After Godric had gone, Sookie stood amazed, unknowingly basking in the sun that has killed him. She had never seen a sight that was so horrible and beautiful at the same time. She brought her fingers to her cheeks and found they were damp, she was crying without even realizing it.

Sookie made her way down the stairs intending to go back to her room and curl up with Bill, but then she thought of Eric. Seeing him so emotional had scared her, he had always seemed so strong, like a statue made out of stone, able to endure anything. She came out of her revelations to find herself in front of Eric's hotel door and was knocking before she knew what she was doing.

Eric opened door to see Sookie standing before him with tear stained eyes. He stood to the side and she entered without a word.

"Eric…" she said after a moment, "I'm so sorry. I know you loved him very much."

"Yes. Yes I did." Eric's expression cracked for a mere moment before he gained his composure, but in that moment Sookie could see the heartbreak of a thousand year old friendship gone.

Without thinking, she threw herself into Eric's arms and held him as tight as she could.

He was shocked. It had been almost a thousand years since anyone had held him like that. He felt like he had when he was a little boy, before years of battle had hardened him into a man. He slid to his knees and burrowed his head into her stomach, savoring the feel of the warmth of her body and the beat of her heart. He felt Sookie's hand trace circles on his shoulder while she combed his hair with her fingers.

Sookie looked down at Eric. He looked so small and so like a child that she didn't know what to do. Without realizing, she began to sing the song that Gran used to sing to her when she had nightmares as a child…

Golden slumber kiss your eyes,
Smiles await you when you rise.
Sleep,
pretty baby,
Do not cry,
And I'll sing you a lullaby.
Care you know not,
Therefore sleep,
While I o'er you watch do keep.
Sleep,
pretty darling,
Do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby.

Eric smiled in spite of himself, "Ms. Stackhouse, I do believe that you are singing a lullaby to a man who is a thousand years your senior."

She stopped abruptly and looked down to see Eric grinning up at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was doing that. I didn't mean to patronize you or anything," she said feeling embarrassed.

Eric stood. "No need to feel bad, I quite enjoyed it, I haven't been sung to since I was a human child." He walked over to the couch and sat.

Sookie was curious, "Do you remember much from your human life?"

"Some, " he said. Noticing that she was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room he gestured for her to sit down.

"Can you tell me about it?" she asked as she crossed the room. "I've never met another real live Viking."

He smiled, "If you like." He lifted his arm, inviting her to get cozy. Sookie hesitated; she wasn't sure how she felt about cuddling with a vampire who was actively pursuing her, but she curled up with Eric against her better judgment. He told her stories about old Sweden and about his wife and his children.

After a while he looked down to see Sookie sleeping in the crook of his arm. It had been a long couple of days for her and he didn't want to wake her, so he sat, unmoving, thinking about days long forgotten while Sookie, safe in his arms, was dreaming of the snow covered landscapes of his youth.

Bill realized that it had been a few hours since Sookie had gone up to the roof. Fearing the worst, he knocked on Eric's door. He heard a gruff "It's open" through the door and entered the room to see his girlfriend and Eric curled up on the couch. "What is the meaning of this?" he said in a low and menacing voice.

Eric looked up nonchalantly from the couch. "We were talking, she fell asleep and I didn't want to wake her."

Bill looked like he was trying to contain himself. "Is there any reason for your close proximity?"

Eric looked down at Sookie, "I think she was trying to comfort me." Eric looked up at Bill, still glaring daggers at him, and removed his arm from under Sookie's head, she groaned in protest. "Sookie," he said slowly, almost lovingly, "it's time to wake up."

"What happened?" she asked in a daze.

"You fell asleep. Bill's here to take you to bed."

Sookie opened her eyes realizing the compromising situation she was in. She got up and smoothed her dress, nodded to Eric and promptly left the room.

Bill started to follow her. "This isn't over," he told Eric before slamming the door on his way out.

"No," Eric told the empty room, "it's only just begun."