. I'll be sure be more specific next time. But never mind that. I want you to go mingle with the crowd, turn on the full Northman charm. While you're out there, keep an eye out on the Sheriff candidates. I'd like to know what you think of them."
"Of course," Eric nodded. " I will ensure you only choose those worthy of the position."
His words were sincere. He wanted Bill to have competent Sheriffs as much as Bill did.
"If my own Childe were more rational in her behavior towards the telepath that we both favor, I'd recommend her for one of the positions."
"I appreciate it," Bill nodded. "Speaking of Pam, where is she this evening?"
Eric shrugged again. Pam was probably sulking about not being invited.
"I believe she's overseeing things at Fangtasia. Ginger and the human staff have convinced her to decorate for the holiday."
"I'm sure the result will be quite…festive." Bill's eyes locked onto Sookie in the distance. "She was quite excited about your Jul idea you know. She tried hard to do it justice."
Eric's eyes followed Bill's gaze and fell on the familiar golden-blonde hair and the bright smile as she spoke with some human whose name he couldn't be bothered to remember. Eric stayed quiet for a moment, unable to not think about the night she showed at Fangtasia to discuss it.
-
Eric was not happy to hear that Sookie was in the bar looking for him. Seeing her the other night at Compton's had been painful enough. But he wouldn't hide in his office trying to pretend he wasn't there either. He wasn't that pathetic. He strolled out to the floor stopping several feet in front of her.
"Sookie," he said blandly, his arms folded across his chest and a look on his face that said that she was about as welcome as a visit from the Magister. "To what does Fangtasia owe the honorof this visit?"
Her smile was tight and it was several seconds before she said anything. He could tell she was giving herself a mental pep talk.
"I came to see you, of course," she said.
"Did you now?" Eric asked, his voice as frosty as his smile. "Did you change your mind perhaps?" He leaned in close. "I'd understand of course. Bill's blood clearly causes temporary insanity in those who drink it."
She stared up at him and kept her voice level.
"Can we speak in private?"
He was disappointed she hadn't taken the bait.
"Of course," he said as he lead her back to the office. "But only because these humans don't need to know my business."
"Whatever," she muttered following him inside. He closed the door behind them.
"So what can I do for you?" Eric inquired.
"I'm here to talk about Bill's charity event."
He looked unimpressed. "Then shouldn't you be discussing it with him?"
"I was hoping you'd changed your mind since then," she told him. "That maybe you did want to attend."
"And what incentive would I have to change my mind?" Eric wondered aloud. " I haven't personally celebrated in centuries and have no reason to start doing so now."
"But it's for a good cause, Eric! Surely you can take a night out of your life and help give back to others!"
"I will be there because I have been ordered to be," Eric huffed derisively. "That does not mean I intend to enjoy it, let alone have any desire to assist in planning it."
"Well maybe you should," Sookie said. " It'd be a good PR move for the bar. It might even help chase away those protesters once and for all."
"Explain."
"Well, for one thing you don't really have to do that much to help prepare – Bill's got event planners for that. But if you were to actually help co-host the thing and maybe do some advertising before the party, it'd look good for Fangtasia."
He glanced at her, still clearly skeptical.
"The party-goers likely wouldn't visit the bar, so I fail to see how it would help."
Sookie gave him a look; she knew he was being deliberately stubborn.
"Please, Eric. As much as I'd like to think that Bill is doing this for altruistic reasons, I know full well he's doing for the mountains of positive media coverage the event will get. You might as well claim some of it for yourself."
"Although I don't share your optimism that the press coverage will drive the protesters away, I will admit Compton is becoming quite skilled at using the press for his own advantage," Eric conceded. "Considering he wouldn't even be here now if it weren't for my support, it only seems right that I get to reap some of the rewards too. What would you have me do? I mean, aside from being my charming self of course."
She smiled, fighting an internal battle to not snicker as Eric's ego reared its arrogant head.
"Well…you'd probably need to talk to Bill about helping with advertising and such…but I could also use some help too."
"Go on."
"Well, Bill asked me to come with a theme that was appropriate for the holidays, but I didn't want to do a straight up Christmas. I was hoping you could help me with that."
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure that's why he asked you to help in the first place, and at this point, I probably know even less about them than he does."
"About modern ones, maybe," Sookie smiled up at him. "But you hate being ignorant and I'm willing to bet that you know more about the holidays than Bill and I put together!"
"Indeed," Eric couldn't help preening slightly as he acknowledged this.
This time, she did roll her eyes.
