For Force_Oblique at livejournal
Christmas Under The Stars
PG Eric/Sookie (True Blood/SVM)
Summary: AU after DAG Crystal lived, and Sookie nearly dead from the fae war is changed by Bill. A small requested christmas fic with a happy ending and very little plot to it.
The following does not belong to me but is owned Charlarine Harris

My usual beta has been unavailable and had to work with someone else so I hope this is up to par, it might not be.

---

"Hey Sook, did you know where Gran used to store the outside lights?" Jason called from the living room, he had been helping hang decorations all day.

Sookie had been off doing a vampire political mission and had missed the entire month of December to decorate her house leaving the evening of the 24th to quickly throw together something.

"I think they're in that makeshift shed you built- on the top shelf," Sookie replied.

Jason rolled his eyes, the only reason he wasn't making that vampire boyfriend of hers do this was because he knew she had some kind of surprise cooking.

"Okay, I'm goin' out there but Sookie, Crystal and Jay are waiting," he called.

"I KNOW."

---

It took another hour or to get the tree decorated and the lights strung, but sure enough they managed to do so. The grin on Jason's face when they inspected the lights was infectious.

"Take a look at that baby, Sookie. It looks just as good as when Gran's friend used to do this," he said with male pride.

Sookie smiled and shook her head, "You're one a million, Jason. Even as an old man."

Jason scoffed brushing a piece of gray hair out of the way, "I'm 35 years old, I ain't geriatric yet."

"That's what you keep telling me but honestly, I just don't know anymore," she answered patting her older brother on the head.

Jason scowled at his immortally dead sister, "Hey there, that's just mean."

Looking at the lights, Sookie started to think back to the day she had been changed. At first, she was furious having been changed against her will by Bill, supposedly her friend. It had taken her a while to forgive him and Eric for allowing this to happen. She had imagined
when Eric ordered her changed because he unwilling to cross her wishes (and could not let her die) that he had meant Pam, but Bill beat her to the challenge.

It took a long two years before Bill was allowed back to the state of Louisiana after Eric took over as King, and another six months before Sookie would allow him to be in her presence without a direct command from him. However, now they were all finally on the same page and even
somewhat friendly with Bill.

Occasionally, enough that Sookie and Eric had flown themselves to Spain for an entire month to bail Bill out of trouble that he somehow managed to find.

She lost a lot of dreams on the way, the ability to have children, the normal life she dreamed off, she watched her friends' age from afar, and she had lost her job. However, she had gained a lover in Eric that surprisingly was still faithful, a best friend in Pam, and had she
watched Jason's son bloom into a boy.

Finally, it was time to move on, and give Eric the wish he said he would wait an eternity for and what a better time to do it than Christmas. A holiday that was younger than Eric and a belief system that wasn't even practiced when he was human. Oh the irony, at least the holiday
meant something to her.

"So this everything?"

"Yes, thanks so much for the help …"

"I know, can't do anything with your ever so strong big brother," he answered dismissively.

"Oh hush up. Besides I got you guys' gifts from Spain you needed to pick up anyway," Sookie replied.

In the back of the truck were a ton of presents for his family. Unfortunately, due to her day issues she would have to wait till the evening to visit and did not think it was fair to make young Jay wait for his aunt to rise from the grave (figuratively speaking of course).
It was a tragedy, but one that Sookie had been accustomed to over the years.

"You'll be by tomorrow night, right?"

"Of course, I won't let Eric get carried away. We aren't going to feed from the source either, they need to be home with their families. It'll be a quick night," Sookie answered easily.

Jason gave her a skeptic look, he knew what her goal was. There was no way that she would be able to reign it in that early.

"I'm setting an alarm. We'll be there by 10, even if I have to with-hold celebratory sex."

Deciding that was a good ending point, Jason made his excuses and Sookie helped him load up his old rusted down truck. They hugged and Sookie headed back to the house, she really didn't need Jason to do this anymore but it was something he did to feel closer to their Gran's memory and his sister.

Soon this was going to his son's house though. Sookie had the deed drawn up, swearing that Jay would get the house to use after he graduated from college so he wouldn't have to move back in with his parents. She wanted to keep it in the family but holding onto it letting it rot for a hundred years was not her intention. She knew Eric and her would be moving to New Orleans if this went off without a hitch tonight.

"Good luck kid."

----

"Lover?" Eric called stepping inside the house.

Sookie came over and gave him a quick kiss.

"Why do you insist on staying here? This is no place for…"

Sookie rolled her eyes, "I know the top Sheriff of Louisiana, so you keep saying every three months as if I will somehow forget your protests about moving in with you."