"All right, so what kind of holiday were you thinking of?" Eric wanted to know.
He watched Sookie purse her lips as she thought. He could almost see the light bulb go off when she had her idea.
"What about something from your childhood? You guys surely had some sort of celebration? Like for the winter solstice."
He paused, not really wanting to delve into those memories.
"When I was still human, my family would always celebrate Jul," he allowed.
"Jul? Like the Yule in Yuletide?"
He smiled wryly. "The Christians 'absorbed' many celebrations into theirs to make the new religion more palatable."
"So…that's a yes then?" she asked.
He nodded.
"It could be fun to do something with that maybe? It'd certainly be different!"
"Think you can convince Compton to allow a boar hunt before the meal?" Eric teased.
She laughed this time.
"I don't think so," she admitted.
"Such a spoil sport," he sighed dramatically." Humans don't know the meaning of fun these days."
"Like you'd really trust a bunch of gun-toting humans to be at the party anyway," Sookie said.
"You have a point. Maybe you could change the menu instead."
"You mean, make it more traditional?"
Eric nodded. "It'll be exotic. The society crowds will go crazy for it."
"They probably would." She laughed and bit her lip once more.
Why did he find that so endearing?
"This does mean you're helping me out, right?" Sookie asked.
"I suppose I am," Eric said, wary.
"Great! Maybe we can all meet on Monday to work out the details?" She knew that by choosing Monday, he couldn't back out citing obligations for Fangtasia.
"You may tell Compton that I'll be there," Eric told her.
She smiled. "Thank you Eric. I promise you won't regret it."
His smile grew distant again, his voice softer. "I hope that's the case."
"Is everything okay, Eric?"
He realized she could see sadness in his eyes. Eric hated himself for being so weak. He replaced the sadness with bravado. "Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?"
Her eyes flashed towards the floor before looking back at him.
"Just know that I'm here to talk if you need it, okay? I'm here for you." Sookie said gently.
"Just not in the way I want you to be." The bitterness of his words rang loudly in his own ears. He didn't think about it long, he could hear her sympathy give way to irritation.
"I was only yours for a few days! Before that, you were happy to have me anyway you could. Why the change? Why does it have to be different now?"
He stepped closer, towering over her, surrounding him in a blanket of anger to make her seem even smaller than she already was.
"Because you were mine! You gave yourself to me and we were one and now there is emptiness inside me that I cannot fill!"
She took several steps back and shook her head.
"I'm sorry, all right? Do you really think I wanted to hurt you? Hurt Bill?" She stared him straight in the eyes. "Do you really think that I'm not hurting too because of this? That it wasn't hard for me to make the choice I made?"
"Not understanding you is how I came to be here now! How am I supposed to understand your decision?" Eric demanded. " How could you choose the one choice that leaves everyone hurting?"
"Because no matter what I chose, we'd all be hurting!" She said frustrated.
"And how does that work? I know that I wouldn't be bothered if Compton was sad by your decision. He even said that he'd accept it if that was your choice."
"But wouldn't it hurt you to know that even if I chose you that I'd still be hurting inside because not only would I have hurt Bill, but because I still loved him?"
"I am not human, Sookie. I would surely be irritated by your distraction, but hurt?" He scoffed at the very idea.
"Please, Eric. We both know your pride couldn't stand the thought of me still loving Bill," Sookie said with brutal honesty.
"I can make you forget about him, Sookie. If only you'd give me the chance! I can take us back to where we were, but only if you let me!"
"But even then I still thought about him!" Sookie told him before she could catch herself.
The outrage Eric felt at her words quickly faded into defeatism.
"Do you mean that Sookie? That you really couldn't forget him for even a second?"
"No more than I could forget you," she replied truthfully. "Some part of me will always love the both of you."
"If you're trying to make me feel better Sookie, you're failing miserably." Eric scowled.
"Well forgive me for trying to do what's best for everyone involved!" she snapped.
"You'll have to forgive mefor not accepting the apology!"
Sookie walked towards the door, pausing with one foot in the hallway. Her voice was frail.
"I only wanted what was best for everyone," she repeated.
"Such a human notion," he seethed.
"You were human once too," she said. "And maybe one day you'll realize that you're not that different."
Eric watched her walk back into the bar. In that moment where his heart might have beat if he were still human, he was blinded by a sudden realization. He used his speed to catch up to her in the entryway.
"It may be a human ideal, but I still love you, Sookie Stackhouse," he said breathlessly.
He could feel her heart racing as she pressed herself against the wall.
"And I still love you too," Sookie replied, just as breathlessly.
He leaned in for a kiss, but he stopped himself, afraid to hurt himself again if she didn't want this too.
"Why are you…?" she began.
It was enough for Eric. He pressed his lips against her for only seconds. It was their shortest kiss yet, but he would swear it was as intense as their first true kiss.
"I'll see you on Monday," he murmured, only inches from her lips.
She stared up at him before replying: "I wouldn't miss it for anything."
Eric smiled, his cocky grin back in place.
"Maybe this party will be entertaining after all," he allowed. "Until then."
Eric retreated into his club, humming some Christmas tune that he didn't know the name of, confident he still had a chance.
"She needn't have bothered," Eric said blandly as he watched her carry on her conversation.
"Perhaps not," Bill agreed. "But she can't help herself. And let's face it, we love her in part because of that."
Eric scowled at the word choice. Bill may be correct, but he certainly wasn't going to admit it. Nor would he admit that it was her influence that stopped him and Bill from fighting to the true death over her.
"She is truly unique, isn't she?" Eric said almost to himself. "Unlike any other humans in the room."
Bill nodded. "And not just for the blood that flows through her veins."
Eric's eyes meet Sookie's as she realized that she was being watched. She flashed a quick smile at him before returning to her conversation.
"Humans are such foolish creatures. It's hard to believe I was ever one." He nodded slightly in recognition before turning back to Bill. "Shall I leave you to your guests? Certainly you must need to mingle or eat babies or something of that sort?"
Bill nodded and laughed. "Though I will have you know that I find babies rather not worth the trouble. Not enough blood inside."
Eric watched Bill go chat up a member of the Chamber of Commerce and decided it was time to do some mingling of his own.
-
Jessica stood by the fireplace, her white smile bright as she laughed at the tale the older vampire was telling.
"Did she really have an entire village built to play in?" Jess wanted to know? She hoped one day she'd have stories like this.
She was about to get her answer when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning, any irritation she might have felt melted away at seeing Jason.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" he asked.
"Of course not! Jason, this is Henri. Henri, Jason. Henri was just telling me about the real Marie Antoinette! Is something wrong?"
"The lady who milked cows for cake or somethin'?" he asked. "And nothing Is wrong. I was just hoping we could talk."
Jessica tried to not laugh at his confusion, and then smiled apologetically at Henri. "I hope we'll get to talk more later," She offered.
Henri gave her a knowing smile and shooed her away. She liked him. She made a note to put in a good word for him with Bill before leading Jason to a dark corner in the hallway where they could talk privately.
"You left me breathless earlier tonight, you know?" he said.
"Did I now?" she cooed as she ran a finger slowly up the sleeve of his tux. "I must say you look handsome." She whispered into his ear, so only he could hear. "I'll enjoy ripping it off your body later."
She watched his eyes light up and could smell his arousal.
"I just might have to find an excuse to wear a tux more often!" He paused. "How long you think until you can make a getaway?"
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," a very disgusted, very familiar voice said.
"Hoyt!" Jessica said, unable to stop herself. "I didn't know you'd be here!"
Jason scowled, talking over her. "Excuse me? What did you just say?"
"Let it drop, Jason, please!"
She was having too good an evening to let it be ruined by petty fighting. Jess was so sick of it anyway. She held onto Jason's arm, giving Hoyt time to take his leave.
"Sorry, Jessica, I refuse to let him treat you – treat us this way." Jason pulled his arm out of her grip and chased after Hoyt.
She rolled her eyes and muttered to herself before returning to the party. Perhaps Henri would still be free to finish his story.
Back in the main hall, Hoyt marched towards Maxine, intent on grabbing his Mama and getting the hell out of there. Finding her, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards the foyer.
"We're leaving, Mama," Hoyt told her.
"But the haven't served the main course yet!" she protested around a mouth full of food.
Just then the wait staff brought out a roasted pig, complete with apple in the mouth. Hoyt could practically see his Mama drooling. He waved his hand dismissively. "Have at it Mama. But I'm getting the hell out of here."
He grabbed his coat and headed towards the truck, chiding himself the entire time for not preparing for the party better. He knew Jessica would be there. He should have known that Jason was going to be there. He could have been the bigger man, but now he looked like just as much an ass as Jason was.
"C'mon man, why can't you just let us be? I mean, I'm sorry she broke your heart and all but that was months ago!"
"Go away, Jason," Hoyt said, clenching his fists but refusing to face his former best friend.