Sookie didn't really like being the sheriff of anything but she did it for Eric. Eric refused to trust just anyone with his old job and what made a better person than his own girlfriend/wife? Pam was already his lieutenant; she couldn't do it.

"And then, lover, you will argue that we are not wed- and we ARE."

"That doesn't count," Sookie protested, though it would count soon enough.

"It did then, it does now. You just wish to be impossible," he answered curtly.

Same argument had been going on for almost three years. Sookie wouldn't move in unless they were married the proper way but Eric already insisted they were married and should be living together on principal. Then Eric would offer to propose and Sookie would refuse, citing that he was only asking her because she demanded it and she wanted to be his idea. It was the never ending cycle but after Amelia spent weeks harassing her about it, Sookie finally saw the light. She knew she would have to tell him that it was okay for them to move in together and that she was going to accept their little Fangtasia wedding as the real deal.

Sure she would be missing a wedding dress, and guests but by now all her friends were older and some even dead. It seemed pointless to force their hands now to attend her official wedding.

"Well not so much anymore…"

Eric sat down on the couch an interested look came onto his face, "Are you ready to yield and give up this non-sense?"

Sookie sat down next to him, "I figured, I should have at least dangled this in front of you first. Or at least allowed myself to give you a wrapped a certificate I called for from the state, but that seemed pointless. You don't really celebrate Christmas and we have been arguing about this for some time. So yes Eric, I am ready to yield to your demands, but I have a few of my own."

Eric's eyes twinkled in enjoyment as he purred slightly at the news.

"And what do I need to agree on to keep you twenty four hours a day?"

"I want to keep the house; I want to give it to Jay when he's old enough to have it. I know we both stopped having sex with our donors after Storm Bill cleared out but if I'm going to move in- no more straight women for you. Get used to straight men and lesbians," she answered seriously.

"If I have to do so, I will. Is that all your requirements?" He pressed ready to get onto the more sexual part of the evening.

"You don't have any for me?" Sookie asked surprised.

Eric shook his head, "We both know you would never cheat on anyone. It was only me that you had little faith in."

Sookie managed to look ashamed for a minute. Eric was right of course, she always, with her trust issues, had problems believing that eternal sexual beings could stay the line throughout the course of their relationship. Eric, however, in the last five years, had not once cheated on her in any way shape or form. Though he did require sex quite often, and a good way to send their donors home happy- vibrators were really a useful device.

"No… I mean the house is important but you're right. That's it. I… under the tree have a box wrapped for you. It's from the state," she answered meekly.

She had officially applied for a marriage recognition license instead of a marriage license saying that their vampire marriage was to be viewed as legal through out the United States. It had taken a few months but it was accepted thanks to friends in high places.

As for any other arguments that could have taken place, well they already had. Many times over work, over Fangtasia, over her taking the job as sheriff… all had happened many times and both were happy with the compromises they had formed on the subject.

With that, Eric had gotten up from his seat and quickly opened the covered package. He looked down at the papers and raised his left eyebrow in response, "You just asked for this and they gave it to you?"

"Beats having to get married all over, right?" she teased.

Eric put the certificate down and frowned, "Lover, after all I have been through to get you to yield- this piece of paper will not do."

He quietly pulled a box from his trousers and handed it to her.

Sookie carefully opened it to see a black box, "Eric?"

"Open it."

Sookie half in awe and the other half in almost pained nerves gently opened it. Inside was a simple gold ring.

"You always said you wouldn't move in with me until you married me. I finally decided it was time to yield, lover. I had not foreseen you would give in on the same day."

For all their silly arguments, three years of him insisting it was a legal marriage, her demanding that a real marriage consisted or a ring, a proposal, and wedding with a judge or a minister, and then him declaring they had a judge in Victor. For all of that, it had come down to this, the day Sookie decided to give up her white wedding dreams was the day Eric had decided to let his pride go and propose to her the human way as she always wanted.

Sookie started to laugh hysterically. Eric managed to give her a look that suggested he thought she had just gone insane.

"Oh god, Eric! How we managed to do this!"

Letting her fangs down, she gave him a look filled with lust, dropped the black box with the ring inside on the table counter top, and pushed Eric back down on the sofa tearing the certificate in half in the process.

Between kisses, he mumbled out a question, "What do you intend do now, lover?"

"We'll worry about it tomorrow. We only have thirty minutes before we have to go see my brother and I really want to have you."

And so they did- whatever happened next they would worry about tomorrow. After all, they had forever.

Finis.