"I miss you, man! I miss hanging out with you! I just want to be able to hang out with Jessica too."
"You mean you want to fuck her!" Hoyt spun to face this head-on. "God, Jason! Out of all the girls in this town, in this parish, in this state, you had to go fuck the one that was mine! You're pathetic and I don't want shit to do with you!"
He was about to storm over to the truck to leave when he heard his mama calling for him to wait, a plate gripped tightly in her chubby hands. He could see that it was mounded impossibly high with food. He might have been impressed if he wasn't so pissed.
"So that's it then? Thirty odd years of friendship down the crapper because you're still pissed that you and Jess couldn't make It work?" Jason countered. "I thought more of you, man! Go back and crawl under your Mama's skirts then!"
Hoyt pointed his finger at Jason, if only to stop himself from decking him. "Shut up, Jason."
"Y'all still fighting over that red-headed harlot?" he heard his Mama interrupt.
"She is not a harlot!" Jason seethed, stamping his foot. "And I'm going to tell Vampire Bill that you're stealing one of his plates!"
With that, Jason stormed back towards the house, hoping he could still salvage the night with Jessica.
Hoyt waited impatiently for Maxine to settle herself in the truck.
"I told ya, you're too good to be hanging out with that Jason Stackhouse. That family is just no good." Maxine scrunched her nose. "They're just a bunch of strange troublemakers."
He slammed his door shut. "Shut up, Mama."
He revved the truck engine and sped off into the night.
Bill finally had a few minutes of downtime. He was getting plenty of compliments about the food, the décor, the music and the auction bids looked healthy. He was pleased with how it was going and felt like he could take a short breather and catch up with Sookie now that the pleasantries had been observed.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty."
Bill turned, "Yes?"
"There's been a late arrival. She says she wishes to speak with you."
"Of course. Lead the way," Bill nodded knowing exactly who the guard meant.
Time with Sookie would, unfortunately, just have to wait again.
Eric was bored. High society hadn't changed much, which meant that the vast majority were still insufferably dull. The vampires he'd met that were campaigning for the job were a good lot, and there were a few that he could see were ready now, and maybe one more with good potential.
He debated sneaking out for some fresh air when he was pushed from behind. He was about to berate the clumsy human, politely of course, when he realized that it was Sookie.
"I'm sorry!" she said apologetically. "It was an accident."
He smiled despite himself. 'Are you sure about that?"
Sookie rolled her eyes, but she still smiled as she shook her head. "You think too highly of yourself."
"Hardly. I can't help that I have a magnetic personality."
She laughed. He missed that laugh. Had his heart still been beating, it would have stopped just at the sight of her.
"I wouldn't exactly call it magnetic," she teased as she placed her hand lightly on his arm without thinking.
Not one to pass up the easy opportunity, he rested his hand on hers. He was pleased to see how easily they could fall into a comfortable banter.
"Oh, but it is. You can't keep your hands off of me." The orchestra started a new song. "Let's make the most of it. Sookie Stackhouse, will you grant me the pleasure of this dance?"
He saw her cheeks color and her smile soften as she allowed him to lace his fingers with hers.
"Of course, I'd love to!" Sookie smiled.
She loved to dance and Eric knew it. He led her out to the small dance floor that had been created by the band. He pulled her close and inhaled the sweet scent of her hair as he spoke softly to her.
"You did a lovely job, Sookie," he told her. "You made Compton look good."
Their bodies moved easily in time with the music and with each other.
"I'm glad you came," she said softly. "I wasn't sure you would."
"I was ordered to," he said. "I had to be here. But having you here makes the evening tolerable."
"Tolerable?" She asked him skeptically. "You seem to be enjoying yourself just fine."
"Ah, but as both a vampire and a business professional I have learned to become a consummate actor." He paused before admitting "having you here with me now has turned this night into something special."
They stopped dancing as the song drew to a close. She was about to reply when Eric spotted a little girl tugging on her dress. He didn't say anything as Sookie seemed to recognize her, even as wondered about the teacup shifter.
"Excuse me," the little girl said. "But aren't you supposed to kiss?"
Their eyes followed the direction the girl was pointing and Eric realizes that they somehow wound up under a sprig of mistletoe. His eyes lit up with mirth. He was all for taking advantage of this particular tradition.
"Of course, Emma," she said as she nodded at Eric.
Being mindful of the audience, he pulled Sookie close to give her a chaste, but no less heartfelt kiss.
"Isn't that sweet?" An awfully familiar voice asked. "Now how about one for your sister?"